Psalm 104
1 Let all that I am praise the LORD.
O LORD my God, how great you are!
You are robed with honor and majesty.
2 You are dressed in a robe of light.
You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;
3 you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.
You make the clouds your chariot;
you ride upon the wings of the wind.
4 The winds are your messengers;
flames of fire are your servants.
5 You placed the world on its foundation
so it would never be moved.
6 You clothed the earth with floods of water,
water that covered even the mountains.
7 At your command, the water fled;
at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.
8 Mountains rose and valleys sank
to the levels you decreed.
9 Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,
so they would never again cover the earth.
10 You make springs pour water into the ravines,
so streams gush down from the mountains.
11 They provide water for all the animals,
and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds nest beside the streams
and sing among the branches of the trees.
13 You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,
and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.
14 You cause grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for people to use.
You allow them to produce food from the earth—
15 wine to make them glad,
olive oil to soothe their skin,
and bread to give them strength.
16 The trees of the LORD are well cared for—
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 There the birds make their nests,
and the storks make their homes in the cypresses.
18 High in the mountains live the wild goats,
and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes.
19 You made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to set.
20 You send the darkness, and it becomes night,
when all the forest animals prowl about.
21 Then the young lions roar for their prey,
stalking the food provided by God.
22 At dawn they slink back
into their dens to rest.
23 Then people go off to their work,
where they labor until evening.
24 O LORD, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the ocean, vast and wide,
teeming with life of every kind,
both large and small.
26 See the ships sailing along,
and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.
27 They all depend on you
to give them food as they need it.
28 When you supply it, they gather it.
You open your hand to feed them,
and they are richly satisfied.
29 But if you turn away from them, they panic.
When you take away their breath,
they die and turn again to dust.
30 When you give them your breath, life is created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
31 May the glory of the LORD continue forever!
The LORD takes pleasure in all he has made!
32 The earth trembles at his glance;
the mountains smoke at his touch.
33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
34 May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the LORD.
35 Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;
let the wicked disappear forever.
Let all that I am praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD!
Today, I read Psalm 104. I was convicted of how rarely I truly praise the Lord with all that I am. Our world is in the midst of turmoil. The financial markets are falling apart. There are wars in numerous areas of the world. There have been devastating hurricanes in the United States. There are many things to question God about. Instead, we need to be thankful for what we have. We need to praise the Lord for what He has done and what He is doing. If you read the passage today, God is the one who brings floods and then causes the floods to recede. He provides for the animals. If he provides for the animals I am sure that He can bring us through the turmoil that we are in right now. We need to turn to him and repent and ask for help.
Will you turn to God today? Will you praise Him for what He has done for you?
Scripture reading and analysis from the eyes of a Soldier.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
25 September 2008
Psalm 119:65-66
65 You have done many good things for me, Lord, Just as you promised.
66 I believe in your commands; now teach me good judgment and knowledge.
The prayer of the psalmist is one that should be echoed by every Christian. You see God has done many things for us. Most importantly, He sent His Son, Jesus, to the earth to be the replacement lamb for our sin. It is through Jesus’ death and resurrection that we are able to have eternal life. Now there are many Christians that feel that is the end of it. They are “Christians” …they have accepted Christ as their personal Savior…but there is no sign of change in their life. As a Christian our desire should be to want to follow God’s commands. Not only that, as the Psalmist writes, we need good judgment and knowledge.
I remember as a youngster I was not the wisest person. In fact it seemed that whenever my parents went on their trips was when I seemed to lose all sense of judgment. One time my parents went on a trip and I decided to build a tree house. I had my hammer and nails and I was building the floor of the tree house. It was about 5 feet off the ground. The thing that I neglected to do was to ensure that I had properly tied the floor into the trusses that I had built. In fact I had taken many of the floor pieces and tied them into other floor pieces. So when I climbed up on the tree house I fell right through the floor. You see, I had some knowledge of what I thought a tree-house should look like but I didn’t have good judgment in actually evaluating whether the floor would hold my weight and whether it was truly built sound. There are times when we as Christians do things that we think would be good. We have all the right intentions, but our judgment is not sound. It should be our prayer to the Lord that He teaches us good sound judgment and through that we will receive great knowledge.
