Archive for February, 2009
Want to know what can really make your life get out of neutral and in fast track for supernatural blessing and favor of God today? Well—I promise you, nothing from the government can help you. It’s not your bank account or your job security. I read this morning from Colossians 3. The stimulus package is right there! It is putting of the old and putting on the new-everyday! That is emptying yourself today of all selfish ambition and personal sin that is stagnating your growth in Christ. Adding to this is clothing yourself with grace and mercy for all people in “your world” in all circumstances today. This is Love in action and is the heartbeat of our Lord. The 3rd Stimulus- fill yourself with Jesus! Read His Wordm, Listen to Him and speak to Him, and sing to God in your quiet space– Not too loud-you may disturb the neighborhood. And, Paul says underline all this with a thankful heart. Whatever state you are in, He says, Be content! Those are the 3 components of a stimulus package that have the stamp and guarantee of Heaven! Read the scripture below and start today—not tomorrow, not “when you have time”. Stop right now—empty yourself-clothe yourself in attitude for your actions today, and fill yourself before going any further today. Watch your life come alive today with His Fire!
God said it that settles it, let’s Live it –today!
Colossians 3:1-17 (NLT) –”Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. 5 So put to death (EMPTY YOURSELF!)the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters and he lives in all of us. 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must (CLOTHE YOURSELF)with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives (FILL YOURSELF). Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”
One of the most sung and loved songs of the day in our churches is “Amazing Grace-My Chains Are Gone” by Chris Tomlin. Those words-”My Chains are gone”-are not just a wish. They are reality for the ones who have been washed and cleansed of the human sinful nature. This morning I was reminded about this while in Colossians 2. Paul gave us this certificate of freedom when he wrote, ” When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
Child of God, we have been set free of the penalty of sin as well as the bondage to sin. This emphatically means we are free to live in the liberty of Christ. We do not have to succumb to the temptations and fallacies of our culture. Our calling is one of hope and empowerment by the Holy Spirit. Today-make sure you are living in the Spirit by talking with Him and spending time in His Word! This is freedom! Freedom is not the license to sin, it is the power to live free of sin.
Have a great day putting Him first. Find someone to share Jesus with today! J
Growing up, I had the opportunity to fly with my Dad who was a private pilot. We went on various vacations and trips together as a family. I’ll never forget just about every time we flew, my Mom taking too many things and having to leave a bag or two behind because of the weight load in the airplane. No doubt we had to travel lighter in the air! One thing that particularly stood out in my mind was the times when Dad “set the instruments” and let the plane fly on its own. I remember flying through storms and having no visibility, trying to find an airport, and having to land in the fog. One scary trip found us ready to land at the Greenville Spartanburg Airport with no landing gear light on which signals that the landing gear was down. Yikes! -Flying by instruments helped navigate safely in times of no visibility. Dad would simply turn various knobs and push buttons to engage the instruments. Once set, the instruments led the way for safer navigation. Colossians 3:1-4 encourages us to do the same in our Life Journey with Christ. Paul says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God…” The key to an abundant flight in life is simply setting our “instruments” -our hearts and minds, totally on Jesus. This means complete abandonment of our hands on the wheels. It means trusting and allowing God to be the Pilot in all circumstances and dreams of our lives. This is when we safely “hide ourselves” in the shelter of the Almighty. You can start today if you have never experienced this calm and secure journey. Take time today to get into His Word. Pray-talk to Him, and allow Him to talk to you. This is the way to “set the instruments”!
Looking for a place to start in the Word? Try Colossians. I have been there for a few days. What incredible promises and revelations!
Good Morning Saints!
That’s right—a Saint! You may not feel like a saint this morning, but I assure you that if you have accepted Christ, you are His Son and His royal Heir!
So then-how are we to live today? This morning I was reminded just what life is all about for me and you through the words of Paul in Colossians 1:9-14 . “ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Say WOW! With me! WWWWWWWOOOOOOOWWWWWW!
