harmony

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.

- Romans 15:5 (NLT)

 

It is time we all step back and take a look at what we are doing.

What are our children seeing when they watch us?

Are they seeing us help our neighbor when he’s in trouble?

Are they seeing us comfort a friend that is hurting?

Or are they seeing us turn our back on those in need?

Walking away when someone cries out for help?

God created us to live together in harmony, and if you claim to be a Christian, I am telling you that a true follower of Christ would not let the things of this world cause anger and hatred between our brothers and sisters. 

Step back and see what you are leaving for future generations.

I hope it is not hate, but love and harmony.

be still

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

- Psalm 46:10

 

In the craziness of today’s world, we all need a break.

Take that break with the Father.

Be still.

Listen to the wind or the rain.

Be still.

Listen to His creation around you.

Be still.

Know that He is God.

Be still.

crying

Jesus wept. 

- John 11:35

 

This is the shortest verse in the Bible.

And perhaps one of the most powerful.

Jesus was moved to tears by the sorrow of Mary and Martha over the death of their brother Lazarus.

All of their friends were crying, mourning the death of their friend.

Lazarus, Mary and Martha were friends of Jesus too, and He shared in their sorrow.

I’d like to think that Mary and Martha found comfort in His tears.

I’d like to believe that when I am sad, Jesus cries with me too.

Jesus loves us that much, that our sadness does not leave Him unmoved.

We never cry alone, He is there, maybe He isn’t crying, but He is holding us while we cry. 

you are worthy

The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.

- Psalm 145:9

 

There is a place at the table for all who have sinned and repented.

I am not sure if I am quoting that correctly, but I have heard my pastor say it a lot over the past few weeks.

No matter what your sin, no matter how terrible your decision was, if you really truly regret what happened and ask for forgiveness, you will find a compassionate Father.

You don’t have to live with your past mistakes, ask for help getting past them and receive the full mercy of God.

Your past does not define you.

You are worthy of His love.

Don’t ever think that He can’t possibly love you, because He made you and He loves every bit of you.

Start a new life with Jesus, it is so much better in His light.

do as I say

He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

—Proverbs 10:17

 

A child will imitate their parents, grandparents, whoever they happen to be around.

Often you’ll hear an adult tell a child “do as I say, not as I do.”

What kind of lesson is that?

What are we teaching a child when we tell them they have to do the exact opposite of what they see us do?

Every thing we do, someone sees us doing that thing, and how we carry ourselves can impact others, for better or for worse.

Just like we see others doing things, it may affect how we react, and sometimes, we really need to think through our reactions.

When we see or hear about something happening and we go off on a tangent, we are not just harming ourselves, we are causing others to be hurtful and harmful as well.

The choices we make do not just impact us, we seriously need to remember that.

Be disciplined, choose the way to life.

where is your house?

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

- Matthew 24:27

 

Have you ever gone to the beach and tried to build a sand castle, only to have the waves come in and knock it down after all your hard work? 

Or how about building a bird house, only to have it fall apart when a wind comes along and knocks it out of the tree? 

What of those three little pigs who each chose something different to build their houses?

All of these examples boil down to the same thing: it matters what foundation you choose.

Your sandcastle, can’t be built on sand that is gong to wash away.

Your birdhouse needs a stable bottom for the sides and roof to withstand the wind.

Those piggies, they needed a good base and building material to have a house that lasts.

It is the same with your spiritual house, you have to have a solid foundation on which to build.

Jesus gives you that solid rock on which to stand (oh yeah, old hymn reference!)

Listen to what Jesus has to say, and follow His words.

Your spiritual house will withstand any storm, as long as you have Jesus.

wisdom

Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord. But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death.”

- Proverbs 8:34-36

 

Choose wisely.

How often in our lifetime do we hear those words?

From the time we are a little kid, when we are offered two things, we need to choose wisely to ensure the best for ourselves.

We are instructed by God to use good judgement.

