Activating the scriptures

I'm attending Take the City Bootcamp at The Door on Wednesday nights.
The class is being led by Andrew Chalmers. I understand that Andrew's full time job is with Teen Challenge.
Andrew told us that in evangelizing to others we will need to be sure of who God is and understand our relationship to him.

Our homework assignment was to activate the scriptures in our lives by speaking their truths.

I choose to believe...

I choose to believe that God is...

I choose to believe that I am...

It's like a menu.

Just as we make decisions throughout the day what foods we choose to place in our mouths, passing into our bodies, as our sustenance,  so do we make mental decisions throughout the day what thoughts we choose to place into our minds passing into our being as our sustenance.
I choose to believe...

Trying it out.

I choose to believe that I am a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:26 NLT

I choose to believe that I am in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

I choose to believe that I am receiving overwhelming victory through Christ who loves me. Romans 8:37 NLT

I'm liking this... How about activating more scriptures.

I choose to believe that God is blessing those who take refuge in him. Psalm 2:12 NIV

I choose to believe that God is sustaining me. I lie down and sleep; I wake again. Psalm 3:5 NIV

I choose to believe that God is living ...Through everything God made, I can clearly see his invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature. So I  have no excuse for not knowing God. Romans. 1:20 NLT

I choose to believe that God is the one who has entrusted everything to Christ. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Matthew 11:27

I choose to believe that Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

I choose to believe that  God is helping me speak and is teaching me what to say.” Exodus 4:12 NIV

I choose to believe that I can, because of Christ and my faith in him, come boldly and confidently into God's presence. Ephesians 3:12 NLT

I choose to believe that The Word, in the beginning, already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He existed in the beginning with God. [3] God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. [4] The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:1-5 NLT

I choose to believe that The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NIV

I  choose to believe that God is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. Job 37:23 NIV

I choose to believe that God is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:28 NIV

I choose to believe that God is giving strength to the weary and increasing the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29 NIV

I choose to believe that God is Great and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. Psalm 147:5 NIV

I choose to believe that God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:20 NLT

I choose to believe that God is great in riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! Romans 11:33 NLT

I choose to believe that God is doing anything he wants, and no one can stop him. Job 42:2 NLT

I choose to believe that God is omnipotent. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. Genesis 18:14 NIV

I choose to believe that God is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3 NLT

I choose to believe that God is everywhere in all the heavens and earth. Jeremiah 23:24 NLT

I choose to believe that I am made by God. All the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13 NLV

I choose to believe that God is before the mountains were born, before he gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, he is God. Psalm 90:2 NLT

I choose to believe that God does not change. Malachi 3:6 NIV

I choose to believe that God is holy. Psalm 99:9 NLV

I choose to believe that God is pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Habakkuk 1:13 NLT

I choose to believe that God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, [5] that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) [7] So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-5,7 NLT

Good news in a minute

Here is what I understand the good news to be:

The good news is that the one and only God who is holy made us in his image to know him.

But we sinned, trying to run our lives alone without him.

Yet in his great love, God became a man in Jesus and lived a holy life.

And died on the Cross thus fulfilling the law himself  and taking on himself the punishment for my sins and the sins of all others who would ever turn and trust in him.

He rose again from the dead showing that God had accepted Christ's sacrifice, and that God's wrath against us had been exhausted.

He now calls on us to repent of our sins and to trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness. 

If we do so, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God.

Prayer of healing and intercession

I use this prayer as a model for praying for those who are sick.


Lord Jesus, you are the master of life and death. Everything I have is yours, and I love you very deeply. Just one touch from you restores the sick, heals the broken, and transforms the darkness. 

Only you can do this

Only you

So I ask that you would be with (name) right now 

May they sense your presence

May they feel your power

May they know your love

May their body be overwhelmed

With light and truth

With healing and wellness

Just as it was in the beginning

As you first intended us to be

May they be restored 

I ask for your healing on their body right now

Thank you Lord that you hear my prayer

That you have overcome the world

That you hold all of heaven and earth in your loving hands 

And that you have given us the promise of eternity

In our hearts forever 

Amen

http://www.lords-prayer-words.com/i_pray_you_will.html

Prayer for my little children

I enjoy praying the scriptures. I've prayed these scriptures many times for my little children.


