Moments With God

Trust and Obey

General — Posted by sharaug @ December 28, 2006 09:03
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Luke 2:21-40

Eight days after Jesus Christ's birth his parents circumcised Him. At that time they named Him Jesus which means Savior. Jesus is indeed our Savior. He is our Savior from sin and our hope for time and for eternity. Then after 40 days Jesus' parents went to the temple in Jerusalem to consecrate him as prescribed by Old Testament law. They also offered a sacrifice in the temple.

At that time there was a man in Jerusalem "called Simeon who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him." (Luke 2:25) Simeon had been patiently waiting for many years for the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesy that Jesus Christ, the God-man, would come to this earth as our Savior and Lord. Perhaps Simeon was well aquatinted with the Old Testament prophesy about the coming Messiah in Zechariah 2:10, " 'Shout and be glad, O daughter of Zion. For I am coming and I will live among you,' declares the Lord." Simeon believed every word and promise from God's Holy Word, and he rested his life on the promises of God's Word. Simeon knew that the Lord God would keep his promises to send the Savior in His perfect timing On this particular day when Jesus' parents took Jesus to the temple, the Holy Spirit moved Simeon to go to the temple. When Simeon saw Jesus he praised God and said, "My eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared in the sight of all people." (Luke 2:30-31) Do we have that same absolute confidence in the promises of God's Word, as Simeon exhibited in his life? Do we believe the Lord when He promises to always be with us even in difficult times? Do we believe God's Word, when it promises that Jesus will return again some day on the clouds of glory to bring us to be with Him? Do we believe God's Word, when it tells us that our trials in this life are part of His wise plan and a necessary part of our path to Glory?

There was also a prophetess that day at the temple named Anna. Anna never left the temple; but she continually worshipped, fasted, and prayed at the temple. Anna also recognized Jesus as being the God-man and Savior of His people. She also gave thanks to God for His glorious fulfillment of prophesy, and she spoke to the people around her of the Redeemer who had come. Do our lives resemble Simeon and Anna's lives? Are we passionately sold out to the Lord like Simeon and Anna? Is our every life activity motivated by a desire to bring praise and glory to our Lord? Are we continually in an attitude of prayer and aware of our Lord's presence in our lives behind, beside, and before us?

Praise God for His redemptive grace in our lives. Our salvation is of Him alone. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) Our redemption in Christ is for a purpose, however. That purpose is to bring glory to God and for God to use us as instruments in accomplishing His will on this earth. "For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10) Let us not lose sight of that purpose. Let us also not lose sight of God's glorious promises to always be with us and of the hope and eternal blessings that are stored up for us in heaven. (Colossians 1:5) May our lives be filled with excited anticipation and expectation of God's fulfillment of His promises and the working out of His perfect plan in our lives!


Glory to God

General — Posted by sharaug @ December 21, 2006 21:24
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Luke 2:1-20

All through the Old Testament God promised to send His Son some day to this earth as the Savior for His people. Jesus would come some day to live a perfect life for us that we could not live, and then He would die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. This promise of the coming Savior was first made to Adam and Eve in the garden after they sinned. (Genesis 3:15) In anticipation of this glorious promise the Old Testament people had to sacrifice lambs over and over again as a picture and reminder of the promised coming of our glorious Savior to this earth. We now look back on Christ's coming to this earth. We as His children delight in the fact that He is the Lamb of God who came once and for all to pay for our sins!

Mary and Joseph were from the town of Nazareth. In God's perfect plan, however, Jesus was destined to be born in Bethlehem. Caesar Augustus had issued a ruling that a census should be taken of all the people in his jurisdiction. Because of this ruling Mary and Joseph had to travel at least three days to Bethlehem. This was because Joseph was of the ancestral line of David. Hence, Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled in God's perfect time and place; and Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, left a perfect place with God, the Father, in heaven; and He came to this world of sin. He did this so that we would no longer be separated from God by our sin. Now as His children we have a loving and eternal relationship with Him!

The night of Jesus Christ's birth angels told the good news of the Savior's birth to lowly shepherds in the field. It is interesting to see that this news was not announced to people of high importance in this world. The good news of Jesus Christ's atonement for our sins is for people of all roles and ranks in life. The angel said to the shepherds on that glorious night, "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10b-11) Our true and lasting joy is found only in the Lord Jesus and in His gift of salvation to us. Let us say with the angels of old, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests." (Luke 2:14) God deserves all the glory and praise and honor for the glorious salvation that He has provided for His people. He alone is the source of peace and joy in our lives. Lasting and deep peace in our hearts and souls is only possible because of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Shepherds after hurrying to Bethlehem to see the baby in the manger immediately "spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child." (Luke 2:17b). They also "returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." (Luke 2:20) May our hearts also be filled with the joy of the Shepherds. May we concentrate on the joy of our salvation and on our Savior's love instead of the difficulties and daily irritations of life. May we too have the zeal of the shepherds, and be unafraid to share the joy of our faith with others.

