Never Give Up part 4

Today is the final "chapter" in our study of Psalm 126. We have walked with the Israelites on their journey from Babylon back to Jerusalem. This "miracle" to them was nothing more than fulfillment of HIS word and an answer to their prayers.

Our treasure follows the line that even after we see God work powerfully He may still have some things to teach us, read on.....

"Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed but they sing as they return with the harvest."

I can only imagine the Israelite who returned to his city. Seeing all the destruction, desolation and decay of 70 years must have been a horrible sight. Now, after a few days as reality starts to set in, they realize that their is no market, no farms, no fields or vineyards to supply for each family who had returned. It was on them to do the work and prepare for their future or the consequences would be life threatening.

Each family no doubt had brought some food, grains with them on their journey. Of course their purpose was to use the grains to make food to meet today's hunger needs. But then they realized they were in a dilemma. In order for them to plan and prepare for the future they would have to sacrifice their present supply. Interesting! ?

In order for them to survive in the future they would have to sacrifice themselves TODAY! This may help us understand the planting in tears and weeping part a bit. They knew that hungry days may be ahead. Difficult days, trying days not just for them but their families, their children etc. I can see with my minds eye those faithful men as the wept and planted in the same stroke. Step by step they cried, and sowed as they made their way though their fields.

But that is not the end of the story....They also understood the lesson. Planting today would mean survival tomorrow. To only eat today would mean to starve tomorrow. Simply put this was a lesson on FAITH. Those that planted believed that their would be a future harvest and they would one day bring their bounty with them. They planted by faith.

Isn't it exciting to see how God is STILL teaching them. Even after the huge answer to prayer they had already received, they still had lessons to learn and had to depend on Jehovah God to provide for them. But it did cost them. They had to choose to invest in their own future. They would return in the future with shouts of joy and songs of praise when they returned with the harvest.

Our lesson for the day.... 1) We are on a constant journey of faith. Just because HE has done great things in your life does not mean you (or I for the matter) have arrived at spiritual bliss. We still have lessons to learn. He will still take us to places where we have to depend on HIM.

2) Faith that does not sacrifice should not expect anything. What I mean is that it must cost us. We must have to be squeezed in some manner. Financially, materially, emotionally, traditionally and yes, physically to name a few. If we only give where there is no pain (weeping and tears) their is no faith. The Widow who gave her mite, gave all she had. It cost her. The disciples left all to follow Jesus. These fathers sacrificed their daily provision to supply for their future and others. If it cost us nothing then we should anticipate nothing. Without faith it is impossible to please HIM!

3) Our actions prove our position. If we are exercising faith, you can see it by our actions. James says it, show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith BY MY WORKS!!! When we are depending on HIM, we are depending on HIM. When we are depending on self, we aren't depending on HIM. So what do your actions prove regarding your walk. Is it of faith? Or are you walking in the SAFE zone....

Let me simply say this, when going through troublesome times, pray, pray and pray some more. WHen HE answers, and HE will, give HIM praise. But that is not the end. There are more lessons to learn. More things to grasp of the awesomeness of our God. Faith will be required. Sacrifice is the key to the bigger picture. When we have nothing left to depend on but HIM, HE will make the way. He will provide, He will sustain.

SO my brothers and sisters, sow your seeds. Sow them by faith and in obedience. Sow them liberally and sacrificially and then wait for HIS harvest. It will come. He will show HIMSELF strong!!!! And you will SING, you will be able to celebrate but only as you allow HIM to have HIS way....in you!!!

You'll be glad you did.

Blessings

Bruce

Never Give Up! Part 3

We continue today in our study of Psalm 126. This psalm is such a blessing as we work our way through it and consider all it teaches us regarding prayer, faith provision as well as growing in our faith. Today's treasure is found in the 4th verse...

"Restore our fortunes, LORD, as streams renew the desert." Psalm 126:4

Now if you have a King James, man what a different translation. It says "bring back our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the South." NKJV

Translators struggle with this as well. When we read the KJV it leads us to believe that the Psalmist says take me back to our captivity. Well, nothing could be farther from the truth. We must simply look a little deeper into the Hebrew word translated "captivity." This word is also translated fortunes, prosperity, resources, and some believe it can refer to the remaining captives. Interesting???

Well when the words give us a bit of a struggle we look deeper into the context. Remember the children of Israel were celebrating their return from Babylon. 70 years of praying and crying out to God has now resulted in HIS fulfilling HIS promise to them. The result was one of phenomenal celebration. But remember, that context as we look at verse 4.

They were headed home. Imagine coming back to your city after 70 years. The battle that destroyed the city had been decades earlier. Nothing but looting and decay had taken place since their departure. Once beautiful buildings, homes, streets, gardens, vineyards, and of course, the Temple, all in complete disarray. Hard to even grasp the magnitude of their first sight of home, Jerusalem.

I believe that verse 4 gives us a look into their heart. Their cry was one of desperation. One of complete and utter despair at what they now knew as home. As they walked once beautiful streets, they walked through a jungle like maze of destruction and desolation. They then remembered that they had seen desolation around them all the time.

It is the desert that resides to their South. They also remembered that yearly their gracious God would provide rain. Not just showers but rain and lots of it. So much so that those regions that often were parched and dry as well as barren would often become streams of running water that would flood into the lowest lying areas. Then a miracle would take place....those desert regions would then turn a beautiful green. Gardens would spring from desolation. Green would carpet their lands but only after those streams flowed from above.

Thus the motive of their prayers. God, the One who just delivered us from our captives, we now beg you to restore, to bring back our former glory. We ask that You restore our prosperity, our resources, just like You restore the desert places.

There are several beautiful principles here....1) Do you have a former glory? What I mean is, was there a time when you were more in love with your Lord? When you served Him more fervently, more sacrificially, more obediently? If so, is this your prayer for yourself? Bring back our fortunes, our blessing, our former glory Lord! It should be. Too many christians today are far too far away from the One who loves them so. Come home dear christian. Ask Him to restore unto you the Joy of your salvation, to bring back the fortunes of His grace.

2) Are you accessing the resources of heaven in your prayer life? Now what I mean by this is what are you asking God to do in your world. Tiny, trivial stuff that in reality you can handle yourself or something so big only He can pull it off. We need more of this kind of praying going on. God restore from Your resources of heaven. Show Yourself strong, move mightily among us Oh Father! This often happens only when we are in places of extreme difficulty.

So if your circumstances have you hopeless, overwhelmed and confused. Good, this is a great time to pray. Call upon the God of heaven. The God of the Universe, the God who loves His children so....Just don't quit! Don't give up. They prayed for 7 decades to see their deliverance and now they know that NOTHING is impossible for their Father!!! Remember, NEVER GIVE UP!!! Pray!

Who knows.....Their may be rain in your forecast for today!

You'll be glad you did!

Blessings

Bruce

Never Give Up! Part 2

When God answers our prayers it is a special time. We often forget that HE has noted in HIS word that we are HIS children and thus heirs of HIS kingdom. His desire is to be to us as a Father is to His children.

