Saturday, August 29, 2015

Saturday, August 29, 2015

[by Keesha Sullivan]

               I absolutely adore my friends from childhood. At about 12 years of age, I began witnessing to them. I tried to convince them with everything that was in me to come know Jesus. The thought of us ever being separated, even if it was after death, frightened me. Through the grace and mercy of the almighty Father a couple of my friends came to know Jesus. The majority of them ignored my attempts.

        Recently, I heard an evangelist say something that changed my whole way of thinking when it came to sharing the gospel. He said, "If you can convince someone into the kingdom through reasoning, what will stop someone else from reasoning them out." This statement hit me like a ton of bricks! It made me ask the Lord, "What do I do then?"

        Our scripture from today has the answer. In 2 Corinthians 3:14-16 it says, "But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.  But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."

        I realized persuasive words will not bring my friends and loved ones into the kingdom. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can move on a person's heart and begin the process of lifting the veil from their minds. In 1 Corinthians 2:4, Paul says "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power."

        I tried praying for the Holy Spirit to unveil the eyes of one of my childhood friends just a month ago. We've been friends for twenty years now, and she's heard my persuasive speeches for a long time.  Concerning life after death she hypothesized, "After we all die, God will let us apologize and take us into heaven. Most people feel this way. Not everyone can be as serious about God as you, Keesha." I smiled and gave her a few Scriptures that testified to her hypothesis not being the truth.

               As I looked into my friend's eyes, I saw something click. This had never happened before. The smile left her face and she solemnly said, "Going to the gates of heaven without living for Jesus is like going swimming in the ocean without a life jacket." Although she didn't accept Jesus Christ as her Savior that day, I know that the Holy Spirit did more during that lunch date than I had done in twenty years.

               Holy Spirit help us to go to you when it comes to seeing our loved ones come into Your kingdom. Guide us in our sharing of the gospel. Unveil the minds and soften the hearts of our loved ones, O God. We need You. In Jesus Name. Amen.

 

August 28

2 Corinthians 2 

A word association quiz. What is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear the following names?

Michael Jordan

Tiger Woods

David Wright

Christian

According to the book, UnChristian, the next generation has a largely negative response to the last word, "Christian." Our favorability is only 3% with the next generation. In terms of smell, the world considers Christians rotten eggs.  

The Apostle Paul challenged the early Christians to be a sweet aroma in their culture. Our task is to consider how we can become that sweet fragrance in the city of Stamford. The key is generously sharing the love and grace of God with people. When God's love and grace flows through us it becomes the sweet perfume of hope and life. The only way for us to reclaim our culture is for Christians to smell better.  

I heard a story that illustrates this point. A 10-year-old boy was part of a dysfunctional family. Every night at dinner they would fight and scream at each other for the entire time. This young boy came up with a plan to deal with the pain. He would eat his dinner as fast as he could and then he would leave the table and his house. He would actually go down to a Christian family's house in the neighborhood and sit under their porch as they ate their dinner meal. There he would hear laughter, encouragement and love flowing through their words. The fragrance of joy filled their dining room. This young boy longed to be part of that family.

But what if one night the family had said, "Hey, why don't you join us around the table?" That invitation would have been the fragrance of life to that boy. That invitation could have transformed his future.

The mission is clear: become that sweet fragrance in our families and church and then invite people to join us. 

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, August 27

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015

Job 23:1–27:23

2 Corinthians 1:12–2:11

Psalm 41:1–13

Proverbs 22:5,6

 

 

“But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not ‘Yes’ and ‘No.’  For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not ‘Yes’ and ‘No,’ but in him it has always been ‘Yes.’  For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.  And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.  Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.  He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 1:18–22)

 

 

These verses encourages us to consider and embrace the promises that God has given us through our knowledge of Jesus Christ.  These promises speak a resounding “Yes,” granting life to the full and the fruit of the Spirit to all who trust in Him.  God has “set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”  This seal of ownership marks us for eternity and gives us solid ground in our daily lives.

 

This mention of God’s promises recalls 2 Peter 1:3,4:  “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

 

In Paul and Peter’s words, we understand that God has richly provided for our faith through sharing these promises and has given us “everything we need for a godly life.”  These promises allow us to experience the fullness of God’s presence and to escape from the pull of evil.  God has granted us strength to stand through His presence and the promises in His Word.

