A different way to look at it

We have probably read Matthew 5 a number of times, and that is great, but how about turning it around like this for this morning?

Blessed are the comforted for they have mourned
Blessed are those that will inherit the earth for they are meek
Blessed are those that are filled for they were hungry and thirsty for righteousness
Blessed are those that receive mercy for they were merciful
Blessed are those that will see God for they are pure in heart
Blessed are the children of God for they are the peacemakers
Blessed are those in the kingdom of heaven for they were persecuted for righteousness
Blessed are those that are joyful and and glad for they were persecuted falsely on my account

Sort of makes you ponder doesn't it?  It did me.

Passing along you faith

Marriage & Family These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children - Deuteronomy 6:6-7a It is not enough to pass on God's Word to our children. We must first receive and embrace it in our own hearts, as parents. There is no way to share a love for God and his Word with your children that you do not daily and vitally experience yourself. Many parents feel an obligation to their children to raise them up in a good environment. So they cart them off to Sunday school or send them to a Christian school, assuming that they have fulfilled their obligation. However, if they are not themselves actively engaged in the Christian faith, they can not expect their children to fall in love with it just because they have been exposed to it externally. The Word must first be in your heart. But even more than that - you must teach God's Word to your children diligently. Another mistake that parents sometimes make is the assumption that if they have ever explained a biblical principal or told their children a Bible story, then they understand the Christian faith. But it takes much more dedication and careful application than that. We must make a daily, overriding, unrelenting determination as parents to teach our children the Christian faith. Not only by making it the subject of conversations, but by displaying Christ as the great goal and treasure of our family. The overflowing, personal pleasure that we experience in God's Word must continually and carefully be emanating from our heart, and be diligently communicated to the hearts of our children. The above devotion was one that I just read and thought it was excellent. I really feel that my kids have done a great job with this area in their lives!

Presence

The more we call on God the more we can feel God's presence. Day by day we are drawn closer to the loving heart of God. Awareness of the Presence of God If someone asked you to give them another word for 'God', you could use the word 'Presence', for that is what God is. When Moses asked Yahweh his name, Yahweh replied, 'I am who am' and this means 'I am present'. God is really saying, 'I shall be there for you.' God is intimately present to everything, and especially to us. Jesus's name is Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us'. Matthew's Gospel ends with the marvellous statement: Know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time. (from Finding God in All Things by Brian Grogan SJ) Now for something completely different: Sit in your chair, upright but comfortable, with your back supported. Let your body relax (without slouching), with your feet on the floor in front of you and your hands at rest on your thighs or joined in your lap. Close your eyes, or fix them on some point in front of you. Now let your whole attention focus on what you can feel in your body. You may start at your feet and work upwards, letting your attention dwell, perhaps only for a few seconds, on whatever part of the body you can feel, shifting attention from one part of the body to the other, although the longer you can hold attention on one part, the better. Your attention is on what you are feeling, not on thoughts about feeling. If you are uncomfortable, or itch or want to move position, just acknowledge the discomfort, assure yourself that it is all right and, without moving, continue to focus attention on what you can feel in the body. The mind rarely leaves us long in peace to do this, but begins to demand attention with comment and questions: This is a waste of valuable time. What has this to do with prayer? Is this some kind of Hindu thing? What is the point of it? Deal with the questions and comment as you dealt with the itch; acknowledge them, then return to feeling the body. You can, if you like, move into more explicit prayer by repeating to yourself St Paul's phrase, In him I live, and move, and have my being. (adapted from God of Surprises by Gerry W Hughes SJ) Breathing Exercise This exercise involves concentrating all your attention on the physical feelings of breathing in and breathing out, without deliberately changing the rhythm of your breathing. Focus attention on feeling the cold air entering your nostrils and the warm air when you exhale. At first you may become self conscious about your breathing and find it becomes irregular, but this does not, as a rule, continue. If it were to do so, and you find yourself becoming breathless, then this exercise is not for you at present. Most people find that on doing this exercise the pattern of their breathing changes, the breath becoming deeper and slower, and they begin to feel drowsy. In itself, it is a very good relaxation exercise, but if you care to use it for more explicit prayer, then let the inbreathing express all that you long for in life, however impossible it may seem in practice, and let the out-breath express your surrender of everything to God, all of your life with its worries, sins, guilt and regrets. It is important to do this without self-judgement, whether of approval or disapproval. Keep your attention fixed on your desire to hand over all these worries about self, and do not clutch at them as if they were a treasured possession. (adapted from God of Surprises by Gerry W Hughes SJ) how did that go for you? tell me what you think.

His Resurrection Destiny

Today I am going to go back to an old favorite of mine for a devotion - "My Utmost For His Highest", by Oswald Chambers. I find this writings very challenging, not just in his choice of words, but in his thoughts as well.

"Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?" - Luke 24:26

Our Lord's cross is the gateway into His life: His Resurrection means that He has power now to convey His life to me. When I am born again from above, I recieve from the Risen Lord His very life.