It is special to Him because He shows His love, mercy and watch care as He works in our lives. Special to us because the God of our universe cares for us. Nothing is impossible for Him. We just come as little children and allow Him to work in our most difficult circumstances, which of course are not even a remote obstacle to Him. As we saw yesterday, what a powerful event it is when our Father answers. The more difficult the situation, the more powerful the answer.

Let's continue on with Psalm 126:2b-3....

And the other nations said, "What amazing things the LORD has done for them." Yes, the LORD has done amazing things for us! What joy!

Another benefit of answered prayer is that it is a testimony to the unsaved world of His existence, His involvement, His power and His love. Often the unredeemed mock, ignore, laugh and many other signs of rejection and unbelief. In fact they can be quite brutal at times. Sadly, I can remember in my BC days that I too was a part of that type of mocking. Turn in your Bible to Psalm 137:1-3 and you will see a written record of the persecution Israel faced while in Babylon. This will help us understand their laughter, joy and proclamation of God's amazing work for them.

Notice what verse 2 says to us....That when God moves, they (the unsaved) witness His incredible working. They knew the enslavement of Israel but they also saw their deliverance as well. Sometimes answered prayer is a public proclamation of God's existence to the lost.

If they don't see it, then we need to tell it!!! As God works among us we need to be acutely aware that the lost/unbelieving are watching. When HE works, if it is not noticeable to them then we need to share what HE has done. Answered prayer can not only bless us but also point others to our Savior and our God.

I love what verse 3 does. It is a declaration of how significant God's working among us is. Amazing things! They reflected along with the lost only to shout in conclusion HE has done amazing things for us!!!! When we pray, we open the door for God to do AMAZING THINGS. The opposite is also true. When we do not pray, we get exactly what we ask for.....nothing.

Is that true in your world? Is HE working and doing mighty things? Perhaps, It doesn't seem that He is because you are not asking for Him to be involved in your life. Pray my brother and sister. Pray. Spend time with Him in secret. Tell Him your struggles, fears and obstacles. Let him be your burden bearer.

Don't give up after a few days, weeks or even years. Keep on praying, clinging to Him and His promises from His word. When He answers, not only will you be blessed beyond measure but the lost will see the glory of our God. And who knows, it may be just what they need to see, to open the door for you to share the gospel with them.

I love the way that verse 3 finishes....WHAT JOY!!! That is the testimony of God's saints. What Joy! Answered prayer brings God's joy to our hearts! Have you ever been there? I have and it is truly a place filled with laughter and singing! If you are in the valley today, do not despair, just pray, pray without ceasing. When He answers you will be filled with Joy! His joy...and there is nothing like it!

So my friend, never give up! Pray on!

You'll be glad you did!

Blessings'

Bruce

Never Give Up!

Well, here we are back after a long hiatus. No excuses, just far too much going on in my world for the past 3 years or so. But Lord willing, I am back for a season to share the wonderful truths of God's faithful word. May we all be blessed as we study/ponder through them together.

Today's treasure is found in Psalm 126...

"When the LORD brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy...vs.1-2a

Now a brief reflection on history as we ponder these truths together. The children of Israel had been under the judgement of their God now for some 70 years. Some 7 decades earlier King Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army had entered Jerusalem and captured God's people and took them away to Babylon. Daniel records this event in detail from the perspective of a prisoner of war, read it as it will help in understanding much of the journey of the people of Israel.

For decades God's people had cried out in prayer for their God to bring them back to His promised land, their home, Judah and Jerusalem. Now, our passage today records HIS answering their cry.

Have you ever prayed for something for an extended period of time? Now in today's instantaneous society, that would be a few minutes, but no, I am talking about months, years even decades. Some of us have! You know what it is like to pray, pray, pray and pray some more asking God to move, answer and intervene. You know the thoughts, struggles, feelings of helplessness and all the other related struggles of extended prayer. The Israelites had been praying for almost 70 years.....and then it happened......

I can only imagine what it was like, a cry went out through the land, a notice read, a decree made, and God's people were free. Free to return, free to go, free to leave and return to their homeland..... The scripture reads it well...."It was like a dream...." WOW....that is what it is like, a dream come true...

All they had longed for, prayed for had now, finally come to pass. They just could not completely grasp that it had finally happened. But it had....though it was like a dream, too good to come true, it was real and they were the lead players in it!!!

God even records for us what their response was like....."We were filled with laughter and we sang for joy." O Happy Day!!! Laughter and joy filled their hearts, homes and the community of Israelites. Man, give me some of that!!! I want to be where HIS joy has filled the heart! Nothing like it, is there!!!!???? I can imagine they sang, laughed, celebrated all the way back to their land!!!

Now what principles can we take from todays passage....

1) Never Give Up..... No matter what your burden is, never give up praying for our God to move. Now this first assumes that you are praying, if not shame on you! You should be. Quit griping, complaining and get on your knees and meet with HIM and tell all your troubles. (Matt. 11:28-30) Just remember, never give up! I personally know of two different wives who prayed for their lost husbands for over 50 years only to see them saved and serve God. What a privilege to see God work so powerfully in their lives. REMEMBER...NEVER GIVE UP!!!!

2) Ask God for that which only HE can do... So much so that when HE answers it will be like a dream....only when you open you eyes, it is true! This principle challenges me. My prayers are often so trivial by this standard. This is a problem in our christian culture. We have so much, we can "handle" so much that we often do not have many "needs" so we don't ask God for much. We need a crisis or either we need to learn to see through HIS eyes. Then we will be asking and asking big!!! Big, real Big, BIG BIG as Barney says.... SO what does your prayer life reveal about you and your dependence on HIM? Perhaps this is not a problem for you, then keep on asking, keep on believing....

3) Joy is His indicator of HIS working in Lives... mmmmmm, this is another biggie, Joy and Joyfulness is a sign of HIS having worked in a situation. As I reflect on this, my mind goes to the joyfulness of church and churches. Where has all the joy gone in our services? Where are the joyful worshippers and the joyful worship songs? A valid question I think we must ask....Perhaps the joy is not there because we are not asking and thus not depending and thus not experiencing HIS provision, protection and personal involvement in our lives. This may explain some of it.

Do you see Joy, His joy being manifested in your life, family and church? You should. If not, it is time for a check up!!! Perhaps it is because you no longer need HIM and are living in your own strength, thus no joy reveals our Christless lives.....mmmmmm, better think on that one....

As you pray over the needs of your life and family, it will be my prayer that HE will bring us to total dependence on HIM. Then when HE moves in answer we may join the joyful worshipful celebrators as they march triumphantly along singing the songs of victory. I will close with a beautiful song we sing that often lights my fire at CBF...." Come let us sing a song, a song declaring we belong to Jesus, we belong to HIM."

Trust Him, Depend Upon Him, Cry Out to Him, Pray...

NEVER GIVE UP! Victory is coming....

You'll be glad you did!

Blessings

Bruce

Don't Be Late!

