Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Heart of God

Acts tells us that after Herod refused to give God glory an angel of the Lord struck him and killed him. If you or I were in control, Herod would have probably been struck dead the moment he thought about murdering James. But God is on a different time table. He has a master plan that exceeds our comprehension. So when we look at the world, we are often confused because we don't understand what God is doing. "Why doesn't God do something about the evil in the world?," people ask. Don't worry. According to God's word, He will.

Yet, His justice will not take place according to our schedule. For although He is just and righteous, He is also merciful. And His greatest desire is not to see people suffer the just punishment for their sin, but to see them come to repentance and receive forgiveness. His word tells us: "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance," (2 Peter 3:9).

The story of Jonah powerfully illustrates the difference between the heart of God and the heart of man. Jonah refused to go to Nineveh and preach. Then, when he was forced to go and was used by God to bring a pagan city to repentance, he went up on a hillside and pouted because he wanted to see Nineveh destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah. But God did not destroy the city, because as Jonah said: "for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster" (Jonah 4:2). And so He is.

Is there any justice in the world? Yes, there will be. For those who receive Christ, their sins will be justified through Christ's death on the cross. For all who reject Him, they will one day bear the penalty for their sin. One day, but not yet, because God's desire is that they repent and believe. That is the heart of God.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Angels Watching Over Me

Amy Grant performed a song back in the early 90's about angels watching over us. The second verse went...

God only knows the times my life was threatened just today.
A reckless car ran out of gas before it ran my way.
Near misses all around me, accidents unknown,
Though I never see with human eyes the hands that lead me home.
But I know they're all around me all day and through the night.
When the enemy is closing in, I know sometimes they fight
To keep my fight from falling, I'll never turn away.
If you're asking whats protecting me then you're gonna hear me say:
Got his angels watching over me, every move I make,
Angles watching over me!

I have often thought about those lyrics. How many times has God spared us from tragedy that we were completely unaware of? Through out the Bible, God has used his angels to protect His people. The same is true today. So the next time that you call out to God for help, remember that His angels are already watching over you.

Monday, September 8, 2008

God is in Control

When all hope seems to be lost, take comfort that God is in control. When Joseph was in prison in Egypt, no one would have looked at his life and called him blessed, but he was. In fact, he was directly in the center of God's will and plan for his life. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were facing the fiery furnace, they didn't appear to be under the shelter and protection of God, but they were. Maybe you are in the midst of a discouraging situation in your life. If so, then know that God is in control and He works all thing together for good for those that love Him (Rom. 8:28).

But what about those times when the fire does consume and the prison has no release? You need to know two things. First, God's lack of intervention is no indication of a lack of power. When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter pulled out a sword to defend him, but Jesus said: "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?" (Matt 26:52-54) (ESV) God the Father had the power to protect Jesus. Jesus had the ability to call on the Father. Yet, Jesus went to the cross and suffered and died. Why? Because through His death He could reconcile the world to the Father. God could have intervened, but His will was for Jesus to go to the cross.

Second, like Joseph, the trouble in your life may not have been allowed by God. Instead, He may have orchestrated it for His purpose and for His glory. Slavery and imprisonment were just stepping stones to power for Joseph. And it may be that the difficulty you are presently facing is something that God is using to shape you into a new person or to move you to a new place.

As the old hymn says: "Have faith in God, He's on His throne. Have faith in God, He watches or' His own." I hope that you will be encouraged today, regardless of your circumstances, by the knowledge that God is on His throne and He is in control of your life.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The Urgency of Intercessory Prayer

We must pray for one another. Do not take this lightly! Many of us are naive concerning prayer, but the Bible teaches: "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" (James 5:16). A few verses earlier James instructed us: "You do not have, because you do not ask" (James 4:2) I believe that most churches today are a mere shadow of what they could be, if all of their members would dedicate themselves to regularly praying for their church. In short, God answers prayers.

Paul was constantly praying for other believers and appealing to other believers to pray for him. His letter to the church at Colosse shows us his commitment to prayer. At the front of the letter he writes: "And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you" (Col 1:9). As he closes the letter he writes: "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ"(Col 4:2-3). If Paul, one of the greatest missionaries and theologians of the first century, needed the prayers of others how much more do we need the prayers of other believers.

I promise you that your friends and family have far greater needs than you realize. They need your prayers. If one of our family members broke a bone or lost a job, you and I would not fail to pray for them. I assure you that there is a spiritual war taking place in the lives of everyone around us and their present need is just as urgent as if they had experienced some unexpected tragedy.

If you will pray you will see God do amazing things. He is still in control. He still loves us. And He still answers prayers.

Let me invite you to post a story of an answered prayer that you have experienced. Your testimony may encourage someone else to pray.

Most importantly, would you pray for me? I desperately need your prayers to be the man that God has called me to be. And if you will post your name or send me an email, I will pray for you. And let's be honest for a moment, if you are not willing to pray for me or to let me pray for you, you have wasted your time reading this blog, so please respond. God bless you. I can't wait to hear from you.


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