Those That Will Not Hear

          As I read today’s devotional as Acts closes out I am reminded that there are always going to be some that just do not get it.  Although it is sad and your heart just goes out for people there are going to be times where you are just wasting your time.  If you have already testified to them and they remain stubborn you have to move on to those willing to hear.  As Paul is quoting Isaiah here at the end of Acts we see that the hearts of some people will just not be opened.

Acts 28:26 "'Go to this people and say,
"You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving."

Acts 28:27 For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.'

          Now we always hold out hope for the lost especially if they are close to us, but it is in God’s hands if they ever will come to understanding.  All we can do is set an example of a Christ-like life as we live it out before them and if one day God softens their heart they will come to us.

Do Not Be Idle

          Reading in Proverbs today is very convicting to me.  We are called to work while in this world and in this Proverb we are given the ant as an example.  Although there are harsh words here we must consider they are told to us in love, to motivate us to a better way of living that is honoring to God.

Proverbs 6:6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!

Proverbs 6:7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,

Proverbs 6:8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.

Proverbs 6:9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?

Proverbs 6:10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—

Proverbs 6:11 and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.

          True for myself I had lost my last job due to problems within the company and they just could not afford to keep me on, but that does not give me the right to sit around while I wait for something else to come back from my applications.  Work has to continue.  In my defense however work in other areas that does not put bread on my table, but does bring glory to God continues.  Work here on this daily devotional, work on this blog, continued schooling to prepare myself for a life of service to God, work in the prayer room at church and witnessing to others about the saving grace of God, and premarital counseling to couples preparing for a committed life together for God.

          I understand also that I am to put food on the table for my family and God has blessed me with income resulting from my time in the military.  I still have to find the means that will supplement that more and allow me to honor God in the process.  

          So when we think about the ant and the work it does, where do we fall in comparison to the ant.  Is there more we could be doing?  Is there more we should be doing?  I am not saying we cannot enjoy some rest to a point, but if we truly love God with all our hearts, mind, strength, and soul would we ever want to stop working for His glory and spreading the Good News of salvation.  There can be no rest in this area of our lives till the day comes when we are reunited with Christ.  Our very lives should be a shinning example to others and this is the work we must carry on.

Discipline

          Let’s face deep down most all of us hate discipline.  Doing the thing that you know you should be doing for the greater good, but hating it because there are other things that you would rather be doing that are far more pleasing to our selfish and sinful nature.  Sitting on the couch eating a stack of cookies with some milk watching your favorite television show as opposed to hitting the gym and burning off a couple hundred calories is much more fun.  So why do we try to instill discipline in our lives, but more times than not fail miserably?  It is the nature of sin in a fallen world.  We give into our sinful desires even if they are seemingly innocent when compared to greater sins as we see them.

          Obviously I speak to this from my own personal struggles and not as someone trying to inflict the law of the Word on others as if I had nothing to confess to in all of this.  In reading Proverbs 5 today along with my other readings I am hit right between the eyes with the Word of God.  I find that this happens more and more as I read and get to know and build my relationship with the Lord through all of this.  So when I read the following verses they hit home and are convicting.  I confess my weaknesses in these areas and ask the Lord for forgiveness, also for strength to uphold discipline in my life in order to glorify God and be an example to others.

          So in reading these following verses I need to keep in mind, as I hope whoever reads this will to, that the opposite side of the coin to not keeping discipline in your life is a harsh reality.

Proverbs 5:12 You will say, "How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!

Proverbs 5:13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.

Proverbs 5:14 And I was soon in serious trouble
in the assembly of God's people."

Proverbs 5:23 For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.

          My prayer is this, that these words be read, taken to heart and used as a reminder the next time we decide I really do not want to do this or that and that you see the other side where it is good in the end to be disciplined, that all this will be honoring to God and reflective upon yourself to others that they will see the good that can come from leading a disciplined life.  Either we give in to sin and temptation or we strengthen our resolve through the Holy Spirit to resist it and do what is right in the sight of God.  These are our choices.

Generosity Towards Others

          Today’s readings were very good, but as I read Genesis 45 one thing struck me, the Pharaoh’s generosity towards the brothers of Joseph.  Once the Pharaoh found out who they were this was his reaction.

Genesis 45:16 When the news reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased.17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan,18 and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.'

Genesis 45:19 "You are also directed to tell them, 'Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come.20 Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.'"

