Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 17; Jeremiah 3; Romans 2

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:8-9  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9  receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!  May your Thanksgiving and your thanksgiving be filled with rejoicing that is characterized by inexpressible joy and glory to the full!  Ok, ok, let’s not get carried away.  Inexpressible joy?  Overflowing praise and glory?  Those are hardly terms that would describe the average Thanksgiving.  Let’s try words like NFL football, a feast fit for a king, a houseful of noisy kids, and in many cases, heated discussions, disparaging comments and family fall out.  It’s no wonder the holiday’s are a dark time for many people.  They experience disappointment not joy.  If all you have to look forward to is loneliness or dysfunction it can really bring you down.  So today we are going to give you a pep talk aimed at giving you a “happy holiday.”  Let’s make the choice to rejoice.  Remember, happiness is based on changing circumstances, while joy is based on the unchanging promises of God.  We rejoice because our real, genuine, lasting hope is in heaven!  Joy is based on what Jesus has done for me!  He saved me and gave me eternal life!  No threat of man nor trial on earth can take that from me.  So this Thanksgiving, take some extra time to count your spiritual blessings.  I’ve been saved by grace!  I’ve been given grace for life.  Grace has changed me and grace will bring me home.  Meditate on it.  Close your eyes and let thankfulness well up deep from within your heart.  Your goal? To be so thankful that your joy is inexpressible.  What is “inexpressible joy?”  It’s what happens when you are so overwhelmed by the blessings of God’s love that you can’t speak!  A tear runs from your eye.  A lump forms in your throat.  All you can do is lean back, shake your head in gratitude and look toward heaven.  The Greek word for “inexpressible” is used only once in the New Testament – right here – and it means “unable to speak.”  You are at a loss for words.  When you really understand the salvation of your soul, that will happen to you!  Your second goal is to be “full of glory,” whatever that is.  Normally we would say that it is overflowing praise.  The word “glory” is from the Greek “doxa” from which we get our word “doxology.”  A doxology is literally “speaking words of glory!”  Normally we would say that overflowing glory means that your lips drip with praise and honor to God, and they should.  When we praise Him we are full of joy.  But in this case, there is one little difference.  The word “glory” is in the passive voice which makes all the difference.  Whenever something is in the passive voice it means that we are not doing the action, but an outside agent (God) is doing it on us!  Simply put… we begin to rejoice so that our joy is inexpressible and God fills US with overflowing glory!  It’s a cause and effect principle.  We praise God, he fills us with praise.  We rejoice, he fills us with joy.  We glorify Him, he fills us with glorious rapture.  Now that’s the way to kick off Thanksgiving… with inexpressible joy and overflowing glory. 

Dear Heavenly Father.  I honor and praise You!  I am so thankful for how you have blessed me with eternal life, Your free gift of grace, an intimate relationship with Your son Jesus and every spiritual blessing.  How can I ever thank you enough?  How can I ever grasp it?  All I can do is give my humble thanks.

You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 16; Jeremiah 2; Romans 1

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:8-9  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9  receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

“How many of you know you are saved?”  Years ago Bill and Helen visited a Baptist church where the pastor asked that question.  Wherever they looked hands went up.  They felt embarrassed and offended.  They didn’t know.  The church they went to didn’t teach a clear message.  “How could anyone know?” they wondered!  It wasn’t long before they discovered that the Bible clearly says, “These things are written that you may KNOW you have eternal life!”  1 John 5:13.  Knowing is a good thing!  Did you know that there are three (3) tenses of salvation?  Past, Present and Future.  Past:  “You HAVE BEEN saved.”  Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you HAVE BEEN saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, not of works, so that no one can boast.”  There are numerous places in the New Testament where the past tense is used to indicate that once we have received the gift of Eternal Life, it’s our permanent possession.  Heb 10:10; Eph 2:3, 4:30; Rom 6:5, 7:6; 1 Pet 1:18; 1 Cor 6:11.  Every Christian should be able to pin point the moment when he or she took the plunge and trusted Christ as Savior.  Trusting Christ is a decision of faith.  If you can’t remember when, you must acknowledge that you have trusted him, and that you do!  Second tense, Present: “You are being saved.”  1 Cor 1:18, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who ARE BEING saved, it is the power of God.”  Past – you have Eternal Life, Present, you continue to have it.  When someone is mortally injured, they are “as good as dead.”  There’s no way to save them.  They are perishing.  We however, are enduring.  This is what we call “the perseverance of the saints.”  Those who are saints will persevere and endure to the end.  We are being saved.  Phil 1:6, “He who has BEGUN a good work in you WILL COMPLETE IT.”  We are being saved.  Future tense: “we will be saved.”  This is talking about ultimate salvation!  1 Cor 3:15 - When we finally stand before Jesus and he receives us into glory, our Salvation will be complete!  Past: we have been saved.  Present: we are being saved – he’s making sure of that.  Future: we will be saved… ultimate glorification!  Think of it like a man overboard in the middle of the stormy Atlantic Ocean.  He can dogpaddle for a few hours before he succumbs to the cold, sinks due to exhaustion or gets eaten by sharks!  But the captain spots him and throws a life preserver out to him, attached to a strong rope.  The perishing man has a choice.  He can wave at the captain and shout, “Thanks for the help, but I’m doing fine just the way I am!  Thanks!  Really!  I don’t need your help!”  What fool would do that?  Or he can enter the life ring and be saved.  Once he is securely in the life ring, the crew shouts, “we’ve got him!  He’s saved!” (Past Tense).  But now they put their backs into it and begin hauling him in and he’s being saved (Present Tense).  Finally he’s on deck and after a warm shower, he’s completely saved (Future Tense).  So, hang on to the life preserver, Jesus, he’ll carry you through.

Dear Father.  Thank you for saving me.  I have been saved!  What a precious promise.  I’m depending on it!  I am being saved.  You are changing me and pulling me out of a horrible pit.  I will be saved.  One day I will see you face to face and have a new body and new me!  I can’t wait until glorification!  Thank you Jesus.

