Need a perspective check?

Romans 5: 5

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Do you ever go through times of disappointment? I know I do.

During those times, maybe we should consider the hope that we have in the person of Jesus Christ.

In His loving way, He has poured into our hearts His love, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

What kind of person would do that? The person of God Himself.

God has given us the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit convicts us, and corrects us, and empowers us and counsels us.

We received the Holy Spirit, when we surrendered our broken lives to Jesus—when we earnestly accepted the free gift of Salvation.

If you don’t sense the Holy Spirit speaking to you, maybe you’ve not surrendered your heart.

The things of this world will always disappoint us, but the things of God’s Kingdom, will never disappoint us.

Maybe you like me, need a perspective check today……….

You are Rich!

Philippians 4: 19

And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

What a statement!

God SHALL supply ALL your needs according to His riches……..

Have you taken time to stop and think, about the riches that God has at His very finger tips?

If we had, we’d never ever question where our supply is coming from.

Understand, that everything there is on this earth, belongs to Him.

This declaration from Paul is all encompassing, and so why should that surprise us.

The Word of God, uses the word “all”, in many cases and in many examples.

In either case, God is never a, some of the time God, He’s an all the time God, and He is our all in all.

Do you see God that way? Do you believe He can supply all your need—whatever that need is?

This is the same God who called a handful of dirt to life in the form of Adam, and breathed life into his very nostrils.

Maybe you need a greater measure of faith, to believe in the things of God today.

Ask Him for that greater measure, but don’t be totally surprised, when He supplies all you will ever need…………..

Modeling Fruit

John 15: 4

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

Jesus says, that for Him to remain in us, we have to remain in Him.

He also suggests that a part of remaining in Him, will generate fruit.

How would you say you’re doing, at remaining in Jesus?

I so often meet people who say one thing, and then do another, related to their faith.

Sometimes their actions, don’t match up with God’s Word.

Remaining in Jesus will have a specific look, and actually a specific fruit will be produced.

Jesus says that we can’t bear any fruit, unless we remain in Him.

We also can’t bear any fruit on our own doing—we have to remain in Jesus.

While we’re talking about fruit, what kind would you say you’re yielding these days?

A person who produces fruit, will exhibit unique spiritual tendencies and traits.

That person will stand out in the crowd. They will actually be a model of fruit, because they consistently remain faithful to Christ’s cause.

At the end of one’s life, all that will matter is the fruit that was produced.

This seems simple enough, but it all comes down to what we remain faithful to…………

No Regrets

2 Corinthians 7: 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.


Paul expresses here, that there is a difference between Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow.

 Godly sorrow is brought about by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Worldly sorrow on the other hand, is brought about when someone actually gets caught with their hand in the cookie jar. These kinds of people are just sorry they got caught.

 Godly sorrow on the other hand, brings about repentance, and repentance leads to true salvation. In the long run, this kind of sorrow actually feels good after a while, and in time. The other sorrow only brings about more guilt and more shame and more regret and actually more anger.

 Paul is telling us here, that in the end, world sorrow only brings about death. Godly sorrow brings about much needed change, and bountiful life.

 What a promise! No regret?

 I meet people every day with regrets. Maybe Godly sorrow along with a measure of true repentance, will bring about something good in the end?

 Paul sure seems to think so……..

What is your heart's direction?

Hebrews 3: 10 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.'


The writer of Hebrews, was reflecting on the rebellion that took place by the Israelites in the desert during the Exodus.

 God even declared an oath to His anger against His own people.

 As you start a new week, which direction is your heart? If we really knew the ways of God, our hearts would never go astray.

 Yet I talk to people real often—church people—who confess that their hearts are always embattled with sin.

 What would keep God, from declaring an oath of anger even now? The country that we live in, was once founded on the principals of the Gospel, but it sure looks like we have gone astray.

 Maybe He is angry? If we really knew God’s ways, our hearts would never go astray. Maybe we should study God’s Word, so we know what He expects…….

Reconciliation

1 Corinthians 11: 29 – 30 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

 Paul was teaching the church at Corinth about how important it was, that when taking Communion, our hearts are clean before God. The reason that there was much illness in the church at that time, and that some had even died, was because these people didn’t approach Communion with a sacred heart.

 In these last weeks of Lent, have we actually taken Christ’s ultimate sacrifice for granted? Remember who Paul was talking to. He was talking to those inside the church, not those outside of the church.

 I am in constant amazement, of how sometimes there is such little reconciliation offered in the church. I know of people even during this writing, who refuse to let go of a grudge. I am also aware of a number of people who refuse to offer forgiveness.

 These are just the kinds of people, Paul was addressing. Do you have a hard heart toward someone? Maybe we need to let God soften it, before someone falls asleep or gets sick.

 The sure answer isn’t to stay away from Communion, the sure fire way for freedom from judgment, is to get things right! In these last days as we walk toward the remembrance of Calvary, maybe this would be a very good place to start……..

Happiness

Psalm 146: 5 (NLT) But happy are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God.

 There’s an important line in the Declaration of Independence. It says…. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

 People everywhere I go, are pursuing happiness. Some folks are just getting back their tax returns, and most of them will spend the money on something that will make them happy. I wonder how happy they’ll be, 6 weeks after their purchase?

 God’s Word on the other hand, says that those who are happy have God as their helper. How often do you seek God for help? While I’m asking, in what or in whom do you find true happiness these days?

 Jefferson had it right. Our right to pursue happiness, comes from our Creator. Oh how we’ve twisted the words of this great historical document, to mean something it was never intended to mean. The more I talk to people now a days, many of them think they’re happy, but they’re really not. Maybe it’s because they don’t have God as they’re helper?

 Most people even think they deserve happiness, but how they go about getting it is mixed up. My happiness truly comes from my God—the God that loves me, and loves me enough, that He’s even willing to correct me when necessary. I’m so happy He knows what’s best for me—and come to think of it—He knows what’s best for you too……………