Mark 1:35

Even though married partners should eagerly ask for forgiveness when they hurt one another, it becomes a hard thing to do in the give & take of life.

But marriages can only grow in intimacy and flourish when we give and receive forgiveness for the offenses that hurt unity.

Every offense that is not forgiven drives a wedge into the oneness of marriage.

And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Col 3:12-15

Have you ever had to "bear with one another"?

If you are married you do it everyday. Right?

Bearing with one another is essentially the proper response to unintended offenses. Sure, it may hurt. Sure it may sting. But if your spouse didn't intend to hurt you, can you really build a wall around that situation?

Forgiveness is the harder work. It should be the response to intentional offenses. If your spouse does something, or says something on purpose, then they will need to fess up and ask for forgiveness. When they do, your proper response should be to forgive.

Why do you need to forgive?

How can I imply that it should be your "proper" response?

Look what Paul says, "Just as the Lord forgave you, so should you."

Forgiveness is possible when we look at it through the lens of Christ and His forgiving work at the cross. He died for the penalty of our sins!

So shouldn't we also forgive? Isn't that the least we can do?

Every offense that is not forgiven drives a wedge into the oneness of marriage.

Let's get in the habit of forgiveness with our spouses. With it, we have the ability to create intimacy and transparency. Without it, we build walls and cause unnecessary hurts that are not easily repaired.



Portions of this material were originally written by Tommy Nelson in The Power of Two. The bible passage is from the NASB.

The last bible I purchased is my current "everyday" bible. It is an 8 year old black leather bound thin NASB bible with lots of scribble notes and underlines. I take it with me everywhere. I like to curl it up while I walk with it, so it has a unique curved shape. I love everything about that bible. It has served me well!

But for my morning "routine" quiet times, I have been looking for something that will help me dive into God's word in a fresh, new way. I wanted something different, but familiar. Something to stretch me but something I can read with the familiarity of a well worn rounded bible. Thanks to a great friend, I'm pretty sure I found it.

Today I bought a new bible. Yep, a fresh new bible. The One Year Chronological Bible

James Patterson shared with me recently that this bible helped him more in terms of spiritual growth than anything else he has ever read in his quiet time. That's a powerful testimony!

So 2009 will be the year of the Chronological Bible. I'm praying for spiritual growth beyond anything I could ask or imagine!

As I stumbled out of bed this morning, I didn't want to get up. Oh it would have been easy to tuck the pillow against my face to keep the light out and roll over. Boy that would have been nice! But I didn't. My New Years Resolution still fully in tact, I got up and prepared for my morning run.

My attire was laid out the night before so I could fumble, struggle and cry, but still manage to get dressed. There they were... Nike shorts, Nike shirt, Nike socks and of course... Nike shoes. Everything was ready to go. So I got dressed and headed for the door.

After normal stretching, walking & warming up I was off. Running like the wind! Or more like slowly trotting like an injured donkey! After a short distance I was tired, my legs ached and I wanted to stop. It was at this moment that I had a revelation...

Running is the ultimate NO POSERS sport!

You can't fake it running. There is no hiding your lack of endurance or lack of muscle, lack of oxygen, lack of stamina. It is all out there and it can't be kept in. In your exhaustion, in your wheezing, in your puking, the truth will be found out!

Running isn't like other sports. Golf comes to mind. To me, golf was made for posers! I'm one of them. I always LOOK good with my perfectly coordinating hat/shirt/shorts/socks/shoes. (Fashion Tip: Coordinating includes the brand. You can't wear a Nike shirt with Adidas shorts). As I stroll through the clubhouse or walk on the putting green I FEEL like a golfer. That's where the majority of people see you so they THINK you are a golfer too. Most of those people will never actually see me hit a club, so I can keep the poser game up for a long time. And the ones that actually see the truth, there are plenty of stall tactics for them; the clubs, the weather, my wrist, my back, and the course itself (ah, this place is a goat track!).

How about other places in our lives? Are you a poser? When? Where?

Sure, everything looks great on the outside, but what is REALLY going on under the surface? In Matthew 10:26, it says, "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known."

