As Christmas Day approaches, thinking about God; make that slowing down to consider the Lord is a difficult task. Pondering what presents you are going to buy, how much each will cost and when you will make take to find them all can be exhausting. Thus, tithing back to God or offering your talents to the church often get’s lost in the holiday rush.
While reading the Bible recently, traces of giving back to God are interspersed within the Pentateuch, another name for the first 5 books of the Old Testament. In the back of my mind, I want to give 10 % or the first portion of my paycheck back to God, yet a lack of a faith is preventing me from experiencing supernatural blessings. If only I would trust God to provide daily bread, then the storehouses of heaven might open.
Perhaps this is why the apostle Paul wrote, “the things I don’t want to do I do, but those I hate I do, ” Romans 7:15. This invisible force field prevents genuine believers from a spiritual breakthrough. Alone, on my own strength, I am hopeless, destined for failure, Romans 3:23. However, by grace, through faith, stands a God of second, third and fourth chances, Ephesians 2:8-10. May this promise catapult you to new heights as you remember to give God what is rightfully His, your first fruits, Romans 7:4.
At church last Sunday, I heard a verse from the Bible that struck a nerve. When reality hits home, its hard to ignore, especially when a verse sums up the last 15 years of your life. Lamentations 3:17 references Jeremiah, who is speaking a message to Israel given to him by the Lord. In essence, God’s chosen people had forgotten what is was like to experience prosperity during their years of exile.
As for me, I moved to Delaware a wealthy man, at least in my own eyes. Wise investments after getting married resulted in enough money to pay for our first house in cash. However, being told to rely on first time home buyer tax breaks, my wife and I decided to save most of this for the future. Unfortunately, when many of the .com companies went belly up in 2000, I lost nearly $65,000 dollars in the stock market. With this slush fund basically gone, the hits kept coming as my teaching salary wasn’t enough to support a family, losing on average of $2000 a year. Thus, our savings account quickly became an accumulating debt which has taken a toll on both of us, sending my family into our own sort of financial exile.
However, if you’ve never had a bad day in life, you won’t be able to appreciate the good ones. Thus, the James 1:2-4 principle applies to forgotten prosperity. When your money is gone, God is a last resort, a crutch to help you stand back up. I wish the last 15 years had a different ending, but for now what’s done is done. The hard part is moving on, swallowing your pride and trusting God for daily bread, Matthew 6:11. I’m not sure what God has planned, yet it’s never too late to pray for a Job like conclusion, Job 42:12-15. Go with God and God will go with you!
When a person is depressed, its hard to lesser their pain. In fact, its only takes one negative individual to suck the life out of a room. Before you know it, doom and gloom hovers over this place, like a dense spiritual fog influencing the behavior of others in a negative manner.
Known as the weeping prophet, Jeremiah was not a bull frog; rather he was a servant of God who was given mostly bad news to convey to Israel. In a letter called Lamentations, Jeremiah pours out his heart to God. Wrestling with questions such as why me God, this distraught man let’s his emotions out through the writing of this biblical book. Lamentations 3:17 gives a quick snap shot of Jeremiah’s misery, “I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.”
Despite what the present may bring you, holding on to misery is the wrong choice. Yes, a sad face is good for the heart, but endless complaining is not a healthy solution, Philippians 2:14. May you follow after the example of Mary in John 12:1-3, as she demonstrated Jesus’ own advice in Matthew 11:28-30. Whatever burdens are rocking your world, may you find rest for your soul at the feet of Jesus. Hope is waiting for you on the other side of the door, Revelation 3:20.
Beginning December 1st, I will only witness the sun on Sunday’s over the next 3 weeks leading up to Christmas. As the peak shopping season has commenced, I am planning to spend 18 of the next 21 days at work, from sunup to sundown. Since my shift starts at 7am and goes until 5:30 pm, the sun doesn’t rise before I arrive and has set well before my ride home. While there are plenty of lights inside, for now making enough money to survive is of vital importance.
At least for one month, I can relate to the schedule Moses kept during Israel’s 40 year trek in the wilderness, prior to experiencing the promised land, Exodus 18:13-14. That is until Jethro, a concerned father in law, intervened, providing Moses with a plan to elevate his stress level. Although I will miss several opportunities for fun in the sun, the bigger picture is etched in my mind. Despite the exhaustion and pain my body will endure, a large paycheck will make Christmas that much more merrier, knowing I will have the funds to pay off most of our bills.
