What is Your Reason? – 2 Samuel 7: 22

22 "For this reason You are great, O Lord GOD; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 
– 2 Samuel 7: 22

What is Your Reason?
From where I started to where I am today is miles and miles apart.  I have the saving grace of Jesus to thank for that, and yet I know that sometimes I don't show Him enough gratitude for delivering me from my old life – with all the rusty chains that held me down, and the one-way ticket to hell.  I was a mess, and I know that a lot of you have the same kind of story.  Kind of a "rags to riches" tale that speaks of God's Grace and unending Forgiveness.

After I was saved, I used to envy those people who grew up in Christian homes, and I would wish that I could go back and live my tumultuous childhood all over again, but this time with a "Godly" family.  I thought it would have been an easier life.  But as I grew in the knowledge of God's Grace, I soon realized that all of that baggage; all of the hurt; the innocence that was taken from me, and all of the years that were lost due to drugs and partying, only proved the greatness of His Love for me.  He, in all of His glory and wisdom, spoke my name one day, and I found myself giving my life to Him – the greatest day of my life.

I still think it is a very special thing to be able to grow up in a good Christian home, and I'm glad for my son that I was able to offer that to him, but I no longer wish I had grown up differently.  I am who I am because of what I was when He reached down and saved me – and for that, I am eternally grateful!

What is your reason for proclaiming God's greatness?  Has it been a while since you told Him how much you appreciate all He's done for you?  Take some extra time today to reflect on the grace He's shown you, and proclaim Him and His awesome plan for your life.  Really talk to our Lord, and share from your heart how much you appreciate ALL that He has given you through your salvation.

Prayer
Lord, You are a mighty and a great God.  I have seen Your power and I have felt Your compassion as I have grown up in You these past 20 years.  I want to thank You for protecting me as I was growing up.  You held my hand and even carried me through all of the evil that the enemy tried to destroy me with.  You restored me and You have given me gifts beyond what I could even ask or think.  You are MY God and I will love You with my whole heart – all the days of my life!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

The Cross Roads – Luke 23: 26-27 / 32-33

26 As they led Jesus away, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country just then, was forced to follow Jesus and carry his cross. 
27 Great crowds trailed along behind, including many grief-stricken women. 
32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 
33 Finally, they came to a place called The Skull.  All three were crucified there – Jesus on the center cross, and the two criminals on either side. 
– Luke 23: 26-27 / 32-33

The Cross Roads
Do you remember the road that led you to the Cross?  Perhaps you skipped down the road as a child and have spent the majority of your life celebrating the Love and Grace of our Savior;  maybe you crawled down it after leaving a bar  or a night of partying;  maybe you traveled down the road for 40 or 50 years and after a life of searching, finally reaching the Cross.  Or maybe, like me, you were drawn to the Cross after a life of defeat, and despair, and perverted living – the Lord reaching down from heaven, rescuing you and walking hand-in-hand all the way to the Cross.  Regardless of how you got there, the point is that you got there, and once there, our Lord Jesus changed your life forever.


Jesus took a very different road.  The road He took was filled with betrayal, and hate, and chaos, and confusion.  It was lined with jeering crowds, weeping women, and Roman soldiers.  It was paved with the blood and sweat of criminals past who were led to their deaths in the same way He was being led . . . or was it?


As I was reflecting on the events of Good Friday, I began to look at it from a different perspective; I began to imagine seeing everything from heaven's perspective.  Looking down at the events of that day,  I began to see a road filled with joy and celebration. A road lined with choirs of angels singing the praises of our King – "Glory, Glory, Glory to the Lamb – He is the Righteous King who takes away the sins of the world!"  I began to see a road paved with gold and pearls and diamonds, shining brightly in the sun as Jesus, dressed in brilliant robes of white and purple, and crowned with brilliant light marching purposefully and gracefully into victory over sin and death!


This was The Plan after-all; the saving Grace of our Father setting His seal upon His people – giving us the keys to the kingdom so that we could face Him through the unblemished blood of His perfect Son.  This was His way of saying, "You are my beloved children and I will walk with you in the cool of the morning, and we will fellowship in the mansions of heaven - forever!"  What an awesome and  wonderful Father we have!


Yes, this was a horrible day as humanity reared its ugliest head and showed how truly evil we can be – but it was a Glorious day that was carefully planned, and perfectly executed, and triumphantly realized . . . just for us . . . just for you . . . and just for me!  Thank You Jesus!


Take some time today to reflect on the road that got you to the Cross.  Thank the Father and our Lord Jesus for guiding you there. Thank the Holy Spirit for giving you the power to live this Victorious Life.  Live this day – for Him, and reflect His Love, and His Grace, and His Compassion to those you meet today.  Celebrate the day as I believe it was celebrated in heaven – with singing and rejoicing, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty!  He saw me and He saved me!  He rescued me from uncertainty and I will dwell in the house of the Lord - forever!"


