Author: kezha1

I pray today that you will stand firm in your faith…no matter what it may cost. Like Stephen in Acts Chapter 7, he chose not to compromise, and in the face of an angry mob, he gave one of the most eloquent and masterful presentations of his faith written in the Bible. But what did he get for it? Stoned to death. Every day we give in to peer-pressure when it comes to standing up for our faith…every day we avoid certain people because we don’t want to be confronted by their rude atheistic remarks. Rather than standing firm in our faith, we cave in and crumple at the first sign of conflict. And what do we get for it? Feelings of guilt & shame. So today, I pray you will become a person who makes the most of second chances. And the very best person to look at here is Simon Peter, who caved big time under peer-pressure…denying he even knew Jesus, not once, not twice, but three times in the course of a night. But later we see him restored by the risen Jesus to become the Rock (Petra) of the early Church.

Thank You Jesus, that although I live in a broken world full of obstacles… with my heart full of anguish, You have chosen me as Your own. (I Peter 2:9)

Thank You Jesus, that even as I endure under great pressure, sometimes far beyond my ability to stand, I will hold within this jar of clay of mine Your Words of comfort & joy. (II Corinthians 1:8, II Corinthians 4:7)

Thank You Jesus, that when I am overcome by grief and despair, I know that in You is my hiding place and You will protect and never reject me, for I am precious in Your sight. (Psalm 32:7, Psalm 94:14, I Peter 2:4)

Sometimes we need to take a fresh hold on God. Our once normal life seems to be disintegrating away into dust before our very eyes, as daily turmoil within churns our stomach & agitates our mind. And before we know it, discouragement & despondency have taken up a dark residency in our soul. That’s the time we need to be our personal cheerleader, advocate, and counselor…for no one knows what we’re going through like we do. So, shake off the dust of despair…throw open the curtains of your soul and allow the Sonshine to penetrate the darkness and grab ahold of God’s hand anew…for in Him you will find the ultimate hope to endure.

The saying goes something like this, “The way you pay is the way life will pay you back.” Now some may call this Karma, but according to Psalm 18:25-26, this is the Eternal Law of God. That’s because much of our relationship with God is reciprocal. But Jesus also told us not to judge others lest we be judged. (Matthew 7:1) But judging others is a favorite pastime for many, and the reason we’re so good at it is because we can often see hypocrisy, deceit, and lack of genuineness in others because all these things are living in our hearts. When we condemn others for their faults it’s a failure on our part to exercise forgiveness…for only a gentle and humble correction that first and foremost recognizes our own greater faults (think of the splinter & the log in the eye) can truly be beneficial.

Jesus knew exactly when He was to die…so I ask you this question, if you knew that you were going to die tomorrow, how would you spend today? Would your day be crammed with every self-indulgent desire & delicacy? Would you allow your inhibitions to run wild with no restraint, no self-control, and nothing off the table morally? Yes, Jesus knew that He would die the next day, yet He chose to wash feet (John 13:5) … showing His love for His disciples, His dear friends, His beloved brothers. Jesus took this very menial task of foot washing and elevated it to the very pinnacle of servanthood…demonstrating what self-sacrifice & love truly was.

We are to love God with all our being…seeking first His Kingdom daily rather than what we want. We are to desire to do His Will with heartfelt obedience, for “Earth has nothing I desire besides You.” (Psalm 73:25) Finally, we are to love, revere, and obey God…risking all for Him, knowing that He will fulfill the desires of those who fear Him. (Psalm 145:19) For in the end, our prayer should be that God would mean more to us every day than anything else in this world.

There will be many times in your Christian Walk that you will only appreciate everything God has done for you when you look back and reminisce. That’s because, when you are knee deep in alligators the challenge is to just survive. David reflected on God’s goodness to him in Psalm 63:6 when he wrote, “On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night.” Remembrance of what God has done can be very healing…for we bring to mind God’s gracious acts of the past so we may move from the past to the present with renewed confidence and trust in Him.

The scribes and chief priests had sent men to try and entangle Jesus in His words. They employed a flattering approach, doubtless meant to put Jesus off-guard. But they also had been around Jesus watching and listening for a while now, so even though their words were insincere, they rang true and accurate in describing Jesus’ character. They also couldn’t deny that He was an authority in the interpretation of the Scriptures…thus addressing Jesus with the Title of respect, “Teacher”. So, in a way their backhanded compliment was more of a proclamation to all of Jesus’ honesty, integrity, and unswerving detail to the Truth of the Holy Scriptures.

Self-sacrificial love in the fellowship of Believers is evidence of our new life in Christ. It’s based on the selfless love of Jesus Christ, who “laid down His life” in our place. But self-denial is contrary to our human nature, and the giving up of our interests or wishes in order to help others is downright difficult. So, consider this…Salvation is easy for us, for it cost us nothing, but God so much. Whereas the exhibiting of Salvation in our life then becomes the difficult part of daily making a deliberate decision to lay down our life for others. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “There are many sorts of broken hearts, and Christ is good at healing them all.” Our heart may be hurting from personal loss…of a loved one, a beloved pet, or a job. But our heart can be just as broken as we share in a good friend’s grief or misfortune… commiserating with empathy and compassion as we help them through tough times. However, we don’t need to be intimately involved with something to not hurt for that person or people group. For example, our heart can break as we see or hear about the ravishes of war, famine, or pestilence on innocent people across this wide world. But the Lord remains steadfast at healing all forms of heartache as we take our petitions to Him. (Psalm 34:18 & Psalm 147:3)