October 31 - John 15:18-17:26

Good morning everyone,

Yesterday, in our reading, we were showered with love, love, love. Jesus telling us, “I have loved you even as the father has loved me. Remain in my love.” Commanding us to love one another the same way He loves us. Well today, He goes in another direction. Jesus warns us that as Christians the world will hate us just like it hates Him and that we will be persecuted for our faith in Him just as He was persecuted. The truth of the matter is that while Jesus promises great joy, being a Christian doesn't mean that life will become all easy peasy, sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, If you know what I mean. 

Of the disciples, John is the only one who died a natural death but that’s not because they didn’t try to kill him. After surviving being thrown into boiling oil John lived a martyr’s life being exiled to the Island of Patmos for the remainder of his days where he wrote the book of Revelation. 

Of the others, according to Fox’s Book of Martyrs;

Steven was stoned to death,  

James the Greater was beheaded, 

Peter not feeling worthy of being crucified in the same way as his Master, was crucified head downward.

Andrew was hanged.

Thomas was run through with a spear, tortured with hot plates then burned alive.

Philip was tortured then crucified.

Matthew was beheaded.

Bartholomew was skinned alive then crucified.

James the Lesser was thrown off the Temple wall then beaten to death.

Jude was crucified.

Then there was:

Luke who was hung from an olive tree.

Simon who was crucified.

Mark who was dragged  around then literally ripped to pieces by human hands.

And of course Paul who after years of being flogged, stoned, beaten and imprisoned would give his neck to the sword, so to speak.

Jesus knew what the future held for his disciples and warned them because he did not want them to be discouraged or loose faith, rather to know that He was always with them. He wants you and I to now that too. In the USA, though the clamps are tightening down, we still have the freedom to worship pretty much as we please without a great deal of persecution. Oh sure, we might make some people angry and get called names but that pales in comparison to what is going on in other places of the world. The American Christian, Pastor Saeed, has been imprisoned in Iran for more than two years for his faith being starved, deprived of medication and who knows what else. I will take being shunned over that, any day. Hopefully in our life time Jesus will return, that would be so awesome, but while we wait I would encourage you to be bold in your faith. Right?

Jesus goes on to say that grief will turn to joy. The joy Jesus promises comes from knowing there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and receiving the strength and hope needed to get through the hard times. Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” He would pray for them which included, “Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” And “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” Jesus prays for us. I love that. Don’t you?

It is in the hard times of life, the times when you feel alone in your walk with Christ, slammed by difficulties, alienated by those you held close to you, that you need to claim God’s promise of Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Believe it! Cling to it with all you are. Because that, my friends, that is the absolute truth. God  does  not  lie. Then sit back and rest in the peace that surpasses all understanding. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all…

October 30 - John 13:31-38, Mark 14:27-31, Matthew 26:31-35, Luke 22:31-38, John 14:1-15:17

Good morning everyone,

Today as we pick up the story, Jesus is sharing a meal, hanging out with his best guys. They have been with Him for the better part of three years and still they really don’t get it. Judas Iscariot has just left the room and Jesus, once more, tells the remaining eleven, “My children, I will be with you only a little longer” then tells them,  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Please take note: This NOT a request, it is a command. “Love one another. As I have loved you.” It does not say, “only love the lovable” nor “only if they love you” nor “if you feel like it” or any other “nors.” It is not conditional. But please don’t get me wrong, it is not asking you or me to condone sin, but rather find a way to love the sinner while shunning the sin. Easier said than done, for sure! But God commanded it which means there is a way to do it. Find that way, because it is by the way we are able to conduct ourselves in the face of those who, for whatever reason, rub us the wrong way that we are best able to show the love of God. Make sense? 

All four Gospels tell the story of Jesus predicting Peter’s denial. Luke documented Jesus saying to Simon, “Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.” Now, if I had just been told that my name came up in a conversation with the enemy and that he was looking for a way to crush me like a grain of wheat, I’d be horror stricken. Just sayn’. Peter, totally blows over the ramifications of that and says ,“Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” 

Ahhh, Peter, Peter, Peter. I like him, I can so relate to Simon Peter. Like Peter, I too, made such a foolish statement as that in a season of my life that is well behind me now. I don’t think it was so much out of pride or arrogance as much as being incredibly young in my walk with the Lord and extremely naive as to the power of the enemy and how vulnerable we all truly are. I had a lot of growing to do. Too, in those days, I thought that my two hour a week church experience was all that was needed to go to battle, the remaining one hundred, eighty-nine hours of that week, against the constant battering of the world. Well, it didn’t take God long to show me how admirably bold but wrong I was. So I sit here with tears in my eyes, not for me but for Peter, and for anyone else who had denied the Lord then had to look on the face of the One who loves us all so very much. For I know what Peter felt when, as we will soon read, the rooster crows that second time and he looked into the gentle eyes of Jesus. Hind sight being 20/20, I don’t know, that if given the opportunity, I would change my experience. It taught me a lot. Lessons I will draw on for as long as I am on this weigh station called earth and wisdom that can hopefully be passed on to others.

In John 15 Jesus tells us, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you.” He also says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” What a friend we have in Jesus …… Then Matthew in 16:26 begs the question, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” I would challenge you as I remind myself to take care of first things first. Say good-by to self. Get your heart right with God then . . . and then, everything else will fall into place. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

October 29 - Mark 14:1-2, Matthew 26:1-5, Luke 22:1-2, Mark 14:10-11, Matthew 26:14-16, Luke 22:3-6, Mark 14:12-16, Matthew 26:17-19, Luke 22:7-13, John 13:1-17, Mark 14:17-26, Matthew 26:20-30, Luke 22:14-30, John 13:18-30

Good morning everyone, 

As we begin the story today, the time for Passover and the Festival of the Unleavened Bread was just days away. We’re told, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to secretly capture Jesus and kill him when who comes knocking on their door? None other than Judas Iscariot, inquiring, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?”

