After I preach a sermon, I like to ask the people about their “want-to”. Do you want to become a Christian? Have a new life? Follow Jesus? Become a better Christian? Have a deeper spiritual life? If so, act on your “want-to”. You may not know all there is to know about it. You may not understand all that you know. But you can act on your “want-to”.
That “want-to” was created there in your heart by the Holy Spirit of God. What God initiates, He can complete. Trust your life to God and he will give you the answer to your “want-to”.
Let me remind you that it is not the size of your faith that matters, but the object of your faith. Jesus said a mustard seed size faith is big enough if it is directed toward Him. But you must act on your “want-to”. Don’t let fear or doubt stop you.
So many times good ideas and good intentions never come to fruition because people did not act on their “want-to”. You could have a better life if you wanted to, you could overcome the fear and insecurity of your life if you wanted to, you could know God intimately and personally, if you wanted to……..the list goes on. I am sure you get the message by now.
In John 5 the Bible relates that Jesus went to talk to a man who had been crippled for 38 years. Jesus asked him, “do you want to get well”? You say, “that was a silly question to ask the man.” No, it is not. Many people are so comfortable in their rut, they don’t want to get out and have to assume their responsibility for life.
YOU: act on your “want-to”. Now!
“I am so grateful , God, for this desire in my heart to be a better person
and more like what You want me to be. Help me to act on it now! Amen”
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007
August 7: EXPECTING A GUEST?
What’s it like at your house when a special guest is coming? Does everyone get in on the preparation? Is everyone filled with excitement and anticipation? It’s the normal reaction; you must prepare for the event.
Some folks I know are preparing for the arrival of a special friend. Jesus said to them (recorded in John 14:1-3) that he was going away but “I will come back.” No exact date was given for his arrival; Matthew 24:44 says that “you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
The timing of the arrival of the Guest and the preparation must harmonize. In Mark 13:5, Jesus begins a dissertation by saying, “Watch out that no one deceives you by telling you that your guest is actually in another part of town.” Ignore distractions!
In fact, Matthew 25:1-13 relates a story of some young women who got distracted or preoccupied with something else and so were unprepared when the Guest came. On thing for sure, expecting a special guest surely adds zest to daily living. Makes you want to get up in the mornings!
A great boredom has settled over much of society. Many are “all dressed up with no place to go.” An affluent society like ours that can go everywhere, do everything and buy the latest toys will suffer from “the blahs”. (Ask your Doctor how many patients he has who have nothing wrong but boredom.)
While the first coming of Jesus to earth stands out as the most important event of history (time is reckoned B.C. and A.D.), his coming back will certainly be the climax of history. It is easy to understand why biblically based Christians would be spending time daily in preparing to meet him.
The Bible closes (Revelation 22:20) with Jesus saying, “Yes, I am coming soon,” and John replying, “Come quickly.” Are you prepared for His coming?
“Eternal God, we know that we don’t reckon time in the same way
that You do. Help us not to get antsy while we wait and prepare. Amen”
Some folks I know are preparing for the arrival of a special friend. Jesus said to them (recorded in John 14:1-3) that he was going away but “I will come back.” No exact date was given for his arrival; Matthew 24:44 says that “you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
The timing of the arrival of the Guest and the preparation must harmonize. In Mark 13:5, Jesus begins a dissertation by saying, “Watch out that no one deceives you by telling you that your guest is actually in another part of town.” Ignore distractions!
In fact, Matthew 25:1-13 relates a story of some young women who got distracted or preoccupied with something else and so were unprepared when the Guest came. On thing for sure, expecting a special guest surely adds zest to daily living. Makes you want to get up in the mornings!
A great boredom has settled over much of society. Many are “all dressed up with no place to go.” An affluent society like ours that can go everywhere, do everything and buy the latest toys will suffer from “the blahs”. (Ask your Doctor how many patients he has who have nothing wrong but boredom.)
While the first coming of Jesus to earth stands out as the most important event of history (time is reckoned B.C. and A.D.), his coming back will certainly be the climax of history. It is easy to understand why biblically based Christians would be spending time daily in preparing to meet him.
The Bible closes (Revelation 22:20) with Jesus saying, “Yes, I am coming soon,” and John replying, “Come quickly.” Are you prepared for His coming?