 

The Bible includes over 3,000 promises, and most such promises ultimately rest on God’s faithfulness.  While the Old Testament speaks frequently of benefits accruing to the righteous, we understand that we all may become righteous only through faith in the completed work of Christ on the cross.  Any faithfulness that we exercise ultimately stems from (1) reflecting and appreciating God’s faithfulness and (2) committing to honor Him.

 

As we approach this coming school year, I encourage you to take inventory of the personal challenges that you face and the challenges that our community, your workplace or school, and our nation face.  Are any of these challenges beyond God’s awesome power?  What promises has He offered on behalf of those challenges?  What actions may you take in order to unleash God’s blessings in your spheres of influence?

 

Take, for example, the promise of Hebrews 13:5:  “Never will I [God] leave you; never will I forsake you.”  What does the continued presence of God mean for the tough spots you’re facing?  How does His presence bring comfort and rest in the midst of stress, busyness, and worry?

 

Or consider Isaiah 55:11:  “… So is my word that goes out from my mouth:/ It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire/ and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”  With whom may we share God’s Word?  How does this verse give us comfort if the initial response looks tepid?

 

 

Lord Jesus, we give You praise for, indeed, all promises are “Yes” in Your Name.  Thank You for Your faithfulness to follow Your Father and for giving us this example of faithfulness.  Send an overwhelming understanding and perception of Your Father’s love to us.  Give us wisdom to understand Your purposes for our lives and the connections between these purposes and the promises of Your Word.  Help us to share the promises of Your Word with those who are seeking You.  We love You and want to bring You glory and honor in all that we do.  In Your Name, we pray.  Amen.

 

________________________________________
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Aug. 25

2 Corinthians 1:3

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. 

Let's face it, we all either have or have had our share of "stuff".  Like Job, we have all turned to friends for comfort and or advise. But where does our help really come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.  (Psalm 121:2)  Paul's encouraging words tell us that God delivers us from peril and we set our hope on Him to continue to deliver us by our prayers (v. 10-11).  In turning to each other and keeping each other lifted in prayer we offer to others the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  I can't speak for any one else but there's something about hearing God's word spoken over me by one of my brothers or sisters that brings me peace and comforts my spirit. Trials of any kind are hard but Paul reminds us that "this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God" (v.9)  I can't give what I haven't received.  When I receive compassion and comfort from the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer, it becomes my turn to pass it along to someone who is hurting or in trouble.  Lord I pray that You continue to pour Your Spirit into us so that we can in turn comfort others in any trouble with the same comfort we've received from You.





Randi

August 24: When is 13% the same as 40% the same as 0%?

Job 12:1-15:35
1 Corinthians 15:29-58
Psalm 39:1-13
Proverbs 21:30-31

Proverbs 21:30-31
There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the Lord.
The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but victory rests with the Lord.

I would imagine that a majority of people invested in the stock market are prudent investors. They save part of their income monthly, and invest it in hopes of building a nest egg with which to retire, with which to enjoy things later on in life. They had a plan, they prepared, they were diligent.

Just today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 3.6%. Since it hit its 5 year highs, it is down 13.3% - not an insignificant sum. Assuming one made the same amount each year, and assuming one had, as is the case for me, worked 26 years to build a nest egg, the 13.3% drop would have set one back roughly around three and a half years. And yet that isn't the worst of it. In China, where presumably people are just as good at planning and saving, the Shanghai Composite Index is down 40%. Today's proverb seems particularly apropos.

The plight of those who lost money in the markets is nothing compared to all Job lost - not just wealth, but family as well, as we hear him cry out to God and speak to his friends about his plight. I don't know how I would respond faced with the overwhelming circumstances of Job's life, but I think it safe to say I do not yet have such strength of relationship with God that would let me proclaim "Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him...indeed this will turn out for my deliverance..."

Indeed, how are we to respond? For further example, consider today's psalm...

But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
Save me from all my transgressions
[including, presumably, the times I put faith in myself and my own plans]
do not make me the scorn of fools.

We serve an awesome God Who, as Paul writes to the Corinthians, "gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." And so, as Paul advises, we can stand firm, letting nothing move us - not the worry about money, not the worry about tomorrow, because consistent with the proverb above, as we "give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord...[we] know that [our] labor in the Lord is not in vain." Which is why when we lose 13%, or 40% of our savings, it is though we lost nothing.

