Tuesday the 31st

Psalm 118: ⁶ The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? ⁷ The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.

Did you ever stop and think who you have fighting for you? All of those days that seem like the world is crashing down on you, the mornings where you are overcome with dread at the thought of getting up to start the day, the cringe as you think of what is lined up for you as you sip your morning coffee…..why the doubt, why the fear, why let these wasted emotions dominate your thoughts, waste your time, and steal your joy? The Lord is with you……THE LORD IS WITH YOU! You are walking with greatness, you are going through your day with the One who created everything……What is there to fear? What is there to dread? What can possibly happen today, what can anyone do to you that would change the very simple fact that the Lord is with you? I will tell you what….nothing! The only person that can have a negative effect on your life, watched you brush your teeth this morning. The only person that can cause you defeat, and steal your joy is you. You have to give the permission, you have to allow someone the control. Why would you do that? The Lord is with you! If no one on this earth can harm you, then why would you harm yourself? The Lord is your helper, He will give you the strength to persevere through any hardship, you will look in triumph over your enemies…how could you not, you walk with the Lord. Maybe the question is not who do you have fighting for you….maybe the question is if you will not allow the Lord to walk with you…..who will you be fighting against? 

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Thursday the 26th

Matthew 21: ¹⁷And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

 

Time and time again throughout all of the Gospels we read where Jesus withdrew form the crowd, or He left his disciples, and He went off on His own. There was good reason for it. Jesus needed time to connect with His Father. He needed time to regroup, and concentrate on His task that His Father sent Him to carry out. Think about what it was like for Christ when He walked the earth. Once His  ministry took off, everywhere He went people knew Him. When He walked into town people gathered, they wanted answers, they wanted to be healed, they wanted to see this Man that everyone was talking about. It was important for Jesus to retreat because He had to make sure that He did not fall to the greatest temptation that temps us all……fame. We know that Jesus was tempted, and faced all of the trials that we face today, that is why He is so compassionate, that is why He is so forgiving, that is why no one else can understand so perfectly what it is to be you. Christ walked a mile in our shoes, before we had shoes to walk in. So we can be sure that just like any person who receives a great deal of attention, Jesus knew what it was to be tempted to drink His own kool-aid. He was a rock star in His time. Yet he never took His eye off of the goal, He never forgot that He was here to do His Father’s will, and He always reminded everyone that it was through His Father that all things are given. He was famous by the worlds standard, yet remained humble. I am convinced that He accomplished this by getting away form all of the attention so He could spend time with the one person He needed to spend time with. His Father. This is why it is so important to make sure that we are making time to get away from this world, and commune with God. In our own way, in our own lives we all have a portion of rock star status. We all have people who depend on us, we all have people that care for us, we all have people that look up to us…..yes…you do. I have seen many people fall victim to the temptress fame. They start to believe that they are the important ones, they start to believe that they are making it happen, they start to believe what they hear about themselves…..they drink their own kool-aid. They step away from God, and step closer to the mirror, they like what they see, but they forget how they got there. Make time, as much as you can to get away form the world. Find somewhere, anywhere, your car, your backyard, your bathroom if you have to, but make it a point to step away from this world every now and then. Step away from the world, so that you do not become of the world.

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Wednesday the 25th

Matthew 18: ⁷"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!

 

 

We are responsible for our own actions, we all know that, and we all get that. We all know that there is evil in the world, I do not think there is anyone out there that would contest that fact. However are we aware that to some degree we are responsible for the actions of those that share in our lives? We are…that is what Christ is telling us. A thief can repent for their sins, but if the thief teaches another person to steal, they cannot repent for their students sins. Each of us might walk right up to the line of morality and successfully pull away, but we have no control if we take someone with us, and they cross that line. The choices we make, the path that we walk will at sometime or another be an instruction manual for someone else…..so what are we teaching? Our actions, even though we might not realize it, are often tied to another persons actions. What we say is OK the next person might take a step further, and cross into sin. This is why I talk so much about love, about forgiveness, about compassion. When we are living like Christ, when we are living our lives trying to help others, then our focus will be on helping our fellow man / woman improve their lives. How did you get to where you are today? What have you shown others in the past that you thought was acceptable? Are you living your life today thinking that it’s OK for me, but no one else should do this? We cannot wear a mask during the week  then try and show our real faces on Sunday morning. The people around us will not see the person on Sunday, they will remember, and emulate the person they see during the week. Where are you leading those around you? What are you teaching the world? A hard lesson for me to learn was that I can’t break the rules then explain that it was ok that one time, I can’t live my life as if nothing matters, then expect those around me to understand that God is all that matters. There will always be sin in this world, there will always be temptation, this is after all the devil’s playground. It comes down to the question of who’s team are you on? …..and there really is no gray area….we choose to be a teacher of sin, or a teacher of the Lord. The ripples of our actions reach well beyond our reach.

