Thoought for Friday, May 17th

May 17, 2013

A Few Words About The Bible

  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

 Psalms 119:105

“What glory gilds the sacred page,

Majestic like the sun!

It gives a light to ev’ry age,

It gives, but borrows none.”

-          Cowper

The Bible remains one of the oldest: most published books in the history of humankind.  It’s contents are timeless and it’s words and purposes are to inspire, encourage, instruct, correct and facilitate the birth and development of a life in Christ.

Of this book, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll (a.k.a. Amos and Andy) have said, “The Book, the Bible, more than any other piece of literature in the history of mankind, is an everlasting wellspring if inspiration, a source of hope and a promise of reward in the hereafter for faith and charity exercised during mortal existence.”

An article printed in the publication “In a Nutshell” put it this way: “There is a big difference in the books that men make and the Book that makes men.”

God’s word, The Bible, is a source and resource of all that humankind needs to face whatever life may bring.  But for it to be of use and to fulfill the purpose for which it is intended it must first be read and then embraced by those who need what It has to offer.

W. B. Knight said it this way: “The best repository for the Bible is a warm, glowing, grateful heart.”

God has made His word, His wisdom, His instruction and His help available to us: what we do with it is up to us.

Someone once said; “Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them.” – Anonymous

Another unknown source stated this about the Bible: “The Bible is always a new book to those best acquainted with it.”

God has inspired and preserved His word for us down through the ages.  Maybe the best things we can do with it is to heed Paul’s instructions to Timothy:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

-          2 Timothy 2:15

Prayer:

Father, keep me in Your Word: so Your Word can keep me where You want me to be.

Thought for Thursday, May 9th

May 9, 2013

Willingness

For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

 2 Timothy 1:12

“I believe the promises of God enough to venture an eternity on them.”

-          Isaac Watts

How brave and daring are you?

How willing to try new things: take big risks and make significant changes are you?

Are you one of these people of whom it can be said, ‘You will boldly go where no man has gone before;’ or are you one of those people who like the comfort zone and like to play it safe and keep it simple?

I tend to believe that if we are truly to embrace faith to its most extreme degree we are going to have to be daring, adventurous and brave.  To really experience faith we have to accept things that might not seem rational to us; we have to be willing to step out into unknown territories (especially for us) and be bold enough and strong of heart enough to try new and sometimes slightly scary things that are foreign and unknown to our personal experiences and maybe even that go outside of our comfort zones.

Scripture tells us that without faith we cannot please God: and I tend to think that translates into our willingness to take action and step out into what might be unknown to us and maybe even uncertain – but we have to believe and know these things are not uncertain to God and He is right there holding our hand, desiring to see us through whatever may come.

There is a cliché that has been circulating through the verbiage of Christendom for many years that puts things into their proper perspective: ‘He will not lead you to – what He will not take you through.’

Ta walk by faith and not by sight means we have to be willing to trust, to act and to believe that no matter what, no matter how strange or foreign it may seem to us that God is in control and if we are somehow not where God wants us to be; He will let us know that too.

So are you willing and ready for a new adventure in your spiritual life and maybe a new level of service that will stretch you beyond what you have ever thought or dreamed might be possible?  I’m sure if you let God know you are willing: He already has just the plan to set into motion for you and He to experience together.

Prayer:

Father, help me to stay always willing, ever ready and always faithful to taking each new step of faith that you desire for me.

Thought for Monday, April 29th

April 29, 2013

He Has All Power

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

 Philippians 3:21

“God’s children do not know what the future holds, but they know the One who holds the future, and in whose hands reposes all power in heaven and in earth.”

-          Walter B. Knight

How many times do we need to be reminded that what is impossible with men is possible with God, before we really grasp the truth and potential that this reality holds for us?

God is all powerful.  The winds and waves must obey His voice.  At the mere utterance of His proclamations creation occurred and all things that are were spoken into existence by Him: except of course for mankind whom He formed by His own hands and breathed the breath of life into.

Recently I have even uttered the following statement in several conversations: ‘I believe God could supernaturally change the color of these walls if it were necessary to accomplish His plans and His purpose:’ yet we still have doubts that He can meet our daily needs and resolve our current problems.

