January 2010
January 4, 2010
From America;
The Philippines;
To the World:
Now read in over 180 countries
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As the year comes to a close it is a time to look back and a time to look ahead.
In remembering this last year all “Thanks” is due to Our Lord.
I would also like to extend thanks to our sponsors of the Philippine children.
Thanks also to all those who have sent in financial donations, those upholding
us in prayer and intercession. Thanks also to our many readers and evangelists
who have forwarded these devotionals throughout the world.
May the Lord Continue to Bless and Keep All of You!
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Resetting Your Presets
Here we are in 2010 and many of you reading this have already started to lose
hope that this year will mean anything different or better for you than any
other year.
What will make this year or day any different than the last?
As I got in to my truck and turned on the radio, I pushed a button to go to a
station that was preset on the radio dial. The Lord spoke to me and told me that
if I really wanted a change this year that I had to lose my presets of mindsets.
That I had to really let my mind be renewed and transformed to His way of doing
things.
He showed me that most of us will have problems this year and become weary in
the battle is because your buttons, your knobs, your controls, your habits, your
ways, your strategies are all PRESET
to maintain the same old stuff in your life, when you start to think about doing
things differently you never quite get to the level of actually doing things
differently because you keep falling back into deeply entrenched strongholds.
Don't get me wrong - set goals, make resolutions, write out your vision and make
it plain, but you're not lacking in the dreams and goals department. You
have enough business plans and imaginative ministry ideas for ten people.
What you need to do if you are really serious about making this year the best
year of the rest of your life is RESET
YOUR PRESETS!
I know. I know. A few of you think you have everything in your life together and
all you need on your path to perfection is a few minor adjustments.
What most of us need if we are going to walk in to the plans God has for us is
not a little tinkering, we need to push the reset button and change
the entire way we see God.
Is the computer you're reading this from slow?
If not, we've all had a slow computer at one time or another.
Too many files have built up on the hard drive.
Too much junk is clogging up the speed and effectiveness of the processors.
You may even have spam or a few viruses on there.
You could tinker with it all night long, but guess what?
It's painful, but sometimes the ONLY thing you can do to save a slow computer is
to completely reset the entire thing to its
original factory settings.
Some memories may be lost, but when the computer is back running again, you're
always glad you made the tough decision to reset it.
Will you allow the Lord to reset YOU in this New Year? Give the God of
Revelation 21:5 that said,
"Behold, I make all things new"
the authority to not just make minor adjustments, but to turn your life
upside down for Him!
That's when real change will begin to happen.
If you’re ready to be wiped out this year and to have all your presets reset
then this will be a year of God in your life!
If not then you have just set the boundary to keep God from doing what he needs
to do with you, in you, and through you.
As hard as it is I am surrendering this day, this year and my life to have all
my presets reset.
How about you?
God Bless You!
Darrel Mason
As the year comes to a close it is a time to look back and a time to look ahead.
In remembering this last year all “Thanks” is due to Our Lord.
I would also like to extend thanks to our sponsors of the Philippine children.
Thanks also to all those who have sent in financial donations, those upholding
us in prayer and intercession. Thanks also to our many readers and evangelists
who have forwarded these devotionals throughout the world.
May the Lord Continue to Bless and Keep All of You!
________________________________________________
Process to Purpose
I went to make my breakfast and realized that there were dishes to be cleaned up
beforehand. There weren't a lot of them, just the usual assortment of bowls and
silverware and small items that accumulate in the evening. I emptied the
dishwasher, and reloaded the dishwasher with the overflow that was on the
counter. Only then could I start my cooking.
Consider also the making of a cup of coffee. Fill the pot with water. Dig out a
filter. Take out the morning blend. Measure the coffee into the filter, close
the filter holder and turn on the switch. Soon there will be coffee. Take a mug
out of the cupboard, get the sugar and the cream and mix the coffee to taste.
Even something as simple as a cup of coffee involves some form of a process.
Everything in life does.
It's the same way with our faith walk.
We have to realize that we're sin filled people who don't have a hope of making
it to heaven on our own. Then we can humbly go to Jesus and ask Him to forgive
us and be Lord of our life.
At that point our sins are forgiven and we have our gate pass to heaven. It's
also the start of the process. Our Father in heaven starts to change us into the
people He designed us to be.
It might come as a shock to some of you to know that Christians aren't perfect.