To God be the glory, great things he has done

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 15; Jeremiah 1; Acts 28

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:8-9  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9  receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

“All you need is love!”  (Beatles) “I will always love you!”  (Whitney Houston) “My endless love” (Lionel Richie) “Because you loved me.”  (Celine Dion) “I think I love you” (Partridge Family) “It must have been love” (Roxette) “I want to know what love is” (Foreigner).  So, did any of those “Unchained Melodies” (Elvis Presley) play in your head as you read them?  Foreigner’s song especially interested me.  Here’s a few lyrics “In my life there’s been heartache and pain.  I don’t know if I can face it again. Can’t stop now, I’ve traveled so far to change this lonely life.  I wanna know what love is….. I want you to show me…… I wanna feel what love is….. I know you can show me……”  Our world is enamored with love, but love is an elusive thing.  What is love?  This is one of the most difficult definitions for mankind!  Erich Fromm said that “Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence.”  We may not be able to define it well, but I’m pretty sure everybody wants it.  It makes up for the loneliness, heartache and pain of life, doesn’t it?  If only to know that I am loved, that makes life worthwhile.  And it is nice if you have the ones you love close at hand.  I just read facebook and noticed that this Thanksgiving there are a few families who can’t wait to get together and hang out.  “Can’t wait to see you next week!”  “Miss u too mama!”  “Sooooooo looking forward to next week…”  But can you really love someone you’ve never seen face to face, can’t talk on the phone to, and can’t text or IM?  It happens.  It happens all the time.  We love Him even though we’ve never seen Him.  Does that make our love any less real?  To some people it does.  Why?  Because a relationship takes emotional investment.  I’m really not great at the relationship thing.  Intimate relationships take lots of up close and personal time, ups and downs, understanding, give and take and lots of change and forgiveness to get closer.  I don’t know if I really want to get THAT close to many people.  Staying at a distance is good for me.  But it doesn’t work if you want love, and it doesn’t work if you want a love relationship with Jesus Christ.  To love the one you have never seen, you have to spend time in the dark talking to the guy you can’t see, even though he can hear you.  Really.  You have to be willing to pay the price of solitude, meditation and reflection.  The reason we don’t have a deeper, intimate relationship with Jesus is because we haven’t regularly invested important chunks of time listening to His voice.  He speaks though His Word.  Listen to it often.  He speaks through His Church.  Soak it in regularly.  He speaks through His Creation.  Find some time to connect.  He speaks through His still small voice we call the Holy Spirit.  Are you listening?  If so, then your love will grow.

Dear Jesus.  I love You.  I am ready to invest some important sums of time into our relationship.  I don’t want to just walk around the periphery of love, I want to be right in the middle of it.  I know You love me and are anxiously waiting for me to dive in.  I’m coming.

Because Your loving kindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.  Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 14; Isaiah 66; Acts 27:27-44

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:8-9  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9  receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Seeing is believing… or is it?  I’ve seen a lot of things I don’t believe in.  In fact our society programs us to see things we know are not and can not be true.  Every night, most of you watch television shows that portray imaginary scenarios that have never and will never happen. Yet there they are, day after day, carefully acted out before your very eyes!  We see far out fantasies like flying monkeys, transformers, superheros that can do gravity defying stunts, flame on, turn into a stack of bricks, gain spidey sense… and don’t forget the mind bending, physics defying, special effects that simply have no basis in the real world at all!  Seeing is not believing.  Believing is seeing!  Ask anyone, “Do you believe in UFO’s? Ghosts?  The Loch Ness Monster?  Black Helicopters?”  Next ask, “Have you ever seen one?”  Probably not, but don’t let that stop you!  I’ve seen it on TV!  Or, my brother has seen one, or my second uncle’s great nephew’s girlfriend’s fiancé’s neighbor has.  We expect to see what we believe in!  Ask any evolutionists you happen to see, what’s the best tuna soon to be?  A Chicken from the sea!  Has anyone ever seen a tuna turn into a chicken?  Has anyone ever seen evolution occur?  No way José!  But since believing is seeing, evolutionists all over the world have created an immense library of theories, charts, museum’s, documentaries and teaching tools all meant to convince themselves that it must be true!  If you believe it, you have the expectation of vindication.  Every real belief you have has real world implications.  I believe that love will make me happy, so I seek love.  I believe that money will give me the stuff I need so I seek profitable employment.  I believe that taxes and big government are good / bad so I either become a tax and spend liberal or a fiscal conservative.  I believe that discipline means I love / don’t love my children, so I become a firm disciplinarian or I let my kids do as they please.  Believing is seeing.  Unfortunately that means some of the stuff we believe is just wrong.  But it also means that some of the stuff that we’ve never seen is spot on!  Like Jesus.  Have you ever seen him?  But you believe He is God come in the flesh?  Why?  Well, we’ve got a library of charts, theories, museum’s, documentaries and teaching tools that tell us it is so.  But there are a lot of people who don’t believe?  They claim to have evidence to the contrary.  How do you determine what to believe about what you have not seen?  Examine the evidence.  Use some common sense… and then take a leap of faith.  Faith is just as necessary for atheists as it is for theists, for the godless and for the godly.  At some point you must choose what you believe.  Not to choose is to choose.  But here’s the hitch.  To choose erroneously is to believe a fantasy that, in the end will not only be laughable, but is downright dangerous to your health, life and future.  I’ve chosen Jesus.  Whom having never seen I love. And though I have never seen him I still believe in him and expect to receive His promised gift of eternal life.  That’s worth a hoorah!  It’s also something I’m willing to live for!

Dear Lord Jesus.  I believe in you.  I’ve read the stories.  I’ve checked out the evidence.  It is overwhelming.  I believe.  I place my faith in you with the expectation that reality will triumph in the end!  I stake my life on it!

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 13; Isaiah 65; Acts 27:1-26

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:6-7  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ

It has been estimated that about 1 in 20 verses in the New Testament speak either directly or indirectly about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ!  His coming is our hope.  Christians hold to the view that this same Jesus who walked the earth 2000 years ago and ascended into heaven will come back one of these days.  In His first coming, He entered into history in a way similar to every other child: He was born.  But that’s where the similarities end.  He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, unlike the rest of us.  He lived a sinless life, unlike the rest of us.  After he was certifiably dead for three days, he resurrected and then he ascended into heaven, unlike the rest of us!  While the disciples were staring up at Him, an angel stopped in and told them that Jesus would come back in the same way he left.  The second coming of Christ will be even more dramatic than the first coming!  There are some six Greek words that describe Jesus return.  They tell the story of what we can expect when He comes.  The first one is used in Acts 1:11 Erchomai – which simply means to come from one place to another.  The disciples were told that Jesus would come from heaven and come to the earth.  Zech 14:4 indicates that He will set down on the Mount of Olives.  If you want to have a front row seat, move to the Holy Land.  The second word is used in 1 Peter 1:7 Apokalupsis – It means a revealing or unveiling.  The second coming begins when Jesus enters our physical world and uses the sky and clouds like a curtain call.  First there is nothing there but a few clouds and blue sky, and then there is!  Jesus is suddenly revealed to the world with all His mighty angels in tow.  The next two words are similar to Apokalusis in meaning.   Phaneroo – means to make oneself visible or to expose oneself to view.  When Jesus shows up in the all his glory, good news! we will be with Him!  Col 3:4.  Optanomai means to allow one’s self to be seen.  If you haven’t seen Jesus lately, it’s because he is playing “hide and seek.”  Olly Olly Oxen Free day is the day He returns.  Heb 9:28 says that when he came the first time, he took our sin with Him, and when he comes the second time, he will come without our sin because he has disposed of it!  That’s good!  The next word is Parousia – which emphasizes His arrival plus His “personal presence.”  This is a word which means “I’m here!”  Again, the good news is that Jesus is “coming with His saints” 1 Thes 3:13.  The last word is Epiphaneia from which we get our English word epiphany.  This word means “the glorious manifestation of his magnificent presence.  2 Thess 2:8 talks about “the brightness of His coming!”  This is no anticlimactic event which gets only a passing sentence on the 11 O’clock news.  This is riveting and unavoidable.  It is the culmination of human history!  When Jesus comes, every eye will see!

