Dealing With Death (Part 2)*

6 10 2009

The cross and gloryJohn 12:23-25 (NIV):
Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

Listen to devotional by clicking the play button.


__________

*Please let me know if you are unable to hear the audio. Will try to post written version soon. One of the JET-H District churches is in the midst of a revival. So this will probably be the format for the rest of October.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Devotional

Dealing With Death (Part 1)

25 09 2009

Romans 6:10-12 (NIV):

“The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.”

Dr. E.E. Cleveland's Funeral

As I write this long overdue thought on death, I am watching via Internet the service of a great man of God – Dr. Earl Edward Cleveland.  His life was a testament that people still walk with God. He wanted to be like Enoch and Elijah – Elder Cleveland wanted to see Jesus without meeting death.

Whenever I see a funeral or am apart of one, I begin to think about as least three things. 1) Although I have youth on my side I can still die. 2) Am I right with God and people? 3) I need to give God my all and be my best in everything from here on out. Unfortunately those thoughts usually fade until the next funeral.

However God has finally got something else about death to finally click. It’s the key text to today’s devotional. “Count yourselves dead to sin” (Romans 6:11, NIV.) I am to act as if sin has no power in my life because my “old self” or “old man” is dead. The “new me” or “born again” self lives to please God. Yet so many of us let sin and Satan dominate significant parts of our lives. Just maybe, we don’t have a Biblical understanding of death or of life in Christ.

IMG_0488_2Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 says that the living know that they will die but the dead don’t know anything. They no longer love nor hate. Lazarus, the friend Jesus resurrected, had no stories from the dead. The point is at dead one’s life ceases until Jesus comes back to resurrect His followers (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and later for judgment (Revelation 20) those who’ve rejected Him as Savior and Lord. If I apply this Biblical understanding of death to our text for today, I should not by Christ power repeat sin or the sins that I’ve been delivered from. My love for ungodly things should be gone. My distaste for holy things should be replaced with  a deep, consistent love for God and His way of operating.

Prayer: Dear LORD, help me to let the “old me” die and the “new me” live by Your Word and faith in Your Son Jesus Christ, Amen.


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Devotional

Daddy, I’m Bigger Than You

13 05 2009

Proverbs 3:11,12 (NIV):

11 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,

12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father [a] the son he delights in.

Along with the joy of children comes the difficult task of training and discipline. So my 3-year-old daughter wasn’t too happy with me after being reprimanded for doing something she knew she shouldn’t have done. “Daddy, I’m bigger than you,” my little girl said to me with a noticeable edge in her voice. WHAT IN THE WORLD!? My wife and I just looked at each other and shook our heads. “If she only knew,” my wife said. Then she added, “We must look like this or worse to God, thinking we’re bigger than Him.”

Crying babySo often we get upset with God for reprimanding/disciplining us. Some of us may be so bold as to shake our fist at God or tell Him that He promised us something when it was our own desire and not His. Thank God, that He is so patient with us.

God is GOD. No one can match Him. No one knows better than the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yet in word, thought, or action we think we are bigger than God. The bottom line is whether we accept His authority in our lives or not.

At the end of the day, bedtime to be exact, my daughter feels secure in her daddy’s authority. Somehow she accepts that I want what’s best for her, even if she doesn’t fully understand it. Yet the big difference between our Heavenly Father and this earthly father is that He not only wants what’s best but He actually knows what is best for us. And better still, He has the power, the resources, the foresight, and the cooperation of angels and His people to pull it off. If we are open to Him, He might whisper counsel and encouragement through His Word, nature, other people, a radio program, a song, an inspirational movie or book, a devotional blog :) , or even children. He is not limited – just trust in His love, care, and wisdom even if you don’t understand it.

How big is your God and how big are you?


Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Devotional

Extreme Makeover: World Edition

23 04 2009

This video devotional’s text is from the following passage:

Revelation 21:1-8 (NIV): 1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.  6He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.“


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Devotional

Why do the righteous suffer?!

