DESPERATELY WICKED HEARTS
Without a life yielded to the Holy Spirit, we are apt to do anything.
1 John 4:4, Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
In 2 Samuel 13, we have one of David’s sons that is filled with lust for his sister. He listened to advice from an ungodly friend; leading to the rape of his sister Tamar. Amnon, just like each of us had a choice when it came to the temptation he faced. Unfortunately, he let lust linger, it caught Him looking, and cost him his life.
Christian friend, the temptation you are facing right now will define the rest of your life. Will you make the choice to follow the Lord or will you follow your desperately wicked heart? You will end up with some severed relationships, an ended marriage, or maybe, as Amnon, even dead! Sin will cost you! What are you willing to pay for it?
GET UP, GET READY, and GO
Unless there are people who are responding to the love of God as revealed in Christ and so are worshipping Him, the Church is not very important. -Blake
Matthew 18:20, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Have you ever given thought to what a church looks like in North Korea or Iraq? It’s really different that what it is in much of the world. They don’t have a sign out front saying, The First Baptist Church of Anju or Ad-war Baptist Tabernacle. No, they are underground churches, hidden from the mainstream of society. Yet, these men and women choose to put their lives in danger to worship their Lord and Saviour. They meet in small groups to sing songs, study Scripture, and learn more of God’s wondrous grace.
Think about that this morning, while you’re lying in the comfort of your bed trying to decide whether you’re going to church or not, there are some this morning that would love to have that privilege. So, will you just lay there or will you GET UP, GET READY, and GO TO CHURCH?
FAITH CARD
You cannot live by faith without someone seeing it!
Hebrews 11:1-2, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.
If your faith be hidden, what good is it? It would be like a candle that is lit but put in a room full of light; not much. If you claim salvation, but never share your faith with someone else, what good is it? If you are truly on your way to Heaven, you won’t have to tell anyone. There will be enough difference in your life that everyone will know.
Remember in school when you got a report card? What if you had a faith card that gave you a grade on how well you were displaying your Christianity? What if someone graded you on your witnessing, your language, your appearance, your church attendance? Friend, those things aren’t the main thing but they are important when it comes to our walk with the Lord!
GRACE, GRACE, GOD’S GRACE
The trials of the Christian life you shall find heavy, but...grace will make them light. -Spurgeon
James 4:6, But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
“But he giveth…”, I am sure glad God gives us some things in this life! The air we breathe, the water we drink, the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, the mountains and the valleys; I am glad God gives these to us. But most especially, I am thankful for the grace He gives us!
He gives grace for every trial! He gives grace for every blessing! He gives dying grace! God gives grace when we don’t even understand we need grace!
Grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all our sin! Have you felt His grace? Do you desire to know more about His grace? Shoot me a message; I’d love to tell you about it!
JUST A LITTLE MORE HUMILITY
Being a humble instrument in the hands of our heavenly Father, I desire that all my words and acts may be according to His will; and that it may be so, I give thanks to the Almighty, and seek His aid. --Abraham Lincoln
Proverbs 16:19, Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Pride will rot a man or woman to the core. It will stifle any potential to grow in God’s grace. Ole Abe had some wise words for us to heed to and Solomon even says it better.
I wonder how much more the Lord could use us if we had just a little more humility…
GIVE UNTIL
He, who is not liberal with what he has, does but deceive himself when he thinks he would be liberal if he had more. -Tulner
2 Corinthians 9:6, But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
We give. We give our tithe. We give our offering. We even give our faith promise. But doesn’t God desire more from us than our money? I mean is God so broke that the only thing He desires from us is the money He has entrusted us with? I don’t think so. Don’t get me wrong, God does desire for us to give of each of those things. But, I believe God desires we give of ourselves; our time and talents as well.
Many people have the giving of their tithes and offerings down pat but isn’t that the easy part? Isn’t that the least we can do? Friend, when we give until God says stop, that’s when we know it’s enough. So, from here on out, do a little more for the Lord in the area of giving of our time and talents. And for a simple reminder, God loves a cheerful giver and we can’t ever out give God!
DON’T DOUBT GOD
Doubters invert the metaphor and insist that they need faith as big as a mountain in order to move a mustard seed. -Anonymous
Luke 17:6, And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
Have you ever heard that, “If you only had more faith, this or that wouldn’t have happened?” I have. Once I had someone tell me it was because of my lack of faith that my dad wasn’t healed from his cancer. I didn’t agree with that individual because my dad did get healed. He got the ultimate healing, friend! He doesn’t have any more pain or suffering! He was completely healed the day the Lord took him home.
Friend, it is important that we have faith! I need to have more faith! But can I share a truth to you, if my faith isn’t in God’s will, no matter how much faith I have, whatever it is; will not happen. So, let us pray as the Lord prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” When things don’t seem to go the direction we desire them to go, we know that God’s way is a whole lot better than our way! We can rest in Him. Don’t ever doubt God. Have faith in His way, His will, and His work in your life!
FACING THE NEW DAY
Each year is made up of days to help us get through that year.
Psalm 145:2, Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
Most everyone dreads Mondays, the first day of the work week. But let me take a moment to remind you that even on a Monday we can praise the Lord. We can praise Him for life. We can praise Him for salvation. We can praise Him for another opportunity to be a witness for Him.