Of course there are hypocrites in the church. Of course Christians fall back
into sin. Of course people have been hurt in the church. We're works in process.
On this side of glory the church will never be perfected. If you want proof,
consider the fact that they let you and I in. I know I'm far from perfect. How
about you?
We're simply people who have recognized our own broken nature and are on a
journey to becoming whole. We're going to mess up now and then. There's going to
be friction in congregations or denominations because they are full of imperfect
people.
We needn't grow discouraged with the process because He promises that He will
finish it.
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your
partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this,
that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the
day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:4-6 NIV
Until next time, look to the Master for perfection. The rest of us haven't got
there yet. In the interim, we're still called to love and forgive each other.
Working through my process to get to and complete my purpose!
Darrel Mason
Pennies
I sat in the restaurant enjoying a
quick bite. I had intentionally arrived a little early for a meeting just to
have the few minutes of quiet that doing so would provide.
The young man at the table across
from me was obviously waiting for someone. Unlike me I had the impression that
whoever he was waiting for was running late as he frequently looked up at the
door and checked his watch. The young man appeared frustrated and bored. He dug
a handful of coins out of his pocket and started standing each of them up on
edge.
Some of the coins stayed quite well,
but he bumped the table and some fell and others rolled onto the floor. He
seemed a little embarrassed but picked them up again. He played with them for a
while longer, then as if making a decision, grabbed them all and stuffed them in
his pocket. I think he was about to leave when his friend arrived.
Sometimes our lives are like that
handful of coins. We go through times when standing for what we believe in is
easy; we're able to stand no matter what. Other times we stand until some bump
knocks us down. At other times we can't seem to stand at all and run away.
The big difference is that we're not
standing on a table. We're standing in the hand of God. Even when we fall flat
or run away we're still safely in his hand. He doesn't drop us or discard us.
John 10:27-30 NIV
My sheep listen to my
voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall
never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given
them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
I and the Father are one."
Romans 8:37-39 NIV
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of
God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I don't know what bumps and knocks
lie ahead for you today or further into the future. I do know that if you belong
to Jesus, no matter what happens, He will never leave you. He'll keep you safe
in the palm of His hand.
That doesn't mean that bad things
won't happen. It doesn't mean that life will go exactly as you had wished for or
planned. It does mean that no matter what He will walk with you and be beside
you. He will be there to rejoice with you and mourn with you. He will be there
in the pain and dark moments and in the joy filled mountaintop experiences.
He will keep you even to death and
beyond. He will give you the peace that surpasses all understanding, if you will
let Him stand you on your edge without you rolling away!
Be blessed!
Darrel Mason
Happy New Year
Happy New Year! Those words or their equivalents will be spoken billions of
times in every language on every continent.
There is something about the turning of a year that seems to imply a fresh
start. A new year ... a new hope. Out with the old in with the new.
There will be billions of resolutions made for the coming year, the vast
majority of which will be broken within the week.
Yet what is the new year in reality? Just the ticking of a few more hours on the
clock. One more sunset. One more sunrise. A new page on the calendar. A chance
to have to remember the new year when we right cheques (especially when we write
2009 instead of 2010 and have to initial the changes).
I understand the desire for hope and change that a new year brings. We all want
hope and change. Yet every year the new year fails to deliver. Why is that?
The turning of the calendar page is simply another external event. Nothing
inside of us has changed.
The changes that matter happen inside of us and not at the whim of a date or
time.
Our biggest change comes when we accept Christ. When we are born again we are
new creations with a true fresh start.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 NIV
So from
now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded
Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is
a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Without that step we are still dead in our sins. Dead things don't change, they
simply decay over time.
With Christ in our lives the hope springs eternal. We are redeemed. We are
forgiven and given God's Holy Spirit to guide us, change us and make us like
Christ.
Only Christ's children have hope. Unlike the vague promises of the new year, it
is rock solid hope. It isn't wishful thinking. It is based on the promises of
God and backed up by the sacrifices of Christ and the character of the Father.
If we have Christ we can count on changing and growing over the coming year. If
we follow Him we can count on blessing.
Jesus is the hope of every new year. Jesus is the hope of every new day. Jesus
is the true hope of the world.
May he richly bless you and yours this coming year and forever.