65 You have done many good things for me, Lord, Just as you promised.
66 I believe in your commands; now teach me good judgment and knowledge.
The prayer of the psalmist is one that should be echoed by every Christian. You see God has done many things for us. Most importantly, He sent His Son, Jesus, to the earth to be the replacement lamb for our sin. It is through Jesus’ death and resurrection that we are able to have eternal life. Now there are many Christians that feel that is the end of it. They are “Christians” …they have accepted Christ as their personal Savior…but there is no sign of change in their life. As a Christian our desire should be to want to follow God’s commands. Not only that, as the Psalmist writes, we need good judgment and knowledge.
I remember as a youngster I was not the wisest person. In fact it seemed that whenever my parents went on their trips was when I seemed to lose all sense of judgment. One time my parents went on a trip and I decided to build a tree house. I had my hammer and nails and I was building the floor of the tree house. It was about 5 feet off the ground. The thing that I neglected to do was to ensure that I had properly tied the floor into the trusses that I had built. In fact I had taken many of the floor pieces and tied them into other floor pieces. So when I climbed up on the tree house I fell right through the floor. You see, I had some knowledge of what I thought a tree-house should look like but I didn’t have good judgment in actually evaluating whether the floor would hold my weight and whether it was truly built sound. There are times when we as Christians do things that we think would be good. We have all the right intentions, but our judgment is not sound. It should be our prayer to the Lord that He teaches us good sound judgment and through that we will receive great knowledge.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
24 September 2008
Galatians 6:7-9
7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
The other day I was on a mission and watched as women were in the fields harvesting. I really couldn’t tell what plants they were harvesting but I am sure that in the spring they were out there planting them. Such it is in our life. Whatever we are doing will have a consequence. Life is like Newton’s law of motion. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The thing is that we as humans get tired of doing good for others because we don’t see what good it is doing us right now. Many times we do things for others because of selfish reasons. This is not what God wants from us. He wants us to help others and do good out of our pure love for Him. He will reward us when the time is right.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
21 September 2008
Hebrews 10:23-25
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
I think that there are people who fear that God has forgotten to keep his promise. They see that this world is becoming more and more perverse. They see that man is forgetting God and looking only to himself and the gods that he has created for help. I am comforted by verses 24 and 25. We as Christians must look for ways to motivate fellow believers to continue to show the light to those around us. That is what good works and love is, showing the light. We are the salt of the earth. This earth has definitely lost its savor but we as Christians have the choice to either let it continue to taste bad or to shower some of our love all around and let it change how people are. If we will allow God to use us He can continue to mold this world for good.
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
I think that there are people who fear that God has forgotten to keep his promise. They see that this world is becoming more and more perverse. They see that man is forgetting God and looking only to himself and the gods that he has created for help. I am comforted by verses 24 and 25. We as Christians must look for ways to motivate fellow believers to continue to show the light to those around us. That is what good works and love is, showing the light. We are the salt of the earth. This earth has definitely lost its savor but we as Christians have the choice to either let it continue to taste bad or to shower some of our love all around and let it change how people are. If we will allow God to use us He can continue to mold this world for good.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
20 September 2008
Psalm 70:4
But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “God is great!”
In the darkest of times while I have been here in Iraq the most joy that I receive is when I am worshipping the Lord. There is a song titled. “There is Joy in the Lord.” The whole aspect of worshipping the Lord is truly joyful. When I feel truly down I get my guitar and begin to worship just by myself. It lifts my spirits. What it does is take the focus off of me and my problems and focuses my thoughts on the Lord. Then I have the ability to see things a little more clearly. I am reminded of how David used to go and play his harp for King Saul when Saul was in a bad mood. David’s praise and worship of the Lord also caused King Saul to forget his troubles and change his focus. May we all turn our focus to the Lord and worship Him. He will fill us with joy and gladness.
But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “God is great!”
In the darkest of times while I have been here in Iraq the most joy that I receive is when I am worshipping the Lord. There is a song titled. “There is Joy in the Lord.” The whole aspect of worshipping the Lord is truly joyful. When I feel truly down I get my guitar and begin to worship just by myself. It lifts my spirits. What it does is take the focus off of me and my problems and focuses my thoughts on the Lord. Then I have the ability to see things a little more clearly. I am reminded of how David used to go and play his harp for King Saul when Saul was in a bad mood. David’s praise and worship of the Lord also caused King Saul to forget his troubles and change his focus. May we all turn our focus to the Lord and worship Him. He will fill us with joy and gladness.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
18 September 2008
Ecclesiastes 12:1
Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”
It seems that as I get older the years tend to go much faster. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall of each year seem to pass buy faster and faster. The hustle and bustle of the days and weeks and months seem to cause me to forget at times about my Creator and what he has done for me. There are times that I am so busy that when something good happens I fail to give God credit for making it happen.
