Do You Have Judas Traits?

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Matthew 26:14-15 (NLT)

14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests

15 and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Although a familiar passage, I was reminded this morning about how little it takes for us to betray Jesus. We look down our pious noses at Judas, call him a traitor and all sorts of bad things, but which of us are better today? Stop and think about this friend, Why do we have so many church members that never see the doors of a church week after week? Could it be that they accepted the bribes of worldly pleasure, or bribes from family to spend more time with them, or the bribes of Satan that this is the only day for them to rest, or the only day for them to do what they want to do? In my opinion, this betrays the love of, and dedication for, Jesus in return for these types of bribes/excuses. Have you asked the question that Judas asked recently – “what will I benefit from turning away from God (betraying Him)?” Money/greed was the motive behind Judas’ betrayal. What’s your motive/excuse for betraying Him today?

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, with everything You had to offer, You showed Your love for me, You sacrificed everything so that I might live eternally with You. Please help this child of Yours to stand firm on the decision I made some 35 years ago, and to follow You wholeheartedly each and every day. In fact, may I follow Your ways and Your commands so closely that non-Christians would recognize You in me and in my actions. More importantly, may You find me faithful, worthy to represent You to the unsaved that I come in contact with, and encouragement to those that have accepted You as Lord of their life. Lord, please correct my attitude and/or actions long before I ever get near enough to even think about betraying You. Thank You for loving me, now may I love You in return without any hint of betrayal.

Do It All for God’s Glory!

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Matthew 25:34-36 (NLT)

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.

36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

Matthew 25:40 (NLT)

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Matthew 25:45 (NLT)

45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

There is such a tremendous lesson in this passage that teaches us several things, or at least it has taught me:

  1. God has given us each gifts that we should use for His glory;
  2. These are attributes that may not cost us a dime financially;
  3. God demonstrated these attributes for us to follow, and He is the only one that we truly need to imitate;
  4. I need not look at a need and think about WHO should meet that need. If it was laid on my heart, then I need to follow through in meeting that need;
  5. No one is exempt from unmet ‘needs’ in their lives, so I should never exempt a person due to their financial status or the denomination of the church they attend or if they attend any church at all;
  6. The only praise that may result from the things I do is from God himself, but then He is the one that I want to always please anyway.

Oh to hear the words from my Master’s mouth, “Well Done Thou Good and Faithful Servant”! This is my desire friend, I hope that it is your prayer and daily desire also. Let’s make it our daily goal!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, I thank You for all that You have blessed me with. Please help me to use each and every talent, each and every gift, for Your glory. Please make me very sensitive to the needs of other and help me to do my part without prejudice as to who they are or what church they may attend, or even if they attend no church at all. They are all your children in need of a touch from the Master. May I be Your hands extended in human form!

Those with a vested interest, Give!

Scripture: Exodus 35-36.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Exodus 35:29 (NLT)

29 So the people of Israel—every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the Lord had given them through Moses—brought their gifts and gave them freely to the Lord.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I know that anytime there is a sermon on ‘giving’ someone will leave disgruntled, because they don’t appreciate anyone telling, or reminding them about their giving, or lack thereof. But before I talk about the verse above, let me just remind us that if we are to be imitators of Christ, we should never choose which attributes to imitate, otherwise we will miss imitating Him in all things! Let’s remind ourselves about how much God gave, and quickly remember that He gave it all – His one and only Son, Jesus, so that we may have life eternal. Now, can we really qualify why we shouldn’t give at least 10% of the money that God has blessed us with the health, knowledge and wisdom to earn in the first place? Can we disqualify God’s teaching about giving at least 10% for the ongoing work of the church? I thought it was extremely eye-opening to read the above verse this morning and note that for those with a vested interest, in other words they were anxious to help in the work of the Lord, and so they gave freely! Wow, does that speak to us today? You bet it does. When we become interested enough to give back to God in thanksgiving for all that He gave to us, then we will not only give of our talent and hard work, but we will freely bring our gifts to further His work. This is the method and teaching in 2 Corinthians 9:7, that we give cheerfully to the work of the Lord, not from a guilty conscience. If you are vested in the work of the Lord, you will give!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Thank You Father for giving so much to me. Especially I want to say thank You for giving Your only Son upon the cross so that I might accept that free gift and live eternally with You in heaven when You see fit to end my time here on this earth. Thank You for giving me health and strength each day to be able to work and earn a living. Thank You for blessing me with a job, especially during these days when I look around and see so many who are jobless. Thank You for doing such an awesome job in helping me budget the 90% of my salary that I am left with to meet my expenses. Thank You that I have always been able to honor my financial commitments. I realize that there are many times that I wish I had 150% of my salary, but those are times when my ‘wants’ are in overdrive, however as long as I stick with my ‘needs’ then I have no trouble. Thank You for being God and for being so very special in my life, especially in my financial affairs.