Well then Saints—Today-we work to bear fruit-we dig deeper to grow in His knowledge and wisdom—we allow Him to strengthen us by His Word and time alone with Him-and we rest in the knowledge that we are sharing in His great inheritance promised to all of us who have been rescued from the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of light.
So-get out of the shadows —of His blessing and favor in your life-and start enjoying your inheritance! Start today by thanking Him for this awesome favor of His adopting you into His passionate arms of love.
Have a great day and remember Who gave it to you!
3 INCREDIBLE GIFTS .If you could wish for and be granted three gifts- anything-what would they be? A new car, maybe a big bank account? Maybe an end to the current global crisis’ ? Seriously, what really matters? Let me remind you as Paul did in Colossians 1:5-6. He writes, “the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you…” This morning I was personally encouraged through the Spirit and the written Word that all three of these gifts have been given to me personally. Paul was expressing thanks to God for the Colossian Believers’ “faith and love that spring from… hope.” Has it ever occurred to you Saint of God-and this is what you are if you have been washed and cleansed, that no material gift in this world can ever be compared or matched to these three supernatural gifts ? This trilogy of virtue-faith, love, and hope-is a favorite of both Paul’s and Peter’s writings. Think about this: Faith is the soul looking upward to God and finding complete peace and satisfaction in life. Love looks outward to others as our Faith becomes a living reality; Hope looks forward to the future. This kind of hope, is only given to those who are secure in the embrace of the Savior. Faith rests on the past work of Christ; love works in the present; and hope anticipates the future. We are given the gift of Faith through the Spirit of God. None of us discovered this on our own. We were infused with the authentic love of our loving Abba Father when we accepted this Faith from God. And now, because of the inheritance we have been given, we have this secure Hope that gives us confidence for the future in all circumstances and situations of our lives. The ultimate Hope for us-His children, is the soon return of Jesus and the eternal home we will all experience together with Christ. So-today-don’t get wrapped up in the vain ambitions and shallow hope of this present world, but rather, allow God to wrap Himself all over your life to lift you higher and grow you deeper, so that you can go wider for Christ as is our primary responsibility and joy as Christ Followers. -Robbie
CHEW ON THESE NUGGETS OF TRUTH TODAY J
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT) -”Three things will last forever-faith, hope, and love-and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Peter 1:3 (NLT) -”All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,…” Romans 5:5 (NLT) -”And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
Ever feel like you are so inadequate to share the good news of Jesus with someone else because of your lack of communication skills or maybe your lack of knowing what to say? Ever been in a conversation with someone and you wanted to say more about Christ and His gift for them-but you just knew you might freeze up and not have all the answers or the verses you learned and have now lost somewhere back in the far recesses of your mind ? Well-saint of God-you are not alone! As far back as Moses-this has been a fear of Man. Listen to what Moses said in Exodus 4:10-12: “Moses said to the Lord, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” God gave me this scripture this morning in my quiet time to assure me that in every opportunity of speaking His gift, He will give me what to say, and prepare me for the work before me. I also discovered another scripture this morning in Proverbs 10. 10:14 tells us “Wise men store up knowledge...” Our responsibility is to be in the word-soaking it all up, so that in these times of opportunities, the Spirit of God will help us recall the word we have stored up in our minds. So child of God-Be available-share your story-and allow the Spirit within you to prove Himself to you as you surrender daily to the task he has given you to win your “world” for Christ.
Yesterday morning during our worship at GraceView- I presented the congregation with a new “CONTAGIOUS AWAKENING CENTER” in our worship center designed to be a corporate place of intercession for the future of our church. With our church unified and focused on going HIGHER–DEEPER–and WIDER, our most important matter of passion must be to intercede for a contagious awakening among our people. We know all about “creative church programs” etc…. but we must start with a solid passionate foundation of prayer. This is when a genuine spiritual awakening will happen according the God’s written word and examples from history of Spiritual Awakening! So–GraceView–let’s do it! Get on over to the Contagious Awakening Center sometime this week. If you would like to go there during the week after 5 pm, call the church office and we will make arrangements for you!
