A Position To Prosper

Genesis 50:19 "And Joseph said unto them,fear not: for am I in the place of God".

On this road we have been called to travel,there are going to be times when we find ourselves in some uncomfortable situations.There will be times when we will ask"why me Lord" and "why here Lord". There will be times when we will question and doubt if we are still walking with the Lord.But rather we like it or not, we will endure trial and suffer unjustly on the walk we have embarked upon.Contrary to the popular message being proclaimed today, the pathways of righteousness will take you through the valley of the shadow of death.But fear not, for God is in control.

See here Joseph was a man of great integrity and character.He was one who walked with the Lord.Yet on his journey he was sold into slavery by his own brothers,he was thrown in prision because of a lie that was told on him.But all along the wayGod was in control.Each trail that came upon him, was preparing him, and elevating him into a position to accomplish God's will for his life. There are some roads we must travel to get  us to the place God has for us.We must be like Joseph and remain faithful knowing that God is always in control and He always has our best interest at heart.He never promised us a walk through the park,but He did tell us to "be of good cheer for I have overcome the world", and that he would never leave us nor forsake us.God's will is that none should perish,so he will use us as He will, to accomplish His perfect plan of salvation.

So when you find yourself in a uncomfortable position don't focus on you, but look to what it is in the situation that can bring God glory, and salvation to one that might be lost.We must remember it is not about us, or about us being saved, it is about a Savior who can save anybody,we are just tools in His garden of salvation.So when the world put you in a situation intending evil,know that God meant it for good, for we know "all things work together for the good to them that love the Lord,them who are the called according to his purpose."

He Got Up

Matthew 28:6 "He Is not here:For he is risen,as he said.Come,see the place where the Lord lay".

The resurrection is the basis for hope in the Christian faith.The women who came to the tomb expected to find death.Instead, they met an angel who told them that Jesus had risen.Belief that Jesus rose is the key to the completion of his promise that we will rise also.Believers can also experience Ressurection power in their lives.Without this assurance, Paul said,"we are of all men most miserable".The first witnesses were commanded to go and tell the disciples then later tell the world.Go and tell remains the command for believers today who have discovered the wonder of the risen Christ in their lives.

Go and tell is the command to every man and woman who has discovered the power of Christ.It is through the sharing of this good new that we have the power to change the world.We must tell people that the resurrection brings regeneration into the lives of those who are spiritually dead,through the power of the Holy Spirit,bringing about a new birth,changing one from the inside out.This is the basis for the Church's witness to the world. Every believer can share this certainty with all confidence.Of course,a great controversy has always surrounded the resurrection.The Jewish priest paid the guards to deny what happened that day,and there are still millions of people who deny the resurrection, in word and in deed.Sometime we don't live like he rose with all power. Our lives sometimes hide the fact that He got up.We at times live life like we don't trust that he overcame the world and all it's temptations, and thus harms our witness to the world.

 

 A witness is one who tells what he or she knows as a certainty. You can only witness that which you seen or experienced. Countless people who have been touched and changed by meeting the living Jesus provide undeniable evedience of the resurrection.The way they live their life is their witness that he rose,and rose with all power.The first disciples were commanded to be witness,and each of us whose lives have been changed by the resurrection must invite those who need Him to know Him.The truth that He got up, gives hope to a needy world.Share with a lost and dying world the fact that He got up.

A Love I Can See

1John 3:18 "My little children,let us not love in word,neither in tongue:but in deed and in truth."

In word and deed-Love is not piety.It is not sitting on the sidelines complaining about how pathetic everything is.Love is revealed by what we do,not just by what we say.God so loved that He gave,He forgave,He sacrificed,and He saved. He is commanding us to love not in word only, but in deeds."but whoso hath this world's good,and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him,how dwelleth the love of God in him?"(1Jn.3:17)If our faith and love do not compel us to action,then how can they profit us or anyone else?

Pure Love as described in 1corin.13 which is perhaps the most poetic,profound and powerful description of pure love written and of course,Christ is the embodiment of pure love.The apostle Paul's prayer for the family of God was that as Christ dwells in our hearts by faith,and we are rooted and grounded in his love,That we may be able to comprehend,the breath,and length,and depth, and height, of Christ love for us; to know the love of Christ,which passeth knowledge.It is a love that neither death,nor life, nor angels,nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,nor things to come, nor height,nor depth,nor any other creature,shall be able to separate us from.Love is not having knowledge of God but knowing God.Knowing God comes from communion with God. That is what Christ had with God.The love of God is a reflection of God's heart flowing through Christ, one spirit, one heart, one mind.

When Jesus died on the cross,I believe he was feeling two kinds of love.One was from the father as Jesus steadfastly did His will.The other was Jesus' love for all people.Because of the love comming from the Father and his desire to love each one of us,He was able to endure the pain and shame of death on a cross.As we draw upon Jesus' unselfish love,we too can better love others.

Do You Truly Love Him

John 14:15 " If  you love me, keep my commandments".

"Yes Jesus loves me cause the bible tells me so". Yes we all know that God loves us, "for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son ,that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life". But I ask the question do you truly love Him?With our lips we do honor Him ,but it seems that our hearts sometimes are far from Him.We tend to live our lives based on His love for us, more than our love for Him.

If we love Jesus ,we will keep His commandments. Obedience is not optional for believers.Jesus stated a simple fact that must be clearly understood."If  you love me you will keep my commandments. Jesus is not giving an optional commandment,"If you love me then (optional)keep my commandments. He is saying that the man who truly loves Him will keep His commandments.So for the born again believer there is no option.He loves Jesus ;therefore,he keeps His commandments.In this we the true believer is not claiming perfection,but we are claiming to love Jesus and to believe with all our heart that Jesus is the Son of God.Therefore we must diligently seek Jesus,and seek to please Him in all that we do.To Love Jesus is not an emotional thing.It involves emotions but it is not based on emotions.It doesn't change according to the situation.It is not a rational or mental commitment.It involves the mind but it is more than deciding and following some rules.To love Jesus is a matter of the heart and the spirit.It is a heart thing, from the intermost being of man.

