Yesterday I read a post from someone on Facebook, the post read, if you treat me right I will treat you right no matter what your race is. That got me to thinking, how many times do we do that, we base how we treat others in how they treat us. Jesus said what we are to do in Matthew 5:44-45 "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." Or in Matthew 7:12 Jesus says "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." In Romans 12:20 Paul wrote "On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.""
In our world today, it is easy to think that just because someone treats me wrong, it is alright if I treat them wrong, but the truth is, it is not alright, in fact it is wrong. We are called to love no matter what, that doesn't mean we agree with them. In Luke 19:1-10 Jesus came into Jericho and Zacchaeus was the Chief tax collector, he wronged people out of money, he wasn't nice and in fact he scammed people out of the money they had, just to pay the Romans. But out of all the people in that crowd Jesus called to Zacchaeus and told him to come out of the tree so He could go eat at his house. Can you imagine that? Jesus chose Zacchaeus out of the crowd to go eat there, because He demonstrated to us how we are to love, we don't love the sin, we love the sinner. We are called to love as Jesus loves, not just our spouse, kids, but our neighbors, those we come in contact with.
It comes down to our choices, yes that is correct, they are our choices. If I get yelled at, I have a choice to either yell back or to take a breath and reply out of respect, because that is how I want to be treated. If I am disrespected, it is my choice if I disrespect back towards that person, because God calls me to love them no matter what. That is such a hard thing to do and many times I fail to do just what Jesus says to do. I want to get even, to settle the score, to tell that person why they are wrong, but Jesus has called me to respond out of love, to love that person no matter what. He didn't say it would be easy, but it is good. People will see Jesus not because you hate them, not because you reject them, but because you love them no matter what. Let God do the judging, but let us make a choice that no matter what happens today, we respond out of love.
I have choices to make today, they are my choice, my reactions, they are mine, no one else can make me react a certain way, yes, I will blame others for my choices, but they are mine. The calling is to love, to stop reacting, to stop blaming and to start taking responsibility for your reactions, for your responses and when I stop blaming, God will work on changing my heart, it is a heart issue, not anyone else's issue.
Lord, I come before you today and I thank you for Friday, I thank you for a brand new day and the extra benefit that it is the end of the week. I want to serve you, I want to honor you in how I am. I ask that you forgive me for how I have made bad choices to respond to others, that I have reacted instead of loving, that I have blamed others instead of taking a stand to say I was wrong. Lord I need your help to treat others as I want to be treated. Help the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart to be pleasing to you (Psalm 19:14). I thank you for your grace, help me to not think more highly myself, but rather think of myself with sober judgement, in accordance to You (Romans 12:3). Jesus You are the way the truth and the life (John 14:6), Your way is higher than my way (Isaiah 55:9). Help me to allow you to lead. Let it not be about me, but about you my Father in Heaven. Thank you for your love and I love you Lord. In this I pray Amen.
Today, I want to challenge you to look at your reactions with others, are they in accordance to the word of God or are they out of the lies that the devil has spun. The devil wants us to believe that we do not have control over our own actions, that it is alright to blame others, that it is OK to react in the bad ways, but Jesus Christ has come to speak the truth, to lead us and to guide us. The devil has come to rob, kill and to destroy. Don't allow the devil to keep winning, stand and allow Jesus to change your heart. It isn't a earth issue, it is a heart issue.
Friday, July 1, 2016
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Praying Scriptures
I am back to this again, because I believe God has placed these in the Bible for many reasons. It is written in 2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," and then in Psalm 119:11 "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."
When I pray scripture, I am studying it, I am putting what God has written and hiding it in my heart, I am intentionally putting God first in what I do. No longer is it about my words, but about the words that He has placed in the scriptures. Have you ever been for a loss for words when praying, is your prayer life like a laundry list of things? I know mine can be and has been and it is hard to pray intentionally. It says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." He can't really mean all, can He? What I am suppose to give thanks for the difficult time I am having at work? Giving thanks changes my perspective on what is happening, God gave me this job, He knew what I would be struggling with and He gave it to me any how. There is nothing that He didn't know before, so this is no surprise to Him. I thank Him for my job, for the path He has me on, because He knew I could take this. What it is Monday, I have to thank Him for that too? Yes, because He gave me a knew day to breathe and another day to spread His love. If I am having a difficult time at home, I have to thank Him for that too? It says in ALL circumstances, because it takes the focus off of "I", "ME" and puts it onto God. He knew what we would go through in life, He knew it and still we are here. I need to change my focus onto Him instead of focusing on self, on my issues, on what I want, instead of what I don't want. There is a common statement in all of it and it is "Self".
My prayer:
Lord I come before you on this Thursday, I thank you for today, I thank you for the life you have chosen for me, I thank you for giving me a life to live, I thank you for a job. Lord, I pray that you will "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10), that you will "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long." (Psalm 25:4-5) and "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground." (Psalm 143:10) I thank you for what you are doing in my life and I praise you, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice
and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24).Lord I thank you for your promises and help me to hold onto your word and hide it in my heart so that I may not sin against you. I want to be the man, the husband, the father you call me to be. Help me "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4). And Help me Lord to "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24).
