Being Thankful For What The Lord Has Done

The air is rather chilly outside and it is raining.  It is getting darker outside earlier as we approach the winter months up here in Northern Maine.  The days have been dark and gloomy as of late, but there is plenty to be thankful for.  Sometimes we get so caught up on what we don't have that we forget what the Lord has allowed us to have.

We have a roof over our heads, we have good health for the most part, we can breath, we have clean drinking water, we have a furnace to keep us warm on cold nights, and most importantly we have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who promises to never leave us nor forsake us.

Someone mentioned tonight that they have a journal that they keep and they write things they are thankful for.  It is always good to remember what the Lord has blessed us with.  Sometimes we take things and His blessings for granted.  I admit I take things for granted probably more than I know.  I take for granted that I have a warm comfortable bed to sleep in at night.  There are some people in this world that don't have that luxury.  I have clean drinking water.  There are many people in some areas that don't have clean drinking water.  I have a job so I can make money to help further the Kingdom of God and to pay my bills of course.  There are some people who can't get a job for one reason or another.

Sometimes we forget how much we have been blessed by God.  We who have been blessed by the Lord in this way need to be careful of pride and becoming complacent.  We may think we are better then those people that have less than us, but that is no the case.  We are no better at all.

I have read and heard about believers in Jesus Christ who live in extreme poverty and yet the joy that they have is amazing.  They have more joy and a greater faith in the Lord then people who have been blessed with many material things.  The joy of the Lord is their strength indeed.

Sometimes we who have so much tend to forget those who don't have very much and that makes me sad.  We should be thankful for all that the Lord has blessed us with, but we should also share those blessings with those who aren't as fortunate as we are.

The days are growing more troubling and the time of the return of Jesus Christ is drawing near.  We believers need to clear minded and focused on Him.  The Lord wants us to love Him with all of our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls.  He has also told us that we ought to love our neighbors as ourselves.

The Lord has blessed us so greatly so we can help those in need.  The greatest need that a person has is for salvation.  People need to hear the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ and grow up in Him.  The days are growing extremely short.  People need Jesus.

I Peter 4:7-11 says,

"7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 
                                                                           

8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves,

they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through

Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. "

We believers in Jesus Christ need to be alert and awake so the Day of the Lord's coming won't take us by surprise.  We need to be living and walking by faith in the Lord and be empowered by the Holy Spirit that indwells each of us that are trusting Christ as Savior.

We have been commanded to love each other and that is what we should so.  We live in a world where the love of many is growing cold day by day.  We need to forgive the hurts of the past and put on the love that Christ has for us and love those He has placed in our paths.

The Lord has blessed us with many gifts and we need to use them to minister to other people.  We must remember that what ever we do we must do it as if we were doing it for the Lord. 

Lord ,

Thank You for blessing us so greatly.

Help us to bless others and help us to reach out to others with the love of Christ.

We praise Your Name.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen.

                          

Our Greatest Need

There seems to be a growing anger and hatred going on in our world these days.  We are living in extremely dark and troubling times.  There was yet again another shooting on Saturday.  This time it was against Jewish people who were gathered in their synagogue too worship.  The man who committed this horrible crime expressed his hatred towards the Jewish people on social media before the rampage.

My prayers go out to the families that lost loved ones and those who were injured in this senseless act of violence.  I am very sorry that the hearts of many people have become so very hardened and all they can seem to do is hate.

We live in a fallen and sinful world.  Many people wonder what the problem is and what can be done about it.  The true problem is one of the heart.  We people have a heart problem.  The problem isn't just in one group of people or certain people, but the heart problem lies within me, you, and everyone.

We have all been born into this world with a sin nature.  Our hearts are bent away from the true living God, the Lord God Almighty.  We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of His glory.  We have all broken God's law.  We are all law breakers.  We have all broken the ten commandments in either thought or deed.

What we need is a Savior.  We need a Messiah and thankfully God in His infinite wisdom provided just the One for each of us.  God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into this world under the law.  Jesus lived a perfect life without sin.  Jesus never broke the law.  He is the only one that has ever kept the law perfectly.  Jesus went to the Cross and laid down His life for my sins and your sins as well and for the entire world.

God is an Awesome God.  Jesus rose from the dead on the third day to show us He is the Son of the living God.  Jesus is at the right hand of God the Father and One day He will come back to fully establish the Kingdom of God to this earth in full completion.

