 Matthew 22:37-39 “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
You are watching your favorite football team. It is at the end of the game, three seconds to go. Your team is down two points. Your team is in great field position to kick a field goal and win the game. Your team’s field goal kicker sets up to kick. The ball is snapped to the holder. The kicker puts it away and the ball is up. In the air, it sails to the right and the field goal is missed! Your team loses. The first thing that comes out of your mouth is, “You had one job!” This guy spends all his time practicing, kicking field goals and when the time comes for it to really count, he fails. It’s funny how you look at something or someone having one main job. We think that they should be perfect in it. Well this is not always true. At any time, anything can happen. This is why we must do two things as we journey in our Christian walk. We must remember that we have ‘one job’. Matthew Chapter 22 tells us in the text above that we must love the Lord with all our hearts, soul and mind. In order to do this we must be in a ‘constant relationship building’ process with God. This means we have to follow steps everyday in making this happen. We cannot do anything righteous in this world without God. We must get into His Word Everyday so that we can receive and allow His peace to surpass our thoughts. In this we will understand and lean on Him instead of what the world shows us. When we receive His peace, then we can begin to heal. God’s love and power will heal us in those places that keep us from loving, giving and forgiving. A healing so great we, the words and actions of others won’t hurt us anymore. We will begin to see people, places and situations differently. Not through our eyes, but through an understanding of God’s perspective. When this happens, we will be able to love others in spite of who they are, or what they may do to us. We love because we are commanded to love and we love because others are God’s children. He loves all of us very much. Jesus did not die for a selection of people. He died for everyone. It is our job to love so that others will see God and His love through us and our actions. This love is commanded in verse 39 when Jesus says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This command is second and equally as important as the first command. Remember, we have ‘One Job’, and that is to love. Let us practice it by remembering God’s love for us. So that we may show that same love to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. May God always bless you with the courage, strength, determination and wisdom to live righteously in this world. Amen
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 Romans 13:14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.” ~CSB
As a husband, I represent my wife and family. Being in law enforcement, I represent an agency as a servant to the public. And as an ordained minister, I represent The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit. I represent the church. The one thing all of these positions have in common is that they all require a uniform. In any of those uniforms I cannot be ‘Billy Jackson’, saying and doing whatever I want. No, I must represent all these uniforms according to the policies, rules and regulations that govern them. These uniforms are all different. As a police officer, my uniform is visible. There is no question who I represent when I wear this uniform. If I were to do anything ungodly, others would not just see ‘Billy Jackson’, they would see a ‘police officer’. Now the uniform of the ordained minister is a little different. In church I may wear a visible uniform that defines who I am as clergy in the pulpit. But outside in the public, wearing regular clothes, that uniform is not visible. But look at this: those who know me as a minister, still see me in a spiritual uniform. Therefore those that have experienced my teaching in the pulpit, will see me as a minister in public as well if I were to stray away from the ways of the church. As a husband, there is no visible uniform. But to my wife and to those who know I am married, that uniform spiritually appears in their eyes. If I were to do anything that may disrespect the marriage uniform, others will see. So you see, we all wear some kind of uniform in our lives, visible or non visible. There is one we take off, and there is one we cannot. It is the one that we wear all the time we must concentrate on. When we walk in the name of Jesus, we must always be aware of what we are wearing. Others who God has affected and blessed through us will always see us in God’s uniform. They will see the, “...garments of salvation…” and see us “...wrapped in a robe of righteousness…” (Isaiah 61:10). They will see us in our, “...full armor of God…” (Ephesians 6:11). When they are affected by us, as we live and walk in God’s will for our lives, in front of them, they will always see a uniform that represents the church. So in order to make sure you cover your walk with the blood of the Lamb, “...Put on the Lord Jesus Christ…” every morning before you journey into the world. You will need to clothe yourself with the scriptures from Romans, Isaiah, and Ephesians in order to starve the flesh, leaving its desires wanting. May God dress you well as you journey in Jesus’ name. Amen  Hebrews 13:16 “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” ~NIV
