Friday, April 25, 2008

PUTTING ON DILIGENCE

INTRODUCTION:
I want to start by asking you if you like to wear hats? Pause. I’m glad I’m not alone! I like wearing hats and I have at home about a dozen different hats. My favorite hat is a straw hat that can fold and I can put it in my suitcase folded. I wear my hat practically everywhere, except to church.
Like I said before, I do have other hats I wear but I always come back to my favorite hat.
The Bible tells us in Galatians 6:22: “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Which one of these do you need the most?
I need all of them but the one I need the most is love.
How can I make myself to love others? Being kind and patient? To have the self-control when your child is screaming in the grocery store and everyone is staring at you wondering how you will react? Can you relate as a parent? I know I can, because it happened to me. But when it happened, I dealt with the situation as calmly as possible. You see, I would quietly surrender it to the Lord in prayer asking for his peace, patience and a soft word to take the anger away (Proverbs 15:1)
The flesh wants to do the opposite. It wants to yell and strike at what is provoking our peace. But

WHEN TO PUT ON DILIGENCE:
By putting an effort to what God has given me. We find in 1Timothy 4:7 “…discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness”. The New Testament Greek word for discipline is gymnazo, which means “to exercise or to train.” In other words, it means do it over and over until you get it right. How godly we become depends on how hard we work at it. Old habits of sinful thought do not disappear. They have to be replaced with new, godly ways of thinking and responding. To be… “Transformed by the renewing of their minds” (Romans 12:2) as we work to be a kinder, patient and loving person, the Holy Spirit supernaturally enables us. Eventually the godliness response becomes the automatic response. This process is called in Ephesians and Colossians as the process of change.

EXAMPLE
When we buy a new car it comes with everything we want: oil, brakes, air conditioning, seat belts, alarm, lights, defogger, windshield wipers, etc. It is well equipped. Why do we want a car that is well equipped? It gives us good transportation. But in order to maintain the car, we need to change the oil, get it serviced every 6 months and change brakes when needed. We do all this for our new car in order to keep it running. The same way, God gave us a wonderful body that we need to maintain in order to keep it healthy because this body grows older each year. We need to keep diligence with keeping ourselves healthy so that our anatomy will live longer.
The same way we are diligent trying to keep this outer shell healthy, we also need to be diligent with our spirituality. How do we do this? Prayer, Reading the Word, Time for Worship and Fellowship with the saints.
When do I do this? Well, we need to take time to be diligent.
It’s easy to be distracted when we want to be diligent for the Lord! Let me say it again: It’s easy to be distracted when we want to be diligent for the Lord! (Read: Galatians 6:8)
“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
Do I want to feed my spirit with the right things, like God’s word, His worship and doing things that glorify our Savior? Yes, indeed. God’s word tells us in Matthew 6:33 to “let us therefore seek His kingdom (God first) and his righteousness; all these things (what you will wear, what you will eat) shall be added unto you.” In other words, when we put him first he is going to take care of your needs. What a great God!
In conclusion, we can be diligent in seeking God by putting Him first in our lives. When we do this, we can trust Him to fulfill His promises to us.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