There are certain times when we as humans and Americans especially call out to God. Normally, it is when there has been a disaster. Or it is when a disaster is going to hit and people are praying for mercy. Any other time though they go about their busy schedule and do their own thing. They place God in his little box and put him on their shelf until they might need him again. God wants to be a part of everything that we do. Will you allow him to help you throughout the day or just sit on a shelf until you have a catastrophe?
Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”
It seems that as I get older the years tend to go much faster. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall of each year seem to pass buy faster and faster. The hustle and bustle of the days and weeks and months seem to cause me to forget at times about my Creator and what he has done for me. There are times that I am so busy that when something good happens I fail to give God credit for making it happen.
There are certain times when we as humans and Americans especially call out to God. Normally, it is when there has been a disaster. Or it is when a disaster is going to hit and people are praying for mercy. Any other time though they go about their busy schedule and do their own thing. They place God in his little box and put him on their shelf until they might need him again. God wants to be a part of everything that we do. Will you allow him to help you throughout the day or just sit on a shelf until you have a catastrophe?
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
17 September 2008
Psalm 143:5
I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done.
I love camping. It is a time when I take my family and we go put up our tent in the woods and sit around a camp fire and just talk. We talk about what I did as a child when my dad took me camping. I remember the first time I went camping with my dad. We went to Hard Labor Creek State Park in Georgia. We seemed to work pretty hard too, because we had a big tent that we had to work together to put up. But I also remember the fun that we had. We also talk about many other things. Camping is a time for relaxation and remembering.
In life we must take time to remember the where we came from. We must remember what God has brought us through. You see, no matter how bad things seem right now, we can always look back and see how God worked to bring us through other bad times in our life. As we read scripture we can also look to see how God provided for others. God provided for the Israelites while they were wandering in the desert for 40 years. He provided for a widow who had only a small amount of oil in her house (2 Kings 4). God will take care of us. God is our refuge and our strength. He is our ever constant help in time of need. Why don’t you ask for his help today?
I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done.
I love camping. It is a time when I take my family and we go put up our tent in the woods and sit around a camp fire and just talk. We talk about what I did as a child when my dad took me camping. I remember the first time I went camping with my dad. We went to Hard Labor Creek State Park in Georgia. We seemed to work pretty hard too, because we had a big tent that we had to work together to put up. But I also remember the fun that we had. We also talk about many other things. Camping is a time for relaxation and remembering.
In life we must take time to remember the where we came from. We must remember what God has brought us through. You see, no matter how bad things seem right now, we can always look back and see how God worked to bring us through other bad times in our life. As we read scripture we can also look to see how God provided for others. God provided for the Israelites while they were wandering in the desert for 40 years. He provided for a widow who had only a small amount of oil in her house (2 Kings 4). God will take care of us. God is our refuge and our strength. He is our ever constant help in time of need. Why don’t you ask for his help today?
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
16 September 2008
1 Corinthians 1:18
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
It seems that everyone knows a little about the Bible. They love to quote things out of context so that it fits their agenda. They will say that Jesus loves me just the way I am. Or God created me this way. Recently I had a conversation with a person who feels that God created him to live in a lifestyle that was ulterior to what God had in mind. This individual wanted me to affirm his relationship and said that because I didn’t accept what God had created then I was not being a Christian. I have had many sleepless nights because of this. You see I want people to see Christ through me. I don’t want them to see Eric, because in my flesh I stumble around and will say things that I shouldn’t. Instead, I want people to see Christ. I don’t want to be a stumbling block where Christ doesn’t shine through.
In the Old Testament, Lot lived in a city that was filled with perverse people called Sodom. When the angels from the Lord came to the city, he tried to convince Lot and his family to leave the city because of the evil that was going on. Lot left but so many people didn’t leave. They didn’t realize the destruction that was going to take place because of the sexual immorality that was there. For so many people the message of salvation or escape from destruction is foolish. One day the trumpet will sound and we will have to account for our life. If we have rejected the cross and the salvation that it brings then we will be lost for eternity.
How bout you? Do you know the message of the cross, or is it foolish?
