Devotionals

"His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' Matthew 25:21

I was eating at my favorite steakhouse (I say favorite because it is affordable) a few months back and had ordered a steak cooked the way I like it. Before I could cut into it I had to chase it around my plate because it was not cooked much but rather rare. So I asked my server to send it back and tell the chef to cut the hoofs off it because it was still alive. The server said do you want me to tell the chef to make it Well Done so I though for a moment and figured I had ordered it cooked medium the first time and it came really, really rare so why not, make it Well Done that way it might turn out medium to medium well. Sure it makes sense I thought!  One morning a few months later as I was reading this scripture in Matthew the Lord showed me that he gives us plenty of second chances here on earth just like that chef got a second chance to get my steak cooked right. Jesus has so much mercy on us during the course of our lives and forgives us and encourages us to repent, turn away from sin and follow Him; keep on trucking for Jesus. His grace is so awesome I thought as I was meditating on this scripture. I realized in this life that we are either living for Christ alone doing His Will or not doing His Will for our lives, just thinking on His tender mercies when we fall outside His Will for our lives. Then as I began to ponder when we come face to face with Christ Jesus our second chances are over and this time in front of Christ Jesus would be either we have lived for Christ or we have not lived for Christ- in other words this is it! It is either Well Done or rare He won’t give us another chance to come back to earth to try and get it right and we won’t hear; Well Done…, especially if we rarely lived for the Lord- then we are going to become rare in His sight and hear "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Matthew 7:23

The good news is there is still time for us today right this moment to start being a faithful servant while the gettin’ is good,  this is the day that the Lord has made I will be glad in it and rejoice in it. Bros, Enter into the joy of your Lord and make it Well Done!

P.S. By the way on the steak I got the rascal back it was cooked just right, the chef done well, “What about you, will you be rare or Well Done?”…

Romans 14:19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 

Hebrews 3:13   "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."

A few years ago when I was training as a Chaplain with the Sheriffs Department frequently we would go along on patrol or a ride along with a deputy. This one particular night we pulled over an individual and as the deputy questioned him and ran his license and vehicle the deputy became concerned that this individual was on something, some kind of drug although it was not visibly noticeable. I kind of grew up around drugs and having come from that background I always thought I had a good feel for identifying someone on drugs. But this guy seemed like he was maintaining if in fact he was on something it was very difficult to tell. I remember it was at night and he had a baby in his car which really concerned the deputy anytime we ever went out on a call if there was a child involved in anything the deputies did not take it lightly. If there is a child involved they go above and beyond to make sure the child is in no danger whatsoever. I have seen this time and again they love kids and will do all they can to protect them. Well on this call when the deputy saw a baby in an infant seat in the back of this guys car he was going to make sure the driver was not impaired in the least bit before he let him go on his way. The weird part is the guy passed all the sobriety field tests but the deputy said he knows the guy is on something and he continued to question him and the guy kept denying it. The deputy told him “I know you have something ON BOARD in your system something is not right with you.” He was insistent that this guy was on something yet he seemed normal even to me and there was the baby in the back seat too! So the deputy questioned him further about his activities that day and where he was coming from some of those answers did not add up with the deputy. He said he was working in construction but had his baby with him and did not live in the area in fact he was thirty five miles from home.

So the deputy gave him one more chance to fess up but the driver would not so the deputy called another deputy with a special portable drug testing lab kit and tested this driver right on the spot. The test showed he definitely was on something so the deputy’s keen instincts, knowledge and training to recognize drugs ON BOARD were right on. To me this was unbelievable you could not even detect this driver being on anything just by a visual examination but our deputy’s are so well trained they develop an unbelievable ability to read people and their behavior just by talking with them for a few minutes. I have to say I have seen this so many times from riding along seeing how well they can perceive people and their actions and I have even seen this where the deputy just drove by someone on the sidewalk and made a U-turn to talk with the person because the person looked away from them or they recognized something in their behavior that told them something was not right.

