I don’t know about you, but I’m so glad there is only one of me(and I’m sure that there are several people I know that would agree with that statement).
What I am getting at is really quite simple…God uniquely made only one you (and me)….and then He threw away the mold….not because it was broken; but because He wanted each of us to be His unique creation.
Now, no one…no where…at no time is or has been or will ever be JUST LIKE YOU. Even twins or triplets or multiple babies from the same egg are different…in their personalities, their demeanors and their talents. God is not into prefab or mass production when it comes to his greatest creation.
You see, you can do something in a unique way that no one else can do…that no one else is wired to do. In fact, God’s Word speaks to that very fact in the following passage from Galatians 6:4
The Message translation says, “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”
Exploring and extracting the uniqueness that is you will accomplish much…it will excite and motivate you to become all that God wants you to be…it will honor God as your creator and the administrator of your life….and it will expand the work and the growth of God’s kingdom.
God has called you to be uniquely …YOU! So, don’t waste time and energy by comparing yourself to others….for there is no one quite like you…and in God’s eyes, that’s a VERY GOOD THING.
Take responsibility to be all that God wants you to be…study His word, talk with Him daily, seek godly counsel and most of all, listen to the voice of His Spirit as it directs your path and guides your footsteps.
God wants you to do the most what you do the best!!!! When you do that you can be sure that God is well pleased….
I can just see that smile on His face….how ‘bout you?
Living uniquely to make Him smile,
WPQ
Thought for the Day:
The Lord has given you a task
That only you can fulfill;
To serve Him in love and faithfulness,
To seek to do His will.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Are you a True Worshiper?
There's always a lot of finger-pointing going on whenever people of different faiths assembly in close proximity to one another ...each group wants to accuse the other of a lack of faith and the practice of true worship. The only thing that usually comes out of such encounters is bruised feelings and wounded egos.
Christ dealt with such problems of faith whenever he encountered the religious sects of his time...the Pharisees and the Sadducees always seemed to have some type of perpetuating skirmish or conflict brewing. They were always ready, willing and anxious to do battle of who was the true protector of the Jewish faith.
Christ gave his best answer to this perplexing problem in a sit-down interview with the Samaritan woman at the well when he said, ""Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem. "Woman," Jesus replied, "believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." John 4:20-24
Jesus made it very clear to her that there was indeed a new way to worship...true worship of God the Father in SPIRIT and TRUTH....but was does that mean? Well, for me it means that we must first get our heart right (our spirit/soul/mind) by coming to the Father and accepting that we can do ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING TO EARN OUR SALVATION; rather we are TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON GOD'S GRACE AND HIS ABUNDANT MERCY to save us through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Our spirit must become one with our Heavenly Father and that can never take place until our sins have been forgiven and our right relationship with God has been restored....we must surrender our desire to "make it on our own" and enter into a new covenant with God...a covenant that replaces our will with our desire to do His will. When this takes place, God breathes His spirit, the Holy Spirit, into us and then we can begin to worship Him as He forever intended.
But what about this TRUTH thing?
Again for me, its very simple...we live out a life of worship in the everyday nitty and gritty of life...when we worship God with our lives in service to Him, we do so in truth. Our very existence takes on the supreme element of truth as we live each day trusting God for our very next breath...our next meal...our next opportunity to share with someone how our relationship with our Heavenly Father has made all the difference in who we are and in what we are becoming and where we are going.
As a child of his, the truth of the matter is evident in our lifestyle, our choices, our demeanor and our every action....we are HIS and so we worship Him in EVERYTHING....THE GOOD AND THE BAD....and when we are able to do that in a world that is lost and spinning out of control....God's Truth is shown and becomes known.
So next time a crowd of religious wannabes gather and begin to point fingers and take sides....excuse yourself from the impending Malay and just stick to the basics of true worship....keep your heart right with God and live in the truth of each moment....now that's TRUE WORSHIP.
Living in the moment ...worshipping with every breath,
WPQ
Christ dealt with such problems of faith whenever he encountered the religious sects of his time...the Pharisees and the Sadducees always seemed to have some type of perpetuating skirmish or conflict brewing. They were always ready, willing and anxious to do battle of who was the true protector of the Jewish faith.
Christ gave his best answer to this perplexing problem in a sit-down interview with the Samaritan woman at the well when he said, ""Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem. "Woman," Jesus replied, "believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." John 4:20-24
Jesus made it very clear to her that there was indeed a new way to worship...true worship of God the Father in SPIRIT and TRUTH....but was does that mean? Well, for me it means that we must first get our heart right (our spirit/soul/mind) by coming to the Father and accepting that we can do ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING TO EARN OUR SALVATION; rather we are TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON GOD'S GRACE AND HIS ABUNDANT MERCY to save us through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Our spirit must become one with our Heavenly Father and that can never take place until our sins have been forgiven and our right relationship with God has been restored....we must surrender our desire to "make it on our own" and enter into a new covenant with God...a covenant that replaces our will with our desire to do His will. When this takes place, God breathes His spirit, the Holy Spirit, into us and then we can begin to worship Him as He forever intended.
