Words of Encouragement

Who is Christ?

MONDAY

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. - Deuteronomy 18:15

Prophet Like Moses. The scripture today is from Moses as he speaks to the children of Israel. He is telling them that God will raise up other prophets for them from amongst the people. This scripture is also used to point to Jesus. The belief by the Jewish people as they waited for a Messiah is that he would be a prophet like Moses. Even Jesus' going up on the mountain when he gave his message was a shadowing of this same section of scripture. The people had asked that Moses go speak for them because they could not stand to see God face to face or they would die. Moses became the one that would go up to the mountain to get the word but Jesus went up the mountain to give the word for he was the word.

What this scripture is telling us then if it points to Jesus is that God sent his Son so that he would present to us God's word. We can know the instruction of the Lord because his Son embodies it. The command then is for us to listen to him. We must listen to the words of God so that we can live the life God has planned for us.

Prayer: God, help me to listen to your word. You sent your word and it became flesh. Jesus is the word and he has the instruction for our lives, help us to hear it and obey it. Amen.

TUESDAY

'In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.' For this is what the LORD says: 'David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices. - Jeremiah 33:16-18

The Restorer. This scripture from Jeremiah as he is still confined speaks of the time when God will restore his people. Briefly, Jeremiah has been speaking to the people about their disobedience and the punishment that will come because of their refusal to heed. This scripture is a promise to those in bondage that God will not forget about his promise to them, even though they do not deserve it. His promise is there will be someone that will sprout up from the "stump" of David. Remember the kingdom was in ruins and it did not look like there would be another king to rule over Israel. God's promise is that stump is there and I will sprout from it something new. It is through this one that God will send that the people will be saved. Note, we are not to take it literally that someone will burn offerings, because that is not the case. What we can take from this scripture is that God will always have someone that will represent the priest that offers a sacrifice. Jesus is that sprout. Jesus is the final king and priest that sprung forth from the line of David. Jesus was not only the priest but he was also the last offering that was needed. He was the lamb and the priest. For you and I today that reminds us that God offers this same thing to us. He offers to us Jesus as our priest and king as well as the sacrifice for our sins. We can be restored to a right place because of what God has done through his Son.

Prayer: Lord thank you for giving us a priest that continually stands before you on our behalf. Thank you for the lamb that was slain for my sins that gave me the opportunity to call Jesus our Lord and King. Help me this day to accept all that you have given to me as I discover more and more who Jesus is. Amen.

WEDNESDAY

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. - Isaiah 11:10

Salvation offered to all. This scripture talks about the root of Jesse (the same as the shoot of David) that will stand as a banner for the people. It also talks about how in "that time" God will seek his remnant and gather them to himself. This scripture speaks to what we see Jesus doing now. Through Jesus, the root of Jesse and the king that was promised through the line of David (for Jesse is David's father so we are still in the same family line). This root being Jesus is the banner that waves before the people of a safe haven. The banner will call the nations to and will find a place of rest in him. This place of rest is glorious! That is the truth of salvation in and through Christ. It is glorious to find the peace, rest and joy of God as offered because of his saving grace. Who is Christ? He is the plan of salvation that God set for the entire world and not only those that are of the Jewish people. There are those today that have accepted Christ as their savior and this is proof of God's faithfulness to the Jewish people, that he is drawing that remnant to himself along with all that are in need of him.

Prayer: Lord thank you today for your saving grace. Thank you for knowing what I needed and preparing the way for that to happen. Thank you that you sent your son to draw me to you so that I could have the glorious rest that comes through Christ. Amen.

THURSDAY

to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. - Isaiah 42:7

The miraculous. Jesus' walk on this earth showed not only his mission but his power and authority. Jesus came to give sight to the blind. We read in scripture of Jesus healing of those that were affirmed. The scripture also says that Jesus came to set the captives free from prison. There are individuals that are locked up in prisons of sin and cannot be released in their own power. Jesus came to release from the deep dungeons those that are sitting in darkness. In that darkness it is cold and lifeless. Jesus came to set people free from the cold and lifeless existence to a life full of life in God. Jesus' miracles did not stop when he ascended. His miracles are still evident today. The beauty of it is he still lets the captives free and brings sight to the blind (spiritually) through the preaching of his word and the movement of his Spirit.

