Mountain Lion

VERSE:                                        Isaiah 31:4

    

   For thus the Lord has spoken to me:  "As a lion roars, and a young lion over his prey (When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him, He will not be afraid of their voice nor be disturbed by their noise), So the Lord of hosts will come down to fight for Mount Zion and for its hill."

REFLECTION:

    Last week we looked at a mountain as being a dwelling place for God as well as seeing His strength and beauty within a mountain.  Today we look at His strength and a mountain as symbolic of God's protection. God is not afraid and we should not be afraid either.  If we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and live our life for Him He will see to it that we are protected regardless of what happens to us.  Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour but God has already defeated satan so He is not afraid.  We should seek shelter in the protection of the mountain that is God and know that He protects His flock from that lion.  During these times of a turbulent economy, threats of wars and persecution of the church we need to put our faith and trust in God and not fear for our lives.  He did not give us a spirit of fear. We must know that our life is in God's hands and He will protect us.  However we also must take solace in knowing that if we were to die that we would be certain of our destination? Do you know where you will go if you die? Will you go to the Mountain of God or the valley of death? If you truly are seeking God's mountain of protection then He will either protect you or bring you home.

PRAYER:

 

   Pray for God's protection in your life.  Pray for protection during these turbulent times. If you don't know Jesus as your personal Savior make that prayer of acceptance today.

 

Ain't No Mountian High Enough

VERSE:                         Deuteronomy 33:2

     And he said: "The Lord came from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir, He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints; From His right hand came a fiery law for them."  

REFLECTION:

 
    This was part of a blessing that Moses gave the children of Israel before his death.  We see in this verse and many others throughout the bible the awesomeness of God.  A mountain may be the largest most awestruck thing on the earth.  Yet God is master over all of the mountains.  He created them.  It is widely believed that God would come down from mountains to meet His people.  I remember the first time I saw real mountains in Switzerland.  I was mesmerized by their size and beauty.  Yet when you think about the fact that God tames the most rugged of mountains you realize He is truly the master of the universe.

I believe the people of the old testament saw the beauty and the immense strength of a mountain and believed that where else would God come from but a mountain.  A mountain reflects God's awesome power yet also shows His tender beauty.  There is nothing more spectacular than a stoic mountain rising from the land to show it's immense power to the world. Likewise there is nothing more spectacular than Jesus rising from the cross to show His immense power to the world.  

PRAYER:

 
    Pray for God to show His immense power during these times of trouble.  Pray also for His beauty to shine upon each and everyone of us.

 

The Plowing of The Wicked

VERSE:                                  Proverbs 21:4

A haughty look, a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked are sin.

REFLECTION:

I am very intrigued by this verse. If we have too much pride in ourselves, thinking that by our hand alone we accomplished the goal, then we have sinned. How many of you take pride in the work you do? This is okay. It is not acknowledging God's role that pride is a sin. If we accomplish something and take all of the credit instead of acknowledging who blessed us with the gift in the first place then we have sinned. But if we accomplish something and praise God for His wonderful works then it is okay to accept pride as long as it is pride for the Lord.

The whole of this verse really indicates to us that God doesn't want us walking around thinking we are better then the next person. All of us are sinners and all of us need a Savior. But if we walk around with pride, looking down on others as if they are worthless or less privileged then we have sinned. Plowing in this context means to basically plow them under with the spiritual pride. When you plow you till up the soil and over turn the dirt. God doesn't want us taking our faith and trying to turn over the soil or the dirt of the unbeliever's heart. By coming across to unbelievers that we are better then them we have sinned against God. We will also turn the unbelievers off to God. God created each one of us as equal heirs to His kingdom and regardless of a person's faith each of us are no better than the next person. God doesn't want us puffing our chests out and walking around in pride. Turning our noses up to unbelievers and trying to tell them what is wrong with them. Instead God wants us to humbly show others the truth of Jesus Christ. Share the gospel with them and then once they have given their life to Jesus watch Jesus work wonders in their life. I know that God changed many things about me after I gave my life to Him. I know He will do the same for you or the next person. Don't let the pride get in the way of sharing the gospel with others. Let Jesus guide you daily and avoid the pratfalls of pride.

PRAYER:

Pray for a humble spirit. Pray for others who are lost. Pray for Pride in Jesus but not pride in self.

Ask and Receive

VERSE:                               John 16:23‑24

    And in that day you will ask Me nothing.  Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

REFLECTION:

    How is your prayer life?  Do you always pray in Jesus' name or someone else's name?  When we pray we are always praying to the Father but He only hears and answers our prayers if we pray in Jesus' name.  We can't pray to Peter, Paul, or Mary‑‑they are only people and they cannot take our petitions to the Father.  Only the true Son of God, Jesus, can be the mediator between our prayers and the Father in heaven. 

    If we ask the Father anything in Jesus' name, He will give it to us.  Does that mean we can ask for a million dollars?  You can ask, but you probably won't receive.  Your requests must be aligned with the will of God for your life.  We cannot dictate to God what we want and when we want it.  If we truly love God, then our desires will be aligned with His desires for our life.  We need to be praying for things like wisdom, discernment, protection, and God's compassion.  Then and only then will our joy be full.  Our joy shouldn't be in earthly things but in the things of God.  Do you get more excited when you buy a car or when God shares something intimate about His Word to you?

