A Personal Relationship

S. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7: 21, NIV)

O. In many ways this verse calls me to reflect on my life and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Just because I am a pastor or just because I do the right things does not mean that I will enter the kingdom of Heaven. The only thing that makes that possible is my acceptance of the forgiveness of my sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. My eternal security is not based on my good works or position, but upon my statement of faith in Jesus Christ. I have been teaching and preaching the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for many years. I must have a real and honest relationship with Jesus myself and so must every person. It is up to me to pursue this relationship, to place my life under God's direction and control. This will allow God's will to be done and not my own…it is all about surrender of my life to Jesus…it just keeps coming back to living a surrendered life.

A. Today, I live for you, Jesus. Today, I offer my life to be used for your glory! Today, I chose to make you Lord of my life.

P. "Lord, I give you my heart today and ask that you mold me and make me what you want me to be. May I not pursue my goals and agenda today but yours. May my life reflect all of who you are today. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen."

Christ’s Power in Me

S. ^"I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak when he deals with you; he is powerful among you. Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God's power. Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you^£; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith."
2 Corinthians 13:3-5(NLT)

O. One of the great truths that I hold onto as a Christian is that Christ is working in my life. As we have celebrated the risen Christ around the Easter season, we have spoken of the truth of Christ living in the world and the truth of God's power at work in the world and in my life. I have said so many times the past few weeks…The same power that raised Christ from the dead is the same power that is at work in us. That is a powerful truth!! This is the truth that Paul is talking about in this passage above. He was asking the church at Corinth to look at his live and see the truth of God's power at work in him. He was weak in the flesh…but made alive in God's power displayed in Jesus Christ. And the same is true for us today. Paul calls us to examine our lives…to test and see if the power of Christ is alive in us. I must admit that there are times that I don't feel the power of Christ at work in my life, but that does not mean that it is not there and it does not mean that Christ is not using my life for the building of his kingdom. I must be proactive in looking into my life to acknowledge God's presence and work in me. As a Christian…as a Pastor…as a Husband…as a Father…as a Friend…I must allow the power of Christ to lead and direct my every action, word and thought…that will make the power of Christ evident in my life.

A. Right now, I take time to reflect on my life and reflect on the reality of Christ's power at work in my life. I am a child of God and I have all the rights of being a child and heir of God. I must acknowledge them and allow them to mold my full potential for work in the kingdom of God.

P. Lord, thank you for the power of the resurrection in my life…thank you for being alive in me today. I open my heart and life to you today.

We are Weak…He is Strong

S. God said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. (2 Corinthians 12: 9, NLT)

O. This verse just will not go away. I used it yesterday in my sermon, speaking about who God is glorified in our past and uses our past circumstance for his glory and honor. We are weak in our flesh, but God is our strength. Isn't it interesting that when we find ourselves in our weakest point in life, God strength will show up and be everything we need. It is not a coincidence…it is a reality. God loves to fill our lives with his strength and purpose and glory. He loves for us to be brought to the place where to need him, and more important, he loves it when we purposefully bring ourselves to the point of emptying ourselves and allow his strength and purpose to fill us.

So why is it that we try so hard in our own strength knowing that God want to and will provide all that we need? I believe we are taught in this world that we must do things ourselves…that we must be mighty and strong and keep ourselves on track with life and keep pace with everyone else around us. If we continue to pursue purpose and fulfillment in our own pursuits, we will fall, but God bring weak moments in our lives to bring us to our knees. Literally, God will wipe us out at times and then be ready to fill us with all that he has to offer.

A. Today, I am praying for God's strength to be present in my life and the lives of those around me. I am praying that our weakness will not just be a setback for us, but a positive step forward in allowing God to work in our lives.

P. Lord, you have filled me with all good things. You have given me strength and hope for today and tomorrow. Thanks for making me complete in your strength and for loving me in spite of my weakness. Be my strength and guide today! Amen.

The Reality of the Resurrection

"For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives." (Romans 6: 4, NLT)

I have been reflecting on the reality of the resurrection over the past few days. What an incredible gift that we have been given in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection needs to be evident in our daily lives as Christians. The resurrection is really what sets us apart from every other religion. We serve a God who is alive and who still works and moves in our lives daily. The scripture above states that because Christ is raised from the dead…we live new lives! The power of the resurrection is part of our new lives. Paul says in Ephesians 1: 19b - 20 "…that power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…"(NIV). WOW! What an incredible promise we have as Christians. We have great power to live this life because of the resurrection! But how does it make a difference? How can one tap into this awesome power?

To really have the power of the resurrection, we must receive the power that Christ offers. One is not able to live in the power of the resurrection without believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. We must open our lives to him and receive his love and forgiveness.

Then, once we accept this incredible gift, we must start living as if we have the power of Christ in us. That means there may be habits that we need to break and new ones that we need to begin. Take for instance the discipline of reading the Bible on a daily basis. If we are going to enjoy the power of God in our daily lives, we must put ourselves in a position of hearing from God's word and we must be guided by the truth that is found there.

