As I ponder over the years I’ve lived,
I know you’re by my side.
Guiding me in every step I take
From that I will not hide.
Your love for me is forever strong,
Your words were always right.
Every day since I was born,
Your love has been my light.
You’ll always be my father,
I’ll always be your son.
Until I see your face again,
I won’t stop until I’m done
The work you set my hands to do
Is to help the world to see,
That you truly are a loving God,
which they’ll know by watching me.
Can we be bold enough to echo the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ”? Jesus understood that the best and only way for people to truly see the heart of the Father was to do what the Father did. Therefore, it was vitally important that He listened to His Father, understood His Father, and loved His Father. Otherwise, He wouldn’t have done all that He did for us.
The same is true for each of us. If we want others to see and understand the Father’s heart, we have to be “imitators of Him.” Thankfully, God designed the family to serve as a miniature earthly model of God’s relationship with mankind. The father = God, family = multitudes of people, wife = church (bride of Christ). When each part understands how they fit into God’s grand design, people will see God. When it’s butchered by Satan, people can’t see how a father relates to God or the wife relates to the church.
Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Friday, June 10, 2016
The Daniel Diet Challenge
Everyone should take some time periodically to focus on a particular book of the bible, a study
of some topic, or something to let your mind meditate on God’s holy scriptures. Paul said in 2
Tim 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us
realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is
right.”
For those of my church going on the Mountain Trek to Colorado to hike up Mt. Antero, our focus will be the book of Daniel. Daniel and his friends faced constant adversity, and time after time we read of their faithfulness to God. It takes their kind of commitment to “finish the race” to overcome the biggest obstacles that we face in life.
Although not everyone will be going on the hike, everyone can participate in a 10-day challenge to do as Daniel and his friends did to prepare for the service of the king. They would be required to serve King Nebuchadnezzar, whereas we are privileged to serve our King, Yahweh, the Creator of heaven and earth.
Starting this Sunday, June 12th until June 22nd, anyone who would like to but their faith to the test as Daniel did can join us in a "Daniel Diet” of vegetables and water. Throughout these 10 days, we’ll be reading a chapter of Daniel per day and some related Psalms to encourage us.
In about 605 B.C. Daniel was taken captive to Babylon along with many other dignitaries and elite from Jerusalem. So Nebuchadnezzar began training them to act like a Babylonian. Everything from language, culture, and even the diet. But in Daniel 1:8-16 we can read of Daniel’s dialogue with Ashpenaz (the chief of staff) and how he stood out from the others:
Hope you’ll join us!
For those of my church going on the Mountain Trek to Colorado to hike up Mt. Antero, our focus will be the book of Daniel. Daniel and his friends faced constant adversity, and time after time we read of their faithfulness to God. It takes their kind of commitment to “finish the race” to overcome the biggest obstacles that we face in life.
Although not everyone will be going on the hike, everyone can participate in a 10-day challenge to do as Daniel and his friends did to prepare for the service of the king. They would be required to serve King Nebuchadnezzar, whereas we are privileged to serve our King, Yahweh, the Creator of heaven and earth.
Starting this Sunday, June 12th until June 22nd, anyone who would like to but their faith to the test as Daniel did can join us in a "Daniel Diet” of vegetables and water. Throughout these 10 days, we’ll be reading a chapter of Daniel per day and some related Psalms to encourage us.
In about 605 B.C. Daniel was taken captive to Babylon along with many other dignitaries and elite from Jerusalem. So Nebuchadnezzar began training them to act like a Babylonian. Everything from language, culture, and even the diet. But in Daniel 1:8-16 we can read of Daniel’s dialogue with Ashpenaz (the chief of staff) and how he stood out from the others:
“Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. But he responded, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded."Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
"Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water," Daniel said. "At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king's food. Then make your decision in light of what you see."The attendant agreed to Daniel's suggestion and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.
Hope you’ll join us!
Friday, June 3, 2016
Jesus: Our Rescuer
This week is our Vacation Bible School, and we will be focusing our attention on superheros of our faith.
Throughout the Scriptures, we read of superhero-like people who served God in scary
situations, who served each other selflessly, and through their examples, we know how
we ought to live while on earth.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking we don’t have what they had, or that we just don’t have the ability like other people do; but whatever you think you are, or are not, is not an obstacle for God – He can use us all in a very special way.
In comic books, there is often a villain who tries to destroy peace and harmony among people. That’s when a superhero arrives just in the nick of time to rescue the people from the bad guy. In reality, we know that we do have an adversary. Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” He’s out there among us and as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15, “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”
Jesus came to us as a very real super-hero; saving us and teaching us how to fight against the efforts of our enemy – the devil. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:9-10 that we must “rely on God” because He’s the one who “rescues us from mortal danger.” As we acknowledge what He’s done, we also realize what He’s called us to be. We end up becoming His agents, ambassadors for His purpose of pulling people from the grips of the deceiver and bringing them to the light. In other words, we become His instruments.
There is a song that we sing called "Make Me an Instrument" that expresses the fact that we are tools to be used. Romans 6:12-13, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”
Let’s answer the great call of God to follow His son into battle against the forces of evil and fight bravely by His side. Romans 12:21, “Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” Join the team of faithful believers engaged in serving others to fulfill God’s mission to rescue people.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking we don’t have what they had, or that we just don’t have the ability like other people do; but whatever you think you are, or are not, is not an obstacle for God – He can use us all in a very special way.
In comic books, there is often a villain who tries to destroy peace and harmony among people. That’s when a superhero arrives just in the nick of time to rescue the people from the bad guy. In reality, we know that we do have an adversary. Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” He’s out there among us and as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15, “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”
Jesus came to us as a very real super-hero; saving us and teaching us how to fight against the efforts of our enemy – the devil. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:9-10 that we must “rely on God” because He’s the one who “rescues us from mortal danger.” As we acknowledge what He’s done, we also realize what He’s called us to be. We end up becoming His agents, ambassadors for His purpose of pulling people from the grips of the deceiver and bringing them to the light. In other words, we become His instruments.
There is a song that we sing called "Make Me an Instrument" that expresses the fact that we are tools to be used. Romans 6:12-13, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”
Let’s answer the great call of God to follow His son into battle against the forces of evil and fight bravely by His side. Romans 12:21, “Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” Join the team of faithful believers engaged in serving others to fulfill God’s mission to rescue people.