Christ Alone Journey ~ Living in HIS Presence

Pressure

2012-05-18T06:44:00.002-04:00

From Streams in the Desert today:

Pressed beyond measure; yes, pressed to great length;
Pressed so intensely; beyond my own strength;
Pressed in my body and pressed in my soul,
Pressed in my mind till the dark surges roll.
Pressure from my foes, and pressure from dear friends.
Pressure on pressure, till life nearly ends.

Pressed into knowing no helper but God;
Pressed into loving His staff and rod.
Pressed into liberty where nothing clings;
Pressed into faith for impossible things.
Pressed into living my life for the Lord,
Pressed into living a Christ-life outpoured.

We know the things that come from great pressure in this life, diamonds and jewels. Why is it that we don't see that pressure for us is the work necessary to produce refinement IN us?

I'm no different than anyone else, who likes being under pressure? The truth is that as we submit to these pressures and look to our Father for HIS provision and strength to endure, we also get to experience His grace, love and peace.

Blessings & Peace
~Robert

Making Adjustments

2012-03-25T10:01:00.000-04:00

I received the below devotional in my email this morning. I highly recommend this brother's devotionals, regardless of your vocation in life we need good solid information to guide and encourage us in our walk. Please take special note of the last paragraph.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Sunday, March 25 2012

..."Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." - John 21:6

A former client of mine was the marketing director of a large food brokerage company and told me a story about one of their client grocery stores located in the upper Midwest. It seems that the store could not understand why at a certain time every winter sales plummeted. They studied their product line and interviewed customers. They did everything possible to uncover the mystery. Finally, someone made a remarkable discovery that changed everything.

It seemed that whenever it was really cold outside, the manager raised the temperature in the store. When customers came into the store it was too warm for them, so they removed their coats and placed them in their shopping carts. This meant less room for food and resulted in reduced sales overall. They lowered the temperature of the store, and as a result, the sales climbed back to the levels they were accustomed to. Their adjustment resulted in restoring sales levels.

Jesus stood on the shoreline and watched Peter and a few of the disciples fish. Jesus yelled from the shoreline asking if they had caught anything. They had not. He then suggested they cast their line on the other side of the boat. Without knowing the person who was addressing them, they took His advice. They began catching so many fish they could not bring them in.

Adjusting our lives to God is the first thing that has to happen in order to begin experiencing Him in our daily lives. For some, it is simply following the advice of those above us. For others, it may require a major change in our job situation. Still, for others it could mean making changes in relationships. Whatever the case, you can be sure that until we adjust our lives to God we will not receive His full blessing. Ask Him today where you need to adjust to Him.

Forgiveness

2012-03-08T14:37:00.001-05:00

@CSLewisDaily: To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you - #CSLewis

Blessings & Peace

Robert
robt.wallace@gmail.com

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The Lost

2012-03-04T22:25:00.000-05:00

Luke 15:1 ESV - YouVersion.com: Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.2�And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."

From the beginning of mankind's fall until the end of this age, our Father's business has been and will always remain the same; the redemption of mankind to Himself. In another verse on the same issue Jesus made the statement, "But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick." ~Matthew 9:12 We who are saved by God's grace, were the very one's Christ was speaking of in this verse.

We all share the same root of sin and sickness! Our Father sent Jesus to show us His love made perfect. To show us how HE loves us and cares for us. Yes, Christ received sinners and ate meals with them. How else could HE show them the depth of God's love. Now, Jesus lives in us and by our Father's grace and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, we are able to share this same love and grace.

We are called to do nothing less than love each other and spread God's Good News throughout our place in this world. Join me in asking our Father for the fullness of His love to fill us to overflowing.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

What Does the Lord Require? - YouVersion.com

2012-02-24T15:39:00.001-05:00

Deuteronomy 10:12, 13 NLT

""And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good."

See it at YouVersion.com:

http://bible.us/Deut10.12.NLT

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

robt.wallace@gmail.com

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Stay Awake - YouVersion.com

2012-02-22T07:11:00.001-05:00

Luke 21:34-36 ESV

"But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

See it at YouVersion.com: http://bible.us/Luke21.34.ESV

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

robt.wallace@gmail.com

Sent from my iPhone

Renewal - YouVersion Reading Plan

2012-02-17T17:00:00.001-05:00

I've been reading the Experiencing God's Renewal Reading Plan at YouVersion.com. You might enjoy it, or one of the many other plans that are available. Check it out.

