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Colossians 1

10/28/2010

Colossians 1:19-21 “For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts, and actions.”

I love this, it is talking to me. When I accepted Christ I made a change, has your life changed? This world can make us struggle in so many ways, what are we filling our minds and hearts with? Because of Christ and what He did we need to fill our thoughts and actions with light and learn form the Lord. We should be able to feel how amazing He is by opening God’s word and learning how to live. What are we seeking or who do we turn to when we need answers?

In Isaiah 45:19 it says, “I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me if I could not be found. I, the Lord, speak only what is true and declare only what is right.”

We need to seek wisdom and live what we learn; it is our actions that will help people change. When we struggle we need to turn to the Lord and pray. Nothing we can do or buy or touch can help us feel His power and make us understand. Think about what it says in Colossians chapter 2 verse 3, “In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Amen

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Philippians 3

10/26/2010

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Philippians 3:10-11 “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”

This is amazing when you stop and think of it, Paul says he wants to “experience the mighty power” are we trying to do that? I don’t want to just know about Christ, I want to live and experience Him. We need to truly surrender and dig deep into all God shows us and have a passion to learn all we can.

In Isaiah chapter 38 at the end of verse 1 it says about King Hezekiah, “…This is what the Lord says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.”

I love what King Hezekiah does in response. In verse 2 he says, “When Hezekiah’s heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord.” Then the Lord tells Isaiah in verse 5, “Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, ‘this is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor, David, says: ‘I have heard your prayers and see your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the King of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city.”

Instead of the King finding out he was going to die and being miserable he prayed. To me that is experiencing God’s power and totally surrendering to His will. We need to remember how amazing God is for sending His Son to give us a chance to live for eternity with Him.

I would like to end with what Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14, “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” That heavenly prize is life and Jesus is the way. Amen

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Galatians 5

10/25/2010

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Galatians 5:16 “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”

Our minds run wild with crazy thoughts, it is important for us to surrender and learn all we can from the Lord. When we are full and seeking to be like Christ the Holy Spirit is loud and we hear it. But when this world and the sin in it is what fills us the Holy Spirit is quiet and we tend to ignore it.

Look what it says in verses 19-20, “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: Sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasure, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, diversion, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

That is a huge list, how are we doing? These things cloud the Spirit in our hearts and we make all sorts of excuses why they are alright. I say get in God’s word and pray so you can hear the Spirit loud and clear. And when your mind wanders and you start thinking about that stuff you will turn to God for strength and the Holy Spirit will be clear. When this happens you will live as it says in verses 22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control. There is no law against these things.”

We need to truly open our hearts and be full of the Spirit so that we desire to follow it and live our lives as Christ did. Amen

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Ephesians 4

10/22/2010

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Ephesians 4:1-3 “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowances for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”

It is so important that we are opening God’s word and learning. It says, “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit…” to me that comes from self study and asking God for wisdom. Our focus should be Christ and we should take to heart that God sent His Son to live life out so we had an example to learn by. We always have Jesus to study and learn from as we go through this world trying to be a light. Now we have the Holy Spirit that guides us to keep us focused on what is right and keep our eyes on Heaven.

Verse 5 says, “There is one Lord, on faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.”

So we need to equip ourselves everyday to be our best so our faith is seen by the world.

I love the challenge in chapter 4 verses 21-24 which says, “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God –truly righteous and holy.”

We have heard about Christ, what is holding us back from changing and living to be truly righteous and holy? Amen

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Isaiah 1

10/19/2010

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Isaiah 1:3 “Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care – but Israel doesn’t know it master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.”

This is so true for us, we say we know Him and love Him but that’s it. It is so easy for us to get caught up in the world because that is what fills our days. We need to put God into our day to day routine and desire to learn from His word. Then we will have better understanding of His voice and how to live in this world. I love what God says in chapter 1 verse 16, “Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways.”

It is so important for us to realize our lives need to change and we need to seek lives that are like Jesus’.

In verse 11 the Lord says, “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices? Says the Lord I am sick of your burnt offering of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.”