As a child, I went to sleep every night listening to Here Comes the Sun by the Beattles off their Abbey Road album. Before the days of itunes, mp3 players, CD’s and cassettes, all I had was a hand me down record player with an 8 track deck. It wasn’t much, but I treasured this possession, taking good care of it for nearly 20 years until I could afford to buy a new stereo. Thus, I had a tradition, when the sun set and my lights went out, I maneuvered the needle just in the right place, listened to the dust, occasionally making a skipping sound and feel asleep dreaming of another day of the sun rising over the ocean. In this Christmas season, may the sun shine bright on your life and family.
In biblical numerology, the number 7 is symbolic of perfection, like a complete 7 day week. Thus, the number 6 refers to being incomplete. Without a day of rest on the 7th day, a week is imperfect, breaking from God’s design for mankind in Genesis 2:2-3. Meanwhile, the number 3 indicates wholeness, like the trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. When you add 3 sevens together, this signifies complete perfection. On the other hand, 666, also known as the mark of the beast, represents complete imperfection.
Ezekiel 28:11-19 contains a prophecy against the King of Tyre. Strangely enough, this leader is compared to Lucifer, the angel of song thrown out of heaven by God the Father. Based upon the account in Genesis 3:1-5 and Matthew 4:1-10, the devil appears to be an imposter, someone trying to imitate the Lord of All. This masquerade continues today with angelic qualities, described by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. Although counterfeits have nearly exact features, time will give away their cover. In the end, this knock off of the Creator of Life will be exposed, but will his victims have time to turn back?
Every decade, another prophet so to speak will claim he or she knows the day when Jesus will return. Others will swear to be made aware of signs from the Holy Spirit like a modern day John the Baptist. Their words can be tested, using the Bible as a measuring stick, 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22. Some may even fall prey to spells cast by these dynamic leaders just as Jesus predicted nearly 2000 years ago, Matthew 24:10-11. Since everyone is forced to live in the world, the best solution is following the words of Jesus’ baby brother, James 4:7-10. May this advice serve as a blue print, to protect you from the schemes of the one labeled six, six, six, Ephesians 6:10-11.
One hundred and six years prior to William Seymour’s preaching which transformed downtown Los Angeles, many Americans had abandoned God. According to a 17th century historian, Ian Murray reports this moral decay in the book Revival and Revivalism. Based upon his research, 1799 was one of the darkest periods for followers of Jesus in the United States. Church attendance rapidly declined, mock communions were often held on college campus’ and committed prayers dwindled down to a few. Religious persecution grew, causing the weak to deny their faith and true believers to meet in secret, fearful of being targeted by a growing godless culture. When all seemed lost, America experienced its first great spiritual awakening in 1800 through an outpouring of the Holy Spirit like the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
A century later, another movement was on the verge of breaking loose, but this time it began across the pond in England. Leonard Ravenhill, a 20th century historian on revival went to the origin of this spiritual outbreak to see what elements precipitated God’s presence in the form of the Holy Spirit. Behind average at best preaching and worship, an anointing of prayer led to an outpouring of confession. As a result, the area crime rate dropped to zero as prisons became empty. By the time police were being laid off, churches hired these men to direct the traffic in and around prayer, teaching and revival meetings. Reaching beyond the church doors, miners felt compelled to stop cursing and swearing, resulting in retraining of mules since they didn’t know how to respond to kind words.
As a black man living in Houston, William Seymour was forced to sit outside the main lecture area, listening to God’s teaching through an open door in a hallway. Attending Charles Parham’s Bible School in 1905, Seymour did not allow his one blind eye to quench his thirst for God’s Word. Introduced to the teaching of glossolalia, known today as speaking in tongues, William felt called to take this teaching to the streets of LA. On a street called Azusa, Seymour founded the modern Pentecostal movement as the gifts of the Holy Spirit spread like wildfire across the country. Oppressed by theology, Seymour believed God is the same yesterday, today and the future, including spiritual gifts in his belief system.
Today, spiritual gifts tend to be divisive, separating the body of Christ instead of uniting under the guise of light. Both sides of the argument can assume equal blame as some churches disregard Paul’s teaching regarding orderly worship mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 & 14. Meanwhile, the frozen chosen have grown cold, lacking love and a sense of respect when it comes to discussing theology in a god honoring manner. As for me, I’ve been on both sides of this issue throughout my life. However, currently, I believe there are traces of Azusa Street in the future for America and across the world. Go no further than South Korea and Nigeria’s revival in the past 10 years to realize, God is not done with mankind. Therefore, as you live day to day, don’t be surprised if traces of Azusa make their way to your own street corner.
