Week #41 All Shook Up

LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your
holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is
righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no
slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and
casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but
honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when
it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not
accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these
things will never be shaken.

Psalms 15:1-5

We are all faced with challenges. Some challenges come in the form of "big trouble" while other challenges are "small potatoes." How we respond to these daily challenges speaks volumes about our commitment to God and our maturity as one of His followers.

In the verses above, we are given clear answers on how we are to live our lives so that we will "never be shaken." Doing what is righteous, keeping your promises even when it hurts, lending money without usury, and being nice to your neighbors...sounds simple enough right? Then why do we have so much trouble doing (or not doing) the things listed in these verses? Best answer: we are weak. Psalm 37:5 says that if you commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will help you.

God is on our side. He wants us to live lives pleasing to Him. He wants to help us live that kind of life. If we give ourselves to Him and trust Him, He will help us. Every day is a challenge...we have to decide if we are going to follow Christ and trust Him with the things we are faced with or are we going to take on the world on our own. With God on our side, we have no reason to ever be shaken. If we are walking in His light, doing the things that are pleasing to Him, we won't be shaken. The question is...do we trust Him? Are we willing to do what He has asked us to do?

Week #40 Christianity

Carl Hallberg stated that "The largest denomination in Western civilization is cultural Christianity. As followers of Christ, we are considered Christians. Over the years we have taken Christianity and stretched it to mean a variety of things. You have a group of "christians" over here that live and believe this way, then you have a group over there that lives and believes another way.

The term "cultural Christianity" is being used to describe how so called Christians today have taken the true meaning of being a follower of Christ and turned it into something insignificant and laughable by the outside world. Not sure if that sentence makes any sense, but hopefully this quote from the book The Man in the Mirror by Patrick Morley will help clear up what I'm trying to say:

Cultural Christianity means to pursue the God we want instead of the God who is. It is the tendency to be shallow in our understanding of God, wanting Him to be more of a gentle grandfather type who spoils us and lets us have our own way. It is sensing a need for God, but on our own terms. It is wanted the God we have underlined in our Bibles without wanting the rest of Him, too. It is God relative instead of God absolute.

I'm sure we are all guilty of living this way at times, if not always. We need to realize that God is the God we read about in Scripture. He is all knowing, always present, loving...the list goes on and on. The problem is that we only want the God that blesses us and makes everything go our way. We don't want the God that will discipline us or the one that will make us answer for the bad things we have done in our lives. We can't pick and choose to pursue only the things about God that make us happy or benefit us. We have to pursue the God who is, the One described throughout Scripture, not just certain verses that make us feel good.

Are you guilty of being a cultural Christian?

Week #39 September 11, 2001

Email "chain letter" with a powerful message.

'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL'

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I
held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
is OK..I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed
breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
tried to understand his words and as she realized
he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been
knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home - only
believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to h is Flock in Heaven. He
hea rd my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, comforting and assuring them that their
faith has saved them.

I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan ...
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me
for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take
my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
may not know why, but I do. However, if you were
there in that explosive moment in time, would y o u have
reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
for you. But someday your journey will end. And I
will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may
be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are
'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

-GodLet's remember those who lost their lives 7 years ago and their friends and families. Pray for our country, those fighting for our country, and those leading our country.

Week #38 Maintaining a Quiet Spirit

InTouch Magazine March 2008 Issue: Thursday March 6, 2008 Devotional.

READ: Proverbs 26:4; James 1:19; Luke 12:12; Romans 8:28

"When conflict arises, we oftentimes want to rush in and defend our position. Perhaps we even feel justified in blaming others. However, James 1:19 gives different advice for dealing with tension and disputes: 'Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.' In other words, more can be accomplished through a calm approach to the situation. Scripture also suggests that we:

Pray. First, we should ask the Lord to guard our mouth and give us the right words to say (Luke 12:12). Also, we ought to request discernment concerning the root issue and insight as to whether we might be at fault.

See with divine perspective. Our sovereign Lord works every situation for the believer's benefit (Romans 8:28). Not only does God use difficulties to teach us, but He also allows us to demonstrate the life of Christ by the way we respond.

Forgive. Even if someone has hurt us by causing the conflict, we should forgive. Jesus died to pardon all of our sin, and we, in turn, should forgive others. In fact, if we don't, our lives will become burdened by resentment and broken relationships.

Respond. If we have done something wrong, we should apologize and ask forgiveness. Otherwise, we can express appreciation that the other person took time to share his concern. Also, we should affirm that we will carefully consider his comments."

So...how do you respond to conflict in your life?