Dear Lord Jesus, come quickly.  We are waiting.  As men waited for your first coming for thousands of years in hope that you would take our sins away, so we wait patiently for your return now that you have disposed of our sins!  Help us to love, desire and anticipate your coming!

To God be the glory, great things he has done

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 12; Isaiah 64; Acts 26

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:6-7  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ

Is your life to the “praise, honor and glory… of Jesus Christ?”  Maybe on a good day it is, or maybe not.  Perhaps you just had an argument with your spouse.  You can still feel the anger and venom in the pit of your stomach.  Or perhaps you just “slipped up” and took “the name of the Lord in vain.”  Or maybe you like to gossip about the faults of others, or you struggle with jealousy over how much other people have and how little you have, or maybe you have trouble keeping away from online porn.  There’s a long list of reasons why God could not possibly be pleased with us!  The works of the flesh are evident in your life and you are living in shame!  The goal of the Christian is to have a genuine faith that pleases Jesus, but how do I get that?  I have such a struggle with the flesh!  I find it difficult, almost impossible to live life the way I wish it could be lived!  Paul admitted that he had the same problem in Galatians 5:17.  Every Christian fights the same battle against various fleshly problems.  I want to see if I can lay out a few Scriptural principles that will help.  #1 Watch yourself!  Matt 26:41 - Set out “early warning” boundaries so that you catch the temptation early on when it is manageable.  #2 Pray hard!  “Watch and pray.”  Engage in fervent prayer.  I’d dare say that most of us haven’t really experienced the power of earnest prayer and fasting.  #3 Cleanse your conscience.  In the Old Testament when a person was considered unclean he would have to go through ritual washing, and then he was clean.  In the New Testament we are to wash ourselves with “Confession to Jesus” and then we are clean. 1 John 1:9.  Never fail to admit your faults to one another and to God – James 5:16.  #4 Walk in the Spirit Gal 5:16.  What this means is that you need to set your mind on spiritual things.  Stop focusing on those sins, going over and over them in your mind and instead begin praising God, memorizing Scripture, singing praise songs etc Rom 8:5.  This is primarily a spiritual battle and can only be won by living in the Spirit.  We gain the victory, not so much by avoiding our sins, but by embracing and pursuing God with all our heart.  …And that is what makes us pleasing to him!  That’s what brings him Glory!  Praise Him, Think about Jesus, Focus on God, live out your day in fellowship with God and like a giant spiritual transformation, you are to the praise of His glory. 

Dear Father, I want to be pleasing to You!  Please remind me to keep my mind focused on things that are spiritual so that I don’t slip back into the sad state of temptation.  I choose to think on Jesus.  I choose to think on things that are true, right, just and honorable and avoid thoughts that drag me down.

Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 11; Isaiah 63; Acts 25

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:6-7  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ

Fools Gold!  A 2004 investigation revealed that more than half of jewelry stores around the US were selling “fool’s gold” and passing it off as real!  Who would have guessed?  I’m looking at my wedding ring, and there are some tiny markings on it, but I can’t read them.  Even if it said 24K there is no guarantee that an honest person did the job.  How do you know if your gold jewelry is real or fake?  There are several ways.  If you have owned it for a while, the easiest test is to see if it tarnishes.  Real gold does not tarnish.  Anything 10K or less is considered fake.  A 10K gold piece is only 42% gold!  So if it is only plated, sometimes you can use a magnet to detect fool’s gold.  Gold is not magnetic.  If it’s attracted to a magnet, forget it!  …or you can take it to a jeweler. The jeweler can do an acid test to determine the gold content.  However, the most accurate method is assaying or testing gold by fire.  First you weigh the gold.  Melt it at 1100 degrees C.  All other metals will be removed at this heat.  Now you have pure gold… sorry that you don’t have your original wedding ring anymore, but at least you’ll know it’s pure!  Gold that has been “tried by fire” is pure gold!  That’s the guarantee of purity.  Our faith is compared to pure gold.  Gold has always had intrinsic value since the beginning of human history.  Gold has been the measure of wealth and prosperity.  It has been the metal of choice for trading, buying and selling.  It is the Gold Standard.  There is something intrinsically valuable about faith.  Fidelity or faithfulness is the slogan of the Marines; “Semper Fidelis,” Always Faithful.  Who can calculate the worth of someone you can always depend on?  A solid rock, an unmoving bastion of faithfulness.  If you have a faithful friend, you are a wealthy individual.  God is looking for faith in his children.  Faith is not simply holding fast, it is holding fast to the truth.  There are two things that make it genuine.  #1 It’s ability to persevere and #2 it’s genuine content.  They are related.  If the content is not genuine, sooner or later the perseverance will fail.  But when genuine faith is tested by various trials… the death of a loved one, a debilitating sickness, loss of all earthly possessions, or heated persecution… certainly we may waver, that’s human.  But in the end, genuine faith will persevere!  When we are melted down so that we have nothing left but our faith and our character, and though we lie stripped, naked and bleeding beneath the torturers blows, if your faith is genuine, nothing can take it from you.  It is what is left over when all the niceties of life are melted away.  And genuine faith, like gold is priceless!  It is to the praise, honor and glory of God!

Dear Lord.  When through the fiery trials of life my pathway shall lie, your grace all sufficient will be my supply.  The flame will not hurt me, You only design the dross to consume and the gold to refine!  I believe that.  I don’t relish it, but I do relish the value of genuine faith! 

He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, And shall not despise their prayer.

