Praise God For Who He Is

Malachi 2:4-6 - Then at last you will know it was I who sent you this warning to return to the laws I gave your father Levi,” says the Lord Almighty.  “The purpose of these laws was to give him life and peace, to be a means of showing his respect and awe for me by keeping them.  He passed on to the people all the truth he got from me. He did not lie or cheat; he walked with me, living a good and righteous life, and turned many from their lives of sin.

 

Malachi was talking to the priests of his day…but since God tore the veil in the Holy Of Holies the hour of his son’s death on the cross….we are all subject to his speech. Christ’s resurrection and victory over death gave us all a way to have a personal relationship with the father...I can talk to him any time I need guidance…comfort… or peace. But Malachi makes the point here that God is not just a go to for when we need help….we are to give glory to his name…just because of who he is as well.

 

I admit that most of my time spent directly with  the father involves asking for things… guidance… direction… help for my problems and my friends in need.  Some of my time is spent thanking him for the things he has done…for all the blessings and answers to prayer he has covered for me. But Malachi reminds me of how important it is to just praise God…to lift up his name in pure respect…to honor who he is…to step back and realize where life and complete peace comes from.

 

The Palmist David nailed it so well in Psalms 96…. it was later quoted in 1 Chronicles 16:28-30 … “Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship the LORD in holy array. Tremble before Him, all the earth; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.”

 

It creates a euphoric feeling of peace and contentment to lay yourself at an altar in pure worship for no other reason but that you love God. The tears of sweet love that Mary washed Jesus’ feet brought about a contentment and peace that God had forgiven her for every sin she ever committed.  She knelt at his feet in awe that he could love her so much….and poured out n his feet the best that she could bring from her own closet.  She probably did not understand just how significant her act of love was at the time…or what was about to happen as he showed his love for all mankind hours later on the cross.  But her model of pure worship was so on target that God allowed her story to be included in the Bible.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to spend some of my time with you just praising you for who you are.  Forgive me for making my prayers more about what I need...or what my friends and family need…than just standing still in your presence and soaking up who you are. Help me to stop and be still…and know that you are God….so I can love you like Mary did…..and anoint your feet with my best.  Amen.

God Deserves Only Our Best

Malachi 1:8-9 - You tell the people, ‘Lame animals are all right to offer on the altar of the Lord—yes, even the sick and the blind ones.’ And you claim this isn’t evil? Try it on your governor sometime—give him gifts like that—and see how pleased he is. ‘God have mercy on us,’ you recite; ‘God be gracious to us!’ But when you bring that kind of gift, why should he show you any favor at all?

 

Malachi was used of God after the Temple had been rebuilt for almost a century.  The people were losing their enthusiasm for worship…bringing the lame and less perfect animals of their flocks to sacrifice in their rituals.  The priests had even told them it was ok. They justified this until they even said what God wanted was too hard for them to do.

 

God loves us so deeply.  It hurts him when we don’t feel the same. His love is mocked when we don’t always try our hardest to love him back. Our leftover or extra money is not what he wants….he wants our first fruits.  Our leftover or extra time does him no good…he wants to plan our whole lives. What makes us think the things we don’t want any more will do God any good either.

 

I needed the reminder this morning to rethink what I give to God…and how I show Him that I love Him back. The winter snows…the traveling I am doing to look for a new home…have taken me out of a routine of worship at my regular church. I have justified leaving a few tithe payments off because I wasn’t there on Sundays to put them in the offering plate. My worship has become less enthusiastic….excuses to stay home easier to think of.  I justified it in my heart because I thought I needed to put some distance between me and this church that helped me so much these last 6 years. I thought it would make the move easier…less bittersweet to leave these precious friends.

 

Isn’t it crazy how easy it is for satan to twist our thoughts off of worshiping God.  I needed the reminder to always ask God what he wants me to do….not try to justify what I thought was the best way to handle it. I will try not to think of all the blessings I might have missed while I was making all those excuses…and concentrate on a way to focus more on showing God I love him more than anything.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you deserve my best….not my leftovers.  Forgive me for the times that I have justified less perfect gifts to you.  Help me to always pick out the best I have to give….so you will see that I love you more than I love myself.  Amen.

Christ Is Coming Back

Zechariah 14:1-3 - Watch, for the day of the Lord is coming soon! On that day the Lord will gather together the nations to fight Jerusalem; the city will be taken, the houses rifled, the loot divided, the women raped; half the population will be taken away as slaves, and half will be left in what remains of the city.

 

Zechariah pens his last words with the words of God about the end of the story. His people will have to fight a great battle…and many will be lost or violated in the process. Then God will make a way of escape for them through a valley created by an earthquake that will split the Mount of Olives north to south.  It will be a time when dark does not come at night….and God becomes the Lord of everything and everyone.  Even the trash cans will be labeled with his name.

 

I read it in several different versions.  I read commentaries that connected Zechariah’s words to other prophecies in Matthew 24…..Acts 1…..and Ezekiel 11. I sat longer than usual before I began typing…for I am not a scholar of the end times by no means.  I have read revelation…and it gives even more insight….but none of these scriptures gives us a complete play by play of exactly what will happen.  And they all agree that no one knows when all this will happen.

