Luke 20:25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s and unto God the things which be God’s. (KJV)
…He said to them, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (NIV)
Last week we were in Findlay, Ohio for IMPACT, our church conference, and the National Bible Quiz Finals. We have been studying the book of Luke for quizzing this past year and the young people did very well in the finals taking third place in both the junior and senior high divisions. We even had three of the young people place in the top ten for their division. Rosalie Wills placed third out of all the quizzers in the senior division and Chris and Ryan Munn tied for eighth place in the junior division. We congratulate all our quizzers on a job well done.
After the quizzing, we were privileged to hear several relevant and dynamic speakers. One of them used our verse for this week, a verse from Luke, that set me to thinking. We are to give “God what is God’s.” Well just what is God’s? The speaker pointed out that we, that is, all human beings, have been bought with a price. First Corinthians 6:20 says, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” God’s Son, Jesus, paid the penalty for our sins – he bought us with the blood he shed on Calvary. We could not pay the price ourselves by trying to do good works. We could never do enough good works to earn our way into Heaven. We were eternally lost – without hope – until Jesus bought us with his blood sacrifice. Since God did this for us, what should we do? We are to glorify God in our body and in our spirits. We are to serve God and give Him the glory for any good works we do. We don’t do good works in order to earn Heaven, because that could not happen. We do good work to glorify God, to honor Him, to thank Him for saving us.
IMPACT will not be held any more, but the conference plans to do some things that will help us be more “engaged” in showing Christ to the world. We hope this new emphasis will help us reach others with the gospel by Christians “becoming the hands and feet of Jesus.” How can I be more engaged in showing Christ to others? How can I give God what is God’s – How can I give myself to God? It is going to take more than just going to church. I might have to get my hands dirty. I might have to move my feet to places outside my comfort zone. In order to give God what is God’s, I must be more engaged in doing the things that Jesus wants me to do and not take credit myself, but give the credit to God. How about you? Are you willing to be God’s hands and feet?
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Psalm 103:2
Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and forget not all his benefits: (KJV)
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- (NIV)
I am sure most, if not all of you, have heard some version of the phrase – “When you’re feeling down, remember to look up.” Look up to where? To God, of course. There is much healing that can occur if we take time to think of all the blessings God has given us.
In our verse for this week, the psalmist reminds us to bless or praise God for all his benefits. Then David lists many things that we can praise God for. When we focus on the many ways God has blessed us, our attitude changes. We become more thankful and our spirits are lifted. In this psalm David says we need to praise God because he forgives our sins, heals our diseases, redeems our life from destruction, gives us love, shows us compassion, gives us the food we need to be healthy and so on. I particularly like what he says in verse 10 – “he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”
We often get overwhelmed in this life with busyness, tragedy, grief, selfish desires, illness, loss, trouble and even more. We need an antidote to help us through these difficult times. Praise of God can provide us with what we need. It can help us experience healing and help us to survive the difficulties in this world.
The next time you feel at a loss or overwhelmed with trials and troubles, try the psalmist’s cure and praise God for all he has done for you. Go to Psalm 103 and read David’s list of the benefits that God has provided for you, then thank God for them and praise His name. I feel sure you will feel much better.
Thank you Lord for your Word found in the Bible!
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- (NIV)
I am sure most, if not all of you, have heard some version of the phrase – “When you’re feeling down, remember to look up.” Look up to where? To God, of course. There is much healing that can occur if we take time to think of all the blessings God has given us.
In our verse for this week, the psalmist reminds us to bless or praise God for all his benefits. Then David lists many things that we can praise God for. When we focus on the many ways God has blessed us, our attitude changes. We become more thankful and our spirits are lifted. In this psalm David says we need to praise God because he forgives our sins, heals our diseases, redeems our life from destruction, gives us love, shows us compassion, gives us the food we need to be healthy and so on. I particularly like what he says in verse 10 – “he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”
We often get overwhelmed in this life with busyness, tragedy, grief, selfish desires, illness, loss, trouble and even more. We need an antidote to help us through these difficult times. Praise of God can provide us with what we need. It can help us experience healing and help us to survive the difficulties in this world.
