JACKS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
(1st Chronicles 28:9) “The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive”.
There is a story in the New Testament of the bible (Acts 5:1-11) that should cause all of us to re-evaluate our attitude toward God and His Church.
When Ananias and Sapphira saw others in the church selling their land and giving the proceeds to the church so the poor could be cared for, they thought it was a great idea - in theory.
However, when they sold some of their land, they withheld part of the money and then lied about it.
They wanted "increased visibility" and spiritual status amongst the people.
They were motivated by “pride”, wanting to be seen by men.
They wanted to “look the part” without having to pay the price.
Their actions were not actions of love and charity… but were in truth actions of self esteem and self righteousness.
However Peter exposed their sin, saying, “You didn’t lie to the people. You lied to God”! (Acts 5:4).
Not only were their motives exposed, they both dropped dead and as a result, “Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened”.
I wonder what would happen today in our churches if God were to begin dealing with sin as He once did in ancient days.
We all need to be thankful for the blood of Christ and the forgiveness that comes with it.
In the Sermon on the Mount, (Matthew Chapters 5-7)… Jesus talks about a lot of different topics.
The underlying theme that ties them all together is our motives.
One of the main points of Jesus most famous sermon… is that God not only cares about what you do… but why you do it.
One reason Jesus hammered this nail so hard in this sermon was to show the people how much they needed Him.
It was as if he was saying, “Look, none of you follow the law perfectly. But even if you could obey the letter of the law, your motives are still wrong”.
“To be right with God, you not only need to live perfectly but to live perfectly for the right reasons.
Since no human can do this, now your only hope to be right with God is to put your faith in me.”
After salvation, which comes with the belief and acceptance of Christ… the Christian enters into “sanctification”.
Yes, God saves us through faith, but once we put our faith in Jesus, He will begin to teach us “how to live” for God and how to please Him in our actions.
And according to Matthew 6, it is crucial that our motives be right if we want to love God well… because when our heart is not right, God cannot bless us.
When it comes to examining our motives, here are two scriptures we all need to read and consider carefully and prayerfully.
1) “The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts of men. If you seek Him, He will be found by you” (1st Chronicles 28:9)
2) “I The Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve” (Jeremiah 17:10)
Listen, its not Gods desire to “find sin out” in your life and punish you for it.
Noooo. The scripture says “He is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance and salvation.”(2nd Peter 3:9).
But the problem is that His nature, the very essence of Holiness sees sin and He has to deal with it.
That’s why blood was shed in the Old Testament sacrifices, “to cover sin”.
(Hebrews 9:22) and “God commanded that all things be purified with blood, for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
That’s why Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was so significant.
His blood was perfect, pure, and untainted by the sin of the world and of humanity.
And thus it was acceptable before the Holiness of God… not only to cover sin… but remove the reproach of it as well… just as though we had never sinned.
Yes God is a loving, caring, compassionate, and mercy-full God.
But Holiness and Sin cannot be mixed.
That’s why it is up to us to come to Him in repentance and sorrow for sin.
That’s why He pleads with us to forsake the sin that so easily besets us.
He wants nothing to separate us from His love, and when we sin, we set up a wall between us and Him.
That’s why it is so important that we come to Christ and allow the Blood of Christ to wash us and cleanse us continually.
Because of our human propensity to sin… we must examine our motives… and continually surrender ourselves at the foot of Jesus and ask Him “to create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit with in me.” (Psalm 51:10)
That’s why we must dwell in the “secret place of the most high” (Psalm 91).
That’s why we must have a “daily” communion with Him!
It keeps us in touch with Him and reminds just how much we need Him.
Good Day!
(1st Chronicles 28:9) “The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive”.
There is a story in the New Testament of the bible (Acts 5:1-11) that should cause all of us to re-evaluate our attitude toward God and His Church and why we do the things we do.
When Ananias and Sapphira saw others in the church selling their land and giving the proceeds to the church so the poor could be cared for, they thought it was a great idea - in theory.
However, when they sold some of their land, they withheld part of the money which that in itself was not the issue or the problem... but when asked if this was the full price that they were giving from the sale, they lied about it.
They wanted "increased visibility" and spiritual status amongst the people.
They were motivated by “pride”, wanting to be seen by men.
They wanted to “look the part” without having to pay the price.
Their actions were not actions of love and charity… but were in truth actions of self esteem and self righteousness.
However Peter exposed their sin, saying, “You didn’t lie to the people. You lied to God”! (Acts 5:4).
