Encouragement

1 Thess. 5:1-11

Paul reminds us to be ready for the coming of the Lord because He will come like a thief in the night when He is least expected. But it should be no problem for those who belong to Him since we are not of the night but of the day. Those of the day are sober having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. In addition we are covered in His grace which gives us His strength and endurance for living out each day. Our destiny is not one of wrath, foolishness, or ignorance instead we are saved through Jesus Christ our Lord and have an eternal future and inheritance with the saints in light. So these words are an encouragement to us. We need not fear that the Lord hasn't come yet, He will, and whether we are alive or asleep it makes no difference. We will be together with Him for eternity. Wow!

Father,

Thank You for this encouragement today. Thank You for giving me a destiny with You and Jesus. You have saved and kept me. My heart is full. Thank You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Commands

1 Thess. 4:9-12

Paul has given commands to the Thessalonians, commands that concern their [and our] daily living. First is to love one another. Pretty basic but so often forgotten! Col. 3: 14 says, Above all these put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 1 Cor. 13 describes the qualities of this love, patient, kind, does not envy or boast, is not arrogant or rude, does not insist on its own way, is not irritable or resentful, does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Yikes! That pretty much spells it out. Quite the command! Who can do it? No one apart from the strength and grace that God supplies. I would think that most people have a long way to go on this command. 

Secondly, to aspire to live quietly. How is that even possible in our day and age? So much noise, commotion, and hurrying from one event to another. Crowding so much into each day barely leaving time to think. Yet, we are commanded to do this. We must then evaluate our life styles. Are we crowding too much into each day? Are we seeking time to be quiet and listen to God, to soak in His word and cherish our time with Him. 

Then, to mind our own affairs. It makes me laugh to think of this since we even have TV shows centered around minding other people's affairs! But personally, why this command? Perhaps it has to do with keeping us from judging others. If we are minding our own affairs, we can then focus on praying for others without throwing our 2 cent's worth into their lives. We can begin to see these people from God's point of view not ours.

Finally, to work with our hands so that we would not be dependent on others and be walking properly before others. It is not right that we be moochers or beggars without seeking employment. Also too much time on our hands breeds problems like countless hours surfing the web. Funny how this phrase is not really used anymore. How many people actually work with their hands? It is something for us to think about and apply. Are we providing for ourselves as much as is possible?

All of these commands are necessary for pleasing the Lord. It is right that we pray about them and ask God for the strength and grace to implement them. There is always the possibility that wherever there is a list, we will make it something we check off. But not so in God's realm! As Paul said he worked as hard as he could but through the grace of God that was in him. This is what we must do!

Father,

Thank You for these practical words today. Help me to obey in all areas.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Denial

Lk. 9:23-26

And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Following Jesus means denying self and taking up our cross daily. Denying self seems like an impossible task, but through the strength that God supplies, we can make some inroads into this denial. In the footnote of my Bible, it says denying personal control of my life. That makes sense. to deny self is to deny my right to run my life thus allowing God to have this right [which really rightfully by rite of creation should be His.].  Phew, a lot of rights there!

But taking up the cross, what is this cross? Certainly it is a cross that all believers must bear, a cross that must parallel the cross of Christ. His cross was one of intense suffering, pain, separation, mockery, and isolation from the One He loved most, His Father. So for the believer it would mean that I should walk in His footsteps, steps of suffering and separation. Following Jesus will lead to persecution in some form whether it is physical abuse or mockery. It can also mean separation from family and friends, a cutting away from familial ties. Quite a cross! This too would need the strength that only God supplies.

So if we lose our lives here in this life, we will save our life eternally. If we give up control of our life here, we will spend eternity in heaven with Christ. For what is gained by fighting for control here and losing our souls for eternity? Absolutely nothing! Satan has so magnified the claims of this world, that people can't imagine life without all this world system has to offer. But a closer look would reveal its true emptiness and insatiability. Even though it seems heavy, that is denying self and taking up His cross, He supplies the only true fulfillment and satisfaction there is to be found. A life lived for Jesus may have some really rough times, but He is right beside us in whatever we go though. A life lived for Jesus is like none other!