Create in our children a clean heart, and renew in them a right spirit. Psalm 51:10

May honesty and integrity be their virtue and their protection. Psalm 25:21

Cloth them with a heart of compassion. Colossians 3:12

May they be merciful just as you Father are merciful. Luke 6:36

I pray that our children would love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind.  And that they would love their neighbors as themselves. Matthew 22:37-39

That they may grow in the grace and knowledge of Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18

I pray that as chosen by You, they may obtain salvation in Jesus Christ and its eternal glory.  2 Timothy 2:10

May they find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb. Psalm 19:10

Let love and faithfulness never leave them, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts. Proverbs 3:3

Let their lives be overflowing with thankfulness.  Colossians 2:7

Let them grow daily in wisdom and statue and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52

We pray in the holy name of Christ our Savior. Amen

A prayer for our church

I found this this prayer that I love and I want to share. It was written by Chad Holtz.

God, grant us a spirit of repentance.   Help us to see our sin as you see it, and to turn away from that which displeases you.  

God, help us to fear you.  Forgive us for running our lives and our churches as though you are not the Judge standing at the door.   Instill in us a holy fear of you, O God, that we would tremble once more at your word and know you as holy and righteous.  

God, humble us.  Bring us down, Lord.  Forgive us for our prideful hearts and polished tongues.  Forgive us for not putting the needs of others before our own.  Forgive us for being more suspicious of your word than we are our own desires, thoughts, and feelings and theologies.   

God, bring revival to our churches!  Cleanse us from all impurity and unrighteousness and bring a holy fire upon us, one that will transform each and every person from the inside out.   Let our churches be places filled with the Holy Spirit, that all who enter these doors may know they are in the presence of a holy and loving God, one who has the power and desire to make us not better, but new.   Create in us clean hearts, and renew a right spirit within us.   

God, may our churches be overflowing with people hungry and thirsty.  May they have hearts soft and ready to hear the good news of the gospel, and may our pulpits be filled with preachers on fire for Jesus, eager to see souls saved.  Let our altars be lined with new converts falling over one another to get closer to the cross, and may we all grow up together, maturing in Christ, that you may present us all holy and blameless before Your Father in heaven.   Restore in us all a spirit of dependence, that we would want no other food than that which your hand provides.   

And God, let all this begin in me.   Today. This hour, and forevermore.   

In the precious, wonderful name of Jesus I ask this.  Amen.  

http://umcholiness.wordpress.com/2014/04/21/a-prayer-for-our-church/

The Secret: Colossians 1:27

I've enjoy reading books by Maxie Dunnam. I'm a Facebook friend and follow him on Twitter.  Pastor Dunnam was one of the founding fathers of the Walk to Emmaus. 

Sam, the secret is simply this: Christ in you!  

Yes, Christ in you bringing with Him the hope of all the glorious things to come. 

Suggested by Maxie Dunnam

Alive in Christ and the Intercessory Life

A prayer for me

A Prayer for Me.  Suggested by John Yates in his book "How a Man Prays for His Family.

Should we both pray for ourselves and ask others to pray for us? Yes we should. To not pray for ourselves would be prideful and suggest that we have no need for that which God wants and desires to bring to us as the result of prayer.

Father,

When you look at me, what would you like to see that I become? 

I believe that You would want to see me as a man who loves Christ.  

I believe that You would want to see me as a man who spends time with his creator each day in prayer.

I believe that You would want to see me as a man who casts all care at the feet of my Lord.

I believe that You would want to see me as a man who expresses love for his wife and children.

I believe that You would want to see me as a man who is faithful to his church family.  

I believe that You would want to see me as a man who desires to be a servant to his fellow man.

I believe that You would want to see me as a man who believes deeply in the power of prayer.

I believe that You would want to see me as a man who desires knowledge of Your will.

I believe that You would want to see me as a man who worships only the one true God.

I believe that You would want to see me as a man who recognizes his own powerlessness and inadequacies.

