Lawless Deeds

Titus 2:14

"Jesus Christ gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from every lawless deed.”

All of us make mistakes and all of us sin and commit "lawless deeds." Here is a wonderful thought; God sent His only Son to save us and cleanse us from the negative results of sinfulness.

God loves you and I so much that He gave His son, Jesus Christ, to cleanse us of all the wrong things that we do. What a promise, what a blessing, hallelujah!

Hunger

Have you ever been hungry, ate something and realized it didn’t satisfy your hunger? It seems this happens way too often for me. The other night I was so hungry for breakfast. After fixing and eating an omelet, I was unsatisfied. Jesus said in John 6:35, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger.”

We have to eat regularly to keep our body alive. We all have natural hungers. But, in this passage Jesus is discussing spiritual hunger. If we allow Him, He will fill the empty places in our lives with His mercy, love and grace. We are fed by His presence.

Focus On the Important Things

When we get up in the morning, we really never know what the day will bring. Sometimes things start out good and get better. Other times things start off bad and get better. Then other times things start off good and get bad or start of bad and get even worse. Let me suggest this, when you get up in the morning, go over your schedule with the Lord. Pray, "Lord, You've already seen this day that I'm about to experience. Tell me the things that are important today and then help me to focus on them."

I promise taking this approach will never hurt. Have a blessed day

Enjoy the Blessings of Your Work

Ecclesiastes 3:22

"I saw that there was nothing better than that all should enjoy their work, for that is their lot."

With Spring always comes a lot of tasks left undone through the Winter months. Spring cleaning, yard work, planting flowers, etc. I am always amazed by how few people enjoy the many blessings God has given to them. We work and work yet so often we fail to stop and enjoy the blessings of the work. This verse says that we should enjoy our work. Enjoy the blessings that come to you today. You may have labored hard on a project. Enjoy the blessings that come from that.

Whatever you are doing today, take a break and enjoy the many blessings.

Our Good

Romans 8:28

"We know all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to God's purpose."

We can casually quote this verse or we can really believe it and take hold of it. If we do take hold of this, we will know that something good can come from every situation that we face today. I want to remind you today that we are God's people and therefore God is working things out in us for our ultimate good.

A Step of Faith

James 1:22

"Be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers only".

I remember years ago seeing a sign in an office, which said: "After all is said and done, more is said than done." I always smile when I think about that thought. The truth: we often talk more than we act. This verse reminds us not only when we read the Word should we be blessed by hearing it, but we should take action upon that Word.

Taking action is a step of faith, and God always honors a step of faith. I hope you will take that step today.

Spend Some Time With Him

Revelation 3:20

Jesus said: "I am standing at the door knocking, and if any one hears my voice I will come in to you and eat with you and you with me."

I want you to think of a time when you enjoyed a wonderful meal with a friend. That is the same concept explained in Revelation 3. Jesus wants to just come in, sit down with us, and enjoy some intimate moments. Why don't you sit down in a quiet place, and spend some time with Him today.

My Mouth

Exodus 4:12

"God said to Moses, 'Go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you should speak.”

When I read this I thought now this is really strange -- "I will be with you mouth." Maybe it is God's way of saying, "I will let you know what you should or should not say." Today, I encourage you to say this simple prayer -- "God, let my mouth bless others and you."

You Have My Word On It

The guy that does the Men’s Warehouse commercials always ends his pitch with, “You have my word on it.” Unfortunately now days we are skeptical because so many of us have been burned by someone who gave us their word and reneged on it.

As a pastor I have always tried to give my word and keep to it. I did that before becoming a pastor too. Sometimes I fail, sometimes I forget but most of the time if I know I can’t keep a promise I will not make it.
I have tried to encourage our church to be a people of acceptance, tolerance and love. No matter where people are in their spiritual journey we need to embrace them and help them grow as Christians. Did you know that God will meet you just were you are? He will, and you have my word on it!

Marvel At His Grace

I marvel at creation. God is a master artist, sculptor, designer, and inventor. It has been said that He can make old things look new and new things look old. When God gets in a creative mode, He holds nothing back. Just looking at our universe, it is stunningly beautiful, staggering in complexity, and extravagant in all regards. I love to be outside and just explore God’s wonders.

