"I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.

I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation." 

                            -Psalm 40:9-10

Notice in this passage that David said he had "not refrained his lips." In other words, when he felt like giving the Lord a praise, he did it! When God blessed him, he let people know about it. He was excited about the Lord!  I wonder if the same could be said of us. Have we ever been guilty of hiding what God has done for us in the depths of our hearts?

"But if any man love God, the same is known of him."

                            -I Corinthians 8:3

The word "if" is a very important word in this verse. It puts a stipulation/requirement on those who claim to love the Lord. If we truly love Him, then people ought to know that about us. If those we associate with don't even know that we are a Christian, or that we are serious about serving God, then we need to take stock of our soul and see if we are in the faith (II Corinthians 13:5). Though this is not always the case, what the world thinks of our faith is often what God thinks of our faith. If the world perceives our faith as being weak, it is probably weak; if it does not see any faith at all, then we probably have none.

"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"

                            -Philippians 2:15

We live in a crooked and perverse generation, and it's more important now than ever before that we shine as God has called us to do. The world has never been darker than it is right now, and therefore has never been in such great need of the light. Though we may be small in number, God used only a small group of men to change the entire world during the days of the early church, and He can do the same today. The greatest darkness cannot overcome the smallest light, but the smallest light can overcome the greatest darkness!

In Luke 14:31, Jesus talked about a king, with an army of 10,000 consulting to see if he could overcome an army of 20,000. Just like this king, we have always been in the minority, and we always will be; but God can use even a minority to accomplish His purpose in this world. We must remember, though, that in order for Him to use us, we must allow Him to!

It has never been God's will for His children to try and conceal what He has done for them. And while I'm sure we would all say that we agree with this statement, oftentimes we live our lives as if we don't. For example, I recently saw a book entitled, "The Christian Atheist - Believing God Exists, but Living as if He doesn't." Could it be that we "believe" we are supposed to shine as lights for Christ, but don't actually put that belief into action as we are commanded in the Word? As James said in James 2:14, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works?..."

The Lord said in Luke 11:33, "No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light." The Lord has "lighted the candle", but it is up to us to decide where we are going to shine. We can shine "under a bushel", by only living out our faith in church or when we are around our Christian friends, when those who truly need to see the light aren't around, or we can shine "on a candlestick" where all who are near us can see the light within us shining forth.

"The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness."

                            -Luke11:34

What Jesus is saying here, in essence, is that if the light that is in us is not even shining, what great darkness there will be! Likewise, as the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), if we are not shining then this world has no hope. The Lord said, "...strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:14). The way to heaven is strait and narrow, and the world must have light in order to find it! Just like a plant must have light in order for it to grow, the gospel cannot take root in people's lives without us first shining the necessary light onto their path.

I often think about how blessed I am to know, and have a relationship with, the one true God. Countless millions blindly worship false gods that they believe will one day grant them eternal life, not realizing the truth of John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life..."

We don't serve a God we created; we serve a God that created us. We don't have a God that we deserve; but we have a God that loves us anyway. Without a doubt, He is the one true God.  

"There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God."

                                                        -I Samuel 2:2 

Last Monday I had the opportunity to sing this song at a homeschool gathering. Even though I've sung it countless times, the words still ring true in my life and I hope that you'll enjoy it.




V.1.
I don't have a God I can put on a stand,
Or a God I hold in the palm of my hand;
I have a God that's holding me.
I don't have a God that I can create
In the place I live with the money I make;
I have a God that made everything.

Pre-chorus
So I don't need a temporary man-made deity,
When I've got the real thing, I've got the real thing.

Chorus
He's the Lord of all the earth,
The maker of all things;
He alone is the one true God.
Kingdoms rise and fall,
But even through it all,
He remains the one true God.

V.2.
I don't have a thing that I got on my own;
I don't have a care that I carry alone,
But I have a God that's carrying me.
I don't have sin that He didn't forgive,
And I don't have a heart that is worthy of His;
But I have a God that still loves me.

Pre-chorus
So I don't need a temporary man-made deity,
When I've got the real thing, I've got the real thing.




Note: I do not own the copyrights to this song. Please obtain permission from the rightful owner before use.

When I started this blog back in November, I had no idea that it would become what it is today.  Six months and more than 140 posts later, I have seen God use this little blog to speak to people I've never even met and also to encourage me personally. With that said, I've been busy revamping and adding new features, and one of those new features I am happy to announce is that you can now sort through past posts by category! Just click one of the tags on my sidebar, and you will be taken to a list of posts that I think fit the description of what you are looking for.

Obviously, with 140+ posts to go through it will be a while before I can categorize each and every post; but hopefully you'll be able to find what you're looking for a little bit easier now. Let me know what you think!

