March 28 You Shall Worship

Deuteronomy 11:17

Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them.

Luke 4:8

And Jesus answered him, “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.”

I don’t know about you, but when I miss a church service, I have the feeling all week that something is missing in my life.  That feeling is what I believe to be due to my faith. I do not go to worship to show others that I am any better than they are, or to make me feel better about myself.  It is completely to show honor and praise to God almighty and to help my faith grow by the hearing of the Word. Faith is like growing a plant. It needs to be continually nurtured, fed and watered, and that is exactly what happens during a worship service.

There are those who say that they can worship anywhere – at home, in nature, in the car, or just anywhere.  Of course, that is true, and we should worship God wherever we are.  But, is that what God intended when He said to “Remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy”? My faith says to me that that kind of “remembrance” is more than worshipping wherever I am.  My faith says that I need to hear God’s Word as preached on Sunday morning.  It tells me that I need to be with those who are also worshiping as supporting fellows in the faith.

I look forward to being with you on Sunday morning and sharing in all that God would have us hear.

Prayer:: Heavenly Father, help me to know the importance of spending time in Your House a
nd the tremendous opportunity it provides to help my faith grow into a strong one.   Amen.

March 19 – The Woodpecker

II Timothy 4:7

I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.

Faith is something in our lives that must always be cherished and protected.  It is like the worm that the woodpecker is trying to find as he chips away at the protecting wood around it.  If we do not do whatever we can to keep the woodpecker away, not only is the worm gone, but the structure around the worm is also destroyed.

In our lives of faith, Satan is the woodpecker who is forever trying to get at that worm, our faith. It happens in so many ways and that is because Satan is ingenious with ways to peck away at our structure.  We frequently do not even realize that it is happening until we find the hole. We find ourselves tearing down someone we work with or gossiping about a friend…… Peck.  Then we hear ourselves telling a little fib, “I can’t come to work/school today, I’m sick”, ……Peck.   Or we say,  I shouldn’t be watching this type of movie, it is vulgar and crude, ……Peck.  Or we say, “That driver ahead of me is an idiot. I’ll show him/her”…….Peck.  Or we realize that these people I’m with are participating in things that are definitely not part of my beliefs,….Peck.   Etc, Etc…..Peck. …..Peck,…… Peck,…… Peck.

The result of all that pecking is that the worm, your faith, is gone.  It is our job to protect our faith. It needs to be encased in something so strong that Satan can’t get at it. That’s not to say that your faith needs to be hidden. Contrary to that it should be bright and shining for others to see. Faith needs nourishing to protect it, make it grow and finally mature. Nourishment comes in the form of prayer, reading the Word, Bible study, attending worship. The more time spent in these areas, the stronger our faith becomes and the easier to recognize Satan’s attempts to lead us astray.  The more time we spend in these studies the easier it becomes to say, “get thee behind me Satan.”

Prayer: Father, please guide me in the growth of faith in my life. 
Open my heart and mind to opportunities to hear and understand your Word. 
Guide me in my life that Satan may not gain a hold over me and destroy my faith.

The Voice of Guilt and Grace

All the prophets testify about Him, that through His name
everyone who believes in Him will receive remission of sins.

Romans 3:24

…and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption
 that came by Christ Jesus

In order to truly appreciate the forgiveness that we have received through God’s Grace, we need to look at life without that action.  A person who is living without faith in forgiveness, lives a life with much guilt in it. We are told in the Bible that everyone, even non-believers, know the law, and if you know the law, you will have a nagging voice in your mind saying, “This is not right.” That voice is guilt, and guilt can be a totally consuming thing.

So, what does it mean to the believer to have trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins? It means the ability to look forward to everything that happens in your life in a very positive light.  Even though you try to avoid sin, it does happen.  The result for the faithful Christian is to be repentant of your sins, known or unknown, and accept through your faith that you are forgiven by the Grace of God.

This season we are in is called the penitential season.  It is a period of inner searching, a time to accept the part we each played in Christ’s crucifixion through our sinful life. Not with a guilty heart, but with a penitent heart and the full realization that comes Easter morning, we are once again reminded that forgiveness is with us always.

Prayer: Father, You have done so much for me as a sinful person. 
I ask that You help me, especially in this Lenten season, to be fully aware of the great sacrifice
 You made for me and the world, when You sent Your Son as a living sacrifice. 
Let the faith I have be firm and strong in the belief that through Your Son’s suffering,
 I will always have the forgiveness of sins.  Amen.