Darrel Mason
Only Joking
While
talking to a man I was working with, he began to recount a joke he had played on
his teacher when he was younger. I was not amused but horrified that as cruel as
it sounded he could still get such a laugh out of the woman’s pain, now almost
40 years later. I myself have been chastised for jokes I have played and have
had to confess the sin in it and repent for doing the thing. I was told that
what a man thinks is funny and how he jokes with his buddies is not always so
humorous to the spouse or woman. It reminded me of a time when I witnessed the
following while at a park with my daughters.
Not much was happening until we got to the playground. It was surprising busy.
Surprising only because it was full of huge puddles left behind by the
retreating snow. The biggest puddle was right beneath the exit to the slide.
Three girls were playing around the slide and I was convinced it was only a
matter of time before disaster struck.
It wasn't long coming. I wasn't far past the slide, when I heard one of the
girls get in and her two friends promise to catch her at the bottom. At the last
minute they laughed and stepped out of the way, leaving their friend to land on
her backside in a huge puddle of ice water. As she screamed in shock and
betrayal, her friends said "We were just having fun. We were only joking with
you."
The wet girl continued to cry and scream at her friends. Her mom came running,
offered sympathy to her daughter and at the same time began to tear a verbal
strip off the friends. The mother of one of the friends appeared on the scene,
gave her daughter a lecture than began to yell at the other mother for daring to
"..talk to my daughter like that.." As I passed out of earshot, they were still
all yelling, except for the wet girl who was crying.
There are things that make us laugh but we must be careful of what is funny to
us might be offensive and hurtful to others.
What isn't appropriate is humor at the expense of someone else or humor that
destroys. Our "jokes" can leave hidden emotional scars that can last a lifetime.
Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows is a man who deceives his
neighbor and says, "I was only joking!"
Proverbs 26:18-19 NIV
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind
of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor
should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of
place, but rather thanksgiving.
Ephesians 5:3-3 NIV
Christians have a great deal to rejoice about, more than any other people in the
world. Laughter should be a regular part of our gatherings and our lives, after
all we have the love; grace; peace; joy and forgiveness of the Lord, and eternal
life with Him to top it all off. So go ahead and laugh. Enjoy the good things in
life.
The question is, "Is what I'm laughing about really funny?". The things we laugh
about tell a lot about our hearts. What shape is yours in?
Until next time, may your life be filled with laughter, but none that comes at
the expense of others or in the form of coarse or obscene joking.
Learning my lessons daily!
Darrel Mason
Salty Sidewalks
While at a
Bible study Friday night a scripture came up:
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand,
and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light
shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in
heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16 NIV
One of the women there poured out her heart in regards to this scripture and the
work to be done by “Christians” to help save the other religions and people of
the world. The moderator asked about the use of salt and what it was good for?
This got me to thinking also.
The latest headline news for several weeks has been the winter blast that has
come and gone. I as others still have ice and snow in the yard and on the front
porch. I as lots of people have salted their sidewalks, which has helped their
sidewalk, but doesn't help the main sidewalks or pathways any. As I noticed the
salted walkways, I was reminded of:
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it
be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out
and trampled by men.
The salt that lost its saltiness and was thrown out to be trampled is like the
salts now used to melt snow.
Salt is pretty amazing stuff. It adds flavor to foods. It's used as a
preservative. Once thing it can't do is restore food that has already begun to
do rot.
I thought about that last fact and realized that it gives us great freedom to be
the salt and light of the world. You see we can direct people to Jesus, but
since they're already dead in their sin and decaying, we can't undo the process.
Only God Himself can restore the dead.
We're not responsible for the results. God is. That means we can do what Christ
has told us to do in sharing Him with others but we don't have to be under the
pressure of actually causing someone to be born again. We can lead them, we can
pray with them, but God alone can change their hearts.
You can't force a person to become Christian they must do so of their own
changed hearts. That's why the medieval Crusades may have been committed by the
church but could never have been of God. That's why emotional manipulation to
get someone to accept Jesus doesn't result in lasting conversion, because it
wasn't real to start with.
That means we can be bold and honest. We can love people, we can share the
gospel with them freely and not feel pressure to get "results". We simply do our
part and leave the rest to God.
Until next time, may you be free to be the salt and light in a dark and dying
world as Jesus called you to be. May there truly be something different about us
that will truly point them to our Jesus!
Be blessed
Darrel Mason
Peculiar
I have to tell you something. You might already know it, but it's a matter of
biblical truth. You're peculiar people. That's okay because I'm peculiar too.
