Grace for your spirit
Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrew 12:1
When the children of Israel were in the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan, God provided a cloud to guide their way. Many times rebellious people wished to go another way, and it turned into destruction. They needed to "run with the cloud, not the crowd." Jesus told us that broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who will find it. The way of the righteous is a narrow way, and there are few on that narrow road. Which road is best? "Run with the cloud, not with the crowd." . In chapter 11 of Hebrews, we see a whole list of people who walked by faith and were rewarded. Those people are our cloud of witnesses for the kind of faith we should have. The world does not have such faith and they are falling. We really need to "run with the cloud, not with the crowd." That cloud will constantly remind us of the way we need to run in order to win.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Grace for your spirit. April 9, 2012
Grace for your spirit
Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel: Do you not know that the LORD God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt? II Chronicles 13:4-5
In Numbers 18:19, God spoke to Aaron about the blessings for the priesthood of Israel. God told him He would bless them with a covenant of salt. It was His blessing to them that they might be special and helpful to others. Here, the King of Judah spoke to the King of Israel with a warning during this civil war between the Northern Israel and Southern Judah. He said, "Beware, we are the salt of God." The salt of Judah would be victorious. It is interesting that in the new covenant that Jesus called His disciples the "salt of the earth" in Matthew 5:13. It is the promise of Jesus that we might heal, preserve, and make things better for mankind. It is His promise that He will be with us as long as we are the salt we should be. Let's keep our salt from mixing with the elements of the world that would make us useless and tasteless. All Christians are priests in Christ's kingdom. Let's claim that covenant of salt.. .
Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel: Do you not know that the LORD God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt? II Chronicles 13:4-5
In Numbers 18:19, God spoke to Aaron about the blessings for the priesthood of Israel. God told him He would bless them with a covenant of salt. It was His blessing to them that they might be special and helpful to others. Here, the King of Judah spoke to the King of Israel with a warning during this civil war between the Northern Israel and Southern Judah. He said, "Beware, we are the salt of God." The salt of Judah would be victorious. It is interesting that in the new covenant that Jesus called His disciples the "salt of the earth" in Matthew 5:13. It is the promise of Jesus that we might heal, preserve, and make things better for mankind. It is His promise that He will be with us as long as we are the salt we should be. Let's keep our salt from mixing with the elements of the world that would make us useless and tasteless. All Christians are priests in Christ's kingdom. Let's claim that covenant of salt.. .
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Grace for your spirit April 6,, 2012
Grace for your spirit
But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had been done, and the children who were shouting in the temple "Hosanna to the Son of David", they became indignant. Matthew 21:15
The crowds were shouting to Jesus, "Save us" they were praising Him like a King. Why then would the chief priests of God become indignant? One would think they would be the most excited. In fact, Jesus was their competition. They wanted the people to come to them for solutions. When they sent Him to the cross, it was partly because of envy. When the king made his entry into Jerusalem some were filled with joy, and others filled with anger. May the majesty of Christ;s resurrection fill us with joy, and may that joy overflow with praise and thanksgiving. Happy Easter celebration to everyone.
But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had been done, and the children who were shouting in the temple "Hosanna to the Son of David", they became indignant. Matthew 21:15
The crowds were shouting to Jesus, "Save us" they were praising Him like a King. Why then would the chief priests of God become indignant? One would think they would be the most excited. In fact, Jesus was their competition. They wanted the people to come to them for solutions. When they sent Him to the cross, it was partly because of envy. When the king made his entry into Jerusalem some were filled with joy, and others filled with anger. May the majesty of Christ;s resurrection fill us with joy, and may that joy overflow with praise and thanksgiving. Happy Easter celebration to everyone.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Grace for your spirit April 5, 2012
Grace for your spirit
Say to the daughter of Zion. Behold your king is coming to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. Matthew 21:5
The day Jesus sent his disciples out to find him this colt, it must have been a very exciting day for them. Ever since they had left their homes and their jobs, they had been very kingdom oriented. The were searching for their king, and they had hoped that this Jesus would be the expected one. The unfolding of the prophecy in Zechariah 9 was coming to pass. Riding in on a colt was the prediction. It would be a sign of humility, peace, and royalty in the line of David. It was the beginning of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The laying down of the cloaks, the palm leaves, and shouting of Hosanna would follow the throngs that day. Little did most of them know that there would be a cross before a crown, but indeed they were saluting their coming King. What will we do today to honor our King? Will it be exciting?
