BE PREPARED

“Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”  2 Timothy 1:14

         The Apostle Paul refers to Timothy as his son and his child in the faith for he is close to his heart.  So much so that Paul mentions him in 8 of his letters.  What is the “good deposit” that Paul speaks of?  It is none other than the gospel of Christ. Timothy is urged by Paul to guard the gospel and not let it be watered down or changed in any way. This is said because there were always false teachers who tried to infiltrate the church saying things that called into the question Paul’s authority and the rightness of what was being taught.  This takes place in the church to this very day.  Unless a person knows the truth and clearly understands its general meaning they could get swept away in a flood of misunderstanding which can lead them away from the Lord.  That’s the reason we are to know the scriptures, so we can defend what we believe rather than question its validity.

         We as believers in Christ are called to share the gospel whenever and wherever possible according to the leading of God’s Holy Spirit that resides within us.  Nothing we could ever do in this life will amount to anything at all if we don’t do it with selfless motivation seeking only to glorify God.  Receiving accolades for personal accomplishments is one thing and there is nothing wrong with that.  Receiving praise that is due God for something that He has done through you is quite another. 

         Minister for God with your life, having your daily walk point to One greater than yourself.  When asked be prepared to share the reason for the hope that you have within you.*

The Holy Spirit is in you for a reason.  Pay attention to His leading and be Christ to those around you each day.  You may be the only Bible some folks will every read.  How does your witness stand up? Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

* “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect …”  (1 Peter 3:15)

WE ARE GOD’S GREATEST CREATION

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  Psalm 139:13-14

         A Psalm is a hymn or sacred song sung unto the Lord.  While some may think King David wrote them all, actually he was only responsible for writing roughly half (see note below).  This particular sacred song speaks of where we come from and the Godly attribute of Omniscience or the fact that the Lord is all knowing. 

         For those who determine to serve the Lord, the words of Psalm 139 are a major blessing.  There is nowhere that we can go that the Lord is not aware of.  There is nothing we could ever think, say or do that He doesn’t already know. To live for God is to monitor yourself and strive to imitate Christ.  What would Christ think, say or do in a given situation?

         Look at your hand and the intricate workings of each finger and marvel at the greatness of God.  The skeptic points to each anomaly in God’s creation and says that the Lord is mean for creating those with handicaps of one sort or another.  Only God knows why this is the case, but to those who care for them you will find not resentment, but rather wonder at what that individual can do and what a blessing they are in spite of their abnormality.  God is everywhere, yet is not in everything as other religions believe.  God created trees, but His spirit doesn’t dwell in the tree.  The same with mountains or rivers.  He created them for His and our pleasure but His spirit doesn’t dwell in them.  His spirit resides in us when we give our lives over to Him.  There is nothing we cannot do in this life that God will not be a part of or bless as long as it is in line with His will for us.  Depart from His path and you go it alone.  He is always watching and ever mindful of us and is there to assist when we realize once again our need for Him, but He will allow us to go our own way if we insist.  That is what having a free will is all about. 

         Have faith, believe, trust and know that God cares for you more than you could ever understand.  He has a lot invested in you and will never cast you aside.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

NOTE:  Only seventy-four of the 150 psalms bear David's name; twelve are attributed to Asaph; twelve to the sons of Korah; two to Solomon; one to Moses; and one each to Heman and Ethan. Thirty-four psalms are not attributed to any author at all.  [http://www.ifcj.org; The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews]

TRUST LEADS TO PEACE

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”  Isaiah 26:3-4

         In the midst of Isaiah’s prophesy we find this nugget of truth.  I would like to highlight 3 specific words: perfect, steadfast and trust. 

         God is a God of peace and His peace is pure and undiluted.  This world knows nothing of perfect peace, just temporal, manufactured peace that gets interrupted by the next text message, tweet, Facebook post or phone call.  When I think of perfect peace I think of a mossy glen or grassy meadow with a cool, motionless pool of water lying nearby and a gentle, warm breeze wafting through some weeping willow trees. Quiet serenity. A place where you can lose yourself and rest your mind.  The Lord is telling us that if we keep our minds firmly on Him and place our full trust in Him, we can know this pure, unadulterated peace that passes all worldly understanding even in the midst of life’s storms.

         To be steadfast is to be firmly and fiercely loyal, unchanging in our mood and attitude toward our Lord.  That is where our minds are to reside.  Our faith, belief and trust in God are to be unmovable and unshakable no matter what befalls us.  To not trust God is to believe that something is beyond His power to control and that simply flies in the face of every truth scripture reveals about Him.

         We are to place our total, complete and unwavering confidence in the Lord under any and all circumstances.  He alone is the One who can and will see you through whatever you are going through because He is with you wherever you go and is within you by His Holy Spirit.  There is nowhere that you are that He is not with you.  Remember that as you go out into the world each day.  He will never fail you.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Perfect - Pure; undiluted.

Steadfast - Firmly loyal or constant; unswerving, unchanging, unmovable.

Trust - One in which confidence is placed.

Dictionary used:  American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

NEVER FORGET

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land … with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”  Deuteronomy 6:10-12

         These 2 verses are from the words God gave Moses to share with the people of Israel.  Time has a way of causing a message to lose its impact and so it had been with the Israelites. These verses directly challenge the longevity of their affection for and obedience to God.  Once the blessings flowed freely and life was comparatively easy, they were told not to forget the One who brought them into the blessings. 

