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Monthly Archives: January 2010

Where There Is No Vision

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Today our devotional will be from Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish“

First of all, I want us to think about our natural vision. The most vital square inch of our body is the eye. We need good vision to function in our daily lives. Of all the senses that we have, I feel that vision would be the hardest to learn to live without.

Many people learn to live without vision, but are limited in their activities, often times they suffer from depression or discouragement; especially those who once were able to see and then lost their vision.  In your Christian life, do feel limited, or feel like you are not as strong or as true a Christian as you used to be?

To be a strong Christian in Church, we need to have good spiritual vision.  The Bible says that “where there is no vision the people perish” What is spiritual vision?  The ability to see what God want us to see; to have a spiritual discernment of the situations we face, to be able to look beyond the heartaches, the trials, and disappointments of life, to look beyond our own needs and desires to see the needs of others, especially those that are stumbling around in darkness because they have no vision.

Naturally speaking, it takes light to have vision. The light is reflected in the eye to different nerves that send messages to the brain that lets us interpret what we are seeing: the colors, the distance. Spiritually speaking, it takes the Holy Spirit to have a spiritual vision.  Before Christ came the Old Testament speaks of the time when there was no open vision. In other words only those that were priests or prophets were able to see what God wanted and what God could do for them.  When Christ came He opened up the way so that every individual could have this open vision.

The natural vision may vary from person to person, depending on health, age, disease.  Some folks have what we call 20-20 vision, which is considered the best. Others have less because of something that has hindered their vision. Sometimes glasses, contacts, or medications are used to improve the vision. If we had to gauge our spiritual vision, what would it be? 20-20, 20-50, or 0-0? If we recognize that our spiritual vision is dim, what can we do to improve or make it brighter?

If you are having vision problems and you go to the eye doctor, first of all he will check to see if there are any impurities or foreign objects in your eye that could be causing the irritation or problem.  First of all, let’s examine our lives and see if there is something in our heart that refuses to let God’s spirit work in our lives. We all know that only one thing separates us from God and it is SIN. Perhaps it is just the sin of idleness or worry or perhaps it is a little jealousy or an old grudge. Whatever it is, it will block your spiritual vision. To get rid of it we need to sincerely repent and ask God to forgive us. We need to understand that the world is such a dark place and people are going to Hell every day, and they need us to have the best spiritual vision we can to help them see the light.

Once the doctors removed the impurities or foreign objects from our eyes, you may have to have some type of medication or therapy to strengthen the eye muscles.  Spiritually speaking, it works the same with God. Once he has forgiven us, we need to work to increase our vision. Reading His word and praying are the two best medications you can use in your Christian life to gain strength and increase your vision. Exercising your faith when God asks you to do something will also make you a stronger Christian and bring you closer to him. Determine in your heart that you want to be closer to the Lord, to see more of His majesty and to have more of His spirit working in your life.  Obey when He speaks. Be humble! Know it is just His great mercy that lets you exist.  Love the Lord with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Press forward to the mark. Let that vision lead you home.

There are some great examples of God’s people that had visions throughout the bible. One of them was Job. He had a vision of his Redeemer. He knew that no matter what he suffered in this life that he would behold his Redeemer. It didn’t matter if his flesh had rotted or he had no natural eyes to see with, he would still see Him for himself. He had a vision that went beyond the grave. All of God’s children have this same assurance. Many times we just fail to look beyond the daily toil of life to see that our Redeemer is waiting on us and it is just a short time until we will see Him.

Nehemiah’s Vision of the Wall is one that I love to read about Nehemiah and his labor on the wall. First of all he was away from Jerusalem down in another land. Some of his countrymen were passing through and he asked them about the state of Jerusalem. They began to tell him of the sad condition of Jerusalem, how the walls were broken down. Nehemiah’s heart was broken by this news because he loved Jerusalem.  He began to seek God’s face and ask for his help and guidance. God worked and soon Nehemiah was on his way down to Jerusalem with a job to do. Now remember he was just one man, but look at the difference he was able to make because he was obedient to God’s command.

Nehemiah didn’t have a vision of the broken down city but he had a vision of what the city could be once the walls were rebuilt and the people united. Many times we look at our little church and think “well we don’t have too many people” and “we can’t do much” and so we just sit where we are. We need to be more like Nehemiah with a vision of what our church could be and how that lost people could be saved. It took obedience both from Nehemiah and the people to build the wall. It took unity of spirit and it took love. It took perseverance. Nehemiah and the people made up their minds they would rebuild the wall or would die trying. We need to be willing to fight the good fight.  I’m sure they got weary and we can read how that Satan tried to discourage them continually, but their vision was strong. They knew God would deliver as He had promised if they would just do their part.

If you look in Ezekiel 37, you’ll read about another hopeless situation where Ezekiel was placed in the valley of the dry bones and God told him to preach. I’m sure he could have made excuse after excuse why there was no need to preach to this bunch of dry bones. I suppose that is how many pastors feel when they preach to their congregations.  “What good will it do?  They are just hearers and not doers.” But Ezekiel believed God.  It was that simple. He believed that if God asked him to do something there was a good reason for it. He didn’t have to understand every detail but he just believed.

Many times God wants to work miracles in our lives and we have so little faith that we will not believe and He can’t do for us like He would desire to do. Ezekiel just kept preaching and soon those old bones began to move together and flesh began to come upon them.  They began to gain some strength. Then the breath moved into them and they were an exceeding great army. Again, look at what one person accomplished through his obedience to God. Don’t ever think that you don’t matter in God’s work. He needs every member of his Church. He needs us to be obedient. He needs for us to have that spiritual vision that will let us see beyond all of the negatives that Satan presents to us.  If we have good vision, we can see the fiery darts coming and can hold up our shield of faith.