But what about this TRUTH thing?
Again for me, its very simple...we live out a life of worship in the everyday nitty and gritty of life...when we worship God with our lives in service to Him, we do so in truth. Our very existence takes on the supreme element of truth as we live each day trusting God for our very next breath...our next meal...our next opportunity to share with someone how our relationship with our Heavenly Father has made all the difference in who we are and in what we are becoming and where we are going.
As a child of his, the truth of the matter is evident in our lifestyle, our choices, our demeanor and our every action....we are HIS and so we worship Him in EVERYTHING....THE GOOD AND THE BAD....and when we are able to do that in a world that is lost and spinning out of control....God's Truth is shown and becomes known.
So next time a crowd of religious wannabes gather and begin to point fingers and take sides....excuse yourself from the impending Malay and just stick to the basics of true worship....keep your heart right with God and live in the truth of each moment....now that's TRUE WORSHIP.
Living in the moment ...worshipping with every breath,
WPQ
Taking Hold of a New Mind
Yesterday, we asked ourselves….what was the Apostle Paul talking about when he told us to “be transformed by the renewing of your minds?” Here’s my take on this topic of letting go of our earthly claims and taking hold of our heavenly gains.
First, we must have the mind of Christ, thus a new mind set is in order. We cannot just think differently on our own; we must take hold of the mind of Christ through surrender.
It was always the passion of Christ to be obedient to the will of God…to do all that the Father had set before him…to gladly bear our burdens and our sins and to rejoice in the plan of salvation that would provide each of us forgiveness and clothe us in His righteousness. That mind set is not simply acquired; rather, it is given to those that empty themselves of worldly desires, goals and ambitions and concentrate on the will of the Father. It is that transformation of our mind that allows us to ‘test and approve” the will of God in our lives.
We begin that transformation by giving our bodies as a living sacrifice to God….our physical, fleshly desires are laid to rest on the alter of grace and we give up our “rights” to who we are or who we think we should be according to the standards of this world.
Paul says it best in Philippians 3:8-9a, “Indeed, I count everything as a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of ALL THINGS and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.”
Did you get that? It’s all RUBBISH…EVERYTHING….except knowing Christ…that is our earthly portion and it is counted as heavenly gain. Sure, you can struggle with trying to do the will of God or you can surrender your will to His will. Once you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior, the battle is no longer for your soul…rather it is for the surrender of your will to the good, acceptable and perfect will of your heavenly Father.
So, make the clear choice today and begin with the surrender of your flesh, the acquisition of the mind of Christ and the mindset that it is all rubbish…unless it is for heavenly gain.
You should be able to ask yourself this question regarding your citizenship in heaven…If I do this today, will it make a difference on earth that will impact my future in heaven?
Stop living and planning just for the consequences of your actions today and start living a life of obedience to the Father’s will….you will be amazed at the peace and security that will invade your life as you live one day at a time for Him.
After all, we really don’t belong here…You and I are destined for Better, Brighter and BIGGER things! Remember, we’re just passing through on our way HOME ….and the only thing we can take with us….OUR FAMILY AND OUR FRIENDS.
Do they see Christ living in you ….or are you practicing dual citizenship?
ONLY YOU CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION!
Praying that others see Christ in me,
WPQ
Poem for the Day:
Seeking the Father's will is sometimes hard to find,
But I stand a better chance when I seek with my new mind.
A mind that comes from Jesus and His Spirit up above
As it fills me with His mercy and His never-ending love.
So that I might live for Jesus and in everything I do
I will seek to be obedient and though our numbers may be few...
We will serve our Lord in everything so that others of our kind
Will know that we belong to Him because of the renewing of our mind.
WPQ 2012
First, we must have the mind of Christ, thus a new mind set is in order. We cannot just think differently on our own; we must take hold of the mind of Christ through surrender.
It was always the passion of Christ to be obedient to the will of God…to do all that the Father had set before him…to gladly bear our burdens and our sins and to rejoice in the plan of salvation that would provide each of us forgiveness and clothe us in His righteousness. That mind set is not simply acquired; rather, it is given to those that empty themselves of worldly desires, goals and ambitions and concentrate on the will of the Father. It is that transformation of our mind that allows us to ‘test and approve” the will of God in our lives.
We begin that transformation by giving our bodies as a living sacrifice to God….our physical, fleshly desires are laid to rest on the alter of grace and we give up our “rights” to who we are or who we think we should be according to the standards of this world.
Paul says it best in Philippians 3:8-9a, “Indeed, I count everything as a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of ALL THINGS and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.”
Did you get that? It’s all RUBBISH…EVERYTHING….except knowing Christ…that is our earthly portion and it is counted as heavenly gain. Sure, you can struggle with trying to do the will of God or you can surrender your will to His will. Once you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior, the battle is no longer for your soul…rather it is for the surrender of your will to the good, acceptable and perfect will of your heavenly Father.
