Friday, May 28, 2010

Jesus Disciples Get Mercy

God expects his followers to be known for giving mercy. 


Matthew 5:7   God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 18:32-33   Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?'

James 2:13  There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when He judges you.

It is amazing that we receive great gifts from God such as forgiveness and mercy and we have a difficult time of re-gifting and allowing other people to experience mercy as well. The parable that Jesus told in Matthew 18:21-35 is so true, we don't want to be held accountable for everything that we have done wrong but we can become very interested in the judicial system when somebody has wronged us.

This cut throat, survival of the fittest culture that we live in has no mercy for those that don't behave the way that we think that they should but I have to remember that I have never behaved as well as God wants me to behave and yet I am still on my way to spend eternity with him.

Thank you Lord for the most awesome display of mercy that the world can know. You laid down your life for me so that I am spared the judgment that I deserve, help me to remember to be extremely merciful and cancel the debt for the people that wrong me.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Jesus Disciples Should Be Satisfied

What we hunger and thirst for will determine if we are satisfied or not.



Matthew 5:6   God blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,  for they will be satisfied.

Jesus disciples should be the most satisfied people on earth, after all what greater satisfaction could there be greater than working for the Lord? If you are not satisfied then perhaps you are looking for it in the wrong place.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-14 that we are supposed to be salt and light but most of the time we are busy trying to be rich and famous. Just like the rich man of Matthew 19:17-22, we are getting our satisfaction in our many possessions and we refuse to look at our mission on earth as our total source of satisfaction.

I have never met a soul who has set out to satisfy the Lord and has not been satisfied himself. - Watchman Nee

God wants to use me as an agent for change in this world, I need to pursue the things that he wants me to hunger and thirst for so that I will have lasting fulfillment and satisfaction.

Help me Lord to always find satisfaction in you and your mission for my life.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Jesus Disciples Should Be Righteous

What are you working for?


Matthew 5:6  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Jesus disciples are to have a different motivation in life, they are hungry and thirsty for those things that concern God, the motivation toward selfishness is supposed to be going away.

Maturity should come from your desire to live for the fulfillment of God's plans and purposes on earth, above all else we are focused on accomplishing his will instead of our own will.

What you hunger and thirst for will determine your righteousness, what we desire will show what kind of person we really are, if we are in a fierce battle everyday with our own sinful desires then we still have a lot of room to grow as a disciple.

We are God's agents for change in a world that is wreaked from the effects of sin. As God's agent for change my life needs to bring justice to the oppressed, healing to the broken, freedom to the addicted, love to the outcast and truth to the deceived. I need to live each day focused on changing this world one life at a time.

I pray Lord that I will desire what you desire, I want to be selfless and open to help those that are hurting.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Jesus Disciples Should Be Meek

Jesus disciples have their strength under control


 Matthew 5:5  "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 11:29  Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

James 3:13-18  If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.

14  But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying.  15  For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.  16  For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.  17  But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.  18  And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Meek- 1. Mild of temper; soft; gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries. 2. Appropriately,humble, in an evangelical sense; submissive to the divine will; not proud, self-sufficient or refractory; not peevish and apt to complain of divine dispensations. Christ says, "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls." Mat 11.   -Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary of American English

In order to be a disciple I need to act like Jesus. That raises the question,  how did Jesus behave? Jesus describes himself in Matthew 11:29 as "humble and gentle at heart", how did that look in his everyday life?

For one thing Jesus gave up his right to be right, well he was right and he knew it but most of the people around him didn't think he was right. Don't you have a difficult time when you are so sure that you are right about something and you can't get somebody else to believe that you are right? Jesus didn't worry about it.

What else did Jesus do that showed him as "humble and gentle at heart?" He never demanded that he get what he was entitled to. He had every right to have everybody bow down and worship him but instead he walked this earth for thirty three years and was almost never treated with the respect that he was entitled to.

As Jesus disciple I have no right to be jealous and there cannot be selfishness in my heart. I need to be "peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others."

Lord help me to go against the norm of human reasoning and allow meekness to be a lifestyle so that others can see Jesus through my life.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Jesus Disciples Will Be Comforted

God asks his disciples to be hopeful in times of loss so that they can comfort others.


Matthew 5:4   God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4  All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.  4  He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

In the midst of pain whether self caused or from an outside source there is comfort, it is guaranteed to the disciple of Jesus, after all we are children of the source of all comfort. We should be the most hopeful people on earth and we should be the most compassionate people as well. Since we have been comforted and have had our hopes renewed we should help others to experience the same.