When we say things, are we really trying to do them? God could care less about our words if they are not followed by our actions. If we think we can live how we want, with no change and expect God to listen to our prayers we are crazy. If you know you are living in sin, don’t worry about prayer get rid of your sins and confess.

Verse 15 says, “When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Through you offer many prayers; I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.”

Truly work on your relationship with the Lord and realize he does want you to obey and seek Him that is why He has given us so much to learn from.

I want to finish with verse 19, “If you will only obey Me, you will have plenty to eat.” Amen

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Galatians 4

10/14/2010

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Galatians 4:4-7 “But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent Him to bring freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children. And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are His child, God has made you His heir.”

We need to remember that we are God’s children and need to listen to that Spirit in our hearts. So many times we hear or feel the Spirit but because it might not be what we want we follow the world. We can’t think lightly of what Jesus did, we need to understand that His act was for us not Himself. He suffered and died on the cross so we can have freedom through Him. He gave us the best example to follow and filled us with the Spirit so we have a guide. All we need to do is surrender and learn and live our lives following Christ’s lead then we will have peace and joy that we can’t get from this world. We need to have the excitement for Christ that we have for other things and realize there is nothing better or more satisfying. The Lord is all we need so we need to fill our hearts and minds with what God shows us in His word and be willing to be a light by living it out. Amen

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Proverbs 29

10/13/2010

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Proverbs 29:18 “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.”

When we seek our wisdom from the Lord and live a way that shows we love the Lord we have joy. It does not free us from trials and hard times, but we can see the joy in the Lord and we will turn to Him when we are in need. Think when you make choices because of your flesh, they usually lead to things that do not glorify the Lord. But when you stop and ask what would Jesus do and then listen, you have a better chance to act a way that shines a light. Truly giving God His time and having a relationship with Him helps us understand what we really need and that is His wisdom. We need to always turn to God and live as Christ did and that can only be done by learning and studying what He did and how He lived. When we study it and then live it out it becomes second nature and we will be a light for people to see. Divine wisdom is what we should long for, don’t settle for anything less. Amen

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Proverbs 24

10/12/2010

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Proverbs 24:10 “If you fail under pressure your strength is too small.”

Wow, how are we doing with our walk? Do the same things give us trouble over and over or are we filling ourselves with strength from Jesus daily?

In Proverbs 24:5 it says, “The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.”

I say if you are struggling time after time and you haven’t changed anything in your life “let go and let God” and quit trying to do it alone. Fully commit to reading and learning God’s word and truly surrender to follow the way Jesus lived. Then we can be that light for people to see. Amen

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Proverbs 4

10/11/2010

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Proverbs 4:20-22 “My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.”

When we do this with the word of God there is healing and peace that the world cannot give. The comfort of truly knowing God’s love will cover us enough. This takes us opening our heart and letting it penetrate so we can feel a change and people can see Christ like behavior. It is easy to let it in on the surface, but if it doesn’t go deep our faith is fragile.

Verse 23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your own life.”

We are lead by the emotion of our heart; just imagine how amazing we appear to people when we are full and living by the Spirit. There are so many stories of people that hearts were focused on God and no matter what it brought life and hope to them as they suffered as Christ did without wavering. I truly feel there is so much more we can acquire from fully committing to learn from God and then surrendering our lives to live out our faith. Amen

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Proverbs 19

10/10/2010

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Proverbs 19:3 “People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.”

This verse made me think about how many times I get myself in a bind and have nobody to blame but myself. We want so much from the Lord and we expect everything to go our way because we prayed about it. We need to look at what we are doing and ask, does the way we live resemble Christ or are we living to enjoy the world and add Christ as a patch?

In Proverbs 16:2 it says, “People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.”

We need to truly surrender to the lord and not fight getting our strength from Him and remember to constantly be filling ourselves with God’s word and prayer so we know how to get through all situations. Amen

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Colossians 1

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Galatians 5

Ephesians 4

Isaiah 1

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Proverbs 29

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