Living in Christ

  In our society today, we are surrounded by a great many things.  There is so much around us that gets our attention over our Lord, there is so much we "worship" over our Lord.  The people in the days of Paul were in a similar situation.  They worshiped things around them.  They worshiped idols!  There was no idol more revered in Ephesus than the goddess Diana.  This statue was placed in a magnificent temple and was also recognized as one of the wonders of the world.  Would you believe it if I told you that idol-making became a business?  There was so much idolatry in the day that making them became a livelihood for many people. "When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.  Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds.  A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.  When they calculated t

Would you like to know what one of God's greatest desires for us is?  It is to fill His people with His Spirit so that others around us will recognize His powerful presence in us.  The presence of Christ in the life of a believer should be quite obvious.  When the Spirit of almighty God fills us, we should not be able to go on living as we did before.  We should want to live our life for the glory of almighty God in us.   We should have such a desire to live and serve our Savior that we can't ignore His presence in our life, and that presence should be seen by others.  Others should see Christ through us! "This is what the Lord Almighty says: "In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.'" Zechariah 8:14.   God used Zechariah the prophet to tell His people that His presence in them ought to make a difference in their

I thought I would try something different this week with our posts.  I want to have an ongoing dialogue this week with all who follow this blog.  This week I want us all, regardless of where we might call home, to put a comment in that speaks about our thankfulness and what we are thankful for. "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His Name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:4-5.   Many of us forget where we come from, or where we were when we found Christ.  Our stories are very relevant to tell to others around us that they would come to know Jesus and the love and power He brings into the lives of all who choose Him.  I believe that this would be a good way for us to share some of our testimony---through writing something about thankfulness and what we are thankful for this season.  Just click on the comments tab and please write.  All a

As many of us are aware here in the U.S., the Thanksgiving holiday is upon us! Soon, many of us will be traveling to be with the ones we love. We will gather around a great banquet full of all sorts of delicious foods and drinks. We will make merry and be happy, telling stories as we fill up our bellies to overflowing, then sit back and nap while we dream of leftovers! This has become the "norm" here in our nation. We are very good at taking for granted everything that God has blessed us with. Many of us forget to be thankful for all that God has given us, and the one question I always have at this time of year: Why do we only spend one day being thankful when we all should spend every day thanking God for all things in our life? It is very sad for me to see other "Christians" that make a big deal out of Thanksgiving, but do not have a thankful heart the rest of the year, but instead either complain about there life, or give credit to themselves for the things in th

In his book, First Things First, author Steven Covey employs two images to emphasize living by priorities--a clock and a compass. The clock represents our daily commitments, appointments, schedules and activities. The compass represents our vision, values, principals, conscience, and direction. For most of us, there is a huge gap between the two. Most of us will readily admit that we want to live by certain priorities, but that really isn't reflected in our daily agendas. "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe." 1 Timothy 4:7-10. Paul wrote to Timothy from prison instructi

At church today I was blessed when a friend came up to me and gave me a word that I didn't expect to hear. He blessed me with words of encouragement in an endeavor that I am undertaking. I was filled with joy and appreciation as his words poured over me in such a blessing that the rest of my day has been filled with peace and joy. As I drove home, I wondered if many of us speak words of encouragement over others, or are we too quick to tear others down by the things we say, even if we don't mean to. "But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus , my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs." Philippians 2:25. Some people know just what to say and do to encourage others that are going through difficult times. They have the words to give strength to those of us that are discouraged and comfort to those of us that are grieving. I believe that these people are sensitive to God's voic

Are we noticeably different to those around us? There should be no mistaking a life that has been transformed by Almighty God! If we have allowed God to cleanse us and make us new in His glory, those changes should be evident to others, even if we never say a word. The way in which we conduct ourselves should give testimony of the transformed life we are now living through Christ our Lord. We should have such an "aura" about us, that it would cause others to stop and ask, "What does that person have in life that I don't?" We should be living lives that stand out in the crowd! "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13. Take a look at the disciples when they first started following Jesus, and as they walked with Him. You will notice over and over that they were vain and fearful. They had doubts, they e

Has your life been changed by Christ? Do you keep it to yourself? Why? These are questions that we hear all the time from other believers. The changes God has made in us should be evident to others around us through our countenance and our actions, but what about our words? I see so many of us in the "world" that are quiet about the things that God has done for us and too us. Many of us have been dramatically changed by God, but the only place anyone hears our testimony is in church. Shouldn't we be giving our witness to those around us that do not know what Christ can do for them? "Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers." 2 Chronicles 19:4. There isn't much written about Jehoshaphat in the Bible. But, what we do learn is that the Lord was with him. He walked in the ways of David and he sought God and His commands throughou

I wonder if any of you are anything like me? I have a hunger to serve the Lord! I am passionate about the ministry opportunities that He has allowed me to partake in, I am thrilled whenever I am asked to give my testimony, I rejoice whenever I see anyone grow closer to Christ through something I may have written or said. However, there are times when I get so caught up in the "moment", that I forget that I am a part of something that is way bigger than me. I forget that what I am participating in, in not just for my benefit or growth, but also for others around me. I forget that what I am doing, God is already in control of and allowing me to participate in for His glory and honor. Are you like me? "Then He said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Issac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God." Exodus 3:6. One of the things in my walk with our Lord that I am always learning is that

Have you ever received a command from Jesus? If you have, did you obey it? Did you do what Jesus commanded you to do, or did you make excuses like so many in the Bible have? Thinking about this over the last several days, I noticed that there are many of us that say that God has called us to do something, but then we make excuses for not doing it. Do we have a problem with stepping out in faith? Do we doubt what we are supposed to believe? I find it interesting that when our supervisors, our leaders, even our spouses give us commands, most of the time we are quick to obey. However, when Christ commands us, many of us do not follow the orders. "And He sent two of His disciples, telling them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, 'The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make prepar

One of the gifts that God has given to me to use for His glory is the ability to tell it like it is. The ability to speak on the hard things; the things that others do not usually want to speak about. One thing is certainly true today, we are living in days that are becoming more and more wicked each day. All one has to do is go outside their door and take a look around at what is happening before our very eyes. We have suddenly become a society that quickly acknowledges things that we know in our hearts are morally wrong. We have become quick to reject things in society that we know are morally right. We have become a society that rejects God and His righteousness and embraces the evil and vile things of the enemy. Some may say the I am being too harsh, or that I am making unnecessary judgments. But I would say to those that we have been warned that these things would be happening, and that many would accept them, even when it is in our very pulpits! "For the time will come when

I have heard a great worship song several times, although I cannot think of its name, one line from that song continued to jump out at me: "I wanna sit at Your feet." Going back to Scripture, I found several instances when the disciples probably sat at Jesus' feet. However, the one instance that catches my attention is found in Luke chapter 10. Jesus and His disciples were traveling and they came to the house of Martha and Mary. Martha opened her home to Jesus and His disciples. She loved Jesus dearly and, I believe, would have done anything for Him. But her struggle came in being still! "She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that has to be made. She came to Him and asked, "Lord, don't You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" Luke 10:39-40. Martha spent so much time serving Jesus that she didn't h