God gives us a clear warning here:
1 Corinthians 10:12-13
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
As a Christian we have to be very careful. As we try to live our lives as the Lord directs us too we also are to gently guide others in their walk too. If we are not very careful though we can get to a point where we think we are so strong in our walk with the Lord that we can not fall. That is the warning here. If we get to that point we get lazy and can rely in our own strength instead of God's!! Next thing ya know BAM you have fallen to a temptation. The good news in these verses is there are no new temptations. Everything we will be tempted by has tempted somebody else. God is faithful to us and will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear! Wow God loves us so much!!!! God will always provide a way of escape. Guess what??? That means it falls back on us to get away from the temptation....run from it!
So this morning keep a watch out and always be looking for that temptation....when you see him run!
Tom
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
God hates divorce!
This can be a tough subject these days but it must be looked at from God's point of view:
Malachi 2:16
16 “ For the LORD God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one’s garment with violence,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
“ Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously.”
Now I realize there are reasons for divorce. But when things get tough it is also a time that we can forgive let us not forget that. What i very troublesome to me is that the divorce rate is over 50% now. Think about that 1 in every 2 marriages will end in divorce. I wish I could say it was different among Christians but it is not. That should trouble all of us who say we are followers of Christ! The church sure isn't setting a very good example in this area! While God's Word did make provisions for divorce which were very strict, God makes it clear in this verse what He thinks about divorce.
So this morning let us remember what God says about divorce and act accordingly!
Tom
Malachi 2:16
16 “ For the LORD God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one’s garment with violence,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
“ Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously.”
Now I realize there are reasons for divorce. But when things get tough it is also a time that we can forgive let us not forget that. What i very troublesome to me is that the divorce rate is over 50% now. Think about that 1 in every 2 marriages will end in divorce. I wish I could say it was different among Christians but it is not. That should trouble all of us who say we are followers of Christ! The church sure isn't setting a very good example in this area! While God's Word did make provisions for divorce which were very strict, God makes it clear in this verse what He thinks about divorce.
So this morning let us remember what God says about divorce and act accordingly!
Tom
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Turn away!
This verse we need to think about very seriously:
Matthew 5:28
28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
While this verse is being applied towards men it also valid for women too. Women lust just as well as men. This warning from God is very hard to keep from doing. Think about it. Everywhere you look from tv to billboards to the individual dress of men and women. Temptation!!!! The devil is great at luring us in with sexual temptations. Our society had helped him out so much think about how men and women dress. Body parts hanging out just begging us to look and lust. God made it clear in His Word that those who practice adultery and do not repent will not inherit the kingdom of God!
So the best thing to do is turn away and think about what God's Word says!
Tom
Matthew 5:28
28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
While this verse is being applied towards men it also valid for women too. Women lust just as well as men. This warning from God is very hard to keep from doing. Think about it. Everywhere you look from tv to billboards to the individual dress of men and women. Temptation!!!! The devil is great at luring us in with sexual temptations. Our society had helped him out so much think about how men and women dress. Body parts hanging out just begging us to look and lust. God made it clear in His Word that those who practice adultery and do not repent will not inherit the kingdom of God!
So the best thing to do is turn away and think about what God's Word says!
Tom
Monday, June 27, 2011
Why???
Why has this verse been thrown aside??? It seems as thought society today has thrown it out the window.
Exodus 20:14
14 “You shall not commit adultery."
The Journal of Psychology and Christianity posted statistics that stated up to 65% of husbands and 55% of wives will commit adultery by the age 40!!! Gee whiz that is ridiculous!!! God is very clear in his Word that if we don't repent of this sin we will not be in heaven. That is the great thing about Jesus He will for give us if we are willing to surrender our lives to him. My challenge to each one of us this morning is to stand strong and obey the Word of God and encourage and teach others to do the same!
Tom
Exodus 20:14
14 “You shall not commit adultery."
The Journal of Psychology and Christianity posted statistics that stated up to 65% of husbands and 55% of wives will commit adultery by the age 40!!! Gee whiz that is ridiculous!!! God is very clear in his Word that if we don't repent of this sin we will not be in heaven. That is the great thing about Jesus He will for give us if we are willing to surrender our lives to him. My challenge to each one of us this morning is to stand strong and obey the Word of God and encourage and teach others to do the same!
