Category: Uncategorized

Luke 11:17

But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.”

Personal challenge

Jesus responded to those who were accusing Him of being a demon who was using miracles as a way to pull people from their belief in Yahweh and the practices of the Jewish people. He made it clear that this was not the case because it would have caused more disruption to the demonic kingdom than value. This teaching could apply to many other areas of our lives as well. One of these is how the modern, Western church has become such a divided house. This was such a concern for Jesus that He prayed for us to have unity. Is this possibly the reason that the church today is having such a difficult time drawing in the lost and keeping them there? Jesus also promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His one true church. So, we can never lose hope that the church will always be alive as the Bride of Christ. What is necessary for all of us to do is to seek that place of worship where God’s presence, power, authority, love, and mercy still reigns. Glory be to God!

Psalms 91:4 (90:4 LXX)

He shall overshadow you with His shoulders,
And under His wings you shall hope;
His truth shall encircle you with a shield.

Encouraging Words

There have been times throughout my life, not that many, but enough, where people have laughed at me for being a Christian. I have been asked how an educated person could believe in a God and all of the archaic superstitions that revolves around Him. These times have always made for some very interesting and sometimes heated discussions. Nothing can take away from me my belief in a loving, caring, merciful God. I have seen His hand at work in my life and the lives of others far too many times. It does not take an education to know or define God and an education does not interfere with knowing Him. It all comes down to faith, believing that He is who He says He is, and then letting your eyes, ears, and all other senses be open to observing His presence in everything. When a person gets to this place in his, or her, life then you can clearly see His shoulders overshadowing you to provide protection. You can find true peace and hope under His wings as a newly hatched eaglet does under his mother’s. You will know the power and freedom of having His truth shield you at all times and in all situations. This is true life. Glory be to God!

Job 28:28

He said to man, ‘behold, the fear of God is wisdom,
And to abstain from evils is understanding.’

Personal Challenge
So often, in our lives as Christians, we get caught up in the pursuit of the knowledge of God and we end up knowing Him even less. There is nothing wrong with learning more, more about our faith, more about the history of our faith, more about those who have gone before us as the pillars of our faith, but here we have God telling us what we must do to gain true wisdom and understanding. God’s wisdom comes from living a life focusing on Him, respecting Him and who He is, fearing Him as the awesome God that He is, but knowing that He loves us so much that we have nothing to be afraid of. This does not come from books, or lectures, or seminars, but from living a life of submission to, and trust in our Living God. The understanding that what we receive from God comes from living our lives in ways where we strive to abstain from evil ways and attempt to live pure and righteous lives. To grow in wisdom and understanding, we need to be active in living our lives Gods’ ways. Glory be to God!

Luke 11:9-10

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Personal Challenge

Jesus was not proclaiming to be our vending machine who responds to our every whim like a genie in a bottle, The Greek language has so much more depth to it than our English language. These words, ask, seek, and knock are active verbs in the Greek language. They are telling us to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking throughout our lives. Jesus was telling His disciples, and us, that our lives are not static, one time events. We must spend our entire lives pursuing Him, and in so doing, our desires, our wills, those things that we ask, seek and knock on doors for will begin to align with that which our Lord would desire for us. If we keep at it long enough, pursuing Him with our whole heart, soul, spirit, and body, then we begin to change and the things of this world are no longer important to us. This verse is not about getting what we want but is about becoming what He wants. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.

Psalms 91:1 (90:1 LXX)

He who dwells in the help of the Most High
Shall lodge in the shelter of the God of heaven.

Encouraging Words

This is a very interesting explanation of what we need to do in order to lodge in the shelter of God in heaven, which is basically the desire of every Christian. All we have to do is dwell in the help of the Most High, our heavenly Father. What does this mean? It does not mean that I can do a lot of things, or just the right things, in order to make it to heaven. There is nothing that I can “Do?” in order to earn this right. It has nothing to do with being a part of the right church, or the right denomination. What it means is that I live my life giving it over to my Lord and trusting Him for everything. It means submitting my will and my passions to Him and being obedient to Him. It means taking up my cross daily for Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Job 1:21

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. As it seemed good to the Lord, so also it came to pass. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Personal Challenge

The story of Job is one that is packed full of teachings for us on who God is, who our enemy is, and who we are. This statement by Job at the beginning of his ordeal is a statement by which we should all live our lives. We are entitled to nothing in this life. Whether we are born into an extremely wealthy family or into great poverty, what we have is what God has given us. What we do with what God has given us, how we love our lives, and our relationships with those around us, is what matters. And what matters the most is how we build our lives around our God and that which He has given us. If we make Him the center of our lives and not ourselves or our stuff then it won’t matter what we have or don’t have. Then our lives can show that blessed be the name of the Lord. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Luke 10:41-42

And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Personal Challenge

I must always watch my life and make sure that I keep a good balance between being a Martha or a Mary. Jesus does not point out one as being better than the other. What He points out is that there is a time to be one and a time to be another. So, what is a Martha and what is a Mary? Martha is that task oriented person who is obsessed with getting things done. They are the ones that we can always count on to get the work done. Unfortunately, they don’t do too well when it comes to relationships. The Mary, however, is the one that is all about building relationships, the social butterfly. They can always be counted on to keep the party alive and everyone engaged in building relationships. Both have great strengths, but those strengths are also their weaknesses. I am, by nature, a Martha. I am a get-er-done kind of guy. However, I have learned, and am continuing to learn, that God also needs me to be a Mary and spend time just being with those around me. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Psalms 89:47-48 (88:48-49 LXX)

Let my substance be remembered, as to what sort it is,
For did You create all the sons of men in vain?
What kind of man is there who will live and not see death?
Will he deliver his soul from the hand of Hades?

Personal Challenge

Isn’t this ultimately the desire of every human being? We all hope that we will be remembered for who we really are, for the good things that we have done, for the people’s lives that we have touched in a positive and encouraging way, for our substance. God did not create any of us in vain. We were all created, and continue to be created, in His image so that we can bear Him into the world and throughout creation. He is good and therefore we are good because of His image within us. But He also created us with free will, so we must choose to live our lives glorifying Him. We must choose to be a part of delivering our souls from the hand of Hades by following Him and being obedient to Him. We become integral contributors to our own salvation. We make the choices in our lives that ultimately lead to how we are remembered. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!