Father,

Strengthen me when I encounter suffering and affliction. Strengthen me in denying myself. Both of these areas seem so hard. I know that in myself it is not possible. I must and want to rely on You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Words

Col. 4:1-6

As I read these few verses, several things come to mind. First, that I should be continuing steadfastly in prayer. Why is prayer so hard? I study without any problem, but when it comes to prayer I am inconsistent. It says here to be watchful in prayer with thanksgiving. Watchful of what? The roaring lion seeking someone to devour. If I am not praying, I am easy prey for the one who wants me to fail. Prayer is my guard, my protection, my strength. And yes, always with thanksgiving. Our lives have suffering and affliction as did Jesus' life. He said we are to follow in His footsteps. For that, we need much prayer and help from the Holy Spirit. 

Paul was deeply concerned about having more doors of opportunity to share the gospel. Even though he shared constantly, he wanted to share more so he asked believers to pray. Such a burden we should have! Then Paul says that we should walk in wisdom toward unbelievers.  Our lives, words, actions, and attitudes say so much about Jesus. We are His windows to the world. Whenever we slack off, what does it say to the world? 

Not only are we to walk wisely, but we are to make the best use of our time. So when we are around unbelievers, we need to examine our use of time. Are we seeing opportunities or are we just involved in chatter without any spiritual emphasis? Are we looking into the lives of others seeing their needs and then trying to meet those needs? Are our words ministering to those that God brings into our lives?

Finally, our speech needs to be seasoned with salt so that we may know how to answer each person. 'Salt' is a unique concept. It refers back to Mt. 5:13 where Jesus tells us we are the salt of the earth. We are here for seasoning, for healing, and for preservation. So if we think of this as we answer people, it would make a huge difference. Are my words healing or preserving? Are they seasoning or giving people a direction in their life? Are they what Jesus would say? He had a way of looking into a person and seeing their true need. We need to have this same spiritual vision.

Father,

I bring my life before You know for You to use as You know best. Open my mouth wisely. Make my time count. Let my eyes see opportunities and needs. Help me to pray consistently.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Put to Death

Co. 3:1-11

If we have been raised with Christ...Certainly we say that we have. We attested to it in baptism, but is it a reality in our lives. If it is, then we will seek spiritual, heavenly things. We will seek Jesus Christ Himself. Why? Because we have died to the flesh, and our lives our hidden with Christ in God, hidden no longer to be seen. If only that were true, then our flesh, our selfishness wouldn't be so evident.

So what do we do to make this a reality? We must put to death certain things in our life. If we were to put to death a living being, they would cease to exist. The same should be true here.We must make no allowances for these things to ever be seen in our lives again, and if they do surface, we must instantly grieve over them and kill them again. Sadly, too often we make allowances for them and let them coexist with our struggling spirituality. 

This passage lists those things we must put to death: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, idolatry. Oh, we say, these are no problem! But the list goes on, and these may hit a little closer to home. anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, and lying. None of these things must be found in a believer's life. They definitely cannot coexist with the Spirit of God who indwells us.The passage says that on account of these the wrath of God is coming. Scary! Since we have a new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator we must put off the old self with everything associated with it. Strong words and very black and white. It really leaves no room for those little things that we call personality traits or weaknesses. This calls them sin!

Father,

Give me grace and strength to deal with these areas as sin. Help me never to allow them in my life. Prick my conscience. Make me grieve. It seems like the flesh has such a strong hold on me in certain areas. Help me!

In Jesus name,

Amen

Strong Words

Col. 2:8-15

Paul minces no words as he issued this warning! Beware of philosophy and empty deceit, endless discussions about the minutia of  human thought, human traditions, and the elemental spirits of the world! Why? Because these things have the power to take our minds captive. Satan has crafted them to be his agents of slavery. For the Christian this is serious business! Christ did not save us to have us be captives of foolish, earthly thought. 

