Blessed Are Those Who Mourn....

We have all, whether young or old, come to a time in our life where we must go through a period of mourning. As a child, it might be our loss of our first pet, destruction of our favorite toy or loss of our "Binky". As a adolescent, it might be the loss of our first sweetheart to another. As a adult, it most often occurs when one of our parents passes away and we are left with that deep and abiding pain of losing one so dear. Whatever the loss, the mourning is real!

But Jesus tells us in his second Beatitude that blessings come to those who mourn in the form of comfort, but not necessarily in the extraction of pain. God seeks to bless those who mourn over the human condition, who find pain from the despair or guilt left by sin or lament the ravages of mankind's depravity since the Fall.

But our God seeks to bless those who are hurting...those who weep from the pains and woes of life, yet know that in Christ Jesus, " God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."  (Revelation 21: 4)

It is in this context that God brings comfort to those who need His healing. They can be confident that he will "turn their mourning into dancing" (Psalm 30:11) and "put off their sackcloth and clothe them with gladness." (Psalm 31:12)  He says again in Psalms 126:5-6, "Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

Our God is a God of comfort for the tired and weary soul...the soul that mourns over its plight in life and for the ways of a lost and dying world. We need to mourn for this world...to cry out for pity, forgiveness and for the light of God's love to erase the darkness where sin and evil hide, seeking whom they may destroy. We need to lament over the ways of this world and for the sin-sick heart of each of us...but we don't need to stay there.

We need to rise and take hold of the promise of comfort offered to us from the Throne of Mercy. We need to know that in the midst of our pain, God's promise of deliverance is assured. In the depths of our sin, His grace is sufficient and our redemption is at hand. In the inner recesses of our broken heart, His love will see us through.

Our Father promises that comfort from the pain of this world is ours...He promises that He is the same...Yesterday, Today and Forever! He promises that if we come to Him, weak and heavy laden, cumbered with our load of cares...He will give us rest and COMFORT...and we will be blessed! He offers Himself as our comfort...AND THAT'S ALL WE NEED!

Blessed in the Comfort...Lavished in His Love,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

If life is filled with strife and stress,

No peace for the troubled heart;

Just listen for the Savior’s voice,

Then your fears will soon depart.

No matter the pain your feeling

No matter how great the loss;

Christ himself has paid the price

With His life upon the cross.

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

All of us know someone who is "so full of themselves", so prideful that we do anything within our power to avoid having to spend much time in their presence. We know that we will be subjected to a litany of all their past conquests and their recent triumphs and of course, we will be expected to stand and applaud. In fact, for some of us, all we need do to be in the presence of someone like this is to stand in front of the mirror and look deeply into our own reflection.

Jesus began his Sermon on the Mount by calling out such people and telling all those within the sound of his voice that God seeks to bless those who are poor in spirit...not the kind of person I just mentioned. But what does it mean to be "poor in spirit"? Is Jesus telling his disciples to be humble and therefore, BE HAPPY!

 Throughout all of the Scriptures, we see that God honors, even exalts those who come to Him with a humble spirit. Psalm 51:17 says, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."  It also revels to us in Psalm 149:4, "He crowns the humble with salvation."  The Bible consistently tells us that the pride of self-sufficiency will only lead to ruin...that Pride comes before a Fall!

Adam and Eve started the ball rolling when they sought to see themselves as God...as the serpent pricked their heart with pride, The Fall of Mankind began and sin entered the world. It is from that place of self, selfishness and our desire for independence from our Maker that has led us to the depraved society in which we now find ourselves. WE WERE MADE FOR DEPENDENCE...NOT INDEPENDENCE FROM OUR CREATOR! God has created within the heart, soul and spirit of man a God-shaped hole that ONLY He can fill...and no amount of ANYTHING ELSE will ever be sufficient to make us complete. Our drive to be self-sufficient is a futile effort and only leads to our destruction, despair and desperation.

But that desperation just may be our way out of this prideful trap of the Deceiver. It's in that type of desperation that we may begin to search for God...we may move from a frantic self-effort to be happy to an utter dependence on God for all of His blessing. If we truly embrace the first Beatitude and are "poor in spirit", we can leave behind that haughty, prideful attitude and see our need for a Savior and for a relationship with our Father through His Son, Jesus Christ.

 And God tells us in no uncertain terms that He honors those who diligently seek Him. In Jeremiah 29:13 we read, "And you will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart!"  It is that heart, one poor in spirit, that God will honor and will bless!

