Thursday, June 30, 2016

when?

When are we going to stop looking to our leaders, government, and nation for help and salvation?

When are we going to stop placing our hope and trust in them?

When are we going to stop using our leaders, government, and nation to take the place of God in our lives?

The United States of America is not the chosen people of God. Those who have chosen to put God first in their lives, those who display his sacrificial love for the widows, the orphan, the foreigner, the poor, the downtrodden; those are the chosen people of God. (Read Zechariah 7:9-10)

Our future president will not, cannot, save us anymore than the ones before. Only God can be our strength, hope, and salvation.

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus. 
Look full in his wonderful face, 
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, 
In the light of his glory and grace."      Helen Howarth Lemmel

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

maturity

Galatians 3:23-25 (The Message):

"Until the time when we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, we were carefully surrounded and protected by the Mosaic law. The law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar; who escort children to school and protect them from danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set out for.

But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God."



Vs 23: We had the law until we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, the Holy Spirit

We have long been surrounded and protected by the law, the rules and traditions of our churches. It is time to walk in  the maturity given to us by God to respond freely in faith to the living Spirit of
God residing in us. It is time to stop doing things JUST because that is how we have always done them. It is time to stop relying on tradition and rote for our salvation. It is time to look to the living God who is leaning towards us, yearning for relationship with us, wanting us to hear and understand the love, the joy, the forgiveness, the redemption, the salvation, the life that he is speaking to us every minute of every day.

Vs 25: We have arrived at our destination, a direct relationship with God, through faith in Christ.



Rejoice! devotional (June 25, 2016) by Tyler Hartford:

"When our lives are reoriented toward Christ, outward appearances might not change, but our personality is transformed and renewed. Only when we clothe ourselves in Christ and allow him to change our behavior does harmonious unity become possible."



Unity with God and those around us becomes possible when we choose to look beyond our own wisdom, our own preferences, our own wants, and allow the living Spirit of God to transform us into the likeness of Christ.




Rejoice! devotional prayer from the same article as above:

"Holy Spirit, there is so much about me that cannot be changed, but help me clothe myself with you."




Amen.