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Tuesday the 24th

Romans 5: ¹⁰For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

 

You are reconciled with God. You are forgiven. It is a phrase that we use often. We use it to the point that the words are said, but often are not heard. Do you believe it? Do you live it? We hear the phrase that we are forgiven, and it is easy to think of a lot of people in your life who are forgiven, and needed that forgiveness…but what about you? We hear the phrase, and we know that those around us have had the slate wiped clean, but what about you? DO you realize that that forgiveness is on a very deep, internal, and personal level, that the Lord’s forgiveness is yours and it was given directly to you? We are always eager to make sure others know about the love of God, the forgiveness that we were given through His Son, yet we have a problem giving ourselves permission to enjoy that same forgiveness. We know that Christ lived dies and rose again to save the world, but do we centralize that down to the point that we understand that He did all of that for each one of us? You are forgiven, you are reconciled with God, your past does not matter anymore…..So are you living like you are forgiven, or are you living like you are still waiting to be? If you have not dropped the pain and the hurt in your life, how can you expect anyone you talk to do it? A forgiven life is a life of  service, and thanksgiving, a life waiting to be forgiven is a life of servitude to the world, and regret. Choose to accept the forgiveness that is freely offered. It is forgiveness that was extended to you before you were born. It is a standing offer, that is never revoked, but you have to choose to accept it. You have to choose to live it. Christ did not hang on a cross so that you could see all those around you receive the benefit. He did it for you. His forgiveness is not just for everyone else, it is specifically for you. Your sins are no worse, your short comings are no different, your past is just that the past. Live the life of the forgiven, not the life the world would have you live. Choose to take the Lord up on His offer, and truly let Him in. let go of the regret, the Lord has already forgotten it.

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Monday the 23rd

Luke 12: ¹⁵Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

 

I know that this is something that comes up a lot, but when I read the headlines, look at the world around me, and listen to my co-workers….and honestly to myself…..I know that this is something that we all struggle with. It must have been a pretty big problem back in Jesus’ day, because He felt the need not just talk about it, but to make it a point to warn people. WATCH OUT! Be on your guard……..that is a pretty clear to me that something is going to happen, temptation is right around the corner. Now here is a point I feel is important to point out. Greed in the NIV is covetousness in the KJV, and the oldest text I have is the Bishops Bible from 1568 which uses the word couetousnes (they were not big with using the letter V) Strong’s dictionary shows the original word used in the Greek text to be pleonexia

pleh-on-ex-ee'-ah  that is, (by implication) fraudulency, extortion: - covetous (-ness) practices, greediness.  So at the heart of the matter is not just the feeling that we all struggle with (hey, I want that) it is allowing that feeling to turn into an action, an action that will take you on a path further from God. You might think that you will never allow that to happen, but let me be the first to say that Christ is correct, Watch out, and be on guard. The opportunity will present itself. The first job I ever had where I was purchasing things with company money the temptation came up often, ever since that day of the first offer, others have continued to arise. To some extent it is a temptation that we all face from time to time. The ability to get something, to attain status, or to further our goals, by way of fraudulency, or extortion……. greed, as we know it today, can be a tempting mistress. The pile of toys that we could amass are fun to have. There is a reason we are warned against it….like most things in life the easy way pays well in the short term. I know I could have made quite a bit of money taking the easy way, I have known men in high positions that have taken the easy way. I have worked with many people in many companies, that took the easy way. All of them had one thing in common….what started out as” just this once”, turned in to a lifestyle of corruption, and I can honestly say in each case I know of, it ended poorly. We come into this world with nothing more than the life that we were given by the grace of God, when we leave, the only thing we will take is the soul given to us. The time in the middle will determine the condition of that soul. There is a reason Christ used the image of storing up our riches in heaven. It is the polar opposite of the greed He was talking about. So take heed, watch out, and be on guard. The scales of justice are weighted in your favor, for Christ is on your side, but “just one” can quickly turn in to “just until I get ___” and the scales tip quickly when Christ steps off.  HE will never leave you, but if you choose to walk alone, and balance your own scales, He will let you do just that.

