What are we thankful for?
When I ask people, most of them are on the friends and family plan. We are thank full for the way in which our family and friends live with us – forgivingly and graciously. We are thankful for the good things that happen in our lives and try to overlook the things we don’t like. It is hard to overlook the bad things even with a full stomach sometimes; but life is like that. We recognize that God only gives good gifts when we read our Bible, but we also recognize we don’t always like the packaging. When you need to be reminded, check into His word.
Remember God this thanksgiving. Remember His great gifts.
Psalm 105
1 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
2 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
3 Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
4 Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
5 Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
6 you children of his servant Abraham,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is the Lord our God.
His justice is seen throughout the land.
8 He always stands by his covenant—
the commitment he made to a thousand generations.
9 This is the covenant he made with Abraham
and the oath he swore to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:
Let the whole world know What He has done. The Psalm explains God’s gifts and His faithfulness, to the people of Israel. But we get included in His never ending promise because of Jesus. The cross of Jesus is a gift we don’t often like because of its gruesome appearance and the reason Jesus’ suffering was so great. The cross is the result of our sin and God’s remedy. The gift to us is forgiveness and grace; His greatest wonder and miracle is in the forgiving of sin and the rescue of His people. Thanksgiving is so much more than Parades and Floats, Turkey and Ham, Potatoes and Dressing, Pies and Cakes. Thanksgiving is being truly aware of the greatest gifts we have, and that we can share them. God’s never ending covenant is available to all.
Be still because of who God is!
Last week we looked at Psalm 46 seeing God as our center, our hope, and our strength. These words help us to calm down. I think it’s important to look at the Psalm again this week and pay attention to God’s care.
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
God loves us so much; He’s always available, He never leaves us. He is our strong place of care.
2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Selah
Natural disasters are not outside God’s control, we are cared for in His love.
4 A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High.
5 God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it.
God Himself provides for us, He brings Joy to us in the same way He provides water for the rivers it flows from Him and we don’t need to work for it or channel it He provides it.
The nations on the other hand oppose God. They do not see his strength, His character or His care for His people. Time doesn’t change people, or their character. Rebellion doesn’t have a timetable. In this case, this Psalm is a warning to the powers of the earth that God is truly sovereign.
6 The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! 7 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.
Selah – rest
We may not like hard times, but they surely cause us to be dependent upon God. To know that not only is the God of heaven among us, but his armies are with us as well. He is our fortress, our protector, and the place we can find peace.
The next section is a warning to those who do not trust God and rebel against Him and His protected people. This is an invitation to see God at work!
8Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: See how He brings destruction upon the world.
9 He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; He burns the shields with fire.
God at work is glorious. He cares for his people by destroying the systems of the world that separate us from him. He causes the wars to end, by his hand. He destroys the weapons of the world that are used to cause division and fear. This next verse is a comfort to the believer and a warning to those who struggle against God.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
Some versions use the words cease striving, it could be stop struggling, stop being disheartened, rest and relax- I have this under control. To the believer these are words of peace, and hope that God will be honored among all the nations. To the rebellious this is a warning; I am God— I will be honored not only in these nations, but throughout the world.
11 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.
The Lord of heaven’s army is here, and so is our Lord. Immanuel -God with us He is our fortress and our strength. Our refuge and our shield; Our deliverer, our salvation— the very image of God; Jesus whose name means God saves.
Calm your Heart
Calm your heart!!! —I hope you see the irony in the title.
Psalm 46:1 For the music director; by the Korahites; according to the alamoth style;a song.
The people of Israel were not different from us, their pressures, their families, meals , their lives, their stuff – they needed to be reminded like all of us MINE is never the right answer- Everything belongs to God. This is a song sung by people under stress.
46:1 God is our strong refuge; — Our refuge and our strength our place of comfort-remember?
He is truly our helper in times of trouble. –HebrewPoetry repeats and reemphasizes the line before so that we will remember. Sometimes we can forget the truth and live in the idea that we can take care of ourselves. That we may not need a place of strength or a protector of any kind, we don’t need anyone to run ahead of us and prepare the way or behind us and protect our backs. We have it covered!!! Pressure reveals character, and character only forms when we make consistently good choices like following Jesus and remembering that God Himself is our strength, our place of comfort, and the person who comes alongside and slows our heart rate. Our helper is defined as an ally, deliverer, support, in this case the ONE who supports. So if I read this right – I am supposed to run to God when stress happens –– and it will—- I am not supposed to handle it on my own without assistance, without prayer, without support, — I am supposed to be dependent. Dependence sounds easy, but I would rather do it myself, which is one definition of sin, anything not done for God’s Glory is sin. If I must do it myself; that sounds like sin. Sounds like I should pay attention. So what problems could these people have compared to me and the problems of the 21st century?
