A Promise For The New Year And Forever
Hebrews 13: 8 NIV Jesus Christ is the Same Yesterday and Today and Forever. This is a promise! The Jesus that walked this earth 2000 years ago is the same Jesus that saved you. He is the same Jesus that heard the cry of your heart yesterday. That same Jesus is well aware of the struggles you face today! Jesus Christ will be the same forever! The same Jesus that changed lives, spoke truth, healed the sick, freed the captives, calmed the seas, is the same Jesus that offers you abundant life today! In fact, that’s why He came to earth. John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly. Hold on to this promise in this new year! Jesus is the same! The things He did then He will do now. The things He said then, He’s saying now. The hope He offered you then, He still offers you now. The promises He made to you still stand. He doesn’t change! He is the same yesterday and today and He will remain the same forever! Hold tight and seek Him.
Do Checklists Keep You On Task?
Anyone love a good checklist? I love the sense of accomplishment that a checklist gives me. It’s also amazing how much more I accomplish in a day if I write each item down and create a checklist. That check list gives me a reminder, keeps me on task, frees my mind so I don’t have to keep running through everything I have do that day, ect. I can relate this same concept to spending time with the Lord daily. I want to be faithful to spend time with the Lord daily but sometimes I forget. I get busy with other things and all the priorities of life and the day is gone. Adding ‘time with the Lord’ to my checklist is a necessity. What does spending time with the Lord daily mean to you? Is it reading the Bible? Praying? Both? There are multiple terms for spending time with the Lord: devotions, quite time, ect. But regardless of what you call it, it should be Spending Time! I think perhaps we are missing something when our goal is to read the Bible and pray, just to check it off our list. We need our time with Him to be more than checking something off our list. We must take the time to spend time. When I choose to spend time with another person, the best times include conversation that goes two ways: they talk and I talk. Spending time with God should be similar. I talk (prayer) and He talks (listening). My time spent with a friend isn’t as enjoyable when I’m the only one that talks or when they are the only one that talks. It’s the back and forth. Reading the Bible is one way we listen. The Bible is God’s voice and He speaks to us through it. Another is to sit quietly before Him and wait for that still small voice. I believe God still speaks when we take the time to quiet ourselves before Him and listen. Taking time to think about God, think about what we just read in His scripture, think about our Pastor’s most recent sermon, think about where He’s leading us, think about what He’s calling us to do, to be. I think we often miss this important part of spending time with God. We read, we pray, we’re off to the next thing. It’s important that we give God time to speak to us, to change our hearts, to move in our lives. Years ago I created a log sheet, it’s not a true checklist, but it does have built in reminders to spend quality time with God. It offers a reminder to read the Bible, to pray, and to spend quality time with Him. In the log I label it Thinking About God or Journaling. In many ways what I mean is to meditate on God, meditate on what you just read, what He’s speaking to you and allowing the space for His still small voice to break through. Although to meditate on God is a Biblical principal, mediation in general is a concept that is no longer directly tied toward our relationship with Jesus. For that reason I intentionally chose a phrase to more clearly express what I mean. Joshua 1:8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Or journaling. Journaling can be a very effective way to keep your thoughts straight to process your thoughts and to keep you on task. Perhaps your mind wanders too much sitting quietly but putting pen to paper opens the flood gates of what God is doing in you. There’s a lot of flexibility in how to spend that time but the important part is that we do spend the time. I’ve included the Devotional Log here as a free download. Try it out, maybe it’s just the reminder you need. Click on the image below to view and save the checklist Be blessed! Trying out the log? Let me know what you think! Send us an email or leave a comment below.
Who Am I?
There are a lot of influences in this life that tell us who we are. From the time we’re born until the time we die, we are defined by many things. Take a moment to think about that. What are some things that you have been defined by? It’s vitally important that we know who we are in Christ, who God says we are. The world. Our background. Our successes. Our failures. Do not get to define us! God gets to say who we are! Galatians 4:4-7 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. There’s some foundational truth here: God sent His son (Jesus), so that we could be adopted by God! Now that we’ve been adopted, we’re children of God. Since we are His children, we are heirs! Wow. It’s amazing, isn’t it?! It’s amazing that Jesus coming would not only bring us salvation but also a perfect father and an inheritance! Look at these 3 definitions from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heir for heir: one who receives property from an ancestor : one who is entitled to inherit property one who inherits or is entitled to succeed to a hereditary rank, title, or office one who receives or is entitled to receive something other than property from a parent or predecessor As a heir, we will receive something from God! Romans 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Most of us will never share the full sufferings of Jesus, but we all have struggles and challenges in this life. But what a hope that we will share in His Glory! Why do we get to share in the glory of Jesus? Just because God adopted us and made us heirs! Titus 3: 3-8 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. When God’s kindness and love appeared, He saved us! Not because of how perfect we were or all the good things we’d done but because of God’s great mercy on us and the redeeming death and resurrection of Jesus! And now, we are also heirs of eternal life! As flawed and broken as you are, as flawed and broken as I am, God has saved us because of His great mercy and has given me, given you, the hope of eternal life! It’s quite amazing. Why. Why would God do this? Who am I that He would do this great thing for me? Let’s go all the way back to the beginning. Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Check out this note from the Zondervan NASB Study Bible: Man is the climax of God’s creative activity and God has crowned him with “glory and majesty” and made him “to rule” over the rest of His creation (Ps 8:5-8). Since Man was created in the image of the divine King, delegated sovereignty was bestowed on him. Wow! Psalm 139: 13-14, 16 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Matthew 10:29-30 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Ephesians 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will Why? Why would God do this? This is why: He created us! We are the peak of His creative activity! We were created in the very image of GOD! And He loves His creation. It’s quite remarkable, but it’s true. He knit us together. All the days He’s giving us to live were written in His book before we were ever born! (He has a book about us?! A topic for another day!) God loves His creation so much that He is aware when sparrows (dirt cheap sparrows) fall from the sky. He loves us so much that He even knows the exact number of hairs on our heads! So weird! Who cares the number of hairs?! (I’ll admit, when it
Let Us Approach God with Confidence and Boldness
Hebrews 4: 13-16 NIV Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence (or BOLDNESS KJV), so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God. He sees it all. He sees our weakness. He sees our struggle. He sees our humanity. And one day, we will stand before God and give account for it all. But, we are blessed beyond measure to live in the day when the very Son of God, Jesus Christ, is alive and has ascended into Heaven and He is our great High Priest!! The High Priest is the priest who goes before God on behalf of the people. But we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weakness. No, we have Jesus! Who, while on earth, was tempted in every way! Just as we are! Yet, He did not sin. Jesus gets it! When we come to Him in prayer – He empathizes with us! To empathize with someone is to experience empathy. According to Merriam-Webster*, empathy is: the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner. Jesus understands, he is aware of, and sensitive to our feelings, our thoughts, and our experiences! How powerful to have a High Priest going to God on our behalf that understands our weakness! We are so used to thinking of Jesus as God, which of course He is, we sometimes forget that he lived 33 years on this Earth- He was tempted in every way- He understands us – He has empathy for us! Amazing! With this knowledge and understanding, let us approach God’s throne with CONFIDENCE and great BOLDNESS! There is nothing we will bring before God that Jesus doesn’t understand! Nothing that He isn’t aware of! Nothing he isn’t sensitive to! Oh what a Savior! Isn’t He wonderful?! What a time to be alive! If we know Jesus will empathize with us, we can bring before Him any issue, any struggle, any concern, any desire and know it is okay to be honest with Him. It’s okay to pour it all out there. It’s okay to confidently and boldly share what we long for and are experiencing. And we do so trusting we will receive His mercy and find His grace to help us in our time of need! Let us end this year by approaching God with great boldness! Because Jesus has prepared the way for us to do so! He is the great mediator (1Timothy 2:5)! He has torn the veil in two (Matthew 27: 50-51)! He has made a way! Be encouraged today and seek God with great fervor, confidence, and boldness! *https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empathy
Purpose That Prevails, huh?
Yep, Purpose That Prevails. Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. NIV 1984 I don’t know about you, but although I have many plans in my heart, I want the Lord’s purpose to prevail! I want His plans and His purposes to be the end and final result of every aspect of my life, my choices & decisions. There is a comfort and a peace in knowing that although I may make my plans and have big or small ambitions for my day or year or life that in the end the Lord’s purpose will still prevail! He’s still in control, He’s still working; He still has a plan and His plan will prevail. Job understood this when he said in Job 42: 1-2, I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Thwart means to: prevent (someone) from accomplishing something. (definition source: Oxford Languages and Google) No purpose of the Lord’s can be prevented. No one can prevent the Lord from accomplishing His purpose! So Purpose That Prevails! Yep, at the end of the day I want His purpose to prevail as I acknowledge nothing can prevent His purpose. In a prophetic sense, naming this site & ministry Purpose That Prevails is a declaration in the heavenlies “not my will but Yours be done” Luke 22:42; I only want what You want so do with this as you will and above all may Your Purpose Prevail whatever that may be. As I continue to seek Him and obey His direction may the purpose of this site align with His purpose and may it prevail!
