Think Positive

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Philippians 4:8

 

Be mindful of the things you contemplate… We are reminded in today’s focus verse about the importance of guarding your thoughts… Eve was deceived by the serpent because He was able to appeal to her thoughts concerning the tree of knowledge of good and evil… Remember how Eve states that she and Adam were instructed not to eat of the tree nor even touch it; however, the serpent instills in her that she will not die and will be like God… The same ploy that led to the fall of man is a familiar vice that ensnares the craftiest of men today… You may be in a situation where you are waiting on God to move and in the moment in which the temptation is the greatest or the storm is the most fierce, the enemy will whisper in your ear and tell you that God isn’t coming and that you must act… So many of us have fallen victim to this plot and scheme; the enemy has led you to become worried and unsettled about your current situation or circumstance. Instead of leaning toward God, you find yourself drifting, and now is the time when your thoughts have become compromised. This is why Paul gives us very specific thoughts we must take captive of in this epistle; this is also why he reminded the church of Corinth in his second epistle to them to be mindful of what infiltrates their minds…  

In that later Paul says, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” Your thoughts are very powerful, they are the ignition of every action and decision which is developed in the heart… Matthew 7: 13, 14 teaches us that we have two paths to choose from in this life, “¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Today, Paul tells us how we must train our minds if we choose to walk the narrow road which leads to salvation… Something that is narrow is thin, slim or slender; we must understand this because when we walk this road there isn’t room for missteps or slip-ups… In order to walk this narrow road and be successful we must first tune our minds to the right things so that we are not deterred or misled… Paul writes in his letter to the Church of Rome that we should not be conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind… He later goes on to say in his letter to the Church of Ephesus that we wrestle not against the flesh, but against principalities and darkness in high places! The real battle that we face on this journey is within, we have a natural desire formed from the sin of Adam in the garden and we have the obtainable spiritual desire to live righteously through Christ and His bloodshed. This war within is being waged between good and evil! Daily we are faced with many obstacles that can hinder our spiritual growth or become stepping stones to developing a more intimate relationship with God… The obstacles will never cease, but what outcome they represent or there ultimate purpose is defined by your thoughts and prayers! 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Nothing Compares To Knowing Christ

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Matthew 13:45-46

 

The value of finding your name written in the book of life and walking through the pearly gates of heaven is priceless… Nothing on this earth can compare; the most precious gem isn’t comparable to the divine words well done… This passage simply puts my everyday affairs into perspective… So many of us find ourselves daily struggling and fighting to reach heights defined by our peers; however when we come to know the truest of treasures (the kingdom of heaven) we will be like this merchant man spoken of in the gospel of Matthew and sell all of our goods to obtain it… On earth, we always believe we have the best until we see something better… A new car we love today, but strive for the one which comes off the assembly line tomorrow; a new job we embrace today, but will soon find ourselves seeking other employment with a higher salary… You will never be satisfied on this earth... Nothing will fill the void within unless you cast all your value into Eternal Life…There is nothing of this earth which I can obtain that will bring the happiness and immeasurable joys of heaven… 

There are two important aspects we are to receive and digest today when it comes to the story told here in Matthew. The first is that we recognize the love God has for us and the second is the love we must have for Him. If we are able to read these verses and contemplate the Love of God, we can see that just like this merchant man, God sold all He had for us to buy us and bring us back into a right relationship with Him… We need to look at these verses in that light because we are the pearls that are being talked about in this chapter… Stop allowing people to put price tags on your life or tell you that you are of no value… My bible tells me that Christ died for me and thought it not robbery to leave His home in glory… If Christ was willing to do that then I must have a value that you simply cannot see… God says you’re priceless and because of that, He sold all He had (gave His son) to purchase you… 

Matthew paints a portrait today of what the eternal kingdom will look like and represent! It is compared to a merchant who is seeking good pearls and finds one at a great price so he sells all that he has to obtain it… God was seeking one who would follow Him, one who would obey Him and when He found you He said my son is worth the price… If God thinks that you are worth the price of His own son, why do you allow society to devalue you? If God gave all that He had to buy you, why are you selling yourself short? These are the questions that we must ask ourselves knowing that God teaches us today that there is no value on this earth that equals you… 

