Today, not only did I read my devotional by Millie Stamm, I listened to a lesson given by my pastor, Pastor Kevin Schmidt of Grace Baptist (a fundamental Baptist church). He covered Matt. 5:3-8 which, as most of you know, are the first six verses of the Beatitudes. As I listened with an opened heart, for this is what I prayed for before my lesson, I realized that, even though I have accepted the Lord, I still have a lot of work to do on improving my heart to make me acceptable in the presence of God, and I must do it now...today, right at this moment.
Most of us think the same way. As long as I accept Jesus, live a good life, pray at supper and go to church on Sunday morning, I am good. After all, I am a flawed human. What can God expect? The answer to that burning question is: EVERYTHING! We can find what is expected of us in the book of Matthew, specifically Matt. 5:1-12, or as it is commonly known as The Beatitudes.
We are only going to study the first five verses today. So here we go.
vs 3: Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Let's look at the phrase 'poor in spirit'. I used to believe that, because the word poor is used, this verse refers to those who have not received the Lord. This is as far from the truth as possible (and we all now that God's Word is the truth). The truth makes a lot more sense. 'Poor in spirit' actually means spiritually humble, or to put an even finer point on it, those who recognize that Jesus is the only way to get a clean heart.
vs 4: Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
This simply means those who are sensitive to sin, who realize that when we sin, we hurt God, will be blessed. We need to be aware of our actions and stop ourselves from hurting God, and ultimately ourselves.
vs 5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Meaning if we surrender to God, we shall inherit everything.
vs 6 Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness;
For they shall be filled.
If we seek the Lord, our God, in the search of righteousness, we shall have everything that we need.
vs 7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
This one is not hard to decipher. If use show mercy to your fellow man, God will give you mercy.
We will wait to cover verse 8, for it is a long lesson, as well.
May God bless you and keep you always.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
He is Always With Us ~ ALWAYS!
In my devotion today, Millie Stamm covered one of God's promises to us. It is proceeded by a command to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19, 20) I have italicized today's promise so that we can discuss this wondrous gift from God.
Today, for an example, I will share part of my testimony to show how faith in God's promises can be spread around the world. First, I must explain a little about myself. At the age of ten I had a stroke. It affected my right arm and leg. Soon, with a lot of support from my family (with which God had blessed me), and a lot of hard work on my part, I got about 90% of the use of my leg back. However, I chose not to work on getting the use of my arm back, so I never did. I tell you this not to gain your pity, for I despise it as much as I do criticism about my different ability, but to give you some insight into my heart. I chose to work hard, and God blessed me with the use of my leg again; but I chose also to ignore my arm and paid the consequences for the rest of my life. God did not give me the stroke because I had sinned or was a bad person. He allowed it to make me strong and to give me a chance to rely on Him.
As a result of my childhood, which could not have been more full of love and support, I have always had medical problems, or trials, if you will. My last major one, a broken hip, which required numerous surgeries, finally landed me in a wheelchair (something that I have fought against for all of my life). But, as Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Isn't that a wonderful thought. God loves us so much that He will use all circumstances for good. The good that my trials brought me was that they made me a stronger person. But, besides that, they gave me a chance to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28:19), even with my restrictions. God put me into situations which allowed me to witnessed to people who were without hope and searching for something, someone in which to believe. Most of these situations were as a result of my trials.
So you see, we can all spread God's word and no matter what, He is beside us giving us the strength to see it through...always!
May God bless you and keep you until the next time we meet.
Today, for an example, I will share part of my testimony to show how faith in God's promises can be spread around the world. First, I must explain a little about myself. At the age of ten I had a stroke. It affected my right arm and leg. Soon, with a lot of support from my family (with which God had blessed me), and a lot of hard work on my part, I got about 90% of the use of my leg back. However, I chose not to work on getting the use of my arm back, so I never did. I tell you this not to gain your pity, for I despise it as much as I do criticism about my different ability, but to give you some insight into my heart. I chose to work hard, and God blessed me with the use of my leg again; but I chose also to ignore my arm and paid the consequences for the rest of my life. God did not give me the stroke because I had sinned or was a bad person. He allowed it to make me strong and to give me a chance to rely on Him.
As a result of my childhood, which could not have been more full of love and support, I have always had medical problems, or trials, if you will. My last major one, a broken hip, which required numerous surgeries, finally landed me in a wheelchair (something that I have fought against for all of my life). But, as Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Isn't that a wonderful thought. God loves us so much that He will use all circumstances for good. The good that my trials brought me was that they made me a stronger person. But, besides that, they gave me a chance to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28:19), even with my restrictions. God put me into situations which allowed me to witnessed to people who were without hope and searching for something, someone in which to believe. Most of these situations were as a result of my trials.
So you see, we can all spread God's word and no matter what, He is beside us giving us the strength to see it through...always!
May God bless you and keep you until the next time we meet.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Jabez's Prayer
This lesson is from my devotional, Meditation Moments by Millie Stamm.
And Jabez called on the God of Israel, "Oh, that thou wouldest bless indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that though wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!" And God granted him that which he requested.
