Gratitude and Contentment

Psalms 107:8-9 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

The level of contentment in our life is measured by how grateful we are. How thankful are we for all that God does for us? If we stop and think about it, the simple fact that we have called upon Him, and He has forgiven us and given us eternal life is far more than we deserve. Are we grateful for our salvation? Do we thank Him often for that? Hebrews 13:5 reminds us that if we only have Him, we have all we need. Yet, as we proclaim the wonderful news of the Gospel, far too many of us Christians walk around as if we were baptized in pickle juice! We claim to have victory in Jesus, to have peace and joy, but somehow have failed to tell our face and attitude about it. How much time do we spend giving thanks to God? Does our time of whining about what we do not have or what we desire (that He has chosen not to give us yet) overshadow all the undeserved goodness He has already showered us with? May I suggest that we take a day or two, when we pray, to leave our laundry list of requests in our pockets, and instead just sit quietly with Him, giving Him thanks for all He has already done, and continues to do for us? I guarantee, if we make it a practice to give thanks regularly, we will find that we will be less miserable. We will come to realize how much He has already done for us; how much we have that we really do not deserve, and how blessed we are. Let us be thankful for another day of life, for family, friends, health, and so many more things that we most likely take for granted. If we have none of that, remember, we have Jesus, we have life eternal, we have the hope of His return, we have Heaven and its rewards. We have a God and Savior who loves us and takes care of every need. If we have all that, then honestly speaking, we already have more than we deserve. Let us begin, right now, to give thanks, be grateful, be satisfied, and practice being content with whatever the Lord chooses for our life. It will make us smile more, and make our faith and message more believable to those to whom we proclaim it.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

The Greatest Teacher

Psalms 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

As I was having my personal devotional time this morning, I was asked to reflect on those who were godly influences in my life. As I thought about it, I had to admit that I never really had that kind of influence in my life. My mom, did the best she could, but with no real father figures around to be an example, or any other real living examples of what it meant to be a godly man, I grew up with a bit of a disadvantage. It was not until my adult years that I came to know Jesus. My walk with Him has been a tough one, mostly because of personal decisions. However, by the grace of God, I have had one of the Greatest Teachers anyone could ask for, the Holy Spirit. In Christ, I have been able to walk through, and learn some tough lessons, in the school of hard knocks, about what it means to live a life that honors God. Although I still have a long way to go, I share this today to hopefully be an encouragement to those who might be struggling with their faith, and their walk with Jesus. God has been my ultimate Teacher, who has been loving, merciful, gracious, longsuffering, and better to me than I deserve. With that said, it has also taken a commitment on my part to be in His Word continually, pray every day, and make a real effort to be a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer. We have a God who does not give up on us. Instead, He beckons us to come to Him and let Him lead us in the paths of life He desires for us to walk on, as we serve Him and fellowship with Him. If we have Jesus, we most definitely have the Greatest Teacher anyone could every ask for. We simply have to allow Him to be God in our life, and let Him lead.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

He Has Never Lost

2 Chronicles 20:15 And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.'"

Ever hear the saying, "You win some, you lose some"? Does not life feel that way at times? For some of us, it might even feel like, "Am I ever going to win one?" As the king was preparing to go to battle against the Moabites, God reminded him and his army that it was not his battle. The battle belonged to the Lord. In other words, "Do not fear, this is not your fight. It is mine, and I never lose." Although our battles today manifest themselves in the physical world, our enemies are spiritual (Ephesians 6). Our enemies are invisible to the physical eye, and they are always at work. God has given us spiritual armor to stand in these battles of life. However, the truth of the matter is that the fight does not belong to us, it belongs to God. As we pray, read, study, memorize God's Word, and apply it to our daily lives, the Holy Spirit works in us, reminding us that the battle is God's. As we go out and share the Gospel with others, we need to remember that we are safely sealed in Christ, and regardless of what happens on the battlefield, we know our destination...Heaven. Even as we face illnesses and diseases that can take our physical lives, the bottom line is that no disease, even cancer, if we know Jesus, has the victory. For when we close our eyes in physical death, in Christ, going home to be with Him is victory. That victory is only possible because of what Jesus did on Calvary by laying down His life for us. The fact that He took His life up again on the third day is what gives us the ultimate victory. So, the next time we find ourselves in the midst of one of life's battles, we need to remember that the battle is really the Lord's, and He has never lost a fight to anyone or anything.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Where Was God?

Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

How often have we heard someone say, or even we have said, in recounting a tragedy or trial, "Where was God?" How often do we pray as we are suffering, and feel like our prayers are going nowhere? It seems as if our pleas and supplications are falling on deaf ears. Where is God?! Maybe we have sinned and now as we deal with the consequences, we feel as if God has turned His back and wants nothing to do with us; even though we have repented and confessed it to Him. Has He finally said enough is enough and just left me? Where is God?! When the angel of the Lord explained to Joseph that the Baby the would be born to Mary would be called Immanuel, he was not only telling Joseph the Baby's Name, he was also telling him, the One who is coming will always be with us. When we accepted Jesus as our Savior, we were sealed and are kept by the Holy Spirit. We have a promise in both the Old Testament and New Testament that says, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5-6) That is a promise that is not, and will not, ever be broken. Regardless of what we go through in this lifetime, the one thing we can count on is that God is always with us. It does not matter whether we feel His presence, God is here. Not only is God here, He is wherever we are because He is omnipresent (in all places, everywhere). Our God sees our pain, keeps our tears, and walks with us through life's toughest moments, even if He chooses to walk silently. By faith, we know He is here, and by faith, we know that in the end, He works all things together for good for those of us who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Frontline Victories

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

In war, the last place any of us would want to be is the frontline. For some of us, that is what life feels like; like we are continually on the frontline, fending off the enemy's attacks. Oftentimes, when God warns us of coming trials, or we find ourselves in the center of tribulations, the first thing most of us default to is fear. We then go through the process of trying to find the peace that is available to us in Christ Jesus. May I ask a question for all of us to consider? If God promises, and we know, that in Christ we already have the victory, why is fear our first response to trials and tribulations? Think about this...in a physical battle, there is never any certainty who will win. However, in the spiritual world this is not so. In the spiritual realm, Jesus is always the Victor. That means that regardless of what we are called to endure, in the end, regardless of the outcome, in Christ we are the victors! Consider this one verse, John 16:33. It tells us, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Note that Jesus promised that there will tribulation. However, notice what He did. He first spoke of His peace, and immediately spoke of being of good cheer, meaning good courage, and finished off with victory. The great news in all this frontline activity is that tribulation is sandwiched in between peace, that is God's peace, courage, and ultimate victory. So, the next time we find ourselves fighting on the frontline, let us enter the battle having the peace of God that passes all understanding guarding our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6-7), being courageous, knowing that in Christ we will be victorious!

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Bitter or Better

Psalms 56:8-9 You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me.

Let us stop and look around for just a moment. Do we see the evil around us? Do we see the pain and misery that surrounds us? Do we see the disappointment, distress, and depression in the lives of so many, even maybe our own life? If we focus intently enough, those of us who know Jesus, we will see the demonic activity that is prevalent in the world today. Now imagine that we receive news of a loved one that has passed away in death. We are expected to mourn, yet carry on with life. Imagine that now we are being falsely accused of some wicked crime we did not commit, and as a result are beaten almost to death. Those whom we expected to come to our defense are suddenly nowhere to be found? What do we do? How do we respond to such suffering? Who do we turn to? Is there not one person who will come and see us through it all? Will these experiences make us bitter or better? Well, I will say this first, that there is One who will not only be with us, He already is. He is the One who already experienced the pain of losing a cousin who was beheaded. Yet, He continued on the mission He was sent to accomplish. He saw the wickedness of the world and had confrontations with demons. He was falsely accused, beaten, His closest friends betrayed Him, and when it was all said and done, He gave His life for each and every one of us. His Name is Jesus, and on the third day after He gave His life, He took it back up, defeating death and the grave. In Him we already have the victory we need to be better when trials, tribulations, and sufferings come. If at the end of our sufferings we are bitter, then it was a choice we made. We have a God who walks us through each and every trial we will ever experience, and the best part is that He can relate to every single pain we experience. He too shed tears while He was here on earth, and He cherishes and keeps our tears. Let us always find comfort in the One who watches over us and walks with us. Let us be better, and not bitter, when God allows us to walk through the more difficult times of life. We have a Living Hope who has saved us so that we can be assured that in the next life will be free of all suffering, pain, and tears, because we will finally be with Him where He is, just as He promised (John 14).

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Don't Take the Bait

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Temptation...the human mousetrap. Stop and think about that for a moment. A mousetrap offers the mouse the bait, and promises that if the mouse takes the bait, it will give it food, pleasure, and satisfaction. As it lures the mouse, the unsuspecting victim reaches for the bait that looks good, smells good, but the bait is only a façade that covers what really lies in underneath...death. Temptation is no different. Satan offers the temptation, trying to convince us that the bait he is offering will bring enlightenment, satisfaction, fulfillment, and greater happiness. However, the facade he paints for us is only a mirage in a desert valley filled with death. His ultimate goal is to kill our reputation as a follower of Jesus. He wants to sift us as wheat to make us useless for the cause of Christ. His desire is to steal our identity in Christ, as he knows he cannot have our soul. Satan's offerings are not for our benefit, but for our destruction, and for the ruin of our relationship with the Lord, our families, and our friends. He knows what bait to put before us that will excite our flesh, and convince us that the shortcut he offers is far better than waiting on the Lord, and living out His plan, "that is just taking way too long to be revealed". Matthew 4 gives the account of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. Jesus stood His ground, using the Word of God to push away the bait that Satan offered over and over. I love what this chapter tells us when Satan finally fled. In verse 11 it reads, "Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." That my dear brothers and sisters was the greater reward, and the ultimate in satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment. Jesus came for a purpose, and He stayed focus on that purpose. We have been separated unto God, in Christ, for a purpose. We need to stay focused and on course. So when Satan shows up and tries to bait our flesh, trying to convince us that what he offers will be better for us than the blessings God has in store for us... DON'T TAKE THE BAIT!!!

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).