Prayer
Lord You are a mighty and an awesome God.  Your plan to redeem mankind was perfect and I thank You for remembering me and for leading me to the cross.  My life is so different than it was and I am so grateful.  You reached down to me and You lifted me out of my sin and You held me to Your chest – what a glorious day that was!  I will celebrate this day and I will let Your light shine through me as I go through my routine so that others might be drawn down the road to the cross.  I love You my Lord!


Have a blessed day everyone!


– Richard

Walking the Talk – Titus 2:7-11

7 But mostly, lead by example, incorruptible in your teaching, 
8 your words solid and sane.  Then anyone who is dead set against us, when he finds nothing weird or misguided, might eventually come around. 
9 Guide slaves into being loyal workers, a bonus to their masters - no back talk, 
10 no petty thievery.  Then their good character will shine through their actions, adding luster to the teaching of our Savior God.  
11 God's readiness to give and forgive is now public.  Salvation's available for everyone!
– Titus 2: 7-11 (The Message)

Walking the Talk
I used to hear this all the time when I first became a Christian, "If someone accused you of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to get a conviction?"  Thank God we don't live in a country where being a Christian will get you killed or thrown in prison.  We do however, live in a society (especially here in California), where being a Christian is unpopular and we are portrayed as being weird, or extreme, and even violent.  We are described as being closed-minded and the news media would have everyone believe that we are all educated in making bombs intended for abortion clinics in our Sunday School classes.  Where did all this misinformation come from?

While there are and always have been those who do horrible things in the name of religion, Jesus was not one of those people.  In fact, because He preached peace, love, and compassion, He was ridiculed by those who were seeking a lion – a warrior savior, and not a lamb that would be led to slaughter.  The good news is that we, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can change people's perception of Christianity if we are willing to put our own agendas aside, and put on Christ. 

By putting on Christ – every morning – we will be empowered to demonstrate great character (even when we think no one is watching), and those who we have influence over (basically everyone we meet), will see the Gospel of Christ lived out as it was intended to be.  Don't be fooled though – it isn't as easy as it sounds.  Old habits and character flaws will need to be identified and worked on.  For example, are you habitually late for work?  Do you like to take longer lunches than you should?  Do you surf the net when you should be working?  How about talking about others behind their back?  Do you smoke?  Drink a little too much?  Does your language need to be cleaned up?  Is unforgiveness keeping you from having meaningful relationships?  How about your taxes – do you report everything truthfully?  In other words, putting on Christ requires taking off the old you – and that will always be a work in progress.

You can do it!  It takes practice and a lot of prayer and it takes a genuine desire to be like Christ.  You will find however, that as you identify and pray through the areas of your life that need work, you will start to look more and more like Jesus, and those around you will start to notice, and they will be attracted to the new you.  They won't be able to find anything weird or misguided in you and they will eventually come around to a place where accepting Christ is definitely a possibility.

Prayer
Lord, You are a God of salvation and Your desire is for everyone to come to know You.  Help me to be a good example of the Gospel and how great a life in Christ can be.  Help me to get rid of the old habits and character flaws that might prevent others from knowing you.  Help me to identify those areas in my life that contradict Your very nature so that there can be no question that I serve only You.  I pray that as I go through my day, others can see how good it is to be a Christian – how good it is to be alive!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

The Heart Matters – Proverbs 4:20-23

20 My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.   

21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;

22 for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body.

23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

– Proverbs 4:20-23

The Heart Matters

The condition of our heart - the things that we hold most dear, will determine the course and the outcome of our lives.  What are you hiding in your heart? 

People see the heart as many different things, depending on how they view the world.  To a doctor or scientist, the heart is an organ; to a romantic, the heart is what controls love; if you are a poet, the heart can be a central theme to all emotion;  if you are a pessimist, the heart brings pain and disappointment as it will only be broken over and over again. 

But if you are a Christian, the heart is the only thing in this world (spiritually speaking) that we have complete control over.   The scripture today  tells us that we have the power to keep the Word of God within our hearts.  It goes on to say that above ALL else, we are to guard our heart because it is the wellspring of life.   What life is it referring to?  It is speaking of the abundance of life in Jesus – a life filled with the grace, forgiveness, and the power of God.  A life filled with peace and joy – a life of faith that will bring about change in this world.  It is talking about your life and my life.

So how do we guard our heart?  How do we take control and tap into that wellspring of life?  It all starts with God's Word and how it is applied in your life.  Do you believe God's Word?  Really?  All of it?  Are you sure?  How much time are you devoting to it?  Is it collecting more dust than fingerprints?  It ALL starts with God's Word so if we don't absorb it every day; if we don't meditate on it throughout our day; if we don't apply it with every beat of our heart, then it is going to be difficult to tap into that wellspring.