"1 Corinthians 6:19-20 gives us a friendly reminder about the importance of not only renewing what's on the inside, but also what's on the outside. Think about it for a moment. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and should be treated as such. Would you let your church building look run down or distressed? Of course not! If repairs were needed to your church, you would renovate your church so that it stands as a shining beacon of Christ's love in your community. Therefore, shouldn't we treat our bodies the same way and continually renew them so that they are able to carry out God's purpose for our lives? In what ways do you need to renew your body? Renewal can look different for everyone. For some it might be the need for a little more exercise or a better diet. It could be the need for physical healing. For others, it may be allowing God to renew you from a past sexual sin. Find where you need renewal for your body and allow God to work His healing in your life."

Blessings & Peace

Robert

robt.wallace@gmail.com

Sent from my iPhone

Check out this YouVersion Reading Plan

2012-02-15T07:13:00.001-05:00

I've been reading the Life Application Study Bible ® Devotion Reading Plan at YouVersion.com. You might enjoy it, or one of the many other plans that are available. Check it out.

"Although Abram had been demonstrating his faith through his actions, it was his belief in the Lord, not his actions, that made Abram right with God. We, too, can have a right relationship with God by trusting him. Our outward actions-church attendance, prayer, good deeds-will not by themselves make us right with God. A right relationship is based on faith--the heartfelt inner confidence that God is who he says he is and does what he says he will do. Right actions will follow naturally as by-products."

Blessings & Peace

Robert

robt.wallace@gmail.com

Sent from my iPhone

Rejoice

2012-02-14T20:40:00.000-05:00

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" ~Philippians 4:4

Sometimes it's very difficult to rejoice. In today's world with all the different pressures and obstacles we face, this might seem all but impossible. Yet, we are directed to "Rejoice in the Lord always." Praising our Father means we have to put aside the personal stuff and focus on HIM. Even as His children, saved by Christ, we still struggle with self.

Christ tells us, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." ~Matthew 16:24 Until we deny our self, rejoicing in the Lord will seems like an impossible task. In our journey we must learn to discipline our body, heart and minds. In doing so we will be well on our way to fulfilling this command.

Remember, as we journey along, that with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27). In and through Him we learn that we are able to "Rejoice in the Lord always." We also need to remember how to react to the trials and tribulations just around the corner. They wait in part to test us in this act of rejoicing.

James helps us put this in context and directs us to "consider it pure joy." The "it" here are the trials and tribulations in life. James 1:2-4, "Count it all joy, my brothers,^[a] when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Our Father's will is that we become like Jesus and in His work we face many obstacles and trials. Without these, we miss out on the greatness of our Lord and Savior. When we take stock of everything going on in our life from day to day and add in these perspectives, life shows a new focus. We still have work to do on our part as God performs His work in us.

In the end, this journey leads to an eternity with our Father and our Lord. We need these experiences as we grow in grace. Our Father is always about His business within each of us. We should embrace these times and lean on Christ always, as He will provide us with all we need to succeed. We have everything before us and on our side in this journey. Our Father who has no limitations; a Savior who provided us with the perfect example of how to live this life; and let's not forget the "great cloud of witnesses" cheering us on.

Blessings & Peace
~Robert

"Put your hope in God" - George Mueller

2012-02-07T15:20:00.001-05:00

From my hard copy of "Streams in the Desert" by L.B. Cowman for today.

Starting with Psalm 43:5; "Why are you downcast, O my soul?" When we consider who we are in Christ and our salvation, should we ever be downcast? Just this Sunday our pastor related part of a conversation, "how are you?" I was part of that conversation, he asked me and my response was....okay. Really? When we consider our destiny and where this journey will bring us to in the end, okay is a slap in our Savior's face. This is just my opinion, but is it anything less?

The devotion goes on next to point out that we have but to bring everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving to God. I think that most of my trouble, maybe yours too, is that I forget in the middle of life that I'm the child of the MOST HIGH GOD. The troubles of this life are meant to help me. Help me grow in grace. Help me by strengthening my faith. Help me to remember that only through Christ alone will I overcome in the victory of Jesus. Apart from Christ we have no hope and the future is in question and doubt. In CHRIST however, we are able to live in victory in all things!

By placing our hope in God, all things are indeed possible. Nothing is impossible with God, ever! Remembering Job and how he lost everything, children, livestock and crops. Yet after the testing was finished, God restored him and all he'd lost. God didn't just restore what was lost, but increased it all double. He had children and lived to see his children's children through four generations.

I'm not saying that God will bless us in this fashion, I am saying that with God all things are possible and this alone should keep us smiling or at the very least in peace. God alone should be the place for our hope. In Christ alone will we grow to understand this undeniable truth.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

JESUS > Religion

2012-01-24T21:51:00.002-05:00

Faith

2012-01-23T07:22:00.000-05:00

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." ~Hebrews 11:1

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." ~Hebrews 11:8

"Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."" ~Matthew 9:2

Faith is something often struggled with as if it is mystical or beyond grasp. The truth is much easier and we only make it difficult to understand when related to God. We struggle to understand faith with regard to our Lord and Savior, God our Creator and God our Father. Many may say, "It's just so hard because I haven't seen Him or He doesn't 'talk' to me...."