 

One thing I am reminded of is that Christ is coming back to end the reign of evil in this world.  Some of us that are still here will go through a period of great tribulation. Some of us will be caught up in the sky with him. All of those who have called on his name will share in the end a home in Heaven when it is all said and done. So the bottom line for me is ….Am I watching?  Am I really ready? Am I doing what he called me to do so others will be ready? If I am honest with myself…my answer would be I ‘hope so’….knowing in my heart that I could always do a little more than my flesh allows each day.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are coming back and I need to be ready.  Forgive me for the times that I have not watched for you…but allowed life to distract me into something that you did not call me to do.  Help me focus my eyes and ears and heart so intently on you that I hear you tell me what to do to help others be ready with me to share in Heaven’ great rewards. Amen.

Washed Clean ....The Purified By The Fires Of Life

Zechariah 13:9  - I will bring the third that remain through the fire and make them pure, as gold and silver are refined and purified by fire. They will call upon my name and I will hear them; I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”

 

Throughout many of the Bible prophecies ….a remnant of faithful followers is mentioned.  Zachariah reminds us of them in this chapter.  God promises over and over to bring these faithful followers through whatever fire they may face in their lives.  He promised that the fires we are asked to walk through will even make us stronger….better….purified.

 

God likens the process of purification first to a river…that will wash and cleanse us from our sin.  Then he compared the continued building of character and faith to the process of how fine silver and gold are refined.  Raw metal has a lot of impurities in it. They are embedded deep within the metal….not always on the surface.  To remove what is not wanted it must be heated to a high degree and melted. The impurities are skimmed off the top and the pure gold and silver are allowed to cooled into a new shape.

 

That is exactly what God does with each of us that accept him into our hearts.  He places us in his river of cleansing when we first ask him to live in our hearts…then he continues to refine us by allowing  different things in life to act as a fire…constantly burning the unwanted things out of our lives.  We can choose to let those things burn completely out of our lives and be part of that remnant of strong faithful followers.…or try to hang on to them and risk becoming one of the 2/3 that don’t make it into the kingdom.

 

Father…thank you for reminding me that you will hold my hand through any fire that I am asked to walk through.  Forgive me for the times that I let the fires weaken me….letting satan trick me into trying to hang on to things that you are trying to remove from my life. Let your fires purify me so that I can be used to share your love with others.  Amen.

Kindle Afresh Your Firepot Of Love

Zechariah 12:5-6 - Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, 'The people of Jerusalem are strong,¹¹ because the LORD Almighty is their God.' "On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot¹² in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume¹³ right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact¹⁴ in her place.

 

Zechariah’s word from God was meant to give strength and courage to a people who had suffered greatly.  Whether a literal word for them in that day….or a prophetic word for the future is still debated…but one truth sticks out for then and now.  The leaders of any nation that have any hope of succeeding in this world need to believe in God.  We need to pray that the leaders God allows in our little corners of the world become a firepot in the woodpiles of our hometowns…..consuming as many people for Christ as they can before it is too late.

 

Take that thought one step more and believe yourself to be that firepot.  We can all be leaders in some way right where we live. If you are a mom….lead your children to Christ.  If you are a father….lead your family to Christ.  If you are a boss…lead your employees to Christ.  If you are a teacher…. lead your students to Christ.  Even if you don’t actively teach the Bible in the area God placed you to work…you can model for them the love of God in everything you do.

 

The scripture says that even … “ a little child will lead them”….in Isaiah 11:6…so no one is left out of this command to get serious about sharing God’s love with others.  All of us that believe need to become the firepots that consume as many people as we can to Christ’s command to love each other and live in peace and mercy and grace.  Paul says it this way in 2 Timothy 1:6-7 … “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline”   God layed his hands on each of us the moment we accepted him into our heart.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I am to think of your love as a firepot.  Forgive me for trying to keep that fire contained to my own little life…and not letting it consume those around me.  Help me to spend more time with you in prayer and study so I will know the best ways to share your love with those you have placed around me.  Let a great revival of 2015 begin and spread to everyone in the world. Amen.

Worship Is More Important Than Rules

Zechariah 11:12-14 -  And I said to their leaders, “If you like, give me my pay, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.”  So they counted out thirty little silver coins as my wages.  And the Lord told me, “Use it to buy a field from the pottery makers—this magnificent sum they value you at!”  So I took the thirty coins and threw them into the Temple for the pottery makers. Then I broke my other staff, “Union,” to show that the bond of unity between Judah and Israel was broken.

 

Zachariah was told by God to act out two different shepherd’s personalities. First he played the good shepherd….ending his monologue by breaking the staff he was told to call ‘grace.”  Then he acted the part of the evil shepherd and broke the staff God told him to name “unity.” It was symbolic for the way they had broken the covenant they had made with god and how they had tried to separate themselves as a nation.

 

It got worse before Jesus came to make a way for all of us with his grace and sacrifice on the cross.  The leaders began to separate themselves into religious orders.  They closely interpreted the word of God in different ways and developed names like Sadducee…. Pharisee…. Essene… Zealot… for the differences in the theology they adopted for their groups. When Jesus came he denounced this kind of separation…. calling them “broods of vipers” ….more intent on following a set of rules that worshiping the father he came to serve.

 

We still separate ourselves today.  We call ourselves Baptist…or Methodist…Pentecostal… Jehovah Witnesses…. Catholic… Mormon….Church of God…and any other combination of letters that describes the individual theology we think is closest to what the Bible teaches. How can one not wonder… How can so many different groups have it right? 

 

I want to testify this morning that I have worshiped in several of these congregations over the years. Even though I was raised in a Baptist Church….I try to keep my eyes and ears open to new ways of doing things. Each one has given me a little more insight about the true heart of God.  I have come to the conclusion that none of the denominations are perfectly right….but all of them have pieces of the whole that they do best.