I pray that You will work in my life to bring about the changes needed in order to make me into the man you would want to see me become.

Prayer for our marriage

This is a prayer inspired by a book written by Bob Lepine. Jaime and I pray together each morning and evening. We've prayed this prayer hundreds of times.

We pray that Christ would be our first love, that through His love He would fill our marriage with His love and empower us to love each other more each day.

Teach us to look to You for security and self-esteem and not to our spouse.

Make our marriage a safe relationship, filling it with openness, honesty, and truth.

Unify each of us with You and with each other.

I pray that the two of us will constantly seek Your presence and power in our marriage.

I pray that You will protect our marriage from evil influences and temptations that can pull us away from each other and from You.

We pray that you use our marriage to touch the lives of others in a positive way, contributing to Your kingdom on earth.

Reflections on Columbia

Reflections on Columbia I would like to thank each of you for your prayers for the success of our mission. Your prayers truly helped Christ's church to bring healing to the sick and eyesight to the blind. Your prayers brought not only the King, but His Kingdom to people in Cienega, Columbia.

 I first learned of the MAPS trip to Columbia at Sunday School from Bob Wisor. He said that the trip would be in January and that it would be somewhat more expensive than the one we had taken 10 months earlier to Jamaica. My first inclination was to pass on this opportunity. Money is always an issue. This trip would be about $3200 for the two of us and I would also need to take a week's vacation time. Apparently God didn't see the circumstances of this trip in the same light as I was seeing it. The next day, my boss told me to come to her off ice to pick up a letter . The letter was an announcement that I was to receive a one time salary supplement of approximately two thousand dollars. This amount would be enough to cover more than half the cost of the trip to Columbia! God is so good!

Yet in spite of this blessing, I began to hear Satan's suggestion that I should perhaps hold on to this money for a rainy day. After all, wasn't my current service to The Lord sufficient? Two weeks latter would be commitment Sunday. That morning as the praise band concluded worship with the song "Here am I Lord", I was moved to accept God's calling to sign up for the Columbia trip. I remember saying to Jaime "we're going to Columbia." I knew that at this point in time that there might not be any available open slots and when Jaime called early Monday morning to inquire she was told that the trip had been filled ...but that the day before two people had backed out and now there was just enough room available for us to go! Nothing is too big for God!

 Some of you might ask, what special skills does Sam have that would make him of value to God in Columbia? He doesn't have any medical skills, his Spanish isn't good enough for him to act as an interpreter, his masonry skills are laughable, he doesn't plumb, he's not an electrician. Fortunately God has a place for each member of the body of Christ. Johnny, our team leader told me that I would not need to register those in need of medical services, the job I did last year in Jamaica, so I wandered into the eye glasses area and offered to help unpack the suitcases containing glasses and equipment. As we began to unpack one of the bags, I saw inside an unopened box containing rubber bands and a loom for making rubber band bracelets. Before I go any further I want to tell you that this was one of those God things. In this case it was a set of circumstances that only God could organize. You see, the previous weekend, my eleven year old granddaughter was visiting us and she had shown me how to make rubber band bracelets. I now had a skill that probably no one else on the team had. I could make rubber band bracelets and I knew what God wanted me to do with the skill He had provided me. We had a few Columbian children watching as we unpacked and began to set up the eye glass exam area. These were children who had attended the church worship service earlier in the day. I knew that God wanted me to use these rubber bands to begin to build a relationship with the children. I asked Sheila, our group leader if she had a purpose for the rubber bands and if she knew how to construct the bracelets. She said that she did not. I asked her if I could make some bracelets and she encouraged me. I opened the box, took out some rubber bands, took a seat near the place that the children were standing and began to build a rubber band bracelet. They all gathered around and I demonstrated to them how easy it was to build a bracelet out of rubber bands. Yet what was being built was more than rubber band bracelets. We were building relationships. They taught me in Spanish the names of the different colors of rubber bands. We asked each other What is your name? Como se llama ? How old are you? How do you say in Spanish , combo se dice en espanol? When I finished the first bracelet, I gave it to Andrea. Then I showed her the steps to make a bracelet. Everyone joined in. Everyone was making bracelets and giving them to their friends. In Columbia, we truly experienced God's power of reconciliation. We saw the work of the King in the bringing of his kingdom to his people. We saw the body of Christ, His church, be His hands and feet. We saw brokenness experience healing. We saw the sick healed. And in front of my own eyes I saw the blind see. His work is not completed. He is still reconciling Himself to all things. Whether things on earth or things in Heaven. His body the church must continue His work until He returns. The good news about the kingdom of God is that He wants to bring his kingdom not only to isolated and hard to get to places like Cienega, Columbia , but to conveniently easy to get to places like Phenix City , Alabama. If you think that God might be calling you to join in His work of reconciliation, answer His call. In fact, you don't have to go all the way to Columbia to have a part in Christ's ministry of reconciliation. He is working right here in Phenix City, Alabama. I'd like to in invite you to get involved in Circles of Transformation. It would be a great place to get started. Participation