1 Chronicles 4:10
Though we do not see Jabez in the Bible more than this one verse, theologians believe that Jabez is truly the prayer warrior. First, we see him ask God to bless him. Now, ordinarily we would say that this alone is a selfish prayer way to pray. However, Jabez knows that without God's blessings, he cannot bless others. He then asks Him to "enlarge [his] coast". Here, Jabez is praying that God bring more people into his life that he might lead them to Him. Jabez prayed lastly that God would guide him and keep him from evil.
This prayer is near and dear to my heart. I truly admire Jabez and love this prayer.
Thank you all for joining me today. May God bless you and keep you from evil.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Hopeful! Peaceful! Prayerful! ~ Romans 12:12
My devotion today, written by Millie Stamm, is from Romans 12:12.
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.
God's Word gives us strength to get through the tribulations of life. It gives us hope in our prayers and we need to be patient for God's answer . Though we do not always get the answer that we want, He gives us the answer that we need at the time. Romans 12:12 reminds us to rejoice in hope because God is is the God of hope. We are to rejoice in the hope that He will give us what we need, AND we are to rejoice in the hope of Christ's return.
Our prayer lives are to be constant and never ending. We are to be patient in times of trouble, for God is allowing the trouble to refine us. Patience brings peace.
As Ms. Stamm writes, "God is interested in our lives. We can rejoice in our hope in a God who is all-powerful. We can be patient in tribulation, knowing that He is near to comfort and encourage. We can be steadfast in prayer, for He has promised to hear and answer."
Hang your hopes on His promises!
Be thankful this Thanksgiving day, and always!
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Psalm 84:5 – 7
I have been reading daily devotion by Millie Stamm called Meditation Moments. I would like to share with you the scripture Ms. Stamm shared with us today.
Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
Each one appears before God in Zion.
Psalm 84:5 – 7
This lesson was close to my heart as I have had many occasions where to draw on God's strength in the past couple of months. I have been plagued with one medical problem after another, but God is always there.
This piece of scripture reminds us that, as we pass from trouble to trouble, we go from strength to strength. Meaning that when we are in trouble, there always is God's strength and grace to pull us through.
Thank you for joining me today, and may God bless each and every one of you.
Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
Each one appears before God in Zion.
Psalm 84:5 – 7
This lesson was close to my heart as I have had many occasions where to draw on God's strength in the past couple of months. I have been plagued with one medical problem after another, but God is always there.
This piece of scripture reminds us that, as we pass from trouble to trouble, we go from strength to strength. Meaning that when we are in trouble, there always is God's strength and grace to pull us through.
Thank you for joining me today, and may God bless each and every one of you.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
God's Grace is Sufficient
I have been having more medical problems than usual. I have not been able to attend church, so I have been feeling more doubtful and less faithful that normal.
My pastor came by today to pick up a few items that he left when painting my house. We talked for some time about God's grace. I asked him why God would keep His children from the fellowship of His people.
You see, lately I have been feeling as if I was set apart from my church family; as if I was isolated on my own island. Of course, I knew the answer to the question even before I asked; however, I needed someone else to confirm it for me. We could never know what's in God's mind, but we know that God is in control. His love for us is astronomical, and we need to have faith in what He has planned for our lives.
Pastor then said something was not expected. He told me that when I go through my hardships I teach others the same lesson that God teaches me. To have faith is the most important thing that we can learn from our trials. We need to remember that others learn from how we deal with our tribulations. This may sound like a simple lesson, but I felt that it is important for all of us to remember.
My pastor came by today to pick up a few items that he left when painting my house. We talked for some time about God's grace. I asked him why God would keep His children from the fellowship of His people.
You see, lately I have been feeling as if I was set apart from my church family; as if I was isolated on my own island. Of course, I knew the answer to the question even before I asked; however, I needed someone else to confirm it for me. We could never know what's in God's mind, but we know that God is in control. His love for us is astronomical, and we need to have faith in what He has planned for our lives.
Pastor then said something was not expected. He told me that when I go through my hardships I teach others the same lesson that God teaches me. To have faith is the most important thing that we can learn from our trials. We need to remember that others learn from how we deal with our tribulations. This may sound like a simple lesson, but I felt that it is important for all of us to remember.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Magnify the Lord With Me
Today's lesson comes from my pastor's message on magnifying the Lord (Psalm 34). It is short, but oh so sweet!
He brings up a scenario in which a mother brings a newborn home. That mother is now responsible for baby's physical welfare, as well as it's soul. Now, that is a lot of responsibility. So imagine, if you will, a mother looking on with adoration, as she tenderly holds her beautiful infant in her arms. Her soft voice envelopes the child as she says,"This is what we will do, you and I. We will magnify the Lord throughout our lives."
He brings up a scenario in which a mother brings a newborn home. That mother is now responsible for baby's physical welfare, as well as it's soul. Now, that is a lot of responsibility. So imagine, if you will, a mother looking on with adoration, as she tenderly holds her beautiful infant in her arms. Her soft voice envelopes the child as she says,"This is what we will do, you and I. We will magnify the Lord throughout our lives."
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