Thursday, March 31, 2011

Deny self.

I heard several sermons the past few weeks on Matthew 16:24-27. It has made me do some thinking on these verses I want to pass along to you. Here is the first verse:



Matthew 16:24



24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.



In the verses proceeding this verse Jesus for the first time tells them that he was going to beaten, killed and raised on the third day. This was a shock to the disciples and the Lord had to rebuke Peter for wanting to stop this from happening to Jesus. The Jesus shares the words of Matthew 16:24 to the disciples. Jesus tells them first if we want to follow Him we must deny self. This is a very deep statement if you stop and think about it. What are you denying self to follow Jesus? Anything or are we following just when we can work Him in our schedule? Look at what the disciples did to deny self.....completely surrendered their lives. Jesus expects the same from us. Not just when we can work Him in. Second, Jesus says take up your cross. The cross was a death instrument. What Jesus was trying to say is do whatever it takes to follow me even to the point of death. Can we say this morning we will follow Jesus even if it costs our lives? If we can't deny self we will never make it to taking up our cross. Think about the disciples again. All of them except one, history tells us died for their faith. Killed for following Jesus. Do we have that kind of faith? Third, Jesus says follow me. When we give our lives to Christ, He expects us to follow Him. It isn't easy. The disciples dropped everything...careers, family, hobbies, everything and followed. I must say it makes me drop my head in shame when I really consider how I am doing in following Christ. I must do better....deny self, take up my cross, and follow no matter what and no excuses.



Tom

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Found innocent!

Continuing on from yesterday....Daniel was thrown into the lion's den and a stone was put across the mouth of the den and sealed by the king with his signet ring. This sealed the deal. No turning back now. The king who was Daniel's friend could not sleep and fasted all night for Daniel. The king did not sleep. When morning came the king ran to the lion's den and cried out to Daniel. This is where we pick up the story today.



Daniel 6:22



22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”



Daniel was found innocent. God protected him! Wow! I have two thoughts on this. First, if we remain faithful to God, He remains faithful to us. As we clearly see here Daniel was a man who served God continually and was found faithful. Second, if Daniel had been eaten by the lions does that mean he wasn't a faithful man of God? Not necessarily. Through the span of time many godly men and women have been killed because of their faith. When you think about it ultimate victory comes in death for that is when we will see Jesus face to face. Think of Stephen here. He was stoned to death but it sure wasn't because of lack of faith or obedience. Most of the disciples lost their lives because of their faith while spreading the gospel. For the believer death isn't a bad thing, just means we receive our eternal reward...praise God!



So this morning, if thrown into the lion's den will you be found faithful before God???



Tom

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Would God deliver me?

As we continue on from yesterday remember Daniel was found doing as he had always done, praying before God.



Daniel 6:12-16



12 And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king’s decree: “Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?”

The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.”

13 So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”

14 And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. 15 Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”

16 So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.”



So the leaders under King Darius bought their accusation against Daniel to the King. I can here them now...King one of those Jews from Judah are not following your decree! The King replies...how dare they! My law does not later! He shall be cast into the Lion's den!!! Who is this Jew??? Why King it is Daniel. Oh no not Daniel!!! You see the King liked Daniel and after He found out it was Daniel he wanted to do all he could to deliver him. Guess what there was only one way for that to happen. God. The law could not be changed but God can change the unchangeable! So the leaders brought Daniel in and I can picture the King looking into the lions den and saying to Daniel...."Your God whom you serve continually, He will deliver you." The pagan King had confidence in Daniels God! Why? Because he had seen HIM work before!



The king knew Daniel served God continually...that is a key to his deliverance! Are we serving God continually no matter what???



Tom

Monday, March 28, 2011

Found praying!

Daniel 6:11

11 Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.



Remember we had just left off last week where a decree had bee made by King Darius that nothing can be worshiped but him. His leaders asked him to do this trying to set Daniel up. It worked! As this verse says these men then found Daniel praying before his God. This is such an awesome verse. Nothing can stop us from praying except ourselves! Daniel was fully aware of the decree. He knew what the consequences may be. But He was faithful to God. I think of our prayer lives. How many of us won't pray in public because of what others might think? We have taken prayer out of school because of what others have said. The list can go on and on. I pray this morning we will be men and women of God and be found praying often! Even when others may have a problem with it. Again as we see in Daniel the only one who can stop us is ourselves!



Have a great Monday and pray!



Tom

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Is it your custom?

As we continue you on in Chapter 6 of Daniel...the leaders under King Darius have found out the only way to set Daniel up is by his faith in God. So these fellas devise a plan and take it to King Darius and this is where we pick it up:



Daniel 6:6-10

6 So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: “King Darius, live forever! 7 All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.



