Post by solitarysoul on Jan 3, 2007 1:01:01 GMT -5
Sorry for this one being late! I had some things holding me up today. I'm going to start writing them first thing in the morning so they'll get sent a lot sooner.
Today's Scripture
These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. (Isaiah 29:13)
Today's Word
One thing I have noticed over the past couple years that truly brings a lot of concern to me is how diverse the meaning of the word "Christian" seems to be used.
I know people who go to church every Sunday, read their Bibles, pray all the time and say they love and worship the Lord, yet, some just give off this vibe that speaks differently. They come near to Christ with their mouth and honor Him with their lips, but, their fruits do not communicate the same message. Their hearts are far from Christ.
To truly love and worship God, is to be close to Him, to know Him in your heart. And you may say, "But I do know Him, I pray to Him all the time", but who is it do you think you are really talking to? Can you honestly say that who or what it is you worship, is the God of the Bible? The Creator of the universe? I'm sure most people would say yes, but we must be careful. Is that the truth? Or is that simply your pride speaking? Of course we don't want people to think otherwise, so many will tell that they do have a close relationship with God. They may even have themselves convinced that they do. But that does not make it so. To think that we are Christians simply because we convince ourselves and others that we are, is not to worship God, but to worship ourselves.
Knowing and loving Jesus is to know HIM, His personality and His character, not just to know about Him. Who's your favorite actor, artist, or musicion? You may know everything there is to know about that person. You may know where they were born, what they like and dislike, where they live, how old they are, even every single fact and detail about their past, present, and their plans for the future. But does that mean you really know that person? In other words, if they happened to walk by you in public, would they recognize you and stop to greet you by name?
Now imagine that person being Jesus. You may know everything there is to know about Him. In fact you could even know the entire Bible, word for word, by heart, but that still does not mean you know Jesus. When the Bible speaks of knowing God and His Son, it is talking about a real personal relationship with Him.
What is the most important thing in your life? Chances are you will say what you think or wish was the most important thing in your life, but again, that doesn't make it so. Your heart speaks the truth. Be honest with yourself and God and think about what it is that is most important to you. What is it that you think about more than anything else? When you wake up in the morning, before you go to bed at night, when you're getting ready for work or school, when you're at work or school. When you're driving, pumping gas, waiting in line, eating, watching TV, doing homework, doing your hobbies, going on a date, hanging out with friends, etc. What is on your mind most during these daily tasks? Is it work? School? A girl, or boy? Worries and fears? Money? Family?
Is it God? Can you say that honestly, to Christ's face? He knows the truth. If God is not what is truly first in your life, then what would upset God even more than that being the case, is you not admitting to that truth and praying for forgiveness over it. Would it not be amazing to say that God is what is on our minds most? I can say for a fact that He is not what is most on my mind, but that most certainly is my life goal, to become as close to God as possible. Will you admit the same? Do you even want that, or do you just convince yourself and others that it is what you want?
In Isaiah 29, God is saying that He is upset about the way people worship Him. Man-made rules and traditions, dishonest prayers with little or no true meaning from the heart, just empty words and songs that simply bring our spirits up, but don't truly worship and honor our Creator. Today things are very much the same. I attend a very traditional church myself and to be honest, I very rarely actually read the prayers printed in the bulletins. I say my own prayer, along the same lines and point as the prayers printed, but I simply use it as a guide and sometimes pray silently. What matters to God isn't whether or not you will join the congregation in reading those words off that sheet of paper, but whether or not your heart truly means what you say. When you read those words, or sing those lyrics, is that praising God? Or is that praising the skill of the writers? Or perhaps it is "praise" meant for our own enjoyment? It is not tradition and prayers spoken in unison that glorifies God. It is not repetative songs, great music, hands in the air or anything physical for that matter that glorifies God.
I'm not saying these are bad things of course, they are good and are a great way to worship God. But what pleases God is the true faith and love in our hearts. The passion and commitment behind those words and lyrics. You can read those prayers, sing those songs, throw your hands in the air and get as into it, or be as steady and still as you please, but it all means absolutly nothing, if your heart does not contain that true passion and desire.
One good analogy is falling in love. When you first fall in love with someone, you think about them all the time. You can't get them off your mind. This is the kind of passion and desire that God longs to recieve from us. He loves us more than anything, and He desires to be loved, more than anything, in return. But it is not offerings of song and monotonous prayer once a week that praise our God. It is a continuous, passionate, overflowing, even obsessive desire, to please and love God. That is what the word Christ-ian really, truly means. Not to just believe that God exists, or to be a "good" person, but to actually fall in love with God. Not your church or doctrine, but God, the maker of Heaven and Earth.