Sent from my iPad

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Saturday, August 22, 2015

[by Keesha Sullivan]

My mind raced with ideas after I read the letter I had received from central office when I was teaching in New Jersey. The letter clearly stated that due to budget restrictions every non-tenured teacher was going to be laid off. Frantic and slightly bewildered, I hopped on the internet and began looking for teaching jobs over the next three hours. There were no job openings anywhere near where we lived in New Jersey. There weren't even any job openings in Connecticut where I had formerly worked. As I drove home, panic began to set in. I proceeded to have a meltdown with Kenny later that evening and tried to convince him that we were going to be homeless.

Kenny looked me in the eyes and told me that I needed to trust pray and God. He explained that we just needed to wait on the Lord, and He would open up something. I felt slightly sheepish as I saw the peace he possessed as he spoke with me. My spirit was yelling, "Amen! You're right!" while my flesh was screaming, "Kenny's lost his mind. You need to keep searching." The spirit won the battle, thankfully. 

As I reflect on the scripture reading from today, one verse stands out in particular. The verse came from Psalms 37: 34. It says, "Wait passionately for God, don't leave the path…" I have been reading a book by Bill Johnson entitled "Hosting the Presence." Johnson has  a different perspective on waiting. He believes that in order to be waiting one has to be active.  She, or he, has to actively trust God, actively laying down any thoughts or commentary that would say don't trust. Waiting requires believing and knowing that our Savior is coming to our rescue. 

For so long, I had thought that waiting was passive. I didn't think that it required anything from me. This thinking was not only wrong, but it put me in a place of anxiety. Five years ago, when Kenny told me to wait on the Lord, he was right. I needed to trust that God was going to act on my behalf. I needed to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). I needed to believe and know that God was coming to the rescue. Before Kenny or I received our final termination letters at the end of the year, God set us up with jobs and a plan for the future. We weren't going to be homeless after all. 

Lord, please help us to actively wait for you. Help us to place all of our trust, belief, and hope in You.  Thank You so much for being such a wonderful, heavenly Father. You are a good Father, and You will always help us in our time of need. Please give us the strength and mind to keep our eyes focused on You. Help us to remember that You, O God, have all authority and power in Your hands. Lead us in the way that we should go and please continue to order our steps. We love You, Lord! In Jesus name. Amen! 

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August 21

Job 2:10   Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?

In a few days we will mark the anniversary of 9-11. Inevitably the "WHY" questions will be raised again. "Why did this happen?"  "Why didn't God do something that day?"  Over 2,000 innocent people lost their lives on that horrible day in our history. And God will be put on trial once more. Evil in the world is still a perplexing problem. The story of Job attempts to answer that issue. Even though the "WHY" question will not be answered by the end of the book, we will receive some hints of how to respond to the evil that is found in our world.

The first hint is that evil and terrible things happen to good people. In the first chapters we see a man who is described by God as blameless and upright. He is singled out by God when Satan argues that Job only believes in God because God has blessed him. Satan says that believers only love God when he becomes a "Sugar Daddy" and gives them all the good things of life. In reality God is not on trial in this story; Job and his faith are. What will Job do? Will he curse God if the beautiful life is taken away?

So God permits Satan to attack Job. In a single day unspeakable tragedies strip Job of wealth and family. And we respond by yelling.... at the top of our lungs, "This is not FAIR!!!"  But the truth is that life is not fair. Cancer is not fair. Lyme disease is not fair. Cerebral palsy is not fair. Wheelchairs are not fair. Hunger and poverty are not fair. Unemployment is not fair. Infertility is not fair.

Job's story is our story. Your faith is on trial today. Do you love God because he is "useful" to you or do you love for who He is? We do have a choice. This choice doesn't ease the pain or exempt us from trials but it does bring healing. Don't let the disappointments of life cloud your vision of Jesus. Jesus is with you in the midst of all the pain. Love him with all your heart.

Annie Johnson Flint put it this way in a poem:

   God hath not promised, skies always blue,

Flower strewn pathways, all our lives through

   God hath not promised, sun without rain,

Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

   But God hath promised, strength for the day,

Rest for the labor, light for the way

   Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, undying love.   

