Galatians 1:11-12
I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. (NLT)
When flying on today's airlines it is difficult to schedule a direct connection between two points. There are major hubs most airlines fly through and that is where you end up waiting for that next connection on your journey. When you can find one, a direct connection gets you right to your final destination the quickest.
In this world of education we spend years learning how others do what we want to do before anyone will hire us. And yet most often we end up as clones of those that came before us. We do things the same as they have been done before; younger hands getting accomplishing the same tasks.
Don't get me wrong. Education is a good thing but there are times when we need to bust through the walls and be creative. Success does not come from doing what we learned from others. It comes from how we used what we were exposed to combined with our God given abilities; our direct connection to Him.
Paul did not run to the leadership, the apostles at that time, to be trained in how to be a Christian. He took time to be with God. His training did not come from man. It came from Jesus. And Paul did not come up with his own teaching program complete with books and DVD's to make others follow his way.
Paul preached Jesus as the Holy Spirit led him to do. And wherever Paul went signs and wonders followed the preaching of that truth. People were delivered, healed, and set free to develop their own personal relationship with Jesus.
Don't let the fact that you have not been formally trained hold you back from what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do, and don't let man stop that which God has placed in motion.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Reflection
2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (NIV)
When I was a boy, we used to play with mirrors; we would use them like a flashlight by redirecting the light of the sun coming in a window to a darkened place. Or even the light from a lamp to a spot not covered by the lamps glow.
That reminded me of focusing the light from the sun through a simple magnifying glass to start a fire with dried up leaves.
Then we would also take two mirrors and place them on the opposite ends of a long cardboard tube to construct a periscope so we could see around corners.
When we look straight into a mirror we see our own reflection. I look at mine and wonder about who I see. The reflection is not the young man I still think of myself as. The reflection shows the reality of who I have become.
And isn't that true with our walk with Christ? We who have been saved are without the veil. The Holy Spirit, the spirit of Christ, lives within. When others look at us in our daily life do they see the reflection of He who lives within? Or do they see a person of the world who is hiding the truth deep within?
As we allow God to transform us into His likeness, that reflection becomes the light of Jesus in all we say and do. And like that magnifying glass, we can focus His light on those that need His fire in their lives.
When I was a boy, we used to play with mirrors; we would use them like a flashlight by redirecting the light of the sun coming in a window to a darkened place. Or even the light from a lamp to a spot not covered by the lamps glow.
That reminded me of focusing the light from the sun through a simple magnifying glass to start a fire with dried up leaves.
Then we would also take two mirrors and place them on the opposite ends of a long cardboard tube to construct a periscope so we could see around corners.
When we look straight into a mirror we see our own reflection. I look at mine and wonder about who I see. The reflection is not the young man I still think of myself as. The reflection shows the reality of who I have become.
And isn't that true with our walk with Christ? We who have been saved are without the veil. The Holy Spirit, the spirit of Christ, lives within. When others look at us in our daily life do they see the reflection of He who lives within? Or do they see a person of the world who is hiding the truth deep within?
As we allow God to transform us into His likeness, that reflection becomes the light of Jesus in all we say and do. And like that magnifying glass, we can focus His light on those that need His fire in their lives.
Monday, June 13, 2011
A Typical Day
1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (NIV)
A typical day for most is an early rise getting ready for another workday. It may include an exercise routine and breakfast or at least a cup or two of coffee.
Then, liking it or not, off to work we go. It does not matter what the job is. For some it is hard physical labor. Others sit at a desk or stand at a counter all day dealing with the public. Some stare at a computer screen while keeping their cool solving problems for their caller of the moment.
Some love their work and other despise it. Yet they all do it each and every day to survive in this world we live in. Many are so wrapped up in it that it has become their life. They know more about it and their fellow workers than their own family. Retirement becomes a scary thought because it means leaving that family.
Notice that God has not been mentioned and that is typical. God fits in on Sunday if nothing more important does not come first. After all, He understands all that is expected of us in our day to day life. Plenty of time for God when we get older.
Paul tells us to stand firm. I believe he is talking about our faith, our relationship with God. How firm is our relationship? Do we talk to Him during the day? Do we read His word first thing each morning? Do we pray without ceasing during our workday? Do we stand firm when others tempt us to get involved in gossip, dirty jokes, or inappropriate language?
We are to not let Satan and the temptation he sends us through other people or even those thoughts he gives us make us take our focus off of our Father God. Nothing should be able to move us.
And as we go about our workday giving ourselves fully to God, He opens up doors of opportunity for us to be a shining light to others. No matter the obstacles the enemy tries to erect in our path, our labor for the Lord is never in vain.
Let's give every day to the Lord and let the Holy Spirit guide us in all we do and say.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (NIV)
A typical day for most is an early rise getting ready for another workday. It may include an exercise routine and breakfast or at least a cup or two of coffee.
Then, liking it or not, off to work we go. It does not matter what the job is. For some it is hard physical labor. Others sit at a desk or stand at a counter all day dealing with the public. Some stare at a computer screen while keeping their cool solving problems for their caller of the moment.