The next time you feel at a loss or overwhelmed with trials and troubles, try the psalmist’s cure and praise God for all he has done for you. Go to Psalm 103 and read David’s list of the benefits that God has provided for you, then thank God for them and praise His name. I feel sure you will feel much better.
Thank you Lord for your Word found in the Bible!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
II Corinthians 3:18
About six weeks ago, our church opened our revival services with a concert by The Scott Day Band. This was not new for us as we have had them in concert for several years to open our revival. This year, however, one of the songs struck me in a special way. I had heard them do this song before, but this time the Lord spoke to me through it. “I fall face down, as your glory shines around.”
I thought about times in the Bible when God’s glory shone around. The first thing that came to mind was when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai. As Moses came down from that mountain where he had been in God’s presence to receive God’s commandments, his face was shining with the glory of God. (Ex. 34:30) Also, when Jesus was transfigured, “his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.”(Matt. 17:2) His glory shone around him.
Perhaps you remember the show “Touched by an Angel.” During the story, usually near the end, when it was revealed that the individual was an angel, his/her image began to glow – His glory shone around – God’s glory was revealed through His messenger – the angel. It says in our verse for this week that as we are in His presence, we too, “are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” The Living Bible paraphrases this verse by saying, “But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works with in us, we become more and more like him.”
Does God’s glory shine around us as Christians? Obviously, we will not actually glow as the “angels” did in the TV show. But our “glow” can be the good works that are there because of what Jesus does through us. Things like kindness to those who may be unkind to us; generosity; compassion; helpfulness; patience; humbleness; service to others; love and any of those qualities that Jesus showed us when He walked this earth.
His glory can shine around us as we fall down before Him in response to His greatness and as we attempt to glorify Him in our service to Him and others.
I thought about times in the Bible when God’s glory shone around. The first thing that came to mind was when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai. As Moses came down from that mountain where he had been in God’s presence to receive God’s commandments, his face was shining with the glory of God. (Ex. 34:30) Also, when Jesus was transfigured, “his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.”(Matt. 17:2) His glory shone around him.
Perhaps you remember the show “Touched by an Angel.” During the story, usually near the end, when it was revealed that the individual was an angel, his/her image began to glow – His glory shone around – God’s glory was revealed through His messenger – the angel. It says in our verse for this week that as we are in His presence, we too, “are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” The Living Bible paraphrases this verse by saying, “But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works with in us, we become more and more like him.”
Does God’s glory shine around us as Christians? Obviously, we will not actually glow as the “angels” did in the TV show. But our “glow” can be the good works that are there because of what Jesus does through us. Things like kindness to those who may be unkind to us; generosity; compassion; helpfulness; patience; humbleness; service to others; love and any of those qualities that Jesus showed us when He walked this earth.
His glory can shine around us as we fall down before Him in response to His greatness and as we attempt to glorify Him in our service to Him and others.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Psalm 37:4
Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (KJV)
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (NIV)
I like to eat. For me, that also means that I continually struggle with my weight. I always feel so much better when I keep my weight down. But I just love so many of those good things that I can put in my mouth called food. I had a doctor a long time ago, about 30 plus years, who once told me, “There is more to life than food.” Of course he is completely right and while I continue to remember this advice from him, it seems I just can’t turn off my desire for food or at least limit it a little better. I guess you could say food is a weakness of mine.
Not too long ago in studying for Bible quizzing, I read, “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.” I also read a devotion that talked about how Satan uses our weaknesses or what we love so much to manipulate or exploit us. Could food be doing that to me?
Our verse for this week is one of my favorites and seems to be the answer to my problem. “Delight thyself in the Lord…” Spend time with God and cherish and love him. “…and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
God will give us what are those deep down desires of our heart. Do we love God more than whatever is our biggest weakness? Do I love God more than food? I think so. Then why do I struggle so much with this? Maybe I am not relying on God enough. Maybe I need to go to God’s word every time I begin to worry about or crave food that I really shouldn’t have.
One thing I know for sure, God can be trusted with our problems and he definitely has the answers to all of them. I’ve demonstrated over and over again, that I cannot conquer this food addiction in my own strength. Pray for me that I will go to him more often for help when I get that great desire to eat and eat and eat. After all, there IS more to life than food.
