Psalm 51:1-17

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:1-17

Necessity Verses Luxury

My pastor gave a fantastic sermon this past Sunday about the “Fear of Poverty”. Very interesting. Part of his sermon was about the things we “need” verses the things that are luxuries. Interesting thing to ponder as I got ready this morning... looking at the “luxuries” I use every day thinking they are necessities. Such as: make-up, deodorant, perfume, mirrors, curling iron, hair spray, indoor plumbing, dog treats, my dog, a lunch bag, retractable dog leash, screen door, TV, radio, alarm clock, humidifier, night stand lamp, curtains, blinds, carpet, washer and dryer in my home, electricity, refrigerator, microwave, hot water heater, DVD player, VCR, converter box for the TV, couch, chairs, table... I could go on and on. Because, if I really think about it, I only need what God says I need: protection from the elements and food. That’s it. We live life thinking and desiring things we don’t even need.

So... what am I going to change? Do I have things because I am greedy and selfish or are they things I can consider blessings? I think it is probably both. Because, do I really need four DVD players? Yep... four, for one person, that is a bit excessive right? Grant it, I have one for each TV (ouch, I have 2 TV’s) and then my PS2 can be a DVD player, then I have a portable DVD player. But does that justify my excess? Sure, I count them as blessings, but can they also be a curse?

I don’t think I have to live a life void of any luxuries, but I do wonder what I could give up in order to prioritize my life for Christ. Do I own my possessions, or do they own me?

Thought from a devotional tool I use (www.christnotes.org): Eliminate everything unnecessary in your life in order to put first things first.

Verses to ponder:

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Luke 18:25

Spiritual Warfare

I have been listening to the book "This Present Darkness", by Frank Peretti and have been challenged in my earthly thinking. As humans, we "normally" do not see the spiritual warfare that is occurring around us. We live in our physical world and trust that what we see is... what we get. However, thinking about the work of the angels (God's messengers and doers of HIS will) and the evil work and deeds of the demons (satan's helpers in his deception and anti-Christ ways) I am reminded, we are not alone as humans.

In this book I am listening to on CD, the demons' voices are harsh and scary, but as I ponder the reader's interpretation, I definitely wonder at the accuracy of the "harsh and scary" voices chosen. One reason being is that satan is deceptive. He would not always use something harsh and scary to draw us into sin. Sometimes, when people are freakishly drawn to horrible images, yes, that could be accurate, but for the most part, I think satan uses appealing ways to draw us into darkness. Think about a seductive voice or how beauty can be used to pull someone into pornography or adultery, are they not alluring and attractive? Only when the true reality of the darkness seeps into us, and the Holy Spirit reveals the darkness of those evil ways, does the true ugliness come forth.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NIV)

13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

I want "my" reality to be accurate and be illuminated by God's Holy Word. I want to see the world as God wants me to see it, so that I can be of service to and for HIM. I do not want to make excuses for my sin and I do not want to live in ignorance of it either. It scares me in some ways to ask God to reveal HIS truth to me. It means I will have the responsibility to act on that truth and to live out that truth in every way. With more knowledge comes more responsibility. Am I ready to know all the ways evil is thrown at me and how I need to resist it all? Am I ready to be sensitive to the spiritual battles that surround me and be in constant prayer for those struggling? Am I ready to give my life for the cause of Christ, so that HIS work can be accomplished? I need to answer that question with a bold: YES. But sometimes I feel I answer that question with a little wimpy... "maybe". So today, I am going to be bold and say: YES. I will trust Christ for the strength to say that every day going forward. I cannot rely on my strength, only HIS.

Ephesians 6:11-20 (NIV)

11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Jesus Messiah, by Chris Tomlin

I cannot wait until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. What a day that will be! I am still learning how to give honor and glory to HIM here on earth, but someday it will become my inward nature all day, every day, to worship the King! He so deserves our praise and thanks!

The following are the Lyrics to Jesus Messiah, by Chris Tomlin. We are singing it for church choir. It is an amazing song.