What was he thinking? From the get-go he had misunderstood Jesus’ mission, perhaps expecting Him to make some political moves. Whenever Jesus would talk about His dying, confusion followed by anger and disappointment would be Judas’ response. We’re told in John 17:12 that Judas Iscariot was the only one of the disciples not saved allowing us to see that on the outside people can look the part and say all the right things, but too often are not prepared to make that full commitment to Christ. Some even go so far as to say the “sinners prayer” but are not willing to give of all of themselves to the Lord, always having someone or many things more important, while all the while faking it to fellow Christians. It begs the question, did they mean it in their heart when they asked Jesus in?  Sadly, as we see in Judas Iscariot, the hypocrisy of one’s behavior will ultimately serve to be a foot hold for Satan to do his wicked work. For a mere thirty pieces of silver Judas Iscariot would betray Jesus. A choice he will live to regret.

Jesus, of course, knew of the choice Judas had made and of the chain of events that would lead to his death. It was inevitable. But before that day came He first wanted to share his last meal with his friends. He wanted to give them some final instructions, though they still would not understand all of what he was saying. Later the disciples would have some, “Ahh haa,” moments that would make them smile and fire up their determination. 

Jesus also took the opportunity to model a servant’s attitude for the disciples, and for us too, by wrapping a towel around his waist and as the lowliest of slaves, washed and dried their feet. Friends, if God in the flesh was willing to serve shouldn’t we be willing to also serve in any way that glorifies Him? 

Isaiah 43:7 says, "everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” According to the Bible, our purpose, the sole reason we are here, is for God's glory.  That is to say, our purpose is to praise God, worship Him, to proclaim his greatness, and to accomplish his will.  Our number one priority in life should be, in all that we do, bring glory to God for there is no one greater, no one who is worthy of more trust, adoration, or worship. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

October 28 - Mark 13:32-37, Matthew 24:36-51, Luke 21:34-38, Matthew 25:1-46

Good morning everyone,

Today as we began, Jesus is telling the disciples to keep a constant watch for his return. Now, nearly two thousand years later, the message remains the same. Christ will return, He is coming again and we absolutely need to watch and be spiritually fit. We are told, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth.” 

Did you get that? All those who live on the face of the whole earth. I so loved that reminder today. Sometimes I forget who is in charge and while I don’t go out carousing or entertain drunkenness, I am guilty of allowing the anxieties of life, the inconsistency and worldly behavior of others to drag me down, blanket me with uncertainty and confusion, sometimes robbing me of the joy of the Lord. Then, while wandering a bit dazed not totally focused on Christ and all my many blessings, the Holy Spirit comes along side of me and like a good shepherd gone looking for his lost lamb, He gently and lovingly guides me back with a tender nudge of encouragement or some sweet scripture and then says in his very best New Jersey accent, “Snap out of it!” Reminding me Jesus promises, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” And that I should not let my enemies triumph over me, remembering always, my trust and my hope is in the Lord. 

Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t think for a moment that our everyday anxieties will ever keep us out of heaven. I kind of got off topic, but those anxieties most assuredly can and will lead to falling off the wagon or drowning your sorrows, so to speak, in ways that will steer you down a very dark path that you would not want to be found on when the Lord returns. I know all about backsliding and while I won’t go into the gruesome details, I will say it hits you hard and it hits you fast. One day you believe yourself to be fine, living the great Christian life and the next thing you know you are wondering, “How did I get here?” It happens so quickly your head spins. That was a life time ago and by the grace of God and I am sure the prayers of many, I was able to find my way back and I now have a great deal more respect for the enemy and how he looks for those who fall into that funk then wander away on their own. He anxiously waits to pounce on them, me and you, and drag us off to the den of sin. Sadly, if that is where we are when the Lord return we just could hear, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.” I am quite certain nobody wants to hear those words. Agreed?

One of the enemy's favorite tools is discouragement! He tries to get us looking at your own mistakes, sins, weaknesses and failures! He will repeatedly tell us “God doesn’t really care about you,” and “This is as good as it gets.” You’ve heard the expression, “Misery loves company?” Well the devil knows the end of the story. He knows he looses and he wants nothing more than to take as many down with him as he can. 

I believe that everyone has doubts from time to time, otherwise, there would be no need for faith. However, when those doubts arise immediately arrest the thought, take each thought captive, then talk to God about them. Seriously?! He already knows what you’re thinking and feeling, so just give it up, claim the power of Jesus. Let Him do your battle for you. Friends, we must cling tightly to the cross, keeping our eyes on the prize, being ready and alert, always watching. No one knows the hour of His return. No one! When you think about it, if things went really well for us today, we could be eating at Christ’s banquet table tonight. To which I say, “Come Lord Jesus, come!” Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory!

God bless you all …..

