What do you do with what you hear?
Acts 2 37Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, (AX)what shall we do?”
Peter is delivering a message of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. As he was preaching those who heard this message essentially had two choices in how they would react to what they heard that day: 1. Hear it and forget it; 2. Hear it and do something with it. It says in vs 37 that those who heard it were pierced to the heart, meaning it had an effect on them, and asked how to change their ways.
If you ever attend church you may hear a preacher get up every week and explain to you many of the same concepts that Peter was explaining on that amazing day. When you hear the words what do you do with it? Does it get down to the heart, or does it stay on the surface and wash away by the time you get home or to The Cracker Barrel? When we hear and do nothing, we become calloused to what we hear. The more this happens its like scar tissue begins to build up on the heart and becomes increasingly difficult to let it get down in there. But when you hear and do something with it, the heart softens. The more this happens the more and more soft it gets.
I pray for a soft heart to hear and do.
Opportunities to lead comes from your character
Nehemiah 7 says, “I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with [a] Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do. 3 I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”
I have always had a deep desire to lead. I think that God plants those desires in us. Nehemiah is probably one of the perfect Old Testament examples of effective leadership on the part of Nehemiah. He is tasked to rebuild the wall. Once this is completed he picks additional men to assist him in preparations for the celebration. Hananiah is chosen because of his godly character. His integrity and the fact that he feared God more than most mend do!
Many of us want to lead, myself included. But here we see a man who was willing to serve and because of something important he was chosen: He put God first and the rest was added to him.
Pastor Greg just spoke on humility and I see that this man was humble. How? Because it says he had integrity and feared God. Humility is based upon these principles. Once again I am reminded that fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and that integrity brings about opportunity. When we lack integrity the opportunities are taken away. Pastor Greg said ”
“Your giftedness will make a way for you. But your heart will make or break you.”
God, make in me greater integrity and let people say that I was a man who feared you more than most!
True Meaning of The Lost Son
8″The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”
We read this powerful story many times. There are modern-day examples of this story in movies and TV shows all the time. But what does it really all mean for us? When we read this story we usually look at the son who left and tell ourselves that if and when we leave for a while, God will have open arms when we come back. But what about that other son?
Maybe the point of this story is to warn us from becoming the bitter do-good son who is jealous when God forgives the sinner. Maybe the true meaning of this story ( i know, it’s the Bible and it has many meanings) is to warn us not to have an attitude of arrogance or ENTITLEMENT!
God, break the attitude of my heart that would be jealous of a lost son coming home!
The Right Attitude
2There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
So the context of this passage is definitely that your sin (concealed or hidden) will become know because God knows and sees all. However, because the bible is so amazing it also holds in this passage another application. If we take this passage literally, even though it’s not in context it has something to teach of.
Today, as all of us are at work or home, this passage can reminds us that we should not say evil or hurtful things about others even thought we hide what we think. Gossip, slander, and maligning are sin. We often do all of these behind closed doors. But if our attitudes are right and we can not take this attitude I foresee a great blessing from God.
Lord, please let me not even say such things about others behind closed doors or in secret. Thank you Lord for the blessing you will give me today!
It’s a beautiful thing…
‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty.
You will never meet someone who so intently is seeking to be in a relationship with you. God wants to be with us. There is never a time that we can’t turn back to Him.
Don’t let your “stuff” get in the way of returning to God today. I pray that you would forget all the junk that has been keeping you from starting over today, and return to God.
Are you having a hard time with someone at work?
So here’s my thought for today: Luke 6 says, “41“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
You know when you are having a rally hard time with someone in your life, like a co-worker, a family member, a close friend or neighbor, and you are absolutely fed up with dealing with that person…so you finally turn to God? How do you pray? “Dear God, please change so and so into a person who is kind and loving; or Dear God, please change their heart; Dear God, change this person to a good person, etc., etc., etc.,
Here’s my thought about this passage and it’s application in prayer: We are not supposed to judge others but examine our own hearts. I think the same is true in prayer. A men who is like a spiritual father in my life said we are to never ask that God changes their heart first, but to pray that God would change our heart. And I thought about that for a while and I think it makes sense. Sure, we want God to change the hearts of others. However, we should always ask that the change of heart comes for us first. And in that heart change, maybe the patience will be given to deal with it.