 

One of my favorite services each year is a Pastor’s conference my current church sponsors…where all denominations come together to worship and renew their passion to teach and preach the gospel. It is so inspiring to watch those pastors unify together and call down the spirit of God in worship. Some amazing things have happened because they dared to cross the denominational borders….and just worship God as a believer….not a denomination.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that every church that believes in you…and follows the teaching of your word is blessed by you.  Forgive me for the times that I have allowed satan to trick me into thinking that one denomination was right by itself. Thank you for opening my heart and eyes to new ways to worship and teaching me that your people have different ways of expressing their love to you. Amen.

God's Power Will Usher In Worldwide Peace

Zechariah 10:6-7 -  “I will strengthen Judah, yes, and Israel too; I will reestablish them because I love them. It will be as though I had never cast them all away, for I, the Lord their God, will hear their cries. They shall be like mighty warriors. They shall be happy as with wine. Their children, too, shall see the mercies of the Lord and be glad. Their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.

 

Zechariah was giving the people God’s plan for unity. They had lived as two nations for long enough….they had been punished for their sins….now God wanted to bind them back together as his people.  God had made a promise to them…just because he loved them…and now he was ready to strengthen and build their broken spirits into what God wanted them to be.

 

My mind began to think on the concept of worldwide unity.  Man has tried for years to bring all nations together with peace treaties and organizations like the UN. Churches and mission groups send missionaries all over the world to spread God’s love and cry for peace. Man may have made a tiny dent it in….but most attempts at complete worldwide peace have failed.

 

What man has failed at….God will accomplish in his own timing…perhaps the same way he led thousands plus animals to an ark that Noah built. Those animals that instinctively knew to travel to the ark…stayed inside that cramped boat for months with no predator/prey instincts.  They fully relied on Noah and his family to care for their needs. That sure wasn’t anything Noah could do on his own.

 

I love the last verse of this chapter…it gives the secret to survival till that time.  Verse 12 says…. “The Lord says, “I will make my people strong with power from me! They will go wherever they wish, and wherever they go they will be under my personal care.” That is a promise we can take anywhere God leads us.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that worldwide peace is a part of your plan.  Forgive me for all the times that I contributed to the fighting that keeps peace from coming in my lifetime.  Help me to let your power rule my thoughts and actions so that peace will abound wherever you send me. Amen.

God's Promise Is Bigger Than My Minute Mind Can Fathom

Zechariah 9:11-13 -   “I have delivered you from death in a waterless pit because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood.  Come to the place of safety, all you prisoners, for there is yet hope! I promise right now, I will repay you two mercies for each of your woes!  Judah, you are my bow! Ephraim, you are my arrow! Both of you will be my sword, like the sword of a mighty soldier brandished against the sons of Greece.”

 

Zechariah’s words from this chapter confirm the fulfillment of prophecy in the Messiah with the reminder of God’s promise of His second coming …yet to be fulfilled.  God delivered us from the threat of death by sacrificing his own son on the cross….giving us all hope for the most peaceful world we have ever experienced when he comes again to claim his people.

 

One of the keys to getting the most out of this prophecy is to claim the unity of spirit Zachariah talks about in verse 13. All of God’s people will someday fight together to help God rid the world of evil once and for all.  It will begin a time of utter peace and prosperity never known on Earth before.

 

We are still living in a time like David saw as a young shepherd boy.  I Samuel 17 tells of David’s experiences of protecting the sheep from bears.  He relied on God for all he needed in those lonely fields…and God used the understanding of how to kill those bears to train him to be a great warrior later in life. 

 

In Isaiah 11:6 we see the promise of how God will use the experiences he has allowed in our lives to train us to usher in the greatest time of peace ever known.   It says… “In that day the wolf and the lamb will lie down together, and the leopard and goats will be at peace. Calves and fat cattle will be safe among lions, and a little child shall lead them all.”

 

I admit that when you are in the middle of one of those training sessions it is hard to see the benefit for the master plan God is weaving in the world.  I tend to forget that my experiences are not just about me…but about bringing together the whole world to worshiping one God.  I sure needed the reminder that God’s plan will be well worth any trouble it causes me …so I will focus more on the promise he made to unite all of us one day to live in peace.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are weaving a great master plan that I am humbled to be a minute part of.  Forgive me for forgetting for too many minutes that the master plan is not about me…but about worshiping you with my whole heart….soul…and mind.  Help me to understand how you will use the things I think have been hard….so I can start to see your plan for using me the rest of the time you grant me on Earth.  Amen.

God Is Bigger Than Any Problem

Zechariah 8:4-7  - The Lord Almighty declares that Jerusalem will have peace and prosperity so long that there will once again be aged men and women hobbling through her streets on canes,  and the streets will be filled with boys and girls at play.   The Lord says, “This seems unbelievable to you—a remnant, small, discouraged as you are—but it is no great thing for me.  You can be sure that I will rescue my people from east and west, wherever they are scattered.

 

Zechariah was privileged to share with the small group of Jews that had moved back to Jerusalem the great message of hope for their future. They had become discouraged….and saw their small numbers as even more of a barrier to doing what God had asked them to do. Embedded in these verses is the great truth that no problem is too big for God. 

