Jesus

God’s Heart of Kindness (Psalm 68)

Kindness

Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts,
Whose name is the Lord, and exult before Him.
5 A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
6 God makes a home for the lonely;
He leads out the prisoners into prosperity,
Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

Many of us begin our worship services in our churches by singing. But how often do we take time to think about the God about whom we are singing?

“Sing to God, sing praises to His name”. This is the God to whom we are singing. He alone is the Lord and His is amazing!

He is a Father to those without a Dad and His heart is for the defenceless and the unloved and uncared for. God puts the lonely in families.

Why? That is His heart and His intention for how we should live; loved and loving.

He leads those who are enslaved out of bondage, and brings them incredible joy.

This is the God we worship and this is the God who we sing to. Let’s PRAISE Him today.

PRAYER: Father, these words are so lovely and moving. Praise your name Lord for your kindness and grace.. In Jesus name, Amen.

Knowing Him Better (Ephesians 1)

All this time...

Ephesians 1:17 says:

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Why does God give us revelation by the Spirit? So that we may know Him better.

Anything we do as believers returns to this end – that we may know Him better.

Why is this so? Everything else we do, we do for Him. The ministry, the outreach, the discipleship, the phone calls, the hard work, the discipline, the love, the hard words, the prayer, the labour, the sacrifice, the tears, the low times, the giving, the sowing, the patience, the advice…

All of that stems from one thing – how well we KNOW Him. And how well we know Him stems from our level of spiritual revelation and wisdom.

And here’s good news. This revelation and wisdom is available to you. God gives it, you just need to ask for it and you too will begin to KNOW HIM more and more!

PRAYER: Father I ask you to reveal Jesus to me today. I ask you for fresh revelation of your precious son as I’ve not had before. May new life spring forth from it Lord, I ask. In Jesus name, Thank you Father God, Amen.

The Importance of Foundations

Concrete Pour

Psalm 11:3 says:

If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”

Foundations are the most important part of any building. Everything else that is built is then built upon the foundations. If the foundations are firm, then the building will stand. But if the foundations are faulty, then there is a strong chance the building will need to be destroyed and rebuilt.

This is also true of Christ and our walk with Him. If the foundation upon which we build our lives is faulty, then our very lives are in jeopardy. If the foundation of our life is not Christ, then all that we have built and slaved over in our lives in susceptible to cracking, splitting, slipping and causing irreparable damage to what we’ve built.

The issue with a foundation is that it is the lowest part of the building. It is not readily fixed from above. There is few if any quick fixes or patches that will protect what has been built.

So too with our lives, apart from the foundation of Christ. When the day comes and that foundation cracks, slips or splits, the “righteous” are unable to help. “What can the righteous do?”

If the foundation of your life is not secure in Christ, go back, re-dig it, pull it apart. Make Jesus the foundation – firm and secure – and rebuilt your life upon Him. He will never let you down.

PRAYER: Father, I ask you to reveal any area of my life not firmly established upon the foundation of Jesus Christ your son. I submit all of my life to you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Hated for Jesus (Matthew 10)

Long Hard Road
Matthew 10:22 says:

You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

If you are a wholehearted follower of Jesus there is one thing you can be sure of, and that is not everyone is going to be your fan. Following Jesus is an unpopular way to live insofar as the governing spirit of this age and the prevailing opinions of the world are concerned.

In many western nations, we don’t face the persecution for our Christian faith that brothers and sisters in parts of the Middle East, Asia and Africa might. But steadily, there is a growing tide of opinion against the moral decisions, choices and convictions bible-believing Christians hold.

These include three major issues the Church in much of the world is facing right now. They are:

Homosexuality and the gay rights agenda
Islam and Israel
Abortion and the right to life of the unborn

There are undoubtedly others, but Christian, you will be called upon, sooner or later, to make a stand on one or all of these issues. Are you prepared for the hatred you will feel when you do?