There are so many tragic situations in the world today, from weather events to accidents, to health problems and political oppression, there is a lot of tough situations. It can be difficult to see but we have to see these things as an opportunity to give out comfort to those who need it, it shows Jesus to those that you are helping, while people are in the middle of a tragedy they can be pointed to the source of our hope.

In the end God will heal everything that is broken and take away all pain. That is our ultimate hope when he heals the world from the brokenness that is caused by sin.

Psalms 30:11  You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,

Help me Lord to be hopeful and to share my source of comfort with those in need.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Kingdom Of Heaven

God's people should be kingdom minded people.

 
Matthew 5:1-3  One day as He saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around Him,  and He began to teach them.  "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him,  for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Matthew 6:33  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.

All of the kingdoms of this world that have ever risen to power have belonged to the strong and dominate types. The mighty warriors that pushed others down on their way to the top are the ones that we read about in the history books. All the history books except this one they call the Bible, it is a story of a kingdom whose people are different.

The kingdom of God is a totally different kingdom that is opposite of the earthly values that we see in the kingdoms of our world. In this kingdom the first shall be last, the greatest people are the servants, the rich cannot hardly get into it and to top it all off this kingdom belongs to the poor.

God's kingdom belongs to those who have had their character transformed, they are the ones that seek the kingdom above all else. The character of a disciple should be one that advances the kingdom, I should be a part of ushering in the kingdom everywhere that I go, my character needs to usher in the kingdom in my home, work place, church.

All it takes is one person to undergo a radical character shift to start a revolution, I can be a part of God's plan to transform this world one person at a time by allowing him to reign in me.

I want to be a servant in your kingdom Lord. Help me to help advance the kingdom on earth by living for you.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Poor In Spirit

I need to realize that I have nothing to offer God


Matthew 5:3  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

As much as we may try, we have nothing to offer to God, without him we are nothing. We are in a detestable situation without God since the tendency within each of us is toward doing evil, what ever is unlovely and unkind is what is normal for the carnal man.

I remember King Manasseh's story (2Chr 33:1-13). He lived his life his own way, set up his own god's, he was involved in witchcraft, he only had the tendency to do evil. God warned him many times before he decided to break the king's spirit. Manasseh did the only wise thing that he could do, he was humbled and responded by getting rid of his pride and coming to God with a "broken and contrite heart" (Ps 51:17).

It is easy to view ourselves as "not so bad" but that isn't the view of ourselves that God wants us to have. Without him we do not have any potential to do good, we don't have any hope of resisting the devil and his tactics, we don't have the ability to love but because of the love of God we can become so much more if we are willing to become so much less.

James 4:7-10 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor.

The only thing that I have to offer God is brokenness, the realization that I am completely dependent on God, as his disciple I have to get myself out of the control room of my life and allow him to be in charge or else I will not be of any use to God.

I am all yours Lord, without you I am not able to do anything good. Thank you for using your servant, I pray that I will be humble always and that I will give you the glory for anything good that I am able to do.

Psalms 34:18, Proverbs 29:23, Micah 6:8

Monday, May 17, 2010

Blessed

One of the characteristics of a disciple is the fact that he is blessed.


Matthew 5:1-3  One day as He saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around Him, and He began to teach them. "God blesses those...

1Chronicles 4:10   Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

Psalms 146:5  Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,

Everybody wants to have blessings come their way but not everyone wants to live a life that God can bless. the world's definition of being blessed has the connotation that we get something for nothing but the Bible shows us that we obtain God's blessing by relying on the Lord and through obedience.

It is amazing to me that the Lord, after everything that he has already done for us, would listen to our petitions and entertain our request for even more blessings. It reminds me that when I bring a request I need to focus more on how thankful I am for how well the Lord has already treated me instead of focusing on my shopping list.

I am a blessed man Lord! Thank you for my wife and kids, thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with you in my local church until the day that you call me home. 

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Fit For Service

Live out God's will, no matter what you have to leave behind.


Luke 9:61-62  Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow You, but first let me say good-bye to my family."  62  But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God."

There is nothing more urgent that following Jesus, everything else should be as garbage in comparison, that sounds like Paul when he told the Philippians:

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ" (Phi 3:8).

There are a lot of things that man has devised that are designed to use up all of our time and resources, we have to be careful that we do not have a reason to walk away from the mission, there has to be a total commitment to the call. Jesus life was our example of what a life of commitment looks like, everything that he said and did everyday was focused on his mission.

