The Music of the World Cup...Explained

Perhaps we have discovered a new way to make a "joyful noise" to the Lord???

James

What are you waiting for?

How many of us enjoy waiting? I imagine the large majority of us don't enjoy waiting for anything! But unless you have figured out something I don't know, we will always be waiting for something. It can be as minor as waiting in traffic, waiting in a line at the store, or waiting for something in the mail. Or something major such as waiting for a relationship to begin, waiting for a new job, waiting for a loved one to return from a military absence, or waiting for test results from the doctor; much of our life is spent waiting!

As believers we often wait on God to move in our lives. Our human nature tempts us to look at such waiting as negative, but God can do amazing things as we wait patiently on Him if we seek Him and His purpose in the waiting. Many times we grow weary while we wait on God because we do not know how long we will have to wait or whether we will receive that for which we hope. But God reminds us in one of my favorite verses that he is in control and our waiting will be worth it!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

These verses have always given me peace during my times of waiting. God knows we are waiting and even more than that - the waiting is a part of His plan for our lives! Let me encourage you to focus on the second part of these verses today; call on God, draw close to Him during your moments of waiting and make the most of it! Often times there is as much blessing in times of waiting as there are when our hopes have been realized or modified by the Lord!

Kim

We Aren't Home Just Yet

Today we are looking at Matthew 5:10 and the encouragement Jesus gives to those who are persecuted because of righteousness: "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven."

Some years ago a friend helped me understand righteousness by sharing with me (what I have subsequently called the "hillbilly definition") his definition of righteousness. I call it "hillbilly" because of its incredible simplicity and helpfulness. My friend defined "righteousness" as "God's way of doing things."

In our verse today, Jesus is encouraging those persecuted for choosing to live their life "God's way." Jesus tells us there will be persecution for following Him but there will be great reward for doing so as well! When we are persecuted for our obedience to God we should consider this future reward and be encouraged by it; we should remind ourselves that someday we will go to a Heavenly home where we will never again face persecution for doing things God's way! Persecution is not our final destination! There will be a heavenly reward for those who suffer and yet remain obedient to God while here on earth!

James

Doing God's Work

In Matthew 5:9 Jesus tells His disciples, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God." Once again we are left asking a "who" type of question upon reading our passage for the day. Who are the "peacemakers" and how can I become one? Certainly, we want to be a son or daughter of God!

Peace, as a concept, was thought of differently in Hebrew culture than it is in our own today. We tend to think of peace as an absence of war, strife or hardship. The Hebrew people thought of peace as a total sense of well-being. The Hebrew word for peace is "shalom" and primarily means, soundness and health, but also signifies prosperity, well-being in general and to be in good standing with both man and God.

A peacemaker is someone who brings a total sense of well-being to others physically, mentally and most importantly spiritually. A peacemaker helps others enjoy a prosperous life as well as a right relationship with God and others. The person who does such wonderful ministry will be identified as doing God's work; such a person will be called one of God's children!

Pray God will make you a peacemaker so others may see you as a child of God and give glory to His name!

James

How's Your Heart Today?

"Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God." Who are the pure in heart? We all want to see God and so we want to know how we might become one of the "pure" Jesus mentions in this verse (Matthew 5:8)!

To be "pure" in heart is to be free from sin. We become free of the consequences and power of sin at the moment we place faith in Christ for our salvation. However, many forget we should be free from the practice of sin between the moment of our salvation and our departure for Heaven. Sin is any thought we linger upon, word we speak or activity we undertake which is contrary to God's will for us. The believer in Christ will be led by the Holy Spirit to obey God and should cooperate with what the Spirit tells him! If we obey God, we position ourselves to see Him at work in the world around us. Those walking in obedience are more able to hear God's voice, understand His activity and see where He is at work so they may join in what He is doing.

Ultimately, we are made pure in heart by the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. We will one day see God's face on account of the purity Jesus gives us through our faith in His work on the Cross. But while on earth we can see God's work and hear His voice if we choose to obey Him and be pure in heart.

James

Mercy,..The Gift We Need But Don't Always Want to Give

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." This simple word from Jesus (Matt. 5:7) is not always easy to obey! The dictionary defines mercy as, "compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, enemy, or other person in one's power." Jesus intends for His followers to demonstrate compassion and patience toward those who offend them. This is not simply compassion and patience toward our friends who offend us but those who might be considered enemies too!

Mercy is not always an easy thing to extend toward those who hurt or offend us. In fact, mercy can seem impossible to extend in some circumstances. However, for the believer, mercy can always be extended because of the power of our relationship with God! There really are times when it is impossible in our flesh to extend mercy but in the Spirit we can do all things.

Obedience to God is not something we do on your own! God has placed His Holy Spirit within us and God intends for us to depend upon Him for our life, especially in moments of weakness or temptation. The next time you find yourself in a difficult situation where it seems impossible to demonstrate compassion or patience toward someone, stop and pray, ask God for strength, ask God to help you see this person through His eyes and ask God to help you demonstrate mercy. The Holy Spirit will enable you to obey God if you depend upon Him!

Mercy is much easier to demonstrate to others when we consider the great mercy extended to us through the Cross of Jesus Christ. "God demonstrates His own love for us in this; While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans. 5:8)" We all need mercy from God and will inevitably need mercy from others too. Let us remember the mercy given us and pray for the Holy Spirit to help us so we will be empowered by God to extend mercy to others!

And don't forget the second part of Matthew 5:7! If you are one who extends mercy to others you will be the kind of person others desire to extend mercy to as well!

James

A Little Humor For Your Saturday...