Saturday, October 31, 2015

Wisdom and Money

A great secret in financial wisdom is Good Money Management
Solomon gives us plenty of financial advice, including things like not going into debt, helping the poor, borrowing makes us slaves, not signing on loans for other people, and lazy people never prosper. Here are some other financial wisdom verses: Proverbs 1:13-14; 1:19; 2:4; 3:9-10; 3:14-16; 3:27-28, 3:33; 5:10-14; 6:1-2;6:6-11; 6:30-31; 8:10; 8:18-21; 9:1-3; 10:2-5; 10:15; 10:22; 10:15-16; 10:22-24; 11:1-4; 11:11; 11:23-28; 12:5; 12:11-12; 12:24; 13:2;-4; 13:27; 14:1-4;15:16-27; 16:11; 17:2-11; 17:23; 18:9-11; 18:23; 19:1; 19:7-17; 19:22-24; 20:4; 20:10-15.

Here are three areas to consider:
• Keep good accounting Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be secure for the next generation. Proverbs 27:23-24 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.
Proverbs 21:5

• Develop a budget Plan carefully and you will have plenty. If you act too quickly, you will never have enough. Proverbs 21:5 Foolish people spend their money as fast as they get it. Valuables are safe in a wise person's home; fools put it all out for yard sales. Proverbs 21:20 (Message)
• Prepare financially for the future
Take a lesson from the ants...learn from their ways and be wise! Even though they have no prince, governor, or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. - Proverbs 6:6-8
 The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.- Proverbs 14:15
What are some areas in your financial life that you need to apply this wisdom to? Allow the Lord to instruct you and be obedient. Amen?

Friday, October 30, 2015

Giving to God

Solomon tells us that life is not about hoarding finances and treasure for ourselves, but use it to bless others. It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything. - Proverbs 11:24 The main purpose of wealth is being able to generously give it away. The more we give, the more God allows His resources to flow in our direction. You cannot separate financial health from generosity.
Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.  Proverbs 3:9-10 The first and the best belongs to God.

Solomon offers us 3 reasons why we should give our first and best: 1. He should be honored. 2. He already owns everything! 
3. He wants to bless us.
The principle of giving God your first and best is also shown in Exodus 13:2, Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal.

Whatever is done with the first of our finances or possessions determines what we do with the rest. The truth is that God doesn’t need our sheep or money, but He puts this principle in His Word to remind us that He should be first in our lives in all areas.

David knew this principle:
I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. Psalm 50:10
A.W. Tozer explains it this way; I am obliged to tell you that God doesn’t need anything that you have. He does not need a dime of your money. It is your own spiritual welfare that’s at stake. You have the right to keep all that you have to yourself. But if you do, it will rust and decay, and ultimately ruin you.
 

What are you giving to God? Allow God will bless your giving. He will multiply it beyond your wildest imagination. Amen?

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Wise Attitudes

James 3:13-18 has some resounding truths that will help us as we deal with the subject of wisdom. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

James speaks of two sets of attitudes. One focuses on negative attitudes and the other positive attitudes. He compares two lifestyles on what he calls "wisdom from above" and "wisdom that is from below.

A study on the values, attitudes, and behavior described here will help us to live wisely and “righteous” before the Lord. Worldly wisdom is described as, where you have envy and selfish ambition; there you find disorder and every evil practice. Godly wisdom is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

What areas do you need to commit to do better in your life?

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Don't Waste Your Money

Jesus taught more on money than any other subject. If it is that important to God then we can be sure that it would be part of our search for wisdom. Paul teaches on this subject in 1 Timothy 6:3-10:
3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.  6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
 The subject of money is a sore point for many of us, so today let’s let go and let God teach us what His Word has to say on the subject. Solomon tells us the secrets of financial wisdom throughout Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.
We’ve all tried dealing with finances in our own way. 
Are you ready to hear what God has to say about the subject?
 Say Amen to God's direction.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Use It

Everyone builds on some kind of foundation, but not every foundation is a good one. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:24-27 the parable of 2 men who built on different foundations: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

The wise man built upon a foundation of rock and withstood the storm, but the foolish man built his house on a foundation of sand and it fell. God expects us to build properly on the foundation he has prepared to withstand the storms of life.