God has given us a list – a road map if you will, to that wellspring of life.

1. Pay attention

2. Listen closely

3. Don't let it out of your sight

4. Keep it within your heart

5. Guard your heart

I find it interesting that He says we are to "listen closely" and then He tells us to not let what we just listened to "out of our sight."  To me that means that we are to LISTEN to what God is trying to tells us by READING His Word – not by listening to what someone else has learned or is trying to teach us.  Don't get me wrong, I love to listen to good preaching.  I love to gather nuggets of wisdom that God has given to someone else – I have learned so much that way and it has brought me closer to God.  But God wants to speak to us directly.  He wants to whisper the things that are only meant for us – like a father with a son or daughter sitting on his lap;  the father leans in and whispers something to the child which makes their eyes light up, and a big smile crosses their face.  In turn, the father's eyes light up and both he and the child share a special moment – a time of bonding and relationship.  THAT'S what God wants to do with each one of us. 

He wants you leaning in close so He can share the secrets of your life – the very thing that taps into your wellspring so that YOU can bond with HIM and deepen your relationship.  THAT's how you can begin to guard your heart.  Let God speak to you directly through the reading of His Word.  Ask Him to reveal those gems of knowledge that will bring life to your tired soul; healing to your ailing body; peace to your troubled mind.  It's an active thing and it requires discipline at first – but in a short time you will desire more and more of the refreshing water that comes from the deep wellspring of His Words of Life.  You won't be able to get enough of God's Word – you will thirst for it, and you will be more than satisfied as you dig in and discover your very own wellspring, designed especially for you by God, who loves you so much!

Prayer

Father I thank You for giving Your Word to us.  I know that there have been far too many times when I have taken It for granted and I let my Bible sit on a shelf, unopened and unused.  How foolish I have been!  Your very Word Refreshes my heart, and I will actively and fiercely guard it so that I can tap into the life that You have designed for me.  I thank You for speaking directly to me and giving me the wisdom I need to navigate through my day.  Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters who might be struggling with reading Your Word.  Help them to see that Your Word holds the key to an abundant life . . . in You.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard 

Grace Is For Everyone – Ephesians 2:4-9

4 But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 

5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. 

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 

7 in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, to us in Christ Jesus. expressed in His kindness 

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – 

9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

- Ephesians 2:4-9

Grace Is For Everyone

Do you ever think about Grace?   God's Grace in particular?  It's something I've been thinking a lot about lately.  I still have trouble sometimes, trying to rationalize why God sent Grace my way.  I mean, I am nothing - and I certainly don't deserve it - especially back before I was first saved . . . I REALLY didn't deserve it then, but He chose to gift it to me anyway.  He still gifts it my way, every second, of every moment, of every day.

I am so humbled and so in awe of how God continues to work in my life, and I know that I'll never be able to justify it.  I can however, "gift" Grace to someone else.  I can choose to show grace throughout my day to those who don't know the love of our Father - and even to those who do.  Sometimes I forget that I am supposed to reflect His Love to those around us.  A BIG part of that love is Grace.

Believe me, I know how difficult it can be.  That so-and-so zipping in and out of traffic on the freeway; the guy who took the parking place - even though it was clearly meant for someone else;  the kid in the car who has his sub-woofer thumping hip-hop so loud that it is shaking everyone else's car;  the girl gabbing on-and-on about absolutely nothing so that everyone on the bus is now a part of her conversation;  the coworker who is not pulling their weight;  the fast-food clerk who just can't seem to get the order right; the inconsiderate person who brought their crying baby to the movie theater...and on-and-on the list goes.  All those people who annoy us and make our lives a little less "convenient" - yep, they deserve grace too.

I know I have been the person stealing a parking spot, or playing the stereo too loud, or doing something to annoy someone else, so I really don't have a right to complain . . . but I do.  I do it way too often sometimes.  The Lord has really shown me that I need to be less annoyed with people, and start showing them Grace and Love and Kindness.  I need to always be mindful that I am His child ONLY because He FIRST loved me.  I am, and always will be, undeserving of our Father's Love, and the Grace He so freely gives me, and I have no right to treat anyone as if I hold some sort of position over them.  I am nothing, therefore I should be gracious to all.

Prayer

Father, please forgive my ungrateful heart.  Thank You for reminding me that You are the reason for the very breath and life in me.  Thank You for showing me that the best way to reflect who You are is to show Grace and Mercy and Kindness and Love to those around me.  I pray that I can start today to not show impatience, or be annoyed, or pass judgment on anyone and I ask for the help of Your Holy Spirit because on my own, I know that I will fail.  But Lord, with Your help I can do anything!

