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In Luke 12 Jesus tells the disciples not to worry about what they will eat or wear because God takes care of the birds and we are more valuable than birds. Then Jesus says something interesting...Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you can't do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest.
Later in this chapter Jesus says not to be afraid because God has been pleased to give us the kingdom and we are to seek his kingdom first and trust that everything we need will be added to us. We see two things in this passage
Jesus is contrasting 2 ways of living. The first is a life apart from God that stresses and strives about taking care of yourself. The second is a life that is one with God and trusts him as the source of everything. On our own we can't do much but with God no...
In Luke 10 is the story of Mary and Martha. Martha invited Jesus into her house and since she was the one who invited Jesus I think she felt the pressure on her to get everything perfect. So she started working away but the whole time she was DISTRACTED and fuming inside because her sister was sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to him. She finally burst out and told Jesus to have Mary help her. But, Jesus said that Martha was worried and stressed out about many things while Mary chose what was best and would not be taken away from her.
For a lot of us, we may think to ourselves, " How are we going to get anything done if we just sit at the feet of Jesus all day. There are things to do." We often get DISTRACTED. To be distracted means you have turned away and are attracted to something else. Your priorities have shifted. Each day we are supposed to be taking action and doing the things we know to do, but not the way Martha took action. Every step is supposed t...
As we close out another week it is a good time to evaluate how you did over the last week. Here are some questions to think about?
This time of year is a reminder to play defense and protect the seeds you have sown. In Matthew 13 Jesus tells the parable of the sower. In this parable Jesus says a sower went out to sow seed and he said the seed is the message of the kingdom. What is the message of the kingdom? That we have already been transferred into God's kingdom(Colossians 1:13) and God is with us helping us in everything we do. Our job is to repent which means to turn away from our old ways and rely on a new way of living with God and his kingdom...
Here is today's communion meditation.
In Mark 6 is the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with just a small amount of bread and fish. First Jesus gave thanks for the small amount of food that they had and then he broke the bread for the disciples to distribute to the people. Before the miracle happened Jesus had the people organized and sit in groups of 50 or 100. Creating more order leads to an increase in the flow of grace and God's power. Miracles often require a higher level of order.
Then once everyone had been fed Jesus had the disciples gather up the broken pieces and they amounted to 12 baskets of leftovers. These broken pieces didn't look like much on their own, but when gathered together they filled 12 baskets. Sometimes the little fragments don't seem like much but when accumulated together they are more than enough. For example, what do you do with the extra 5 minutes here and there each day? These little broken pieces of the day offer one of the gr...
We have been talking about doing the things we know to do and taking ways that are firm. This means taking action when you know a step to take but waiting on God when you are unclear on which way to go or which step to take next. With this in mind I was reading Mark 14 yesterday about the woman who pours the expensive perfume on Jesus.
The disciples got angry with her because the perfume was worth a year's wages and the money given to the poor. But, Jesus rebuked the disciples and said she did a beautiful thing for him. Then Jesus said...She did what she could.
We often get caught up thinking about what we can't do, but when we do what we can or could do it is beautiful to Jesus. This might mean giving 2 pennies in the story of the widow woman or an expensive jar of perfume in this case.
I have found this very simple principle of what could I do can be applied into pretty much everything. If you are getting ready to workout but don't feel like exercising you ...
It is faith that pleases God but sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between faith and presumption. When I think of presumption I think of making judgments or jumping to conclusions before truly knowing.
When we are in faith we are resting in God's promises but presumption wants to test out the promises to see if they are true. When Jesus was in the wilderness he was tempted by Satan and one of the tests was to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple to see if God would save him. Satan quoted scripture to Jesus to try get him out of faith and into testing God's promises. But, Jesus didn't need to test the promise to know if it was true. For him, it was written so it was true.
This is where it is important to do what you "know,' to do and take the ways that are firm. When God directs our path all of the ways will be firm. You have an anointing and unction from God that teaches you all things and when God wants you to do something there wil...
Last night I was telling my kids about a friend of mine who is a very high level drummer. He has been asked to play the drums at concerts by some famous musicians. He once told me that the times he feels most connected to God are when he is worshipping God by playing the drums. He said it is like his whole spirit, mind, emotions, and physical body are united as one in worshipping God. Communion gives us a similar opportunity. We can take the spiritual principles of what Jesus has done, stir them into our minds and imagination, and combine it with something physical that we actually do. Communion has the power to unite our entire spirit, soul, and body.
My friend also told me that when he was learning to play drums he had a teacher who constantly made him practice the fundamentals. My friend wanted to move on faster to fancier things but his teacher insisted he continue to practice the fundamentals. My friend said that looking back now it was the best thing he cou...
Here is todays communion meditation.
In Psalm 143:8-12 David says...
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.
God is love and love never fails. Putting our hope and trust in his unfailing love is the most secure place there is. Love always protects. He will never let us down. This also reminds me that if we will stay tuned into God he will teach us the right things to be doing and show us the path to take. Each day we are faced with decisions about which way to go and God has given us peace on the inside to guide our decision maki...
Here is today's communion meditation.
We have a cherry tree in our backyard and last week the cherries started to come in. It was a reminder that fruit doesn't last very long but Jesus said in John 15 that if we remain in him we will produce fruit that lasts. The cherries only come in for 1-2 weeks and then they are gone for the year.
Earlier this week I went out with one of my daughters and we picked a big bucket full of cherries. We ate some of them and then our plan was to freeze some of them while making jam with the rest. But, we got busy and I forget about them. Within about 2 days they started to rot and were looking very fuzzy. Unfortunately we had to throw them out. Fruit in this world does not last very long, but by remaining in the love of Jesus our lives can produce fruit that lasts.
Often in life we get caught up doing a bunch of things that ultimately don't matter that much and don't last but remaining in the love of God helps our lives produce...
Here is today's communion meditation.
Yesterday I was reading in Matthew 21 about the parable of the tenants. In the story Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who had a vineyard that he rented out but they tenants were evil and when he sent his servants and son to get his share of the crops they beat the servants and killed his son. This parable reminded me of a passage in my book Pockets of Prosperity.
Here is the passage.
At one point in time in my family’s house, we had a basement apartment that we rented to tenants. We owned the house, but people rented from us. There was a door that connected the main area to the basement and usually, with most tenants, we kept the door locked and bolted shut. While we owned the basement, we never went down there unless we had permission from the tenant or unless something was wrong that required us to go downstairs. At the same time, the tenants normally didn’t come into our upstairs space unless w...
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