Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Keep following this blog for weekly bible verses.

The Greatest Gift

VERSE:                                                            Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

REFLECTION:                                        

What gifts did you get for Christmas this year? What gifts did you give this year? Did you remember the greatest gift ever given, the gift of Jesus Christ given so that we may live? During this season of Christmas so much is commercialized that many forget the real reason for the season. Many of us get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season that we don’t stop to think about the greatest gift ever given.

God gave his only Son so that if we believe we will have everlasting life (John 3:16). According to this verse there is a lot more to that gift. Jesus was not just a little baby lying in a manger He came to earth with a purpose and part of that purpose is to be a Counselor to those her has a personal relationship with. He will pour the Holy Spirit into the believers so that we may be guided in our lives.

Jesus is also Wonderful. During this time of chaos and hectic running around the one constant is Jesus and the faith we have in Him to continue the good work in us. This also goes hand in hand with Him being the Prince of Peace. He gives us a peace during those difficult times. He gives us a peace during those times that we struggle or feel helpless.

He is also a Mighty God and the Everlasting Father. He is mighty to move mountains and He can move those mountains that prevent us from reaching our spiritual goals. We should have spiritual goals and be guided by Jesus to reach those goals. Being the Everlasting Father allows Him to be the Father to the Fatherless. There are too many children growing up without fathers in their lives. Jesus can fill that void. All you have to do is admit that you are a sinner, Believe that Jesus came to earth and died on the cross for your sins, confess of your sins and ask for forgiveness.

Open the greatest gift today, the gift of everlasting life through your fervent belief in Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:

Thank God for the gift of Jesus. Ask God for forgiveness of your sins. Pray for those who are lost that they may open the greatest gift, Jesus.

                                                              

Weeping

VERSE:                                                            John 11:35-36

Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him?”

REFLECTION:

Terror struck Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday as a man went in to the school and shot 27 people including 20 children. This is an absolutely tragic event that shows everyone the evil that exists in this world. America is in grief for the families of all of those involved but amid chaos there is peace.

This week highlights the sympathetic and caring side of Jesus. Lazarus had died and Jesus wept over the loss of His friend. When all 27 people died and Sandy Hook on Friday Jesus wept. He wept because He loves everyone and He doesn’t want anyone to lose their lives in a tragic way.

I believe He also weeps when we die spiritually. He doesn’t want any of us to lose our lives spiritually. He doesn’t want to see us walk away from Him. Often during these times of chaos people will blame God and wonder why He lets evil happen. I can’t really explain that but what I do know is that the only constant we can cling to during these times of chaos is Jesus. These are not the times to walk away from Him it is a time to draw closer to him. As the verse indicates He doesn’t just love Lazarus, He loves you and He loves me. He loves us during the good times and the bad and we need to honor that love by loving Him and following Him.

We have wept this weekend for those lives lost at Newtown because deep down we love others. Give your life to Jesus and let Him love you out of the chaos and turmoil that enters our lives. We need to love Him because He first loved us.

PRAYER:

Pray that God will comfort the families who lost a loved one. Pray that good will comfort you during times of chaos. Pray that you will follow Jesus during the good and the bad.

In The Mire

VERSE:                                                            Jeremiah 38:6

So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.

REFLECTION:

At church on Sunday our Pastor used this passage as well as those around it for his sermon. I found it interesting because this verse really struck me. Each of us from time to time are stuck and sinking in the mire of sin.

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do there are times in your life that you might feel trapped. You might feel trapped in a dungeon that has no way out and no way to quench your thirst. All that is in there with you is a bunch of muck and mire. When you are at those times in your life you know that that mire is all your sin or even your problems. When you feel burdened with those problems of sin you feel there is no way out.