Some love their work and other despise it. Yet they all do it each and every day to survive in this world we live in. Many are so wrapped up in it that it has become their life. They know more about it and their fellow workers than their own family. Retirement becomes a scary thought because it means leaving that family.
Notice that God has not been mentioned and that is typical. God fits in on Sunday if nothing more important does not come first. After all, He understands all that is expected of us in our day to day life. Plenty of time for God when we get older.
Paul tells us to stand firm. I believe he is talking about our faith, our relationship with God. How firm is our relationship? Do we talk to Him during the day? Do we read His word first thing each morning? Do we pray without ceasing during our workday? Do we stand firm when others tempt us to get involved in gossip, dirty jokes, or inappropriate language?
We are to not let Satan and the temptation he sends us through other people or even those thoughts he gives us make us take our focus off of our Father God. Nothing should be able to move us.
And as we go about our workday giving ourselves fully to God, He opens up doors of opportunity for us to be a shining light to others. No matter the obstacles the enemy tries to erect in our path, our labor for the Lord is never in vain.
Let's give every day to the Lord and let the Holy Spirit guide us in all we do and say.
Monday, June 06, 2011
Five Rules to Live By
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. (NIV)
Paul throws this in at the end of his first letter to the Corinthians. In this one sentence I find a lot of important points to remember as we travel on our Christian journey.
We are to be on guard.
We are to be aware of what is going on around us always watching out for the works of the enemy and his temptations. Others we know may be used as his vessels to coax us into things to bring us away from our journey.
We are to stand firm in the faith.
The faith being our belief in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And in our knowing that God the Father loves us and is always with us. That He is a loving God always out for our best interest. Yet like any good parent, He allows us to make our own choices in life while standing by to pick up the pieces when we realize we have taken the wrong path.
We are to be courageous.
The easiest thing to do is stand by and watch the world go by. And in this day and age we can do that without ever leaving our house. Many are worldly and opinionated about what is happening in the world only because of their addiction to television and the various news channels. And courageous is not about running into a burning building to save a child. It is about courage to go where most Christians dare not to find the lost and tell them about our faith; tell them about our experience with Jesus Christ.
We are to be strong.
Although it is a good thing to spend time building our physical body up. And I recommend a daily exercise program either at home or at a local gym, but that is not what this is about. We are to be strong in our faith. We know that we know that we know we are a child of God and we are saved by the blood of the Lamb. In Jesus we are strong and able to stand up against the wiles of the enemy which comes in all forms of mankind. Be strong when our friends and family members come against us. Be strong when even strangers confront us. Know that with Christ all things are possible and it is not our strength but His that we walk forth in.
We are to do everything in love.
And this is the most important of all the five rules. God is love and we are children made in the image and likeness of Him. When we fall into temptation, we take our eyes off of God. We momentarily forget who we are in Christ and that He is in us. We ignore the Holy Spirit within and take off on a side road in our journey. We are to love our fellow Christians, the non-believers we come into contact with, and our enemies. But we must be careful to remember the first four rules and not let our love for others allow us to be drawn away from our journey with Christ.
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. (NIV)
Paul throws this in at the end of his first letter to the Corinthians. In this one sentence I find a lot of important points to remember as we travel on our Christian journey.
We are to be on guard.
We are to be aware of what is going on around us always watching out for the works of the enemy and his temptations. Others we know may be used as his vessels to coax us into things to bring us away from our journey.
We are to stand firm in the faith.
The faith being our belief in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And in our knowing that God the Father loves us and is always with us. That He is a loving God always out for our best interest. Yet like any good parent, He allows us to make our own choices in life while standing by to pick up the pieces when we realize we have taken the wrong path.
We are to be courageous.
The easiest thing to do is stand by and watch the world go by. And in this day and age we can do that without ever leaving our house. Many are worldly and opinionated about what is happening in the world only because of their addiction to television and the various news channels. And courageous is not about running into a burning building to save a child. It is about courage to go where most Christians dare not to find the lost and tell them about our faith; tell them about our experience with Jesus Christ.
We are to be strong.
Although it is a good thing to spend time building our physical body up. And I recommend a daily exercise program either at home or at a local gym, but that is not what this is about. We are to be strong in our faith. We know that we know that we know we are a child of God and we are saved by the blood of the Lamb. In Jesus we are strong and able to stand up against the wiles of the enemy which comes in all forms of mankind. Be strong when our friends and family members come against us. Be strong when even strangers confront us. Know that with Christ all things are possible and it is not our strength but His that we walk forth in.
We are to do everything in love.
And this is the most important of all the five rules. God is love and we are children made in the image and likeness of Him. When we fall into temptation, we take our eyes off of God. We momentarily forget who we are in Christ and that He is in us. We ignore the Holy Spirit within and take off on a side road in our journey. We are to love our fellow Christians, the non-believers we come into contact with, and our enemies. But we must be careful to remember the first four rules and not let our love for others allow us to be drawn away from our journey with Christ.
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