Prayer: Lord thank you for the miracle of salvation. Thank you for Jesus' power to set us free from all things that would keep us in bondage. We thank you for all that you set before us. Thank you for offering the beauty of your gift of your son. Thank you for helping me to know more and more about who is Christ.

FRIDAY

Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name. - Psalm 18:49

Worthy of Worship. This psalm starts with psalmist saying God is his strength. The psalm speaks of worshipping God even in the midst of the difficulties and how God has been a refuge and help in trouble. This praise and worship to God is also appropriate for his Son. Jesus opened to us the opportunity to come to God and be saved from the sin punishment that was upon our lives. Jesus came healing the physical as well as the spiritual sickness in the lives of people. He also restored to humanity the ability to be in the image of God which constitutes a right relationship. Knowing all this then we have much to be thankful about.

Prayer: So we can say today, Lord I will praise your name. I will sing praises to your name. This means when I wake up in the morning I will thank you for this day and for all that you have given to me. I will sing words that will honor you and show my love for you. Lord today I say thank you for who Christ is. Help me to see you and to understand your will for my life. Amen.

The Week in Review

Assignment 1 – Theology of Worship (part 2)

This calls for us to come to a time of worship giving of ourselves, emptying ourselves so God can fill us. “There are three things God does not have unless you give them to Him. He doesn’t have your attention unless you give it to Him. That’s loving God with your mind. He doesn’t have your affection, unless you give it to Him. That’s loving God with your heart and your soul. And God doesn’t have your ability, unless you give to Him. That’s loving God with your strength…Whenever you take the things God has given to you and give them back to God, that friends, is the heart of worship” (Warren, pp. 7 –8).

When one accepts that worship involves experience, the next step is to understand that it is also an aesthetic experience. From the online document titled, Experiencing God through the Human Aesthetic Capacity, it states “God created us to know Him. He gave us sensory capacities to meaningfully experience His spiritual reality…He made us to be ‘aesthetic’ beings. It is God’s gift to us. It engages all dimensions of human experience. It is the interaction of cognitive properties with affective meanings and values, producing a psycho-biological/psycho-physical response” (1 –2). Man’s aesthetic capacity allows the individual to realize meaning, significance and value in one’s life (2). One-way of exploring and expressing the human aesthetic capacity is through art.

Artistic input into the worship services allows individuals to focus all their senses. “Our attention is directed toward a particular artistic stimulus. There is an exchange of human life-energy” (Experiencing God, 2). Some artistic inputs are in music, plays and visual productions, poetry and dance. It allows the believer to experience worship in different ways. The individual may have an emotional reaction to an artistic input, which may invoke previous experiences. Our attention is captured as we are engrossed by the artistic input before us, which draws upon our experiences.

The purpose for us having aesthetic capacities as stated is, “Aesthetic experiences in worship can happen either in responding to art, creating art, or expressing through an art form. God made us to find meaning in our interaction with art and artistic stimuli. Our aesthetic capacity was not given primarily for enriching the human experience; it was given to us as a means by which we may interact with God himself” (Experiencing God, 3).

Therefore, aesthetic experiences alongside our faith in Christ can help us to know God better, to sense his presence and to express our love toward God. God reveals himself to us through our experiences. When the believer allows him or herself to express their experiences in worship (in a biblical way), they are in fact allowing God to direct their worship. “Before we can experience a true sense of biblical worship, we must allow God’s Word to command our behavior. This includes active participation in expressive worship” (Hayford, 144).

Work cited

Barna, George, et. al. Experience God in Worship. Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, Inc. 2000.

Warren, Rick. Planned for God’s Pleasure. 2002. 7 January 2007. http://webct.macu.edu.

Pmin-3303 Unit 1. Experiencing God through the Human Aesthetic Capacity. 7 January 2007. http://webct.macu.edu

The Week in Review

Cultural Trends

Written April 11, 2006

Joseph M. Stowell, the author of Shepherding the Church, speaks to the changing culture and how it influences individual’s acceptance of God’s truth. Some of the influences are not always obvious, but they are in television, music, and magazines to name a few. The influence of television will be examined to determine how it changes individuals understanding of truth.