          Now the Pharaoh could have just been happy for Joseph and after Joseph had done so much for the land of Egypt this was, but a small token of his appreciation for that, which I am sure is part of the truth.  However the Pharaoh also knew that the Spirit of God was with Joseph and he feared and respected that.

Genesis 41:38 So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?"

          So for that fact that Joseph had done great things for the country of Egypt through the power of God the Pharaoh honored that and honored God in doing so.  We should turn to this as an example of how we are to treat others.  We do not do so out of our desire to please them or look good in the eyes of others, but out of a fear and reverence for the Creator of this universe.  He has told us “to love others as ourselves.”  I think to add to that a little more that we should love them as God loves them and us.

God’s Desire for Us

          Today’s readings were very good in Acts 23, Proverbs 3 that I am reflecting on here, Psalm 61, and Genesis 44.  I could have reference all of Proverbs 3 here without much hesitation and it would be right since God’s Word means so much more than mine, but this is a way again for me to be accountable in my reading and understanding of such things.

          As Proverbs 3 opens up it talks about love and faithfulness two attributes that we should posses and that should be apparent to all of those around us especially those that are closer to us.  I know that sometimes we can put these on as we would put on our clothes in the morning.  Not to say that they are not genuine, but we use them when it suits us and take them off in the evening when we are back with those that we should be showing this to more so.  So this needs to be a part of who we are because it is a part of who God is and who He wants us to be.  So:

Proverbs 3:3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.

Proverbs 3:4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.

          To follow this one up we must gain understanding and wisdom, but not of our own doing, but through the Lord so that we may not boast in our own accomplishments.  

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

Proverbs 3:6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.

Proverbs 3:8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.

Proverbs 3:13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,

          We must honor the Lord also in all that He has given us and return back a portion out of our faithfulness.  Let’s face it if we are holding back then we really do not believe this passage here and we have no faith in the One we profess to have faith in.  They say you can tell a person’s faith by their actions.  How do people see you?

Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;

Proverbs 3:10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.

          Finally the hard one for all of us to really fall in line with is discipline and rebuke.  No one likes to be told they are doing something wrong, because of our own self-arrogance.  Look at our children as they are told no and disciplined for doing wrong, how do they react?  Do we not act the same way when we are rebuked?  Proverbs also tells us that the wise accept rebuke while the fool rejects it.  Strong words to remember next time you are in the middle of being corrected.

Proverbs 3:11 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,

Proverbs 3:12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.

God Judges

          I have always believed that everyone has a chance to accept God in his or her life, but in Psalm 58 David talks very harshly against the wicked.  He states that they are that way from birth, giving us the impression that there is no good in them.

Psalm 58:3 Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.

          The thing is that we cannot rightfully judge who these people are.  True by a person’s action we can discern what they are like, but we have no idea what God’s plan is for them.  If that were the case then we would have judged Saul long before he became Paul and one of the greatest instruments of God after Jesus.  So we should not judge as this passage starts out.

Psalm 58:1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge people with equity?

Psalm 58:2 No, in your heart you devise injustice,
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.

          We need to be careful how we look at people.  True there will be those that are bent on doing evil in this world.  There will be those that we feel we can help and show them the light that for a time will accept, but will go right back to the sinful life they so enjoy.  All we can do is help these people by showing them the love and Word of God, but it is God that is in control of everything and we must leave it to Him and trust in His ways.

          So if you ever feel that the wicked people of this world are getting one up on you and that God is not watching over you or that things are just unfair remember the last few verses of this passage.

Psalm 58:10 The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.

Psalm 58:11 Then people will say,
"Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
surely there is a God who judges the earth."

          OK kind of graphic here, but you get the idea that God will judge and God will avenge our travesties and that it is not up to us to do so.  We are to let it go and let God deal with it.

Love Your Neighbor

          OK today’s devotionals were short and did not produce anything in me that I felt note worthy, but last nights connection meeting at the church followed in the path of yesterdays thoughts.  We are called to do God’s will, but in doing so we are also called to love.  We are to love God and we are to love others.  I am finding myself more and more caring of those around me.  Not that I was not before, but I can feel God’s love growing inside of me.  I am especially concerned with those who are lost and looking for God in their lives, but are not sure how to go about it when they are so caught up with the sin in their life that is a part of this world we are stuck in.

          I am sure that we have all heard this verse repeated in a few places in the Bible, but it is one that we need to hear over and over again to drive it home and make it a part of our daily make up of who we are as Christians.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

So we hear this all the time and wonder how in the world are we to love all those around us especially when there are times that we would much rather do just the opposite.  Rick touched on a verse out of 1 Thessalonians 4:9 last night that we should take to heart.