We must acknowledge that we are sinners and that we can't save ourselves.  There is not one of us that is good enough to save ourselves.  We need a Savior and thankfully God has provided us with One in the Lord Jesus Christ.  We must receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior in order to be saved from the coming wrath and judgment.  When we receive Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us to help us in our journey here on the earth.

Jesus is the answer to our broken hearts and He is the answer to our heart problem as well.  Times are tough and things are dark.  We don't know what will take place next, but we can rest in the promises of Jesus Christ our Lord and we can trust that He will protect us and be with us each step of the way until we see Him in Glory in Heaven.

We believers in Jesus Christ need to proclaim the Gospel message of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.  We must stand firm to the truth of His Word.  Things will grow from bad to worse in this increasingly dark world, but we must remember of the Living Hope with have in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord,
You are our greatest need.
We praise Your Name.
Help this world for it so badly needs You Lord.
Come soon Lord
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

Taming Our Tongues

We live in a very strange world and we are definitely living in troubling times as well.  There is so much political correctness going on these days a person has a hard time saying anything without offending somebody.  There is also an angry tone from some people and they say hurtful things that seem to stir up trouble.

Sometimes we fail to remember the power of our words.  Words can build up people and words can encourage and words can heal.  Our words can also tear people down and cause hurt and pain.  Words do matter and they should be used carefully with thought and care.  We all stumble and say dumb things.  I know there have been many occasions when I have said dumb things and mean things.

We believers in Jesus Christ need to tame our tongues for the glory of God.  We are representatives of Jesus to a lost and dying world.  Sometimes our words are not used properly with love to draw people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Don't get me wrong.  There are times when we need to speak up against things that are wrong and we must always speak the truth of who God is.  We must do it in a respectful manner, however.  The Lord will give us the proper words to use through His Holy Spirit if we are paying attention to Him.

James 3:1-12 says,

"1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 
                                                                           

2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.

4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.

5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind,

8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.

10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?

12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.    

We need to tame our tongues and that includes all of us.  Our words matter and we must remember how powerful our words are.  Words can change the direction of a person's life.  A child that is told by his or her parents that they are worthless and will never amount to anything will struggle throughout their lives with insecurity and the wondering if they will ever measure up.  

We believers in Jesus Christ are now children of God and God tells us that He has a plan and a purpose for our lives.  He gives us a future and a hope when we come to know God through the shred blood of Jesus Christ.  God sings over us with words of hope and encouragement.  God loves us and He calls us to love each other.

We need to be kind to one another and love each other as Christ Jesus loved us so very much.  

Are we showing our love by the words we are using?  or Are we spewing out anger and hatred and turning people away from God?

We need and we must chose our words wisely.  

Lord,

We aren't perfect.

Help us to use our words to build people up and draw them into a loving relationship with You.

Tame our tongues and may our words honor You O Lord.

Speak through us by Your Holy Spirit.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen.

                        

Our Unchanging Lord

                                          (Photograph by Michael Rairdon)

It snowed today where I live in Northern Maine.  I am not a fan of the snow and cold weather, but it is nice to see the landscape covered with a nice coating of snow.  There are still some leaves falling off of the trees and falling onto the new snow which makes a nice colorful experience.

The weather changes every now and then.  Sometimes it seems to change ever 15 minutes or so and sometimes sooner.  Our world is full of change.  The world isn't the same as it was 10, 20, or even 30 years ago.  Things don't stay the same.  Sometimes change is a good thing and sometimes change is not good at all.

There is a season for all things and there is a time for things as well.  God's timing is always at the right time.  We like things to happen when we want them to happen, but God is the One who is in control and He knows when the perfect time is for everything.  Things may indeed change, but we can be thankful that God never changes.

I like what the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 13:1-8 which says,

1 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 
                                                                           

2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” 

7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Even though things may be changing around us we believers in Jesus Christ need to out on love and love our brothers and sisters in Christ.  I feel sometimes we fail to show our love to our fellow Christians for one reason or another.  The Lord Jesus told us to love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, body, and soul.  He also said for us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

We need to remember to show love by being hospitable and caring for others.  We believers in Christ need to remember those who are shut up in prison and pray for them and visit them when possible.  We should also remember those people who are unable to leave their homes because of ailments. 

Marriage is a sacred union that God established between one man and one woman and anything beyond that is outside of God's will and His design.  The Lord is the Just judge and He will judge those who trample upon the things He has established.  God gave us boundaries.  He didn't set up boundaries to hurt us or keep us from having fun.  He set them us to protect us and help us avoid sin and live for Him.  God's way is always right and we must obey Him and His standards.