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, August 20

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2015

Esther 8:1–10:3

1 Corinthians 12:27–13:13

Psalm 37:1–11

Proverbs 21:23,24

 

 

“Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres…. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4–8a)

 

Have you ever played the “telephone” game?  In this childhood classic (likely more popular before ubiquitous handheld screens), the initiator whispers a phrase with the second player, such as, “The cow loved frolicking in the green grass.”  The second player relays the message by whisper to the third, and so on.  Finally, the last person repeats what he or she has heard.  In the most stringent version, each player may only speak the phrase once, making it crucial to listen and speak carefully.  In any event, this sample phrase generally comes out as:  “The cow last jumped in the creek.”  Laughter often ensues with our challenges in passing along the “telephone” messages!

 

In many ways, our lives represent a link in the “telephone” chain.  God has called us to reflect His love to others, and we have responsibility to keep this reflection bright and clear.  As Paul notes later in the chapter, we don’t have the luxury of perfectly clear perception of God’s love, explaining that “now we see only a reflection as in a mirror.”  The “mirror” he has in mind likely represent a piece of polished metal, which would not have given as clear a picture as today’s glass mirrors.

 

While we do not see God’s love perfectly clearly, we also struggle with our own blemishes.  Yet, God gives us abundant and sufficient grace to share His love with others.  Our duty comes in committing to the effort of loving others and persevering through the tough days.  Paul noted in 2 Corinthians 5:14 that “Christ’s love compels us” to share the ministry of reconciliation – that is, bringing spiritual healing through sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

In addition to demonstrating God’s love through speaking His Word, we love through action.  Indeed, love always represents an act of the will, a commitment; “love” feelings are terribly fleeting and can’t really motivate us to invest time in building others up.  In 1 John 3:16–18, the beloved Apostle encourages us to follow Christ’s example of self-sacrificing love:  “This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?  Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

 

These words are challenging to me.  We are called not just to avoid actively hurting our neighbor, but also to avoid passive indifference.  These verses suggest that we may even have a “searchlight” attitude towards others’ needs; we should be actively looking to stand with others in their times of need.

 

How may you respond to others’ needs in love?  How may you “not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth” today?

 

 

 

On Wednesday night, I witnessed a beautiful expression of the Body of Christ’s responding in love.  We gathered together to discuss several key ministries for the coming year, and one could immediately perceive the presence of the Holy Spirit, bringing unity and love to the entire group.  May the Spirit flow into this Body as streams of living water, strengthening us for God’s good purposes in the coming year.

 

 

Lord God, we pray that Your Holy Spirit would empower us to love deeply and from the heart.  Give us eyes of discernment so that we may know how we may show Your love in action.  Fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that we may display His fruit.  Use us collectively to share a wonderful harmony of love with Stamford, Connecticut, our nation, and the world.  To You be all glory, honor, and praise forever and ever!  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

 

________________________________________
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August 19

1 Corinthians 12


As I read this passage I couldn't help but think about our church family.  "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men."  (v.4-6)  I don't think anyone in our church family would deny that this describes Grace Church.  We are each unique with our individual gift that God has blessed us with, but Jesus is the chord that knits us together and unifies us into one body.  "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.  So it is with Christ.  For we are all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." (v.12-13) Lord I thank You for my brothers and sisters at Grace and the way You have knit us together into the Body of Christ.  I pray Lord You continue to strengthen each of us in the gift You have given us and that we continue to serve in a way that pleases You.  I thank You Lord for the unique way You have arranged the parts of our church body just as You want them to be and by the power of Your Holy Spirit You hold us together.




Randi

August 17: Obedience, then Understanding ("Because I said so!")

Nehemiah 12;27-13:31
1 Corinthians 11:2-16
Psalm 33:1-16
Proverbs 21:17-18

This was a challenging week as a father, as disobedience characteristic of children made numerous guest appearances in the Lanuza household.

As I was reading this, I wondered "how could a loving God condemn the foreign women who married into Israel, presumably with the best of intentions, to a life of hardship and desolation?" Or "why was it wrong to try and make an honest living selling spices on the Sabbath?" And in the New Testament reading, women's head covering? Really?

Then I realized one thing, then remembered another: first, the rightness or wrongness of the action wasn't determined by man's motivations, by the seeming innocuousness of the action - it was determined by God's commands, God's law, God's will. And second, from something else I read or heard earlier this week - "obedience first, then comes understanding".

And this is where I was reminded of what my kids would say when I told them they had to do something - either with words or just with their eyes, my ears and my mind would hear "Why?" The eternal answer to that question, as I myself learned long ago from my own parents is "Because I said so."