 

Several Bible writers repeat Zachariah’s message.  Ephesians 3:20 says, “Unto Him that is able He is to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think.”  Jesus even let John record his words when he ascended to prepare a place for all of us in heaven.  He said in John 14:27… “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

 

One of the keys to actually believing these great words…which I admit is hard when you are smack in the middle of a storm… is placing the words of Paul from Romans 8:37-38 deep within our hearts.  It says… “  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Feel defeated and you will be defeated…in everything you try to accomplish.  Feel the power of God behind you…and you will succeed at everything that is within the will of God for your life. If you have truly used Gods power and you don’t succeed…he is trying to teach you patience and faith…or you were not in his will to begin with.

 

It’s like my search for a house back home where I feel God is going to start another job for Him after I retire from teaching this spring.  I have found four houses that feel like the right one…and made offers …but each one fell through for some reason.  I feel strongly in my heart that they were not the house he meant for me because I prayed for God to mess up any deal that was not the right one. I admit I was discouraged a bit after the last deal fell through…but now I am confident that the timing is just not right…God needs to teach me something else as the time gets closer to the move.

 

Father...thank you for the reminder that no problem is too big for you to handle.  Thank you for the confirmation that you are the biggest thing that exists in my world…and I need to trust in you alone for everything I need. Forgive me for ever doubting the promises that you have made to me.  Help me to meditate on the verse you gave me so long ago in Jeremiah 29:11 that says… “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope for your future.”  Amen.

 

Attitude Is Key In The Rituals We Choose To Build Our Faith

Zechariah 7:5-6 - “When you return to Bethel, say to all your people and your priests, ‘During those seventy years of exile when you fasted and mourned in August and October, were you really in earnest about leaving your sins behind and coming back to me? No, not at all! And even now in your holy feasts to God, you don’t think of me, but only of the food and fellowship and fun.

 

Zechariah’s next word from God came in late November.  The Jews had sent a group of leaders to request a blessing from God…and ask God if the annual August fasting and mourning they did was still necessary now that they were home. The answer God gave through Zechariah is key to understanding how important attitude is in our worship of God…and the rituals we have adopted as necessary to our faith.

 

God pointed out how empty their rituals had become….a mere action to show obedience in a rule. Their attitude was not right when they came together to worship…to mourn…or too fast.  They only thought of the food and fellowship that they would enjoy...with no attitude of worship…or praise…or empathy for the reasons they were told to fast and worship in the first place.

 

I sure needed the reminder …I even fought writing this morning. We are out another day …roads in our area still impassible in some areas.  I have enjoyed a preview of what retired life might bring…rising later than my usual 5 o’clock…drinking my whole pot of coffee at the house. I admit that I have rested a little too much while I have been snowed in…complacency and selfish thoughts ruling my actions.

 

The thought that convicted me the most revolves around a fast I started 4 years ago. I stopped eating beef and pork to ask God to save two students that I realized were lost.  I realized one afternoon while discussing religion with the Academic team members I was working with that they were lost in the false teachings of the cultures they were raised in.

 

True fasting should take our focus off ourselves for the time we fast…and concentrate our hearts on God. The moments that we are reminded what we are giving up should remind us to pray for the reason we chose to fast in the first place. In my case….the fast has gone on for so long that giving up those meats doesn’t trigger my vow to pray for them as much anymore.  I have looked for so many substitutes…that I become complacent in my passion to see them saved.

 

That’s exactly what God was telling these Jews through Zechariah.  God wants our attitude to match the ritual we have chosen to help us strengthen our faith.  God does not want the ritual to become more important than Him. He doesn’t want me to fast…just because I said I would 3 years ago.  He wants me to honor the reason I chose to fast…to pray for these two with more fervor…to increase the rigor of my prayers even….becoming more humble in the process.  If I apply this concept to all the rituals I have developed through the years to strengthen my walk with God….I build humility and become more service oriented…I think less about my own needs and more about what  I can do for others.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that fasting and the other rituals I choose to build my faith require an attitude of worship and love for you. Forgive me for letting my promise become so meaningless and weak. Renew in me this morning a passion to these two saved…and increase my prayers for them when I am tempted with the foods I chose to fast. Renew my heart with a passion to become less and less of me….so more of you can show to others.  Amen.

Obedience Is Key To Sharing God's Love

Zechariah 6:14-15 -  “Then put the crown in the Temple of the Lord, to honor those who gave it—Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and also Josiah.  These three who have come from so far away represent many others who will someday come from distant lands to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. And when this happens, you will know my messages have been from God, the Lord Almighty. But none of this will happen unless you carefully obey the commandments of the Lord your God.”

 

Zechariah’s vision continued as he saw 4 chariots that were pulled by colored horses.  The angel told him that they represented the 4 Heavenly spirits that patrolled the earth… executed God’s judgment and quieted his anger.  Then he told him to have a crown made out of the silver and gold that 3 faithful men had brought back from Babylon with them.  It was to be put on Joshua’s head so he could represent the ‘branch’ that was coming after him to rule both earth and spirit.

 

His last words are the ones that stuck in my spirit this morning.  The angel said that the ‘branch’…the promised Messiah…could not come unless all the commandments of God were obeyed.  He rewarded the obedience of these three men and held them as an example of how he wanted all his people to be.

 

God loves us no matter what. He will never give up on a soul who has asked him to be their savior. But God’s plan for the world includes using us to help him accomplish the small things that lead up to his second coming. The angel was saying that obedience is key to understanding the plan of God and seeing it come to full completion.

 

Obedience is more than keeping the ten rules Moses was given on that mountain. Obedience is studying….praying…teaching...and stepping out on faith when we are given a task to do. It may be a small thing…like collecting some gold and silver to bring back form Babylon.  It may be a great thing…like wearing the crown of a nation to represent the Messiah that will come from your royal bloodline.  It may be something completely between the two like using your snowplow to clear a path in your tenant’s driveway….or taking hot chocolate and cookies to the men you see working outside in 12 plus inches of snow.