My lack of golf skills, by the way, is widely known among my friends. Posers only last so long, even in golf.

Father, remove the false fronts in my life caused by my pride and selfishness. Strip away everything that does not reflect Your true character. May You become so much more in my life today. Amen.

In my teaching time this week we looked at a few passages in Genesis. As we went through the scripture and discussed it, one of the verses and one of the questions jumped out at me and seem to cut right through to my heart.

And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27

God created us in His own image. He formed us in the likeness of Him. We are His creation. He could have created us from dust. But He chose to make us in His image and likeness. Powerful!

Thinking along those lines, God created my wife in His image. She is His creation. He could have formed her out of dust, but He chose to make her in His likeness. Wow!

So If your spouse was created in God's image, how should that effect the way you treat her/him?

As I stood there teaching, I started mentally recounting past conversations, past judgements, past hurts that I have caused...

Knowing she was made in God's image, I should treat her with the highest respect. With honor. With dignity. There are so many things that I would never do or say TO God, but casually do or say to my wife (who was made in His image).

Father, forgive me for going astray and taking my wife and marriage for granted. Help me to see her in Your image. Lord please give me eyes to see her the way You do. Amen.

My daughter asked me for something the other night. It wasn’t a big thing, but I told her no. She persisted and asked again. Um, no again. She asked again a little later in a not-so-nice kind of way. The third time I was less than pleasant and told her to stop asking. She also received a punishment for her attitude and disobedience.

What she didn’t know was that in two days I would give her what she wanted three-fold. It had been planned for a while and was a surprise. I could have come clean, but it would have ruined the surprise and that wouldn’t have made anyone happy. I withheld from her request because I knew that something much bigger was in store for her in the future.

I wonder how often we do this to God?

We ask for something and don't receive it right away. So we ask again. But when we don’t receive it immediately, we demand it or try to do it on our own. We turn our back on the loving God who will provide everything in His perfect timing.

All along God had something for us. His perfect plan. Its much more than we wanted or could conceive on our own.

But we never see all that He had for us because of our attitude and disobedience. Caught in our own selfishness, we lose fellowship with the Father and also lose the blessing.

I say this because I know what I am planning for you," says the Lord. "I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. Jeremiah 29:11

Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

I love reading the psalms. David wrote about half of them and his writings were incredibly transparent. He was by no means a perfect guy, but through his struggles he was always repentant and always sought God's mercy and forgiveness.

This short psalm gives us David's principles for living a life that glorifies God and allows us to accomplish God's work while we are on earth.

Honesty

O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me. Ps 131:1

We have to accept ourselves and who we are in Christ. Once we can do this, then the way others view us becomes less important. It is how Jesus sees you that makes a difference. We spend SO much time trying to impress others. This gets in the way of the impression we should be making for Christ. Forget about all that other stuff. Keep the main thing, the main thing.

Let go of the dishonest views of yourself and grab hold of the way Jesus sees you. He loves you the way you are right now. He will love you no more or no less if you wear the right clothes, or say the right things or drive the right car. He Loves you!

Humility

Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me. Ps 131:2

It is time to humble ourselves and yield to God's plan for our life. What is it that God is calling you to do? It is time to get after it. How long can you sit comfortably resisting His calling in your life? Listen, pray and then put it into action.

God is calling us to be spiritually and emotionally mature. It is about time we step up and humbly accept His will for our lives.

Hope

O Israel, hope in the Lord From this time forth and forever. Ps 131:3

The child wants things to remain as they are. safe. secure. They have a routine and everything is known to them. But the mother has other plans. She knows that for the child's next phase of life, they need to be weaned. The child resists, but mom knows best!

We are the same way. When everything is comfortable, then there is no reason to do anything different. But God in His wisdom, has a way of shaking us loose and allowing us to move forward.

When we move forward, this verse reminds us to have hope. We have hope from this day forward. Sure, it will be challenging and we'll look back. Sometimes wishing we could go back to that comfort. But it isn't available anymore. Now there is only the future and we must hope in that day.

Martin Luther said in life there is only "this day and that day."