Deuteronomy 14:2 KJV
for thou
art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a
peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.
Now peculiar in this case doesn't mean odd, although many of us probably fit
that description as well. It means we are people separated, set aside and
different from the rest of the world.
The NIV translation is a little softer by today's standards but it means the
same thing.
Deuteronomy 14:2 NIV
for you
are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of
the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.
Whether we use the word peculiar or the word holy, we're to be set aside for
God. He has chosen us to be His. Let's look at a few other verses about us being
a peculiar people.
Deuteronomy 26:18 NIV
And the
LORD has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as
he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands.
Deuteronomy 26:18 KJV
And the
LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised
thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;
Let's slip into the New Testament for a bit.
1 Peter 2:9 KJV
Who gave
himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto
himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
So what does that look like? Some people have an image of what it means to be
holy. They take on a form of self righteousness that has no love. It's all about
rules and external behavior. It's all about the way they come across to others.
We've all encountered Christians like that.
You know them by their rules. A real Christian doesn't go to the movies or play
cards or a thousand other man made rules.
Ironically nowhere in the Bible can we see Jesus telling us that His followers
will be known for their rules. The Bible says that we're to be known by our love
and our following of Jesus commandments not man- made rules.
So what does that look like?
Peculiar people love their neighbors. We all know that we're supposed to do that
by how often do we practice it?
Peculiar people forgive others. Peculiar people are slow to be offended and
quick to forgive.
Peculiar people put the needs of others first and serve with humility. They
recognize they have nothing to prove to God and serve wherever He calls them
into service.
Peculiar people are generous. They give joyfully to the church and to others as
need be.
Peculiar people are filled with joy and hope. Only Christians have true hope and
joy.
Peculiar people gather together with other peculiar people because we care about
one another and we know that when we're away someone else is missing out.
Peculiar people dig deeply into God's Word because after all it's hard to follow
it if you don't know what it says.
Peculiar people understand our battle for eternal things isn't against flesh and
blood. We don't hate those who look, act or believe differently than we do.
Peculiar people share Jesus and pray for others.
Peculiar people learn to set aside their prejudices and look past things like
skin color and social status. Peculiar people look at others through the eyes of
God.
Peculiar people still sin, but are quick to make amends and to turn back to god
in humble and earnest repentance.
Peculiar people are ambassadors of God; ministers of reconciliation and
peacemakers.
Having said all that, I realize that peculiar people really are peculiar, at
least from the world's perspective. Much of what I just said runs counter to the
popular “wisdom” of the world today.
Only peculiar people have the Holy Spirit, non-believers do not. The Holy Spirit
is working in us to transform us into being holy people.
Galatians 5:22-25 NIV
But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its
passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the
Spirit.
Let's face facts people who exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control seem pretty peculiar by the
standards of today.
Until next time may you be as peculiar and holy as God helps you change from
glory to glory and faith to faith.
Finding my blessings and calling in the peculiar things of God!
Darrel Mason
Singing
I love to sing. I love to praise God through song even though at times I am off
key so I've often stood on the verse in Psalms.
Psalm 66:1 KJV
Make a
joyful noise unto God, all ye lands.
I sing frequently when I'm by myself. I sing when I'm in a large crowd of people
who are also singing. Ask me to lead in singing and I will do it but my calling
is not to be in the choir
In contrast, I have friends who have simply delightful voices. They can sing
virtually anything and make it pleasing to my ear. I love to hear them sing
praises to the Lord.
I have other friends who are gifted not only with strong, beautiful voices, but
with the ability to play virtually any instrument they put their hands on.
The body of Christ has many incredibly gifted musicians and singers. Whatever
genre of music suits your personal taste, there are people who can use that
genre to praise the Lord in incredible ways.
As wonderful as their songs may be, there is a song that is even more beautiful.
We find out about it in an obscure little verse hiding in the works of one of
the Minor Prophets.
Zephaniah 3:17-18 NIV
The LORD
your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. The
sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a
reproach to you.
Imagine that, the Lord God Himself, YHWH-Elohim rejoices in singing over you and
I. What beautiful music it must be when He sings. His voice is powerful enough
to speak the world into existence. The sound of his rejoicing with singing must
be joyful beyond anything beyond measure.
If you ever doubted God's love for you, re-read those verses. He not only sings,
He rejoices over YOU with singing. You are a blessing to God. He sings with joy
because of you.