I say all this to say this, if Sheriff’s deputies can read people so well and recognize when something is ON BOARD just think of the One who has even greater knowledge of us. The One who is Creator of the heavens, the earth, the sea and all that dwell in them, the Creator of the universe our Creator God the Father, Jesus Christ Lord and Savior of all. Our Creator even knows how many hairs we have on our heads not to mention what’s in our thoughts, hearts and even what we have ON BOARD and as David shared in  Psalm 139:1-4 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. And even David states in verses 7-10 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.” And David finishes up Psalm 139 with these powerful, prayerful and petitioning verses 23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

In other words Lord check me, search my heart see if there is anything ON BOARD that does belong here and remove those sins and things not pleasing to You or that do not honor You Lord. I am not talking about only drugs bros but anything that does not honor God. Maybe there is something that is hanging unto you some sin that you want to ask the Lord to remove; you just have not been able to shake it from you in your own power. You can shake it OFF BOARD today like Paul did when he was on the Island Malta he laid a bundle of sticks on the fire and a viper came out because of the heat from the fire and fastened onto his hand and he shook the deadly viper off his hand into the fire and let it burn up, it tried to drag him down, tried to take his life and keep him from serving by poisoning his system but he shook it off by the power of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we do not fully realize it only takes a little poison to kill our walk, to hinder our love for others, pollute our souls and make us ineffective so as to lose our boldness for Christ, to wound us in the things of God, to not be able to minister in the things of God it comes on like a disease spreading throughout our system affecting our very lives and families taking our souls and robbing us little by little squeezing the joy and life right out of our very souls rendering us useless in the Kingdom of God. Choking us off from the One who we were created by, and for His good pleasure. Thus, creating a separation from Him that can only be changed by true repentance. Maybe there is that thing ON BOARD or a lot of things ON BOARD that are sinking you or that is dragging you down keeping you from serving the Lord or being used by God and you are so tired from trying everything you know to shake this poisonous viper off or kick this interloper OFF BOARD so Jesus can be ON BOARD fully in your system. Ask Jesus to turn up the heat of the fire in your heart- to search you and to know your heart and bring out that viper. He knows you bros, He knows who and what is ON BOARD, let Him have His perfect way with you and perfect you today. Make this the year, the month, the day, the hour, the minute and the very second that you let Jesus remove and shake off whatever is ON BOARD trust in Him and let Jesus reign in your heart fully and make a choice bros to let Jesus fully ON BOARD. Do as David did invite Jesus into your heart right now to search your heart and to know your heart and if there be any unclean thing ON BOARD in your heart that maybe you are aware of or not yet realized that which is buried in your heart or not been able to shake off ask Him to remove it and He will lead you in the way everlasting… Have your way in us right now Lord, thank you Jesus!

I recently read an article about how the Thai people worship their king in such a way by imitating what he wears. They love him so much if he wears a pink shirt or jacket they all wear pink shirts, we are talking thousands and hundreds of thousands of people wanting to be like their king by being covered by his style and color tastes. They literally go bananas for whatever he wears, they go buy the color he is wearing because they adore him and love him so much that is why they say they imitate him. They say he is a good king and they want to show him how much they love and respect him by loving all the pastel colored clothing he wears and dressing like him and imitating him. Is this real love or imitation pastel love?

Think about this for a moment as it relates to how we imitate our King, Jesus Christ and how we follow Him. If we are to imitate our King, Jesus Christ the “KING of kings” we would have to go everywhere in complete humility, in meekness, gentleness and humble spirit. Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

 Considering or esteeming others better than us also, self denial; Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

 To be like Him we would have to clothe ourselves in His complete and absolute unconditional love, to love one another; John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Walking in His complete grace and knowing it is His Grace which allows us to walk in Him. Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

 His never ending mercy on those He sees and hears and loves. His obedience to the point of death. If we imitated Him like this would everyone take notice around us? Would they see Christ in us and insist to know this Jesus and want to learn more about the real reason we are imitating Jesus Christ in our lives, is it because He first loved us that we love Him. Would it be that apparent that we loved Jesus like in the Thai people when you see all those pastel wearing folks in one group you must ask what is going on, what are these people doing or why are they wearing the same clothes as the Thai king, do they really love him that much? Will they ask you this Christmas season why are you imitating Jesus or will they even notice who you are imitating? In other words will they see Christ in you, a reflection of Him as you go about all the holiday celebrations and every get together? Our families, friends, neighbors and all those we come in to contact with everyday need to see Christ in our lives not just this holiday season but everyday we need to imitate Christ in all our goings out and comings in, they need to see His holiness and love in us.

