How many times have we experienced sorrow in our lives? We would be unable to count them. Sorrow is a fact of life, and the result of caring, loving, and regret. God uses sorrow for His purposes, and we should see His hand there. In our sorrow God teaches us of Himself.
Am I a sinner? Am I attempting to lead a life of innocence, or seeking to be pure? Will God forgive me when I sin against Him? These are the questions we should be asking ourselves as we contemplate sin in our lives, and the world around us.
We suffer in our lives, but no suffering is experienced without God using it for His good purposes. The question becomes this... do we see Him working in our most dire circumstances? If we are attuned to the will of God in our lives we should acknowledge His plan for us, even in our misery... unless, of course, we are blinded to Him by our disbelief.
We fail in some manner almost every day. Yet, it is so hard for us not to judge the actions of those around us, and by doing so, if it were not for the Atonement of Christ, we ourselves would be lost. Seeing, and turning our noses up at sinners is just too natural for us.
There comes a point in our faith when we have given ourselves over to God, and we trust so completely in Christ, that the struggle for righteousness ends, and our faith becomes as natural as taking our next breath. Is this what you seek, or do you fight daily with your nature in an attempt to walk the fine line between your earthly life and heaven... not becoming a resident in either place…attempting to be a double citizen?
Who have we prayed for today? Does the heart of an intercessor live within us? Are we hoarding the atonement of Christ, or sharing its realization with others? These are the questions to ask ourselves this morning.
Do I believe in Christianity or do I believe in Jesus Christ? When we first come to faith we ask Jesus to come into our lives... where is our faith based today? Is it still in Jesus, or in the practice of Christianity? Let's take a few moments and consider our own lives and the faith we proclaim.
Do you follow Jesus without a second thought? Do you give your faith free and unquestioned rein to rule your life? Peter walked on water by faith, but he sank into the roiling sea out of doubt. I have allowed similar doubt to steal my victory on more than one occasion... have you experienced this in your walk with Jesus? These are the questions that face us all and the crux of my morning contemplation.
Does our judgement of others convict our own souls? Don't we ourselves feel unclean after judging those around us? I can't help but think of the separation from God I have felt after judging another's righteousness. Have you ever felt removed in this manner? Scripture is specific about our role in the judgement of others; it doesn't quibble in its language...
June is the Month that most weddings occur in the Northern Hemisphere, and since Ann and I just celebrated our anniversary I thought this would be a good time to talk about what is required to stay married. Will a marriage last, or is there a black cloud hanging over it? How do we approach conflicts between husband and wife? What happens when the world collapses on us?
It's colossal, it's stupendous, it's amazing, but just not what the Lord wants you to do. Do you think you are a million dollar man of God who is too good to be doing the minimum wage work of the kingdom? Maybe you need to think twice.
Today let's ask ourselves a couple of very important questions... Do we have the serenity in our lives that Jesus had in His? Is our life spent settled into constant comfort and peace, and if not... why isn't it? Perhaps we are not truly abiding in Christ. These thoughts were raised in me today as I read my morning devotional written by Oswald Chambers.
Have we truly abandoned ourselves to Jesus? Is He the source of our life's energies, or do we simply vocalize His name so that we can feel good about our faith, and appear righteous before others?
Where do we make our abode? Where is our place of residence? This morning we are trying to determine whether we claim our earthly home as our permanent residence, or whether we list our heavenly home as such. Then there are also the times, in our travels, that home becomes the place where we simply lay our head.
Coming to Jesus; this is my contemplation this morning. Is this the physical act of circumcision, baptism, and communion, or something far deeper and more spiritual? What does Jesus mean by these three simple words... "Come unto me."