11/28/2011 OptionsScriptures: Psalm 23:1-6
Ask yourself the question: do I know where I'm going in life? It seems that many people are not sure where they are heading, but we can see from this passage that David did not have that problem. He was secure knowing that the Lord was his shepherd. David knew where he was going because he had a shepherd leading him. We have options in life concerning who we will follow: God, ourselves or someone else. We can chose God the good shepherd. Or we can chose to follow our own leading or the leading of someone else, which seems to cause major problems. Proverbs 14:12 says it this way: "there is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death." The Bible compares people to sheep and sheep follow someone or something. If sheep are in trouble they can follow the wrong shepherd. David did not have to worry, because he found the Good Shepherd. God leads, guides, feeds, comforts and protects. When we allow God to be our shepherd we have contentment: "I shall not want." He knows the green pastures and still waters. Sheep will not lay down if they are hungry, afraid, bothered or in friction with the flock, but God "maketh me to lie down." Sheep also fear moving waters and are poor swimmers, but God "leadeth me besides the still waters." He knows our weeakness. Our shepherd restores our soul and knows our spiritual needs. He is there when we face evil and He protects us. Our good shepherd already has some followers: goodness and mercy, its our choice if we become another of His followers. Choose Christ, He is the best option. 11/14/2011 Spiritual VeteransScriptures: 2 Timothy 2:1-7
A veteran is " a person who has long service or experience in an occupation, or a person who has served in the military...someone having experience through long service or practice." What does it take to be a true Veteran for the Lord? 1) You must be a volunteer: ready to serve willingly and by choice because of a desire to follow Christ. 2) It requires complete faith: Matthew 6:31-33: “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - To serve in the military a solider must trust the American goverment to provide food, shelter, medical needs and companions. We must trust that God, whom all the "goverment is upon His shoulders," will do the same for His people. 3) It requires complete obedience- the important thing isn't what God has you doing, but that you are doing what God has asked. Its being just as willing to clean the church as preaching in the pulpit; true joy lies in being obedient to God. 4) It requires complete devotion- profound consecration and dedication to the will and call of God. Are you a veteran of the kingdom? Its time to willingly offer commitment, obedience, devotion to fight the fight of faith! 11/1/2011 A Rut or Revival2 Kings 4:1-7
Sometimes in life we get caught in ruts: places where we feel stuck, helpless and hopeless. A rut can rob us of the joys we have in life and become our focus instead of our destination. A rut can fester and rot can begin to grow in our lives. In 2 Kings we read about a widow woman who was in a rut. Her husband had died and creditors were coming for her children. In despair she cried out to the man of God: she got in touch with someone who knew how to get in touch with heaven. When she spoke with Elijah he wanted to know what she had in her house. The widow's house had blessing, but she had to look beyond her present circumstances. Her neighbors had vessels that she needed. Elisah told her to the close her doors to the creditors coming for her children and God provided exactly what she needed. Her debts were paid and her children were saved. In our own lives we must decide if the rut we are in will become a revival or will we let rot set in? We have to stop and pull ourselves out of the ruts. We need to look around God's house and see all the potential for blessing. We need to find a vessel to pour ourselves into and close the door for future generations of believers and lock out the creditors. |
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