The leaders under Darius played on his pride. Who wouldn't want people to worship them? It is a fleshly desire to be in the spot light. They had the King sign a petition saying just that. For thirty days, no one could petition any god or man but the King! Once the king signed it nothing could alter the decree! Now look at verse 10. Daniel knew the decree had been signed but guess what? It did not stop him from being faithful to God. He prayed and gave thanks just as he always had! So this brings us to a question we need to answer. Will we be faithful no matter what man puts into place to try and stop us? It is easy to say yes without persecution standing outside our door. Daniel knew what the penalty might be but continued to worship God! Would we if our necks are on the line?



The close of verse 10 has always stuck out to me...."as was his custom since early days." Do you have a custom of prayer and worship to God. If not you need to start one and if you do....keep the faith for God is faithful!



Tom

Friday, March 18, 2011

Sorry!

Gonna be out of pocket for about a week. Stay safe and see ya soon!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Be as faithful as Daniel!

Wow, theses verses are awesome:



4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”



Daniel had been placed in a high leadership role under King Darius. Because He was a Jew (an outsider) the other leaders did not like him at all. They wanted to come up with a scheme to get him removed from his position. They got together for a brainstorming session to see what they could come up with. Verse 4 tells us they could find no fault or charge against him! Now think about that. Could your enemies come up with any faults against you? Don't think these guys didn't dig deep to come up with something against Daniel! But they could find nothing. Then look what happens in verse 5, they said the only way we can find anything against him is if it concerns the Word of God. Praise God! Can that be said of us? The only way a person could get something against us is because we are so faithful to the Word of God we may violate a man made law! I am praying that all of us are as faithful as Daniel in this area of our lives!



My friends let us be faithful to the truth of God's Word! Never straying so that the only way someone can find fault with us is by our faithfulness to God....what a blessing that would be!



Tom

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The Master Will Judge

I read this devotion this morning by Oswald Chambers and it really spoke to me so I wanted to share it with you:



We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ . . . —2 Corinthians 5:10





Paul says that we must all, preachers and other people alike, “appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” But if you will learn here and now to live under the scrutiny of Christ’s pure light, your final judgment will bring you only delight in seeing the work God has done in you. Live constantly reminding yourself of the judgment seat of Christ, and walk in the knowledge of the holiness He has given you. Tolerating a wrong attitude toward another person causes you to follow the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are. One carnal judgment of another person only serves the purposes of hell in you. Bring it immediately into the light and confess, “Oh, Lord, I have been guilty there.” If you don’t, your heart will become hardened through and through. One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. It is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin. No power, except the power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, can change or prevent the inherent consequences of sin.

“If we walk in the light as He is in the light. . .” (1 John 1:7). For many of us, walking in the light means walking according to the standard we have set up for another person. The deadliest attitude of the Pharisees that we exhibit today is not hypocrisy but that which comes from unconsciously living a lie.



Great words from a godly man this morning....let us listen, learn and apply!



Tom

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Handwriting on the wall!

Another example of what your pride before God will cost you!



Daniel 5

1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

5 In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other. 7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished.

10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas[a] were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

The Writing on the Wall Explained



13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives[b] from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. 16 And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. 19 And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. 20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. 21 Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.

22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. 24 Then the fingers[c] of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.

25 “And this is the inscription that was written:



MENE,[d] MENE, TEKEL,[e] UPHARSIN.[f]

26 This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 TEKEK: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”[g] 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Belshazzar’s Fall



30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.



I usually don't post the whole chapter but to get the full effect of this devotion you need to see what was going on. Ever wondered where the saying "didn't you see the handwriting on the wall?" came from? Now you know. A new King is on the throne! Belshazzar! He decides to throw a party of the elites of his Kingdom. He decides to pull out vessels from the temple in Jerusalem and they began to drink. Wow....using the Lord's vessels for his own use. They also praised the false gods during this party. In the middle of this party the fingers of a hand appeared and wrote a message on the wall for the King. The King was terrified! All his so called wise men were called in and once again they could not interpret for the king. He promised anyone who could interpret the dream royal treatment! The queen remembered Daniel and suggested they call him. Daniel came and interpreted the writing. Daniel told him the reason for the writing in verse 22...the king had not humbled his heart and because of this his kingdom would be divided between the Medes and Persians! Belshazzar commanded his servants to put the royal garment on him and proclaimed him third ruler of the kingdom even though in verse 17 Daniel told the king he did not want anything. That very night the king was killed!



So what can we pull from this? First, we don't want God to write on our walls! We need to be humble servants of our Lord. Second, don't defile the things of God! I think of our bodies and the Word here. Third, like Daniel we should not need to be rewarded to do the work God has for us to do....God may bless us but that is not the heart of why we serve our God!