Have a blessed day everyone!

- Richard

I Hope So! – 1 Peter 1:13

13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
– 1 Peter 1:13

I Hope So!
Hope is one of those catch-all words that can mean a lot of different things depending on who is hoping, and what they are hoping for.  As Christians, there is only one hope for us – or at least that's what it should be.

When I was a kid I used to hope for a lot of things.  Most of them would never come true but I hoped for them anyway.  Like most kids in our country, I was preoccupied with material things and satisfying my need for "stuff."  I used to wish and hope and dream and plan about things that I would never realize.  I remember one time hoping that I would be a millionaire so that I could buy myself a fire truck.  I was 6 at the time and if I remember correctly, the year before I hoped I could BE a fire truck!  That just shows the kind of silly things my imagination put priority on.

God built the need to hope in us.  So even though as kids we all hoped for silly things (I know I'm not the only one), it was because of the wonderful gift of hope that our Father in heaven, in His infinite wisdom, blessed us with.  He knew that one day, we would come to realize the fullness of the meaning of hope, and the one true reason He birthed it in us.  I believe He sits in eager anticipation of that Aha! moment when each of us recognizes Christ as our Savior and our one true Hope.

So understanding the hope that we now have, the bible tells us to prepare our minds for action and to keep sober in spirit!  Keep hoping and realize what and who you are – in Him!  The resurrected Christ is our King, and our Way to the Father, and we are given this blessed hope because He first loved us and called us to Himself!  It is nothing that we did or could ever do – it is only by grace that we were given this precious gift.

He is our eternal Life and our proclamation of Glory!  We need to share our hope with a world that has none – or that is hoping for material or worldly things.  We need to show them the difference that they can have in their lives by displaying the hope that we have!  We should be beacons of hope that will lead those with lost or misguided hope, to the Hope and to the Light of Christ!

Prayer
Father, I am so thankful for the hope that You have given me, in the gift of Christ.  Lord Jesus, you are my reason for being and my hope for the day when I will be with You in eternity.  You have brought joy to my life and I am forever grateful.  I pray that I can share that same hope with those who you bring across my path and that I never pass on an opportunity to share the Hope that I have in You!

Have a blessed day everyone!

–Richard 

You Have It In You! – Philippians 4: 11-13

11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 
12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 
13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 

– Philippians 4: 11-13 

You Have It In You!

What kinds of challenges are you facing in your life?  Are there obstacles that seem to just come faster and faster like some out-of-control video game?  Have you reached the point where giving up is looking like a pretty good option?  Well where are you going to turn to get you past this trial?  How are you going to find the strength to come out victorious?  Who do you turn to for help?  What is your next move?

The obvious answer is to call out to your Father in heaven and ask for the Holy Spirit to give you the strength and the wisdom to overcome.  The not so obvious answer is that after seeking the Father's face, to look within yourself.  Find the you that is there when you are at your best.  Dig deep, dig hard, and dig until you find the strength and the spirit that God created you with.  The human spirit that He, in His glorious wisdom, so generously poured into you so that you could realize how special you really are and how awesome He created you.

God will help you and the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom and power from on high, and Jesus has given you the grace and love to remain humble, but in the end, our Triune God wants you to show the entire world the wonder that you are.  God did not create us to be weak and powerless - He created us with an incredible potential to overcome - to reach unreachable heights - to defeat the giants of this world, and to push beyond our familiar selves.  He gave each of us His seal of approval and He called us "good."

You and I are amazing and powerful beings - but we need to come to that realization of, and have the faith to know that God said it - and it is true - no ifs, ands, or buts about it!.  Just take a minute to reflect on all the things that you have made it through - God was there through it all.  Yes, the Holy Spirit also gave you the wisdom you needed to make right decisions, and yes, our Lord Jesus has saved you and He set your feet firmly on solid ground.  But you lived through it.  You survived.  You overcame because of the human spirit that our wonderful Father created inside of you.  You honored the power and the wisdom and the love of God by not giving up.

So now, in the midst of your trial, in the make-it-or-break-it time of your life, recall your victories and start praising God for creating you with the ability to walk through it all -  full of hope, full of joy, and full of life!

Prayer

Father I am so thankful for the human spirit that You designed me with.  You are constantly showing me that I can do anything as long as I put my faith and trust in you.  Each time I have had to reach deep and realize the strength that You have given me in order to walk when You told me to walk or to act when You told me to act, I have gained more confidence in You.  I know that it is not in my own abilities but by drawing close to you that those abilities become supernatural.  I am able to overcome anything the world throws at me - because You created me to live a victorious life!

Have a blessed day everyone!

-Richard