Romans 12:10-13
Bella is our pit bull greyhound mix female member of the family. When the garage door opens, she goes right to the hall door that leads to the garage, sets herself in her stance of expectancy and waits. If it takes too long for my husband to get in the house, the whining begins...whimpering, begging with great fervency, passion, and persistence. She prefers my husband over me any day of the week! He walks her, runs her, wrestles with her, feeds her, and I tell her to sit. He brings out the best in her, and takes her to run wild in the fields so that the greyhound in her can soar. I tell her to sit. She is fervent in her spirit, Richard walks in the room or the backyard and she becomes a wild child. She rejoices with howls of praise as her master approaches.
It is funny, but when I read the passage in Romans, I thought of Bella. Paul is calling us to devotion to one another, putting one another ahead of ourself, be diligent, don't lag behind, be fervent spritually and rejoice! I have never seen such sweet, unbridled, passionate devotion as I have seen in our silly dog...and yet, is she silly or a true example of unbridled love! Put that in a human with the Spirit of God inside and we too should become our very best, and soar when our Master enters the room!
Father God,
Fill my spirit with your passion, create a fervency within me to seek you at all times. O God, how I desire to be unleashed, released, and empowered in your presence, to be all that you have created me to be. I don't want to lag behind, but stay right with you, in step with you, wherever you lead. You are my delight, you are my love, and I anticipate the moments when I sense you enter the room!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Always, Without Ceasing
1Thessalonians 5:19
Rejoice always...
Pray without ceasing...
In everything give thanks...
For this is GOD's WILL in Christ Jesus.
We are always asking, praying, searching...what is God's will for my life. We focus on the actions, the direction, the performance of our life... God's will is clear. In this passage it is three steps.
1. Rejoice all the time, when it is good, when it is bad, when it is ugly...Rejoice! Not for the pain, but that you are a child of the King. Rejoice for the fact that you are cleansed forgiven and set free. Rejoice that you have the power of the Holy Spirit within you. Rejoice that God has a perfect plan for your life. Rejoice that if we come to God and call out to Him, he will show us great and mighty things. Rejoice not about your circumstances, but about your position!!!!! That is something to shout about!
2. Pray, and don't stop. Pray when you are in the shower, at a stop light, getting ready to make a phone call. It is mindful connection throughout the day with the Lord that is with you constantly. Heart connect, mind connect, soul connect throughout your day...Jesus is within a breath's distance...don't take His presence for granted...acknowledge and benefit from the fellowship...it is SWEET!
3. In everything give thanks... In the midst of the mundane, find something to be thankful for. In the midst of peril, strife, stress, or hardship...thank God in the midst, thank Him for who He is, that He has you, that He won't leave you, that His answer is on the way, and that He see's you...but thank Him in the moment. Thank Him in the midst of joy, sweetness, peace, and contentment. Don't leave Him out of the moments your heart needs to be polite...in James it tells us that EVERY good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of the heavenly lights.
EVERY good thing...thank Him IN the midst of whatever you are in. For He is the greatest gift we have and He is with us always.
This is the mysterious "God's Will"... rejoice, pray, thanks...what would our days be like if we truly lived according to His will!
Rejoice always...
Pray without ceasing...
In everything give thanks...
For this is GOD's WILL in Christ Jesus.
We are always asking, praying, searching...what is God's will for my life. We focus on the actions, the direction, the performance of our life... God's will is clear. In this passage it is three steps.
1. Rejoice all the time, when it is good, when it is bad, when it is ugly...Rejoice! Not for the pain, but that you are a child of the King. Rejoice for the fact that you are cleansed forgiven and set free. Rejoice that you have the power of the Holy Spirit within you. Rejoice that God has a perfect plan for your life. Rejoice that if we come to God and call out to Him, he will show us great and mighty things. Rejoice not about your circumstances, but about your position!!!!! That is something to shout about!
2. Pray, and don't stop. Pray when you are in the shower, at a stop light, getting ready to make a phone call. It is mindful connection throughout the day with the Lord that is with you constantly. Heart connect, mind connect, soul connect throughout your day...Jesus is within a breath's distance...don't take His presence for granted...acknowledge and benefit from the fellowship...it is SWEET!
