Heart Of Joy
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Posted:May 5, 2015 4:33 am
Last Updated:May 6, 2015 4:05 am 23643 Views
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Read: John 15:1-11
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 19-20; Luke 23:1-25
These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15.11
While waiting in the gate area of Singapore's Changi Airport to board my flight, I noticed a young family mom, dad, and . The area was crowded, and they were looking for a place to sit. Suddenly, the little boy began loudly singing Joy to the World. He was about 6 years old, so I was pretty impressed that he knew all the words.
What captured my attention even more was the look on the boy's face his beaming smile matched the words he was singing as he proclaimed to everyone at the gate the joy of the Christ who has come.
This joy is not limited to exuberant nor should it be confined to the Christmas season. The overflowing joy of knowing Christ presence in our lives was one of the themes of Jesus final teaching with His disciples the night before He died on the cross. He told them of His extravagant love for them that He loved them as the Father loved Him John 15.9. After sharing what this eternal relationship looks like, Jesus said, These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full v.11
What a promise! Through Jesus Christ our hearts can be filled with joy real joy!
Lord, You have chosen me and redeemed me, crowned me with love and compassion. I can do nothing less than overflow with joy at Your great love for me, for those I love, and for the world.
In every season of life we can know joy in Christ.
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The Best Wedding Ever
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Posted:May 4, 2015 3:26 am
Last Updated:May 5, 2015 4:33 am 23449 Views
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Read: Revelation 21:1-8
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 16-18; Luke 22:47-71
The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. Revelation 19.7
Within the last 800 or so years, a new custom has been added to the Jewish wedding ceremony. At the very end, the groom crushes a wine glass under his foot. One explanation of this is that the shattering of the glass symbolizes the destruction of the temple in ad 70. Young couples are encouraged to remember, as they establish their own homes, that God's home had been destroyed.
God is not homeless, however. He has just chosen a new place to live in us, His followers. In the metaphors of Scripture, believers are both the bride of Christ and the temple in which God lives. God is fitting His people together to build a new home that will be His permanent dwelling place. At the same time, He is preparing the bride and planning a wedding that will include all of God's family from the beginning of time.
Our part is easy though sometimes painful. We cooperate with God as He is at work in us to make us more like His Jesus. Then some day, at the best wedding ever, our Lord will present us to Himself without spot or wrinkle. We will be holy and without blemish Eph. 5.27 This wedding will bring an end to all sorrow and suffering.
Finish then Thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee.
The return of Jesus is sure.
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Correct Gently
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Posted:May 1, 2015 1:55 am
Last Updated:May 4, 2015 3:28 am 23785 Views
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Read: Colossians 3:12-17
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 10-11; Luke 21:20-38
Put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another. Colossians 3.12-13
At the end of a conference in Nairobi, Kenya, our group traveled from the conference center to a guesthouse to prepare to fly back home the next morning. When we arrived, one person in our group reported that she had forgotten her luggage back at the conference center. After she left to retrieve it, our group leader (always meticulous on detail) criticized her sharply to us in her absence.
The next morning when we arrived at the airport, the leader discovered to his dismay that he too had left his luggage behind. It and his passport were back at the guesthouse. It was now going to cost us even more to go for his baggage. Later, he apologized and said to all of us, I'll never criticize so harshly again!
Because we all have faults and weaknesses, we should bear with one another and forgive each other when things go wrong Col. 3.13 We need to be constructive in our criticism and clothe [our]selves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience v.12 .
When correction is necessary, it should be done with kindness and love. In that way we become imitators of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear God, You know that there are times when I just don't feel patient and humble and gentle. Those days in my life, the fruit of Your Spirit seems in short supply. Please enable me to love others today.
The keys to effective relationships are gentleness and humility.
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Correct Gently
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Posted:May 1, 2015 1:55 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2015 1:56 am 23509 Views
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Read: Colossians 3:12-17
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 10-11; Luke 21:20-38
Put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another. Colossians 3.12-13
At the end of a conference in Nairobi, Kenya, our group traveled from the conference center to a guesthouse to prepare to fly back home the next morning. When we arrived, one person in our group reported that she had forgotten her luggage back at the conference center. After she left to retrieve it, our group leader (always meticulous on detail) criticized her sharply to us in her absence.