Reflections on Jamaica

Before I was ever aware of a coming M.A.P.S. trip to Jamaica, I had been praying to God on my knees each morning that He might guide and direct my thoughts and actions regarding service to Him in missions. Some months had past when one Sunday morning at Sunday School Jodi Wisor told Jaime that there would be a meeting at Evangel Temple about a mission trip that She and Bob were considering going on.
The meeting was to be held that very week. Jaime and I made plans to attend the meeting, expecting to learn much more about this trip.
As the meeting began in a large Sunday School room in Evangel Temple where some fifty people had gathered, the speaker announced that he was circulating a sheet of paper where each person planning to go to Jamaica was to sign up.
I immediately realized that God had placed before me an amazing opportunity. Yet He was not giving me an opportunity go home and think about it, talk myself out of it, or find a reason that I should not go. He was sending the piece of paper across the room person by person and it would soon reach me. God"s question for me was would I sign the paper? Would I put my faith in Him? Would I answer His call to step way out of my comfort zone?
I thought about my prayer that I had been praying each morning on my knees, asking for Him to direct my thoughts and actions regarding mission service to Him.
So in complete trust in God alone, I placed my name on the paper.

I continued to pray for the mission trip. I prayed for the members of the team, that God would keep each one safe during the week. I prayed that all would be filled with the Holy Spirit, that lives would be saved, that God's will be done and His purposes be fulfilled. I'm happy to report that all of my petitions were answered.


The location of our mission was Ocho Rios Jamaica. We left Columbus early on Saturday morningon the Evangel Temple bus. Forty eight persons were on board. We carried not only our own luggage, but that containing medical supplies and construction tools. We arrived in Montego Bay, cleared customs, traveled by bus to Ocho Rios arriving at our quarters at Teen Challenge Jamaica by about 7 pm.

Our quarters afforded little privacy, but our comfort was adequate. Most of the women were In a 12 person bunk room. 12 of the men were in a similar room. The remaining men who were on the construction team were quartered in a motel closer to the construction site.

Teen Challenge Jamaica is affiliated with Assemblies of God. In Ocho Rios, the two are on adjoining properties.

On Sunday morning we attended church next door.
The church service was special. Seemed like God was in the house. God was Blessing Jamaica with his presence. Music seemed to flow throughout the entire service, including the prayers. I was surprised at the selection of music. Most were contemporary standards that could be heard at our9:45 service. The musicians included drums, bass and keyboard . Though it lasted for three hours, it seemed much shorter.

Sunday afternoon, the medical team was to provide for the medical, dental, and reading glasses needs of the church community. Instead of going with the construction team I was asked to work with the medical team. I was asked to receive the Jamaican patients and complete for each one a registration card which contained their name, age, and medical need. I also tracked the number of patients needing either medical, dental, or reading glasses being careful not to admit more than the available slots for each morning and afternoon.

It was significant for me that I had originally signed up for this mission to work on the construction team. It's mission was build a 4200 square foot greenhouse that would provide a means for teen challenge to raise vegetables that would be sold to resorts in the area, providing ongoing funding for it's mission to provide young men with a spiritual treatment method for their drug addictions.
God has a plan for each of us and for me, instead of working with the construction team, His plan was for me was to work with the medical team.