Are you waiting on God for a blessing? Are you longing to be happy and to know His joy everlasting?  Then seek Him and Him only and you will be....Happy in the Joy of the Lord and fully...

Blessed Beyond Measure,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

The eyes of the Lord travel to and fro

Seeking to find someone;

Upon whom he might bestow

Blessings for a life well done.

So give Him your love and obedience,

And each morning when you arise...

Plan to live this day for Him

To find favor in His eyes.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE "BLESSED"...JESUS TELLS ALL!

In our quest to live and survive in this often cold and cruel world, many of us turn to all sorts of things to find a time of happiness and satisfaction; and some things in this world do give us those temporary feelings ...but that's where the problem lies; THEY ARE ONLY TEMPORARY!

When Jesus returned from his confrontation with Satan, he began his ministry by calling out that first inner circle of disciples. It was Simon Peter and brother Andrew, who first threw down their nets and left the shore to follow Jesus. Likewise, when Jesus encountered the Sons of Zebedee, James and John, he beckoned them to follow and they, too, left behind their father and their livelihood to follow this man from Galilee.

Shortly after this calling, Jesus and his new band of friends were traveling about the countryside of Galilee. Matthew 4:23- 5:2 says, "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom; all the while, healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. Chapter 5 continues, "Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them."

And what was the first sermon that Jesus preached to the multitudes and to this band of men who had become his disciples? I like to call it, "Happiness for a lifetime and beyond...all according to Jesus"

Others and theologians of great renown refer to the next 8 verses as The Beatitudes, which means a  "condition or statement of blessedness;" however, the concept of blessedness is not easily translated into English. "Happy, " "fortunate, " and "favored" have all been offered as less than completely satisfactory translations. "Happy" focuses narrowly on emotional well-being, not taking into account that within relationship to God sin must be confessed. "Fortunate" is derived from the Latin word for chance or luck and was used also for the Roman goddess who determined arbitrarily and capriciously each person's destiny. It still means a haphazard random selection for success, collective possessions and wealth; however, who would consider the poor to be fortunate? And Favor? Favor is the Latin word for grace: but to avoid confusion, "favored" should not be used. 

So why all this gestation over the word, "Blessed"? Because for the next week or so, I want to take a closer look at these special words, uttered by our Savior to the crowds that had gathered on that Galilean hill and see what they would say to us as we seek to be blessed by the Father.

Know this...being blessed is not about our working to receive, but about God's bestowing His favor on those who seek to be blessed, happy and favored by a gracious and loving God.

Come back tomorrow and start this journey to happiness according to Jesus.

BLESSED AND BELIEVING,

WPQ

Are you a BMG?

I remember our pastor in Greenville  preached a wonderful sermon a few years back that dealt with the “ministers of the devil” that exist within the body of Christ, His Church. The first one he brought to our attention was the BIG MOUTH GOSSIP.

It is so sad that the people of God have nothing better to do with their time than to talk about anything and everyone.  Of course, we often dress our gossip up in the pretense of “prayer requests” when we spout off titillating information regarding someone’s situation or precarious position in life. We tell others what someone else told us and pass it along “so that everyone will know how to pray intelligently for our dear brother or sister.”

BOULDERDASH!!!!! 

Let’s be real….we talk and talk and talk about others with little regard for fact or fiction…and we often do it to make ourselves seem more righteous or better off than the person we denigrate. James, the brother of Christ, said it best in the third chapter of his book, “but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and our Father, and with it we curse people made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so!” James 3:6, 8-9

I believe James got it right….these things ought not to happen, especially within the church and the body of believers. We should speak the truth, the whole truth …but not all the time. Where is it written that we have to spill our guts every time we know something about someone else? (I need chapter and verse if you disagree.)

When you know or have heard that someone is struggling with a problem or an addiction, by all means pray for them. You may even want to solicit others to pray…but before you do, talk with the person with the problem and share your heartfelt concerns. Ask them if they would like to have others involved in prayer. Then do as they ask….share if they request; keep your mouth closed and your tongue bridled, if not.

We alone cannot tame our tongue; but as the Holy Spirit indwells within us, He will give us the desire and the ability to monitor what we say and to whom we say it.

