I'm Special

I just finished my daily reading and I got to read thru one of my favorite sections in all the Bible. It has so much meat in it that it's hard to express just one meaningful thought, but I'll try. It comes from chapter 33 and if you want to know what a quiet time with the Lord looks like you'll see the one Moses encountered.

The first thing I like about this passage is the Tent of Meeting Moses had. It was a portable hut that would be set up where Moses would go and meet with the Lord. It was his place of quiet time. Verse 11 "Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend." Wherever and whenever you spend time with the Lord don't you want that? I sure do. I want to experience the Lord face to face like I was talking to a friend. The other significant aspect of this passage is you don't have to have a special desiginated place to meet with the Lord. It doesn't have to just be at church. He will meet you where you are at right now. It may be in your livingroom, your job, your car. He even goes on vacation with you. But try and discover your own special place and meet there regularly.

But the best verse was still to come for me. Verse 16 Moses is asking the Lord not to send the Israelites out on there juourney unless he knows the Lord will go with them. "How will anyone know that you look favorably on me-on me and your people-if you don't go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth."

The emphasis is mine, but the point is what makes us different from all the other religions in the world. Our God, Yahweh, is with us always. We can call upon Him anytime, anyplace, anywhere and He is there. May this be a comfort to you as it is to me that His presence is always with us. We can't hide from Him like Adam and Eve tried. Don't think of this as a bad thing, but instead confess any sin and draw near to Him.

Now you know why I'm special. But so are you.

What's in a Name

I hope you all had a good weekend and stayed dry and enjoyed the change of weather. My main passage of text today comes from Colossians 2:6-8. The apostle Paul writes, “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. (Verse 8) Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

There is much more to the Christian life than just salvation. Jesus Christ did not come to this earth and die a painful death on the cross just for us to have salvation. Jesus Christ is not just a fire insurance policy. He desires to see change in our lives and when we don’t stay connected to Him thru time in his word, thru fellowship and Bible Study then we are leaving ourselves open to be thrown off track by the enemy.

Perhaps you have been to the mall recently and seen a store upstairs near Macy’s called C28. It’s a clothing store like Tilly’s and its audience is the young adult crowd. If you didn’t know the C stands for Colossians and the 28 stands for Chapter 2 and Verse 8. Its name is from the verse above. So consequently, its clothing line is Christian with great verses on trendy clothes and they also sell a lot of NTW decals (Not of This World). I was thinking to myself why they chose this verse as their title. Perhaps a study of the verse is in order.

If we are not staying grounded in Christ we are vulnerable to being deceived by Satan. I wouldn’t be surprised if many Christians have bought into the Secret as featured on Oprah or bought into the gospel of Oprah because anything she says so many people believe (especially her target audience of women). It’s not just Oprah as people can be captured by Hollywood worship, busyness, laziness and apathy. I know for myself if I miss a day or two in God’s word things creep into my life like an attitude change. “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8.

The more time we spend in Jesus, the stronger our roots get. Jesus Christ provides us a foundation that we can tap into when we go thru life’s trials or someone or something tries to pull us away from our faith. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to have a heart check everyday. “Be careful then dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.” Hebrews 3:12-13. Without the anchor of Christ, we run the risk of falling into sin and a hardened heart. I’ve seen it happen around me many times.

No matter where you’re at in your walk with Jesus, He will meet you today. If you grab a hold of Him, He promises not to let go. He won’t leave you or forsake you. Now Jesus, that’s a name we can count on.

Have a blessed day.

Mark

Here is my wonderful family the Lord has blessed me with. We took this just before Christmas at the Civic Center Park

Welcome to My Blog

Welcome Friends,
I am now on the world wide web. I was given this suggestion by a friend to do this since I have felt the Lord directing me to share what He is teaching me in hopes that it might encourage others in their walk with the Lord. It is not about showing how smart I am or how many Bible verses I know, but rather look what the Lord is doing in my life. In these uncertain times, Jesus Christ is the best going for me and I want to tell others of His awesome grace and mercy.

I look forward to your feedback and opinions. Have a great weekend. May you have a blessed time at church and find rest for your souls.

Mark