Until next time, I pray you get a glimpse of how much He truly loves you.
I pray now you will open your ears and hear the Lord as He sings over you!
Thanking the Lord again for His great love for you and me!
Darrel Mason
Velvet
While sitting in the doctor’s office I was reading a National Geographic story
on elks. The article concerned the antlers or rack. The picture of the elk in
the magazine was stunning and his large velvet covered rack was impressive.
Having lived in northern New Mexico and seen these animals they are truly
magnificent
Elk antlers are amazing things, growing at an incredible rate of one to two
inches a day. It said that elk antlers are the fastest growing tissues in the
animal kingdom. During the growing season, they stay covered in velvet (really a
hairy skin that looks like brown velvet) which is rubbed off, exposing hardened
antlers by autumn.
Velvet antlers are quite soft and easily damaged. They can bleed and be very
uncomfortable during the peeling process. Once they have hardened off though,
two large bucks can rattle antlers together like sabers.
It is much the same with the Christian faith. A newly born again Christian can
be quite a fragile creation. The world or bad Bible teaching can easily wound or
distract an immature believer.
A mature saint, who knows what they believe and why, and has seen God come
through time and time again is a different sort of person. They stand up to
whatever life throws at them.
All believers are called to grow in our faith. We need to search and study the
Scriptures. We are called to put our faith into action. We are called to
persevere. The trials of life are often designed to scrape the velvet off.
Romans 5:1-5 NIV
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into
this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of
God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that
suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our
hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
God disciplines us to shape us and mold us. The process is uncomfortable, like
the deer losing its velvet, but the results are worthwhile
Hebrews 12:7-11 NIV
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not
disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes
discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we
have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How
much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers
disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us
for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at
the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness
and peace for those who have been trained by it.
It is time for a lot of us to rub the velvet off and get down to maturing so
that w are not hurt by every little comment or attack against us. It is time to
grow up so that people can address and talk to us as adults in the faith instead
of having to handle us like fragile teapots.
Are there places in your life where the velvet is still showing?
Are the things in your life that still need to be surrendered to Christ?
There are people there to help you and sometimes that “sandpaper person” is
there for a divine reason and it usually is to not pat you on the back and say
what you want to hear.
God needs you, God loves you and for that He will have to remove your velvet
covering to get you to the place where He can use you.
So until next time, rejoice as you pass through the hard stuff. Rejoice, God is
preparing a wonderful work in you, for you and through you.
Darrel Mason
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Hold Your Breath
How long can you hold your breath?
For some people the answer is a
relatively long time, for others only a few seconds at best. So what?
I want you to try little experiment.
Hold your breath. Please, bear with me and hold you breath as you read. No
cheating now, hold it. Hold it. Keep holding it. Hold it as long as you can.
Now as you're still holding your breath,
I want you to think about something. Imagine God stopped giving for ten minutes.
I know it's hard to picture, but imagine that God did absolutely nothing for
just ten minutes. What would happen?
We wouldn't be able to breath, and by
now you're getting a sense of what that must feel like. There would be nothing
to hold the universe in place. Gravity wouldn't work so things would be flying
everywhere. Planets, suns and moons would be falling out of orbit. Chaos would
rain supreme as Satan tried to make the most of the ten minutes.
It's something truly beyond our ability
to imagine. You can quit holding your breath now.
Even if the physical realm held
together, and I don't believe it would, the world would see evil unleashed at a
level never imagined. With no restraint from God, people would drift towards the
basest levels of their being.
September 11 would look like a picnic.
Violence, perversion, anger and evil of every kind would burst out everywhere.
With no restraint people could indulge the most depraved of their thoughts
without consequence.
People complain of the level of evil and
suffering in the world today. It is truly sad and horrific, but it is nothing
compared to what it would be. Everyone has had some level of depraved thoughts,
now there would be nothing holding them back. What would you be tempted to do if
there were no consequences or restraints? How would that compound the evil and
suffering in the world?
We all like to think we're nice, decent
people, but without God's influence all of that would disappear.
It's only by His grace and mercy, by His
constant giving and intervention that evil is held in check.
God rests
By
the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh
day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it
holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Genesis 2:2-3 NIV
But even when He rests, His attention is
directed towards us and He gives non-stop.
Until next time, praise God for the
wonderful gift of His non-stop giving. Praise Him in the midst of whatever you
face in life.