The next morning when we arrived at the airport, the leader discovered to his dismay that he too had left his luggage behind. It and his passport were back at the guesthouse. It was now going to cost us even more to go for his baggage. Later, he apologized and said to all of us, I'll never criticize so harshly again!
Because we all have faults and weaknesses, we should bear with one another and forgive each other when things go wrong Col. 3.13 We need to be constructive in our criticism and clothe [our]selves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience v.12 .
When correction is necessary, it should be done with kindness and love. In that way we become imitators of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear God, You know that there are times when I just don't feel patient and humble and gentle. Those days in my life, the fruit of Your Spirit seems in short supply. Please enable me to love others today.
The keys to effective relationships are gentleness and humility.
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Image Consultants
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Posted:Apr 30, 2015 2:04 am
Last Updated:May 2, 2015 4:28 am 23349 Views
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Read: Colossians 3:1-11
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 8-9; Luke 21:1-19
[You] have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. Colossians 3.10
In our media-saturated age, image consultants have become indispensable. Entertainers, athletes, politicians, and business leaders seem desperate to manage the way they are perceived in the eyes of the world. These high-priced consultants work to shape how their are viewed even if sometimes there is a stark contrast between the public image and the real person inside.
In reality, what people need what all of us need is not an external makeover but an inner transformation. Our deepest flaws cannot be corrected cosmetically. They are directly related to who we are in heart and mind, and they reveal how far we have fallen from the image of God in which we were created. But such transformation is beyond any human ability to accomplish.
Only Christ offers us true transformation not just a facelift or an outward adjustment. Paul said that those who have been raised to eternal life in Christ have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him Col. 3.10
New! What a tremendous word full of hope! Christ transforms us into new people in Him people with a new heart, not just fixed up to look good on the outside.
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5.17
The Spirit develops in us the clear image of Christ.
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Access To God
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Posted:Apr 29, 2015 3:11 am
Last Updated:May 4, 2015 3:30 am 23455 Views
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Read: 1 John 5.6-15
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 6-7; Luke 20.27-47
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4.16
Technology is a blessing in so many ways. Need a bit of information about a health problem? All you have to do is access the Internet where you instantaneously get a list of options to guide your search. Need to contact a friend? Just send a text, email, or Facebook post. But technology can also be frustrating at times. The other day I needed to access some information in my bank account and was asked a list of security questions. Unable to recall the exact answers, I was blocked from my own account. Or think of the times when an important conversation is cut off because of a dead cellphone battery, with no way to reconnect until you find a plug to recharge it.
All of this makes me delighted with the reality that when I need to access God in prayer, there are no security questions and no batteries required. I love the assurance that John gives when he says, Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us 1 John 5.14
God is always accessible, for He never slumbers nor sleeps! Ps. 121.4. And thanks to His love for us, He is waiting and ready to listen.
Lord, thank You for desiring communication with me and for the reassurance that You are indeed listening and ready to help in time of need. Teach us to come to You with confidence in Your attentive love for us.
God is always accessible in our time of need.
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In The Same Boat
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Posted:Apr 28, 2015 3:23 am
Last Updated:Apr 28, 2015 3:24 am 23332 Views
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Read: Matthew 8:23-27
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 3-5; Luke 20:1-26
When He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. Matthew 8.23
When the cruise ship pulled into port, the passengers got off as quickly as possible. They had spent the last few days enduring an outbreak of a virus, and hundreds of people had been sickened. One passenger, interviewed as he disembarked, said:Well, I don't mean to complain so much. I mean I know everybody was in the same boat. His seemingly unintentional pun made the reporter smile.
In Matthew 8, we read about another trip on the water vv.23-27. Jesus got into the boat and the disciples followed Him v.23. Then a terrible storm arose, and Jesus disciples feared for their lives. They awakened a sleeping Jesus, who they assumed was unaware of the crisis.
While Jesus was literally in the same boat as His followers, He was unconcerned about the weather. As the all-powerful Creator, He had no fear of a storm. He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm v.26.
But we are not all-powerful, and we are oh-so-prone to fear. So what are we to do when the storms of life rage around us? Whether they quickly blow over or last for a long time, we can be confident in this: We are in the same boat with the One whom even the winds and the sea obey.