And when we do truly fall in love with God, not only is He always on our mind and not only do we always have a continuous conversation with Him, but we begin to reflect the character and personality of Jesus.
Someone sent me a very rude e-mail once in responce to something I should not have done. But regardless of my wrong toward that person, the manner of this e-mail was no reflection of Christ. The most ironic and contradicting part of this e-mail was that this person was telling me they live for Jesus Christ and that they would die for Him, yet, they were acting out of anger and resentment toward me, saying these things in an aggressive manner and then telling me that I will never again be welcome into their life in any way. This is a good example of the majority of Christians today, who claim with their words and thoughts to know and love Christ, but their heart is still far from Him, because they do not produce good fruits. Now you may tell me to hold on, because we are just human, and it is very difficult to not respond to others sometimes out of anger. But the very reason that it is so difficult, is that they are tests. Trials. Whether you pass or fail, shows the people you encounter, and most importantly, God, just how much you do truly love Him. The more difficult the trial, the greater your chance to prove your love for Him.
Now no one is to judge people but God unless we are to judge ourselves, because there is no human without sin. But what measures our true relationship with Christ is not how often we pray or read the Bible, not how often we go to Church and acknowledge God, not by the type of music we listen to, the books we read, the movies we watch, or the people we associate with, but simply by the fruits we produce. And when the Bible speaks of "fruits", it is talking about actions and deeds - people see these. To love God, means to love and forgive others unconditionally. If you truly love God, then no matter what someone does to you, you will love and forgive them, just as Jesus would. Now you may say, "But I am not God, I can't forgive someone who wrongs me badly and may continue to do so after I forgive them", but do you not trust the Lord to protect and comfort you, as long as you do His will? If someone says they will die for God, if they truly mean that, I'd think they'd be one of the most forgiving and loving people alive. Because to love God so much that you would give your life on His behalf, you would love and forgive others, both friend and enemy, regardless of what they do to you, because that is what Jesus would do. Yes, even if they killed you, just like Jesus. In the Bible David had people trying to find and kill him, but he did not lash back with words and thoughts of hate and anger, he did his best to love and forgive all and to trust God and His Word. And because of that, not only did God deliver him, but because David held so strongly to that faith and love in such hard times, God used Him for an extrordinary purpose.
And even if that path leads us to our death, the fact that we put that faith in God and His Love is what will gift us greatly in Heaven, because the only way to please God, is to have faith in Him. To love and trust Him and His Word as a child would love and trust a good parent.
So the next time you call yourself a Christian, or hear someone call themselves a Christian, think about what is really being said. Is that just a lable? Empty words convincing yourself and others that you worship Christ and have accepted His gift of salvation? Or are you in love with God? Driven by passion and a desire to glorify His name and do His will, at the sacrifice of our own needs and wants? 80% of communication is non-verbal. That means that 4 out of every 5 messages that you communicate to any one person is not communicated through speech. Actions truly do speak louder than words, and we are always quick to notice flaws in others, while overlooking our own flaws. So remember that it is not by our church attendance, knowledge of the Bible or words of our mouths that makes us Christians, but by the true intent and passion in our hearts, which is shown by our fruits. That is, our actions, the way we live our life and how well our character and personality reflects Jesus', because Christianity is not just a belief or religion, it is a lifestyle, distinct and seperate from that of the world.
Oh and P.S. ...most of these devotionals will be much shorter
Today's Prayer (I do hope you mean this prayer, do not simply read it)
God, I know that there are many things in my life that often come before you. I make claims for the sake of my reputation with others, or my pride, and I praise you with words, but they are not always driven by the true passion and love that they should be. It is you who put me here and it is you who loves me most, so it is you who deserves the most love, worship and attention. Please help me to remember this as I go about my daily tasks, and please help me to fall in love with you the way that you love me, far more than what can compare to my love and desire for any person or worldly possession. I know that empty words displease you, but in the world today it is often hard to find the passion to fill and drive my praises, especially when I have no physical proof that you are there and listening. I ask you from the bottom of my heart to please fill me with this passion and desire for you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Today's Task
Today see how well you can remind yourself to put God first in everything you do. You don't have to be at church or reading your Bible to be worshiping God, you can do it anywhere while doing anything. When you find yourself not thinking about God, or thinking about something else more than God, stop yourself and put Him first. Silently thank Him for even the little things in your life while you go about your daily tasks, and remember that as a Christian, you are not simply holding a lable, you are representing the person and character of Jesus.