October 27 - Mark 13:1-23, Matthew 24:1-25, Luke 21:5-24, Mark 13:24-31, Matthew 24:26-35, Luke 21:25-33

Good morning everyone,

We begin today’s reading with the disciples, while leaving the Temple, looking up at the monumental structure and saying, “Look Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings.” And indeed it was! In today’s economy the Temple would be well worth a trillion (with a T) dollars. With brass gates that rose one hundred thirty feet high, stones forty feet long and twenty feet thick made with such precision that even a well sharpened knife blade would not fit between them. The Wailing wall, itself, which was simply the foundation, looms high above anyone who stands near. Yet Jesus said the Temple would be totally destroyed with not one stone left standing on anther and in 70 AD Jesus’ prophecy would be fulfilled when the Romans completely destroyed the Temple and the entire city of Jerusalem.

Jesus also told the disciples to watch out that no one deceives them. That many all come in his name and deceive many. He also said wars and rumors of war will happen, but do not be alarmed that these things must happen. We’re told that everyone will hate you because you are followers of Jesus but that he who endures to the end will be saved. Friends, to believe in Jesus and endure to the end will take perseverance, our faith will be challenged and strongly opposed. However, we can take comfort in knowing we have the strength of to Father within us. The Bible tells us that “Greater is He who is within us that he who is in the world.” When the time comes for us to tap into that strength God will make it readily available for us, the battle belongs to the Lord. We just need to believe it and live it. Right?

Jesus tells us that even though the earth will pass away, the truth of His words will never be changed or abolished allowing us the only stability, in an otherwise very unstable world, we would know. Jesus is our Rock.

The world will not go on forever, we are already experiencing birthing pangs. It is the way God planned it from the very beginning, but we need not fear, instead we all must be living in the truth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Trusting in His plan for our strength and deliverance when all of the rocks come tumbling down. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

October 26 - Mark 12:28-34, Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:35-37, Matthew 22:41-46, Luke 20:41-44, Mark 12:38-40, Matthew 23:1-12, Luke 20:45-47, Matthew 23:13-39, Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4

Good morning everyone,

Today we began our reading with, on the heels of Jesus silencing a Sadducee, one of the the Pharisees, an expert in religious law, challenging Him with, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” We are told by Matthew and Mark that Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. We need to understand that this is not a suggestion; not an “if you want to” rather it is a command. God wouldn’t give us a command to do something if it were impossible to do.

Loving God with our whole heart is the key to everything in life because our relationship with God affects everything and everyone in our life. Agreed? It is impossible to love God too much, however it is easy to fall short of loving Him with our whole heart. Sometimes I find myself praying “Lord, how can I love you more”?

It is at these times I have learned to examine my heart. I ask God to show me where I am drifting. Matthew 6:21 says “For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.” Do you get that? Read it again slowly. “Where your treasure is ..… your heart will be” Now, I love a good murder mystery, movie or book, I also am a fan of different genres of music from pop to country to rock and roll, however when I have a steady diet of any of those, making them my treasure, it is impossible to maintain a close relationship with God. Oh, I can still feel comfortable about being with Him, have conversations with Him, but to really draw close to Him, to feel His presence, Christian music, Bible teachings, “G” rated books and movies and of course reading my Bible have to be like, more than 90% of my “in put”, so to speak. I believe that to be true for everyone, though some would disagree. Nonetheless, I would encourage memorizing scripture because it is where we will find the answer on how to love God with all our hearts. The heart loves what it treasures! We have to seek His great treasure and when we discover it, please hear me … when we discover it, love follows. Make sense?

We also read today about the widow’s offering. This is such a precious story to me because I see it as more than a tithe or offering situation. This woman gave her everything to God and only someone who is unreservedly in love with, agape with, another will do that. I love being around people who love the Lord that much, people whose love for, their trust in, our Abba is so overflowing from their hearts and souls that they willingly give their all to Him. They have a certain glow and an absolute peace about them. Right? Matthew 5:15 says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others.” I want that for me and I want that for you too. I want us to know God’s peace and His love so completely that it radiates from us. You want that too, right? Sometimes I feel like I have a long way to go before I get there, but the only way for me or for any of us to achieve that is to guard what goes into our hearts and minds. Trash in - Trash out. God in - God out. 

Matthew 6:22 says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” I would encourage everyone of us to fill our hears with Jesus which would totally allow us to, “Love the Lord our God with all our hearts and with all our souls and with all your minds, and likewise, “Love your neighbor as ourselves.” Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

October 25 - Matthew 21:28-32, Mark 12:1-12, Matthew 21:33-46, Luke 20:9-19, Matthew 22:1-14, Mark 12:13-17, Matthew 22:15-22, Luke 20:20-26, Mark 12:18-27, Matthew 22:23-33, Luke 20:27-40

Good morning everyone,

Another day of super reading! We started with the parable of the tenants. Jesus telling the story, through a parable, of how God sent many prophets to try to warn the Jews and to teach them of the coming of the Messiah. But instead of listening and learning they rejected the messengers and killed the son. It seems so surreal Jesus knowing His time was short, knowing His destiny would be suffering and death, yet here He sat, telling a story about it. There had to be a sadness in his heart; you think?  

The parable of the wedding banquet is equally forlorn, I would say. Jesus spoke to them saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.” Pleading with the invited, enticing them with a magnificent meal that had been prepared just for them, but they paid no attention, they had better things to do. So the invitation was extended to everyone else, that would be the gentiles, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But check this out, they needed the wedding clothes that the king provided, to be in there. Without them they were not permitted to stay. The king’s attendants were to tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In Revelation 19:7-8 it says, “For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” Verse 9 goes on to say, “Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”  

Friends, the wedding of the Lamb has an appointed time and we are all invited. The thing is, we need to be wearing the wedding garment, the righteousness of Christ because without it, we will miss the wedding feast. We are told, “many are invited, but few are chosen.” Anyone without salvation will be escorted out and live all of eternity in the darkness of hell and all the suffering that goes with it. The cross is the only way to salvation. In John 14:6 we read, Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  

Through these parables Jesus is giving us all a heads up. I know I am speaking to the choir, but by the same token we all know people who have not accepted Jesus as their personal Savior yet. I would, once again, encourage you, encourage us all to look for opportunities to share the Gospel. Take the time to let everyone know there is a wedding invitation out there, that it’s got their name on it and that they need only RSVP “yes” to Christ’s invitation. Amen?