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 10; Isaiah 62; Acts 24

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:6-7  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ

Jesus wants you well.  If you’ll just send me one thousand dollars, I’ll send you a twice blessed vial of holy olive oil that will heal any sickness or disease!  And for ten thousand dollars, I’ll send you a prayer shawl… If you pray regularly with this prayer shawl covering your head, you will become successful in every endeavor and have every prayer of yours answered!  Send money now!  Funny how American Christians think we can measure God’s blessings by health, wealth and success.  “Once you come to Christ he will make you happy and take all your problems away!”  Really?  In the rest of the world it works something like this.  Abbas Abu converts to Christianity and immediately loses his job.  His family tries to poison him.  He escapes from his home town with noting more than the clothes on his back which are bloodied from the beating that almost took his life.  He wanders from place to place, hungry, gaunt and cold, always fearing for his safety.  All for the crime of trusting Jesus!  How different this is than the health, wealth and prosperity gospel!  But this was the Apostle Paul’s experience.  Everywhere he visited they had a riot!  … or a beating, or a stoning, or a shipwreck, or hunger, or betrayal.  And this was Jesus message to us, “In the world you shall have tribulation.”  “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”  NEWSFLASH!  Jesus didn’t come to make you happy, he came to make you holy!  You are here to make Him happy!  Now that is not to say that Christianity doesn’t bring joy.  But joy is a world away from happiness.  Happiness depends on happenings.  If things happen to turn out well, you and I are happy.  If I win the lottery, stay healthy, have lots of good friends, get an amazing birthday gift, go on a cruise, shoot a record breaking elk, get to go fishing every day, get promoted at work, see my football team win the Superbowl, get to go to the Superbowl… then I’m happy!  But Joy doesn’t have the same downer that happiness experiences when bad things occur.  Happiness is based on changing circumstances, while joy is based on the unchanging promises of God.  There is no question that trials and difficulties grieve us, but a Christian who understands his place in the kingdom of God rejoices not only because life is good, but because our real, genuine, lasting hope is in heaven!  Joy is based on what Jesus has done for me!  He saved me and gave me eternal life!  No threat of man nor trial on earth can take that from me.  So when I’m in a trial, I remember hope!  I remember heaven!  I rejoice because tomorrow the sun will rise on eternal joy!

Dear Father.  I want to learn to rejoice in good times and bad.  I want to learn to thank you for the things that are important like Eternal Life, Your presence in my life and Jesus!  These are things that can never be taken from me.  No matter what happens to me, I rejoice in You!

The LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 9; Isaiah 61; Acts 23:12-35

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:5  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

We all know, or at least we should know, that Christmas is all about Jesus.  But for sake of illustration, I want to talk about the main business of our commercialized society: Christmas Presents.  Every year a lot of thought goes into buying or making each other something significant that will say, “I love you and I’m thinking about you.”  Growing up, seeing gifts under the tree always brought on a spirit of anticipation.  What was in those brightly wrapped boxes?  I had to know!  Once I got carried away and peeled back the wrapping paper so I could get a sneak peek!  I had to bury the present in the back to avoid detection.  I found that the anticipation was better than the gift!  In fact sometimes the anticipation was so high that the gift just did not make the cut!  I expected more and got less.  As a child, sitting in the living room strewn knee high with wrappers and a pile of loot next to my chair, I frequently felt emptiness and disappointment.  Stuff just doesn’t satisfy, at least not for long!  That’s why we need to teach the kids about the heart behind the gift.  Someone loved you enough to think of you, so, no matter whether we like the gift or not we always say “thanks!”  I have a strange tradition that I have carried out for years.  I keep my gift for Susan hidden until the morning of Christmas and then sneak it under the tree before she gets up.  She never has any idea of what it could possibly be because it’s never revealed until Christmas morn.  It’s always the most expensive gift in the house.  (Expensive is relative, you understand.  Expensive to us may be a pittance to others and often is!).  OK… now I’m going to try to tie my illustration to the verse.  God has given us the gift of salvation!  IT is the best one in the house.  Believe it!  No one can steal this gift from us because “we are kept by the power of God.”  Our gift is secure.  However, none of us can tell who else has the gift and who doesn’t have it by the pretty wrapping on the outside!  We look on the outward appearance, but God knows the heart.  We live in anticipation of the day when God will step down into history and have the final Christmas present roundup of all time.  On that day He will reveal who has the gift and who does not.  God knows who are His!  If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, you are one of his gifts, and once the wrapping paper is off, the opening will be better than the anticipation!  Every expectation will be surpassed on that day!  The good news is that once he saves you, then he keeps you and finally he reveals you on that last Christmas day!  Saved, Kept, Revealed… that is what every Christian has to look forward to!  I can’t wait for him to unwrap that gift!

Dear Lord Jesus, thanks for your indescribable gift to me!  Save me, keep me and reveal me as one of your own on that day!  I have confidence in that process by faith because you promised it.  I thank you for security, now help me to live in gratitude and anticipation of that day!

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 8; Isaiah 60; Acts 23:1-11 To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:5  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

You deserve hell.  Your sins are a stench in the nostrils of a holy God.  Don’t try to justify yourself by saying, “I’m not that bad!”  Shame on you.  What makes you think that your sins are any better than anyone else’s?  Is stretching the truth really any better than perjury?  Is a lustful look any less odious to God than adultery?  Is a grudge any less toxic than revenge?  Just because you hide all your sins behind your carefully designed middle class image, do you think that God can’t see behind the façade?  He knows, and so do you.  Sin is deathly serious.  Don’t minimize sin.  Don’t sweep your sin into the closet and pretend it doesn’t exist.  God knows you!  God hears every irritated, sneaky or selfish thought you think.  He sees you like no one else does.  You’ve been caught red handed with your fingers in the cookie jar.  There is no reason for pretence or keeping up appearances.  You are guilty and so am I.  In fact you are so guilty that you deserve hell, and so do I.  If you think otherwise, it only serves to illustrate another fault – smug self-righteousness.  There is nothing so offensive to God as those who are posers.  The self-righteous are caught in a labyrinth of self deception so deep that unless the light of honesty pierces their darkness, they will forever be entangled there.  It is precisely because of the serious nature of our sin that we need salvation.  Old fashioned terms, contemporary needs.  It is precisely because of the sheer weight of the charge against us that we cannot save ourselves.  That’s why we need to understand two very important principles: The Power of God and The Need For Faith.  In order to be saved and kept it takes the power of God, nothing less could possibly save us from our predicament.  The “sin pit” you have dug for yourself is so deep and the sides so slippery that not one of us is able to pull ourselves out of it.  Only the Power of God could reach down, save us and keep us.  Many want to add God to their lives as though He were optional or a nice accessory or a good addition to an already good life.  God is essential because without him we are lost.  A drowning man doesn’t want a nice accessory, he needs a savior.  The second truth is the need for faith.  You must believe your sins are so serious that you need a savior.  You must believe you are drowning in sin before you will reach up to the Savior.  You must believe that Jesus really can save you.  That’s what faith is all about.  You deserve hell.  Reach out in faith and you will get eternal life!  He’ll pull you out of the pit and set you on a solid rock where you can bask in the sunlight of His grace and mercy!  And that’s where he’ll keep you.  Thank God for His power!

