God Places Leaders In Power….

In a time of transition of our country’s leadership, with policies reverting back to previous tenures of leadership that promote ungodly behaviors disguised under the veil of “being progressive”, we have to remember it is God Who is in control. God places leaders in power for a reason. We may never know (at the moment) what that reason is, but we can still fully trust God because He is worthy of it all. So regardless who is in power in America, remember, Salvation will never arrive on Air Force One.

I trust in the Lord for protection. So why do you say to me,“Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!2 The wicked are stringing their bows and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings.They shoot from the shadows at those whose hearts are right.3 The foundations of law and order have collapsed.What can the righteous do?” 4 But the Lord is in His holy Temple;the Lord still rules from heaven.He watches everyone closely,examining every person on earth.5 The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked.He hates those who love violence.6 He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked,punishing them with scorching winds.7 For the righteous Lord loves justice.The virtuous will see His face. Psalms 11:1-7

Fully Human…

Jesus was fully human. When he was informed of John the Baptist’s death, He left in a boat to a remote area. The Bible doesn’t tell us any more details, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. He left to grieve the death of His cousin. He left to mourn the loss of the greatest prophet. His leaving shows His humanity. Sure, He could’ve just carried on with His mission, ignoring His feelings, knowing John was in Heaven, safe and secure, but He didn’t. This shows us the heart of God. When a true follower is persecuted, suffers, or dies, it affects God. When good is stifled by evil, God takes offense to that. He sees His creation being abused by the very people He created. He knows this is not how it is supposed to be, but allows it until the last person responds to His calling. In the mean time He grieves over every single sorrow created by the ill-effects of sin. Until we see things the way God sees them, we are not being fully human, in the manner in which we were created to be. Jesus was fully God, and fully human. It’s our duty as Christians to become more like Jesus. And that means viewing life like He did/does. If it doesn’t bother us when we see suffering, persecution, death, and sorrow, then that should show us we are not being fully human, and we still have a way to go in the sanctification process.

10 So John was beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened. 13 As soon as Jesus heard the news, He left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where He was headed and followed on foot from many towns. 14 Jesus saw the huge crowd as He stepped from the boat, and He had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14:10-14

People Long For Wisdom And Insight…

We live in a day that says “don’t judge”. We live in a day that tells us there is no such thing as absolute truth. And despite all of this, people long for wisdom and insight, longing to know we are significant and serve a purpose. There are so many people in the world listening to Satan’s deceptive lies trying to re-write our history, change the definition of words, remove statues, and redefine common sense, which makes it’s difficult to find meaning in anything. All of this should be a wakeup call. It should reveal to us how important God’s word is. The only wisdom we can ever gain will only comes from God, Himself. God’s truth (the only truth there is) is objective. It doesn’t change. It remains the same throughout eternity. This wisdom helps us form our judging skills. Jesus tells us “when we judge, we are to judge rightly”. How can anyone judge accurately when there is no standard in which to judge. That’s where God comes in. His standard is the standard. His word is the sharp, two-edged sword that separates truth from falsehood. When we seek it from Him, we find purpose, meaning, and significance. It’s what gives us solid ground to stand on. Its what gives us the ability to discern. It’s what helps us to recognize a tree by the fruit it produces. It’s the very reason why Jesus tells us “the Truth will sets us free”. When we seek wisdom, and ask God for it, He will honor us and grant our request, giving us the humility to judge accurately. I’ve always said, “when we honor God, He will honor us”. Seeking wisdom is honoring God, because it shows us our dependence upon Him, and with obedience, we learn to use it for His glory. Wisdom comes from God.... and His standard forms our ability to judge. Ask Him to grant you some wisdom today. Then give it to someone else as a gift, and watch how it changes the world of those that receive it.

7 Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.8 If you prize wisdom, she will make you great.Embrace her, and she will honor you.9 She will place a lovely wreath on your head;she will present you with a beautiful crown.” Proverbs 4:7-9

When You Get Over Yourself…

Relationships are funny. You can have good ones and bad ones. Relationships can make you feel great or drag you down. People are fickle, so relationships have a wide range of effects on people. You can never truly have a perfect relationship because humans are imperfect. The only possible way that a relationship can be genuine and real is if one or both of the parties have made Jesus their Lord. It’s only when you get over yourself (the requirement of repentance), that we can give of ourselves without restraint or caution. Until then, any relationship can only go so far, for it doesn’t have an eternal stamp in it. This includes family as well. Jesus spoke with authority and great wisdom. The people in His hometown marveled at His ability to speak and do miracles. However, they were offended by Him; even His own family. The underlying truth to this is: truth cannot set you free when you don’t accept it. So when people speak truth, it offends. Jesus’ family was offended by Him because He spoke truth. And it wasn’t accepted until after His death and resurrection. Then, His family accepted/embraced the truth, and some of them eventually died because of it. Becoming a Christian means embracing truth. Once we do that it opens us up to have real, authentic relationships; ones that turn from temporary to eternal. Is that the kind of relationships you want? It starts with Jesus. It starts with accepting truth.

53 When Jesus had finished telling these stories and illustrations, He left that part of the country. 54 He returned to Nazareth, His hometown. When He taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does He get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” 55 Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, His mother, and His brothers–James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. 56 All His sisters live right here among us. Where did He learn all these things?” 57 And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him.Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” 58 And so He did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:53-58