Carl Jeffrey Wright, the author of God’s Vision or Television states “We get more information from television than virtually every other media source. According to the Wall Street Journal, most people watch an average of 20 hours of television a week compared to time spent reading newspapers, magazines, or books, which averages about 2-3 hours per week. Time spent in church, prayer, or Bible reading doesn’t even compare since most people spend approximately 3 hours or less there as well” (8).

The belief that there are no absolutes is one of the messages passed through television. The newest craze of “reality shows” focuses on individual lifestyles and portrays them as successful and enlightened because of their choices. These shows, and others like them, support the belief that everything is relative to what you want and what is best for you. They also show that there are no absolute right or wrong ways of doing things or making choices. Following a set of rules or guidelines of correct behavior is considered weak. Stowell states, “We now must proclaim that there are absolutes in a world where relativism rules. It is our task to call people to something beyond themselves in a day when self-fulfillment has been elevated as the ultimate god. We must be willing to stand unintimidated for biblical correctness when it crosses swords with political correctness” (17).

A life of sexual purity is another message the television distorts and makes difficult for truth to be accepted regarding it. “In the world of television, love also triumphs. The Love Boat, The Newlywed Game, The Bachelor, and Ordinary Joe all take the love of men and women to absurd extremes. These shows exploit both the viewers’ and the participant’s obsession for ‘love’. However, much of the ‘love’ on television is really just about sex” (Wright, 29). Individuals have trouble understanding why sex outside of marriage is not acceptable. The messages brought forth are that sex or love is wonderful and expressing it is only natural. The minister, preacher or pastor that speaks out against fornication or adultery are sometimes looked at as being “outdated” because their messages does not fit the lifestyle of the people. This is a difficult situation, since this belief has made it into the church and into the hearts of some of its members. The images and messages of what happiness looks like in regards to sexual relations has caused some pastors to lose their place and standing in the church. They have not been able to withstand the pull of television, movies or other sexual material, thus causing them to move into sexual sins. “Purity is increasingly important in contrast to our culture’s disinterest in the theme…In our culture someone needs to stick up for purity. Spiritual leaders need to lead the charge” (Stowell, 228-229).

Work Cited

MacArthur, John, et. al. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005.

Stowell, Joseph M. Shepherding the Church. Chicago, IL: Moody Press. 1997.

Wright, Carl Jeffrey. God’s Vision or Television? Chicago, IL: Urban Ministries, Inc., 2004.

Words of Encouragement

MONDAY

"Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?- Exodus 15:11

If you look at the things going on in our world today, you might become discouraged. In June 2008, the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported that the number of unemployed has reached 8.5 million with a rate of 5.5 percent and that number is still growing. Many are worried how will they continue to provide for their families even in the most basic needs. I have to tell you I too am concerned with what is happening. Yet what I do and continue to learn to do is look not at my situations but at the one that can control my situation.

God is the only one that can control my life. I would love to tell you God is going to eliminate all the conditions you face in life, but that does not always happen. What God often times does is give us the strength to go through them. He provides for us what we need so that we can stand. Why does he do that and not simply change our bad situations? I can only tell you what I have learned. God allows those difficult times in our lives to grow us. The change us from being selfish, immature children only able to digest "milk". He allows us to go through and uses our situations to glorify himself.

So today let us not look at our situations or circumstances because God already knows them all. Instead, let us look at the wonder of God. Who is like God is the question asked. In all the multitude of gods worshipped in the time of Moses there was not a god that could stand up against the true God. He is majestic in his holiness and he is glorious and his wonders never cease. This week, let us focus on the holiness of God.

Prayer: Lord, you are holy. Truth, purity, righteousness, beauty and wonder are all a part of your attributes. God today I ask that help my focus not to be on the ugliness of my situations or circumstances but help me to see your beauty even in the midst of the ashes. You are the one that can turn ashes what is destroyed into something beautiful. I release my situation into your hand so that you can make it into something beautiful. Amen.

