| Archive - September 2007 PreparationPosted Sep-28-07 05:41:10 PDT These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the desert east of the Jordan . . . in the 40th year, on the first day of the 11th month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them.
Deuteronomy 1:1,3
The Israelites spent 40 years on a journey that should have lasted 11 days. It was not the distance that stood between them and the promised land, it was the condition of their hearts. God's purpose went deeper than simply transporting a huge group of people to a new land. He was preparing them to live in obedience to him once they arrived. What good was the promised land if the Israelites were just as wicked as the nations already living there? The journey was a painful but necessary part of their preparation. Through it God taught the Israelites who he was: the living God, the leader of their nation. He also taught them who they were: people who were fallen, sinful, prone to rebellion and doubt. He gave his rebellious people the law to help them understand how to relate to God and to other people. Your spiritual journey may be lengthy, and you may face pain, discouragement, and hardships. But remember that God isn't just trying to keep you alive, he is transporting you to an entirely different place, he is leading you on a journey that will take you to new knowledge and a new revelation in Him. Every one of us has gone through a spiritually dry season in which we question everything we have every done and everything God has promised to do. But as we progress along that journey, God will ultimately restore our faith and strengthen our testimony.
God Bless you,
JH ListenPosted Sep-27-07 05:54:45 PDT I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this rebuke.
Habakkuk 2:1
The watchmen and a watchtower, often used by the prophets to show an attitude of expectation, are pictures of Habakkuk's attitude of patient waiting and watching for God's response. Stone watchtowers were built on city walls or ramparts so that watchmen could see people (enemies or messengers) approaching their city while still at a distance. Watchtowers were also erected in vineyards to help guard the ripening grapes. Habakkuk wanted to be in the best position to receive God's message. We too, need to place ourselves in a position where we recognize God's presence in our lives and hear his message. Many people pray and pray for this person or that situation, but never sit still long enough to hear the answer. We pray a short prayer and then we are immediately off into our busy schedules to the next thing we have on our to-do list for the day, half-expecting heaven itself to open up as God reveals the answer to our prayers. But the Bible states that God speaks in a "still, small voice" that we must be trained to hear. God answers prayer on a daily basis in our lives, but some of us are just too busy to bother with hearing what He is saying.
God bless you,
JH God's PatiencePosted Sep-26-07 05:47:43 PDT The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.
Nahum 1:3
God is slow to get angry, but when he is ready to punish, even the earth trembles. Often people avoid God because they see "evildoers" in the world and hypocrites in the church. They see people professing one thing, and doing something completely different, and for many people "actions speak louder than words." What they do not realize is that because God is slow to anger, he gives his true followers ample time to share his love and truth with others. But judgment will come; God will not allow sin to go unchecked forever. When people wonder why God does not punish sin immediately, help them remember that if he did, none of us would be here. For we have all fallen short of the glory of God. We can all be eternally thankful that God gives people time to turn to him.
God Bless you,
JH He is Faithful!Posted Sep-25-07 06:08:50 PDT No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so you can stand up under it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
In a culture filled with moral depravity and sin-inducing pressures, Paul gave strong encouragement to the Corinthians about temptation. He said that wrong desires and temptations happen to everyone, so don't feel as if you've been singled out; others have resisted temptation, and so can you; any temptation can be resisted, because God will help you resist it. God helps to resist temptation by helping you recognize those people and situations that give you trouble, run from anything you know is wrong, choose to do only what is right, pray for God's help and seek friends who love God and offer help when you are tempted. Running from a tempting situation is your first step on the way to victory. You need to remember that the temptation is not the sin; it is the acting on the temptation that gives birth to sin. Temptation is a normal, natural course of life, but one that God is deeply invested in, and one in which God will come alongside you and aid you in times of trouble. He is faithful in all things.