1 Kings 4:29-34
 29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

The Lord gave Solomon all he needed; wisdom, great insight, and a breadth of understanding that was limitless. Because he used it wisely his famed spread to all the nations who came to sit under his teaching and great wisdom. We should do the same. The wisdom, gifts, and talents that God gives to us should be used for His glory, and shared with the world around us. Amen?

Monday, October 26, 2015

God's Address

Paul writes about us being God’s temple in 1 Corinthians 3:10-17 (The Message);

   Or, to put it another way, you are God's house. Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you'll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won't get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn't, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won't be torn out; you'll survive—but just barely. You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God's temple, you can be sure of that. God's temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple. 

The call here is that we cannot build anything of lasting value unless it is based on Christ. Jesus Christ is the foundation to our life and ministry. What we build on this foundation is of most importance. At the end of our life everything will be revealed, and Scripture says it will be revealed with fire. If the things that have been built survive this test then the builder will receive a reward for their faithfulness.

The materials mentioned in this passage shows that we can choose to build with things that have value and last, or revert to what is easy and don’t. When Christ through the Holy Spirit comes to live in us then we become God’s temple. We should revere and respect what belongs to God. We must take care of His temple – physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Amen?

Sunday, October 25, 2015

If My People...

In 2 Chronicles 7 we see that the Temple built in Jerusalem is now complete. Solomon has followed God’s plan, built on His foundation, and now all of Israel is at the dedication of the Temple.

    11 When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace, 12 the LORD appeared to him at night and said: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.  13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

God heard Solomon’s and the people’s prayers, accepts their offerings, and showed up in their presence. He also had a warning that there would be a time in the near future that they would turn their backs on Him. There would be a response to their sin in the form of a drought, plague, sickness, or death. In God’ infinite grace and mercy he offers a way to reconciliation and forgiveness. His heart’s desire is that we will not leave Him, because He will never leave us. He will always be there for you. Amen?

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Growth Challenge



The 30 Day Church Challenge has been a great reminder about where we need to focus our efforts as believers. The Challenge this week was in the area of Spiritual Growth.  Part of this challenge is to spend 7 minutes a day in prayer and reading your Bible – everyday for 21 continuous days ( this will help you develop a habit). I found that most people who accept this will be increasing their time by the end of week three.
I have used 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 as my "life verses" for many years. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil. 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.


Which of these instructions speak to you most and why? 
Apply them to your life and grow. Amen?

Friday, October 23, 2015

Bearing Fruit

The third aspect to understanding Spiritual Growth is: We were born to reproduce. Jesus tells us:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. - John 15:5–8

Jesus calls reproducing other believers “bearing fruit.” And he says we can only bear fruit if we remain in him. This means, if we spend time with him by reading what he’s written to us (the Bible), listening to him, and talking with him through prayer.


God gets glory when we bear fruit. Let's grow and go share the Good News of Jesus with the world around us. Amen?


Tell someone God's story - it's the best thing you'll ever do. Amen?  

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Transformed

Here is a great aspect of Spiritual Growth - Growing is about transformation It’s about moving from something we’re not to something we should be. 

Paul tells us:

Do not conform to the pattern 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

What is it we should be when we’re all grown up?

Paul says in Romans 8:29 that we’re supposed to be “conformed to the image of God’s son.” “Conformed.  In Romans 12, he says we’re supposed to be “transformed.” To be transformed is to have our form changed. Trans means “change.” To be conformed is to have our form changed with another. “Con” means “with.” The goal of our growth is to be changed to “conform” to the shape of God’s son—to think and act like Jesus.

Be transformed so you can conform to Jesus Christ. Amen?

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Rooted

One aspect of Spiritual Growth is: Life is about growing.

Look what Paul has to say in Colossians 2:6-7; So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.  

This is a great reminder on how to grow and keep growing in our Christian faith. You first accept Christ as your Savior, then live your life in Him and through Him. We are "rooted" by our faith and strengthen by learning His Word, and from mature Christians. This will lead to a life of joy and thankfulness!

Take time today to do a faith and growth "check-up". One quick test is to ask others if they think you are joyful and thankful.