TUESDAY

ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. - 1 Chronicles 16:29

As I look around me today I want to see God's hand in action. We have two ways of viewing our situations. We can see it in a negative way or we can see things from the positive. I woke up Monday morning and I was tired. My first response was to look at the negative of my day. I was tired so I did not want to get up. I knew we were going to be running late because we were all slow in getting started. After I dropped off my entire family I looked at the gas tank and the needle wasn't even on the board let along somewhere that I was comfortable with. My first response was to get upset with my husband for giving me the car without any gas in it. I could have continued in this vain and my day could have been one complaint after another.

Yet, that is not what I seek to do this year. I do not have any intentions of allowing myself to look at my life or circumstances in a way that will discourage me. Instead I made the choice to look at my situation and say, thank you Lord. You allowed me to get my to school and work and back home safely. The first gas station I stopped at I couldn't get gas, but thank you for the second one that I was able to make it to.

I began to ascribe (give) God's name the glory it was worthy of. I began to change my focus on what was going wrong and began to thank him for what was going right. What was going right is that I am still his and he is still mine.

So I brought an offering and came before him to worship him in the beauty of his holiness. What offering did I bring? Like the requirements of the Old Testament, I brought the "first". My first words would not be misused, but used to praise God. My first thoughts would not be misspent on ugly wrong thoughts, but on the goodness of my God. My first words would not be squander on negative things but on honoring God and his mighty works. Today, let us bring an offering of praise before the holy God experience his presence.

Prayer: Lord I offer myself to you today. I offer all my first to you. I offer my first words, I offer my first thoughts and my first praises go to you. I offer you my best. Help me to give your name the glory due you. Amen.

WEDNESDAY

After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever." - 2 Chronicles 20:21

Jehoshaphat was faces with a difficulty situation. He was surrounded by his enemy and could not see how he was going to get out of this situation. He did what was the most important thing, he made the choice to talk to God. When he did, God told him to have the singers to go before the army and that God would take care of the battle.

This had to be a difficult answer to accept, but Jehoshaphat did. The scripture says after consulting with the people he chose individuals to sing and go before the army to sing the praises unto God and praise him for his holiness and his unending love.

Did you know sometimes you are called to go before the people of God as one praising God for the victory in the lives of others? God sometimes calls us even in the midst of difficulties to be the forerunner for others. This difficulty was upon all the people. Yet, some made the choice to go and stand on the front line against the battle that was soon approaching them. They decided to praise God for the victory in the lives of others.

Today I stand in my own concerns and difficulties and say praise God for he is worthy of all our praise and may my praise mixed with those others standing on the front line release the victory into our lives. May we stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Prayer: Today as I pray, I first say thank you. Somebody doesn't think they can make it. The battle is all around them and they are losing hope. Oh but God we are praising you right now for your love that never ends. We will continue to praise you and stand before you as we wait to see your hand deliver us from the enemy of our soul. Release today someone in bondage. Financial bondage, emotional bondage, relationship bondage. We stand in praise as we wait to see the salvation of the Lord. Amen.

THURSDAY

And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.' - Ezekiel 38:23

There are some that doubt what God can do. And this is not the unsaved, but those that call themselves believers. Some have waited for their blessings to come and they seem to never be coming, so they begin to doubt if God will make a difference. Sometimes we do not want to call it doubt because that says we lack faith in God. So we give it other names. We say things like, "it isn't God's will." or we say, "Maybe God does not want to bless in this way." These sayings make it easier for us to process the fact that what we are in need of is not coming.

However, it isn't that God does not want to meet the needs, he simply will do things in his own way and in his own time. Sometimes we go through the process and time does not seem to be on our side. Yet, as I look at this scripture it says to me that my God is greater than I can even imagine. God will make himself known and sometimes that way is through the lives of his people and how he delivers them. God sometimes lets us go through somethings because he wants to reveal to the world around us he is God.

Have you ever been in a situation that seemed as if it had reached its final destination and that nothing or no one could change it and then at that moment God opened up the answer you had been seeking? What happened around you? Those that thought you were gone were amazed and had to wonder in their own hearts, this surely must have been God's hand in their life. God does these things to make himself known to the world and also to his own children. Some of my most profound times in the Lord have been at those times he spoke to me through my situations.

Prayer: Lord you will make yourself known to the world. I am your child and you often times allow the situation in my life to show to others your goodness and your mercy. Lord help me even in my difficulties to be shown as a bright light and evidence that you are God. Amen.