“Eternal God, we know that we don’t reckon time in the same way
that You do. Help us not to get antsy while we wait and prepare. Amen”
Sunday, August 5, 2007
August 6 : GOD DOES ANSWER
They were totally serious as they sat in my office and said, “God doesn’t answer our prayers.” I guess they noted the response on my face and so they related to me again how often they read the Bible together and prayed but God was not responding with answers to their petitions nor giving them what they needed materially.
Sound familiar? I replied “but aren’t you two living together and you are not married?” “Yes” was the answer. I went on to explain that you cannot intentionally break God’s law and commandments and expect God to answer prayer. Isaiah 59:2 says, “but your iniquities have separated you from God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not fear.” They seemed surprised to learn this. Are you?
Indeed Psalms 37:4 does say that God will give you the desires of your heart but it also says that we must commit our way to the Lord and delight ourselves in the things of the Lord. Maybe this is the heart of the spiritual problem of America, a country that always replies in a majority to religious surveys about believing in God and praying.
Many possess a home-grown religious philosophy that is divorced from Biblical principles. For the serious Christian is the principle of 2 Corinthians 10:5 “we demolish argument and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Without this spiritually sensitive outlook, prayer becomes nothing more than a “heavenly slot machine” where you pull the handle and hope you hit it big with God.
True prayer comes out of a trusting, obedient relationship with your Heavenly Father. In the security of that Father-child experience, you can realistically pray and the door is opened for you to be answered.
“Why should it appear so surprising to some, Dear Father, that you answer
the prayers of your children? After all, You are a Loving Father. Amen”
Sound familiar? I replied “but aren’t you two living together and you are not married?” “Yes” was the answer. I went on to explain that you cannot intentionally break God’s law and commandments and expect God to answer prayer. Isaiah 59:2 says, “but your iniquities have separated you from God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not fear.” They seemed surprised to learn this. Are you?
Indeed Psalms 37:4 does say that God will give you the desires of your heart but it also says that we must commit our way to the Lord and delight ourselves in the things of the Lord. Maybe this is the heart of the spiritual problem of America, a country that always replies in a majority to religious surveys about believing in God and praying.
Many possess a home-grown religious philosophy that is divorced from Biblical principles. For the serious Christian is the principle of 2 Corinthians 10:5 “we demolish argument and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Without this spiritually sensitive outlook, prayer becomes nothing more than a “heavenly slot machine” where you pull the handle and hope you hit it big with God.
True prayer comes out of a trusting, obedient relationship with your Heavenly Father. In the security of that Father-child experience, you can realistically pray and the door is opened for you to be answered.
“Why should it appear so surprising to some, Dear Father, that you answer
the prayers of your children? After all, You are a Loving Father. Amen”
Saturday, August 4, 2007
August 5: THE BEST THING ABOUT CHURCH?
I saw an advertisement by a non-Christian religious group that caught my eye. It said. “The best thing about church is when it’s over.” Because of a faulty or incorrect definition of church they were led to the wrong conclusions. “Church” is never over. Church is lifestyle for the New Testament Christian. It is identity of a total way of life.
A cross section of church can be seen in Acts 2:42ff, “they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of prayer and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together.”
You see, this lifestyle never ends. It goes on and on among Christian people, passed on from one generation of true believers to another. This ‘church” will not be over until Jesus returns.
Now, as to the daily characteristics of the church, it would be hard to pick out the “best thing” about being part of a church. Probably “fellowship” would rank high on the list of this mobile and impersonal society. Fellowship or “shared life” (a better definition) is the key to escaping loneliness and isolation in the world.
The experience of being “born again” and becoming “a child of God” opens the door to a wonderful lifestyle. Sharing this experience gives people freedom with one another.
We can “take off our masks” and be ourselves and do away with pretense. We can express our fears to one another. We can know that we “belong” and accept the security of being accepted. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)
You can build a life on the good things about “being” church.
“Lord of the Church, you created her and then offered each one of us the
opportunity to share a part of her. It is wonderful to be a part of your Body. Amen”
A cross section of church can be seen in Acts 2:42ff, “they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of prayer and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together.”
You see, this lifestyle never ends. It goes on and on among Christian people, passed on from one generation of true believers to another. This ‘church” will not be over until Jesus returns.
