The Colors of Fall

What is it about Fall?  Why all the colors?  What is the message God is sending us?

Who controls this change?  Why does it happen? What triggers the change?  As I am sure many of us would happily answer with scientific reasoning that this change occurs with the change in the sun (length of days) combined with the change in weather patterns.  And yes you would be correct?  But who designed it that way?  Who painted the trees with their colors?  Who orchestrated this scenic event?

It has to be our Creator...the God of the Universe.  There is no other logical explanation!  Nothing like this could be orchestrated by chance across the northern and southern time zones that experience these seasonal changes.  Even the tropics experience some change although not quite as dramatic.

The message is: "I am the Lord Your God!"

Proclaim the message...it's painted in the landscape...it's obvious...you cannot deny it!

Thank you God for this powerful display of your Majesty and Glory!

He presented Himself Alive!

According to the accurate accounts of Dr. Luke in the first chapter of the book of Acts, "Jesus presented Himself alive, after His suffering by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God." (Acts 1:3)

Why is it that many of us who claim to be Christians do not boldly proclaim our faith?  Is there any other religion, be it Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Mormonism, where the founder of that particular faith appeared after death for 40 days and was teaching his disciples. 

Can a God who does this create the earth in 6 literal days?  Can a God who does this part the Red Sea?  Can a God who does this flood the entire earth?  Can a God who does this make a donkey speak?  Can a God who does this raise the dead?  Can a God who does this feed well over 5000 people with a few loaves and fishes?

Why is it that we need more convincing of the magnitude of God's Power?  What else do we want?  He has plucked us from the path we were on and holds us gently in His hand.  He has set His word before us, made it plentiful in our land.  Can He not do anything He wishes to do? 

Can He heal our land?  Can He bring the homosexual to salvation?  Can He heal us from our sickness and strife?  Can He bring Peace?  Can He save our friends and relatives who do not yet confess and believe in Him?  Does He choose to do all these things?  Are we asking Him to do these  things and do we trust Him to do it? 

Do you hear Him now saying, O Ye of little faith?  Believe in Him NOW!

Looking at others with Gospel Eyes...

How do we see others? Do we find ourselves very often judging our first impressions of others? Do we treat others in our mind as less important or more insignificant than ourselves? What measuring stick do we use when our thoughts quickly cling together to create our "point of view"? Is that how God sees? Is that what Jesus saw in others?

Of course our answer should be an emphatic NO!!!!!!!!!!!

Jesus sees a work of art...poetry in motion...a created being that HE created and LOVES with Agape love! He loves unconditionally! Do we? He sees the wonder of an individual with exclusive DNA...exclusive traits...unlike any other...totally a one of a kind person! That is how He sees us...why is it we struggle with seeing others that way?

It is simply because we don't view people with Gospel Eyes! Jesus said when asked what the greatest commandment was..."Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind and with all of your strength...and Love your neighbor as yourself"! (Mark 12:30-31)

The question for us now is, who is my neighbor? Realistically our neighbor is everyone we see, meet and interact with! That's a lot of neighbors!

Do we love our neighbor as ourselves? Do we see them through Gospel eyes? Have we shared Jesus with any of our neighbors?

Maybe we should start today!

When God is at the Center...

When God is at the Center...

So much of the time in our daily lives is taken up with thinking about ourselves. By that I mean just thinking of numero uno! Me, myself and I! What a contradiction this is to the word of God. He wants to be at the CENTER of all that we are and do. Psalm 127 tells us that "Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain to build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain." Nothing we do or are, can succeed apart from God's help. We are instructed by this very simple Psalm written by Solomon, King David's son, to live our lives in total dependence on the Lord.

Further more God shows us where our priorities should be...He says, "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. God himself blesses us with children as a heritage from HIM!

When God is at the center of the Family -

• God grows the Family - He builds the house!
  
• God blesses the Family -He gives to His beloved!
  
• God guides the Family - He directs our paths!
  
• God protects the Family - He is the watchman!

Oh, Great and Gracious God, teach us to put you totally first in our lives every moment of every day! Increase our dependence upon you for meeting our needs. Place us on our knees before you that our faith might increase and your will shall be done in our lives. Focus our attention on you O Lord that others may see and experience your boundless love and mercy! In the name of Jesus, our savior...Amen and Amen.