In Christ,
Dakota

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."

                            -James 1:2 

When James wrote this epistle, the first thing he did was encourage his fellow brothers and sisters in the faith to withstand temptation (meaning trials, in this context). He spoke of when they encountered hardship - not if they encountered it. This is because  he realized that all Christians will go through their fair share of difficult times, no matter how Godly they are. In fact, the Godlier we are, the more trials we will go through. But instead of discouraging us, these times should cause us to be all the more joyful, knowing that it is through these times that we will be brought closer to the Lord.

Look through the 1,000+ pages of the Bible, and you will not find a single verse where we are promised that the cross will not get heavy from time to time. On the contrary, we have promises assuring us that it will at times become difficult to bear (see II Timothy 3:12). But during those trials, we can hold on to the promise that, not matter what we go through, we will never go alone (Matthew 28:20). As has often been said, God wouldn't lead you to it if He couldn't bring you through it.

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

                            -I Corinthians 10:13

Whatever you may be going through right now, remember that you aren't on your own. Not only is God with you, but He has brought many other Christians through this same valley safely to the other side. As it says in this verse, when the cross become heavy, God will enable us to bear it.

"And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people."

                             -Exodus 13:21-22

When Pharaoh finally gave the Israelites his permission to leave Egypt, God guided them in the way they should go with a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire throughout the night. What I find interesting, though, is that God dedicated an entire verse of His Word to clarifying that this guidance was constant. There wasn't even a moment in which He quit leading them. Every minute of every day, and every watch of the night, He was there showing them the way.

Just like the Passover lamb was a type and shadow of Christ (see yesterday's post), the pillar and cloud are a symbol of the guidance God gives to His church today. James 1:5 tell us, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." If we are in need of direction, the Lord will give it to us. In the same way that the pillar and cloud never went away, He will never turn a deaf ear to the prayers of His children when they are seeking His counsel. Whether He chooses to show us His answer through Scripture, or even a burning bush, isn't what matters; the important thing is that we will always get an answer.

It is imperative, however, that we read the Bible regularly and hide Its words in our heart (Psalm 119:11). Many times we spend long hours in prayer over something, not realizing that the answer has already been given to us in God's Word! But, if after much Bible study, we still are unable to find the answer we need, we can rest assured that our Heavenly Father will supply us with that answer in His time.

"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord."

                            -James 1:6-7

Have you ever had one of those experiences where the Lord teaches you humility by sending you through something that is...well, humiliating? If so, then you know how I'm feeling right now.

Last night after a great night out with some of our friends and family, I happened to glance over and see a mouse that had its foot caught in one of our mousetraps. I knew I had to finish it off, so I grabbed my old B.B. gun that hadn't been shot in ages and headed out to the front yard. Now before I go any farther, let me just say that I have actually shot balloons with this B.B. gun and watched as the B.B. bounced off! To say the least, this gun isn't very powerful - or so I thought. Anyway, I placed the mouse on the ground, took aim, and pulled the trigger. I hit the target, but somehow the B.B. still managed to have enough velocity to ricochet off of the concrete, and then fly into a our glass door - completely shattering it. How this happened, I am still unsure; all I know is that we have a cart full of glass and one less door at our house.

My point behind this story is that humility is a lesson we all must learn. Some learn it the easy way, others learn it the hard way. If you're one who likes to learn things the hard way, then at least consider purchasing a screen door.

"For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

                            -Luke 14:11

"And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt."

                            -Exodus 12:13 

Because Pharaoh had refused to let the Israelites go free after 9 plagues, God had to use extreme measures and take the lives of all the first-born. It didn't matter if it was Pharaoh's son, or the first-born of a prisoner in the dungeon; they all had to die (v. 29). However, God made a provision for the Israelites to be saved: through the blood of a spotless lamb. Each family was required to take a lamb, slay it, and then use its blood to mark their door post. When God saw that the blood was applied to that families home, he would not allow the death angel to enter into it and they would be saved (v. 23).

Just like the Egyptians failed to heed God's command, mankind has rejected the Word of God and instead has followed after a sinful lifestyle. As a result, "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men..." (Romans 1:18) But because He is longsuffering toward us and desires that all might be saved (II Peter 3:9), God has provided a way for us to escape the coming "day of wrath" (Romans 2:5), in which judgment will be poured out upon mankind: through His Son Jesus Christ. Through His blood, we can have forgiveness of sins, and when God sees that blood applied to our hearts, He will know that we are forgiven. Instead of being objects of His wrath, we can now be the objects of His grace and mercy. Not because of our good works; but because of the blood.