It's funny how, so many decades removed from my childhood, so much of what my parents seemed to demand so unreasonably now makes so much sense. Yes, there was ignorant (and often unwilling) obedience...years later, there is understanding. I can only believe that will also eventually be true for my children. And as I struggle to obey the Lord's confusing commands, as the perfectly reasonable justifications come to mind as they must have for the Israelites and the Corinthians, I trust that eventually I will be blessed with the understanding as well.

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August 14

Nehemiah 8 

 

In 1994 we sent a team from Grace on a two week short-term missions trip to Russia. We went to their summer camps with the purpose of teaching Christianity in the wake of the collapse of communism. I will never forget the first day we met with the young people. There were about 40 of them gathered together in a classroom and we were enjoying playing some games with them. There was a lot of noise and excitement in the room. Then we wanted to transition to the spiritual reason we were there so we announced we were going to read the Bible. Immediately all of the young people stopped talking and focused their attention on the scripture reading. Later we gathered together as a team and reflected on that moment. We realized that for 70 years the Bible had been the most dangerous book in Russia. To own a Bible meant you could be sent to prison. Now they were hearing the words of this dangerous book. Two days later Dave Fowler was mobbed by 250 people as he attempted to distribute Russian Bibles. We had to carry the Bibles back into our room and give them out one at a time. I will never forget seeing an old babushka woman receive her copy and hold it close to her chest. She rocked back and forth with tears in her eyes and said repeatedly, "Spasibo, spasibo, spasibo (thank you in Russian)." Now she would be able to read the Words of God for herself.

 

What the Russians and the Jews of Ezra's day realized is that when we hunger and thirst for the Word of God it brings radical change to our lives and our community.

 

Nehemiah 8:18   Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.

Reading and studying the Bible is one of the core values at Grace. We challenge every Christ follower to set their alarm earlier to wake up and read God's Word. Bring a notebook and write down what God teaches you each day. When we have this type of hunger for the Word, staying up late or rising early in the morning to spend time in the Word, revival cannot be far away.

If you fell off the wagon this summer with your Bible reading today is a great day to renew your commitment. 

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, August 13

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2015

Nehemiah 5:14–7:60

1 Corinthians 8:1–13

Psalm 33:1–11

Proverbs 21:8–10

 

 

“Now about food sacrificed to idols:  We know that we all possess knowledge.  Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.  But the man who loves God is known by God.” (1 Corinthians 8:1–3)

 

“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak….  When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.  Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.” (1 Corinthians 8:9,12–13)

 

 

In this chapter, Paul responds to the Corinthians’ questions about consuming meat sacrificed to idols.  While the Corinthian Christians had not joined in the temple worship services where the meat had been sacrificed, they legitimately wondered how they should react to this meat, which they found available at the local markets.  In other words, were they free to partake of this meat?

 

Paul urges the Corinthian believers to consider the impact of their actions on the other brothers and sisters among them.  He urges them not to “exercise” their “freedom” in a manner that would become “a stumbling block to the weak.”  By “weak,” Paul does not refer to physically weak, but rather he urges believers to consider our actions sensitively in light of others’ consciences.

 

Perhaps some of the Corinthian believers had recently turned away from the idol worship involved with this meat.  By seeing or even hearing about another Christ-followers’ indulging in this meat, it might drag the former idol-worshipper back into second thoughts or even expose him or her to recriminations about his past spiritual practices.  In any event, loving these folks involved a thoughtful consideration of their life experiences so that they might be “built up” into fullness in Christ.  To eat this meat would mean selfishly forgetting and diminishing the concerns of one’s brothers and sisters.

 

Paul summarizes a godly approach to Christians’ treading in “controversial practices” in Romans 14:19–21:  “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.  Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.  It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.”  He emphasizes that concern for the Kingdom should come before “eating and drinking” so that the whole Body might experience “peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

 

Today, we may not face this specific challenge, but we must be careful to live in order not to cause others to stumble.  We should allow our living and conversation to be edifying and encouraging for those around us – and especially among our brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

Paul expands on our attitudes towards interacting with others and our communication with them in Ephesians 4:29–32:  “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

 

 

