WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE LIGHTS COME ON?

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

John 3:19-21

What is your initial reaction when the lights come on? Doesn’t it depend on the source of the light? Think of how you feel differently when various sources of light suddenly shine on you: Police lights? Stage lights? Christmas Lights? Bedroom Lights? Each source of light sparks a wide range of reactions.

Animals respond to a light very differently. An insect will scramble with fear to the nearest place of darkness. A deer in the road stands frozen, immobilized and unable to move in any direction. A moth will turn from the darkness and fly with purpose directly into the light.

People respond to the light of God in the same ways. Some run to the nearest place of darkness when confronted with God. Some stand frozen, never making a decision.  While others turn from the darkness in their lives and pursue God, never looking back.

But, the source of the light is not the only thing to which we react. Your reaction to the light also depends on what the light is shining on! What does the light reveal? Do the police lights reveal that you’re going to fast? Does the kitchen light reveal all those dirty dishes? Does your computer light display all the work you have to do?

This week, ask yourself how your respond to God’s light and what it is revealing in your life. Do you run into His magnificent light or hide in the darkness. Are you happy by what you see in His light or does it trouble you. Either way, you don’t need to be afraid. The light of the Lord is love and in His light you will find healing, comfort and peace.

This Week’s Prayer

Lord, you are the light of the world. I do not want to stay in the dark any longer. Please give me the courage to run into your incredible light and accept the love waiting for me there. Yes, there are things I do not want your light to reveal. I ask for your strength as I examine each area of my life that remains in the dark. I ask for your grace as I bring these things before you. Amen.

LEARN FROM THE EXPERTS

Then Mary took about a pintof pure nard, an expensive perfume;she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair.And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.                                                                                                                    John 12: 3

There are people around you who know how to change the world.

They know how to change the world and they’re doing it by loving people with everything thing they have. These special people always put other people first, making them feel safe, important, and interesting. They always go out of their way to make others are happy by accepting their wounds and knowing exactly what their real needs are today. Of course, being aware of people’s needs is an extremely important part of serving them.

You may know one or two people like this. They genuinely love to give more than receive; they simply receive more pleasure giving. Yet, they do all of this so naturally and quietly. There are no horns announcing what they do, nor does anyone feel obligated in receiving.

Then, there are some people who are the opposite of stealth in their serving. They use their serving as a means of getting something. You may receive their service, but it comes with a hidden – sometime very high - price tag.

Thank God for the Pure Givers. They offer the gift of Pure Service. They are not looking for anything. It is a joy to receive from someone like this because they have already gotten their joy in the giving. The act of giving is their only agenda, their only reward.

I am sure you know someone with these qualities. They simply have the unique gift of service, providing them with an almost inexhaustible resource. Though this may not be your gift, Pure Service is common to all of us as one of our purposes in life. Since Pure Serving and our spiritual gifts all come from the Holy Spirit, we can certainly learn from those who do this so effortlessly. We only need to ask God to put this beautiful and valuable attitude in our hearts. We just need to learn from the experts!

Who do you know that has the gift of Pure Service? What can they teach you today?

Today’s Prayer

Lord, I want to serve. Without payback, without expectations, and without obligations, I want to serve your Will by serving your people. Please help me find the needs and fill them and see the hurts and heal them. Give me the strength and courage to do the impossible, for surely I know that through You all things are possible! Allow me to endure as I work to bring Honor and Glory to Your Name. Amen.

STEPPING OVER THE LINE

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send?

And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

                        Isaiah 6:7-9

A few years ago, about 30,000 people held a worship service in California to celebrate the 25^th Anniversary of Saddleback Church. At the end of the service, this large congregation rose to their feet and stated aloud a very refreshing vow of faith. More than that, is was a declaration to God and to the world that things are going to change from this point forward and that the status quo was no longer good enough. The statement they made is below. Please read it and keep it near you. Pray it aloud if God gives you the courage. But, be warned, your life may never be the same….

Today I am stepping across the line. I'm tired of waffling and I'm finished with wavering; I've made my choice, the verdict is in and my decision is irrevocable. I'm going God's way. There's no turning back now! I will live the rest of my life serving God's purposes with God's people on God's planet for God's glory. I will use my life to celebrate His presence, cultivate His character, participate in His family, demonstrate His love, and communicate His word.

Since my past has been forgiven and I have a purpose for living and a home awaiting in heaven, I refuse to waste any more time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying. Instead, I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of His family.

Because this life is preparation for the next, I will value worship over wealth, "we" over "me," character over comfort, service over status, and people over possessions, position, and pleasures.