Be wise - keep rooted and growing in Jesus.
Amen?

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Grow to Live

You have probably heard this before, but if you're not growing then you're dying! This is true of us physically, mentally, and spiritually. How can you tell if someone is spiritually dying on the inside?

There are 3 signs:

1. They stop learning. They stop coming to church and small group. They are not allowing themselves to go deeper in God’s Word or exposing themselves to teaching through reading, sermons, etc..

2. They stop maturing. Their character isn’t growing in Christ or becoming more patient, thoughtful, or helpful.

3. They stop caring about leading others to Christ, social injustice, hurting, morality, and dying people.

Always keep learning, maturing, and caring. 
Amen?

Monday, October 19, 2015

Keep Growing

 Life is about growing! Death happens when you stop, John tells us in 1 John 2:12–14, I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.  I am writing to you, fathers,because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.  I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

By John’s definition, spiritual children are those who have received Jesus. They’ve had their sins forgiven by receiving Christ and they know God. Spiritual young men are strong because they are regularly reading God’s word, and they are involved in the cause of Christ, advancing his kingdom and thereby “overcome the evil one.” This is part of spiritual growth - growing in faith, obedience, and maturity.

Whatever you do - keep growing! Amen?

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Hope and Praise

God cares about our losses and crisis in our lives. I used Psalm 42 to share with my church in New Jersey the Sunday after hurricane Sandy. Most did not have electricity, all had some damage to their homes, and some were displaced. You may not have just gone through a hurricane, but storms in life abound. Our focus needs to stay vertical.
 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God.  My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”  These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.  Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

It is a great reminder of what our number one desire should be - to be with God. God is a living God. He knows your pain and loss.

Are you reaching out to Him? He’s there.


Always praise God during and after the storm. He is worthy. Amen?

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Praise the Lord

This week’s challenge was to develop a daily worship lifestyle. Colossians 3:23 says, Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men. – Does this verse describe the way you worship? Check out the last psalm in the Bible. It’s all about praise and worship!

Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
 Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord. - Psalm 150

What does it tell you about praise and worship?

Let’s praise the Lord today and everyday and live a life of worship. Amen?

Friday, October 16, 2015

Worship Focus

I love this translation from the Message of Matthew 6: A Life of God- Worship!
“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
“Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!
“You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both. 
“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
“Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.  Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Amen?

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Worship Life

Christians are to worship God by using their bodies, minds, and spiritual gifts in a glorifying way.  How can we glorify God by making worship our way of life? Paul gives us a blueprint of how to live a life of worship in Romans chapter 12.

12:1 – Worship: Present Yourself Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Verses 2-3 – Worship: Renew Your Mind.  Do not conform to the pattern 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.  For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 
Verses 4-8 – Worship: Use Your Gifts  For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,  so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;  if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;  if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Use your mind, tongue, body, and spiritual gifts to worship God!
What commitment to change do you need to make?

Worship God with your life. Amen?

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Worship in Action

Today let's look at the third truth about worship.

Worship is a verb.

Romans 12:1 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

It’s not a noun that describes a person, place, or thing. It’s a verb that describes an action you should do with every breath you take.

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if you were working for the Lord and not for a person.” That’s worship.

 Romans 12:1 in the Message, “… Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering (an act of worship).” That’s how you worship!

Today and every day- worship God with all you have. Amen?

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Worship Habit

The Bible says that meeting together ought to be a habit. We ought to do it every week. The second great truth about worship is:

It's God’s will is for us to gather weekly

Hebrews 10:24–25 - And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Remember - “Let us not give up meeting together …”  The Bible describes a lot of positive habits that help us give God glory, but gathering for weekly worship is the primary, foundational habit, because it’s the one that resets our priorities every week, before the week begins.

May we always prioritize our worship time together. Amen?

Monday, October 12, 2015

Wired For...

People from everywhere and every language praise God because He saved them. God deserves praise just for who He is because He’s wise and powerful and strong and eternal. We will start our second week of the Church Challenge today.

Over the next few days will be looking at three truths about worship:

1. We were wired for worship
Revelation 4:11; “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” 
7:9; After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

Worship is important because we are made to give glory to our Maker. The Bible says it’s good for us to meet together so that we can spur one another on toward love and good deeds. It is what we are meant to do,

Today and always worship God.
Amen?