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh, precious is that flow,
That makes me white as snow!
No other fount I know, 
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.*

*Nothing But the Blood - Rev. Robert Lowery

"Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him:
With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah."

                            -II Chronicles 32:7-8

If I had a dollar for every time I quoted from this passage, I would be rich. To me, it perfectly illustrates the fact that if we have God on our side, then we have nothing to fear. Though they were surrounded by the Assyrian army to the point that they could not so much as leave the city, Hezekiah and his men put their trust in God and knew that they would not be forsaken. King Hezekiah understood what many of us have yet to learn: when God is fighting our battles, we will always win.

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"

                            -Romans 8:31

The problem we often face is that when trials and tribulations come our way, we look at our own weakness and conclude we are doomed to failure. Convinced that we aren't strong enough to gain the victory, we throw our hands in the air and give up. But the Biblical way of handling such situations is to remember that "greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world." (I John 4:4) If we depended upon our own strength, we would lose every time. We've got to let the Lord fight our battles if we want to be victorious.

"Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?"

                            -Luke 14:31

 As Christians, we will always be outnumbered. But by trusting in the Lord, we can be victorious despite our often discouraging circumstances.

"And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple."

                           -Luke 14:27

Verses such as this completely defy what the world would have us believe as the true Gospel. Rather than teaching us to take up our cross, modern "Christianity" encourages us to take up our easy-chair and follow Christ. It portrays the Christian life as a bed of roses, completely ignoring the fact that even a bed of roses has thorns. They skim over such verses as, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (II Timothy 3:12). Instead, they preach that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall enjoy relaxation. While I'm sure we all wish that were the case, it simply is not. Being a Christian will not always be easy, and we are lying if we try to convince people (or ourselves) otherwise.

"Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets."

                            -Luke 6:22-23

Jesus didn't try to hide the fact that following Him would bring persecution upon those who choose to do so. He said that we will be hated, rejected, and reproached just like He was (Isaiah 53:3), and that we must count the cost to see if we are willing to endure these things (see Luke 14:28). Of course the persecution and hardship is more than worth it, but we shouldn't pretend like it doesn't exist.

"But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended."

                            -Matthew 13:20-21 

The Scriptures concerning persecution aren't in fine print; they're in big red letters. Will we read them? Or better yet, will we heed them?

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

                            -Matthew 5:10

The process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, or of a bird migrating thousands of miles somehow knowing that it's going in the right direction, should cause each one of us to say with the Psalmist, "This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes." (Psalm 118:23)

We serve an awesome God. The things that we stand in awe of, He created by the word of His mouth. Truly, He is a God of wonders.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.".

                        -Psalm 19:1-3

"It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth."

                            -Lamentations 3:27

I, as well as the majority of you reading this, have been gifted with what modern society has termed "the teenage years." The sad part is that our culture tends to look at these years as a time to goof off and have fun, instead of a time of preparation for our future, which is what God intended them to be. While most teenagers spend this precious time of their life doing nothing but playing video games and watching television, God has called us to go beyond the cultural norm of laziness and complacency, and to use our teenage years as a time of drawing closer to Him and preparing for whatever He may have in store for us.

As todays passage (Lamentation 3:27) says, it is good for us that we embrace the "yoke" (i.e. responsibilities) of our youth. No, it doesn't say we are supposed to run from these responsibilities like most teens do, but instead we are instructed to welcome them. Those who waste their teenage years doing nothing but goofing off will find themselves ill-equipped to face the responsibilities of the real world. That is why we must be in preparation for our future now: so we're not caught off guard when it slaps us in the face.

"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

                            -I Timothy 4:12

The modern-day idea that we can't accomplish anything if we're young is a lie from the pit of hell. If you are willing to let Him, God can use you in a way that is beyond anything you've ever imagined. The choice is yours.

"And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:"

                             -Exodus 4:2-4

I know that most of the time when we speak about Moses' encounter with God through the burning bush, we usually talk about the many excuses he made attempting to avoid his call, and his doubt in the Lord's ability to use him. But I'm going to give Moses a break this time and, instead of focusing on his faults, I'm going to focus on something he did right.


We read in verse 3 of this passage that when Moses' rod supernaturally turned into a snake, he immediately ran for cover. Now unless he had a severe phobia of snakes, this verse gives me the impression that this snake must have been pretty dangerous. Whether it was extremely large or venomous, or perhaps even both, the Bible does not say; all we know is that this was a snake to be feared. Yet, despite his obvious fears, when the Lord commanded Moses to walk over and pick it up, he was obedient. He grabbed it by the tail and it turned back into a rod. No, it didn't bite him; instead, the very thing that he had been trembling at just a few moments earlier, suddenly became a harmless stick of wood.