3. In everything give thanks... In the midst of the mundane, find something to be thankful for. In the midst of peril, strife, stress, or hardship...thank God in the midst, thank Him for who He is, that He has you, that He won't leave you, that His answer is on the way, and that He see's you...but thank Him in the moment. Thank Him in the midst of joy, sweetness, peace, and contentment. Don't leave Him out of the moments your heart needs to be polite...in James it tells us that EVERY good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of the heavenly lights.
EVERY good thing...thank Him IN the midst of whatever you are in. For He is the greatest gift we have and He is with us always.
This is the mysterious "God's Will"... rejoice, pray, thanks...what would our days be like if we truly lived according to His will!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Love, Love, Love
Philippians 1:9-11
Paul prays a prayer that the Philippian church would grow in love...that their love would abound more and more. The word "abound" in the Greek means to "super-abound"! It is excess, overflowing, more to spare; it has the idea that the abounding would encourage more abounding. It is a well that continues flowing and encourages more springs to flow.
Our love walk is an interesting journey. We often compare our reaction to others and thereby our perspective of a love that superabounds can literally be minimized by realitivity. But to Christ love isn't realitive...He modeled it, breathed it, taught it, and died to prove it!
Paul continues in this passage by saying, "so" after the love stuff... so what? "So that you may approve what is excellent". I will confess, I tend to see the things that need fixing. The mistakes, the less than stuff. I can be extremely hard on myself and others because of the focus on always improving. This verse is mind boggling to me... If I truly love, with love that is superabounding, love that overflows, love that stirs others to overflow... I will be able to see, identify, acknowledge and celebrate that which is good!
Paul then continues to say that approving what is excellent will keep us in a walk that is pure, sincere, and blameless...to His glory!
I love this prayer process that Paul takes us through...we often are praying about our sin and our walk that fails. Paul starts with praying for love, which then gives eyes to see the excellent, which is the impetus to walk a sincere, pure walk with the Lord! Wow! Pray this for yourself each day this week and see if your perspective, your heart, and your temptation isn't completely affected by the Power of God's love.
Paul prays a prayer that the Philippian church would grow in love...that their love would abound more and more. The word "abound" in the Greek means to "super-abound"! It is excess, overflowing, more to spare; it has the idea that the abounding would encourage more abounding. It is a well that continues flowing and encourages more springs to flow.
Our love walk is an interesting journey. We often compare our reaction to others and thereby our perspective of a love that superabounds can literally be minimized by realitivity. But to Christ love isn't realitive...He modeled it, breathed it, taught it, and died to prove it!
Paul continues in this passage by saying, "so" after the love stuff... so what? "So that you may approve what is excellent". I will confess, I tend to see the things that need fixing. The mistakes, the less than stuff. I can be extremely hard on myself and others because of the focus on always improving. This verse is mind boggling to me... If I truly love, with love that is superabounding, love that overflows, love that stirs others to overflow... I will be able to see, identify, acknowledge and celebrate that which is good!
Paul then continues to say that approving what is excellent will keep us in a walk that is pure, sincere, and blameless...to His glory!
I love this prayer process that Paul takes us through...we often are praying about our sin and our walk that fails. Paul starts with praying for love, which then gives eyes to see the excellent, which is the impetus to walk a sincere, pure walk with the Lord! Wow! Pray this for yourself each day this week and see if your perspective, your heart, and your temptation isn't completely affected by the Power of God's love.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
A Sniff or a Snack?
Eph. 1:18-21
Power unleashed results in something being impacted. Power can be used to destroy or to break through and set free. Rarely are we ever face to face with true power.
Our church was blessed to have an animal trainer bring a lion for a special event we were hosting of Narnia. Of course the Lion would be presented at the time of Aslan's appearance.
I was privileged enough to get to be behind the scenes when they allowed the lion to stretch and get out of his cage. I was soooo excited! We were to stand back, be quiet and still. They would let this mature male, several hundred pound lion out of the cage, and there would be a wire tied to cans that would make a perimeter to keep the lion inside a certain area. I was in! I just wanted to be out there, face to face with this lion...how cool.
As I was standing there, and the lion was loose...he paused, he looked straight at me and stared for several minutes (probably just a second!). Of course, the reality hit...there is a wire standing between me and this lion. A lion who likes meat, which I could amply supply! :)
I was face to face with power...power that I couldn't control, that I couldn't manage, or stop, or out weigh, or out do... I was at the mercy of this powerful beast to stay restrained.