The writer of Hebrews tells us to avoid the love for money.  We know the love of money is the root of evil.  There is a lot of talk today on the news about people flocking to by lottery tickets because a jackpot was over a billion dollars.  Many people were spending a lot of money buying loads of tickets.  There was only one winner and that person could take a lump some of 500 million dollars.  People seem crazy about money.  We would all like to have more money to pay our bills and buy more stuff.

It is so very easy to have a love for money, but do you ever notice what happens when you do get more money?  When you and I end up getting a little more money we end up wanted more.  It is a never ending cycle.  There is a pull for more if we are not careful.  Money is necessary in this world, but we need to be careful with it and use it properly and responsibly for God's glory.  Sometimes we get into trouble and we need help with our money.  There is never any shame in getting help from experts to get back on track.  We must also seek God's guidance and direction and ask for His wisdom as well.

The promises us that, even though changes come in our lives both good and bad, He will never leave us nor will He ever forsake us.  We can trust Him to be there for us no matter what we are going through.  He is our God and our protector.  The Lord wants the very best for us and He wants us to draw near to Him because He loves us.  He knows how much sin destroys and He wants to set us free from sin.  That is why He sent Jesus into this world to save us sinners.  Jesus died on the Cross for our sins and for the sins of the whole world.   When we come to faith in Jesus Christ we know that are sins are forgiven and we have a home in Heaven when we leave this world.  We also know that the Holy Spirit lives within us and is making us to be more like Christ everyday.  That process won't be completed until the day when we see Jesus face to face in Heaven.

The Lord is our helper.  We don't have to be afraid of the horrible things happening around us.  Things are terrifying and concerning, but if we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ we know that He holds us in the very palms of His mighty hands and no one can hurt us.  We may be persecuted and we may even be killed for our belief in Jesus Christ, but they can't kill our soul for we belong to Christ Jesus.

We need to be encouraged by our leaders that are following Christ and learn from them.  We then need to follow their good example and continue to follow Jesus wherever He leads us.  We must be willing to go wherever He calls us to go.  The Lord will equip us for whatever task He wants us to accomplish.

This is a crazy and fast changing world that we live in.  I am thankful that even though many things change day to day the Lord Jesus Christ never changes.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.  The Lord is an ever present help in our time of need.  We may be worried and fearful about the future, but you know what?  God is already there.  The Lord knows what our future holds and He is there waiting for us with opened arms.  

The Lord wants the very best for you and for me.  We can trust Him.  God never changes.  He is good and He will always be good.  His standards are always right.  

We can trust the Lord.  I hope you do trust Him for He loves you.

Lord,

We praise Your Name.

This world is changing fast.

Thank You, Lord, for being the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Thank You, for helping us each step of the way.

May Your will be done.

Help us to love one another as You love us.

Help us to stand firm upon the truth of Your Word.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen.

Walking By Faith In The Lord

The world can seem like a rather dark place and it seems to be getting darker day by day.  There is a lot of anxiety and fear as to what will happen next.  Many people are worried about the future.  There are a lot of things that are going on in our world today that ought to concern us.  It is very hard to know all the facts and wade through the lies and spin that people put on stories these days.

We find it hard to know who and what to believe sometimes.  It also seems really hard to know who to trust.  People fail us unfortunately, but God never fails us.  We can trust the Lord with all of our problems and concerns.  The Lord is faithful and true to His Word.  When the Lord promises to do something we can be assured that He will do it.  He will do it in accordance to His perfect will and in His timing.

How shall we live then with all the uncertainty going on in the world around us?  There is a way we believers in Christ ought to live and that is by faith in Him.  The Lord is our God and our Savior and we can count on Him always.  The Lord will lead us and guide us each step of the way.  He will equip us to do the things that He would have us to do.

We may feel inadequate to do the things that God has called us to do, but we can be confident that if the Lord has called us to the task that He will help us to accomplish what He wants us to do.  The Lord won't lead us to a place and then leave us high and dry as sometimes people do.  The Lord may call us to step out of our comfort zone, but it is not to embarrass us or to bring us unease.  He puts us in certain situations that seem hard for us so we can build up our faith in Him.

God is not out to harm us.  He loves us and He wants us to trust Him more and more as we journey onward here on earth.  We must continue to persevere with our faith in the Lord each step of the way.  Our journey may not be easy.  It may in fact be really hard and rocky, but that Lord will help us when our faith is in Him.