Here we have the story of a man whom God taught to face his fears. In this case, it was a snake; a few days later, it would be Pharaoh.  In both situations, God was with him and taught him a very valuable lesson: when you are being obedient to the voice of God, there is nothing to be afraid of.

"Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents." 

                            -I Corinthians 10:9

What's the "snake" in your life? Is it witnessing? Public speaking? Algebra? Whatever it is, could it be that God is calling you to quit hiding from it and to walk over and take it up by the tail? Whatever the case, it's not God's will for you to be destroyed by a serpent.

"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there."

                            -Psalm 139:7-8 

Just like His omniscience, God's omnipresence is something that can cause either fear or peace depending on who you are. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they tried to hide from His presence, not realizing that doing so is as impossible as a fish hiding from water. The presence of the Lord cannot be hid from or avoided; He is everywhere.

No matter where we are or what we go through in life, God is there. Just like the sun is always shining, even when we can't see it, God is always there, even when we can't feel Him. I think the song by Third Day says it best:

Like the rain that falls to the earth below
Watering the seed to grow
So it is with Your precious word, O Lord
It won't return until I know that


You're everywhere
You're everywhere


Like the wind that blows no one really knows
From where it comes or where it goes
So it is with your Holy Spirit, Lord
Falling down on us to show that


(You're everywhere) Like the rain that's falling
(You're everywhere) Like the wind that's blowing
(You're everywhere) Like the sun upon my face
I feel the warmth in Your embrace
You are everywhere


My Lord, now I truly know
That I could never go from Your presence
My God, You are everywhere
From the lowest depths to the heavens
You're always there*

*You're Everywhere - Third Day
  Copyright 2000 New Spring Publishing, Inc.

I am happy to announce that you can now receive my blog posts via e-mail! Simply enter your e-mail address into the FeedBurner widget on my sidebar, and each day's devotional will automatically be sent to your inbox!

This new function ideally suits those of you who enjoy this blog, but perhaps do not visit blogger every day, or would rather not follow me via Google Friend Connect. If this describes you, then go ahead and sign up. If you change your mind, you can easily unsubsribe at any time.


In Christ,
Dakota

"Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."

                            Genesis 18:14 

In view of our own weaknesses and shortcomings, it is somewhat difficult to imagine a God Who's power is limitless. Even in the current age of mind-boggling technological advancements, we still have to flip a switch in order to turn on the light, turn on the faucet to fill a glass full of water, and tend a garden to make plants grow. God, on the other hand, simply spoke the words and created light. His very command was enough to make the seas, the forests and plants, not to mention all the other objects of creation. As humans, we feel as if we have accomplished something great if we can get our dog to listen to what we say, let alone creation itself!

"Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them."

                            -Luke 4:40

The healings that Jesus performed while on this earth are one of the greatest Biblical examples of His omnipotence that we have. Not once will we find a verse that says a certain person's illness was too severe to be healed, or that Christ was unable to meet that individual's physical need. He healed "all manner of sickness" (Matthew 4:23).

I've often wondered how Luke, who was a physician, must have felt after talking with those who had been healed by the hand of Jesus. Perhaps some of these same people had visited his own office at one time seeking medical treatment, only to be told there was none available. Could it be that Luke was at Lazarus' bedside when he died, using his years of accumulated knowledge in an attempt to save his life, only to see his best efforts fail? And then four days later, a man named Jesus comes by and reverses death itself! What a humbling experience to know that what was too difficult for him, Christ was able to do effortlessly!


Like Luke, we are anything but omnipotent. But how wonderful it is to know that, though we may be incapable of doing a lot of things, our heavenly Father possesses power beyond our wildest imagination! Nothing is too hard for Him.

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

                            -Hebrews 13:8 

Few of God's attributes are of more comfort to us than His immutability. He has never, and will never, change. This means that the same promises He made thousands of years ago are just as applicable to us today as they were the day they were spoken. We have no reason to worry that He may "change His mind", because God's mind is not subject to change concerning those things.

"For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."

                            -Malachi 3:6

Times may change, people may change, but our God will never change. If He was faithful yesterday, He will be faithful today; and if He is faithful today, He will also be faithful tomorrow. Unlike many of us, His faithfulness is not affected by varying circumstances. If it's written in the Bible, we can stand on it though all hell assail us.

For all eternity past, God has remained the same. Why would we expect Him to change now?

"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"

                            -Numbers 23:19

"I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee."

                            -Job 42:2 

For many people, the omniscience of God is a scary thing. They tremble at the idea of their every thought being known to their Creator because, in most cases, those thoughts are wicked and immoral. Instead of finding their delight in the law of the Lord (Psalm 1:2), they are like those in the day of Noah who thought upon only evil things continually (Genesis 6:5). Those people have every reason to be afraid, for one day they will give an account to God for their actions as well as their thoughts. And while God's omniscience may cause the unsaved to be fearful, the Christian can take comfort in knowing his/her God knows all things.

"Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."

                            -Matthew 6:8 

The Lord knows all of our needs even before we ask Him to meet them. Because of this, He is able to answer our prayers before we even speak (Isaiah 65:24)! Not only that, but He knows all of our secret fears and weaknesses, and thus can strengthen us in those areas before we even realize we are in need of help. Truly, the omniscience of our heavenly Father is a consolation, not something to be afraid of.

Though God's immeasurable knowledge ought to motivate each of us to purify our hearts (not just our conduct), it should also give us an increased sense of joy and peace to know that there is no problem He cannot solve, no answer He cannot supply, and no hurt He cannot understand. Nothing is too hard for Him and, when the storms of life come our way, we can take comfort in the fact that, though we may not understand it all, He does.

"His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.
Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God."

                            -John 16:29-30 

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True..."

                            -Revelation 19:11

My Bible reading this week has found me in Genesis 37-50: the story of Joseph. Ironically, my post on God's faithfulness falls right in the middle of my study of a man who experienced this faithfulness like few others ever have.

At age 17 it looked as if all was going well.  He was frequently receiving visions from God, and his father loved him more than any of his brothers. Obviously this made Jacob's other sons very jealous, and in turn they sold him to a band of Ishmaelites who then proceeded to sell him to the Egyptians. One minute all is going well, the next he is being sold from person to person like a piece of merchandise.

Once established in Egypt,  he once again had a very good and prosperous life. But this also was short-lived and he was thrown in jail due to the lies of a deceitful woman. Yet even through this, "the LORD was with Joseph" (Gen. 39:21), and "that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper", despite his uncertain future and circumstances (Gen. 39:23)(see also Psalm 1:3). After a time in prison, the Lord delivered him and made him one of the most powerful officials in all the land of Egypt, and eventually reunited him and his family.

My point behind all of this is that Joseph experienced his fair share of hardships. He knew what it was like to stand on a mountaintop, but he also knew what it was like to look up at one from the lowest of valleys. Yet through all of these things, the Lord never left his side. In fact,  chapter 39 says four times that God was with him. When he was loved and when he was hated, he was never abandoned by his heavenly Father.

God will never leave us and He will never forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). When the sun is shining, but also when the rain is pouring, He is there. We may not always feel Him, but we can always trust Him.

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

                        -I John 4:8 

Because many people misinterpret this verse and forget that our God is also a God of justice, I have devoted a number of posts to clarifying that misconception. However, it is just as dangerous to pay so much attention to His justice that we forget about His love. There must be a balance between the two, and so that is why today I want us to carefully consider the love of God and what it means to be the objects of that love.

"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."

                            -Jeremiah 31:3

The love of God is no ordinary love. It is an extraordinary love that cannot be dispelled by death, life, angels, principalities, powers, things present, things to come, height, depth, or any other creature (see Romans 8:38-39). It is an "everlasting love" that moved the Father to send "His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) It is a love that cannot be explained, described, or even understood; for those who have been made to receive it have done nothing at all that would make them worthy of such a great and invaluable treasure.

It is evident from such verses as II Peter 3:9 that God loves all humanity and has a desire for each of us to receive salvation through His Son. But there is a special love, known only to believers, that we are instructed to walk in (Jude 21). This love is not based on good works, but upon the fact that we have been adopted into the family of God as His sons and daughters (Romans 8:15). Just as an earthly father has a unique love toward his children and is always seeking their well-being, our Father in heaven watches over us and makes certain that all things work out for our benefit (Romans 8:28).

No doubt, if it were not for His love, God would be neither merciful, gracious, or compassionate. In light of this truth, love is surely one of the most important attributes of God.

Now that the Fruit of the Spirit series has come to a close, I am going to begin a new series about a few of the attributes of God. I will cover the obvious (omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence...), as well as the not-so-obvious. My hope is that, by examining the greatness of God Himself, we will each gain a refreshed sense of humility and admiration toward our Heavenly Father.

Please comment and list one or two attributes of God that you would like to see me blog about, and perhaps I'll post about it in the near future!

"And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;"

                            -II Peter 1:6 

In many ways, temperance and longsuffering go hand in hand. If we are one who fails to be longsuffering, then chances are we also fail in the area of temperance, and vice-versa. Therefore it is exceedingly important that we learn self-control (another word for temperance), knowing that we will be lacking two fruits of the Spirit if we don't.

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." 