    Start today by praying in Jesus' name and pray for spiritual desires because those are the things that will truly bring you joy.

PRAYER:

    Pray for something spiritual that you desire.  Pray for the love of God to be poured out in your heart.  Pray for your joy to be full.

Selling Souls

VERSE:                               Mark 8:36‑37

    For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

REFLECTION:

    You hear many people joke about selling their soul to the devil for something?  But this verse tells us that it will profit us nothing to sell our soul for the things of this world.  What do you value as important?  Are your sights set on the things of this world or the heavenly things above?  Many of us can get caught up in the worldly things, cars, money or success.  All of these items are merely fleeting, gone when we pass away.  Our soul however remains eternally with us.  Where would you want your soul spending eternity?  Under the bondage of sin and the vast chasm of torment and darkness known as hell.  Or the freedom of song and music with the bright shining light of Jesus set before us on the golden streets of heaven.

    Jesus was tempted by satan and asked to sell His soul to satan and in return satan would give Him the world.  How stupid is satan to believe that the Son of God, who already has the world as well as the whole universe would give it all up for nothing.  Satan has nothing to offer.  This world has nothing to offer.  It doesn't matter how much money you have or how many cars you own, when you die you can't take it with you.  But your soul will always be with you, so if you do not give your soul to God you will lose it to satan.  Next time you think of the covetous of the world and the lies of satan remember that there is no profit in the world but many treasures in heaven.

PRAYER:

    Pray for discernment when tempted by the things of this world.  Pray that God will lead you away from temptation and the evil one.

Pray in Love

VERSE:                                                 1 Peter 4:7-8

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.  And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

REFLECTION:

How do you treat others?  How is your prayer life?  Two questions that I believe are being asked in these verses.  The first part of this verse is asking us how our prayer life is because the end is near.  It is important that we be in constant prayer.  We must be praying for each other, pray for unbelievers and pray for the world around us.  In Matthew 24 it speaks of wars and rumors of wars as being a sign of end times.  It also speaks of “famine, pestilence and earthquakes.”  All of these things will come to pass.  It is important that we pay attention to the world around us.  There are many wars throughout the world and there is much calamity in many parts of the world.  We must pray for the world around us and pray that we can discern how close the end is near. 

With that in mind we must have a fervent love for one another.  Because that love “will cover a multitude of sins.”  But how do we show that love to others so their sins are covered?  We want them to be saved so if we truly love them we will pray for them and tell them about the gospel of Christ.  We must be fervent in our prayers for others so they will come to the knowledge and acceptance of Christ Jesus as their Savior.  What a great way to show your love than to pray for those who are lost. 

Looking back on the questions that are posed, How do you treat others?  With the love of Christ or the disdain of satan.  It is your choice but choose correctly.  How is your prayer life?  Is it me centered or God centered?  Are you praying for others or yourself?  Show you love for others by praying for them.

PRAYER:

Pray for the world around you.  Pray for friends and relatives who are lost.  Pray for a heart full of the love of Christ so you can share it with others.

Believer versus Unbeliever

VERSE:                                  Jude 12‑13

    These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves.  They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds;  late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots;  raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

REFLECTION:

    What is this verse talking about?  These are some pretty dark and lonely images.  Do you feel like one of these things?  Jude is talking about unbelievers.  As we sit down to eat our feast daily, we sit with unbelievers, be they are family members, friends, or total strangers in a restaurant.  They feast with us as if everything is normal.  They have no fear that they may be cast into eternal life, and go about their business serving only themselves.  If you are an unbeliever, your only life is here on earth.  You must make the most of it, and do things to please yourself. 

    The harsh reality of it all is the pictures that are painted in these verses:

   * An unbeliever is just a cloud pushed by the wind, serving no purpose on the earth except to block out some "Son" light. Believers are clouds, full of the living water, ready to rain down the love of Christ on those unbelievers.

   * Unbelievers do not bear fruit in the harvest of summer or in the twilight of their life.  They are dead spiritually, and will soon die physically, never producing the fruit that God wanted.  They are rooted in things other than God's word.  Believers are also like an autumn tree that can still generate fresh fruit, crisp and sweet, like the word of God.  Believers are growing strong rooted in the word of God.

   * An unbeliever is a tumultuous sea, their shame foaming up, and their tragedies crashing like waves against each other. A believer is a placid calm sea, calmed by the tender love and mercy of Jesus Christ even during tumultuous storms.

   * An unbeliever is a wandering star soon to be consumed by a black hole snuffed out by the sins of life and spiritually dying with no twinkle left to gleam.  A believer is a bright shining star, shining the light of Christ so all the world can see. 

Which one are you, believer or unbeliever?

PRAYER:

    Pray that you will bear the fruit that God wants you to bear and that you will always shine bright the light of Jesus Christ.