Leading well

Scripture

 ¹When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. ²There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. ³The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this,⁵because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." ⁶So Jesus went with them. 
      He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. ⁷That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

 ⁹When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." ¹⁰Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

Observation

"Amazing" as Jesus put it, in regard to the centurion's great faith. Truly a heart that understands faith and authority touches the heart of God. It seemed from the Lord's response that faith and understanding like this is rare. But one other thing that really stuck out to me was the centurion's heart towards his servant. That what I want to expound.(Mt 25:40)"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Application

I think that the centurions concern for his servant is a great example to us as leaders. The fact that is he could of easily replaced this servant for another, one stronger, in better health, but he chose to cry out to the Lord to restore his servant. When people under us are out of commission, broken, or going threw a tough time are we crying out to Jesus on their behalf. I take Jesus's word seriously when he said "I have not come to be served but to serve". The mark of a great leader is not how well people serve us, rather how well do we serve people.

Prayer

Lord Jesus my I never think of myself more highly then I ought to, but look to you always as my example. Teach me Lord to serve with humility, and compassion and always remember you have called me to serve as I lead. In Jesus Name Amen.

WoW

Scripture

Revelation 21

The New Jerusalem

 ¹Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ²I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

 ⁵He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

 ⁶He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. ⁸But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

 ⁹One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." ¹⁰And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. ¹²It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. ¹³There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. ¹⁴The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

 ¹⁵The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. ¹⁶The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia^{a]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]}in length, and as wide and high as it is long. ¹⁷He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits^{b]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]} thick,^{c]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[c]} by man's measurement, which the angel was using. ¹⁸The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. ¹⁹The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ²⁰the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.^{d]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[d]} ²¹The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

 ²²I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. ²⁵On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. ²⁶The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. ²⁷Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

What more can I say "wow".

Prayer

Lord I love you and I am so thankful that by your loving grace, I will be spending eternity with you. You are my everything. Amen

Only You

Scripture

 ⁹Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God."

 ¹⁰At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

Observation

Here John in this moment of revelation finds himself falling down at the angels feet to worship but is quickly instructed not to do it. There are two things that grab my attention today in this passage. #1- Is that the Lord uses his people(servant) to reveal his heart. It may be a Pastor, evangelist, missionary, family, or a friend and sometimes because it hits home and speaks to our heart so much that we tend to put them on a pedestal even a place of worship. #2 When God uses us in such a way, we have to make sure the Glory, credit and worship goes to the Lord alone and never to us.

Application

I know how easy it can be to fall into one of those traps. So I think it's important to examine our motives, and check our hearts. Are we worshiping someone or something other than God?Or are we taking credit or worship that belongs to God. Worship belongs to one. Love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The more we fall in love with Jesus and understand that every good and perfect gift comes from him. The more are hearts will be set on him and him alone. Not on others and definitely not on ourselves.. It's there that whether the Lord is using someone to minister to me or using me to minister to someone the Worship belongs to the Lord our God and him alone.

Prayer

Father you alone deserve my worship, so today search my heart and take out anything that robs you of my worship. I love you Lord and I am so grateful that you called me to be a husband and a shepherd of your people. Help me to lead them to your heart and to worship you in spirit and in truth. In Jesus Name Amen

"How" did it come to this

Scripture Lam 1:5

 ⁵ Her foes have become her masters; 
       her enemies are at ease. 
       The LORD has brought her grief 
       because of her many sins. 
       Her children have gone into exile, 
       captive before the foe.

Observation

The sin of God's people had finally caught up to them. Reading Lamentations is a huge reminder of the destructive  consequences of sin. Some after reading this book may ask"isn't this a little harsh on God's part"? but blatant, God-defying sin and covenant-breaking rebellion were at the root of his people woes. Nothing good comes from sin. It only brings heartache, pain, tormant, and a feeling of no rest, and an emptyness that goes deeper than words. It give satan a foothold in our lives, and brings nothing but grief. It seperates us from God. In Lam God used the Babylonians as agents for divine judgment. Though it brought much pain, and many tears, it caused God's people to look at their hearts aknowledge their sin and cry out to God for restoration. God disipline those he loves.

Application

Sin may be pleasureable for a season but in the end it leads to death. I have been on both sides.I onced live in rebellion towards God, but thats only because I didn't understand his love. I thought I knew better than him not knowing that he always has my best in mind. Then threw a series of difficult events by his loving kindness he got my attention. I aknowledged my sin and turned from them and turned to Jesus and he restored me. I thank the Lord for the tough times because without them i might not be serving him,  although we can learn from wisdom and not just consequences. See if we can trust the Lord, Fear the Lord and take him at word, and learn from the men and women in the Bible as well as eachothers mistakes! That would be wisdom and save us alot of grief. I have learned it is a whole lot better to live in heartfelt obedience towards the the Lord, not just because I fear him, but because I know that he loves me and has my best in mind.

Prayer

Lord keep us from falling into the trap of sin, help me to keep my eyes set upon you and the truth 

bitter sweet

Scripture Rev 10:9-11

⁹So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." ¹⁰I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. ¹¹Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."