                            -James 1:19-20

It is very rare indeed that anything good is wrought out of our anger. Most of the time, it leads us to do and say things that we later regret, not to mention the hurt feelings that almost always result.

There is an old story that my mom often tells me and my sister about a young boy who was told to go out and drive nails into each of the fence posts in their yard. After he had finished hammering, his father then instructed him to remove every one of the nails he'd just hammered. "While the nails may come out," his father told him, "the holes will aways be there. You can't fix them." Through this, he taught his son that what we say has an everlasting impact on people's lives. We can "take it back", but the hole will always be there.

We need to be careful that our lack of temperance doesn't lead us to say things that could cause another person to stumble. The old saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is a piece of baloney. They do hurt, and we need to make sure we don't say anything we'll want to take back later on.

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

                            -Matthew 5:5 

Meekness is defined by the dictionary as being humble and submissive. No, meekness is not weakness. If you think it is, then trying being meek for a week and you'll see otherwise. In fact, meekness is a sign of great inward strength and self-control, not weakness and cowardice as many people tend to believe.

"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."

                            -Philippians 2:3

Part of being meek is doing as Paul admonished the Philippians and esteeming others to be "better than ourselves." This doesn't mean we should be self-deprecating or insecure; it means we ought to realize how little we really have to offer God, and thus don't go around pretending like we're better than everyone else.

In I Timothy 1:15, Paul confessed that he viewed himself as the chief of sinners. What an example of meekness! Instead of talking about his many great accomplishments, such as the churches he'd established and the sacrifices he had made for the sake of the Gospel, he focused on his inadequacy and the fact that he didn't deserve "the least of God's mercies." (see Genesis 32:10) Likewise, we shouldn't get so caught up in admiring our successes that we forget all of our failures.

(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

                            -Numbers 12:3

Out of all the godly men and women throughout Scripture, few were used in a mightier way than Moses. I believe that is because, as this verse says, he had mastered the art of being meek. Nobody upon the face of the earth was more meek than he was, and so God used him to lead His chosen people out of captivity. In the same way, if we want to be used by God, all pride, arrogance, and haughtiness must go and meekness must take their place.

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

                            -Hebrews 11:6 

Faith is one of those things that I think we all have a little bit of. We have faith that the sun is going to rise in the morning, that summer will come after spring, and that life in general will continue to move on as usual. However, when it comes to having faith in God, many of us falter. Despite the fact that He has proven Himself to be more faithful than the sunrise, many  people invariably doubt His Word and His character.

"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

                            -Romans 12:3

We have all been given "a measure of faith", but it is up to us in deciding where to place that faith. We can place it in God, the only One Who will never fail us, or we can place it in the things of this world - only to be disappointed countless times over. As I like to say, it is not the amount of our faith, but the object of our faith, that determines whether or not it is strong. Better is a little faith in God than an abundance of faith in uncertain riches and temporal pleasures.

I'm confident that if we would all have more faith in God, we would see more sick people healed (yes, He still does that!), more lost loved ones saved, and more miracles of every sort. But when God looks down and sees doubt, why would He then proceed to bless us knowing that we didn't even believe He could do it in the first place? Faith precedes every great miracle.

"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

                            -James 1:6

Just read Hebrews 11 (aka "The Faith Chapter") and you will see that every every great hero of the Bible had faith. If we want to be remembered as a good soldier of the Cross, then this fruit of the Spirit must be brought forth abundantly in our lives.

"And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another."

                            -Romans 15:14 

This fruit of the Spirit is much more difficult to expound on, due to the fact that it encompasses such a vast subject, so I suppose it would be helpful to us if we first looked at the very root of the word goodness. Goodness, of course, simply means the state of being good. While I'm sure that most of you reading this would profess to be a  good person, we must remember what the Word of God says in Romans 3:10:  

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." 

The reason I bring this passage of Scripture up is to point out that it is impossible for us to be good through our own efforts. Like all of the other fruits of the Spirit, we must first have the Holy Ghost in our lives in order to develop it. Remember, they are called "The Fruit of the Spirit", not "The Fruit of Our Own Efforts."

When I was young, I was taught to begin my mealtime prayers with the words, "God is good..." Despite the fact that it was only a children's prayer, those words couldn't be more true. We serve a good God. And because we serve a good God, His dwelling in us ought to result in us being good children of God. (If you haven't noticed by now, every one of the fruits of the Spirit can be gained by simply becoming like Christ.)

When I look back over the past 24 hours of my life, I must say that there have been instances in which I have been lacking somewhat greatly in the area of goodness. "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ"  over our areas of weakness and insufficiency (I Corinthians 15:57)!

"And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men..."