I often wonder where the disconnect comes in: that prevents me and others from acting on the truth that we know and believe in?

God is able.  Nothing is beyond His scope.  He can do absolutely anything.

Yet, we as Christians still worry and fret and stress and get ourselves all frustrated and in knots over things rather than just walking in faith, believing that God’s got it covered and under control.

Maybe it is because we have a misconception that if God has it under control everything should be perfect and there would be no anger, hate, wars or that people, especially Christians would treat each other the right way all the time – but we need to remember nothing will be perfect until we reach Heaven and just because it doesn’t seem perfect in our eyes, or from our perspective: it doesn’t mean God still isn’t in control. 

The Bible warns us of wars and rumors of wars, that nation will rise against nation and there will be famines, earthquakes and many diverse calamities in many places and even that brothers will rise up against brothers in the last days.  So maybe some of the things that we think make it seem like God is not in control are only signs that the end is near and what we need is not for everything to be perfect, but we need grace, mercy, strength and wisdom to endure, stand firm and remain faithful.

Prayer:

Father, I know you are in control; so forgive me when my actions and behaviors defy the truth that lies within my heart and help me to live like I really believe what I know is true – all power belongs to and is with You.

Thought for Saturday, April 27th

April 27, 2013

The Blame Game

   Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.  And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?  And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.  And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

 Genesis 3:1-13

“There are many scapegoats for our blunders, but the most popular one is provvidence.”

-          Mark Twain

Whose fault was it anyway?

Was it Adam’s fault; because he was weak and gave into Eve for self serving reasons?

Was it Eve’s fault because she just happened to be at the wrong place, at the right time when the serpent came along to tempt her?

Or could we take a secular world view of the situation and say it was God’s fault because when He put them there He placed unreasonable restrictions on Adam and Eve and thus He set them up for failure?

It seems not much has changed in the many years that have passed, since the great fruit debacle of Eden: humanity, by in large, has continued to fine tune and develop the art of denial and blame transferring.  Even Cain when he killed Able tried to deny culpability by asking God, “Am I my brother’s keeper.”

Today we are no better.  We blame the music, the sermon, the deacons, the temperature, and anything we can to deflect the responsibility for our spiritual lives and choices away from us and onto someone else.

But the sum of the matter is simply this; “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” – The Bible (James 4:17)

Prayer:

Father, I am just a sinner saved by grace; who still fails; falters; and sins far more often than I should.  When I do, keep me honest, meek and humble: ready and willing to admit my fault and always repentant and desirous to do better.

Thought for Friday, April 26th

April 26, 2013

The Barabbas Factor

  And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.  Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.  Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?  For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.  Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.  And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.  When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.  Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

 Matthew 27:11-26

“He who cannot forgive a trespass of malice to his enemy, has never yet tasted the most sublime enjoyment of love.”

-          Johann Kaspar Lavater

What possible connection could Barabbas have with you and I?

First he was a sinner, guilty, and condemned: just like you and I were while we were still ensnared in our trespasses and sins.

He was mercifully freed and released through no righteous act of his own because Jesus became the sacrifice that took his place: again, just like you and I who were sentenced to death, but were given freedom because Jesus died in our place.

Barabbas didn’t deserve to be let go: he didn’t even get released from his sentence because of good behavior: but rather a blood thirsty mob, unbeknownst to themselves extended mercy where  no mercy was warranted so that they could condemn a guiltless man for no other reason than it accomplished the will of God.

It is God’s will that none should perish but rather that all would come to repentance and the acceptance of His gift of salvation.

Barabbas did not refuse His gift of freedom: how about you?

God is offering to set you free.  If you haven’t already are you wiling to accept His gift to you and accomplish His will for your life?

Prayer:

Father, I like Barabbas was guilty and condemned; but I am now free because of what you did for me.  I am so thankful.  Help me to show my gratitude by helping to point others to the same freedom I have received and by committing myself to praying for and working toward the liberation of all souls that are condemned unless they are freed by You.

Thought for Thursday, April 25th

April 25, 2013

Branching Out

 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.  As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

 John 15:1-14

“If I can stop one heart from breaking

I shall not live in vain

If I can ease one life the Aching

Or cool one Pain…

…I shall not live in vain.”