During the five days of the medical mission we ministered to more than 800 persons. We provided people with more than 300 pairs of reading glasses, provided medical examinations for more than 600 people, the dental team extracted more than 500 teeth from more than 120 people. The medical team also performed 2 surgeries.

I wrote in my journal on tuesday February 5th:
The teen Challenge Jamaica praise band is rehearsing in the first floor dining room. Very beautiful. We're having our souls healed and renewed. People are grateful and I believe that the love of Christ is being shown by our work here in Jamaica. We're being blessed. To God be the glory!

Our team leader Jon Connelly spoke to us at breakfast on Wednesday about David and the three smooth stones. The stones that were chosen were smooth, but not perfect. They were imperfect vessels. Jon went on to tell us that we are each called by God to fulfill His purposes. Like the stones we too are imperfect vessels. Yet in His hands the vessels can become great.


I would like to close with a short prayer:
Father teach us to pray. Open our hearts to the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Lead us to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Teach us to follow the example of Jesus. As He taught his disciples, so let us learn and teach others. Amen.

A Tribute to my Daddy

Proverbs 22:1 says that "a good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth…" I am very happy that my Daddy chose for me a good name!

We are all familiar with the following scripture, John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." 

The scripture tells us of the gift that God gave to us as provision for our sin, is a gift given to all humans who accept it, regardless of who we are.  

In this way God's love is unconditional.

In much the same way, my earthly father's love for me has been unconditional. Even though I have not always been an obedient son -- by not honoring him as I am required -- nevertheless my Daddy has loved me.

Therefore, whatever I manage to write in this letter is in no way sufficient recognition of the impact and influence that my Daddy has had on my life. 

Whatever I manage to write in this letter is in no way sufficient expression of my admiration and respect for my Daddy. 

And whatever I manage to write in this letter is in no way sufficient confession of my love for my Daddy.

The scripture 1 John 3:18 says "…let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

I know that I do not always act in ways that please my Daddy, but I also know that I am always loved by him because he always acts in ways that let me know that he loves me.

All of Daddy's family has been blessed by his generosity.

Yes, my Daddy is a giving man.  

I do not know of anyone more generous in giving to others.

And not only has he shown love and concern for me and his family, but to others as well.

Many times I've seen him help the needy on the street, reaching into his pocket and giving to them to meet their needs.

Over his lifetime, how many families has Daddy helped to move into a home? I don't know exactly, but I'm sure that it is in the thousands! 

He has helped people move into homes by evaluating their character, not their credit score.

Love at its core is not something you feel, an emotion, although you may feel it. 

Love is something that you do.

Love is proven as something that you do, though you may or may not say it. 

I can always see my Daddy's love in what he does.  

We are God's creation

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 NIV

As believers, by the grace and mercy of our Father, we have all been born again to a new life in Christ.  We are no longer our old selves, but are a new creation.  Our new life is the life that God intended us to live before sin came into the world. 

"The old is gone. The new has come" 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

We've been created by God to fulfill His purpose in our lives.  He intends that we should do many good things.  Through his Holy Spirit, God makes known to us in our hearts all that He requires of us.  In pray and reflection, through reading His Word, we will come to understand.  

Father,

We recognize you as our creator.  Strengthen us daily to answer Your calling on our lives.  Make us humble creatures, ready to walk with You.  We pray in the name of Your Son Jesus Messiah. Amen.  

The Story of the Cross

The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was not an accident.  Instead, it is part of God's redemptive plan for mankind, set in motion at the foundation of creation.

God created man with freewill. Since the day Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, disobeying God and activating sin the world, man has been in need of redemption.

Throughout the Hebrew Bible, man continued to live in disobedience towards God.  

God's redemptive plan has been completed with the sacrifice of Jesus Messiah on the cross at Calvary. 

Jesus died for the sins of mankind.  Only Jesus, who was  pure and perfect, could be sufficient sacrifice, a complete atonement for the sins of mankind, now and forever.

Redemption from sin is a free gift of God's mercy and grace.  We need only accept Jesus, believing Him to be the atonement for our sins and believing Him to be the Son of God. 