Do you know of someone who is notoriously late? I mean they are late for everything. If they were coming to pick up a check from Publishers Clearing House for a cool million dollars they would be 15 minutes late. (that is bad!) In fact some of their family might even say "you're going to be late for your own funeral."

All of us know someone like that. In reality being late is not usually a life or death thing. It is not normally something that we should be proud of but it is not always critical. However there is one area where being late is an issue. Where later is not better than early. We see it nestled in a beautiful Psalm. Psalm 63....Read it with me...

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You. My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

The phrase I want us to focus on today is "Early will I seek You." Now this can be interpreted in many different ways. I want us to reflect on a few of these in our time today.

We should seek God early.....

1) In Life.... Years ago I heard of a statistic that has stuck with me through the years. It gave the age and percentages of who and when people came to faith in Christ. It said that 85% of Christians surveyed had trusted Christ before the age of 18. 14% had trusted in Christ before the age of 65 and 1% had after the age of 65. Can you see that the vast majority had come to Christ at an early age.

Many who did not come to Christ when they were young have told me they wish they had. I remember one dear lady who had been through several marriages who shared with me that she wished she would have known earlier. She even offered to speak to our teens to share what a difference HE would make if they would give their lives to Him. We should seek God EARLY in our lives...

2) In Troubles.... When we are going through difficult times we should seek HIM early. Far too many times we are days into our struggle before think about seeking HIM. Why do we fret and struggle with our problems when we have a friend that sticks closer than a brother? Jesus Himself says this to us....

Come unto ME all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.... Matt. 11:28...

We should seek HIM early when problems arise and troubles catch us by surprise. Turn to HIM first and seek HIS wisdom and graces.....

3) In Decision Making.... How many times we just "make" the decisions of life without even consulting our great God. We wrestle with the what's and the how's of decisions and make them without consulting HIM or HIS word. HE tells us to...

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, lean not unto your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge HIM and HE shall direct your paths..Proverbs 3:5-6

We should seek HIM early in our decision making process and save ourselves a lot of pain and struggle. He longs for us to turn to HIM and seek HIS wisdom. HE will lead us and guide us when we look to HIM for direction!

4) In the Day.... Now this is what I believe is the primary principle I see in this passage. We should come to HIM early in the day. Each day has its own issues, Its own struggles, its own decisions. Seeking HIM early will establish our hearts first thing each day. It will set the course of our day with HIM not only in mind but in the drivers seat. When we start each day with our Lord it is amazing how it fills me with HIS peace. IN fact Matthew 6:33 sets the priority for us...

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.....

5) In Salvation.... You know that there is the awful reality that some will put off the most important relationship decision of their lives until it is too late. They actually are deceived into thinking that they can wait and wait they do..... until it is too late. Salvation is NOT to be delayed.

We must deal with this all important question. What will we do with the claims of Christ on us? What about those scriptures that say "you must be born again" and "there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus?" What will we do with what they communicate? Do not delay. Do not believe you can put it off another day. No man knows the day nor the hour when death will come. Once we close our eyes in death, it is too late. So my friend if you have not received the free gift of eternal life come to Christ today....

So, when it comes to our relationship with our Great God we should plan to NEVER be late. No matter which area, we should NEVER be late. May we seek HIM early, each and every day......

You'll be glad you did!!!!
Blessings
Bruce

Details

Have you ever filled out a check, attached it to your bill and then mailed it in? Of course many of you have! But have you ever received the same check back in the mail after a few days returned to you because you forgot one little detail..... You forgot to sign the check! Well, if you haven't, you've missed one of the egg in the face moments where the evidence is before you....We missed a very important detail.

Did you realize that God is into details? Now I am not talking about signing a little check that in light of eternity, is so insignificant. But I am talking about the details of our lives. Minute' details that we are so often NOT privy to. Today's treasure is found in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 7...

No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the LORD your God is among you and he is a great and awesome God. The LORD your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you...7:21-22

The children of Israel were making their way on their journey to the promised land. God is reminding them of all the nations they had already seen HIM crush before them. HE knew that even more and greater nations and challenges were before them. He knew they would fall prey to fear of these mighty nations. So what specifically does He say...

1) DO NOT BE AFRAID... Looking into their future He knew one of their enemies was going to be fear. It's a dreadful enemy. It can surface in many ways and many places. For them it could have been the sheer size of their enemy. Or the number of warriors they possessed. Or even the type of artillery they had prepared. Or perhaps their past brutality on other nations. God said....(in Bruce's paraphrase of course) NO PROBLEM!!! Why? Because the LORD YOUR GOD is among you! HE is Great and AWESOME!

Fear is really about focus. If we are focusing on the enemy, the opposition, the problem or circumstance we will lose focus of HIM! God said....look to HIM! Look AT HIM! HE can and will turn certain defeats into victories!!

2) YOU WILL BE VICTORIOUS... This is HIS PROMISE to them. Now I love that. Many promises in life are broken but NEVER a promise from our wonderful GOD! That is why we should learn and lean on those promises. They are the ONLY ones to NEVER be broken. Notice the next portion of this verse however. He even tells them that their victories will be one by one or as HE says little by little.

I often tell those whom I counsel that sometimes God gives us home runs (complete and absolute, one shot victories) but most often HE gives us a single at a time (baseball terminology for those non baseball types). We want Home runs and HE gives us singles, one base at a time. We cover the same territory but not nearly as fast nor as easy as we would like. Sometimes we know why HE does this as in James 1:2-5 to grow us to maturity but often we do not get the full detail of what HE is doing.

In this passage God shares with them why HE is not going to give them quick, total victory all at once. ..."The wild animals would multiply too quickly for you." WHOA....This is powerful. They hadn't even considered any of that. All Israel saw was the enemy before them. The Nations who dwelt in the land. BUT God saw all the obstacles to Israel even those years down the road of their journey.

Isn't that just like our God? He see's so far in our future that HE orders today's events to not only prepare us but also to protect us. Israel would have gotten complete and total cleansing of the land if they had their way and then they would have brought the wild animal dilemma upon themselves. People would have been killed, maimed and fear would have gripped their lives as the wild animals would have overrun them.

So, when it doesn't seem like God is hearing or answering your prayers fast enough. When it doesn't appear things are happening in the fullness you desire, aka "homeruns" it may be because your loving Father is protecting you or even your next generation, your children. You see, He is into details....Trust HIM with and in the events of your lives....

You'll be glad you did.
Blessings
Bruce

The Tragedy of Unbelief

Then the LORD said to Moses; How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?
Numbers 14:11

My mind goes back to seasons past when I have had the privilege of teaching someone to swim or to dive into a swimming pool. So many times I have coached them to jump or to dive and they would literally freeze on the side of the pool. Knowing that they would not drown because I would have never let that happen, I would call for them to come on in. Now to me the pool was as safe as them standing on the side of the pool. But to them it might as well have been them standing on a 100 foot cliff in Hawaii. Their struggle was not one of facing death, or extreme danger but simply of UNBELIEF.