I must be loyal to the mission that Jesus has called me to, if my faith is in him alone then I shouldn't have a problem with scheduling everything else around my call to serve instead of scheduling my call to serve around all the stuff that the world says that I need to participate in.

James 1:6-8  Be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  7  Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  8  Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Thank you Lord for desiring to use me and for giving me the strength to do the work that you have called me to (1Tim 1:12). Help me to put your agenda ahead of the many agendas that the world has to throw at us.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Feed My Sheep

Start caring about someone.


John 21:17,19  A third time He asked him, "Simon son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, "Lord, You know everything. You know that I love You."

Jesus said, "Then feed My sheep," then Jesus told him, "Follow Me."

What was Jesus plan to change the world? Care for people. Sounds way too simple, how could caring for people have any great impact on our world?

The power of a touch, a kind word or the smallest act of kindness all have the potential to turn a life around and that is what Jesus is all about, he always showed compassion for others. Whether he was caring for his disciples that were stuck in a vicious storm, or if he was healing someone, or if he was feeding the crowds that had been following him without any food.

Jesus plan was to get people to start caring, he cared and then he told somebody else to care and then they cared for somebody and so on, until now it is my turn to keep it going. My mission is to care for people where I am, in the workplace, my neighborhood, the grocery store or where ever. How else could I fulfill the second greatest command and love my neighbor?

Luke 10:36-37  “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Help me Lord to be more like you through caring, help me to see people through your eyes so that I will be aware of people that need somebody to care

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Hate

Jesus dares you to love God more than anyone or anything else.


Luke 14:25-26  A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them,   "If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison--your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple."

2 Timothy 2:3-4  Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don't get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.

A soldier has to have his mind made up, his loyalty must be to his mission, it isn't a good thing for him to decide that he isn't one humdred percent committed to the mission. People can die if a soldier waivers.

So it is in the Army of the Lord, our minds must be set on God first and then our family second and then everything else. If we get it tangled up in our heads and we don't put God first and carry out the deployment that he has sent us out on then the rest of the platoon is going to suffer, there could even be casualties.

In order to please Jesus, the man that enlisted me, I must have a single minded devotion that is the way to have the greatest impact for the kingdom. I need to be so committed to God and his purpose for my life that everything else pales in comparison.

Lord help me to stay focused on you and to be unwaivering in my devotion to the task that you have deployed me for.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Sell Your Possessions

Don't you have enough stuff already?


Matthew 19:21  Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me."

Matthew 6:24  "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
In Jesus conversation with this rich man he brags that he has kept the last five commands of the ten commandments, he didn't realize that he was telling on himself, Jesus saw right through the man's words to the heart of the matter.

The rich man was very proud that he had treated people the right way as it is outlined in the last five commandments but the more important question was how was he treating God in light of the first five commands.

I guess this guy wasn't around the day that Jesus gave the sermon on the mount, in that sermon Jesus told the crowd that you have to decide where your loyalty is going to be, I have to decide if I am going to serve God or if I am going to be driven by the pursuit of stuff, I have to sure that I am not making my stuff into an idol.

Paul explained what our view of obtaining wealth and how to use our wealth should be:

1 Timothy 6:17-19  Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.  18  Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.  19  By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

Help me Lord to always trust in your resources rather than in the resources that I have accumulated, my resources can disappear in a flash, but yours are never ending. I pray that I will always be quick to give to those that I have the power to help.

Friday, May 07, 2010

Take Up Your Cross

A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, must empty ourselves -Mother Teresa


Luke 14:27  And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple.

Jesus went without food, money, shelter and lived the life of great sacrifice. His mission to redeem the world was not a glamorous one and for it to end on a cross was the ultimate of scorn and shame.

Carrying the cross is hard work, cross carriers were open to ridicule, they had nowhere to hide, everything was out in public. But then the life of a disciple isn’t to be hidden, it is all about being open for public viewing, discipleship isn't any good if it isn't seen.

Nobody is able to follow you if they can't see you and since you are out there for the world to see then you better be sure that your motives, desires and interest are aligned with what God has in mind. I have to be sure that what they see is what a cross carrier should look like.

Galatians 6:14 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died.

Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.

I need to nail my worldly desires to the cross and make my interest be in alignment with the desires for the mission that God has created me for. I need to make the decision to pickup my cross each day and live a lifestyle that shows that my interest are lined up with God's desires. It is amazing to me that he wants to use everyday people like me and that he gives us the power to do his work.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him (1 Timothy 1:12) Thank you Lord!