For Jeremiah there was no way out of that dungeon. They had to lower him down into that dungeon. In some texts it is referred to a cistern. The only way out for Jeremiah was for ropes to be lowered to bring him out of that cistern. When we are sitting in the mire of sin and there is no way out we only need to look up. God the Father lowered his Son Jesus Christ down to earth to die for our sins so we could be lifted up out of the mire. We need to drink of that Living Water that is Jesus and then we will be lifted out of the mire of sin.

Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? Do you want to come out of the mire of sin? Then grab a hold of Jesus.

PRAYER:

Pray that God will help you out of the mire of sin. Pray for a way out of the problems you face. Pray for a heart for God.

Happy Thanksgiving!

VERSE:                                                                John 6:11

And Jesus took the loaves and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

REFLECTION:

Tomorrow is thanksgiving so I thought I would give a verse on thanks. Who better to look at than Jesus? This verse is from the story of the loaves and fishes. If you notice, before Jesus distributes the food to the disciples He gives thanks for the food. Do you give thanks to God for the food you receive?

I remember when I was growing up my family used to only say grace and give thanks at dinner time. But it wasn’t just dinner that we had food and it isn’t just food that God provides. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I started thanking God for all my meals.

The thanks needs to go beyond just meals because God is Jehovah Jireh, He is our provider, He has provided us with the very air we breathe, the clothes we wear and the ground we walk on. Because of this we should be in constant thanksgiving to God for the life we have. Even in times of trouble or despair we need to find things to thank him for and know that He will also provide us with a way out of the problem we are in.

When you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner take time to reflect on all you have to be thankful for and then decide to thank God daily for your life and an opportunity to serve Him.

PRAYER:

Thank God for your family and friends. Thank Him for all that He has provided you with. Thank Him for the gift of Jesus who died on the cross for our sins.

Pilgrimage

VERSE:                                         Psalm 84:5
 
    Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
 
REFLECTION:
 
    A pilgrimage is a long journey.  A long journey is what we are on as christians.  It is a pilgrimage in a strange land.  We have been given a mission here on earth and that mission is not impossible.  The only way that the mission can be a success is to put our strength in God.  That is also the only way that we will be able to survive the pilgrimage.  We must be bound and determined to be successful in carrying out God's plan for our life.  This pilgrimage will not be a success if we do not let God do the work.
 

    How often have you had a problem in your life and not prayed about it?  That is like getting lost on your pilgrimage and not stopping to ask directions.  (I know all you guys out there never ever get lost.)If we don't talk to God and ask Him what we need to do or consult Him on our life we will become lost and we may never make our heavenly destination.  This verse says if we put our strength in God we will be blessed. God will help our time in this strange land be a little better, if we can just lean on Him during this long and arduous pilgrimage we call life.
 
PRAYER:

    Pray for strength from Jesus.  Pray for guidance and directions in God's will for your life.

 

 

Wise or a Fool

VERSE:                            Ephesians 5:15-17

 

    See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

REFLECTION:
 
    Do you know what the will of the Lord is in your life?  Is it to be a fool in the things you do or to be wise and understand the significance of what you do.  Circumspectly means to be cautious.  Are you being cautious in your walk?  If you want to watch a movie do you do some research about the content or do you just go without regard to what is in the movie?  Do you watch TV without regard to what is on or the content therein?  If you are truly a Christian and love God with all of your heart, soul and strength then you will want to honor Him by doing His will in your life.  Don't be unwise in your walk with Jesus.  Don't take Jesus to movies you know He wouldn't see.  Don't let Him watch Television shows that He wouldn't approve of.  The world is evil and many fall to the temptations of this world.  We as christians must stand firm in our walk with God and be cautious in what we do.  Show God what a good and faithful servant you are, rid your life of the evil that can penetrate your soul.
 
PRAYER:
 
    Pray for deliverance from something that is hindering your walk with God.  Pray for the will of God to be revealed in your life.

Promises

VERSE:                    Lamentations 2:17

 

    The Lord has done what He purposed; He has fulfilled His word which He commanded in days of old.  He has thrown down and has not pitied, and He has caused an enemy to rejoice over you; He has exalted the horn of your adversaries.
 