In fact, Christ's power is much greater than Satan's. In Him is the whole fullness of God, and amazingly, we have been filled in Him. God has designed it so that there are no empty spaces left for foolishness. Since Christ is the head of all rule and authority, he has canceled the debt that stood against us with its legal demands. How? Not by judicial order which He could have done, but by His willing and humbling sacrifice on the cross.When He died, He disarmed rulers and authorities triumphing over them. He revealed their true identity and put them to open shame. This is our Christ, the One who has filled us with Himself! So why would we open the door to be a slave of a conquered ruler? Pure Foolishness!

His death on the cross canceled our debt of sin by His taking our place and our penalty. He also circumcised our hearts with a circumcision not by human hands by putting off the body of our flesh and freeing us from the power of Satan. In baptism, we are buried with Christ, and then rise up with Him in faith. Even though we were dead in our sins and the uncircumcision of our hearts, God made us alive together with Christ with our sins forgiven and our debt of sin canceled. All of this through the powerful working of God who also raised Christ from the dead. This same power that raised Christ from the dead is resident within us! Amazing Grace! So in light of all this, why would we allow philosophy and empty deceit to make us captives? Foolishness! It is just that, empty! 

Father,

Thank You for blessing my life with You and Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for forgiving my sin and canceling my debt of sin. Thank You for filling me with Your Son and circumcising my heart. Thank You for removing the power of sin in my life, for freeing me from its slavery. Thank You!

In Jesus name,

Amen

In Christ

Col. 2:1-7

Paul struggled for the Colossians and the Laodiceans not because he wanted to see them again but because he had never seen them at all. Having this deficit made their spiritual growth and progress paramount in his thinking. What exactly was the struggle? No doubt it was in prayer and concern. He desired that they be encouraged by his words, that they be knit together in love, and that they reach the full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery that is Christ. So much in Christ! He wanted them to have it all because in Christ was hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Christ had radically transformed Paul's life, and he wanted others to experience this same radical transformation. So even though he was not with them personally, he was with them in spirit, the spirit they commonly shared because of Jesus Christ. 

Then we come to the 'therefore, the conclusion of the thoughts previously stated. Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. [Amazing how Paul can say so much in one sentence!] Once Jesus is in the life, we must walk in Him! He is not in our lives to be hidden! We are His window to the world, the evidence of His transforming power. When we walk in Him, we need to be rooted and built up in Him. How? Soaking up His words. Knowing what He is all about, what His ethics and principles are, knowing how all His words apply to our lives, and then living them out! When we do this we are established in the faith. However, we can never rest on our laurels since the Word is living and active. Every time we read or study, it teaches us more and grows us more. A life lived out through Jesus is a life that is ever growing and changing making us life-long learners of Jesus Christ! Our hearts are full of thanksgiving because He fills our vision each moment and our hearts constantly. When we are focused on Him and not on the world, we don't become discontent or covetous. Because in Christ we are content and thankful because He has satisfied us completely. What a life to be lived in Jesus Christ!

Father,

Thank You for Jesus Christ and all He is to me. Thank You for His words that I may know Him and You better.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Reconciled!

Col. 1:15-29

What a declaration! Jesus has reconciled us in His body of flesh by His death. It is amazing when you think about it! The verses immediately preceding this declaration describe who Jesus is, the image of the invisible God and Creator of all. He preceded all things and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church., the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, the preeminent one. In Him the fullness of God dwells and through Him is all reconciliation. He is the peacemaker through His shed blood. This God, this person of such exalted greatness offered His body to death so that even when we were filthy with sin, We might be saved, be reconciled to God. Wow!! This is the ultimate gift! And why would he do this since we are nothing in ourselves and have nothing to offer God. He did this in order that He might present us holy and blameless and above reproach before Him. What a vision God had for us! he could see us before the Father standing pure! All this given to us! But what do we do? Through His grace, strength, and power we must continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard. 