 

Obedience is how we can all share in wearing that crown of Joshua till Christ has everything else out in place to come back and rule this earth in peace and love forever. Read and study …every day….love with your hands and feet …everyday…pray for yourself and others….everyday….teach someone something about God….everyday….throw fear to the wind and use the Holy Spirit God placed inside us to have the courage to be obedient when we asked Him to be our Savior…everyday.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you placed a crown on my head the day I asked you to save me.  Forgive me for forgetting that the crown you placed there should represent.  Help me to clean it up a bit….and dust off the cobwebs and dirt that I let satan trick me into collecting on it. Clean out my ears to hear more of what you would have me to do with the resources you have placed in my hands.  Amen.

Pray For Those That Are Controlled By Evil

Zechariah 5:6-8 - “What is it?” I asked. He replied, “It is a bushel basket filled with the sin prevailing everywhere throughout the land.”  Suddenly the heavy lead cover on the basket was lifted off, and I could see a woman sitting inside the basket!  He said, “She represents wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and clamped down the heavy lid again.

 

How strange Zechariah’s vision must have seemed to him.  He saw flying scrolls with judgment words from God…and a flying basket that contained a woman who represented evil. How comforted he must have been to have the angel standing next to him push that lid back on that basket.

 

Zechariah’s world looked much like the world I see every day….especially if I take the time to read the paper …or watch the news. Terrorism to Christians living in some lands….organizations like ISIS rising up to persecute others…human trafficking in cities here in our own US. The list of evils that are allowed to be for a time on this Earth is mindboggling to me.

 

I truly have no real clue what it is like in some nations….for I can turn the news off…and choose to never pick up a paper. I can hide in my sweet little town in Kentucky…occasionally hearing of a murder…or robbery…or abuse…or drugs. I can’t say that I have ever read about a persecution like ISIS pulled off here in my hometown.

 

Perhaps I should not hide from it so much…for if I know about it…I can spend a few minutes in prayer asking God to comfort….strengthen….protect the ones that must live where evil is the worst. Even if I don’t read about…or watch news casts of the specifics of an evil act…I can take more time in general thanking God that He gives His angels the ability to shut the heavy lid of evil and contain it to some places.

 

One comfort I am reminded of is that God removed the power of sin and evil when he sacrificed himself on that cross. He won the victory over death and evil and offer all of us a way to live with him forever in perfect peace and love with him some day in heaven.  The last part of Revelation tells us that he is even coming back to set up an earthly kingdom where evil has been completely eliminated for a time before he ends this world.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are in complete control of evil and will only allow it for a time. Forgive me for my selfish attitude and lack of prayer for others that love you…who live in aras where evil is not contained. Send down a few extra angels this morning to this that suffer because they claim to know you…and are persecuted for it.  Prepare a special place in Heaven for those that die a martyr’s death. Give me a reminder each day to spend a few minutes in prayer for those I do not know….but suffer every day of their lives because they have accepted you into their hearts.  Amen.

NOT By Might...NOT By Power...But BY GOD'S SPIRIT

Zechariah 4:6 -7 -   Then he said, “This is God’s message to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty—you will succeed because of my Spirit, though you are few and weak.’  Therefore no mountain, however high, can stand before Zerubbabel! For it will flatten out before him! And Zerubbabel will finish building this Temple with mighty shouts of thanksgiving for God’s mercy, declaring that all was done by grace alone.”

 

Zechariah’s vision turned real life as the angel woke him up. He saw a lampstand with seven lamps …but he had no clue what meaning it held…or what message God was giving him for the people.  So God gave it to him in plain language….  “NOT by might…NOT by power…but by GOD’s SPIRIT.” 

 

It is a reminder of the great power we have when we believe in Christ.  We never have to worry if we have enough strength…or power to complete a job he gave us to do.  His spirit takes control of our spirit and the result is a supernatural ability to move mountains with the tiniest amounts of faith. 

 

He gives us one more clue in verse 10…it says…“Do not despise this small beginning, for the eyes of the Lord rejoice to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. For these seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that see everywhere around the world.”  God doesn’t always start out our tasks with giant steps that move quickly.  He prefers to watch the process of change in our heart in small increments.  I love the way the notes in my LAB said it… “God rejoices in what is his….not what is big.”

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you gave me your spirit when you took up residence in my heart. Forgive me for always trying to do things without it…and trying to use my own might and power. Help me to always remember that my greatest accomplishments are done completely in your spirit.  Help me remember that even though what I am given to do may seem small and insignificant to me….it is a small beginning that you ordained. Help me trust in you and give you praise for the small beginnings…so that you can use them to change this stubborn …selfish heart to a more humble one that relies more on you.  Amen.

The Gift Of Grace And Mercy

Zechariah 3:6-8 -    Then the Angel of the Lord spoke very solemnly to Joshua and said, “The Lord Almighty declares: ‘If you will follow the paths I set for you and do all I tell you to, then I will put you in charge of my Temple, to keep it holy; and I will let you walk in and out of my presence with these angels. Listen to me, O Joshua the High Priest, and all you other priests, you are illustrations of the good things to come. Don’t you see?—Joshua represents my servant the Branch whom I will send.

 

Zachariah’s vision continues as the angel showed him Joshua being accused of all the sin in his life by satan.  Every accusation was true…but God chose to show mercy and remove all the sin in his life.  He even dressed him in a clean white garment and turban.  Then he charged Joshua to try and follow God for the rest of his life…so he could continue the branch of Judah that would eventually produce the Messiah.