Take some time to read this chapter and let God speak to your heart!



Tom

Monday, March 14, 2011

God will bring your pride down!

To give you a little back ground on this verse for today, King Nebuchadnezzar had another dream and again none of his ungodly advisers could tell him what it meant. Daniel was called in and He interpreted the dream for the King. It was not good news. Basically the dream told the King that because of his pride before God he would be brought down. His Kingdom would be taken from him for a time and he would live among the animals but when he would come to his senses and humble himself before God his kingdom would be restored. Guess what it happened just as predicted. This was the Kings response after he came to his senses!



Daniel 4:37

37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.



What can we learn from this? First if we don't have God in the proper place on our priority list he will bring us to our knees sooner or later. If we humble ourselves before God on this side of heaven He will restore us as we accept and worship His Son. If we do not we will bow in judgment as he casts us into hell. Secondly we need to be praising the King of heaven for everything! He is truth and his ways are justice...surrender and follow with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength!



Take time and read Daniel 4...some very good things from God's work to think about!



Tom

Friday, March 11, 2011

Prayers for Earthquake and Tsunami folks

This morning let us lift our hearts in prayers for those in Japan and around the world who will be effected by the earthquake and Tsunami.





Psalm 5:11-12 (New King James Version)



11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;

Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;

Let those also who love Your name

Be joyful in You.

12 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous;

With favor You will surround him as with a shield



God please protect and shield those in the in this disaster. We are praying for protection of life. Please surround them with your shield as you say in these verses in Psalm. God we love you and praise you even in the storms of life. Please be with us today.



Tom

Thursday, March 10, 2011

The unbelievers notice when you stand for God!

Well the three Jews were ordered out of the fire as Jesus had protected them through it. The scriptures says there was no hint of even being in the fire...no smell, no burns, nothing. Look at the King"s response to the three Jews:



Daniel 3:28-29

28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! 29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”



The King noticed the faith of the three Jews. Even though they had disobeyed his command to bow to the golden image. He noticed their unwavering commitment to God as he stated in verse 28 "and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!" Brothers and sisters there will come times in our lives where we must stand for our God no matter what even if we are facing death! Unbelievers notice when we stand!



Look what the King did next! He praised God! "There is no other God who can deliver like this." He even made a decree that whoever says anything bad about God would be killed and houses burnt! Wow!



We have to make a stand for our God, not all will turn and follow who are unbelievers but atleast they will know how much we love and trust our God !



Tom

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Jesus will be with you in the fire!

Continuing on from yesterday. The three Jews did not bow to the golden image as commanded by the King. This made him very angry and he commanded them to throw the three Jews into the fire. The fire was so hot it killed the men who threw the Jews into the fire! This is where we pick it up today:



Daniel 3:24-25



24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”

They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”

25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”



When we stand for our Lord Jesus, He will be with you. In the good times or in the fire. I have read so many accounts over history of how Jesus was with those who were standing firm for Him. Some resulted in death and some were able to live. The point is Jesus WILL BE with us! I think of the Stephen the Martyr...the only time in the Bible we see Jesus standing at the right hand of God to receive one of His own:



Acts 7:54-60



54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.



Jesus was there with Stephen and He will be there will those who have put their trust in Him!



Keep the faith my friends!



Tom

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Let it be known!

To give you a little back ground on this scripture this morning.... King Nebuchadnezzar had been told that these 3 Jews were not bowing down to the gold image that he had set up. This made the King very mad and he confronted them and gave them one last chance to bow and this is their answer:



Daniel 3:16-18

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”



This gives me goose bumps! We have to ask ourselves this morning....if our necks are on the line and we have the option to stay true to our God or give in to a false god....what will we do? Do we have the faith of these 3 Jews? I love their response. God will deliver one way or another....we will worship nothing else! I pray this morning for all of us to have this kind of faith!



As the 3 Jews said "Let it be known", this morning may we believers in Christ also say" Let it be known" we will serve and worship Jesus only!



Tom

Monday, March 7, 2011

God reveals to those seeking!

God....He is amazing. Before this verse God through Daniel reveals what the dream King Nebuchadnezzar had. This is the King's response:



Daniel 2:47 (New King James Version)

47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.”



God does reveal to those that seek Him. This brought to mind a story I read last week that i want to share with you. Some have already seen it. It was a rebuttal to a woman who had wrote an article about homosexuality. This woman basically says the Bible does not say homosexuality is wrong. In the rebuttal the write states the Bible clearly does state that homosexuality is wrong and a sin. While I want you to read this story, I also want you to read the comments afterward. I was shocked to see how many folks don't believe the Bible!!!! Many also claim to have read the Bible and than confirmed their beliefs that the Bible is wrong!