 Leviticus 11:45 “You shall therefore be holy, for I [am] holy.” Knowing we cannot be fully holy like Christ. But like Paul said we are in a race, so we should be in pursuit of holiness in that race. Pursuit means chasing after holiness…

They can buy all the pastel colored clothing they want to be like their king or maybe for some your king is your chariot you can buy all the chrome accessories and sunglasses and clothes to look like and have the image of your chariot. Maybe your castle is your king; you can accessorize your life style to imitate your castle lifestyle all that and more that you want this Christmas so you can be dressed like your king. But bros lets let Jesus be King of our castle; Joshua 24:15 …But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

 You can’t buy things like pastel shirts or chrome accessories or any other thing to please our King, Jesus Christ what He gave can’t be bought, we can’t impress Him with imitation flesh or pastel love. He already gave and continues to give all the best gifts to us in the fact that He paid the price in Full on Calvary- “that is real love”. He is our “All in All.” Bros lets give Him ALL of our heart this day and everyday for Christmas- that’s real love for our King, abiding in Him, following Him. Imitate Him and His love for us…1 Corinthians 11:1 IMITATE me, just as I also imitate Christ.

It’s our privilege in being His children to be able to imitate Christ and follow Him, let us engage in it more earnestly than ever, being now stirred and now we must be filled with the Holy Spirit who alone can glorify Christ. I may try to glorify Christ in my own pastel efforts but it will avail nothing without the Spirit of God. I implore you bros to practice holiness and every Christian virtue, but all my urging will avail nothing if you are not filled with the Holy Spirit. We must have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us every moment to enable us to live the life of Christ. Lord, Jesus fill us up overflowing and control us by your Holy Spirit that we might indeed imitate You. We know that the reason why the Holy Spirit was given from heaven was to make Christ’s presence obvious to us and to all those around us.

JOB 2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

Bros, do you ever wonder why God allows suffering. Why did God have to allow satan to strike Job with the boils from head to toe? Have you ever had a boil, I mean one would be enough suffering for each one of us for a lifetime. But God allows Job to be covered with painful boils and they are indeed extremely painful and slow to come to a place where they reach full maturity so they can begin the healing process. I cannot think of a more painful place to be than covered with boils that is suffering to the max. So many of us often ask why God allows suffering, why would He allow such horrific suffering to happen to His children, He is our loving Father. This question has to be the most painful question that confronts the believer. Many of us I am sure have suffered many things over the course of our life, some harsher than others. But what is the purpose of suffering, what good can come from it, why bring suffering or allow it, isn’t there another way, can’t we just talk about it and resolve it that way. “Let’s not and say we did” as the old saying goes… No, God would not allow that, He has a purpose for our suffering. His design is divine and we can never know or recognize the fruit when we are in the midst of great suffering, but as Job learned there was great fruit produced during and at the end of the suffering.

Purposes of suffering:

To produce fruit something has to grow. If we allow suffering to accomplish its purpose, it can bring out patience, joy, knowledge and maturity. Let’s look at a few scriptures to see these fruits…

Bringing out patience;

Hebrews 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise…

James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

Bringing out joy;

Psalm 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

Psalm 126:6 He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.

Bringing out knowledge;

Psalm 94:12 Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD, And teach out of Your law…

Bringing out maturity;

1 Peter 5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

Now while I know most all of us have suffered, some greatly more than others. I am sure none of us after reading these very real truths in Gods word are saying “BRING IT ON” lets see some boil action. But quite the opposite I am sure, but it does bring great comfort to know that God does have a plan in allowing suffering. Suffering as coming from God to bring out the best in us but the other side of suffering is satan attempts to use the same suffering and temptation to bring out the worst in us. We know that God does not temp us. I like Gods side better’ we suffer with the purpose to produce fruit and bring out the best in us. Satan will make the worst nightmare for us and produce the worst of everything including rotten fruit…

There are many other reasons to allow suffering; to silence the devil. Satan accused Job of serving God because of material blessings involved. But God allowed the devil to torment Job and to suffer to make obvious that His servant Job loved Him because of who He was and not for what Job could get from Him.