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Deny Yourself

Jesus calls us to say no to ourselves so we can say yes to him. 


 
 Mark 8:34  Then, calling the crowd to join His disciples, He said, "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me.

"Hello people, over here, I just want to let you know that this isn't going to be easy" Jesus called out to the crowds that were following him and he let them know what it would look like to REALLY follow him. This isn't going to be something that you can do as a part time venture, this isn't like following any other Rabbi.

Without Christ in our lives it is a very selfish agenda that we live by, we want it all and we want it now. Don't we deserve to get out fair share?

I am just one individual with a selfish agenda, my plan is very small, Gods plan for the world is way bigger, it is so big that there is no way for me to embrace my plan and his plans at the same time.

Lord help me to throw aside my agenda and be your servant, I want to be a part of your plans for your glory.

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Follow Me

God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called. 


Matthew 4:18-22 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Follow without delay, that was the reaction of the first guys that were invited to be disciples of Jesus, but why did he choose these guys?

Disciples were usually hand picked from those that were qualified for the job, those that were already following a Rabbi, but Jesus didn't look for somebody that had the qualifications that we would think would qualify somebody for the job.

We are not chosen based on our past performance, we were picked based on our potential, thankfully we didn't have to earn a position in kingdom work by doing. Jesus sees what we can become if we are willing to learn from him and if we are willing to give our lives over to him.

Thank you Lord for seeing us for our potential that we can live up to through your strength.

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Father

What family are you in?


James 1:17-18  Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.  18  He chose to give birth to us by giving us His true word. And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession.

Matthew 5:16  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Ephesians 1:2  May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

One of the revelations about God that is found mostly in the New Testament is that God is our Father. How cool it is that we can say that God is our Father

God has adopted us into his family, something that was only possible because he first made us right with him through the redeeming sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf, we are now his prized possession, sons and daughters of the King.  Imagine being treasured far above everything else in all of creation, it is a pretty awesome creation and very fascinating, it is hard to believe that God loves me and values me above everything else that he made.

It is a love that we can count on forever because we know that our father never changes, he choose to make us his family and there isn't anything that can change his mind, I will always be his son.

Thank you Lord for adopting me into your family, I must not forget that you are in love with me and will never forsake me.

Monday, May 03, 2010

Lord

Who is in control? I hope it isn't you.


 A study into the many names of God.

 Philippians 2:8-11  He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9  Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Acts 2:36  "So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!"


Romans 10:9  If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Lord - A master; a person possessing supreme power and authority; a ruler; a governor.

It is amazing that we call Jesus Lord yet when he came to earth he took on the role of a servant, he left the glory and riches of heaven, humbled himself and died as a criminal would on a cruel cross.

Paul says that because he did so much for us, God has given Jesus the place of highest honor, the only person that we should allow to control our life and the only person that is to be so highly honored that we would bow down. There is one person that has the right to be called Lord and have control of my life, that person is Jesus, he should be both "My Lord and my God" as Thomas called him (John 20:28). 

There are a lot of great people that have walked on this planet since the begining of time but not a one of them is worthy to be called Lord, I don't even have the right to think that highly of myself  and I certainly do not have the right to be in control of my own life.

Only you Lord are worthy of praise and are to be worshipped. I must always be sure to allow you to be in control of my life and to be the number one priority in life.

Saturday, May 01, 2010

El Olam

The many names of God in the Scripture provide us with insight into His character.


Genesis 21:33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the LORD, the Eternal God.
Psalms 100:5 For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation.

Psalms 103:17 But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear Him. His salvation extends to the children of the children.

El Olam - “the Everlasting God,” from an original form meaning “the God of eternity.”

Almost everything in this life is going to fade away, all of the things that we work so hard to acquire that just end up belonging to somebody else or they end up in the garbage can after we are gone. That is not true of my God the eternal God, he is the God of eternity.

What does an everlasting God mean to me? It means that he will always be there, unchanged, always in control and always powerful. The God that took care of Abraham will be there to take care of me and he will be there throughout all of eternity.

The incredible thing is that you and I are eternal beings too. The question that we must have the correct answer to is, where am I going to spend my eternity at?

He has created me to enjoy eternity with him but he isn't going to force me to be there with him,  the choice is mine to make, it seems crazy to even say that there is a choice, when you consider what the alternative is.

I choose to spend eternity with God, his love continues forever and I want to be there with him to experience it.

Thank you Lord for providing a way for me to spend eternity with you, to experience your presence and your love that will never end.