DO UNTO OTHERS

Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Luke 6:31 (NASB) “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”

As long as I can remember I have tried to live Luke 6:31 in my own life. I am here to tell you that most of the time it ended up with me treating folks with kindness only to get crapped on or taken advantage of. Does that mean I should stop treating people with kindness? No. Does it get frustrating? Yup. Do I want to continue setting myself up in that manner, not likely. But I do or at least I try my best to. I just say “it’s the way I’m wired”.

Actually, the truth of the matter is that we are wired to be anything BUT kind to other people. Our sin nature, aka, our old man, which is what we are born with, desires to be selfish … to do that which benefits us and us alone, even to the exclusion of those we love the most. When we came to Christ, He did a “re-wiring” job on us. As long as the current running through us is heaven sent, our desire will be to please God and not ourselves.

Make no mistake about it; the enemy will do his best to throw a monkey wrench into any and all of your best efforts. This is when relying on God and His word for guidance comes into play. The closer you come to God, the heavier the attacks will be from your enemy. Focus on the source of your staying power and re-focus if necessary.

As a basic rule, you should never give anything expecting something in return. That is not the true spirit of giving. We are to give without conditions or expectations. It goes for material things, such as gifts and it goes for giving others kindness and compassion. Reflecting on what Christ forgave you for is always a great place to start. He willingly gave everything, requiring nothing in return. This is to be our example. No one said it was going to be easy. It’s called selfless living and that is incredibly difficult to pull off. Impossible without divine assistance. The one thing I CAN promise you though, is that if you follow these two scriptures in the way you live, most of the time, you will be the one getting blessed regardless of whether the recipient gets blessed or not.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!

BLOOD

Matthew 26:28 (NIV) “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Blood is an amazing thing, is it not? It is our blood that powers our bodies, as it flows through our veins and arteries into the furthest reaches of our extremities to provide feeling and life. God made it so that blood was required to cover one’s sins in the OT. In the NT, the blood of Christ no longer covered one’s sins, but rather obliterated them, as if they were never committed. Blood.

We take it for granted I think, until we have problems with it. Certain diseases are blood related; blood carries those diseases to others if not quarantined. It CAN be a destructive force if not respected and taken care of. We do things to our bodies, put things IN our bodies that can affect our blood and shorten our life. Do we have the right to do that to ourselves? Of course we do. It’s like Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:23 (NIV) “’I have the right to do anything,’” you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything—but not everything is constructive.’”

Forgiveness is a marvelous institution. To forgive is to practice unconditional love. It is like saying to someone, “regardless of what you ever have done, are doing or will do, I will love you … without conditions.” It is a wonderful thing. Sometimes, forgiveness can be trampled on. God’s forgiveness is, but non-believers and even by believers. It comes by taking it for granted. It comes by doing something you know is wrong with the logic that God will forgive you if you ask Him. This creates cheap grace. Yet grace is not cheap, nor was it free. It came with a price and a steep price at that. Just as soldiers willingly shed their own blood to provide freedom, Christ willingly shed His own blood to provide forgiveness. Don’t let it become a cheap thing. Innocent blood was spilled on Calvary’s cross for you and me. Let us never forget that.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!!

LISTEN, DON'T TALK

Romans 8:26-27 (NIV) “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

There are no doubt times when we are confused. We simply don’t know how to pray or what to pray. We aren’t sure what the will of God is in our lives and stand stock still at the cross roads not knowing which path to take. As believers we have an advocate. It is God’s Holy Spirit, the third part of the Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Since they are both separate entities and yet one, the Spirit would certainly know the mind of God. Knowing the mind of God, He would also know God’s will for you.

In baseball there has been a major influx of foreign players who have come into the Major Leagues. For the Japanese players, there is usually an interpreter who helps the players’ transition into a predominantly English speaking sport. In like manner, God’s Holy Spirit translates not our words, but the desires of our hearts into communication with God. And God in turn using the Spirit to whisper His will and instructions to us. God doesn’t club us over the head to get our attention. He speaks to us rationally, calmly, yet profoundly, that we may understand and act upon what He has said.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t shout instructions to us. He speaks to us in the wind, so to speak. It is important for us to clear all the clutter out of our minds if we are to hear Him.