Have an amazing day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

October 24 - John 12:37-50, Mark 11:12-14, Matthew 21:18-22, Mark 11:15-19, Matthew 21:12-17, Luke 19:45-48, Mark 11:20-33, Matthew 21:23-27, Luke 20:1-8

Good morning everyone,

The first thing we read today was, “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.” I find that so sad. Yes, it was fulfilling prophecy, but it had to be quite heart breaking for Jesus and those who believed. Right? You know what I am talking about. We all have people in our lives who, despite our many attempts to present the Gospel in a way that will remove the blinders from their eyes, allowing them to see the truth, the light and the way, they still refuse to listen.  I would encourage you to just keep praying for these friends and loved ones. While there is still another minute in the day there is time for them to accept Jesus into their hearts. 

We also read today about Jesus and the fig tree. Now, I am going to be honest with you, years ago when I read this I thought, “What! Why? That poor fig tree,it has no fruit and so it will be cursed. Humph. What’s really going on here?” And so I looked into it. I learned that the cursing of the fig tree was an acted-out parable and that it tied into the clearing of the Temple. The fig tree from a distance, standing tall with all its healthy leaves, looked good but upon closer examination was actually fruitless. The Temple was the same way, looking most impressive from afar, but when you got there you would see that the sacrifices and the other activities that were taking place were not done to worship God, they were hollow lacking sincerity. 

So, this begs the question: What does your life, what does my life, look like? From a distance we look like the “Poster Child for Good Christian.” Like we’ve got it all together. Right? But what Jesus think upon closer inspection of our lives or better yet our minds and thoughts, see? Would He see a life bearing much fruit or something closer to a barren fig tree?

What is fruit? You might ask. In Galatians we’re told, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” But when the Spirit is in charge of our lives, He does through us what we cannot do for ourselves. When we are totally in love with Jesus, we want to do these things, we want to be more and more like our King. Make sense? 

In 1 Corinthians we are told that, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” Let us all strive to make these temples ones of sincere reverence to our God, honoring Him in all that we think, say and do. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

October 23 - Mark 14:3-9, Matthew 26:6-13, John 12:1-1, Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-40, John 12:12-19, Luke 19:41-44, John 12:20-36

Good morning everyone,

We begin this morning with Jesus, now in the last week of his life on earth, having a meal at the house of his friend, Simon the Leper. Now, right away this tells you that Simon is someone who Jesus has healed, right? Otherwise he would not be allowed to be in the confines of the city. He would be restricted to the colony where all the other lepers were to live so as not to spread the disease. But get this, also seated at the table were the disciples and Lazarus. I would have loved to have been able to be sitting in a corner listening to the conversation going on while they were eating.

Okay, get behind me with your mind’s eye :-) Lazarus says to Simon, “ Nice of you to have us all over.” Simon answers,” Yea man, it’s awesome to be here. In the colony I had lost a couple of my fingers and my hair had fallen out, I thought I was a goner but then I came to Jesus, asked Him to heal me and He did. I am so much better now than before I got sick. Jesus is the real deal” Lazarus replays, “I know what you’re sayin’ dude. I died, literally died. My body was put in a tomb and I had gone home to heaven. I was sitting there chatting it up with David when I was summoned back. Totally trippin’ Please pass the humus.” Can you see it? 

Then there is Martha who is serving all these people and look at the change in her. Just last chapter or so she was complaining about having to serve but now she is joyful in her station while Mary takes a bottle of perfume, worth an entire years wages and pours it on the head of Jesus while He is in a reclined state. Then she uses her hair to wash it over his body and clean his feet. That is just beautiful! But what’s this? Judas Iscariot, who were told often dipped into the money he was in charge of, objects. Showing his true colors he says, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?” Now, seriously? He does not care about the poor, the father of lies was gaining more and more control of Judas. But Jesus knew what he was doing, He knew his heart, just like he knows yours and He knows mine. We do not deceive Him in anything that we do. 

Continuing on through today’s scripture. In Bethany, Jesus, fulfilling prophecy, sends the disciples for the colt He will ride into town. When they returned they threw their cloaks on the colt, put Jesus on and then as He began his ride the people spread their cloaks on the road before him, joyfully praising Him saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Can you guys see this in your mind’s eye. The Lord, your Christ Jesus, my Christ Jesus, the King of Kings riding into town on a donkey. These are his final days. He knows it and yet He continues to be obedient to God’s will for Him. The magnitude of that can not be comprehended. He is going to what?? You got it, take on all the sins of the world for all of time so that we can be clean enough to enter heaven, if we make a choice to invite Him into our hearts. Every single sin everyone has ever committed Jesus will suffer and die for. Can you imagine that weight? When I even think a bad thought, the grief that it is causes me is so heavy I quickly and totally have to confess it and be rid of it, and here Jesus will be taking on billions of bad thoughts and actions from forever until forever. Think about that.