We need to walk by faith and not by sight.  The things going on in our world these days can seem rather frightening and even ugly.  The things we see aren't good at all.  That is why we must be sure that our faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ and in Him alone.  He is our living hope.  We must continue to walk by faith in the Lord Jesus and not be focused on the things going on around us.  We should be concerned about them and speak up about the wrong things going on, but we must remember that God is still in control and we belong to Him when we come to know Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Lord,
You are Holy and Just in Your Judgments.
We praise Your Name.
Help us to walk by faith and not by sight.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

The Lord Will See Us Through

Life can be hard at times.  There are new challenges everyday.  Thankfully, no matter what comes our way we can know that we don't have to go through life's difficulties alone.  The Lord promises us that He will be with us each step of the way even to the very end of the age.

We may stumble and trip and fall flat on our face, but the Lord will be there to pick us up and set us on the right track.  God loves us with a deep unconditional love and He is willing to forgive.  If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9)

We must continue to run the race that the Lord has set before us and we must run with perseverance with our focus on the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is so very easy for us to become distracted by worldly things and matters.  We must live in the world, but we must be careful not to be of the world and chase after the things the world chases after.

The Lord is our provider and He will meet all of our needs.  We can trust in Him for He is faithful.  What an amazing God we serve!

Let's continue to focus our eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ and follow wherever He leads.

Lord,
Thank You for always being with us each step of the way.
Lead us by Your Holy Spirit.
Come Soon Lord Jesus.
In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Known By God

Sometimes we may feel lost and all alone in this busy crazy world.  We may feel lonely and misunderstood.  We may even wonder if anyone cares for us and what we are going through.  Many people feel weighed down by life's problems and troubles.  Some people try to fill the emptiness in their hearts with drugs, alcohol, or something else, but none of those things work.

Some of those things may seem to be fun and they may seem like they help at first, but that is just a part of the enemies lie.  Eventually the person will feel trapped and entangled in those things that they will have a really hard time escaping the pull of those things.

There is only One that can fill that empty void that a person feels in their hearts and that is God alone.  We need a relationship with God and that is only available through Jesus Christ.  We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's high standards.  We can't save ourselves and we can't keep ourselves saved.

God sent Jesus into this world to die on a Cross for our sins.  We must repent of our sins and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior in order to be saved.  When we come to know Christ as Savior our sins are forgiven and we are sealed with the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell within us.  When we place our faith in Jesus we come into a relationship with God and we know God.  We are also known by God which is a wonderful thing to comprehend.  When we were sinners we were strangers to God, but when we come to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we have the right to be known as children of God.

I am thankful that I am God's child through my faith in Jesus Christ.  There is nothing that I can do to earn God's favor and there is nothing I can do to save myself because I am sinful man.  Thankfully, God made a way for all of us to have our sins forgiven and to have a home in Heaven through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

We can be known by God through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  This should make us want to shout praises unto the Lord our God.  Praise the Lord!

Lord,
Thank You for allowing us to be known by You through Jesus.
We praise Your Name.
Empower us to live for You through the power of Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

Jesus Will Help Us

I here the wind blowing outside tonight and it is also raining here where I live.  Sometimes in life we get rain and sometimes storms roll in with all of it's fierceness.  Less then a week ago a major hurricane hit Florida and there was massive devastation there where it hit.  Recovery will be long and picking up the pieces of broken lives will take time.

Sometimes we face major storms in life that hit us with the intensity of a category 4 hurricane.  When one of those life storms hit us we feel bewildered and hopeless.  Sometimes life hurts and we are left stunned and confused.  We may wonder where God was and we wonder if He cares.

The Lord does care and He loves us with a deep unconditional love.  Sometimes in this fallen sinful world we encounter troubles and problems, but God is always there right by our side.  The Lord Jesus promises us that He will never leave us nor will He ever forsake us, but in fact He will be with us even to the very end of the age.  We can count on Jesus to keep His word for He is faithful and true and He will do as He promises.

Our circumstances may be hard and life may seem stressful and utterly difficult, but the Lord will give us the strength and courage to carry on.  We must run the race that He has set out before us and we must have our eyes set upon the Lord Jesus Christ who is the author and finisher of our faith.

The enemy will try to knock us down and try to devour us, but we must stand firm upon the truth of who Jesus Christ is and we must resist the devil so that He will flee from us.  We must first submit to God and trust Him alone to help us.  The Lord will help us and He will enable us to withstand any and all storms through the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer in Jesus Christ.

The journey will be long and hard.  Trials will come.  Temptations will come.  Hard times will come.  Sorrows upon sorrows will come.  Thankfully we also know that one day Jesus will come and make things right.  Jesus can and will calm the storms of life.  We need to call out to Him and trust Him with whatever difficulty we find ourselves facing.