He became sin
Who knew no sin
That we might become His Righteousness
He humbled himself and carried the cross

Love so amazing
Love so amazing

Chorus:
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

His body the bread
His blood the wine
Broken and poured out all for love
The whole earth trembled
And the veil was torn

Love so amazing
Love so amazing, yeah

Chorus:
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

All our hope is in You
All our hope is in You
All the glory to You, God
The light of the world

Chorus:
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all
Lord of all
Lord of all

Emotional...

Today has been an emotional day for me. Not a bad day, just emotional and very unexpected. I got up early and was in line to vote by 7am. Just after 7, I looked back at the long line and saw a young man that looked so much like my younger brother, Paul, I had to keep staring at him (poor guy). (My brother Paul, passed away on April 20th, 2008). I could not believe my eyes. I kept going over his features, same color hair, same complexion, same color eyes, same mouth, same body structure, it was bizarre. After a few minutes of looking at him at different angles, I found some things that were not similar, his nose, his cheek bones, he was a bit thinner, but up until that point, I was almost wondering if Paul had a twin. But after some time, my brain registered the differences and I came back to reality and logical thinking. However, it definitely created an emotional experience for me. Plus, I had a dream last night that my little Millie (my dog) was hit and killed by a car and in the same dream my parents (who have been divorced since I was 14) were camping together and arguing over something. All of it was very strange. So weird how the mind works sometimes. I have seen movies before where a mom will have lost a little child and then she sees a child that looks similar and she freaks out and does something crazy. I get it, not that I would ever do anything crazy, but the mind can definitely convince you of untrue things.

With that said... I praise God for the truth of HIS Word. That I can go to it and sift the things that happen in this world through what HE tells me is true. I can ask God to show me HIS truth and to keep reality in check for me. I am reminded, that it is a process sometimes. Just like I needed a few minutes and several glances to convince myself that Paul was definitely gone and that this young man was not Paul and not a twin, sometimes it will take several times of meditation or reading a Bible verse to understand what God is telling me. Also, that changing of character is a process and I will not change overnight. In Bible Study this morning, we spoke about how everything happens in God’s timing and HIS timing is not our own. AMEN to that!

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

Romans 8:6

“Respectable Sins”

I was listening to Family Life radio the other day (I think 10/29/08). Jerry Bridges was the guest on the show and he was speaking about his book, “Respectable Sins”. I did not catch a great deal of the show, but the part I caught has had me thinking...

“Respectable Sins” seem to be the sins we let slide by as Christians. Either because we do not want to address the issue or because we do not think of them as sin. I am not sure which is the better option. As I looked at my life and the other believers around me, I saw those so called “respectable sins”. The sin of gluttony, laziness, being a poor steward, gossip, obsession (over TV shows, scrap-booking, sports, business, work, etc.), idolatry (putting things of this world before our one True God and being obedient to HIM), cutting other people down to make ourselves look better (pride, not loving our neighbor)

When I have some extra funds, I think I need to buy Jerry Bridges’ book. I caught one other thing he said. It was something about how we claim: “I cannot overcome a particular sin.” The truth is, we can, through Christ and HIS sacrifice overcome any sin of this world. But the question is: Do we want to? AND Are we willing to submit ourselves fully to Christ, die to ourselves so that HE can refine us and clense us of a specific sin(s)?

So many thougths...

I will end with this verse:

Romans 6:1-3

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

Fridays...

So another Friday is here again. All week I can't wait until it is Friday. Why is that? It is not like the rest of the week is horrible. Do I love sleep so much that the idea of staying up late Friday and sleeping in Saturday makes me change how I perceive my days? Weekends mean a chance to spend time at home, time with friends, time with family. Their is no rush on the weekends like there is on weekday nights. Monday through Thursday night, if I do something with friends, I rush home to get to bed early... but Friday night and Saturday night can go a bit later (not too much later... I am getting old you know).

I want to change that perspective on life. I want each day to hold a longing to live life. I want to jump out of bed praising and thanking God and I want to make the most of the time I have on this earth. I don't want to get to the end of my life wishing I had "lived" more. I want to stop worrying and take some leaps of faith.

Quotes from the movie "Hitch":

"Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it's the moments that take your breath away".

"Begin each day like it was on purpose."