"this day" refers to today.
"that day" refers to the day we'll see Christ face to face.

So let's live "this day" with all of the honesty, humility and hope we can muster. God will provide the rest and will do so until "that day" comes.

Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! John 14:10-14

Jesus makes an incredible promise here. He says (paraphrasing) that if you believe in Him, you will be able to do even greater things than He, because He is going to the Father. Wow.

We have the potential, according to this promise, to do the things that Jesus did and even greater things are possible.

It all begins with prayer. In v. 13 Jesus says, "You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father."

The prayer is a partnership or collaboration between You, Jesus and the Father.

Imagine the power of prayer when you are collaborating with God the Father.

Credit to Rick Richardson in Reimagining Evangelism.

Job was a man of wealth. A man of power. He "had it all." But more than his wealth, he had an incredible relationship with God.

But Job lost it all. In the blink of an eye, he lost it all.

Job's wife lost is all too. She undoubtedly suffered intense heartbreak and pain right along side of her husband. In v. 2:9 she tells Job to "curse God and die."

In the midst of trials, do you stand up for your spouse or cave in under the pressure?

Do you stand up strong for your spouse, or do you become part of the process of tearing him/her down?

We need to be our spouse's biggest fan at all times!

Why is that so difficult? Why is it hard to be a positive force in your spouse's life?

Part of the reason is that we see our spouse up close and personal. We know them better than anyone. We know the "behind the scenes" experiences.

Maybe the trial was self-inflicted. Maybe we warned them and they didn't listen.

Before you get caught up in the details, take a step back and look at the situation from a higher perspective.

Could it be that God provided that trial for a purpose.

1 Peter 4:12 - Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing was happening to you.

So embrace the opportunity to grow your faith.

Look at it like Job did in v. 1:21-22:

And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

So how can we be a fan of our spouse?

1. Encourage your spouse every day. Notes, email, text, whatever is available...
2. Communicate with your spouse every day. The key word is "LISTEN"
3. Speak highly of your spouse with others. Don't ever bad mouth your spouse in public.

What are some other ways we can encourage our spouse? Chime in...

Thanks to Shane Waldrop for sharing the link to this video.

You can learn more about John Piper and his ministry here.

P.S. Don't forget to set your clocks back on Saturday night!

I opened up the the CNN Money page online today and saw the following headlines:

Does anyone really know what is going on in the financial markets or when everything will settle down? How are you holding up in the midst of this turmoil?

I read these verses recently and was reminded me that the Lord knows what's happening in the world today. In the midst of this turmoil, He is in control.

Psalm 16:5-8
Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

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Sorry for the time off between posts. I took a couple of days with the family for a homeschool adventure. Here's a picture from our trip.

Today I'd like to discuss a very moving story in the Bible. The story of Jairus in the Gospels rips me apart every time I read it.

Jairus is a leader of the local synagogue, likely at Capernaum. His only daughter is dying. He was waiting for Jesus to return in time to possibly help and his hope is realized as Jesus passes through again.

In Mark 5:22-23 Jairus falls at the feet of Jesus. The greek word used is Pipto which translates "falling down, throw oneself to the ground" as a sign of devotion. Jesus was his last resort.

This very prominent synagogue leader has humbled himself before the very simply attired Jesus.

No one is above Christ. No one has enough money or power to go beyond the need for Jesus.

In Mark 5:23 Jairus says, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live."

The story goes on from there and eventually the daughter of Jairus dies. But Jesus says she is simply asleep and in verse 42 Jesus commands the girl to "...arise" and she does.

But I'd like to go back and look at a directive from Jesus:

..."Do not be afraid any longer, only believe." Mark 5:36

Jairus was freaking out. He had been waiting for Jesus to pass through and upon seeing him with the multitude he makes a b-line for Jesus. He needs Jesus to act fast, but Jesus does not. Jesus gets distracted (from Jairus' point of view) with a women who has touched his garment and been healed.

Have you ever been Jairus? Desperate? Worried sick? Exhausted all of your options?

How we handle these situations says a lot about our faith. It says a lot about the development of our faith. Would you be able to stand on the Rock today?