Looking at the first verse quoted above, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see". We put these words into action everyday with regard to many things in our life. For example, the breaks on our cars will work every time we press the break pedal. That the lights will come on in a dark room just by flipping the light switch. Taking medicine makes the symptoms of colds or illness go away. The sun will rise today and tomorrow.

We place faith into things we do not understand all the time and have little to zero understanding of how they work. I'm not a pilot and really do not understand completely how airplanes fly, yet I will purchase a ticket and walk onto a plane in full confidence that the pilot's and crew will safely take everyone on board to the destination. Did the Wright brothers envision the aircraft we have today? I don't know, but they believed flight was possible and set out to prove the point.

Abraham believed God long before he arrived in the land God promised and the promise to make him the father of all nations. God called him out and Abraham took action, "certain of what we do not see". He left his home and lands for the unknown, based solely on God's word.

We could go on and on with the examples today. For now, are you willing to take action on what God is calling you to do today? Do we really believe God for our daily life and all that we need? We either believe God or we don't. We accept His Word as truth and walk in faith or we don't. Faith grows stronger in action. We cannot grow stronger by wishing a thing is true. We accept something as true in the absence of any physical evidence.

Based on stepping toward our Father and walking in the direction He leads, we will experience growth in faith and we will learn how to make this journey in Christ alone. As with everything in life, we will have successes and failures in our walk. Faith in God's Word and character will become unwavering as we continue to keep our focus on Him in the journey. Distractions will come in every form to shake us, to derail our course. We purpose to live by faith, believing that God will see us through.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

Expectations - Cont....

2012-01-21T10:34:00.001-05:00

Last week I left us with the following:

"We will continue this topic..... For now, let's examine ourselves to see if we're living today and everyday in expectation. The expectation that as we move and grow closer to our Father through Jesus, are we expecting to know more of Him in our life? Are we expecting HIS presence, power and peace? Are we expecting HIM to lead us in this life as we've given our life completely to HIM?"

Daily and in the moments of each day, we have the opportunity to seek HIS presence and expect HE wants us to seek HIM. This is the way a deep, honest and involved relationship works. Be honest with yourself, do you think of those closest to you during your day? If you're married or engaged, how often do you think about your mate during your day? Although separated by the business of the day, our relationship doesn't cease or suffer. We still desire this one we love, the person we've committed our live to in this earthly journey.

My wife (Tracy) calls me everyday during her lunch. Just checking in to see how I'm doing and "what cha' doing". Sometimes, I'm unable to take her call or even able to call her back and I hate this. We banter and have a short two minute conversation. We love doing this, because we love each other and want to speak to one another. At times, we talk longer as something needs our attention and some action maybe required.

I bring this up to say, commitment to one another is more than talk. She and I decide that we want to stay connected. We want and need to talk during our day. We want to be together more than apart. Here it is, we EXPECT that our desire is the same one for the other! I expect she's going to call and guess what, if she gets busy and doesn't call, I'm on the phone calling her.

Expectations build in a relationship just as naturally as breathing. Now for the rub. If we are cavalier in our walk with our Lord and Savior, can we really expect to know His presence? If we don't read and study HIS Word, can we honestly expect to learn who HE is to us? Without a consistent prayer life, can we ever learn to converse with our Father? Without walking in faith by taking steps of faith, can we ever develop trust in our Father?

By studying HIS Word, we can expect to see how our Father has dealt with His children, since Adam and Eve. In studying we learn how to avoid pitfalls and greater still we learn of the consistency of God. Our Father never changes, His actions, concern and discipline are all the result of HIS great love for us!

In prayer, we learn how to pour out our hearts in confession of failings and sins. We learn how to honestly praise HIM for who HE is and who HE is in our life. To acknowledge that we need HIM in every area of our life. (This certainly grows as we grow, because we start out being self-reliant due to our sin nature.) In prayer we bare ourselves to HIM who knows everything about us already, but in doing so we acknowledge to our self that HE knows and cares. In prayer we confess all to our Father without condemnation, for HIS plan is work out in us the very image of Jesus Christ.

Steps of faith are those actions we take believing the truth of God before seeing the truth. We tithe and give offerings first out of obedience to His Word. Then we see His faithfulness to us and we start giving more based on the experience of our faith. As we go along, our Father places challenges before us to stretch our faith. An every case, faith is what we believe turned into action.