Not only were their motives exposed, they both dropped dead and as a result, “Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened”.
I wonder what would happen today in our churches if God were to begin dealing with sin as He once did in ancient days.
We all need to be thankful for the blood of Christ and the forgiveness that comes with it.
In the Sermon on the Mount, (Matthew Chapters 5-7)… Jesus talks about a lot of different topics.
The underlying theme that ties them all together is our “motives”.
One of the main points of Jesus most famous sermon… is that God not only cares about what you do… but why you do it.
One reason Jesus hammered this nail so hard in this sermon was to show the people how much they needed Him.
It was as if Jesus was saying, “Look, none of you follow the law perfectly. But even if you could obey the letter of the law, your motives are still wrong.
To be right with God, you not only need to live perfectly but to live perfectly "for the right reasons".
Since no human can do this, our only hope to be right with God is to put your faith in me.”
After salvation, which comes with the belief and acceptance of Christ… the Christian enters into what is called “sanctification”.
Yes, God saves us through faith, but once we put our faith in Jesus, He will begin to teach us “how to live” for God and how to please Him in our actions.
And according to Matthew 6, it is crucial that our motives be right... if we want to love God well… because when our heart is not right, God cannot bless us.
When it comes to examining our motives, here are two scriptures we all need to read and consider carefully and prayerfully.
1) “The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts of men. If you seek Him, He will be found by you” (1st Chronicles 28:9)
2) “I The Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve” (Jeremiah 17:10)
Listen, its not Gods desire to “find sin out” in your life and punish you for it.
Noooo… The scripture says “He is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance and salvation.”(2nd Peter 3:9).
But the problem is that His nature, the very essence of Holiness… sees sin and He has to deal with it.
That’s why blood was shed in the Old Testament sacrifices, “to cover sin”.
(Hebrews 9:22) and “God commanded that all things be purified with blood, for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
That’s why Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was so significant.
His blood was perfect, pure, and untainted by the sin of the world and of humanity.
And thus it was acceptable before the Holiness of God… not only to cover sin… but remove the reproach of it as well… just as though we had never sinned.
Yes God is a loving, caring, compassionate, and mercy-full God.
But Holiness and Sin cannot be mixed.
That’s why it is up to us to come to Him in repentance and sorrow for sin.
That’s why He pleads with us to forsake the sin that so easily besets us (Hebrews 12:1)
He wants nothing to separate us from His love, and when we do sin, we set up a wall between us and Him.
That’s why it is so important that we come to Christ and allow the Blood of Christ to wash us and cleanse us continually.
Because of our human propensity to sin… we must examine our motives… and continually surrender ourselves at the foot of Jesus and ask Him “to create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit with in me.” (Psalm 51:10)
That’s why we must dwell in the “secret place of the most high” (Psalm 91).
That’s why we must have a “daily” communion with Him!
It keeps us in touch with Him and reminds just how much we need Him.
Good Day!
(Luke 6:38) “Give and it shall be given unto you… pressed down… shaken together and running over... shall men give unto your bosom”.
In spite of economic challenges, people in the United States and Canada, (America) still live in the world’s most prosperous of countries.
Yet stats show that less than "three percent", of Americans (and Canadians) income, goes to charity… that’s lower than it was during the great depression of the 1920’s.
All of us have been guilty of saying “or thinking”… “If I ever get a lot of money I’ll be generous or I'll help others more.”
Who are you kidding!
Prosperity has little to do with generosity.
Jesus said, “Where your treasure is… there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
The truth is that generosity doesn't come from having an abundance of money.
Generosity comes from a heart overflowing with thanksgiving and gratitude to God.
It comes from knowing that your needs are met because of His mercy and compassion on you as His child… therefor you don’t worry about what you are giving to help others, because your confident that He is going to take care of you.
Generosity is truly faith in action!
The average income in the state of Mississippi is the lowest in the country, yet Mississippi leads the nation in charitable giving.
By contrast, New Hampshire leads the nation when it comes to personal income and wealth, but guess where it ranks in charitable giving?
You guessed it, at the bottom!
Financial expert Daniel Levin says, “Prosperity isn’t in what you’ve attained, but rather in what you give away.”
You see there is a spiritual law that Jesus alluded to in His encouragement of (Luke 6:38)
It’s the law of giving and receiving!
The truth is, if you want to become a more generous person, you can’t wait for your income to increase… you must allow God to change your heart… you must start investing into His kingdom.
As a "child of God", as a "Christian", as a "born again believer", generosity must become a part of our makeup or our spiritual DNA.