King Solomon specifically asked God for wisdom to lead Israel, and God gave him wisdom.

Are we choosing wisely when we have a decision to make?

Are we listening to what God has to say about the situation?

When we choose wisely, the blessings do follow, but when we don’t make the right decision, we see the impact all around us.

darkness

The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.

- Proverbs 4:18-19

 

Are you afraid of the dark?

I kind of am.

I like to have some form of light in every room in the house, it is only during extreme migraines that I want total darkness.

I think it is because I don’t like tripping over stuff, and when I can’t see what is in front of me I am more likely to stumble.

When we walk with God, we are walking in the bright light of day, but when we turn our backs on Him, we might as well be walking in total darkness, and we are going to slam face first into something painful. 

Why walk in the dark, when the light is only a breath away?

Reach out for God, His way will be lit for you to follow.

 

blessings in disguise

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

—John 16:33

 

It is really, really hard to find blessings in everything that we go through, especially when we are living in the moment.

Sometimes, we won’t ever see the blessings in disguise while we reside on earth.

How can the death of a loved one be a blessing?

How does losing a job manifest itself as a blessing?

How does the willful destruction of a relationship by another person become a blessing?

Sometimes we have to look beyond ourselves. 

We might have experienced something horrible, so that we are able to show compassion when it happens to someone we know.

God shows us mercy and love, brings us peace and hope even when we are struggling and hurt, and this teaches us comfort, so we are able to comfort others.

Oh yes, there is a song reference here:

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Our pain may be insufferable to us at the time, but looking back, we made it through.

And maybe our method of coping and getting out of the darkness will help someone else to come through their troubles.

it’s relevant!

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

-Hebrews 4:12

 

I hear people all the time, trying to justify what they are doing by saying that the Bible is no longer relevant.

People that feel like the Bible doesn’t speak to modern life.

I don’t know how they can feel this way, and I am given a pretty lame list of reasons:

It was written so long ago.

It was written by men.

The stuff that happened is just stories, not actual events.

See? Pretty lame.

Every word of Scripture has truth in it, and so much of that truth is relatable, even today.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, every single emotion and reaction can be found in His word.

How can anyone believe that it doesn’t matter?

what are you wearing?

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

- Ephesians 6:11-12

 

Oh goodness. 

There is so much craziness in the world today, everywhere we turn is another unbelievable thing happening.

The devil is hard at work right now, trying to turn humans against the Father.

Darkness is close by, lurking around every corner – he is trying to steal your soul!

Don’t let society steer you away from God – you know the difference between right and wrong, and if you don’t pick up your Bible!

We cannot let the corruption and evil of this world turn us from the one true God, we have to fight back with everything that we have, and that takes the full armor of God.

The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace on your feet, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

It sounds pretty heavy but in reality it protects your heart, soul and spirit from the one that would see you crushed.

What are you wearing?

not alone

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

- John 14:18-19

 

Jesus was preparing His disciples for what He knew was coming, His arrest, death and resurrection, but He could not exactly tell them that they would watch Him die, and then see Him raised from the dead.

Even though they had witnessed many of His miracles, had He told them outright what was coming, they probably would have thought He’d gone loopy.

But He wasn’t loopy.

Even though He had to leave earth, He wanted His disciples to know that they would never be alone, that He would be with them always and give them an eternal life with Him.

That is huge!

And you know what? It is the same for us!

Jesus is with us, every second of every day – we are never alone! 

When we feel like there is no where left to turn – look up!  He is there, waiting for us to run to His arms, because He lives, we are alive in Him.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow (yes, that is a song reference).

There is no such thing as being alone when you have Jesus.   

 

changed

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

- 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (NKJV)

 

Did any of you read the “Left Behind” series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins?

It was a series of 16 novels published between 1995 and 2007, a fictional account of the rapture, the rise of the antichrist and basically the end of days.

An interpretation of the Biblical apocalypse.