Unbelief itself is extremely dangerous. In fact it can be downright deadly. As in our text today the children of Israel were facing a deadly enemy. It was not however in the promised land but was in their hearts. It was the enemy of faith.....it was UNBELIEF.

Here is the situation. God had led His children to the brink of the land He had promised them before He took them out of Egypt. Their journey had them standing before this new and exciting land. They had sent in 12 spies to check things out before continuing their journey. When they returned, there was a division among them. Ten of the spies reported all the negatives they had seen while only 2 saw the opportunity before them.

This created quite a stir in the congregation. They began to say and even do all sorts of things in their fleshly confusion. Their journey had moved from one of faith now to one of fear. From one of dependence on God to one of dependence on themselves. Our text today is God's view of this whole situation. Let's examine what He has to say...

1) He saw their actions as rejection of Him. Now this is important. When they moved from walking by faith to walking by sight they also moved from trusting Him to rejecting Him. Now I know we do not see anywhere where they specifically say that but it is clear that that is true. HE had promised to give them that land. Their refusal to just go was a rejection of God's promise thus a rejection of HIM!

We need to remember that in our personal journey's of faith. God often challenges us and leads us to places where we will have to exercise faith. In fact He says..."without faith it is impossible to please Him." Heb 11:6 We must be careful to follow HIM implicitly and without delay. Why? To delay is to Deny. To deny is to reject!

2) He saw their rejection as Unbelief. Rejection is the action and Unbelief is the real issue behind their actions. What was really going on was they just plain did not believe that God could do what HE promised. They saw people "stronger than we, a land that devoured its inhabitants, men of great stature and giants in the land." Numbers 13:31-33 The real issue was that "their" god was not big enough to "handle" their perceived problems.

It is obvious that they were not looking to the true God that had led them safely through but to a god of their own mind. Unbelief usually worships at that alter. An alter of a lesser god who does not have the power, wisdom or ability to go beyond our feeble understanding and ability.

Unbelief focuses on something or someone other than the true and living God. God even shows that in what He says....with all the signs which I have performed among them... He is simply saying that with all the evidence HE has provided for them regarding His promise and provision they are basing their decision on something else. HE had provided all the evidence needed for belief and they rejected Him and chose a different path. This is a tragedy!

But, before you condemn them to eternal hell, better look into the mirror. Don't we all have that same tendency? What promised land has HE led you to? What step of faith is HE asking you to take? Where is HE expecting you to conquer an enemy, face a giant or trust His promise? From personal experience I know HE loves for us to have to lean hard upon HIM. He often takes us to situations and circumstances we cannot control to cause us to face this crisis of faith. To find in HIM our all in all!

May I suggest you and I make a covenant together. Let us agree to walk in simple childlike faith and dependence upon God. Paul says it best..."if God be for us then who can stand against us." Rom 8 Let us trust His promise, His heart and His leading. "We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us." We must believe to receive and you will never receive unless you believe. Do not become the latest tragedy of unbelief.

Trust Him today. Depend upon Him. Believe what He has said and act upon it!
You'll be glad you did!
Blessings
Bruce

Come Ye Thankful, part 3

HE remembered us in our weakness. He saved us from our enemies. He gives food to every living thing. Give thanks to the God of heaven. Psalm 136:22-26

Well, here we are on our third and final session reflecting on this beautiful Psalm of praise. I hope our time on this verse has brought you to His throne of thanksgiving by its reminders of all He has done. It has me and may He continually remind us of His faithfulness. Today is one of those reminders for us....

I would like to focus on verse 25. "He gives food to every living thing." HIS PROVISION OF FOOD... How often do you, especially those of us in the USA, pause to give honest, heartfelt thanks for the food He provides for you? I mean each and every time you pause to eat. Now here in the US we have food everywhere. Grocery stores, Warehouse stores, Quickie marts, Drive thru's, restaurants, road side produce stands and even now with the spring and summer upon us in the back yard.

Just yesterday evening I had the privilege of walking on the edge of my yard up next to a patch of tall brush. Two of my granddaughters followed (or shall we say led the way) as we leaned into the brushy area to pick Blackberries. What a blessing. Not only the berries but also the kids. Each a gift from my heavenly Father. Watching them munch on the berries of HIS provision brings me much blessing even this morning as I remember this...

Do you see that? Have you paused to reflect on His provision for you lately? James 1:17 says... "every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights." The God who created the evening lights (stars and moon) gives to us EVERY good gift is from His hands. Let's reflect on a few gifts on this beautiful day.

HIS Provision of Life... Have you paused to thank Him for the life He has given you? I am not speaking of the life you are living as in present CIRCUMSTANCES, but life itself. HE has given you LIFE itself. In Genesis it says He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. Gen 2:7

Life is the privilege to connect with God and His creation. It really is awesome when you see the bigger picture. Everything about us is designed to do that. Look at your body and all of the senses HE has given you. Hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling and touching. Walking, running, sitting and standing to name a few more of those blessed privileges. Each of these are gifts (provisions) from God so we can connect with His world and yes HIM. When you lose one or part of one you will understand what I mean. Praise Him for His provision for you.

HIS Provision of Relationship... Here is where some of us will be stretched a bit perhaps. Have you thanked God for those He has placed around you? Your spouse, children, parents and even friends (if they point you to Christ). Now sadly we sometimes bring relationships into our lives that do not bless our life and suffer the consequences for our actions. But God's provisions bring His blessings to us. As we develop and build those godly relationships we will see His hand in each one of them.....if we are honestly looking.

Scripture teaches us that "faithful are the wounds of a friend." Pro 27:6 Even when friends wound us God uses that for good. He has a plan. Our godly spouses are His provision for us. Our godly children and parents are His provision for us. Have you given HIM thanks for His relational provision for you?

His financial provision! Many are realizing the blessing they had in the past. Sometimes we do not see His blessing until it is taken away. In good times and bad we must realize God is our provider. We often forget that however when we are riding the "wave" of good times. I have seen quite a change in some attitudes toward work in the last few years. Many who would often gripe or complain about their jobs today are just thankful to have one. Others are on the "rack" of stretching, living each day without a job while working hard to find one. God still provides.... those testimonies are such a blessing.

His blessing of peace and joy... Is there peace in your heart? Do you have the blessing of joy filling your soul? If you do (and every believer should) it has come from your Fathers hand of blessing to you. You did not earn this nor do we deserve this. But He has given this to us because He loves us. He does not desire for the curse that rests upon this world and humanity to rob us of the joy of Life.....

He has, by His power, chosen to fill us with His Spirit and He brings us peace... sweet peace into our lives. No matter what our struggles....He can calm those troubled waters...if we allow HIM to... Scripture again says "the peace of God will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Phil 4:7 HIS Joy is called Joy unspeakable in scripture..Does that describe you today...filled with peace and joy....It can and should... He has provided ALL we need for life and godliness...

I could write a book on the blessings of His provision for all of us. But in the blogger world I am already in the land of nono by my the length of this. Shall we say that if we will press the pause button on our life and reflect on all of HIS provisions you will find yourself thanking God for His faithfulness. He has done so much for us.