-          Emily Dickinson

There was, many years ago, an advertisement slogan used by The Yellow Pages that encouraged us all to ‘reach out and touch someone.’

In essence being a branch grafted to the vine of God’s power, love and mercy requires us to bear the fruit of touching someone else’s life with the very essence and presence of God’s power flowing into us and giving us the life that we have.

So much of Jesus’ teachings encouraged us to be connected and be a part of each others worlds.  To be concerned with the problems; to be excited for the success’ and to always be available to help, to hope and to share the journey together as we walk the narrow road that will lead us to His presence.  In short to love with out reservation, stipulation or regard; just as we are loved by Him.

So, how do you feel about branching out and allowing the fruit of His growth, nutrition and life sustenance within you to touch the life of someone standing under the shadow of your foliage of life?

Are you ready to branch out for God’s cause and to bring Him more glory?

Prayer:

Father, often I am willing to touch the lives of those who fit within the comfort zone of my own experience; but I need to branch out to touching all people, from every walk of life, regardless of differences: just like you do.  Help me to bear more fruit to more people that will lead them closer to You so that You can make them stronger too.

Thought for Wednesday, April 24th

April 24, 2013

The Love Factor

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?  And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

1  John 4:16-21

“One hour of right-down love

Is worth an age of dully living on.”

-          Aphra Behn

Sometimes I feel I'm pulled in so many wrong directions
Sometimes I feel the world seducing my affections
It's not that I don't know the way
It's just a heart that's prone to stray
But with my weaknesses admitted
You will keep all that I've committed
So I commit my heart to You
My First Love
First Love - First Love
My soul longs after You
First Love - First Love
I want my heart to stay so true
Because You first loved me
Jesus You will always be
You will always be
My First Love
It's taken me some time to try to comprehend
A love that doesn't change - a love without an end
A love that keeps forgiving
A love of sacrifice and giving
I delight myself in You
My First Love - Bob Hartman (lyrics from ‘First Love’)

If we could only learn to love God in the way that He deserves to be loved: it would be so much easier to love each other.

And if we could learn to love ourselves the way that God does, loving our brother or sister would not be a challenge.

Hal David and Burt Bacharach wrote a song made famous by Dian Warwick that stated; “What the world needs now, is love sweet love; that’s the only thing there is just too little of…”

How true this sentiment is.  If we could get back to the first love of all creation, what a different and wonderful world this could be.

Prayer:

Father, help me to get back to the basics of loving You the way that You love me and then I know I can love all others so much more easily.

Thought for Thursday, May 2nd

May, 2, 2013

Perspective

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1  Corinthians 13:8-12

“God... doesn’t intend to help us live the Christian life.  Immaturity considers the Lord Jesus a Helper.  Maturity knows Him to be life itself.”

-          Mike J. Stafford

A person’s perspective or take on any given situation does not always represent the reality of those things that are actual or real.  Often, how we might see the world or interpret the intent or meaning of those things around us can be influenced by our experiences, our current circumstances and emotions and our predisposed attitudes or beliefs about certain things.  I have often said there are three sides to every story: there is yours; there is mine and then there is Gods.  And, of course, God’s is the only one that is unbiased, unclouded and undeniably accurate.

Just like in the natural realm of our day to day experiences: so are many of the perceptions we have with regards to spiritual matters as well.  I think, more often than we want to admit, our perspective of how things are suppose to work and how things appear to be are not always in line with God’s point of view.

While God is touched by our pains and frustrations and moved by our emotional highs and lows: He is not subject to them, nor ensnared by them, as often we are.  His perspective is pure and He has the perfect solution to every situation and the absolute answer to every question.

But do we align ourselves with His perception and His will?  Sometimes we do; and often we don’t.  But what a wonderful revelation and a refreshing reprieve to know that there is someone greater, more powerful and more capable than we are that has it all under control and knows where we are; what we need and how to make our lives all that they can be.  We don’t have to figure it all out, He already has.

The biggest challenge we have to embrace is; are we willing to surrender it all to Him and let Him change our perspective so it aligns with His.