GIVEN THREE WISHES

STOP! This is not what you think. My message is not about astrology, nor divinations, not at all. It is a message that comes directly from the gospel and is suitable for this week, because it is National Prayer Week. But first let me ask you: What would you do if you found a genie in a bottle and were given three wishes? I’m sure you’re thinking by now what your answer would be. Would it be materialistic things, such as: a big home, brand new car, a trip anywhere in the world, and the list is endless. It sounds ambitious and selfish doesn’t it? But the truth is we don’t need a genie to fulfill our needs – we have a sovereign God who controls everything. He dresses the lilies of the fields, He feeds the birds from the air; he gives us rain to produce crops; he gives us the sun to give us warmth; and again the list is endless.
This is the God who provides opportunities for us when we are in need of a job, when we call upon His name to restore our health when we are sick, or brings peace to our spirit when we have lost someone dear to us. The God of HOPE is my God! It is He who tells me in Ephesians 4:19 “My God shall supply all of my needs, according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” So then, what should I ask when I pray? Should it be the material things of this world? Before answering, let’s consider the following:
1 Kings 3:3 “And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statues of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.” There are three attributes of Solomon, which indicates his relationship with God: loved the Lord, walked in the statues of his father David and offered sacrifices. It appears that Solomon during this period was in good standing with God. When he went to Gibeon, there the Lord appeared to him in a dream by night and God said to him in verse 5: “Ask what I shall give thee.”
Imagine God asking you “what do you want?”
Solomon acknowledges to God with expressions of humility and inadequacy because he was too young, not smart enough, overwhelmed by the number of people (verses 7 & 8). The end result of his response is wanting for an understanding heart, ability to distinguish good and evil, and for strength to deal with so many people. It sounds like the request of a true leader! God commended Solomon for not asking for life, riches, and victories over enemies, but instead God granted him with three extra things he did not ask for, i.e.riches, honor, and long life.

The unselfish nature of Solomon’s request and the abundant grace God showered him as a result is apparent. I hope when we come to pray to our sovereign Father that we come with a humble heart and ask for the right things. Keep in mind that the Lord already knows what things we are in need of even before we ask.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Sprit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Romans 8:26.

Monday, April 14, 2008

When we live with passion, we honor God powerfully because He created us with passion and loves us with a passion. If we are to reflect the image of our Creator, we ought to be passionate people. This is all about a basic mindset, a heart attitude for embracing life positively, energetically and full on. It is about valuing every moment of everyday and seeing life itself as a gift from God. I am not talking about being passionate only about spiritual things, but we are to have a Christianity that embraces all of life.

If we are to live a passionate life, we must first understand the difference between passion and obligation. You do what you want from passion, but you do what you have to from a sense of obligation. We see this principle displayed in the life of an Olympic athlete. There is an inner force of passion that drives and athlete to sacrifice, stay focused and stay committed. What do athletes like Christy Yamaguchi, Tiger Woods, Steve Young and others who have succeeded in their field of sports have in common? Discipline. It is a passion that motivates them to get out of bed and train when everyone else is asleep, to forgo late nights and an unhealthy lifestyle. Passion drives them to a disciplined life.

Things in life often start out as a passion but end up becoming a boring obligation.
Is there an area of your life that began with passion, but it has ended up becoming a boring obligation? Take for instance Faith. It starts with passion, but it can become just a ritual, or Marriage begins with passion, but can become a boring routine. Ministry starts with passion and ends up as an obligation. We need to have a regular heart-check to determine if our life has become one big, boring obligation, or if we are still infused with a passion for God and life.

Another reason why some people lose their passion is because they think it is not spiritual to be passionate about things that aren’t sacred. However, Paul writes in Colossians 3:23, Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men…(NKJV). This shows us that God does not want us to divide our passion. Some of us are only passionate about spiritual matters, like church, Bible study or Christian events, but not about our family, marriage, work, leisure or hobbies. I find myself being guilty in this area. I love my family, but I wish I could spend more time in fellowship with them. It is wonderful to be passionate about our spiritual life, but something is wrong if that is the only area where passion is applied.

We should not separate the sacred and the secular because Paul wrote, whatever you do, do it heartily. I feel the Spirit is speaking not just to me, but also to some of you as I write this message. Yes, Paul’s words apply to every area of our lives, including those things we must do, those things we choose to do, those things we are gifted to do, those things we are commanded to do, and those things we are called to do.

Let us allow the Holy Spirit to embrace our entire lives including the details of our normal, seemingly boring everyday life – I believe we can turn any situation into a part of the adventure of being a Christian.

My prayer for you today is for us not to settle for a mere existence, but to pursue the passionate, abundant life that Jesus came to give you. Give Him the glory!

