God put this word on my heart;"Image".As always I let Him show me what He wants us to know.The fact of the matters is we live in a world filled with images.These images mainly put our focus on ourselves and others.None of them really help us to focus on God!! The first thing God did when He created us was to give us an image. He loved us enough to give us "His own" image!! Now that was awesome,yet we have ran away from that image.Check this out...
This world has created so many images for us to be like.Hollywood gives us an image of what beauty and manliness should look like. They take a person and create a image for them and then call them Stars.So many people dream and want to become Stars because of their image.But is that image truly the image of God?
Growing up I dreamed of being like Bob Hayes of the Dallas Cowboys. Now I know I'm aging myself but to God be the glory!(smile)My parents bought me a whole uniform with jersey #22 and I thought I was all that and more!From then on I was hooked on Sports Stars and wanted to be like them.Television ads even told us we should be like "Mike",but is that image truly the image of God?
Society has put certain images before us that tell us if we have made it or not.I remember the sitcom "The Jefferson's" and the opening song "Moving on up to the Eastside"!! The "Eastside" would have been like any "side" but for the image it created.It is an image we all want to have, an image that says I've made it. I have a nice home,I have a luxury car or two or three. Don't get me wrong I believe God wants us to get to the "Eastside" but what image are we giving?Do we remember that there are still others back there on the "other" side?
There are so many images that we can choose to live by. Youngsters and their images of Rappers and Rockstars and even Drug dealers.Even in our Churches we sometimes find that we have to conform to certain "images". We have to dress a certain way and even talk a certain way to be accepted.Some of us even live in unhappy marriages just to keep up our images. Keeping up an image is hard because images are always changing!!There are always going to be new Stars,newer homes and cars and dress styles.Images in this world never stay the same.
That's what is so good about our God!! His image never has and never will change on us!! I don't need no Hollywood image because I know God's image is better! I dont need no Sport Star image when I know I serve a God that made every Star in the universe! I don't care what society thinks about me as long as I have Jesus on my side!! You don't KNOW what the Lord has done for me!!!There are times I don't reflect His image but thanks be to God for giving me a chance to be like Him!!There should be a television ad like this:"Being like Mike is ok,but being like God is so much BETTER!"It's truly time for us to put on the image of God, it is truly the "image" He wants us to live by.
"Father,let our lives be a reflection of you.We know this world is filled with so many images that tend to draw us away from you and put our focus on them.Forgive us when we do things to tarnish your image. We want to thank you for that image right now,in JESUS mighty name,AMEN!!!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
"Gatorade Don't Have Nothing On GOD-ADE!" Read St.John 4:1-23
Years ago when I played football, Gatorade was just given to the starters on the team. If you weren't a starter you had to drink plain old water. Back then Gatorade cost alot more than it does today. It was used as a sort of reward and made people want to be and stay a starter on the team.
Today there are all sort of "Ades" to choose from. Powerade,G2,G3,and energy drinks that are advertised on television everyday. They are advertised in newspapers,magazines,billboards,and at bus stops.You can't miss them and because some star drinks it, we want to be seen drinking some too.
The fact of the matter is these drinks are designed to quench our thirst. They call Gatorade;"The Thirst Quencher!" As a nation,we spend millions of dollars trying to quench our physical thirst but what about our "spiritual thirst"?
In any sport there is some type of "physical" activity that works up a thrist "in" us.Working outside in the heat of the day will create a thrist "in" us.Eating can create a thrist "in" us.But what about our "spiritual thrist"?
You see alot of us don't care about our spirits being thristy.Alot of us don't exercise our spirits to create any thrist at all.We may go to church on Sunday and get a drink, but will that drink truly fulfill the thrist? If we are truly seeking to do the will of God then we should be filled with His water! We should be filled with His GOD-ADE!!
Todays passage has Jesus speaking to a woman at a well. She was there to draw out water for her home and Jesus asked her for a drink. In exchange for some well water ,Jesus was going to give her spirit filling,run around the church making,shout making,praise making,tell the whole world about JESUS making, WATER!! Some of that good old GOD-ADE!! Jesus said once she'd gotten a taste of His water she'd never thrist again.
Just like the woman,there was a time in my life when I had trouble understanding what Jesus meant. You see it was a reason Jesus chose that well for the meeting place. Just as we need water to "survive",we need the Holy Spirit to truly "live"!!The Holy Spirit should not just give life to us ,but also touch the lives of others around us. But we have to be thristy for it!! We have to not just want a drink ,we have to want the whole well! I'm here to tell you today that Gatorade don't have nothing on GOD-ADE!! GOD-ADE woke me up with a right mind today!! GOD-ADE whispered in my ear that EVERYTHING is going to be alright!! When trouble was in my way,GOD-ADE made me a way out of no way!! Gatorade don't have nothing on GOD-ADE!!!