Of course, the other avenue some Christians take, especially those that have been exposed to abuses, injustices and hurt in the church is to distance themselves from anything remotely controversial. This is to say to the world, “Hey, I’m not like those dorky / hateful / judgemental / weirdo Christians, I’m just like you”.

The problem is when we choose this road over the road that Christ calls us to (read the verse above again), then we are choose the love of the world over the love of God.

That is a serious thing. So serious in fact, God says the competition for your affections is not a game I am going to play, choose one or the other because “friendship with the world, is hostility towards God” (James 4:4).

Heavy words aren’t they? And yet this is the world in which we are living in today. It’s a world of consequences, where standing for Jesus and His truth is comes at a personal costs to us.

But there is a good news (there is always Good News!). Jesus promises us there is a payout to suffering this hatred. “Son, daughter, if you endure to the end, you will be saved!”

To be faithful in persevering through the hard times of conflict, rejection, ridicule, misunderstanding you need to be aware up front that the ways of the kingdom of God are different to the ways of the world. A God-adoring, eternity-focued life will bring a reaction from those loyal to another spirit.

PRAYER: Lord help me to faithfully follow you regardless of what others say, think or do. I want to be faithful Lord. I love you Lord and desire to live in such a way that pleases you. Amen.

Treasure in Heaven – A Different Economy (Matthew 6)

Economy Treasure in Heaven

Matthew 6:19-21 says:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Where is your treasure? That is a vitally important question to answer!

According to Jesus you have two choices. Earth or heaven. The choice is yours.

Really, Jesus is talking about the economy. Turn on the news and you can be sure to hear something about the economy within a matter of minutes. The economy is a big deal. Why? Because it affects our lives. Job figures, unemployment, interest rates, inflation; it all has impact upon our lives.

But hear the Words of Jesus on the economy. He says there are actually two parallel economies at work here. One is an earthly economy. It is prone to difficulties like downturns, job losses, currency crises, recession, even criminal acts.

That is because the earthly economy, whilst important, is finite. It is limited. In other words, money is spent. Jobs come to an end. Businesses die. Prospect disappear. Nothing is certain, nothing is truly secure.

But there is a parallel economy. It is the heavenly economy.

This economy doesn’t get the media coverage the earthly economy gets, but don’t be fooled into thinking it doesn’t matter. According to Jesus, this is THE economy that matters!

He says, you have a choice – to invest in an economy that is limited, finite, and prone to downturns, losses and even destruction OR you can invest in an economy that is eternal, infinite and will NEVER suffer a downturn, recession or collapse.

Now, if you look at that logically, which would we choose? It shouldn’t even be close.

But I hear you say, “but I’ve got to put food on the table, and pay the bills and the rent”. This is try true and whilst we’re on this earth we can’t opt out of the earthly economy. So, how do we apply this then?

Jesus tells us that the key here is what we “treasure” (verse 21), that is, where our treasure is where our heart will be also.

What He is saying is this – which economy do you TREASURE? Which do you most value and cherish? Which do you concern yourself with most? Which of these two economies is your heart drawn towards?

This is important because the direction of your heart determines the direction of your life (see also Prov 27:19, Prov 4:23)

If you are treasuring the here and now, that’s where your life is headed. But if you are treasuring the eternal Kingdom of God and the heavenly economy, then not only are you investing in an unshakeable, everlasting economy, your life is headed in that direction also.

PRAYER: Lord, I ask you to show me which economy I am valuing the most. I want my heart to be with you, and I ask you to search me and convict of areas where I haven’t trusted you with it. Forgive me and I ask for the grace I need to make the changes you ask of me. Thank you for your provision in every area of my life. Amen

VIDEO: Who’s Leading You?

Here is an edited portion of a sermon I preached a couple of years ago. I am posting it hear because it addresses a very important issue and that is how we follow the voice of the Lord.

Hearing the voice of God is a right for every Christian but if we don’t do this, who is leading us in life? When we make decisions, when we choose the direction of our life, who are we following (or what are we following) if we are not following the leading of the Holy Spirit by the voice of God?

I’d encourage you to listen to this message.