John’s Vision on the Isle of Patmos was surely one of the greatest visions that one of God’s children could ever see. John saw that number that no man could number. He saw those that had had their robes made white with the blood of the Lamb. He saw me and he saw you in that number. There have been times in my life when I too have caught a glimpse of that heavenly number, that heavenly throne, that heavenly place that we are going to. We need to look beyond the present time and look to that great homecoming. This would certainly encourage our hearts when we are distressed. It would cause us to lift up our head and know that our redemption draweth nigh. It would let us praise our wonderful Savior no matter what.

So please, look to the Lord, pray about your vision, that it might be increased that we can see what God wants us to see!

What Do I Do Now?

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It seems like now more than ever that people are dealing with trials that are far bigger than they ever imagined, and along with that bears the sole fact that we have to go through things practically alone. In the days we live in, you can literally see the frustration and toil that these kinds of things have on others, and it makes you wonder what they are going to do to get out of the tough situations.

Everywhere that I turn my eyes, I continually see defeat and discouragement. Everyone that I listen to only seems to speak of how bad things are. Every action that I see taken around me always seems to be only for being able to just get by. All the while I wonder where the joy of people has gone. All the more questioning why things are the way that they are, as well as why things have to be so hard on others.

Ultimately, I find that when you and I are in these difficult places that it is THEN that we need to recognize who it is we put our trust in. Several verses from the bible come to mind when I try to think of things that inspire me about my difficult trials.

Acts 2:36-39 reads:

[36] Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
[37] Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
[38] Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
[39] For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

John 6:28-29 says:

[28] Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
[29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

After reading these verses, this tells me to believe in Jesus, for it is the works of God. All the blessings can come and be unlocked in your life, when you start it all with the belief that you can reach them. Then, you won’t find yourself saying, “What do I do now?”, and instead you can say with faith and belief that “I’m doing God’s work, and I know that I am going to make it from what I am going through!” Don’t let the enemy persuade you to be idle and still, nor to let anything hinder you from speaking to all of the things that you want to change. I share with you today, quite possibly my personal favorite bible verse of all time.

Philippians 3:13-15 tells us:

[13] Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
[14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
[15] Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

It is in reading these lines that remind me so often that where I am in God that there is no stopping place. The trials of life do not stop for anyone, or anything. God does not stop moving in your life either. He is in a constant motion, always ahead of you, going out and making your way blessed. If we can just strive and be determined to have the question “What do I do now” change to “What can I do for you, God?”, I can guarantee that you are on your way to the best outcome for your life, for the promises of God are yea and amen.

Take what we have said today, and rise out of your own ashes. Get up out of your discouragement, and take back charge of your life again. Encourage yourself daily, with simply just knowing that the victory is ahead of you. You might not see it, nor feel it close by, but just have the faith to know its coming! I encourage each and every one of you this day! God Bless all of you!

What Lies Ahead

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Today we stand at the threshold of the unknown; before us lies a New Year.  Who knows what lies ahead?  What new experiences or changes will come our way?  We definitely know what has happened in the past year.  This may have been a very difficult year for you.  You may have lost a precious loved one, you may have been very sick; you may have went through family struggles or financial difficulties.

There is no doubt that we live in a depressing time.  The economy of our country is very unstable, and many families have lost their jobs, their homes, and other possessions.  Drugs and alcohol abuse are at an all time high.  Many lives have been lost this past year because of this abuse.  Many children have been neglected and abused as a result of drug and alcohol abuse.  Cancer has become a common illness.  Most every family has had to deal with this illness in one way or another.

Although there is something about the start of a new year that brings hope or optimism, in reality all of the problems that we have faced this past year will be there in the coming year.   The only real hope or change that anyone can depend on is the hope and peace that can be found in God and His son, Jesus Christ.  Everything around us is subject to change, so our trust should not be placed in the hope that life will always be what we want it to be; even that it will remain without change.

The only real constant, the only true security lies only in God. It is entrusting Him with our lives and His will for our lives that will bring peace to our heart.  God, having all knowledge, knows what is best for us because He alone sees the whole picture of our lives. And because He is a God of pure love, His will is to bless our lives with goodness. However, it is then that we must pause and acknowledge that only God knows what is good for us.

In our limited vision, we may feel that God’s will cannot surely be one of good will toward us because we often desire things to be different, and sometimes we cannot see the “good”. But we can rest assured that it is our to our good, even though we may not discern it as such, because He, our heavenly Father, can only act out of love, an enduring and unchanging love for His children. The greatest and most profound manifestation of His love toward us was giving His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sin. Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, took our place and became the atonement for our sin, so that we could have eternal life.

Jesus loved us enough to give His life so that we could have life. It is in accepting Jesus as our Savior that the only true peace and security can be found. Jesus said that any that would come to Him that He would in no wise cast out or not save. He waits without wavering to welcome whosoever will. Come and find peace and unchanging hope in Him today.

The Greatest Birth, The Greatest Gift

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Today we want to read about the greatest event that has ever happened: the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This is found in Luke 2:1

[1] And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
[2] (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
[3] And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
[4] And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
[5] To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
[6] And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
[7] And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
[8] And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
[9] And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
[10] And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
[11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
[12] And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
[13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
[14] Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
[15] And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
[16] And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
[17] And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
[18] And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
[19] But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
[20] And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Our wish today is that you let Jesus become part of your life, and find the peace that he brought that wonderful night.