"I have been crucified with Christ and no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body I live through faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

Father,

We thank you for your precious gift of Your Son, Jesus of Nazareth.  You gave him the form of man, that He might live on the earth and die on the cross, a substitute for our sins, the death that we rightfully should have received, fulfilling the cost of our sin.

We pray in the name of the Son.  Amen

A tribute to my mother

To my mother on your eighty-fourth birthday:

Dear Mama,

I want to take this opportunity to recognize and honor you.  

For you have loved me with the love of Christ.  

For like His children I have many times been undeserving and disobedient.

Like Christ, you have continued to love me unconditionally.

Mama, you have modeled for your children and grandchildren the life that Christ has called us to live --  helping others, living unselfishly, and always caring more for the needs of others than those of your own. 

God commanded us in Exodus 20:12  to "Honor your father and your mother, that you may live a long time in the land the LORD your God is giving to you."

Though I have failed to honor you as I should have, you are nevertheless fully deserving of honor.

Looking back to my childhood, I see in so many ways that you were deserving of honor.

You demonstrated for us how a woman lives a godly life and you modeled for us the character of Christian mother.  You always made sure that Susan and I were in Sunday School and Church.  When summertime rolled around we were in Bible School and when there was a Church camp, you drove us across the state to participate.

You encouraged me in confirmation class and I joined the church when I was 10 years old.

When I went away to school, hardly a day went by that I didn't receive a letter from you sending me news, encouragement, and just letting me know that you loved me.

You taught me the value of my cultural heritage and an appreciation of history in our town, county, and state. You took Susan and me on a trip to Virginia where we visited many historical places, encouraging us to learn from those who had come before us. You supervised my Boy Scout troop in cleaning out the trash from Miss Ida's house to make way for the Bedingfield Inn.  I remember you encouraging me and helping me to write a history paper in high school about a village being started in Lumpkin named Westville.  

And not only have you influenced your own family by living you faith, you have influenced countless people in your church and community. You have cared for the needs of the sick and disabled in your church.  You has served in many capacities but none more important to the children of your church than that of Sunday School teacher.  

Thank you for correction and punishment when I misbehaved.

Thank you for not disowning me when my hair was too long.

Thank you for your forgiveness when I got into trouble.

Thank you for loving me when I didn't show thankfulness.

Thank you for the unmerited favor you have given to me.

Thank you that when I thought that I needed a van you made curtains for it and helped me decorate it.

Thank you for the example that you set for me of empathy, energy, thoughtfulness, compassion, encouragement, drive, enthusiasm, and love.

Our grandmother Gatewood's words are true:

"I need no picture of my Mother's face. So full of loving kindness, strength and grace.

Her home a haven and refuge sweet.  And she's the center and charm of it."

I love you Mama.

Romans and service

"Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice - alive, holy, and pleasing to God - which is your reasonable service.  Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God - what is good and well-pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:1-2 NET

Because of the wonderful work of salvation that God has done in our lives, we must now give back to God a life of service dedicated to Him. 

Paul first asks us to live our lives in humility.  Each of us has been given gifts by God.  Though our gifts my not be the same as that of our neighbor, we must not think more highly of ourselves. Instead, we should learn to use the gifts that God has given to us in ways that are pleasing to Him.

Paul then asks us to live a life of love. 

• Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. 
• Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing the second fiddle
• Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame.  Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant.  Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder.
• Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
• Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath.
• Laugh with your happy friends when they are happy; share tears when they're down.
• Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up.  Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.
• Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone.
• After you've got it in you, get along with everybody.
• Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do.  "I'll do the judging," says God.  "I'll take care of it."
• Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink.  Your generosity will surprise him with goodness.
• Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

Romans 12:9-21 MSG

Prayer,

Father we pray that  we might renew our minds each day in Your Word.  Make our hearts into that of a servant.  Make us into humble creatures, ready to walk with You.  Let us live lives of love, dedicated to You. We pray in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

Romans and salvation

Following Romans 3:23, Paul turns his focus from sin to salvation.

"But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 3:25

This is one of the most powerful passages in the Bible.  