I picked up a great philosophy regarding the spreading of gossip many years ago while watching the Disney animation of Bambi with my then 3 year-old daughter, Alyson. Thumper’s mom asked him to remember what his Dad said….” IF YOU CAN’T SAY ANYTHING NICE, DON’T SAY NOTHING AT ALL! Though the grammar might have been incorrect, the message was dead on the money.

So, today, make it a point to guard your heart, keep a clear head and when necessary, bite your tongue. Your heart will keep you from wrecking someone else’s reputation when you think of the irreparable harm gossip causes….a clear head will allow you to “see, hear and paint a visual picture” of what your words will do to that person…and if all else fails, BITE YOUR TONGUE….better you suffer harm than inflict another because you have little self-control.

Taming the tongue requires a constant vigil on our thoughts and emotions….and a heart that seeks to do the Father’s will. Why not be a Thumper today rather than a BMG….the world and those in it will thank you ….and your Heavenly Father will be well pleased.

Taming the tongue one thought at a time,

WPQ

Poem for the day:

The planted seeds of gossip

Will soon begin to sprout

And flowery words of encouragement

Will wither and die out.

So plant your seeds so carefully

With God’s instruction from above;

Then your garden will be a canopy

Of praise for those you love.

WPQ@1998

Dispelling Fear…

In America today, we are indeed in the midst of troubling and terrifying times. In fact, there seems to be a great cloud of fear that has swept over our nation as we deal with high unemployment, big corrections in the stock markets and the threat of violence from an enemy known as ISIS that wants to destroy America and our way of life. Fear seems to have a choke hold on just about everyone… including those of us that are called Christians.

There are at least three hundred times that the Scriptures tell us to “Fear not!” But, maybe that is easier said than done. I mean, all anyone has to do is read the headlines on today’s (or any day’s) newspaper or listen to any of the hundreds of news reporters bombarding us with the next round of “doom and gloom”. It’s enough to make your head spin…or at least want to stick it in a deep hole; but I believe God has a better way for His children to deal with fear and to be His lights of reason in a darkly lit, fear-infested world.

President Franklin Roosevelt told our nation in another perilous time that we had nothing to fear but fear itself; but, God’s Holy word tells us in Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.” Did you catch that? There is only one healthy fear…the Fear of the Lord. But what does that mean exactly? Should we quake in our boots and tremble at the mere mention of His name? Not exactly!

Now, God deserves our respect, our admiration, our spirit of awe and reverence and yes, even our fear; but, our fear should make us dependent on Him… not desperate or downcast! We should acknowledge that our sovereign God made us and that we belong to him…that nothing can come against us that He will not destroy. Fear, the kind that grips, controls and manipulates our will, has no place in the life of a Christian. The apostle Paul said it best in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Fear that is defeated in the life of a Christian is replaced by FAITH. In fact, it can be said that faith is fear…with legs.

Faith gets us up by doing…fear leaves us frozen and afraid. Faith moves forward while looking up….fear stands still and fixates on the problem. Fear comes knocking…faith answers the door!

Now, I don’t know what fear may have arisen in your life. Maybe, you’ve recently lost your job. Maybe, there’s been bad news from the doctor or bills are piling up. Maybe, your marriage is on shaky ground or your house is heading into foreclosure. Whatever calamity has beset you, God Knows ….and if you’ve made it known to Him that you are placing your faith in Him for the solution to your situation….then half the battle to defeat fear has been won. You’ve taken that first gigantic step in attaining the wisdom that God wants to grant you for your dilemma…you have acknowledged your dependency on our great and mighty and awesome God….and now, your fear will flee as you remember that faith believes in God in spite of what you see, hear or feel.

Remember, faith is not believing that God can do something….FAITH IS KNOWING THAT HE WILL…and in knowing, all fear is GONE!!!!!

I trust that today that you will allow God’s Holy Spirit to dispel and disperse any and all fear from your heart, body, mind and soul. Seek God’s wisdom for your situation, study His word, seek Godly counsel, pray earnestly, believe passionately and plan to do whatever God directs you to do. God already has His plan at work …He may just be waiting to see how large your faith and how little your fear.

Faith is the key to displacing our fear….the only fear that remains is for our Lord!

Living free from fear….trusting in His mighty hand,

WPQ

Thought for the day:

God told Noah to build an ark,

A project that caused great pain.

He stepped out in faith to obey His God

Without seeing the first drop of rain.