Be blessed
Darrel Mason
God is a Giver
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift
is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no
variation or shadow of turning. James 1:16-17
I have a brand new 9 week old puppy that we have had in our home now for less
than a week. She is bold, confident, independent, and full of life. She thinks
she should get whatever she wants, but she doesn’t always know what is
detrimental for her. She has even tried to guard her food and the holes she has
dug in the backyard. She hasn’t learned yet that it is I who gives her that food
and allows her to dig. I must teach her to submit to me for her own safety and
for the safety of those she comes in contact with.
Sometimes that is a challenging task. There are times she may not simply
accept no for an answer. Sometimes I have to flip her belly up until she finally
gives in and submits. There are other times when she isn’t so confident when she
runs to me for refuge. Once in the backyard, a loud plane flew by overhead. She
darted to the safety of my feet for protection. Also, I placed her in the shower
for a bath and she crawled up into my arms very unsure of the idea of being
drenched.
She is a lot like we are sometimes in our relationship with the Lord. We trust
the Lord when we acknowledge our uncertainty or when we feel endangered. Other
times however, we want to do things our way and get angry when our plans are
thwarted as if God wants to take from us. It is important that we choose to
submit to God in all things knowing that He has our best interest at heart. We
don’t want God to have to discipline us in order to bring us to a place of
submission. Our struggle against Him is hard on us and prevents Him from
blessing us the way He desires too.
God is a giver by nature. Sometimes we don’t understand this part of His nature
fully. We have wrong mindsets that cause us to believe God is a taker. This
builds fear and resent towards God. The enemy will use this deep rooted belief
to cause us to doubt. Remember in the Garden of Eden the enemy used that very
belief against Eve. He caused Eve to think God was holding out on her by not
letting her eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet, God had
given Adam and Eve abundance all around them and they walked with God on a daily
basis. Eve saw the fruit and decided for herself it was good for eating. Her
independence and disobedience proved to be the very thing that stole much from
her.
John 10:10 really sums it up: “The thief does not
come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may
have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
The enemy is the taker and God is the giver by nature. Does that
mean that God never takes? No. He may remove things from us that are detrimental
or a hindrance to our purpose, but that doesn’t mean that He is in heaven
waiting to lower the boom on us for every wrong move we make. He is long
suffering and patient and merciful. It doesn’t mean that He doesn’t pronounce
judgment. He does, and “Your judgments are right”
(Psalms 119:75) When God takes, it is for our good and to lead us back to
Him so He can bless us more abundantly.
Satan is the taker, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t give. He gives us plenty
that is pleasing to our flesh, but never for our good, but instead, to lead us
to destruction.
We can trust God in all things. We can trustingly submit to His ways. His
motives are pure. He loves us. Isn’t about time we stop growling at God and hold
fast to Him no matter what our circumstances are? God is for us. Romans 8:31-32
tells us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He
not with Him also freely give us all things?”
Blessings, Janet Fairbrother
Proof
The argument is so common as to be trite and cliché. There is so much evil in
the world that there cannot be a loving God. Yet, it is the "proof" used by many
to explain why they do not believe there is a "god". Alternatively it is also
used as a "proof" that if there is a "god" he is powerless or uncaring.
I understand this thought process, in fact I once believed it myself. Yet, it is
"proof" of absolutely nothing. If anything it is a greater affirmation for the
existence of a loving powerful God than a denial of his existence.
Wait a minute ... the existence of evil in the world shows that there is a god?
How is that even possible or logical?
Okay, we can neither prove or disprove God. We can examine the evidence of His
existence and then come to a reasoned conclusion based on our interpretation of
that evidence but that isn't the same as "proof". Having said that lets look at
a couple of situations where there is no "proof" but the very existence of a
situation is a reasonable conclusion that something else exists.
Have you ever been hungry? Hunger is not proof that food exists but it does
strongly and reasonable suggest that something must exist to fill that hunger.
Hunger does not prove that food doesn't exist, in fact the opposite is true, and
it leads us to food.
The fact that sometimes we are thirsty is not "proof" of water, nor does it
"disprove" that water exists. The existence of thirst suggests the possibility
that something out there can remedy that thirst.
Anxiety suggests the possibility of peace. Hatred suggests the possibility of
love. Dark suggests the possibility of light. Injustice suggests justice. The
list of comparisons is virtually endless.