 

God bless,

Briane will never lea

 

Friday the 20th

James 1:  ²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

 

Ahhh another school year has started, and times they are a changing. It does not matter if you have kids, your kids are no longer kids, or you never plan on having kids, this time of year always makes for hectic times. If you have kids, the money pit opens up and has to be fed, the schedules around the house change, responsibilities are shifted, and time becomes ever so elusive. If you do not have kids, then you still have to deal with the traffic, change routes, and of course deal with all of the stressed out people who do have kids, and are living on their last nerve! My point is that this is a season that comes every year, and one that can get the best of us if we let it.  This scripture reminds us that these are good times to be in! Yeah, I know….”are you crazy, Brian, these are not good times!) but they are, not only are they good times, they are important times in our faith. These are times that test our faith. The pressure of the day press down on us like a wine press, and we feel as if we are trapped. What will you do, where will you turn? If you are thinking about now that you cannot do it on your own, then you are half way there, because you can’t! Not only can you not do it alone, you are not expected to. These are the times when we make sure that we have Christ in the drivers seat. It is not sheer stubbornness that will pull you through, it is reliance on your faith that will! When time gets small, and the world gets big, it is time to put your faith in the God that is bigger than any world out on display. This is the time when prayers are answered, needs are met, and gaps are bridged, but only if you are making the prayers, needs, and gaps known. If you don’t hand them over to the Lord, they will stay your problems for a long time! Faith is not a short term dividend. It is a long term retirement investment. It is the continued reliance on your faith, and God’s grace that will take you through any tough time. Perseverance is the key. It is not just never giving up, but never giving up on God. The road to spiritual maturity is not just a short trip through one or two seasons, it is a journey through many years of many seasons, and I promise you the more you trust in the Lord, the shorter those seasons get! So as the weight of the world starts settling on your shoulders this year, shrug it off and give it to the Lord. We are not built to carry that heavy of a load, that is why we were given His Son. Turn your pressures over to the One who carried all of our sin, then you will find the strength to persevere, you will find that you will not be lacking anything!

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Thursday the 19th

Psalm 141: ¹ O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you.

Come quickly to me….hear my voice when I call. That sounds more like telling than asking, doesn’t it? There are several times in the book of Psalms that I can’t help but think that David had great expectations when it came to God. He expected the Lord to protect Him, he expected the Lord to come to him, he expected the Lord to hear him each and everytime he lifted his voice to God. You know what? God did all of that and then some. The Lord has no problem meeting our needs, and our righteous expectations. As He told Jeremiah in chapter 32: ²⁷ "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? God wants us to depend on Him, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. He expects us to expect Him to. When we trust someone, when we love someone, when we depend on someone, then we expect things from them, and they from us. A child expects that their parent will be there to pick them up after school, a brother expects his older brother to protect him, the best friend is expected to be a confidant, and a supporter of dreams, and goals. There is nothing that the people that we surround ourselves with will not do for us……so how much more is God willing to do for those that love Him? If you can trust your life to your family, and a few friends, then how much more can you trust your eternal soul to the one who created it all? Call on Him, He will answer…expect Him to answer because you can trust Him, you can trust Him because He has told us that we can. Jeremiah 33: ³ 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' Call on me, and notice here that God does not say He will listen, or that He will hear. In our time of need we call and He will answer! God wants you to expect things from Him, The Lord wants you to depend on Him, and Him alone for your needs. There is nothing to hard for Him, there is nothing to big, there is nothing He will not do for you. You have to ask, then you have to have the faith that He will answer. The quickest way to get your voice up to the Lord, is to get down on a knee. Call on Him, He is expecting you.