Think of a person on trial by a judge.  As sinners, we are all in need of forgiveness. We know that we are guilty and stand in judgement by God. 

Yet, instead of the sentence that we have earned and deserve, God pronounces our innocence and right standing with Him. 

What just happened?  Was it something that we did?

No, we simply went in humility to God and believing not on our own inadequate work, but on the perfect work of Christ which God then reckons to us.

This pronouncement immediately changes our relationship with Him. 

We are no longer guilty.  Our sin debt has been paid completely.  We are now in Christ and have right standing with God.

Was there a cost to us for this gift of salvation? No, it is a gift freely given to us by God, its basis being God's own grace.

Prayer

Father, we thank you for you gift of salvation made available to us through the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross.  Though His blood, we are saved and come into right standing with You. We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

Romans and sin

I'm currently studying Romans in Disciple class.  Our teacher divides Romans into five parts: sin, salvation, sanctification, setting aside of Israel, and service.

The first part deals with sin.  

Sin is any action of man that separates him from God. Sin came into the world through Adam. Paul makes it clear that all mankind is under judgement for sin.  No one is exempted.

In chapter one, Paul identifies several areas where man's sin is condemned by God. 

The first is man's ungodliness and unrighteousness.  Since the creation of the world, God's eternal power and divine nature have been made clear to man by that which God has made. Therefore man is without an excuse. The result is that God has given them over to the desire of their hearts. Romans 1:26

Man's failure to acknowledge God results in God giving them over to a depraved mind. Romans 1:28

Man is also condemned for judging others. 

"Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge someone else.  For on whatever grounds you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things." Romans 2:1-2

 This sin results in God's judgement. Romans  2:3

God also condemns the Jew who teaches his children the law, but does not carry it out himself. Romans 2:17-22  

Paul goes on in quote the Scriptures to demonstrate that all of mankind is under judgement for sin. Romans  3:9-18

Paul rests his case that all are under judgement in Romans 3:20:

"For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin." Romans 3:20

Father,

We acknowledge that we are all under judgement for the sin we have committed again You. We cry out for your mercy!  We repent and accept your gift of redemption and salvation through Your Son's work on the cross.  We pray in the name of Christ. Amen

Weekend to Remember

Jaime and I returned home this afternoon from  "Weekend to Remember" held in Montgomery.  This is our second.  We attended in Atlanta in 2010.  George and LeeAnne attended Atlanta in 2011.  Jay and Jessica, Orlando in 2011.

If you are not familiar with "Weekend to Remember", it is a marriage ministry of FamilyLife. It is designed for couples interested in growing stronger marriages by incorporating God's truth into our relationship.

We joined 250 couples seeking to experience renewal and growth in our marital relationship.  

I'm not going to try to outline or condense the weekend, but I'll mention a few points that were important to me.

Marriage is designed by God and is defined by God. It is about more than just our happiness.  Marriage is at the center of God's purpose for mankind.  

God purpose for marriage contains three concepts.

First, marriage is intended to mirror God's image.  

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27

Jesus spoke of the  oneness of marriage, created by God in Matthew:

"…Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female,  and said 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate." Matthew 19:4-6

Jesus also prayed for us that believers who are of one flesh may also become one with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

"The glory you have me, I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one -- I in them, you in me -- that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me." John 17:22-23

Second, marriage is intended to mutually complete one another -- to experience companionship.Companionship in marriage is God's provision to replace isolation  and meet our deep longing for a close intimate relationship.  This relationship comes ahead of our relationship with our children.  It is also important that children see their parents' marriage as the priority relationship.

Oneness in marriage is only possible when we consider our spouse before ourselves.

In Philippians, Paul says:

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4 

Finally, marriage is designed to multiply a godly legacy.  Marriage provides the divine context for having children.  Neither women nor men are made emotionally, spiritually or physically to raise children by themselves.  Child rearing requires a united effort.

And God blessed them.  And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." Genesis 1:28a

Father,

Lead us down the path that brings oneness to our relationship with our spouse and with You.  Keep us reminded that if we fail to draw closer to each other and to You, we can only be drawn apart and into isolation. We pray in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

God's Word

Believers talk to God through prayer and listen to Him though His Word. The Bible is His divinely inspired Word.  My focus here is on God's Word.