Faith is the way we walk expectantly in God's truths. At every turn, in the moments of life both large and small. Sometimes, I personally marvel more at seeing HIM is the smallest of things. Regardless, as we grow and come to expect meeting our Father in every aspect of this life, we find HIS rhythm for our life.

Live expectantly today and every day, for our Father wants to be in a active, intimate and vibrant relationship with you and I.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

Expectation

2012-01-16T09:42:00.000-05:00

Expectation - the act or state of expecting : anticipation <in expectation of what would happen.

Expectation is the thing that comes along as we grow. For everyone, the time is different and isn't related in any specific way. As we look back on the lives of those who have gone before us we can see in all of them, determination.

The Old and New Testaments are full of examples. Christ's church - beginning with the Apostles moving through today, is not lacking in examples. We can and will point out examples from scripture and church history. However, we must remember that what takes place today will one day be discussed as historical to future generations.

So much has and is happening in our Lord's church. God is still working out HIS Holy plan of reconciliation for all mankind. While the cannon's of His Word are closed, God our Father isn't done. His message still goes forward through us! Since Christ's ascension and until His return, we have been and are living in exciting times. His church waits and has been waiting for HIS return.

Christ gave examples of waiting expectantly for His return, for God to move and work through our lives. We can trace people all the way back through the Old Testament who've been given a task, a mission or signs to look for and they've worked, waited or moved....expectantly.

Abraham, moved in faith to a land foreign to himself and family. He waited for a promised heir to be born. In just these two different examples, whether waiting or moving he did so expectantly and in faith.

Noah endured ridicule in his journey building the ark with his sons. Faith that God would cause rain to fall, even though "rain" was something new. They went on building as they expected God to be faithful to HIS word.

In captivity, the children of Israel believed the prophets and expected God's personal intervention so they could be freed from their bondage. During their times of captivity, they work for those holding them in bondage and their captors prospered.

Expectation was woven into the fabric of their lives. Not the expectation of man, but of God. What about the three Hebrew's, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego? Their expectation began with a step of faith. That God would honor and protect them as they held to their belief that the kings' best food and drink wasn't in their best interest. As they stood on their faith and trusted God, so did their expectation that God would prove HIMSELF to be the only God. They expected that whether they lived or died in the fiery furnace, God would reign show Himself the God of all.

Fast forward to the disciples. Before Christ ascended, He instructed the disciples to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. That the Holy Spirit would be with them (and us) in His absence. Trusting Christ and having faith, they stayed together and prayed, expecting that the Holy Spirit would indeed come as promised.

We will continue this topic..... For now, let's examine ourselves to see if we're living today and everyday in expectation. The expectation that as we move and grow closer to our Father through Jesus, are we expecting to know more of Him in our life? Are we expecting HIS presence, power and peace? Are we expecting HIM to lead us in this life as we've given our life completely to HIM?

Blessings and Peace
~Robert

Determination

2012-01-12T03:31:00.002-05:00

The quality of mind which reaches definite conclusions; decision of character; resoluteness. ~Wiktionary

Biblically the first thing that pops to mind is Paul's point to the church in Corinth, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable."~1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Additional references that are fairly well known are: 1 Thessalonians 4:11, Galatians 1:10, Numbers 13:30 and 1 Samuel 17:45-51. All of these speak to determination. There are many others in God's Word that speak directly to our topic. We have so many other examples of standing up determined to do what is right in the sight of our Father, regardless of what men may think or do as a result. These have been very difficult and sometimes perilous.

We are not called to do "easy" in this life, we are called to do right. Right as defined by our Holy Father. How difficult it must have been for Nathan to confront David. ~2 Samuel 12 David the king, anointed by God to serve the nation of Israel. Delivered by God from the hands of his enemies and his own father, Saul. Powerful before all who had ever heard his name and Nathan had to address David's sin. David, could have reacted very badly and had Nathan killed. Nathan had to determine that regardless of the outcome, God was in control and right.

We stand at cross roads daily. Turning to the left or the right, moving forward or back and sometimes frozen in place. Sometimes it is resolve alone, our determination that carries us through. The "testing of your faith" (James 1:3) is required in order for us to grow. Without determination, I dare say that we would be easily led astray.

Seeking our Father's strength, resolve and courage is exactly what we need to stand determined and to be counted for His Kingdom. They are bedrocks on which faith, passion and conviction stand. Deep roots, the beating winds and rain, heat and cold all contributed to the massive trees in our forests. Why do we expect a life of ease to get us to the other side, when everything else in God's creation tells us strife and struggle are required?

To be all God has called us to be for His glory and Kingdom, we need deep rooted determination. I'm seeking my Father's boundless grace, love and strength to see me through. "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." ~Philippians 4:13 I recently heard someone say; since that verse is true, then that means that I can do nothing without Him.