God Bless,

Brian

Tuesday the 17th

Luke 9:  ⁶²Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

 

The older I get, the better I was. Christ tells us that we have to leave our old lives behind, but that can be a hard thing to do. One of the things that always strikes a chord with me, is when people talk about how much easier it was when they were back in high school, or college, or just when they were y0unger. You always hear “man, I wish my life was as easy as it was when I was_____”  Or when I was in high school life just made so much more sense. Well let me be the first to say, no it was not easier, and it did not make any sense back then, any more than it does today. The difference? Us. Before we stepped out into the “real world” our lives were pretty complicated, we just don’t remember it that way. There were choices to make, big choices, life changing choices to be made. There were deadlines, and expectations to be met. Life really was no simpler back then. We look back and think it was because we remember the joy we had back then, we remember the high points, the wins, the good times. So it becomes quite easy to live in the past, and shun the life you have today. The older I get…..it does not have to be that way. Your life today is just as bright as it was back then, it is just as promising, and it still has quite a bit of potential that is out in front of you. I would go as far as to say, now, today, is even better than it was back then. Today you know what it means to walk with the Lord, today, you are aware of the promises that the Lord has made, today you know what it means to be a child of God. So why would you think of yesteryear as your glory days? Today, right now, you have the opportunity to live in the glory of God. The offer is extended to take the Lord up on all the promises He has made, we are reminded in Joshua 21: ⁴⁵ Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. The Lord is a promise keeper, he does not backtrack on His commitments. So what does that mean for us today? That means that right now are the glory days, right now life should be getting less complicated, right now the Lord is wanting to pour out His blessings. It is not that our life has become harder, it is just that our vision has become clouded.  When we were young life was black and white, right and wrong. Today we have allowed the shadows to creep in. Not quite dark, not quite light, just a nice shade of gray. There is no gray area in the Lord’s world, or in His plan. His truth cuts through he darkness, and drives away the shadows.  There is no gray area to live in, when you live with the Lord. When you clear the shadows out, you will see what it is to live in the joy of the Lord, to sleep in His rest, to live in His strength. You will find that the true and trusted saying will be “the older I get the better I will become”. The best days lie ahead, not behind.

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Thursday the 12th

Matthew 14: ¹⁵As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."  ¹⁶Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

 

Can’t you hear the Holy Spirit saying that to you today? “They don’t need to leave, you need to feed them.” We live in a crazy world, it is fast paced, it is hectic, and it is demanding. All throughout the day we have people that come to us, and we brush them off, we send them on the way as quickly as possible, why? Because we just do not have what they want…..time. We have so much to do for ourselves, that we just don’t have the time to give to anyone else. Let them go get what they need on their own. However, today if we don’t give the people the time that they need, if we do not help feed their souls, they will go away hungry, and they might not find the sustenance that they need. They do not need to go away, we need to feed them. No, I can’t turn one fish into many, and I can’t make one hour last as long as two, but We can look at what is taking up out time, and cut out what is not needed. We can make the commitment to give more time to others than we take for ourselves. The whole story of Jesus feeding the masses starts off with someone giving what they thought would not be enough. It goes to show that with Christ in our life, our little bit, can be turned into more than enough, and did you notice that when we read about all being fed, they were satisfied, not gorged, not “full as a tick” they were satisfied.  I believe, and am convinced this is exactly where we lose so much time. We gorge on time for ourselves, as a result there is not anything for the person next to us. This is why we are so sure that what we have is not enough, and when we look in the basket we often find that we are right! We have to give what we have, but we have to only use what we need. Give the rest to the person next to you, they need that time….they need your time. Yes, I understand that you might think it might not be enough, give it anyway. Fifteen minutes of love, might be worth an hour to someone that does not have any in their life. Thirty minutes of compassion, might be worth an entire day to someone who feels isolated, and five minutes of forgiveness might just be enough for a lifetime to someone who is lost. They do not need to go away, we need to feed them. Center Christ in your life, you will find more time than you need, more love than you can give, more hope than you can dream, and enough forgiveness to fill the entire world. Feed the masses today, if we send them away, they might not return.