I pray this in your precious and holy name Amen.
I would suggest getting a journal or prayer book to write down your prayers. It does take work, but it gets you into His word and gives you prayer direction. God has called you by name from before the foundations of the earth. There is nothing He did not know and there is nothing that He does not know to come. He is here to Help us Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Today what challenges are you facing. God has written so much in this book, there are new things I discover, don't miss out on the instuctions and direction He has put before you.
Thank you Lord for giving me a chance to write and giving me words to say. Bless whom ever reads this and help them to see Your truths. Amen
Have a blessed day.
When I pray scripture, I am studying it, I am putting what God has written and hiding it in my heart, I am intentionally putting God first in what I do. No longer is it about my words, but about the words that He has placed in the scriptures. Have you ever been for a loss for words when praying, is your prayer life like a laundry list of things? I know mine can be and has been and it is hard to pray intentionally. It says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." He can't really mean all, can He? What I am suppose to give thanks for the difficult time I am having at work? Giving thanks changes my perspective on what is happening, God gave me this job, He knew what I would be struggling with and He gave it to me any how. There is nothing that He didn't know before, so this is no surprise to Him. I thank Him for my job, for the path He has me on, because He knew I could take this. What it is Monday, I have to thank Him for that too? Yes, because He gave me a knew day to breathe and another day to spread His love. If I am having a difficult time at home, I have to thank Him for that too? It says in ALL circumstances, because it takes the focus off of "I", "ME" and puts it onto God. He knew what we would go through in life, He knew it and still we are here. I need to change my focus onto Him instead of focusing on self, on my issues, on what I want, instead of what I don't want. There is a common statement in all of it and it is "Self".
My prayer:
Lord I come before you on this Thursday, I thank you for today, I thank you for the life you have chosen for me, I thank you for giving me a life to live, I thank you for a job. Lord, I pray that you will "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10), that you will "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long." (Psalm 25:4-5) and "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground." (Psalm 143:10) I thank you for what you are doing in my life and I praise you, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice
and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24).Lord I thank you for your promises and help me to hold onto your word and hide it in my heart so that I may not sin against you. I want to be the man, the husband, the father you call me to be. Help me "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4). And Help me Lord to "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24).
I pray this in your precious and holy name Amen.
I would suggest getting a journal or prayer book to write down your prayers. It does take work, but it gets you into His word and gives you prayer direction. God has called you by name from before the foundations of the earth. There is nothing He did not know and there is nothing that He does not know to come. He is here to Help us Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Today what challenges are you facing. God has written so much in this book, there are new things I discover, don't miss out on the instuctions and direction He has put before you.
Thank you Lord for giving me a chance to write and giving me words to say. Bless whom ever reads this and help them to see Your truths. Amen
Have a blessed day.
Monday, June 27, 2016
Praying Scripture
My wife is reading this book about praying certain scriptures over our kids. Which got me to thinking today about how I can pray scripture over certain area's in my life and others lives. God has given us a clear and well placed guide in our lives, but we need to make the choice to use it. By praying scriptures we are not only praying them, but actually memorizing them in the process. Psalm 119:11 "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." By doing this, we are hiding the words in our heart to help us walk the path that Jesus has laid out for us. He says He is the only way to eternal life, it is written in Matthew 19:24 "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.""
I continue to reminded of the parable about the woman and the ruler in Luke 18:1-8
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”"
When Jesus says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
It isn't just when we feel like it, it is all the time and be intentional what we pray for, for God has said it, trust in Him and the words He has given us. Today it is time to make it about Him first and then others then self and in doing so He will give us JOY.
J=Jesus
O=Others
Y=You
Nehemiah 8:10 "Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”"
I continue to reminded of the parable about the woman and the ruler in Luke 18:1-8
"The Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”"
When Jesus says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
- He says Rejoice always, always means no matter when, where or how, because we have reasons to give praise, because He has come to save us from ourselves, the world sees the bad in everything, but Jesus has set us free to give us hope, grace to walk and in all things a way to do it.
- Pray continually, because when we keep our eyes focused on things above and not on things of this world, Colossians 3:2 "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." We will see His perspective and not our own.
- He says give thanks in all things, because in all things He is in control, even when the world seems to be chaotic, He is right there in the midst of the storm Mark 4:35-41. It can't be about me, but about God. the more I put Him first, the more the storms will calm and even when they don't I will be calm, because I will know that He is in the storm standing right by my side.
It isn't just when we feel like it, it is all the time and be intentional what we pray for, for God has said it, trust in Him and the words He has given us. Today it is time to make it about Him first and then others then self and in doing so He will give us JOY.
J=Jesus
O=Others
Y=You
Nehemiah 8:10 "Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”"
Psalm 28:7 "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him."
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