1 Thessalonians 4:9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.

          Wait I do not remember God teaching me anything.  Really?  What about the entire story of Jesus while He was here on this earth in human form, giving up everything that He had in Heaven with His Father, coming done here and being ridiculed, persecuted, tortured, and killed by us humans.  And why?  For us, because of His love for us regardless of how we treated Him and still do today.  If we really, truly loved Him today, would we not be breaking our backs to do everything and anything that He has called us to do?  Can we start by loving our neighbor the same way that Christ loves us?

What We Are Called to Do.

          Good reading today that reminds me and convicts me deeply about what God calls us to do once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Paul really hits it home with this little statement out of Acts.

Acts 20:25 "Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.  26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you.  27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.  

          Paul said, that his is innocent of their blood, because he did not hesitate to proclaim the Word of God.  If we turn this on ourselves then the question becomes, whose blood are we guilty of because we withheld the Word of God because of our own fear of others in what they would say or do?  I know really convicting and it should be when we are not doing the will of God.  

OK, but I am not that strong of a person and I could never do that.  We do not have to do it on our own.  Joseph said it well in the passages in Genesis that I was reading today.  The Pharaoh had asked if Joseph could interpret his dreams for him and Joseph answered him:

Genesis 41:16 "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires."

We do not do this on our own, but we are still called to do it nonetheless.  God is with us through the Holy Spirit and will guide us as long as we put our trust in Him.  We are also part of a community in the church so we have each other to fall back on and support as well.  Paul goes on in Acts to say this:

Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.  29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

          As servants of God we take on a lot and have some tough and serious work to do here in this world, but the reward on the other side is going to far over shadow anything we have ever been through here.  None of it we will ever deserve, but how much less will we deserve it if we have never lifted a hand to help out others?  I do believe all that profess Christ as Lord and Savior will go to Heaven, but I also believe that we will have to answer for our actions in this world as Christians.  What worries me is how am I going to be able to answer that one.  Good news is that I still have a chance to work much harder at following God’s will in our lives.  At least I hope I still have time.  How about you?

Where is Your Heart?

          Today’s readings touched me in the fact that we really need to know where our heart is in carrying out God’s will in our lives.  This has to be a totally selfless act that we are here doing.  I think so many times our own pride, selfish desires, and personal goals can get in the way of doing God’s work.  As I read through Acts 19 this was clear in the actions of some of the Jews desiring to do the same great works that Paul was doing.

Acts 19:11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out."14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.15 One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?"16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

17 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.

          When it comes to doing the work of God we need to adopt the selfless attitude that Paul and especially Jesus displayed while here in this world.  The Jewish priests were doing it for their own glory even though they said they were doing it "In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches…”  I think we hear these type of people everyday preaching from the pulpits, on the radio, and on television.  I am not saying that everyone is that way, but you can tell those that are or at least question their motives when you see the life they live.  So let the life you live be a reflection of Jesus, as He set the example while He was with us in this world.  A selfless, thoughtful, loving and caring life giving hope to those that are looking for it.

Attitude in Giving

          We have heard it said that God loves a cheerful giver, but also their hearts and minds have to be in the right place.  Today as I read my shorter readings in Proverbs and Psalms only this was quiet obvious in both books.  Going to Psalm 51 first we see that what God desires first and foremost is for us to realize where we stand without Him and not be proud and full of ourselves.

Psalm 51:16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 

Psalm 51:17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise. 

          Proverbs tells us where we are to go from there.  We understand where we are without Him now the next step and what God desires most out of us is here in Proverbs.

Proverbs 21:3 To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

          Kind of a catch 22 that if we have a heart in the right place and then we do what is right and just in the sight of the Lord, then we are obviously going to sacrifice to Him, but in the manner that He has intended.  So we must take a good look at our hearts and our actions as children of God.  Are we honoring our Father?

What do We Sacrifice?

          Sorry for being away from this for a few days.  No excuses.  Today I read several passages getting caught up to where I should be, but Psalms 50 stuck out to me in all my readings, along with the message last night at church about sacrificial giving.  In the times when the Psalms were written sacrificial giving had a whole different meaning then.  They offered up burnt offerings of their best livestock and crops.  If you have never dealt with farming it might be a little harder to understand what it is to give up the best of the best of your livestock, something that is part of your livelihood and security for the future.