Lord,
Thank You for loving us and helping us when life gets hard.
Sometimes we don't understand what is going on, but we are thankful that You do and You are in control.
We praise Your Name.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

Hang In There

                                          (Photograph by Michael Rairdon)

Sometimes life can be stressful and rather lonely.  Sometimes we feel like this apple that I took a picture of.  It was just there hanging all by itself on a branch.  The temperatures have been dropping and fall is officially here in Northern Maine where I live.  The leaves have changed there colors and are beautiful.  Unfortunately many of the leaves are starting to fall off their branches and onto the ground.

Sometimes in our lives and as we look at the world around us and we see that things are falling apart.  We may feel hopeless, helpless, and alone.  Thankfully, we have a great hope that we can count on.  We believers in Jesus Christ have our hope firmly established upon Him and His promises that He gives to us in His Holy Word, the Bible.

The unbelieving world doesn't have this hope because it has rejected the truth about God and about His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, whom He sent to save us sinners.   Everyone that has repented of their sins and have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior have a wonderful living hope.  We believers in Christ Jesus have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and He dwells within each one of us who have trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior.

This world is not our home, but our home is in Heaven.  We are just pilgrims passing through this weary land and we look forward to that wonderful celestial city whose maker and builder is the Lord God Almighty.

When I look at this lonely apple hanging there on the branch of the tree I see great potential.  Some may see loneliness and hopelessness, but I tell you that this apple have great hope inside of it.  There are seeds within this apple that can produce new life.  There is life within us.  There is unlocked potential.

The Lord has given us talents and a mission.  Many people fail to unlock their potential because they refuse to believe God and follow Him.  Sometimes people get confused and chase after worldly success.  True success comes from obeying God and doing what pleases Him.

We are to love the Lord our God with all of our mind, body, and soul and we are to love others as He has so greatly loved us.  The Lord has great plans for you and He is working something out for you and I.  We just need to remember that God is in control and He is still working in us through His Holy Spirit.

We need to hang in there even if we are left all alone clinging to our branch and trust the Vine to help us through the tough times.

Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Help us to cling to You when we are feeling lonely.
We trust You O Lord.
Lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

Honoring God

Sometimes it can seem very easy for people boil Christianity into a list of do's and don'ts.  There are times when Christians seem to be known for what they are against then what they are for.  There are congregations and denominations that hold onto their traditions that they miss out on what God is calling them to do.  There is nothing wrong with having some traditional practices, but it becomes a problem when our traditions override the commandments of the Lord our God.

There was a time when the Pharisees came up to Jesus and they were upset because His disciples didn't wash their hands in certain way.  That is they didn't do it as the tradition of the elders taught them to do it.   We can read of this account in Matthew 15:1:20 (NLT) which says,

"1 Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him, 
                                                                           

2 “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.”

3 Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?

4 For instance, God says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’

5 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’

6 In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition.

7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,

8 ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

9 Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ ”

10 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand.

11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”

12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?”

13 Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted,

14 so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”

15 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.”

16 “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked.

17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.

18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.

19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.

20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”

The Pharisees where handing down the traditions that they had learned for the elders.  These traditions were rules created by men to help people keep the law of God, but over time the rules of men seemed to have become more important to the Pharisees than keeping the Word of God.  

Their worship became a farce because they were more interested in keeping tradition than having a relationship with the true living God which comes by faith and trusting in His grace.  They ended up honoring God by what they said with their words, but their hearts were actually far away from God.  They worshiped in vain for their worship wasn't worship at all, but instead their worship were rules taught by men.

Keeping rules won't make us clean or make us right with God.  Our hearts need to be right with God and we can't do that on our own because of our sin nature.  We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of God's standards.  We are totally depraved.  That means that we are sinners and there is nothing in our own power we can do to change that.  There are no amount of good works we can do that can make us right with God.  

What we need is to be born again.  We need a change of heart.  That is something only God can do.  Only God can clean us up on the inside.  God made a way for us to have a clean heart and to be born again.  God sent Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for our sins.  Jesus took the punishment that you and I so rightly deserve.  We must come to Him by faith and trust in His grace.  

We must realize that keeping rules and doing rituals will no save us no matter how hard we try and practice them.  There is only One that can save us and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.  We must repent of our sins and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  When we receive Christ as Savior the Holy Spirit comes to live within us causing us to be born again.  We are now children of God not because of anything we have done, but what He has done through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We need to come to the Lord by faith and continue to live for Him by faith.  God knows our hearts and wants to have an intimate relationship with Him.  That relationship won't come through keeping traditions and rules that have been created by mere men, but only through Jesus Christ by faith.