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Accept the Challenge

The 30 Day Church Challenge is designed to help you and the church reach our God-given potential. The dictionary defines a challenge as, “a call to take part in a contest or competition.” For the next thirty days, you and I are entering a contest designed to deepen our relationship with God and each other, and discover what the church was really meant to be. We are going to do what the church once did, in Acts chapter 2, to become the church God wants us to be and to experience spiritual life at a deeper level. 
1. The Power of a Challenge
In 1930, a Scotsman named Kurt Hahn invented a wilderness learning experience that he called, Outward Bound. Have you heard of it? Think backpacking, white-water rafting, dog sledding, rock-climbing … Hahn believed that character development is as important as academic achievement, and he found that when people were put in challenging, adventurous situations, they gained confidence, redefined their perceptions of their personal capabilities, demonstrated compassion for others, and developed a spirit of camaraderie with their peers. In his leadership of Outward Bound, what Hahn discovered was that …

A. Personal growth accelerates in challenging situations.
His wilderness challenges were so effective that over the past eighty years thousands of people have given up weeks of their lives and paid significant amounts of money to climb mountains, hike challenging trails, canoe down river rapids and rappel off wicked cliffs. Today, Outward Bound sponsors wilderness adventures in more than thirty countries, helping people grow in character through the power of a challenge that stretches them in ways they wouldn’t normally stretch themselves.
Outward Bound and similar experiences has taught us a second thing about accelerated growth. And that is that …

B. People grow better when we do it together.
Put a single guy out in the wilderness, and he’s probably going to flounder and die. But put a group of people out there, and the power of community bonds them together and enables them to do things they would never have attempted on their own. By our very nature, we grow better when we decide to tackle challenges together.
If you haven't committed to God's challenge to grow I encourage you to do so right now. It is a simple prayer but can change your life. Ready? "God help me to grow - I am willing. I pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen!"

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Attractive Church

We'll finish our study today on what God’s community looks like. David describes it Psalm 133:3 says It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

Without the dew of Mt. Hermon, most plant life would die in Israel. You see it is the highest mountain in Israel and is located in the northern part of the country. It catches the moisture from the Mediterranean Sea, and provides the country a year round water source. This is needed because Israel has a very short rainy season and must have the water from Hermon the rest of the year to survive.

In other words community in God’s eyes is what gives us life and purpose in Him. It’s His desire and plan for us. People in great communal relationships tend to be happier and more contented than those doing life on their own. This attitude affects everyone around them. This includes the saved and the unsaved. I think we sometimes call it, "Letting your light shine".

Today and always live in unity. See you in church tomorrow.  Amen?

Friday, October 9, 2015

Community Joy

 Psalm 133:1 says: How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!  

“When brothers live together in unity,” is also call “community”. King David, the writer of this psalm, is speaking much more about living together in a tight, communal relationship than simply keeping peace and not arguing or having discord. 

This is God's desire for His church! It is not about just going to church, but about becoming the church. We need take a genuine interest in the lives of others.  We must care, share, and pray for each other every day. That's unity!

  It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe.Psalm 133:1-2

This verse is obvious when you realize that unity and community are synonymous in God’s eyes. The second verse refers to the “once in a lifetime” opportunity to see and experience the anointing of the High priest of Israel. They sprinkled other priests but for him they drench him with this special anointing oil that is only used in these occasions.

In other words authentic community with a few close friends gives off the same level of joy as the celebration of the anointing of the high priest. Pretty special in God’s eyes, and should be to us as well.

Be united and soak in God’s anointing in His community.

Amen?

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Good Community

What does authentic community feel like?

Turn to Psalm 133 to see what a "man after God's own heart" has to say on the subject.

 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!  It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

This is a song of ascents written by King David, who experienced the power of authentic community in the company of close friends who were called, “David’s mighty men.” Psalm 133 is a song written about the power of authentic community.

I’ll break it down over the next few days. Read through it and ask God to illuminate its meaning as you seek to live in God’s authentic community.

Today and always experience God’s authentic community.
Amen?