Our Lord's resurrection destiny is to bring "many sons unto glory." The fulfilling of His destiny gives Him the right to make us sons and daughters of God. We are never in the relationship to God that the Son of God is in; but we are brought by the Son into the relation of sonship. When our Lord rose from the dead, He rose to an absoutely new life, to a life He did not live before He was incarnate. He rose to a life that had never been before; and His resurrection means for us that we are raised to His risen life, not to our old life. One day we shall have a body like unto His glorious body, but we can know now the efficacy of His resurrecction and walk in newness of life. "I would know Him in the power of His resurrection."

See what I mean about his choice of words. Pretty powerful and really reaches you with is vocabulary. Now what does this mean to you? I welcome your thoughts as we approach Easter.

Unclogging the Pipes

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer and did not withdraw his unfailing love from me. Psalm 66:16-20

What sobering verses! When we come to God with a burden or request, oh, how we want to hear us and answer us now. In today's verses David gives clear instruction: when we're crying out to God for help, we should first come to him in confession and ask him to cleanse our hearts. Then he will pay attention and will not ignore our prayer.

Think about this in your life. When we ask the Spirit to search our hearts what will he find? Will he show us anything that displeases him, he will reveal what we need to confess. This exercise can be scary and heart wrenching. I encourage you to pause today to do this, and to feel, and hear what the spirit reveals to you. Is your line of communication to God being hampered by your own heart?

Lord, I ask you, search my heart. Shine your light on my sin. Forgive me. I am crying to you for help. Thank you for hearing me. I am crying out to you for help. Thank you for hearing me, answering the cry of my heart, and continuing to show your unfailing love in my life. In Jesus' name. Amen

On a side note, a few days ago I posted that I was trying to sell a home in Grimes and I was so trying to wait patiently for God. Well last night, I was made an offer and I believe that we may have it sold. I guess God thought now was the time. Praise God.

Quietly Waiting

I wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. Psalm 62:5-7

In this psalm David pours out his heart to God, describing his difficulties, the enemies that are trying to kill him, and the lies and curses others have spoken against him. But on the battlefield of life, in the midst of every trouble, David has a Godward focus. He is honest about his complaints and problems, but he has purposed to direct his gaze to the God of all faithfulness, putting his trust in the One who alone is his rock, salvation, fortress and refuge. He then can wait quietly before God because he has put his hope, and his very life, in the Lord's hands. He doesn't trust in human nature because it is no more secure than a breath. He doesn't put his hopes in riches because he knows that wealth will not save him. His hope, confidence, and trust are in the Lord Almighty.

If, like David, we are waiting for God to act when we are in the midst of trouble, we can wait frantically or impatiently. But to wait in hope takes a deep confidence in knowing the One we are waiting for. He will never disappoint us.

As you may know I have a home for sale in Grimes, and have for really over a year now. I took a leap of faith and moved to Boone and asked God to use this new house for his glory. I feel that we have been blessed by His work in our home with our Boone Cornerstone connection group meetings and having Stephanie and Jemal in our home as well. Two things that were not going to be ever possible in Grimes. Now I wait and not so patiently for God to sell the home in Grimes. I have an excellent renter that is a man of faith that too is waiting for a job opportunty to come from our Lord. As we all wait on His timing this devotion just causes me to ponder His time vs. mine.

Are you waiting for His time? Is there something in your life that you are waiting for? I challenge you to think about "what" you are waiting for, and if you feel it is truly a God thing, have the patience to wait for His time on this work and I know from experience that is easier said than done!

Lord, I lift my eyes up to you, my rock, my salvation, my fortress, and my refuge. Quiet my heart to wait on you, for my hope is in you. Help me to wait for you in the storms, in the light, and in the darkness. Let my confidence not be shaken by what my heart may feel, circumstances may say, or my mind may think. I thank you that my confidence rests on the One who is my rock and that you will never be shaken. In Jesus' name, Amen

He Will Take Care of You

Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. Psalm 55:22

There are times when, like the psalmist, we feel pursured by enemies or surrounded by difficulties. Our enemy maybe financial trouble, ill health, that issue at work, or a person who misjudges or opposes us so that our "heart is in anguish". At this point have you been tempted to run away, retreat, or give up. But the Lord offers us something better. In this psalm, trials and problems cause us to cry out to him. Someone once said, "If you were swept off your feet, it's time to get on your knees." God encourages us to turn to him and call on him in our distress so that he can rescue us and keep us safe in the midst of the trouble. He may not immediately take us out of the situation, but he will guide us through the circumstances. He gives us a wonderful promise: If we give our burdens to him, he will take care of us and not allow us to slip and fall.

Lord, I give you every burden and concern I face today. And I thank you for your promise of care, provision and safety. You will not allow me to slip or fall. I will trust you because you are faithful forever to those who love you. I consider it a joy and privilege to be counted amoung the many who love you. Thank you for the freedom to ask for and recieve your help. In Jesus' name. Amen