I know what matters most and I'll give it all I've got. I'll do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today. I won't be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation or intimidated by the devil.

I'll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not the sidelines or those running by me. When times get tough, and I get tired, I won't back up, back off, back down, back out or backslide. I'll just keep moving forward by God's grace. I'm Spirit-led, purpose-driven and mission-focused so I cannot be bought, I will not be compromised, and I shall not quit until I finish the race.

I'm a trophy of God's amazing grace so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for every day, and generous with everything that God entrusts to me.

Today’s Prayer

However, Whenever, Wherever, and Whatever you ask me to do, my answer in advance is yes! Wherever you lead and whatever the cost, I'm ready. Anytime. Anywhere. Anyway. Whatever it takes Lord; Whatever it takes! I want to be used by you in such a way, that on that final day I'll hear you say, "Well done, thou good and faithful one.” Fill me with the utter determination it will take to love and change the world around me. Please do not let me be satisfied with the way of the world, but to continually strive for the Way of God! Amen.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself

intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
                                                                      Romans 8:26

Do you sometimes feel like there is no one on your side? We often move through the day and our lives so fast and so blindly, that we end up disconnected from the people and world around us. Well, I have news for you. You are NOT alone! The Holy Spirit is with you right now.

Why is that so important? Because the Holy Spirit is far more than just another character from the Bible or an entity we mention in worship. The Holy Spirit is our personal friend sent by God to intervene on our behalf. Yes, the Holy Spirit is your intercessor. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you have the Holy Spirit, God's divine intercessor, actually living inside you to guide you in prayer, to reveal God's Word to you, to reveal you to the truth and to actively pray for you.

Why is having an intercessor so important? The word "intercede" is from the Latin words "inter," which means "between," and "cede," which means "to go." When someone intercedes it means "to go between." So, when we act as intercessors we bridge the gap between current circumstances and God’s will. That is why we are called to always intercede on behalf of people, crisis situations and nations.

The Holy Spirit knows the gaps that the Father desires us to fill. So He places that particular weight in our hearts and leads us to pray.

Yes, life can be chaotic and lonely. And you may feel that you lack even the energy or ability to pray correctly. Don’t worry about it. God only requires that you be available. If you will just be faithful and turn your face toward Him, God will perfect any inaccuracies and strengthen any inadequacies. Rest assured, your prayers will be heard because you are not alone. You have a helper. 

When you pray, be fully aware that you are in partnership with the Spirit of the living God. Your success in prayer does not come from how well you articulate the words of prayer, but on how fully you yield yourself to the Holy Spirit so He can pray through you.  Don’t be concerned about the Quality of your prayer, that’s the Holy Spirit’s job. You just be concerned with the Quantity of your heart that you put into the prayer, that’s your job.

As you pray today, you only need to believe in God and believe that God WILL! We should always approach the place of prayer with an extraordinary expectation of meeting with God and seeing Him answer our prayer.

Today’s Prayer

Lord, I come to your throne with a heart full of faith; faith in you and faith in your will for my life. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may have guidance through the places in my life that are too dark for me to understand or see. Lead me in my prayer so that I may be closer to you and come to fuller understand and acceptance of your will for my life. Amen.

Praise!

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

                                                            Psalm 9:1-2

It is important that we do not become presumptuous in our approach to the praise and worship of God. Sometimes people think they must be doing Him a favor by blessing Him. It’s tempting to think that the better or more often our praise, the more blessed God must be.

Then we read about the mountains and the hills breaking forth into singing and all of the trees of the fields clapping their hands; and the heavens telling of the God’s glory and the earth showing forth His handiwork; and the children praising Jesus as He entered Jerusalem, and how He said that if they were somehow silent, the stones themselves would cry out.

You see, when we praise we are simply and finally becoming as we were meant by God to be. Look around you. Everything else God created is engaged in the continual expression of praising His Glory through their mere existence as a natural course of events. Stars in the sky were made to twinkle. Sheaves of wheat were made to wave in the wind. Trees were made with leaves that brush together and branches that grow strong to hold them. So we praise Him for no other reason than He is our creator. It is through praise that we become our true selves. We are just aligning ourselves correctly with the God’s universe and our place in it.

More often than not, we tend to devote our energies to asking God to help us with our problems and needs. Yet it’s in praise and worship that our hearts can be lifted up to God’s presence, where we can gain a new, heavenly perspective. Through praise, we can give the Spirit an opportunity to renew our minds and even to give us his guidance in dealing with the challenges we face here on earth. We praise God simply because it is right and reasonable to do so not for what we get from it or even for what God receives, though all of this is important.