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Wednesday the 11th

James 4: ¹⁷Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

 

Doing the right thing. Why so often does it seem to be the harder thing to do? When a cop turns in another cop, he is looked down on by his peers, when you were back in school we called them narcs. I am convinced that the world does not agree with do the right thing, it agrees with do the easy thing. When someone steps up and does the right thing, it creates a lot of work, and a lot of accountability…….we as humans do not like that much. It comes down to exactly what the Lord warned us about. “those who love their life will lose it”, or “blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.” Or when He warned that we should not love this world or anything in it.  These are the times he was talking about. It is easy to get along, it is harder to get along, and do the right thing. You will be called out, you will be persecuted, you will lose friends, but you will be blessed. When we go against our human nature, and do the thing that we know we should, not the thing we want to do, we walk more closely to the Lord. Think of Christ, did He do the thing He wanted to do or did He do the thing that He knew He should do? He prayed for His Father to take His cup, He prayed that if there was any other way, then let that way be the way to complete the task…….but there was not….so Christ did the hard thing, He did the right thing, He did the thing He should no, not the thing He wanted to do, and I think Him everyday for it. Was it tough, was it painful? Of course it was, it is written that He sweated blood, did you know that is an actual medical possibility? It is caused by the body being put under enormous stress. Your body breaks the capillary beds in your skin, and you will sweat blood. That would be the pinnacle of stress, that would be the truest form of stepping up to do the right thing. When I think of my savior sweating blood, yet still following through, I have no choice to do the right thing, in any circumstance. We so often talk about the amazing sacrifice that Christ made, as the Son of God, but we often overlook just how human He was while He was here. He was hungry, He was tired, He was tempted, He cried, He died and he was stressed to the limits, (talk about blood sweat and tears) yet He showed us when it was OK to cave to the world, He showed us when it was alright to give in, and take the easy way, He showed us when it was acceptable to God to relent……..Never! I pray that each of us when the time comes can step up and do the right thing, not just when it is easy, but even when you think you might have to sweat blood to do it.

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Tuesday the 10th

Psalm 104:  ¹⁴ He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate bringing forth food from the earth:  ¹⁵ wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.

 

If you want the cattle to be healthy, you have to work them, if you want to plants to grow, you have to use the seeds God has given, and you have to harvest, if you want a glass of wine, someone has to stomp the grapes, if you want the oil, the olives must be pressed, and if you want bread you will need to get your hands down in the middle of the dough, and knead it. When I read this I see all that God gives us, and it reminds me that if we are to take full advantage of His gifts, we must put the work in. Life is a work in progress, we decide how well we will do, largely by how much effort we are willing to put into the opportunities that God places in our path. If we stay with the same items as above it is easy to see what I am talking about. We all like beef, but few of us want to raise them, we all want vegetables, fruit, and grain, but we do not want to farm it, we enjoy the wine, but we do not want to wait for the harvest, the bottling, and the wine making process, we need the oil, but don’t run the press, and we love us some bread, but we do not want to wit for the dough to rise.  Of course with all of the modern advances we no longer have to work for the things I mentioned, but that concept applies across the board in our lives. We want the blessing, but we do not want to put the work in. Do not confuse what I am saying here, I am not talking about being saved through works, I am talking about reaching out full potential as followers of Christ, and children of God. This world today would have you believe that you deserve something just because you showed up. As a result we carry that into our spiritual life, and when we do that we have missed the boat. Christ did not say if you do little you will be trusted with more, He said that if you can be trusted with a little, then you will be trusted with more.  If you just sit there waiting for something to happen, do not be surprised when nothing does.  Love, compassion, blessing, forgiveness, ….these are verbs. They require action for them to be realized, we have to get involved if we want to receive more than we already have. God places opportunity after opportunity in front of us, He gave us the perfect guideline to follow, not an instruction manual, but an actual life to see how it was done. He gave us His Son. A man who worked every day for His Father. Christ showed up everyday, but more than that, He was present, He was active, He put in the work everyday, and that is our example.  We want the bread, we want the blessing, let us make sure that we are putting in the work, before we start wondering why we have not made a withdrawal!