Now, as to the daily characteristics of the church, it would be hard to pick out the “best thing” about being part of a church. Probably “fellowship” would rank high on the list of this mobile and impersonal society. Fellowship or “shared life” (a better definition) is the key to escaping loneliness and isolation in the world.
The experience of being “born again” and becoming “a child of God” opens the door to a wonderful lifestyle. Sharing this experience gives people freedom with one another.
We can “take off our masks” and be ourselves and do away with pretense. We can express our fears to one another. We can know that we “belong” and accept the security of being accepted. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)
You can build a life on the good things about “being” church.
“Lord of the Church, you created her and then offered each one of us the
opportunity to share a part of her. It is wonderful to be a part of your Body. Amen”
Friday, August 3, 2007
August 4: AUTHENTIC HOMECOMING
It’s the time of year for homecomings. Much of the weekend traffic this month is generated by people who are going home for the annual family reunion or homecoming celebration at the church of their youth. It is popular because it is a trip down memory lane, a return to simpler times of life. Sometimes it is just an orgy of food and drink, sometimes it is a genuine getting back to the basics for awhile.
For Christian to go back to their spiritual roots can be a springboard for revival. To experience a genuine spiritual homecoming, there are three common ingredients. First, there must be a past experience. There must be a time and a place when you made a commitment to Jesus Christ and validated it by a public believer’s baptism. People with this experience have almost total recall of the event. To go back to this is to see again the people God used during this spiritually formative time in your life.
Secondly, you need a present and ongoing relationship. Nothing has changed but the calendar and your address. You are living today in the faith reality of what started yesterday. “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have (present tense) fellowship with one another”. (1 John 1:7) This continuing identification with other dynamic Christians is real.
The third element is a promise of homecoming in the future. Jesus prayed (John 17:24) that those who belong to him be with him where he is in a place that he has gone to prepare. (John 14:2) That grand reunion is the blessed hope of every believer.
The saints all around us now are our delight (Psalm 16:3) and will be our delight for eternity. I hope that your summer vacation includes an authentic homecoming. Work on it.
“Loving Father, we are thankful for the potential of Homecoming celebrations
this month. Give us courage not to miss this opportunity for spiritual renewal.
For Christian to go back to their spiritual roots can be a springboard for revival. To experience a genuine spiritual homecoming, there are three common ingredients. First, there must be a past experience. There must be a time and a place when you made a commitment to Jesus Christ and validated it by a public believer’s baptism. People with this experience have almost total recall of the event. To go back to this is to see again the people God used during this spiritually formative time in your life.
Secondly, you need a present and ongoing relationship. Nothing has changed but the calendar and your address. You are living today in the faith reality of what started yesterday. “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have (present tense) fellowship with one another”. (1 John 1:7) This continuing identification with other dynamic Christians is real.
The third element is a promise of homecoming in the future. Jesus prayed (John 17:24) that those who belong to him be with him where he is in a place that he has gone to prepare. (John 14:2) That grand reunion is the blessed hope of every believer.
The saints all around us now are our delight (Psalm 16:3) and will be our delight for eternity. I hope that your summer vacation includes an authentic homecoming. Work on it.
“Loving Father, we are thankful for the potential of Homecoming celebrations
this month. Give us courage not to miss this opportunity for spiritual renewal.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
August 3: A SPIRITUAL DROUGHT
It has been a dry summer. Many parts of the country are suffering under a drought condition. Of great concern also is the number of people who are suffering from a parching dryness in the soul. Spiritual drought is harder to overcome than physical. David described his in Psalm 32:4, “for day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.”
Guilt will throw you into spiritual drought. “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” (Isaiah 58:11) God’s answer to your spiritual dryness.
Has your Bible gotten a little dust on it lately? Has your praying gotten dried up around the edges? It may be a sure sign of drought.
Jeremiah 17:8 offers a sure shower of refreshment: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in the year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
If you have gotten too far away from worship this summer, your roots may have gotten too far from the stream. Maybe its time to pray for a good dousing with both the “early and latter rain.” (Deuteronomy 11:14)
As every farmer or gardener knows, drought can sneak up unexpectedly and quickly. “You never miss the water until the well runs dry” is an old but true statement.