Also, many other reasons for suffering are to glorify God, to make us like Jesus, to teach us dependence, to refine our lives, to rebuke our sin and enlarge our ministry towards others. It has been said that whoever suffers much speaks many languages or understands others.

Bros, how should we respond to suffering when the Lord allows us to experience suffering? We should determine first of all why we may be going through this suffering. That begins with seeking the Lord. We can suffer because of our position or disposition. In 1 Peter 2:18, 19 Peter brings that to our mind when he says “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.”

As Believers we can also act in response to suffering by despising it, treat it without due consideration. Esau responded this way with his birthright as we look at Hebrews 12:5, 16 “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;” 16“lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.” Esau responded with despise in his heart, he treated his birthright too lightly.

Another way we can respond to suffering is to faint under it or become weakened or treat it way too seriously. Again keep in mind the previous scripture reference of Hebrews 12:5 "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;”

 And finally we can be exercised or instructed by it, to receive all that God wants to do in allowing us to suffer. This is the response most wanted by God, He loves us and wants us to grow and mature and bear much fruit. As we commit our pain and suffering to God knowing He is faithful even when we are not and will work out all these things for our good and to His glory.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. James says to rejoice or count it all joy when we encounter these trials or suffering seasons… James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, … 1 Peter 4:19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Bros, what more can we say then if it is our Fathers purpose for us when we need His will in our lives than to be changed by whatever way He chooses to produce His desired results and if it’s His purpose that’s accomplished what can we say but we Love you Lord and thank you for First Loving us!

Luke 18:35-43 Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. 36 And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. 37 So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 39 Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 40 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, 41 saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight."42 Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Bros, when you travel in your car are you like always in a big hurry like me? You know when you stop at a gas station and while you are pumping gas you are telling the youngin’s to go use the restroom and whoever is copiloting is running next door to grab some lunch to go. Mean while you have a stop watch clicking off the seconds and when the last one gets back into the car ready to go you click the stop watch off and tell everyone the next stop we need to shave off 68 seconds… Isn’t it amazing how we don’t have time for anything anymore, where did all the time go?

Looking to the Word now, Jesus had left Perea by crossing the Jordan and is coming into or coming near Jericho. Matthew and Mark say this happened when He was leaving Jericho; in any event there was a blind man who was sitting there. I can only imagine he heard quite a bit of talking and excitement in the voices and probably it was pretty loud and maybe getting more intense as Jesus approached the area where he was sitting. You know that blind man had to know something awesome was coming with all the sounds he heard, I mean I am sure he would have been able to tell the difference if it had the sound of a lynch mob or another kind of angry mob sound to it. I am sure he would have tried to get away from that area if he heard that kind of crowd. But today it was a great crowd, a really excited bunch and maybe that is why he recognized Jesus was coming and addressed Him as “Jesus, Son of David, and cried out, have mercy on me.”

They tried to quiet the blind man down but he got louder and again cried out even louder “Son of David, have mercy on me.” This verse really caught my attention where it says “So Jesus stood still.” Think of that He stopped, He had time, He heard his cry, He had compassion on him and froze and stopped from His busy traveling, imagine that, stopping to tend to someone or listen to them or help them or care for them or share a scripture, or witness, or confront or to comfort them or to pray for them. Here the King of kings stops and lends an ear to his plea and then commanded him to be brought to Him so when he had come near He asked him “What do you want Me to do for you?”

This reminds me of  a story, I remember praying for a bro out at Uturn for Christ Men’s ranch a while back, as I began to pray for this new believer, I asked him if I could pray specifically for a special need or touch from the Lord or area he needed to hear from the Lord. He told me he was going to court next week and was looking at going to prison for at least two years and had previously lost his drivers license from his last court appearance. He asked if we could pray for the Lord to have the court have mercy on Him and that He wouldn’t have to serve time and he could get his drivers license back in case he found a job he would be able to drive himself to work, also that he could stay at the ranch and finish going through the ministry of restoration. So we prayed and asked the Lord to sway the heart of the judge. Next week He comes running over to me and says you won’t believe what happened, so I said what happened? He told me when he went to court and as soon as his case was called the first thing the judge said to him was this "What do you want me to do for you today?" I said no way! He said, yes way! I said what did you tell the judge. He said I asked the judge if he could let me stay at the ranch and not go to prison and if he would give me my driver’s license back. The judge slammed his gavel down and said it is done as you say. I was like Lord you are awesome; you talk about a faith builder this new bro was on fire for the Lord. He saw the hand of God move with compassion and mercy and love towards him.