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (NIV)
I like to eat. For me, that also means that I continually struggle with my weight. I always feel so much better when I keep my weight down. But I just love so many of those good things that I can put in my mouth called food. I had a doctor a long time ago, about 30 plus years, who once told me, “There is more to life than food.” Of course he is completely right and while I continue to remember this advice from him, it seems I just can’t turn off my desire for food or at least limit it a little better. I guess you could say food is a weakness of mine.
Not too long ago in studying for Bible quizzing, I read, “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.” I also read a devotion that talked about how Satan uses our weaknesses or what we love so much to manipulate or exploit us. Could food be doing that to me?
Our verse for this week is one of my favorites and seems to be the answer to my problem. “Delight thyself in the Lord…” Spend time with God and cherish and love him. “…and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
God will give us what are those deep down desires of our heart. Do we love God more than whatever is our biggest weakness? Do I love God more than food? I think so. Then why do I struggle so much with this? Maybe I am not relying on God enough. Maybe I need to go to God’s word every time I begin to worry about or crave food that I really shouldn’t have.
One thing I know for sure, God can be trusted with our problems and he definitely has the answers to all of them. I’ve demonstrated over and over again, that I cannot conquer this food addiction in my own strength. Pray for me that I will go to him more often for help when I get that great desire to eat and eat and eat. After all, there IS more to life than food.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I Samuel 24:10
I Samuel 24:10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee today into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord's anointed. (KJV)
This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, 'I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the Lord's anointed.' (NIV)
How many of you have ever been pressured into doing something you know you shouldn't do? I have to raise my hand. Actually I was once pressured into not doing something I wish I had done. When I was 21 I had the privilege of traveling to Europe with the Hood College Choir. We visited the Eiffel Tower, but some friends of mine convinced me to not actually go into and up the tower. Today, I wish I had done that, but, of course, that is now a lost opportunity. On that same trip, I celebrated my 21st birthday and was pressured into drinking a shot of Vodka. I am certainly not proud of that! I could have said "NO," but I let peer pressure push me into doing something I am ashamed of now.
In our verse for this week, we see David being pressured to kill Saul, who by the way, was trying to kill David. David already knew that he was to be the next king and his followers were pressuring him to go ahead and kill Saul so he could take the throne as king. But David knew if he did that he would be setting a precedent which could posibly result in being killed himself when his reign was nearing its end and someone else wanted to be king. David also knew that it wasn't right to strik down the one God had annointed. He respected Saul in the position of King and he wanted to follow God and do the right thing.
David's refusal to kill King Saul was not an example of cowardice - but courage - courage to stand against the crowd - peer pressure. Where did David get this courage? Where can we get the courage to "do the right thing?" Where can we get the courage to make right decisions based on what God wants us to do?
We are getting close to the anniversary date of Roe vs. Wade - the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in our country - the case that legally allows us to kill our unborn babies for any reason - even for convenience or preference. Yes, we will have temptations to do what is not right in God's eyes - sometimes pressure from close friends or even family to do the wrong thing. Where can we get help to do the right thing?
God has given us a promise of help! I Corinthians 10:13 says that God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear and will provide us a way to escape out of the temptation. We can make it out of any pressure or temptation if we let God help us. We need to tell him, "God, you said I won't be tempted beyond what I can bear. I'm weak right now. Help me fight this temptation and do the right thing."
God may help you with the right words, give you a distraction so you don't have to deal with the situation, give you an opportunity to leave the situation or provide a Christian friend to give you support. Whatever help you need, God is able to give it. Hebrews 13:6 says, "God is my helper.."
God will be there for you when you need him, but don't just use him as a life raft (although he is up for that.) Let him be your helper everyday. Talk to him everyday and he will be there to help you stand up against peer pressure, to do the right thing, and to help you in times of crisis.
Maybe this could be your New Year's resolution.
Happy 2009!
This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, 'I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the Lord's anointed.' (NIV)
How many of you have ever been pressured into doing something you know you shouldn't do? I have to raise my hand. Actually I was once pressured into not doing something I wish I had done. When I was 21 I had the privilege of traveling to Europe with the Hood College Choir. We visited the Eiffel Tower, but some friends of mine convinced me to not actually go into and up the tower. Today, I wish I had done that, but, of course, that is now a lost opportunity. On that same trip, I celebrated my 21st birthday and was pressured into drinking a shot of Vodka. I am certainly not proud of that! I could have said "NO," but I let peer pressure push me into doing something I am ashamed of now.