Father,

Help me to be stable and steadfast. Strengthen me in Your love and power.

In Jesus name,

Amen

The Hills

Ps. 121

As the psalmist lifted up his eyes to the hills so to I must lift up my eyes each day. Perhaps the hills meant he was nearing his place of worship and was almost to his desired destination, or perhaps it means that there was danger in the hills, a danger that wanted to keep him from Jerusalem. Either way, I can identify. There is danger in the world, a danger that can be feared depending on where a person lives in the world, or as I look I can see the hand of God in everything. I can see the great power of God in creation and His power over an individual life. 

Like the psalmist, I know that my helps comes from the Lord. There is no other person who can provide the help that I need, that can protect, strengthen, guide, or comfort me. He is the One! He never slumbers and has the power to keep everyone person on this earth at the same time since He is the God of ultimate power and control. He is the creator! He keeps me from evil and keeps charge of all the details of my life. You name it, He has control of it. He is much more than a manager or the most powerful person on this earth. He is a power unlike any man has seen or ever will see, yet He has reached down to man individually and has established a relationship with him through His Son, Jesus Christ. What have I to fear? Man could only end this life, but has no power over eternity. God can has control of this life and eternity as well. Certainly, the psalmist had a handle on who God really was! He must have known Him personally as do I. Praise Him for His watch care over me!

Father,

Thank You for this beautiful psalm. How it blesses my heart this morning. Thank You that You are in control of my life. There are too many decisions that I do not have the wisdom to even begin figure out. It must be You, all You!

In Jesus,

Amen

Hypocrites

Lk. 6:39-42

It is a strange phenomena indeed that allows a person to see a fault or even faults in someone else's life when they can't see a much bigger fault (s) in their own life. Pride uses such clever subterfuge! Jesus calls this person a hypocrite. If this is the case, and it is, then all the hypocrites are not just in the church since this behavior cuts across all humanity. But for the Christian it is particularly heinous! 

We are filled with the Holy Spirit of God, forgiven and shown God's love, and yet we can't extend this same forgiveness and love to others. Instead we become self-righteous and condescending looking down on others and seeing their faults without ever looking in the mirror. James diagnoses this person as someone who looks in a mirror without seeing the reality of what they are. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. Truly this is the hypocrite. He has forgotten what he looks like because he is so focused on what others look like. He is so busy being the 'holy spirit' for others that he does not see what the Holy Spirit is revealing in his own life. What a word for all of us! There is in all of us this same flaw if only in varying degrees. So our only recourse: Be in tune with the Spirit. Seek the face of God and be ever so attentive to what He says to us about us!

Father,

Keep my eyes focused on You not on others. Help me always see what I look like through Your lens, and then help me to confess and repent. Help me to draw close to You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

A Future

Phil. 3:10-21

Paul knew his future was secure. Through the grace of God, he would press on to identify with Jesus because Jesus had made Paul His own. Amazingly, He has done that for all of us who claim His name, and for me in particular! Paul knew there was nothing gained from looking behind. It was over and done! But looking to the future had great possibilities. He strained forward to grasp the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. This was his prize! And it is my prize as well! And so it is for every believer! 

Paul also issued a caution: if you set your mind on earthly things, then your end is destruction and your god is your belly. You are doomed to a life of what is perceived as sensual satisfaction when in reality, it is only a tease making you want more and more without ever being truly satisfied.  But for believers who realizes that their citizenship is in heaven, it is a hopeful wait for our savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our body of flesh to be like His glorious body. Wow! What could be better than that! No more aches and pains. No more disappointment and failures! No more grief and sorrow! No more insecurity or fear! Only a glorious body that is like Jesus Christ Himself! 

Father,

Thank You for such a gift! For choosing me and giving me an inheritance with the saints in light. For giving me the grace to strain forward for the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Thank You for a future that is like no other here on earth!

In Jesus name,

Amen