Some day Jesus, who is God Himself, will return again to this earth. This time He will not come as a baby in a manger, but He will come on the clouds of glory. For those who do not know Him it will be a time of judgment. For His children it will be a wonderful day. We will be with our Lord forever in His glorious presence. Revelation 22:3-5 says of that glorious day, "No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of the lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light." Jesus is coming again! What a blessed hope! "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20b)


Resting In God's Plan

General — Posted by sharaug @ December 18, 2006 12:48
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Luke 1

The first four books of the New Testament are called the Gospels. Gospel means good news. The Gospels tell us the good news of Jesus Christ, the God-man coming to this earth. He came to live the perfect life for us that we can not live and to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. In Christ we are no longer separated from God by our sins! Because of Christ's sacrifice we can be sure of our loving relationship with God. Luke 1:4b tells us that the Gospels were written "so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught." Praise His name!

How often do we stop to revel in the joy of being redeemed by Jesus Christ? How often do we contemplate the joy of being chosen as His child? We have been chosen to serve the Lord of the universe. What a privilege we have been given! So often we concentrate on the trials and difficulties of this life. Instead we need to concentrate on our Lord and the privilege we have of being His child and serving Him.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were two people who sought to passionately live their lives for God. Luke 1:6 says, "Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly." It could not have always been easy for Zechariah and Elizabeth to trust the Lord and to live their lives for the Lord in that day, but they sought with all that was in them to live for the Lord. They could have become bitter during those many long years of waiting for and not receiving a child. Instead they persevered in their faith and trusted the Lord's plan for their lives. Zechariah and Elizabeth both considered it a privilege to live for the Lord in spite of difficulties along the way. Zechariah's faith did falter when the angel told him he would be the father of baby John. He said, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." (Luke 1:18b) But in the end Zechariah persevered in his faith, and his son grew up to be the forerunner of Jesus Christ.

Mary was also a servant of the Lord who sought to live her life wholeheartedly for the Lord. She was given the privilege of being the virgin mother of "the Son of the Most High." (Luke 1:32) She accepted this assignment given to her by God with a joyful song in her heart and on her lips. "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. May it be to me as you have said." (Luke 1:38) She accepted with a trusting heart the words of the angel, "Nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37) It was indeed a privilege for Mary to be chosen to bear and raise the Christ child, but there was also many heartaches along the way. She more than likely was falsely accused of having being unfaithful to Joseph by others who did not understand that Jesus was the Savior. Joseph and Mary had to make the difficult trip to Bethlehem, and later they had to flee from wicked King Herod. Later Mary had to see her own son die on the cross. Yet Mary persevered and considered the life assignment given to her by the Lord God a privilege.

Let us also revel in our salvation and in our blessed relationship with our Lord. Let us be overwhelmingly thankful that we have been chosen as His children. Let us be thankful for whatever role in life He has given us in His kingdom. May we persevere when life gets difficult, and we do not understand His plan. Let us rest our lives in Him, and joyfully live for Him in our small corner of His world.


Our Refuge

General — Posted by sharaug @ December 13, 2006 16:51
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Psalm 46

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."

In life we face many challenges and problems and sometimes deep trials, but God has promised to be "our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1) He will be my "refuge and strength" and your "refuge and strength." We can have fearless trust in Him no matter what upheavals are occurring in our lives or no matter what catastrophic events are happening all around us! We need not fear even if "the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." (Psalm 46:2) We can trust the Lord even if all we hold dear is taken from us, because He is our powerful "refuge and strength!" He is our constant help and strength in all kinds of problems and even in the deepest of trials! He gives us just what we need of His strength day by day and moment by moment. The Lord has been our help in the past, and He will be our help and strength in the future! Even when we can’t see our way out of a problem situation in our lives the Lord already has a plan in place for our lives! We can trust Him. His will and timing are always best.

Sometimes the Lord allows trials in our lives to get our attention and to help us to grow spiritually. Sometimes trials are given to us to help us grow more dependent on the Lord and to help us to grow in our love for Him. Even in trials the Lord is smiling down on us, protecting us, and seeing us through to victory! He sustains us, protects us, and pours out His blessings on us even and sometimes especially in difficult times in our lives. Even in difficult times in our lives we can be full of the Lord's joy, because no ultimate spiritual harm will ever come to a child of God!

Our Lord is the "Most High" who dwells within us! (Psalm 46:4) Nations rise and fall because of the Lord's power and control. This same powerful God is our fortress and our protection! So all we have to do is rest in His care and not fear. He says to us "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10a) The Almighty Lord of the universe is with us eternally! We must put aside the voices of the world and of self-reliance, and we must rest and trust in Him to meet our every need. We must trust the Lord to lead us through even very difficult times. We need to grow in our love for Him. We need to truly rest in the Lord and listen for His still voice of direction for our lives! The longer this devotional writer walks with the Lord the more she sees His faithfulness in her life. His grace is always sufficient, His victory is always sure, and His promises are always reliable!

Psalm 46:10-11Psalm 46:1

Fruit-bearing Lives

General — Posted by sharaug @ December 08, 2006 16:32
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Galatians 5:22-26

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23a)

God expects His children to be spiritual fruit bearers. John 15:8 tells us, "This is my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." As children of God our lives must match our professions. Our salvation is all of grace and has nothing to do with ourselves. We are saved for a purpose, however. That purpose is to bring glory to the Lord.