Distractions abound as we strive to please our Heavenly Father. The constant glitter of this or wooing of that causes our head to act as if on a swivel. Staying focused on God is challenging to say the least. With the help of His Spirit, we can overcome any obstacle … seek His direction continually and your road will tend to become much smoother. Accepting the fact that we are clueless helps, though at times, spiritual pride and arrogance get in the way. Relaying on God can never be a bad thing, for it never produces negative consequences. The truth cannot be said for following a path of your own choosing. Your mission for the day: Listen for the Holy Spirit & follow God where He is leading.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!

RIGHTEOUS PRAYER

James 5:16 (NIV) “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Ever wonder if your prayers accomplish anything? Many years ago I used to wonder why I bothered praying at all. God knew the beginning from the end. He knew what was going to go down before it happened, so why pray for anything at all. Just let it happen as God had it planned. Obviously, I had some spiritual growing to do.

Let’s see … we know that no one is righteous, not even one person. We know that Christ was the only perfect individual who ever existed. We also know that it was through His death, burial and resurrection that the righteousness of God was made available to those who would embrace the cross and receive forgiveness for their sins. So, while we are NOT, in and of ourselves, righteous, we ARE righteous in the sight of God by virtue of Christ’s sacrificial blood. It’s as if God sees us through Jesus glasses. We have been justified (seen by God ‘just as if I never sinned’) and made righteous. Therefore, when James 5:16 refers to the prayer of a righteous person, it is speaking of you. Your righteousness has nothing to do with anything you have done except receive the gift of God’s forgiveness.

When we pray, we should expect not only that we will be heard, but that our prayer will accomplish what it was intended to do. It stands to reason that God knows all things, so what we pray isn’t surprising to Him. We don’t pray for God’s edification. We actually pray for our benefit. We pray and that prayer gives hope to the hearer and the prayer at the same time. And once it is answered, our faith is bolstered and grows. Our confidence in God becomes increased. Yet it is nothing that we have done other than to be obedient to the directives of God. Speak His word back to Him as a prayer … pray from your heart … let your desires, hopes and dreams be known. God knows you intimately … through prayer, we become more intimately aware of ourselves down deep in our core. It’s all a matter of shedding our humanity and diving head long into abyss of spirituality. Swim there for a while and you will become acutely aware of all that you are as a person and what alterations need to be made to be more like Christ.

So there you have it. Confess and pray. Hold nothing back. Allow God to be God in your life and in the world that touches you. He wants you to be more like Him each day and prayer is one vehicle He uses to mature and grow your faith and trust.

Shalom.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!

BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I have a question: has being worried or anxious ever solved any problem you were having? I can answer that one myself from personal experience … NO. And not just NO, but a resounding NO!! Oh we humans have this propensity to become anxious over things we can do nothing about. The enemy jumps in our face and says to your subconscious “Now you’ve got problems. You really think God will get you out of this mess?” Understand this: Satan is a liar and is the father of all lies. He challenges our belief system by throwing darts at areas that appear the weakest. Our faith wanes far too quickly and we spend too much of our time fretting over things as if God’s word was a lie.

God’s word is as clear as a newly cleaned window pane. The word in ‘but’ in verse 6 should read like this … “Instead of being anxious about anything, rather, pray to the Father about everything … and be thankful in the process.” For a people who constantly feel that we need to be doing something to create a change in our situation, here is our solution … PRAY. Pray from a clean heart. Pray from a clear conscience. Pray regardless of your mindset at the time. Pray. Pray specifically. Give thanks for the opportunity to learn something new and become stronger in your faith. Don’t pray for the situation to disappear, because everything, which is ultimately orchestrated by God whether performed or allowed, happens for a specific purpose in God’s economy. And notice that in verses 6 & 7, God doesn’t say He will alleviate the problem or alter the situation. What does He say? That His peace will cover you with the purpose of guarding your hearts and minds. Doesn’t sound like He is removing anything at all, but rather cloaking you with what you need to withstand your current circumstances.

Praying to God with thanksgiving in your heart needs to become as commonplace an action in the face of unpleasant circumstances as breathing in and out. One action sustains life the other sustains your spirit life. Don’t forget all you know and believe about God just because things have taken a turn for the worse. Always remember this: regardless of the circumstances, God is mindful of them and one word from Him can change everything in an instant. Focus on Christ instead of the winds and waves that surround you. It is how we grow in the spirit.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!