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Monday the 9th

Psalm 73: ¹Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.  But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.  ³ For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.  ⁴ They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.

 

 

Someone always has it better. Someone always has more…..someone always has something that you want. Life is always easier for everyone but you……Sound familiar? I know if I am honest, I feel that way sometimes. It is easy to look from the outside in, and see how much everyone else has, it is easy to get carried away with the envy of the world. I know often I sit and wonder why I have to struggle so hard, when so many others seem to have it so easy. When I start down that road, I have to remind myself of a couple of things. First, their life is no easier than mine. As a matter of fact if I was to really look, I would see that many more have it a lot worse than I do. As a matter of fact not only do they have it worse then I do, but now the bigger question becomes why am I not helping them? It comes down to what you are focused on. Are we leading a Christ centered life? Or are we out to rule the world? We cannot do both. Those that want to rule the world can only see what they don’t have. If we think of Christ we know that He gave very little time or energy in to what others had, He spent His time looking for what they were lacking. Christ did not live to take, He lived to give. He lived His life in service to His Father, and to others, and somehow He always had what He needed. This is how a givers life works. When we spend our energy looking out for the needs of others, we find that our needs are met as well. The second thing that comes up is I have to remember the words of Paul to the Philippians “¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Having everything is not…..well everything! Wanting everything, is missing the point behind us being here. The key is contentment. When you have Christ in your life, you have all that you need. Yes, I know what you are saying, Brian you Jesus Freak, Christ is not paying my bills this month! But I would argue that point with you, He will pay your bills, if you are busy doing His work. The Lord will provide a way, and will fulfill your needs. He wants you to have the time to get His work done. What we have to learn is contentment. Even the richest man loses his fortune, the poorest man may rise to heights he did not think were possible. What we have to do is learn to enjoy the ride. In good times and in bad. In times of plenty and times of want. Life is full of seasons, our situations are constantly changing. We might be the one everyone wants to be today, and then tomorrow we might be right back at the bottom. Don’t worry about reaching for what everyone else has, reach for what everyone needs. Put the Lord at the center of your focus, you will then be the richest person on the planet. Let the Lord rule your life, and you will find the success of contentment. What you have in your hand does not matter when your heart is full of the Lord.

God Bless,

Brian

 

Thursday the 5th

Mark 5:  ³⁵While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?"  ³⁶Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

 

Sometimes I wonder how Jesus accomplished as much as He did, with the Apostles always “looking out for Him”. It was not unusual for them to try and turn people away, or trying to talk Christ into not going where He needed to go. Now to say it like that sounds like the Apostles were working against Christ, but we know that is far from the truth. The Apostles loved Jesus, there is nothing they would not do for Him. Yet time and time again we see them trying to limit the Lord. It was always done out of love, and Christ could not, would not be stopped. He knew He was working with 12 hours of daylight. It makes me think of people in my life, and I know that you have people in yours as well, who try to limit what we can do. We all have people that will tell us, “you don’t have time for that”, or they will tell others, “oh he/she can’t do that for you, they are already so busy” It is not done out of malice, it is done out of love. Nevertheless we must continue our quest to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. How did Jesus handle these situations, well this scripture tells us, He ignored it. He pressed on towards the goal of bringing people to His father.  We must do the same thing. Do not make the mistake of believing those around you who tell you it cannot be done, or there is not enough time, or that you have already done enough. In short do not drink your own kool-aid.  Jesus never slowed down, He was always looking for the next opportunity. We must strive to do the same. When we listen to those that would tell us that we have done enough, we fall into the trap of resting on our laurels. We start to believe that there is some end point, or level that can be reached in spreading the Word of God. We begin to think that we have done enough and now it is someone else’s turn.  The end point is when the Word of God has been preached to the entire world, and it will take all of our life times just to put a dent in the number of people who have not heard. When not one ear has not heard the magnificent life saving, life changing story of our Savior, then our work is done. We have a long way to go, we have much to accomplish. Maybe you have done a lot already, well there is more to do. Perhaps you have just gotten underway, Well God bless you, and I look forward to hearing all that you will accomplish, but the point is that we are never done, there is always that next person that needs to hear, there is that next person that needs the healing joy of Christ in their life, there is always the next lost sinner that is praying to be found. We cannot trust that the next guy will take care of it. We cannot being to believe that we have done enough. People will try to limit you “for your own good” let them see the limitless supply of love that Christ has to give.