Little Bobby's grandfather bought him some ice cream at an ice cream truck in the park. After receiving the ice cream, little Bobby strolls to a spot in the park to sit down and enjoy his ice cream. Just before he tastes his delicious dessert, he observes another little boy. This particular little boy is dressed in worn, old and dirty clothes. With a sad face, the little boy is watching the other kids, standing with their parents, in the line at the ice cream truck. Bobby gets up, walks over to the little boy, “Excuse me, but would you like this ice cream?” The little boy looks at the sweating two scoops of vanilla and chocolate, and with a huge smile, nods his head. Bobby, without hesitation, gives his ice cream to the little boy. The little boy thanks him and walks away devouring the two scoops. Bobby’s grandfather walks up to him and says, “That was really nice of you Bobby! I am so proud of you! You have a natural giving nature. Now come on, I’m gonna get you another two scoops.” “No granddaddy.” Bobby says as he keeps his eyes on the little boy eating the ice cream. “I don’t want another one.” Confused, his grandfather asks, “Why not? You deserve it.” Bobby takes a breath and says proudly, “Because, I don’t think I would enjoy the ice cream as much as I am enjoying watching my new friend. He is actually enjoying the ice cream more than I ever could.” Bobby is a great example of the saying, ‘It is better to give than to receive.’ You see, at first Bobby may have given away his ice cream because he knew he could just get some more. But after giving it to the little boy, he was able to see the joy come upon that child. In his face and his actions, as he ate the ice cream. That in itself was satisfaction enough for Bobby. As Christians this is how we should be as well. Wanting to give and live a life of sharing joy. When our relationship with God becomes stronger, and we walk in the way Christ does, our desire to give becomes stronger than our desire to receive. This is because we get this godly desire from God. He gave us more than we deserve when He sacrificed His Son for all of us. God's giving is how we should pattern our giving. Not just financial or material things, but also in love and in time. It is through this love and time God will seed into others through us, His Word of peace and prosperity. So that we may live a life where He is pleased. Sharing in love, joy, peace, and patience is what’s needed today in our journey in Christ. May God bless you with all you need to accomplish His mission of giving as you journey in Jesus’ name. Amen Matthew 6:13 “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” ~NLT
Normally when we have read or heard this text from the Lord’s Prayer, we automatically think ‘adultery’. Ungodly acts of temptation against our wives or our husbands. Others may think of temptation where it concerns addictions. Knowing we need to put down the alcohol or let go of the drugs but the temptation of the flesh is too great. Well today we want to focus on a more general area of temptation. In the world today, the ‘...evil one…’ is making his attempt at tempting us to hate each other and not get along. This day and time, it may be social media, the news, or aggressive conversation, that work our disagreements to become the root of the eventual demise of our relationships. Causing us to feel the hate that can result in our differences. The difference in our way of thinking, the way we live, the way we look, and our ideas. This is not what God wants. The chaos of today is clouding the command of Christ when He said in John 15:12, "This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” There is no question that we are forgetting about God. Or at the very least He is not a priority in our lives. When we omit God in our lives, we allow the ‘evil one’ to take over. And when he does, he causes us to hate and react negatively to those he can easily influence to agitate the anger and stress we give into on a daily basis. But when we keep God first, (as we should), we allow God to take over. He will allow us His peace. It is this peace that will allow our hearts to know He is bigger than the biggest obstacle in our lives. We also know how much He loves us and in that love, we can love others in the same way. This cannot be done without God being priority in our lives. It is in our relationship with God that we learn our differences were created in us by Him so that we can all be strong together for the kingdom of heaven. Remember, God’s got it. He ‘is’ in control. Always has been and always will be. May God continue to belss you with His peace as you journey in Jesus name. Amen Isaiah 48:18 “If only you had paid attention to my commands. Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” ~CSB