Jesus is our all, His portion is ours. He determined long before Calvary that we were and are worth the trip. Worth leaving glory so we could come into His Father's Kingdom as joint heirs. We should determine that nothing is more important in this life than our service to Him as He desires.

When we think about it, determination is a great place to start our day.

Blessings & Peace
~Robert

Courage

2012-01-11T06:13:00.000-05:00

Courage is defined differently depending on who you talk to on the subject. Wikipedia defines courage "is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, orintimidation. "Physical courage" is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death, while "moral courage" is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement."

I remember that Jesus warned Peter that Satan wanted to sift him as wheat. “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Look closely at the last sentence, which is verse 32, "And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers". ~Luke 22:31-32

Peter would need courage to return and in doing so would be able to strengthen his brothers. Not just courage, but determination as well. Being human we're incredibly hard on our self for failures and become extremely embarrassed when we stumble or fail. So, Jesus was planting the seed in advance that Peter would need courage.

Peter goes on to proclaim his support for Christ up to and including death. Jesus knew Peter's heart was in the right place and like all of us, He knows the human condition and the weakness to declare things in haste. Never doubt that Peter loved Christ as deeply as any of us or any of the other disciples, Christ certainly didn't.

It takes boldness, courage and determination to stand up and hold to your beliefs when you're alone. It takes a greater measure of these to climb back up from a fall. We know it can be done for God's Word is full of examples. Men and women have fallen or made mistakes and yet they went on to have positive impacts for our Father's Kingdom.

If we lack courage, we have only to ask our Father to help us. Make no mistake in asking, He will allow the testing to begin. Opportunities to be courageous will come. Courage, like faith, requires action in this life. We can't claim faith without putting it to work. Courage is the same way, we must act courageously. Both courage and faith gain strength in the same way, through action.

Christ overcame death and the grave for all mankind. We have only to believe this simple truth. As His children have within us the same character of Christ, because we are a new creation in HIM.
~2 Corinthians 5:17 We can have courage to be who God has called us to be in this life.

Blessings & Peace
~Robert

Prayer

2012-01-10T07:40:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had a phrase or thought and it was just beyond your reach? Such is the case with this blog topic. It's as though the time wasn't right for me to write this blog entry or any other before today.

Prayer is critical to our walk of faith and our relationship with Jesus and our Father. I confess that my time in my prayer closet isn't as consistent as I'd like. My day is filled with opportunities to pray and I do take advantage of these and recommend you do likewise. We have the capacity to "pray without ceasing" (~1 Thessalonians 5:17).

We have thoughts flowing in and out of our minds and hearts constantly. Mixed in with the "business" of the day are these opportunities to have connecting prayer with our Father through Jesus. By choosing to pray often throughout our day, we invite Jesus to actively participate in our day.

Back to the stumbling block or mental block that had stayed my mind. I was searching for the time the disciples couldn't cast a demon out of a child. Finally, a few days ago God in His mercy allowed me to catch the verse. In Mark 9:14-29, is the healing of this boy and the disciples wondered that they could not. This passage is referred to for "All Things Are Possible" and with God they are indeed possible.

What has always struck me with the passage is in the final verse, "This kind can come out only by prayer." (NIV) In the passage linked above, the NASB translation is, "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer." Not only do we have example after example of Jesus going off alone to pray and pray often. Here HE shows us the whole weight of the matter of prayer.

I'm challenged daily to stay connected through prayer and to increasingly lay all matters in my life before Christ. I believe our relationship with our Savior and Father is desperate for this ongoing contact and so for me it is necessary.

Prayer is the one thing we can embrace always and at any time.

Blessings & Peace
~Robert

Read God's Word

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

I closed yesterdays blog entry with the following:

"Read His word, pray for strength and courage to follow. Stay resolved to follow Him and seek Him in all things. We, by His grace will succeed. Move forward today with a new sense of resolve and determination to live out our Father's will and way."

Often the question from new Christians is, "where do I start reading"? Without question, myself and others say to start with one of the four gospels in the New Testament. I prefer to suggest John as a great place to start. I also recommend John to those of us who have been Christians for some time as a place to revisit and study in depth for a fresh start.

By reading John's account of Jesus we are also referred back to the Old Testament scriptures. I know many folks who don't understand the purpose of the Old Testament and struggle to read it's passages. I have in the past and do still at times wrestle with these passages. It is in the struggle that we find ourselves placing our desire and need at our Father's throne.

We have only to ask our Father to help us understand and He willingly provides this help. We have to ask and believe that the answers are given, even when the answer isn't immediately revealed. Remember this is a journey. Clarity and understanding is accomplished through continuous effort and dedication.