 

It paints such a vivid picture of the way God forgives all of us with his mercy and grace.  It is nothing that we do in ourselves.  He grants us the grace and saving power of his son Jesus Christ who sacrificed his life as the perfect atonement for all sin. Everyone that believes in Him and repents of their sin can be washed as white as the new fallen snow.  We become the branch of Jesus to share his love with others.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are a God of grace and mercy. Thank you for saving me from my many sins. Forgive me for forgetting that I when I took on your name…I became a model of your love to others. Help me to always model for them the grace and mercy you gave to me. Amen.

Conviction....A Key Component Of Faith

Zechariah 2:5-7 -   For the Lord himself will be a wall of fire protecting them and all Jerusalem; he will be the glory of the city. “Come, flee from the land of the north, from Babylon,” says the Lord to all his exiles there; “I scattered you to the winds, but I will bring you back again. Escape, escape to Zion now!” says the Lord.

 

Zechariah was in the midst of a great vision from God.  He had seen all kinds of prophetic things…from horse to riders…to animal horns and blacksmiths. God had even given him an angel to explain what had seen.  God was telling him to encourage the people who had built a life for themselves in Babylon to go home.  He wanted them to know that wherever he sent them he would be their wall of protection… for them to step out on faith and let go of all that he had allowed to make them comfortable…for many of them had required great wealth while they were there….and trust God to make it even better when they returned to the land he had promised Jacob so long ago.

 

This message is so personal for me this morning…I sit with so many tears of thanks and joy and bittersweet tears of great memories that I am having a hard time seeing the keys to type. I have prayed for so long for some kind of confirmation that God really is allowing me to retire and move back home…that moving was not just some dream of my own.  Then I read this last night…and that quiet whisper in my ear said … “here you go….just trust me.”

 

It’s hard for me because God has not shown me even a glimpse at why I get to do this.  I can conjecture to the moon and back on my own…but I want to do this one right…and wait on his door to open…to be so sure that this is the new season that God is calling me to.  It will be a complete step on faith to let go of a well paying job…to downsize my known income two thirds less than I am accustomed to. He hasn’t revealed the right house for me to live in…and has only hinted at what part time jobs he may ask me to do when I get there.

 

I guess that is how the disciples felt when they were called from their fishing jobs. The story in Matthew 4 says that he saw them….told them to follow him…and become fishers of men.  He gave them no other directions….did not reveal how they would provide for themselves at all. But they just dropped their nets and went with him.

 

I have read that verse about faith in Hebrews 11:1 many times.   It says…. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  The conviction part hit me last night…and is confirmed as I write this morning. I am as sure of this as I am the love God has shown to me since I was born.

 

Father…thank you for the confirmation that you gave me a promise a few years back that is finally coming to pass.  Forgive me for all the whining I have done and letting the doubts that satan planted become a stumbling block to getting ready for the task you have planned or me. Give me a new strength and courage to begin my preparations to move.  Show me exactly what to tack with me…and what to do with it when I get there.   Amen.

Break Every Chain

Zechariah 1:2-4 - The Lord Almighty was very angry with your fathers. But he will turn again and favor you if only you return to him. Don’t be like your fathers were! The earlier prophets pled in vain with them to turn from all their evil ways. “Come, return to me,” the Lord God said. But no, they wouldn’t listen; they paid no attention at all.

 

Zechariah was called to help encourage the remnant of returning Jews to break the cycle of disobedience and sin their fathers had established with God.  These few people….who had somehow managed to stay faithful…had to rebuild the Temple and strengthen the faith that had grown so weak while in captivity.

 

It is very hard for me to imagine growing up with a father who was lacking faith.  I was so privileged to be raised by a Godly family.  He taught me to love God…to tithe…to pray…to study….and to share that love with others whenever I got the chance. But these people….and many in the world around me are not so honored.   

 

Zechariah reminds me that God can break the cycle of sin in any family history. No matter what you are involved in…no matter what you were taught as a child….no matter how evil you have become…God can break the chains and deliver you from sin.  Allowing that chain to remain in place only weakens the faith you have…or are developing.

 

The first step in breaking that chain is believing in the forgiving power of God.  Once you believe…he can come into your life and wash that sin right out of your life. He can help you transform your old self into a new creature...free of any chain you had when you accepted Him into your life.

 

I love that song written by William Reagan and sung by Tasha Cobbs and Jesus Culture.  She begins it by reminding us that there I power in the name of Jesus. It can break every chain that has kept us from realizing in the fullness of His plan for our life. Believe…repent…and accept His power into your life to complete whatever he has called you to do.

 

Father…thank you for reminding me that any chain I have allowed to bind me from your power and transforming forgiveness can be dissolved from my life with a simple request to you.  Forgive me for living with any of those chains…and not recognizing how they are holding me back.  Help me to wake each day asking you to bind the chains that are trying to wrap around the faith that you have developed in me so far. Help me realize the full power of your love in my life.  Amen.

 

 

 

 

http://youtu.be/EtyVdC7E6Wo

 

 

What Shape Is Your Temple?

Haggai 2:3-5 – “Who among you can remember the Temple as it was before? How glorious it was! In comparison, it is nothing now, is it?  But take courage, O Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people; take courage and work, for I am with you, says the Lord Almighty.  For I promised when you left Egypt that my Spirit would remain among you; so don’t be afraid.