Spiritually it’s hard to deal with a crisis or a family problem when your soul is dry. The world is always applying the heat at work or school or in the neighborhood. It will soon dry you up. Pray for a spiritual shower of blessing. Avoid the drought with refreshment from the Holy Spirit of God.
“God, it is so hard to live when my soul is dry. It is impossible to live
fruitfully. Please rain your love upon my soul. Amen”
Guilt will throw you into spiritual drought. “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” (Isaiah 58:11) God’s answer to your spiritual dryness.
Has your Bible gotten a little dust on it lately? Has your praying gotten dried up around the edges? It may be a sure sign of drought.
Jeremiah 17:8 offers a sure shower of refreshment: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in the year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
If you have gotten too far away from worship this summer, your roots may have gotten too far from the stream. Maybe its time to pray for a good dousing with both the “early and latter rain.” (Deuteronomy 11:14)
As every farmer or gardener knows, drought can sneak up unexpectedly and quickly. “You never miss the water until the well runs dry” is an old but true statement.
Spiritually it’s hard to deal with a crisis or a family problem when your soul is dry. The world is always applying the heat at work or school or in the neighborhood. It will soon dry you up. Pray for a spiritual shower of blessing. Avoid the drought with refreshment from the Holy Spirit of God.
“God, it is so hard to live when my soul is dry. It is impossible to live
fruitfully. Please rain your love upon my soul. Amen”
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
August 2: LEARNING FROM NATURE
When I was a child, picking wild blackberries was a part of summer. They grew profusely on our farm. My Mother canned the made pies, preserves, and anything else she could imagine. It was fun and work for a boy who loved blackberries.
A few years ago I bought a house surrounded by a wooded area where I discovered a lot of blackberries growing. I was happy. I got a pan and picked as many as I could and left many red and green unripe berries on the vines. I told myself to go back in three days for another picking. But I got busy and it was seven days before I got back to the blackberry patch.
What a disappointment! They had ripened and dried up on the vine and there was nothing left to harvest but hardened little reminders of a sweet harvest that had passed. I was so disappointed because my wife was waiting to bake me a blackberry cobbler.
While I stood in the middle of that blackberry patch I was taught a very important lesson as a Christian. Don’t delay with urgent things! Don’t put it off! If you are planning to tell someone about Jesus, do it today; in three days it may be too late. You may get preoccupied and not get back to it.
I wonder how many people there are today who are just waiting for someone to tell them of Jesus. Today is a strategic time in their lives. In a few days their hearts may be but hardened reminders of what might have been. Or a tragedy may come, like the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, and the opportunity be lost.
There is a plaintive line in Jeremiah 8:20 (NIV), “the harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” Can’t you see it from the unbeliever’s perspective? Other people are being saved daily from all kinds of hellish, nightmarish experiences and having life-changing experiences, yet no one has introduced them to the love of Jesus. Don’t waste a harvest opportunity!
“Lord of all Truth, when You teach us these spiritual lessons, may we
seriously the truth we have received and apply it in our lives. Amen”
A few years ago I bought a house surrounded by a wooded area where I discovered a lot of blackberries growing. I was happy. I got a pan and picked as many as I could and left many red and green unripe berries on the vines. I told myself to go back in three days for another picking. But I got busy and it was seven days before I got back to the blackberry patch.
What a disappointment! They had ripened and dried up on the vine and there was nothing left to harvest but hardened little reminders of a sweet harvest that had passed. I was so disappointed because my wife was waiting to bake me a blackberry cobbler.
While I stood in the middle of that blackberry patch I was taught a very important lesson as a Christian. Don’t delay with urgent things! Don’t put it off! If you are planning to tell someone about Jesus, do it today; in three days it may be too late. You may get preoccupied and not get back to it.
I wonder how many people there are today who are just waiting for someone to tell them of Jesus. Today is a strategic time in their lives. In a few days their hearts may be but hardened reminders of what might have been. Or a tragedy may come, like the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, and the opportunity be lost.
There is a plaintive line in Jeremiah 8:20 (NIV), “the harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” Can’t you see it from the unbeliever’s perspective? Other people are being saved daily from all kinds of hellish, nightmarish experiences and having life-changing experiences, yet no one has introduced them to the love of Jesus. Don’t waste a harvest opportunity!
“Lord of all Truth, when You teach us these spiritual lessons, may we
seriously the truth we have received and apply it in our lives. Amen”
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