There is someone out there that is wondering about,lost in this thing called life. They are tripping and falling all over the place, weaken by the journey. It's time to give God a chance and let Him give you water from His overflowing well,His Holy Spirit!!Someone else may have lost their thrist,it's time to go back to work!! It's time to get back active doing the things of God!
Psalm 34:8 reads:"O taste and see that the Lord is good:blessed is the man that trusteth in him."(kjv)I challenge you today to really get a taste of God,become active in His work. If you get thirsty remember that Gatorade don't have nothing on GOD-ADE!!!
"Father,we thank you for freely giving us water from your well.Your Holy Spirit can and will lead us and guide us into all truth.Help us to always remain thristy for your Word and your Spirit. In the mighty name of JESUS,Amen!!"
Today there are all sort of "Ades" to choose from. Powerade,G2,G3,and energy drinks that are advertised on television everyday. They are advertised in newspapers,magazines,billboards,and at bus stops.You can't miss them and because some star drinks it, we want to be seen drinking some too.
The fact of the matter is these drinks are designed to quench our thirst. They call Gatorade;"The Thirst Quencher!" As a nation,we spend millions of dollars trying to quench our physical thirst but what about our "spiritual thirst"?
In any sport there is some type of "physical" activity that works up a thrist "in" us.Working outside in the heat of the day will create a thrist "in" us.Eating can create a thrist "in" us.But what about our "spiritual thrist"?
You see alot of us don't care about our spirits being thristy.Alot of us don't exercise our spirits to create any thrist at all.We may go to church on Sunday and get a drink, but will that drink truly fulfill the thrist? If we are truly seeking to do the will of God then we should be filled with His water! We should be filled with His GOD-ADE!!
Todays passage has Jesus speaking to a woman at a well. She was there to draw out water for her home and Jesus asked her for a drink. In exchange for some well water ,Jesus was going to give her spirit filling,run around the church making,shout making,praise making,tell the whole world about JESUS making, WATER!! Some of that good old GOD-ADE!! Jesus said once she'd gotten a taste of His water she'd never thrist again.
Just like the woman,there was a time in my life when I had trouble understanding what Jesus meant. You see it was a reason Jesus chose that well for the meeting place. Just as we need water to "survive",we need the Holy Spirit to truly "live"!!The Holy Spirit should not just give life to us ,but also touch the lives of others around us. But we have to be thristy for it!! We have to not just want a drink ,we have to want the whole well! I'm here to tell you today that Gatorade don't have nothing on GOD-ADE!! GOD-ADE woke me up with a right mind today!! GOD-ADE whispered in my ear that EVERYTHING is going to be alright!! When trouble was in my way,GOD-ADE made me a way out of no way!! Gatorade don't have nothing on GOD-ADE!!!
There is someone out there that is wondering about,lost in this thing called life. They are tripping and falling all over the place, weaken by the journey. It's time to give God a chance and let Him give you water from His overflowing well,His Holy Spirit!!Someone else may have lost their thrist,it's time to go back to work!! It's time to get back active doing the things of God!
Psalm 34:8 reads:"O taste and see that the Lord is good:blessed is the man that trusteth in him."(kjv)I challenge you today to really get a taste of God,become active in His work. If you get thirsty remember that Gatorade don't have nothing on GOD-ADE!!!
"Father,we thank you for freely giving us water from your well.Your Holy Spirit can and will lead us and guide us into all truth.Help us to always remain thristy for your Word and your Spirit. In the mighty name of JESUS,Amen!!"
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
"Not The Problem But Apart Of God's Solution!!" Read The Book Of Jonah
What we precieve is not at all what God precieves. Truly we see things one way and God sees them in another way.Satan has a way of making us see and believe a lie. He will distort the truth,twist it, even cover it up with lies straight from hell. When God began to minister to me, He took me into the Book of Jonah. I'd known the story of Jonah and the whale since I was a kid but God showed me what He wanted me to see and I hope you see it too and apply His vision into your life.
We've been talking about identifying "the problem" when reading The Word of God and seeing how God solved the problem. God doesn't just solve our problems He delivers us from them!! When we look at Jonah aboard that ship,he was the problem! The storm was created because of him and it effected everyone onboard that ship. Jonah knew he was the problem and told the men to cast him into the sea,yet they still wanted to save Jonah! You see we can't save the Jonah's in our lives, only God can!!We can't truly fix our problems ,only God can!! There have been people in my life that have tried their best to save me and fix me but it never worked. We have to cast out our problems into the "Sea Of God's Love" and trust in Him to fix everything!