We’re told as He approached the city of Jerusalem, the crowd rejoiced, but our Lord and Savior He wept, his heart was broken by what He saw. Everywhere was hypocrisy and immoral behavior. It is no different today except for instead of being here on earth, Christ sits on his throne in heaven with a broken heart for those who reject his offer of salvation. Our hearts should be breaking too. We should not be content to live a safe life waiting for Christ to return and not worry about those who are not saved. Recently our church challenged us to think of just one person we know who doesn’t know Jesus as their Savior. We are to pray for boldness in our hearts and opportunity to talk to them about their eternity and what accepting Jesus into their hearts would mean. I challenge you to do the same. Pick one person you know who doesn’t know Christ Jesus to be their personal Savior and pray for them but also pray for yourself to be led by Holy Spirit. Ask Him to give you boldness and wisdom in leading this person to a life surrendered to Jesus. Will you do that? In Matthew it says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

There is a little song by Taylor James Williams that in part goes: Oh, and I feel like I'm glowing. And I like where I'm going. Tonight, I'm showing up to shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Friends, let your light shine ……. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

October 22 - Matthew 20:1-16, Mark 10:32-34, Matthew 20:17-19, Luke 18:31-34, Mark 10:35-45, Matthew 20:20-34, Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-19:27

Good morning everyone,

Today we began our reading with the parable of the workers in the vineyard. Here we have a landowner who goes out several times during the course of the day to recruit more and more employees to work his vineyard. He starts early in the morning, promising those who went with him a denarius for the day of work. About nine in the morning, while at the marketplace, he sees others doing nothing and told them if they wanted to work, he would pay them what is right. They agreed and went with him. The landowner went back at noon and at five and did the same thing. 

At the end of the work day, when it came time to pay the day laborers ,the landowner paid everyone the same amount of money. As you can imagine, this did not bode well with the workers who had been there since early morning. Their reasoning being they had done a lot more work then those who had just been there since five. 

But the owner answered them, (verse 13-15) ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 

I like this parable. As you all know, a parable is a heavenly story set in an earthly context. Everyone and everything is symbolic. And while I would not presume to tell you what this parable exactly means, as Jesus did not explain it, I will say, I do not think it has anything to do with the way employers treat employees in today’s world. What I actually hear it saying is, and please feel free to come to your own conclusions, some of us will accept the Lord into our hearts at a very young age and will spend a life time walking the straight and narrow path. Reading our Bibles, honoring others, doing what is right in the eyes of God and when our lives are over we will go to heaven. Some will get to their thirties or forties before they begin their walk with the Lord, accepting him into their hearts, securing their forever in heaven. Others will spend all of their lives playing hardball, doing anything but living a Christ centered life. Mocking the Christians, perhaps even murdering someone, then one day while sitting in a cell on death row a pastor gives this hardened heart the gospel and the blinders are dropped, he breaks down, cries and accepts Jesus to be his Lord and Savior. Now he too will be spending eternity in heaven.

Some would argue, “How is it fair that the deathbed convert gets the same eternity place as the one who devoted their life to the Lord?” To this I would say, it's the motive of our heart while serving God that matters, not how long we serve Him or the outcome of our effort. Jesus said, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," Simply put, our Abba looks at things differently than we do. His love for us is derived from who we are, not what we've done. And who are we? Children of the Christ the King. Don’t ever forget that. We have an inheritance waiting for us in heaven that we don't have to work to earn, we just have to accept the gracious offer He makes to us. But friends, hear this …. you can not determine in advance when your last chance to accept His offer will come, so you better make sure you've got it now. Make sense?

In Hebrews 4:7 it says, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Commit or recommit your thoughts and your ways to that of Christ Jesus. Right now, this very moment is the perfect time to do just that. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory,

God bless you all ….

October 21 - Luke 18:9-14, Mark 10:1-12, Matthew 19:1-12, Mark 10:13-16, Mathew 19:13-15, Luke 18:15-17, Mark 10:17-31, Matthew 19:16-30, Luke 18:18-30

Good morning everyone,

Today, in our reading, we began with the Pharisees, yet again, trying to trip Jesus up with questions that were meant to back Him into a corner. This one; “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” Citing, Moses permitted it, it had become rather common for a man to divorce his wife, replacing her with a new and younger model for reasons as ridiculous as her burning the dinner, or something equally as trivial. Jesus told them that because their hearts were so hard, Moses did indeed write that law, however, He went on to say, “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Thus making God’s intentions for marriage quite clear.

We also took a look at how when Jesus saw the disciples rebuking the people for bringing their small children Him, Jesus stepped in and told them to let the little children go to him stating that the kingdom of God belonged to such as they. In Matthew 18 Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

What does that mean exactly? Well, first, to enter the kingdom of heaven we need to change our mindset and think like children think. Not that we become immature and act childish in the traditional sense, but that we accept things in simplicity. Children have a way of believing everything you say and believing it as fact. They don’t worry about where the next meal is coming from, where they will be sleeping at night, the clothes on their backs, they trust that it will be there. It's only when we grow up that we tend to question everything.

Also, the humility of children is very evident. It's a beautiful thing to watch. Although they may compete with each other in games and such, the humility they have without even knowing it is crazy humbling! In Jewish culture children were thought of as insignificant until they were 12. Jesus often tells us to go lower if we want to be higher. Our humility in His eyes equals in direct proportion to how He exalts us. Make sense? Over and over again the Bible tells us that our job is to humble ourselves in His sight and He will exalts us.