Lord God, give us wisdom as we approach “controversial” topics or practices.  Give us a full picture of Your love for us and others so that we may prioritize harmony, peace, and joy above our own egos or comfort.  Help us to discern between helpful and unhelpful practices, and allow our conversations to be gracious and wholesome.  Strengthen us through the power of Your Holy Spirit so that we may be encouraging and loving to our brothers and sisters in Christ and winsome to those who are seeking You.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

 

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August 12

Nehemiah

In February of 1997 their was a fire that tore through the string of businesses which were connected to our restaurant.  By the time we were notified and got there, the ceiling had caved in and what we saw were the remains of what the day before had been our livelihood.  Looking at destruction is devastating. Fortunately in today's world there is insurance to cover rebuilding costs. Now let's put ourselves in Nehemiah's position. Nehemiah was faced with looking at the state of the walls of Jerusalem with a sense of deep grief. His insurance was prayer and trusting God and he knew it. From the very beginning until the end, Nehemiah prayed.  When he first learned of the state of Jerusalem he prayed and this prepared his heart, giving God room to work.  When he went to go speak to the king his prayers were answered and he was treated with favor.  When he was mocked, he didn't react to his feelings, he went to God in prayer.  Every step of the way he showed trust in God.  The result was accomplishing what seemed to be the impossible - the wall around Jerusalem was rebuilt in 52 days. Much like us, Nehemiah was an ordinary man who God chose to use in an extraordinary way.  Through Nehemiah's prayers, the wall was rebuilt because it's foundation was based on prayer and the answers came from God. I'm learning that there are two parts in our service for God.  First we talk to Him, then we listen and walk with Him.  I didn't know the Lord when our restaurant burned down so my life was rebuilt depending on everything else except prayer.  A few years later we were once again faced with destruction.  Is anyone aside from me noticing a pattern here?  God, through His mercy and grace, has once again put me in a season of rebuilding.  This time to Him be the glory.   In Nehemiah's prayer in chapter 5:19 and 13:31 he says "remember me with favor, my God".  I pray Lord for all of us that whatever aspect or our lives needs to be rebuilt we turn to You in prayer knowing and trusting that You are remembering us in favor and we are putting into practice Your words like wise men, building our house on the rock. (Matthew 7:25)




Randi





 

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Saturday, August 8, 2015

[by Keesha Sullivan]

Kenny and I walked into the gym and chatted with one of the workers for a few moments. After just a minute of speaking, I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to invite the worker to a church service and out for lunch. I figured if God had put it on my mind that it would go well. I mentioned going to church with this worker, and his entire face lit up. His reply was quick, and he graciously accepted the invitation.

I marveled at the Lord. The verse from Romans 8:31 came to mind. It says, "31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" When God sends us on a mission, we will always meet success. I am sure that God wants every person in the world to know Him and to fellowship with other believers, but there is something special about carrying out His specific will whether it be for a person, people, or even an entire nation.

 

In the scripture from today it says, "Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me" (Ezra 7:28). Ezra knew that when the hand of the Lord was on Him and that he could be confident in the Lord seeing him through. God had already moved the heart of King Artaxerxes. King Artaxerxes wrote a letter to Ezra stating "Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should his wrath fall on the realm of the king and of his sons?" (Ezra 7:23). God also moved on Ezra's heart to help lead this mission. Ezra had courage because he knew who was on his side. 

When God calls us to do something, whether it be small or great, we too can go forth with incredible boldness. We can trust that God will lead us to success. We always win when obey God because our obedience is the success; the results of our obedience are God's business. At times we might be met with resistance from the enemy, but we can be sure that God will lead us through in triumph. 

Lord, we thank You so much that You have plans for our lives each day. Holy Spirit, please speak to our spiritual ears. Please continue to remove whatever blockage may stand in the way. Help us to be obedient to Your will. We thank You that when we execute Your will that we will be successful. Guide us throughout this day. We need You and we love You. In Jesus' name. Amen

Thursday, August 6

THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2015

Ezra 3:1–4:24

1 Corinthians 2:6–3:4

Psalm 28:1–9

Proverbs 20:24,25

 

 

In today’s reading from 1 Corinthians 2 and 3, Paul introduces us to three different types of people, distinguished by their relationship with God and their connection with Him through the Holy Spirit:

 

The natural person (1 Corinthians 2:14).  This individual has not yet received Christ as his Lord and Savior.  Paul has highlighted how the world views the wisdom of God as foolishness in the first two chapters of 1 Corinthians:  “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”  From this verse, we understand that, to understand spiritual truth, we must receive a revelation from the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit guides us into truth and convicts the world according to sin and righteousness. (John 16:8,13,14)

 

The spiritual person (1 Corinthians 2:15).  This person has received Christ and invited the Holy Spirit to strengthen and direct his life.  Guided by the Spirit, this individual “makes judgments about all things,” indicating that he has received wisdom and “may understand what God has freely given us.” (1 Corinthians 2:12)  We become aware of God’s rich blessings “in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.”  Again, we see the crucial element of God’s revelation in sharing God’s truth with the spiritual person.

