Willing To Obey

Peter's first introduction to Jesus was Jesus' use of his boat to preach from. After Jesus was finished with His sermon, He asked Peter to go out into deeper water and let down his nets to catch some fish. Peter told Jesus that they had worked hard the night before and caught nothing. Yet, after hearing Jesus' powerful words, Peter said: "...nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net." (Luke 5:5)

When Peter obeyed Jesus, he caught more fish than he could handle alone! Peter's willingness to obey the Lord at His word caused him to become blessed beyond measure.

Many times we may labor in our efforts only to see little or no results. We work hard looking for solutions or increase only to find more questions and lack.

When God steps in (or we step towards Him finally) and He gives us instructions, it's always in our best interests to follow His word without question.

I'm sure Peter was exhausted after working all night. He had just cleaned his nets from their fruitless efforts, and now Jesus was asking to use them again. It was broad daylight, so as a fisherman Peter knew that the probability of catching more fish was small.

But Peter still chose to obey.

Maybe God is asking you to do something that seems out of place. God may be requesting you do to something you've done on your own before without results. He may be requiring you to pick up and try something that you feel is impossible.

However, if you are willing to obey God's Word, He will bless you beyond what you can think. Your obedience opens the door for Him to work all things together for your good. When you step out in faith, He can back up your actions with results.

Don't hesitate to obey God's Word. No matter how crazy, hard, or improbable it may seem, if it is the Lord's request, you would be a fool to ignore it.

Verse of the Day: Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Psalm 143:10

Do What You Need To Do

Many of us are wise beyond our years. We always know what to do. We can counsel people through problems. We can offer sound suggestions to those who are confused. We read the news and shake our heads at the folly of others.

Yet, when it comes to our own lives, many of us embody the "do as I say, not as I do" lifestyle. Despite our wide berth of knowledge, we can't seem to connect it with what we actually do with our own lives.

I'll use myself as our example for the day:
I know that I should be eating healthier and exercising. Yet, I still choose to eat the junk food and desserts while telling myself that I'm too "tired" to exercise today. (I'm too tired every day.) I know better than to act certain ways, and I still find myself engaging in thoughts or behavior that I know is displeasing to the Lord. (Thank God for forgiveness!) Even where my purpose is concerned, there are things that I know I should be doing to prepare and position myself, but I keep procrastinating about what I have to get done.

What is it that you are lacking to do? Are you telling other people things that you are not living yourself? Are you wise on the inside, but foolish on the outside?

Today, let's shut our mouths and start to do. Let's be about the business of the Kingdom and align our actions with God's purpose for us. Let's not be hypocritical in how we live. If we know what's right, let's do what's right!

The Bible says that you will know a tree by it's fruit. (Luke 6:44) Many of us are fronting like we're healthy trees, but we just have a whole lot of leaves and no substance hanging on our branches. We don't want to turn out like the fruitless tree Jesus cursed! (Mark 11:13, 14)

We know better, so let's do better.

Verse of the Day: For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God... Colossians 1:9, 10

Carrying a Heavy Load?

Yesterday afternoon I had a wonderful time in prayer. I just sat and unburdened myself at His feet. It felt so good to just let it all go and give it to Him to handle.

The Bible tells us that we can give God our burdens, and He cares enough about us to carry them for us. Our heavy loads weigh nothing to God, and in His infinite wisdom He can solve any problem we have in less than a moment. We would be fretting for weeks.

Often we get so caught up in calling ourselves responsible, or trying to do it all, or thinking that we're so capable that we wind up carrying heavy loads that crush us. We pack our schedules til we're stressed. The cares of this world pile up and overwhelm us. Our sense of duty leaves us weary and worn.

But, we have a God who can handle all our burdens. More than that, He's willing to take all of them on His shoulders. He loves us with a love so deep that all we have to do is hand it over to Him, and He'll take care of it.

So, you don't have to worry or fret. You don't have to be stressed or overwhelmed. Your Heavenly Father is ready, willing and waiting to take on all of your concerns and cares. Just give them over to Him, allow Him to minister to you His love and rest, and follow whatever plans or steps He gives you to take.

Yep. It's that simple.

Isn't God amazing?!

Verses of the Day:
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Humility

God rewards those who are humble. There is an element in genuine humility that touches God's heart.

Jesus - even being King of Kings - allowed Himself to be humbled to come to earth in the form of a human being. While here, Jesus did not take on a spirit of pride or superiority, He remained humble enough to play with little children. He had a servant's heart and went as far as washing His disciples' feet.

With Jesus as our example, we too should be showing humility in all that we do.

None of us are better than any other person. We can't even comprehend the complexities and workings of our own bodies, so who are we to think that we are above anyone else?

The same God who created us created them. The same way we were offered salvation from sin, they are too. The same promises that we have in God's Word are left to others as well.

No matter how 'good' we may feel we are, no matter how much we may think we have done for the Kingdom, we still cannot come up to what we rightfully owe to the Lord. It is His all sufficient grace that covers us and makes us worthy to come before Him.

The spirit of pride is what caused satan to be cast out of God's presence. It was when he believed he was "better than" that he got into trouble. Don't let pride get you off track.

Yes, you are talented, purposed, beautiful, and gifted. Yet, you cannot forget that you didn't make yourself that way. Your Heavenly Father created you. He's the one that gave you your talents, gifts, and abilities. He's the one that's allowing your brain to continue to function so you can retain all the wisdom you have. He's the one that's guiding your footsteps and creating your great life in Him.