God's power is expressed in our passage today, it is power that was released in the face of Satan as he attempted to control the uncontrollable, stop the unstoppable, manage the unmanageable, and defeat the undefeated! This power is available to those who believe in Jesus Christ!
Powerful Almighty God,
How mighty are you, unstoppable...how privileged I am to have the result of your power at work through Christ to free me and to redeem my life from the pit. How amazing it is to have your power alive in me through the presence of the Holy Spirit! Lord, be at work in me...may I expect more, believe more, trust more, and not allow the enemy to lie to me that he could have any power to defeat those that are in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen! And Amen!
Power unleashed results in something being impacted. Power can be used to destroy or to break through and set free. Rarely are we ever face to face with true power.
Our church was blessed to have an animal trainer bring a lion for a special event we were hosting of Narnia. Of course the Lion would be presented at the time of Aslan's appearance.
I was privileged enough to get to be behind the scenes when they allowed the lion to stretch and get out of his cage. I was soooo excited! We were to stand back, be quiet and still. They would let this mature male, several hundred pound lion out of the cage, and there would be a wire tied to cans that would make a perimeter to keep the lion inside a certain area. I was in! I just wanted to be out there, face to face with this lion...how cool.
As I was standing there, and the lion was loose...he paused, he looked straight at me and stared for several minutes (probably just a second!). Of course, the reality hit...there is a wire standing between me and this lion. A lion who likes meat, which I could amply supply! :)
I was face to face with power...power that I couldn't control, that I couldn't manage, or stop, or out weigh, or out do... I was at the mercy of this powerful beast to stay restrained.
God's power is expressed in our passage today, it is power that was released in the face of Satan as he attempted to control the uncontrollable, stop the unstoppable, manage the unmanageable, and defeat the undefeated! This power is available to those who believe in Jesus Christ!
Powerful Almighty God,
How mighty are you, unstoppable...how privileged I am to have the result of your power at work through Christ to free me and to redeem my life from the pit. How amazing it is to have your power alive in me through the presence of the Holy Spirit! Lord, be at work in me...may I expect more, believe more, trust more, and not allow the enemy to lie to me that he could have any power to defeat those that are in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen! And Amen!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Pray for those you don't want to pray for...
Luke 6:26-36
There are people I love doing things for, you know, the people that are such a blessing in your life you can't wait to give back. There are people that I love to pray for, you know, the one's that pray for you and are there when you need them, the one's that deserve God's touch and blessing.
Why does Jesus always have to mess up my system! In Luke 6, Jesus wants me and yes, you, to pray for people we don't want to pray for! You know, the people that mistreat you, say unkind things about you, harm you, hit you, take things from you, and the list goes on. What is He thinking?
Try it sometime and you will know exactly what Jesus is thinking... If I try to pray for someone I am angry at or hurt by or at odds with, I choke on the words! They don't come so easily. Since the prayer is affected it is a quick clue that my heart is infected and I have some spiritual surgery to do. I have learned to truly love and embrace this principle of Jesus', as it brings true freedom to the heart. When we can, in sincerity, pray for someone that is an "enemy", it reveals a heart that has mercy, trusts in God, forgives, and a heart that is more like Jesus. After all, He isn't asking us to do something He didn't already model. On the cross, as He was being cursed, assailed, spit upon, and dying... He prayed for those that you and I wouldn't want to pray for... "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!"... He prayed for me and you.
Dear Jesus,
I praise you that your love overcame my position as your enemy and you have brought me into a relationship with you like none other. Thank you that you call me friend. Lord, your heart is so merciful and loving, thank you that you call me to practice love and mercy in the secret place of my prayer closet. Thank you, Lord, that as I learn to truly pray with sincere grace and love, when I am in the world it will more readily flow from me. I so want to love like you love.
Reveal who I need to pray for , who I need to forgive, and who I don't really want to pray for; then Lord, please give me your heart for them.
In Jesus Name,
Amen.
There are people I love doing things for, you know, the people that are such a blessing in your life you can't wait to give back. There are people that I love to pray for, you know, the one's that pray for you and are there when you need them, the one's that deserve God's touch and blessing.
Why does Jesus always have to mess up my system! In Luke 6, Jesus wants me and yes, you, to pray for people we don't want to pray for! You know, the people that mistreat you, say unkind things about you, harm you, hit you, take things from you, and the list goes on. What is He thinking?
