Remembering Our Fallen Heroes

Today is Memorial Day and I encourage everyone to take time to pause and remember all the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrafice for our freedom. God bless our veterans and God bless America.

Lord You Take Over

"Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar" (that is, En Gedi). Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him." (2 Chronicles 20:2-4)

Think about one difficulty you are facing right now. It might have to do with your family, your finances, conflicts at work or even an accident you recently had. All these things can be considered as armies coming against you. I know from personal experience that any circumstance that has overpowered me is an army coming against me. I might come up with my own ideas, methods or plans, but nothing I do is going to fix it. In desperation and anxiety, I cry out to the Lord. Crying out to the Lord as a last resort is a lot different than "resolving to inquire of the Lord" from the start (as Jehoshaphat did). God honored Jehoshaphat's prayer and then he honored the Lord by singing praises to God before the battle even began. Circumstances are difficult in life. Many times, we wonder what is really going on and why is the Lord allowing this to happen? All the Lord wants is for you to include Him. Circumstances can be hard but His answers to your prayers are not. Go to God today first. Tell Him, "Lord, I don't know what to do but I am looking to You." He not only hears, sees and answers, but He assures the victory.

Walk By Faith

“Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:27-29)

Years ago my heart sought peace, comfort, and joy. I had tried all the trappings of the world that I could. I was a part of the cool crowd one moment and then the next moment, I wasn’t. Yet, my heart wanted more than acceptance from the crowd; my heart wanted to believe. As a child I attended church and found it dull and boring. I found most of the words unnecessary and irritating. I mean, I believed that I was a good person, why would I ever need anything or anyone else? Why would I ever need Jesus?Years passed by and with them passed a sorted life that brought temporary happiness but no lasting joy and no peace, no peace for my hurting heart. The love of Christ came into my life and it came through his love displayed by others. That love of Christ made me stop and made me consider. And when the time was right I asked the Lord to forgive me and to be my Lord. The love of Christ displayed in others taught me that I could never be good enough and that I needed a Savior. I learned that I needed the righteousness of Christ and not my own; a righteousness freely given to me when Christ gave his life on the cross. And just as Jesus rose from the grave daily I rise and I’m a little bit different, a little cleaner inside, a little more like my Heavenly Father all because of faith in Him.That journey starts with faith. Faith is believing that Jesus Christ loves you and me enough to die for us. But the story doesn’t end there; Christ also rose from the dead so that we could believe that he is the Son of God, the Christ.Maybe today you believe in Him, you know his life, and you know his sacrifice. Yet, in the very core of your heart is Christ your Lord, your Savior, and your King? Many use the name ‘Christian’ to mark themselves with the religion of ‘Christianity’; using the name doesn’t make you a follower of Christ.Walking by faith in Him and trusting Christ alone does.

Too Busy for God?

Most people know the importance of spending time with God. But in the midst of life's daily activity, it's just too hard to find the time. Our schedules get filled, situations at work consume our thoughts at night and family and friends vie for attention with us and then we need to get some sleep at night to face another day's challenges in the morning. How do you find time for everything that needs to get done in 24 hours when you need more time in the day. What do we let drop from our schedule? What do we put on hold so we can concentrate on getting through our day? There can be many reasons for our busy schedules, but no matter what the reason may be, God demands our worship. The sisters Mary and Martha give us a good example of this when we examine their two lives. In Luke 10:38-42 it gives us the story of these two sisters. Martha was busy serving and keeping busy but was missing out on what was most important. Time with God. Mary on the other hand desired time with the Lord and this was the most important thing in her life at that moment. May we find the faith that Mary had and seek to worship God and not miss out on opportunities with Him.

We Are Not God

Isaiah 55:8-9-"My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

One of my favorite sayings regarding our relationship with God comes from the movie Rudy where Father Cavanaugh says to Rudy these words, "Son in over thiry years of religious study, I have discovered two incontrovertable truths; there is a God and I'm not Him." Never was a statement more true. No matter how we try to perceive God, he is still God and we are not. We must forever remember that the original, and still primary sin was to try to become like God in terms of knowledge and understanding. We are to know God, but we can never fully know about him. We are to take on his character, but we cannot approach his majesty. This is both exciting and frustrating. But the promise remains that one day we will be like him and see him as he is

IN CHRIST

John 3:3-"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Being in Christ, and all that it means to Christian maturity and freedom, is the overwhelming theme of the New Testament. For example, in the six chapters of the Book of Ephesians alone there are 40 references to being in Christ and having Christ in you. For every reference to Christ being in you, there are 10 to you being in Christ. Being in Christ is the most critical element of our identity. But we weren't born in Christ. We were born in sin, thanks to the first Adam. What is God's plan for transforming us from being in Adam to being in Christ? We must be born again (John 3:3). Physical birth only gains us physical life. Spiritual life, the eternal life Christ promises to those who come to Him, is only gained through spiritual birth (John 3:36). What does it mean to be spiritually alive in Christ? The moment you were born again your soul came into union with God in the same way Adam was in union with God before the Fall. Your spiritual union with God is complete and eternal because it is provided by Christ, the last Adam. As long as Christ remains alive spiritually, you will remain alive spiritually--and that's for eternity. Contrary to what many Christians believe, eternal life is not something you get when you die. You are spiritually alive in Christ right now. That's how you got to be in union with God, by being born again spiritually. You'll never be more spiritually alive than you are right now. The only thing that will change when you die physically is that you will exchange your old earthbound body for a new one. But your spiritual life in Christ, which began when you personally trusted Him, will merely continue on. Salvation is not a future addition; it's a present transformation. And that transformation occurs at spiritual birth, not physical death. God's Word promises, "He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life" (1 John 5:12). Eternal life is something you possess right now because you're in Christ. Believe it. Rejoice in it

Tried, Tested and True

Job 23:10-11-"He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside."

How we long for this to be our true confession. We are not yet gold, but long to be. We are not yet fully following his steps, but are trying. We have tried not to turn aside, but we sometimes falter. Thank God for his grace until our intentions and desires are fulfilled!