So let us worship Him! But, let us not brag about it or draw attention to ourselves in the process. We praise because that is what we are meant to do. Let us worship Him! But, let us not presume to ever be giving Him anything more than what He is due. And He is due everything.

Today, praise the Lord in a way that is new to you. Lay aside your list of petitions for a short time. Cast off your inhibitions. Lift up your heart and voice—even your hands and feet, too!—in a burst of praise. “Ocean of glory,” sang St. Ephrem to the Lord, “in your goodness receive this drop of praise!” May each of us add a drop of praise into that ocean today!

Today’s Prayer

Lord, We join all the heavens and earth in a loud celebration of your glory! We praise you as your simple, loving children because that is how you made us. You are glorious and eternally worthy of our praise. Bring me deeper to the realization that like a rose in full bloom, I am at my absolute best when I am praising you. Amen

He Prays For You!

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

                                                John 17: 20-26

    

Jesus has prayed for you! Read John’s Scripture again. He says, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” Jesus prays for his future disciples—all the men and women in future ages who will believe through the message proclaimed by his first followers. You are one of those people! You are one of those future disciples for whom Jesus prayed. So, as you read this part of Jesus’ prayer, take a close look at what it is that Jesus wants for you.

Jesus wants his disciples—all of us—to be in unity with one another as we are also in unity with Him and His Father. The calling to be united with Jesus and the Father is awesome enough, but how much more awesome—and how much more challenging—is the call to be united with one another. Knowing that Jesus prayed for this kind of unity gives us confidence that it really will happen, especially during those times when we aren’t united as believers.

Why does Jesus take our unity so seriously? Of all the things he could have prayed for on his last night on earth, why did he choose to pray for this? There are many reasons, but one of the most important is because He knew that our witness of love and mercy toward one another could change the whole world. He knew that our unity in Christ is one of the most important elements of evangelization. Actions always speak louder than words, and when we demonstrate to the world that people from diverse backgrounds and cultures can come together, we are demonstrating the power of divine love.

Finally, Jesus prayed that the same love the Father has for Him may be in us. Try to imagine the immensity of the Father’s love for Jesus. This is the same love Jesus wants for you! Today, take time to rest in this love and fully experience it. And as you pray, and let the experience of this love flow over you. As you do, it will empower you to seek the unity that Jesus deeply desires and to become a light to the whole world!

Today’s Prayer

Holy Spirit, open the eyes of my heart to the immense love that Jesus has for me. Fill me with your spirit so deeply that your love shines from every part of my life. Allow me to experience this love more deeply so that I may share it with others throughout every day of my life. Amen.

A GOOD QUESTION

"If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead."

1 John 3:14

"If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, I should question whether Christ is really in my life." This statement, from Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life, struck me as an awesome truth.

Based on the Scripture above from John’s first letter, it provides what may be considered an accurate measurement of Christ’s presence in our lives. Very simply, it asks is Christ the center of your universe or are you?

Is their any real sign of God’s love in your heart? The presence of love for others and the realization of what you can do to serve them is the evidence that you have been renewed by Christ and that He truly resides within you. 

Just take a look at the last few days. Is there any clear occurrence that you have cared about someone other than yourself?  Have you actually served a brother or a sister in some way? You will find comfort if the answer is “Yes!” However, you may want to take some time to search your soul if the answer is no.

But, don’t be discouraged in your search. For your soul ultimately belongs to the One who created you. Keep that in mind when the next opportunity to serve another comes along – and it will. Indeed, you will always surrounded by need. We all are. Need is the way of this world. However, need rarely presents itself when it is convenient for us or when we are in the mood.

You need to step in and serve even if you don't feel like it.

Once you do, Christ will energize you! That’s right, He’ll give you the strength and the desire to do it again. Just ask God to open you up! Ask Him to open your eyes to those around you and to show you all the ways in which you can serve them in love.

The very beauty of this is that you will be obedient to what He asks and find His power to do it at the same time. It is a wonderful journey; a journey you will never travel alone. Because at its end, you will find the Lord Jesus residing in your heart forever.

You can begin today with just one act of service, however small. Then, just look for another. Take every opportunity to fill every need that presents itself.

Today’s Prayer

Lord, I pray that You will awaken me with a heart to serve, the wisdom to see the need, and the power to follow through. Please strengthen me and build my desire to satisfy every need you place in my path so that others may see your presence through me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.