It is an everyday attitude made a priority… by those that are Gods children.
Our thoughts from waking in the morning till we lay our head down at night should be, "how can I help others".
Its called “loving your neighbor more than yourself”.
That mean’s that believers in Christ should be watchful, looking for, and ready to respond to those in need, as well as finding a compelling cause or a worthy ministry to sponsor and support.
The Bible says of Jesus, “When he saw the [crowds], he had compassion on them because of their great need”.
When it comes right down to it, the recipients of our generosity aren’t really churches, causes, or institutions.
They are people… people loved and valued by God… people for whom Christ died.
And its not just the homeless the poor and the down trodden that we are to give to and support.
But it’s also those “messengers” whom sacrifice the comfort of everyday normal living… to be participants and carriers of “the Gospel of Jesus Christ”… to third world countries, as well as right here at home in Canada and the USA.
Might I include ministries “called of God”, like ours here at JJEM.
(Romans 10:14-15) says “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach, except they be sent?
As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”
In (Matthew 9:26) Jesus said that the people of the world “were like sheep with out a shepherd”.
I often feel like that’s what God has called me to be and to do.
To be a shepherd to those sheep whom have no place to worship, sheep whom have not heard of the goodness of God.
Sheep whom have been hurt by religious affiliations… or sheep whom have been betrayed and led astray by those whom have a form of religion… but are more like wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Sheep whom are drifting aimlessly thru life with no one they can relate to, or that are willing to take the time to lead them to the wells of salvation that is found in a relationship with God thru Jesus Christ... whom came so that all of us could have life and that more abundantly (John 10:10)
That’s what we are prepared to do and trying to do with the limited resources we have at JJEM
So what are you doing with what God has given you?
How you answer that question is the true measure of your generosity and an indication of your willingness to be obedient to our Heavenly Father.
Good Day!
(John 14:1-3) “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God believe also in me…”
I talk about a lot of different topics within these daily "inspirational devotions"… but I want to be careful that I always inspire my friends and fans with things that are "the most important".
And the most important message we need to consider when it comes to inspiring one another, is the message of the cross and the return of Jesus Christ.
With out the cross we would have no forgiveness of sin, and no blood sacrifice that cleanses us from our sin… and therefor no position in Christ or relationship with God.
For the bible says (Hebrews 9:22) “with out the shedding of blood there is no remission or forgiveness of sin”
It was the message of the cross that Paul said was the most important thing for believers to remember.
(In 1st Corinthians 1:23) Paul, who was “all things to all men so that by all possible means he might save some” put his foot down and said in effect…
“No matter what others may do, we preach Christ crucified… we dare not, we cannot, and we will not alter the great subject matter of our preaching… Jesus Christ… and Him crucified”.
It was Jesus blood, shed on our behalf, that cleanses all of us and removes the judgment and the penalty of sin… and it’s that “shed blood” that gives us a right understanding or position with God.
It was the death of Christ that paid the ransom for the redemption of man, from the mastery of sin.
It was the death of Christ… and then His resurrection three days later, that gives us victory over death. (1st Corinthians 15:55-57)
It was all brought about by the work of God… "in and thru Christ"… "on the cross"… on our behalf!
We as human beings like to think that we are something!
We like to think that we have done something to deserve this great salvation that has been given to us.
But my friend such is not the case… it was all God… thru His Son Jesus that He bestowed His great love upon mankind so that you and I are free today.
(Ephesians 2:8) “For by grace are you saved thru faith and that not of yourselves but it is the gift of God… not of works lest any of us should boast about it saying “look, look, look what I have done”.
And one day He is going to announce, "It is finished"… and He is going to gather us all together and take us home to glory.
Think about that today, as you live your life "free” from the guilt and bondage of sin that once held you as a prisoner or a slave to sin.
As humanity once stumbled thru darkness brought about by sin, and experienced the loneliness and separation from our Creator because of the ravages of sin that we all were once slaves to…
Remember that God loves you too much to leave you defenseless and alone, facing the uncertainty of tomorrow and the enemy of our soul on our own.
(1st Peter 5:8) “For your adversary the devil is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour”
Think about that as you worry about the future and the economic chaos that our world is facing because of the poor choices humanity has made under the rule of sin.
Think about the cross and all the promises that God has given unto us thru His word.
And as you think about that, let me ask this question; “can you do anything to change your life or the direction that we are all heading in”?
And I’ll tell you right now, that the answer to my question is a resounding, “NOOOOO we can’t”!
