Believing and Living the Truth

Thoughts on 2 Peter 1:3-8 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Do we believe the truth state here? That God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. We often live like God has given us a started kit for life and godliness and we must develop and add to it what is necessary. Yet if we do this we are saying that God's grace is incomplete.

We must take note of what we have been given. Here it is stated as 'through our knowledge of Him.' Often we mistake this for knowledge about God and His ways. However, this is talking about our knowing Him through a growing personal relationship. God has called to us to join Him. The next few verses show us how to develop a deepening relationship with God, one that will not be ineffective or unproductive. This last statement show that our relationship/knowledge of God should always be bring about changes in us producing more and more of God's character in us.

Is this the kind of relationship we have with God or are we more focused on ritual, acquired knowledge and religious habit?

Prayer and the Power of God

Take a look at verse James 5:13-16 "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

There are several things to take notice of in these verses. First is the power and prominence of prayer. Prayer, communicating to God should be our natural and first response to every situation that life throws at us. This could be prayer of praise and worship or of intercession.

Second, when we pray as people in right standing with God, those prayers are unstoppable and powerful bringing change to everything prayed for. Do we really believe this? If we do it should be seen in our expectation and anticipation.

Now there is one very important aspect of prayer that is emphasized here that we need to take note of and practice. This kind of prayer is done in community. Yes, we can and should have our private times of prayer. However, we also need regular prayer with and for others Christians in our church. This is prayer with those who know our weaknesses and failures and will stick by our side, praying for us. Do we have this kind of prayer? Do we live in this kind of church? Are we open and honest enough with those God has placed in our lives to receive this kind of prayer? If we can answer yes then we should be seeing the power of God on a regular basis.

Are You Being the Minister God Wants?

Have you ever wondered what God expects from those He has called to be pastors/shepherds? Ezekiel 34:4 is a great summary of what He is looking for and will hold ministers accountable for. Here we find a list of 5 aspects of what ministry should include.

• First, we are to help those who are weak to become stronger.
• Second, we are to help bring health to those who are sick.
• Third, we are to help those who are injured become stable bring them comfort.
• Forth, we need to be encouraging and helping those who are wandering and becoming distracted come back to God.
• Fifth and finally, we are to actively search for the lost ... those who don't know where they are or what condition they are truly in. 

Now you might be thinking, "I'm glad that's not me, I am not a pastor." But the truth is we are all called to be ministers for God. So every church and every person should be involved in doing these things. If we do this, our churches would grow in health, strength and size. So, are you doing your part today?

Knowing and Avoiding the Cycle of Sin

James 1:13-15 "13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

Throughout this chapter we are given some very practical methods, systems or cycles that we should follow or avoid to live the life God wants for us.

Here we are give the Cycle of Sin. We see why we sin and how that sin develops and grows in our lives. In knowing this we can ask God to help us avoid or stop the cycle before it cause death.

1. First comes temptation that spring from our own evil desires.
2. When this evil desire is left unchecked and dwelt on it leads to sin, or intentional choices and actions that are contrary to living the way God desires.
3. When we continue to sin, it grows consuming our lives. This happens one part at a time and will cause death in each part of our lives. Our dreams and desires, our friendships, entertainment, work, ministry ... every part of life becomes sick and dies.
4. When each part slowly dies it eventually causes us to died from the inside out and leads to eternal death.

May God grant all of us the vigilance to see how we are truly living and guard against this in our daily lives.

The Promises of God from Psalm 37:3-7a

Psalm 37:3-7a "Trust in the Lord and do good;  dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;"

Verses 3-7a of this Psalm are so full of His promises that if we live them out every day, they will completely change our lives. We are told to do three specific things to see God pour His blessings in and through our lives. There is (1)an action based on faith, (2)an attitude based on faith, and (3)a commitment based on faith. It's important to remember that the blessings promised there are not an end in themselves, these blessing are for us to pass on and share with others. So what are we supposed to do and how has God promised to respond.

First, we are told to mix our faith with action. We are to trust God and focus on doing what He wants. When we focus on situations and things that we can't control, trying to fix them we don't have the time or strength to do good. But, if we actually trust God, then we will have all the time we need to do the good He asks to do. The promise to this is that we enjoy where we live and and have safety to enjoy the blessings of the land.

Second, we must make God or very delight. Make Him the motive behind all we do and the thing we look forward to. If He is not our delight then other things will take that place pushing God of the the prominent place in our lives. When we do this then God will be come our desire and I will freely give us more of Himself. He also will grant us other things that are just added blessings to life.

The third command we are given here is to commit our way to God and this action has to be surrounded with trust. Our way here is all encompassing, simply meaning the way we do all things, big or small. To commit means 'to give to  and leave in anther’s care.' This means to walk away from, leaving them and trusting them to do what is best. If we are willing to do this with God then He will will make our righteousness shine. We must remember that Jesus is our righteousness. So when we trust our ways to Him, He will shine brighter than anything in our lives. Our cause or purpose for living will also be proven right for once again, He is our cause, His will is what we live for. It is all about Jesus.

Finally, in verse 7 we are giving a key that we must do to see God work in and through our lives. It is also based on faith in what He is doing. We are to wait patiently. It's not enough to wait on God because many of us are very impatient and even complaining in our waiting. When it comes to God we must not be impatient on His time for this show a lack of trust. Our patience needs to also needs to be for whole time of waiting. Now remember that waiting is not doing anything. Waiting is where we are preparing for action once we are given the word on what to do.

So, are we doing our part so that we can see God's blessings poured in and through us?

A Conditional Promise for the New Year

Psalm 25:12-13 give us a great promise for the New Year. "Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land."

God, You have promised that if we are the one who truly fears You, living in such a way that you are please by all that we say and do, that You will do three things mentioned here. May these promises be true in my life as I, with Your help, live this way. First, may You continually instruct me in the way You want me to live. Not just the general guidelines given for all followers, but the specific ways You have chosen for me as I minister for You in my home, Your church and the community. Second, You have promised prosperity or blessings in this life. I know that this bless and prosperity is not for me to keep but to enable me to share it with those in need. May I always be a conduit of Your blessing to others. Finally, may the life I live for you become an inheritance for my descendants, regardless if these descendants are physical or spiritual. May they receive the blessings my living a life of fearing You.

How do you want this year to go? Focus on the right things and see what God does.