Here is the link to the story:

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/03/my-take-the-bible-really-does-condemn-homosexuality/



This verse in Daniel made me think about how God will reveal himself to those who seek Him. For some salvation is a secret that we must be about revealing!!! Are you seeking Him today. Are you revealing Jesus to others through your life and the Word? Be in prayer for this World of ours as it is very obvious many are not seeking God and if their is not a turning to Him we know what their final destiny will be my friends....hell.



Pray my friends....pray.



Tom

Friday, March 4, 2011

Praise God for answered prayer.

God answers so many of our prayers. We can't thank him enough. Here in these verses God has answered Daniel's prayer that he could interpet and know King Nebuchadnezzars dream. God did and these verses are in response to God answering that prayer:



Daniel 2:20-23



So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

20 Daniel answered and said:





“ Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,

For wisdom and might are His.

21 And He changes the times and the seasons;

He removes kings and raises up kings;

He gives wisdom to the wise

And knowledge to those who have understanding.

22 He reveals deep and secret things;

He knows what is in the darkness,

And light dwells with Him.

23 “ I thank You and praise You,

O God of my fathers;

You have given me wisdom and might,

And have now made known to me what we asked of You,

For You have made known to us the king’s demand.”



Do you take time to praise God for answered prayer? I know I don't enough. I ask for so much and I should be greatful enough to praise Him for the ones God answers and the ones He don't for God knows best!



Thank you Jesus for listening and answer us in our petitions.



Tom

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Do you know what would defile you?

First let us define defile: to make foul, dirty, or unclean; pollute; taint; debase.



Daniel 1:8

8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.



Daniel was a man of God. He wanted to stay pure before God. That should be the desire of us all who are children of the Lord. For the Christian it is pretty easy to define what will defile us before God....sin! Thankfully if we have received the shed blood of Jesus Christ for our sins we are pure before God. One of the problems with Christians today is not knowing what God's Word calls sin, I guess a better way to put it would be ignorance of God's Word. My brothers and sisters there are so many things God"s Word warns us about that we either choose to ignore or don't know the Word tells us is sin. For example turning our backs on the poor, pride, hoarding money, putting material things before God, and putting God somewhere else than #1 on our priority list to name a few. When we do these and other sins we defile ourselves before God and must confess our sin to Him.



I pray for all of us this morning that out hearts and minds will be in the same spirit as Daniel and choose not to defile ourselves before the almighty God. Make sure our noses are in the Word so we know what defiles us!



Tom

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Well do you love Jesus?

He said to him the third time, ’. . . do you love Me?’ —John 21:17



I read this verse this morning and was thinking on it. It is such a simple question that Jesus asked Peter. But really it is very deep. God is asking us the same question. Peter responded that Jesus already knew the answer and he was right. God does know the answer. Each day God asks us this question as we go through the day. You walk by a child who needs some clothes....can you hear God say "do you love Me?". A co-worker makes you mad and you are about to lash out at them and you hear God say "do you love Me?". Your friend needs to hear the gospel and you hear God say "do you love Me?". We can list a million things here. As the old saying goes talk is cheap. We can tell God we love Him but the proof is in our actions. Jesus told Peter to "feed my sheep". Love in action.



So this morning Jesus is asking "do you love Me?"....show Him how much you love Him!



Tom

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Are you a slave of Christ?

I just finished a book called "Slave" by John MacArthur. A great read and very informative. I found it very interesting that as the the scriptures were translated into English some of the meaning of certain words has been lost. For example the word slave appears 124 times in the original greek text but it is correctly translated only once in the King James version of the scriptures. Instead of using slave they choose the word servant in its place. In the old testament the word for slave in Hebrew appears 799 times as a noun and another 290 times as a verb. Again it is translated in the King James version as servant or manservant the majority if the time. At this point you may be thinking..."yeah so what"? This is a big deal for your understanding of what following Christ means. You see if you are a servant of Christ you have a choice. You can come and go as you choose. Serve when you want and not serve when you don not want to or feel like it. When you are a slave of Christ there is not a choice. The scripture says:



1 Corinthians 6:20

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.



A slave is bought, a servant is paid for services. When we accept Christ we willfully become slaves of Christ. Think about that this morning. Do you see why understanding that the use of the word servant compared to slave, the meaning is much different? In today's times slave have a negative meaning but when we are serving Christ it does not because we have a loving master who desires our service and worship. I am humbled to be the slave of Christ! I am not worthy but am very thankful to do so.



Don't read this devotion lightly, take time to think about what being a slave of Christ should mean in your life!





Colossians 4:1

1 Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.



A bondservant is a slave.



Tom