Tom
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Don't put people first!
Wow did this verse ever jump out at me this morning.
Galatians 1:10
10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
How much time do we spend trying to get peoples approval? Some don't care what people think and others care way too much what people think. Paul makes it very clear here that people are not our number one priority. Now let me be clear that the Bible makes it clear we are to love others and put them ahead of ourselves but Jesus is to be the MAIN priority in our life. Paul even tells us here that if we are trying to be a people pleaser in stead of a Jesus pleaser than we need to check our status with Christ. Our God is a jealous God and He deserves all the glory and worship!!!!
So this morning who is first in your life???? Your wife, kids, boss, or do you have Jesus in the number one slot? Does your life prove that Jesus is your top priority?
Tom
Galatians 1:10
10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
How much time do we spend trying to get peoples approval? Some don't care what people think and others care way too much what people think. Paul makes it very clear here that people are not our number one priority. Now let me be clear that the Bible makes it clear we are to love others and put them ahead of ourselves but Jesus is to be the MAIN priority in our life. Paul even tells us here that if we are trying to be a people pleaser in stead of a Jesus pleaser than we need to check our status with Christ. Our God is a jealous God and He deserves all the glory and worship!!!!
So this morning who is first in your life???? Your wife, kids, boss, or do you have Jesus in the number one slot? Does your life prove that Jesus is your top priority?
Tom
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Fearing God = Lacking nothing!
Great promise from the Word this morning
Psalm 34:9
9 Fear the LORD, you His saints,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.
This is a pretty straight forward scripture isn't it? If you fear God we will lack nothing. Does that mean since I fear God I should have a shiny new corvette sitting in my driveway this morning? No it sure doesn't. What is does mean is that all our NEEDS will be met. When we get right down to it....Jesus is all we really need. He is the most important asset in our lives. When we have a fear of the Lord we will put Him in His proper place as Lord of our lives and be seeking to follow Him with all of our being. The Lord will then bless us because of our faithfulness. Oh what a mighty God we serve! Praise Him this morning.
So the question for us this morning is....do you fear God????? Does you life reflect that fear of the Lord????
Tom
Psalm 34:9
9 Fear the LORD, you His saints,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.
This is a pretty straight forward scripture isn't it? If you fear God we will lack nothing. Does that mean since I fear God I should have a shiny new corvette sitting in my driveway this morning? No it sure doesn't. What is does mean is that all our NEEDS will be met. When we get right down to it....Jesus is all we really need. He is the most important asset in our lives. When we have a fear of the Lord we will put Him in His proper place as Lord of our lives and be seeking to follow Him with all of our being. The Lord will then bless us because of our faithfulness. Oh what a mighty God we serve! Praise Him this morning.
So the question for us this morning is....do you fear God????? Does you life reflect that fear of the Lord????
Tom
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Who do we want praise from???
We need to honestly ask our selves this question: Do we seek man's praise or praise from God more?
John 12:42-43
42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Look at the danger of what was happening here. Many of the rulers believed in Jesus BUT because of what other people thought (Pharisees) They did not confess Jesus as Lord! Oh my! How much is this happening today? Way too much. Too many folks are worried about what others think instead of what God thinks. This is a dangerous game. Belief in Jesus is not enough for even the demons believe. We must believe and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior of our life. Repent of our sins and follow after Him. For when we do this the praise of men will mean nothing but the praise of God will mean everything!!!
So this morning look at your life and determine who you are seeking praise from.
Tom
John 12:42-43
42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Look at the danger of what was happening here. Many of the rulers believed in Jesus BUT because of what other people thought (Pharisees) They did not confess Jesus as Lord! Oh my! How much is this happening today? Way too much. Too many folks are worried about what others think instead of what God thinks. This is a dangerous game. Belief in Jesus is not enough for even the demons believe. We must believe and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior of our life. Repent of our sins and follow after Him. For when we do this the praise of men will mean nothing but the praise of God will mean everything!!!
So this morning look at your life and determine who you are seeking praise from.
Tom
Monday, June 20, 2011
I can relate!