Reading His word, both the Old and New Testaments are right and necessary for learning who God is and drawing close. "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." ~Romans 10:17 We also should remember that, "For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ~Hebrews 4:12

To journey with Christ and live in His presence, we must dig into His Word. Everything we've ever desired has required of us; attention, dedication and pursuit. We cannot and should not expect that our relationship with Jesus involves anything less. God gave us His best and deserves nothing less in return.

Commit to reading God's Word and meditating on His Word. Sow His Word into your heart and draw closer each day. Do this everyday and before you know it, you'll find that having time in His Word is more precious and desired than anything else.

Blessings & Peace
~Robert

Rebellion

2012-01-02T09:30:00.000-05:00

Quiet Walk Daily Bible Reading Devotional, Walk Thru the Bible, Christian Devotions:

"We see the first example of this in Genesis 3:6. First, Eve "saw" the forbidden fruit. No transgression yet. Then she "desired." Still no transgression--but a step closer. Finally, she "took and ate." Transgression."

Yesterday, I wrote a short note on setting new goals for the new year. Right out of the gate, the devotion I've linked here helps us to recognize that opposition to our plan crouches at our door looking for the crack to gain entrance. It will most likely be the "little" things that pose the largest threat to our walk today.

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." ~1 Corinthians 15:58 We need to resolve daily and stand firm on the decision we made for God yesterday. We do this by reaffirming our decision as our first act everyday. The second step involves moving forward in everything we do to reach the goal.

The enemy looks to use "little" opportunities to distract us. When he has our attention focused away from God and our goal, then he waits to see what we do next. Like Eve, at this point we've only lost focus for the moment. When we really have our hearts and minds set on living in His presence, we will recognize what is taking place. Through God's strength and grace, we will be able to turn away from the distraction and continue our journey with Christ.

Should you or I stumble and fall, God's grace is sufficient. "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." ~2 Corinthians 12:9 Our Father allows for tests and trials to come into our life to strengthen our faith in Him. It is through adversity that we learn and grow, building on the experience that points to Christ alone.

Read His word, pray for strength and courage to follow. Stay resolved to follow Him and seek Him in all things. We, by His grace will succeed. Move forward today with a new sense of resolve and determination to live out our Father's will and way.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

Resolutions....

2012-01-01T08:13:00.000-05:00

Good Morning and welcome to 2012!

I find it interesting, considering my journey, the amount of weight given to the "New Year". I do appreciate the ability to mark specific points in time during this life and milestones that we are able to reflect on. So, what will we do with or accomplish in 2012?

I challenge you to join me in a couple of pretty straightforward goals/resolutions:

Know nothing except Christ; Him crucified and His love for all mankind. Our Father's desire that all come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and in doing so become restored to a right relationship to our Father.
To love our neighbors as ourself. To treat the elderly with the respect of fathers and mothers. Men and women as brothers and sisters if they are in Christ. To see the lost as Christ sees them, with a broken heart, burdened for their redemption and eternal salvation.

Of course these are just the goals. Reaching these goals will require steps that I haven't outlined here today. Some steps will require that we actually make new efforts in our journey and others are already second nature in our walk.

We each must look to God for help in examining where we stand and what we need to work on for growth and for accomplishing His will and way for our life. As we move forward from here today, intentional steps are again required.

We should resolve to love Christ with every fiber of our being and this means putting aside those desires and goals that are only temporary and just for this life alone. Through Christ, we are to live this life to the fullest and He makes the provision for all things. So, I believe that as we journey in Christ and Him alone, we will find that HE will lead us into a life that is fuller and richer than anything we could ever manage on our own.

Choose today who you will serve and cherish.

Blessings & Peace,
~Robert

Worship Day 2

2011-12-21T07:21:00.000-05:00

Wikipedia starts off by saying, "religious devotion". I'll assume religious because our world insists that our spiritual lives and physical lives are separated one from the other. I believe that they are not divided. Can we cut off our heads and still live? The answer is obviously no and yet we are driven by the world and the devil to believe that everything is separated.

Let's discuss Devotion as defined at Dictionary.com. Devotion: profound dedication, consecration. Follow the link to read the additional descriptions. "Profound dedication" in today's world is extreme or radical and yet our Father, the creator of all the universe is profoundly dedicated to the reconciliation of HIS creation back to Himself. He sent Jesus Christ to become the ultimate sacrifice for all of mankind for this very purpose. God set the standard for devotion by willingly giving His best, His all for us.

Profound dedication shouldn't give us pause. I know people. and I'm sure you do as well, who are driven to succeed in their careers. So dedicated in fact that they barely see family or anyone else beyond their work. In our society today, this is acceptable behavior. Yet anyone outside of the clergy who shows this drive for Christ and His church gets a label; zealot, religious freak, fanatic, intolerant and the list goes on.

