Say your blessings

Count your blessings. This is an interesting phrase that has permeated our society. When something bad happens, we say "Count your blessings" - which to some degree really means - "It could have been worse!"

Other times, when we "count our blessings," it's because we just got a new material thing or money, or something beneficial. We are quick to proclaim - "Oh! I am so blessed!"

At other times, we do something for someone less fortunate - and someone sees what we've done and they say "You were such a blessing to them..."

My challenge for this week is for you to silently bless those around you. In Numbers, God told Aaron to bless the people of Israel using these words:

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 

So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them. Numbers 6:23-27

Isn't it interesting how the priestly blessing was asking God to bless, keep and grant peace?

May God bless each of you that reads this blog. May God illuminate His word in your heart and bless you with the opportunity to tell others of His great love and mercy!

 

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
(Psalm 1 ESV)

Where does the time go?

I remember a time when I made time for God. I mean really made time for God in an intentional way. I would get to work an hour early just to be able to sit quietly and spend some time meditating on the word of God. I also remember coming home, and after doing things around the house and with the kids, I would open up 3 or 4 Bibles on the table and pour over the word of God.

On Saturday mornings, my friend Riley and I would go to the park as soon as it opened to pray in the morning. My whole life was centered around God, family, and reaching out to the lost.

Somewhere along the way, things changed. I get up in the morning and pick up my tablet and I may spend 10-15 minutes reading a Bible app. I take 5 minutes to pray in the shower. I get to work and start working on the problems of the day, and when I get home, I try to "unwind" by looking at TV and trying not to think about anything.

I think the biggest result out of all of that is that I never have time to do anything, because I'm too busy doing nothing!

So, the big question is why? Then... as I was reading 1 John this morning it all snapped into clarity and focus:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17 ESV)

Somewhere, my love for tasty snack foods, and entertainment has eroded some of my passion for God! The call to seek God first, step away from technology, love God more is screaming out.

So, this week, let us strive to put God first. Let us love God more. Let us look with expectation to how we can serve others than our own selves and ego. Let's do that... and see how our life changes.

Do you ever wonder what God is looking for?

Do you ever wonder what kind of person God is looking for? I know a lot of people do, and I know a lot of my own life I have tried to make myself into the image of what I thought God was looking for in a person to serve Him. I mean, it's simple, right? You read the Bible, and you find out what our Biblical heroes did and try not to make the mistakes that they made and you're in... right?

Or... what about prayer? What if I pray really, really hard... is that what God is looking for? Is He looking for someone that goes to church 2 times a week and gives to the poor?

To some degree, I think every Christian has struggled with this question. Are we significant in the eyes of God, and will our efforts be recognized or do they even matter.

I think this is slightly backwards, it's not about us, it's about God.

In John 4:23 Jesus is talking to this woman that we call "the woman at the well" - she's not a Christian, she's not even Jewish and Jesus tells her... this:

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24 ESV)

GOD IS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO WORSHIP HIM!

In Matthew 6, Jesus tells His disciples that God knows that they need food, and clothing, but the key thing is to seek the Kingdom of heaven first!

In Matthew 27, when they ask Jesus what the greatest commandment is, He tells them to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.

To me, it's pretty consistent. Let us start off this week being the type of people that God is looking for... people that seek Him first. Selah

It makes a difference...

I remember when my oldest son was about 3 or 4 years old. He had just learned that we kept snacks in the pantry. He asked if he could have a snack one evening before bedtime, and we said no. As long as we were in the room, he was a good little boy and stayed away from the cabinet.

About 15 minutes later, I think I was in my office working on something, and he wandered into the kitchen, opened the pantry, and I heard the familiar rattle of plastic holding the snack. (I guess he didn't realized that sound traveled...) I walked into the kitchen and he had this guilty look on his face.

It was really amazing to me... when he knew I was in the room, he stayed away. When he thought I couldn't hear, he would try to disobey.

Sometimes, I think Christians are like that too. When we are with other Christians, we tend to be more Christlike. When we are left on our own, sometimes we are less diligent.

I think the Apostle Paul understood that. He dedicated a whole chapter to how he struggled with sin, and understood that grace makes it possible for us to be victorious.

Paul encourages us to stay in an attitude of prayer and to let God's Holy Spirit reign in our lives. That we should walk away from anything that looks tempting. By remembering that God is always with us, we are less tempted to put our hand in the cookie jar!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 ESV)

This weekend, let us live our lives in constant communication with God, and let us see what a difference that makes in our lives.

What about sin?

We live in a country where appearance is everything. Before the housing market bust, I had friends who had these really huge houses and expensive cars and I would wonder how they could afford that, especially when we both basically had the same income.

What I didn't know was that they were eating peanut butter and jelly every night and they were sleeping on the floor because they couldn't afford a bed.

A lot of times, we are so concerned with the way that we present ourselves to the outside world that we begin to believe the persona that we have created is real! We begin to compare ourselves to those around us and we forget that as people that believe in a Holy God, we have a different standard.

Can any of us say that we are living a sinless life?

 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (ESV - 1 John 1:6-10)

When we forget that we have the potential to stray away from God, we begin to take grace for granted and we are in danger of wandering away from what we believe. I'm sure, if you take an honest assessment of your life, you'll see times where you have done this very thing.

Just as Jesus instructed His disciples to pray in the Lord's prayer, we need to ask God to forgive us of our sins when we pray, as well as forgive those who have done wrong to us.

Let spend to today really focusing on having true fellowship with God and allowing that to impact how we relate to others.

It's not a suggestion...

When I was in college, I ran for student government, twice. Once in my Freshman year, then again in my Sophomore year. The college passed a new rule that said "Freshman were not allowed to have cars on campus." As an elected official, I lobbied to have that changed, because the College Handbook clearly stated that Freshmen could.

My push for change was not based upon a suggestion, or an opinion. It was based upon the rules that were written.

The thing that troubles me most about what's going on in Christianity is people wanting to change the rules. Instead of reading what the Bible says, and understanding it - people are taking parts of it out of context, and twisting it - and taking their own suggestions about the way things should be and living by those instead.

I have heard people on TV saying that you should "Love your neighbor as yourself" and then use that as an excuse to not tell someone that what they are doing is wrong and against the laws of God.

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40 ESV)

The basic premise is that we should love God with everything that we have. This is because we know that in God there is life! To love our neighbors as ourselves is to ensure that our neighbors do not incur the wrath of a Holy God who does not change.

Loving God is not a suggestion. In order to love Him, we must know Him. We cannot love God without loving His laws and His statutes. 

The Psalmist encourages us with these words:

I will meditate on your precepts

and fix my eyes on your ways.

I will delight in your statutes;

I will not forget your word.

(Psalm 119:15-16 ESV)

This week, let us strive to meditate on God's precepts, ways and statutes - which are revealed in His Holy Word. It's not a suggestion...