I don't know about you but when Paul wrote this I sure can relate to what he is saying:
Romans 7:15
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
Good ole human nature. Why is it we seem to be drawn to do things we know are wrong? The flesh has a strong desire that is for sure. The devil is busy about his business which is to seek, kill and destroy us! It helps to know that Paul struggled with the same sins as we do and admitted here in this verse that he fails from time to time. We do too but the key is to keep the faith! Get up and dust ourselves off and ask for forgiveness. Then try not to repeat that mistake again!
So this morning if you had a bad weekend know Jesus is waiting for you to come back to Him. What are you waiting for? Jesus loves you!
Tom
Romans 7:15
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
Good ole human nature. Why is it we seem to be drawn to do things we know are wrong? The flesh has a strong desire that is for sure. The devil is busy about his business which is to seek, kill and destroy us! It helps to know that Paul struggled with the same sins as we do and admitted here in this verse that he fails from time to time. We do too but the key is to keep the faith! Get up and dust ourselves off and ask for forgiveness. Then try not to repeat that mistake again!
So this morning if you had a bad weekend know Jesus is waiting for you to come back to Him. What are you waiting for? Jesus loves you!
Tom
Friday, June 17, 2011
Whats coming from our mouth?
Some Word"s from God this morning we need to remember and be teaching our children often:
Luke 6:45
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Proverbs 4:24
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.
First in verse in Luke the Word tells us something very important that we don't want to miss. Where does good come from??? Out of our heart. On the other hand where does evil come from??? Out of our heart. What ever is filling our heart is what comes out in abundance from our mouth...wow think about that. If Christ is truly in our heart than good should be flowing out in abundance from our mouths!!!! But if Satin dwells in our heart...well you guessed it...then evil will be flowing from our mouths. God tells us in proverbs what to do with a untruthful, nasty, mouth. Get it far away from you!!!
So this morning God's Word is telling us our mouth can reveal much about our walk with or without Him. How are you doing this morning????
Tom
Luke 6:45
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Proverbs 4:24
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.
First in verse in Luke the Word tells us something very important that we don't want to miss. Where does good come from??? Out of our heart. On the other hand where does evil come from??? Out of our heart. What ever is filling our heart is what comes out in abundance from our mouth...wow think about that. If Christ is truly in our heart than good should be flowing out in abundance from our mouths!!!! But if Satin dwells in our heart...well you guessed it...then evil will be flowing from our mouths. God tells us in proverbs what to do with a untruthful, nasty, mouth. Get it far away from you!!!
So this morning God's Word is telling us our mouth can reveal much about our walk with or without Him. How are you doing this morning????
Tom
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Choose friends wisely!
God's Word is very clear that we need to be careful when choosing our friends:
Proverbs 13:20
20 He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
1 Corinthians 15:33
33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
In proverbs 13:20 God makes it very clear to us that if we choose to hang around wise folks then in turn we will become wise as we learn from them. One of the first things we need to learn is wisdom comes from God so just because a person is smart does not mean they are wise. One is truly only wise if they are in Christ! The verse in 1 Corinthians gives us a clear warning that evil company will corrupt the good habits we have formed. In other words RUN from folks who practice evil. If you are in God's Word you know what that evil is...if you are not well what are you waiting for...get to reading!
We need to teach our children these truths and set good examples for them by making sure the friends we hang with are wise!
Tom
Proverbs 13:20
20 He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
1 Corinthians 15:33
33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
In proverbs 13:20 God makes it very clear to us that if we choose to hang around wise folks then in turn we will become wise as we learn from them. One of the first things we need to learn is wisdom comes from God so just because a person is smart does not mean they are wise. One is truly only wise if they are in Christ! The verse in 1 Corinthians gives us a clear warning that evil company will corrupt the good habits we have formed. In other words RUN from folks who practice evil. If you are in God's Word you know what that evil is...if you are not well what are you waiting for...get to reading!
We need to teach our children these truths and set good examples for them by making sure the friends we hang with are wise!
Tom
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Don't forget your job!