                            -II Timothy 2:24 

The next fruit of the Spirit we are going to examine in this series is gentleness. However, I think that in order for us to really understand what it means to be gentle, we must first understand what it does not mean. Being gentle means not being harsh or austere in our dealings with others, but instead being kind, compassionate and, as we saw yesterday, longsuffering.

Oftentimes the way in which we handle a given situation has a direct impact on the end result. For example, we might have the right words to say to a close friend, but if they are not delivered in a spirit of love and humility (see Ephesians 4:15), then there will doubtless be negative consequences, and therefore any good that might have been otherwise accomplished will be replaced by anger and hurt feelings. But on the other hand, if we make a special effort to be gentle and polite toward those around us, we will likely bear much more fruit in our labor for the Lord due to that person's consequential increased receptiveness and eagerness to receive our testimony.

Have you ever had somebody treat you rudely? If so, how did it make you feel? I'm confident that you didn't esteem that individual too highly from then on, and that, if they were a Christian, they severely hindered their witness for the Lord. If we don't want people to look at us that way, then let's make an intentional effort to treat everybody we come into contact with with a spirit of gentleness.

"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;"

                            -Romans 12:10

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,"

                            -I Corinthians 13:4

What does it mean to be longsuffering? Well, as Paul explains in this passage, it simply means to suffer long - or, in modern terms, to patiently endure wrong doing. Now I know that may sound easy, but it is in fact very difficult for many of us, and that is why I believe we need to give this particular fruit of the Spirit special attention and meditate upon its meaning very carefully.

I find it interesting that God tells us to love because He first loved us (I John 4:19), to be joyful because He has rejoiced over us (Zephaniah 3:17), and to have peace because He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Likewise, He has given us the command to be longsuffering because He Himself is longsuffering toward us (Psalm 86:15). If we truly appreciate the fact that the Lord is patient with us, then we will be eager to be patient with others.

If we are all honest with God and with ourselves, then I think we will admit that we have each made our fair share of mistakes. I know that there have been many instances in which I have hurt the feelings of those close to me, and I am always grateful for their patience and longsuffering during those times. Because we appreciate it when others are longsuffering with us, we ought also to be longsuffering with others (Matthew 7:12).

No doubt we could each stand to bear this fruit of the Spirit more abundantly in our lives. Let's take this opportunity to come humbly before the Lord and ask Him to help us to be more like Him in this area.

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward..."

                            -II Peter 3:9

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

                            -Philippians 4:7 

As we saw yesterday, the work of the Holy Ghost in our lives should naturally result in an indescribable joy in the depths of our soul. But not only that, it should also create such a sense of peace that, even when our lives are full of chaos and turmoil, we can maintain a positive attitude, knowing that "...all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

In the world in which we live, it is more difficult than ever before to have peace. We are constantly hearing of "...wars and rumors of wars." (Mathew 24:6), and other such things that try to cause feelings of fear and uncertainty to take the place of the peace of God. However, we must bear in mind that "...God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (II Timothy 1:7) It is the desire of our Lord Jesus Christ that the "peace of God rule in our hearts" (Colossians 3:15), and that we would trust fully and completely in Him to see us through whatever life may throw our way.

Just as a lack of love indicates a lack of God (see post #1 of this series), a lack of peace means we are not adequately relying on the Prince of Peace (i.e. Jesus) from day to day (Isaiah 9:6). If we will fully trust in Him, we will experience greater peace than we have ever known - a peace "...which passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Such peace cannot be found in any earthly thing; it can only be obtained through Jesus Christ.

Having been redeemed from the power of sin and an eternity in hell, it is amazing to me that many Christians today have a great lack of joy in their lives. If anybody has a reason to be joyful, we do; yet oftentimes we go about downhearted and discouraged. Jesus told us in John 15:11 that it is His desire for our joy to remain, and that it might be full. In other words, He wants us to have a great and everlasting joy. In fact, the word joy was used more than 70 times in the New Testament alone, thus indicating that it ought to be a part of every New Testament saint's life.

But what exactly is joy? In my opinion, joy and happiness are two very different things. Joy is not (or at least shouldn't be) affected by outward circumstances such as financial freedom, luxurious living, or even whether or not we have a home to call our own; rather, it is the result of an inward peace (which we will study tomorrow) that comes from knowing we have been reconciled to God and are no longer in need of redemption. Happiness, on the other hand, might go away when we lose a loved one or a close friend, but joy can be retained even through the darkest nights and most severe storms we will ever face. Joy comes from God, and we can therefore have joy as long as we have God.