FRIDAY

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. - 1 Corinthians 1:30

The ultimate purpose God has for all people is to be one with him through his Son. The Holiness of God is imparted to us through his Son. I started this week talking about the unemployment facing our country and how some are concerned or worried. Our situations can be overwhelming to us and that can sometimes shift our focus.

However, our focus has to be on what is the most important thing to God. The most important thing to God is that we are redeemed from sin, that we are righteous because of his righteousness we can live as we should and because of his holiness we can live holy lives.

What this says for us is this, we are not dictated to by our situations. My lack of money is not who I am. It is a temporary situation but what is most important is I am God and he is mine. I can call upon him not only for myself but for others. I can stand in praise and glorify his name and wait for him to save me from my situation. I can praise him and know that in his time he will prove himself in my life and show the world he is God. My lack is only another opportunity for God to show his abundance. His storehouse of blessings are not depleted. He has all things and all power in his hand. Today, offer him all your first as you seek him in his beauty of holiness.

Prayer: Lord I want to keep my focus on you and your ultimate purpose for me and others. Your ultimate purpose was for this world to know you are God. Help me be a light in this dark world. So that others when they see me, they see you. Amen.

The Week in Review

Assignment 1 – Theology of Worship

“Christian Worship – January 11, 2007”

What does it mean to worship? To gain an appreciation of what it means to worship, one could start with how one defines experiential worship. A person’s aesthetic capacity helps them experience God and find spiritual meaning in worship; it can also help characterize ones understanding of what it means to worship. When one answers these questions, an individual can begin to define their theology of worship.

What does it mean to worship? I like the definition given by author Stormie Omartian in her book, The Prayer That Changes Everything, where she states, “Worship and praise is the purest form of prayer because it focuses our minds and souls entirely away from ourselves and on to Him…That’s because praise welcomes His presence in our midst.” (9). She also states, “We were created to worship God…Worship must become a lifestyle” (22). Therefore, worship is devotion, adoration or love for God. We fulfill our purpose when we reverence God in our times of worship.

Worship involves one’s experiences. Experiential worship involves one’s thoughts and emotions. In the book, Experience God in Worship, the contributing author, Jack W. Hayford states, “One of Jesus’ most profound statements about worship came as he offered the woman at the well an opportunity to empty her cup of loneliness and brokenness and have it filled with his love (John 4:3-26). This passage illustrates that worship involves an exchange between God and his people. Healing and joy flow into our lives from heaven as we offer ourselves to God as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1)” (137). When believers do as scripture instructs, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30), individuals experience worship.

The individual is involving their heart (how they feel), they are involving they mind (their thoughts) and with the strength of their being. In the online article by Rich Warren, titled Planned for God’s Pleasure, he states, “God wants me to love him thoughtfully “with my mind”, passionately “with my heart and soul” and practically “with my strength” (1). Experiential worship then calls for the individual to become part of the worship by entering into the presence of God through their thoughts, as they think on the goodness of God. Just as Jack Hayford stated, when Jesus invited the woman to empty her cup of loneliness and brokenness, he was inviting her into an experience of worship where she would receive healing of her spirit from God. That is a vital part of worship. We come into the presence of God and experience his power to heal us of our brokenness and to fill our cups until they overflow with his goodness. When we receive these blessings from the Lord, we are to praise him in our thoughts, in our heart and souls and with our very strength. “God desired to bless people with victory, mercy, and lovingkindness. As we observe the worship life of David, it’s impossible to avoid one powerful conclusion: Not only is God unopposed to emotional, expressive worship – he welcomes it” (Hayford, 139).

Work cited

Barna, George, et. al. Experience God in Worship. Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, Inc. 2000.

Warren, Rick. Planned for God’s Pleasure. 2002. 7 January 2007. http://webct.macu.edu.

Pmin-3303 Unit 1. Experiencing God through the Human Aesthetic Capacity. 7 January 2007. http://webct.macu.edu/

Words of Encouragement

So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.' "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." - Joshua 24:13-15

Faithfulness. Entering the promise land.

MONDAY

We often hear of people making new years resolutions and determining they will do things better than they did the year before. You also often hear of individuals becoming discouraged when they hit the first bump in the road. This sometimes causes people to give up their quest to do things differently and soon they are back to old habits.