A reminder to us parents this morning from God's Word:
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
This is a clear teaching from God this morning that as parents it is our job to teach our children God's Word. All day long and every opportunity we get we should be teaching them what God says. It should be posted around our house and in our cars and yes even on our children somewhere!!! (frontlets) It seems we think the preacher or the Sunday school teacher or even their school teacher in some cases should be teaching them what they should know. That is wrong! God is very clear it is our job as parents and then others may supplement our teachings. Perhaps the problem is we don't know enough about the Word to teach our children. That is not an excuse....because we can change that if we choose to do so!
So this morning are you doing your job? It is a command from what I read here this morning! Better get busy!
Tom
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
This is a clear teaching from God this morning that as parents it is our job to teach our children God's Word. All day long and every opportunity we get we should be teaching them what God says. It should be posted around our house and in our cars and yes even on our children somewhere!!! (frontlets) It seems we think the preacher or the Sunday school teacher or even their school teacher in some cases should be teaching them what they should know. That is wrong! God is very clear it is our job as parents and then others may supplement our teachings. Perhaps the problem is we don't know enough about the Word to teach our children. That is not an excuse....because we can change that if we choose to do so!
So this morning are you doing your job? It is a command from what I read here this morning! Better get busy!
Tom
Monday, June 13, 2011
God's blessings!
Psalm 127:3-5
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
Today many folks consider children a headache. To be honest we all have days with our kids that are not good. But how many days are they such a joy to have in our lives!!! I know for me the good out weighs the bad by a wide margin. Look at the verses for today. Children are a heritage and a reward from God....wow have you considered that recently? Arrows in a warriors hand brought excitement to him and our children should do the same for us. I read recently from a writer who said when we have the arrows in our hands we are responsible for the direction we are pointing them! That is very true and gives us something to think about! Verse 5 tells us that when we have many children we are happy! Think of folks who have many children and raised them in the Lord. I can picture a few right now....and Gos is telling the truth...they were happy. They may not have had all the material things but they had each other and were a family. They kept God a priority and it always brought a smile to my face to be around them!
So have you thanked God lately for blessing you with children, if not now would be the time!
Tom
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
Today many folks consider children a headache. To be honest we all have days with our kids that are not good. But how many days are they such a joy to have in our lives!!! I know for me the good out weighs the bad by a wide margin. Look at the verses for today. Children are a heritage and a reward from God....wow have you considered that recently? Arrows in a warriors hand brought excitement to him and our children should do the same for us. I read recently from a writer who said when we have the arrows in our hands we are responsible for the direction we are pointing them! That is very true and gives us something to think about! Verse 5 tells us that when we have many children we are happy! Think of folks who have many children and raised them in the Lord. I can picture a few right now....and Gos is telling the truth...they were happy. They may not have had all the material things but they had each other and were a family. They kept God a priority and it always brought a smile to my face to be around them!
So have you thanked God lately for blessing you with children, if not now would be the time!
Tom
Friday, June 10, 2011
Seek!!!
End the week with this awesome promise:
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
If you read the verses directly before verse 33 what you will find is God telling us He will meet our needs! He doesn't want us to worry about those things....then we come to this BUT! God tells us to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. Hmmm we need to stop and ask ourselves...."are we doing that?" Are we seeking God's kingdom? Are we living our lives everyday spreading the good news of Jesus? Are we seeking to live our lives as our righteous Lord Jesus did? IT is hard work to try to live a faithful life. We have to keep our minds focused on things above not on the things of this earth for they will soon pass away but eternity will not!!!
So ask yourself this morning what am I seeking? God or self? Righteousness or unrighteousness and then make adjustments if needed!
Tom
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
If you read the verses directly before verse 33 what you will find is God telling us He will meet our needs! He doesn't want us to worry about those things....then we come to this BUT! God tells us to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. Hmmm we need to stop and ask ourselves...."are we doing that?" Are we seeking God's kingdom? Are we living our lives everyday spreading the good news of Jesus? Are we seeking to live our lives as our righteous Lord Jesus did? IT is hard work to try to live a faithful life. We have to keep our minds focused on things above not on the things of this earth for they will soon pass away but eternity will not!!!
So ask yourself this morning what am I seeking? God or self? Righteousness or unrighteousness and then make adjustments if needed!