Let’s say you know someone, but you haven’t seen or spoken to them in about twenty years. Many things factor into this long absence. Things like people changing. Meaning the person we knew twenty years ago is not the same person today. This person calls and asks for a large sum of money or maybe they come into town and ask to stay at your house. In your mind you may feel, ‘I may know you, but I really DON’T know you.’ In reality your relationship with each other is not strong because it has been nonexistent for 20 years. This is how our relationship with God is. We say we know God, but because we put Him on the ‘shelf’, we do not have a relationship with Him. So when we ask God for His blessing in miracles and power, we find that there is a delay in Him answering our prayers the way we like. It’s not because God chooses not to bless us. He is not a man where He will hold a grudge. It is because His blessings require instruction and work on our part. It is this instruction that can only be found in His Word. Some of us have not made it a habit of getting into God’s Word like we should. This good habit is the building of a relationship with God. In order for Him to allow us His power, we must understand the instructions that come from the endurance through our trials. It is this endurance that gives us the strength to receive, maintain and distribute the blessings from God. Take God off the shelf and build that strong relationship. No matter what’s going on in this world, God should be first. Doesn’t matter how bad our situations are around us, it is God’s peace that allows us to maintain His gift of joy. With this joy we always know that God is bigger than our biggest problem. When we know this, our peace will be, "...like a river, and our righteousness like the waves of the sea." May God bless and keep you covered in His protection as you journey in Jesus name. Amen  John 17:20 “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word.” ~CSB
Can you imagine making a huge birthday dinner for someone? Sweating in the kitchen for a couple of days, making all kinds of food with love in your heart. Food for many on behalf of a celebration for the one person. And later find out that your efforts have gone unappreciated. Or maybe let’s say we spend a lot of money on someone. Whether it be a small gift, a trip, new car or maybe even a house, and later find out that our financial efforts were unappreciated. How would we feel about showing and giving so much of ourselves to others and they do not appreciate what we have done on their behalf? Yes, as Christians we live to give and not expect anything in return. But there is something to learn in the appreciation of what has been done on our behalf. Like what Jesus did for us on the cross. You see, even though Jesus knew man’s history, He stayed focused on His Father’s plan for man’s future. Jesus did not think about, in our lives, how many times we would turn our backs on God’s word. How, in our darkest moments, we would learn to depend on making it under our own power, not God and His power. Thank God the Son went to the cross anyway in spite of our actions. You see, before He did, He said a prayer for us because He knew the world would try and teach us to grow apart from Gods’ ways. He prayed for the strength we would need to endure the trials of this world. So that after our endurance, we would be able to stand in a place of impossibility and watch God open the doors we can not open. A place of impossibility where God can heal in us what the doctors said could not be healed. And a place where God can lay his hands on a family that has been at war with each other for years, and feel the comfort of His peace. A peace that will heal that family so that they may love each other as God intended them to love. Let us show God our appreciation in what He has done for us. Because in the verse above, Jesus prayed that we will be able to tell those who suffer around us, what God has done in our lives. So that our message of miracle and hope will pass on to others that need Him in their lives. Our message will be a seed to others that will grow God’s power and a harvest of new disciples will be born. Jesus has already given us the power we need to endure in this world through His prayer. May God allow His peace to nurture that power in us as we journey in Jesus name. Amen  Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” ~CSB
As Christians we want to have good hearts. Living in this world we want to have good intentions in all situations that may come our way. But this world pulls at our flesh, aggravating the wounds of hurt, anger, and lustful desires, we fight so hard daily to keep under control. Understand that we cannot fight these feelings under our own power. This is why we must pray to God and ask for His help. We share with Him that we want His will for our lives. We must ask Him for the strength to endure the process of the struggle we have with our flesh and its desires. We ask God to search our hearts for any concerns we have within us that are not of Him. Share with the Father that we seek His peace to make the right decisions in these situations with a calm mind. Pray for and embrace the testing of God’s work in us. It takes practice in humility to get rid of irritation. It takes practice in patience to strengthen endurance. It takes practice in forgiving to appreciate being forgiven. When we ask God for His power in strength, wisdom, and endurance, we do this in thanksgiving for His grace, mercy and love as he grants us His peace. And we will be better Christians as God leads us, “...in the everlasting way.” May God bless and keep you under His protection as you walk in Jesus’ name. Amen  Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”
