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.