Devotionals for September 2009
September 1
Winning Equals Endurance
In one of the Rocky movies, Rocky is known for saying,
“It ain’t about how hard you can hit! Its about how hard you can get hit! How
much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”
That’s true in this spiritual race we are running too.
We need to know: It is a race! It
is training! When we get knocked down, we need to get up!
When Elijah ran from Jezebel and hid in a cave, God asked Elijah twice,
“What are you doing here…Go and return…” As Christians we are called to endure.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says,
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run,
but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who
competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that
will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I
do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the
air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to
others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
2 Timothy
2:3-4 tells us, “Endure
hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a
soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding
officer.”
If we
focus on our circumstances, we get down, we faint, and we get weary. This is NOT
faith!! If Jesus was called to endure opposition, we will be too.
The word
warns us about fainting and growing tired:
Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we
shall reap, if we faint not.”
In Genesis 45:26 Jacob’s heart fainted because he believed them not. If we
falter in faith, we will faint.
If you
find yourself weary and fainting, get back up, stand on God’s promises, and
remember the enemy is just doing what he does best! As soldiers of Christ, we
count on our commanding officer and what He does best!
He gives strength to the weary and increases the
power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and
fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar
on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not
be faint. (Isaiah
40:29-31) God promises, “I
will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” (Jeremiah 31:25)
We often tell God with enthusiasm what we want
to do for him until he begins to prepare us for that work, and then we say,
“Wait—I didn’t think you’d do it that way! I can’t handle this.” Although 2
Corinthians 8:11-12 is speaking about finances, it applies spiritually to other
areas of our lives as well. “Now finish the work,
so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it,
according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable
according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.”
It is not about your ability. It is about God’s ability.
Remember when you are weak He is strong. He lives inside of you! Let God out! He
can take it! It ain’t about how hard you can hit! It’s about how hard you can
get hit! How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is
done!
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you
may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6:13
You are called to WIN!
Blessings,
Janet Fairbrother
Designer Labels
Most days when out of the house I will wear one of my ministry shirts which has
a label over the pocket and a large emblem on the back.
Today while looking for flooring for the kitchen one of the salesman asked if I
was one of those “crazy Christians.” Not trying to draw too many inferences from
his question I replied that I was a Christian but not crazy. He looked at me and
pondered what I had said and now it gave him something to think about and draw
some inferences of his own.
It reminded me though how so many people are concerned not just with clothing
labels but how we label others based on appearances.
We want to have the status we think the brand gives us. It's all an illusion.
There is no lasting status in wearing someone's brand. It's superficial and
artificial. It's of no value.
There is a brand though that is worth carrying.
Romans 8:28-30 NIV
RO 8:28 And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to
his purpose. [29] For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to
the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
[30] And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also
justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
That brand is being known as one who loves God.
Branded that way shows in our being increasingly made in the image of His Son.
That doesn't mean we'll look more like Him from a physical perspective. It means
we'll be more loving and more in love with Father. We'll have peace, joy,
patience, kindness, gentleness and self control. The fruit of the Spirit will
show in our lives.
With His brand we're justified. That means the penalty for our sin has been paid
in full.
We're in the process of becoming sanctified. That's a fancy word that means to
be holy, to be set apart.
We're going to be glorified. That means we will be all that God created us to be
in heaven with Him.
That's worth far more than a fancy label on a suit or logo on a pair of shoes.
To belong to Christ, to be a true lover of God is a brand that brings eternal
rewards.
Until next time wear the brand "Christian" boldly.
Darrel Mason
Feeding the Bears
I was watching a documentary about some of our national parks here in America.
Although informative in a lot of areas, there was one item that the park rangers
told about and had a stern warning for park visitors. This was in the area of
feeding the local wildlife particularly the bears.
It
reminded me of when I was a kid and we had taken a trip to one of the parks in
the mountains. Oddly the place to see the bears feed and scavenge was at the
dump site for the visitor’s leftover garbage.
We went to watch the bears come to feed. Black bears; brown bears; mother
bears with cubs and cranky old males would show up over the course of the
evening. The dump seemed to be a place where the bears had an uneasy truce.
There was plenty of food to go around. The antics of the cubs in particular were
a source of great laughter for us.