Let’s say that there is a group of us that all support a particular football team. Now this team is not a strong team yet. They are a young team, but are strong at heart. Ready to do battle on the football field with any team. It is the day of the game and the particular census says that our team will be beaten pretty badly. In other words they do not stand a chance and should not be on the same field with the team they are playing. But amazingly, as the game progresses, our young weaker team holds its own. Our team's defense stops the other teams run and pass game. Our offense overpowers their defensive line and secondary backs. At the end of this ‘race’, our team comes out victorious! Now, our witness testimony about the game may vary in the little details about the game alongside other testimonies. But our main testimony about our team’s victory will be the same. This is how we must celebrate God’s victory in our lives. Our details in our particular stories may vary, but our praise to God will be the same! Look at how we fought the same defenses. People may have counted us out. The doctors may have said we won’t get better. Society may say bad things about our children, but God has the last word in all our lives! Just like our team surprised everyone with their endurance and determination and saw victory. In our prayers and supplication, (Philippians 4:6-7), we will do the same. So let us take off our disagreements, the ones the world has taught us to have against each other. Let us shed our doubts and stress about what we can or cannot do. Instead let us embrace what God has done for us in our lives. Come together and testify in agreement about how good God is in our lives, so that we may receive and embrace the future victories that are coming our way! Those victories God has prepared for us! May God allow His peace to give you focus and guidance as you journey in Jesus’ name. Amen  Galatians 5:25 “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
The one thing on my 'to-do' list is to take some dancing lessons. Even before my accident I could not dance. It’s just something I never learned or was good at. I would like to take lessons because my wife likes to dance. Many times we go out and I’ll either try to move with her or just sit it out and watch her dance and have fun. Now, we compliment each other on a lot of other things. One of those is when we work together at speaking engagements. In our marriage ministry we both speak together to couples and when we do we are in sync with each other. We do well because we do not interrupt or step on each other's words. Our timing when speaking together is precise, and the engagement flows smoothly. This is how I would like to be able to dance with her as well. When we dance, whether I’m following her lead or she’s following mine, I would like for us to be able to dance together without me stepping on her toes. As Christians when we learn to be obedient in God’s Word and, “...crucify the flesh with its passions and desires…”, (verse 24). This is where we begin our dance with the Spirit. As we grow in God’s Word through the scriptures, we must allow the Spirit to lead this dance always. We must be careful not to step on the ‘toes’ of the Spirit, meaning we must train ourselves to be in sync with the Spirit’s direction. We must listen to the rhythm of the 'Fruits Of The Spirit' and always move according to their guidance. May God help us in wisdom and strength while we keep in step with the Spirit, as it leads us in our journey in Jesus’ name. Amen  Psalm 139:16 “Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.” ~CSB
If we find ourselves feeling that we’ve come to a place where we have done all we can do. We feel that life may be passing us by. Maybe the world is ‘kicking’ us so hard, that in our exhaustion we have nothing left to keep going. Or maybe social media shows us the success of others; their jobs, their marriages and maybe their larger-than-life parenting skills; that it makes our lives look like ‘failure’ in these categories. Or just maybe we feel worthless. Well I’m here to tell you to stop listening to the whispers of the devil. Yes, we will have struggles in this world, Jesus told us that in John 16:33. But always understand that God will forever be in control. So much so that He already had our existence and the journey within it, all mapped out. Today, be grateful for being alive because now we have another chance to seek God’s direction in the path He has laid out for us. You see, the devil’s whispers about ‘not being worthy’ are loud because we very well may be on a path away from God. But once we take God’s hand, and allow Him to lead us in the right direction through His Word, the devil’s voice will become ‘muffled’ and God’s way will become clearer! Social media will fall far from priority in our lives and what God has around you will shoot straight to the number one spot! Life will ‘become’ us instead of passing us by. We will become aware of every cloud in the sky. God’s breath in a cool breeze will be felt as it passes over our skin. And our loved ones will see their hope for their lives in us as we allow God to shine brightly within us! Trust God in His written plan for our lives because we are all here, as His children, for a reason and His glorious purpose! May God bless and keep you under the umbrella of His love, protection, healing and guidance as you journey in Jesus name. Amen |
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