Intentional Faith

1 Peter 2:11 (MSG)
¹¹ Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul.

There are times when our Lord must long for us to look beyond the heaviness of the moment and catch a glimpse of the splendor and glory to come.  Eternity lies ahead…really just a few steps down the path.

It is not the glorious battlements, the painted windows, the crouching gargoyles that support a building, but the stones that lie unseen in or upon the earth. It is often those who are despised and trampled on that bear up the weight of a whole nation.

Lord, be with me today that I may see but a few steps down the path and realize that my humble service is the foundation of your work among men.  Thank you.  Amen.

Lord, give us true knowledge of our salvation,  so that freed from the hands of our enemy we may serve you without fear all the days of our lives.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

His commandments are these: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another as he told us to. Whoever keeps his commandments lives in God and God lives in him. We know that he lives in us by the Spirit that he has given us.

Nothing takes the place of your presence. Letters are nice. Phone calls are special, but being there in the flesh sends a message.

After Albert Einstein’s wife died, his sister, Maja, moved in to assist with the household affairs. For fourteen years she cared for him, allowing his valuable research to continue. In 1950 she suffered a stroke and lapsed into a coma. Thereafter, Einstein spent two hours every afternoon reading aloud to her from Plato. She gave no sign of understanding his words, but he read anyway. If she understood anything by his gesture, she understood this—he believed that she was worth his time.

Do you believe in your kids? Then show up. Show up at their games. Show up at their plays…Do you believe in your friends? Show up at their graduations and weddings. Spend time with them. You want to bring out in the best in someone? Then show up.

Have a wonderful day in the Lord! Michael

A South African woman stood in an emotionally charged courtroom listening to white police officers acknowledge the atrocities they had perpetrated in the name of apartheid. Officer van de Broek acknowledged his responsibility in the death of her son. Along with others, he had shot her eighteen-year-old son at point-blank range. He and the others partied while they burned his body, turning it over on the fire until it was ashes.

Eight years later, van de Broek and others arrived to seize her husband. Hours later, van de Broek came to fetch the woman. He took her to a woodpile where her husband lay bound. She was forced to watch as they poured gasoline over his body and ignited the flames that consumed his body. The last words her husband said were “Forgive them.”

Now van de Broek stood awaiting judgment. South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission asked the woman what she wanted. “Three things,” she said. “I want Mr. van de Broek to take me to the place where they burned my husband’s body. I would like to gather up the dust and give him a decent burial.

“Second, Mr. van de Broek took all my family away from me, and I still have a lot of love to give. Twice a month, I would like for him to come to the ghetto and spend a day with me so I can be a mother to him.

“Third, I would like Mr. van de Broek to know that he is forgiven by God and that I forgive him, too. I would like someone to lead me to where he is seated so I can embrace him and he can know my forgiveness is real.”

As the elderly woman was led across the courtroom, van de Broek fainted. Someone began singing “Amazing Grace.” Gradually everyone joined in.

It is amazing that a poor human creature is able to speak with God’s high Majesty in heaven and not be afraid.  When we pray, the heart and the conscience must not pull away from God because of our sins and failures or stand in fear.  When we pray we must hold fast and believe that God desires to hear our humble prayers.  It was for this reason the ancients defined prayer as an Ascensus mentis ad Deum, “a climbing of the heart unto God.”

Almighty God,

Thank you that I can come to you this afternoon with my trivial issues and you bend you will to hear what I have to say.  Awesome.  Amen.

Harrison Ford’s career embodies success. His movies have earned more than $6 billion (US). But in a recent interview, Ford made this profound, albeit ungrammatical comment: “You only want what you ain’t got.” The interviewer asked him what it was he wanted. Ford gave a one-word reply: “Peace.”

Lord, increase our faith in you,  so that the praise we give to you may constantly yield its fruit from heaven.

If a man who was rich enough in this world’s goods saw that one of his brothers was in need, but closed his heart to him, how could the love of God be living in him? My children, our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active.

Leviticus 20:26 (NLT)
²⁶ You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.

Vacations are nice.  A good time to visit with distant family and be apart from one’s regular schedule.  The time away helps to refresh your outlook on your daily work.  Sometimes we can become so engaged in our work that we do not see how special it is until we step away. 

We can also become so accustomed to working in the world around us that we fail to realize how unique we are as Christians.  How different and set apart from the rest of the world.   Now and then we need to step back and see refresh the view of our Christian life.

Take a moment to step back today and see your Christian life for the role it plays in your world, vocation and family.  Your fresh look may refresh their view of you as well.

We have the same spirit of faith that is mentioned in scripture – I believed, and therefore I spoke – we too believe and therefore we too speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in our turn, and put us by his side and you with us.
                                                                                      The Apostle Paul
The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today. Grace is the overflowing favor of God, and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed. ". . . in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses"— that is where our patience is tested ( 2 Corinthians 6:4 ). Are you failing to rely on the grace of God there? Are you saying to yourself, "Oh well, I won’t count this time"?
It is not a question of praying and asking God to help you— it is taking the grace of God now. We tend to make prayer the preparation for our service, yet it is never that in the Bible. Prayer is the practice of drawing on the grace of God. Don’t say, "I will endure this until I can get away and pray." Pray now — draw on the grace of God in your moment of need. Prayer is the most normal and useful thing; it is not simply a reflex action of your devotion to God. We are very slow to learn to draw on God’s grace through prayer.

"Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him" (James 1:12, KJV).

In Christian art, the crown is usually pictured entwined with the cross. This suggests that endurance of trial leads to victory, as the above verse indicates.

Temptation often comes at our weakest – rather than our strongest – moments. When we have reached the limit of our love and our patience, for example, we are tempted to be unlike Christ in one way or another. Remember, Jesus’ temptation began after forty days of fasting.

People usually are impressed – favorably or unfavorably – when they see how we act under pressure. It is possible for one weak act to spoil a whole lifetime of witness.

The beatitude, or blessing, in Matthew 5:10; says, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (KJV).

The crown of life is promised to those who successfully stand up under the testing of their faith. The Christian life is a spiritual conflict from the moment of birth until we go to be with the Lord. The flesh wars against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. There is absolutely no hope for victory until one discovers the availability of the supernatural resources of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Surrender your life totally, completely to Him and recognize moment by moment, day by day, that the Holy Spirit is the only one who will enable you to endure temptation. By faith you must draw upon His supernatural resources to live a supernatural life. Only then will you be victorious and fruitful for the glory of God.

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Today and every day I will remember to draw upon the supernatural resources of the indwelling Christ who will enable me to be victorious over temptation and to live the supernatural life as a testimony to His faithfulness.

O God, you raised up the blessed John the Baptist to make ready a perfect people for Christ the Lord. Give your people the grace of spiritual joy and guide the minds of all the faithful onto the path of salvation and peace. Amen.

Kings will stand up when they see you, and princes will bow, for the sake of the Lord who has been faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you. Isaiah 49:7

1 Corinthians 7:3 (NLT)
³ The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs.

1 Corinthians 7:5 (NLT)
⁵ Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Couples need to understand that God made them sexual beings to enhance the intimacy of their bond.  While passion may wane with age, it does not end and couples that set their sexual bond to the side weaken their relationship.  For heaven’s sake, don’t use it as a weapon for control.  This is your act of grace toward them and their fulfillment of your needs.  Treat it right.  Take you time.  Enjoy it.  Regularly.