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Wednesday the 4th

Romans 12: ¹²Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  ¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

 

 

Love God, and love your neighbor. This is how Christ lived His life. He hung on the cross as the ultimate show of love for this world. I love the way Paul breaks it down. He comes out reminding us to live in hope, not just get by in hope, but to be joyful in hope. He is not urging us to be ho hum….or oh yeah, I will try and be hopeful today….we are encouraged to be joyful, from the Greek word elpis, meaning (to anticipate, usually with pleasure); expectation or confidence: - faith, hope. To wait in pleasure! To expect in pleasure, to live with the confidence that God is a promise keeper, and He will provide. That is living a joyful life! Next we are reminded that it will not always be a walk in the park, for we are to be patient in affliction, but that is really not a surprise is it? People always ask why does life have to be so hard, why to I have to sacrifice, why do these things happen to me….first I would say, if we think that our lives are rough, let’s talk to the man that was murdered for love, let’s compare our tough times to the times of a man who was pursued, persecuted, and killed, Yes our times might be tough, but if Christ could live with patience through His trials, it should bring us comfort in ours. We must remember that the tough times will pass, they are but a season, and they do serve a purpose, like the fires of the silversmith, these tough times will purify us, and bring us closer to the Lord. Most importantly be faithful in prayer.  This is sooooo important, Never quit talking to the Lord, don’t assume that He knows what troubles you have…..of course He knows! He wants to hear from you! Always set aside some time to pray, talk with God, let Him know what is on your mind, let Him know that no matter the difficulty, He is still leading the way for you! Pray, pray, pray! Paul goes right in to the need to share, bless, rejoice with others……I find it no surprise that right after Paul writes about how your life might be trying, he goes right in to, but what can you do for other people. The two laws are love God and Love your neighbor, we are third on the list! Yes your life might be tough from time to time, but get out there and help others. The best way to get past your problems, is to help others get past theirs! Paul finishes up with don’t be proud…..my brother has a saying “you know, the problem with being better than everyone else is sometime people call you pretentious” ……Pride will bring you down every time. From Genesis, to Psalms, to the Gospels, and almost every epistle, we can read how time and time again pride has been at the center of people’s demise. As much as we might hate to admit it, we just are not as important as we think we are.  Here again if we use Jesus as the example, we can see that there is no room for pride. If the Son of God, the One who has been in existence since it all started, the One who has been given the authority to forgive sins, walked this earth without being proud, then it is clear that we have some work to do in that area. Do not be stuck on yourself, be stuck on others. Live for God, and live for those around you. God will take care of where you are going. Give of yourself freely, and often. Be joyful, patient, and faithful. Live as Christ did, loving God, and your brothers, and sisters.

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Tuesday the 3rd

John 9: ¹As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" ³"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

 

