August 17, 2015

I don't know about you, but I don't always take disappointment well. When you have dreamed of something and strategized and sacrificed to make it happen - but God says, "No!", that's not easy!"

With that in mind I was impressed and inspired by King David when Nathan the Prophet told him that he would not get to build the Lord's Temple. David had hoped that his legacy would be building the Temple during his reign.

So how did he respond to this distressing news? Here's your answer:

"Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O LORD God. "What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, O LORD. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises. "There is no one like you, O LORD, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God. "And now, LORD, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, 'The LORD Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel's God!' And the house of your servant David will be established before you. "You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you. O LORD, you are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O LORD, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever."

I Chronicles 17:16-27

Wow! That is character! That is commitment to the will of God!

How does your character measure against that of King David? 

How did you respond the last time things didn't go your way? 

What will you do next time?

August 16, 2015

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith was not made out of what was visible." Hebrews 11:1-3

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6

"It (love) always trusts......" I Corinthians 13:7

Three ways we can know God loves us are the same three ways we can know if we love Him.

If you fully trust that God is your Creator and are willing to submit to His authority that is evidence you love God.

That's what the "ancients" were commended for, they never doubted God was their Creator and the Creator of every living thing. So, when He called them to do very difficult like offer a son as a sacrifice or build an ark they were willing to trust God! If they had doubts they gave Him the benefit of their doubts.

How do you know Abraham, Noah, Moses or David loved God? Because they honored Him as Creator and built their faith on that fact.

Do you?

Secondly, if you trust fully in His character it is evidence you love God.

Abraham, Noah, Moses, David and all the other heroes believed God was Who He says He is and that if they obeyed Him He would reward their faith. They did and He did and Hebrews 11 records it!

Sometimes their trust in His character was all their had to go on. So, when they had doubts they gave Him the benefit of the doubt based on His character.

Perhaps the best expression of this truth comes from the great 19th Century preacher, Charles Spurgeon. He preached to thousands every week and yet struggled with frequent bouts of deep depression. No, doubt he must have struggled with faith in those dark times. But we know he loved God by his strong declaration of faith, "When I cannot see God's hand I can trust His heart."

Do you?

Third, if you trust in His Christ for the salvation of your soul, you love God and God's love will flood your soul.

It's the goal of God's love!

It's what Abraham, Noah, Moses, David and all the faith heroes could only long for. 

You can love God because He first loved you and sent His Son to demonstrate His love. God's love gave you the benefit of the doubt so you can have the chance to trust in Jesus.

Do you?

August 15, 2015

What a Savior we have!

In John Chapter 6 we see Him as the Bread of Life! He bids us to feed on Him.

In John 8 He identifies Himself as great than Abraham.

In Chapter 9 he presents Himself as the Light of the World and illustrates it by healing a blind man!

Wow! What a Savior!

Moving on to Chapter 10 he refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd. His description sounds a lot like Psalm 23!

As a pastor friend of mine once declared, "When the Lord is your Shepherd - the future is your friend!" Here's why:

He Leads Us!

A hireling or a sheep rustler drives the sheep, but the Good Shepherd leads us. He leads us into the safety of His presence! He leads us into the security of His pasture! He leads us into the abundance of His truth. He speaks gently to us and calls us by name as He leads us. Think of that, the Good Shepherd knows your name!

He Loves Us!

A hireling or a rustler has no regard for the sheep. They mean nothing to them. To them the sheep are a necessary inconvenience. They lead the flock only for their own personal benefit. So when the sheep are threatened, they will flee to protect themselves. But the Good Shepherd loves His sheep. He provides for them. He protects them. He prays for them. He will give His life to save them. Think about that! You are loved by the Good Shepherd!

He leads us. He loves us. And:

He Laid Down His Life for Us.

Verse 10 sums up the desire of the Good Shepherd and the destiny of His sheep:

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full!"

To quote my friend - "When the Lord is your Shepherd, the future is your friend!"

August 14, 2015

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Hebrews 11:1-3

^“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

“It (love) always trusts…..” I Corinthians 13:7

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is filled with heroes of the faith who gave God the benefit of the doubt in some very challenging circumstances.

Abraham kept on believing for his promised son.

Noah had never experienced rain or built a boat but he believed God to save his family.

Moses faced the Pharaoh and the Red Sea.

David fearlessly faced Goliath and knocked him dead.

Hebrews 11:1-3 & 6 give three reasons why God deserves the benefit of the doubt.

If you can believe God spoke the universe into existence then you should be able to give Him the benefit of the doubt. If He has the power to that you should be able to trust Him to do what He says. The godly heroes mentioned prominently in Hebrews 11 believed God was the Creator so it was easy to trust Him for other things.

God deserves the benefit of the doubt from you because of His greatness and power revealed in His creation.