 

The carnal person (1 Corinthians 3:1,2).  This person has received Christ but lives in order because he has turned back to the world and trusts in his own strength to live the Christian life.  Paul chides the Corinthians for returning to “worldly… jealousy and quarreling” among themselves.  While he had called them to eternal glory, their focus had remained horizontal.  As a result, they had grown bitter towards one another and had not lived together in love.  As we will discover later, they also had dabbled in worldly sexual practices, which caused confusion and disarray.

 

Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade (now, Cru), argued that carnal Christians are among the unhappiest of people.  They may have experienced some joy in their walks with Christ, but now they have turned away from the Source of joy and have chosen to dabble again in the world.

 

 

Each Christ-follower has the opportunity to live as a “spiritual person.”  We have all received the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the time we trusted in Christ.  To welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives, we must prepare ourselves in real time.  To do so, we must confess our sin and turn away from it (repentance).  We may thank God for providing once-for-all righteousness for those who have trusted in Christ and for forgiving our sins on that basis (1 John 1:9).  Having “cleaned” our hearts, we may then invite the Spirit to fill us and strengthen us as promised in the Scriptures (Ephesians 5:18).  From that filling, we receive power to honor God by loving Him, loving people, and making disciples (Acts 1:8; Galatians 5:22,23).

 

The Spirit’s filling allows us to express the heart of God in our world.  He brings boldness and focus so that we may live with love, joy, and peace; wisdom; and self-control.  By inviting the Spirit into our lives, we may live out Paul’s charge in Philippians 1:20, even under trial:  “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”

 

 

In addition, these words from David encourage us in our trusting God:

 

“I am still confident of this:

                I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

                be strong and take hart and wait for the Lord….

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

                my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.” (Psalm 27:13,14; Psalm 28:7)

 

 

Lord God, thank You for revealing Yourself through Your Word and through Your Spirit.  Thank You that You do wish for us to be close to You and to understand what You have freely given us.  Send Your Holy Spirit to turn our hearts fully towards Yours and to place You Help us to trust You completely and honor You with our lives.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

 

 

Please read more about living the Spirit-filled life here:  http://goo.gl/eE6lYg.

 

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August 5

1 Corinthians 1:18

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God

We will never understand God's ways - we aren't supposed to, we aren't God.  Isaiah 55:8 tells us that God's thoughts are not ours, nor are our ways His.  When I looked up the translations in Hebrew I learned that "thoughts" is referring to God's plan, purpose or intention and "ways" is referring to His direction or path.  So when I thought of it in terms of today's reading, the message of The Cross in terms of eternal salvation through the atoning blood of Jesus our Savior would seem irrational and foolish to anyone who isn't looking with their spiritual eyes.  When Jesus arrived, the Jews were expecting The Messiah to be a conquering King. He was a conquering King, just not the way they anticipated.  Jesus did demonstrate power - but not earthly power.  He was demonstrating Godly power which was why it was difficult for people to understand. Going ahead 2000 years, we also need to understand that the message of The Cross has nothing to do with self reformation.  We cannot reform ourselves or save ourselves.  I think "those who are perishing" are the ones that think their ability to influence their destiny rests in their own power and wealth and that's why the message of The Cross still sounds foolish to many people.  Jesus' death wasn't the end of His life, it is actually the beginning of ours because we believe He was resurrected.  Because of this, our life will not end either.  For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).  The message of The Cross is offered to everyone. I pray God gives each of us a chance to share the message with someone today.




Randi

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

August 4
2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23
1 Corinthians 1:1-17
Psalm 27:1-6
Proverbs 20:20-21

Kings come and kings go; but there is one King who reigns forever and ever. 