Now that we see the love of God, let us look at the reverse and place ourselves in the place of the merchantman and God is the pearl… You and I have been searching long and hard trying to find answers and paths to solve problems of life… So the question I have today is what are you willing to give up (worldly possessions) to obtain your answers… The merchant in this story found something that was valued more than anything that he had already gained; today we must come to realize that the precious promises of God and the happiness that resides within Heaven will outweigh any of the pleasures of this world… He sold all he had to increase what he had, what are you holding back today, what are you refusing to sell today (drugs, habits, people…) these are some of the possessions that we must sell, and these are some of the items that we must give up in order to increase the value of our lives and the relationship that we have with God… 

This merchant was searching for happiness, he was searching for peace of mind and freedom, and when he found it he immediately gave up everything that he had… What are you searching for in this life, what is your motivation or your goal to reach? Is it happiness, stability, peace, or solitude? The fact of the matter is that we all are searching for something, and within Christ and Christ only can we find it! 

 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

God Always Fulfills His Promise

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 3:9

Don’t get confused today with the assumption that since God hasn’t answered as rapidly as you had liked that He will not answer at all… Understand today that the enemy is busy; the best way for Him to deceive Christians is by consuming their minds with thoughts that God has forgotten… You might even be in a situation right now where things don’t appear to be going as you planned and it seems as though your prayers are going unanswered; if this is you today, be encouraged to know that God is working in and through you to touch others and exalt you in the midst of your storm… This is why Peter says that we endure longsuffering; simply because God is not willing that any should perish… The storm you are going through will water the seed that has already been planted in you and cultivate the hearts of all that watch your perseverance… Long story short, God hasn’t forgotten about you; He’s simply using you for His glory… See, God knows His promises to you, He knows what He has said and will not withhold what He has promised to those who walk within His will! Often times we confuse longsuffering with an unfulfilled promise… In the verse that precedes this one, we are told not to forget time as it appears to the Lord… The 8^th verse of this chapter says, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” This is vital to remember when you feel like a promise hasn’t been met or that the Lord isn’t by your side… God desires that all mankind would come to know Him, and because of this, He has prolonged the coming of His kingdom to allow every man, woman, boy, and girl to come to know Him and the love that He possesses and has dispensed upon mankind… 

The word of God must travel throughout the world so that men and women have the opportunity to experience His love, grace, and mercy… One of my uncles was in the Army and he often recalls stories of his tours of duty in Vietnam and Desert Storm… 

I remember him sharing a few years ago how in the early 90’s he was informed by a ranking office that the particular place they would be going didn’t allow bibles… This struck my uncle as he had no choice but to leave his bible behind, by the grace of God he was brought back home safely and now evangelism has spread to those regions… The point of that story is to show that God’s word is moving, you may not see it right now, but it isn’t coming back void and when it accomplishes what it was sent out to do, you will see the promises that God made to you being fulfilled right before you… We each have a purpose in this life and the ultimate goal of God is that everyone may come to know His name… God knows the promises that He has made, He knows the covenants that He has established with you and He will hold up His end of the bargain… God is a loving God and His love goes beyond you and me, He loves the sinner, He loves all His creation, and desires that they come to Him and know that all of their sins (past, present, and future) were nailed to the cross. Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” In reading this verse from the 23rd chapter of Numbers, know that we should have full confidence (regardless of the situation) that God is with us and will fulfill His promises… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Keep Trusting In The Lord

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

A lot of us confess to having a relationship with the Lord; however, one must do a personal inventory to figure out how deep that relationship is… It is so easy to claim to love the Lord, but when things go south we often ask the question why me… As we ask this question, God answers us with a question of His own, do you trust me…? Are you trust in the Lord or in the things that you accredit Him for putting in your life…? Do you truly trust the Lord not only when things are calm in your life, but also when the storms are raging and you feel all alone…? When the storms of life come and adversity is present, then we display the true trust that we have (either in things or in God)… I can recall growing up and how it was instilled in me at a young age that the most important component of a relationship is trust… After thinking about this statement, I soon realized how many things branch off from that very word… If I cannot trust someone, I cannot have confidence in them, I cannot believe in them and I often times it's difficult to love them… Notice how the first verse of today's devotion starts; Solomon writes that we must “trust the Lord…” The desire which I must have as a child of God is to allow the Lord to direct my path, I want Him to lead me because I know that He won’t lead me astray; however, we must recognize if I don’t “trust” Him then I will not have a foundation or basis to follow His lead… 