Try it sometime and you will know exactly what Jesus is thinking... If I try to pray for someone I am angry at or hurt by or at odds with, I choke on the words! They don't come so easily. Since the prayer is affected it is a quick clue that my heart is infected and I have some spiritual surgery to do. I have learned to truly love and embrace this principle of Jesus', as it brings true freedom to the heart. When we can, in sincerity, pray for someone that is an "enemy", it reveals a heart that has mercy, trusts in God, forgives, and a heart that is more like Jesus. After all, He isn't asking us to do something He didn't already model. On the cross, as He was being cursed, assailed, spit upon, and dying... He prayed for those that you and I wouldn't want to pray for... "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!"... He prayed for me and you.
Dear Jesus,
I praise you that your love overcame my position as your enemy and you have brought me into a relationship with you like none other. Thank you that you call me friend. Lord, your heart is so merciful and loving, thank you that you call me to practice love and mercy in the secret place of my prayer closet. Thank you, Lord, that as I learn to truly pray with sincere grace and love, when I am in the world it will more readily flow from me. I so want to love like you love.
Reveal who I need to pray for , who I need to forgive, and who I don't really want to pray for; then Lord, please give me your heart for them.
In Jesus Name,
Amen.
Friday, March 19, 2010
The Burden of Prayer
Mark 14:32-42
In this passage we gain much of Christ's heart, and we learn much about prayer. Jesus needed people with Him, to join and stand with Him in intercession as He prayed.
They fell asleep...
I love that Jesus wanted his closest friends praying with him in his moment of greatest trial and pain. I love that Jesus had prayer partners! My prayer partners are like lifevests in the storm! I send out the S.O.S. and the next thing you know I am buoyed by God's grace for the moment.
And if I am brutally honest, I have to tell you I love that the Disciples fell asleep! A little grace for those times I flippantly promise someone I will pray, or the times I need to stand in the gap for something God has laid on my heart and I just give it lip service. But as much as this passage eases my conscience, it makes me sad! Seriously, if Jesus asked me to be His prayer partner I surely wouldn't fall asleep! :)
But hasn't he? Are we the one's standing in the gap until he returns? Aren't we the ones that He died to open the throne of grace to so that we could come boldly and ask anything in His name in our time of need? If we aren't His prayer partners for the world, then who is? If I am asleep, who is awake?
Jesus also states that His soul is deeply grieved to the point of death! Now I am often accused of the dramatic, but I know what it feels like to be so heavily burdened in spirit and soul that you think you will die if there isn't some relief. Jesus used prayer to release the pressure, to give Him breath, to give Him strength to carry on, courage to press through, and the assurance of God's will and plan....and prayer led Him to obedience.
Do I allow prayer to take me through the process of unburdening a drowning heart or do I turn to something or someone else for relief? Do I allow prayer to be the release, the breath, the strength, the courage, and the assurance of God's will that I seek? And once I am clear, do I allow prayer to bring me to obdedience, to death to self, to less of me and more of Him?
Lord,
I am so excited to gain this perspective that I am your prayer partner. Lord, I don't want to be asleep on my watch, to be apathetic to the needs of this world, to be unresponsive to the burden of your heart. Grant me the desire, the passion to pray uncessingly for a world that you are so burdened for, and may I stand in the gap one prayer at a time to share in your pain. Give me your heart, O God, for the lost and the hurting. Teach me to pray as you do, Jesus, and how to allow prayer to lead me from burden and dying inside, to clarity of God's will and obedience.
I love you Lord.
Amen.
In this passage we gain much of Christ's heart, and we learn much about prayer. Jesus needed people with Him, to join and stand with Him in intercession as He prayed.
They fell asleep...
I love that Jesus wanted his closest friends praying with him in his moment of greatest trial and pain. I love that Jesus had prayer partners! My prayer partners are like lifevests in the storm! I send out the S.O.S. and the next thing you know I am buoyed by God's grace for the moment.