May we lay down our traditions and allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives and lead us in the direction that He would have us to go for His Glory, Honor, and Praise.  

Lord,

We praise Your Name.

Help us to honor You with our hearts that You made new when we come to You by faith.

Lead us and guide us by Your Holy Spirit.

Come soon Lord Jesus.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen.

Loving God's Word

Today was a good day.  The sun was shining and the skies were blue with a few clouds.  There was a slight fall coolness to the air here in Northern Maine where I life.  The seasons are definitely changing rather fast.  The leaves have taken on their autumn colors and they are a beautiful sight to behold.  I took the opportunity to take several pictures of the leaves and I even found some robins on my from lawn this morning.  I was hoping that meant we were skipping winter this year and heading back to spring, but unfortunately it doesn't work that way.

Things always seem to change and sometimes it is not always for the better.  The seasons change and sometimes things in our lives change.  Sometimes we get afraid of change.  The right kind of change can be a good thing.  Changing jobs might be a good change for some.  Turning away from sin and turning toward Jesus Christ is definitely a good type of change.

God can change us and He wants to change us.  He doesn't do that forcefully, but we need to allow Him to make changes in our lives by obeying what He says in His Word, the Bible, and we need to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

The Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).  The Bible is how the Lord speaks to us directly at times.  He speaks to us in many ways, but when we read and study His word He will illuminate the Word to speak to us in a very powerful way if we are listening.

When we read God's Word we need to be careful not to read it like we read other books.  The Bible is God's Holy Word and we should approach it with a reverent heart.  We should pray before opening our Bible and ask the Lord to speak to us in a fresh way.

We need to read the Bible more and we also should make sure that we are doers of the Word and not just hearers of it.    Let's love God's Word and make we listen as we read to what the Lord has to say to us.

Lord,
We love Your Word.
Help us to be conquered by Your Word.
Help us to love You and Your Word more.
Holy Spirit help us to apply the Word to our hearts and lives.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

God's Beautiful Creation

                                                       (Photograph by Michael Rairdon)

God's creation is beautiful.  I live in a place where we actually have the four seasons for the most part.  We have spring which is more like a mud season of sorts, we have a summer which is way too short, but nice and warm for the most part, we have autumn which we also call fall, and then we have a very long, very cold, snowy winter that seems to never end, but thankfully it always does.

I like seeing and taking pictures of the fall leaves.  The leaves on the trees are very beautiful this time of the year.  Sometimes we take God's beautiful creation for granted and we fail to appreciate all that He has made.  He made everything seen and unseen.  God created a wonderful world.

God is our Creator and Maker.  When I look at all the beauty of God's creation I just have to wonder how much more beautiful Heaven will be.  I am sure it will be amazingly magnificent.  Eye has not seen and ear has not heard the wonderful things God has prepared for all of those who love Him and trust Him.

I look forward to that wonderful day when my faith becomes sight and I see Jesus, my Lord and Savior, with my very own eyes as I enter Heaven.  What a great and joyous day that will be.

Lord, 
We thank You for Your wonderful creation.
We praise Your Name.
Help us to wait expectantly for the day when we see You with our eyes.
Help us to enjoy the beauty of Your creation and may it remind us of You.
Come soon Lord Jesus.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

Finding True Everlasting Peace

The Lord is never surprised by the difficulties that we experience.  God never says, "Wow!, I never saw that coming."  The Lord knows all things from the very beginning to the very end and everything in the middle.  There is absolutely nothing that catches the Lord off guard.  We can take comfort that the Lord's thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are greater than our ways.

We may be surprised about something that occurs in our lives that we weren't expecting, but the Lord knows all about it and He will be there to help us through it no matter what it is.  Sometimes life is stressful and hard.  We were told by Jesus Himself that in this world we will have troubles and troubles sure do come at the most inconvenient of times.

Jesus also encouraged us by telling us to take heart because He has overcome the world.  We need to turn our eyes upon Jesus to find encouragement and peace.  There are many people in this world that are trying to find peace.  There are many people that have noisy souls and they have no rest.

There is only one place where we can find rest and peace and that is by having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Peace will never come to this world or to any individual with out Jesus Christ.  People won't find peace in a liqueur bottle or a pill bottle.  A person won't find peace in a syringe that they stick in their arm.  Those things will never bring lasting peace.  Those things will only bring pain and torment and more noise to one's soul.