Likewise, we must have complete confidence in the Lord in order to develop a secure foundation with Him… Think of it this way, if you didn’t trust your spouse or your boyfriend/girlfriend… How can you grow with them? If you didn’t trust them, what would be going through your mind every time you were not with them… The point is that you will be apprehensive and worried, both of which will lead to the decaying of your relationship… Solomon has been accredited to be the wisest man that ever lived… Today through these verses taken from Proverbs we can gain a better understanding as to why that is… Again, Solomon teaches us today that the most important thing for us to do in life is to trust the Lord, and to go even deeper, we must trust Him without a shadow of a doubt; this is why he goes on to say with all thine heart… Your faith in God cannot waver or be tossed to in fro, when this happens James tells us in his book that we will not receive of the Lord… There are a lot of people walking this earth who claim to trust God, but continue to try and handle situations under their own power and might… There are a lot of people who put trust in all the wrong things or people and end up depressed or angry. When one trusts something or someone, they have faith, belief, hope and confidence in the person or object… There are a lot of things that we trust without even noticing it; for example, when we sit down we trust that our chair will hold us up and that we will not fall… Solomon reminds us today that our trust must be established in the Lord… A chair can be broken, a relationship can fail, a loved one can pass away and a storm can arise… All these things can affect our lives and magnify everything that we deal with in this life; there is only one thing that remains constant, God… That's where are trust must reside!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Humility Leads To Exaltation

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Luke 14:11

The standards of this world are not the standard of Jesus Christ… The sooner that we grasp this concept, the sooner that we can start to reach higher levels than we ever thought possible within our own finite power… This is the lesson that Luke teaches us today in his gospel… There are so many people who have been confused and found themselves falling short because they have not aligned themselves with the will and desires of God… The people that fall into this category are the ones who have been in prayer; however, they have not totally turned the situation over to the Lord which means that they are lacking in humility… There is something missing in their lives and even though they call on the Lord they have not sought Him with their whole hearts for Him to be found… 

This is the same thing that plagued the rich young ruler in the gospel of Mark… Even though He knew who the Lord was, He measured his happiness by his wealth and not his faith… Today, make the decision to be humble so that God doesn’t have to humble you… This is a very scary truth and is also why Luke starts off by saying,“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled…” Make no mistake about it, even though it may appear that people with pride and egos are flourishing, this passage tells us that it won’t last and that they will reach a point where their high horse comes crashing down… We see this all too often with image-based celebrities who fall back to earth through the most precarious situations… Today, even though the majority may choose otherwise, you must make a decision… Are you climbing the ladder of success defined by the world or by God… The latter is the one which appears least acceptable but is the most profitable… The way to ascend is to go down and the way to fall is to stand up…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Be Steadfast & Unmovable

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:58

As you grow in the knowledge and will of God you are assured to be subject to many temptations and snares placed in your life by the enemy… There will be many tests that you must endure and many hardships that you must face; however, in the midst of your circumstances, you can find courage in knowing that your sweat, blood, and tears are not in vain… I know that it is very easy to become discouraged when you face opposition and it appears that all of the seeds that you have planted are not bearing fruit; however, you must “be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord…”Today’s focus verse challenges us to walk by faith and trust that the Lord knows all and sees all… The enemy wants you to believe that you have lost, he wants you to believe that you cannot obtain the victory; however, Paul wants you to know that every stumbling block will eventually become a stepping stone and you will have a testimony that will lead others to Christ… No seed, when planted sprouts immediately; this principle applies to our lives as Christians as well… You have a seed that God planted in you and the storms of life that you face provide the nutrients needed for that seed to grow…This is why we must be steadfast; don’t let Satan corrupt your seed… 

Don’t let him dig up what God has planted in you while it tries to take root… The things that you face in life will either provide water to your seed or a shovel to the dirt which protects and keeps it… Despite what people may say (being that shovel that the enemy will use), you must continue to abound in the work of the Lord… No matter what the appearance of your current predicament may seem, you must continue to fight the good fight and walk in faith… Don’t get caught up in the moment, continue to look ahead and focus on the big picture which is God’s plan and expected end for you… Whether it takes two years or two decades, the seed that has been planted in you will materialize into exactly what God originally formed it to be… You were created in His image and that perfection with which you were formed will be shown… 

Be encouraged and always remember you are favored by the KING!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Love God As Well As Others