Because of God’s Character – “anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”

You can tell a lot about a person by the work he does and what he produces. When you look at the beauty and majesty of His creation you know God is worthy of your trust!

Also, you can judge a person’s character by how he keeps his promises. The Bible records that everything God promised to Abraham, Noah, Moses, and David He delivered! And then some!

God deserves the benefit of the doubt from you because of His character.

Because of His Christ

The best reason for trusting God is because He gave His only Son to die on the cross for our sins. Who else would do that for you?

For centuries the prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah, God’s Son.

It did happen the way God said it would, through His prophets. Jesus was what the prophets foretold and more!

God is worthy of your trust!’

Because of His great love God provided a way that you can be saved and become a new creation!

August 13, 2015

^“Now Thomas (also known as Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:24-29

“So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit, ”he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.” Mark 9:20-26

“It (love) always trusts……” I Corinthians 13:7

Love tries to trust. It gives the benefit of the doubt. It is aware that to love you must trust.

This truth is illustrated in these two stories from the Gospels.

Thomas was one of the Twelve who followed Jesus.

For three years he had listened to the Master and learned from Him. He had walked the long dusty roads from village to village. He had seen the miracles and even been involved in some.

On the night in the Upper Room when Jesus celebrated the Lord’s Supper, Thomas was there.

When Jesus was lynched and led away from the garden, Thomas was there and he fled in fear with the others.

Thomas watched in horror as Jesus’ badly beaten body was nailed to the cross. He watched Him die.

So, naturally, when Thomas heard that the resurrected Jesus had appeared in their midst one day when he was gone, he had trouble believing their report.

He wanted to believe their story. He tried to trust them. But his heart had already been broken and he wasn’t sure he could trust their report. We was trying to believe but it was tough!

So, Jesus appeared to help Thomas believe. Thomas touched His hands and touched His side and his trying became trusting.

And then there was the man with demoniac son.

Jesus told the man that anything will be possible if he would believe it is possible.

This desperate dad was trying to give Jesus the benefit of the doubt. “I am trying to believe, Jesus, help me to believe.” What a great response!

You’ve been there haven’t you?

Perhaps you are there now!

Because this man was ready to believe God gave him reason to believe!

Love tries to trust. Love gives the benefit of the doubt. When you have the will to believe God makes the way.

August 12, 2015

"It (love) always perseveres....." I Corinthians 13:7

Through many years of ministry I have been privileged to share life with hundreds of people in about every life circumstance imaginable. One thing I have learned from walking through these experiences is the power of the human will.

I have seen those strong-willed people who clung to faith and steeled their resolve and endured extremely challenging challenges. They just simply refused to quit believing or praying or praising or hoping. Their perseverance brought them victory - some in this life and some in the next life. I did my best to inspire them and encourage them but they inspired me!

There have been others who were not able to persevere in their faith or maintain their hope. Some gave up on faith. Some gave up on life. They broke my heart.

It has amazed me how often I've seen a terminally ill person decide they have suffered enough and decide they want to die. Within hours they die. I have seen others fight and refuse to give up and stretch their lives far longer than anyone expected.

The Apostle Paul was a strong-willed person before he found Christ but the love of God added to his ability to endure. He is a great example of what happens when a strong-willed person surrenders his will to a Will stronger than his own!

Here are a few examples in his own words:

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."  Galatians 6:9

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him." Hebrews 12:1-1

"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm."  Ephesians 6:13

Do you have the will to persevere? Are you determined to stand your ground and never retreat?

You will if you will give your will to Him!

August 11, 2015

"It (love) always perseveres." I Corinthians 13:7

Perhaps you have visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier you will see the changing of the guard ceremony every half hour during the warmer months and every hour the rest of the time. 

The Tomb has been guarded continually 24 hours a day and seven days per week for fifty-two weeks a year since 1937. In other words, the Tomb has never gone unguarded for the past 78 years.

Through searing heat, frigid cold, driving rain storms and even hurricanes the Tomb has been guarded.

That is perseverance!

What has driven the guards to be so diligent for nearly eight decades?

Duty, honor and brotherhood are three good reasons.

This is interesting and inspiring information but why am I sharing it in conjunction with this Scripture verse? I am sharing it because it is illustrates the meaning of "love perseveres".

The Greek word translated "persevere" or "endure" was a military term for standing guard, holding their ground without retreat. A soldier, out of love for country and his sense of duty and honor, will never yield his position in the heat of battle even defending it to the death.

This is the enduring love God has for you! Jesus persevered through the beating and the cursing and the crucifixion because of His love!

When God's love is active in your life you will have an enduring love. It is a love that is steadfast. It is a love that lasts through all manner of hurts and hardships.

How lasting is your love?