Dear Father.  I do recognize the seriousness of my sins.  I also recognize your great power to save.  I place my humble faith in your great power and trust you to do the saving!  Thanks for saving me, and thanks for keeping me.  It is because of your power that I have hope.

He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer.

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 7; Isaiah 59; Acts 22

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:5  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Stuff worth keeping.  Let’s do a mental garage sale.  You might as well start where you are seated right now.  Look around.  How much of the stuff in the room is worth keeping, and what are you willing to part with?  There’s seven old time glass canning jars with the flip up lid holders sitting on the book case.  Keepsakes or garage sale?  I’m not much of a collector, so they are gone!  OOPS!  I forgot to consider Susan’s feelings.  Put them back NOW!  There are half a dozen VHS movies there too.  “Stuart Little,” gone, “Shark Hunter,” outa here.  Dump them all!  And how about those books?  How many of them will I ever read again?  The college pic of Susan and I can stay though.  It has some serious sentimental value.  We were such a cute couple!  What else?  How about the fake plastic lemon tree?  Please!  Take it from me!  We have rooms full of essential junk!  Our lives are cluttered with memorabilia!  Susan just can’t help herself!  She keeps bringing home more!  I’m suffocating in useless trinkets!  What was important yesterday, so important we HAD to buy it, isn’t worth keeping today!  I could easily dump half of what I own and not miss any of it for years!  So what if God had a garage sale?  How many of us are worth keeping?  Let’s start with Dennis?  He certainly isn’t looking much like Christ!  And what about Bob? (Pun intended).  He’s been sitting on the Christian bookshelf collecting dust for years.  He has to go.  And how about you?  Are any of us worth keeping?  When you consider my failures, flaws, slip ups, personal problems, issues, attitude adjustments needed, sins and downright uselessness to the cause of Christ (really?  Come on don’t you feel that way sometimes?), I don’t know why God doesn’t have a “FIRE sale” right now!  If it were up to me, and I had to write a ledger of why God should keep me around, I have to be honest with you… there aren’t enough good things on the positive side to outweigh even one of the negatives on the dark side.  Really!  I mean it!  Think of it this way.  Let’s say you are a good person, nice in every way.  You work hard, pay your taxes, love your spouse and children and are a good family guy.  You help old ladies across the street and do all manner of nice things… except one day you have been drinking and driving and you run over and kill a ten year old girl.  It was a mistake!  A slip up!  It was the only time in your life you ever made that mistake!  You are a model citizen in every respect except one!  Can 40 or 50 or even 80 years of goodness balance the scales in the trial?  Will the jury let you off because you are a “nice guy?”  Not going to happen.  God doesn’t keep us around based on our ledger.  We are kept by the power of God!  And believe me if it weren’t for Jesus, there would be no possible way for me to ever make it through life.  I need him to “Save me” and I need him to “keep me!”  I can do neither, he can do both.  Thank God he’s going to keep me! 

Dear Father, thanks for saving me from my sins.  Thanks for keeping me despite my sin!  I am trusting you.  I realize that it is only by the grace of God that I am in your kingdom.  I have no reason to brag, and every reason to be grateful!  Thanks, Lord Jesus!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled

Susie from Eugene writes… I always enjoy reading what is going on down there, almost as much as the devotionals.  (That’s a relief!)  Is Pine Grove feeling the effects of the evil one?  He seems to have stepped up his attacks in Eugene….Please be praying for us.  The sickness, the emotional turmoil,…this week we even had a member of our church run over and killed out by the Fern Ridge.  It just seems to be never ending….Maybe if he is working so hard up here, he is letting up on you guys…..   Have a good day.  —- Thanks Susie!  I always enjoy hearing from you!  I doubt that the enemy every stops attacking, when his attacks aren’t visible, he’s setting up an ambush.  Pray for us as we pray for you!

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 6:22-; Isaiah 58; Acts 21:17

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:3-4  “3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,4  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

What do surf boards, bird watchers, American’s, wii and Eminem, all have in common?  I googled them and discovered that they all claim to be “born again.”  Born Again Boards presumably remakes old surf boards.  Born again bird watchers probably have bought some new binoculars re-energizing their hobby.  Born Again Americans have rediscovered their heritage.  Wii came out with a retooled product, and Eminem is clearly in an unknown metamorphosis in its very earliest of stages, though you’d never guess it from his filthy lyrics that some call music.  What’s going on here?  Clearly the term “Born Again” has been hijacked!  It has taken on a life of its own, meaning anything that is transformed or anyone who has “reinvented” himself in the public eye.  We have clearly come a long way from Chuck Colson who popularized it back in the 70s and 80s and Jimmy Carter who first mentioned being born again in a Playboy Magazine interview.  But 1 Peter says God has “begotten us again to a living hope!”  Peter says we have been begotten or born again!  So how does one become born again?  Catholics and some Protestants hold that it happens during water baptism.  You must be baptized to be born again.  They quote Jesus words, “you must be born of water and the Spirit” John 3:5, and Peter’s words in Acts 2:38 “be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”  But Paul claimed that “Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel… lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect” (1 Cor 1:17).  And Jesus himself did not baptize (John 4:2).  Clearly if Paul or Jesus felt that Baptism was the way to Eternal Life, they would have been dunking people left and right!  The theme of Christianity would have been “let’s get as many people wet as possible!”  “Dunk the world!”  The headlines might have read, “Jesus holds largest mass baptism ever and claims that now all wet people are going to heaven!”  If you thought that it was holy water, a holy ritual, or holy hands that dunk you in the water, Jesus and Paul didn’t see it that way.  They didn’t do it.  And Peter tells us that we are “born again… through the Word of God” (1:23).  How does the Word do it?  “whosoever believes” John 3:16, “he who believes” John 3:18, “whoever believes” 1 John 5:1, 1 John 5:13, James 2:23, Heb 11:6, 1 Thess 4:4, Eph 1:13, Galatians 3:6, Rom 10:9, and on and on.  To be “Born Again,” you must simply place your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin and mean from the depths of your heart, “I believe in You!”  God does the rest… he brings about the new birth and you are “born again.”

Dear Lord Jesus, I do believe in You.  I believe you are God the son.  I believe You came to earth to save me.  I believe You died for my sins.  I believe you rose from the dead.  I believe that there is no other way to heaven but through You and I am trusting You to save me!