The heart is the seat of man's affections and will(devotion).The heart attaches and focuses our affection, will and devotion to an object or person.The heart causes a man to will, or to give himself either to good or bad.To love Jesus means that a man focuses his heart, affections, and will(devotion)upon God by giving and receiving the love of God. That we give all we have and are to Jesus Christ for him to do as he will.So I ask you again "Do you truly love Him". 

Bear Your Own Cross

Matthew 10:38 "Ye that taketh not his cross,and followeth after me,Is not worthy of me".

Before his cucifixion,our Lord has a foresight of it,and does not hesitate to realize himself as bearing his cross.With equal prescience he foresees each true disciple receiving and taking up his own personal cross.He sees none exempted.Picture a procession led by Jesus bearing His cross,and His disciple making up a cross bearing train following behind Him.This is a real march of suffering which reaches through all time.The chief requirement of a disciple is to follow Jesus in all things,in cross-bearing as in all else.We can't rejoice with the risen Savior if you are not will to suffer with the crucified Lord.

Cross-bearing is trying,laborious, sorrowful, and humiliating,but it is inevitable to all who will follow Jesus.We are bound to take up our own personal cross,I can't carry yours and you can't carry mine.Your cross might be giving up certain pleasures or indulgences,or any thing that might hinder your walk in complete obedience with Christ.Be it to live in poverty to proclaim the good news to the less fortunate, or enduring hardship and punishment for the good of others, what ever your cross, you must take it up voluntarily and follow Christ.We are to deliberately take it up,not to choose a cross,not to make your own cross,not to complain about the cross given you,not to faint under it,fall beneath it, or run from it, but to patiently endure it ,for Christ is carrying the heavy end.

We ought to be thankful that we only have to bear it,and that it dosn't have to bear us.It's a royal burden, a sanctified burden,a sanctifying burden,a burden which gives us communion with Christ.Let not the righteous dread the cross,for it will not crush them:it may be painted with iron colors by our fears, but it is not made of that heavey metal;we can bear it,and we will bear it joyously,for the reward is glory. No Cross no Crown............

Amazing Grace!

Eph. 2:5 "Even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ,(by grace ye are save).

The most astonishing innterruption in human history is the word "but". Man dead in sin and trespass, on the party train to hell "But God". God intervined in the destiny of man. He interruped the doom of death and gave him a path to eternal life.By His amazing Grace we are saved.

 Because of the nature of man, he was in a miserable condition,but by the love of God there was a glorious change brought about by the grace of God. See in times past we were dead in sin, we walked, talked, and lived according to the ways of the world.We persude it's persuits, did it's deeds, believed its philosophies, sought it's values,had joys with it's toys, and lived a life which was in opposition to the word, will ,and way of God. We were sinners in a dead state, lacking the principles and powers of spiritual life, bondslaves to Satin and the lust, will and desires of this old flesh.But it was Gods love for us that saved us, God himself orchastrated this great and happy change.His great love rich mercy, and never ending amazing grace alone saves all who will believe.Gods response to our sins, through his rich mercy and great love God called me to life with Christ. By his grace we are saved, because he lives even though I deserved hell, through His grace I can obtain heaven.Once a dead rebellious sinner, now a living soul. God by his grace gave me salvation, his grace unlocking all that death had locked up and letting in all that sin had blocked out.God gave me Jesus Christ, the very best He had to overcome the very worst I could be,Jesus the power of God unto salvation.

If God had not shared Jesus with me,had he not revealed Him in my life I would be dead in sin and on my way to hell. But he loved me and only asked that I believe and share the good news with all I see. Let us share Christ in all that we say and do to all that we see.Jesus shed His blood to save the whole world, so let the world know the good news about God's amazing grace,Jesus the Christ.

Jesus Jesus Jesus!

Revelation 1:18 "I am he that liveth,and was dead; and,behold,I am alive for evermore,Amen; and I have the keys of hell and of death.

Life through his name;Salvation is of God and of His Christ."Neither is there salvation in any other name:For there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved". Again, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way ,the truth,and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,but by me". No matter how good or noble a man or woman may believe he or she is, that person can no more save himself or herself than you could have created yourself.

"Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me,though he were dead,yet shall he live:and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die".Before a person can experience the event of the resurrection unto life, he or she must experience the person who is the resurrection. How can you be apart of something you know nothing about, how can you believe in Him whom you haven't heard?Without any conviction there can be no true conversion, you can't truly experience an resurrected life until you first realize you were dead in sin. As we partake in His death, we will walk in the newness of life. But to walk new, the old must die, and for the old to die, we must realize there was an old."I am crucified with Christ, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,who loved me and gave himself for me".We must die to self in order to live for Him.

All things are of God. He is the beginning, He is the process, and he is the end. He is our beginning, he is our path, and he is our life.See it is all about Christ and him crucified,we must really come to this knowledge,for when we truly grasp hold to this fact,we will become better christians, more obedient servants,conviencing witnesses, and a more accurate reflection of who Christ is.Who we are will no longer seem important, our time will be spent lifting up our Savior, and not elevating ourselves.We will seek all lost souls,spreading the good news of the gospel.So let us take the time and let ourselves get caught up in the thought of being in Jesus' powerful presence.This is our resurrected Lord,and Savior.Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.