Are You Ready?

Scripture: Matthew 24.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Matthew 24:30 (NLT)

30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matthew 24:44 (NLT)

44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I believe that just how folk today may feel they are prepared and ready for a disaster in different ways – which would bring varying degrees of results, so it is with God’s people. Let me explain: In preparation for the unexpected hurricane or natural disaster that could destroy our home, many may be able to purchase insurance on their home, but some will just close the doors and travel away from the scene when a hurricane approaches, not overly concerned about whatever damage that may occur, because they have insurance. Others will go the extra mile to board up their homes to protect glass windows and they will stick around to constantly protect their home as danger approaches, even though they have insurance. In life, some have seen fit to walk the isle of their church, shake the preacher’s hand and let him pray for them. They feel like their ‘ticket’ is punched and they are bound for heaven, so then they return to their normal life of sin without any regard for the ways of God as taught throughout His Word. But they feel like they have ‘purchased their insurance’. I can’t help but believe that if this type of decision has not made an impact on your life, to the extent that you are looking more and more like Jesus every day in your actions and demeanor, then your ‘insurance policy’ is not very valuable to you. When we accept Jesus as Lord of our life, that begins a new journey in life where you allow His Word to speak to you through daily scripture reading, and prayer to the ‘new’ Master of your life. You allow Him and His Word to redirect your life so that you could live a life worthy of the King of all kings. Please don’t fool yourself into a sense of false security, know with assurance that you are a child of the King, and that your daily life displays the true character of the Christ that dwells within you. Heaven is our reward for living the life of which I described here. Think of your decision to accept Christ as a covenant between you and God, not as a ticket punching event. He wants to recognize you by your Godly character, not by Him tending heaven’s gate to see your ‘ticket’. If you need help understanding and/or accepting this Savior whom I speak of and know personally, please respond to this posting and I would be thrilled to introduce you!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord Jesus, You went to the cross to provide a way for me to enter heaven’s gate. You made the ultimate sacrifice so that I may have forgiveness of my sin. You have said in Your Word that unless I accept that gift and follow You, there will be no forgiveness of sin. I have accepted Your Gift (Your Son) and am committed to follow Your ways and Your commands every day of my life. While I don’t need to accept You every day, I do need You every day to take my hand and lead me through the challenging times, and protect me from the Evil One, and shine through me like You did on Moses’ face when He came down from the mountain. May You see Christ in my talk and in my walk, and may it be evident to all those that I come in contact with. I long to one day be with You in heaven, but until the day You call me home, may I be found faithful!

God’s Presence Sets Us Apart

Scripture: Exodus 32-33.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Exodus 33:15-16 (NLT)

15 Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. 16 How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on 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.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

In the preceding verses we see where God had really gotten angry with the Israelites for melting their gold jewelry and making a golden calf to worship, while Moses was up on the mountain spending time with God and not babysitting them. In fact, God became so angry until He decided to prepare the path for the ongoing journey of Moses and his people, but that He would not personally go with them – primarily because He didn’t want to lose His patience with them. I love the plea of Moses, and wish that I could take more actions similar to this during my leadership of God’s people. Moses pleaded with God for His divine presence with and through His people, otherwise he (Moses) was afraid that they would lose their identity with other people of the land. This sounds so much like where we are at today, it seems like the church (God’s people) has lost its flavor, its identity, its character. In fact, lost its first love, and therefore does not appear to the world to be anything like the Jesus they have heard us preach and teach about. There is little evidence that would set us apart from the people of this wicked world in which we live. Oh my, this is so sad, because God teaches us all through His Word about His character and the characteristics that we are to imitate in order to be more like our Father. Unfortunately, we have chosen to accept many of the precepts of the world instead, so we look more like them than we do the Father. Oh, how it must sadden my Lord when He sees His stubborn people who refuses to humble ourselves, pray and seek to serve Him wholeheartedly so that He might dwell among us and set us apart as His chosen people for a time such as this in which we live.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord, I am called by Your name. Please help me to: humble myself and pray often; Seek Your face in all that I do; Turn from my wicked ways and follow Your ways daily, so that You may claim me as Yours, use me as Your servant and heal me of my weaknesses and indecision, and in turn heal this land in which I live so that our eyes may be opened to Your love and Your truth, with anticipation of the day that You will call us home to be with You in Heaven. In other words, please help me to be all that I can be for You while here on this earth so that I can look into Your welcoming face and recognize the pleasure that You will have in being in my presence without anger. Thank You for loving me enough to encourage me through Your Word to live a life worthy of the Lamb of God! I need thee every hour, dear Lord!