Tom
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Greatest is love!
God sums up how our lives are to lived in this verse:
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
First is our faith....very important to have faith in the King of Kings...Jesus. Next is to have hope. Hope is not in the sense of hoping something will happen. But in knowing our hope...Jesus Christ will come back for those who have been saved soon! A for sure hope. Then there is love. God tells us here that love is the greatest! When I first read this verse it sounded weird to me. I would have figured faith would be the most important. Faith in Christ. But when I started thinking about the verse I realized God is love. So when we are showing love to God and others we are more like Christ then than any other time!!! So love is the greatest!
So this morning....are showing the love of God in your life to Him and others....you should be for God says it is the greatest!
Tom
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
First is our faith....very important to have faith in the King of Kings...Jesus. Next is to have hope. Hope is not in the sense of hoping something will happen. But in knowing our hope...Jesus Christ will come back for those who have been saved soon! A for sure hope. Then there is love. God tells us here that love is the greatest! When I first read this verse it sounded weird to me. I would have figured faith would be the most important. Faith in Christ. But when I started thinking about the verse I realized God is love. So when we are showing love to God and others we are more like Christ then than any other time!!! So love is the greatest!
So this morning....are showing the love of God in your life to Him and others....you should be for God says it is the greatest!
Tom
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Jesus amazed!
These verses made me do some thinking:
Mark 12:41-44
41 And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."
Jesus was watching folks give their offerings. Don't miss that point....Jesus is watching! All the rich folks put in large sums of money but they were rich and they were not giving more than they could afford. In other words they were giving comfortably and did not have to rely on God. Then a poor widow woman came along. All she had was two copper coins worth a penny. She gave it ALL! She was going to have to rely on God to get her through the week. Do you have that kind of faith? This impressed Jesus so much He uses it as a teaching point to the disciples.
Stop and think about this for a moment this morning....are we giving in all areas of our life showing our faith in Jesus?
Tom
Mark 12:41-44
41 And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."
Jesus was watching folks give their offerings. Don't miss that point....Jesus is watching! All the rich folks put in large sums of money but they were rich and they were not giving more than they could afford. In other words they were giving comfortably and did not have to rely on God. Then a poor widow woman came along. All she had was two copper coins worth a penny. She gave it ALL! She was going to have to rely on God to get her through the week. Do you have that kind of faith? This impressed Jesus so much He uses it as a teaching point to the disciples.
Stop and think about this for a moment this morning....are we giving in all areas of our life showing our faith in Jesus?
Tom
Monday, June 6, 2011
Start Monday off right!
Start your Monday off right by praising the Lord!
Isaiah 25:1
1 O LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
First this morning we must make sure God is our God! Have you accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of your life? We can not praise our Lord until we have truly made Him Lord of our life! Next are we going to exalt Jesus this morning? Put Him above all things? Our children, our job, our hobbies, ect.??? Will we make an effort to praise the name of Jesus this day? For Jesus has done so many wonderful things for each and everyone of us. One of the plans formed of old that was faithful and sure was coming to this earth, leaving glory behind, taking the form of a servant and dying for your sin and mine. If that is all Jesus had done for us it is more than enough to receive our praises 24 hours a day. But Jesus blesses us with way more than that, just look around!
Oh Thank you Jesus for you alone are worthy of our praise!
Tom
Isaiah 25:1
1 O LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
First this morning we must make sure God is our God! Have you accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of your life? We can not praise our Lord until we have truly made Him Lord of our life! Next are we going to exalt Jesus this morning? Put Him above all things? Our children, our job, our hobbies, ect.??? Will we make an effort to praise the name of Jesus this day? For Jesus has done so many wonderful things for each and everyone of us. One of the plans formed of old that was faithful and sure was coming to this earth, leaving glory behind, taking the form of a servant and dying for your sin and mine. If that is all Jesus had done for us it is more than enough to receive our praises 24 hours a day. But Jesus blesses us with way more than that, just look around!
Oh Thank you Jesus for you alone are worthy of our praise!
Tom
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Want to be blessed?