Here are a few verses to consider:

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Colossians 3:15a

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:18-19

I've been where Jairus stood. It was painful and I'm sure I did not handle it the way I would have liked. I did ask "why" and I did have fear. But God stretched me in ways I could never have done. My faith grew and saw the hand of God at work.

Thank you Lord for not leaving us on our own. But through trials You move us towards You. I'm ripped apart Lord and cling to You for life. May I "...just believe."

In John 5:1-9, a story unfolds before us that is powerful, yet leaves us wondering how and why. Let me explain.

After the feast of the Jews, Jesus goes to Jerusalem. While there he comes to a pool. This apparently was not a regular pool, but a special pool where people could get healed. In v.4 it says that an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons and "stirred" the water. So after the water is stirred, there is apparently a race to the water. First one in gets healed.

Stop and think about this scene. The magnitude of the moment and the incredible drama taking place. There are hundreds (a multitude) of people gathered around the body of water watching and waiting. The waters are stirred and there's a crazy rush towards the pool. In and you win. Too slow and you lose. Wow.

So along comes Jesus. He walks up to this scene and is heading towards the edge of the pool. But with a multitude of the lame and sick, Jesus likely had to make an awkward step by step path to get there.

This is the part that I've missed every other time I've read these verses. Jesus walked past lots of people. Lots that deserved to be healed. People that needed to be healed. People who were sick, blind, lame and withered. But there is no record of Jesus healing those people.

Jesus, in v.5-9, identifies a single man who had been by the pool for 38 years, heals him and sets him free. In v.8 Jesus says, "Arise, take up your pallet, and walk."

Why did Jesus choose that one man and not the others?

What was the selection criteria Jesus used for healing?

Think about this in terms of today.

Sometimes you hear about someone with cancer or some challenging circumstance. They are about to have major surgery. But right before the operation they take one more x-ray or whatever and all of the sudden the person is cancer free or disease free. The family is praising God for a miracle.

That miracle is the guy that has been sitting there for 38 years. That's the guy that Jesus sets free. But that is not the norm.

On the other hand, most of the time the people we know are the multitudes of the sick, blind, lame and withered that do not get healed. They are the ones who do not realize the miracle of instant healing. I'm not saying that God is not involved. He is sovereign and in control. For unexplainable reasons, the miracle of instant healing does not take place.

This is an incredible story about the randomness to life. We can't explain everything that happens around us. We can't fill in the blanks and know how God works. It would be a scary world if we could, because in essence it would make us God, right?

I'm thankful today that I do not need to fully understand God's love to trust it. I'm thankful that God is sovereign and His love never fails.

What do you think about God's "random" acts of kindness in the book of John?

Everything we hear today demands that we put ourself first.

"If you don't, who will?"
"You deserve it."
"It's time for some ME time."

But God's word has something different for those who follow Christ.

Paul wrote the book of Philippians because he was concerned that people thought they were better than others. Paul saw this as a serious problem.

Philippians 2:3 - Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;

I'm challenged to take myself out of the equation daily. Sometimes I can't...most times I can't. My flesh wants to be front and center to make sure things go my way. Can you say, "control freak?"

Part of my morning prayer each day is to ask God to remove my agenda and replace it with His plan for the day. I so desperately do not want to run around under my own power. Doing so will lead me astray and end up as a wasted effort. But under His control and His road map, I can find my way and accomplish His will.

Lord may you pour your grace and mercy upon me today and take my selfishness away. Selflessness is my cry, Oh God.

Take out your bibles and turn to...

The next time your pastor says those words, stop for a moment and look around. People who were raised in the church or have been going for a while have a routine. Perhaps they unzip a neatly packaged leather case with a big cross on it. Inside they have a bible, notepad and pen...all appropriately placed and organized. What's your routine?

Are you a note taker? I have been at different times in my life. I take notes on my blackberry occassionally. Yes, I actually take notes. No I am not sending twitter updates! And no, I am not checking my fantasy scores either!

So my question today is this... "What do you do with your notes?" Do you ever refer back to them or review the notes?

