What Do You Want to Do Today?

Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men.  They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus.  “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think.    You teach the way of God truthfully.  Now tell us – is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Luke 20:20-22

As we find ourselves on this side of tax season once again, I read this passage in my quiet time and thought about our money.  While we aren’t living the life we used to when in industry, we have been very blessed by God and continue to see all our needs met, even during stressful tax time.  Being in ministry is the same as being self-employed to Uncle Sam and that means rules, rules, and rules.

As I read about these dishonest men who were sent by the religious leaders to trick Jesus, I thought about our REACH lesson yesterday.  2 Timothy warns us to be on the lookout for those in the family of God that have a form of godliness, but are really charlatans.  It makes me uneasy to think that I rubbed shoulders yesterday with anyone who was not sincere in their worship of the One True God.  But if they were present in the days of Jesus, and in the days of the early church, then rest assured, they are among us today.

As I continued reading this passage, I read the footnotes on stewardship.  I know that God wants me to be a good steward of the resources He has given me.  I understand the commandment to tithe.  I also understand the blessing found in giving an offering.  These are not lost on me, even though I do not draw a monetary salary.  As a stay at home wife and mother, my paychecks dried up long ago.

So how do I continue in my stewardship?  Well, money is not the only resource we’re given.  A big resource we each have is time.  The time resource is equally distributed.  We each get 24 hours.  I won’t get more if I work harder, but I can accomplish more in that time if I work harder.

The Bible is full of verses that command us to make the most of our time.  This is not preached as much these days as even the issue of tithing is preached.  We are a lazy culture, even though we seem to be busier than ever.  I stand amazed at the time we spend in frivolity.  The internet, video games, Facebook, Pinterest, Red Box, Xbox, Netflix…the list goes on and on of the things we can spend hours on.

You know, the devil doesn’t care where you spend your money, as long as you don’t give it to God.  He also doesn’t care where you spend your time, as long as you don’t give it to God.

Think really hard about the 24 hours staring you in the face.

Give it to God.

Otherwise, you’ll be twittering away your life with your face stuck in the wrong book, pinning the hours away on something that’s not real, all the while coming up in the red.  This box you call your life is not some chick flick, where God is sitting on His throne chuckling away at the hours you spend on yourself.  God isn’t sitting up there with some joystick in His hand popping in quarters to play another round.

If anything, God’s turned His back on this nation that has become so obsessed with themselves that they don’t even realize that God is no longer watching the show.  He’s moved on, people.  He’s working in other places now.  Our nation, that was once a bedrock of Christian values, now stands in 4^th place among the world’s most godless nations that need missionaries.

Jesus Christ spent 33 years, and most amazingly, 6 torturous hours, all on you.  He has spent the last 2000 years preparing your place in heaven.

Let’s show our love for Him today.  Let’s begin giving up the things that mean the most to us:  our money and our time.

Let’s spend our money and our time on Him and on His goals today!

-bbm

He saw through their trickery and said, “Show me a Roman coin.  Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

“Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

 Luke 20:23-25

Jesus is Your Door

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)

As Christians, we talk about God “opening doors” to us as a means of His revealing His will. What we are asking God to do is engineer our circumstances to match what we think would be best. The problem is that we misunderstand what the door is. Jesus said He is the door. Circumstances are irrelevant, for no one can shut the door that Jesus opens (Rev. 3:8). If you have substituted activity for your relationship with Christ, then circumstances can disrupt your activity. When the activity is hindered, you may assume the door has been closed. Yet, if Christ is the door in your life, He will guide you into every experience of Him that He wants, and there will be nothing that people can do to stop Him.

When Paul and Silas were thrown into prison at Philippi, it appeared that the door to their ministry in Greece had been violently and firmly closed (Acts 16:22–24). The reality of their situation, however, was that their Lord had opened a door of ministry to a previously unreached group of men in prison. The Philippian jailer and his household would become a significant nucleus of the new church in Philippi. From a human perspective, a door had been closed; from God’s perspective, Paul and Silas continued to minister exactly where God wanted them to.

When people oppose us, we can become discouraged or worry about what others are doing to us. We may even try to take matters into our own hands to accomplish what we think God wants. This reveals that we do not really believe Jesus is the door for our lives. If we did, we would be assured that through Christ we have access to everything He wants to do in and through us.

-BMI devotion

What Does Your Face Say?

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

I just found out today that my grandpop passed away yesterday.  He lived in New Jersey, where I am from, therefore I didn’t get to see him that much.  However, I am really thankful that I was able to go visit with him and my grandma and aunt about five years ago.