Josiah followed a long line of kings, and he celebrated a Passover the likes of which had not been seen in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel.  He was following the words in the Book of the Covenant and it was pleasing to God.  But it seems that God was speaking to other kings of that time as well.  You think that Josiah would have learned from his predecessors that you must first ask the Lord your God what to do.  When you ask, the Lord will show you the way.  Hence, his defeat in battle by Neco, the king of Egypt.  Neco made the connection with God and was blessed in his battle, even though it was not Josiah's country with which he was at war.  Wrong place, wrong time and without the Lord's guidance and protection Josiah met his end.  When we lean on our own understanding and remove God from the picture, you can't really expect good results.  I know that we cannot always prevent bad things from happening but if we listen, God will speak to us and guide us in all of our ways. 

The other thing that got to me was there were so many, many kings that immediately tried to remove the Lord from the picture - reverting to pagan ways, greed, corruption.  Guess things today have not changed much from the Old Testament.

As I read Psalm 27:1-6 I had a deeper understanding about dwelling in the house of the Lord.  It is my interpretation and it could be wrong, but as I read it, I felt that if I do what the Spirit is telling me knowing full well the difference between right and wrong - then I am dwelling in this current day and age in the house of the Lord.  David was seeking to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life.  So it is here and now.

Lastly, at church this past Sunday during Steve's sermon, I had this feeling that I could not shake.  God is the Father of us all - He is our Creator - He performs miracles to this day!  Lord God, You are our Father, and only You can make these miracles happen.  We are your children, and even though we may not be deserving all the time, the Blood of Christ has made us flawless.  Father, many of your earthly children are in need of healing; please show us your mercy; hold us and heal us with your loving Fatherly hands.  In Jesus' name we all pray!

August 3: Children and the value of instruction and example

2 Chr 33:14-34:33
Rom 16:10-27
Ps 26:1-12
Pro 20:19

I love the story of Josiah. He became king at age 8, and 8 years later, at the age of 16, he began to seek God. Four years after that, at 20, he began to purge the sin from Judah and Jerusalem, taking down the Asherah poles and the high places and the idols. And at 26, he commenced the repair of the temple - at which point, God chose to reveal Himself. Hilkiah found the Book of the Law in the temple, and when it was read to Josiah, its was meaningful to him, so much so that, despite the life he'd lived in pursuit of, and obedience to, the Lord, he tore his robes in despair at the nation's sinfulness.

I aspire to such a relationship with God, for myself, and for my family - that, when we hear God's word, it should resonate so fully in us, it should make it abundantly clear how sinful and unworthy we are in the presence of God's perfection. But here's the thing: there are 8 years from the time Josiah ascended to the throne and the time he began to seek God. In those 8 years, did he reject God the way so many of his predecessors did? I don't know the answer for sure, but I think it very seldom someone develop a hunger for God at 16 without an example, without others' guidance, and without having been lifted into God's care in prayer. And if my thinking is correct, it is interesting to note how early all that began.

So going from the example of Josiah's life, if we want our children to get to know God, if we want their hearts to break for what breaks God's heart, then we need to provide that example and that guidance, and we need to lift them up in prayer. Josiah's story tells us it is never too early. God's power and mercy confirm that it is never too late.

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Saturday, August 1, 2015

Saturday, August 1, 2015

[by Keesha Sullivan]

There's something special about Maureen and Ray. Every time I'm around them, I feel it. Wait…I know what it is. It's so rare. It's their unity in Christ. Every time they do something, God gives them success! I don't know many couples that exhibit this unity. Satan is always working to keep couples on different pages, because he knows what unity does!" Diane exclaimed. Maureen and Ray are an extremely Godly couple that work in ministry and have been glorifying God together for over 25 years. Watching them together testifies to God's love and powerand creates a desire within whoever's watching to possess what they've got. 

​In the scripture today from Chronicles 30: 12, it said, "Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the Lord." In this verse, God brought the people together in unity, so that His will would be carried out. God wants all of His children to be unified as He, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are unified. 

​Unity displays God's love and His perfect will. In Romans 15:5-7 it says, "5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." We bring praise to our Father in Heaven when the body of Christ is united as husband and wives, families, as well as sisters and brothers in Christ. Unity in Christ is more powerful than we could ever fathom. 

​Lord, we ask that You would be in us as You were in Jesus. We pray that You would bring us into complete unity to let the world know that You sent Jesus and have loved us even as You have loved Jesus. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray that all of us agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among us and that we may be perfectly united in mind and thought. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen.