Friday, May 18, 2012

King Jesus

“And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” 2 Samuel 7:16, NKJV

This morning I was reading in the book of 2 Samuel 7. If you are a Bible scholar, (I am not), you should automatically think, “Davidic Covenant”. The Davidic Covenant is God’s irrevocable promise, (all God’s promises, are, of course, irrevocable!) that a king from the line of David would rule forever. This king, King Jesus, would later be described by the prophet Isaiah in these way:
For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7, HCSB
Reading this makes my heart jump within me! Can you imagine how David must have felt when Nathan, the prophet revealed to him the Lord’s words? He was excited; he was humbled; he was awed; and he was thankful. 2 Samuel 7:18-28, NKJV, tells us that “King David went in and sat before the Lord” to pray.
David begins by saying, “Who am I, O Lord my God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?” What humility! David recognizes that man is not able to make such promises, only God, who is Sovereign, can make such promises. Further, David recognizes the blessings of God in the revelation, itself, of the promises.
Then the praises begin! “You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, nor is there any God besides You.” “You redeemed for Yourself”, Israel, for “Your very own people forever” to show Your “great and awesome deeds.” “So let Your name be magnified forever.” “O Lord God, You are God and Your words are true”.
What a wonderful passage and the blessing revealed is beyond comprehension—King Jesus! “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16, HCSB
Do you know Him? If not, do not delay…He’s waiting for you, right now. EVERYONE (that includes you) “who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
God bless!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Spiritual Fitness

“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God,” Romans 12:2, HCSB.

Our bodies are designed for activity—physically and mentally. Activity keeps the cob-webs at bay and helps us function more efficiently and effectively. Activity is to our bodies and minds what lubricant is to machinery.
An article entitled, “Why is Exercise Important”, on www.healthdiscovery.net, states if we don’t use our bodies, our muscles become weak and flabby, our heart and lungs won’t function efficiently and our joints will become stiff and more prone to injury. An April 25, 2012 article from www.sciencedaily.com, “Protecting Your Brain: ‘Use It or Lose It’, says “those who are more mentally active or maintain an active cognitive lifestyle throughout their lives are at lower risk” for dementia.
If activity is of such great importance for the fitness of the body and brain, which have a limited lifespan, then how much greater should be the attention given to the spiritual fitness and well-being of the Christian life when the consideration of time is eternity. What activities can we as Christians, undertake for spiritual fitness?
Certainly, without daily prayer it would be impossible to be spiritually fit. Paul admonished the Thessalonians, “Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, HCSB.
Through prayer we commune with God; through prayer we offer praise, adoration, and worship to our Lord; we thank Him for our many blessings; we make our requests known to Him; and through prayer we confess and repent of wrongdoing, (Matthew 6:12). Dr. Charles Stanley has written, “Salvation makes a way for us to enter God’s presence, while regular confession and repentance keep the pathway well maintained and free of obstruction.”
“If I had been aware of malice in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. However, God has listened; He has paid attention to the sound of my prayer. May God be praised! He has not turned away my prayer or turned His faithful love from me,” Psalm 66:18-20, HCSB. Daily prayer is certainly necessary for spiritual fitness and our daily walk of faith.
Another essential in pursuit of God and a life of spiritual fitness is reading the Bible daily. God’s Word enables us to face the difficulties of life; it is our firm foundation in all circumstances. Through the Scripture we learn about the character of God, His will, His way, His promises—through study and application of Biblical truths we gain spiritual maturity; godly wisdom, and spiritual discernment.
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping Your word. I have sought You with all my heart; don’t let me wander from Your commands. I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You. LORD, may You be praised; teach me Your statutes,” Psalm 119:9-12, HCSB.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work,” 2 Timothy 3:16-17, HCSB.
Also crucial to spiritual fitness is fellowship with other believers. “And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near,” Hebrews 10:24-25, HCSB.
Through unity with other believers we find support, friendship, encouragement, and love; through fellowship with others we discover opportunities to share, serve, mentor, and minister to others. We also have the opportunity to be ministered to and the opportunity to learn from other believers.
While I believe the above are absolute necessities to spiritual fitness, it is certainly not an exhaustive list. Each of us has certain things we do regularly to maintain spiritual vitality. My own routine each morning is to pray, read my Bible, and then walk while listening to contemporary Christian music. I value this time in the mornings alone with God; just praising and worshiping Him. It sets the tone for my entire day.
I’d love to hear what you do for spiritual fitness. Please share with me your favorite activities for staying in good shape spiritually.
God Bless!