As you face this new day, this Monday, pray that the Lord would give you an opportunity to share your faith with someone! At the end of the year, you may just look back and see someone you have won to the Lord! What a year that would make because of that one single day!
STUDYING FOR PURPOSE
It is always in season for old men to learn. -Aeschylus
2 Timothy 2:15, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
You know, the day and age we live in, there are a lot of parents that don’t care enough about their children to push them to do better in school. Some teachers are behind the lectern just for a pay check. A perfect attendance trophy may look good at the end of the year but if you’re not studying what the teacher is teaching, you may as well stay at home.
Child of God, we are not getting up this morning, getting ready, and going to church to check a blank off of our TO DO list. We are getting up to go worship our Saviour! We are getting ready so we might study to show ourselves approved unto God! We are going to honor and glorify Him! Are you studying for a purpose?
I REMEMBER
Like a bird singing in the rain, let grateful memories survive in time of sorrow. -Stevenson
Psalm 135:13, Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.
On this 20th anniversary of the attack on the United States of America, I remember where I was when the 2,977 people lost their lives. It was a normal school day at Alamance Christian School. I had come in, unlocked the doors, and set the thermostats. Students had come in late; lunch orders were coming in, the lunch room was set up, and I was preparing for soccer games that evening. This time of year, most school maintenance staff would be mowing grass in preparation for the evening soccer and football games and I was no different. One of the teachers flagged me down and informed me what had happened. I went to find a television to get an update. I stood in shock. I could not believe my eyes. What in the world was going on? Yes, I remember. I remember feeling like someone had punched me in the gut. I remember tears swelling up in my eyes. I remember wondering, “What next?” I remember praying.
I also remember visitors at church. I remember a nation that seemed to be turning back to God. I remember the love and compassion towards fellow man. What a joyful time it was but then things began to change. It didn’t have to be that way but it happened; we started to fight amongst ourselves. The finger pointing. The name calling. Satan was and has had a field day for the past 20 years. But it doesn’t have to remain that way.
My son posted the other day, love one another! I believe it would do us good to remember that. Not because my son said it but because Jesus did. He told us in John 13:34, A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. We need to remember that fundamental truth in God’s Word! This is what every home needs. This is what every church needs. This is what America needs. I don’t have to like what you believe, what you do, or where you go but what I can do is love you. I can love you because Jesus Christ first loved me!
BE BORN AGAIN
Tho' Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born, if He's not born in thee, thy soul is still forlorn. --Johannes Scheffler
John 3:3, Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Jesus said, “Ye must be born again”. Don’t be mistaken like Nicodemus, you will not have to enter again into your mother’s womb and be born again. But you will have to die to self, being raised up into new life unto the glory of God.
Friend, until you die to your selfish sinful desires, you will not understand the peace of God that passes all understanding. You will not understand the hope, joy, and love that Jesus brings. You will not see heaven until you are born again!
SEE YOUR WORDS
Speech is a mirror of the soul: as a man speaks, so is he. -Syrus
Luke 6:45, A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
There have been many times that I have said things I wished I could take back. There have been times I have seen the effects of my words. There have been times the Spirit of God has broken my heart because of the things I have communicated to my loved ones, my friends, or even my enemies.
Friend, if we could stop for a few moments and think about what we are about to say, a lot would not be said at all. See the effects of your words before you speak them and you will avoid a lot of regret, shame, and sin.
TRUTH WORKS
It is truth that stands out with startling distinctness on the pages of the New Testament, that God has no sons who are not servants. --H.D. Ward
James 2:26, For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Jesus, upon His departure from earth, gave us our marching orders. He did not say, “Sit back and relax.” He didn’t say, “Just live your life the way you want to.” He didn’t even say, “Get a job, invest your money, and enjoy retirement.” NO! What Jesus said was, “GO!”
His Truth prods us to work for His glory! Like the servant that had the talents that were to be invested, we have been given the glorious Gospel to invest in this lost, dying, and hurting generation. Will you Go?
PLAN AHEAD
I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work. -Edison
John 9:4, I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Today might be Tuesday, but have we been planning on what we will be doing tomorrow? Have we made plans for the weekend? If we do not plan ahead, aiming to accomplish something, we will accomplish very little.
Hey friend, there is a day coming in which you and I will stand before God and give an account of our lives. Have you planned ahead for it? Do you know today where you will live at in eternity? If you were wrong, would you want to know? Plan now for tomorrow; making sure what you believe is what the Bible says. Your eternity depends on it.
Are you an Eeyore or a Tigger?
Choose who you’ll be today…
Psalm 68:19, Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Are you like Eeyore, wandering around all through the day, mumbling and complaining about any and everything that didn’t go like you think it should? Is your world absolutely falling already? Or are you like Tigger bouncing around considering all the blessings God provides for you each day? You say, “What blessings?”
How about God waking you up this morning? How about having electricity, hot water, clean clothes, food, a place to sleep, family, friends, church, your health, a job, the ability to obtain things you need and even want, etc, etc, etc?
The old saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together“. If you don’t know which character you’re like, take a look at those people you hang around with and pay close attention to what comes out of their mouth. Then, you’ll know whether you’re an Eeyore or a Tigger.
***Today’s post was written by my wife, Sharon O’Dell. It was inspired by a conversation between her and Christy Kennedy.*** May these two ladies continue to be a blessing as God uses them in their areas of ministry!