All Crap

Isaiah 50-52; Psalm 92; 2 Peter 1 Isaiah 52:3 ³ For this is what the LORD says: "You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed."

Isaiah knew what God had told him and wasn't afraid to let others know what the future held.

When i read this scripture I was immediately drawn to it. I didn't understand it at first and it kept me truly puzzled. "You were sold for nothing" I was sold? When? Than I remembered...I was sold into slavery, into sin, into the worlds lies. i sold myself, the devil bought my soul but not with money. Even though I didn't know...Isaiah knew. He knew from the beginning. He knew the power of sin and what it could do to my life. He knew the price was cheap because what the world offers is cheap...pure cheapness; all crap.

Than the second part "And without money you will be redeemed"...this part i understood full well. Isaiah knew what price had to be paid to get us all back to Him. It wasn't $2,000 or $20,000. It had nothing to do with money. It had everything to do with the cross. The power of the cross, the power that Jesus had. And the sin that He had to endure to get rid of ours. To get rid of sin we have to embrace the cross. And we need to stop thinking about money, wealth, riches cause I can't take that with me to heaven. That has no merit...My payment is not with money...its with the Cross.

Lord,
Thank you for the cross. Thank you for the power and authority that you have laid upon it. Your precious life became sin so I can be redeemed. You became sin so I can get rid of mine. Thank you for loving me so much that I can be clean and pure.
I forever love you always
Amen

7/21/2010 Gods View

2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chronicles 32; James 5 2 Kings 18 ¹⁹ The field commander said to them, "Tell Hezekiah: " 'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? ²⁰ You say you have strategy and military strength—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me?

The king of Assyria was a prideful man. All he looked at was the things that the world was showing him. If he had a lot of warriors than he had a great army. If he had a lot of gold he was rich. If he had many weapons he was safe. But the Lord saw more than what the man can see. Hezekiah was a man of conviction and prayer. He knew who the Lord was and put his trust in Him.

2 Kings 19 ⁶ Isaiah said to them, "Tell your master, 'This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. ⁷ Listen! I am going to put such a spirit in him that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.' "

Hezekiah knew the power of God and trusted in His authority and Word. However there are times that even when I hear the voice of the Lord I doubt it because I see something else. But God doesn't want us to trust in what we see or hear, He wants us to trust in what He tells us and what He shows us. Gods view is so much more powerful and original than my own. His future for me is bigger than anything I can ever imagine and even if someone tells me 'No' but God tells me 'Yes' than i will follow the 'Yes'. It is Gods word that has precedence over anyone else.

Father,
Thank you for your Word. Thank you that you have everything under control and I can trust in you. In those times that I doubt I will run back to you and your word and rely on the future you have for me. I want to rest in your wings now and forever.
I forever love you always
Amen

7/18/2010 Faith vs Deeds

Isaiah 32-35; James 2 James 2:25-26 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Before Christ everything was very religious. People had to obey all the laws and if they didn't, just a little than they would be punished. And that worked...for them. When the generation of James came and when Jesus came things started changing. Jesus took those laws and respected them, however, He made them of less importance and made God (the reason for the laws) more important.

With each generation comes major differences. Jesus rocked my life. His views, his stance, his patience and acceptance was what made me want to follow him. Knowing that I had to work for something greater made me want Him more. I can have faith and that's great but i have to put it in action to make God and everyone else notice. Spread the gospel and if needed use words.

Lord,
Thank you that I can show you who I am and whats in my heart. Thank you that i can show others through my compassion your love and grace. I love doing things for others and being used by you,
I forever love you always
Amen

7/17/2010 Don't be Polluted

Isaiah 29-31; James 1 James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James the brother of Jesus was touched by the spirit and knew he too had to spread the gospel and truth. His letter was more about how to live a pure life than about the story of Jesus. James wanted others to know how to live after the fact. Some people were able to see and hear about Jesus and know what was good and bad. Others needed clear instruction.

Having a relationship with God doesn't require only good works but it is included. When James spoke about religion he wasn't saying only being kind to orphans and widows but go out and look out after all those in need. All those who are alone. All those who can't help themselves. And not to listen to the worlds selfishness and pride but hear the compassionate heart of God and follow that.