God Bless you,
JH The Lord's FavorPosted Sep-24-07 05:57:51 PDT But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing with joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
Psalm 5:11-12
If there ever was a verse in the Book of Psalms that accurately described the love relationship between man and his Creator, it is this one. Joy comes from knowing Christ; from knowing that refuge is near in times of trouble. Favor of the Lord works as protection over our lives, and as such, it is sometimes not what happens to us, but what does not happen to us. Favor of the Lord often prevents certain things from coming against us. Even Job maintained the Lord's favor upon his life in spite of the fact that he went through a horrendous ordeal. His life was never in danger and Job maintained his faith in God. Despite our circumstances, we need to remember that our joy comes from above, and not in our daily circumstances. Our contentment comes from knowing Christ, not in how much money we make. The Favor of the Lord comes into our lives as a result of who He is, not who we are.
God bless you,
JH Mission: ImpossiblePosted Sep-21-07 05:56:02 PDT You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Matthew 5:43-45
Telling us not to retaliate, Jesus keeps us from taking the law into our own hands. By loving and praying for our enemies, we can overcome evil with good. The Pharisees interpreted Leviticus 19:18 as teaching that they should love only those who love in return, and Psalm 139:19-22 as meaning that they should hate their enemies. But Jesus says we are to love our enemies. If you love your enemies and treat them well, you will truly show that Jesus is Lord of your life. This is possible only for those who give themselves fully to God, because only he can deliver people from natural selfishness. We must trust the Holy Spirit to help us show love to those for whom we may not feel love. Showing love and feeling love are two wholly different things. Some people find it difficult to "fake it" and therefore refuse to even try. Jesus was not "faking it" when he asked God to forgive those who were in the process of cruxifying him. Even as he was in dire pain and agony, He extended his Love to those who truly did not deserve it. How can we not do the same under much less dramatic circumstances?
God Bless you,
JH Turn the Other CheekPosted Sep-20-07 06:02:20 PDT You have heard that it was said, "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth." But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Matthew 5:38-39
This is perhaps one of the toughest teachings of Jesus. God's purpose behind this law was an expression of Mercy. The law was given to judges and said, in effect, "makes the punishment fit the crime." It was not a guide for personal revenge. These laws were given to limit vengeance and help the court administer punishment that was neither too strict, nor too lenient. Some people, however, use this phrase to justify their vendettas against others. People still try to excuse their act of revenge by saying, "I was just doing to him what he did to me." When we are wronged, often our first reaction is to get even. Instead, Jesus said we should do good to those who wronged us! Our desire should not be to keep score, but to love and forgive. This is not a natural reaction-it is supernatural. Only God can give us the strength to love as He does. Instead of planning revenge, pray for those who hurt you.
God Bless you,
JH Read the Fine PrintPosted Sep-19-07 06:04:05 PDT See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another, daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be heartened by sins deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
Hebrews 3:12-14
Our hearts turn away from the living God when we stubbornly refused to believe Him. If we persist in our unbelief, God will eventually leave us alone in our sin. But God can give us new hearts, new desires, and new spirits. New life can be ours if we simply acknowledge Him. All this just for the asking; it doesn't get any easier than that. To prevent having an unbelieving heart, stay in fellowship with other believers, talk daily about your faith, be aware of the deceitfulness of sin (it attracts, but also destroys; you have to read the fine print), and encourage each other with love and concern. Lift each other up in times of trial, comfort one another. Raise each other up in prayer. Pray without ceasing. God will answer in His perfect time.
God Bless you,
JH A New BeginningPosted Sep-18-07 05:55:16 PDT For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity.
Jeremiah 29:11-14
We are all encouraged by a leader who stirs us to move ahead, someone who believes we can do the task he has given and who will be with us all the way. God is that kind of leader. He knows the future, and his plans for us are good and full of hope. As long as God provides our agenda and goes with us as we fulfill his mission, we can have boundless hope. This does not mean that we will be spared pain, suffering, or hardship, but that God will see us through to a glorious conclusion. God did not forget his people, even though they were captive in Babylon. He planned to give them a new beginning with a new purpose - to turn them into a new people. In times of deep trouble, it may appear as though God has forgotten you. But God may be preparing you, just as he did the people of Judah, for a new beginning with him at the center.
God Bless you,
JH The GiftPosted Sep-17-07 06:03:14 PDT He wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men - the testimony given in its proper time.