You see sometimes we are moving so fast and going to and fro we might miss out on how God would want to use us if he puts a blind man in front of us. You know one that can’t see the things of God or refuses to see God or needs to hear about God or from Gods Word or just plain hear God, spiritually blind so to speak…

This is when we need to be like Jesus and stand still and listen even though Jesus was only passing by, and then ask what do you want Jesus to do for you, what would you like for me to do? How many times do we stand still, do we realize we have the anecdote, the RX, the cure that this spiritually blind person needs so desperately, they need to hear from Jesus. Fact is their hearts and mind may be poisoned by the lies and deceit and bondage of the enemy. They might be locked in their own flesh constructed prison cell and we are holding the key if we would just stand still and let Jesus use us. There is a lot of spiritual blindness in this dark world. Jesus would want us to shine His light so they can see Him and follow Him. Remember those who are screaming the loudest are the most desperate for Jesus’ touch in their lives, so just stand still & minister to them. Those in line at the bank or Starbucks, grocery store, the guy you talk to at the local Home depot or it might be a food server or one of your neighbors, friends or family. We all get opportunities to minister, share and witness in Jesus name everyday if we would stop- STAND STILL & LISTEN. Whoever God puts in your path today ask them what they want Jesus to do for them- then pray for them. Give God all the glory and praise!

Jesus Raises the Son of the Widow of Nain

Luke 7:11-15 Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. 12 And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." 14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." 15 So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.

16 Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people." 17 And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

Bros have you ever felt like you could be a dead man, you’ve given up, and you’ve got no more punch to punch, no more zip to zap. Something has got a hold of you and you can’t shake it, you are powerless over a situation in your life. You have tried everything you can think of, you have been scheming, and dreaming up ways to make this thing happen, you have done everything in your own power. But wait have you given this thing to the Lord, have you trusted Jesus for His will in this situation, this thing, this trial, this season.

Bros stop and think, or better yet meditate on what has happened in these scriptures…

Wait Bros; let’s examine this, when a body is dead, when there is no life in it anymore and the organs begin to dry out and the veins collapse because there is no blood running through them and the heart has ceased from beating and sending blood to every part of the body and there is no air being taken into the lungs and the brain has been deprived of the oxygen it needs to stay alive in your body and the skin begins to stretch tight as it dries and shrivels up and sucks tightly into and against the body bone frame. There is definitely no more life left in this body, what’s left but to bury this carcass, our earthly tent, what else can be done but to give it a proper burial. Sometimes that is all we can think is “this is the end”, there is nothing we can do, we have no power to do more, it is out of our hands or ability to do more.

What can make this body whole again? What can make this body alive again? What can make this body arise? Bros nothing can, but the blood of Jesus Christ, He can make it whole again. He can have compassion on you and your situation the same way He had compassion on this widow. He saw her grieving aching heart the tears that flowed from her broken heart of despair. Losing first her husband, and now her only son, Jesus heart was for her this day.

 I am sure when her son died she tried everything she could to make this situation not be so, everything in her own power, but she was powerless and broken hearted and Jesus was all she needed. All she ever needed was the Savior Jesus Christ who has power over death and destruction and sin. There is power in His name and this day His power lifted a dead man with one word “arise” and resurrected him and gave him life. Life more abundantly, it was a free gift from Jesus.

