Things God Hates.

Scripture: Proverbs 6

16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:

17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,

18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,

19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

Observation:

Each of these things that the LORD hates have the potential to harm other people. Some more than others, but it is clear that the things that God hates are the things that cause people to inflict pain and suffering on others, and usually the innocent.

Application:

I know that I should avoid all of these things, though I know that I have done some of them before and will likely do some of them again. More than that I should avoid the attitude that I am more important than the people around me. This attitude is the source of all these actions that God hates. Instead I should have the attitude of Jesus:

Who, being in very nature^[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature^[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness. (Philippians 2:6-7)

Prayer:

Jesus teach me to have your attitude and think nothing of myself. Help me to choose to serve other people today. Amen.

Working too hard

Scripture: Romans 3

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Observation:

After Jesus humans now can be right with God apart from following the rules described in OT law. Faith in Jesus is all it takes. Everyone regardless of their past can be forgiven and made right with God. All for free. There is nothing that we can do in ourselves to earn it, Jesus already did it all.

Application:

It’s funny to me how I still try to earn God’s favor. I should know better at this point. However I still find myself thinking that if only I could do this better that somehow I would manage to impress God with what I have done. Or that if I could only stop doing something, then that would make God happy with me. The truth is when God looks at me, He sees what I am through the work of Jesus. God sees me as righteous.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you that I am right with You because of what You did on the cross. Help me to live my life as a response to your love. Amen.

Before the End Comes the Deception

Scripture:

Matthew 24:4 -8 and 26 – 28 and 24 and 25

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,^[a]‘ and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains. So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time. (NIV)

 

Observation:

In today’s reading we are reminded of the end times and what is connected with them – deception. The warnings presented here by Jesus are in response to the question: “When will the end of the age happen?” Jesus first response is: “Watch out that no one deceives you!” Deception is the key principle here. Many will come claiming to be Christ. They may not say; they are Jesus, but that they are Messiah, Savior, the Answer, the Way, the Hope, the Wisdom. Today there are many who claim their way is the best way and their god is the god to follow and dedicate your life too. Sometimes they speak of the power of self and the ability to create within yourself, without God anything you desire. During this time (and that time may well be now) people will say; “we have seen the Christ, come and see Him too!” People in their desire to be saved, to have prosperity, to be delivered and to have it go well with them, may believe and gravitate to finding and following just about anyone. This is not someone sharing their thoughts and assumptions; this is Jesus warning us of the deceptive power of promising hope and peace to people who are desperate for it. This is Jesus saying, “others can fake the power of God and perform miracles – but don’t be impressed.

Application:

The warning is clear that even the strong can be brought away and even those who hunger for God can follow the “false food” of others. In this time of many voices, many promises, we should quickly use discernment and not even gravitate to seeing and learning what these false teachers are offering. What we need to do is know the truth and understand when Jesus comes, He won’t set up shop and take us on a journey to the desert. He will come and we won’t know when. Our assignment is to be ready for His return and not be driven like the vultures to having something satisfy them in their need but to have Jesus be our source and power and strength even until the end of the age.

 

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, help me to encourage others to stay close to you and follow you. Help all of us to never wander and cut and run from the calling we have to be your faithful followers. No matter what the future brings, may we stay close to you and never be lead astray. In your name and by your power, Amen

 

 

Practice what I preach

Scripture: Matthew 23

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

5“Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries^[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’

8“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Observation:

The problem that pharisees had was simple. They would tell the people what God wanted them to do, and then they did not do it themselves. Jesus was always willing to do what He told others they should do. To add to this, they were not just hypocrites, they were prideful and wanted to be seen a great by other people.

Application:
If I want to been seen as great by God then I need to not care about what others think about me. If I want to be great then I need to serve others even if no one will ever know about. And if I’m willing to tell others how God wants them to live their lives, then I need to be able to live it out myself.

Prayer:
God, help me to be great in Your eyes. Help me to serve others so that Your glory would be known to them. Let my life honor You. Amen.

Example of Jesus

Matthew 4:23

Jesus traveled thought Galilee teaching in the Synagogues, preaching everywhere the Good News about the kingdom. And he healed people who had every kind of sickness and disease.

O: Jesus was a amazing man. It is remarkable that he came to earth and lived as we do. He was tempted by the devil and yet never sinned. He was persecuted against and only asked God to forgive them for they didn’t know what they were doing. He had such a loving heart to let the blind see and the lame to walk. What an example he is to us.

A: This passage reminds me that Jesus was sent here to be an example for us, to show us how to live our lives. That my purpose in life is to be an example to non believers. That i should be loving towards all people and forgive those who hurt me. To be a servant and help those in need and less fortunatethen me. Also, to spred the Good News of our Heavenly Father to all people. This verse also makes me feel so greatful that our Lord would send His only Son to die a cruel deth so we could live in eternity with him. He knew that we would sin and mess up but his  Mercy lets us start again. Its humbaling to me that i need to always trust the Lord with every area of my life and let him be the leader.

P: Thank You Lord. Thank you for sending your Son to die for us. Thank you for sending him to earth to be an example of how we should live our lives and be the sacrifice for our sins. Help me Lord to always give everything I have to you and for your glory. To preach the good news to people and be a good example for them. To be loving towards all who enter my life. Thank you Lord for your mercy and forgiveness I love you so much. Thank you for others you have brought into my life Lord and people at my Church that are good leaders to me and keep me accountable to you. Please be with them Lord and bless them for there loving hearts. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

What do I really need?

Scripture: Matthew 10:7-10

As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.