Father, thank you....for just being you. So faithful, so gracious, so good! Forgive me that I am not as thankful as I should be. That I often do not see all you have done and provided. Open my eyes and let me see, that I may thank you and praise your most worthy name!

Thank Him for His provision for YOU....
You'll be glad you did!
Blessings
Bruce

Come Ye Thankful part 2

As we gather around His table again today let me encourage you to review Psalm 136 with me again. It is a quick 26 verses. We will again focus our hearts on the last four....

He remembered us in our weakness. He saved us from our enemies. He gives food to every living thing. Give thanks to the God of heaven... 22-26

Of course the meat of what we are wrapping our thoughts around is the fact that we should be thankful to our great God. Yesterday's verse reminded us of how He has helped and continues to help us in our weakness. I rejoice in that personally. Humbled and thankful for His presence in my life.

Now today I want us to reflect a bit on the second part.... HE SAVED US FROM OUR ENEMIES... Now for the Jew at the time of the writing of this Psalm there had been multitudes of enemies. Just a little reflection on this....Egyptians, Philistines, Hittites, Amorites, Moabites and the Arameans. The list was innumerable for them. Time after time they had seen God not only protect them but in many instances supernaturally work to deliver them and give them total victory. For that they were to come and give HIM thanks...

But what about us? Has He done anything like that for us? Have we enemies that stand in our path and seek to destroy us? I would say definitely! Our first enemy is SIN. Some may not think this is our greatest enemy but I do, because this enemy resides within every human being. Our nature towards sin and sinfulness is far greater than any of us can truly imagine. It runs deeper and further than we know.

Left to grow and develop to maturity in our lives SIN leads us to DEATH. Most of us do not consider that each time we are tempted but that is what God's word and life's experience teaches. Destroyed lives litter the highway of life. Broken marriages, broken homes and broken lives are the fruit of sin. BUT HE SAVED US FROM OUR ENEMIES!

When we trust Christ to save us from our sin the scripture teaches us that "we are no longer slaves to sin." Rom 6:6 and also shows us..." we were set free from the power of sin." These wonderful truth's and their personal reality bring me to thanksgiving....How about you?

Another enemy is Satan. He rules this world and is called the prince of the power of the air. He guides the affairs of the world and of unregenerated people directing them and the world system to their ultimate destruction. We are a fly in his ointment. As Christians, we are in the dead center of his target. His goal is to destroy Christ, Christ followers and anything that speaks of Christ.

Again, Christ has broken Satan's power just as HE did the power of sin....Heb. 2:14.."only by dying could could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death." No longer do we have to fear this enemy. In fact Eph 6 teaches us to stand strong in the Lord in the power of HIS (God's) might against the schemes, plans, desires of the devil. Satan was and is defeated by the power of Christ!

Another enemy is fear. How many times do we allow fear to control a decision or affect a relationship. How many times do we avoid or deny because we fear what may or may not happen? All I can say is that God's word teaches us this enemy also is defeated. "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. 2 Tim. 1:7 We do not need to fear because HE has given us power to overcome. We are more than conquerers, so much so Paul wrote and said to us " I can do all things through Christ who is my strength." Phil 4:13

HE is worthy of our continual thanksgiving because HE has SAVED us from our enemies. This list of course was not exhaustive but each and every enemy should be brought to Christ. Watch them bow before HIM in submission to HIS power and authority. Take time today to thank HIM for all the ways HE has saved you from all of YOUR enemies.....

You'll be glad you did!!!

Blessings

Bruce

Come Ye Thankful

There is a Hymn of our faith that declares "Come ye thankful people come" and that is just the truth I want us to consider today. Actually my text comes from the Book of Songs....do you know which one that is??? You are right! It is the book of Psalms....

Turn and read Psalm chapter 136 today. Read it slowly and carefully allowing each verse to fill your mind with its treasure. It's beautiful isn't it? I would like us to consider the whole chapter but most especially the last 4 verses...

He remembered us in our weakness. He saved us from our enemies. He gives food to every living thing. Give thanks to the God of heaven...

You may notice that I did not print out His faithful love endures forever. That is because that phrase was actually not in some of the best manuscripts. It was added probably by a scribe at some point in history. But our consideration must focus on what we know to be HIS word. Read those precious verses (22-26) and consider their truth.

Now certainly we know this Psalm is written by a Jewish man primarily for the Jewish people. But aren't its truth's just as applicable for us?

HE REMEMBERED US IN OUR WEAKNESS.... Wow. The sad reality is that we actually cannot fully grasp how truly weak we are. We are weak in regards to salvation. There will never be enough good works for us to earn or merit heaven. Sadly, many will appeal to their righteousness (good works) only to hear those horrible words..."depart from me you worker of iniquity for I never knew you." Matt 7:23 HE saw our desperately weak condition and sent HIS Son to die in our place.....By HIS stripes we are healed....Praise God!

We are also weak in our striving against sin. Heb 12:4...None of us fight against our sin nature to the point of bloodshed...Now do we???? Be honest.. we far too easily give in to those fleshly impulses. But HE again saw our need and sent us HIS Holy Spirit to enable us to WIN this battle. 1 Cor 10:13

We are weak in our Surrendering of the self life to truly live for our God. Far too many times we take the path of ease and comfort over HIS walk of struggle and pain. Over and over again HE calls us to the alter of sacrifice for our self life. Jesus phrased it this way...." if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself....Luke 9:23....

We are so weak and in many other areas. All I want us to see and acknowledge is that HE knows how weak we are and has made preparation for that in and through salvation. HE has done many things to rectify this sad dilemma.

1) He has sealed us with HIS Holy Spirit. HE is God's power in us to accomplish HIS work in and through us. 2) He has given us HIS word to guide, comfort, convict and teach us. It is God's will in written form. Only as we learn it and apply it will we see His strength manifest in us and in His work. This only happens by belief!!! WE MUST BELIEVE WHAT HE HAS SAID AND ACT BASED UPON THAT BELIEF. 3) He has given us the Church. Now this is not a building made with human hands as many want to say. But is the beautiful body of Jesus Christ that is about His work each and every day. Through this body we are encouraged, held accountable, taught, strengthened and many other things that only our plugging into HIS body can accomplish.

So let's give thanks for the fact that HE has remembered us in our weakness. For all He has done to help us in our weaknesses. What is your weak spot? Where is it that you continually struggle and often seem to fail? Bring it to Jesus today. He already knows. Let Him bring His power to bear on your struggle. Watch what HE does. See how He loves you and what He has in store for those who come to HIM. Give HIM the thanks HE so rightly deserves.

You'll be glad you did!

Blessings

Bruce

Hurry Up and Wait!

Today our treasure is found in Leviticus 24:12

Then they put him in custody until the mind of the LORD might be shown to them.

Now to best grasp the power of this verse we must understand more of the passage. There was, in the camp of the Israelite's, a young man whose mother was an Israelite and his father was an Egyptian. This young man apparently got into a fight with another Israelite man and while doing so he blasphemed the name of the LORD. This news got back to Moses and his instructions were for them to place this young man into custody and here is the part I found such a blessing today, until the mind of the LORD was known.