It consequential that we, like those in antiquity, introduce our children to Jesus. That we bring them into His presence. Bring them under the teaching and preaching of the Word of God and the Gospel of the grace of God that they might learn of Jesus and be saved. Bring them where the Holy Spirit is real and alive. Bring them to Sunday school where they will hear all about the mighty works of God.  Where they will hear about creation; about His mighty deliverance of His people; about His Son the Lord Jesus Christ and all the mighty works that He did during His public ministry, and about His great salvation on the cross of Calvary. If we don’t teach our children to love Christ Jesus,  tutor them in His love for us, the world will effectively teach them to turn their backs on Him condemning them to an eternity in hell. I implore you, don’t let that happen. We cannot, we must not allow the school, community, television, or even some church organizations to establish our children’s values. 

Friends, I know we are all busy but now it the time to take the time for our children and our grandchildren, while they are still young. While they are till interested in what you have to say, while they still listen. Help them hide God’s promises, His Holy Word in their hearts because before we know it they have grown older, and our best opportunity for teaching them how to live happy and fulfilling lives is past. Amen?

Have a good day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

October 20 - John 11:38-57, Luke 17:11-18:8

Good morning everyone,

Today we began, in our reading, with Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, moving on to the chief priests and the Pharisees calling a meeting of the Sanhedrin to decide what to do with Jesus. Deciding to put out an order for him to be arrested on sight. Little do they know they are fulfilling prophecy.

Meanwhile Jesus, on his way to Jerusalem, came upon ten men who had leprosy. They called out to Jesus in a loud voice to have pity in them. Jesus told them to show themselves to the priests and as they responded in faith they were healed. The thing is, only one of them, a Samaritan at that, came back to thank Jesus. You know, God does not demand that we thank Him, however, He is ever so pleased when we do, using our grateful attitude to teach us more about himself. Make sense?

I like the parable of the persistent widow as it serves to show us that we should continue to bring our requests to God. Some would argue, “You lack faith if you nag God, you should only ask once and leave it at that.”  To them I would say, that’s just not true. However, to persist in prayer and not give up does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions but rather to continually present our prayers to God as we live for Him day by day. We are not to give up if there is, what we would consider, a delay in our prayer being answered because as I have mentioned before, in addition to saying “yes” God can and often will say “no” or maybe “let’s wait on that one.”

Without question, one of the hardest things for many Christians to do is to wait on the Lord and His timing to make certain things happen in their lives. We are so used to everything moving at microwave speed, that we have a very hard time in adjusting to the slower ways that God will work things out in our lives. Right?

Friends, where you can, where we all can, get into major trouble with the Lord in our own personal walk, is when we do not wait on Him. When we loose our patience with his slower time frame, take it back into our own hands to work the situation ourselves. Who has not done that? Sadly by doing that, by not learning how to adjust to His slower time frame and the slower way He likes to work things out in our life, we could easily miss out on special blessings He has in store for us along our path, our divine destinies that He has set up for each one of our lives. And really, it is crazy to think we can do anything better than God. That’s just nuts. He is perfect, His plan’s are spot on and we, though we will be the last to admit is, are bumbling fools by comparison who have a tendency to make a mess of even the simplest plan. 

So whatever your request, whatever the prayer for your life or someone else’s, don’t worry about it. Instead, as we’re told in Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” and in Colossians, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Then sit back and let God do his thing. Amen?

Have a good day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all ….. 

October 19 - Luke 14:25-17:10, John 11:1-37

Good morning everyone,

Again today we are blessed to be reading more of the parables Jesus spoke to his disciples. They are all so familiar to us, to me, that I find my mind wanting to race through them. I intentionally have to slow my process down to fully take in the words and see the picture, see the story infold in my mind’s eye. 

This morning we covered the cost of being a disciple, that we basically must love Jesus above all others and be prepared to leave the things of the world behind while we go in peace to spread the Gospel. 

We also read the of the lost sheep, of the lost coin and the lost son. All parables showing us how important we, as children of God, are to Him. God goes looking for us when we are lost. That blows me away. You or me, one sheep out of millions, turn our back on him, and he seeks us out then extends His hand to help us back into the fold. I know that to be true! And there is rejoicing in heaven amongst the angels when even one sinner takes hold of His hand and repents. I love that! You should love it too :-) Our Abba is so full of joy to see us come to our senses, shun the enemy and step back onto the straight and narrow path. He loves us and welcomes us with open arms, showers us with all his affection and blessings. Our God is an awesome God. 

In Luke 17 Jesus said “If your brother sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” Please notice nowhere does it say, “forgive them but hold a grudge.” We are to forgive and then let it go. I would agree some things are harder to “forget” than others but we are called to do just that, so try. It is not okay in families or otherwise for people to say, “we just don’t talk” it is not Biblical and if you are in that type of a situation I would encourage you to fervently pray for that person, humble yourself and talk to them. Break the ice and do your part, over and over again, if necessary, to make nice and be united in Christ. If they are not believers, this would be showing them God’s love in you and that speaks volumes. Make sense?