Say to the daughter of Zion. Behold your king is coming to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. Matthew 21:5
The day Jesus sent his disciples out to find him this colt, it must have been a very exciting day for them. Ever since they had left their homes and their jobs, they had been very kingdom oriented. The were searching for their king, and they had hoped that this Jesus would be the expected one. The unfolding of the prophecy in Zechariah 9 was coming to pass. Riding in on a colt was the prediction. It would be a sign of humility, peace, and royalty in the line of David. It was the beginning of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The laying down of the cloaks, the palm leaves, and shouting of Hosanna would follow the throngs that day. Little did most of them know that there would be a cross before a crown, but indeed they were saluting their coming King. What will we do today to honor our King? Will it be exciting?
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Grace for your spirit. April 4, 2012
Grace for your spirit
And the things that you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. II Timothy 2:
2
Once in a while, someone might ask us where we were "ordained into the ministry". Or by what authority do we preach and teach. The dictionary defines ordination as investing ministerial or sacred functions, and to confer holy orders upon someone. Every Christian's ordination begins with the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20 to disciple, baptize, and teach others, and is carried down through the generations by II Timothy 2:2. We are all saints and priests in God's kingdom, ordained to preach the good news of Jesus Christ We could call it our 2-2-2 ordination after the thought of II Timothy 2:2 There is your ordination and mine, straight from Jesus and passed down through the ages. Let's preach on. We have His holy marching orders
And the things that you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. II Timothy 2:
2
Once in a while, someone might ask us where we were "ordained into the ministry". Or by what authority do we preach and teach. The dictionary defines ordination as investing ministerial or sacred functions, and to confer holy orders upon someone. Every Christian's ordination begins with the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20 to disciple, baptize, and teach others, and is carried down through the generations by II Timothy 2:2. We are all saints and priests in God's kingdom, ordained to preach the good news of Jesus Christ We could call it our 2-2-2 ordination after the thought of II Timothy 2:2 There is your ordination and mine, straight from Jesus and passed down through the ages. Let's preach on. We have His holy marching orders
Monday, April 2, 2012
Grace for your spirit. March 3, 2012
Grace for your spirit
Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as light in the world. Philippians 2:14-15
This passage follows an admonition for us to have the attitude that Christ had in the world. For all of us to work out what God has worked in us, so through our lives, people might see the beauty of Jesus living in us. Jesus has been described as light and love, and as His disciples we should be light and love as well. Our actions need to prove that we are children of God, blameless and innocent in a crooked world. When we achieve that, we will appear as lights in a dark place. I think we would all agree that it is impossible to reach those goals if we are always grumbling and complaining. If you follow Israel in their journey to the promised land, the one thing that hurt them the most was murmering, griping, disputing, and complaining. Let's not miss our entry into our promised land. Finding anyone who says, "Can't complain" and really means it, is quite refreshing.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as light in the world. Philippians 2:14-15
This passage follows an admonition for us to have the attitude that Christ had in the world. For all of us to work out what God has worked in us, so through our lives, people might see the beauty of Jesus living in us. Jesus has been described as light and love, and as His disciples we should be light and love as well. Our actions need to prove that we are children of God, blameless and innocent in a crooked world. When we achieve that, we will appear as lights in a dark place. I think we would all agree that it is impossible to reach those goals if we are always grumbling and complaining. If you follow Israel in their journey to the promised land, the one thing that hurt them the most was murmering, griping, disputing, and complaining. Let's not miss our entry into our promised land. Finding anyone who says, "Can't complain" and really means it, is quite refreshing.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Grace for your spirit April 2, 2012
Grace for your spirit
And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; Do this and you will live." But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Luke 10:27-29
We know God's law tells us to love our neighbor, but often we don't. Then we wonder, who is our neighbor? Is there some people we must love and some we don't need to love? . If we can define who our neighbor is, it will help us to justify our unloving behavior. If our neighbors are people we like, and people that treat us well, then we're OK. Jesus answered the question by telling us the story of the Good Samaritan. Whoever we have the opportunity to help and serve is our neighbor. Whether we are their neighbor, and they like us is not the issue. It is our place to be their neighbor and love them. Let's show the mercy that has been shown to us. Then we will truly live the abundant life.
And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; Do this and you will live." But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Luke 10:27-29
We know God's law tells us to love our neighbor, but often we don't. Then we wonder, who is our neighbor? Is there some people we must love and some we don't need to love? . If we can define who our neighbor is, it will help us to justify our unloving behavior. If our neighbors are people we like, and people that treat us well, then we're OK. Jesus answered the question by telling us the story of the Good Samaritan. Whoever we have the opportunity to help and serve is our neighbor. Whether we are their neighbor, and they like us is not the issue. It is our place to be their neighbor and love them. Let's show the mercy that has been shown to us. Then we will truly live the abundant life.
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