The NLT states it this way.... "until the LORD'S will in the matter should become clear to them."

I am not going to discuss the event of his sin but more importantly I want us to consider Moses' instructions to them. He simply told them to hold him until they knew clearly what God would have them do.

I can only imagine this happening today in our Facebook/Twitter society where everything is instantaneous. Microwave meals, sound bites and text messaging are wonderful tools to bless and enable us in many ways. But they are also signs that we want and expect things quickly and without delay. This has no only infiltrated us but also our walk of faith.

This may be wonderful in some areas but when it comes to walking with the LORD this can be and often is catastrophic. I have seen it many times. People, good people making decisions quickly and off the cuff without ever consulting God and His word. Now if we are talking about where we are going to eat that is no big deal but when it comes to more important matters it may cost us the rest of our lives.

What ever happened to people truly seeking the mind of the LORD in their decision making? Proverbs 3:5-6 (a verse we should all memorize) says this.....

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

Through the years I have seen time and time again God's children coming to me after they have made huge decisions, financial, emotional, relational, job related and even marriage decisions without ever consulting the LORD. Then they find that they have gotten themselves into hard and difficult places. Then they are ready to do it God's way. But why not before? Why not seek His wisdom and direction on the front end?

Often times it is because we are IMPATIENT. God may not tell us quick enough to make us happy. Other times it is because we do not really want His direction. He may say NO and we do not want to deny ourselves so we simply don't ask. This is SELFISHNESS. Perhaps we don't ask cause we feel we can handle it (this is one of my weak points). We just think we know what is right and go ahead and do it. In reality this is PRIDE. (Ouch) To see how bad this one works out see Leviticus 10 the story of Nadab and Abihu, they thought they had it figured out but found out they were dead wrong (pun intended).

So where are we going with this. We need God! We need Him every day and every hour as the song says. We need His wisdom and direction in every area of life. We must be careful in each and every decision to seek the LORD. We need His clarity to enlighten us. Whether it is family related, job or financial we need HIM, His clear direction to light our way.

I love the old song that says....When we walk with the Lord, in the light of His word, what a GLORY He sheds on our way..... Oh so true....what a glory HE sheds on our path!!!!

Now have you sought Him today? Spent sufficient time before Him just letting Him speak to your heart. Do it today. Open His word, read and pray. If necessary....wait..... Allow Him to speak into your life, your specific situation.....He will!!!!

And You will be glad you did!
Blessings
Bruce

Burning Bushes

Imagine coming home from the grocery store and pulling into your driveway only to see a bush burning in your front yard. As you watch it, you notice a strange phenomenon happening. The bush is burning and yet it is never burned up. It is just a continual burning bush....

Well today's passage is just that event and we find that in Exodus 3...

Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn." SO when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, " Moses, Moses!" And he said " Here I am."

This scriptural life event is one of those passages we just stand and say WOW!!! Moses, a simple shepherd going through his normal daily routine has an encounter with God. All because of a burning bush. As a result of this event, his life would be forever changed.

Now back to our front yard burning bush. You get out of your car, approach the bush and just when you think things can't get any wilder, a Voice speaks to you out of the bush. In fact, the Voice calls you by name. He identifies Himself as God and by now you are a believer!!! Man, how incredible. How awesome! How powerful!

Yep, that is the event of Mose's call. His moment when he realized the wonder of God and His plan for his life. Now most of us know the rest of the story. What God's plan was and how He worked through His Man, Moses.

May I simply say today that God still uses burning bushes. Now some of you just turned the radio off, you just checked out mentally because you think I have lost it. But I only mean that God still uses everyday things in the lives of people to reveal Himself, to communicate His plan and call us to action.

For some, the burning bush is a major illness. For others it is a job loss, a sudden situation or an unplanned event or meeting. God reveals Himself and still speaks to people. Now we must be careful in our interpretation during these times as Satan often tries to imitate God. However his deceptive schemes, when compared to scripture will not stand in the light of God's word. It will be revealed as counterfeit.

I have been to hospital rooms where fellow believers have acknowledged that God had spoken to them very clearly through their event. Surrender to His plan, clarity of God's purpose, will often be their testimony. Often what seems to be a tragedy or an unusual event is God getting our attention.

Notice what and how God worked in this situation...First Moses saw the event and recognized it as "outside" the norm. (Big surprise here) Second, notice he did not just blow it off but he actually stopped his normal routine to investigate and observe. How many times we might have heard the Voice of God if we had only turned aside for a moment to pause and consider the event of our life. Moses did and when he did...God used Moses sensitivity to speak to him. It was then and only then that God spoke.

So let me just mention to you today,what events are happening all around you. Have you paused to consider them. Perhaps this is one of your burning bush opportunities. Observe and reflect and allow our Holy God to speak. Perhaps you need to reflect on your situation in light of God's word and see if He has a word, plan, call for you. As Moses learned, God's plan is so much greater than anything he could have ever imagined. He was blessed beyond measure and saw God work in ways no one in his family had ever seen. All because, one day he turned aside to see a BURNING BUSH!!!!

If you see one, do it....

You'll be glad you did'

Blessings

Bruce

A Higher Call, a Higher Cost...

In our current economy here in the US, we find that many are more cost conscience than they were several years ago. Today perhaps some may ask before buying "how much" or "can't you give me a better price than that?" We are honestly and actively looking for the best deal for our money. There is nothing in the world wrong with that. In fact it is wise on our part to be frugal and careful with what God has given to us to manage.

But when it comes to following Jesus few actually consider the cost of following God as they journey in life. Today's treasure is found in Genesis 22....turn there and read the whole chapter. This will give you a greater understanding of our study today. Now that you have read it let's examine just a portion of this beautiful chapter.

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him " Abraham!" And he said, " Here I am." Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." So Abraham rose early in the morning.... Gen 22:1-3a

Now let me remind you of a bit of history from Abraham's life. Many years earlier he had left his family, his country and everything familiar to follow God. He had been promised a child from the Lord and had spent the majority of his adult life waiting on God to provide. When Abraham was 100 years old God moved and blessed he and Sarah (90yrs old) with a child in their advanced age. Yep, you are right, it is Isaac, the very son whom God now instructs Abraham to offer as a sacrifice.

WHAT???!!!! Are you kidding me, you may ask? And may I add rightfully so. What in the world is God doing here??? Well, let's examine a few verses to see if we can gain some wisdom for ourselves....

First let's not forget that verse one says that God had decided to "TEST" Abraham. We often fail to think that God would actually administer a test in the life of one of His children. Let me say HE does this quite often. We just do not realize the gravity of what is really going on in our personal situation. We usually don't think...Ah this must be a test from the Lord. Nevertheless HE does test us. Abraham is being tested and let's see what happens...

Second, let's take a look at what God does in His test of Abraham. He asks Abraham to get himself ready and take his son to the land of Moriah and spells out that he wants Abraham to offer him as a sacrifice. In other words....kill him.