Finally, Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, though we don’t actually get to that part today, was one of his more “What?!?” moments, if you know what I mean. It was a catapult for the plot by the Pharisees to kill Jesus, but I am getting ahead of the story. Today we read Jesus got word from Mary and Martha that Lazarus was ill, but instead of  rushing to get there Jesus took his time, dawdling about two more days before heading to Judea where the girls were waiting for Him to show up. It’s worth pointing out that this was not a, “Oh, I hope he will be okay until I get there,” situation. Oh No! Jesus intentionally stayed and knew exactly when Lazarus died after which He said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

When He gets there the girls were, of course, sad, mourning the loss of their brother. We’re told that when Jesus saw Mary weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled and Jesus wept. Friends, this is a true story of a real event. He had real sorrow in his heart and cried real tears. In the book of Hebrews we are told that Jesus is a high priest who sympathizes with us, he feels for us and prays on our behalf. So, even in the times when we are suffering and hurting, those times when we need to be strong and muster up every bit of faith we have, you need to believe, that in those times you are hurting Jesus is hurting too. His heart is breaking for you. So while “Jesus wept” may be the shortest verse in the Bible it speaks monumentally of how deep the Father’s love is for us. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

October 18 - John 10:1-42, Luke 13:22-14:24

Good morning everyone,

Today we come to the parable of the good shepherd. The image of Jesus as a Good Shepherd arguably is the most known and loved one by all Christians, an image which is full of many significances. Agreed? 

The analogy of a shepherd and his sheep would be very easy for Jesus’ audience to relate to. It is most probable that they all, if not a shepherd themselves, had seen a sheepfold and had heard, as well as passed along, stories relating to the sheep’s care. 

In the sheepfold the shepherd functioned as a gate, letting the sheep in and protecting them. The parallel would be, Jesus is the gate to God’s salvation for us. He offers us access to safety and security being our protector and provider. Furthermore, in contrast to the enemy, the thief in the night ready to scale the wall of the sheepfold to take our life, Jesus offers us life, giving up his own on our behalf.

In this parable the expression “I AM” is repeated three times. Over and over in the book of John Jesus tells us, “I AM.” 6:51, “I AM the living bread.” 8:23, “I AM from above.” 8:12, “I AM the light of the world.” 8:58, “before Abraham was, I AM.” John 10:9, "I AM the door.” 10:11, "I AM the good shepherd.” 10:36, 'I AM the Son of God.” 11:25, "I AM the resurrection and the life.” 14:16, "I AM the way, the truth, and the life.” 15:1, "I AM the true vine.” 19:2, "I AM the King of the Jews.”

The I Am In the Old Testament was whatever man needed. Jesus in the New Testament uses all the “I AM’s” to show who He is. He is everything to man and the only way to God. I know that flies in the face of some but it is the truth. 

I think the most important of all the “I AM’s” is found at John 8:24, after he tells them I am not of this world. "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” Jesus is the great I Am. He was in the beginning, He is now and will be forevermore, unto the end.

There is no doubt that the Jews understood what He was saying to them because they took up stones to kill Him for making Himself equal with God. The question is; In your heart do you stone Jesus or do you embrace Him and allow Him to shepherd your life? As for me and my house, we choose Jesus. Amen.

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

October 17 - Luke 12:35-13:21,  John 9:1-41

Good morning everyone,

Today we read, “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.” In this parable, Jesus has painted a picture for the mind’ eye of a master who has gone to a wedding banquet and though he is late returning, his servants are waiting up for him to come back, as this actually takes place in a time when servants were expected to anticipate their master’s wishes. The disciples, Jesus says, are to be dressed and ready, just like the servants in the household of a master who is expected momentarily.

What does that mean, exactly? Well, while being ready is about alertness, it is also about activity. What that meant in Jesus’ time was hitching up your robe and tucking it under your belt so you could run or fight or work unencumbered. But what would that look like for us, as Christians, today? Well, for starters, we are told in Matthew 25 to be faithful. That those servants who were faithful in the use of their talents were rewarded with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” 

We are also warned about living carelessly. In Luke it says, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.” Did you get that? Christ's Coming will be as a snare or trap that will affect the whole world. When our Lord appears the saints will be caught away, and those living carelessly will be left behind to go through the awful great tribulation. Not something I would want to go through, you?

We are also warned against being lukewarm. It says in Revelation, “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Friends, if we're going to call ourselves Christians, then let's be real, genuine followers of Christ. Jesus said, “You are either for me or against me.” There is no middle ground. Get off the fence and be all in! Right? 

Nothing should hold you back, nothing should hold me back and nothing should prevent us from doing what matters for God’s kingdom. So I ask, are you living for today only, with no regard for the return of Jesus and the accounting that He will demand? Are you foolishly putting it out of your mind by thinking, “I’ve got time”? (which by the way is the enemy’s best weapon, tricking you into thinking you have all kinds of time.) Jesus says that we should be “like men who are waiting for their master when he returns.” We should live each day with an eye on that future day when, in 1 Thessalonians we’re told, “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God.” Can you see that?? I can and it excites me. We will all be so totally blessed if the Master finds us ready when He comes. Yeah? So let’s, everyone of us, be dressed, ready for service, and with our lamps burning saying, “Come, Lord Jesus, come.” Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

October 16 - Luke 11:14-12:34

Good morning everyone,

Well, the pots a brewin’. Jesus is driving out demons and boldly speaking the truth to the people and some are totally giving Him grief about it, likening Him to Beelzebul, the prince of demons. That’s just crazy! The crowd wanted a sign that Jesus was who He claimed to be and Jesus told them, “For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.” This is an important piece of scripture because many scholars believe that the whole “three days in a big fish” story is ….. well, fishy. But here Jesus not only recognizes it but likens his own resurrection to it, validating all that is in Jonah. Aw….some!

In verse 37 the Pharisees invite Jesus to a meal where they were taken back a bit when  He didn’t do the ceremonial wash. The hand washing ceremony was not done for health reasons but rather as a symbol of washing away any contamination from touching anything unclean. The Pharisees would make a big “to do” out of it and they also commanded everyone else to follow the practice which, btw, was originally intended only for the priests. This prompted Jesus to give the Pharisees a series of “woe to you’s” pointing everything they were good at, such as, majoring on the minors, concentrating on the outward appearance while ignoring what was essential and eternal. Make sense? They didn’t “get it” and I don’t know about you, but personally, I would not want to be the one Jesus looks in the eye and says, “Woe to you.” No way!