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Matthew 22:37-39

The foundation of our being starts with love… Love has to be the cornerstone and driving force and that means that you must have a relationship with the Lord… The Bible says that “God is love…” So you are not walking in love if you are not walking in Christ… Make no mistake about it, you are not here by your own doing, but through the love of God… It was the love God has for us that allowed Him to sacrifice His son and pave the road to forgiveness and salvation, it was the love Christ had for us to hang on the cross and go down into the belly of this earth and it is the love that we have for God that keeps us in His will and striving to become more and more like Him… This walk as a Christian calls for a total commitment to the will of God! Jesus is instructing us today through the gospel of Matthew about the foundation that will lead to eternal salvation. True love is formed or born through trials and tribulations… I can always say I love you to someone, but until my love is tested (and grounded in the Lord) you will never know the severity of how much or deep my love goes. A lot of us mistake lust for love and the difference between the two is evident in our commitment to that particular person or thing… 

Jesus says that we are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul, and mind! We can’t say we love Him when we feel like it or when He has blessed us and curse Him when things aren’t going as we planned… We can’t throw our hands up in praise for His goodness, and drop our heads in defeat when the storms of life begin to rage… James [Jesus’ Brother] tells us to consider it pure joy when we face trials! Understanding God’s goodness and faithfulness will bring about spiritual freedom and peace that will keep you smiling no matter what task or hurdle lay before you! This is the first and great commandment, we must give God preeminence! He should be on our minds when we wake up [take time to pray], He should be in our thoughts regardless of the circumstances that we face. David slipped up when he saw Bathsheba bathing, Sampson was conquered when Delilah tricked him, and Adam and Eve fell at the hands of the serpent… All the devil needs is a crack to open the floodgates and cause you to drown in sin; this is why we are taught today to love God will all our being… We must first love God with a total commitment to Him before we can take the next step in this verse which is, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself…” A lot of us stumble at the approach of loving people, this happens because we first don’t have a committed relationship with the Lord, and secondly, we really don’t know how to love ourselves let alone love someone else… The reason why we must first Love the Lord is because we have to learn from the greatest example and author of love. In our infancy love means to care for, appreciate and admire someone. We must start there with God (appreciate and admire Him) and allow Him to build upon that definition (developing the highest forms of love).  Once we have that relationship with God and he begins to define love more deeply for us, we can learn to love others in ways that will please our Father and set us up to become the individual God designed us to be.

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Love Fervently

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.

1 Peter 1:22

How hard is it to lend to someone who you feel doesn’t deserve it? How hard is it to speak a kind word to someone who despises you? How hard is it to turn the other cheek and walk away? On the contrary, how easy is it to speak your mind? How easy is it to wish bad on someone? How easy is it to retaliate and turn the other person’s cheek…? These are the questions that we must answer within ourselves today… These are the things that we face on a daily basis and these things show where we are currently in our spiritual walk and how much further we still have to go… Taking on the mind of Christ leads us to extend a helping hand and not dig a pit for another to fall in… In today’s study verse, Peter speaks about the love and desire we should have as a child of God… Notice that this passage says that you have purified your souls through obeying the truth by the Spirit. Before we can walk we must first stand up, before we can speak we must first open our mouths; Peter reminds us today that we are called to love one another, we are called to exalt one another, and we are called to have unfeigned love one for another as a child of God… The love that Peter talks about is instilled in us by God and only can be placed within us when we first turn unto Him… 

We are purified through the Spirit which guides and directs our lives. To be purified means that you have been cleansed, sanitized or filtered…  Through the acceptance of Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, our purification process has begun, we have been cleansed from the sin that chained us to death. We have been sanitized by the blood of Jesus and filtered through His love and sacrifice… Without the presence of the Holy Spirit residing within you, you cannot accomplish anything. We have to be led by the spirit; we have to have the Holy Spirit abiding within us. Remember Christ spoke to the disciples prior to His departure and said that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes; we through the Spirit have the ability to overcome and be victorious on this earth. It is also through the Spirit that we can love unconditionally; we can help our enemies, and be kind to those who show no kindness towards us. Understand today that this is not possible until you have “purified your souls…” If you are still living a life of sin and focused on the desires of the world then you will not be able to love your brother/sister or love with a pure heart… In the world everything is done for personal gain or exposure, in the spirit, everything is done to glorify God and lift up one another… In order to focus on lifting one another as opposed to tearing one another down you must first acknowledge where you stand and in which direction you want to go… We all must be purified and this is why Peter writes the very words contained in this verse… The only way to love fervently is through the Lord, the only way to have unfeigned love for your brethren is through the Lord… You must purge the evil that is born within you in order to receive the spirit of God that will guide you to new heights and have you doing things you never thought possible… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!