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 6:1-21; Isaiah 57; Acts 21:1-16

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:3-4  “3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,4  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

How much is enough?  A multimillionaire was once asked that question… his answer?  “A little more!”  Really?  You would think that after the jackpot got to a million or so, a person would be satisfied and say… “I think I have enough now, I don’t really need more.”  But that’s not the way it works!  We want more!  Why?  Greed is one answer.  And don’t forget about Covetousness.  There are always bigger boats to buy and more expensive toys to acquire.  Another BIG reason is security.  How much material stuff like gold, silver, property, stocks and bonds does it take to make us feel secure?  The more we accumulate, the more security we need in order to pay the bill collectors and replace the stuff we’ve got.  We have a bigger income and BIGGER BILLS!  They say that there are three things that drive the stock market: Greed, Hope and Fear.  Never underestimate fear.  Every investor knows that what goes up can come down 100 times faster than it went up!  Eternal nervous vigilance is necessary to protect what you have.  If we were honest, we would probably rate insecurity and fear among the top reasons for piling on materialism.  When is your bank account big enough?  Uh… never?  Why do you hold on so tight to every greenback?  Fear & Insecurity.  Let’s face it, wealth is so tentative, especially in these tough economic times that we may driven to work 90 hours a week, hoard all we can get, and protect our little Fort Knox with an arsenal of highly trained ninja warriors.  You won’t see a penny from me until you pull my cold, dead fingers off my safety deposit box!  Jesus had a different view.  Don’t hoard your treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, instead lay up your treasures in heaven where, as Peter said, we have an “incorruptible inheritance” that is “undefiled and does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.”  The real answer to security is where you bank!  If you depend on your deposits at the Bank of the World, you have reason to be uneasy.  There the value of everything depreciates, the shine on our trinkets corrodes, and Identity Theft threatens to transfer all funds to a foreign account.  The antidote to insecurity is to open an account in the Bank of Heaven.  There your inheritance is safe and secure.  There your riches do not depreciate or disappear.  There you have “exceeding riches” as your reward.  There you can depend on the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy.  There you have the riches of His glory which supply all your needs.  Those riches strengthen the inner man and his inventory is so high the riches are unsearchable.  I pray that the eyes of your understanding would be opened that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.  Need security?  Bank in Heaven.

Dear Father.  I want to find my security in You.  I know you are a solid rock that I can depend on.  I know that on this earth riches may come and go, but you will never leave me or forsake me.  I am depending on a retirement that is out of this world.  Help me to place my trust there, not on things that can never bring stability and security.

My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 5; Isaiah 56; Acts 20

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:3-4  “3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,4  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

Hope.  A man can live 40 days without food, 4 days without water, 4 minutes without air, but can’t last even 4 seconds without hope!  I always thought hope was a virtue!  Hope is good, right?  Did you know that the Greeks considered hope to be as dangerous as all the world’s evils put together!  In fact Hope was one of the evils that Pandora let out of the box!  Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche argued that hope, in truth, “is the most evil of evils because it prolongs man’s torment.”  It makes men hang on when there is no rational reason to hang on.  If they had only given up sooner their torment would not have lasted so long.  Is that twisted or what?  I hope that I don’t hope, because if I do hope I’ll end up more hopeless in the end!  Seriously… it does make some sense, but only if you are basing your hope on a phantom or on something that won’t come through.  So, what are you basing your hope on?  The dictionary defines hope as “a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.”  I hope so!  That definition doesn’t do anything to reinforce the idea that hope is good!  How many times do things turn out “good” for you?  Marriage turns sour.  Economy goes bust.  People die.  Cars break down.  You are getting older and more infirm.  I’ve got to admit it; hope that the things this life will come through isn’t too promising.  I might as well hold out the hope that I’ll win the lottery!  Good luck.  You could win the jackpot only to be run over by a Semi five minutes later!  That’s why the Bible calls the Christian’s hope “a living hope… that does not fade away.”  Our hope is not like their hope.  Our hope is based on solid footing.  We believe that since Jesus was resurrected from the dead that we have a place reserved in heaven!  Everything hinges on the resurrection!  If Jesus was not raised from the dead we are the most pitiable of all people.  If Christ is not risen our faith is worthless, useless, and misplaced and we are still in our sins.  We are not forgiven and we are pushing a lie, the biggest lie ever concocted!  But if Christ is risen we have more reason to hope than anyone else on the face of the planet.  Did he or didn’t he?  Only the disciples (and God) know… and they were willing to die for it!  Who would die for what they know to be a lie?  Listen, if, or should I say SINCE, Christ is risen from the dead, he has given us a LIVING HOPE.  This has nothing to do with “I hope so…” nothing to do with an insubstantial phantom of a promise that evaporates like an illusion in the desert.  This is hope based on the rock solid fact of the resurrection.  Bank on it.  No matter what happens in this life, “all things work together for the good of those who love God and… nothing can separate me from the love of God!”

Dear Lord Jesus, I hope in you, and that hope will not be disappointed because you have always come through in the past and always will in the future.  I don’t hope in the circumstances of this life, I do hope in the promised future of eternity.  On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 4; Isaiah 55; Acts 19

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:3-4  “3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,4  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

Should I be merciful?  How do we decide if a person deserves mercy or if they should get what’s coming to them?  My nephew once asked a question on Facebook, “Does Vick deserve another chance in the NFL?”  Everyone was dancing around the discussion of his ability and the seriousness or triviality of the crime he committed when I asked, “What do you mean by the word deserve?”  Suddenly the whole conversation changed!  Does anyone “deserve” mercy?  Mercy, by definition is given to those who don’t deserve it.  They committed a crime, offense or sin and deserve to face the consequences of their actions.  To deserve something means we are worthy of it!  No one DESERVES mercy, only the unworthy are worthy of mercy.  Those two words, “deserve” and “mercy” used in the same sentence, are incompatible with one another.  So how do you determine who gets mercy?  It might be complicated.  We might ask, “was it an accident?  Why did they do it?  Is it worth it for me to push the issue or should I let it go?”  And then perhaps the most important question, “what about their attitude?  Is it contrite or arrogant?”  My guess is that we grant leniency to the humble more than we do to the pig headed.  If there were ever a case for “deserving” mercy, this would be it!  Now let’s see how God does it.  He offers us “abundant mercy!”  While we were still SINNERS Christ died for us… while we were ENEMIES he reconciled us… when we were REBELLIOUS he offered mercy to us.  (Read Romans 5:6-8)  His mercy is so great that not only does he offer to let us off the hook for our sins and indiscretions, but in the interest of justice, he also stepped in to pay the price we were destined to pay for them!  And the amazing thing is that mercy is OFFERED both to the contrite and to the pig headed!  My offers of mercy are conditional!  If you want to go toe to toe with me, I’ll take it to the next level.  I’m NOT even going to even offer mercy to a pig headed, rebellious, loud mouthed, ungrateful, arrogant brat!  But God offers abundant mercy to all!  The offer is extended.  God will let you off the hook, scot free – you deserve hell, he’ll give you heaven… but, and here’s where the but comes in… in order to receive this free gift of mercy, you will have to deserve it by realizing how undeserving you are, you must become worthy by grasping how unworthy you are.  You must be humble and contrite before God (who in their right mind wouldn’t be!) and gratefully accept his offer of abundant mercy.  His mercy is offered to ALL, but received only by those who appreciate their need and request it.  Won’t you accept it today?

