Scripture: Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his savour wherewith - shall it be salted it is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men
Observation - In Leviticus 2:13 God said that every offering should have salt in it. In Mark 9:49-50, Jesus said that we need to have "salt in ourselves". Salt is a necessary mineral, without it we die. Too much of it and we also die. Salt was the primary means of preservation of food up until modern times. Salt was also used for purification and healing because no germs can live in it. So what did Jesus mean when he said " You are the salt of the earth"?
Application: We are supposed to be salty. We are supposed to be cleansing. We are supposed to be pure. We are supposed to be peaceful. We are supposed to be have zeal. We are supposed to do all these things in the earth. If we don't, we are not serving our purpose here.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, fill me with your spirit. Help me to be what you have called me to be. Help me to be God on earth. Help me to be a beacon of peace, power, and self control. Give me your peace, give me your power, give me your love. Wash me and I will be clean.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The rain falls on the good and the bad
Scripture: Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Observation: Good things seem to happen to those who are righteous, and those who are unrighteous. Why is that? This is a common question, frequently asked in the midst of tragedy. The answer is in this verse of scripture. The context is Jesus's sermon on the mount which starts out "Blessed are the poor in spirit"... In this sermon, Jesus tells us how we should live while we are are on earth, and at the end he tells us so "that you may be the children of your father in heaven". The goal of our life is to spend eternity with Jesus Christ. It will be more wonderful than we can comprehend, and compared to it, all the suffering this world has to offer is like comparing a drop of water to the ocean. Forever is a very long time. So, the answer is this ... Our home is not here. Our home is eternity. Here on this earth, the rain does fall on both the good and the bad, but this earth is neither our purpose or our home. "For" in this passage of scripture is important. It says, be God's children forever ... because your life on this earth is not what this is all about. Bad things could happen to you here, but remember that is not what we as God's children are all about. Our mission here is to affect eternity.
Application: Understanding our mission should give us a different perspective. In some sense, we should not care about the bad things that happen to us. They hurt. Jesus wept. But ultimately we need to keep our mission as our focus.
Prayer: Dear Father, help us to keep about your business. Help us to keep our eyes on you. Help us to do your work. Help us to affect eternity in Jesus Name.
Observation: Good things seem to happen to those who are righteous, and those who are unrighteous. Why is that? This is a common question, frequently asked in the midst of tragedy. The answer is in this verse of scripture. The context is Jesus's sermon on the mount which starts out "Blessed are the poor in spirit"... In this sermon, Jesus tells us how we should live while we are are on earth, and at the end he tells us so "that you may be the children of your father in heaven". The goal of our life is to spend eternity with Jesus Christ. It will be more wonderful than we can comprehend, and compared to it, all the suffering this world has to offer is like comparing a drop of water to the ocean. Forever is a very long time. So, the answer is this ... Our home is not here. Our home is eternity. Here on this earth, the rain does fall on both the good and the bad, but this earth is neither our purpose or our home. "For" in this passage of scripture is important. It says, be God's children forever ... because your life on this earth is not what this is all about. Bad things could happen to you here, but remember that is not what we as God's children are all about. Our mission here is to affect eternity.
Application: Understanding our mission should give us a different perspective. In some sense, we should not care about the bad things that happen to us. They hurt. Jesus wept. But ultimately we need to keep our mission as our focus.
Prayer: Dear Father, help us to keep about your business. Help us to keep our eyes on you. Help us to do your work. Help us to affect eternity in Jesus Name.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Baptized by the Holy Spirit
Scripture- Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Observation - Much has been written about this passage over the centuries. In fact, the day I read this scripture in my daily bible reading, it was the subject of both of the radio programs I listened to that day while driving in to work! Our God is the author if coincidence. The bible teaches us that baptism is symbolic of the death of our selves, and the rebirth of our new selves. Our old selves are selfish, and sinful. Our new selves are spiritual and filled with the very spirit of God himself. Today when we think of something being symbolic, it has a connotation of being not real. That is not the original meaning of the word, and not the correct meaning when referring to things such as baptism being symbolic. Merriam-Webster defines symbol as "a visible sign of something invisible". For example, the stop sign is the symbol of the traffic law that says we need to stop. If there were not traffic law, the red octagon would mean nothing to most of us. However, if there were a traffic law but no red octagon at the intersection we would not stop! In some sense, the symbol is more real than the invisible thing it represents. So it is with Baptism, although it is symbolic... it is very real. A divine transaction takes place when with a pure heart we follow Christ's command and example of repentance, baptism and infilling of the Holy Spirit of God almighty.
Application: The Bible says we must be born again. Life without Jesus is no life at all. Don't wait another day to devote your self to your God, and follow his command to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, show us the way we should go. Help us to follow you with all of our mind, all of our heart, and all of our soul. Give us this day. We commit ourselves to you, to love you and serve you all of the days of our life.
Observation - Much has been written about this passage over the centuries. In fact, the day I read this scripture in my daily bible reading, it was the subject of both of the radio programs I listened to that day while driving in to work! Our God is the author if coincidence. The bible teaches us that baptism is symbolic of the death of our selves, and the rebirth of our new selves. Our old selves are selfish, and sinful. Our new selves are spiritual and filled with the very spirit of God himself. Today when we think of something being symbolic, it has a connotation of being not real. That is not the original meaning of the word, and not the correct meaning when referring to things such as baptism being symbolic. Merriam-Webster defines symbol as "a visible sign of something invisible". For example, the stop sign is the symbol of the traffic law that says we need to stop. If there were not traffic law, the red octagon would mean nothing to most of us. However, if there were a traffic law but no red octagon at the intersection we would not stop! In some sense, the symbol is more real than the invisible thing it represents. So it is with Baptism, although it is symbolic... it is very real. A divine transaction takes place when with a pure heart we follow Christ's command and example of repentance, baptism and infilling of the Holy Spirit of God almighty.
Application: The Bible says we must be born again. Life without Jesus is no life at all. Don't wait another day to devote your self to your God, and follow his command to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, show us the way we should go. Help us to follow you with all of our mind, all of our heart, and all of our soul. Give us this day. We commit ourselves to you, to love you and serve you all of the days of our life.
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