So what difference does it make? I can only answer that from my own personal experience. I have experienced the power of Christ in my life as He has directed me in my ministry path. There have been many times that God's direction was very clear to me and my response to Him was required and confirmed in many ways. I have experienced the presence and power of Christ in the hope that I have in the promise of eternal life. Because Christ lives, eternal life is available to all who believe in Him. In the death of loved ones, I have great comfort in the fact that Jesus offers eternal life to all. I have experienced God's compassion through the presence of Christ in my life, offering me strength to live in the face of seemingly impossible circumstances. Knowing that Christ is alive and at work in my life doesn't mean that all will be perfect for me. It doesn't mean that no bad things will come my way, but it does mean that when difficulty comes, we have one who can bring hope and comfort. Paul wrote, "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 have received from God" (2 Corinthians 1: 3-4, NIV).

So take heart…don't lose hope…God has given us a new life in His son Jesus Christ. Without this hope we are lost when we have trouble in this world. With the power of Christ in us…we have new and abundant life! Live today in the reality of the resurrection!

Trusting

S. "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:" (Psalm 37: 3-5, NIV)

O. I have not been very good as blogging the past few days. I have been spending time with my family at the Hospice House in Huntington. My niece, Sarah Beth has been there for over a week. This has been a very emotional time for us and for me as well. Sometimes I don't know what I am feeling. I can't identify what I am feeling and I just get frustrated with myself and others. The time that we are having together as a family has been filled with tears, laughter, hugs, and lots of memories. We have been praying and reading scripture, we have been supporting each other and so much more. I have been filled with many questions about why all this is happening, about why Sarah's time on earth is up and even why it is extended at the present time. I don't have answers to all these questions, but I have to believe the God has a plan and purpose in all of it. I have seen God at work in Sarah's life while she is lying in bed…people who are amazed at her brave battle with cancer and how she has remained faithful to God through each step. I read these verses from Psalm this morning and it just made since in the midst of things being so senseless. I must put my trust in God who knows that best for me and knows exactly what I need to be doing in my life. Leigh Ann has been posting things from Sarah's post blog posts and this is what I read this morning…

"You know, this hasn't been the easiest walk of
life, but it's the only one I want...one that is
completely sacrificed for the will of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Thank you for all your prayers and kindness
towards me and my family. May God bless you for
your graciousness." - sarah beth, august 12, 2008

What words of faith and courage…what an attitude of surrender. I think that I need to keep more of a trusting faith in my God.

A. Continue to trust and live for Jesus!

P. Lord, I am so thankful for your grace and mercy. My prayer is that I will be faithful to allow you to mold and shape me daily. Amen

Choose Life

S. "See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess." (Deuteronomy 30: 15-16, NIV)

O. We have a choice to make while we live on this earth. Moses writes that we can choose "life and prosperity or death and destruction". I believe that too many times, we are plagued with a thought that this life is all there is…that we just need to live it up on the earth because that is what really matters in life. But when you think about it, we are really only here for a small portion of time. I have often described my life here on the earth compared to eternity as a long line (representing eternity) and a small dot (representing my life). We are here for just a brief, fleeting moments when we see life as more than our time here on earth. I have been reflecting so much on the life of my niece Sarah Beth Napier. She is in the final stages of breast cancer and we are grief stricken as we see her final days on the earth. But in days of sharing every precious moment with her, we have reflected on the brevity of her life here on earth…and more important the impact that her few years have had on so many people around the world. I think that Sarah really understood that as we life this life we have a choice…to embrace each day as the life that God has given, to walk with the Lord, obediently following his ways and living her life to the full in view of God's will. The land that she is entering into is a land that is her eternal home. Having walked faithfully in the ways of God will bring her great reward.

I guess there is a great lesson in her life and in these words from God…you have a choice as to how you will live your life. Choose God's way…because what really matters is your relationship with God that will last eternally.

A. Today I choose to live in God's plan and not my own.

P. Lord, you have blessed me beyond measure…you have given me an example (and so many others) in Sarah's life. Today, I choose to live in YOU!

Blessing Upon Blessing

S. "If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth." (Deuteronomy 28: 1, NIV)

O. This promise is so true in my life. I have been so blessed in my life. I have tried to live fully for the Lord, although I would be the first to say that there have been and are times with I fall short of this goal. I am only human…but I strive to give my life to the Lord every day. I strive to live within God's commands for my life and live for him in all that I do and say. And even in spite of my failures and in view of God's power and forgiveness, He accepts my offerings.

I really have been blessed in my life. I have not just sought the blessing of God, but have received in His blessing in more ways than I can ever imagine. Family, friends, a house, food, clothing, a ministry to serve the Lord in, health, strength, hope and more. I look around and I see that I am blessed more than I deserve. I AM BLESSED!!

A. I continue to be amazed at all the God is doing in my life. Today, I will seek the face of God, live for him and serve him in every way that I can.

P. Thank you for all the provisions and blessings you have given to me. I love you Lord, Amen.