Can you imagine this? Can you imagine God asking that of you or I? Telling us that He plans to take one of your precious children or perhaps someone very close to you? I can just imagine what was going through Abraham's head. Did he wrestle with this? Did he get into a debate with God? Perhaps he said God take me but leave my son???!!! Well, being the Biblicists that I am let's see what God's word has to say. All that HE has given us is that early in the morning he got himself ready and he and his son left in obedience to God's will.

Wow. Simple obedience. He just got up and went. Isn't that refreshing!!! Now the scripture doesn't say if it was the next day or not so that is left to our speculation. I tend to think he had some time of working through this with God and himself. Either way, he went....

May I suggest to you that God is testing many of His children today. He is calling us to turn from sin, turn from the world, turn from unhealthy habits and follow Him without reservation. Some He is calling to change jobs, change careers and even change locations. Others He is calling to a deeper walk, a more involved life in the work of the Lord. He is calling us to give up what is precious to us, to offer it to Him, to give it to our Great and Gracious God.

I am blessed by the faith of Abraham. His willingness to surrender to God's plan for his life even if it meant the giving up of that which was most precious to him. I wish that it were true of every believer recorded in scripture. In Colossians 4:14 we are introduced to a brother who sends his greeting to the Colossian church family. His name is Demas. Now to show you how precious Demas was within the fellowship in verse 14 he is mentioned along with the Apostle Luke. I believe this indicates he was involved deeply with the work of the Lord.

However, later in his life we do not have this record of his life. In fact things take a much more negative turn. In 2 Timothy 4:9-10...

Be diligent to come to me quickly, for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world and has departed for Thessalonica...

How tragic. How sad! Here is a brother who walked side by side with Luke and the Apostle Paul but the last record we have of him in scripture is that he walked away. He turned his back on the great work of the Lord and walked back into the world. That is it....no more mention of any involvement in God's work. Gone....Never mentioned again.....not one word!!!! Silence!

I wonder what the test revealed in his life? What was God asking him to give up that he refused to do....We see a bit of it in the verse.....He loved his present life. He loved his world. He just couldn't....say wouldn't give it up.....He left and is gone from the pages of Holy Scriptures....

The cost was too great in his eyes. He just would not give it up....Isn't that like many of us today? Don't many of us serve God with the same lack of devotion? The same lack of denial? I am afraid it is true in far too many of us. Even though we know HE demands our all we give Him only a token measure of our life. Is there any wonder His power is lacking in our daily life.

If we want His best then we must be willing to give Him our BEST. Live each and every day in total surrender to His plan and purpose for your life. Allow Him to test and see if you will love Him as Abraham did or will we shrink away as Demas, loving this present world more than HIM? It is my prayer that we will all follow Him no matter what the cost, because ours is a HIGHER CALLING!

You'll be glad you did!
Blessings
Bruce

Simple but Profound

Well, have you ever discovered that something is simple yet its effect is profound. There are many things like that in life that in reality the are soooo simple, but their effect goes far beyond simple.

The old fashioned mousetrap is one of those devices. Simple yet so profound in its practicality and performance. How about an old style toothbrush? Simple yet profound. Now for some of you this may surprise you. Did you know that the "good old days" toothbrush was often made of a locust branch or stick? You would chew on it to soften it a bit on the end until the wood frayed out and then you would have used it to clean your teeth as best as you could. I don't know about you but I rather like the simple tooth brushes of today!!! Simple yet profound!

Today's truth treasure is found in Psalms 112....here are just a few verses...

Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands. Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed. vs. 1-2

Now when we read this passage (and I encourage you to read all 10 verses of this powerful chapter) we see that HE is instructing us on the promised blessing to the families of those who fear the Lord and obey His word. Isn't that what we all desire for our families? Don't we want God's hand of blessing to be upon them both now (while we live) and after we go home? I definitely do. I want HIS hand to abide upon our family for all generations.

So, does it surprise you to see what HE requires for HIS promised blessing to abide upon a family, generation after generation? Fearing the Lord with joy and delight in obeying His word. This is so simple to us isn't it? Rightly relating with God and simple obedience to what HE has said.

I was reminded of this just yesterday when my youngest son and I traveled to another city to meet with a Pastor and founder of a Missions organization that ministers in many countries. We went with the intent not only of meeting him but also desiring to hear his testimony and to glean from his years of experience. In fact he had traveled to South Africa some 25 times and started orphanages in several countries. This is exactly what we needed to learn about.

While there he saw my son's desire to get to the field of service and began to encourage him in the work of the Lord. One of the most powerful moments we had was when he simply said to him, young man, nothing is more important than meeting with the Lord daily and getting into His word everyday. Wow, of all the things he could have said, and many of them good and wise things, he simply pointed him back to the foundational truth that we read here in Psalm 112. Fear God and delight in His word!!!

It is so simple, yet it is so profound! Each and every day, we must prioritize our day to bow before our God and King. To seek Him and His plan and purpose for our day and life. Those who do find that JOY will fill their lives, no matter what the circumstances. Any father, mother, individual who chooses to do so sets themselves up for His promised blessing. Beyond that, even whole families will be blessed and His success will abound within that family.

Forget all the worldly methodologies and lets stick with the simple and profound. In fact, I find it amusing the the Creator of the universe has made this so simple. With His incredible complexity, with HIS complexity revealed over and over again in creation, HE has chosen to make it so simple that even a child can follow Him. Why, because He desires for His creation to see Him as He is.....in all of His glory! He delights when we bow and worship Him. He blesses when we do as well. No matter what our circumstance or situation, let us come before Him and find the JOY of life.....It is God Himself!!!

You'll be glad you did!
Blessings

Bruce

Making Faith Practical

Well, here we are again. Back after another one of those "disappearing" acts from the blogworld. May we all benefit from the journey of today's blog....

Is your faith practical? What? My faith, you may ask. Yes, your faith, your Christianity..... is it practical? What I mean is that does your faith in Jesus affect your daily life? Does it impact where you live and how you live? Does it affect how you respond to others and to situations of life?

This is a critical question. This IS the difference between Christianity and religion. Religion or religious works is our feeble attempt to do enough or be good enough to get to God. According to Ephesians 2:8-10 this weak, fleshly attempt to appease God NEVER works. But TRUE Christianity which is by grace through faith is a gift FROM God. It is not us working but HIM working! True Christian faith is God working for us (in salvation) and in us (after salvation). Thus the understanding that our faith MUST be practical. It must be lived out in our daily life. It has to reveal itself in shoe leather (how we live our daily life) or it is not real. See James 3...

Todays treasure is found in John chapter 4. We are observing a life lesson from our Lord Jesus. Read verses 1-42... I would like for us to examine just a few verses today....

So he left Judea and returned to Galilee. He had to go through Samaria on the way. Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water..... vs. 3-7a

The first principle we must grasp in MAKING OUR FAITH PRACTICAL is found in these few verses....do you see it?

