Kingdom Work

In Matthew 6:31-33, Jesus teaches that seeking after His kingdom should be highest on our priority list.

So how do we seek the Kingdom of Heaven?
Do we go to bible college and seminary? Do we move to third world countries and minister to the poor? Should we stand on street corners and preach the gospel?

There are some who are called to do those things. We need to be faithful and pray for them.

There is another calling, a more common calling, I think. In I Timothy 2:1-4, the Apostle Paul teaches that we are to pray for others so that we can live quiet, peaceful lives. Of course, we share our faith with others and be faithful witnesses as we travel down life's road.

Prayer is a powerful thing. God instituted it as a form of communication between Him and His children. In Revelation 5:8, our prayers are described as incense.

Kingdom work can be done from a kneeling position. The gospels tell us of how Jesus would rise early in the morning and pray. John 17 gives us an inside look at one of Jesus' prayers.

One of the Apostle Paul's friends, a man named Epaphras, is described as someone who 'wrestles' in prayer for others. That is how I want to be. I have friends in ministries all over this country and around the world. I should be faithful and wrestle in prayer for them that they will be safe and affective and strengthened and refreshed daily. That they grow strong in their faith and are sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. I should wrestle in prayer for those around me who are lost and groping in the darkness. That their eyes will be opened and their hearts softened. That I will be able hold up the Light of Truth and hold out the hope that Jesus offers. I should wrestle in prayer for my brothers and sisters in the local church, that they will be strengthened and refreshed daily so that they too will be able to wrestle in prayer and wield the Sword of Truth.

One of my favorite examples of how prayer helps is found in Acts 12:1-17. Christian brothers and sisters are earnestly praying for Peter, who is in prison. God hears them, and sends an angel to bust him out. It's kind of a funny story.

Prayer. It's important for Kingdom work.

Empty Smiles

I was looking at a picture of some movie stars today. They looked so happy with great big smiles on their faces. But there was something about their eyes. They just looked so....empty.

Of course, I don't know anything about them personally. They may be quite happy. This is not about them. This is about people whose lives are empty. People who don't know the Joy of the Lord.

More and more, Hollywood types and those in academia are presenting God and Jesus and the bible as mythology. 'The world' in general seems to have taken on a more atheistic point of view. Deep down, this must make life seem rather pointless. Empty.

In Psalm 1, we read that the believer is like a tree planted by streams of water and that unbelievers are like chaff that the wind drives away. They are...empty.

In Psalm 3, we see that we can sleep and not be afraid, even though there is trouble everywhere around us. Our Great God sustains us. Not so for the unbelievers. Their peace is fragile at best. Empty.

In Psalm 4, we see how God has set us apart for Himself and how, in Him, we dwell in peace and safety. The unbelievers make fun of us for clinging to our 'myth'. They love vain words and seek after lies. They are so easily deceived in their desperate search for acceptance and happiness because their hearts are so....empty.

If you are reading this, and you are one of the unbelievers, remember what I'm about to say. If you are reading this and you are a believer, then be encouraged by the words of Jude:

God is strong. He is able to keep you from falling, and can bring you into the presence of His glory with no wrong in you, and give you great joy!

Thank you, Father for giving me the gift of salvation and the great joy that comes with it. For making my heart and life so...full.

Born To Be Alive

I heard a song on the radio today while I was doing my work. It was a Queen song. One of the lyrics caught my attention for some reason. It started the wheels in my little head turning.

The lyric was '...sometimes I wish I had never been born...'

I'm glad I was born. I'm very thankful that I was born. I have experienced so many things in my time here that I wouldn't trade for anything. Experiences that have shaped me into who I am today. I'm thankful for even the worst of my experiences.

God took the time to create me. He put in me a mind and a spirit. He gave me a memory and the ability to learn. He made me an individual, a special child of His. He gave me a way to have a relationship with Him that not even the angels have.
(1Peter 1:12)

If I had never been born, I would have never experienced the love of family and friends. I would have never had the special love of someone who is put above all others...a wife. I would have never experienced heart break and the things learned from it.

If I had never been born, I would never have experienced the adventures I had in the military. I would never have experienced the absolute awe of the beauty of His creation as seen from the top of a mountain.

If I had never been born, I would have never experienced the salvation of our Great God.

Thank You, Father, for creating me. Thank You for the experiences. Thank You for giving me Your Son, and for giving me to Him. Thank You for the bad things and what You taught me through them. Thank You for the good things. Thank you for allowing me to marry the one that was made for me. Thank You for putting people in my path that You taught me through. Thank You for using me to teach others. Thank You for forgiving me when I disappoint You. Thank You for being my wise and loving Father who will never forsake me.

Nerd Alert!

In Genesis 11:1-9, we read the account of the construction of the first sky scraper.

The city would end up being called Babel, because of something God did there.

We see in this passage that there was a common language and a united group of people.
So united, in fact, that they could accomplish anything they wanted to.(Genesis 11:6)

It is in this verse of scripture where my nerdy imagination bounds out of control. In the previous verse, we see that the tower had already been built. It must have really been something to see, for even the Lord came down to see it.