REFLECTION:
 
    God has done what He has said.  He daily fulfills His word.  But the problem with many people is that they don't understand what He has promised.  Yes He does promise that bad things will happen to us if we continue in our sins.  But He has also promised hope and prosperity to those who put their trust in Jesus.  In order to find out what God has purposed you need to read the bible daily.  Don't just read it passively but involve yourself in the word by studying it and read it for the relevance of your life.
 
    Sometimes it seems as if those who aren't Christians get all the breaks but that is not always true.  You must look at the heart and look at the bigger picture.  Are those non-christians really happy.  Think about movie stars or athletes, they might have a lot of money but if they don't have Jesus their life is nothing.  I believe that everything happens for a reason.  We might go through trials when our adversaries may seem like they are exalted but maybe it is a wake-up call to have Jesus change something in your life.  Be sure to study your bible and be prepared to know what God promises when you go through a trial.
 
PRAYER:
 
    Pray for guidance and direction when studying your bible.  Ask God 
to open your heart and mind to His word.

Whose Team Are You On?

VERSE:                                    2 Peter 1:10-11

 

    Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

REFLECTION:  

    Whose side are you on?  Have you been diligent in your allegiance to God? You have to be diligent in calling whose side you are on.  If you are on God's side then you are on the right team and He will help to prevent you from stumbling.

 

    If you are playing football for a team but don't know whether you play on offense or defense or special teams you will stumble as you try to run out at the last minute to play.  Also how effective will you be if you don't know what to do when you get out on the field.  If you don't want to stumble in this game of life then make sure you are playing on God's team.  His team is so good that He has promised everyone who plays on it a spot in the hall of fame.  If we strongly draw our allegiance toward God He will not only help us to not stumble but an entrance will be supplied in to His everlasting kingdom.  God doesn't want us waffling on whether we play or not He wants us on His team and ready to give 100%.  

PRAYER:
 
    Pray for God to tell you what your role is on His team.  Stand up firm and strong in your election to Jesus.  Pray for the lost.

Catching Fish

VERSE:                                            Mark 1:17-18

 

    Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

 

REFLECTION:
 
    A number of Jesus' disciples were fisherman.  Jesus used the phrase;
"Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" because Jesus knew they could relate to what it is like catching fish whether they are big  or small.  If you have ever gone fishing you know that some days you might sit in the boat and not catch a thing.  However, you may lose some bait by fish nibbling your bait right off of your hook.  The next day you drag yourself out there again and try to catch some more fish.  You might catch some small ones but you are really trying to catch the big one.

 

    As Christians we can encounter the same feelings as we try to tell others about the gospel of Christ.  However if we encounter a day where we don't "catch" anyone for the kingdom we get discouraged and may hang up our fishing pole.  We need to keep in mind that the bait that gets nibbled off is the word being planted, even if they don't take the hook, the next time they are hungry for the word of God they will bite.  It might not be your pole but you chummed the lake for the next person. That is why the disciples left their fishing to follow Jesus, they realized there were bigger and more important fish to catch than the kind we find in the sea.  So the next time you are fishing think about spreading the gospel and "catching" some human fish for the kingdom.
 
PRAYER:
 
    Pray for opportunities to catch some kingdom fish.  Pray for boldness to speak and tell others of the Gospel.  Pray to be a fisher of men.

 

 

Moving Mountians

VERSE:                              1 Corinthians 13:2

 

    And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

 
REFLECTION:

 

    How strong is your faith?  This verse says that if you have all faith you can remove mountains.  Think of the power and the strength that faith must have  if it can remove mountains.  What type of mountains do you have in your life?  Are you struggling with some kind of addiction?  Are you compromising your integrity?  Whatever problems you face or mountains you confront they can be removed through your faith in Jesus Christ.  

    Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  If you hope to be free from sin in your life you must put all of your faith in Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen a mountain be removed but I have heard testimony after testimony about lives being changed because of faith in Jesus Christ.  My life has changed since I put my faith in Jesus Christ.  Your life can too if you just humble yourself and let Jesus be Lord of your life.
 
    One last thing I wanted to note about the verse and that is it doesn't matter what you have or how much faith you have you must have love to tie it all together.  Love toward God and love toward others. Without love we are nothing.  Faith will remove the mountain but it won't go anywhere if there isn't a change of heart.
 
PRAY:
 
    Pray for God to remove mountains in your life.  Pray and let Jesus be Lord of your life.

 

Scaling Everest

VERSE:                          Matthew 26:30-31

 

    And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'"

  

REFLECTION:
 
    What is the cost of following Jesus?  Jesus tells us that we will stumble because of Him.  That doesn't mean the climb isn't worth it. God   will use the times we stumble for correction and learning. Unfortunately, some will stumble and not get back up. They will pack it in and refuse to make the climb anymore.

 

    Many people throughout history have attempted to climb Mt. Everest,  most have failed.  Our climb up the spiritual mountain is like that as   well,  some will fail and give up while others will reach the top (eternity with Christ).  There will be trouble along the way because of our alliance with Christ but we cannot let that discourage us.  We need   to continue to plod along and scale that spiritual mountain.

 

   What is the cost to follow Jesus up that mountain toward glory?  It is great but the rewards far outweigh the troubles you will encounter. Would you rather climb the mountain of life or wallow in the valley of   death?

 

PRAYER:

 

    Pray for guidance and strength to help you make it to the top of the spiritual  mountain.

 

Transfigured

VERSE:                                   Matthew 17:1-2

 

    Now after six days, Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves, and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light.

 

REFLECTION:
 
    The word transfiguration means "visibly glorified, or an actual visible change in the body."  Imagine witnessing Jesus being visibly glorified, as Peter, James and John did.  On that mountain top, they witnessed a life changing event.
 
    In the Bible, mountains symbolize secure, comfortable places where the power and serenity of God are tangible things.  You can be tempted at your highest peak but you can seek that place of solitude for pray as well.  We have also noted that life's highest peaks are sometimes followed by valleys that will change your life.   Other Biblical events occurring on mountains include: Abraham almost sacrificing his son, Moses and the burning bush, and Moses receiving the ten commandments, Jesus' transfiguration, and of course the crucifixion of Jesus.  I hope you have been to the top of the mountain, have seen Jesus, and that He has changed your life.

     When you reach that spiritual mountian it will be a life changing event. If you continue to reach for jesus he will take you to the highest peaks even during those deepest valleys.
 
PRAYER:
 
    Pray for God to help you through the changes in your life.  Even if you think you are at a spiritual peak, pray to reach higher and attain even a greater "spiritual mountain."

 

Mountain of Solitude

VERSE:                               Matthew 14:23
 

    And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.

  

REFLECTION:
 
    Here we see a mountain as a place of reflection and solitude.  High above the frantic world one can escape for those moments of communication with God.  Jesus went to the mountain and prayed by Himself.  We never find out what He prayed about but He prayed and prayed and prayed into the evening.
 

    When was the last time you looked for solitude to pray, pray and pray?  Maybe it's time to find that special mountain of yours, listen to the peaceful sound of silence and pour out your feelings toward God.  As we have seen we need prayer when we are tempted and prayer when we are not tempted.  We also can seek the strength and beauty of God during those times of solitude and reflection.  

    This isn't a time for new age reflection but a real search of what God's will is for your life.  Don't forget He is the Author and finisher of your life so who better to spend hours of prayer with but the one who has your life planned out.  So find your mountain and get on your knees and pray, pray and pray.

  

PRAYER:

    Pray for what God's will is for your life.  Pray daily and find that mountain (your personal place of prayer).