Monday, August 31, 2009

From Dr. James MacDonald's weekly online devotional:

Jesus Listens

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:16

What do you think about prayer? Do you think that God really wants to talk to you? Do you think He really wants to hear what is on your heart?

The answer is, yes, He really does. He is an attentive counselor who listens to you. You understand this picture if you know what it's like to sit and talk to someone who really knows how to listen. They hear you. They get it. You can see in their eyes that they're tracking with you. Psalm 116:1-2 tells us "I love the LORD, because He has heard my cries. Because He bends down and listens." Picture your closest friend, turning his ear to you, and you cup your hand around your mouth and whisper your need. That's the picture.

God knows exactly what's going on in your life. He’s aware of your needs and your heartaches and your worries about the future. God totally gets it - that one truth has inspired and comforted and ministered to God's people through thousands of years of history.

Not only is God listening to your prayer, but He will give you wisdom about the difficult season of your life if you ask Him for it. James 1:5 tells us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." That phrase "without reproach" means literally that God won't sink His teeth into you. God won't be like, "What? What are you asking Me that for!?" He's not the impatient parent who doesn't have time for you or the irritable boss who snaps back. No, He's the attentive counselor, listening to you. Hebrews 4:16 assures you to, "with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Take to heart the comfort of Psalm 62:8: "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us."

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Monday, August 24, 2009

HAPPINESS IS MORE THAN A STATE OF MIND

--- Mark 1:29-38
Muhammed Ali is the unprecedented three-time world heavyweight boxing champion. His picture has appeared on the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED more times than any other athlete – including the likes of Tiger Woods and A-Rod. At the height of his popularity he "floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee." Everywhere he went reporters, trainers and his staff followed him. A number of years after he quit boxing, sportswriter Gary Smith, interviewed Ali about his life after boxing.
As they were visiting, Ali showed the sportswriter his gym, masquerading as the barn next to his farmhouse. In there, on the floor leaning against the walls, were pictures and framed newspaper articles from his prime. There were photos of the champ punching and dancing. There was one picture where his fist was punching the air. There was also a picture of Ali holding his championship belt high in triumph. A framed poster read "The Thrilla in Manilla".
     As the sportswriter looked at the pictures he couldn't help but notice they were covered with white streaks - bird droppings. Just then the champ looked into the rafters at the pigeons who had made his gym their home. Then perhaps as a statement of despair, Ali walked over to the row of pictures and one by one turned them over. Then he walked to the door and stared out at the countryside. He mumbled something so low the sportswriter had to ask him what he said. "I had the world," Muhammed Ali repeated, "and it wasn't nothin'. Look now."
What would it take to make you happy?
            Wealth?
                Fame?
                Popularity?
     More times than not, the teachings of Jesus run counter to the messages the world gives us about happiness. But Jesus' teachings were consistent. From the beginning of his ministry, crowds surrounded him everywhere he went. His disciples thought it was great. They couldn't understand why Jesus didn't share their excitement. According to worldly standards Jesus was a smashing success, an overnight sensation, a hit. His picture was on the cover of the Rolling Stone, as they say. The disciples were trapped into thinking that more was better. They thought this was what Jesus wanted. There were times they just didn't understand Jesus at all. If wealth and fame and acceptance don't bring happiness, where is it to be found? Some say happiness is just a state of mind, you know – “don’t worry, be happy.” But let me offer you another perspectiveA Biblical Perspective. 
Happiness begins with a touch
     In Mark 1:29-38 Jesus was visiting in the home of Simon Peter. Simon's mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. Without anyone saying a word about her illness Jesus went over to her, touched her, and lifted her up. Immediately she was healed. Notice that Jesus never said a word; he just touched her. We are not told how long she was sick in bed, or her condition. All we are told is that Jesus touched her and made her well. It was a miracle.
     Notice what happened next. She immediately got up and began serving Jesus and his disciples. How many of the women today can identify with that picture? Having been sick in bed she was probably weak, but when Jesus touched her she felt a new strength she had never felt before. She got out of bed and began serving him. This was her way of saying thanks. It was her response, but it began with the Master's touch. Happiness is not simply an option we exercise. People who buy self-help books on how to be happy are going to be disappointed. True happiness, lasting happiness begins with a touch - a touch of the Master's hand.     W. E. Sangster was once asked if he would find time to cheer up a young man who was recuperating from a nervous breakdown. Sangster promised to do his best. He sought the young man out and began to try to help him, but it was hard work. "This is a gray world," the young man said. "I see no purpose in it. It is dull, meaningless and evil. Its pleasures soon pass. Its pains endure. I seriously ask myself the question: 'Is life worth living?'"
     Sangster saw him once or twice a week for nearly two months. Every conversation was the same - nothing seemed to improve. Then something happened to that young man. He fell in love. Head over heels in love! On the day his engagement was announced he came to see Sangster and began the conversation with words something like this: "This is a lovely world. Come out into the garden and listen to that little bird singing fit to burst its heart. Isn't it a glorious morning? How good it is to be alive!"
     That young man did not will himself to that change of attitude. It was not a choice he made. Something happened within him. He fell in love.
     So it is when we experience Christ's presence in our lives. The world seems to change. But it isn't the world at all. We are changed by the Master’s touch. 
Happiness comes when we discover the power of prayer.
     An unwritten motto in our culture is that the busier we are, the happier we are. So we strive to be busy. It's a mistake. Consider Jesus' approach.
     By night fall word had spread throughout the town that Jesus was there and that he had the power to heal people. By dusk Mark says the whole city was at Simon's house looking for Jesus. They brought their sick, "with various diseases," hoping that he would be able to heal them. The disciples had never seen such a crowd. With all those people Jesus must have been exhausted. It was probably late when they all left. Yet early the next morning, before anyone in the house woke up, Jesus left in search of a lonely place, a place where the crowds would be unable to find him, so he could be alone to pray.
     Jesus, who had given so much of himself to others, needed some time alone with the Father. He who had given all that he humanly had to give, also needed His Master’s touch.
     That's true of us also. Some people really don’t understand prayer. Listen to this story:

"Hey, Father," said a man talking to a priest. "You got it all wrong about this God stuff. He doesn't exist. I oughta know.""Why's that, my son?" asked the priest."Well," the man said, "when I was ice-fishing in the Arctic far from the nearest village, a blizzard blew up with wind and blinding snow. I   was a goner. So I got down on my knees and prayed real hard, begging God for help.""And did He help you?" asked the priest."Heck no," said the man. "God didn't lift a finger. Some Eskimo appeared out of nowhere and showed me the way."
     Prayer is a potent force in the life of the believer. It is where we each make ourselves available to experience the Master’s touch. He doesn’t just reach out to us once or twice. He touches us over and over in response to our honest and humble need.
     Recently my burden was lifted from me through prayer. Sylvia hinted at it last week, so let me share it with you.
     At Boeing where I work, reductions have been announced… up to 10,000 employees. Well, my work group will cease to exist next week. That means that everyone in that work group, including me, needs to find someplace else within Boeing. This is at a time of budget cuts when other work groups are reducing their head count. I have been fearful of losing not only my job, but the income that came with it. I could not get past my whining “What am I going to do?” I’ve been having a real pity party for myself the past couple of months.
     As some of you know, on Friday’s I go to McNeil Island and assist the Chaplain with what ever he has for me to do. Usually this means ministering to the men as well as running errands. But this past Friday, he asked me to pray. He specifically requested that I pray against the strongholds that are within the prison system. After instructing me, he left and I went into the sanctuary and obediently started praying.
     I prayed for over two hours. God touched me during that time. He told me not to worry; He is in control. These are words that I know in my head, but God made them real in my soul. He also directed my path in a very specific direction. He asked me to do three things:
• Assist the institutional chaplains transition inmates from prison to the community.
• Support and prepare community leaders so that they can, in turn, support the men as they adjust from incarceration to community.
• And finally, God told me to be an encourager and witness to the ex-offenders.
     I shared this with Sylvia and together we are developing an action plan for me to transition into full-time ministry, specifically to work with male offenders in the process of re-entry.
     Since that dedicated time of prayer, where I made myself available for the Master’s touch, my burdens have been lifted. My excitement and joy have returned. I don’t know all the details yet. I don’t need to. God is in Control.
     Happiness is experiencing the Master's touch. Happiness happens when we run out of us and call out to Him. 
Finally, happiness is getting our priorities in order.
     We need to take inventory of our lives to determine what's important and what is not. Jesus did.
     That next morning when Simon and the other disciples awoke, they discovered that Jesus was nowhere to be found. Perhaps they panicked a bit. They actively searched until they chased him down. They interrupted his prayer time. "Everyone is searching for you," Simon told him. To this Jesus answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." Jesus would not be side-tracked by the adulation of the crowds. He knew where he was headed. He may not have been consciously aware of every detail, but in prayer his energy was restored and he knew what direction to go. Nothing else mattered.
     Gorman Williams spent most of his life as a missionary to India. In 1945 he purchased tickets for a long-awaited vacation back to the United States. He had counted down the months and days until he would be home. A few days before he was to leave he heard about some Jews who had escaped the wrath of the Nazis. They had traveled by boat to India seeking refuge. Since it was a time of global war, the Indian government denied their request to immigrate. They were granted permission to stay for a short time in the lofts of the buildings near the dock. Their living conditions were wretched. But it was better than being sent to a concentration camp in Germany.
     It was Christmas Eve when Gorman Williams heard about the plight of these Jews. Immediately he went to the dock, entered the first building and called out, "Merry Christmas! What would you like for Christmas?" The response was slow. "We're Jewish," someone called out. "I know," Williams said, "but what would you like for Christmas?" The weary Jews, fearful for their very lives, replied, "We would like some German pastries."
     At that point Gorman Williams sold his ticket to the United States and purchased more German pastries than anyone had ever seen. He brought lots and lots of them and carried them in large baskets.
     Later he told this story to a group of students. One brash, judgmental young man reprimanded him. "You shouldn't have done that," he said, "they were not even Christians."
     "No they weren't," the wise missionary quietly replied, "but I am." Gorman Williams, having been touched by the Master, had his priorities in order. He knew what direction he was to go. 
What would it take to make you happy? Every study I have seen on the subject indicates that people who are actively engaged in serving God are far happier than the general population. That does not surprise me. Happiness is more that a state of mind. Happiness is birthed in the touch of the Master's hand. Happiness becomes a possibility when we open ourselves to God through honest and humble prayer. Happiness is having our priorities in order. We are headed in the direction God has chosen for our lives, and nothing else is quite as important as that journey.
....................................---www.devotions.net