Ask yourself… “could all the challenges we are facing in our world today… be happening to turn our attention and our hearts back to Him the Creator, the Redeemer, the Savior, the only One that matters in life… the only One who can change things in our lives?
The One that gave up His Son on the cross… that we might be saved?
And as you shake your head in helpless wonder… as you look at what the future holds for tomorrow, its as though we are looking into a glass darkly, (1st Corinthians 13:12);
Think about this!
With all of the calamity… the chaos… the trauma that humanity is dealing with in our world today…
Know that heaven is in a flurry of activity as God is preparing for that time that was foretold when He would catch His children away and so shall we ever be with the Lord… as the Bible talks about in (1st Thessalonians 4:17)
Its time to “humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God”… and bow our knee to His Lordship and His leadership?
The Bible tells us to “seek the Lord while He may be found” (Isaiah 55:6)
And let me suggest and encourage you that you might want to do it sooner than later.
What if this would be the day when Jesus comes, the day that every ”child of God” and every believer in Christ has been waiting for, for so long.
Now "that", is what is most important in our life and future!
Good day!
(Genesis 1:28) "Be fruitful and multiply."
Are you tired of the "same old same old" syndrome.
You wake every morning to the same drudgery and cycle of life that you've woke up with every day for the last "how many years"… and you wonder if there is any end in sight.
Perhaps your thinking "there’s got to be more to life than this".
Then why not turn your life over to God and let Him lead you from this day forward?
God told Adam, “Be fruitful, and multiply”… in other words, “Discover the purpose for which I made you and give yourself fully to it".
People who "fulfill their calling" exude an excitement for life and a connection to others thru their gifting.
In actuality most of them have simply found a way to get paid for doing something they love.
Money never replaces purpose… but when you find the thing you’d gladly do for free…there’s a good chance you’ve found your calling.
You were made in the image of God, with a built-in drive to create and to succeed!
That’s why life gets so boring when your not!
That doesn’t mean you must have an "artistic temperament" to find your life’s purpose.
But everyone who’s aware of their calling… is in the process of giving birth to something.
To some, it may seem obvious that those who are songwriters, artists, and poets are giving birth to their dreams.
But so is any one of us who discovers who he or she is, and answers that call through the use of their unique gifts.
You may be called to give birth to a business, or invent a technical device that will benefit others, or discover a cure for some disease or find new systems of efficiency in the workplace.
You say, “But what if I try and fail?”
That didn't stop Abraham Lincoln from running for the Presidency of the United States after he failed four times.
That didn't stop Thomas Edison who experienced hundreds of failures while creating the incandescent light bulb.
Everything we put our hand too has the potential for failure… but failure is only education, and when you get enough education you can and will succeed to the effort you put forth.
The real loser is the one who never attempts to fly with the wings God gave them.
So what is it that your good at?
Then start considering it a gift from God, to use to fulfill your destiny.
Start using it to serve others.
As you develop that gift (and you will as you use it)… you will find there are opportunities that will arise for you to use your gift more and more.
But you have to start!
God is not the author of “the same old same old”!
He has created all of us with the unique ability to dream, to visualize, to pursue and to even create or build the things that we dream of.
That’s why He say’s “with out a vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18)
Listen folks!
If you can imagine it, it is possible!
That’s why the bible says “all things are possible to them that believe” (Matthew 19:26)
God is on your side!
He wants you to succeed!
You can be more than a conqueror in Christ.
But you have to believe and you have to start!
There is an old cliché that says…
“The clock is running, make the most of today, time waits for no man.
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift… that's why it is called the present.”
So what will you do with this gift that God has given you?
Good Day!
Good Day!
(Luke 1:46-49) “And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… for he has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden.
God’s words are powerful and true, and whether we realize it or not… it’s often in the busiest and most chaotic seasons that His words can get pushed aside.
This Christmas, may God help us to fight against that tendency.
May He help us to spend time in His presence daily, for that’s the very place we are filled and refreshed… to live strong in a world that can sometimes be a struggle.
Mary’s faith motivated her to worship the Lord in the face of the unknown.
(Luke 1:46-49) “And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… for He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden.
For behold, henceforth, all generations will call me blessed… for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name’”
As we read Mary’s response to the challenge set before her, by the Angel of the Lord that she had been chosen by God to give birth to the Son of God… we get a better understanding of her deep faithfulness, humbleness and surrender to the God of her fathers.
She was chosen and put into a situation that must have felt scary and overwhelming.
There most certainly must have been some, uncertainty, and anxiety, and fear… in the midst of the events that she was chosen to be involved in.