In 12:22 it says, “Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.” It is easy to get wrapped up in all the “things” of life. It so is! I have been there, I know the joy of “keeping of with the Jones’,” I know the let down of adjusting to a more moderate income which, I’ll be honest, for a time, it caused me some frustration. Sometimes, in my mind. I would be stomping my foot and saying “I want it daddy, and I want it now!” It is when I surrendered my will, my selfishness to God’s desire for my life and became not only content but also happy in what God provides for me that I became lighthearted. I no longer coveted or envied those I would talk to who were taking these, what I thought to be, really fun vacations, or driving new cars, or buying new clothes or going out to dinner all of the time. I was lighthearted, very glad to be exactly where God has me and I began looking for how He wants to use me in where He has me placed. I don’t know if any of that makes sense to you guys, but there is a very real peace that comes with not worrying about money, in believing God will provide all your needs and just following His lead. When I let go of the spoiled self, Jesus was right there to embrace me, encourage me and love me. I love it, I totally love it!

Please don’t get me wrong, it’s all good when God allows you to make a lot of money and have a lot of toys, the problem with that is we have a tendency to depend on ourselves instead of God. God wants us, no matter our tax bracket, to depend solely on Him. Even Jesus was totally dependent on God. In John 15:5 it says, "The Son can do nothing by Himself: He can only do what He sees His father doing.” I know I have said it before, but we need to be like little children. In Matthew it says that, “So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Don't we all want that? I do. It is as simple as surrendering your will, as surrendering my will, minute by minute to God. He’s got it handled we just need to live it. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory!

God bless you all …..

October 15 - John 8:21-59, Luke 10:1-11:13

Good morning everyone,

Wow! Lots of good reading today. Whenever I am reading the red words, the words Jesus spoke, I can see myself standing there in the crowd, or sitting on the ground or walking along the road, or wherever He is, I am listening, I am just hanging on his every word. Taking it all in and praying that I would glean from it just exactly what He would have me glean. Love it!! Oh, how I love Jesus.

We began or reading with Jesus telling his disciples He would be going away and where He was going they could not go. They were all kinds of confused with that. Honestly, I would be too. While we have the advantage of knowing the whole story, they were looking at each other with puzzled looks on their faces thinking, “what’s he talking about?”  But you know what? We’re told, even though they did not understand when He spoke, many believed in him. That is so awesome.

In Luke 10 we read that, again, the Lord is sending his followers out to spread the Good News. Jesus told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” In today’s society we have the same situation. There are so many out there who do not know our God, who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus. It is our responsibility as lambs of God to get out there amongst the wolves and teach it. To win hearts for Jesus. I know you all are thinking, “Yep, yep! We agree!” But who actually will? Let me see a show of hands …. good for you! God bless you! Truth be known, I could be a whole lot better in that area. 

The parable of the good Samaritan is so familiar to us all. Those of you who I know read my daily postings, I know you personally to be the good Samaritans. It is easy to walk on by an ugly or needy situation, eyes straight ahead with the “I can’t see you” stare on you face. We are called to have mercy on anyone in need. To be, like a good neighbor ….. :-)

In Luke 11 the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” They’re talking about John the Baptist, the hairy hippy dude who boldly proclaimed the need for repentance and was known for praying and teaching others to pray. So Jesus said basically to them keep it simple, giving them pretty much the same prayer He gave them two years earlier at the sermon on the mount. He said, “When you pray” first: Praise God. Praising God first puts us in the right frame of mind to tell him about our needs. 

Then pray for our daily needs. God’s provision is daily, not all at once. We can not “store up” God and then not pay attention to Him. It would be like hoping to not get hungry for a week if you stuffed yourself at Sunday night’s meal. Make sense?

Then, forgive our sins. Hmmm, God has forgiven us so now we must forgive others. Matthew 5:23 tells us to, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” To fully understand the forgiveness we receive from Christ we must humble ourselves and forgive all those who have hurt us or done us an injustice. It is a must, not an option.

Finally lead us not into temptation. Well, God will allow us to be tested by temptation, that’s just the way it goes. It helps us to be stronger, our faith to grow and have a greater dependency on God to see us through. During those times we should pray for God’s help. Fervently pray for His strength, His guidance and friends, believe, believe, believe with everything you are that He will, indeed, see you through. Sometimes …… sometimes, when the seas of your life, when the seas of my life, are really, really rough, it can be a minute by minute saying, “God I know you are there. I believe, I totally believe! Help my unbelief.” I can’t say it bigger than, “don’t ever doubt God’s love for you or that He is in control.” Then, before you know it, are looking back at that bad season of time and seeing all the different ways God blessed you and got you through them. It’s the truth.

There is a song I am going to share with you that, when I was going through one of my crazy rough seasons, totally pierced the very center of my heart. God used it to encourage me and to assure me He was and is always right there by me, that I need only look up. It is by Helen H. Lemmel and it goes:

O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free! Through death into life everlasting. He passed, and we follow Him there; O’er us sin no more hath dominion—For more than conqu’rors we are! His Word shall not fail you—He promised; Believe Him, and all will be well: Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell! Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.

What a privilege we have to turn our eyes upon Jesus. I so love how He loves us! Amen?

Have a great day you guys and to God be the glory.

God bless it all ……