 

The people had obeyed God and began to rebuild the Temple as God had asked. As it neared completion God had Haggai ask them to consider the Temple in its former glory. He did not want them to lose heart because it was not the exact replica of the one Solomon had built. He told them that he wanted them to have courage….to work hard….and know that God was going to help them make it just the perfect place for them to worship.

 

My first thought was to think of the Temple that I ask God to come live in when I was 14.  I stopped working on it some time ago…and let it get very out of shape.  I added several pounds of fat eating the wrong foods….and never taking time to exercise.  My Temple is not very healthy now…and needs to be remodeled. It has been ignored long enough for diabetes….high blood pressure….high cholesterol…and  arthritis to begin to cause me health problems.

 

To be honest with you…the realization came around thanksgiving last year.  I knew I could not do anything on my own …so I signed up to take part in a group studying a book called the Daniel Plan. It has helped me begin a journey to better health…and a healthier temple for God to live in.  It has been hard work to change my entire lifestyle…eat more fruits and veggies…watch my portions…give up sugar…cook with natural ingredients…and exercise.

 

I am well on my way…the 10 pounds I have lost motivates me to continue…but I struggle daily with making all the changes I need too….especially the exercise.   I needed the reminder that God is with me through these changes I need to make.  He will give me the courage and strength I need to keep motivated and continue to change the way I eat and be more active.  He did not promise to make it any easier….but somehow the knowledge that he is helping me gives me a new focus to keep trying.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you will help us with any task you give us to do.  Forgive me for the times I have forgotten to include you in my strength training….and failed to invite you to the table where I nourish the Temple you gave me.  Help me to focus on you more closely and let you be my trainer in this task of rebuilding the Temple that I let get out of whack. Amen.

God Should be Priority One

Haggai 1:3-6 -  Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai:  “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”  Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

 

Haggai was called during the time of rebuilding.  The people had returned from captivity and put all their efforts into rebuilding their fine homes and farms.  The temple laid unfinished….God placed second on the priority list because of fear….because their faith had been weakened by a lack of worship.

 

They were working harder than they ever had…but never seemed to make any progress in their lives. No matter what material possessions they gathered around them….or how many successful crops they planted…they felt like they had nothing.  And they never realized the problem until God sent Haggai to speak these words.

 

It reminds me how quickly we can get our priorities mixed up when we leave God out of our lives…even for a moment. If we run to fast…giving in to the high demands of life around us…trying to be super people and do all of it without God…we simply run out of fuel.  If we cut everything out of our lives ….and have too little to do…we fade into a dark place of no purpose.  I have been both places…and neither of them are good for us….because neither of them includes a strong relationship with God.

 

God comes first….that is the answer to a fulfilled... purpose driven…servant oriented life.  If God is placed at the center like it says in Matthew 6:23…then God sees to it that we have everything else we need. Abundant life doesn’t always mean overflowing pocketbook or closet or even pantry.  Abundant life means that your heart is so overstuffed with God that the material things…..the earthly things just don’t seem important any more.

 

One last thought.  Just because I obey one thing God told me to do doesn’t mean that God is first place.  His thoughts should rule everything I do. I can’t say that because I spend time with him in study at night and writing devotionals in the morning that I have it all covered. That may get me started on the right path each day…and close my day thinking of God….but there is at least 14 other hours left in my day… that is if I get my 8 hours of sleep that day.  Those 14 hours are supposed to be focused on him too.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are to be first place in all I choose to do…every hour of each day that you grant me. Forgive me for all the hours I have not had my priorities in the right order. Show me how to order the things I do so they are more pleasing to you. Help me today to keep you in focus all day long so you can use me more to share your love with others. Amen.

Help Usher In God's Perfect Love

Zephaniah 3:11-12 - On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the LORD.

Zephaniah had been talking to the nations around Judah and Israel that had corrupted her….but now he turned his words directly to the people who had let their hearts become so hardened they refused to listen to God anymore. It’s one thing to be tricked into sin…but they had built up so much pride …they didn’t even recognize God’s voice of judgment.  There was just a few that heard his voice and wanted to change.

 

The proud would be destroyed…and the meek and humble would be shown how to repent and soften their hearts.  They would listen and learn how to become a faith filled nation that obeyed God completely. They would get to usher in the Messiah …who would model for all how to let love rule their hearts.

 

Verse 12 is the key to ushering that permanent time of peace and unity for all mankind.  Humbleness is the key to understanding the love that God wanted for all of us when he sacrificed his son on that cross. Jesus was tempted to become proud and begin his earthly kingdom early….but he knew that his father had a plan that included a bit of pain….so he could bring all people peace in the end.

 

None of us know the date that perfect time of peace will begin.  My heart wants to believe that God listens to a new prayer every day that extends his coming…so that more people can understand his love…so that less people will be destroyed forever with satan in that lake of fire.  I have also heard the prayers of some that pray for him to come quickly…they just can’t bear the suffering and evil anymore.

 

I admit that I do not always do my part to spread the gospel to those that need to hear it.  My prayers are concentrated on my own selfish needs…or my family….or the many friends he has blessed me with. I am so glad he reminded me today that I need to ask him daily to teach me more about his perfect love. Maybe I will even get a chance to share what I learn with someone else.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that your perfect love will grow inside me if I allow you to power the way I act and feel each day.   Forgive me for allowing satan to trick me in any way…and cause my heart to harden with pride and complacency.  Help me today to look to you to power everything I do and say…so that I can more opportunities to share your love with others. Amen.