Don't fool yourself into thinking that you did anything alone. God has empowered you to get where you are and to go where you're going.

Stay humble. Remember who you are because of Christ, and allow that to inspire you forward.

Verse of the Day: A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. Proverbs 29:23

God of Truth

God is the author of Truth. Every thing He does and every word He speaks reflects the Truth. There is no dishonest element in Him. God has used this Truth to help to free us from the bondage of sin, and has given us His Truth to live a life full of His blessings.

There are some things that God has spoken to you. He's shown you some things about yourself that are awesome, magnificent, and - maybe to you - unbelievable. Your purpose in Him is so great, your future so bright, that you may have a hard time reconciling that wondrous person with yourself.

I know God has imparted some things into my life that are at times hard to fathom. Don't get me wrong, I want to become this person that God has shown me I am. I want to do the awesome things that God has shown me in His plans. But, some of it is so great - I have a hard time wrapping my head around it all.

Yet, it's comforting to know that it is the Truth. God didn't just show me these things to tease me. God didn't give me a destiny for me to never reach it. It's not all just some magnificent dream or hope that I will never realize. It's real. As long as I stay in God's will and keep working His plan for my life, I will reach that place.

Those dreams, destinies, and purposes God has shown to you are the Truth too. He's not playing with your emotions or putting pipe dreams in you path. He has plans to get you there. He wants to get you into that magnificent place that's totally different from where you are right now.

Don't lose heart. Don't give in to unbelief. You can become all that God wants you to be. You can do all the things that He's shown to you. You can be that great person for Him. You can do great things for God's Kingdom.

Keep walking that path God has for you. You will reach your goals in Him. He wouldn't have shown it to you if it wasn't Truth.

Verse of the Day: God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numbers 23:19

Afternoon Ti: Thinking About This Homosexuality Thing...

So, I didn't want to give politics for our morning meditation. However, I could not help but be impacted by an announcement made by my President that's making headlines here in the United States.

As a Christian, I believe that homosexuality is wrong in the eyes of God. It's sin. I don't hate homosexuals - in fact, I have friends who are gay. I believe that all human beings deserve love and respect and the right to live their lives in peace.

However, I know that it is my responsibility as a Christian to point to Jesus, live my life in a way that is pleasing to God, and share the gospel with everyone. In sharing the gospel, I share my beliefs. In sharing my beliefs, I will undoubtedly offend someone else who does not share my beliefs.

As a minister of the gospel, I preach God's Word. In preaching God's Word I have to speak out against sin. All sin. But, it's one thing to preach against sin and another to set up laws that affect how a person lives their lives. In preaching against sin, I'm giving the person the decision to either serve God or do their own thing. It's up to them. In setting up laws, I'm either opening or closing a door that either frees up or hinders a person from doing something with their lives.

I know that God has placed His people in all areas of vocations within this nation. We sit on the highest courts and serve in the lowliest positions. We are teachers, lawyers, babysitters, maids, IT personnel, actors, pilots, you name it - a Christian's there.

But in our roles, is it our duty to allow our Christianity to influence our actions in our vocation? I mean, as long as something does not cause us to commit sin, should we care if it goes against our beliefs?

I'll give some examples:

• If I was a realtor, should I not take on clients who were looking for a house together that weren't married?
• Some pharmacists have already chosen to not sell contraception to women because they view it as going against Christian beliefs. Are they incorrect? Are they going overboard?
• Is it okay, as a teacher for me to teach the principles of Darwinism even though I know that the Creation story is the right one?
• As a politician, should I automatically vote according to my Christian values, or do I need to view the laws separately from my personal beliefs and vote according to the "best interests" of my constituents?

I don't claim to know all the answers. Just wanted to share my thoughts on the subject. I am definitely praying about this Obama thing. As much as I know homosexuality is wrong, is it unfair to bar them from the right to have a union in the same way a heterosexual couple is married?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and views on the subject.

Get Close

David is one of my favorite Biblical characters. Just looking at his life, you can see that he had a relationship with God. God wasn't just a great being off in the distance, David's faith wasn't just a set of rituals and rules he used to guide his life, David didn't just serve God because He was born into the Israelite nation. David knew God.

David spent time talking to God in prayer. He loved to sit and worship and sing songs to the Lord. David took the time to learn what God wanted from him and tried his best to live accordingly. Even when David sinned, he approached God with a contrite heart and repented (turned away) from his errors.

As a result, God blessed David immensely. He established David's throne, and even chose his bloodline to carry the seed of the Messiah. David's pursuit of the Lord caused favor to rest upon his life.

Forming a relationship with someone takes dedicated time. It doesn't just happen. It occurs after shared experiences, shared conversations, and even shared misunderstandings. It's funny, there are people - co-workers, fellow commuters, family members - who we may see and even speak to every day who we don't really have a relationship with.

We may share trivial stories or engage in the same activities, but we do not share a relationship. We keep certain things private. We don't invite those people to engage in more personal activities with us. We don't allow them to get to know that much or get that close to us.

Could it be that we do the same thing to God?

We may pray every day and even read His word. But do we engage in meaningful activity with Him? Do we have real conversations with Him, or do we just stick to the surface subjects? Do we withhold our inner feelings, fears, and questions from His heart? Do we take the time to dwell in His presence in praise and worship?

Like David, we should have a deep relationship with our Heavenly Father. If there is anyone we should be close to, it's our Lord. He's given us the privilege and the opportunity to get close. Why should we stand off away from Him then? Let's press in like David and get close to God!

Verse of the Day: When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. Psalm 27:8