While creation can be breathtaking, I marvel even more at His grace. When God created the Heavens and Earth He did it perfectly. Only when Adam and Eve chose freely to sin did creation become imperfect. The only way to cover the marring left by man’s sin was for the Great Artist to make a brush stroke with His grace. I love this poem by Bennard.

Yes, God was so great in creation,
But greater, much greater in grace!
For when man had sinned and had grieved Him,
He sent Christ to die in his place. —Bennard

Be blessed today!

Ravens

1 Kings 17:6 NIV (Talking about Elijah the Prophet)

6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

I don’t know how much you know about ravens but they are scavengers. They will find some animal that is already dead and eat from it. Ravens are not known for eating live food or killing something themselves that is fresh. No, they eat the discarded, the trash. Knowing this I wonder how many of us would have been in the frame of mind of Elijah to receive this gift of provision from God.

David McCasland said, "Those who let God provide will be satisfied."

Sometimes God’s answers to your prayers are not packaged and presented to you in the fashion you are accustomed to or are expecting. Nevertheless, if you will receive His blessings, you will be satisfied. Don’t turn up your nose at something God is providing for you today. It may be just what you need to keep going.

Pilgrims

I had the privilege this morning to have breakfast with a great man of God. He wasn’t someone famous, or rich, he really doesn’t stand out in a crowd. No this guy is just ordinary. But what fascinates me about him is that he is a pilgrim. Hebrews 11 gives us a list of pilgrims, men and women of great faith that did extraordinary things.

We have modern day pilgrims that we all know. My parents, my former pastor W. L Rains, many of my mentors: Dr. Morris Sheats, Dr. Sidney Westbrook and Rev. Allen (Tex) Groff, my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Lois McCain and a host of others. These people were pilgrims that made a mark in my life and the lives of many others.

The author of Hebrews (Heb. 13:7). reminds us to remember the pilgrims who have gone before us, especially those “who have spoken the Word of God” to us. He tells us to consider the outcome of their conduct, and he encourages us to follow their faith.

As my friend shared with me stories of his Christian journey; tears streamed down his cheeks. Right there in the restaurant the Holy Spirits anointing rested heavy on my Christian brother. There is no doubt that his journey hasn’t been easy but he recognizes that God is his portion and strength.

I just wanted to share that with you today. Have Faith, God is in Control!

Sin Drains Our Power

Sin drains our spiritual power; confession restores it.

I was watching a show on the science channel called Build it Bigger. They did a piece on wind generators.
Researchers discovered that wind-power generators worked fine at slow speeds, but at high-wind velocity, bugs on the blades reduced power output. Operators found that it was necessary to regularly wash off the buildup of dead insects to avoid having them slowly decrease the turbine’s power.

That got me to thinking. Did you know that a buildup of sin in a Christian’s life can be a problem as well? God has provided a way to clear the accumulation of sins from our lives. 1 John 1:9 reminds us: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” But unless we do that often, we’ll be running on diminished power. That’s because the power for living comes from God and not us (2 Cor. 4:7). When we try to live the Christian life in our own strength, we’ll feel defeated—like windmills robbed of their energy.

Ask God to remove the sin in your life as you begin this new day.

Praise God Today

I hope you will take time today to praise God. Why you ask? Because, He is worthy. I know we have all eternity to praise God but let me encourage you to begin today.

Wonderfully Made

Psalm 139:14

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

By God’s wise designing
We are wonderfully made,
Every part essential
And in perfect balance laid. —Anon.

All life is created by God and is precious. Treat each other well today!

The Fool

Today is April Fool’s Day, a day in which many will playfully trick you. A fool is a person who is gullible, a chump, a person who is easily taken advantage of, and a person who lacks good judgment.
The Bible is filled with warnings to foolish people and people who act foolishly. It even warns us about talking to a fool. Maybe the saddest thing about fools is what the psalmist wrote:

Psalm 53:1 NIV
The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;

Today my prayer for you is that God gives you wisdom and discernment in all you do. No fooling!