46:2 For this reason we do not fearwhen the earth shakes,
and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,
46:3 when its wavescrash and foam, and the mountains shakebefore the surging sea.
Remember these people Sons of Korah were swallowed up by the earth because of sin. They rebelled against Moses at Sinai.
(Selah ) No one really knows what this means – could be simply pause and think about what you just read or sang. Calm down remember-
46:4 The river’s channels bring joy to the city of God, - Rivers and water means life to desert people. The special, holy dwelling place of the sovereign One.
- If God makes His home in the city it must be safe! If God makes His home in my heart it must be safe! 46:5 God lives within it, it cannot be moved.- Repeating the idea if you didn’t get it the first time. God rescues itat the break of dawn. –His mercies are new every morning— so rest easy! 46:6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown. _
Even if nations seem out of control God is Sovereign and has it covered, you can’t fix the world only God can. God gives a shout,the earth dissolves. – If He can create be speaking He can do anything He wants.
46:7 The Lord who commands armies is on our side ! The God of Jacobis our protector!!
(Selah) – Rest !!!
This is my devotion this morning, I thought maybe somebody else was feeling stressed too. If not God bless you and maybe some other day you will be stressed and need to remember to rest.
Why does God Communicate with Us?
God created us in His image; He loves us and is invested in our lives. Those are three issues that need to be understood. The image of God is probably not a physical image – like a picture or a statue. Because God is Spirit it would make sense that we are the Spiritual image of God. Adam – the first created man was an amazing human being; the most perfect of all created people without the hindrance of sin. Can you imagine what life even for a moment would be like without sin? No envy or jealousy only love. No manipulation, no lies, no miscommunication, and no what might have been; only love. No sickness, no malfunctions, no misunderstandings, no pain; only love. For Adam and Eve before the fall life with God was Glorious! They listened to God, they walked with God, they had lunch together, they felt His ongoing presence and they recognized Him and knew Him face to face and did not die. The image of God is a wonderful thing. And that was broken by deception and disgrace – literally the removal of grace. The Deceiver did his job and deceived, the people failed to trust the God they knew face to face and trusted in their own ability and the relationship was broken. But God— knowing the hearts of all men and women provided a way for us to communicate.
He sent men and women with His words- we call them Prophets. He sent commandments or laws for us to be obedient to- to keep us in line and they failed because we will always fail to trust and know that obedience is a reflection of love.
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Hebrews 1:1-4
God communicated to us not in a book or a letter we could discard but in a form we could not ignore. He didn’t send a text or an email we could delete. He sent His Son – born of a woman, at the time we needed Him the most. When we were slaves to sin and deceit, under the deception that we could fix our own problems, God communicated to us and continues to pull back the curtain to show us His great Love, in Jesus!
Galatians 4:4- 7 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
God communicates with us because we are His children and He loves us with a continuous eternal love. He has made the path home open and cleared the way. What was hidden is not out in the open, His love is shown through His Son. He communicates with us personally through His Son. He loves us and is invested in our lives in His Son. He welcomes us Home!
What do I do when people ask me questions about the Bible I can’t answer?
“What do I do when people ask me questions about the Bible I can’t answer?” That is a question I get fairly often. So I’ll try to answer it briefly. Pray before answering.
Some questions require a concordance; these questions are about where things are found. Questions like this are usually fairly straight forward— “Where does it say…” A book with Bible answers can be found fairly easily at a Christian bookstore or on the internet. Sometimes a person could just search for the answer on the internet but, you need to be careful and look at the sight well before believing what is being written. We should be like Berean’s -the people not the book store ( Acts 17:11 Now the Berean’s were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.)
The second type of question becomes more difficult, it seems to start like the Serpent in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:1 3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
Sometimes well intentioned people get mistaken ideas about God and His Word and want to interpret it within the culture they have. The Serpent wanted to deceive Eve, and get her off track. Sometimes people just want a clear answer and they really don’t understand. They are not out to destroy you or your faith they just want to ask. These questions can be answered by searching the Scriptures yourself – using a concordance or Bible Dictionary or other tools. Some things that people have heard are just wrong quotes- misunderstanding or misinterpretation.