This story always gets me. It gives the answer to the question so many people ask of Christians. If God is so great, then why is there so much pain in the world, why are kids born deformed, why do bad things happen to good people…….The answer is right here for all to read. God sets out many opportunities each day so the work of God might be displayed. We know that Jesus goes on to give this man his sight back; but Jesus no longer walks the world as a human, so now what? Who is charged with continuing the Lord’s work? Next time you pass a mirror take a good look, you will find the answer there. One thing that can be said about Jesus, is that He was involved. He was always out among the people helping, doing everything He could to bring the glory of God to the people, so that they might come to know His Father, and the Father’s Son. That is now our charge. I am convinced that people born with hardships are not being punished, but just as this blind man was, they too are born so that the work of God might be displayed, violence happens all around us, but how involved are we in showing the world the path to peace? So many things in life happen, not as a punishment, but they serve as opportunities for us to step in and show the world the love of God. We get very self focused when we talk about these types of things. Well there is nothing I can do, I do not know where to start, I do not have the knowledge, I am not trained….oh there are a million little lies we tell ourselves, there are thousands of rationalizations we use to get us through the day. I can promise you, if the Lord set that person in your path, then there is something you can do, you have something to offer. If the Lord brings someone in pain into your world, there is a way for you to glorify God, and help take that pain away. There is the catch though isn’t it? How often are we looking for a way to glorify ourselves, instead of glorifying God? I do not mean that to sound as harsh as it does, but we as humans are selfish people, it is a struggle we all face, it is a challenge to overcome. But I want you to think of the last time you saw someone in need, no matter if it was someone hurting, someone struggling with a disability, or whatever the case, think of that time, and then think of your first thought……was it “ why doesn’t someone do something about that”, or “why don’t they go get the help that is available” or maybe you even think “ how could God let this happen” These are questions that God wants us to put our names into. Why doesn’t Brian do something about this, Why doesn’t Brian get them to the help they need, or maybe right to the point, How could Brian let this happen?  Oh I know I say the same thing sometimes, I am too busy, I can’t shut down my life every time someone needs some help, I have waaaay too much going on. Half way through that thought process, all I can think is what if Jesus took that approach? The blind man in the scripture would still be blind. The Adulterous woman would have been stoned, the man with the bad hand would have stayed a cripple……..The bible would read very differently is Jesus had always been waiting for someone else to take care of it. God is bringing things into your life today will you be too busy? Will you allow the opportunity to glorify God slip past? Will we live our lives as the world tells us to, looking out only for ourselves, and waiting on the other guy to step up, or will we see these things for what they are; our chance to show the world the works of God? People need angles, people are praying right now for God to intervene in their lives and send help. You are that angel to someone, you are that help! GO out and Glorify God, show the world His great works!

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Monday the 2nd

1 Timothy 4: ⁷Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. ⁸For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

 

I go to the gym 3 – 5 times a week. I play tennis, enjoy swimming, and will go out on runs, or walks with my wife. If I do say so myself I am in pretty good shape for a guy turning 40. Today’s world is big on being healthy, go to the gym, watch what you eat, monitor your food for what chemicals are in them, buy this or that, and you will be in shape in no time. Go big or go home, no pain no gain, pain is weakness leaving the body….whatever the angle, whatever the slogan, physical training is important to be healthy. Paul brings up a good point here, physical training was important back in his day as well, we know the Olympics were around for a couple of hundred years before Christ was born, so being fit was looked upon favorably back then just as it is today…well ok, maybe we have taken it a little overboard! None the less, the point Paul is making still holds true today. If physical training has some value, how much more value is held in training our faith? We spend a lot of time and money trying to get healthy, how much time is spent on trying to get godly? If being fit physically helps you here on earth, how much more will you benefit from training yourself in the Word of God, that is a fitness program that will last an eternity. Here is the best thing about it, there is little more needed than a bible….I bet you have one of those sitting around your house, I know there is one at your fingertips at work everyday at www.biblegateway.com . (I don’t know of any IT guy that will block that site) Still I know what you are thinking, I just do not have time to read the bible, there is just not enough time in the day. It is the same excuse that many use for any physical activity…just don’t have the time……I beg to differ. Unlike physical training, 5 or 10 min. to start really does make a difference when it comes to Spiritual pursuit. I know we all have 5 or 10 min here or there. Put a bible on your desk, break it open and read a chapter when you need a break. I can promise you it is more rewarding that junk / chain mail you are about to read, or the gossip you are about to spread! Oh I know….you find it hard to read the bible, it is hard to understand. Go get a version, or select a version on line that is easier to read, the new century version reads like a book. You would be surprised to find just how easy of a read it can be. Find the version that works for you. One of the most important things you can do to train yourself to be godly is to read the Word of God. It is the starting point on the path. With out it is like trying to assemble anything without directions! (I try that every now and then, and it does not work!) When we spend time in the bible, we spend time with God, it is the time that God needs to speak to your heart, to give you a sense of direction. Give Him that time. Start off with just a few spare moments (yes you do have them) and see where it takes you. If you want to grow in your faith, if you want to become a healthy, fit, on a Spiritual level, it all starts with doing bible curls. Your body might be in great shape, but you will only take it to the grave. The question is how fit is your soul?

 

God Bless,

Brian