Lord God of Hosts,
Thank You for for Your mercy and Your grace.
Thank You for sending Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in my place.
Thank You for saving my soul and making me Your child, too.
Thank You for allowing me an opportunity to take part in the mission of Christ's Gospel.
Father, please forgive me for neglecting the work You have set before Your Church--to love and teach those who don't know You.
I ask that You help me to truly repent of my selfishness and preoccupation with physical distractions.
Please equip me with knowledge from You holy Word and wisdom from the Holy Spirit to accomplish Your will.
Please give me opportunities to teach those who need You.
Allow me to be sensitive to Your guidance and direction, and clearly show me the opportunities You have prepared.
I ask for courage to speak with love and humility; courage to never be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Finally, Father, as I plant the seed of Your Word along my path, and water it with the influence of Your righteousness, I pray that You would give the increase to Your glory.
I ask this prayer in Jesus' name--Amen.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Let the Righteous Strike Me
Recently, I was practicing martial arts with a friend. We began by showing each other some kata from our respective systems. After watching me perform a particular kata which featured some inward forearm blocks, my friend asked a question. He said, "What are you doing with your pinkie, there?" My friend noticed that while making a fist and performing an inward block, that my pinkine and ring fingers of my right hand were not brought in tightly, but were slightly uncurled during the blocking motion.
When most people think martial arts, they usually only think of training fists and feet, arms and legs. The last thing most people would even look at is a person's smallest finger. After all, how could my pinkie help me defend myself? It so happens that allowing my fingers to uncurl (even slightly) compromises the integrity of my fist and leaves the fingers vulnerable to being broken if caught on an opponents arm. Having two broken fingers could easily hinder my ability to block, parry, grab or strike with that hand. In short, it could leave me defenseless.
Without my friend watching me carefully, correcting my bad form that could cause me great injury, I would have never noticed the mistake. In following after Jesus Christ, we can also develop bad form. We may read the manual and practice diligently, but if we never receive guidance and critique from knowledgeable peers, our bad habits may go unnoticed. These habits that accumulate into a lifetime of choices could lead us down a path of ruin and destruction that we might not recognize until we are in a spiritual fight for our life.
King David of Israel said: "Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked." Psalms 141:5 NKJV
David requests the correction and reproof of his Godly peers as a kind and generous anointing; a blessing, even. He says he would not refuse to listen to wise counselors--even when they smacked him around with Truth.
Look at these similar Proverbs: "Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." Proverbs 27:5-6 NKJV
In this passage, King Solomon states a sentiment similar to his father, David's. You can trust that when a friend revels a hurtful truth to you, trust in the friends intentions and be thankful. It is better than the flattering words of an enemy or false friend.
In closing, the Apostle Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia along these same lines: "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:1-2 NKJV
We are commanded to assist each other in love, gently correcting bad forms that could lead our friends to serious spiritual injury or even death. When we show true love in honesty, we fulfill the law of Christ. Let's be loving enough to dish it out and tough enough to take it.
God Bless!
When most people think martial arts, they usually only think of training fists and feet, arms and legs. The last thing most people would even look at is a person's smallest finger. After all, how could my pinkie help me defend myself? It so happens that allowing my fingers to uncurl (even slightly) compromises the integrity of my fist and leaves the fingers vulnerable to being broken if caught on an opponents arm. Having two broken fingers could easily hinder my ability to block, parry, grab or strike with that hand. In short, it could leave me defenseless.
Without my friend watching me carefully, correcting my bad form that could cause me great injury, I would have never noticed the mistake. In following after Jesus Christ, we can also develop bad form. We may read the manual and practice diligently, but if we never receive guidance and critique from knowledgeable peers, our bad habits may go unnoticed. These habits that accumulate into a lifetime of choices could lead us down a path of ruin and destruction that we might not recognize until we are in a spiritual fight for our life.
King David of Israel said: "Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked." Psalms 141:5 NKJV
David requests the correction and reproof of his Godly peers as a kind and generous anointing; a blessing, even. He says he would not refuse to listen to wise counselors--even when they smacked him around with Truth.
Look at these similar Proverbs: "Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." Proverbs 27:5-6 NKJV
In this passage, King Solomon states a sentiment similar to his father, David's. You can trust that when a friend revels a hurtful truth to you, trust in the friends intentions and be thankful. It is better than the flattering words of an enemy or false friend.
In closing, the Apostle Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia along these same lines: "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:1-2 NKJV
We are commanded to assist each other in love, gently correcting bad forms that could lead our friends to serious spiritual injury or even death. When we show true love in honesty, we fulfill the law of Christ. Let's be loving enough to dish it out and tough enough to take it.
God Bless!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Independence Day in Amarillo
Here is the beginning of the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence, whose drafting and signing we Americans celebrate today:
The lesson to American Christians in the future may be to continue exercising freedom of worship and conscience without the protection of the State; relying only on God's Grace. If that happens, I pray that every Christian will take courage and obey God rather than any human institution.
This is also a day on which I reflect on another kind of freedom I enjoy--freedom in Christ:
Our response to this gift should never be selfish, but grateful to God. We should live a life in freedom as a willing slave to God, and not to our own desires. Part of this life means producing the fruit of the Spirit on our lives (love, joy, peace, etc.) and sharing this gift with others. If you are free today, congratulations--let's celebrate and be thankful for eternal liberty in Jesus Christ.
However--if you are not living in Godly freedom today, the rights and independence you enjoy as an American are temporary. You need assurance that you are set for eternity. Please contact me to talk more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and making sure (really sure) you are saved today.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.I give thanks to my Creator today for the amazing liberties I enjoy in the greatest nation on Earth. While doing this, I realize that most Christians throughout history have lived under the grinding boot oppression, persecution, and tyranny. Things are changing in our country, however. We are less free, less prosperous and less industrious than past generations. If this pattern continues, future Americans may enjoy even less liberty than they do now.
The lesson to American Christians in the future may be to continue exercising freedom of worship and conscience without the protection of the State; relying only on God's Grace. If that happens, I pray that every Christian will take courage and obey God rather than any human institution.
This is also a day on which I reflect on another kind of freedom I enjoy--freedom in Christ:
Romans 6:22-23 NKJV But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.The Law of Sin and Death holds every sinner captive; the payment for sin is death. When we accept God's grace, we are set free from our original sentence and given the hope of an eternal life, living as God would have us live.
Our response to this gift should never be selfish, but grateful to God. We should live a life in freedom as a willing slave to God, and not to our own desires. Part of this life means producing the fruit of the Spirit on our lives (love, joy, peace, etc.) and sharing this gift with others. If you are free today, congratulations--let's celebrate and be thankful for eternal liberty in Jesus Christ.
However--if you are not living in Godly freedom today, the rights and independence you enjoy as an American are temporary. You need assurance that you are set for eternity. Please contact me to talk more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and making sure (really sure) you are saved today.
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