My photo
1295 PARADISE HILL ROAD, CLARKSVILLE, TN 931.645.8785, United States
"WHERE PRAYER AND PRAISE TAKE YOU INTO HIS PRESENCE"

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

OUR TRAINER

1 Corinthians 10:13- “…God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.”




Anyone who’s made progress in the area of physical fitness can attest to the value of having a good trainer. From the drill sergeant who trains basic trainees to the “spot man” in the gym, trainers seek peak performance from those being trained while simultaneously maximizing their potential. One of the characteristics of a good spot man is the ability to allow those on the bench to push the weight themselves without intervening until the weight is too hard to bear alone.


How often do we forget that close to the apex of our spiritual profiles is the word solider! Our Heavenly Father sometimes puts us in situations during training so that we’ll be better conditioned to “fight the good fight of faith.” (I Timothy 6:12) But the good news is that our Trainer knows the areas that we need strengthening and He individually selects our training regimen. And when we’ve taken all we can take, He doesn’t allow the burdens of life to overtake us but He intervenes when things have become too much to handle. Paul encouraged the church at Corinth with the following spiritual truth: “...God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.” (I Corinthians 10:13)

Let’s remind ourselves today that we are being strengthened through life’s trails, tribulations, and traumas to prepare us to carry out our Kingdom assignments. And our Trainer never gives us a burden that we can’t bear.

Let’s Pray: “Father, help us to realize that You’re training us to reign in Your Kingdom. Teach us how to trust You during the difficult moments of our lives, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Daily Prayer: “Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!”
The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10

Friday, August 27, 2010

Man’s Inability; God’s Ability


Genesis 3:21: “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.”



A few months ago, I invited a young man to our Sunday morning worship experience. He’d given his life to the Lord about a year ago, but hadn’t joined a church to develop his Christian discipleship. When I asked if he’d come worship with us, his reply was, “I will. But I have to get myself together first.” My response to him was, “If you could get yourself together, you wouldn’t need Jesus!”



After man fell in the garden, a very interesting thing happened—they tried to cover their shame (sin) with fig leaves! Because of their inability to cover themselves properly, God made clothes out of animal skins. (Genesis 3:21) In order to do this, He shed the blood of an animal because “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.” (Hebrews 9:22) This act was a foreshadowing of what Christ would do when He died on Calvary. Throughout the Old Testament, we see animals being sacrificed as atonement for man’s sin. But those sacrifice(s) had to be done on a continuous basis. The Blood of Jesus is so powerful until It only had to be offered once to redeem the sin of humanity throughout all generations. (Hebrews 9:7, 12, 26)



The exhortation today is to realize how inadequate we are to deal with our sin. Thank God for Jesus!



Let’s Pray:
“Father, thank You for Jesus and His Finished Work on Calvary. Help us to realize our shortcomings and to seek You for getting our lives in order, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”



Daily Prayer: “Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!”

The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10

Thursday, August 26, 2010

A CHANGE IN ATMOSPHERE






Psalm 16:11- “…In Your presence is fullness of joy…”


Not long ago, my family and I ate dinner with another family after our Sunday morning worship experience. Although the restaurant was relatively empty, the noise produced from those at our table could be heard from one end of the building to the next. Our party included a variety of noisemakers: two infants, two toddlers, a ten year old, a couple teenagers, and four adults. But the arrival of the food we’d ordered changed the atmosphere around the table. Within minutes, mouths that once uttered words were engaged in the ingestion of food. The presence of one individual with the necessary sustenance to satisfy the needs of the physical man transformed the area that he served.



During some seasons, our spiritual, mental, and emotional dispositions are effected to the point that it seems as if we cannot go on. Our only hope is to bask in The Presence of God and allow Him to knit and mend our marred and broken places. Being in God’s Presence can transform our temperaments as He lifts burdens and destroys yokes. The psalmist said, “…In Your presence is fullness of joy…” (Psalms 16:11)

Feeling the pressure and the weight of life? Are you stressed to the point that it’s affecting you? Access The Presence of God through the vehicle of personal praise and worship—you’ll be glad that you did.