GOD HEARS US

2 Chronicles 7:12 (NIV) “I have heard your prayer … .”

Have you ever wondered what God looks like? Does He look like us? Does He have physical features that we would recognize? Or is He strictly a spirit being with no appearance that we have ever seen this side of heaven? Does it matter one way or the other? No. But because of our finite wisdom and knowledge, we tend to wonder about such things. I find it rather normal. We humans tend to want to see, know and understand who or what we are dealing with in any given situation … is that not true? It is for me at least.

How many people see God as a Heavenly version of the father that has been displayed before them on this earth. In a vast majority of cases, that would be a good thing, but in millions of other cases that would be a very bad thing. God is unlike any other. Nothing on this earth could ever compare to Him. No matter how hard we try to emulate God and think, say and do what He would think, say and do, we fall miserably short of our goal because we are terminally imperfect. God is the only perfect entity, which is why He is the prototype, so to speak. The example that should be followed.

Having said all that, what does it mean to us when we read the words “I have heard your prayer …”? If God is ethereal and therefore not of this earth, then how does He hear us? What does He use to hear us? Maybe He does have ears? I am going to make a radical right turn here … why do we care? So many of us, and I can tend to be one of them, over think certain things. Rather than focusing on the fact that He hears us, I want to know how He hears us. I am telling you now, the confirmation in scripture that your Heavenly Father actually hears you when you pray to Him is infinitely more important than how He hears you.

How many of you understand that there is a significant difference between listening and hearing. We can listen to someone all day long and not truly hear anything they have said. It is like the reverse of giving someone “lip service”. Instead of telling people what we believe they want to hear, we pretend to listen to every word that is being said without hearing ANYTHING they have said. What a comfort to find that our Heavenly Father can be trusted to HEAR our prayers and not just listen to them.

In the movie, BRUCE ALMIGHTY, God, played by Morgan Freeman, takes a vacation, giving all His powers to Bruce (Jim Carrey). In one scene, Bruce is on his computer and he starts receiving hundreds, even thousands of prayer requests almost instantaneously. He can’t answer them all individually, because he has determined that it would be too time consuming, so he decides to just give an affirmative answer to all the prayer requests. This of course does not work out so well. Isn’t it a good thing that God not only hears us as an individual, but takes the time to say either ‘no’ or ‘not yet’ from time to time when He knows to rubber stamp our request will lead to negative consequences. We truly do not know what is good for us and normally want the easy way into or out of a given situation. However, it is in the waiting that some of our most important lessons are learned … as long as WE have decided to hear and not just listen.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!

CONFIDENCE IN GOD

1 John 5:14-15 (NIV) “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

I remember when I was a child, I had asked for a tape recorder for Christmas. For some reason, I took it upon myself to go on a hunting expedition in my parent’s closet one Saturday, when my folks were out shopping for groceries. Well, I found a small reel to reel tape recorder in a box buried deep in the bowels of their closet, behind my mom’s long dresses.

That particular year I was extremely confident that what I had asked for I would be receiving. This is the same confidence we can have regarding those things we ask for from God. There is one stipulation though; we must ask according to His will.

Sometimes it seems as if the will of God is one of the most difficult things to discern in the whole, wide world, but it really isn’t. Start off by doing what you know is right and righteous in the sight of God. Do whatever you do to glorify Him. Be like Solomon, in that you ask for that which will benefit others and not lift yourself up. Remember, according to scripture, “we must decrease and He must increase”. If you seek wisdom, guidance, assistance out of a dilemma, a healing … all noble requests and all things that would bring glory to God. God’s will is not unattainable.

Next question … do we know and believe that God hears us. If we ask him to bless the Chicago Bulls that they might win the NBA Championship this year, I don’t believe that prayer would be answered. Oh they may win it, but I happen to know that God is a Dallas Mavericks fan. All kidding aside, whether a certain team wins a championship doesn’t happen to fall under the category of the will of God as far as I am aware. Now asking that all the players remain healthy and that they play to the best of their ability is a prayer than I believe God would honor, especially when players stop to give glory to God for the abilities He has given them.

If you are uncertain as to whether something is within the parameters of the will of God or not, in my opinion, the best way to ask or pray is for His will to be done in a given situation. Such as, “Lord, give me wisdom and sound judgment in accordance with Your will that I might be able to help those in need of guidance and I will give You all the glory.” I believe God will not only hear, but will honor and answer a request like that.

May the will of God never escape your grasp and never be far from you is my prayer for you this day.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!!