The very fact that we are able to recognize that evil and suffering exist tells
us that we recognize that there is an alternative, a remedy. We have some kind
of standard to suggest that evil and suffering are neither right nor
appropriate. We may not understand or agree on what that standard is or the
source of that standard, but there is something that tells us that evil and
suffering are bad things.
A standard suggests something that can be measured against. That something might
be peace and goodness. If there is peace and goodness there must be a source.
While the thought of peace and goodness does not prove beyond all doubt that
"god" exists, one must reasonably infer some source for the standard and the
existence of the alternatives to evil and injustice.
The existence of evil and our ability to perceive it as evil suggests that there
must be an alternative "good". The existence or evil does not "prove" that a
"god" does not exist or is powerless. To be honest though if we are willing to
admit that evil is in fact evil we must also be willing to acknowledge the
possibility of a "god" even if we cannot agree on who or what he/she/ it is.
My own search has led me to the inescapable conclusion that the ultimate source
of all that is good is the God described in the Bible. He is the one about whom
it is said that:
Genesis 1:1, 1:31-2:3 NIV
In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth. ... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
And there was evening, and there was morning - the sixth day. Thus the heavens
and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had
finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all
his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he
rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Rationalize all you will and use the existence of evil as part of your
rationalization if you must, but do not do so under the pretext that it
precludes the existence of a "god". The very existence of evil is a much better
indicator for the existence of "god" than "proof" that he doesn't exist.
When you see and recognize evil, injustice, suffering and oppression in this
world use it as a point to begin your search to find the alternatives that the
existence of these things suggests.
Until next time, may God bless you in your quest for the truth.
Of all the things in the world is there anything more important than God and
truth?
Darrel Mason
Our Provider
Jehovah-Jireh - (or to be more technically correct YHWH-Jireh) the Lord our
provider was a name for God given to Him by Abraham when a ram was provided as a
sacrifice on Mount Moriah rather than having to offer his son Isaac on the
altar. I'm not going there this morning but if you want to read the account it
is in Genesis 22.
I want to look at the idea of the Lord our provider from a set of verses that
you might not have considered in that light, some that you might not ever have
read.
Let's go to the Old Testament book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 43:1-7 NIV
But now,
this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O
Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are
mine. ISA When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you
pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the
fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the
LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your
ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my
sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people
in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring
your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the
north, `Give them up!' and to the south, `Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons
from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth-- everyone who is called
by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
Those are some of my favorite verses. When I am going through tough times I
often turn to these verses for comfort. The Lord is speaking specifically
speaking to the people of Israel in this context it is also a spiritual
principle that applies to us.
It is such a wondrous picture of who God is… But now, this is what the LORD
says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
The opening words of Genesis ring in my ear when I read that … In the beginning
God created the heavens and the earth
We are here because God Himself created us. We are His creation from the get go.
We're not some cosmic fluke or the result of random chance. We have a creator
and were created for a purpose. Not only did God create us, the Bible tells us
that we were created in His image
But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed
you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name;
you are mine.
If we belong to Christ we are redeemed. We are bought with a price, the precious
blood of Christ. We are ransomed. We are paid for. We are set free. We are
delivered from the wages of our sin.
With our redemption God provides us with security to the point we don't have to
fear. If we belong to Him we don't have to fear anything.
Not only are we His as believers in a group, we are His and He knows our name.
This is a very personal God who knows each of us personally and loves each of us
individually.
God goes on to remind us "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you".
We saw that truth when He led His people out of Egypt. He literally passed them
through the waters without harm. He parted the Red Sea and allowed them to walk
on dry land.
He says "when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you." He
brought his people into the Promised Land on dry ground even though the Jordan
River was at flood stage. As soon as the feet of the priests carrying the Ark of
the Covenant touched the river it stopped flowing until they were across.
He continues "When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames
will not set you ablaze." Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood in the fiery
furnace and were not burned.
God is giving Israel a history lesson from creation on forwards. These are not
just vague concepts. He has shown that He is capable of providing deliverance
through any circumstance. Not only is He capable He has done it.
Through Isaiah God continues” For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of
Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.
Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will
give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life." With the
benefit of hindsight, we can see that he did literally give someone in exchange
for our lives. He gave us Christ.
It is God alone who provides our salvation our redemption. He sends His Holy
Spirit to convict us of our sin and the truth about Christ. He gives us the
faith to be saved. He paid the price on the cross. Our salvation is provided for
by God in every way.