Just a thought.
Dinner with a Sinner
The Calling of Levi
27After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
29Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
31Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
It’s sort of funny thing to look back and read the scriptures and stories of Jesus. From our vantage point we can see someone who really did love the world. But imagine being there at that time. If you heard that Jesus, this guy who was possible the Messiah, having dinner with sinners you might not have the same reaction we have when we read it today. Back then you could be a little offended that he would do such a thing. But we read it from the safety of our homes or Starbucks and think he’s just so cool for doing this.
It makes me think about what it would look like if Pastor Greg invited 15 of the most despicable drug dealing, pimping, hardcore murdering, stripper club owning sinners to his house for dinner. What would be think? Would everyone view it the way we view Jesus hanging with tax collectors. I would like to think we would all have the same positive reaction but I’m not sure that would be the case.
It makes me look around my neighborhood and sphere of influence. Who am i inviting into my home? Who am I sitting with? Who am I too afraid to love because others might look down upon me?
Food for thought at the dinner with a sinner.
The Number of the Beast – 666
So did you read my heading and you were instantly drawn to this blog? If so, it’s because for so long we have been consumed with understanding it’s meaning.
“This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.” Revelation 13:18
What does this mean? Earlier in the passage we read about the beast and dragons. A vivid and colorful picture is drawn. Many people are enticed to follow the beast. The Beast requires everyone to accept the mark of 666 in order to buy or sell goods (food, etc.) What does the mark mean?
I just want to encourage you to look closely at the beginning of vs. 18 “This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast.” Where does our wisdom come from? God, who gives generously. I’m no end times scholar. I read a great book called, “Guide of The End Times for Dummies.” Point is this: we as Christians need to be prepared and walking in Godly wisdom, so even today we will recognize the deceptions of the enemy who is enticing us to leave what we know is right, true, and good.
And for the number? What does it mean? There are literally hundred’s of interpretations, but my favorite is this. Thomas F. Torrance wrote, “This evil trinity 666 apes the Holy Trinity 777, but always falls short and fails” The number is still a failure to God’s perfect love. Do not fear 666! You have overcome. Now tell everyone you know the secret!
You Can’t Handle The Truth!
Remember that cool line that Jack Nicholson said in “A few good men?” Tom Cruise was asking what had happened to a solider who died. Jack’s character didn’t want to tell them what happened because he felt they couldn’t deal with the truth of what happens in the military.
In today’s reading (Jeremiah 36) something identical happens. Jeremiah writes down the Word of God on a scroll and gives it to the evil King of Judah. What does he do with it? As he is listening to it read aloud he cuts off all the portions of the Word he doesn’t like. In the end, he cut the whole scroll a part and throws it in a fire. He couldn’t handle the truth of God’s Word.
Why is it that we tend to have certain portions of the Bible that we like and dislike. One easy answer is that maybe we think a certain portion is boring. Or is it because there is some truth behind what we are reading that we don’t want to deal with. So instead of burning it, we just don’t read it or meditate upon it. My challenge to myself is to look closely at those passages i don’t like much and really ask God to give me insight into his Truth!
Blinded by the light
John 12: 37-38 says, “Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:
“Lord, who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
Have you ever asked God to see a miracle to prove he still cares or he is still listening? The other day a very upset women came to church for prayer. She is experiencing marital struggles. As she was crying she kept saying she needed a miracle to know God was there. One of our amazing women’s ministry leaders was with me and we were able to give this women a word from the Lord. She continued to ask for God to show her he was there. We kept saying he was because he led her to the church that day where we were able to give her a word from God. It finally dawned on her that it was in fact a move of God. It blessed her that day.
How many times have I prayed that God would show up. I seem to say he isn’t showing up, when in fact, I’m not seeing him standing before me. It’s usually in subtle ways but he is there trying to speak to me. But sometimes my eyes are blinded and my ears and shut.
What is God trying to tell you today?
Ryan Frazier 