In our verse for this week, we see David being pressured to kill Saul, who by the way, was trying to kill David. David already knew that he was to be the next king and his followers were pressuring him to go ahead and kill Saul so he could take the throne as king. But David knew if he did that he would be setting a precedent which could posibly result in being killed himself when his reign was nearing its end and someone else wanted to be king. David also knew that it wasn't right to strik down the one God had annointed. He respected Saul in the position of King and he wanted to follow God and do the right thing.
David's refusal to kill King Saul was not an example of cowardice - but courage - courage to stand against the crowd - peer pressure. Where did David get this courage? Where can we get the courage to "do the right thing?" Where can we get the courage to make right decisions based on what God wants us to do?
We are getting close to the anniversary date of Roe vs. Wade - the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in our country - the case that legally allows us to kill our unborn babies for any reason - even for convenience or preference. Yes, we will have temptations to do what is not right in God's eyes - sometimes pressure from close friends or even family to do the wrong thing. Where can we get help to do the right thing?
God has given us a promise of help! I Corinthians 10:13 says that God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear and will provide us a way to escape out of the temptation. We can make it out of any pressure or temptation if we let God help us. We need to tell him, "God, you said I won't be tempted beyond what I can bear. I'm weak right now. Help me fight this temptation and do the right thing."
God may help you with the right words, give you a distraction so you don't have to deal with the situation, give you an opportunity to leave the situation or provide a Christian friend to give you support. Whatever help you need, God is able to give it. Hebrews 13:6 says, "God is my helper.."
God will be there for you when you need him, but don't just use him as a life raft (although he is up for that.) Let him be your helper everyday. Talk to him everyday and he will be there to help you stand up against peer pressure, to do the right thing, and to help you in times of crisis.
Maybe this could be your New Year's resolution.
Happy 2009!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Psalm 112:7
Psalm 112:7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. (KJV)
He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. (NIV)
Have you received bad news lately? I wouldn’t be surprised if you had. It seems that often around the holidays, some tragedy, illness, or other bad things seem to show up. For the believer bad news may still be bad, but there is a source of comfort in our Heavenly Father.
Just this past week, I went to the funeral home for a friend who just lost a year-long battle with cancer. I found out just a few hours ago, that another friend was losing her aunt, her oldest son was found to be a diabetic and her youngest son’s fiancé needed to be operated on for a brain tumor. My daughter-in-law’s grandfather is dying and experiencing great suffering. Two good friends have multiple health problems and another began treatments for cancer this week. Yes, there is a lot of bad news around.
It seems Satan uses this time of year – the season we celebrate our Lord’s birth – to try to get us to lose our faith and trust in God. And, sadly, many times, it works! Our verse for this week, however, tells us that “He (the one who fears the Lord and delights in his commandments) will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” The Christian remains faithful and confidant in the Almighty God. He remembers that God knows what is best for each of us, even if we can’t understand what that is. Just today I read a story of a child that had died. Of course his mother was devastated. The story says the child wrote his mother a letter from Heaven and explained how wonderful it was there and how God couldn’t let him go on in the pain he’d been experiencing.
It’s true – bad news is never easy to hear. But we must remember, God is in control and He can be trusted. We can rely on Him for comfort and assurance that He has our best interests at heart. As Christians, we must remain faithful, even in the hard times. Is your heart steadfast? Is it fixed, trusting in the Lord? If so, you will experience God’s help even when you experience bad news.
Have a blessed Christmas, serving our Saviour!
Rhonda
He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. (NIV)
Have you received bad news lately? I wouldn’t be surprised if you had. It seems that often around the holidays, some tragedy, illness, or other bad things seem to show up. For the believer bad news may still be bad, but there is a source of comfort in our Heavenly Father.