Bros, I want to encourage you today whatever has got a hold on you, trying to kill you, chasing you, trying to bring you down or into bondage and separate you from our Savior Jesus Christ. Whatever it is that seems so hard and seems like there is no way out. Whatever your struggle is today, whatever Bros it is, remember Jesus is the answer. He lifted a dead man right out of his casket on the way to the graveyard, so don’t ever think Jesus is too late or you have run out of time or there is no hope in your situation. Jesus will have compassion on you and for you same as He had for this widow. He is the giver of life, He loves you and me and He will never forsake you, nor leave you, He is faithful, even when we are faithless. In His word David says if we make our bed in hell there He is with us. So know that Jesus loves you that much that He wants to give you all that He has, just follow Him bros and He will rise you up, He is the God of Wonders…

JAMES 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Sometimes we might draw near to God during a stormy season or when we want just a piece of Him for that moment or in that time of uncertainty to get us through this area of a trial or to help us weather a storm. In

1 Samuel 24 David drew closer to God when he was in a major storm of uncertainty he honored God. He drew so close to God and I believe Gods very heart when he got close enough to take Saul’s life and yet he cut just a piece of his garment and spared his life, to let Saul know his heart of honor for God and so that Saul would know that his life was in the hand of David a good friend on that day and also our Lord, our very best friend … So David drew closer for a season and stole a piece of Gods heart and the Lord drew near to David. He was a man after Gods own heart and on that day David took after Gods heart bursting with such a powerful gesture of love and honor and commitment.

 When I read what David did that day in the cave I have to believe it totally honored God that day… I believe it spoke a lot about David’s character and His heart for God and brought honor and glory to the Lord and blew Saul away as well with kindness, love and honor- give us that heart Lord, Jesus… had that been one of us that day in the cave would we have cut off more than a piece of his garment or would we draw near to God as David did?

In Matthew 9:20 a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years touched the hem of Jesus garment. She needed healing and was blessed because she drew nearer to God. Jesus told her to be of good cheer, your faith has made you well. She knew if she could just touch His garment if she could just get close enough to her Jesus, her healing would be in His hands… Bros doesn’t that make you want to get on your knees and draw near to Jesus and cry out to Him for whatever is ailing you. The faith of this gal is so inspiring and to see that Jesus was not put off by this gals insistence of getting close to Him. He blessed her because of her faith and drew near. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, soul, body, mind and strength… She drew physically near Jesus and He healed her body physically that day. But her faith drew her spiritually near Jesus and Jesus drew near her heart and saw her faith and blessed her because she was near…

Contrast these two stories with how Peter who we read in Mark 14:54 followed from afar and fell, at that distance he was in enemy territory. Peter fell away and left his first love, he separated from God. He did not acknowledge God fully. Peter had one eye on God and one eye on the things of this world or one foot in the church and one foot out, he was a one eyed Pete and a one legged Pete or you could say he was following God half heartedly or with half a mind or he was double minded. He was on the fence and off the fence and then back on the fence, it is well known the fence is the most painful and uncomfortable place to sit and we all know who owns that fence, Satan himself, stay off the fence bros… If we keep reading in Mark 14 we see in verses 66-72 Peter did not draw near to God at this point in fact when that rooster crowed the first time Peter was about as far away from God as you can get. Talk about double minded. But it would take one more crow of that rooster for Peter to realize he was even further from God than a few moments ago in fact it would take three denials of Christ, Jesus to get him to see how far he was away from God… And when Peter had realized that the Lord told him this would happen, and by the way who would ever think God would use a chicken to let Peter know he had fallen away from God and denied Him as well. Reportedly chickens have one of the smallest brains, so that explains why God used a Rooster to communicate His message and reminder to Peter, isn’t it funny how sometimes we just can’t get it and God brings it down to our level of understanding so we will get it… And when Peter thought about it, he wept. Man he was broken about breaking off Jesus like that, what a way for your heart to get purified, God knows what it takes to purge out that deeply buried sin so you can cleanse your hands and purify your heart and not be double minded. Peter thought that this could never happen to him, it was just unthinkable to think he could deny Christ not once, not twice but three times… How far can we get from Jesus, bros?

That is why it is so important to not lag or drag behind in your relationship with Him today, this moment; bros don’t catch the message on the radio because you do not want to go to church today. Don’t skip that prayer time or personal devotional time with the Lord because there is a playoff game on TV or you want to sleep in or it’s your only day off. Don’t dodge the fellowship time with the bros in the Lord. Make time to break bread with the bros in the body where the Lord has you and get in the Word. Serve the Lord with all your heart and don’t complain- pray to God for help when you are weak, He will answer. He knows your need, call on Him today, and see if you draw near to Him, if He won’t draw near to you, just as His Word says.