          We are also called to give sacrificial offerings to God today.  We have no livestock or crops as they did back then, but our livelihood is our income from the work we do.  So why would we give this up to God?  After all God says that He does not need this.

Psalm 50:9 I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens, 

Psalm 50:10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills. 

Psalm 50:11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are mine. 

Psalm 50:12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it. 

Psalm 50:13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats? 

          Just the same way God does not need our money that we sacrifice in place of livestock or crops.  So the question remains, why does God want us to sacrifice?  The answer comes in the next two verses.

Psalm 50:14 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High, 

Psalm 50:15 and call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” 

          The sacrifices we make are not for God, but for ourselves.  We honor Him in our sacrifices, but ultimately God is having us do this for our own good.  If He wanted it all He could just take it and there would be absolutely nothing we could do about it.  

          So when we go to make a sacrificial offering are we giving the best of the best, the first of our fruits or are we just giving that which we can do without and will not really miss once it is gone?  Are we giving some of our lame livestock that is going to do us no good anyway?

Psalm 50:22 “Consider this, you who forget God,
or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue: 

Psalm 50:23 Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
and to the blameless I will show my salvation.” 

          Kind of a rough way to close this out, but then again I am not the one who said this.  We have to look at our hearts and what we are sacrificing here or do we sacrifice at all?  This has to be a question we ask ourselves every time we put money in the offering plate or fill out that tithe check.  Where is my heart in this?

Blindness of Unbelievers

          In today’s reading I was struck by the blindness in Acts 13.  In the beginning of the chapter we are introduced to Sergius Paulus who was the Proconsul, an intelligent man that was interested in what Barnabas and Saul had to say so he sent for them.

Act 13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.

Act 13:9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,

Act 13:10 "You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?

Act 13:11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun." Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

               With Elymas his spiritual blindness was materialized in his now physical blindness.  I cannot help, but wonder if this physical blindness eventually opened his soul to the spiritual darkness he was in and now came to see the light.  The Bible does not tell us the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say, but as God’s people we can always hold out hope for others around us, but in the end it is God who will change the heart of a person, not us. 

Act 13:41 " 'Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.'  "

               This passage shows us that people just will not believe even if we speak the truth to them.  People want to hold on to what they have and believe in right now.  Lee Strobel put it this way when talking about his search to uncover the truth about God.

“There were so many reasons why I didn’t want there to be a God, because I did not want to be held accountable for my life.”

          The Jewish leaders in this town were just as worried about Barnabas and Paul preaching the word of a risen Christ as anyone, after all it was the Jewish people that shouted for this Messiah to be put to death.  If what Barnabas and Paul was true then they would indeed be very worried about being held accountable for what had happened.  Apart from that the way they had been preaching was being threatened since more and more people were going to hear the Word of the Good News being preached.

Act 13:44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.

Act 13:45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.

Act 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.

Act 13:47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: " 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.' "

Act 13:48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

               So the Jews that were blind to this word are condemned for their spiritual blindness while the gentiles with open hearts and open minds were receiving the Word and gaining their salvation. 

               Some people are destine to walk in darkness because of the hardness of their hearts and unfortunately there is nothing apart from prayer that we can do, the rest is up to God and we just have to trust in His judgment of all things before Him.

God is in Control

          Of course we know this, but how often do we give Him credit for the good things that happen in our lives?  We are quick to find blame when things go wrong in our life or at the very least question why He would allow bad things to happen.  I wonder though how much praise is issued when things are going good in our lives.  Not great things, but just normal every day things, good health, good job, good finances.  I was reading through Psalm 44 today and the people there gave credit to God for their victories.

Psalm 44:6 I put no trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory; 

Psalm 44:7 but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame. 

Psalm 44:8 In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.

          But even in praising God for their victories when God turned from them to humble them since they had become prideful they still stayed strong in their faith to God even if they did not understand why He was not with them anymore to help them receive victory.

Psalm 44:17 All this came upon us,
though we had not forgotten you;
we had not been false to your covenant. 

Psalm 44:18 Our hearts had not turned back;
our feet had not strayed from your path. 

Psalm 44:22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

          We have to remember Who is in control, and Who has the bigger picture.  We need to be giving praise in the good times and the bad because even though it may not seem like it at times God has our best interests at heart.  He loves us and desires the best for us.  This is obvious in the fact that He sent His Son here among us to be tortured by us and killed by us for our sins.  So when we find ourselves in good times, normal times, or bad times we must remember Who is in control and trust in Him.

