Caring for Those in Need

I read the daily devotional and commentary by Jim Denison on different world and cultural issues that our society is facing each week.  Today, I thought his direction through pointing out key scripture references were extremely key to caring for those who are in need and those who might be homeless.  Scripture is clear with the verses below.  Personally, it is very convicting to me and how I view the poor, care for the poor and begs the question, what am I doing to care for the poor.

Jesus' statement, "You will always have the poor with you" (Matthew 26:11), was not his Father's desire for us but an observation about our fallen world. 

How does God feel about those in need? "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow" (Deuteronomy 10:18). 

What does he want us to do for them?  "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed" (Psalm 82:3).

What happens if we do not help them?  "He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses" (Proverbs 28:27). 

What will he do for those who care for them?  "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done" (Proverbs 19:17).

After reading these verses, ask the Lord to lead you and reveal to you one way for you to care for those who are in need.

Have a great day - Keith

http://www.denisonforum.org/global/694-why-you-should-care-about-the-poor

A Mighty Fortress

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)  As we read from David’s writing in the book of Psalms, listen to the promise we receive from this verse...God is our refuge, our strength.  God is not far away, but right beside us in life.  In Psalms 91 David also reveals to us the strength and power of God when he says...“He (GOD)  is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”  

Let us journey back to 1529, during the time of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation.  Strife, discord and unrest surrounded the church during this time.  Luther was determined to restore worship to the German Church.  He worked closely with skilled musicians  to create new music for believers in Jesus to sing and helped revive congregational singing during this time.  Interesting note...He would often borrow popular secular melodies for his hymns that were heard at the local bar or tavern.  That connection struck a familiar tune with words that were life changing.

Luther’s most famous hymn is “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott” - commonly known as “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”.  In writing this song, He reflects on the awareness of our intense struggle with our enemy - Satan.  When danger and difficulty came close, Luther would often resort to this song.

Now, let us come back to 2013.  The same is true today as it was in 1529.  We are in a time of strife, discord and unrest in our culture and society.  The message of this song is a message for the church today.  “Hallelujah, we believe our God is good.  Hallelujah, a mighty fortress is our God.”  Take hold of this promise today and trust God today.

Video: https://player.vimeo.com/video/75053906

Sacrifice

When you think of the word “Sacrifice”, what ideas or concepts come to your mind?  You might think of an act of giving up something that you want to keep in order to help someone else, like sacrificing a place in line at the grocery store for someone who is in a hurry, or maybe something more in depth, like sacrificing a vacation week from work to serve God on the mission field?  Or, do you think of an act from Biblical times where an animal was killed in a sacrificial offering to God?  In our modern day, that would be like sacrificing your money, time and belongings to God and literally giving them all up as a sacrifice in order to follow and please God.

Living a life of sacrifice is extremely counter-cultural in our day.  We live in a society and culture that is focused on self promotion, self glorification and self indulgence.  The thought of “sacrifice” is something we might do on occasion, but to live a life of sacrifice is extremely difficult to do, yet look at what the Bible instructs us to do as followers of Jesus.

Romans 12:1 says this…”Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Paul makes it very clear to us in this verse that our lives, our bodies, our thoughts, our possessions...everything is to be presented as a sacrifice to God.  And why not?  Look at what God did for you.  He sent His one and only son, Jesus, as the ULTIMATE sacrifice so you and I could experience life - life forever.

This weekend we are singing a song about this idea of sacrifice.  As we look at this song and respond to it in worship, look deep into your heart and ask yourself this vital question, “Am I living my life as a living sacrifice to God?  Have I truly understood the sacrifice Jesus made for me on the cross?”  If not, then open your heart to the Lord.

Listen to the words of this song...

“There is love that came for us

Humbled to a sinner's cross

You broke my shame and sinfulness

You rose again victorious

You are stronger you are stronger

Sin is broken you have saved me

It is written Christ is risen Jesus you are Lord of all

Lord Jesus - thank you for your sacrifice on the cross for my sin.  Might I live my life as a living sacrifice to you!  Give me the strength to do so, in Jesus Name - Amen

Here is the YouTube link to this song by Hillsong called "Stronger"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJS6Gm3MUHc

Made to Worship

When you hear the word “worship," what do you think of?  Music, church, idols, an event, a place?  Maybe you think of an action, like something you do, or maybe it's sitting quietly and doing nothing, except resting.  Many definitions can describe worship, but the best definition I continue to use is from Louie Giglio, who says, “Worship is OUR RESPONSE to God, for who He is and what He has done.”  Listen that again: “Worship is OUR RESPONSE to God, for who He is and what He has done.”  

I have come to understand that worship is not an event.  Worship is not something a person does for an hour on Sunday morning, leaving it behind as one goes on to the next event in life.  On the contrary, I believe strongly that worship is a believer’s RESPONSE to God every minute of every day, week, month and year, until we die.

Romans 12:1 clearly describes worship with this mindset.  “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”  We see in this life-changing verse amazing instruction for us from God.  We see that worship is from God and for God.  We see that worship is an offering of ourselves to God.  We see that by offering our lives to God, it pleases God.  And lastly, we see that this is what God requires of us as followers - to worship God because this is true, authentic and right in His sight.

The chorus of a popular Chris Tomlin song reminds us that “You and I were made to worship.  You and I are called to love.  You and I are forgiven and free.  When you and I embrace surrender. When you and I choose to believe.  Then you and I will see what we were meant to be.” We are made to worship God.  Our focus and attitude are keenly fixed of Jesus, all day, every day.  That is worship.