In the last few decades I have heard many people claim we are in the end times, I have seen people point their fingers at political leaders claiming that they are the antichrist.

Newsflash – we are not going to know.

Prophets from the Old Testament knew things were going to happen, but they didn’t know when.

And we are not going to know when either.

Is Jesus coming back? Of course He is.

Are we living in the end times? Maybe.

If we think that we are going to see the end of the world as we know it, perhaps we need to examine the way we are living now, so that when that moment comes, we are ready and not “left behind”.   

 

accounting

For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me.  And every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

- Romans 14:11-12 (NKJV)

 

We all have to answer for the things we do.

It might be that we clocked out a little early from work, or maybe borrowed something without asking, eventually it will come back to us.

Sometimes it is not pretty, but we have to confess our wrongdoing.

This is true in life and it will be true in the end, we all have to answer to God for what we have done here on earth.

Do you want to go to Him with a long list of transgressions, or a list of accomplishments?

I want to account for the good things, I think we all do, but is your list long or sadly short?

Think about what you do every day, and make sure you are not going to be embarrassed by your actions when it comes time to face the Lord.

 

giving

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

- Acts 20:35

 

When we are teaching our children about being generous, we often use this verse as a basis for what we want them to learn.

We should also remember it ourselves.

When the apostle Paul was traveling to spread the good news of God’s grace, he found himself saying goodbye to the people he met along the way, specifically in this verse, the Ephesian Elders. 

He explained to them that they must continue to teach the Word of God, that as leaders they needed to GIVE to the people.

He wasn’t telling them to give their money, he wanted them to give their time, to teach the people about God, to sacrifice themselves happily for the teaching of others.

I feel like this still holds true, how often have you been asked by a friend to grab a cup of coffee to catch up? 

That friend is looking for your gift of time, maybe they have something on their heart they need to share with you, or maybe they know that you need to talk.

Perhaps they want to know more about your walk with Jesus, and what a blessing to give them the gift of knowing they can have a relationship with Him too!

I am blessed by the gifts that God gave me, and I am more than happy to share with you!

overwhelmed

Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.

- 1 Chronicles 16:11

 

“Overwhelming circumstances are always met with God's overwhelming strength”.

I wish that I could take credit for that profound statement, but I can’t, I found it on the internet.

In this case, something we read on the internet is true!

We have all been there, drowning in our anxiety, feeling like we have hit rock bottom.

Then suddenly the bottom is pulled from under our feet and we falling further and further down.

We have the power to stop the uncertainty, to put an end to the insanity.

That power can be found in God’s word.

When we feel stressed out alone, in pain, let’s pick up the Bible instead of letting our thoughts crush our soul.

When you begin to read His word, His presence and peace will begin to fill your heart and mind.

“Overwhelming circumstances are always met with God's overwhelming strength”.

And now you know where to look.

material things

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

- Luke 9:25

 

Who doesn’t want a nice house, a fancy car, name brand clothing and everything their heart desires?

I seriously cannot think of a single person that I know that at one point in time or another has not wished for something that was out of reach.

But at what cost?

We work so hard to “live the good life” and we miss the little things.

We sacrifice time with family to make sure our presentation for work is ready, or to meet that important client.

It’s time to stop.

What good will that nice house be, if you don’t have family to fill it with love and laughter?

How important do you look in your fancy car, if you have no where to go because you’ve left your friends behind in pursuit of the next big thing?

TobyMac sings “I don’t want to gain the whole world and lose my soul”

Look up the song and listen to it.

The words might hit home.

double-edged

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

- James 3:9-12

 

This is probably one of my greatest challenges.

When everything is going well, I am happy, I sing, I enjoy life.

But then WHAM! That horrible person has to come in and just be a jerk and ruin my day.

When that happens, the same voice that was singing praise songs is now saying words that I am embarrassed even come out of my mouth.