10 04 2009

Let me know if you are unable to view today’s devotional. Blessings!


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Devotional

Endure – Keep On Keeping On*

30 03 2009

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV): Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

You have probably noticed how last week’s devotional was missing or how the others hardly ever come out on the same week day. Well, see… what had happened was… But seriously, it can be difficult at times to maintain a steady course in this faith run/walk. Take these weekly thoughts, for instance. I know this is one of the things God would have me to do to encourage and strengthen my brothers and sisters in the faith. However, “life happens”, as the cliché goes, and I’m thrown off track. When that occurs I find myself saying, “It was nice while it lasted.”

So many times we get discouraged by our perceived under-performance or our apparent failures. We beat ourselves over the head with self-depreciating words or enter into some form of depression or indifference. If we keep looking down at our feet instead of at the finish line in front of us we will continue to think defeat and stumble.

The Scripture passage above follows the great faith chapter (Hebrews 11) and is worth committing to memory. It tell us where to look and what to do to finish this spiritual marathon we’re in. Oh no, it is not a sprint but a run that requires endurance.

Enduring is getting back on this keyboard…again. It’s getting back on your knees…again. It’s reading your Bible…again. It’s taking up your cross daily…again. It’s surrendering your life, your sins, and your grudges to the LORD…again. It’s asking for forgiveness and walking the road of repentance…again. It’s loving the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and your neighbor as yourself…again. It’s receiving God’s love…again. It’s looking unto Jesus…again.

Keep on keeping on …in Jesus’ power…again.
___________

*A revision of Thursday’s Thought – May 22, 2008, “Keep On Keeping On”. ©2008. F.Y.I.: devotionals are written by Victor R.T. Wilson, as God impresses. I thought this message was worth repeating and re-applying.
___________


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Devotional

Why do the wicked prosper?!

19 03 2009

“When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny” (Psalm 73:16-17, NIV).

“Biggest Loser” is one of the few shows my wife and me will watch occasionally. (It involves overweight contestants who compete to lose weight while learning discipline and a healthier lifestyle. Whoever loses the least amount of weight at the end of each week is voted off.) Last week’s episode got us a little upset. The “black” team, cocky and careless, went on an eating and drinking binge during their day of luxury off the ranch. The “blue” team went to work exercising and eating right, making the most of their loss to the “black” team. When it came time for the weigh-in, we just knew the “black” team would be in trouble… Well… turns out the “blue” team lost and had to vote off one of their members.

Interestingly enough, the phrase “why do the wicked prosper” came to mind as my wife and me voiced our disgust. This question is being asked by so many of us who’ve been affected and or devastated by the scams and greed of people like Bernard “Bernie” Madoff and certain members of Wall Street. Corporations are going belly up while the C.E.O.’s and other top officers are set for life but their employees are losing their life’s earnings.

Psalm 73 is written by David’s top musician, Asaph. He is getting tripped up by the apparent success of the wicked. They ignore and disrespect God but still “prosper”. Asaph is infuriated until he remembers God’s Sanctuary. Mercy is found there for the repentant sinner but sure destruction for those unwilling to change their ways or yield their hearts to God. The LORD says, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay” (Romans 12:19). God will do right by those who have been done wrong.

Evil doers enjoy a fleeting “heaven” of their making for just a moment. The devil feeds them (and us) the lie that this world as we know it is it. Get all you can and can all you get. However, the prosperity of the wicked will become the prison of their demise. Yet what Jesus Christ offers those live right, giving their best, last forever. He gives peace of mind now and real homes and unfailing health when He comes again. Then, no more sickness, pain, death, or foreclosures will be experienced by those who hope in God. In the end, the prosperity of the wicked is no prosperity at all. God’s scales weigh the intents of the heart.

****

Read Psalm 73. (Click here to read; it is worth your while.) Thanks to all those who’ve been praying for me and my family. We’re a little fatigued but we are doing well. My son has healed nicely. God bless!

*******


Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Devotional

« Previous Entries Next Entries »


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.