Obligations from Generation to Generation

Scripture: Exodus 30 – 31.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

7 “Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar. 8 And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the Lord’s presence. This must be done from generation to generation. Ex 30:7-8 (NLT)

 

10 “Once a year Aaron must purify the altar by smearing its horns with blood from the offering made to purify the people from their sin. This will be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the Lord’s most holy altar.” Ex 30:10 (NLT)

 

30 “Anoint Aaron and his sons also, consecrating them to serve me as priests. 31 And say to the people of Israel, ‘This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from generation to generation. 32 It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you must never make any blend like it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. Ex 30:30-32 (NLT)

 

13 “Tell the people of Israel: Ex 31:13 (NLT) ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. Ex 31:13 (NLT)

 

16 The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time. 17 It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed. Ex 31:16-17 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I was truly amazed and touched by the number of times in these two chapters that God told Moses how important His instructions were at the time, and how important it was that these instructions be carried on from generation to generation. While we hear from a lot of scholars, that claim to know a whole lot more than I do, that we are living under the New Testament, I can’t help but believe that these commands were placed appropriately in God’s Word for even us. Here are some things that I feel God said to me through these verses, and each bullet will represent each of the above sections:

  • It seems to me that God wants us to be a disciplined people. To follow His commands, without looking for excuses or trying to justify ourselves about how different we are today. In a movie I watched Saturday night it showed where the first steps in teaching karate is discipline, and even though the young man saw no reason in taking his jacket off about 1,000 times and doing various disciplined things each time he took it off, he later found that it was all for a good purpose. Likewise, we must believe that God has excellent reasoning in mind when He demands that we follow his commands. In this particular instance, we are to make His meeting place very special and give of our very best in respect to the presence of the universe.
  • At least once a year purify the temple and God’s people – I saw where this was done recently at revival services in a neighboring county and God worked in miraculous ways. There is nothing ‘ordinary’, or ‘traditional’ about coming into the presence of the Almighty. It is for a prepared people in a prepared place.
  • Anoint the leaders and helpers of the church – wow, if this was done at least annually, what an impact and encouragement this would have on our workers! To know that we have the prayers and support of the people we serve would be overwhelming encouragement and blessing.
  • Our Sabbath day has become anything but ‘holy’, and where is it getting us? I believe that we each can tell from the local, national and international news how chaotic life has gotten and how out of control crime and unrest has become. I see the opposite of this being a peaceful, loving, serving, giving, servant-led people, and only through God’s grace and us calling on Him daily, and finding ourselves in the right place at the right time, will we ever see such achievement.
  • God not only gave his commands, He went on to explain why He gave them. The Sabbath, a day to stop and reflect on the holiness of our Father, and to refresh ourselves. Two things so very critical in our lives and so badly needed to help our state of mind, and our relationship with our heavenly Father.

So with the above explanations, I believe that I can see where much of this is still very applicable to us today. Additionally, I believe that God’s Word is still true and deserves my undivided attention, not just certain parts of it. Praise be to God for His Holy Word!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father I thank You for providing Your Word as a lamp unto my feet. A Guide for me, and commands to direct my path each and every day. You know that my heart’s desire is to be more like You every day, and I thank You for providing me the insight and Guide book to do just that. Please give me the boldness and wisdom to follow these steps even in the sinful, evil world in which I live. May I always be a true example of You each and every day.

How Others Will Know that God is Greater

Scripture: Exodus 18.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

10 “Praise the Lord,” Jethro said, “for he has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, he has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt! 11 I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.” Ex 18:10-11 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Jethro who was a man of God, went into the wilderness to check on his son-in-law Moses. Their greeting could have easily taken on the form of many of our meetings today where we catch-up on gossip, but instead Moses was bubbling over with all the many ways that God had been so good to him and the people of Israel since they began their journey to the promised land. I was totally awakened by the response of Jethro in verse 11: I know now that the Lord is greater than all gods. As followers of Christ we witness so many blessings in our lives and in the lives of those around us, so who are we to grumble and complain about this little ache, or that little negativity we heard someone may have said about us? Child of God, we have been placed in positions of encouragers, evangelists, teachers and imitators of Christ! Do others see these qualities in us? Do they walk away from our presence encouraged and blessed, or do they see the same old thing they see in non-Christians – the backbiting, the gossiping, the whining and complaining? We won’t win them to the Lord like that. They won’t leave our presence any more convinced that we serve a mighty, all knowing, ever loving God, than when they first visited with us. Based on the praise report that Jethro received from Moses, he was convinced more than ever that the God that he and Moses served was truly God Almighty, greater than any other god.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord may I be reminded of this today, especially when I’m tempted to whine and complain. May others be encouraged by me and know that I serve the God of this universe and how awesome You are in all that You do for me. May they want to know the precious God that I serve. May I always represent You well. May others see Your character in all that I do and say.