We stayed in the car, although some people would get out and throw food to
the bears. The prevailing "wisdom" was that if you didn't get between a mother
and her cubs or a bear and the food you were safe. Every year, in someone or
some people would find out the hard way that it wasn't as safe as they thought
and the bears weren't as friendly as they appeared. Someone somewhere got mauled
by a bear every year, often it happened to several people over the course of a
summer.
The prevailing "wisdom" that you could take liberties with the bears
proved to be not very wise and often dangerous. When you think about it, it only
makes sense to give large hungry animals their space especially when those
animals have huge claws, big teeth and no fear of people. Yet the bears always
"seemed" so friendly and harmless.
Today you don't have to be at the dump to see danger masquerading as
harmless fun. Simply turn on a television set, pick up a newspaper or magazine,
turn on the radio, go to a movie or go sit and listen to people talking. The
bears are all around us.
The world bombards us with messages that sexual sin, greed, substance
abuse and more are perfectly safe and perfectly acceptable. How much harm can a
drink, a smoke, a trip to the casino, a brief sexual fling or a little self
serving greed do? After all, everyone else seems to be doing it.
The reality is that there is no such thing as a harmless sin. Sin is
rebellion against God and it distances us from Him. All sin has a price tag
attached it's just that it is often a sin now and pay later kind of deal.
For the wages of sin is death Romans 6:23a
NIV
Sodom and Gomorrah thought they could get away with their sin and for a
long time it must have seemed as if they did. Eventually though God's patience
with them ran out. The result? Only Lot and his two daughters were left alive to
tell the story.
Sin isn't harmless fun; it is a dangerous place to be. It isn't by
coincidence that Peter writes:
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the
devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter
5:8 NIV
He knew as well as anyone the dangers of pride and sin. He had fallen
himself many times and knew how dangerous sin could be.
In today's society, it is often viewed as old fashioned, prudish or even
"quaint" to talk of sin. The world continues to deceive itself that there is no
harm in flaunting God. They're wrong, God doesn't think of sin as an old
fashioned or "quaint" concept. God is holy and sin brings God's wrath.
But for those who are self-seeking and who
reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. Romans 2:8 NIV
What bears are there that you are feeding
in your life?
What things do you consider harmless that
might come back to bite you later?
Until next time, remember not to feed the bears and to beware of Satan who
will tempt with all kinds of "harmless" fun that is anything but.
Remember to flee temptation and don’t leave a forwarding address!
Be blessed.
Darrel Mason
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Labor Day
In
America, it's Labor Day today. It started as a celebration of the "working man"
in New York in 1882. These days there isn't much celebration of the working man
left in the holiday, it has simply become that last long weekend of summer.
Even though we don't use the day to celebrate labor any more, just the name of
the day got me thinking on the subject. What do we labor for?
God created us to labor. He knew that work was an important part of our makeup,
but he also recognized that too much work isn't a good thing either.
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do
all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you
shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your
manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that
is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the
Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 20:8-11 NIV
King Solomon, struggled with that issue of the meaning of our labors. He was a
man who had seen it all, done it all and owned it all.
What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun
rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to
the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its
course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place
the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more
than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of
hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:3-9 NIV
While the writer starts out sound like he believes work is valueless, when we
read on, we find out that's not the case at all. Later in the same book we some
of his conclusions.
Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to
find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of
life God has given him--for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man
wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be
happy in his work--this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his
life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 NIV
To work (in whatever form that takes), is a gift from God. When you faced
whatever work you must accomplish today, did you look at it as a gift from God
or as a chore to be done? I confess that far too often I've looked at work from
the wrong perspective. As I read the wise mans words, I was called to do a
little repenting about my attitude.
All work has value. It needn't be paid employment. Volunteer work is valuable.
Work at home for the family has value. Just caring for people is work and has
value. The work God has given us is His gift to us. It's only people who make
the distinction between "important" and "unimportant" work. It doesn't matter if
you're a teacher, a preacher, a doctor, a housewife, a laborer or a skilled
tradesperson. Your work is a gift from God and is therefore valued in His eyes.
Whatever our work, we're called to do it to the best of our abilities for the
sake of God.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not
for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a
reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24 NIV
Celebrate your labors today. They are a gift from God and the way you do them
can be a gift to God.