Sometimes people have questions because they want to justify their own behavior or attitudes. They don’t want God’s input, but they want to be proved right. This is when you need to pray before answering at least twice as much. Believers should never miss an opportunity to glorify God. Your answer may be the closest the questioning person comes to the Bible. Your answer must be humble and yet authoritative based in God’s Word. Our personal beliefs are not the judge. The Word of God is the standard by which we must be measured and speak.
John 12:44-50 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
“If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”
So questions can be answered with tools: A concordance, a Bible Dictionary, a commentary or a wise friend. But always pray before answering, check your heart and check your motives. The goal is to win people to Christ accurately. Let God’s Word stand as God’s Word and you don’t need to offer an opinion. If Jesus could submit to what the Father told Him to say I think I can too.
What does it mean to be a disciple? pt.6
People are attracted to Jesus; often because of miracles that authenticate His position as the Son of God. People are attracted to people who care for them, love them and meet their needs. Listening is the next step of growth. Learning follows listening actively and putting into practice what we have learned is called application.
Being a disciple means being a learner, a follower, someone who seeks to be like the person they are following. So being a disciple of Jesus Christ means we get our identity and purpose from following Him.
Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
The last step in discipleship is reproduction; we reproduce what we are. Apple trees produce apples; lions beget lions, turtles – turtles and so on. The challenge at this level is; you are you what you are reproducing.
Matthew 28:18-20 “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” NLT
Matthew 10:24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.
Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
The parallel passages tell one story with a further explanation in the harder reading. So what will you reproduce?
Jesus gives us information- He has all authority
Jesus gives us imperatives or commands: Go (to all nations)
Make disciples of all nations
Baptizing them (all nations) in the name (power or sphere of influence) of the Father, and The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
Teach (all nations) these new disciples
To obey all the commands I have given you.
Whether they like it or not, whether they want to argue interpretation or not, whether they need correction or not. OBEY–Application of Jesus teaching is the central truth here.
Assurance and commitment: I am with you always, even to the end of the age
The Kingdom of God has been left in your hands; the power is available, the need is great you will reproduce what you are. Acts 1:8 “ but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Start where you are and be a disciple: a learner who applies and reproduces.
What does it mean to be a disciple? pt.5
People are attracted to Jesus; often because of miracles that authenticate His position as the Son of God. People are attracted to people who care for them, love them and meet their needs. Listening is the next step of growth. Learning follows listening actively and putting into practice what we have learned is called application.
Being a disciple means being a learner, a follower, someone who seeks to be like the person they are following. So being a disciple of Jesus Christ means we get our identity and purpose from following Him.
Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
Correction is they next step: I’ve been told there is no point in playing if you don’t keep score. Skills are improved when they are corrected. That is the truth however it is not a popular truth. Jesus corrected His disciples when they came back from their teaching tour.
Matthew 14: 15 ff When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” They *said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.
They had been out healing the sick and raising the dead and needed to be reminded- corrected as to where the power came from.
Matthew 17:14-21 When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. [But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”]
Jesus corrected them by using a difficult situation to bring Glory to God; and teach them to pray.
Jesus corrected each of them in their area of weakness and if we are looking for learning and correction we will find it as it seems we (me especially) have enough areas of weakness to last until we get to eternity. When we are perfected the correction stops.
Who can teach better than that?
What does it mean to be a disciple?
People are attracted to Jesus; often because of miracles that authenticate His position as the Son of God. People are attracted to people who care for them, love them and meet their needs. Listening is the next step ; Learning follows listening actively
Being a disciple means being a learner, a follower, someone who seeks to be like the person they are following. So being a disciple of Jesus Christ means we get our identity and purpose from following Him.
Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
Action on what we have learned is called application.
In Matthew 10 we find Jesus pushing His disciples out of the nest. They have been walking with Him ,listening to Him, Watching Him perform miracles and hopefully seeing God the Father more clearly as Jesus reveals the Father. They have been learning and now comes application.
Mathew 10:1 and following – Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him. These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them:
He told them where to go and where not to go: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
He told them what to say: And as you go, preach, saying,‘ The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
He gave them power to accomplish the task: Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.