1 Timothy 2:4-6
Both Peter and Paul said that God wants all to be saved. This is not mean that all will be saved, because the Bible makes it clear that many reject Christ. The gospel message has a universal scope; it is not directed only to people of one race, one gender, or one national background. God loves the whole world and sent his son to save sinners. Never assume that anyone is outside of God's mercy or beyond the reach of his offer of salvation. We human beings are separated from God by sin, and only one person in the universe is our mediator and can stand between us and God and bring us together again - Jesus, who is both God and man. Jesus' sacrifice brought new life to all people. Jesus gave his life as a ransom for sin. A ransom was the price paid to release a slave from captivity. Jesus, our mediator, gave his life in exchange for ours. By his death, he paid our penalty for sin. He did that willingly, out of his complete love for you and me. There is nothing we did to deserve it. In fact, we have all done things that make us entirely undeserving of it. But it is already done; the sacrifice has been made. The only thing that remains to be seen is your reaction to it. How will you react to what God has done for you? Will you choose to accept his wonderful gift, or reject it? That is the question that at one time or another, all people must answer. By the grace of God, it took me 26 years to answer that question myself. I Thank God everyday that he gave me enough time to make the right decision.
God Bless you,
JH Trust in the LordPosted Sep-14-07 06:24:59 PDT Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love, and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Psalm 107:6-9
Lost, hungry, thirsty, and exhausted, these wanderers typify the Israelites in exile. But they also typify anyone who has not found satisfaction that comes from knowing God. Anyone who recognizes his or her own lostness can receive the offer of Jesus to satisfy these needs. Jesus is the Way, the Bread from Heaven, the Living Water, and the Giver of Rest. Have you received his life-giving offer? Once again, trust and faith have everything to do with this decision. If we find it difficult to trust God, it may be because people have exhausted our trust after breaking it time and again, after repeatedly hurting us, intentionally or not, and we have to realize that people are only human and they will ultimately disappoint us, even those who love us most will hurt us. We slowly realize, many times painfully, that our trust has been misplaced. But if God is who he says he is, he will not fail you, he will not disappoint you, he will always be there for you, and you will find that you can trust him unreservedly; you can trust him with anything, and you can trust him with your entire being.
God bless you,
JH FaithPosted Sep-13-07 06:07:03 PDT We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:6
Isaiah speaks of Israel straying from God and compares them to wandering sheep. Yet God would send the Messiah to bring them back into the fold. We have the hindsight to see and know the identity of the promised Messiah, who has come and died for our sins. But if we can see all that Jesus did and still reject him, our sin is much greater than that of the ancient Israelites who could not see what we have seen. Have you given your life to Jesus Christ, the "good Shepherd", or are you still like a wandering sheep? To devote your life fully to the Lord requires a leap of faith; to trust in Someone who you cannot see, but Someone you know is always present. Fear is a normal emotion that is brought about by the unknown. We naturally fear that which we don't understand. There is so much about God that we will never understand, that the only way anyone can trust Him fully is by faith. Once you step out in blind faith, God rewards you by building your faith through his overwhelming presence time and again.
God Bless you,
JH True LovePosted Sep-12-07 06:13:53 PDT My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:12-13
We are to love each other as Jesus loved us, and he loved us enough to give his life for us. We may not have to die for someone, but there are other ways to practice sacrificial love: listening, helping, encouraging, giving. Think of someone in particular who needs this kind of love today. Give all the love you can, then try to give a little more.
This command becomes very challenging to us when we have been wronged by someone we love; by someone who is supposed to love us in return. But we have to remember that Jesus placed no conditions within this command. He just says, "Love each other as I have loved you." When we are faced with loving others who have wronged us in some way, we have to remember that God chose us, and not the other way around. Then we have to ask ourselves, "Why does God love me? Was it something I did? Is it because I am so loveable?" The answer to both of the latter questions is an unequivocal "No." God loves us because it is His nature to do so. He loves us in spite of the fact that most of us act in ways that are considered "unlovable" by most. Yet, God continues to love us, in spite of everything. If we are to become more like Him, we must learn to love each other in the same way. Not because they deserve it, but because that is who God is and that is who God wants us to be.