Until next time, rejoice in your labor.
Be blessed
Darrel Mason
Whole Lotta Shakin'
I've always been fascinated by snow globes. You know, those little balls of
clear glass filled with liquid and fake snow. You shake them and when you set
them down they "snow" on the scene inside the ball.
I wouldn't want to own a bunch of them because they would all have to be dusted
and they would take up bookshelf space that could be filled with ... well...
books. I still enjoy them though when others have them.
Sometimes, our lives feel as if we're in the middle of one of those globes and
there's a “whole lotta shakin' goin” on. There is trouble and turmoil.
Circumstances seem to be careening out of control. It feels as if the enemy is
firing full barrages at us on a non- stop basis.
Let's face it folks, life can be hard at times. Life can be hard even for
Christians. No, that's not quite right. Life can be especially hard for
Christians. We shouldn't be surprised by that idea. Jesus told us it would be
that way.
In John 16:33, Jesus says “In this
world you will have trouble.”
That's pretty definitive. There is no maybe, might or possibly.
The reality of life is that we all live in a fallen world and everyone, whether
they believe in Jesus or not is going to have seasons of trouble. We all face
death. We will all be rejected by someone at sometime, be unjustly accused, be
treated unfairly and be hurt. We'll suffer illness and pain.
Our lives are going to be shaken at times. There's no promise of smooth sailing.
There's no magic that says become a Christian and you'll never have another
problem or experience another loss.
In this world we're having trouble. Every imaginable trouble and then new ones
to add to the mess. So much for the bad news. What's the good news? Now let's
look at the entire verse from John. It says...
John 16:33 NIV
"I have told you these things, so
that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take
heart! I have overcome the world."
Jesus has overcome the world. We're told to take heart in the midst of the
promised trouble.
He brings us peace in the midst of turmoil.
Philippians 4:4-7 NIV
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will
say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.
We're to rejoice in the Lord always. Even in the midst of turmoil and shaking.
Satan can do his worst to shake us up. It doesn't matter in the end because we
have overcome the world.
1 John 4:4 NIV
You, dear children, are from God
and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one
who is in the world.
Let the world shake. Our foundation will not be moved and we have one the
victory. When your world is shaking, sing His praises.
What do we do when the world shakes? We pray and trust Jesus. When it shakes
even more remember we've already won.
After Calvary there is nothing left but little aftershocks. When we get to glory
we won't even have those to contend with.
Until next time, whatever is shaking your world, remember, God is in control and
we have the victory.
Standing on the rock while all is else is shaking!
Darrel Mason
Dirt Road
It is beginning to get cold here in Albuquerque. It won’t be long till fall is
here and behind it wintertime. Now is the time when a lot of people will be
going to the mountains to cut and gather wood for the winter.
I was reminded of times past when I would do the same, so I present this
narrative.
The dirt road was narrow, barely enough room for the pickup truck I was driving.
It was hemmed in on both sides by a mixture of deep bush and trees. The road
passed through mountain passes with steep sides.
There was no place to turn around. The truck was old and the reverse gear
somewhat less than reliable i.e. you could back up sometimes but you couldn't
count on it for long. My only option was to keep driving forward.
In a lot of ways life is like that narrow old dirt road. There is no backing up.
The things of the past are behind us; we can't back up and revisit them. All we
can do is drive on forwards and make good choices as we come to the fork in the
road.
The past has passed. We can't go back and change a single moment of it good or
bad. We cannot do anything about the past but we often live life looking in the
rearview mirror. We are so intent on seeing what's behind us that we're in
danger of running into a tree or bush that's ahead of us.
No one can change the past. However, all of us have the option of changing in
the present and for the future. We can't change the things behind but we can
choose how we will respond to them.
Perhaps circumstances or bad choices have left you scarred in some way. You can
choose to focus on the damage and not move forward or you can choose to move
ahead through Christ.
The Apostle Paul understood this idea well.
Philippians 3:12-14 NIV
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect,
but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I
do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on
toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in
Christ Jesus.
Living focused on the rearview mirror limits your options a lot. You never see
opportunities until you are past them. You can't see danger until it's too late.
You really have no idea where you're going and you'll never get back to the
places or things you're looking for in the mirror.
In a sense life is like a one way street. There is no going back. It doesn't
hurt to look back now and then but we need to be focused on getting where we're
going not trying to live where we've already been.
Is there some part of your past that is always in your rear view mirror?
Is there some part of your past that seeks to invade your present?
Only God can give you the correct focus and view-point to keep you from
obstacles that would blur your present and future.
Ask God for those eyes to see the now, to see the present and to guide you
around the obstacles that could deter or wreck you.
Remember your changing the past involves you making the right choices and
decisions today.
Don’t let today be the past that hinders your tomorrow!
Be blessed,
Darrel Mason
September 15
Matter of Perspective
I was thinking the other day of an incident that happened back when I was young.
In a playground near our home was a huge sandbox that was one of the favorite
spots for all the kids in the neighborhood to hang out in.
One afternoon I wandered over to play in the park. The big old sandbox had
undergone a transition.
It was full of giant kids who had taken cardboard boxes and made a fort in the
sand. None of the smaller kids were allowed anywhere near the sandbox because
the big kids told us they would beat us up. The fort was massive. I remember it
was taller than I was, so in my young mind it was as impregnable as a real
castle guarded by an army.
In retrospect the giants were probably in the fifth or sixth grade, but they
seemed so big that we were awed by them and terrified by them. All it would have
taken was a brother a little bigger than the kids in the fort or an assertive
adult and we could have claimed our sandbox back. We just didn't think about
that and felt depressed.
A similar thing happened to the people of Israel. Moses sent them to scout out
the Promised Land.
Numbers 13:17-14:4 NIV
When Moses
sent them to explore Canaan, he said, "Go up through the Negev and on into the
hill country. See what the land is like and whether the people who live there
are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good
or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they un-walled or fortified? How
is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best
to bring back some of the fruit of the land." (It was the season for the first
ripe grapes.)
So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob,
toward Lebo Hamath. They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where
Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, lived. (Hebron had been
built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. When they reached the Valley of Eshcol,
they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it
on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. That place was
called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut
off there. At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land. They
came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the
Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and
showed them the fruit of the land.
They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and
it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live
there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw
descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites,
Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near
the sea and along the Jordan."
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take
possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."
But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they
are stronger than we are." And they spread among the Israelites a bad report
about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those
living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim
there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like
grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."
That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.
All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said
to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the LORD
bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and
children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to
Egypt?" And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to
Egypt."
Now these were the very same people that God had delivered out of Egypt, parted
the Red Sea for and provided for supernaturally in the desert. They had seen Him
be faithful in ways that staggered the imagination time and time again.
Yet at the first sign of an obstacle, they were ready to pack it all in, stone
Moses and run away. They showed as much bravery and insight as I did as a
preschooler at the sandbox.
The reality is that you and I are probably not so different than the people of
Israel. We have seen and read of innumerable times when God has delivered people
out of seemingly impossible situations. He has brought solutions that only God
could bring to bear.
Yet when we're faced with a problem our minds magnify the size of the problem
and minimize the power of God. We're quick to give up. We're quick to whine
about God having abandoned us. We're quick to think about giving up on our
faith.
The same God who parted the Red Sea and worked in the lives of so many biblical
characters is still alive and working in the lives of believers today. The way
we approach our problems is a matter of perspective. We can let them defeat us
without any effort like the Israelites did or we can choose to remember God and
His faithfulness and press on.
God is still alive. He's still powerful and He can still overcome any obstacle.
Until next time, remember who we serve and press on in His name and under His
power.
The only giant you can’t win over is the one you magnify bigger than God!
Be blessed
Darrel Mason
If you're facing problems that seem too big to deal with, turn to the one who
can overcome any difficulty. Turn to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Email us give us a number and we will call you and pray with you. (USA only) All other countries we will reply via email.
Valleys
The weight of the whole world came crashing in on his shoulders. Every small
task seemed an overwhelming burden.
The outlook was black. There was no hope on the horizon, no light at the end of
the tunnel. No encouragement, nothing but discouragement everywhere he turned.
Sleep wouldn’t come for long periods and when it finally did come, it wasn’t
restful.
There must be some way out of this depression, this blackness, and this madness.
