Cleansing The Wound 1 John 1:9

Do you remember as a little kid playing outside and falling and scraping your knee or elbow or something on the ground? after you had gotten up what did you do to your wound? If you were like me you covered it up with your hand and ran to mommy. When you finally got to mom what did she say to you? "Let me see it". In order to cleanse the wound and prevent any further harm or infection mom had to see what the problem was. If you or I wanted to have our wound heal and feel better we needed to uncover it from our hand. The same is true with sin. Sin can hurt and sometimes we think that the best form of dealing with it is to cover it up, and stuff it down hoping it will just go away. But John tells us to confess our sin and God will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Sin might not cause a physical wound all the time, but it always needs to be cleansed. So uncover that wound and allow God's healing hand to cleanse your wound.

Faster, Faster

Would it be a compliment if you were on the highway doing minimally above the speed LIMIT and someone called you a faster driver then others? I would hope you would reconsider your action and slow down to meet the speed limit. But If someone were to call you a faster in the context of obstaining from physical foods to focus your attention on spiritual needs and uncertain outcomes, then possilbly you could take it as a compliment. Has fasting become a lost practice in todays church? Has it become a lost avenue to take when considering a big change in life, a new job, new home, children, sin? If you do fast, Why? And if you don't, Why? Are you a faster? Or are you fast? Quick to think too much about physical life in this flesh, and absent of thinking concerning your spiritual well being. Remember Christian we're in a race and one thing that will help us run in such a way as to win is to be a faster.

SERVICE

What is service? Is it something that comes from our desire to be seen by men to be righteous? Is it about storing up treasure in heaven? What is service? I think service is about being a living sacrafice, being available to help a need that takes more than a casual look or glance, investment might be an accurate word to describe what service should be. "For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves." ONE WHO SERVES.... Jesus Christ. Why do you think he served?

Don't glory in sin Psalm 51:16-17

King David, a mighty warrior, blessed beyond measure, a servant of God. And yet in these verses we find David writing straight from his broken heart! Broken over the sins he has committed against his God. David in verse sixteen expresses his desire to give anything that would bring him back into a right relationship with his God. "You do not delight in sacrafice, otherwise I WOULD GIVE IT" David says! Here we have King David, unbreakable, valiant, a a warrior. May we be willing to be as King David was, valiant enough to be humble and contrite in heart, because of a deep repentance and regret for our sin! 17 "The sacrafices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart O God, You do not despise" Heres a question.... When is the last time we fasted because of our sin? Is sin that serious to you? There's no pride in sinning once you realize how important your relationship with God is.

"Let down your net" Luke 5: 1-11

To trust God fully we all must be willing to "let down our nets" and allow God to do His work in our lives through our faith. Peter was about to embark on the most adventurous and life changing journey of his life. Jesus was calling him not only to Himself but also to the winning of lost souls. But Peter had not yet surrendered his WHOLE life to the call of Christ. As Jesus turns to Peter and tells him to launch out into the deep for a catch in verse four, we find Peter resorting to the inside box of his own understanding and experience.vs 5.

But Peter inclines his ear and heart to what Jesus said to Him. Almost reluctantly Peter "Lets down his net" and trusts that Jesus knows best. If we could only learn this lesson of trust. No matter the outcome of our different scenarios of life, nor the circumstances in which we find ourselves, if we only could "let down our nets" then maybe we could reap the benefits and blessings that our Lord has waiting for us. Peter was able to trust Jesus to let down his nets for good and surrender his life to become what Jesus had said he would become, "A fisher of men".

Foolishness.... The power of God! 1 Cor.1:18

What a wonderful and disturbing passage of scripture. Paul the Apostle contrasting the self-centered people who exalt themselves to a point where the gospel message sounds like foolishness, and those of us who have humbly accepted the fact that we are not able to save ourselves from the immediate and eternal consequences of sin. The message of the cross foolishness? How absurd.... to those who are being saved. But you and I know many who laugh at the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ only. And to think of the statement made about them here in this passage by Paul, " to those who are perishing"(vs 18). Do we really believe that those who have not obeyed the gospel are going to be lost FOREVER? Perishing as it were right before our eyes? What a challenge for us to talk to people about Christ and the gospel message of salvation. Be encouraged, some who you talk to will sadly go on thinking the gospel is foolishness, but some we will snatch from the fire, just like you and I were. Praise be to God for sending His Son to give us the good news to have and to share.

"Before day break" Luke 22:31-62

Consider the story of Peter's denial of Christ. Peter without hesitation ( vs. 33) said that he would be willing to go to prison and to the grave with Jesus! What faith and loyalty he must have had. And even in the garden when the Roman soldiers came to take Jesus away, being led by Judas the betrayer, who was it that drew his sword to fight for Christ? Peter. But notice who was around when Peter made this statement of loyalty and devotion. (vs.14) Just Christ and the other Apostles. And when he bowed out instead of proclaiming that he knew Christ, who was around? (vss.54-62) The courtyard. It might be easier for us to express our devotion and loyalty when we are in church, but what about when we are out in the "courtyard"? Does our tongue speak devotion and loyalty to Christ while with the saints and then while with the world we deny him before "day break" ? May we find encouragement from Peter, because in the end he did go to prison and die for Christ!