Most of my sermon notes actually look like sermon outlines. I'm thinking that if God calls me to full time preaching, then I have LOTS of sermons ready to go! Think about it. Most of the notes on the big screens at church are bullet points already alliterated. Throw in a double greeting, a few connecting stories and a joke or two and you have yourself a sermon! Can I get an amen?

Seriously, how do you use the notes you've taken to help your walk with Christ? Here are a few reasons to take notes.

1. You retain information better when you write it down. The same thing holds true when memorizing scripture. If you write it, you will remember it.

2. You'll pay attention when you have to take notes. No temptation to read the bulletin or allow your mind to wander.

3. You can refer back and look up scripture on your own time. I would encourage everyone to not just accept the "cliff notes" version of the bible presented in the pulpit. Go home and look up the references. Study and pray over it. Allow God to further develop your thoughts regarding His word.

So next time your in church, don't forget your notepad or your smart phone. It can't hurt and you just might learn something!

"Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world..." John 18:36

How do we live in this world without being consumed by it?

My best answer today is "I don't know."

What I can tell you emphatically is that God did not call us to stay away from the world. He didn't call us to only be with our Christian friends and to keep our family and children far from anyone other than Christians.

We need to look through Jesus at the world. It is through the lens of Christ we see a hurting world that needs to hear the message of redemption and the message of hope.

God calls us to be in the world. We have opportunities to share our story and our experiences for the betterment of those we meet.

How many non-christians do you see daily? How many of them do you know?

Stay grounded in God's word and pray. Now go!

As for me and my house, we will serve the __________?

Whom will your house serve? Big question that demands an answer. It defines much of who you are and what you are about.

How would your spouse or kids answer that question? Is it the same answer you would give?

Our home represents many things. It is the essence of who we are and what we are about. But the enemy wants to invade your home. He wants a seat at the table.

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve did not protect their home and it was infiltrated by the serpent. Tragic results of not keeping watch.

How do we protect our homes? Let's look at 1 Peter 5:6,9

v.6 - Humble yourself before God. Ask for help.
v.9 - Resist satan and stand firm in your faith.

Okay, you are probably wondering how this works in everyday life? HOW do we resist satan and stand firm in our faith? How? Practically? How?

Let's start by not forsaking the gathering. Hang with friends. Get some accountability. There is strength in numbers.

Also...tell your story and stop holding everything inside of you. The battle within creates losers, not winners. Talk to someone about your struggles and ask for help.

Lastly and the place to camp-out, is prayer. It works and is powerful. Pray for the Holy Spirit to free you of the sin that so easily entangles you. It works, I promise!

So... who or what will your home be known for?

Joshua 24:15 - ...As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

John 8:12. Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

Matt 5:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Lord Jesus, thank you for cleansing me of the sin and stain that makes my heart impure. Only through faith in Christ, can I have a pure heart.

Now Lord, continue to show me daily how to live a life worthy of the calling. On my own, my flesh and darkness creep in. So show me how to die daily to myself and to pick up your cross and live for you. I am in awe of your love for me and cannot fathom your perfection. But I rejoice in it and praise you! Amen.

I'm a little perplexed as I read Genesis 2 & 3. In 2:25 is says, "The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." But then Adam doesn't show back up again until 3:6.

So the question today men is this, "where was Adam?" What was so important to him that he allowed his wife to become entangled with the serpent? Why wasn't he standing up for his wife and giving her the encouragement and support she needed to endure this trial?

We, as men, have become passive and allow so many things to overtake our families. Much is preventable but we do not have the courage and nobility to stand up for what is right. By the same token, we do not have the courage and nobility to say out loud what is wrong. Passivity has taken over and we need to repent.

Now...I write the facts. But inside I am a deep offender of this information. My lack of courage has caused my marriage to stop progressing at times. It stops by relationship with Christ from progressing.

It also gives satan a foothold where he would not otherwise have the ability to stand. The power of Christ is enough to breakdown that foothold and I call upon the name of Jesus to provide power where I am weak.

Father I love you today and thank you for the example set by Christ. He was never passive and never willing to settle for anything less than God's best for humanity. Amen.

Hebrews 12:29 says, "Our God is a consuming fire."

