Give It Your All

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up"- Galatians 6:9 (NIV).

I'm preaching to the choir now. There are people watching us all the time. If we falter, we would lose their attention. The longer we keep it, the better chance of them seeing Jesus in us and coming to faith in the Lord. We become tired at times, known to take naps in the middle of the floor, but we push on toward the calling we've been given. We need to encourage one another, help one another, give to one another, and pray for one another. You probably have a person, or persons, that you know who need to surrender their lives to Jesus. They are currently in your sphere of influence and God is pursuing them through you. That person, or more, is close to making the most important decision of their life: To follow Jesus. Let that be on the forefront of your mind when you feel you've given all you've got. You haven't; only One has given His all. "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). Kick weariness to the curb and press on! Souls of the Beloved are at stake.  

Remembering You

"I thank my God every time I remember you"- Philippians 1:3 (NIV).

We all set up memorials. I have memorials in my home. The main hallway has pictures of my ancestors, soon to include my great-great grandfather Jesse Pirtle, whom my mother, Jessie, was named after; yet another kind of memorial for him. My mother bore his name. My newlywed daughter and husband have a memorial of their wedding day, including their cake centerpiece and wedding photos, displayed on a piece of furniture in their living room. What memorials do you have in your life? To Paul, in today's Scripture, his converts were his memorial. Each time he thought of them, he thanked God. Their continued belief in God was a memorial to what God had done through Paul's obedience to share to Gospel of Christ Jesus. I'm sure the church in Philippi thanked God every time they remembered Paul, too. You may feel there are no memorials for you, but look around. Those people, young and old, who you've influenced in their Christian walk are a memorial to you; to what God has done through your obedience. That's the best kind of memorial; one where someone can say, "I thank my God every time I remember you." 

Eclipse of the Son

"He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; He suspends the earth over nothing"- Job 26:7 (NIV).

Have you heard this idiom? "You can't see the forest for the trees." There are moments when the very thing we are looking for is right in front of us, but we can't see it. The 2017 Solar Eclipse occurred directly over our house yesterday. We watched as the sun was completely blacked out by the moon displaying the corona. It struck me this morning, on my drive into work, that I never saw the moon. The moon moved directly between us and the sun. How could the moon, large enough to black out the sun, go unseen? We were looking directly at it. Many times we are looking directly at our problems, anxious that we don't see God intervening on our behalf, then quite unexpectedly, He's there and the problem becomes blacked out. God moves in mysterious ways. "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!" (Romans 11:33). We cannot trace out the path of the moon during a solar eclipse, nor can we trace out the path of God. Trust Him to always be there, my friend, and know that God is on the move.  

Fighting Satan

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart"- Hebrews 4:12 (NIV).

Fighting Satan requires a certain piece of armor. When Jesus was being tempted by Satan, He used Scripture to combat the tempter. Jesus was hungry. When Satan told Him to turn stones into bread, Jesus responded, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). That Scripture came from Deuteronomy 8:3. So Satan tried to fight fire with fire and quoted Scripture back in his next temptation to Jesus, tempting Jesus to throw Himself off the highest point of the temple; taunting Jesus to prove God would save Him (Matthew 4:5-6), but, in verse  7, Jesus responded, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test'". Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. In one last attempt, Satan offered Jesus all things visible, if Jesus would bow down and worship him (Matthew 4:8-9). Oh, the power of Scripture, because Satan fled after Jesus responded with Deuteronomy 6:13: "Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only." Are you memorizing Scripture? It's part of the armor of God, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). Jesus used the book of Deuteronomy to fight the temptations of the devil. What will you use? 

His Presence

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland"- Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV).

Most people have collections of memorabilia tucked away or displayed in their homes. Looking back on good memories is like a mini vacation for our hearts; the bad memories, not even close. Our minds tend to flit back to the past at times, but God doesn't want us to "dwell" there. The devil does though. Looking back can cause us to lose our balance and stumble; no, our eyes should be focused on what's in front of us. You may be in a good place right now, but even good places need refreshing at times. A bad place needs a complete overhaul. Thankfully, God is in the business of creating new things that enrich a believer's faith and hope. It's not the "things" that bring the excitement or the renewal; it's the awareness of God's presence that fill us with joy. If you're a parent, you know the joy of watching your child open a gift. Is it really about the gift? No, it's about the one who is giving and the one who is receiving. God is the ultimate Parent and His love for us is eternal (Jeremiah 31:3). Our hearts desire is to be in His presence. For now, delight yourself in the Lord and the desires of your heart will spring up. Do you not perceive it?