When Jonah entered the fish, he had truly been the problem for the men onboard that ship. After they cast him into the sea,the winds ceased it's blowing and the waves stopped beating against the ship. There was peace.When they cast Jonah into the sea, the problem wasn't theirs anymore, it became God's problem and God did something beautiful!! He put Jonah in a belly!! And when he came out he was not the problem anymore but apart of God's solution! God wanted Jonah to warn the people of Ninevah that if they didn't repent and change their ways that God would destroy the city. You see Jonah may have been a problem to the people on that ship but he was a blessing to the city of Ninevah! Sometimes it's hard to see and envision what God sees! In the eyes of God, Jonah "never" was a problem he was always apart of God's solution!!
I'm thankful today that God hasn't given up on me!I'm thankful that he hasn't give up on you too!! We have all had our time when we have been a problem to someone yet God has always had a Fish for us. He will never leave us or forsake us.He never looks at us through His own eyes but He looks at us through the loving eyes of Jesus! Someone today is feeling that they are the problem,that there is no way out of the belly, they feel like they will never be set free from all the problems they find themselves in. Jonah did two things that we must do to get out of the belly. First we must repent of our sins. Jonah showed God a true willingness to turn from his ways and turn to God's way. Secondly, Jonah was willing to praise God and thank Him even in the belly of the fish. Chapter 2 verse 9 states:"But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving" Jonah knew that to be set free; he had to get his praise on!!! Praising God will make satan leave you alone! He don't want to hear you praising God all the time! The praise of God is torment to him!! So get your praise on!!
Today let us start looking at our problems not as problems but as part of God's Solution!Don't be quick to give up on anyone. That same person that you have put down and cast out just my turn out to be a blessing for you!!!Not the problem but apart of the solution!!!
"Father, we thank you for all the solutions you have for our lives. Help us not to judge anyone or anything that you have created. Forgive us and help us to see you in everything and everyone! We love you with all of our heart, mind, and soul! In the mighty,mighty name of Jesus,AMEN!"
We've been talking about identifying "the problem" when reading The Word of God and seeing how God solved the problem. God doesn't just solve our problems He delivers us from them!! When we look at Jonah aboard that ship,he was the problem! The storm was created because of him and it effected everyone onboard that ship. Jonah knew he was the problem and told the men to cast him into the sea,yet they still wanted to save Jonah! You see we can't save the Jonah's in our lives, only God can!!We can't truly fix our problems ,only God can!! There have been people in my life that have tried their best to save me and fix me but it never worked. We have to cast out our problems into the "Sea Of God's Love" and trust in Him to fix everything!
When Jonah entered the fish, he had truly been the problem for the men onboard that ship. After they cast him into the sea,the winds ceased it's blowing and the waves stopped beating against the ship. There was peace.When they cast Jonah into the sea, the problem wasn't theirs anymore, it became God's problem and God did something beautiful!! He put Jonah in a belly!! And when he came out he was not the problem anymore but apart of God's solution! God wanted Jonah to warn the people of Ninevah that if they didn't repent and change their ways that God would destroy the city. You see Jonah may have been a problem to the people on that ship but he was a blessing to the city of Ninevah! Sometimes it's hard to see and envision what God sees! In the eyes of God, Jonah "never" was a problem he was always apart of God's solution!!
I'm thankful today that God hasn't given up on me!I'm thankful that he hasn't give up on you too!! We have all had our time when we have been a problem to someone yet God has always had a Fish for us. He will never leave us or forsake us.He never looks at us through His own eyes but He looks at us through the loving eyes of Jesus! Someone today is feeling that they are the problem,that there is no way out of the belly, they feel like they will never be set free from all the problems they find themselves in. Jonah did two things that we must do to get out of the belly. First we must repent of our sins. Jonah showed God a true willingness to turn from his ways and turn to God's way. Secondly, Jonah was willing to praise God and thank Him even in the belly of the fish. Chapter 2 verse 9 states:"But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving" Jonah knew that to be set free; he had to get his praise on!!! Praising God will make satan leave you alone! He don't want to hear you praising God all the time! The praise of God is torment to him!! So get your praise on!!
Today let us start looking at our problems not as problems but as part of God's Solution!Don't be quick to give up on anyone. That same person that you have put down and cast out just my turn out to be a blessing for you!!!Not the problem but apart of the solution!!!
"Father, we thank you for all the solutions you have for our lives. Help us not to judge anyone or anything that you have created. Forgive us and help us to see you in everything and everyone! We love you with all of our heart, mind, and soul! In the mighty,mighty name of Jesus,AMEN!"
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