I Cry Out!

Have you ever had one of those days when you did something that really let some people down and more importantly made you feel very upset with yourself? Well I had one of those yesterday! So today as I was reading my Bible I was led to the Psalms. I remember David let many people down, including himself...so I figured what better place to gain some consolation for my soul than the Psalms. Sunday in church our Psalter reading was Psalm 51 so I started right there. I kept reading and found myself immersed with the feelings of needing to be reconciled before God just as David was so profoundly expressing. In Psalm 57, I was stopped in my tracks by the words, "I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me!"

Just at that point of feeling sorry for my actions and more importantly for myself I realized it is God who fulfills His purpose for me. He didn't cause my actions or my feelings of sadness...that was something I did...but He did say that in spite of my shortcomings He has a purpose that is bigger and greater than my mistakes or my plans. Is that what David was experiencing? I believe David, just like me wanted to know that God was still loving him...caring for him...forgiving him and being the faithful guiding force in life.

I cry out to God Most High,
who sustains me
who fulfills His purpose in me.
I cry out to God Most high,
who gives love and mercy,
to forgive and cleanse me again.

I cry out - and He hears,
I cry out - and He answers,
I cry out - and He fills me,
I cry out - He is with me 'till the end.
I CRY OUT! Praise be to God!

The Real Reason Jesus Came

Do you know the real reason Jesus came to earth and took on the bodily form of mankind? I am sure you have many answers, such as...well he came to be our Savior, he came to die for our sins and reconcile us unto a right relationship with God the Father...he came to die for the world so that anyone who trusts him will be saved unto eternal life. Well you are all correct...except that this is not what Jesus said about why he was here! Remember that Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin but they turned him over to Pilate. In the book of Matthew, Mark and Luke we find Pilate asking Jesus if he was the King of the Jews. He responds "It is as you say." But in the book of John we find Jesus making a longer response to Pilate. (John 18:37) Pilate says, "So you are a King?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness (testify) to the truth. Everyone who is of truth hears My voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"

While most Christians know the truth, we very seldom proclaim it as truth. In today's world we are so caught up in political correctness that proclaiming truth to be true is seen as "close minded". We must not be so open-minded that we become "empty-headed!" We must proclaim what we know to be true and do so boldly and without apology.

Here in this small section of scripture and in a very few words we see the true evidence of God's redemptive plan. Jesus told us that the truth would set us free! He was the truth...the true and Living God. Are we free? Do we know the truth? Do we live the truth?

God has made it plain to us so that anyone, no matter what race, religion, station in life, or education level can approach Him and know for certain that they have just done the right and true thing. They have believed in the only true Savior of mankind and have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

May you realize the truth that Jesus is the only true Savior of the World! Testify of the Truth!

So it is Monday...Jesus has 26 days left before he is crucified. He knows He is facing certain pain, misery, torture, persecution, hatred, humility, and immense emotional trauma, but, in the face of it all He continues to keep his eyes on Jerusalem...the center of the world! God's plan of action is in place. Did anyone else know? Jesus had shared several times with the disciples about his going, but they did not fully understand.

Every Jew in the land is descending on Jerusalem. They are looking forward to selecting their sacrificial Lamb for passover. Little did they know that the actual Lamb would be the Lamb of God! They themselves would call for his sacrifice. His blood would be shed by them and for them.

Are you heading toward Jerusalem? Are you walking with Christ? Do you see His Glory? Do you understand the breadth of His sacrifice? Are you going to keep that to yourself or share it with others. This Easter...give the greatest gift of all...share about what it is like to be a Christ Follower! God will do the rest! God Bless you, have a great week.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

A couple of days ago while listening to Chuck Swindoll speak on this passage on Insight for Living, he gave the Greek word for workmanship (italicized above). That word is poiema, from which we derive our word "poem". We are a work, something made, a workpiece designed by God, literally a work of art poetically designed by the Master Creator. We are living artifacts of the creativity of a wonderfully majestic God who loves everything about us...such that He gave us the incredible gift of Jesus Christ through His immeasurable Grace! We don't deserve it, yet He has chosen to give it to us anyway! We are living artwork...poetry from the hands and heart of the Creator! Praise be to God!