The Lord goes on to say "Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your
children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north,
`Give them up!' and to the south, `Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from
afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth-- everyone who is called by my
name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
He's doing that even today. He is calling His children from every corner of the
globe into salvation. He isn't just calling the Jews. He's calling you and me,
the gentiles as well.
God is truly our provider. He is our creator. He provides everything we need for
life including the food we eat and the air we breathe. He walks with us through
the most difficult of circumstances. He provides us with the hope and promise of
salvation. He provides for us in this life and the beyond. He prepares us to
serve Him eternally in glory.
Your provision is more than you can see and touch here on earth. When the money
runs low and all looks to be disappearing remember your provider and All he has
given to you.
Look beyond the natural to the spiritual and rejoice for the things He has
provided which can never be taken away.
How hard it is for a rich man to get into heaven because of the things that tie
him down to earth and keep him from rising above.
What is the fear you fight when the waters are coming in and the fire is all
around you?
Is there really something you just can’t live without?
Is your property and earthly goods really your provision?
If your trust and hope is in them instead of God? Then God may remove them to
teach you a lesson. I speak from experience, God will take down, break down,
anything that you are trusting in and exalting above Him (your idol).
Ps 33:17-21-An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by
his great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon
them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them
alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
KJV
Ps 20:7-Some trust in chariots , and some in horses : but we will remember the
name of the LORD our God.
Until next time rejoice in His provision that really keeps you!
Darrel Mason
White
We've had a mix of weather the past few days. We've had rain, freezing rain and
snow. That's made some of the highways pretty treacherous, but the snow sure
makes things look pretty. Most things are covered with a fresh clean white
blanket. It's amazing what a new covering can do.
I was thinking about fresh white coverings last night as I was drifting off to
sleep and my mind went to John's Revelation of Jesus the Christ.
Jesus appears to John in white, the color of purity.
Revelation 1:12-16 NIV
I turned around to see the voice that
was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among
the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down
to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were
white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet
were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of
rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came
a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its
brilliance.
A little later on in Revelation we see a promise that overcomers will be clothed
in white.
Revelation 3:4-6 NIV
Yet you have a few people in Sardis
who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for
they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will
never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name
before my Father and his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the churches.
There are other places in Revelation where this "overcoming" is mentioned. It's
a great promise but who is it that is overcomes? We go to John's first epistle
to see that question answered.
1 John 5:1-5 NIV
Everyone who believes that Jesus is
the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as
well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and
carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his
commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This
is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that
overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
That means you and I can be made pure, covered in white if we trust in Jesus as
the Christ. It's a promise that's open to anyone who will accept it.
We see the martyred saints in white in heaven, we see the Lord's army in white.
We see white horses and more. Where does all this white come from? From
something totally removed from white.
Revelation 7:13-14 NIV
Then one of the elders asked me,
"These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered,
"Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great
tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb.
The white robes come from being washed in the blood of the lamb. Of course this
is a metaphor because washing something with blood would never turn it white.
Our sin is forgiven because of the sacrifice of Jesus (the blood of the Lamb)
and with no sin to shine through, our true brilliance that results from being
created in God's image shines through.
We'll be whiter than snow. We'll be made whiter than white. It will be kind of
white that we can only imagine. I thought about the brilliance of a snow covered
field that reflects the fullness of a noon day sun. That kind of brilliant white
is painful to look at with unshielded eyes. I suspect we'll be even whiter than
that but we'll have un-hurting eyes to see people as God created them to be.
Even if we never meet in this world, if we're believers we'll meet in glory
dressed in white.
I'm excited at the prospect of seeing each of you clothed in that brilliant
white. I'm excited to think that there will come a time when I can know each of
you as God intended you to be known and you can know me the same way.
We'll see each other at our best, better than anything we can imagine. We see
each other in the context of fully glorifying God in all that we do. What a
beautiful moment that will be.
Our petty hurts and squabbles will be gone. Our differences will have been
resolved. Our hurts and anger will have been cleansed away with our sin. I know
to the very core of my being that we'll be amazed to see how beautiful each one
of us truly is.
We'll all still look different than one another because God created each of us
to be unique and serve a special purpose, but those differences won't be
divisive, they'll be like jewels surrounded by white.
Until we meet again be blessed and hold fast to the promise of the Christ.
Darrel Mason