I guess you can say there is something within me that tries to figure out why people behave in a specific manner. A shy personality early on in life gave me time to people watch, pondering and narrowing in on traits others often overlook. Although this thought never crossed my mind, deep down I believed all of God’s creatures are too precious to be flushed down the toilet.
As a teacher, I learned to notice subtle behavior changes in my students. Death, divorce and unemployment were common denominators. While no one responds to trials exactly the same way, mood swings typically give away the emotions young people endure. Distractions, temptations and wanting to grow up too fast can devastate delicate souls. One untimely comment, put down or word can push a distraught mind over the edge, staring suicide in the face.
Looking back as an adult, warts become more obvious, sticking out like a sore thumb. Pessimism has contributed to society’s demise, creating a tsunami of anger, hatred and negativity. This venom is expressed verbally each day through trash talking. The byproduct of the tongue’s wrath is carnage, lies and tarnished reputations. One of the few glimmers of hope is songs like Gold by Britt Nicole. May the lyrics of this song touch your heart and remind you, life is too precious to be flushed down the toilet.
On August 25th, 1939 the Wizard of Oz opened in theaters across the United States of America. This film is based upon the 1900 children’s book written by Frank Baum. The wizard in this classic flick is portrayed like a modern day politician, promising the world, but unable to deliver anything. Dwelling in his palace, the Wizard of Oz was haughty, too good for the average citizen, deceiving his people to support his luxurious lifestyle.
In Genesis 12:1, the Wizard of all wizards, introduces himself to a man from Ur. Before physically building a kingdom, this wizard promises Abram a great nation, full of his offspring. The only problem with this amazing offer is that the person on the receiving end was elderly and his wife barren. Without any ruby slippers or good witches to make this couples’ dream come true, the power of God’s divine intervention changed the course of history.
Several hundred years later, this promised land was within reach for Abraham’s descendents. The only thing standing in their way was a desert and a deserted faith, putting God’s plan on hold temporarily. At this crossroads, God appears like the Great Wizard in Exodus 20:18-21. These verses incite fear, prompting the cowards to run away and hide. Yet, in the end, God has prepared a place, beyond the rainbow, John 14:2-3. This paradise is not limited to the Jews; rather its for all who believe, John 20:30-31. May the Holy Spirit make your eternal wishes come true, 1 John 5:13.
In the lyrics of the hymn Amazing Grace, the chorus proclaims “I once was blind but now I see!” If any part of this stanza is true about life, it opens up a can of worms spiritually. For instance, when did you have blinders on, what did you miss and are there any consequences for your lack of discernment?
While listening to Britt Nicole’s song Seeing for the First Time, I was struck by this concept. Memories of my childhood flashed to the surface, causing me to ponder more questions. Did I misread signs from God? Was I ignorant, naive or stubborn to change my way of life? Fast forwarding to the present, I am fearful that I have missed opportunities to be the kind of father and husband God wants me to be.
Everything I missed before I gave my life to Jesus, Romans 10:9-10, is out of my hands. Yet, for the future, I need to begin to see things through God’s eyes for the first time. Like a healing from the cravings of this world, 1 John 2:16, may God help you and I both to see, hear and believe, John 5:24. Act now or else you may regret the blessings you miss in life.
Over the past 12 months, AT&T has invested an entire ad campaign on the mantra, “Bigger is Better.” While many commercials are hard to understand what a company is trying to sell, this concept makes sense in the context of cell phones. Thus, AT&T continues to drive this point home today, like Geico, over and over again.
God was the first to introduce this sales pitch in Exodus 20:5-6 as an incentive for being obedient. As long as individuals remember to stay true to the One who brought Israel out of Egypt, God promises 1,000 generations of blessings and love. However, if you forget and begin to wander into sin, the Lord will punish your children with a generational curse lasting up to 4 generations.
The skeptic will cry foul; questioning, “how can a loving God be so cruel?” Denominations will even go as far as deemphasizing this passage along with similar warnings from Moses in Leviticus 26:14-46 and Deuteronomy 28. Meanwhile, many theologians claim these principles don’t apply anymore in a New Testament culture. Thus, parishioners will disregard passages that don’t fit into their biblical thinking. Bigger is better in mathematics, but from a spiritual perspective without obedience, no one will be accompanied by the blessings of God, Deuteronomy 28:2.