Listen and Hear

          Short studies today in Proverbs 13, Psalm 43, and Genesis 31, but I really enjoyed Proverbs today.  I was really struck by the repeated reference to listening to wise counsel.  I guess this is especially pointed with me being more and more frustrated with my son that is soon to be turning 18 and has all the answers in the world and needs advice from NO ONE at this point. 

Proverbs 13:1 A wise child accepts a parent’s discipline
a mocker refuses to listen to correction.

In looking at this situation however I know I used to be that way and still am to an extent.  Although the more I grow in God’s Word the more I realize I do not know and there is always someone else that I can refer to and need to seek counsel from as I continue on my path to righteousness.

Proverbs 13:10 Pride leads to conflict;
those who take advice are wise.

Proverbs 13:13 People who despise advice are asking for trouble;
those who respect a command will succeed.

Proverbs 13:14 The instruction of the wise is like a life-giving fountain;
those who accept it avoid the snares of death.

Proverbs 13:18 If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace;
if you accept correction, you will be honored.

Proverbs 13:20 Walk with the wise and become wise;
associate with fools and get in trouble.

          These verse seem very clear to me that we must refer to those that have wisdom beyond what we have and not be prideful thinking that we can get this worked out on our own.  Even if we do know an abundance in one or two areas we should not be smug in that knowledge and even share that with those who it will benefit in a caring and loving way.  We will never know everything there is to know which I try and remind myself of everyday so that I am not prideful and also to be realistic about it.  There is a poem that I heard Art Linkletter say once, yes I know I am showing my age, but it has stuck in my head at times when I need it.

          I never wanna be what I wanna be
      Because there's always something out there yet for me.
      I get a kick outta living in the here and now,
      But I never wanna feel I know the best way how
      Because there's always one hill higher with a better view,
      Something waiting to be learned I never knew.
      So 'til my days are over
      Never fully fill my cup,
      Let me go on growing,
      Growing up.

God’s Gift is for Everyone

          I enjoyed the reading today in Acts 10.  Starting off by talking about Cornelius a captain of the Italian regiment.  A Roman soldier, a gentile with no ties to the Jewish ways.  Someone looked on by the Jewish people as not being worthy of God’s glory they were unclean and the Jewish laws actually forbid them to associate with them.

Acts 10:28 Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.

          So it is interesting to hear Cornelius was such a God fearing person.  After all he would not be accepted by the Jewish community and could not even enter the temple to worship God.  However he still did what he could to honor and glorify God outside of the temple.

Acts 10:2 He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.

          What if we were outcast from the church and not able to attend or even associate with those that did go to church and worship God.  How would this affect our faith and our attitude towards those that did?  Would we still be honoring God outside the church walls?  Are we even doing that today as we are allowed in the church?  Perhaps this is the only place that we are honoring God.  Maybe it would push our commitment to God to a new level if we were not accepted in the church.  At the very least it would test our resolve in Him. 

          I can imagine this might have been what it was like for the Jewish devote that spend their time in worship and praise God there.  Outside they just tried to make sure they followed the law that would help to keep them clean before the next worship service.  Being very legalistic, as they would go about their lives honoring the law and not God.  Although I am sure they thought they were honoring God by honoring the law they lost sight of what was important to God, that was others, ALL others that God had made.

In This World or the Next?

          I do not know if it is just the weather with the ice storm we are having or my lack of sleep last night, but I just feel disconnected today and nothing in particular stood out to me today.  That being said however, I did pick up one small verse out of Proverbs 11.

Proverbs 11:4 Riches won’t help on the day of judgment,
but right living can save you from death.

          I just thought about that simple little verse and how we live in this world today.  Are we living a righteous life that honors God or are we living a life that focuses more on our own needs and desires?  I know that it is normally not a 100% one or the other, but where is our focus a majority of the time?  Is it on God, or on everything else, but God?  If I honestly check my heart and my actions I would have to say it is maybe a 30/70 split.  Of course we say how can we possibly think about God all the time since there is so much else going on in our lives that we barely have time to sit down and take the time to think about Him.

          First the Bible tells us that every thought should center on God and He should be the main focus of our lives, everything centered on Him.  This may not seem like a realistic expectation, but if we are honest with ourselves we have already had this kind of focus in our lives.  Think back to the first time you fell in love with someone of the opposite sex.  How did you feel?  What did you do?  Were they not on your mind every day, hour, minute, and second.  Shouldn’t that be the way we feel about God?  After all that is the way He feels about us, but 100 fold more then that even.