Think before you speak! Judges 11:29-40

Oh, I wish I had never said that.... have you ever said that before? The story that we have here in Judges 11 serves as a good example of this. Sometimes we as Christians are apt to respond to someone or something that has happened without thinking first and left to reap the consequences of our words. Jephthah made a vow to God that said "If you will indeed deliver the people of ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering." vss 30+31 those are some pretty strong words coming from Jephthah. How would he know what would come out of his house first? What if it were his daughter? In vs 34 we find that that is exactly what happens. His daughter, his only child, had come out to greet him first, and so the burnt offering to the Lord. Naturally this made him sad, I wonder if he was regreting his vow, but the words had already been spoken! What a lesson to learn, Let us be careful to speak with thought and soundness as with grace and not with irrational emotion. Wanting to offer thanks to God is not bad, but how thankful do you think Jephthah felt offering his DAUGHTER as the burnt offering?
Notice as well his daughter did not question her fathers word. vs. 36.

Who's inscription is this? Matthew 22:15-22

Who's insription do you have on you? Has God bought you with His son's blood? If so then God Has placed His inscription on you. So as you go out into the world and live a holy and righteous life, people may ask in other words "who's inscription is on this(you)? It will be fitting to respond that it is God's inscription. The world might entice, confuse, be intolerant of your behavior, persecute, and demise, all the while asking you to partake of the same actions. Do not ever forget who's inscription is on you!

Politics, Politics.

Can any man really determine the outcome of this country? President or not? This country has decided to take God out of almost everything except churches. Can we expect that men, imperfect men, can exact the kind of changes this country needs, republican or democrat? It is so tiring to hear christians talk about this election as if the next president will end abortion, stop same sex marriage, promote intolerance of these kinds of acts, and instill the christian ethics that this country was founded on. It is my opinion that Jesus Christ is the one that should get our vote on election day and everyday! May we as Christians realize that yes it is good to be informed, and yes it is good to be involved to a degree, but to go to bed talking about politics and to wake up talking about it is placing an undeserved emphasis on a system that has proven itself to be lacking the backbone to stand up for Jesus Christ. May the Lord be a blessing today for you and may matthew 6:33 penetrate your heart as you seek HIS KINGDOM FIRST!

"The widows MIGHT" Mark:12:41-44

A poor widow is the main character of this life lesson of faith. Having placed all that she had into the treasury, (2 copper coins= 1/64 of a denarius). Jesus tells his disciples that she had just placed more than all the other contributors had placed into the treasury. Two mites was not what this widow had trusted in, for if she had she might not have let them go. Her MIGHT was in God to whom the treasury ultimately belonged! May we learn a lesson from this glance of history that was chosen to be recorded for us. All that we have is only what God has given us, and may our mites not get into the way of His MIGHT!

Five and two! John 6:1-11

Have you ever thought that maybe God can't use you now? That He is waiting until your older to use you, maybe when you have "more talents". In this passage of scripture a "young lad" was willing to give what he had to Jesus. Two fish and five loaves seem as nothing when looking out on five thousand men, nevermind women and children also. Stop and think today about who it was that took what the lad was willing to give....Jesus. If you are willing to give what you have no matter how insignificant you might think it is to Jesus, He can use it to great things. In verse eleven we see that the people had all they wanted with left overs. Five and two, insignificant, but not when given to Jesus!

On the fence

Jesus Christ permitted no fence riding. In the world we live in it is easy to see the vascillation of opinion, what people perceive as truth, and on the choice of "religion". Christ in Matthew 12:30 said "He who is not with me is against me." What does it mean to be with Him? Abiding might be a good definition, believing Him for who He is an even better one. But our belief must push us off the fence and on to action. Today are you a fence rider, or is your faith in Christ a real faith?
May I encourage you to be with Christ and not to scatter away from Him.

End of the spear

1 Samuel 20:35-42
Jonathan and David were the best of friends. In chapter 18 samuel tells us that the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, they were inseperable. Now King Saul, Jonathan's father, hated David,the newly anointed King. Saul wanted David dead, and in verse 33 of chapter 20 Saul actually throws his spear at his own son because of his friendship with king David. What a challenge for us! To not be afraid to risk anything and everything to be true to the King, Jesus Christ.

Ambassador for Christ!

Represent!! That is what some say when they are "hangin' out" with their friends, trying to say that that is what they are about. As christians what are we about?
Paul the apostle wrote in 2nd corinthians 5:20 that he was an ambassador for Christ, he REPRESENTED Jesus Christ, Christ is who he was about. Today, as you are in Christ, what or who are you about, who do you represent?
May I encourage you to represent Christ, for He is the only one worth representing anyway.