Let's look this week at faith in this way. We sometimes look at the previous year and determine in our hearts that we will do better. So we pray, make our resolutions to do things differently because we want different results. However, we often come across our first bump in the road and we become discouraged and soon are back to old habits. What will help us to make a difference this year that we couldn't last year? It will only be in our faithfulness to God's word.

The first step is we have to make an evaluation of where we are. The people of God were provided for by God. He had given them places to live and food to eat. He had made the provisions for them and not because of their own work or efforts. If we are to make any changes in our lives we must first start with God. We have to look to see how faithful he has been to us. If you look over 2008 you will see one instant after another of how God has taken care of you. Surely if God can be faithful to us, he can help us to be faithful to him.

Prayer: Lord I do not want to make another resolution that soon fades away because it becomes difficult for me to keep my promises. Help me to be faithful as you are faithful. Help me to keep my promises to you as I seek to live out this year completely for you. Amen.

TUESDAY

The second step in being faithful to God is simply to do it. After you have evaluated God's goodness unto you, it then requires you to put into action your thankfulness and your obedience. When you have examined your life and seen how God has blessed you, provided for you and kept you, you should want to honor him with your obedience. We cannot be faithful to God without first seeking a closer relationship with him. We must seek his direction and his wisdom in order to follow through with the specific purpose he has for our lives. There are somethings that are required for all believers but there are also some specific things that God may be calling you to do. Do you know what that is? Have you talked to God to see what he is requiring from you for this year?

Prayer: Lord, today I seek your guidance. Help me to follow you in all areas of my life. Help me to hear your clear direction on what I must do to live a holy and acceptable life before you. Help me to live a faithful life. Amen.

WEDNESDAY

The third step is to get rid of all "gods" from before. What things were a priority for you in 2008 that took the place of the real God? There is no way you can go into 2009 and possess this "land" without first getting rid of those idols from before. Many today have a problem with idea of idolatry or idol worship. They feel this is something that happened in biblical times but not today. The best way to think about idols is an idol is anything that takes a place of priority in your life and removes God from the first position of importance. If your job and career becomes more important than God, it is your "god". If having a relationship is more important than obeying God, it has become your "god". If you want to continue to experience the faithfulness of God, you must be faithful to God's commandments. We have to ask ourselves, are they anythings that I have held onto in 2008 as important that God is telling me to let go of now? Are there any relationships that I have placed as important but God has said they are keeping me from worshipping him fully? Have you gotten rid of all the "god's" in your life?

Prayer: Lord I do not want to hold onto anything from 2008 that would hinder me from receiving the blessings you have for me now in 2009. I do not want to miss the divine revelations you have for me this year. Help me to see those things that I need to get rid of and help me to walk in your way. Amen.

THURSDAY

The fourth steps is make a choice. You have evaluated God's goodness and his faithfulness. You have sought him regarding the things of priority in your life now you are faced with the simply truth, what will you do? You have to make a choice on whether you will follow God fully or if you will continue to do things in the same way as before. My pastor preached this last Sunday about focus. He said we must focus on God. The only way you and I can make the choice to follow God fully is to focus on him. Focus our attention, our heart, our actions and our lives on what is pleasing to him. When we focus on him, he will help us to live faithfully for him. We can start the year off right and end it well also. We can determine in our hearts what we will do and we can be successful at carrying out the plan. Whom do you choose?

Prayer: Lord, today help me to choose to live your way. If I have moved timidly when you have called me to move more aggressively, help me to move at your pace and in your way. Help me to choose daily to obey you and walk in your way. I can possess all the blessings you have for me, if I am willing to follow you faithfully. Help me to do so. Amen.

FRIDAY

The fifth step is to determine to go all the way, even if you go alone. Have you ever decided to lose weight at the beginning of the year after all the holiday food has taken its toll? You grab a close friend and ask them to go along with you to walk or to workout. It starts off good, but sometimes you find that friend doesn't have the time or does not want to go. You are then faced with do I go alone or do I quit? Some often quit because they do not want to go alone. Well today we must not do like that when it comes to our walk with God. If those that you are walking with for some reason or another decide not to continue on the journey, you must determine and declare as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. If you want to receive the blessing God has for you, you must start this journey and determine to finish it. Do not allow anyone to deter you from follow wholeheartedly after the Lord. Are you determined to possess the land God has for you?