My first memory verse is:

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful in teaching, rebuking, correction, and training in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16

God did not physically write the Bible himself.  Instead, the scriptures have been written by the hand of man, but divinely inspired by God.

As believers we accept the Bible as God's truth and the revelation to man of God's character. Though written over a period of over 1500 years, on 3 continents, and by more than 40 men, the Bible remains inerrant.  Neither does it contain contraction.  

When we read the Bible, we should read it expectantly, listening to God as He speaks to us. Sometimes we are convicted of a sin that God makes known to us.  Other times we are uplifted by His love for us. We may receive guidance in times of difficulty and support in times of sorrow.

My second memory verse is:

"Do not let the Book of the Law depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night, so that you will be careful to do everything in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua 1:8

In this verse, Joshua refers to the "Book of the Law" or the Torah.  We know this writing as the first five books of the Bible, God's divinely inspired Word, written by Moses.

Don't let it "depart from your mouth", but keep it on your lips each day.

We are commanded to meditate and to do it.  Read God's Word.  As you read, listen, allowing God to speak to you through His Word.  

But meditation is not enough.  We are tasked to "do everything in it." This means that God wants us to apply His Word that He speaks to us to our lives.  He wants us to live obediently.  

Yes God wants us to live obediently, but look at our benefit. The result will be that we will live lives of prosperity and success!  

Our grandmother has a wonderful poem entitled The Bible.

O Word of God eternal, preserv'd through all the ages,
O gift of God supernal, with wisdom on thy pages.
O lamp of life, so radiant, shed light upon my way,
O pow'r of God, invariant, save souls today, I pray.

O book of inspiration, by the Holy Spirit sent,
God's message of salvation, for the whole wide world 'twas meant.
O word of revelation, the love of Christ revealing,
The one book of creation, no act of God concealing.

O sword of God, so piercing, that severs joints and marrow,
The love of God rehearsing, who cares e'en for a sparrow.
O wonderful discerner, of the thoughts of ev'ry heart
Oh, let me be a leaner of every sacred part.

O hammer of God, that breaks the stubborn and stony heart,
O comfort of heart that aches, with balm for every smart;
O wonderful Word of God, unerring and unfailing,
Applied to my sinful heart is sure and all availing.

Cordelia Hawkins Gatewood

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for Your Word.  We thank You that You speak to us through Your Scriptures.  We lift up Your Name in praise and thanksgiving for all of Your many gifts. We pray in the name of Christ. amen

Obedience in Christ

Obedience may be the most called for command in the Bible.  

Throughout the Word we can find this command over and over. 

I have two memory verses this week.  The topic for my memory verses this week is "Obedience to Christ". Here is the first verse:

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and show myself to him." John 14:21 NIV

What a wonderful reward we have in exchange for our obedience.  We will be loved by God and Christ, and will have Christ show himself to us. With such a magnificent promise of divine love and confidence that Christ's nature is being revealed to us, how could we not accept His will for us that we keep HIs commands? 

My second memory verse is:

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1 NIV"

Paul is calling us to consecration.  In light of God's mercies for us, we dedicate our whole selves to be transformed into the living image of Christ.   We are to surrender to His will and commands, and living in such a way as  to bring glory Christ.

Paul then goes on in Romans 12:2 to command us not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed to His image. Renewing our spirit daily in the Word.

Our grandmother wrote to us the following poem:

Consecration
By the mercies of God, I beseech you
Your body to Him to present,
A sacrifice, holy, acceptable,
Which will bring you heart's ease and content.

Be ye daily renew'd in your spirit
To this world be not conformed;
Thus you are proving the good will of God,
To His image being transformed.

Day by day, lay your life on the alter
In complete surrender to Him;
Let your love and your purpose ne'er falter,
Thus your living will glorify Him.

Cordelia Hawkins Gatewood

We face each day decisions where we have the opportunity to accept or reject obedience.  Make each an opportunity of acceptance of Christ's love.