Let’s Pray:

“Father, help us to come into Your Presence by praising and worshipping Your Holy Name, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”



Daily Prayer:

“Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!”
The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Graced to Handle It

II Corinthians 12:9: “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’”




There are days when we have to function when we’re not feeling well physically, emotionally, or mentally. All of us have had to perform duties either at work, school, or church even though our bodies and/or our minds were under great distress. There are seasons that we have to press past our pain, our persecution, and our perils in carrying out our Kingdom Assignments. There have been times when I’ve been under such duress that I felt like giving up. But as I pressed my way in carrying out my assignment, The Lord touched me and gave me what I needed to do what He’s called me to do.



Though we may pray fervently for deliverance, God doesn’t always grant our requests. There are times when The Lord doesn’t “move our mountains,” but He gives us the strength to climb them. The thing that is certain is that God never puts more on us than we can bear (I Corinthians 10:13). Paul’s thorn in the flesh caused him to pray three times that the Lord would take away his proclivity (II Corinthians 12:8). God answered Paul in a way that he may not have expected—He gave him grace to deal with it (II Corinthians 12:9). Always remember that during those times when we’re not receiving deliverance from that which is ailing us, it doesn’t mean that God has forsaken us—He’s providing grace so that we can handle it.



Let’s Pray: “Father, help us to realize and receive Your Amazing Grace, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”



God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

Annie J. Flint

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Be a Better Listener

James 1:19-“…Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak…”




I recall fellowshipping once with a gentleman who told me that the two most traumatic experiences he’d suffered in life were the deaths of his mother and his dog. To be totally honest, prior to Ollie (our dog) becoming a part of our family, I would not have been able to identify with how the loss of an animal could effect someone in such a traumatic way. But I got the revelation directly after our conversation that animals are often better listeners than humans. A few days after my dialogue with the gentleman, Ollie came into the room and before I knew it, I was having a conversation with him as if he were a person! Whenever I call his name, his ears perk up and he comes and gives his undivided attention.



One of the things that I’ve learned in the pastorate is the importance of listening. There are individuals who pay money just to have someone listen to them! Might I say that many problems that we’ve experienced could have been avoided had we just listened—from children listening to parents, to patients listening to doctors, to spouses listening to one another. How many times has The Lord given instructions on how to navigate through life through the preaching and teaching of His Word that we totally disregarded? Although James tells us to “be doers of the word and not hearers only…,” (James 1:22), he gives this advice three verses prior: “…Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak…” (James 1:19) In other words, there’s no way that we can “do” instructions that we didn’t hear.



The exhortation today is to be better listeners in every area of life—especially when it comes to hearing The Word of God.



Let’s Pray: “Father, help us to better listeners—specifically when it comes to hearing Your Word, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”



Daily Prayer:
“Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!”
The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Pass It On


Matthew 28:19-“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…”


I recall an incident where I passed a woman who was running while pushing a stroller with her child riding inside. Because the infant couldn’t walk, it depended solely upon its mother to move from one place to another. A few moments later, my mind began pondering the cycle of life. If all goes well, the child could very well grow up and have children of its own and someday possibly even run while pushing its offspring!


Can you imagine how silly it would have looked for the woman to be pushing a healthy adult in the stroller? This is the sad but true spiritual snapshot of many believers. While it is the Will of God that His children become disciples, there are those in the body who are stuck in a membership mentality. The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary defines a disciple as: “one who professes to have learned certain principles from another and maintains them on that other’s authority. It is applied principally to the followers of Jesus.” Some of Jesus’ Final Words to His disciples were to “Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19)


The gospel has passed from one generation to the next because mature men and women (Christians) taught others who taught others who taught others…As followers of Christ, becoming indoctrinated in/with The Teachings of our Lord ought be one of our highest goals in life—if for no other reason, so that we can pass what we’ve been taught to others. The exhortation today is one of self examination. In considering the above illustration: “Are you pushing someone else or are you still being pushed yourself?”


Let’s Pray: “Father, help us to grow to the point that we’ll be able to share our faith with others. Give us a desire to learn Your Word like never before, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”



Daily Prayer:
“Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!”
The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10