Prayer: Lord I am determined to seek after righteousness. I am determined to follow you. You said that those that seek you, will find you. Help me to find you as I journey after your way. Help me to stay encouraged along the way. If no one else goes with me, I know I am not alone because you are with me. You promise never to leave me nor forsake me. I seek you completely with my heart. I will serve the Lord. Amen.

Week in Review

Writing Assignment #7 – Synthesis (part 3)

Prison Fellowship believes that crime is rooted in moral and spiritual brokenness. Therefore, the best solution to crime has to start with the changing of people’s hearts. This is true with changing any person’s life for God, there has to be a change of heart. Prison Fellowship does not overlook the innocent victims of crime, the children of prisoners. Prison Fellowship work with churches to present gifts, camping and other items to the children so they do not feel forgotten.

The church reaches outward (externally) to the lost and those in need of hearing the truth of God. This is the mission of the Church, to reach the lost. The internal benefit of the church is to grow brothers together. Roberts states, “If one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. If one soul is in destitution, those who have, are ready to supply his necessities” (1). The Love of God grows within the heart of the believer and it helps one to have love toward his brother or sister in Christ. “We love Him so greatly that we instinctively love His true friends. Those who walk in the light have fellowship for each other. They find each other out, and their hearts naturally run together. Rays of light, coming from the same source, easily mingle. Living streams, however widely separated, unite at last in the ocean. Holy persons feel that union of spirit, which is properly called, the communion of saints” (Roberts, 2)

One takes the offering of salvation to be set free from death’s grasp when one understands his need to be liberated. When a person receives this gift from God, there are changes that the Holy Spirit must make within the heart. The believer must willingly release the control of their life over to God’s Spirit. This release allows the Holy Spirit to change the heart and root the believer in Christ. “No other religion but that of Jesus will enable a person to do this. There may be the semblance. Anger may be suppressed by force of resolution. But God alone is able to make us really love our enemies, and honestly strive to promote their welfare. The Holy Spirit will enable us to hate sin, and love the sinner” (Roberts, 3). This is why God changes the heart’s of men. Man is placed into a right relationship with God because of his love for man. He offers this love to assure man of an eternal reward, but also so that man could then offer this love to others in need. The church is the avenue that God’s love flows through. Man is not saved only for himself, but so that men can do as the scripture says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Work Cited

Alter, Margaret Gramat. Christianity Today: The unnatural act of forgiveness. Vol. 41 Issue 7, P. 28, 3p 2c. 1997. 22 February 2006. http://library.macu.edu.

ccci.org: How to know God personally. 2006. 22 February 2006. http://www.ccci.org/wij.

Howard, Richard E. Newness of Life. United States of America: n.p., 1975.

Josh.org: Previous Questions -Christianity. 2004. 22 February 2006. http://www.Josh.org/apologetics/.

McGrath, Alister E. Understanding the Trinity. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1988.

Palau.org: Scripts – Encourage One Another. Palau, Luis. 2005. 22 February 2006. http://www.palau.org/ryw_new.

Pfm.org: Prison Fellowship. 2004. 22 February 2006. http://www.pfm.org/AM.

Phillips, J.B. Your God is Too Small. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1998.

Rheenen, Gailyn Van. Biblical Foundations & Contemporary Strategies: Missions. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996.

Thompson, Frank Charles, D.D., PH.D. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, 5th ed. Indianapolis, IN: B. B. Kirkbridge Bible Co., Inc., 1988.

Week in Review

Writing Assignment 2 – Divine Revelation (PART 3)

God’s word shows man’s history with God from Adam and Eve’s time in the garden through the Israelites and their journey. It shows God’s plan for mankind and how God will eventually close the curtain on time, as we understand it. Part of that revelation was that he would send his son into the world to redeem it. Therefore, Jesus’ entry into the world fulfills the promise God gave to his people. “Even though God could no longer allow them to live in their cozy paradise, he still sent them off with promises of love, protection, and of a savior who would one day win back for them and their descendants the gifts that they had thrown away. A strange God, indeed, when you consider the idea of gods that people worshiped at the time the Bible was written” (Girzone, 14).