As I looked over this verse and prayed, I asked myself a couple of questions. First, what does this mean? Is this a warning of God's judgement? Does he cleanse us through trials of fire? I don't really get the fire thing, especially a consuming fire!

Our God as a consuming fire is a good thing. It is a great thing! God wants to purify us by burning away the sin in our life. He wants us to run towards Him and leave behind the burned and charred remains of our life in sin. To fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Are you ready to burn the bridges that connect you to your sin? To your past? To your shame? Let it go and prepare to be swept up in the Consuming Fire!

Jesus, you are a Consuming Fire and I stand in awe of the intensity of your love towards us. Ignite my fire to burn hotter so that everything that is not of you will be burned away. Amen.

Ps 3:3 But Thou, O Lord, art a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.

Verse 3 has long been a memory verse. The Lord has used it many, many times in my life when I feel like the situation at hand is overwhelming or out of control. The Lord gently reminds me that he is present. He is my shield. He is my glory and the lifter of my head. It is Him alone. Not my wife or my friends, nor my own desires. It is God alone that sustains me and keeps me in His loving arms. He loves me deeply and I need to let go of everything else and allow His love to permeate my very being. As John says in 3:30, He must increase, but I must decrease.

What do I have to lose:

My life? It is His!
My money? It is His!
My family? They are His!
My prized possessions? They are His!
My pride? My arrogance? My selfishness? My sin? These things are not from God but are self created as a means to hold onto something that I don’t own. They are created to manipulate myself into believing I’m in control. They are worthless and fleeting. Symptoms of my flesh.

God, I pause right here and relinquish all desires to hold tight to what you own already. Release me to be free to love you and not grasp to that which is perishable. Amen.

Let’s continue. In v.5, I notice that the morning was a very important time for David. He really enjoyed the morning and gives us another example of Mark 1:35 in action. Some other examples are Psalm 5:3 as it starts with, “In the morning…” Psalm 30:5 refers to this as well, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is thy faithfulness.”

Does joy come in the morning for you? Do you think of God’s compassion towards you each morning?

Let’s live the words sung by 33 Miles in “Thank You” as we seek to understand Mark 1:35.

"What if in morning when I wake up
Even before I fill my coffee cup
I said thank You

What if I look at the day and the hours ahead
And before I move forward I bowed my head
And said thank You

What if I looked at my life in a different way
Took a little more time to stop and pray
I know it would change all the moments in between "

Today we say thank you God for loving us and for giving us life... eternal life. Thank you today and everyday for the gifts you bestow and the blessing of having this incredible relationship with you. I'm humbled and in awe. Amen.

Does God speak to us today? It is a question that has been on my mind lately. Here's why...

When reading through God's word, I like to pick a book and then labor over it for a while. Ponder it. Consider it. You know what I mean? So I was praying recently about where to read next in the bible. Anyway, Through prayer, I decided that Jonah would be my next study.

Jonah appears to be a pretty easy read. Four books...no problem! In fact, being an avid Veggie Tales viewer, I kind of feel like I have Jonah nailed! I've seen the movie a dozen times and know every line and every song! Although I've not read anything in the bible about the "pirates who don't do anything"...but I digress.

Jonah 1:1 says, "The word of the Lord came to Jonah..." Wow. One and done. I can’t read further and am stopped in my tracks as I contemplate these words. Does God speak to us today?

I say yes. God hasn't changed, has He? Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus is the same, yesterday and today, yes and forever.” So if He spoke to Jonah then, He should still speak even now.

Personally I can’t ever remember hearing the words of the Lord (part of me really hopes it never happens. Talk about the “Fear of the Lord!”). But he guides my thoughts. He speaks through His people. Through His word…It somehow all comes together to point me in His direction. He speaks to me and I cherish those times.

Lord, may You speak to us today and share Your will and Your desire for our lives so You may be glorified and Your perfect love be felt and realized in our lives.