One way that we bring glory to the Lord is by exhibiting the Christ-like characteristics of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23a) Others need to see Christ living in us through the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us. There is a song whose words state, "They will know we are Christians by our love." We need to show the fruit of the Spirit of sacrificial love to others. Others also need to know we are Christians by our joy, peace, and patience in all circumstances.

Others further need to be able to see and know we are Christians by our kindness and goodness. Kindness and goodness are closely associated with patience. If we are patient with other people and their shortcomings, we will also display the fruit of the Spirit of goodness and kindness. Kindness is exhibited in a care and concern for others. It involves going out of one's way to treat others the way that we would like to be treated. Goodness involves a willingness to help others. Goodness also involves a willingness to avoid evil and to follow God's paths.

Next, others need to see and know we are Christians by our faithfulness and our gentleness. A faithful person is obedient to the Lord in all things. A faithful person remains true and obedient to the Lord even when going through difficult times in his or her life. A faithful person can also be counted on to keep the promises and commitments that he or she has made to his or her fellow human beings. The fruit of the Holy Spirit of gentleness should also be found in the lives of the children of God. Gentleness does not entail weakness. Gentleness is God's power in us under His control. Gentleness involves humility. Gentleness involves a kind, considerate, and gracious spirit towards others.

Finally, others need to see and know we are Christians by the fruit of the Spirit of self-control. Self-control involves being willing to stop oneself from acting impulsively and selfishly. Self-control involves being willing to stop oneself from engaging in behaviors which are not good for oneself, not good or others, or not pleasing to the Lord.

The world believes greatness is found in personal power, position, talent, and wealth. Our God tells us that those things are not important. What matters is that we are living for the Lord's glory and that we are exhibiting Christ-like attitudes in our lives. May we increasingly exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22b-23a) May others truly see Christ living in us. "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25) Living Spirit directed and fruit-bearing lives involves allowing the Holy Spirit to direct and lead us in all things throughout every moment of the day. Living Spirit directed and fruit-bearing lives involves choosing each day to start anew and fresh in the Spirit's power. It also involves maintaining that dependence on the Holy Spirit's power throughout the day. We as children of God still have sin present in our lives, but it should be our consuming passion to increasingly live Spirit directed and fruit-bearing lives!


Live By The Spirit

General — Posted by sharaug @ December 02, 2006 08:08
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Galatians 5:16-26

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23a

The Holy Spirit first came on Christ's church at Pentecost. We read about that exciting event in the life of the early church in Acts chapter two. Pentecost was a wonderful and spectacular event in the early life of the church. The Holy Spirit does not come into the hearts of believers today with tongues of fire and a rushing wind. In spite of this, the Holy Spirit is in the heart of every child of God today also.

It was the Holy Spirit who convicted us of our sins and caused us to have the ability and the desire to believe. It was the Holy Spirit who caused us to repent of our sins and to turn to the Lord Jesus for forgiveness. As children of God the Holy Spirit now reminds us of what we have learned from reading God's Word. The Holy Spirit is the One who helps us to apply God's Holy Word to our daily lives. The Holy Spirit lives in our hearts as believers and gives us the power and desire to live for the Lord Jesus. If we are true children of God, we must also grow in our spiritual lives. We must more and more begin to display Christ-like attitudes in our lives. We must "live by the Spirit" and "not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." (Galatians 5:16) We must get rid of anything impure and selfish. We must rid ourselves of hatred, jealousy, and divisiveness. In its place we must show the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

This fruit of the Spirit which should be increasingly evident in our lives is listed in Galatians 5:22-23a. That passage says to us, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Love, the first fruit of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23, involves unselfishly putting the good of others first. True love is willing to sacrifice for others and does not think only about one's own needs and desires.

Joy as well as love and all the other fruit of the Spirit comes only from the Lord. When the Lord changes our hearts He gives us a deep down joy that is not dependent on what we consider favorable circumstances. This joy comes from the presence of Jesus Christ in our hearts. It is a joy which we can possess even in times of great difficulty in our lives, because we know and trust the Lord.

Peace is yet another fruit of the Holy Spirit. Peace is a calmness that we as children of God can experience in even the worst of circumstances. We can experience peace, because we know the Lord is walking right beside us. We can experience peace, because we know that He is in control of every detail of our lives. Peace also comes from walking in God's ways. If we are out of fellowship with the Lord and walking in our own stubborn ways, we can not experience peace.

Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that is not often evident in our fast-paced society. We tend to want things right now, and we do not like waiting. God wants us, however, to follow His perfect leading and depend on His perfect timing for the events of our lives. We must learn to trust that the Lord knows what is best for us and that He knows when it is best for us. Patience is waiting for God to lead us without grumbling. The fruit of the Holy Spirit of patience also shows itself in our relationships with others. Patience involves long-suffering with the wrongs others commit against us. We can only demonstrate patience in our dealings with others, if our hearts are filled with the love of the Lord.

May it be our passion to truly show the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. May we show His love to others, His joy and peace in all circumstances, and His patience in our lives!


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