So, make the clear choice today and begin with the surrender of your flesh, the acquisition of the mind of Christ and the mindset that it is all rubbish…unless it is for heavenly gain.
You should be able to ask yourself this question regarding your citizenship in heaven…If I do this today, will it make a difference on earth that will impact my future in heaven?
Stop living and planning just for the consequences of your actions today and start living a life of obedience to the Father’s will….you will be amazed at the peace and security that will invade your life as you live one day at a time for Him.
After all, we really don’t belong here…You and I are destined for Better, Brighter and BIGGER things! Remember, we’re just passing through on our way HOME ….and the only thing we can take with us….OUR FAMILY AND OUR FRIENDS.
Do they see Christ living in you ….or are you practicing dual citizenship?
ONLY YOU CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION!
Praying that others see Christ in me,
WPQ
Poem for the Day:
Seeking the Father's will is sometimes hard to find,
But I stand a better chance when I seek with my new mind.
A mind that comes from Jesus and His Spirit up above
As it fills me with His mercy and His never-ending love.
So that I might live for Jesus and in everything I do
I will seek to be obedient and though our numbers may be few...
We will serve our Lord in everything so that others of our kind
Will know that we belong to Him because of the renewing of our mind.
WPQ 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Dual Citizenship....Where do you stand?
In almost every country around our globe, you can choose to proclaim your allegiance to that country and, after meeting their citizenship requirements, declare that you are a citizen. However, for it to be a bona fide and recognized act of declaration, you must first denounce your citizenship from your previous homeland.
The same is true for us as Christians. We were born into this world as sinners and in our sins and citizenship of this world we would die…if not for the love of our Heavenly Father and the shed blood of His Son, Jesus.
In fact in John 17, when Christ prayed for his disciples, He prayed…"I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of this world any more than I am of this world. My prayer is not that you would take them out of this world but that you would protect them from the evil one. They are not of this world, even as I am not of this world."
Christ knew that our salvation made us a new creation in Him…that we would be adopted into His heavenly family and would indeed be the sons and daughters of the Most High God. We have new citizenship in a new homeland that He has gone to prepare….but the sad truth is that too many of us have failed to renounce and denounce our former ties to this worldly sphere. We are in truth practicing dual citizenship.
We have to take ourselves out of this world. Thomas Watson, a Puritan of the first magnitude, used this analogy to help us understand what happens when we fail to do this. He said, “A Christian in this world is like a ship in the ocean. It’s one thing for the ship to be in the water, but when the water gets in the ship, it begins to sink.”
Paul gave us the formula for removing ourselves from this world…for denouncing our citizenship and claiming our new birthright in God’s heavenly kingdom. “Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is…His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2
So what’s the practical application of Paul’s advice to each of us in regards to claiming and proclaiming our new citizenship….what does he mean when he tells us to renew our minds….how can we know that we are no longer of this world; only passing through to our glorious homeland where our Savior awaits …..
Come back tomorrow and we’ll discover what’s written in the fine print of our citizenship papers.
Living in this world …longing for the next,
WPQ
Thought for the day:
You may attempt to persuade another to change their point of view,
But nothing speaks more plainly than what Christ has done in you.
So if another’s lifestyle you are hoping to rearrange...
Just testify how the Father’s love can make an everlasting change.
WPQ 2003
The same is true for us as Christians. We were born into this world as sinners and in our sins and citizenship of this world we would die…if not for the love of our Heavenly Father and the shed blood of His Son, Jesus.
In fact in John 17, when Christ prayed for his disciples, He prayed…"I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of this world any more than I am of this world. My prayer is not that you would take them out of this world but that you would protect them from the evil one. They are not of this world, even as I am not of this world."
Christ knew that our salvation made us a new creation in Him…that we would be adopted into His heavenly family and would indeed be the sons and daughters of the Most High God. We have new citizenship in a new homeland that He has gone to prepare….but the sad truth is that too many of us have failed to renounce and denounce our former ties to this worldly sphere. We are in truth practicing dual citizenship.
We have to take ourselves out of this world. Thomas Watson, a Puritan of the first magnitude, used this analogy to help us understand what happens when we fail to do this. He said, “A Christian in this world is like a ship in the ocean. It’s one thing for the ship to be in the water, but when the water gets in the ship, it begins to sink.”
Paul gave us the formula for removing ourselves from this world…for denouncing our citizenship and claiming our new birthright in God’s heavenly kingdom. “Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is…His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2
So what’s the practical application of Paul’s advice to each of us in regards to claiming and proclaiming our new citizenship….what does he mean when he tells us to renew our minds….how can we know that we are no longer of this world; only passing through to our glorious homeland where our Savior awaits …..
Come back tomorrow and we’ll discover what’s written in the fine print of our citizenship papers.
Living in this world …longing for the next,
WPQ
Thought for the day:
You may attempt to persuade another to change their point of view,
But nothing speaks more plainly than what Christ has done in you.
So if another’s lifestyle you are hoping to rearrange...
Just testify how the Father’s love can make an everlasting change.
WPQ 2003
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