Reflections for October 2018

Often, the "poor" are just as susceptible to the danger of the love of money as the rich--and just as caught up in the all kinds of evil that such love generates. Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven or the intense, blinding darkness of materialism will be the "light" of your life. A life of continual stumbling--continual "tripping up"--is the result. The lure of prosperity is one of the Devil's greatest weapons in destroying a man or woman's soul. Nations too.
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"The heart of man is desperately wicked; who can know it?"


Guard your heart!
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Invest your money in the needs of people.  The interest rates will be sky high--heavenly even.
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Everything the person you vote for does, he or she does with your full permission.
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So many of the "good things" that happen to bad people aren't actually good things.
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Why is it that a man or woman's character matters--unless he or she is doing something we like?
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God already defined morality--right and wrong.  You don't get to.
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Just because you call the golden calf you've built "Jehovah," that doesn't mean that it is.  Be sure you are worshiping Who not what.
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Don't forget your prayers of remembrance today.
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Every day through our circumstances, our regrets, and our fears, God is asking us the same question:  "Will you trust Me?"  The simple--but never easy--way to answer, "Yes," is to live a life of praise-filled obedience.

Calling

God often calls a man or woman to a ministry contrary to their make-up--or gives them gifts contrary to who they are. Why? First, because the first step of discipleship is denying yourself. Second, because then all the glory for what gets accomplished goes to Him and not to the individual--and he or she knows it. Such gifts and callings are not mistakes, and woe, to the disciple who says "but I don't have the make-up for such a calling, send someone else." He will. And ...the ministry will be fulfilled, but the disciple will lose the blessing. Instead, the disciple must respond simply and in full confidence in His enabling, "Here am I, send me." And again, He will--and "there will be showers of blessing, this is the promise of God." Trust Him. Submit to His calling and enabling. You will be amazed at what the omnipotent, omniscient God can do with an obedient servant. And for His glory.

At All Times

The last fruit of the Spirit is "self-control." Why? The Spirit wants us to know that regardless of the circumstances, regardless of what other people are doing, the believer still--always--must be loving, joyous, gentle, kind, patient, faithful, good, practicing self-control--under the control and empowered by the Spirit. Nothing, or no one, releases us from demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit at all times.

Masters

Everyone has either one master or the other. There are only two. The links in the one master's chains are the desires, the I wants: I want power and prestige, I want fame and fortune, I want the approval and applause of men, I want more than I have, I want to be the master of my own fate. And he knows that no matter what I get in any of these areas, the more I will want. The more I want to be in control, the stronger his chains hold me forged by the fire of discontent.And the outcome for his slaves is an eternity with absolutely nothing but the memories of what and who I have forever lost.
The Master of Love calls His servants to a life of ministry, a life of esteeming others better than themselves, a life of spontaneous service to those around them, a life of denying themselves, a life of bearing their cross and following Him day by day. And He supplies His servants with all they need--even the strength needed to spontaneously serve Him. In fact, the most astounding aspect of serving Him is that freedom He provides to do all the things He calls someone to do accompanied by a joyous heart. And the outcome of serving Him is an eternity of love and beauty and rest shared with the rest of His faithful servants.
Follow the master of emptiness or follow the Master of fulfillment even if you have nothing at all but Him.

No man can have two masters.

Prosperity

Often, the "poor" are just as susceptible to the danger of the love of money as the rich--and just as caught up in the all kinds of evil that such love generates. Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven or the intense, blinding darkness of materialism will be the "light" of your life. A life of continual stumbling--continual "tripping up"--is the result. The lure of prosperity is one of the Devil's greatest weapons in destroying a man or woman's soul. Nations too.

Difference Makers

Education that isn't aimed at the heart and soul of the student is misguided--dangerous. Touch the heart and soul with a love for Jesus and a desire to do His will, and you will produce students who go out into the world thinking right and loving right and living right. They will be members of what someone has called "a colony of Heaven" dedicated to doing God's will on earth and not man's. Difference makers is what we call them.

He Knows

The Triune God of the universe--Father, Son, and Spirit--knows our frames, that we are but dust; fragile creatures who struggle day-by-day in our efforts to please Him. That is why we must rest in our opinion of ourself and of others of His children in the answer to Peter's rhetorical plea--"Jesus, you know all things, and you know that I love you." Yes, He does know. He knows that we love Him. That is why He is the God who looks into our hearts and sees our feeble faith ...and wavering obedient love and is still pleased with us for He knows that we do love Him and that our heart's desire is to please Him with our walk of faith. And that is why He calls David--faults, failures, and all--"a man aftet My own heart." That is why He says of Lot--yes, that Lot--"that righteous man." That is why He says of those mentioned in Hebrews 11--struggles and all--"of whom the world is not worthy." One day, when He calls us Home, He will not greet us with a reading of our faults and failures--even eternity may not be long enough for that--but with a smile, a "thank you," and the words, "Well done! Good and faithul servant! Enter into My joy." So, when you want to wallow in your past, or accuse other believers of their failures--you do know who the accuser of God's children is, don't you?--remember, as you walk on the shores of your Galilee with Him by your side, that He knows all things and He knows that you (and those others of His children) love Him. His word to you is the same--"don't be defeated by your past, focus on the now, focus on the future, go on now, feed my sheep."

"Lord you know all things and you know that I love You."


"Yes, I know child, I know that you love Me."