Prayer:

Father, more often than I care to acknowledge sometimes, my perspective is askew and most certainly not in alignment with Yours: forgive me when I let the me factor in my world cloud my judgment and my actions: help me to be more obedient and willing to surrender and yield to You.

Thought for Friday, April 19th

April 19, 2013

The Altar

  And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.  And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

Genesis 22:1-3

“…People at the altar
Are kneeling down to pray
Some are finding mercy
Forgiveness for their sin
Some are fighting battles
And they're struggling to win
The time has come
To give them to the Lord
That's what the altar is for
That's what this altar is for
You don't have to carry
Those burdens anymore
There's a light in the darkness
There's a love that's true
And Jesus is waiting
He is waiting here for you…”

-          Ray Boltz (lyrics from ‘The Altar’)

The altar is a place to meet with God, too gain strength for the trials and test of life and to receive His blessings.  It is a place where our attention is captivated by His presence and our focus is totally on Him and everything that we are there to do is for and about Him and His place in our lives.

Sadly the altar seems to be a relic of the past in so many churches today and even more sadly it seems that the idea of the altar has become often almost extinct in our hearts as Christians.

In a world of fast paced, rushed engagements and experiences: we seem to have lost the ability to linger at the altar of God’s feet to find ourselves enveloped in the power and majesty of His presence.

The altar is just a place, designated or set aside for connecting with Him.

Do you have a place that you can call your altar?

And if you do, when is the last time you have been there to spend some quality time with God?

Prayer:

Father, when you call me, may I come: when I need time alone with you may I come to an altar of your or my choosing – but for the sole purpose of spending quality time with You and with a willing heart to offer up to You whatever you may request of me.

Thought for Thursday, April 18th

April 18, 2013

Thank You Giving

  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Acts 20:35

“Behold I do not give lectures or a little charity,

When I give I give myself.”

-          Walt Whitman

If a man gives a gift that has cost him nothing of himself, is it truly a gift or just a token offering?

The answer to the question above could probably be debated and a consensus might never be reached: but as a Christian, we need to be challenged to consider the gifts that we give. For them to truly be honorable and pleasing to God, they must contain at least a token of ourselves and need to be affected by the heart behind the reason for which they are given.

Jesus told us that if we give a naked man an item of clothing or a thirsty person a cup of water it is the same as giving these things to Him.  And how easy for us is it to give an extra shirt or a cup of water away to someone in need: it is rather painless: but the true gift involved in this giving is the time and the attention and the heart felt desire to make a difference in that life that should be behind the act of giving.

It is easy to give birthday presents or Christmas gifts to people we care for: but as Christians we are called to go beyond the mere giving of token gifts of affection to the giving of love, peace, hope and joy that comes from within us to make a difference in the world and in the lives of those around us.

It is in giving of what we are because of who Christ is in us that makes the gift we give a gift of thankfulness.  In a sense it is in the giving that we are recognizing the magnitude of what we have received and by so doing give a portion of it away and each time we pass it on or pay it forward, if you will, we are giving thanks to God  for the multitude of the blessings we have received.

And when we give to be a blessing to others we can not help but receive a multitude of blessings in return.

While it is truly much more of a blessing to give: I somehow doubt that anytime we give out of a heart of love and sharing Christ in us: we will ever experience a time when the blessing we receive is not equal to or greater than the blessing we have given.

Prayer:

Father, often I feel I have so little to give: but help me remember all that I have and all that I have received from you and because of that I have much to give thanks for and to give to others to bless them in the way that I have been blessed.

Thought for Monday, April 22nd

April 17, 2013

God Time

  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:8-9

“Time present and time past

Are both perhaps present in time future,

And time future contained in time past.”

-          T. S. Elliot

Anyone who has ever needed an answer to a pressing life situation, and who has been totally dependent on God for the solution: has probably come to the resounding, realization that God’s sense of timing and ours often do not find them selves in sync.

We, when we go to God with a need or a situation that requires His divine intervention: would prefer that He provide the answer early on, in the preliminary stages of whatever situation it is we are facing: however God seems to go more for the dire straits, last minute when it seems all hope is lost moment to deliver that touch that only His hand can bring.  I often think this is just for our benefit so He can prove to us that nothing is impossible for Him and also it serves to remind us from whom our help did come and who deserves the thanks and praise.