Observation

"take it and eat it" what? It to take in Gods word, John takes it in and the response is bitter sweet. The taste and feeling when it comes to Gods judgment is tough. On one hand there is a sweet anticipation of Gods Glory and our victory, and yet the bitterness of seeing Gods wrath poured out on those that reject his son. John became sick to his stomach.

Application

Bitter sweet, I get that feeling at times when I have to speak the truth in love. I'm excited because I know that when it comes to God's word he has our best in mind and that loving correction is an avenue of growth, but at the same delivering that message can be bitterly tough. Maybe a better example is finding out your going to die. There is a sweetness about being with Jesus, yet a bitterness cause there are still so many that need to hear about Jesus. I want my stomach to become bitter now while we still have time. My desire is that the Lord would use us rescue as many from the fire as we can while we are still alive. Gods final judgment may not have passed yet, but there are still people dying everyday with out Christ. For them it has come.

Prayer

"For me to live is Christ and to die is Gain"Phil 1:21) 

Lord help us not to neglect the sweetness of your word, yet give us bitter stomachs as a reminder of those who still need to know you. Thank you for our Salvation, yet remind us constantly of those who still need to be saved. Like John may we eat your word daily that you may reveal your will and navigate us threw these end times. In Jesus Name Amen. 

 

Is anyone out there

Scripture

Ezekiel 22:30 "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. ³¹So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD."

Observation

In this chapter the Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel to confront God's people with their sin. The people of Jerusalem had turned their back on the Lord. They made idols for themselves and blood shed, anger, injustice and immorality was the order of the day. And as a result God wrath was upon them. Even the priests and prophets turn their back. They had forgotten the Lord. And the Looked to see if their was a Moses, a Joshua someone to stand in the gap, someone to cry put to him on behalf of the people. Is anyone out there?

Application

Our day isn't much different then that of Ezekiel's. People worshiping idols, blood shed, injustice, immorality, and wickedness seems to be everywhere you turn, people have become lovers of pleasure rather then lovers of God. This is what happens when a nation turns their back on the Lord and forget who he is, what he has done, and believe that they have the answers oppose to the Lord. And I believe that as the Lord was looking for someone to stand in the gap for the people, it was a sign to his of his Love and Grace towards them. So I ask is anyone out there? One who will stand in the gap, one who will cry out to the Lord for Grace, Mercy, forgiveness. One that threw prayer would build a wall saying"father forgive them for they know not what the do"Jesus), One that would say turn from you're burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people"Moses) and one that would not be ashamed to stand in the wilderness crying out "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand"John the baptist).I have alot of love ones, friends, and strangers who I want to see in eternity. And today this just reminds me of the importance of prayer on behalf of the lost."Before you can talk to people on behalf of God, you have to talk to God on behalf of people". I want to be one that stands in the Gap.

Prayer

Lord draw me to prayer like never before, break my heart everyday more and more for the lost. I don't just want to look at the destruction in our land and do nothing, but Lord show me how to build this wall, show me what it really means to stand in the gap. And Lord I thank you for your Grace, Where would I be if not for your Grace. If you can rescue me surely you can save anyone no matter how impossible it may look nothing is impossible with you. I love You in Jesus name Amen.

Speak The Truth

Speak The Truth

Scripture

 2 John:10- If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don't invite that person into you home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people become a partner in their evil work.(NLT)

Observation

 We are called to love one another. But the Bible does say we are to be" wise as serpents yet harmless as doves" if someone comes in and does not teach the truth about Christ we can't just stand, smile, and encourage them. It's because we Love the Lord, and love people that we have to stand for truth and speak the truth in Love. Not flatter them because we are afraid to confront them. Thats not Love at all, it's our job as Christians to genuinely love people and sometimes that means telling the truth in a loving way even when it hurts. Imagine if u saw someone running towards a cliff, or headed down a dangerous path would it be right to encourage them to keep going, or a least tell them that danger is ahead? Whether they listen or not is up to them but a least you did your part. When we neglect to stand for truth we can find ourselves partnering with evil. I don't know what's worse teaching evil, or knowing the truth and not saying anything.

Application 

This reminds me how important my daily devotions are. Before I can stand for truth I have to Know it. And truly loving people does not mean that I have to agree with everything the say. Truly loving someone is doing whatever it takes to lead them to the truth, not encouraging them on the path of destruction. And knowing the truth and not saying anything is just as bad. Sometimes we agree with people so we don't hurt their feeling, or we are afraid of what they might think or say. Whatever the reason is I have to commit to telling the truth in love no matter what. It's worth it.

Prayer Lord Jesus in a time where there is so much false teaching, help me to stand for truth no matter what. Help me to speak your truth in such a loving, but uncompromising way that by the power of your spirit it would set hearts free that have been mislead. And help me everyday to live and abide in your truth and be an example of  your genuine love and what it means to be a Christian. I love you Lord. In your mighty name AMEN.