God Bless you,
JH TrustPosted Sep-11-07 06:21:26 PDT He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
Psalm 147:3-5
When we trust in something, we like to think that our trust been well-placed. If we trust in people, it is because we have known them long enough and they have "earned" our trust. But, if we trust in people completely and often enough, we will always be let down. Always. Everyone on earth is human, therefore, they are all fallible and they all make mistakes. As well-intentioned as some people may be, as loving and caring as some people may be, if you hang around them long enough, they will let you down. You may kick yourself for ever trusting them in the first place. But you have to remember that they are, indeed, human. And you must extend to them the same grace and forgiveness that God extends to you on a daily basis. When you place your trust in something, let it be in something that is immovable, infallible, and never wavers. If you allow God to do His work in you, He will heal the hurt, comfort you in times of trial, and grant you Peace that surpasses all understanding.
God Bless you,
JH Unity of BelieversPosted Sep-10-07 06:11:51 PDT Updated Sep-10-07 06:13:44 PDT May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Except one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Romans 15:5-7
To accept Jesus' lordship in all areas of life means to share his values and his perspective. Just as we take Jesus' view on the authority of Scripture, the nature of heaven, and the resurrection, we are to have his attitude of love toward other Christians as well (have a "spirit of unity"). As we grow in faith and come to know Jesus better, we will become more capable of maintaining this attitude of loving unity throughout each day. That is our ultimate goal: "treat others as you want to be treated." The whole of the Great Commission can be found in this: to be humble, meek, and full of joy as a result of the hope that we have. That hope, which rises like a wellspring in us and through us, is the same hope that attracts others to the Jesus in us. Christ is the one who is opening the door so that others may walk through it.
God bless you,
JH The Power of ChoicePosted Sep-06-07 06:08:43 PDT This day, I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land.
Deuteronomy 31:19-20
Moses challenged Israel to choose life, to obey God, and therefore continue to experience his blessings. God does not force his will on anyone. He lets us decide whether to follow him or reject them. This decision, however, is a life or death matter. God wants us to realize this, for he would like us all to choose life. Daily, in each new situation, in each new set of circumstances, whether they are familiar circumstances or a brand new set, we must affirm and reinforce this commitment.
God Bless you,
J.H. Childlike FaithPosted Sep-05-07 06:13:02 PDT People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
Mark 10:13-16
Jesus was often criticized for spending too much time with the wrong people - children, tax collectors, and sinners. Some, including the disciples thought Jesus should be spending more time with important leaders and the devout, because this was the way to improve his position and avoid criticism. But Jesus did not need to improve his position. He was God, and he wanted to speak to those who needed him most.
Adults are not as trusting as little children. That's a fact. To feel secure, all children need is a loving look and gentle touch from someone who cares. Complete intellectual understanding is not one of the requirements. They believe us if they trust us. Jesus said that people should believe in him with this kind of childlike faith. We should not have to understand all the mysteries of the universe; it should be enough to know that God loves us and provides forgiveness for our sin. This does not mean that we should be childish or immature, but we should trust God with a child's simplicity and receptivity.
God Bless you,
JH Glory and HonorPosted Sep-04-07 06:29:51 PDT "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet." In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet, at present, we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Hebrews 2:6-9
God put Jesus in charge of everything, and Jesus revealed himself to us. We do not yet see Jesus as reigning on earth, but we can picture him in his heavenly glory. When you are confused by present events and anxious about the future, remember Jesus' true position and authority. He is Lord of all, and one day he will rule on earth as he does now in heaven. This truth can give stability to your decisions, day by day. God's grace to us lead Christ to his death. Jesus did not come into the world to gain status or political power, but to suffer and die so that we could have eternal life. If it is difficult for us to identify with Christ's servant attitude, perhaps we need to evaluate our own motives. Are we more interested in power or participation, domination or service, getting or giving? We need to each ask ourselves that very important question, and we need to be very honest with the answer.
God Bless you,
JH |
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