That was my life during a time of paralysis being told I would be dead or in a
coma within six months, struggling with chronic pain, fatigue and depression.
The only place to turn was to God to cry out to him above the words of the
doctors pronouncing a death sentence on me.
He answered my call and over time revealed himself to me. He led me through the
blackness and gave me the skills to face life. I didn’t have to do it alone. He
healed me of all signs of disease and destruction leaving the doctors in wonder
and awe.
I walked through the valley of the shadow of death and He was there with me.
We all go through those times in the valley. Perhaps in your case, it’s not
depression, but cancer, chronic sin, worry or some other issue. You wonder is He
there? You wonder will He answer, or can He forgive me again? Or can He heal me?
The answer is an unqualified yes.
The existence of the world proves He exists. His death and resurrection proves
that He cares. His Word promises us love and forgiveness.
He will be there no matter what.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show
that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed
on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but
not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our
body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our
body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake,
so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work
in us, but life is at work in you.
2 Corinthians 4:7-12 NIV
Trust in Him and He will carry you through.
Until next time, know that whatever is oppressing you, whatever you face, you
don’t stand-alone, and God is at your side.
He is the light at the end of the tunnel.
He IS the healer, the deliverer, the rock and ALL He claims to be. I pray you
will come to KNOW Him for All He really is and can be.
Blessings, Healing and Deliverance to You. In HIS name
JESUS!
Darrel Mason
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Rain
Praise the Lord. There has been a steady rain coming down for hours now. We're
in the midst of a drought and this little bit of rain is welcome. It won't be
the full answer to our farmers' problems but it might be enough to keep things
going until we get some more rain.
We would need days of this kind of rain to restore things to the way they should
be but I have no doubt the farmers are grateful for what is coming down.
As I thought about the rain coming down my mind was drawn to a piece of
Scripture.
Matthew 5:45b NIV
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous.
That says something about the character of God. He pours out blessing even on
those who hate Him. He knows that this earth is as near to heaven as
non-believers will get and in their final destiny there are no blessings for all
of eternity. He loves us all enough to provide some blessing to us all.
Looking at that little piece of Scripture in context...
Matthew 5:43-48 NIV
"You have heard that it was said, `Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But
I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may
be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the
good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who
love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not
even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Jesus is speaking with authority here. He is overturning a rabbinic
interpretation of the law and establishing a new way of thinking. He commands us
to be like Him and even bless those who reject us.
What a radical way of thinking. It goes beyond anything that the world teaches.
It took the people of Jesus' day beyond traditional Judaism into a whole new way
of thinking and acting.
It isn't an easy task to love the unlovable, yet it is what we are commanded to
do. It isn't an option, Christ doesn't tell us to do it if and when we feel like
it. We are to be radically different from the rest of the world.
We're to be a people set apart by our love for Christ and the way it plays out.
We are to be His peculiar people.
Titus 2:11-14 NIV
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches
us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled,
upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed
hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave
himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a
people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
The meaning is the same but I like the KJV of this passage
Titus 2:14 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.
Until next time, may the world consider you peculiar as you show love to even
those who hate you and persecute you.
Be blessed!
Darrel Mason
Remedies
With the outbreak of H1N1 flu, there are a lot of people concerned and searching
for the correct way to approach and battle these outbreaks. Many are calling
doctors and pharmacies for the answer and some asking friends and colleagues.
The world is full of advice. You can find someone to advise you on anything for
a fee. There are self proclaimed experts in every field just waiting for the
opportunity. Some are well intentioned but many are not.
To complicate things there are counter opinions. It seems everyone knows a
second cousin's neighbor's aunt's mechanic or some such thing that went through
"exactly" the same thing and handled it differently.
In the past whenever I got a cold or flu the remedies came rolling in. The
remedies suggested included mustard plasters, garlic plasters and onion
plasters; onions in my shoes; eating sage and savory; a variety of over the
counter and prescription medications; chicken soup; honey and lemon; various
herbal teas and concoctions, hot toddies; Echinacea; drinking coal oil and sugar
and more. To be honest I don't even remember them all.
Each person was adamantly convinced that his/her own remedy was absolutely the
best thing going. Each of them was well intentioned.
It's no different in the spiritual realm. There are all kinds of well
intentioned people and hucksters out there ready to advise you. There are cults
and false religions of all kinds. There are plenty of new age practices (which
are nothing new at all, just old garbage in new wrappers). You can get your
horoscope done, your palm read, a tarot card reading, see a psychic detective,
get your dreams interpreted or any of ten thousand other practices all of which
are witchcraft and abhorrent to God (see Deuteronomy 18,Leviticus 19 and
Galatians 5).
We can watch "Oprah" or similar shows to get the latest scoop on what's in vogue
for spirituality and self help. There's always someone on who knows more than
God (at least that seems to be their claim).
How do we sort out the good stuff from the garbage? We weigh it against
Scripture. If it doesn't line up with God's Word it can't be right.
I recently saw some disturbing statistics ... According to 82 percent of
Americans, 'God helps those who help themselves,' is a Bible verse. Those
identified as born-again Christians did better--by one percent.
A majority of adults think the Bible teaches that the most important purpose in
life is taking care of one's family. A Barna poll indicated that at least 12
percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. Another survey of
graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom
and Gomorrah were husband and wife. A considerable number of respondents to one
poll indicated that the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham
Folk's we're in trouble here. We have God's Word readily available in a plethora
of translations, printed, on CD, MP3, DVD and online. We have readily available
more free online study tools than many seminaries once had. Yet, we're
biblically illiterate and turning to everything but God's Word for truth.
God's people are perishing from a lack of knowledge. We need to be learning what
the Scriptures teach and then applying that to our lives. Without God's truth
we're simply operating with folk theology.
James 1:22-25 NIV
Do not merely listen to the word, and
so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does
not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after
looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But
the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and
continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be
blessed in what he does.
We not only have to read the Bible, we need to learn how to interpret it
correctly. I've seen some horrible misapplication of Scriptures and have even
made some myself. The only cure for that is to do our theology well and do it in
community. We need to understand what we believe and why we believe it. We need
to guard our doctrine and live our lives well.
As I write those words I think of Paul's charge to young Timothy.
1 Timothy 4:11-16 NIV
Command and teach these things. Don't
let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the
believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come,
devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to
teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic
message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these
matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you
will save both yourself and your hearers.
Where will you turn for guidance?
Where will you turn for advice?
Where will you turn for the remedy to your latest issue or problem?
My prayer is that you will turn to Scripture rightly divided and correctly
applied.
Blessings to all,
Darrel Mason
Fear is For Prey
Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring
lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are
experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9
Driving around town, I read a sign that quoted, “Fear is for prey.” As children
of God, we are NOT supposed to be prey! Prey is defined as a victim of an enemy.
Unfortunately, many Christians have fallen into that category. They have
become prey to the enemy. The enemy is always close behind ready to pounce and
gulp them down. The Greek word for devour is “katapino” which literally means to
drink down.
This brings the scriptures in 2 Timothy 2:24-26 to mind,
“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be
gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in
opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the
truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil,
having been taken captive by him to do his will.” The enemy takes them
captive by swallowing them up making them believe his lies.
I must include one more scripture to bring God’s solution to this dilemma. James
4:7, which states, “Therefore submit to God. Resist
the devil and he will flee from you.”
In order to prevent ourselves from being prey to the enemy, we must first and
foremost submit to God. That means to obey Him; to come under His authority. If
we fail to do this, the enemy does not have to flee. Secondly, be sober and
vigilant means to watch out and be aware. We must pay attention and notice the
first signs of the enemy’s presence. Why? Because we are told to resist him.
Resist is an action. It means to oppose and strive against. We must turn and
face him not run or hide. Lastly, we confront him with the truth. He is a
defeated foe and at the name of Jesus, he must bow! Now that is being steadfast
in the faith; solid, strong, and sure. You have to know and believe who you are
in Christ. You have the victory. You are the head and not the tail. All
authority over the enemy has been given to you by Jesus himself.
As you grow stronger and stronger in the Lord, you will not only resist the
devil on your behalf, but on the behalf of others. You will not wait until the
enemy comes after you, you will begin to storm the gates of hell to rescue those
he has taken captive. He then becomes your prey trembling in fear in your
presence.
Don’t fall prey to the enemy. Give him reason to flee from you.
God bless,
Janet Fairbrother