Dear Father:  I am unworthy of your abundant mercy.  I realize the seriousness of my condition.  Only mercy can get me off the hook and into heaven.  I drop all pretence of worthiness before you, and instead willingly and gratefully accept your gracious gift of eternal life.  Thanks!

Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 3; Isaiah 54; Acts 18

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 1 Peter 1:3-4  “3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,4  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

God is good… All the time!  How good is God?  He is ALL good.  There isn’t a bad bone in his body… that is, if he had a body, there wouldn’t be a bad bone in it.  John puts it this way, “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5).  James adds, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”  (James 1:17).  There is no darkness in God, in fact there is not a hint, not even a faint shadow or variation of his goodness.  God is all good, all the time.  Depend on it.  One thing you can depend on is the consistency and dependability of God.  He always acts according to His character – 100% of the time!  GOD IS GOOD!  Life is tough.  Because of Adam, our great, great grandfather, we have problems.  The original sin messed with the universe.  It paved the way for every bad thing you have ever experienced.  Aging, crime, bills, sickness, hurricanes, arguments, ingrown toenails… you name it, it precipitated it all.  Good from God, Bad from Sin.  God is not responsible for the evils that have found their way into our lives.  God is responsible for every good thing that has ever happened to you!  When bad things happen, Sin deserves the blame, when good things happen God deserves the praise!  But far too often we do exactly the reverse of what we should: We blame God for bad things and praise us for good things!  We say things like “If God were a God of love, he wouldn’t allow all the rape (people did that) murder (people) crime (that’s us doing it again) etc in the world!  Backwards.  And then when good things happen we say, “I’m a lucky guy!” (us).  “I made a good investment decision” (us again).  “It just took a lot of hard work” (you got it – we take the credit!).  1 Peter tells us we ought to bless God because of his abundant mercy, extravagant hope and unbelievable gifts that he heaps upon us!  We have been blessed!  We ought to bless back!  A grateful heart is one of essential keys to a happy successful life.  An ungrateful person is happy only when things are really going his way, and then only for a while.  A grateful person realizes that even when bad things happen, there is still an amazing amount of things to give thanks for!  Health, family, job, house, car, Jesus, the fresh air we breathe, the beauty of nature, Jesus, eyesight, two hands, ability to walk, Jesus… Want happiness beyond imagination?  Pause several times a day, close your eyes for just a moment or two and sink into a state of thanksgiving.  Smile and say, “God you are good!  I thank you for your blessings!”  And then list a few.  “You have been so good to me!  Thanks that every day I come home to a warm house and the smell of dinner cooking… Thanks… and then you fill in the blanks!”  Bless God and the joy will flow.

Dear Father:  Thanks for the death of your Son Jesus.  That you love me so much that you want me as your child!  Thanks for the hope of heaven, that you want me to be in your presence for eternity!  Thanks for transformation, that you have come to live inside me and make me like yourself.  I bless you.

“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 2; Isaiah 53; Acts 17:16-34

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from Matthew 28:16-20  “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Are you a trekkie?  If so, you probably speak Klingon fluently and have seen every episode of Star Trek, The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager and Enterprise… beam me up Scotty!  One of the standard shots in Star Trek is the transporter room where an away team is dematerialized and shot thousands of miles away onto a planet’s surface where they are rematerialized.  If only we could do it for real!  Jesus can.  Jesus can walk on water, walk through walls, disappear in one place and appear in another… and he can “fly.”  It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no its… rererererereerereeee  (sound of record winding down).  Jesus is not just another superhero, Jesus is God almighty, and thus he can do as he pleases.  There is nothing he can’t do!  Can you imagine the disciple’s reaction to the ascension of their Lord?  Right in front of their eyes he floated, flew, ascended, soared into the skies!  Their jaws dropped!  They had seen Jesus do every possible impossible thing!  He had healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the five thousand, given sight to the blind, calmed a stormy sea, and yes he had come back to life from the dead!  Now he was flying!  Pinch me please, is this for real or is it just special effects?  Oh yeah!  They didn’t have special effects back then!  If he was just an ordinary human he couldn’t have done what he did.  Mark, Luke and Acts record the Ascension of the Lord, Matthew does not.  But I’m betting that the doubters who worshiped the resurrected Lord in verse 17, had something even larger to ponder in verse 21!  (There is no verse 21, but that’s when Jesus would have ascended!)  The book of Acts picks up the story and tells us that the disciples went back to Jerusalem to await the promised coming of the Holy Spirit.  Days passed.  Nights went by.  Thomas may have looked at that starry sky, closed his eyes and replayed the ascension of Christ over and over in his mind.  Maybe Peter was there with him, tapped him on the shoulder, “Are you thinking about what I’m thinking about?  I keep reliving the time he walked right through the locked door and showed us his hands and side!  And can you believe the ascension!  We serve an awesome God!”  They may have stood there in silence taking in the moment.  There was no doubt in their minds, “lo I am with you always!”  Anyone who could do all that, could still be here, and he is.

Dear Lord Jesus.  I know that all things are possible with You.  You are here now, right where I am.  When I doubt, Lord, fill my heart with the hope of Your Spirit and the reminder of Your Power.  I await your return with great anticipation, knowing that “this same Jesus, who was taken up into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.”