All we need is His touch, Matthew 14:34-36 when they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, 36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

When we draw near to the Lord, and recognize who Jesus is and what He has done for us may we have the same Zeal and be like these that begged just to touch the hem of His garment so that they could be made PERFECTLY WELL… He drew near them. As we come near You today Lord be near us Lord- Amen! Don’t make God send you a chicken bros to tell you and remind you what He already told you would happen…. Draw Near now, today’s the day… Right now!

"Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts." Isaiah 6:5

How do we become undone? When we feel like we are coming apart before the Lord, when our sins have been exposed and it is all laid before God and He shows you how you look in that sin. We can see it when we draw close to Him and He shows us in the mirror of His reflection in us that is where we see our sin in the dim reflection… The only way to brighten up that reflection is to be rid of the sin by getting undone and getting right with the Lord. What does that mean, what is Isaiah talking about or referring to? He felt like he was coming apart because when he saw and heard the seraphim and then the vision of God. That is what made him feel and believe and know he was Undone. He could not measure up or stand in the Lords Light because he was a man of unclean lips. God cannot mix with sin or will He allow himself to do so, He can not be coupled with sin or allow it along side of Him or a believer can not have sin and the Lord in the same space in his heart- God will not allow it bro.

 Bros when we come into His light may we plead for His mercy and grace. Can you imagine standing in the Lords presence, in complete total humility and submission to The God of the universe, Creator of everything, like Isaiah did? I do not think I have the mental capability to place myself there in that thought; I could not stand before the Father God except for One reason and only One reason- Jesus Christ and His Grace…

When Isaiah saw the angels praising the Lord in holy humility and obedience he realized that he was no where near like God and not only that he could not even measure up to His angels. The angels could cry out Holy, holy, holy and praise to God so awesomely but Isaiah could not because he was a man of unclean lips.

Imagine the contrast if we were able to see the Lord right now… Would you be saying “Woe is me, for I am Undone? Where is God going to find you at right now in your life in your walk with Him? Will He be saying Woe is Me, or well done my good and faithful servant when He sees where you are at with Him? Not that He does not or would not already know our goings in and goings out? But it is when we realize that He already knows the condition of our walk with Him…  We can realize fully what kind of men we really are; the Bible says in Isaiah 64:6 "And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;" we are as filthy rags before the Lord. When Isaiah realized what kind of man he was as he was contrasting himself to the seraphim and then as He contrasted himself to God he said “Woe is me, for I am Undone!”

The very thing we measure ourselves to is God and His Word and all His ways and now Isaiah sees the seraphim and realizes that he never could worship the Lord even close to the way the seraphim does. When God shows us for who we really are then how can we stand before Him and think we are somebody. Isaiah was a righteous God fearing man by all outward standards, but he saw how sinful he truly was in the presence of God through his sinfulness and the sinfulness of his people in their speech “Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;”. I know personally for me when God exposes us for who we really are and He allows us to see who we really are by allowing us to come close to Him and He even allows those things to be brought right in our faces to show us how truly sinful we are we feel Undone just as Isaiah did. Bros sometimes I do not think we fully can realize and comprehend until we are undone... Here is what Charles Spurgeon said: “God will never do anything with us till He has first of all undone us.” How do we stand or measure up against the Light of our God, well let’s start out by saying this “Praise the Lord for His mercy and grace - Amen!” So if you are feeling undone lately look for Gods perfect will in it and trust in the work He is doing and is going to bring about as a result of undoing you…

May He continue to do a work in us all today!

MATTHEW 8:23 - 27 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"

26 But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

Sometimes we can be covered by the waves of fear when the storms of life hit us and we can be dying in fear. Why do we flip out and get fearful-what can man do to us? We can have a lot of fear or a lot of faith when these storms hit us. But when we look at the reality we have Jesus on board, He is with us always, so we have a life boat of faith so to speak, no better place to be really then trusting in Jesus alone… Or we can make it a death boat of fear, the choice is ours, who are we going to let reign in our hearts- Jesus or our flesh/ the enemy/ the world?  If we are following Jesus and then SUDDENLY a storm comes or a great uproar happens, can it sink our boat when we have Jesus with us? Instead of being covered with the waves of despair & fear we can know that we are covered with the waves of His mercy & grace and washed by His love for us. He is our Shepherd and He will protect us, where is our faith otherwise? Imagine the power of being able to admonish the winds and the sea of the despair and fear it brought and being able to calm them with His peace that surpasses all understanding. Bros that is exactly what our Lord and Savior is able to do when we look to Him and rest in Him and not go the Big Fear Little Faith route. Know the Captain of your ship bros… He has authority over all His creation. Have confidence, trust, belief, reliance and assurance that He is able to meet all your needs even before you have need He knows. "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"