Friday, August 14, 2009

And in the morning, rising a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and prayed. ..... --Mark 1:35 KJV

It seems that we have an unwritten motto in our culture that says, "The busier we are, the happier we are." So we strive to be busy. But I think it is a mistake for us to be too busy for people, quietness, or conversation with God.
Consider Jesus' approach. By night fall word had spread throughout the town that Jesus was there and that he had the power to heal people. By dusk Mark says the whole city was at Simon's house looking for Jesus. They brought their sick, "with various diseases," hoping that he would be able to heal them. The disciples had never seen such a crowd. With all those people Jesus must have been exhausted. It was probably late when they all left. Yet early the next morning, before anyone in the house woke up, Jesus left in search of a lonely place, a place where the crowds would be unable to find him, so he could be alone to pray. Jesus, who had given so much of himself to others, needed some time alone with God. He who had given so much; needed some time to receive. That's also true of us. We need to take time to talk with God, so that we gain energy and strength to face the challenges of our lives.
I remember a story of a man who was talking to a minister. The man said, "Hey, you got it all wrong about this God stuff. God doesn't exist. I ought to know."
"Why is that?" asked the minister.
"Well," the man said, "when I was ice-fishing in the Arctic far from the nearest village, a blizzard blew up with wind and blinding snow. I was a goner. So I got down on my knees and prayed real hard, begging God for help."
"And did God help you?" asked the minister.
"Heck no," said the man. "God didn't lift a finger. Some Eskimo appeared out of nowhere and showed me the way to the village."
What this man didn't seem to understand is that God works through you and me. There will be times when our prayers will not be answered the way we want them to be. But prayer is answered. Sometimes the answer is "no." And another important thing--we should not allow our prayers to become a time when we list all of wants from God.
Prayer is powerful. Prayer is a time to connect ourselves to God, and that which is sacred, and prayer does bring us greater happiness and faith.

