To Whom Do I Belong?
Topic: Following Jesus
Phil. 1:27a GW Live as citizens who reflect the Good News about Christ. ...

Do I live as a good citizen not just of my earthly country, but also my heavenly home? Do I live as though Jesus lives in and through me by my loving actions and words toward others?

Jesus, today, help me reflect You that others might see to whom I truly belong. Amen.

Where Arrogance Leads
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: Attitude
Esther 6:6-7, 9-10a GW So Haman came in. The king then asked him, "What should be done for the man whom the king wishes to reward?"
Haman thought to himself, "Whom would the king wish to reward more than me?"
So Haman told the king, "This is what should be done: ...Give the robe and the horse to one of the king's officials, who is a noble. Put the robe on the man whom the king wishes to reward and have him ride on the horse in the city square.
The king's servants are also to shout ahead of him, 'This is what is done for the man whom the king wishes to reward.'"
The king told Haman, "Hurry, take the robe and the horse as you said. Do this for Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king's gate. ..."

Because of his pride, arrogance and self-centeredness, Haman lost sight of the big picture. He couldn't see anything outside the context of him as center.

He ended up honoring the very man he hated with a passion, a man he was seeking to destroy along with his whole people, a man much better than himself.

When we put ourselves at the center of life, we will fail. We become arrogant and selfish, because without God who is caring, hope and love we are miserable creatures indeed.

Who is at the center of my life? Me or Jesus? The choice makes all the difference in who we are and who'll we'll become.

What I Rely On
Psalm 119:97-99 GW Oh, how I love your teachings! They are in my thoughts all day long. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, because your commandments are always with me.
Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, because your commandments are always with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, because your written instructions are in my thoughts.

What I Rely On

I must not rely on my faulty knowledge of God's Word,
nor believe all those who seek to teach about God know what they are talking about
--many don't know God at all.

I must not rely on childhood memories from Sunday School or my parents
for knowledge of God on which to base my decisions
My life.

Memories of God are not the same as knowing God
Not the same as communicating with and
Experiencing Him each day in my life.
Reading books and listening to others talk about God
Is not the same as reading, studying, meditating on and memorizing God's Word for myself--regularly,
daily discovering guidance and wisdom for myself.

God's Wisdom is wisdom I acquire as I commit
to knowing His Word and communicating with Him
Daily, moment by moment,
Heart to heart
Not in fading memories
Or stand ins.

Help me, Lord, make a commitment to You,
Your Word
Finding in You
Wisdom to live, choose and astound a world that needs Your wisdom, too. Amen.

TRUST JESUS OR ME
Psalm 119:89-90, 93 GW O LORD, your word is established in heaven forever. Your faithfulness endures throughout every generation. You set the earth in place, and it continues to stand. ...I will never forget your guiding principles, because you gave me a new life through them.

God's principles and promises do not change with time, circumstances or feelings. We can rely on what God says because, unlike you and I, He is unchangable and eternal, and so are His principles and promises.

Why then do I so often go my way instead of trusting that His way is best?

Help me, Jesus, learn to listen and trust You and Your Word over my own selfish, self-centered heart. Amen.

What is My Motivation?

Ephesians 8:8-10 GW  God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God. It's not the result of anything you've done, so no one can brag about it.
  God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do. 

Good works to really be good works and not something done for praise, to meet an agenda or to manipulate, starts not with us, but with God.

Only as God works in and through us will our motives be pure for love, real, self-sacrificial love doesn't come from the self-centered heart of humankind. Real loving acts of service and self-sacrifice come from God's heart, for God is love. Without Him we cannot live or love or reach out.

Help me, Jesus, make sure when I reach out that my motives are pure and stem from Your love inside--not from my own needs or wants. Amen.

Have I A Teachable Spirit?

Psalm 119:66 GW Teach me to use good judgment and knowledge, because I believe in your commandments. 

We like to think we know wjat we're doing. But how often do our decisions and choices get us into trouble? Why? Because we relied on ourselves instead of on the One who knows us because He created us, understands the past, present and future, who loves us and seeks our good.

When we realize we don't know it all, when we're willing to seek help and guidance, when we come to God with a receptive, teachable attitude, He'll teach and guide us to the very best decisions and choices for us.

Jesus, help me have a teachable spirit. Amen.

Do I Honor God's Word

  Nehemiah 8:5-6 GW Ezra, standing higher than all the other people, opened the book in front of all the people. As he opened it, all the people stood up. Ezra thanked the LORD, the great God. All the people responded, "Amen! Amen!" as they raised their hands and then bowed with their faces to the ground and worshiped the LORD. 

After not having God's Word for a long time, they appreciated being able to hear it. The people showed respect to God's Word and to the One responsible for the Scriptures and their new-found freedom from captivity in a foreign land.

America has lived too long on a fading memory of God's Word, relying on what others say about it rather than taking the time to learn what the Bible says directly to us. We no longer respect God's Word or His principles, partly because we don't know what they are.

The Israelites knew God's blessing when they listened to, respected and heeded His Word. Do I honor God by honoring His Word?

Recognizing My Need

Nehemiah 1:5 GW I said, "LORD God of heaven, great and awe-inspiring God, you faithfully keep your promise and show mercy to those who love you and obey your commandments. 

Nehemiah was hurting because Jerusalem was unprotected. He knew the solution lay not with the conquerors or himself, but with God.

Yet, Nehemiah didn't demand God act. Nehemiah came with a humble, receptive attitude, recognizing God's greatness, both his own and his nation's failings, as well as his helplessness without God.