When I think about my grandpop, I immediately think about his sense of humor.  He liked to tell corny jokes (I know that this is where my dad got it as well).  My grandpop always made me laugh when I was around him.  His joking was really witty and creative!  Because he had joy on the inside, it conveyed itself through his actions as he was just a fun and enjoyable person to be with.

This makes me think about my own actions.  I wonder if people see the joy of the Lord in my life or do they see a depressed, moody and grumpy person.  I know that we all go through different seasons of hardships and trials; however, that’s not how I want to be known!  For we know while we are going through tough times, that God is still with us and that He comfort us.

Even though Job went through so much where he lost everything dear to him, his friends still expected God to one day bring him laughter and joy.  “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” (Job 8:21).

As I think about joking, I remember a joke that I said today about a dear friend.  I basically called him an idiot!  Who needs enemies when you have friends like me?

Let’s not sound like the world in course joking, whining, or moaning, but let’s show that we are different.  Let’s not walk around looking defeated, or like we’ve been sucking on lemons.

I pray that my life will bring joy to others like the example my grandpop was to me.  God, please use me as a sign to others that the Lord provides for me and does great things for me.

-RB

Psalm 126:2 

Our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,

“The LORD has done great things for them.

I Care, You?

Genesis 37:2

 Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

 Joseph was a faithful servant to his father.  The Bible doesn’t make it clear what the report was that Joseph brought about his half brothers, but we do know that it probably angered them because he told, especially after his father made a special robe for him.  “When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.” (vs 4).

 It can be tough at times to do the right thing especially amongst such hateful opposition.  Notice that when Jacob told him to go and check on the well being of these same hateful brothers, Joseph obeyed and replied, “Very well,” (vs 13).

 It was thus while obeying his father that Joseph gets thrown into a cistern by his brothers and then eventually sold as a slave to some Ishmaelites.  This is where the story becomes really interesting and shocking to me.  It amazes me how little affected the brothers were after doing such a deceitful thing. 

 Genesis 37:23-25

 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead.

 Notice that after attacking their brother and throwing him into the cistern, the apathetic men sat down to eat a meal.  This gives a picture of callousness and reminds me of the news story about the Boston Marathon bombers.  A few days after two brothers kill three people and badly injure more than two hundred more, news reports came out that immediately following the bombings, the killers were planning on going to New York City to “party”. 

 In the story about Joseph, it also amazes me that the brothers were not repentant and ashamed into telling the truth when they told their dear father that Joseph was dead and then watched their father become so sad and miserable. 

 Genesis 37:34-35

 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days.  All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him.

 Maybe we haven’t killed anyone or sold a brother into slavery; however, let us not be hard-hearted as the brothers of Joseph over our own sins.  About a week ago, my 22 year old son was in my bedroom crying his eyes out because of sin in his life and it did my heart good.

 God, please show us the sin in our own lives.  Help us to see the sin as you do so that we are broken and truly repentant over it.  Lord, once we see the sin through open eyes, help us to turn away from it and rid it from our lives.

-RB 

Psalm 51:17 

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

Soul Winner

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” ESV

I remember a time when my wife was about to leave for a ladies retreat with our church.  I wanted her to be able to go and serve without worrying about me or our (at the time) four children.  She was in the bedroom packing and I was unloading some things from our old truck.

As I came in with the last load, apparently the back door that leads into the play room / school room didn’t shut all the way.  Ten minutes later I came back into the play room and to my horror, the door was wide open and our 20 month old son was gone. I ran outside, hoping to find him quickly, before my wife found out that I had lost the baby before she ever even left!  He was nowhere to be found.

I began screaming his name.  I sent the older children into the house to see if he was inside.  My wife came running out asking when I had seen him last.  We both ran around the yard looking and yelling.  If you are a parent, and you’ve ever experienced a similar situation, you can understand the feeling!  We live way out in the woods!  This little guy is fast; and my mind began to race to terrible conclusions.

Just about that time I spotted him on the front porch playing with the cat!  So much for easing my wife’s mind that everything would be fine at home while she was gone to serve on the ladies retreat!

One thing is for sure…when my son was lost, I was frantic and determined to find him.  There was a sense of urgency to the situation!  Let’s pray:  God, break our hearts over lost people.  God, give me a passion for lost people.  Help me to have the heart of a soul-winner.  Give me a divine appointment today and this weekend during ball games.  Help me to see it, and respond with Your love! – BP

Prov. 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise. NKJV

Shhh…No Crowing in the Library

The other day I came to work and saw that the seniors had perpetrated the annual “senior prank”. They put a rooster in the media center. That’s funny, I’ll admit, but why couldn’t they have stopped at that? They threw books out of shelves and put carts and books in the halls, some un-nameable substance was on the windows, the cafeteria tables were upturned, not to mention the rooster feces which was all over the media center carpet (especially when the rooster got a fright because a student was trying to catch him!).