Not only are we depriving ourselves of a great treasure when we do not walk in the joy of the Lord, but we are also hindering the advancement of the Gospel. Think about it. Why would a sinner be drawn to Christianity when Christ's followers have no joy? Why would they want anything to do with a religion that, from their perspective, causes such sadness and despair? As you can see, joy is not only necessary for our personal well-being spiritually; it is necessary so that those around us will be drawn to Jesus.

"Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;" 

    -Psalm 51:12

When we have lost our joy, we are wasting our time if try to get it back by our own strength. We should turn to God and ask Him to restore it to us, because, as we have already seen, joy comes from knowing God and He is the only one that can give it to us. We must ask Him to restore unto us the joy of His salvation.

Joy is an invaluable treasure, and we must guard it so the devil does not steal is from us as he so often tries to do.

As the first fruit of the Spirit mentioned by the apostle Paul, it is reasonable to assume that it (i.e. Love) must be the most important (see also I Corinthians 13:13). With that said, we should do everything we possibly can to make sure that we have this fruit of the Spirit in our lives. In fact, Paul said in I Corinthians 13:1-3 that if we don't have love, nothing else that we accomplish even matters.

"He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked."

               -I John 2:6

Jesus was the ultimate example of love. Though we had never done anything to deserve His grace, He poured it out freely upon each of us by dying on the cross "...while we were yet sinners." (Romans 5:8) As John said, if we are going to follow Christ, we must "walk as he walked", which means we must love those around us just like He did - even if they have done nothing to deserve it. In reality, loving only those who deserve our love is nothing special at all; loving those who don't deserve it is the mark of a true Christian (John 13:35), because it is evidence of a super-natural power working within us.

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." 
                                        -I John 4:8 

If God is love, and we don't have love, then we don't have God. We must love both friends and enemies, those we know as well as those we don't know, if we intend to please God.

Some of you may remember back in December when I posted about the fruit of the Spirit (click here if you need to refresh your memory). While it was a good post, in my opinion, I don't think it's possible to adequately cover this topic is just one day. So that is why over the next 9-10 days I am going to be covering each of the fruit of the Spirit (i.e.  Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance) individually. It still may be hard to do this particular subject justice in such a short time, but I think we will all gain a much better understanding of these things throughout this series.

Lord willing the first post will go up tomorrow, so be sure to join me as we study what love is, and why we as Christians should love one another.

I was just going through some of my old writings when I came across something I wrote about a month ago, and I wanted to share it with you.

"Years ago, I remember watching as young men would stand up in church and testify, saying they had been called of God to preach. I would always think to myself, "That'll never be me. There's no way I'll ever be a preacher."

Ever since I was saved two years ago, however, I have found myself daydreaming every now and then about being a preacher one day. I never spoke about it, or even prayed about it, but it was always in the back of my mind. Then, around 1-2 months ago, I really started praying about my future, asking the Lord what He wanted me to do with my life. I had considered just about everything under the sun from farming, to becoming a professional musician, but I wanted the Lord's guidance in making my decision because I knew it was one of the most important choices I would ever make.

Then one day I decided to just ask the Lord if He wanted me to be a preacher. I thought to myself that maybe the reason I had been unable to shake the notion of being a preacher one day was because that was God's will for my life. "I'll pray about it, and if the Lord says 'yes', then I'll do it. If He says 'no', then I can put the whole idea behind me - once and for all." I told myself.

So anyway, this past Thursday (the 18'th) I was outside between 10:00-11:00 P.M. praying. After a good deal of prayer, I found myself kneeling on the blacktop crying out to God for guidance. After about 45 minutes of seeking God, I felt like the Lord was telling me He wanted me to preach.

Then it hit me.

I suddenly realized what a great responsibility it is to be a preacher of the Gospel. Being a preacher means more than just delivering a fiery sermon once or twice a week. It means being responsible for the souls God commits to your leadership, and knowing that if you mess up it could affect countless people negatively. Thinking about all of this, I actually almost forgot the whole thing.

The next day (Friday) I spent quite a bit of time praying, asking God to give me the confirmation needed if this was indeed His will, but I didn't really seem to receive any direction. But then last night I continued seeking God, and He let me know for sure: I am called to preach. The Holy Ghost has given me such a sense of certainty that there is no longer any doubt in my mind as to whether or not this is His will

But there are still so many unanswered questions. After all, there are a million and one types of preachers. God may want me to be a pastor, a deacon, a missionary, an evangelist, or any number of other things, so I've still got a lot of prayer and seeking the Lord ahead of me...

I know that now I have to begin preparing for whatever God may have in store for me. Like I said, I have no idea what that might be, so I've got to be prepared for whatever area of ministry He places me in.

I just pray the Lord will help me to remember that where He ordains He sustains, and that He wouldn't have placed this calling on my life if He didn't have everything figured out as to how I am supposed to fulfill it."