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John 6:38-40

9/27/2012

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John 6:38-40 “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.  And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those He has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.  For it is my Father’s will that all who see His Son and believe in Him should have eternal life.  I will raise them up at the last day.”

I like what Warren Wiersbe writes about these verses in his commentary.  “He explained that salvation involves both Devine sovereignty and human responsibility.  The Father gives man and woman to the Son, but these men and women must come to Him, that is, believe on Him.”  God is going to be doing things for us to see His glory, are we going to slow down enough to see them?  Jesus is the main glory and when we hear do we allow our hearts to open and seek?  No matter what God does if we don’t seek Him we will never believe Him.  And if we don’t hear the message and repent and then transform we will always just wonder.

When we know God is trying to move us and we open or mind to learn by letting that knowledge move to our heart we will seek Him and we will find Him.  Look at what Jesus said in verses 43-45, “But Jesus replied, ‘Stop complaining about what I said.  For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.  As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.  Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to me.” 



 Do you remember the time you slowed down enough to “listen to the Father?”  I do.  My entire life I could see and feel the good but it took 37 years to listen and then seek.  I say we need to listen and understand that when we shine the light that Jesus has shown us people can see and hear God and that gives them the chance for them to grow.  We can never stop planting seeds and watering them because we never know when that seed will “listen” to God and believe in Jesus.  Amen

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John 6

9/23/2012

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John 6:26-27 “Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs.  But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food.  Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you.  For God the Father has given me the seal of His approval.”

This stood out to me today because it is important that we fill the Spirit in us and grow in our understanding so we don’t get caught just going through the motions.  Have you ever felt yourself getting caught up in doing things to check a box?  I go to church (check), I serve (check), I give (check), and I try to be good (check).  These are all good but if we don’t understand the miraculous signs they don’t change our heart.

Warren Wiersbe wrote this, “What the people needed was not food but life, and life is a gift.  Food only sustains life, but Jesus gives eternal life.”  Think about this:  Would we be happy with understanding Jesus and being with Him in heaven today or would we long for more time here?  Nothing is greater than being with Jesus.  When we understand what He gives we will study, serve, give and be the hands and feet or the church we won’t just go to church.  Then as we grow and learn we will shine and make a difference and we won’t just go through the motions but be in motion impacting the Kingdom.  Amen


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John 4

9/21/2012

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John 4:49-50 “The official pleaded, “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.  Then Jesus told him.  ‘Go back home.  Your son will live!  And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.”

The amazing part of these verses is the man did not have to beg Jesus to still come home with him so he could make sure, he just believed and started home.  When we accept who Jesus is and we say we believe in Him do we in all circumstances?  Or do we say we do but we want proof right away or instant gratification? 

Chapter 4 verse 23 says, “But the time is coming – in deed it’s here now – when true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth.  The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way.”  Can we truly let go and open our hearts to what Jesus has done for us and let the Spirit lead us to see the truth?  Knowing the truth is so important because Jesus says it will set us free.  We must be willing to open our heart and transform our lives to love God and be just like Christ. 

Psalm 40 verse 8 says, “I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.”  Are we willing to learn God’s word and get them engraved on our heart?  I say this is something that is important as we learn and grow in our faith; that we just do and not have to see first.  Look at this statement from Henri’ J.M. Nouwen, “Jesus’ life was a life of obedience.  He was always listening to the Father, always attentive to His voice, always alert for His directions.  Jesus was “all ear.”  That is true prayer:  Being all ear for God.  The core of all prayer is indeed listening, obediently standing in the presence of God.”

 Believe in Him and move, we can’t wait to be pushed we must repent and change putting what we learn into practice.  Think about this last quote from Henri’, “A spiritual discipline, therefore, is the concentrated effort to create some inner and outer space in our lives, where this obedience can be practiced.”  Amen


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John 3

9/19/2012

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John 3:31-34 “He has come from above and is greater than anyone else.  We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but He has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else.  He testifies about what He has seen and heard, but how few believe what He tells them!  Anyone who accepts His testimony can affirm that God is true.  For He is sent by God.  He speaks God’s words, for God gives Him the Spirit without limit.”

I really enjoyed reading that over and over so it could resonate in my head and heart.  Warren Wiersbe writes, “Jesus shares what He has seen and heard from the Father.  Those who receive His witness and act on it know by personal experience that His witness is true.  Our Lord’s teachings are not to be studied intellectually, separated from everyday life.  It is when we obey His word and put it into practice that we see its truth and experience its power.”  This I believe is the example of being born again we see from Jesus.  


When we repent, change our ways and our belief moves us to do and obey then we can see and experience His power.  Verse 35 says, “The Father loves His Son and has put everything into His hands.”  We need to remember that everything is in His hands and when we let go and follow Him we do what we need to to be a light and when we shine it glorifies God and people see the truth in us.  Jesus says this in John chapter 7 verses 16-18, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me.  Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or merely my own.  Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent Him speaks truth, not lies.”  We need to open our hearts and continue to learn and grow so we are obedient to what we have heard.  Amen  


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John 1

9/17/2012

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John 1:12-13 “But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, he gave the right to be children of God.  They are reborn- not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”

Think on this, it says, “…He gave the right to become children of God.”  It doesn’t say just because they believed that they are children of God.  Because of God coming to us in human form we have a light that through Him we can be children of God.  It’s not the words we say, it is the action in our lives and the change in our heart that make us surrender and have faith in who He is.  Warren Wiersbe made this statement and it is so important for us to understand.  “We can succeed only as we permit Him to transform us.”  As we believe and accept Him our lives change and our desires become the light who is Christ.