I will admit I was more than a little angry at all the books that needed shelving. I was ready to ban all kids over the age of 10 for life! Well, God is so good and so gentle. He left me a message that was a balm to my feelings and soothed my anger. On my computer was taped a message I had seen many times but never felt as much as in that moment:

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” Philippians 2:5

Then, as if to drive His point home, my daily devotion Biblegateway said this:

 Colossians 3:12-17

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

mes

Wilderness Isn’t Wasted

This year I’ve been thinking a lot about wilderness and the different aspects God uses spiritual wilderness in our spiritual life. I began by looking at the wilderness from the point of the Israelites. They had a physical wilderness. They wandered the wilderness for 40 years.

“Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these 40 years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” Deuteronomy 8:2

Then I looked at it from the perspective of David.  He spent a good amount of time in the wilderness mostly for protection.

            “David then stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul searched for him every day, but God did not hand David over to him.” 1 Samuel 23:14

            Notice that both of those scriptures mention God was involved in their wilderness stay. Wilderness for us may not be a physical wilderness but more of a trying time. Maybe it’s a time of infertility, lost loved ones, a battle with cancer, or circumstances that just seem to not go our way month after month. But if we cling to God he will be faithful to not allow that time in the wilderness to produce no fruit in us spiritually.

            In February, I finished a book by Priscilla Shirer titled “One in a Million”. It relates our spiritual journey through life to the journey the Israelites took out of Egypt, through the wilderness for 40 years, and into the Promise Land of Canaan. I loved a quote from her book:

Deliverance from Pharaoh was designed to set the people’s hearts on serving and worshipping the God of their fathers. The wilderness phase was the stage of development designed to cement their hearts in total trust and confidence in His ability to provide for them.

God showed himself as their God by delivering them from Egypt. God used the wilderness for them to depend on him. David wouldn’t have been able to say God is my Refuge, my Rock and salvation if he wasn’t in the wilderness depending on God.

What is your wilderness and have you placed your trust in God to take you through it?

-KA

Has Anybody Told You?

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.

My frame was not hidden from You

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

 Psalm 139:13-15

I was playing the keys but I was watching her.  Little Anna Grace was enjoying the music during our rehearsal, which was quite clear.  Sophie was dancing too, but Anna Grace’s posture was what had caught my eye.  She was twirling around in little girl fashion, but her head was thrown back and her eyes were on the ceiling.  Now, in case you don’t know the truth, her eyes might have appeared to be on the ceiling, but I know those little eyes could see past that spackling into the very throne room of God.

I thought about how that must feel to Him.  To see this precious little one twirling around to “Jesus music” and have her gaze fixed on His presence.

Later that week I was walking to my own “Jesus music” and this song filtered through my headphones.

Every girl young and old has to face her own reflection

Twirl around, stare it down

What’s the mirror gonna say

With some luck, you’ll measure up

But you might not hold a candle to the rest

“Is that your best?” says the mirror to Little Miss

But there’s a whisper in the noise

Can you hear a little voice

and He says 

Has anybody told you you’re beautiful?

You might agree if you could see what I see

Oh

‘Cause everything about you is incredible

You should have seen Me smile the day that I made you

beautiful for Me

I thought again about Anna Grace and how sweet that was to behold.  I then thought of my own “little” girl.  She’s not little anymore, staring me in the eye.  But she once twirled in this same fashion.  I don’t see that much anymore, because her “twirl” has changed.  But I do see her stare into the mirror and I wonder what’s going on in her mind.  I can tell her all day long how beautiful I think she is, but she will not feel beautiful unless she can grasp what true beauty is.  True beauty is becoming the reflection of Jesus Christ.

If true beauty lies in the eye of the Beholder

I want my life and what’s inside

to give Him something to behold

I want a heart that’s captivating

I want to hear my Father saying…

 Has anybody told you you’re beautiful?

You might agree if you could see what I see

Oh

‘Cause everything about you is incredible

You should have seen Me smile the day that I made you

beautiful for Me

It makes me also think of Sarah Beth.  She’s not twirling just yet.  She’s padding through life right now with her little pitter-patter feet.  But the twirl is coming.  Ah, another little girl.  Another chance to instill the truth that true beauty is found in God and God alone.  True beauty is receiving His Spirit into your soul, and then allowing Him to radiate out of your eyes, off of your face, through your mouth, past your hands and feet.  Then you are truly beautiful, from the inside out.