1) Our Faith Must Engage Our Daily Walk... vs 3-7... Jesus was making his way from Judea to Galilee..on foot of course. The mapping of his journey was such that the shortest distance was to go straight through a region called Samaria. We will speak more on this at a later time but what I believe we must see is that where ever his feet led him was where his ministry was. It engaged his daily walk.

Is that true in your world? Does your faith in Jesus work in that world? Or do you have one of those one day a week religions? Here Jesus teaches us that where ever we go, whomever we meet is where we exercise our faith. Have you thought about that lately? Where you work is you mission field. Where you live is your mission field. Your family, your friends, your acquaintances and even those we come into contact with today are opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Each and every situation is a God given opportunity for us to exercise our faith.

This is easy to say when it all fits within our scheduling, our plans, our purposes and such but when it is not on todays schedule is where we often miss the boat. Don't you want to be on the adventure with Christ? We are His ambassadors, His children, His representatives and He allows our paths to cross the paths of many who are desperate for Him. We are the designated drivers in this vehicle of faith. Leading and pointing others to HIM.

How sad it is when we miss those opportunities. It even happens in churches before, during and after services....This past week I personally witnessed several of these opportunities. During our morning and evening services I personally witnessed people who were visible broken and crying during our services. What saddened me was to see so many Christians seemingly not even noticing the brokenness around them.

Where are those hearts of Christ? Where are those who turn with hearts of compassion and simply say "can I help?" Do you think for a moment Christ would neglect the hurting around Him? I think not!

What kind of excuse could we ever offer to those hurting around us, or even to HIM who has given HIS life for us? Well, I am too busy to have time to help. I don't know what to say? Or perhaps, it is the pastor's job not mine? I've got to go and eat before the restaurant gets full? Do you think any of these will stand before the Great Judgement Bar of God? I think Not!

I am glad to say that there were some who caught up with the hurting and I was blessed to see some powerful movings of the Lord as a result. Just realizing that our faith MUST be a practical faith that engages our daily walk is the first step to joining Christ in the Great Work of God.

So, what changes do we need to make. Let's start by being observant to the needs of others. Asking God what and how we can get involved. Let's get off of our proverbial cushions and touch the world through Christ!

You'll be glad you did!

Blessings

Bruce

Everything We Need....Unleashing the Power! 2...Revisited!

My apologies for yesterdays literary/technical fiasco. I have no real clue as to exactly how things were published like they were, so I will retype and republish yesterdays blog....with a few additions.. It has been one of those types of weeks.... you know what I mean don't you...

Well, I hope you spent some time thinking on the truth we covered yesterday. To understand that God has provided all we need to live a godly life and even has given us the power to do so, is AWESOME! Jesus said it in John 10:10... "I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." God's purpose to both reconcile sinful man (and woman, I am an equal opportunity kinda guy for you ladies) to Himself and then give them the power/ability to find life...true life, which HE called abundant life.

That statement alone stirs me. The CREATOR of the Universe, the Earth, the Animal Kingdom, Plant Life, Humanity and even life itself says.. HE has come so we MIGHT have .... LIFE, and have it MORE ABUNDANTLY. This would be defined as life outside of the realm of our own abilities, desires and understanding. We often believe that God simply uses the gifts that we already possess and talents we already exercise to glorify HIMSELF... but not entirely so dear believer. If godliness were attainable by HUMAN effort or work, then we would already be there... but it is NOT. True godliness equals true life. An interesting study....

Our treasure today continues to be found in 2 Peter 1....Read verses 3-11 again as we focus a bit on this passage...

Now lets highlight verse 4...

...and because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires.

Two key phrases that mark the beauty of this passage... vs. 3 GOD has given us... and again in vs 4...he has given us great and precious promises. Here the wonder of God's grace is revealed.... He has given us all we need to live a godly life and HE has given us promises that enable us to share in His divine nature and which will then lead us to escape the world's corruption...

He has given us His goal (godliness or godly life) and the means (power/ability) to get there. It is His promises that are the means of His getting us to His goal. Scripture, God's written revelation to us, IS His instruction book in greater measure than we could ever imagine. It is there He introduces us to HIMSELF. Who HE is. What HE plans. How HE works and so on...

It is estimated that there are some 10,000 promises in God's word. He acts in accordance to it. So for us to attain godliness (His goal), we will only do so as HE reveals Himself, and His ways to us and then performs His work in us! Each and every situation in life (our life) is brought to Him and filtered through His word. We submit these situations to HIS plans and purposes by engaging HIM in all of them.

Bible reading and prayer is key to engaging HIM in every area of life. Acknowledge His plan and purpose in every area of your life. It is freeing to do so. I know from personal experience in life. May I share a bit of our personal life with you? Here it is.....depression, job loss, cancer, fire in family business, business failure, foreclosure, long and deep financial difficulties, sickness, and sudden death and these are all that came to my mind.

This is the record of our life in the past 25 years. Sounds like fun doesn't it. How can this be abundant life??? You may ask that questions legitimately, and I will tell you that if you look only at the circumstances you will not see nor understand it. But look past the big C and understand that my precious wife and I both surrendered our lives to HIM decades ago. So each circumstance was and is under HIS control. We stayed in His word and lived each day in HIS presence. HE gave us the power to get through it. Our lives have been humanly tough but spiritually blessed. We are sooo blessed!!!

I must say that HE does give us life and give it to us more abundantly. In our passage we have learned the goal, as well as the power to attain the goal so what is left? Well , this is where our role comes in... What is our role in the whole scheme of things here? Verses 5-7 holds the answer...

In view of all of this, make every effort to respond to God's promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

I will leave today with us considering the portion of verse 5... Make every effort to respond to God's promises.... Is that true in your life??? Are you (and I for that matter) making EVERY EFFORT in our relationship with God? Is our relationship with HIM the MOST IMPORTANT relationship we have? Is HE above all people and things in our lives? Are we giving HIM the time each and every day that is necessary for us to adequately engage our hearts to HIS? How about our attitudes and actions to HIS plans for us? For the vast majority of American Christians, our relationship with HIM pales in comparison to our own agenda, our families, our jobs or our fleshly desires. We will never know the beauty of Abundant Life without Loving Him with ALL our heart. HE IS OUR PRIORITY!!!!

If we want to unleash the power of the Supreme God in our lives we must come to HIM, His way and using HIS method. It is not 92% HIS way and 8% ours but 100% HIS way! HE IS GOD! Have you forgotten??? HE is the Absolute Authority in Life as HE is Life. Is that proven out by your life? He has so much planned and purposed for us, yet so often we don't even scratch the surface. Saturate your heart and mind in HIM today. Don't just do it for one day or two, May this become your life's goal, to have and enjoy the godly life HE has planned. Let nothing and no one keep you from lining up at the table of God's provision. Life is at stake. Yours, mine and other's lives. Anything other than a life lived in harmony with HIM and in love with HIM is a powerless example of Christianity and a public tragedy.

He has provided all we need! It is Done! Believe it! Receive it! Act on it! Read His promises, claim them as your own, base your life on what HE has said....

You'll be glad you did!

Blessings

Bruce