What else had man accomplished in this time period? Had they developed more advanced technology than we know about? Could that civilization have advanced at a much more rapid pace than ours? We live in a world of diverse and conflicting views and different political and religious ideologies. Building projects sometimes stay in the planning stages for years before a single design can be agreed upon. But the society in Genesis 11 was united in purpose and ideology.

Is it possible that they could have developed technologies beyond what we have today? Could they have been further along in their understanding of science and mathematics than we are now? With such a Utopian society and such singularity in purpose, I suppose it is possible. It's kind of fun to think about, anyway.

The only problem is that what they were united in and what they were building a monument to was themselves. (Genesis 11:4) A whole city and a wondrous tower dedicated to the worship of man kind.

This was just a couple of generations past the sons of Noah. It was starting again already. (Genesis 6:5-6)

God could have gone ahead and scrapped everything and started over. But He chose mercy. What He did at Babel was an act of pure grace. He confused the languages. He took away their unity and dispersed them throughout the earth.

This jolt was needed for them to remember their dependence on God, not themselves. For them to return to Him. To remind them.

Job said it best. "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2)

God is AWESOME!

Happy New Year

Well, another year is gone. They seem to be going by a little faster now.

I no longer make New Year's Resolutions. I rarely kept them when I did.

There is one resolution that I am going to make. It is not a yearly one, but a daily one. I want to purpose in my heart to be a follower of Christ Jesus. To be a 'doer' of His word and not a 'hearer' only.

I want to be resolved in my heart to be a more focused Christian (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Life doesn't last long. I'm starting to see that more clearly as the years begin to pass more quickly. I don't want to continue wasting the time that I have been allotted. What comes after this is a vast and unmeasurable eternity. I would like for my brief time here to be more than just a blip on the radar screen.

I want for people to know the love of God in Christ Jesus because of how I obeyed. Not just a fond memory of a funny fat guy.


As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;

for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.

But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,

to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.

Psalm 103:13-18

The Lion of Judah

Lamb of God, Lion of Judah
(Luke 22:39-44, John 28:30, Revelation 5)

In the garden begging and bleeding
The Lamb of God awaits the beating
In the cold night air as demons were leaping
His friend wandered shivering and weeping (Luke 22:54-62)
On the cross broken and bent
The Word accomplished the reason for which He was sent (Isaiah 55:11)
In a vision filled with despair an elder tells John to look
The Lion of Judah steps forward and takes hold of the book



God's word is so exciting to read. When you realize that everything that happens is pointing to a single event, it is even more exciting! Everything is pointing toward the risen and glorified Christ. The prophets tell of His coming in the old testament, and in the new testament, we are introduced to Him.

It all culminates in the book of the Revelation. In chapter 5 of Revelation, there
is, in my opinion, the most exciting scene in the bible. Here He is! The One about whose coming the prophets of old wrote about, the One we read about in the gospel accounts and the One we learn about in the letters from the apostles. This is the moment Jesus prayed about in John 17:1 when He asked that the Father glorify Him so that He may glorify His Father.

It's almost more excitement than I can bear! These events begin to link together
as Jesus enters the garden and begins to pray, knowing what is coming. He asks the
Father if there is ANY other way, then He is betrayed and then denied. Then the savage beating of our Sovereign began...the horror of it all! He was put through a kangaroo court and lead out of the city to be crucified, He accomplished His task and died.

Back to the scene in Revelation 5, He alone had earned the right, He alone was
worthy. As John was weeping, feeling such despair, our Savior, appearing to be a lamb
that was slain, stepped forward, no longer the meek lamb. The Lion of Judah now takes
the book and crushes the seal!

God is AWESOME!!

Beautiful

There is one thing about me that you should know. I have absolutely no musical talent whatsoever. None. I wish I did, though. There are so many songs that mean so much to me.
I suppose that is why I appreciate so much those who are talented and gifted with a beautiful voice and the ability to understand musical instruments and the dexterity to play them so gracefully.

There are a lot of young people at my church who have been gifted with enormous talent. I so enjoy hearing them sing and play in our church services and special programs. One of those young people sang this morning. She and her mother sang a song by Francesca Battistelli. The song is called 'Beautiful Beautiful'. It is one of those songs that really speaks to me. I've been thinking about it all day. It speaks of how God can turn your life into something beautiful. Wow.
I pondered this for a long time today.

God indeed can make something beautiful of your life. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are God's workmanship. The Greek word used is 'poiema' or poem. How cool is that? We are God's poetry.

In Isaiah 61:1-3 the bible tells us that God will will trade beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

In Revelation 21:1-5, we see that God is going to wipe every tear away and make all things new.

2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul tells us that, as Christians, we have been made new creations in Christ Jesus. Wow!

Best of all, in Romans 8:1, Paul teaches that for those of us who are in Christ, there is no condemnation.

Indeed, 'Beautiful, Beautiful'

God is AWESOME!