My drive home from the office is suppose to be a transitional time. Intending to pray and prepare my heart for my time at home, I usually open the sunroof and begin to drive. About 200 yards down the road and realize the sunroof is REALLY noisy and makes the car awfully hot! Then my mind begins to race as I recount the day at work. Did I get this done, or that done? Oh no, I forgot to return those 16 messages...Or how many half done projects did I leave behind on my desk and which ones will I need to complete later that evening? Oh wait, I have to check my blackberry a couple of times in case a super important email was sent to me within the last 15 minutes. I usually end up returning phone calls and pretty soon I am pulling in the driveway.

But sometimes, I get it right. It usually starts with a song. What is it about music that escorts a person into worshipping our God? It is as though the right song has transformational power. Is it the melody, the lyrics? How...why? I love to listen to Christian music. I have listed to the JoyFM for a long time. But now my drives are usually spent enjoying music from my ipod. God knows how to bring the right song across the speakers so my time of worship will make my drive easy and unabated by the traffic, the day, the night.

David knew about this power. In Psalm 7:17 he says, "I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. Do you think David had struggles with balance? I imagine it isn't a new problem, so most likely he did. But in the midst of everything he went through, he continued to sing praises to the Lord Most High. Inspiring and motivating! I realize to many of you, this isn’t a new revelation or an inspiring thought. But to me, it is awesome and offers hope and encouragement.

Lord, thank you for the privilege and ability to worship you. May it be a sweet song to you and may I make it a priority today. Amen.

John Chapter 1 is HUGE. What was I thinking asking us to write for 5 minutes or an hour on 51 verses? It would take quite a bit of time to truly dive into this chapter. I only wish I had the time to adequately speak to the awesomeness and depth of this chapter. But I’ll do my best to make some sense of it as a whole and then go a little deeper into a few verses.

I’ve read it five or six times so far. It is a great read and quite deep. It breaks down into some distinct directions (thank you Matthew Henry for your commentary):

* The presentation of Jesus (1-5)
* Jesus as divine and human natures (6-14)
* John the Baptist and his personal testimony (15-18)
* John and other public testimonies (19-36)
* Other testimonies and the calling of the first disciples (37-51)

The first verse is almost poetic. It flows and brings me back to Genesis 1. They both start with, “In the beginning” and flow very poetically. Genesis 1 uses “God” and John 1 uses “Word.” Very interesting how they seem interchangeable. But John never replaces God with Word, they are side by side almost. The first several verses are very deep and really grab my attention.

As I read John 1, I knew I wouldn’t be able to write about the whole chapter. So I read and re-read and then I became stuck on the following verses.

[b]John 1:11-13. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.[/b]

V. 11 - [em]“…those who were His did not receive Him.[/em]” - He came into the world as a human and the human race rejected Him. God the creator of the heavens and earth was walking among the people and the people wanted nothing to do with Him. Mankind, the nation of Israel whom He came to redeem and gift life to…rejected Him.

V. 12 - He says that some did believe - As “many” as received Him. Mark 10:45 says that Jesus gave His life for “many.” So some did believe and they were given [em]“the right to become children of God.”[/em]

V.13 - The children of God were not:

- [em]“born not of blood”[/em] - The “children of God” were not offered salvation through family inheritance or of anything that their parents had done (born of blood).

- [em]“nor of the will of the flesh[/em]” And not because of anything related to themselves or their flesh. Think about Romans 8:6 where it says the mind set on the flesh is death or 8:8 where it says that those in the flesh cannot please God.

- [em]“nor of the will of man”[/em] So the ones called the “children of God” didn’t do a single thing on their own to “earn” this salvation. Without God’s calling and the work of the Holy Spirit, man cannot choose his eternal destiny.

Father, thank you for picking me up out of a life that was leading to Hell. A life that was without fruit and purpose going no where...fast! I now realize that on my own I was on a path of destruction. I also realize that You called me LONG before I accepted you. I see the places in my past where you longed for me and I rejected you. Forgive me for doubting that my life could be better with You. I’m not a doubter anymore as I realize how much better I am when serving You.

Help me today Lord to be the husband and father that you called me to be. I complicate my life so much by injecting my own flesh and want so desperately to surrender to You more and more each day. If you are willing Jesus...help me to do so today.
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