There is a cure to the noise and lack of peace in a person's heart and life.  That cure is Jesus Christ.  People need Jesus.  When we come to know Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior He gives us His peace by pouring out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Some people don't think it is right for other people to tell them how to believe, but people need to hear the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ.  Every person needs to have the opportunity to be saved and there is only One Name under Heaven in which people must be saved by and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

I believe I have been called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I am trying to do that with my blog and I try doing that as I live my life as a follower of Jesus Christ.  I am not perfect I know.  I fail a lot.  I am not a very good example at times.  I am still learning and hopefully growing in the Lord everyday.  I want the whole world to know that God loves them and He made a way for them to find forgiveness of their sins by sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a Cross for their sins.  Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and is at the right hand of the Father in Heaven interceding for us in prayer.  One day the Lord Jesus will come back to the earth as the King of kings and Lord of lords and He will bring the Kingdom of God to full completion upon the earth.

Those who have repented of their sins and confessed to the Lord their sins and have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior by faith will be forgiven of their sins because they have trusted what Jesus did for them on the Cross.  Jesus took the punishment that we so rightly deserve.

We believers in Jesus Christ have a home in Heaven that is being prepared for us.  We believers in Jesus Christ will be with the Lord in Heaven for all eternity because we are trusting in His finished work on the Cross.  Those who have rejected Jesus Christ (making no decision is the same as rejecting Him) will be sent into a literal hell outside the presence of Lord God Almighty for all eternity.

Time is running out for the people of this world.  People need Jesus.  They need to hear that God loves them and He wants to have a relationship with them and that is only available through Jesus Christ.  A person who trust Christ will find true everlasting peace that will never go away.

Lord,
We praise Your Name.
Our world is not a peaceful place.
We need Your peace.
We come to You O Lord Jesus for You are the only One that can give us true peace.
This world needs You Lord Jesus.
Empower each one of us to tell someone about Jesus.
Help us to read the Bible more and grow closer to You so people will see You in us.
Help us to be more loving and caring and bold.
Empower us to live for You through Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.

God is Greater

"You dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one that is in the world." - I John 4:4

Sometimes ministry can be hard and very trying.  Pastors need our prayers and support.  This month in Pastor Appreciation month, but Pastors and Church leaders need our prayers everyday.  We don't know what Pastors go through with all the pressures and stresses.  We think of physical stress most of the time when we think of stress, but there are other things that come against Pastors.  The devil tries to trip up Pastors to ruin their witness and their effectiveness for the Lord. 

We believers in Jesus Christ are not exempt from being attacked by the devil and his demons.  The devil will try to knock us around and try to derail our faith.  The good news is that Jesus Christ defeated the devil at the Cross.  We have been set free through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  We have overcome the falsehood of the world and the lies of the devil.  We still need to be on our guard by reading the Bible and discern what the truth is.

We believers also have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.  The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity.  God the Holy Spirit is within every believer in Jesus Christ.  It is the Holy Spirit's job to help to grow to be more like Jesus and He helps us to understand God's Holy Word, the Bible.  

We believers need to rely on the Holy Spirit more especially in this dark day and age.  Sometimes we forget that we are in a war going on in our world.  The devil is working in this world along with his demons to draw people away from the truth of who God is and who Jesus is.

Sometimes it seems all too easy for us to pretend that the devil doesn't exist and just go on with living.  The truth of the matter is the devil is real and his demons are real.  Thankfully we believers in Jesus Christ have no reason to be afraid for the Holy Spirit of God will help us for He is greater than any evil force that assails us.

When we are walking in obedience with the Lord the Holy Spirit will prompt us when there is danger.  I have heard testimonies of believers that they felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to leave a certain area to avoid danger.  The Lord still speaks to us and helps us through the Holy Spirit.  I think many Christians including myself neglect the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We try to rely on our talents and our own strength.  Then we wonder why we are so weak and we wonder why we fail so often.  the Holy Spirit is our helper.  The Holy Spirit is the treasure in our earthen vessels.  

I am thankful for the Holy Spirit dwelling within me.  I had an experience this past Sunday that I will share with you.  I was leading a service at a local nursing home and there was this woman that was seated in a chair.  She didn't make eye contact, but she seemed very thin and leaned to one side.  Every once in a while she would scream.  We sang some songs and I played the guitar (she didn't scream during that by the way).  