When we permit Him to transform us we do less leading and more following.  Our new lives are a work in progress and so is our maturity in Christ.  We need to understand that as long as we live we will need to be diligent in our study and prayer so we can always say “not my will be done.”  Look what James chapter 1 verses 16-17 say, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for those are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”  We need to open our hearts and follow the Spirit, learning how life is lived by Jesus and then living it out.

I say let’s take our right to become children of God and shine forgetting our desires and focusing on what God desires.  Amen


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Luke 21

9/12/2012

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Luke 21:34-36 “Watch out!  Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life.  Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap.  For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth.  Keep alert at all times.  And pray that you might be strong enough to escape the coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

To me the key phrase in this section is “…don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap.  For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth.”  When we believe in Jesus it does not give us a (I won’t get bothered by satan card) it says those temptations and trials will come and when they do, not if they do, will we be ready?  Jesus gives us this warning to be ready and expect it to come; there is no excuse for believers to fall into the trap if we are constantly looking for it.  This happens with prayer and reading and being diligent in the study of Christ so we can reflect His light.

Look what happens to one of Jesus twelve disciples after believing and being with Jesus for a few years.  Luke chapter 22 verses 3-4, “Then satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priest and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them.”  When Jesus says watch out!  We must watch out.  Jesus knows satan and how deceitful he is and none of us are strong enough to defend against him without being in Christ and constantly going to Him for our growth and strength. 

We can’t be arrogant to believe that one prayer will keep us on the narrow road for life.  Nothing can separate us from God’s love, but His love doesn’t mean we are on the narrow road.  I really like this quote from Henri J.M. Nouwen which says, “Jesus tells us to set our hearts on the Kingdom.  Setting our hearts on something involves not only serious aspiration but also strong determination.  A spiritual life requires human effort.”  Accept Jesus in your heart and know that satan will work hard to get you to be in the world.  If we make choices that are of the world we will struggle with “that day” that will come to everyone.  Amen 


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Luke 17

9/10/2012

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Luke 17:28-33 “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot.  People went about their daily business – eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building – until the morning Lot left Sodom.  Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.  Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  On that day a person out on the roof must not go down into the house to pack.  A person out in the field must not return home.  Remember what happened to Lot’s wife!  If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.”

Just think of that and how important it is for us to be ready and excited for His return.  When we are in the world and trying to follow Christ we struggle with the need to finish something or go say goodbye.  There is a grunt of darn when there should be a sigh of relief and joy that we drop everything and run to Him.  Nothing going on in this world is worth finishing before Christ returns.  I truly believe when we can realize how important filling ourselves with wisdom from the Lord is the more we will surrender our desires.

I am reading a book of classic devotions and one of the authors really made me think.  E. Stanley Jones said, “You cannot attain salvation by disciplines – it is the gift from God.  But you cannot retain it without disciplines.”  When we understand what God did and we embrace who Christ is our hearts ache to change and we wait joyfully for the Lord to return.

I want to feel that joy daily and know that life is good because I know Jesus Christ.  We can’t get caught up in what this world is telling us we need to learn and live what God is telling us even when it is different than the world.  I want to end with one last thought from E. Stanley Jones, “There is no experience of conversion which will make you immune against the lack of reading the word of God and prayer.  When prayer fades out, power fades out.  We are as spiritual as we are prayerful; no more, no less.”  Let’s let our lives go and focus on true growth in the Lord.  Amen

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Luke 12:39-40

9/7/2012

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Luke 12:35-36 “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast.  Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.”

When I read this I saw how we need to be growing and seeking wisdom from the Lord always.  It says, “…keep your lamps burning…”  We must continue to add fuel to the fire and be expecting His return all the time.  Being ready for me means that He can come back right now and I would be excited.  We have to continue to grow and mature our faith so we are living examples to people that might be struggling and still trying to grasp who Jesus is.

Look at verses 39-40 which say, “Understand this:  If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into.  You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”  This is not a game it is a life change or heat change.  God loves us so much He sent His Son to bridge a gap to Him.  Are we so thankful to Him that we will do whatever we can to be ready?

 Look what Jesus says in the following verses:  43 “If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.”  We do have a job to do, because we are not here to just choose salvation for ourselves but to plant seeds and be a light.  Verse 44, “I tell you the truth, the master will put the servant in charge of all he owns.”  He wants to use us, that’s why we are His children.  Verses 45-46, “But what if the servant thinks ‘my master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?  The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant in pieces and banish him with the unfaithful.”

To me this is serious and it comes down to our faith.  Do we have the faith to learn and do what God wants?  He wants us to believe what He says and then be willing to die to self and do it even when it hurts.  Be ready and know that He is Lord and let the Spirit, who works only in truth, lead us to take care of His house.  Amen

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Luke 12:29-31

9/4/2012

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Luke 12:29-31 “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink.  Don’t worry about such things.  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need.”

I like this very much because we see how important our relationship with God is and how perfect He is.  The last statement says, “…He will give you everything you need.”  It doesn’t say everything you want.  When we remember we are here to glorify God not for us to be glorified then we can let go and open our hearts to learn and grow.

Verse 12 says, “So don’t be afraid, little flock.  For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.”  He doesn’t want anyone to miss out but He still wants us to seek Him with our hearts.  God wants us to turn to Him and use the gifts He has given us to help people see how amazing He is and that through Christ we have eternal life and we will never have to worry about anything.

 Our hearts have to grow and learn so the Spirit fills them and we then live by the Spirit who is always showing us truth and we have peace because our hearts are full.  Verse 34 says, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”  We need to continue to work so our treasure is Jesus Christ and we worry about nothing but being just like Him.  Amen


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