Events beyond her ability to control and to manipulate as she faced the unknown.
This year… no doubt each of us have faced a certain amount of unpredictability with fear and anxiety rising.
Perhaps like me and certainly like Mary… you have have felt overwhelmed at times by the circumstances that you are facing though no apparent fault of your own.
But like Mary, we can pause in the uncertainty… and give praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for His goodness, His mercy, and His divine provision and protection in the midst of the threatening circumstances.
We can praise Him for continuing to use us to further His kingdom.
We can worship Him for His unconditional love.
We may not yet know what this Christmas season and the new year to be ushered in will bring…
But we can still worship our Lord and Savior, and find joy and hope in remembering the birth of Jesus and the promise of God for each of us… given and fulfilled by that birth.
Though this year has felt hard for each of us in unique ways, may we trust that God is still doing great things for us as we bring worshipful hearts before Him.
The faithfulness of Mary and Joseph that we read about in the Gospel accounts of the events leading up to Jesus’ birth is inspiring.
We can find encouragement from the lives they lived and the faith they held onto regardless of what they faced.
May we all find ways to hold onto our faith in God and cling to Him in every situation.
(Isaiah 9:6) For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
(Luke 4 18-19) “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,
To release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”…
Never forget you and I have the Lords favour.
Like Mary and Joseph, we can face tomorrow and the unknown with confidence, with hope, joy and peace that passes all understanding… because Jesus came and set us free from all of the negative deceptive clutches of sin.
(John 10:10) “He came that we might have life… and that more abundantly”
Merry Christmas everybody!
To release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”…
Never forget you and I have the Lords favour.
Like Mary and Joseph, we can face tomorrow and the unknown with confidence, with hope, joy and peace that passes all understanding… because Jesus came and set us free from all of the negative deceptive clutches of sin.
(John 10:10) “He came that we might have life… and that more abundantly”
Merry Christmas everybody!
(Luke 1:38) “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord… let it be to me according to your word.”
Mary’s faithfulness endured and she surrendered to God’s perfect plan.
“And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38).
Having received the most radical news of her life up until that moment… that being told that she would miraculously conceive and give birth to a son… Mary’s faithfulness helps her rise to the occasion and she completely surrenders to the Word of God.
She had no idea what was to come, or what everything the angel said would mean, but she trusted God… and in humility embraced His plans for her.
Even when we do not know the outcome of the path God has us on, we need to be willing to submit to His plans and humbly trust Him no matter what the circumstances dictate.
Like Mary and Joseph, we can remain faithful to God, even if we do not know what the end of the journey will hold for us or what the outcome might be.
With faith and humbleness we need to be willing to endure every situation we face and humbly surrender to God.
True humbleness is the art of submission.
“Not my will but thine”… that’s the “humble prayer of submission” that Jesus prayed in the garden before He went to the cross.
Joseph’s humility and faithfulness to the Word of the Lord opened his heart to God’s plans.
Because Joseph was a righteous and faithful follower of the Jewish religious law of God… he was now faced with some hard decisions to make according to the law concerning Mary’s condition… pregnancy out of wedlock.
Yet he did not want to expose her to public disgrace and he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
Most of the Gospel accounts of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus focus on Mary and how she responded to what God had called her to.
When we read of Joseph’s experience however, we come to see and learn of the humbleness of this faithful man who was caught in the middle as it were… and yet was able and willing to change his plans, to stay in line with God’s will for him.
Listen! Joseph was the offended one here.
He was the one was betrayed by Mary in the eyes of man.
When Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, he made a plan to do what he believed would be the best thing… divorce her quietly and preserve her honor by keeping the whole situation quiet.
However God had a different plan for Joseph, and sent an angel to Joseph in a dream to let him know what to do.
Joseph kept his heart open to what God wanted from him.
Like Joseph, we need to be willing to adapt to Gods plan and will for our lives when we realize that our plans this year may have to change because God has something different for us.
We need to humble ourselves and be willing to abandon our agendas and instead follow God’s perfect path this Christmas season and into the New year.
Joseph’s ability to let God take the lead is a beautiful and encouraging moment that we can learn from.
Though we may have our plans in place, it is important to keep our hearts open to where God may tell us to take a turn and do something different.
Just as Joseph and Mary trusted God… we too can trust God this Christmas season and follow His leading.
God gave Joseph and Mary peace and strength to follow this new plan.
May God grant that same peace and strength to those of us who choose to remain humble and faithful to Him.
Not my will Lord… but yours be done! Amen!
Good day!