Heavenly Father, this life is full of uncertainty. But You have promised us Your unfailing presence. May we see You today especially when we are tempted to panic or to do things in our own strength.
No danger can come so near the Christian that God is not nearer.
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Love And Light
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Posted:Apr 27, 2015 3:54 am
Last Updated:Apr 28, 2015 7:40 am 23493 Views
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Read: Deuteronomy 11:8-15
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 1-2; Luke 19:28-48
The land which you cross over to possess is a land . . . for which the Lord your God cares. Deuteronomy. 11.11-12
Friends are starting to plan their summer vegetable gardens. Some get an early start by planting seeds indoors where they can control the conditions and provide the best environment for sprouting. After the danger of frost has passed, they will transplant the seedlings outdoors. Once the garden is planted, the work of weeding, feeding, watering, and guarding against rodents and insects begins. Producing food is a lot of work.
Moses reminded the Israelites of this before they entered the promised land. While living in Egypt, they had to do the hard work of irrigating crops by hand Deut. 11.10, but in the place where God was taking them He promised to ease their work by sending spring and autumn rains: I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains .14 . The only condition was that they faithfully obey the commands He gave them to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul v.13 . The Lord was taking His people to a place where their obedience and His blessing would make them a light to those around them.
God wants the same for us and from us: He wants our love to be displayed in our obedience so that we might be His light to people around us. The love and obedience we have to offer, though, is far less than He deserves. But He is our provider, blessing us and enabling us to be a light that the world will notice.
Loving God doesn't make life effortless, but having His strength makes it easier.
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Hope Lives
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Posted:Apr 24, 2015 1:35 am
Last Updated:Apr 25, 2015 3:19 am 23813 Views
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Read: 1 Peter 1:3-9
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 19-20; Luke 18:1-23
Your faith, being much more precious than gold . . . may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1.7
When unspeakable tragedy shatters people's lives, they search for answers. Recently, a mother who had lost a said to me, I can't figure it out. I don't know if I can believe anymore. I try, but God doesn't make sense to me. What does it all mean? There are no easy answers to such big concerns. But for those who have trusted Christ, there is hope whether we are basking in blessings or grinding through grief.
Peter spells this out in his first letter. In glowing terms, he praises God for our new birth into a living hope 1 Peter 1.3 through our salvation. That hope can bring joy even in the middle of tragedy. He also assures us of the permanence of this hope v.4 He then tells us of the heart-breaking reality that we may suffer grief in all kinds of trials v.6 . Those who have suffered loss turn hopeful hearts toward Peter's next words: These come so that your faith . . . may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ v.7.
Trials seemingly random and inexplicable can be seen differently in the light of these words. In the midst of tragedy, the power and beauty of our salvation can shine through because of our great Savior. And that may be just enough light to get a troubled person through another day.
Lord, You assure us that the grand salvation You provided is proved genuine in our pain and that it leads to glory for You. Help us to begin each new day with renewed hope in You.
The light of salvation shines clearly even in the darkest night.
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Now Go!
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Posted:Apr 23, 2015 1:54 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2015 1:55 am 27010 Views
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Read: Exodus 4:10-17
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 16-18; Luke 1.:20-37
Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.
Exodus 4:12
More than 10,000 evangelists and Christian leaders sat in a giant auditorium in Amsterdam in 1986 listening to world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham. I sat among them, listening as he narrated some of his experiences. Then, to my surprise, he said, Let me tell you: every time I stand before the congregation of God's people to preach, I tremble and my knees wobble!
What! I wondered. How can such a great preacher who has enthralled millions with his powerful sermons exhibit trembling and wobbling knees? Then he went on to describe not fear and stage fright, but intense humility and meekness as he felt inadequate for the daunting task to which God had called him. He relied on God for strength, not on his own eloquence.
Moses felt inadequate when God sent him to deliver the enslaved Israelites from their 400-year captivity in Egypt. Moses pleaded with the Lord to send someone else, with the excuse that he had never been a good speaker Ex. 4.10,13.
We may have similar fears when God calls us to do something for Him. But His encouragement to Moses can also spur us on: Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say v.12 .
As Billy Graham said that day, When God calls you, do not be afraid of trembling and wobbling knees, for He will be with you!
What task does God have for you to do today? Depend on Him by asking for His help.
Wherever God sends us, He comes alongside us.
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