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength.  This is the greatest commandment

Today’s Scripture reading is 2 Chronicles 1; Isaiah 52; Acts 17:1-15

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from Matthew 28:16-20  “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The task ahead of us is never greater than the power behind us.  The power behind us is immeasurably greater than the task ahead of us!  Lord don’t give us tasks according to our powers, give us powers according to our tasks.  To reach the world!  That is a task and a half.  Whenever I tell the people of the church that our mission is to reach the world with the Gospel of Christ, they smile knowingly.  “Sure thing, I’ll get right on it.”  And whenever I tell the people of the church that our mission is to reach every single person in Roseburg with the Gospel of Christ, the eyebrows come up!  That’s a lot of people!  We’re having a hard time keeping our heads above water!  OK, let’s be honest.  I’d be happy to reach a few hundred with the Gospel… be realistic, how about just four or five new families in church this year… that’s reachable.  Even that seems out of reach right now.  Imagine the Disciple’s thoughts.  There were a few hundred people at most gathered together for prayer on Pentecost… Can you hear the Apostles consternation… “And we are supposed to reach the world?  I’m going fishing!”  And look at us today.  Christians spread across every continent, in every land… amazing.  How did we get from a handful to a FEW BILLION!  The odds are so against that!  That’s how I feel sometimes in my little church, with our modest congregation.  The odds are against us!  The culture war is raging, threatening to shut us down!  Where are the young people!  The economy is down, giving is down!  So many of us are apathetic!  Some, to my grief make horrible life choices.  They choose to be sinful, irresponsible, uncommitted, uncaring and yes, even hostile!  The chorus of voices shout in my head, “IT CAN’T BE DONE!”  The shoulders droop.  The tears drop.  Time to cash in the chips?  How about that still small voice?  “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”  Never count God out!  NEVER!  In quiet confidence Jesus whispers, “ALL power is mine!  The odds are never against me!  I can still heal, transform, revive, regenerate, save, provide, comfort and empower.  No matter what you are facing I’m up to the task.  I can do immeasurably beyond what you can ask or think!  Need abundant life?  I’ve got it.”  Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains you can’t tunnel thru? God specializes in things thought impossible, He does the things no other can do.  Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed, For I am your God and will still give you aid.

Dear Lord God.  We need roots more than we need wings.  When through fiery trials my pathway shall lie,

Your grace, all sufficient, shall be my supply: The flame shall not hurt me; You only design, My dross to consume and my gold to refine.  Teach me to believe that.  Loudly if necessary.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose

Today’s Scripture reading is 1 Chronicles 29; Isaiah 51; Acts 16:16-40

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from Matthew 28:16-20  “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

“Do you have a RED Bible?”  (Thinking… hmmm what color is my Bible anyway?  Blue?  Brown?  Black?)  “EVERYBODY ought to have a READ Bible.”  Ever got caught by that little play on words before?  It’s cute.  The Bible is a BIG book.  There’s a lot to know there.  I have a huge concern for the young people of our day.  There is a tremendous poverty and illiteracy gap among today’s teenagers when it comes to God’s Word.  So many kids today grow up with almost no knowledge of God’s Truth.  It’s a travesty!  They are being taught something, and believe me, it’s not our value system!  They are growing up with beliefs that are hostile to Christianity and out of step with our countries heritage.  We are about to see the largest paradigm shift of world views in US history.  If you listen, you can hear the rasping of the hinges just before the door slams shut on the Christian world view.  Enough whining!  What’s the solution?  Same as it’s always been.  Make disciples, “teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you.”  Previously I suggested that Jesus wants ALL of us to do what he asked his original 12 disciples to do.  Get your own group.  Teach them.  Raise up a dozen disciples who are willing to get their own group and raise up disciples for Jesus.  How do you do that?  It takes maturity.  We must somehow get those disciples to grow up enough to see that their mission is to raise up other disciples.  They must be willing to enter into the intensive training of the twelve!  Jesus put it this way, “When a disciple is fully trained he will be just like his teacher,” Luke 6:40.  That’s a lot of training!  We throw out the net like a fisherman (The net:) “Every individual in your group must come to see himself as a potential leader!”  When you see God working in a life, you pull him aside and suggest that they become “one of the twelve.”  You ask them to become a disciple.  That’s because “Every leader must come to see himself as a discipler of disciples.”  We have a two year training course that will “teach them to observe all things I have commanded you.”  (Or at least get a good start on it!) We teach about Grace, submission to God, and the whole council of God.  By the time a disciple comes out of this course, he should have his own group, and then he will look to find other disciples.  We don’t teach knowledge for knowledge’s sake.  We teach to produce disciples.  Reproduction is the goal.  Are you on the discipleship track?  If not, let me know so I can get you on it!

Dear Father.  I want to be a disciple of yours.  I want to learn the “whole counsel of God.”  I am willing to disciple others.  If you are willing, I will follow you in discipleship and disciple others.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

Today’s Scripture reading is 1 Chronicles 28; Isaiah 50; Acts 16

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from Matthew 28:16-20  “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Snap, Crackle, Pop!  Winkin, Blinkin & Nod.  Red, White & Blue… what do all these have in common?  They are famous trios.  And there are more of them, dozens more!  The three, stooges, musketeers, blind mice, men in a tub and on and on and on!  I don’t know why, but there seems to be something poetic, balanced & synergistic about the number three.  Maybe it’s because they are all patterned after the original three:  “the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”  It’s what we call the Trinity.  The English word Trinity is derived from Latin Trinitas, meaning “the number three, a triad”.  The word “Trinity” is never used in the Bible.  The first recorded use of it in Christian theology was by Theophilus of Antioch in about 170 AD.  But the concept is there.  Notice the careful wording of Matthew, “Baptizing them in the NAME of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  Name is singular!  One name, three persons!  It isn’t three names, it’s ONE.  It’s like a brand.  You can’t have Rice Crispies if you only have “Snap & Crackle” You can’t have the flag without “Red, White & …” The three are one.  And consider this, God created the universe after His pattern to demonstrate that you can find God in the universe.  Time Trio = Past, Present & Future.  Can you tell me at what point future becomes present becomes past?  Time is indivisibly one, yet distinctly three.  Dimensional Space Trio = Height, Width & Depth.  Look at any corner of your room.  At the convergent point, all three are clearly one… yet follow the line across the ceiling and it is distinctive from the other two lines.  You can’t have three dimensional space without it.  Three in one.  And the whole universe is made up of a trinity = Time, Space & Matter.  Matter exists in three dimensional space “traveling” through time… or what some have called the time / space continuum.  (Matter is a trinity as well, but way beyond my ability to explain!).  The universe is not partly composed of space, partly of matter, and partly of time. A trinity is not a trio or a triad, but a tri-unity, with each part comprising the whole, yet all three required to make the whole. Thus, the universe is all Space, all Time, and all Matter!  Man was also created in the image of God!  He is physical, mental and spiritual!  It seems that God worked very hard at leaving his imprint on everything He made!  “The heavens declare the Glory of God!”  If you look for Him, He’s there!  Father, Son, Holy Spirit. 

Dear Lord.  Thanks for revealing yourself to me.  I am grateful for you father, for being my father.  I thank you Jesus for being my savior.  And I thank you Spirit for living within and giving me new life.  I will worship You. 

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.