Friday, January 27, 2012

My Healer, My Redeemer

“Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you.” James 4:10, HCSB*

Wednesday night at church our pastor spoke on the topic, “The Requirements for Healing” using 2 Chronicles 7 as the scripture reference, verse 14 as the focal verse. As God’s children we must humble ourselves, seek God’s face and repent. IF we do this, God will hear our pray, forgive, and provide healing.

The promise of the blessing, healing, is conditional upon, humility, seeking God, and repentance. We must not expect the fulfillment of the promise if the conditions of the promise are not met. And yet, many times, pridefully, we do, and then we obstinately wonder, what went wrong. However, genuine humility, heartfelt repentance, and total surrender, and thus obedience to God’s will and way in our lives are absolutely essential to our daily walk of faith.
In humbling ourselves before God there must be a stripping away of all that which is not useful—that which we have stubbornly clung to in pride. Pride is the enemy that attempts to elevate humanity to the level of God; but instead it is the cause of the disastrous and ruinous fall of man, (Isaiah 14:12-15). Pride, the best tool in Satan’s bag of tricks, (followed closely by doubt) has been used from the beginning to cause mankind to stumble.
Recall the serpent’s words to Eve, “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1) and further, “Your eyes will be opened and you will be like God,” (v. 5). Hence, pride is a snare for us and will continue to be so this side of eternity.
Luke 9:23, Jesus speaking, says, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. To me, this says the stripping away of our personal pride must be a daily act of obedience. This is Christ’s call to us as Christians for total surrender in following Him.
Friends do not be discouraged; no matter how big our pride may be, God’s grace is always bigger! Praise God for His infinite, all-sufficient grace. James tells us in chapter 4, verses 6 and 7, that God “gives greater grace...God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit to God.” Further, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…Purify your hearts,” v. 8; and finally, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you,” v. 10.
In closing, I’ll leave you with these words penned by Julia H. Johnston, in the early 1900’s:
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord; Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace that is greater than all our sin!
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace; freely bestowed on all who believe!
God Bless!
*HCSB used unless otherwise stated.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Once a Prodigal, Now Home

(Alternate title: Why I Love Operation Christmas Child)*

When I came back home five years ago I was bruised, beaten-up and broken. I had never intended to come back to Red River Parish nor did I intend to come back to Martin Baptist Church. But God had a different plan. His plan for me was one of reconciliation, healing, renewal, and recommitment.
I came back with a heart filled with bitterness. Even I didn’t realize the extent of my bitterness. I had spent years building walls between myself and whatever I found unpleasant and I had become an expert at doing so.
As I began to get back into church, the Holy Spirit began tugging at my heart and softening the hardened places within me. One Wednesday night Piper Welch was leading a women’s Bible study and the subject of bitterness came up. Piper said that bitterness was akin to hatred. I knew I was somewhat bitter, but hatred? I was a Christian; how could I possibly have hatred in my heart?
I went home that night enlightened; a blazing light burning in my mind…and in my heart. With great clarity I realized that for years I had been giving lip-service to the act of forgiving others. Years of unforgiveness had built-up inside my heart and had turned into a rock-hard bitterness.
Only when I repented of this un-confessed sin in my life was I able to truly forgive others, forget how I had been injured and enjoy the forgiveness I so desperately needed. The healing process began.
I recommitted my life to Christ and began to pray daily that I fully surrender to His leadership; to His will and His way. I prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. My speech changed; my taste in music and other forms of entertainment changed. I began to read my Bible again and for the first time ever, I read the Bible from cover to cover.
Today I find myself longing for God. I have discovered for myself what James meant when he wrote, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8a, HCSB
The more I learn about our great and awesome God, the more I want to learn. I believe it is a craving that will not be satisfied this side of eternity. I believe it is the spiritual craving of the redeemed for the Redeemer; I believe the spiritual soul seeks nourishment just as a newborn creature seeks nourishment from it mother.
I understand what David meant when he wrote:
“God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You. I thirst for You; my body faints for You ...” Psalm 63:1, HCSB
God brought me back home; back to my roots. He healed my brokenness and opened my eyes anew and afresh to His love and mercy and grace. He has opened doors of service for me that I never expected in areas I never expected or even thought possible.
Because of His love, mercy, and grace I am no longer content to sit still. I want to be a part of God’s call to action. God never intended for us to sit on the sidelines and be spectators. As believers, we are called to active service; we are to worship God and work for His Kingdom. Exactly how we execute those two responsibilities depends upon the spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities with which God has blessed us as individuals.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8, HCSB
"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20, HCSB
"But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it it written: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things." Romans 10:14-15, HCSB
It’s time to be passionate about God’s plan of action. It’s time to beg Him for an outpouring of His Holy Spirit, anointing us; enabling us; empowering us to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  Our highest calling is to share the Good News with others. Charles Stanley writes, “Loving God involves not just having a personal relationship with Jesus but also sharing Him with others.”
Consider this: nobody ever receives a really great gift and then tells no one. We tell our family; we tell our friends.
My life is not just about me. It’s about taking the Gospel to the corners of the earth. It’s about making disciples. It’s about being obedient to the command of Christ. It’s about looking and acting like love; it’s about looking and acting like faith. It’s about bringing honor and glory to God; in the Name of Jesus; in the power of the Holy Spirit.
*(I love the ministry of Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse, because it allows you the opportunity to participate in foreign missions; it allows you the opportunity to help in sharing the Gospel with children and their families throughout the world. Get involved! For more information visit online at: Operation Christmas Child.)
God Bless!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

