Joy!

John 17: 13          ESV

^13 “But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”

Jesus had some pretty intense prayer requests to God the night before he died.

In this chapter, Jesus asked that His friends be kept safe from the evil one.

He also asked that they be one with the Father, and one with one another.

Jesus wanted His friends to experience the same oneness with each other, that Jesus and the Father had.

In this prayer, Jesus explained that He had taught them, and that His teaching would ultimately bring joy.

Does the teaching of the Word of God bring you joy?

I thought the church was there to make us holy, and not happy?

But doesn’t holiness and joyfulness go hand in hand?

The goal of our relationship with God the Father is complete fulfillment.

In the long run, God really does want to make us happy.

Are you happy in your relationship with Jesus?

Do the things of the church weigh you down? Then maybe you don’t know the true joy of knowing Jesus.

God’s Word all by itself should bring us joy.

Let’s face it, when Jesus speaks, we should be filled?

Come to think of it, if we’re not filled with joy because of the words of Jesus, what are we full of this morning?

Deeper!

Psalm 42: 7         ESV

⁷ Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.

I don’t know about you, but one way communication with God just doesn’t seem to be enough for me.

Yet there are people I know, that seem to love to do all the talking when it comes to prayer.

Do you take the “shot in the dark” approach, when it comes to your personal prayer life?

Those who want a deeper relationship with the God of the Bible, always hunger for more of Him.

Are we really willing to enter into relationship with someone, when it’s us doing all the talking?

I can tell you what my wife would say to me, if I was doing all the talking, and didn’t allow her to have a word.

It certainly wouldn’t speak too favorably about our relationship.

So whose doing most of the talking in your prayer life?

 …

Deep calling to deep, isn’t a one way means of communication, it indicates a two way radio signal.

The reason that many people don’t hear in the deeper places, is because their prayer life might be a bit shallow.

People are afraid of going deep.

People leave churches because of people desiring that God have a deeper place in their hearts.

Those people who have a deep love of the things of God, have allowed Him to search the deepest places of their hearts

Consider!

Proverbs 6: 6   ESV

⁶ Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.

The smartest thing I did yesterday afternoon, was to turn the TV set off, and take a one hour walk.

That was one of the easiest things to consider, especially when I saw how terrible the Packers were playing.

As I walked, I saw people doing similar things.

I was surprised though at the number of people putting up Christmas decorations and lights.

At first I thought, what in the world are they doing?

But then it occurred to me, that yesterday’s weather was the perfect time to put up Christmas decorations, instead of waiting until it was 10 degrees.

Thomas Jefferson actually coined the phrase… “Never put off till tomorrow, what you can do today.”

What are you spiritually procrastinating about?

Biblical hard work is hard, or everybody would be doing it.

So why does the church still keep on teaching that following Jesus is a wiz, when we know that isn’t true?

That sounds like a HUGE contradiction.

So Jesus gave us 3 principals or ways to serve other people.

So why are you putting it off? Why are we so slow in doing what Jesus told us to do? Isn’t that more important than putting up Christmas decorations?

Here they are, and in no certain order:

Bless those who persecute you…Do good to those who hate you…Pray for them who despitefully persecute or reject you…

Flourish!

Psalm 92: 12 - 13

¹² The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
¹³ They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.

Of the 250 or so receivers of this daily devotional, I don’t regularly get a lot of feedback.

I understand why that would be, because at times I have to confess that my “Light Reflections”, aren’t always on the lighter side.

One question I asked the other day was… “Are you satisfied with the depth of knowledge you have of the Bible?”

One person actually responded this way:

In answer to your question: Are you satisfied with the depth of knowledge you have of the Bible?

No, I am not satisfied but I am also not doing much about it right now.

I honestly don’t know how you could get more humble than this.

Of the over 250 people, that single person was brutally honest with them self, and with God.

That is the path that will lead to righteousness, that is if they take some dedicated action.

This person will flourish, if they will allow the Lord to have His way.

Where are you planted these days?

Are you bearing any Kingdom fruit?

Are you firmly planted in the house of the Lord?

Maybe it’s time for you to be brutally honest with yourself and God.

Maybe you need a moment of honest reflection, just like this person had the other day…

Repent!

Jeremiah 29: 13

¹³ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

God being the all powerful creator that He is, requires total obedience from those who say they follow Him.

Man being as weak as we know we are, must render total obedience.

How is your obedience towards God? Are you growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ?

And by the way, make sure you know the correct definition of grace.

We owe God complete obedience, whether we feel like it or not.

You’d be very surprised at those who really don’t feel like obeying God.

Adam disobeyed God, and for that act of indiscretion we’ve been paying for it ever since.

The true love for God died within the heart of Adam.

I came from church last night, after spending an intimate evening of communion with God and some great friends.

We were fostering the love we have in our hearts for God.

Do you need the love of God restored in your heart again? God can do that, you know?

Would you say you seek God with all of your heart? Or is your attempt only  halfhearted?

There is only one way that restoration can happen, and the single word is now, just as it has been all along…

REPENT

Tremble!

Psalm 99: 1

The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!

I’ll probably take some heat for making this comment, but here it goes anyway.

Like I’ve ever been shy of speaking my mind J

There are times when a sadness comes over me, about the average Christian in the Christian church today.

Many of them are as interested about Jesus, as they are about the new model SUV out there.

Many really nice men and really nice ladies go to church each week, but they have no desire in going to the depths it takes to get to know God.

Most people do not delight or even tremble at the deep things of God.

Even a man in our church one time said about going deeper in the faith experience… “That’s probably not a direction we’d be willing to go…”

Maybe some wouldn’t, but I was with a pretty large group of people last night that were a captive audience to the things of God.

Compared to all the great things of God, nothing comes even close. Not even a brand new SUV or ATV.

By the scores, there are little churches with little Pastor’s who actually have little faith.

How is the depth of your faith today? Would you say you have a “little” faith?

Are you satisfied with the depth of knowledge you have of the Bible?

“Lord God, as I enter church tonight to listen to Your Word, and take Communion with other brothers & sisters, help me to come with an expectant heart.

I realize that my mind is small, but I also know that You are larger than life. Let me tremble at the thought, that I have complete access to everything within Your loving nature.

Amen.”

True Worship!

John 4: 24            ESV

²⁴ “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Our worship should be filled Spirit and Truth.

Our worship must be the whole counsel of the truth of God, and the whole Spirit of God.

Most Sunday’s are great to me, but yesterday’s worship service was incredible.

The reason that was, was because it was filled with the truth of God and the Spirit of God.

When a person yields their life to the truth of God and the Spirit of God, even the slightest thing we do is complete, and surrendered worship.

What is your worship of God like these days?

Did you know that there are churches out there who try to manufacture spirit and truth?

Just so you know, a 10 piece worship band can be at times, totally unacceptable worship to God.

Without the power of the Holy Spirit there can’t be adequate worship.

The guy we brought in to preach for 4 days, sure knows how to preach the truth.

Yesterday, there were millions upon millions of good assuming church people, trying to assimilate worship through customs and traditions.

What a complete waste of time.

Can you imagine doing that Sunday after Sunday, and never reaching the true heart of God?

What needs to be added to your worship today? The components of worship need to be truth, and God’s Spirit, and not necessarily in that order…