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
It seems that everyone knows a little about the Bible. They love to quote things out of context so that it fits their agenda. They will say that Jesus loves me just the way I am. Or God created me this way. Recently I had a conversation with a person who feels that God created him to live in a lifestyle that was ulterior to what God had in mind. This individual wanted me to affirm his relationship and said that because I didn’t accept what God had created then I was not being a Christian. I have had many sleepless nights because of this. You see I want people to see Christ through me. I don’t want them to see Eric, because in my flesh I stumble around and will say things that I shouldn’t. Instead, I want people to see Christ. I don’t want to be a stumbling block where Christ doesn’t shine through.
In the Old Testament, Lot lived in a city that was filled with perverse people called Sodom. When the angels from the Lord came to the city, he tried to convince Lot and his family to leave the city because of the evil that was going on. Lot left but so many people didn’t leave. They didn’t realize the destruction that was going to take place because of the sexual immorality that was there. For so many people the message of salvation or escape from destruction is foolish. One day the trumpet will sound and we will have to account for our life. If we have rejected the cross and the salvation that it brings then we will be lost for eternity.
How bout you? Do you know the message of the cross, or is it foolish?
Monday, September 15, 2008
16 September 2008
A dust storm that hit us hard yesterday. Everything was covered with dust.
1 Corinthians 1:18
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
It seems that everyone knows a little about the Bible. They love to quote things out of context so that it fits their agenda. They will say that Jesus loves me just the way I am. Or God created me this way. Recently I had a conversation with a person who feels that God created him to live in a lifestyle that was ulterior to what God had in mind. This individual wanted me to affirm his relationship and said that because I didn’t accept what God had created then I was not being a Christian. I have had many sleepless nights because of this. You see I want people to see Christ through me. I don’t want them to see Eric, because in my flesh I stumble around and will say things that I shouldn’t. Instead, I want people to see Christ. I don’t want to be a stumbling block where Christ doesn’t shine through.
In the Old Testament, Lot lived in a city that was filled with perverse people called Sodom. When the angels from the Lord came to the city, he tried to convince Lot and his family to leave the city because of the evil that was going on. Lot left but so many people didn’t leave. They didn’t realize the destruction that was going to take place because of the sexual immorality that was there. For so many people the message of salvation or escape from destruction is foolish. One day the trumpet will sound and we will have to account for our life. If we have rejected the cross and the salvation that it brings then we will be lost for eternity.
How bout you? Do you know the message of the cross, or is it foolish?
15 September 2008
2 Thessalonians 15-17
15 With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, 17 comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.
Life can be so hard at times. I try to do the right thing and other things seem to fall down all around me. It almost feels like I am putting up dominoes and if I am not careful I will topple over one and everything will fall down. Another analogy would be if I were building a house out of playing cards. If I breathe the wrong way then the cards all start to fall down. There are relationships in my life that are that way. I feel like I am walking on egg shells when I approach how I feel about what that person is doing. I know that what I am saying is both scriptural and is being said in Christ’s love but that individual seems to think that I am being hypocritical. In many ways it makes me check and recheck myself against the only measuring stick that I have, Jesus Christ. I know that I am not anywhere near being like him, but I desire to be more like him. I want to love others as he loved them. I want to care for others as he did.
Today’s verse should be an encouragement to all who have taken a stand and been spat on or mocked for taking a stand. Know that God is there. He will comfort and strengthen you. Stand strong. Don’t waiver because of what the world would want you to do. Stand firm in what you know Christ wants you to do. He will support you and you will be lifted up.
15 With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, 17 comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.
Life can be so hard at times. I try to do the right thing and other things seem to fall down all around me. It almost feels like I am putting up dominoes and if I am not careful I will topple over one and everything will fall down. Another analogy would be if I were building a house out of playing cards. If I breathe the wrong way then the cards all start to fall down. There are relationships in my life that are that way. I feel like I am walking on egg shells when I approach how I feel about what that person is doing. I know that what I am saying is both scriptural and is being said in Christ’s love but that individual seems to think that I am being hypocritical. In many ways it makes me check and recheck myself against the only measuring stick that I have, Jesus Christ. I know that I am not anywhere near being like him, but I desire to be more like him. I want to love others as he loved them. I want to care for others as he did.