Big Black Bug

For the last few summers, here across the South, it has been brutal when it comes to the drought conditions that have beset us. In fact, it’s made me do something I have never done before in my adult life…..water the grass and surrounding plants in my yard. Why just the other morning, I was out at the crack of dawn to perform my new ritual, when this great BIG BLACK BUG (or wasp or mutant bumblebee) altered its flight plan and made a straight beeline (no pun intended) for me. Well, I did the only manly thing I could do…I switched the nozzle on the water hose to JET and shot that sucker right out of the air before it collided with my forehead ( I’m sure it would have left a mark). It plummeted to the grass, but I could tell it was only deterred, stunned or dazed, but definitely not ready to give up the fight; so, I sprayed even more water on it to make sure it would stay down. After about 40 seconds of watering the grass in that “special” spot, I once again turned my attention to the rest of the yard. After several minutes, I made my way back to that area of conflict and found that bug struggling to climb out of that wet grass and get airborne. Well, you just got to admire that kind of perseverance!

And I do….in fact, one of my favorite scriptures in James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops PERSEVERANCE. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete….not lacking anything.”

Yep, that big black bug reminded me that I never know from day to day or moment to moment what trial or problem or persecution is headed my way. I may be off to do my thing, minding my own business, when trouble rears its ugly head; but God’s word tells me to count it all joy when those trials come my way so that I can persevere and be COMPLETE….LACKING NOTHING!!!!

I trust that today you are ready to be tested and to be found complete in the grace and love that our Heavenly Father bestows on each of us. Be like that BIG BLACK BUG and don’t let a little water (or heartbreak or disappointment or catastrophe) keep you from getting airborne and becoming all that God has ordained for you to be.

If your not sure how to get that done, read the rest of James 1…..there’s a lot of God’s instruction just waiting for you….Have a Blessed Day as you persevere for the Father.

 Blessed and Believing,

WPQ

Whom Do You Serve?

Throughout the ages of history and across the battlefields of time, warriors have worn the colors and carried the royal flags to show their allegiance to their King….forever marching behind a banner to let all men know whom they served.

During that dark era of American slavery, many slaves were known by the family brand seared into their flesh; a constant reminder of whom they served.

Even as Christians, we often seek to have some identifiable mark or trait that will let all who see us know that we serve the King of Kings; however, maybe we should take a step back to understand what Jesus knew regarding His relationship with the Father.

In fact, even the devil himself understood the tenuous relationship that Jesus had with his Heavenly Father…look at scripture; “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give to you,” he said, “if you will bow down and WORSHIP me.”  Jesus said to him, “Away from me Satan! For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.” Matthew 4:8-10

Did you catch all that?

Satan did not ask Christ to serve him, but to worship him….for even Satan understands that what or whom you worship is what or whom you will serve. He promised all the kingdoms of the world to Christ (even though they were not his to give) if he would perform one simple act of worship….just bow before him….for in that bow, Christ  would perform the act of submission and take the first step toward service.

Oh, but our Savior was prepared for the taunts and trickery of the deceiver…He understood as only one sent from heaven’s glorious realm that it is our worship that our Heavenly Father desires most. He commanded the devil to be gone and once more confirmed his resolve to follow what God’s word has to say regarding our worship….

We are to worship and then to serve only God.

The Bible tells us that God inhabits the praise of his people. Now, I don’t know about you, but I know in my own life, I have felt closest to and desired to serve God most when I have been in an emotional and heart-felt time of worship. Whether singing, praising, praying or crying out for God’s Spirit to “have His way in my life”…it has been in these times of immersed and immense WORSHIP that God has given me a spirit of service.

Worship causes the presence of God to be felt and experienced by His people …to be drawn to a time of a closer walk and greater commitment to serve …to be still and know that He alone is God…..that is real, authentic worship.

So today, I trust you will follow your Savior’s example and put service in the correct order …don’t just seek to serve God bigger or better…covenant to worship deeper and more diligently…and when you do, the devil will flee.

Walking in Worship…Seeking to Serve,

WPQ

Poem of the Day:

You may seek to serve the Lord

In all you do and say;

But what He really wants from you

Is the start of each new day.

Just meet Him at his Heavenly throne;

Spend time in worship at His feet.

Invite the Lord to go with you

Down every busy street.

For you may seek to serve Him

Some glorious gift you’ll bring

But nothing says “I’ll serve you Lord”

Like worship of the KING!

wpq@2009