Patience is not one of the fruits of the Spirit that most of us like to pray for: yet God in His divine sovereignty seems to find a way to help us learn and develop that character quality in His own special way; often without our needing to ask:  remember He knows what we have need of before we can even think about asking for it: and He also knows we don’t ask for some things we need because we don’t want to face the process of attaining it.

Regardless, of our take or our pleasure with God’s sense of timing: it can not be argued with and it is never too late; but it is always just right on time when He knows the moment is best.  I guess that old saying is true, ‘Father knows best.’

Our challenge is to learn to trust His sense of time and to believe that He knows what is needed, when it is needed, even if to us it seems He isn’t even paying attention.  He always is and He always will do what is right and good for you and me, but never before it is His time.  And if any thing is in His time by His hand it has to be good.

Prayer:

Father, while I am always a tad bit reluctant to pray for patience: I do want to learn to wait on you, for your time and for your way all the time because I know that is what is best.

Thought for Saturday, April 20th

April 16, 2013

Secret Faults

Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.  Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.  Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psalms 19:12-14

“The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none.”

-          Thomas Carlyle

Almost every one of us knows that we have faults: though there might be one or two among us that would struggle with that acknowledgement: however how many of us are willing to admit to having faults we don’t even recognize or realize we have: probably very few.

Being good Christian folk; we realize that there are none of us perfect, except for Jesus; but very few of us are really willing to face just how imperfect we really are.

There are those big faults that we often identify and often expend much time and energy trying to improve on and overcome: yet the Psalmist recognized that beyond those big things that can be rather obvious; there is a potential plethora of unacknowledged, maybe even unnoticed faults or failings that never get our attention.

This is why we need to rely so heavily on the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work within us to reveal to us and to help us overcome those little foibles that sometimes if gone unchecked could develop into bigger faults or failures that then require even more time and attention.

The bottom line is this; most, if not all of us, are less perfect than we realize or maybe are even willing to admit: but that does not decrease, diminish or change in any way God’s love for us and His desire for us to be over comers and more than conquerors of not just our big faults but those little ones as well.

And with His help all things are possible, if we will only believe.  Even over coming faults and failures we may not even realize we have: but He does.

Prayer:

Father, with all the faults I know I have it is a rather sobering to think there are even more faults that I don’t even recognize, yet I know there are: so help me to overcome not just those things I am aware of but all the other things that you are aware of that I haven’t even noticed yet.

Thought for Monday, April 15th

April 15, 2013

Temple Inspection

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

I Corinthians 6:19-20

“A man builds a fine house: and now he has a master, and a task for life: he is to furnish, watch, show it, and keep it in repair, the rest of his days.”

-          Ralph Waldo Emerson

Anyone who has ever owned a house knows that it requires perpetual care, maintenance and attention, if it is to maintain its value.  The same, in a similar sense is true of our spiritual house or temple, which is our body, which is home to God’s presence in the form of the Holy Spirit, in our lives.

In order to maintain our temple, we have to give it constant attention and routine maintenance.  This is true both physically speaking and spiritually speaking.  If we don’t nourish our temple both with natural sustenance, as well as with spiritual nourishment it will grow weak and frail. 

In order for our temple to be kept in good shape it must get some exercise both of a physical and a spiritual nature.  We must pray, serve and seek God daily if we want our spiritual temple to be fortified against the storms of life and if we want to maintain an optimum value in it’s worth for the glory of God to bring honor and praise to Him at all times.

And there are even occasions when like a physical structure our spiritual house must undergo a needed renovation and remodeling.  And doesn’t almost every renovation always increase not only the appearance and appeal but also the value of that which is renovated.

So many think that accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is the end of the process of preparing ourselves for eternity: when it truth, it is simply just the beginning of what should be a lifetime of continued maintenance and efforts exerted in insuring that our temple remains in an optimum condition for the glory of the Lord.

Prayer:

Father, may my temple always be kept in good repair, top working order and always be presentable in a fashion that brings glory and honor to you.