So, this weekend when you come to church, to "worship," I invite you shift your focus, to see this time as more than an event you participate in for an hour on Sunday.  Renew your thinking to view Sunday morning Worship Service as an important time of meeting with other worshippers who have lived through the week as a living sacrifice to God and are meeting to celebrate God, praise God and respond together as the body of Christ to God for who He is and what He has done.

"Here I am to worship.  Here I am to bow down.  Here I am to say that you're my God.  You're altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me."

Watch this video - Preparing for worship this weekend  
Made to Worship https://vimeo.com/74422633

Whom Shall I Fear?

Let me ask you a question today.  Who or what do you fear?  As you walk through your life on a daily basis, what grips you from your inner core and traps you from experiencing a life of freedom...a life that is free in Christ?  

This weekend in worship, we are singing a song by Chris Tomlin called “Whom Shall I Fear.”  This amazing song gives the believer in Jesus the confidence to look fear in the face and say,

I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever

He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

What is the message of this song?  Looking in the Old Testament in 2 Kings chapter 6 - Prophet Elisha is being attacked by an army coming against Israel.  His servant runs up to him worried about the horses and chariots and the oncoming attack, but Elisha responds,  “There is nothing to worry about.  Those who are for us are more than who are against us.”  Elisha turned to his servant and prayed, “Lord, open their eyes to see what you see”, and when he did, he saw the mountains filled with God’s army.

I pray this same prayer for us.  Lord, open our eyes to see what you see.  You are a God who is for us, not against us. Give us the strength and FAITH to stand in times of adversity and fear knowing you are with us.

Listen to Chris Tomlin speak about the writing of this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nykPjrAyoJ0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOkImV2cJDg

Coming Face to Face with Reality

On this Tuesday after the tragedy in Boston, Massachusetts, all of America, and the world is morning with those who morn and crying with those who are hurting and praying for those who are in need.  I continue to be amazed at the response of the human spirit to run into the face of adversity seconds after the bomb went off.  The care and compassion of the people in Boston has been a true example to us all.  We continue to pray and lift up those who are affected by this senseless act of terror.

Our pastor, John Mark Caton, is in the middle of a sermon series called, "Making Sense out of the Nonsense of Life".  This tragic event brings up the struggle we face with trying to understand why something like this could happen.  Who would do such a thing?  Many even try to understand why God would allow such a thing to happen.  Believe me, I am not here to answer this question, but I am here to meet this question face to face with the reality that GOD IS IN CONTROL.

The Bible shares with us that from the beginning of time, there has always been a struggle for control in the universe (Ezekiel 14).  God has always be in control, and when Lucifer challenged his leadership and actually wanted to be God himself, God the Father cast him out of heaven to eternal separation from heaven in a place called hell (Isaiah 28) .  Here we see the division of "Good and Evil", and when Adam and Eve fell into the temptation from Satan in the Garden of Eden, (Genesis 3) the separation brought evil and destruction to the earth.  You see, Satan wants to be your god and to distract you from God the Father, yet God is ultimately the one who is in control, yet he allows this world to continue to exist with destruction and heartache.  That is the difficult part to understand, from my perspective.

My response?  If God did not allow us as humans to struggle with the understanding of good and evil and control for dominance in the universe, I would be a robot with no chance of choosing or making my own decisions.  We all make choices, and there are consequences, both good and bad, for these choices.  Ultimately, God wants us to choose Him.  Some would even go as far as to say that God has chose His people from the beginning of time!  Yet, we all have choices to make.  The difficult part is when someone, like a bomber, chooses to make a bad evil choice, innocence is destroyed.  Why?

Answer...God is in control.  I trust Him, his word, the Bible, and rely on Him to use a situation (for example, like this evil act of bombing) to bring glory to who He is.  Sounds odd and even simplistic to write and say, and even more difficult to flesh out in real life.  This might be true, but when someone is struggling in the moment of a tragedy like this, we are not called to answer the questions, but to love and care for people and reach out to them, listen to them and be there for them.  In the end, God has a plan.  He always has a plan for your life.

I rely on a couple of themes in my life to focus my attention daily, and many times, these themes help me see through the confusion of life.  I am not called to judge why things happen.  I am not called to be God, but to worship God.  I am not called understand all things, I am called to respond to God and who He is in my life and worship Him.  I am called to love God with all that I am and to love those around me as best as I can.  Only God can truly give clarity to a situation that is inconceivable to understand.  It is only through knowing God that in times like confusion and tragedy that God is seen as our hope and our future.

So, as you come face to face with discerning through your knowledge and understanding of this topic, I just want to remind you that God is in control.  Trust Him and rely on Him.

For more articles about this topic, please visit these great and helpful websites...
www.denisonforum.org/faith-questions/64-why-does-a-good-god-allow-an-evil-world
www.janetdenison.com/blog/150-a-beautiful-terrible-fearful-day-in-boston
www.denisonforum.org/america/688-boston-bombings-2-ways-to-respond
www.gotquestions.org/God-allow-evil.html

I welcome your comments...Praying for God's will to be known through this topic

God Has an Example for You

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:2-4) 

In living out our purpose, we may grow tired of “running” and feel like we can’t do it. That’s why we have a goal on which to fix our eyes—Jesus Christ, who came to the earth to live a perfect life and die on the Cross for our sins. Jesus set the perfect example for us to follow.  

If you are frustrated and struggling to find your purpose in life today, pause for a moment and gather your thoughts and methodically think through what you are focused on.  If these areas are not centered around the working of Jesus Christ as your example, then God is trying to get your attention.  Follow Jesus as your example for purpose for life today.