Observation:

The call to me is still the same. As I go I am to be proclaiming the Kingdom of God through the work of Jesus. Jesus is clear that we are not to get caught up with having stuff, or in trusting in what we have to provide for ourselves. Those who follow Jesus are to trust God to be the one to meet their needs, however it applies in their own life context.

Application:
I often try to help out God. I’m not the first though. Back in Genesis Abraham thought that God needed some help in providing him a child. This caused Abraham nothing but trouble. In the same way when I try to give God a hand with my needs more often than not I screw things up. God allows me to partner with Him, but I have to trust Him and let Him do things His way

Prayer:
God help me to trust you! I don’t want to make my own plans because your are better. Guide my path. Amen.

One of the sick.

Scripture:

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:11-12)

Observation:

Jesus came for the the sick, the broken, and the sinner. When He was telling this to the Pharisees He also told them to think on the phrase “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” The heart of God is not in those who give things up for God, but for those who have mercy on other people. Jesus came to have mercy on a broken humanity.

Application:

It is easy for me to look at a verse like this one and think: “Yes I need to have mercy on those poor sinful people.” The truth is, when I really look at myself, that I am one of the sick. Jesus came to be my doctor because I could not heal myself.

Today I’m just glad for that.

Prayer:

God thank you that You loved me enough to send your Son because I was sick and broken. Although I don’t deserve Your mercy, You gave anyway. Help me to have the same attitude.

Making a Statement

Scripture: Matthew 3:1-5

1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’ “^[a]

4John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

Observation:

I love John the Baptist. The guy knew what he was doing, he was no fool. John came from a family that was the priests of Israel, they were the ones who performed the sacrifices in the temple that provided the people with forgiveness from their sins.

When John, who was from a priestly family, when into the wilderness and began to baptize people for forgiveness he was intentionally providing an alternative to the temple. He was making a statement to the corrupt people running the temple that God was providing a new means of forgiveness. He came to lay the groundwork for the coming of Jesus.

Application:

We have to be ready when God wants to do a new thing in our lives. In Johns day many could not accept the idea that God would get rid of His temple and the system of animal sacrifice for forgiving sin. Today often we set up our own holy traditions that have little to do with the Word of God. It could be a style of clothing we expect to see at church, a certain type of music, or the color of the paint on the walls but it all is Biblically irrelevant. It could be a habit that we don’t want to give up, even one that is not forbidden in the Bible, that distracts us from following God. If we put anything before God, it is an idol, and eventually God will want us to deal with it and get rid of it. When God wants us to change, we need to be ready to change.

Prayer:

God help me to be a part of what you are doing in my life today. Help me to see what you are doing and to accept it and move with your Spirit. Amen.

On a Mission to Worship

Scripture: Matthew 2:11 “On coming to the house, they [the Magi] saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.”

Observation: The Magi were so eager to seek out Christ and when they found him, they worshipped him AND gave him precious gifts. The mere presence of Christ, by its very nature, evokes a sense of awe and reverance. Along with that is the pouring out of gifts unto the Lord as an act of worship.

Application: Do I come into worship with the reality that I am in the presence of the Most High? I need to silence myself and take the seriousness of worship to the next level in my life — I need to spend more time focusing and praying as I come into a time of worship so I can really give Him my all, as He deserves.

Prayer: Father, I ask that you would forgive me for not revering you anywhere close to what you deserve lately. Help me to seek you and to truly worship and praise you and NOT to put my own feelings, thoughts and distractions first. ~Amen

Fight the Fight - Be Humble

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (New Living Translation); “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.”

The battle for our hearts and minds gets deeper and more intense all the time.  All types of people are weighing in on there views of morality, godliness, faith and religion. Our children are being hit hard with new views of life and rejection to parenting, moral standards and more. Rebellion is high - a sense of entitlement runs high as well. God is no longer the main focus but simply a crutch, or a person many can take or leave.

Paul tells the Corinthian church that while “we are human, we don’t wage war as humans do” (v.1) He says that we use God’s mighty weapons. You cannot fight fire with nothing, or with additional fuel. Fire is fought with water, strategic lines being drawn (fire break) and special formuals designed to fight fire. Relying on wisdom or experience alone, is not the proper weapon.  Prayer, faith, intercession, worship, scripture, unity and more are all the weapons we are called to utilize to combat the enemy of our soul. 
One key weapon is humility. This may seem odd, but think about it, humility is a key weapon that the enemy cannot get his hooks into. If God resists the proud, we do not want Him to resist us but rather embrace us. When we get proud, we move into battle on our own. Paul summarized humility in Philippians as he spoke of Jesus and His heart;
“Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead He gave up His divine privileges, he took the humble position of a slave…” (Phil. 2:6-7 NLT)

APPLICATION:

We must move into a place where we do not tolerate the enemy or become immuned to his ways, but resist him and fight him at every turn. One of the keys is to be humble. Arrogance has no place on the spiritual battlefield. 

Humility is birthed out of a grateful heart. 

It is the result of a deep love, a broken spirit, and a clean heart. Humilty submits to God’s plan and allows us to recieve the tools He has for us in battle. The humble pray, seek God’s face and put their trust in God. These facets of warfare are often missed.  Staying open to the spirit, reading God’s word and a willingness to run the race and not give up are essential to our warfare.  We can win as we do not give the enemy place and allow our hearts to be humble. 

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, the battles I face in this season are not faced alone - you are with me. May your will be done in me - right here, as it is in heaven. May you remind me that warfare is not carnal, not with fists but with faith. Faith lived in and through a humble heart. I pray to you, the greatest warrior of all, who fought to win my salvation and did it with a humble heart. Amen.

OBSERVATION: