Perfection? What's THAT?

Today I have been thinking about my recent mission trip and the fact that SO many people just do NOT see the need for God or for forgiveness. They think they are good people and, therefore, they have no need of a Savior! This reminds me of an elderly man in the very first church my husband and I served as pastor and wife. He told my husband, "Oh, pastor! If we could ever get them lost, then we could get them saved!" Even way back then, this man was seeing this same problem. Lostness. If you can't find your way to a certain place, but you enjoy all the little side trips and diversions along the journey, you may not consider yourself lost at all! BUT, you are still LOST!!!

A couple of scriptures leap to my mind.

   " For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!' "

                                                                                         Romans 10:12-15

   " Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48

I believe there are LOT of people, even people who are Christians, who don't know that second verse. 

Those are the words of Jesus, telling us we are to be perfect. Well, we know that's not possible! Here most folks are walking around thinking, "I'm pretty good! God's going to accept me. I haven't done anything wrong."  What they don't know is just how high the bar is! The standard we must meet is PERFECTION!  Pretty good just won't cut it! The ONLY WAY TO BE PERFECT before God is through forgiveness and cleansing of sin that only JESUS can give!  

So. Lost people, not realizing they are lost, need to find out just how far off-track they really are! How are they going to see it? Enter Romans 10:12-15. Someone must TELL them; must SHOW them. It is my prayer that God will use me to tell and to show people the love, forgiveness, peace and purpose that only Jesus can give. A relationship with Jesus is the destination our hearts are searching for!  We never quite feel "at peace" until we are forgiven and freed of our sinfulness and begin a personal relationship with Jesus. Then, and only then, can a person truly become all he or she was meant to be!

What about YOU? Are you willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the world? That could mean talking to someone who looks or acts or thinks differently than you. It could mean going somewhere outside your normal travel plan - across the street, across the tracks, across the country, or across an ocean. There are many people who have heard the name "Jesus" but have no idea that He wants to have a personal relationship with them! Who will bring them the Good News of Jesus? Who will explain it to them? Who will pray for their eyes and ears to be opened? Who will pray for those who go? Who will financially support those who go? Who will say, " Here am I. Send me!" ?

The Solution.

Today is the National Day of Prayer. Naturally, my thoughts today are on the subject of prayer. Our country is on the edge of a cliff. We must decide if we are going to walk away from it or fall into the gorge below.

I watched a television show last night in which a young man, a soldier who had returned home after three tours of combat duty, was distraught. His mind and emotions were all over the spectrum. He couldn't function as a normal human being because of what he had seen and experienced as a soldier. He was up on a rooftop, ready to end it all. This man was in great need of help. He needed a savior to rescue him from this situation; from himself.

Enter police officer. This officer was also ex-military and had dealt with the same issues this man was dealing with. He assured the man that it was possible to overcome his problems and he offered to personally help him. The soldier had a choice to make - humble himself and get the help he needed or jump. Sadly, he chose to jump.

Our country clearly has a lot of problems. Everyone seems to want to "fix" our country, but the answer doesn't lie in presidential candidates or political parties. The answer lies in turning our hearts to God; in forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ.

2 Chronicles 7:14 says, "If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Clearly, God is offering the solution to our problems! The solution lies in confession of our sin, humbling ourselves before Almighty God. We must pray. We must seek His face, which is to CRAVE Him. We, as individuals, must each make a choice. Do we reach out for help from the only one who can "fix" us, our do we choose to jump? I choose to humble myself, pray for forgiveness and crave to know God better and better each day.

Which do you choose?

He is with us - Always!

Have you ever had one of those moments when you are reading your Bible and a scripture just leaps off the page and grabs your heart? That happened to me this morning. It wasn't a "new" scripture, to me. I had read it many times before and even had it highlighted in my Bible! But today, as I prepare to speak at a women's retreat and as I look toward taking an extended summer mission trip, the Lord impressed on me that I need to memorize these verses. So that's what I'm going to do! I have written them on an index card and put that card in my little Jesus Calling devotional book. 

Today, Jesus is calling me to memorize scripture, which I really haven't done in years. He is also assuring me that He will be with me wherever I go, both at home and abroad. He is with me.

What is Jesus calling you to do today?