Lord Jesus, thank you for your example of prayer. Move me daily to spend time talking to our Father. In Jesus Name, Amen.

..........................--- from Today's Devotions, Ron Newhouse

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him." --Deuteronomy 30:19-20a

Monday, August 3, 2009

FAITH

Faith. We all have it. It is hard-wired into us. The Bible tells us we can ask the Lord to increase our faith (Luke 17:5), but we all have faith. You get into an elevator and you have faith it will go either up or down when you press the button. You go into the bathroom, turn on the faucet and you have faith that the water will come out. You go into your den at night, click on the light switch and you have faith the light will come on. We are creatures of faith.

But sometimes when it comes to God, we don't operate in faith. We HOPE. We THINK. If you "think" God is going to work in your life; if you "hope" something will happen-- that's not faith. There is a difference between hoping God is going to do something in your life and having faith that it will happen.

Now we're not talking about wanting a Mercedes or for that "cute boy in English class" to notice us. We are talking about things that are in God's will for our lives. Of course, there has been some prayer involved, seeking what God's will is for us. But once that has been established: the Bible tells us to walk in faith (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Here are seven key words Charles Stanley uses to help you understand if you are walking in faith.

#1 ASSURANCE. Assurance that God is going to keep His word. God has many promises in the Bible. Many are applicable in our lives. What He says He will do, He will do. Mostly, if you aren't seeing God manifest Himself in your life, there are two simple options: a) You need to wait on God. Keep waiting. b) there is something in your life inhibiting the flow of God's grace. The problem is always on our side, never on God's side. Some searching and praying for insight might be necessary. Remember sin inhibits our communication with God.

#2 ANTICIPATION. When you anticipate that something is going to happen, you make plans, you prepare. I heard a great example of this: If you said to me that you were going to Europe tomorrow, I'd say "Great! Are you packed? Do you have your tickets? Do you know where you are going when you get there?" If you answered "No" to all my questions, then I'm afraid I have to say, "You're not going to Europe tomorrow." We need to be prepared for when God answers our prayers.

#3. AWARENESS. The sensitivity to see that God is already up to something in the circumstance you are concerned about. To watch for every little divine movement. To see the divine plan at work step-by-step. Once you set yourself to be aware for these "God moments," you will see them more and more. We have to start looking for these things.

#4. ACCESS. The use of the gift of prayer to access the Father at any moment, any time, any where. We have in prayer the best thing that could be given to us: unlimited access to the Father. From the the first waking moment of our day we should be addressing Him, thanking Him, and glorifying Him. Reviewing our day with Him. Asking Him for guidance. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). Our first line of defense in every situation is prayer--- not our last resort. Christians should never say "Well, all that is left to do now is pray."

#5. AUTHORITY. The recognition of the authority given to us by the Lord. The scriptures say "ask and it shall be given..." Jesus said "If you ask anything in my name, I will do it." (John 14:14). We have been given authority simply by who we are in His kingdom. Are you walking in this authority?

#6. ACTION. The acid test of your faith is your obedience to the Lord. Noah was told to build an ark, he started building. "I believe" and "I serve" are actions words. A person of faith DOES. Jesus said "If you love me you will obey me" (John 14:15). Faith-filled people are obedient people.

#7. APPROVAL We gain God's approval through our faith Romans 5:1 tells us that we have been justified by our faith. In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, biblical greats are innumerated for their faith with the final verdict being that they gained approval through their faith. "...having gained approval through their faith" (Hebrews 11:39). These illustrations in Hebrews 11 only go to show that God wants to bless you when you obey Him.

The ultimate reason God will honor your faith is because others will see and be in awe of what He is doing in your life and in turn place their trust in Him. "I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear; And will trust in the LORD" (Psalm 40:1-3).