Just this past week, I went to the funeral home for a friend who just lost a year-long battle with cancer. I found out just a few hours ago, that another friend was losing her aunt, her oldest son was found to be a diabetic and her youngest son’s fiancé needed to be operated on for a brain tumor. My daughter-in-law’s grandfather is dying and experiencing great suffering. Two good friends have multiple health problems and another began treatments for cancer this week. Yes, there is a lot of bad news around.
It seems Satan uses this time of year – the season we celebrate our Lord’s birth – to try to get us to lose our faith and trust in God. And, sadly, many times, it works! Our verse for this week, however, tells us that “He (the one who fears the Lord and delights in his commandments) will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” The Christian remains faithful and confidant in the Almighty God. He remembers that God knows what is best for each of us, even if we can’t understand what that is. Just today I read a story of a child that had died. Of course his mother was devastated. The story says the child wrote his mother a letter from Heaven and explained how wonderful it was there and how God couldn’t let him go on in the pain he’d been experiencing.
It’s true – bad news is never easy to hear. But we must remember, God is in control and He can be trusted. We can rely on Him for comfort and assurance that He has our best interests at heart. As Christians, we must remain faithful, even in the hard times. Is your heart steadfast? Is it fixed, trusting in the Lord? If so, you will experience God’s help even when you experience bad news.
Have a blessed Christmas, serving our Saviour!
Rhonda
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Romans 6:23
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (KJV)
For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (New Living Trans.)
Once again it’s the season of giving. Only this year, giving is a little harder for most families because of the sluggish economy. That’s why my daughter-in-law insisted on shopping on Black Friday this year. She wanted to take advantage of any sales, so that she would be able to give to her family at Christmas this year.
But the reason why we have this season of giving is because God, first, gave His Son for us that we might live eternally in Heaven with Him. The apostle Paul in our verse for this week says we have a choice to make. We can either choose to serve sin with its temporary pleasures and earn eternal death or choose to serve God by accepting the gift of His Son and then receiving the reward of eternal life in Heaven. Notice, the reward of Heaven is a gift; we cannot earn our way into life eternal.
Part of the commentary for this verse in my New Living Translation Bible has this to say: “Consider the foolishness of someone who receives a gift given out of love and then offers to pay for it. A gift cannot be purchased by the recipient. A more appropriate response to a loved one who offers a gift is graceful acceptance with gratitude. Our salvation is a gift of God, not something of our own doing (Eph. 2:8, 9). He saved us because of his mercy, not because of any good things that we have done (Titus 3:5). How much more we should accept with thanksgiving the gift that God has freely given to us.”
At this time of giving and thanksgiving, choose to serve God and accept His free gift of salvation. We don’t have to worry about paying for it, but we certainly should show our gratitude to Him for this most expensive of all gifts ever given. Let’s be thankful for the gift of God’s Son who sets us free from sin and gives us eternal life in Heaven.
For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (New Living Trans.)
Once again it’s the season of giving. Only this year, giving is a little harder for most families because of the sluggish economy. That’s why my daughter-in-law insisted on shopping on Black Friday this year. She wanted to take advantage of any sales, so that she would be able to give to her family at Christmas this year.
But the reason why we have this season of giving is because God, first, gave His Son for us that we might live eternally in Heaven with Him. The apostle Paul in our verse for this week says we have a choice to make. We can either choose to serve sin with its temporary pleasures and earn eternal death or choose to serve God by accepting the gift of His Son and then receiving the reward of eternal life in Heaven. Notice, the reward of Heaven is a gift; we cannot earn our way into life eternal.
Part of the commentary for this verse in my New Living Translation Bible has this to say: “Consider the foolishness of someone who receives a gift given out of love and then offers to pay for it. A gift cannot be purchased by the recipient. A more appropriate response to a loved one who offers a gift is graceful acceptance with gratitude. Our salvation is a gift of God, not something of our own doing (Eph. 2:8, 9). He saved us because of his mercy, not because of any good things that we have done (Titus 3:5). How much more we should accept with thanksgiving the gift that God has freely given to us.”
At this time of giving and thanksgiving, choose to serve God and accept His free gift of salvation. We don’t have to worry about paying for it, but we certainly should show our gratitude to Him for this most expensive of all gifts ever given. Let’s be thankful for the gift of God’s Son who sets us free from sin and gives us eternal life in Heaven.
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