The time I started my devotional she started screaming especially when I was talking about Jesus.  I was preaching on Romans 5:1-9 and I was talking about how God demonstrated His love for us by sending Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for us sinners.  I felt the warmth of the Holy Spirit leading the words I was saying and I felt His comfort as I spoke.  It was at that moment the woman formed words for the first time since the service started and a voice came from the poor women that said, "Tell him to shut the hell up!"

The voice was not a feminine voice at all, but it was a deep creepy voice from a dark place.  So, through the power of the Holy Spirit I didn't even stop in my delivering the message.  I kept on proclaiming the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus.  Everyone needs to hear the Gospel.  Normally something like that would rattle me to the core of my being, but thankfully I felt the Lord with me through His Holy Spirit and I knew everything was going to be alright.

I finished my devotional telling the people there that we are all sinners and we need to repent of our sins and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Then I thought I heard that woman say (in her voice this time), "yes, that's true."

I am thankful that the Lord equips us to do His work for Him.  I didn't do anything spectacular for the power doesn't come from me.  It comes from the Lord.  I am just His servant trying to do His will.  All the credit and Glory belong to the Lord.  

Lord,

We praise Your Name.

Thank You, Lord, for using us to proclaim the truth of the Gospel to those around us.

I am weak and I lack strength to do what You want me to do.

I ask that Your Holy Spirit would work through me to draw others to Jesus Christ.

I humble myself to You O Lord.

May Your will be done.

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen.

Jesus, Calmer Of Our Storms

We have all seen the devastation that storms sometimes bring.  We see the images on our televisions or our devices of the horrible destruction storms can leave behind.  We have all seen the images of what hurricanes can do when they slam into a small island or into a community on the coast.  Many people's lives can be impacted in such a way that the effects will last a very long time.

Storms can be scary and they can cause a whole lot of damage.  Storms can turn our worlds upside down.  There are many dangers in our world and powerful storms such as hurricanes reek havoc on communities.

There are also other storms that effect people such as severe thunderstorms, snow storms, and there are also the storms that come against us in life.  These "life storms" can turn our lives upside down as well.  A "life storm" are those event that come against us unexpectedly such as a job loss, loss of a loved one or a dear friend, a serious illness, or some other event that affects our lives for a brief moment in time and maybe longer.

Storms can be scary and they can cause a lot of damage.  The disciples were familiar with storms since many of them were fishermen.  There was a time when they were in their boat and a storm came upon them.  This storm was so severe that they were frightened to the point that they went looking for Jesus who was asleep.  We can read of what happened in Mark 4:35-41 which says,

"35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”
                                                                           

36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.

37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.

38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

           

The disciples and Jesus had gotten into a boat to go to the other side.  Somewhere on their journey a furious storm arose upon the lake.  The wind was blowing violently and the waves were rough.  The tiny boat was tossed back a forth.  The waves were pounding the boat and nearly swamping it.  The disciples were soaked, tired, and their nerves had been frayed.  They were beyond scared.  Their fight or flight mode was off the charts.

They had a great idea in all of the chaos of the moment.  They looked for Jesus and called our to Him.  That is a good lesson for each one of us when life throws a storm our way.  Look for and call out to Jesus.  They find Jesus asleep in the stern of the boat.  Thankfully, we won't find Jesus sleeping when we need Him.

The disciples cried out to Jesus, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

Sometimes when life gets hard and a storm of life comes our way we wonder the same thing.  We wonder if Jesus cares.  The Lord does indeed care for us.  Jesus loves us more deeply that we can possibly imagine.  He endured the Cross for us.  He took all of our sin upon Himself to reconcile us back into right standing with the Father.

Jesus stood up after the disciples woke Him up and He spoke to the wind and the waves, "Quiet! Be still!"

Then the wind and the waves were calm.  Jesus calmed the storm with a word.  Jesus can calm our storms as well.  He may not take away the difficulty.  Things may not seem better to those looking on from the outside, but when we have Jesus in our boat we know we will be alright no matter what happens.  We need to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  We need to trust Him more.

The Lord will always be with us each step of the way and we can trust Him in the midst of the storm.  We may be scared and we may feel tired by the storm that we are facing, but if we have Jesus we know that everything will eventually work out.  Things may not get better for us here on the earth during our lifetime, but if we know the Lord Jesus as Savior and Lord we know that One Day we will be with Jesus in Heaven for all eternity and what a wonderful day that will be.

May we continue to turn our eyes upon Jesus during our storms.

Lord,
We praise Your Name.
You are Holy.
Thank You for loving us so much.
Thank You for Your mercy and grace.
Calm our storms O Lord.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.