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you...the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

                                                                          Deuteronomy 31:6 & 8

 

     "I lift my eyes unto the hills. Where does my help come from? 

      My help comes from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and earth!"

The Benefits of Spending Time with Jesus

I used to think that spending time with Jesus was just a luxury for single people and those who no longer had children at home. Of course, I was wrong. Yes, I actually said it! I was wrong. Our time spent talking with the Lord should not be merely once, or maybe twice, a day! Instead, we should be having an ongoing conversation with Him all day long! As we are driving to work or school, we should pray for the day ahead, asking for His guidance throughout the day; asking Him to direct our thoughts, actions and even our reactions to others. 

Jude 1:24 says that Jesus is able to keep us from stumbling, slipping or falling. Now that could be taken literally, but I think, more often, it is to be taken figuratively. He can help me keep my mouth shut when I really want to blast someone. He can keep me from reacting badly in an already volatile situation. He can help me listen calmly and openly when someone is criticizing me instead of reacting defensively. He can keep me from putting my foot in my mouth. All of this and more are available to me.......IF, and ONLY IF, I walk with Him daily, hourly, every minute of the day.

As we go through our day, we must remember that God cares about the little things as well as the big problems in our lives. There is no problem too big OR too small for God. I can't even count the number of times I've asked the Lord for a parking space, when I was in a time crunch, or asked Him to show me the keys I had misplaced, and I needed to leave, like, NOW! He always comes through- right on time! He cares about our every need. Of course He also knows whether it is a genuine need or just something we want! Currently, I have misplaced something that is valuable to me and I have been asking the Lord to show me where I "put it for safe keeping." ( I do that a lot, and I have GOT to stop doing that!) So far, He has not chosen to let me find it. I have looked high and low, but...nothing. I am trying not to freak out over it. I have every confidence that if I really need it, the Lord will show me where it is hiding. Until then, I have PEACE!  What a blessing! I can have peace instead of stress because I know Jesus cares about every small detail of my life!

 

Philippians 4:6-7 CEV - "Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything.  With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel."

Jude 1:24 AMP - "Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present [you] unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight]--"

The Ugly Word

SIN. It's such an ugly word. So ugly, in fact that most people deny that they are " sinners." The very mention of the word conjures up images of  murder, theft, someone being physically or verbally attacked; what we consider "real" sin. Then we say to ourselves, " I'm not THAT bad!

We are ALL sinners. We all have sin that we don't even realize is there or that we don't remember because we felt it was so small or insignificant. There are things that we neglected to do. That is sin, too. We also, of course, are aware of the sins we commit which we consider "real" sin. We must ask forgiveness for ALL THREE types of sin. In God's eyes, sin is sin. It doesn't matter if we think it's major or insignificant. It only takes ONE sin to separate us from God, who is PERFECT. 

I am so grateful that Jesus paid the penalty for my sin; so grateful that I only had to pray for forgiveness. I chose to follow Him and I am no longer separated from Him. I'm not perfect but my Father in Heaven sure is and, with His help, I can be the person I was meant to be, both now and for eternity!

"None of us can see our own errors; deliver me, LORD, from hidden faults! Keep me safe, also, from willful sins; don't let them rule over me.Then I shall be perfect and free from the evil of sin. May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O LORD, my refuge and my redeemer!"

                                                           Psalms 19:12 - 14  GNT

5 Minutes with Jesus

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/27863-take-five-with-jesus

I LOVE this new promotion to spend at least 5 minutes each day with Jesus! So often we are busy, busy, busy and we feel like we just don't have time for Bible study and prayer. We put God on the back-burner, so to speak. But ...5 minutes? Everyone can do that. Even me!

I just want to encourage everyone to try it! It might mean reading your Bible while you eat your breakfast or lunch. It might mean praying ( eyes open!) while driving to work! You could even let the kids pray in the car, on the way to school. What a great way to send them off every morning, armed with the Spirit of Truth and with Jesus on their minds! This could truly transform not only your attitude for the day, but also your family's attitude.

Remember those old acronyms - F.R.O.G. and WWJD? Fully Rely on God and What Would Jesus Do? Maybe we should bring those back to life. They might just help our children focus on Jesus this school year.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."
         Ephesians 6:10-13 NIV