I think I’ll go twirl around a bit.  I know Who will be watching.  If you see me, you might think I’m just washing dishes.  Nope.  I’m twirling.

-bbm

Close your eyes

Look inside

Let Me see the you that you’ve been trying to hide

Long ago, I made you so very beautiful

So I ought to know you’re beautiful

 

Has anybody told you you’re beautiful?

You might agree if you could see what I see

Yeah

‘cause everything about you is incredible

You should have seen Me smile the day that I made you beautiful

You’re so beautiful

Beautiful for Me

So beautiful

for Me

 

Has anybody told you?

Leave an Inheritance

And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself (I Kings 2:3).

As we talked about yesterday, David was coming to the end of his life. Solomon, his son, was taking David’s place as king of the nation of Israel. David wanted to pass on the best advice to Solomon that he possibly could.

It is obvious from what David chose to say to his son here at the end of his life that his greatest desire was that Solomon follow the Lord. David basically charges Solomon to be obedient to all of God’s commands. He also says that obedience to God will ensure that Solomon prospers.

David knew of what he was speaking. God had surely allowed him to prosper in his lifetime. David had blessed him as a shepherd, soldier and king. David knew the only way in life was God’s way. God had led him this far and would now lead him one last time into eternity. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes (Rev. 7:17).

David could have chosen many things to say as his last words to his son. This son was inheriting his throne. He could have given him a lesson in military strategy, for David had won many battles. He could have spent this time teaching him of diplomacy, for David at times had made friends out of enemies.

David chose his last words well. He wanted to pass on the most important thing he could. He wanted his son to be a godly man as king. Surely, he wanted Solomon to avoid the mistakes he had made himself. If Solomon would follow this advice, he could avoid the snares of sin that David had fallen into more than once. It is often only one little thing that catches us off guard. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,(Heb. 12:1).

Most everyone wants a better life for their children than they had. Many work hard their whole lives so they might put their children through college and give them a chance to advance themselves. Others teach their children a trade at a young age so they never struggle for a job. Still others save their whole life to leave an inheritance to their children.

The greatest inheritance we could give to our children is to live a godly life in front of them. Read them the Word of God. Pray with them. Encourage them to live for God. These are the things that will change their lives forever.

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also (II Tim. 2:2).

Thought for Today:

Giving verbal instruction to our children is very important, but even more they need to see our godly example.

Christ Revealed:

By the oil used to anoint Solomon (I Kin. 1:39). Oil, symbolic of the Holy Spirit, was poured out upon those chosen for special service. Jesus is the Anointed One of God: God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good (Acts 10:38). The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor ((needy) (Luke 4:18; see Is. 61:1).

Reconciliation

 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9).

 Jacob conned his older twin brother and got his birthright (Genesis 25:29-33). Then he cheated Esau a second time when he tricked their father into giving him the blessings that belonged to Esau—the firstborn (27:36). In anger, the older brother swore to kill Jacob (27:41). So their mother advised Jacob to hide out at his uncle’s place (vv.43-45) for a period of time that stretched to 20 long years. Finally, after that lengthy stay, God wanted Jacob to return and reconcile with Esau (31:3,13).

In obedience, Jacob did two things:

• He initiated the reconciliation (32:3). Esau was in Edom. To meet him there, Jacob deliberately had to travel hundreds of miles south of his hometown. It required significant effort to travel that great distance. It was inconvenient, time-consuming, and costly. But he ignored those valid excuses not to see his brother.

• He humbled himself (vv.4-5). He called his brother “my master Esau,” and labeled himself “[Esau’s] servant” (v.4). According to the customs of his time, Jacob was now the head of the family (having stolen that position from Esau 2 decades earlier). But by honoring his older brother, Jacob acknowledged the natural birth order. He referred to Esau as the master, the lord of the family.

Jacob let his brother know why he came back. “I have sent these messengers to inform my lord of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to me” (Genesis 32:5). He asked for reconciliation.

Is there someone with whom you need to reconcile? Someone from whom you need to ask for or receive forgiveness? Jacob showed us the three attitudes that should characterize your peace-making efforts—a willingness to reconcile, an attitude of genuine humility, and true sincerity.

You need to make the first move to initiate reconciliation. Then humbly and sincerely pursue true forgiveness.

—K.T. Sim (godtube devotion)