Today’s verse should be an encouragement to all who have taken a stand and been spat on or mocked for taking a stand. Know that God is there. He will comfort and strengthen you. Stand strong. Don’t waiver because of what the world would want you to do. Stand firm in what you know Christ wants you to do. He will support you and you will be lifted up.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
14 September 2008
Joshua 1:6-9
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Over the past few months I have been a bit of a baby, I guess. I really am tired of being in Iraq. I am tired of being away from my family and friends. I have been focused on why I am not happy here and not focused on why God has me still here. This morning I woke up with this verse in my mind and on my heart. It was as if God were telling me that I needed to be strong and courageous. It is comforting to know that God had to tell Joshua three times to be strong and courageous. I imagine that Joshua was probably a little nervous and scared when God picked him to be the leader of the Israelites. The encouraging thing was that God promised to be with him wherever he went. God promises us that as well.
No matter what your circumstance, God is there. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Be Strong and Courageous.
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Over the past few months I have been a bit of a baby, I guess. I really am tired of being in Iraq. I am tired of being away from my family and friends. I have been focused on why I am not happy here and not focused on why God has me still here. This morning I woke up with this verse in my mind and on my heart. It was as if God were telling me that I needed to be strong and courageous. It is comforting to know that God had to tell Joshua three times to be strong and courageous. I imagine that Joshua was probably a little nervous and scared when God picked him to be the leader of the Israelites. The encouraging thing was that God promised to be with him wherever he went. God promises us that as well.
No matter what your circumstance, God is there. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Be Strong and Courageous.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
13 September 2008
Philippians 1:6 For I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus comes.
Do you ever feel that you every time you take one step forward you end up taking two steps back? Yesterday, felt like that for me. It seemed that we started out with a certain plan for the day. We had a news crew that was supposed to be doing some interviews with us. The first thing that threw a kink in my plans was they were an hour early. Then I get told that I needed to get my truck ready because we were going to be escorting them out to one of our checkpoints. From there it went down hill fast. Now I am a semi-organized type of guy. (My wife calls me a type “A” personality.) When I don’t know the plan then I get frustrated. When the plan gets moved around and delayed 4 hours then I get really frustrated. So needless to say I was not in a great mood throughout the day yesterday.
What is interesting about all of this is that God has been working on me being more flexible. Yesterday, just wasn’t a good step forward for me. I am encouraged by today’s Bible verse though. I know that God will continue to work in me until Christ comes. I am confident that although I stumble a lot, Christ will not allow me to fall. He is there to help me all along the way.
Do you ever feel that you every time you take one step forward you end up taking two steps back? Yesterday, felt like that for me. It seemed that we started out with a certain plan for the day. We had a news crew that was supposed to be doing some interviews with us. The first thing that threw a kink in my plans was they were an hour early. Then I get told that I needed to get my truck ready because we were going to be escorting them out to one of our checkpoints. From there it went down hill fast. Now I am a semi-organized type of guy. (My wife calls me a type “A” personality.) When I don’t know the plan then I get frustrated. When the plan gets moved around and delayed 4 hours then I get really frustrated. So needless to say I was not in a great mood throughout the day yesterday.
What is interesting about all of this is that God has been working on me being more flexible. Yesterday, just wasn’t a good step forward for me. I am encouraged by today’s Bible verse though. I know that God will continue to work in me until Christ comes. I am confident that although I stumble a lot, Christ will not allow me to fall. He is there to help me all along the way.
Friday, September 12, 2008
12 September 2008
1 John 5:21
21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.
I have been thinking over the past few months why it seems that I continue to have to be separated from my wife and my children for long periods of time. The first reason that I come up with is of course I am a soldier who is serving his country. It is my duty to serve where I am called to serve, whether it is in Iraq, Afghanistan or Korea. I have actually been blessed in this respect. In my 14 ½ years in the military I have only been deployed 3 times. I have spent much time though away from my family. The second reason that I could come up with is that I am in God’s army and that I have a mission elsewhere. I get the opportunity to serve God all over the world. I get to minister in ways that many people wouldn’t be able to, just because of where I am and what I am doing. Finally, I think that God has sent me away from my family so that I am not distracted by what is going on at home. This way I can become more focused on Him and what He wants for my life as well as my family’s life. This is probably the hardest pill to swallow. I love my family but if I put them before God then I am sinning. It should be God first, then family. So where does that leave me? Am I learning from my mistakes and placing God first in my life, or am I still struggling with allowing placing my family second?
How bout you? Where is God in your life? Is He in the forefront of your life or is He somewhere in the back? God wants the best you can offer, not just the leftovers.