If you would like to recieve these devotionals as a daily e-mail, PM me your e-mail address and I'll you to the mailing list. God Bless
Written By: Scott Morgan
Bible passages taken from the New International Version
Today's Scripture
These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. (Isaiah 29:13)
Today's Word
One thing I have noticed over the past couple years that truly brings a lot of concern to me is how diverse the meaning of the word "Christian" seems to be used.
I know people who go to church every Sunday, read their Bibles, pray all the time and say they love and worship the Lord, yet, some just give off this vibe that speaks differently. They come near to Christ with their mouth and honor Him with their lips, but, their fruits do not communicate the same message. Their hearts are far from Christ.
To truly love and worship God, is to be close to Him, to know Him in your heart. And you may say, "But I do know Him, I pray to Him all the time", but who is it do you think you are really talking to? Can you honestly say that who or what it is you worship, is the God of the Bible? The Creator of the universe? I'm sure most people would say yes, but we must be careful. Is that the truth? Or is that simply your pride speaking? Of course we don't want people to think otherwise, so many will tell that they do have a close relationship with God. They may even have themselves convinced that they do. But that does not make it so. To think that we are Christians simply because we convince ourselves and others that we are, is not to worship God, but to worship ourselves.
Knowing and loving Jesus is to know HIM, His personality and His character, not just to know about Him. Who's your favorite actor, artist, or musicion? You may know everything there is to know about that person. You may know where they were born, what they like and dislike, where they live, how old they are, even every single fact and detail about their past, present, and their plans for the future. But does that mean you really know that person? In other words, if they happened to walk by you in public, would they recognize you and stop to greet you by name?
Now imagine that person being Jesus. You may know everything there is to know about Him. In fact you could even know the entire Bible, word for word, by heart, but that still does not mean you know Jesus. When the Bible speaks of knowing God and His Son, it is talking about a real personal relationship with Him.
What is the most important thing in your life? Chances are you will say what you think or wish was the most important thing in your life, but again, that doesn't make it so. Your heart speaks the truth. Be honest with yourself and God and think about what it is that is most important to you. What is it that you think about more than anything else? When you wake up in the morning, before you go to bed at night, when you're getting ready for work or school, when you're at work or school. When you're driving, pumping gas, waiting in line, eating, watching TV, doing homework, doing your hobbies, going on a date, hanging out with friends, etc. What is on your mind most during these daily tasks? Is it work? School? A girl, or boy? Worries and fears? Money? Family?
Is it God? Can you say that honestly, to Christ's face? He knows the truth. If God is not what is truly first in your life, then what would upset God even more than that being the case, is you not admitting to that truth and praying for forgiveness over it. Would it not be amazing to say that God is what is on our minds most? I can say for a fact that He is not what is most on my mind, but that most certainly is my life goal, to become as close to God as possible. Will you admit the same? Do you even want that, or do you just convince yourself and others that it is what you want?
In Isaiah 29, God is saying that He is upset about the way people worship Him. Man-made rules and traditions, dishonest prayers with little or no true meaning from the heart, just empty words and songs that simply bring our spirits up, but don't truly worship and honor our Creator. Today things are very much the same. I attend a very traditional church myself and to be honest, I very rarely actually read the prayers printed in the bulletins. I say my own prayer, along the same lines and point as the prayers printed, but I simply use it as a guide and sometimes pray silently. What matters to God isn't whether or not you will join the congregation in reading those words off that sheet of paper, but whether or not your heart truly means what you say. When you read those words, or sing those lyrics, is that praising God? Or is that praising the skill of the writers? Or perhaps it is "praise" meant for our own enjoyment? It is not tradition and prayers spoken in unison that glorifies God. It is not repetative songs, great music, hands in the air or anything physical for that matter that glorifies God.
I'm not saying these are bad things of course, they are good and are a great way to worship God. But what pleases God is the true faith and love in our hearts. The passion and commitment behind those words and lyrics. You can read those prayers, sing those songs, throw your hands in the air and get as into it, or be as steady and still as you please, but it all means absolutly nothing, if your heart does not contain that true passion and desire.
One good analogy is falling in love. When you first fall in love with someone, you think about them all the time. You can't get them off your mind. This is the kind of passion and desire that God longs to recieve from us. He loves us more than anything, and He desires to be loved, more than anything, in return. But it is not offerings of song and monotonous prayer once a week that praise our God. It is a continuous, passionate, overflowing, even obsessive desire, to please and love God. That is what the word Christ-ian really, truly means. Not to just believe that God exists, or to be a "good" person, but to actually fall in love with God. Not your church or doctrine, but God, the maker of Heaven and Earth.
