Give Praise!

Isaiah 38:16-19 “O Master, these are the conditions in which people live, and yes, in these very conditions my spirit is still alive - fully recovered with a fresh infusion of life! It seems it was good for me to go through all those troubles. Throughout them all You held tight to my lifeline. You never let me tumble over the edge into nothing. But my sins You let go of, threw them over Your shoulder - good riddance! The dead don't thank You, and choirs don't sing praises from the morgue. Those buried six feet under don't witness to Your faithful ways. It's the living - live men, live women - who thank You, just as I'm doing right now. Parents give their children full reports on Your faithful ways.” THE MESSAGE Our human nature calls us to complain. Our human nature calls us to see the bad and grumble. Our human nature naturally gravitates to the bad side of issues. Right now, many people, even Christians, complain about health, the cost of living, the cost of gasoline, current administration, immigration, some even complain about their church. You name it we seem to be in a place of following our human nature which is to complain and grumble. Now, that may seem a little harsh, but give it some thought. Do a little heart examination. Is it true? If not, don’t read the rest of this little devotional and keep praising the Lord for every thing. But, if it is true, finish to the end. King Hezekiah was sick unto death. He had cried out to the Lord to remember his faithfulness to Him. The Lord heard his cry and sent Isaiah to give him this word - “I heard your prayer and I’m adding 15 years to your life.” It is from that Word from God through Isaiah that King Hezekiah writes down these words from scripture, and I paraphrase - Thank you for giving me new life. I was in a deathly condition and You heard my cry. The troubles of this life have been many, but You have held me through all of them. The most important thing You did was to take my sins, throw them over Your shoulder and forget them - good riddance!!! When I am dead I can no longer give You praise. When I am buried in the ground my voice can no longer sing. There are no choirs that sing from the morgue of death. So, because I am alive I will lift my voice in praise to You and give You thanks and I will give my children a full report of all the things You have done in my life. WOW. What a testimony. You and I are but one breath away from death at any moment. We are but an instant away from facing eternity. How sad it would be to face eternity with complaints being voiced. How much better our mouths are filled with praise to God Almighty. We may not be granted another 15 years as King Hezekiah was. We may not have 15 days, 15 minutes or even 15 seconds before our life comes to an end. Oh, that our hearts and mouths would be filled with praise if for no other reason than our sins have been thrown over the shoulder of Almighty God never to be remembered again. Truly we are a blessed people and the God Who saves us is worthy of praise in every situation, every day, and with every breath.

FAITH

Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.” Mark 4:30-32 The mustard seed is indeed one of the smallest seeds in the plant world. And yet when planted and cared for can becomes a home not just for birds, but for literally numerous insects and small animals. The lesson of Jesus is huge. Facing storms. Facing the impossible. Facing change when we don’t want to. Making changes that are difficult. Moving in faith so small it’s seems insignificant. And yet as we move in this small seed of faith, our obedience becomes the fertile ground in which the seed sprouts. God is the Gardner. He comes along aside and strengthens the roots and trims the stems of our faith. Sometimes that looks like trials and hard times. But we continue to be obedient and God continues to help the plant of faith grow up into a full blown faith strong enough to speak to mountains. Faith is activated in part by obedience. “Get up, take your mat and walk.” “Go wash in the river.” “She reached out to touch His robe believing”. Sometimes our Faith is not strengthened until we act in obedience and often that obedience is in things we already know we should do, but out of fear don’t do. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the result. Fear of what God may ask of us on the other side of obedience. The seed of the mustard plant must first be planted in order for the fruit to spring forth. Too often our faith remains small because we fail to even plant it. I encourage you today-do not neglect to “plant” your faith for the direction God is leading. He will produce a harvest thru you as you obediently submit to Him. Keep looking up-Jesus is coming soon.

Everyday

Everyday! Everyday we wake up to the most negative news there is from every corner of the earth including places we never heard of and can’t even find on the map. In the middle of all that, those who are in Christ have the antithesis of all the bad news. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God died to bring peace in the storms. I tend to grow weary of Christians who regurgitate all the bad news providing fertile ground for divisiveness in an unhealthy way. I grow very weary of reading posts from “pastors” who suddenly believe they have been called of God to preach a gospel other than that found in the Word. I grow weary of political arguments that do nothing more than further divide the hearts of humanity. Do I have political beliefs? Absolutely. Do I have issues to which I would love to “preach” for or against. Of course. But at the age of 16 God called me to do one thing-live and speak in such a way as to draw people’s minds and hearts to the One True God and His Son Jesus Christ and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Having said all of that to say this - the good news is this, no matter the politics of this world, no matter theologies based on human traditions, no matter the wars and rumors of wars, no matter fears of health and welfare THERE IS HOPE!!! “Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ I point you to the Words of Jesus. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened or troubled, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place; All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish]. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭6‬-‭8‬, ‭13‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ Is my calling to speak out in divisiveness regarding political issues or to speak to the great divide between the depravity of the human soul and the absolute holiness of Almighty God? I believe my calling is the same today as it was at the age of 16 - “Herald and preach the Word! Keep your sense of urgency [stand by, be at hand and ready], whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable. [Whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it is welcome or unwelcome, you as preacher of the Word are to show people in what way their lives are wrong.] And convince them, rebuking and correcting, warning and urging and encouraging them, being unflagging and inexhaustible in patience and teaching.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬ ‭AMPC‬‬