Nehemiah wasn't praying elegant prayers, but prayed from his heart.

If we truly seek God's mercy and blessings, we must come as did Nehemiah--honestly, fervently, recognizing who God is, our need, and our helplessness without Him.

Jesus, help me recognize my need of You and bow. Amen.

Hap-hazard Faith

Ezra 7:9-10 GW He had left Babylon on the first day of the first month, and on the first day of the fifth month, he arrived in Jerusalem, since his God was good to him.  Ezra was determined to study the LORD'S Teachings, live by them, and teach their rules and regulations in Israel.

Cause and effect. Our commitment to honor God translates into God honoring our commitment with protection, provision and inner if not outer peace.

Am I determined to study God's Word on a regular bases and share Him with others? Or is my faith and my relationship rather hap-hazard and selfish, only seeking God in times of need?

Cause and effect. If I want God's blessings I need to determine to continually honor Him through study, communication and witness.

Jesus, help my faith be centered on You, not me. Amen.

Respond with Love--Not Anger

Galatians 6:1-2 GW Brothers, if a man is overtaken in a fault, you the spiritual ones restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. 

Too many times the Christian community gets a black eye because of the harshness of words and actions. So-called Christians actually write horrible, angry, hatemail to those with whom they disagree.

But that sort if hate does not come from God. Murdering an abortionist to protect the unborn only puts the person responsible in the same class as the abortionist.

God gave us emotions not to hate, but to pray for and show compassionate even on those who deserve it the least. Jesus doesn't let evil go unpunished. We just need to be sure our words and actions are above reproach and in line with God's principles---not our emotions.

That starts with a close relationship with Jesus and a grounding in His Word. When in doubt pray, read, listen and wait for wisdom. Remember Jesus died even for those who disagree with you.

Can I Discern Truth From Falsehood?
Galatians 1:8,17- 18 GW Whoever tells you good news that is different from the Good News we gave you should be condemned to hell, even if he is one of us or an angel from heaven. ...I didn't even go to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went to Arabia and then came back to Damascus. Then, three years later I went to Jerusalem ...

How can we recognize a false gospel unless we are well acquainted with God's Word and have a close relationship with Jesus? If we don't constantly study God's Word, if we aren't allowing God--not some stand in substitute be that pastor, parent, president, or some charsmatic guru--to speak to us through His Word, we'll be easy prey for those who seek to pervert, discount or add to the simple but profound message of salvation through the cross. Everything we hear needs to be checked against God's Word as a whole, not passages pulled out of context to prove a point.

Galatians 2:16 GW Yet, we know that people don't receive God's approval because of their own efforts to live according to a set of standards, but only by believing in Jesus Christ. So we also believed in Jesus Christ in order to receive God's approval by faith in Christ and not because of our own efforts. People won't receive God's approval because of their own efforts to live according to a set of standards.

Do I know Jesus on a personal level? Am I reading, studying and memorizing His Word? Am I living for Him? Finally, am I insulating myself from false doctrines by knowing God's truth?

Help me, Jesus, to "Study earnestly to present myself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth." 11Timothy 2:15 Mkjv

"The Secret" Cannot Save
Zachariah 10:2 GW The idols speak lies. The fortunetellers see false visions. They speak about false dreams. They give useless comfort. That is why people wander around like sheep. They are troubled because there is no shepherd.

Too many so-called Shepherds, no longer preach a salvation message of sin and the need for a sacrificial Savior. They preach about man's potential for goodnes and "Can't we all just get along?"

We can't because, without Christ, our efforts are doomed to failure. He is love. He changes us from selfish, self-seeking creatures to ministers of compassion and grace.

No medium, mumble-jumbo, magic, secret or medium can give us hope or satisfaction. No religion will change our hearts toward good.

Too often we seek those who tell us what we want to hear, instead of seeking the only one who offers life--Jesus Christ.

Whose House am I Building
Zachariah 5:4 Mkjv I will bring it forth, says the LORD of hosts; and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him who swears falsely by My name. And it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall devour it, and its timber and its stones.

The Israelites, instesd of honoring God and seeking to build a place of worship, thought first of themselves. They built their own homes and sought to reestablish themselves as God's people without God.

It didn't work. Without God there is no foundations for right and wrong, no reason to be honest, to be truthful, to be a person of integrity.

Without God, like the israelites, we fail at all levels---physically, morally, practically. What turned around? A willingness to repent and start again with reordered priorities---God first.

Do I fail because I'm building my house instead of His, putting ME as first priority?

My Spiritual Temperature
Zachariah 1:3 GW Tell the people, 'This is what the LORD of Armies says: Return to me, declares the LORD of Armies, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Armies.'

Wonder where God is in your life? Why isn't He blessing? Check your spiritual temperature. Have you grown cold? When was the last time you regularly read God's Word or sought His guidance? When was the last time you prayed, talked to God as your friend, praising and worshipping as well as making demands? How often do you fellowship with God's people?

God speaks to and blesses those who honor Him with their time and heart. Do I?

Zachariah 4:6 Mkjv Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, This is the Word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.

My Focus
Haggai 1:9 GW "You expected a lot, but you received a little. When you bring something home, I blow it away. Why?" declares the LORD of Armies. "It's because my house lies in ruins while each of you is busy working on your own house. ...

We believe things are bad economically and in other ways because of the government. But government is only a reflection of a people who have turned their back on their Savior/Creator.

Israel did the same. God did not bless until they returned to putting God at the center of their personal and national focus of worship.

God cannot bless disobedience. Am I lacking because other things are more important than my relationship to Jesus?