         Today it’s no different.  We plead with God to alleviate our problems and bless us, but when the blessings come we forget all about the giver of those blessings.  It’s as if He were no longer needed.  Now everything is just the way we like it.  We give a head nod to the Lord and go on with our focus on the things that surround us rather than the creator of all things.  It’s a great danger Christians face and it can and must be avoided.

         We were under the bondage of sin with no way out.  Our Heavenly Father made a way out of our sin dilemma by sending His Son Jesus to earth to take our sin on Himself.  As if forgiveness weren’t enough, God gives us everything we will ever need this side of heaven.  Sadly, many times we fall victim to complacency with the accumulation of creature comforts.  While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with them, often times they make one spiritually lazy.  Our focus drifts wistfully to that which is pleasing to the senses rather than on the Lord who saves men’s souls.

         We are all guilty of forgetting God’s place in our lives from time to time, myself included.  Our duty to the Lord is to revere Him at all times with awe and wonder.  He is the One who brought us out of the slavery of sin into our glorious new life.  Let us never forget that which is most important to us, for without salvation we would be bound for an everlasting hell.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

STAY FOCUSED

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:7,9

         Let me set the scene.  Moses had died.  Joshua, his aide, was given the task of leading the Israelites across the Jordan River into the land God had promised them.  The above 2 verses are from the beginning of the book of Joshua and are God’s words to Joshua himself.  Think about what was happening and you will understand why Joshua was told to be strong and of good courage.  After wandering the wilderness for 40 years the people of Israel were about to go into unchartered land.  They would need to cross the River Jordan, then spread out and occupy the new land God had promised them. Joshua wasn’t preparing to go across the Jordan alone.  He was responsible for leading the entire nation of Israel across. 

         How does this translate into our day and age?  Throughout our lives we encounter some pretty daunting tasks.  If we obey God’s word and stay focused on Him rather than the task at hand, we will be successful.  Impossible isn’t a word, it’s only an excuse for someone not to try.  Nothing is impossible for God and by extension nothing is impossible for anyone associated with Him.  We are not to allow ourselves to be afraid or discouraged at anything that confronts us, for God is with us in the form of the Holy Spirit and will be with us anywhere and everywhere we would ever choose to go. 

         Your call is to stay focused on the problem solver rather than the problem and remain calm.  Nothing will ever defeat you if you leave everything to the Lord.  Follow the path He has charted for you and never doubt Him, for God never fails.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

NOTE: The Jordan River is a major water source that flows through the Jordan Rift Valley into the Dead Sea. The Jordan only reaches 20 yards across in some places, and its deepest point is around 17 feet. [The Jewish Virtual Library – link: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/geo/jordanriver.html]

THE THOUGHTS OF GOD

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

         Consider this, God’s thought process and the way He does things are beyond our wildest imaginings.  We cannot begin to know the things that God has prepared for us (1 Corinthians 2:9).  We cannot know when, what or how He will answer our prayers.  We cannot know what doors He will open for us or which ones He will close.  There is no one on earth, no mortal man, who is all-powerful, all knowing and in all places at one time.  There is no who can compare with our God.  Just when you think you understand you realize that you don’t.  God’s thoughts and ways confound the greatest minds this side of heaven.  Because people cannot fathom who God truly is and what awesome, matchless and timeless attributes He has, we find it difficult to accept them.  It is a matter of faith.  Not blind faith, but rather deliberate faith. 

         The person who accepts God’s true nature will acquiesce* to the path He has set him on. His path leads to righteous living.  His path leads us onward to heaven.  This world isn’t our home.  We’re just passing through.  Our citizenship is in heaven once we are received into God’s family.  While it’s a blanket invitation to join, not all accept the invitation. 

         Tie into the thought processes of God and learn how to be at peace within the confines of His loving ways.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

* to consent or comply passively or without protest.

 Dictionary used: American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Resource used:  Reformation Study Bible.

WISDOM DEFINED

“Where then does wisdom come from?  Where does understanding dwell?”  And (God) said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom and to shun evil is understanding.”  Job 28:20, 28

         This is from the chapter in Job that bears the title INTERLUDE: WHERE WISDOM IS FOUND.  It comes just prior to Job’s final defense beginning in the very next chapter. Verse 12 of the 28^th chapter makes the statement that no mortal comprehends the worth of wisdom. Earthly wisdom is flawed because man himself is flawed.  Godly wisdom is righteous and just.  No man can comprehend it. To seek it is to begin to understand its value.  God’s wisdom provides for us discernment, knowledge and insight into things that are otherwise misunderstood. 

         To fear God is not to be afraid of Him. Fearing the Lord is to treat Him with awe and respect. If we do chances are we will seek His wisdom and learn understanding. Understanding is the ability to learn, judge, make intelligent decisions and have a modicum* of common sense. We are called to shun evil and do good (1 Peter 3:11; Psalm 34:14; Proverbs 3:7).  To shun or avoid evil is to recognize what God stands for and live your life accordingly.  Embracing evil is to not know God at all.  Head knowledge is not heart knowledge.  Knowing the Lord is way different than having an intimate knowledge of Him.  Saying you believe is way different than living like you do.  If you truly understood what God was all about you would gladly embrace the wisdom He offers and walk according to the Spirit’s leading. 

         Where does wisdom come from? It comes from the heart of God.  Where does understanding dwell?  It dwells in having an intimate relationship with the author of life.  Don’t short change yourself in your walk with God.  Delve into the deeper things of the Lord by seeking His wisdom, thus achieving understanding. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

* Modicum – a small amount.

[The Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003 and The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.]