God's Word gives us a clear principal here:
Luke 6:38
38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
When we gibe it should not be for the sole reason of receiving something back. We should give our of the joy of our hearts and the abundance God has blessed us with. But God tells us here that when we give it will also be given to us. Look at the description given about how God will give to us back. He will give us a good measure and not cut us off short! Have you ever bought something that was measured out. Then you got home and it was cut off short? I know I have but our God does not do that to us! Next he says pressed down. I think of an ice cream cone here. You can press the ice cream down in the cone to get all the customer paid for or you can put the scoop on top....God presses the blessings down to give us all He can! Shaken together reminds me of sifting sand when our mission team was in Haiti. We shook the sand to get the impurities out and then we shook the cement mix and sand together to create the mix to put block walls up. When the sand and cement are apart the fall apart easily but when together they become strong. God makes us strong with his blessings for I am weak but He is strong. My God sustains me! Then the Word says running over. My oh my how God has filled my cup with blessing until it is running over! My needs have always been met and I praise the Almighty God for that. In the last part of this verse though I want you to catch this. It can be seen as a warning to us. The way we give is the way God will give to us. Hmmmm could it be we are not blessed because we are not blessing others? Something to think about!
Be blessed and give joyfully!
Tom
Luke 6:38
38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
When we gibe it should not be for the sole reason of receiving something back. We should give our of the joy of our hearts and the abundance God has blessed us with. But God tells us here that when we give it will also be given to us. Look at the description given about how God will give to us back. He will give us a good measure and not cut us off short! Have you ever bought something that was measured out. Then you got home and it was cut off short? I know I have but our God does not do that to us! Next he says pressed down. I think of an ice cream cone here. You can press the ice cream down in the cone to get all the customer paid for or you can put the scoop on top....God presses the blessings down to give us all He can! Shaken together reminds me of sifting sand when our mission team was in Haiti. We shook the sand to get the impurities out and then we shook the cement mix and sand together to create the mix to put block walls up. When the sand and cement are apart the fall apart easily but when together they become strong. God makes us strong with his blessings for I am weak but He is strong. My God sustains me! Then the Word says running over. My oh my how God has filled my cup with blessing until it is running over! My needs have always been met and I praise the Almighty God for that. In the last part of this verse though I want you to catch this. It can be seen as a warning to us. The way we give is the way God will give to us. Hmmmm could it be we are not blessed because we are not blessing others? Something to think about!
Be blessed and give joyfully!
Tom
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Do you love the Father?
This is another one of those verses to chew on this morning:
1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Look very hard at verse 15. We are told clearly not to love the things of this world. And if we do then the love of God is not in us. Wow. Stop and evaluate yourself this morning. Do you love God or the things of this world more? One great way to see the evidence is where do you spend most of your time? TV, fishing, shopping, ballgames, work, ect, ect! Or Praying, reading the Bible, serving others, raising your kids in the Lord, church, and doing what God's Word commands? Verse 16 explains the things of the world. These things we do to fulfill our selfish desires. They are not of God but of self. Think about how much time we spend on self and then on how much time we spend on things of the Father? This can be very painful but very helpful when evaluating ourselves. Then verse 17 reminds us time is passing away. And the lust of the things of this world is also passing away. But when we are in God's will the treasures of heaven will last for eternity. What an Awesome God we have!
So this morning can we honestly say we love the Father or do we need to admit we love the world more and need to make some changes????
Tom
1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Look very hard at verse 15. We are told clearly not to love the things of this world. And if we do then the love of God is not in us. Wow. Stop and evaluate yourself this morning. Do you love God or the things of this world more? One great way to see the evidence is where do you spend most of your time? TV, fishing, shopping, ballgames, work, ect, ect! Or Praying, reading the Bible, serving others, raising your kids in the Lord, church, and doing what God's Word commands? Verse 16 explains the things of the world. These things we do to fulfill our selfish desires. They are not of God but of self. Think about how much time we spend on self and then on how much time we spend on things of the Father? This can be very painful but very helpful when evaluating ourselves. Then verse 17 reminds us time is passing away. And the lust of the things of this world is also passing away. But when we are in God's will the treasures of heaven will last for eternity. What an Awesome God we have!
So this morning can we honestly say we love the Father or do we need to admit we love the world more and need to make some changes????
Tom
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