The truth is that our God is a jealous God. Exodus 20:5 - "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the fourth generations of those who hate Me,". Oh but you say, that's just in the Old Testament and I ask you to remember what Jesus said, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the Holy angels." ~Mark 8:38

I've used just two examples of what I believe show God's expectations concerning our devotion to Him. He's jealous for our devotion, dedication, worship and He expects us to be open about who He is in our life. While we live and work, God still expects us to be devoted to Him is everything we do. "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men," ~Colossians 3:23

Regardless of what we do, if devotion is defined as profound dedication, then even our work and play should be acts of worship. All that we are and do should reflect our faith and should glorify our Father. This is the goal, the purpose for our life. To live in worship of our Father is founded on our being profoundly dedicated to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God send His best and He deserves our best. The choice as always is ours. We can proclaim His majesty and glory to the ends of the earth and make disciple of men or we can choose to live for our own selfish desires and purposes. We can't do both and still worship Him in spirit and truth.

Glorify God with me today. Put Christ first in all things and be His light to all who see you today as you worship Him in all you do!

Blessings & Peace
~Robert

Worship

2011-12-20T07:36:00.000-05:00

Let's start with a definition from Wikipedia:
"Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship."

The link goes into brief overviews of various religions and by following the link you can read those. My focus over the next few blogs will speak directly to "devotion directed" and in our case devotion directed to God our Father, the creator of all that has ever been, is now and forever.

Today worship is usually referred to as that time set aside in a church service where songs a sung. Some consider giving tithes and offerings as worship. Prayer time both during church and individually are considered as worship. What about reading God's word or working or playing?

Starting with what we all agree to be worship and moving forward over the next few days leading to Christmas, I want to discuss these different areas of life with regard to worship.

Singing songs and listening to songs written to praise and honor God have always been considered a direct act of worship. These songs point to our Father's many attributes; blessing, courage, faithfulness, glory, honor and victory to name some on a short list. They speak to who God is to us and to who we are in Him. How He gives us comfort, courage and strength.

When we sing songs to Him, we fill His joy rising up in our hearts as we are giving Him glory, honor and praise through song for all praise is rightfully His to receive. Anyone who has ever been down or feeling less than their best, can attest to the fact that praising God through song has an immediate impact on their spirit and outlook.

Personally, I know over the years there have been times when I didn't want to go or do anything. During those moments, I will find myself singing songs of praise to God and before I realize it my mood has changed. My spirit just a bit lighter and then I begin to pray, leaving the burdens on the alter of my heart at the foot of Christ's cross.

Music is very powerful and provides a gateway to worship that is very easy to enter. Songs make it easy for everyone to enter into a time of worship. Rhythm is easily found for everyone in song. A connection that seems much easier when music is involved.

We are a people created to love music and dance. We're drawn to music more easily than almost anything else in this life. I believe it is one of the very core parts created in us by God. Song draws us into greater depths. Songs of worship draw us closer and into a deeper relationship with God our Father.

Blessings & Peace
~Robert

Giving Away

2011-12-17T21:37:00.000-05:00

During this time of year, every year for that matter, even the world at large says that it is better to give than receive. What about the rest of the year? I think the answer is that it isn't "fashionable". I also believe that as Christians we aren't setting the proper example.

Jesus gave of Himself during His ministry and ultimately all of Himself on the cross at Calvary. "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it." ~Matthew 10:39 As Christians, we should seek opportunities daily to give to our communities. Starting with the time before Thanksgiving and running through Christmas, we have food drives, the Angel tree program, visit's to nursing homes for our elderly.

We should be opening our hearts to those in need and as God enables us, we should fulfill needs. Giving in Christ's name for His purpose will glorify the Father. We should begin now seeking how over the last few weeks of this year we can serve our Father in this regard.

Going forward into the coming year to come, will we plan to continue serving others? Will serving others fade away as Christmas time with family and friends starts to fade? We must be challenged to seek God's direction for meeting His purposes here and now. Not just during this special time of year.

How we serve our Savior is personal. Not all are given the same gifts or talents. I know many who are involved monthly, weekly and/or daily at home and abroad in our Lord’s service. Is it possible that we aren't involved and we need to get started somewhere? Do we have more to give? The Christian life IS about giving, not receiving!

Life here is a journey. I write this blog to challenge myself and those who read it. The challenge is to realize that it IS Christ alone who enables us for this journey. That living in His presence is more than talking about it. This is all about exercising our faith.

Faith is a statement that indicates an action. It's not enough to say, "I believe this or that," proof is required and that requirement is action. We can say we believe all day long, it is only when we are tested that we discover the truth about what we believe.