Every day I wake up and ask God to fill me with His spirit, to let me be a beacon of light to those who do not know Him.

It’s hard to be a bright light when you have an overwhelming desire to scream at someone.

So this is something that I have to work on every day, every minute of every day.

I want to be who God wants me to be, so I will continue to pray for grace and patience.

God does still work in us when we let Him.

chaos

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

- Isaiah 26:3

 

The world around us is in chaos.

“Unprecedented times” indeed.

Maybe you are used to craziness with work schedules, kids in school, too many activities and never a moment of peace.

Perhaps you just feel overwhelmed with all of the turbulent emotions surrounding the upcoming elections and just want one day where you don’t hear about the negativity gong on in our country. 

Peace.

Do we even know what it is?

We can know, and deep down we do know.

We can find peace in the middle of this mess by putting Jesus first.

Wake up in the morning, and think of Him first, instead of that first cup of coffee or getting ready for work.

Before you go to bed at night, think of Him, thank Him for everything you had that day.

By turning to Jesus, you will find peace in the chaos.

 

beatitude attitude

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

- Matthew 5:3-12

 

You might recognize this as being the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus listed the blessings that the Father would bestow upon us.

The Beatitudes.

The definition of “attitude” is “a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person’s behavior”.

Reflected in a person’s behavior.

Take the words “poor in spirit”, it doesn’t mean lacking in spirit or even poverty as one might think, but instead Jesus is telling us to be humble in our spirits, realizing that we need God. 

How many of us are ready to fully admit that?

What if we adjusted our attitudes to have a beatitude attitude?

What if we come before God, humble, mourning, meek, hungry and thirsty for His word, merciful to others, pure in out hearts, peaceful instead of argumentative, and yes, even persecuted for what we believe? 

We will be lead to the kingdom of Heaven, were we will find comfort, fulfillment, mercy, we are His children and we will see Him in the kingdom.

I’ve often noticed that if I choose to find happiness, love and peace instead of dwelling in sorrow, hate and anger my attitude toward everything is better.

And my attitude is reflected on those around me.

Who wants to be around the person that is always cranky?

Check your attitude this morning, is it a beatitude attitude?

plans

But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!

- Habakkuk 2:3 (TLB)

 

Habakkuk had a vision, where he asked the Lord how long he needed to cry for help before God would listen.

I am sure that we all feel that way sometimes, how often do we pray for something, beg God, try to make deals with God, just wanting answers.

In his vision, God told Habakkuk to write down His answers so that he could share it with others.

God told Habakkuk that the time would come when his questions would be answered, that the truth of God’s plan would be revealed, but here is the catch – the answers would come in God’s timing, not Habakkuk’s. 

It is quite the same with us, God’s answers will come, but it’s in His timing, not ours.

We may want a lot of things, and God will answer, we just have to be patient, and we have to understand that we may not get the answer that we want, but that is a verse for a different day.  

it’s a trap!!

Fear and intimidation is a trap that holds you back. But when you place your confidence in the Lord, you will be seated in the high place.

- Proverbs 29:25 (TPT)

 

I have serious anxiety issues, to the point where my anxiety has kept me from doing things I enjoy.

The anxiety is likely rooted in fear, and fear can hold you back. 

Musicians seem to put this in better words than I can so here are the choruses of two (two!) favorite songs:

Fear, you don't own me

There ain't no room in this story

And I ain't got time for you

Telling me what I'm not

Like you know me well guess what?

I know who I am

I know I'm strong

And I am free

Got my own identity

So fear, you will never be welcome here

And song two:

Fear, he is a liar

He will take your breath

Stop you in your steps

Fear he is a liar

He will rob your rest

Steal your happiness

Cast your fear in the fire

'Cause fear he is a liar

I have many fears, but I have got to learn to place my fears at the foot of the cross, because me giving in to my fear is telling God that I don’t trust Him.

I am not willing to tell God I don’t trust Him, not after all He has done for me.