Forgive as Christ Forgave Us

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 18.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” Matt 18:35 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

One day when we were deep in sin, in fact even to the degree that we protested before the king that Jesus should die just because He ‘rubbed’ us the wrong way, just because He showed us up with all of His humbleness and good works, yet His Father allowed Him to die on a cruel cross at Calvary just to ease the path to heaven for us. If we, as Christians, are then to be like Jesus, who are we to turn our noses up, harden our hearts and be unwilling to forgive our brother or sister, just because they may have hurt our little feelings? God is a God of love, so as His followers we are to be a people of that kind of love. God is a forgiving God, so as followers of His we too are to be a forgiving people. God sent His Son to display the attitudes we should have here on this earth. Unless we read the Book of Instructions (the Bible), we may often think that WE have everything under control and may even think that we have no sin in our lives. Friends, we have a lot to be desired, should we try to compare ourselves to the King of all times, the Creator of this universe. We have a long way to go, compared to the love, forgiveness, humility and understanding we read about in Jesus. But let’s not wait any longer to start our journey, let’s recommit ourselves today to try and parallel our lives to the one exampled by Jesus, the only perfect One that ever walked this earth. Others need your forgiveness so that they can go on to be victorious in Jesus. You may need forgiveness so that you can go on to victory in Jesus, this same chapter gives guidance on how to go about seeking forgiveness when your offender may feel no guilt at all. Live daily in the Word, so that you can live daily for Jesus!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father this has been an eye-opening chapter today, for it is filled with Your instructions on how we are to live our lives worthy of, and following Your example. Please give me grace, power and a humble heart to forgive others just as You have forgiven me. Help me to live a daily life being an example of You and sharing Your love with everyone that I come in contact with. Oh that others will see Jesus walking this earth through the lives of Your believers, and especially in me, what a difference this would make towards fulfilling the Kingdom message!

Be Persistent in Obeying God

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 8.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

25 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. “All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God,” he said. “But do it here in this land.” Ex 8:25 (NLT)

28 “All right, go ahead,” Pharaoh replied. “I will let you go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God. But don’t go too far away. Ex 8:28 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Often we try so hard to please God and try to please those around us. We must be careful to please God in all that we do. Often folk around us will plead with us to compromise, like Pharaoh did in the case of Moses and Aaron. I feel like this is a daily battle, and something that requires daily prayer, as we search for or seek God’s guidance and direction. God is in control of our lives. He is in control of our future. Unless we rid ourselves of all the distractions and opposition of His will, we will be easily tempted and/or pressured into following a path that opposes God’s will for us. If Moses was not deeply grounded in his faith, he would have walked away from the assignment given to him to free his people, the Israelites. There were so many times that it sounded like Pharaoh was committed to follow the plan after most of the plagues, yet he changed his mind as soon as he felt like he once again had control. Because of the long range plan designed by God, and God’s persistence to encourage His willing servant Moses, eventually His plan proved successful and Moses and his people were free to leave. Let’s learn to place our faith and trust in God and follow His instructions, no matter how bleak things may appear around us in response to our obedience.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father God, I thank You that I know and serve the only One with all answers to all of life’s challenges, and You are the only one that has the key to my future with You. Please help me to stay faithful to Your will and way. Please help me to stay focused on Your Word, as I believe that it holds the answers to all of life’s challenges that I face every day. I know that You are in control, please guide me to follow Your directions every day.

Are You Clean Before God?

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 4.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

24 On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the Lord confronted him and was about to kill him. Ex 4:24 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

This verse really caused me to stop and ponder a while. God had elected Moses to set His people free and to lead them on an awesome journey, to a country where both milk and honey flowed, according to the Word of God. However, in sending him from one place to another to make final arrangements for the journey, God took advantage of a time that Moses and his entourage stopped for the night to confront Moses about a situation, and this was confrontation to the extent that He was about to kill Moses. Bottom line is that Moses had not followed one of the God-based laws of that day, to circumcise his own son. I believe that regardless of what sin it was, God did not want a man leading His people out of Egypt when there was sin in his life. This then opened up my eyes to remind me that just because we may be leading a ministry, or perhaps teaching others about Jesus’ love, and even thought we may feel very led of God to do that, I was reminded that God wants to use clean vessels to perform His work. Yes, I know that none of us are perfect, but I feel like this passage was appropriately placed to show us that we must not only make a onetime clean-up in our lives, but that we are to be ‘clean’ as Jesus is ‘clean’ if we are to represent Him before His people.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord, I pray that as You have spoken to my heart this morning that You will also open up my spiritual eyes so that I may clearly see any sin that separates me from You, yes any sin that would prevent the effectiveness of Your ministry through using me as Your vessel here on this earth. I pray that You would forgive me where I have failed in this, and instead open my eyes clearly to Your ways, Your attitudes and Your commands. May You find a clean, contrite heart ready and willing to serve You wherever and whenever You issue the call.