And if I am brutally honest, I have to tell you I love that the Disciples fell asleep! A little grace for those times I flippantly promise someone I will pray, or the times I need to stand in the gap for something God has laid on my heart and I just give it lip service. But as much as this passage eases my conscience, it makes me sad! Seriously, if Jesus asked me to be His prayer partner I surely wouldn't fall asleep! :)
But hasn't he? Are we the one's standing in the gap until he returns? Aren't we the ones that He died to open the throne of grace to so that we could come boldly and ask anything in His name in our time of need? If we aren't His prayer partners for the world, then who is? If I am asleep, who is awake?
Jesus also states that His soul is deeply grieved to the point of death! Now I am often accused of the dramatic, but I know what it feels like to be so heavily burdened in spirit and soul that you think you will die if there isn't some relief. Jesus used prayer to release the pressure, to give Him breath, to give Him strength to carry on, courage to press through, and the assurance of God's will and plan....and prayer led Him to obedience.
Do I allow prayer to take me through the process of unburdening a drowning heart or do I turn to something or someone else for relief? Do I allow prayer to be the release, the breath, the strength, the courage, and the assurance of God's will that I seek? And once I am clear, do I allow prayer to bring me to obdedience, to death to self, to less of me and more of Him?
Lord,
I am so excited to gain this perspective that I am your prayer partner. Lord, I don't want to be asleep on my watch, to be apathetic to the needs of this world, to be unresponsive to the burden of your heart. Grant me the desire, the passion to pray uncessingly for a world that you are so burdened for, and may I stand in the gap one prayer at a time to share in your pain. Give me your heart, O God, for the lost and the hurting. Teach me to pray as you do, Jesus, and how to allow prayer to lead me from burden and dying inside, to clarity of God's will and obedience.
I love you Lord.
Amen.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Speak to the Mountain
Mark 1122-26
There is so much of the Bible we choose to take literal, and then there are verses like this...do we dare take it literal?
Step One: Have Faith in God... it doesn't just mean believe there is a God... have faith in Him...in who He says He is, in what He says He'll do.
Step Two: Speak to the mountain and tell it to be cast into the sea. Don't do it with doubt in your heart, but believe and what you ask will be done. Is it Mt. Whitney? Or other mountains in life...sickness, broken marriage, job loss... what is your mountain. Have you just decided to tell it to move, be cast aside, get out of the way, it isn't going to stop you...why? Because you have faith in God...He will see to completion all He has begun in you...He will bring all things together for good to those that love Him...He has given us all His riches in glory, if the flowers of the field are clothed why should I worry about tomorrow... All of a sudden the mountain isn't a mountain in the face of God!
Step Three: No doubt in your heart. Do you believe God or not?
Step Four: Whatever you ask in prayer, believe and you will receive them. But.... These are the red letters, people...Jesus said it, not me! But what am I to pray for, and am I believing in the prayer or God, who will answer according to His will and purpose? I say...ask, be bold, and ask again. If you aren't getting anything back from God, ask Him how you should pray and keep at the dialogue until you get an answer one way or another. God isn't deaf, he hears us!
Step Five: AND... Yes, Jesus said "AND"... when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive them. I wonder if that is why we aren't getting answers? Just sayin'!
There is so much of the Bible we choose to take literal, and then there are verses like this...do we dare take it literal?
Step One: Have Faith in God... it doesn't just mean believe there is a God... have faith in Him...in who He says He is, in what He says He'll do.
Step Two: Speak to the mountain and tell it to be cast into the sea. Don't do it with doubt in your heart, but believe and what you ask will be done. Is it Mt. Whitney? Or other mountains in life...sickness, broken marriage, job loss... what is your mountain. Have you just decided to tell it to move, be cast aside, get out of the way, it isn't going to stop you...why? Because you have faith in God...He will see to completion all He has begun in you...He will bring all things together for good to those that love Him...He has given us all His riches in glory, if the flowers of the field are clothed why should I worry about tomorrow... All of a sudden the mountain isn't a mountain in the face of God!
Step Three: No doubt in your heart. Do you believe God or not?
Step Four: Whatever you ask in prayer, believe and you will receive them. But.... These are the red letters, people...Jesus said it, not me! But what am I to pray for, and am I believing in the prayer or God, who will answer according to His will and purpose? I say...ask, be bold, and ask again. If you aren't getting anything back from God, ask Him how you should pray and keep at the dialogue until you get an answer one way or another. God isn't deaf, he hears us!
Step Five: AND... Yes, Jesus said "AND"... when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive them. I wonder if that is why we aren't getting answers? Just sayin'!
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