Lord,
Thank you for your word. You inspired great men and women to share your truth and because of that i can worship and know you. Because of your faithful servants i can see you in everything.
Thank you
I forever love you always
Amen

7/16/10 This Was Planned

Isaiah 25-28; Hebrews 13

Isaiah 25:1,4,8-9

¹ O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.

Isaiah was a prophet and God spoke to him about many things especially things that were going to happen in the future. Instead of Isaiah keeping it all to himself he wanted to let the world know about all the amazing things God had prepared.

⁴ You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall

I believe that God has planned everything in my life. Especially me coming to India. Meeting, ministering, loving, feeding people - the poorest of the poor. It is hot, humid, sticky in India, the flys are everywhere but coming was a small shelter for those in need. Giving them food gave them a small token of joy and a little less worry for the time being where their next meal will come from.

⁸ he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.

⁹ In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."

This week the people that we saw knew who God was because what they were praying, begging for came to pass. I became an instrument this week for the poor. the lepers - the disgraced were like little children. They were disgraced no more but loved because the Lord has spoken.

Lord,

Thank you! I know I get too comfortable at times and i want to thank you for pulling me our of my comfort zone. Thank you for allowing me to see the poor and bring you to them. You are their comfort, their peace, their joy, their love, and healer, their God, their everything. You are Lord forever.

I forever love you always

Amen

Come back to strength

Hosea 6-9; Hebrews 3 Hebrews 3:12-14 12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

The author of this book was obviously a believer. This was a person who knew what it was like to feel the Lord so strongly in the beginning than as time passed, have that feeling fade slowly away. Does that mean that God went away? Of course not! Does it mean we went away? Yes.

As a believer in anything, especially the Lord there are times when I feel strong and others when i feel weak. I always want to feel strong but I know it won't always happen. I wish when i am weak to be able to return to those strong times as easy, though it is possible, its not easy.
God wants me to stand firm in Him no matter what. As long as I'm standing on solid ground and I have my heart beating and my breath breathing I will praise the name of the Lord for as long as I live here on earth and up in heaven.

Father,
I thank you for your faithfulness. You are everything to me and I praise you because you made me whole. Without you I am weak and with you I am strong. Be always with me that I can surpass the bad in my life and overcome the trials that face me.
I forever love you always
Amen

100% Human

Hosea 2-5; Hebrews 2

Hebrews 2:14-18 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— ¹⁵and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. ¹⁶For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. ¹⁷For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Jesus was 100% God and 100% man, a mystery that is still being questioned to this day. How is that possible? But Jesus knew all about divinity and living in heaven and yet He knew all about being human and being tempted and what sin truly felt like. Jesus came to be 100% human to help us. God created us and we were made in His image, however, He didn't know what it was like to be human. Than when Jesus came He came to understand and knew that the only way to help us was to become the one thing that was separating us from our creator, sin.

Whenever I watch a movie and there has to be an ultimate sacrifice, sometimes I cry, sometimes I don't care. And that is how life is with Jesus. Some people care and cry and know what He did and they implement it in their daily lives. Others can care less and keep going on with their lives. But God sent His Son to earth not to be like an angel but to be like us. He stripped his divine nature when He came to earth. Yes, He was able to do miracles...but so was everyone else. Yes, He spoke to God and had a personal relationship with Him...but so did everyone else.

We think Jesus was divine when He was on earth. Yes, He was the Son of God and the Messiah and the Savior and that is what separates Him from us. Yet, when He was on earth He was 100% human and everything that He did on earth, everyone else was and is capable of doing it too.

I am capable of working miracles. I am capable of having a personal relationship with God. I am capable of turning from temptation. I am capable of getting rid of the devil. God made me 100% human and in His image with the faith and power and authority that Jesus had when He was on earth. I am 100% human.

Lord,
Thank you for creating me. There are times when I do wish I was someone else because they may have it easier, but it is because I have you that I rejoice and praise you for all that i have and all that I am. I can live because of you and be glad for it.
I forever love you always
Amen