And when we do truly fall in love with God, not only is He always on our mind and not only do we always have a continuous conversation with Him, but we begin to reflect the character and personality of Jesus.
Someone sent me a very rude e-mail once in responce to something I should not have done. But regardless of my wrong toward that person, the manner of this e-mail was no reflection of Christ. The most ironic and contradicting part of this e-mail was that this person was telling me they live for Jesus Christ and that they would die for Him, yet, they were acting out of anger and resentment toward me, saying these things in an aggressive manner and then telling me that I will never again be welcome into their life in any way. This is a good example of the majority of Christians today, who claim with their words and thoughts to know and love Christ, but their heart is still far from Him, because they do not produce good fruits. Now you may tell me to hold on, because we are just human, and it is very difficult to not respond to others sometimes out of anger. But the very reason that it is so difficult, is that they are tests. Trials. Whether you pass or fail, shows the people you encounter, and most importantly, God, just how much you do truly love Him. The more difficult the trial, the greater your chance to prove your love for Him.
Now no one is to judge people but God unless we are to judge ourselves, because there is no human without sin. But what measures our true relationship with Christ is not how often we pray or read the Bible, not how often we go to Church and acknowledge God, not by the type of music we listen to, the books we read, the movies we watch, or the people we associate with, but simply by the fruits we produce. And when the Bible speaks of "fruits", it is talking about actions and deeds - people see these. To love God, means to love and forgive others unconditionally. If you truly love God, then no matter what someone does to you, you will love and forgive them, just as Jesus would. Now you may say, "But I am not God, I can't forgive someone who wrongs me badly and may continue to do so after I forgive them", but do you not trust the Lord to protect and comfort you, as long as you do His will? If someone says they will die for God, if they truly mean that, I'd think they'd be one of the most forgiving and loving people alive. Because to love God so much that you would give your life on His behalf, you would love and forgive others, both friend and enemy, regardless of what they do to you, because that is what Jesus would do. Yes, even if they killed you, just like Jesus. In the Bible David had people trying to find and kill him, but he did not lash back with words and thoughts of hate and anger, he did his best to love and forgive all and to trust God and His Word. And because of that, not only did God deliver him, but because David held so strongly to that faith and love in such hard times, God used Him for an extrordinary purpose.
And even if that path leads us to our death, the fact that we put that faith in God and His Love is what will gift us greatly in Heaven, because the only way to please God, is to have faith in Him. To love and trust Him and His Word as a child would love and trust a good parent.
So the next time you call yourself a Christian, or hear someone call themselves a Christian, think about what is really being said. Is that just a lable? Empty words convincing yourself and others that you worship Christ and have accepted His gift of salvation? Or are you in love with God? Driven by passion and a desire to glorify His name and do His will, at the sacrifice of our own needs and wants? 80% of communication is non-verbal. That means that 4 out of every 5 messages that you communicate to any one person is not communicated through speech. Actions truly do speak louder than words, and we are always quick to notice flaws in others, while overlooking our own flaws. So remember that it is not by our church attendance, knowledge of the Bible or words of our mouths that makes us Christians, but by the true intent and passion in our hearts, which is shown by our fruits. That is, our actions, the way we live our life and how well our character and personality reflects Jesus', because Christianity is not just a belief or religion, it is a lifestyle, distinct and seperate from that of the world.
Oh and P.S. ...most of these devotionals will be much shorter
Today's Prayer (I do hope you mean this prayer, do not simply read it)
God, I know that there are many things in my life that often come before you. I make claims for the sake of my reputation with others, or my pride, and I praise you with words, but they are not always driven by the true passion and love that they should be. It is you who put me here and it is you who loves me most, so it is you who deserves the most love, worship and attention. Please help me to remember this as I go about my daily tasks, and please help me to fall in love with you the way that you love me, far more than what can compare to my love and desire for any person or worldly possession. I know that empty words displease you, but in the world today it is often hard to find the passion to fill and drive my praises, especially when I have no physical proof that you are there and listening. I ask you from the bottom of my heart to please fill me with this passion and desire for you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Today's Task
Today see how well you can remind yourself to put God first in everything you do. You don't have to be at church or reading your Bible to be worshiping God, you can do it anywhere while doing anything. When you find yourself not thinking about God, or thinking about something else more than God, stop yourself and put Him first. Silently thank Him for even the little things in your life while you go about your daily tasks, and remember that as a Christian, you are not simply holding a lable, you are representing the person and character of Jesus.
If you would like to recieve these devotionals as a daily e-mail, PM me your e-mail address and I'll you to the mailing list. God Bless
Written By: Scott Morgan
Bible passages taken from the New International Version