He told them how to receive care and what to expect: Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. As you enter the house, give it your greeting. If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than for that city.
When a person applies what she or he is learning and he or she joins in a community for support and growth; growth is extended to all. The development of community helps people to be more like the person they are following. He taught them and expected them to fulfill the mission based on what they know and understand. He did not expect them to be flawless or without fear. He expected them to apply what they knew and tell others of the Kingdom of god: isn’t that what we are expected to do?
What does it mean to be a disciple? pt.3
Discipleship follows a pattern in the New Testament;
People are attracted to Jesus; often because of miracles that authenticate His position as the Son of God.
Listening is the next step; Learning means listening and submitting before putting into practice.
Listening to Jesus is only a step in the process. Anybody can be attracted to shiny stuff, good sounding things and even give them minimal attention. But learning is the next step that causes problems for so many people. It seems that learning takes place in the brain and in the body. It is a reaction that has been studied by scientists and teachers for years; because it seems to be the singular component that either enhances or detracts from life. If we don’t learn from our mistakes we are destined to repeat them. A wise person has said a time or two. Why don’t I learn? Math is hard what good will it do me? I don’t need to know why that hurt , I’ll figure it out next time. You mean they really are coming to take that back today? I only missed a few payments. You mean I can’t say that out loud?
I think – by observation only that the first word most children learn is No! (My children’s first words were Daddy; please don’t seek confirmation on that though) It seems No and the control of behavior is crucial to all people regardless of age. When there is pain involved- no – is reinforced, the poor option is exposed as wrong – but does learning take place if we repeat the action again?
Jesus taught His disciples. Their and our responsibility is to learn. Much more than saying no to the world which is not our first inclination we are to say yes to Jesus and learn to follow Him. What follows is a hard lesson:
Romans 8:28-30- And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
Jesus taught Paul personally, the above hard lesson. Jesus will teach you personally when you spend time in His Word and learn how He acts, moves and thinks. Personal discipleship is spelled time. Unless we spend time as an apprentice we will never become like the Master. I have read many times that most learning experiences are caught not taught. That makes sense but the learning I think that are most beneficial are those experiences that are caught in personal contact.
Jesus teaches us so many things again all we have to do is to look at the highlighted headings in our Bibles (look for the red letters).
The Cure for Anxiety- Matthew 6:25ff “ For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
What does it mean to be a disciple? pt2
Discipleship follows a pattern in the New Testament;
People are attracted to Jesus; often because of miracles that authenticate His position as the Son of God.
Listening is the next step
When I look at the book of Matthew I see the next step very clearly just by reading the bold print in my Bible.
The part that is not inspired by God but given to me to by the translators and the Bible committees so that I can get a better picture of what is going on and outline of sorts.
Matthew 4 -Jesus begins His ministry
Four fishermen follow Jesus
Jesus preaches throughout Galilee
Chapter 5 -Jesus gives the Sermon on the mount
Beatitudes or blessings
Jesus teaches on salt and light
Jesus teaches about the law
Jesus teaches about anger
Jesus teaches about lust
Jesus teaches about divorce
Jesus teaches about vows
Jesus teaches about retaliation
Jesus teaches about loving your enemies
I believe that you should read these chapters on your own out loud and listen to what Jesus is saying. I believe these were meant to be read out loud and recited because listening is a good tool used by God to open ours eyes and ears to the truth. Jesus in this one sermon or compilation of sermons (depending on which expert you listen to) teaches the basic for life and relationships. Listening is a skill. It is also an act of submission; you can’t listen and speak or argue at the same time. You can choose to not listen – I have done that and had many not listen to me in my lifetime time. To not listen to an infomercial or maniac on TV or something that is just boring is one thing – but look at the list- what is boring about any of that. I need God’s blessing. So how do I get them listen to the Master.
I need to be a difference maker in my community – salt and light – listen to the master.
I don’t always pay attention why does God’s law matter- listen to the master.
Anger! Me ?! – listen to the master.
Lust! Me ?! – listen to the master.
Divorce- Me ?! – listen to the master.
Vows including marriages and mortgages- Me ?! – listen to the master.
Retaliation and loving your enemies Me ?! – listen to the master.
Being a disciple means being a learner, a follower, someone who seeks to be like the person they are following. So being a disciple of Jesus Christ means we get our identity and purpose from following Him.
Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.