In His Grip,

MATTHEW 20:26-28 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- 28"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…”

Who among us can say they are a servant of all? When you think of the love Jesus had for all people, no matter how they appeared or what circle they were in or what class of people they come from. When we serve do we have that love attitude that all people are the same or do we tend to look at some less desirable and therefore do not really reach out and serve them in the same manner as Jesus Christ would have served them, do we have a bias when it comes to who we are serving or even when we are serving. Christ never left a need unfulfilled, He always knew the exact need and supplied all their need according to His riches and glory. Could we go the extra mile if we wanted too…? Do we serve God when we are serving others as unto the Lord for His glory alone?

Do you serve when it is convenient for you or there is an opportunity to be spotlighted, in other words to be in the spot light so everyone can see what a great servant you are, what are your motives? Do you serve when no one is looking or no one will ever find out that you did something unto the glory of God, do you let the glory rest right there with Jesus getting the glory and honor or are we hogging that or trying to show everyone how righteous we are, that we are righteous dudes? Are you a behind the scenes blessing to the bros or the body of Christ or only a center stage blessing?

Do we serve those that we do not immediately like or those that we may have had a rift with or not seen eye to eye on some things with them and maybe they are a bro in the Lord even. Maybe they are serving in the ministry right along side of us and we are not honoring God by serving them and being a servant to all. It is so hard for us to serve everyone; I mean I believe most of us would pick and choose who we will serve or where we will serve, but aren’t we called to serve? What do you think Jesus thought when He washed Judas feet, do you think He wanted to skip over his feet, maybe Jesus thought this bro is going to turn against me, why should I wash his feet. Can you imagine staring into the face of your enemy or a bro you bumped heads with and then taking off your outer garments and standing there in your under wear and then kneeling down on your knees and washing someone’s feet who is your enemy. Can you picture this? If we knew everything Jesus knew about us or anybody else for that matter would we be able to serve them like Jesus served Judas? Jesus gives us a lot of depth when we think of the meaning of: “love your enemies” and “you shall love your neighbor.”

 Let us look at someone in high office in our time to get some perspective, not that they are like Jesus or equal but someone who is in high authority in the land. Lets imagine you and eleven of your friends or bros in the Lord get invited by “W” to come up for dinner and after dinner “W” takes off his clothes and standing there in his under garments begins to kneel down to wash each of you and your friends feet. I believe you would be taken aback by the humility of such a thing by this great man, this man who has the highest and most powerful office in the entire world. Bros don’t get me wrong I don’t think “W” would ever do this, not to mention there is no comparison between a mere great man who holds a high office in the land and God Almighty our Creator.  Yet this example of humility is what the King of kings did and the example He laid down for us to follow in serving others.

Picture the humility in the Creator of every living thing doing this very thing, this selfless humble act. He is the God of the universe He is awesome, powerful and the creator of the heavens, the earth, the sea and all that dwells in them, He is our Mighty and Awesome God.

John 13:14-16"If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.”For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. "Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

 When they were all gathered this was not a meeting to build up the self esteem of the twelve but to let them see the love Jesus had for them and to see complete humility for an example to follow. Christ did not pump them up in their flesh status or level of ministry, but He showed them how to be great servants.  He gird Himself up and took on the lowest possible form of service to show us and teach us about humility and to the world really one of the Greatest lessons we could ever learn, aside from taking our place on the cross. The Name that is above every name and the One above all and in the form of a true servant who truly is the Greatest our Lord Jesus Christ. How can we follow His example, here is how by being a servant to those among you, don’t look to get served but rather go serve right now, at His feet even if you have to get on your knees bro.

Matthew 23:11 "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.