I recently did a series on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, and have had the privilege of a running dialogue with my pastor about strategies to bring out the evidence of these fruit in the church – not just the various individuals that comprise the church, but our local church as an entity in and of itself. Being “well learned” in research methodology amongst other things, I initiated the dialogue with lofty verbiage and thought pertaining to conceptualization and operationalization and validity and reliability of measures, etc. etc. etc. – and quite smugly rested assured that I had proven myself an expert and thus wrested the necessary respect to actually begin to share my points.
Exo. 8:1-7 (inclusive) – God moves from miracle number 2 (staff-to-snake + water-to-blood) / plague number 1 into plague number 2 – Frogs! As with the previous miracles, God tells Moses and Aaron exactly, and in detail, what to do. The plague of the frogs is different from the plague of frogs in one very special way: this plague was a threat! In the plague of the blood God’s message was more one of “as a consequence of you refusing to let my people go I am going to show you I am God”; the plague of frogs was more an “IF you don’t let My people go, then I will assault your homes and palaces and workplaces and everywhere in your grand city with frogs.”
Exo. 7:1-2 (inclusive) – God speaks to Moses regarding how He has exalted both of His servants (Moses and Aaron) before Pharaoh.
Exo. 7:3-5 (inclusive) – God reveals His plan to intervene in the negotiations between Pharaoh and Moses. God had decided that He would not give Pharaoh and the Egyptians the chance to escape judgement! Do you realize that the opportunities that you chase after and keep getting shut down over may be God setting someone else up for his judgement? That their continued persecution of you is God’s way of ensuring that they cannot escape His hand of judgement?
- When all your efforts seem to have been for naught, hum this and keep moving forward: “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” – CS #fb #
- When I'm threatened, I'll seek Your peace; When afflicted, I'll trust Your deliverance; If I'm overtaken, still I will not bow! I am Yours! #
- Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin. – OC #fb #
- Giving others a chance and hospitality to the hurt is generosity to be considered as we read “for God loves a cheerful giver” – DCM #fb #
- The pure man or woman is the one who is [wholly] shielded from harm [by the righteousness God], not the innocent person. – OC #
We all have a touch of “control freak” within us. We all want to know that in some way, shape or form, the things we’re doing, the choices we’re making, are ours… even if not entirely so – but majority us. Over the past few years God has taught me a tricky truth - are you ready for this? He is sovereign! No ifs, ands, buts, maybes, or anything about it. His sovereignty extends well beyond time and space, from before my father met my mother and decided to engage in coitus – He was sovereign. He was sovereign not just over time, the angels, the heavens and earth; He was sovereign not just over hell, death, the grave and the devil; but He was and IS sovereign over my life!
So… I was thinking: Is it sinful to think “sh*t” but say “shoot”?
I mean, I hear my Christian brethren (and me too) making up words when things happen and need to exclaim, but it’s almost clear (at least to me) that they’re cussing… is it sinful? Moreover, who’s the guilty one -> the one who’s exclaiming or me who’s receiving it as cussing?
- If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people. – OC #fb #
- Don’t ever forget that your children are like little radar units, locked on to the two most important people in their lives. – DR #fb #
- Have you recognized the fact of sin in your human relationships? If not, you risk finding yourself trapped and compromising with it – OC #fb #
- The truth of the Word is this: “if sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed” – OC #fb #
- “Could it be that there’s a right-under-your-nose opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives?” Let God’s creativity amaze you! #fb #
- Fleshly bodies walking spiritual paths; that is the Christian journey… #fb #
- Don’t expect to be in one accord if that accord is not through God’s power! True Christian unity comes from reliance on the Holy Spirit #fb #
Wow – I’ve been trying to write a devotional for at least 2 weeks now. They just never seemed to get finished; as a matter of fact, the closer to finished they got – the less “worthy” I thought they were for posting. I would come up with a topic, and write and write and write – and then realize… whoa… that doesn’t feel like what God is saying at all! ** move to trash ** OR I’d start, get distracted and totally forget what I was going to say. ** move to trash **
Isn’t it so strange that the world has affected the church for so long (it’s weird just saying that… the world has affected the church…) that the church now defines itself MORE so by simply what the world is NOT, rather than by what the scriptures declare should be the characteristics of the church.
So disillusioned and distracted we’ve become, that Christianity itself is a mere shade of what Jesus had intended it to be – so many define themselves by the teachings of their pastors rather than the teachings of the Holy Spirit, are more familiar with the catch phrases of the last commercial pastor rather than the Word of God… lemme ask you this: How do you ensure that others around you know you’re a Christian? Through the clothes you wear? Or via the e-mails you reject and refuse to read? Through the invitations to places you know “a good Christian shouldn’t be”? …or it is by your denial of self in order to help the wounded, and feed the hungry… to offer counsel and company to the person reputed as “wild and wicked” in the office so that they know they’re loved and someone is feeling compassion towards them in a real way?
I believe WE must get back to that place where we see God defining our Christianity – our identity as Christians – if we intend to truly walk the paths and make the impact we were intended for.