21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.
I have been thinking over the past few months why it seems that I continue to have to be separated from my wife and my children for long periods of time. The first reason that I come up with is of course I am a soldier who is serving his country. It is my duty to serve where I am called to serve, whether it is in Iraq, Afghanistan or Korea. I have actually been blessed in this respect. In my 14 ½ years in the military I have only been deployed 3 times. I have spent much time though away from my family. The second reason that I could come up with is that I am in God’s army and that I have a mission elsewhere. I get the opportunity to serve God all over the world. I get to minister in ways that many people wouldn’t be able to, just because of where I am and what I am doing. Finally, I think that God has sent me away from my family so that I am not distracted by what is going on at home. This way I can become more focused on Him and what He wants for my life as well as my family’s life. This is probably the hardest pill to swallow. I love my family but if I put them before God then I am sinning. It should be God first, then family. So where does that leave me? Am I learning from my mistakes and placing God first in my life, or am I still struggling with allowing placing my family second?
How bout you? Where is God in your life? Is He in the forefront of your life or is He somewhere in the back? God wants the best you can offer, not just the leftovers.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
11 September 2008
Philippians 4:1-4
1 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
I wonder how many times I have seen where Christian’s have lost their witness because they have a disagreement with someone. The irony is they have a disagreement with someone who is a Christian just like them. The witness that they might have had has been destroyed. As I read today’s scripture I am convicted to watch my tongue and my attitude. Sometimes I find it is so easy to not like what I am doing. Instead it would be easier to focus on the negative things and allow those things to steal my joy. Verse 4 just sums it all up. I must be joyful. I don’t think that this joy is something that is supposed to be fake. We are to have joy in the Lord always. You see when you are a believer you will have joy. Jesus brings that joy. Although Satan would want us to be down trodden and sad, Christ brings a joy that is more far reaching. We must remember that we are just passing through on this journey. Soon, we will be in the presence of our Lord. That is something to be joyful about.
Just remember that the world wants to make us lose focus. They want us to get caught up in everything that is happening around us and to forget that we are foreigners here. Someday soon we will be going Home and what a day of rejoicing that will be. Rejoice! I Say Again, Rejoice!
1 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
I wonder how many times I have seen where Christian’s have lost their witness because they have a disagreement with someone. The irony is they have a disagreement with someone who is a Christian just like them. The witness that they might have had has been destroyed. As I read today’s scripture I am convicted to watch my tongue and my attitude. Sometimes I find it is so easy to not like what I am doing. Instead it would be easier to focus on the negative things and allow those things to steal my joy. Verse 4 just sums it all up. I must be joyful. I don’t think that this joy is something that is supposed to be fake. We are to have joy in the Lord always. You see when you are a believer you will have joy. Jesus brings that joy. Although Satan would want us to be down trodden and sad, Christ brings a joy that is more far reaching. We must remember that we are just passing through on this journey. Soon, we will be in the presence of our Lord. That is something to be joyful about.
Just remember that the world wants to make us lose focus. They want us to get caught up in everything that is happening around us and to forget that we are foreigners here. Someday soon we will be going Home and what a day of rejoicing that will be. Rejoice! I Say Again, Rejoice!
10 September 2008
Psalm 108:2
Wake up, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song.
There are many days that I wake up with a song on my heart. I remember there are times that I wonder why I have that same song stuck in my head all day long. Many of those songs are worship songs for our great creator. If you were to read all of Psalm 108, you would see that the Psalmist is actually singing a praise to God. He is worshipping his creator. How about you? Do you rise in the morning and worship the creator? Instead, do you get up in the morning and complain about how bad your sleep was or how much you are in pain? I think that we should take the example of the psalmist and we should worship the Lord and give thanks for allowing us to wake up. We need to be thankful that we are able to see another sunrise.
Wake up, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song.
There are many days that I wake up with a song on my heart. I remember there are times that I wonder why I have that same song stuck in my head all day long. Many of those songs are worship songs for our great creator. If you were to read all of Psalm 108, you would see that the Psalmist is actually singing a praise to God. He is worshipping his creator. How about you? Do you rise in the morning and worship the creator? Instead, do you get up in the morning and complain about how bad your sleep was or how much you are in pain? I think that we should take the example of the psalmist and we should worship the Lord and give thanks for allowing us to wake up. We need to be thankful that we are able to see another sunrise.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)