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10 (KJV)

Monday, April 7, 2008

I REST ASSURED

"For all who enter God's rest will rest from their labors just as God rested after creating the world." (Hebrews 4:10)

Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to be somewhere at a certain time. I know as a mom, we are always on a time schedule. It could be taking the kids to school, check-up appointments,dental, or other. It's true a lot is demanded of our time whether you're in the mom schedule or professional scheme of work. Some demands take priority over others, but when our time is allotted for certain things and becomes interrupted with other things - we become frustrated. Our frustration is taken out on someone else, perhaps an innocent person who had no idea what we have been through. However, my friend if you have been in such a situation - STOP! TAKE A DEEP BREATH! I have the solution, talk to the LORD about it. You see, there has been time when I felt demands were asked of me, when other things interrupted my plans, and I just gave it to the Lord to handle. His words calmed my anxiety, but also gave me insight about what I was to do. "Don't be anxious, " God spoke to my spirit. "You have done all you can do. This is a good time to rest." I trusted God in taking control over my situation. I trusted God's plan, so I was able to enter into God's rest while He took care of those things that were affecting me.

Jesus gives everyone a personal invitation to come to His place of rest. "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT)

When we face anxious situations or strive through a family, health, or financial problems, taking Jesus' yoke upon us doesn't sound like a viable rescue plan to our natural mind. However, getting into the yoke with Jesus places us in the spiritual position to learn of His love and remedy for our situation. God's rest is a spiritual place where we learn to hear His word for us and lean on Him in trust. Unbelief, disobedience and strife through human labor prevent us from entering. While the enemy seeks to arrest us in fear and unbelief, all of heaven is waiting to defend us and join forces with the only action that takes us into His rest - the action of faith and trust.

This Week:
Pull away from commotion. Read the fourth chapter of Hebrews and let your soul acquiesce as you settle into His rest.

Friday, April 4, 2008

LIVING TO PLEASE GOD

Instructions for holiness

The apostle Paul started the church of Thessalonica on his second missionary journey. But then had to leave because the Jews were opposing him. On hearing from Timothy about the conditions of Thessalonica, Paul wrote a letter of encouragement to the Thessalonians and teaches them about Christianity. One of his letters talks about living to please God. We should affirm our way of living in holiness by carrying out the same advice that Paul gave the church. Here are some of the things Paul advised:
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3) Then in verse 7 Paul reminds us that God has called us to live a pure life. Therefore, the person who rejects this instruction will be rejecting God whose Holy Spirit is in us.

How possible is it to live in God’s holiness? It isn’t easy, but it is possible. In a world where everything seems sexually oriented in our schools, television, the media, the most damaging scenario seems to be within the family. The testimonies of persons being abused by one or both parents, or by siblings; is growing and is damaging the lives of families. Even though this disease of sexual immorality keeps peeking, there is HOPE. Yes, as fellow believers God has given us a Spirit of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). God calls us to stop it! He has given us the helmet of hope not to brew over “stinking thinking” or negative thoughts. Let us replace ungodly thinking with holy thinking: “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think of such things.” (Philippians 4:8) He has given us his word to equip ourselves so that when those feelings, desires and ungodly thoughts cross our mind we can rebuke them in Jesus’ name. We can use bible versus to override the “stinking thinking”.
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13). Then Paul said, “God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8) Here Paul connects the giving of the holy Spirit with our living a holy life. We have been given the Holy Spirit to help us live the holy life and not to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Galatians 5:16)

The Holy Spirit strengthens us to holiness, enabling us to see our need of holiness. When the Holy Spirit shows us our sinfulness, he does not do this to lead us to despair but to lead us to holiness. The habits of our old nature and the attacks of Satan are too strong for us to persevere unless the Holy Spirit is at work in us to create a desire for holiness. Not only by showing us our sins, but also by showing us God’s standard of a life that is pleasing to Him. Let us uphold in our mind and heart these instructions for it is God’s word speaking to you.
Holiness is also necessary for effective service to God. Paul wrote to Timothy,