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4). “Likewise, the truth and authenticity of the New Testament cannot be understood if the advent of Jesus of Nazareth is detached from the universal picture of the entry of God into the world, for the very fact is that the revelation of Jesus of Nazareth implies from man a previous comprehension of the mystery of God and the progressive revealing of Himself” (Dotolo, 18). “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). God revealed himself through his son to show men not only his love of them, but to show them the way in which they should walk. Jesus became the living example of what God wanted from all men. “The synthesis of this is realized by Jesus Christ, Word made flesh. With Him the historical peculiarity takes on a character that goes beyond the limits of time and space in becoming good news for every man” (Dotolo, 21).

When men understand how God reveals himself, through nature and all that he created, it draws men to ask deeper questions about themselves. As men begin to question the world they live in, it gives an opening for individuals to hear the calling of God. When God has gotten the attention of individuals that he goes seeking for, they can be reconciled back to a right relationship with God. It is in this personal walk, that men can learn more about God through their experience and insight. “Men expect from the various religions answers to the unsolved riddles of the human condition, which today, even as in former times, deeply stir the hearts of men: What is man? What is the meaning, the aim of our life? What is moral good, what sin? Whence suffering and what purpose does it serve? Which is the road to true happiness? What are death, judgment and retribution after death? What, finally, is that ultimate inexpressible mystery which encompasses our existence: whence do we come, and where are we going…Religious experience is part of that deep perception that man has of the truth and of the sense of his being and existence, of what he does and of the global destiny of his history. A perception of inhabiting the world and the history that conceals a meaning, a truth that cannot be reduced to how much a person can succeed in perceiving, but pursues him so that in the care of himself, of the world, and of the other, he might start a journey, or make an exodus, called by the Mystery that innervates reality. In the original context of the religious experience, man does not live the dream of knowledge as simple control of what is different, whose result can consist either in the magic manipulation of such knowledge or in the declaration of it as not pertinent to his existence. Rather, religious experience allows an open relationship that produces a different way of being and existing, because it puts man at the heart of reality itself, from an angle of observation in which the things themselves appear supported by other perspectives in comparison with the only human logic” (Dotolo, 9).

It is through this personal experience that one acquires a deeper understanding of God and his attributes. “Perhaps the most important statement of the approach may be found in Emil Brunner’s Truth as Encounter, which sets out the idea of revelation as a personal communication of God – that is to say, a communicationor impartation of the personal presence of God within the believer. ‘The Lordship and love of God can be communicated in no other way than by God’s self-giving’…Revelation concerns the conveying of God’s personal presence, rather than mere information concerning God” (McGrath, pp. 204-205).

Why does God take such care in revealing himself to mankind? This question can be answered in many ways, yet any answer would lead back to his love for man. God loves mankind enough to pursue them and reveal his mysteries to them. God reveals himself to those that are in relationship with him and gives them guidance through his Spirit. His Spirit empowers them to discern what is truth and what is not. God does all this because of his love for mankind. God uses many ways to show himself to men. Believers hold to God’s word as the most important way of understanding God. The Holy Scriptures were given to guide men and women. As one encounters other ways in which God reveals himself, the believer always compares these understandings with the word of God as the guideline for understanding. It is for this reason that God reveals himself to men, “That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:17). Even though this verse is referring to the use of scripture, it can be said that all that God does for men, is to equip them to walk worthy of his ways.

Work Cited

Dotolo, Carmelo (2006). Christian Revelation. Aurora, CO, USA: Davies Group Publishers.

Girzone, Joseph F. (2004). Trinity.Westminster, MD, USA: Doubleday Publishing.

McGrath, Alister E. (2001). Christian Theology – An Introduction. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Moore, Andrew. (2003). Realism and Christian Faith : God, Grammar, and Meaning.

West Nyack, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press.

Samuelson, Norbert Max. (2002). Revelation and the God of Israel. West Nyack, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press.

Thompson, Frank Charles, D.D., PH.D. (1988). The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, 5th ed. Indianapolis, IN: B. B. Kirkbridge Bible Co., Inc.