You Lift Me Up

 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and will be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:2-3, NLT

A few years ago I worked for the Centers of Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia. I held two different positions during my tenure there—Administrative Support Specialist and Management and Program Analyst. The major portion of my duties as a Management and Program Analyst were as Project Officer over one major contract and then also over a couple of less significant contracts.
I was so proud (yes, proud as in prideful) when I got that last job. It was a great promotion for me—more money, more responsibility, more prestige; did I mention more money? It was, if you will, the pinnacle of my success as a federal civil servant.
It was also a disaster! No, not the job—I did good work; my supervisor and the other higher-ups were pleased with my work. The disaster was from within me—that time was a spiritual desert for me. I felt as though the spiritual rug had been pulled out from under my feet. Why, had God turned His back on me? No, I had strayed. I had become prideful and me-centric. I discovered that what I thought I wanted so badly was not what I wanted at all.
May I just tell you how grateful I am that we serve a loving God? He is the ultimate Father who looks for us when we’ve gone astray; who runs out to greet us when we finally return home, broken and defeated, (Luke 15); who lifts us out of the mud and the muck; the One who is faithful to forgive us and to set our feet once again upon solid ground and steadies us as we begin to walk again with Him, anew and afresh, (Psalm 40:2). (Thank-you dear Lord for Your mercy; Your grace; Your love; Your forgiveness!)
My life is so completely different now. I have recommitted my life to Christ. I want to serve Him; to work for Him and His Kingdom.
My definition of success is no longer me-centered. In fact, something my pastor shared with us Sunday night has refined my personal definition of success even further. He told us that when he was in seminary someone asked a professor for his definition of a successful church. The answer:  a church that works for the glory of God, in the name of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Wow! I thought that was a great answer. I’m no longer working for myself. I’m working for the honor and glory of Almighty God, in the name of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. You can’t beat the job security and the rewards are out of this world! Won’t you join me?
God bless!

Monday, January 9, 2012

God's Word

The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. Psalm 19:7, HCSB
I love God’s word and I have made a habit of reading through the Bible each year. I’ve been doing this for the last few years and I find the more I read and learn about our great and awesome God the more I want to know. Falling in love with the word of God has made such a difference in my daily life and my faith-walk that I like to encourage others to spend more time in the Bible and learn to treasure God’s word in their heart, Psalm 119:11.
Of course, the number one reason for reading the Bible is that it is God’s word! “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right”, 2 Timothy 3:16, NLT.

The Bible is one book that is always relevant because God is unchanging, Malachi 3:6. The Bible contains a library of books that are just as relevant today as they were the day they were written. Few, if any other book can make that claim.
When we ignore the Bible; God’s very words to us, it is to our own detriment. The Bible is more than a book for reading, but it is a book to be studied and applied to our daily lives. It is our guidebook for life. No Christian can fully comprehend God’s will for their life without the benefit of God’s word. No Christian can fully grow and develop to maturity, becoming the person God intends for them to be, without study and application of His word.
We are to delight and hope in God’s word and these sentiments are eloquently expressed in Psalm 119, beginning with verse 11 which speaks of treasuring God’s word in our hearts. “Your word” is mentioned 23 times in Psalm 119 saying, in part, God’s word is forever; it is firmly fixed in heaven, (v. 89); it is sweeter than honey, (v. 103); it is a lamp and a light, (v. 105); it is completely pure, (v. 140); and the entirety of it is truth, (v. 160). Four of those 23 verses--74, 81, 114, and 147--specifically declare, “I put my hope in Your word”.
Our hope, should cause us to live intentionally and expectantly for we are not our own but have been bought with a price, (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We are to live our lives as a sacrifice to God, (Romans 12:1). Reading, studying, and applying God’s revelation of Himself specifically communicated to His people should be a daily part of that sacrifice of worship we offer to our Lord.
I have had the pleasure of reading several articles by Pastor Greg Laurie at http://www.BibleStudyTools.com and I want to close with this passage quoted from one of those articles:
“Let God's Word permeate your life and be at home inside of you. Let the Bible fill your life. After all, success or failure in the Christian life depends on how much of the Bible you get into your heart and mind on a daily basis and how obedient you are to it. If you have a deficiency of the Bible in your diet, then you will wither spiritually. If you have a regular diet of the Word of God, then you will be strong spiritually. Fall in love with the Bible, and you will never regret it.”
God bless!