The Least of These

I saw him today! On the side of the road going to the mall, there he sat, a smile on his face! I have seen him many times before, different places, different faces! He was a little dirty, maybe hadn't had the luxury of a bath in a while, but still smiling. And I was ashamed! I have, by the grace of God, shelter, as many baths as I would like to take, food, loving family, clothes(clean), and every other personal and financial need you could name. I always have a sad thought but most times, drive on by. What would it cost me to show the love of Christ to a stranger in need? Nothing! I need not judge his circumstance, only to offer a little food and a kind word. Pray for us all to show the love of Christ to the ones who really need it. I recently read about a place called "Grace's Kitchen" that is located in the inner city. They had a wonderful suggestion about how to be prepared at all times to help those who are hungry. Take a large ziplock bag and place a bottle of water, an individually wrapped granola bar, a package of individually wrapped peanut butter crackers, a fruit cup with a pull top and a Bible verse written on a index card. Keep these in your card and keep your eyes open! The Lord will put them and you in the right place, blessings will abound!
Matt. 25:35-40
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'Christ has commanded us to show mercy to the suffering just as He has shown mercy to us, by His death, so that we may be pardoned through the shedding of His precious blood!Lord, I pray for our eyes to be open to the plight of the hurting souls all around us. Whether their need be food or just a kind word or maybe we need to tell them of the hope we have found in You. Amen

A Gracious Thing

1 Peter 2:20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
Did you ever stop to consider that this is what Christ did on the cross for me and you? He was totally innocent and totally sinless! Where as we are totally guilty and sin abounds in us. His death was a very gracious thing, presented to us in all our unworthiness, but not because we are deserving but because He was being obedient to His Father!
Lord, I fall before you in repentance. You are worthy of all our praise! Amen
Any thanks we give to the Lord just seems hollow! Let us show our love and adoration by loving the unlovable. For while we were still enemies of God, He sent us Jesus! Pray for the enemies of God and show them who Christ is!
Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us

A Great Light

In a world of much darkness, there is a constant light that the world seems not to know! Even though the light has been with us from the beginning, man seems to think himself self reliant! He does not even acknowledge that there is a higher power who is the Creator of all things. Do we really just think that all nature just evolved? Or the human being, who is such an entricate creation, just evolved from an ape?
Matt.4:16-17
16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned." 1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
John 12:46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
Heb.11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Lord, You are worthy of our praise! You created the universe and there is no one like You. Thank You for the faith You give to us through Your Word and strengthen us everday to follow Your will. By your power, Amen.
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." John 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men

God's Son Has Come

Matt.3:1-17
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'" 4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
I stand reminded of the blessing of a humble and Spirit filled human being every time I hear my pastor preach. I realize that all pastors are not speaking the whole truth of the Lord. My pastor is so humble before the Lord, in his manner before his flock and takes great care to speak the whole truth. Today's lesson was on repentance and resolutions. It was taken from Matthew 3:1-17 and it highlights John the Baptist and how his ministry prepared the way for Jesus. John the Baptist was a humble servant who prophesied boldly, lived simply and baptized openly. The message he brought was that God's Son is here to save the repentant sinner and that judgement is coming for those who turn away from Christ!
Repent: Salvation is here, damnation is near!
Repentant sinner: confession (admission of sin)
                           : contrition (sorrow over sin)
                           : conversion (turn from sin)
Renounce your self dependence! Salvation is not dependent upon heritage, your righteousness, or your worldly accomplishments! Rely on the mercy of God! He is Savior king, He will transform your hearts and purify your lives! He is the righteous judge, His wrath is imminent, and his punishment is eternal! If you have given your heart to Christ, you must be baptized. The bible clearly show us that baptism is what God expects from His servants. Christ, by example, identifying with sinners and showing us the picture of salvation by his death and resurrection, in obedience to His Father's Word, was baptized. The Spirit anoints, that is to say, He sets us free by the power of His salvation! Jesus is God's beloved Son and our suffering Servant!  It is with a heart of love that I tell you that today is the day of salvation. Someone reading this may not have a tomorrow. Trust Christ today.
Lord, by Your power and for Your glory. Amen
Ps.2:6-8
6 "As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill."
7 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.Is.42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.

A Proof of a Work of Grace in the Soul

Zech.12:10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
This verse is speaking about when God will appear for the salvation of His people. In spite of His treatment by unrepentant sinners, there will be a great awakening to His glorious power. At Christ first coming He bruised Satan's heel by His birth, but with His second coming He will bring destruction to all the powers of darkness and death will be swallowed up in victory! The holy Spirit is full of grace and mercy. He shows men their weakness, guilt, want, ignorance, misery and danger. We must listen to God's Word and follow His commands. When Christ returns for His bride, the church, everyone who has a part in rebellion and unrepentant sin will feel remorse! They will be inconsolable! Lord, deliver us from wicked rebellion! There is still time for all to repent and follow You. Amen

What is Life?

What is life? It is oh so much more than a blood filled warm body or neurons firing in the brain and rhythmic heartbeats. These are just some of the Creators miraculous secrets of life. Life was created by a Creator, I AM! While it is true, your mother and dad caused you to be born, they are not your Creator! They were only part of God's plan to bring you here. And you are here for His purpose!
Is.44:6 "This is what the LORD says--Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
Rev.22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Ex.3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Ps.139:13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.1 Cor.6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.Lord, You are worthy! Amen

What Have You Offered Christ?

Luke 7:36-50  One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher." "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven--for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?" And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
We must go before the Lord with a humble heart and the hope of mercy. We need to always remember that Christ is our everything! Just take time everyday to praise Him! He is worthy of all our praise!
Lord, we are all sinners and no one can judge another. Correct us when we start to think we are better than someone else. Our sin is equal in Your eyes and only You are the judge! Amen