Always Mix Prayer With Humility...Repentance...And Friends

Zephaniah 2:2-3 -  Gather together and pray, you shameless nation,  while there still is time—before judgment begins and your opportunity is blown away like chaff; before the fierce anger of the Lord falls and the terrible day of his wrath begins. Beg him to save you, all who are humble—all who have tried to obey. Walk humbly and do what is right; perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you from his wrath in that day of doom.

 

Zephaniah had just delivered the harsh words of judgment to Judah…but he tempered them with these words of hope for change. He told them to gather….to pray…to repent….and to humble themselves before God.  He told them that these things might just change God’s mind before it was too late.

 

God wanted desperately to keep his promise to Jacob.  God wanted to leap a remnant of those who believed in him alone to continue to work his master plan of salvation for all. God knew that most of the people were too far into the culture of the day to change and repent…but he could feel the prayers of the few that never wanted to live that way in the first place. 

 

The Bible teaches in Matthew 18:20 that gathering together with three or more people to ask God for anything gets his attention. And in other places God changed his mind with just one powerful prayer warrior…like Moses….or David….or Paul. Zephaniah just added two other important keys to answered prayer….repentance….and humility.

 

One last thought.  Zephaniah did not tell them that the doom would be completely stopped.  He said that God would protect them from it.  We are stuck with evil for just a while longer.  God allows it in our world for reasons beyond our understanding.  But if we gather together…and pray for his guidance and will…he will protect us from the evil that messes with his will for our walk with him.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you will always answer the prayers of those that seek you in gathered groups. Forgive me for the times I have offered meaningless prayers on my own…or failed to repent and be completely humble before I prayed. Help me to seek out your will…and always pray like Jesus….asking you for what I want...but always realizing it may not be within your will. Amen.

Complacency Is A Dangerous Emotion

Zephaniah 1:8-9 -  “On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice I will punish the officials and the king’s sons
and all those clad in foreign clothes.  On that day I will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold,
who fill the temple of their gods with violence and deceit.

 

God gave Zephaniah the hard words of his judgment.  He was going to sweep away everything in all the land….man and animal…..all the ones who had worshipped any other god….especially Baal.  He told them to stand in awe…that judgment was coming.  It would be the darkest time they had known…a terrible day of gloom…desolation and weeping…that they would be helpless to do anything about.

 

God knew the heart of these people…that they would not repent.  They had allowed the nations around them to water down their beliefs. They had become polytheistic…. taking on a god for every need they had. Yahweh had become a part of their collection…not a part of their heart.  They had become indifferent…developing a complacency that caused them doubt God or declare their unbelief of him all together.

 

It is a reminder to me to never hold anything more important than God.  If I do…I run the risk of that ‘thing’ becoming an idol to me.  If I allow my heart to believe in anything as much or more as I believe in God…then I too might become indifferent…complacent….watered down in my beliefs.

 

I will admit that I have been in that spot before. Years ago…when I had prayed for God to fix my first marriage…I stopped going to church.  He wasn’t answering me in what I thought was a reasonable time…so I stopped praying…stopped reading my Bible…stopped hanging out with people who always talked about how great God was to them. I became indifferent.  I gave up on God and my marriage.

 

Here the great thing about God.  He used the divorce to lead me back to him. I remember going to church the Sunday after I drove away from that house…it lifted me and gave me courage and comfort. God never left me…even though I left him. He has taught me since that I simply cannot do without him. Each day with God has been a new lesson in how to change and transform all the mess I created when I tried to do things on my own.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need you to be in complete control of my life.  Forgive me for the times that I have left you altogether…or tried to mix your love with other things.  Help me to love you more and more each day so I will never be comfortable leaving you behind again.  Help me to identify the things in my life that make me complacent or indifferent to anything you need me to do. Amen.

Confidence = Taking Our Eyes Off Our Difficulties...And Looking To God

Habakkuk 3:1-3 -  A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth. Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran.  His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth.

Habakkuk was so humbled by God’s answer that he began to praise God in awe and wonderment.  He gave thanks to God for his answer…even though it involved waiting for the best part….even though the waiting period was going to be filled with trial and pain. He prayed for God to just make his glory known in his time and watched as his vision gave him a glimpse of the glory of God in that moment.

Habakkuk’s happiness was not controlled by what happened around him. It was controlled by his complete faith in God alone.  His faith powered the hope he needed to wait patiently for God to keep his word….and bring an end to the evil he saw around him.  He listed every act of destruction he could think of…then made the faith filled declaration that he would rejoice no matter what. 

Habakkuk understood the secret of finding contentment in amid a storm of problems and a future of chaos.  He rejoiced in God as is savior and let God do all the worrying for him.  He trusted in the future of God’s promise…and accepted God’s unseen timeline of when it would happen.  He let God be his strength. He let faith power the hope he needed to get through the hardest stuff.

I admit that I needed this reminder last night. My problems are so puny compared to those around me…. I tend to let my spirit be sucked away by the pity party that forms….until God collides me with someone who has problems beyond my scope of understanding.  I need to learn to thank and praise him for all he has done…and stop thinking at all about the small things that are bothering me.  If I take my eyes off my difficulties and look up to God…he will give me the answers that  need as I praise him. He will add in an extra dose of confidence as well.

Father….thank you for the reminder that you are in control.  No matter what happens in my life…I can never forget the great things you have already done for me. Forgive me for letting the world suck me into that all to frequent pity party.  Help me to focus my heart and soul and mind and spirit constantly on  you so I can use your strength to power through the waiting time ….till your next promise is fulfilled in my life. Amen.