If we believe Christ gave everything and has called us to give and serve others, we must step up and be moved to act in His name. We always receive what we give. Whether in helping in some way or participating in various forms of worship (specific definitions to follow in another blog entry).

Think about this, Christ was always giving. God our Father gave first to us. He still gives first in all things. We’ve never been asked to do anything that Christ didn’t do first. Christ lead by example and he calls us to do the same now. Lead a lost world to Christ by following His example of giving ourselves to HIS commission. That commission is: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” ~Matthew 28:19-20

We are to share the compassion and love of Christ and to accomplish this, we MUST GIVE. The choice is ours to make. Either we believe God and Christ and willingly give as He has given or selfishly cling to that which we can’t keep. I pray we all choose life and seek how God will use us to actively participate in HIS Kingdom work.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

"I-tis"

2011-12-17T08:24:00.002-05:00

(pathology) Suffix denoting diseases characterized by inflammation, itself often caused by an infection.

We have many examples to draw from where this suffix is used; arthritis, bursitis, colitis, meningitis, tendinitis and so forth. We wouldn’t wish any of these or any of the others not mentioned on anyone. Yet, none of these compare to the desperation of the deadliest “itis” of all.....”I-tis”!

The “I-tis” that begins and ends with “I”. I watched a movie recently where a man pointed out the clinched fists of babies. He explains, these babies are grabbing for everything and they are desperate to hold on to everything. As we get closer to the end of our journey here, we realize that we can’t hold onto any of the “things” we’ve worked so hard to get and hold onto. So, we start giving things away.

“...The sin which doth so easily beset us.” ~Hebrews 12:1 Have you ever noticed that the very center of the word “sin” is the letter “I”? All sin springs forth from “I” and all it’s various forms; me, myself and I. The heart of the matter is purpose. Do I purpose to fulfill my desires and purposes? Or do I purpose to fulfill God’s purposes for my life and desire them?

Once we settle the “I” condition by turning our life’s goals to our Father’s, then we journey with Christ and in doing so are able to live life in His presence. When I was growing up and playing baseball we had a saying, maybe you’ve heard it, “practice makes perfect”. Only God is perfect and we strive to reach what we believe to be perfect.

When we place our focus on our Father and His will, then we turn the corner from “I” and move forward. Trusting our Father for everything we need by focusing on Him, we journey together with Him. As we reflect on our new journey, we will see in fact that our desires and needs are in fact one with our Father. The things we’re doing, places we’re going and the people we meet are all beyond anything we could have ever imagined.

Life becomes easier to journey through. Problems still come along with difficulties that seem larger than life, however it’s different now. Now we know the presence of our Father in new and greater ways! He makes all the difference and with our focus now fixed on Him and His kingdom, personal issues are not such big deals.

Living in His Presence focusing on Christ Alone for the journey in this life makes all the difference in what we see. This makes all the difference in what we hear. Ultimately, this make the difference for everything in and around our life here.

Blessings & Peace

~Robert

Honor Him in the Trials

2011-12-11T07:40:00.000-05:00

Streams in the Desert Daily Devotional, Charles Cowman, Christian Bible Devotions:

"A man has as much religion as he can show in times of trouble. The men who were cast into the fiery furnace came out as they went in--except their bonds."

It's in the fire where we come to know depth of our faith. We need to remember that all we do in the day to day builds up our faith. The little steps make the difference. Staying true to our Lord and Savior in the little things are just as important as the "big" things.

"But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food..." I know many have read this passage in Daniel before and initially thought that eating the food wouldn't have been a "big deal". And it might not have really been that important. However, in the end that decision became another part of the greater foundation laid in there lives. He and his companions could not have know that one day they would be tested by fire!

Yesterday, in this blog, we talked about what is right in our own eyes and what is right in God's eyes. Daniel shows us just one example of this point. He believed that God wanted them to eat only those foods and drink that would honor God and testify to who they were as God's children. Sticking to this principle, God honored this step of faith and they prospered.

They become men looked up to and eventually when the time was right, they faced a test. This test could have never been foreseen by this young men. Had they not taken small steps of faith and obedience, there is NO reason to believe for a moment that they would have stood on their faith now. The sum of their actions paved the way for their actions on that day!

It was before, during and after this test where their testimony honored God and Him alone. We can't expect to live our life as we wish and then when the tests come, expect God to show up and save us. We must take the same path as Daniel, step by step, in faith following God's lead in our life.

Make no mistake, this journey is a step by step process. By following His direction in the smallest details we will lay a foundation that honors God. This journey is full of tests, all designed to build us up in Christ to honor God. As we practice living in His presence, the smaller tests become easier. When the trails comes, they too are more peacefully endured as we know that God is right there with us...in the fire!

Blessings & Peace

~Robert