Daily Spark #157

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Kevin

Daily Spark #157

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

             Times are tough. This country is an economical tailspin. The world is in a moral tailspin. It seems like everywhere you look there are advertisements that are trying to sell sex, drugs, and alcohol. There are people deliberately trying to go against God’s plan. IN times like these it is best if we turn to God for support.

            God is our refuge and our strength. Where do people try to find their strength? Some people try to find strength at the bottom of a bottle. Some people find strength from family and friends. Sadly, many people go away from God to find their strength during difficult times. People will fail you, but God will never fail you. God is our refuge. Refuge makes me think of a huge fortress that you run to for safety. Almost like a castle made out of stone. It’s huge and the enemy can penetrate it. God is strong and He is the source for our strength during times of trouble.

He is ever-present help in times of trouble. God is always there. He is always watching over us. He is always making sure His children are taken care of. God loves you and wants you to be safe. You may be going through any number of troubles in your life. You may be searching for a job, seriously ill, financial problems, spiritual problems, and so many other things. God is there to help you during your difficult times.

Take a moment today and ask God for help. Ask Him to bless you in your efforts. Ask Him to heal you of your sickness. Ask Him for help guiding you to the right job. Ask Him to have His guiding hand upon you. God will deliver you from your troubles. God will always be your refuge and your strength. God will all be right there next to you, holding your hand along the way.

Kevin

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Daily Spark #156

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Kevin

Daily Spark #156

Psalms 1:1-2 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit at the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord.”

            The world today is a very dark place. It’s full of sins and temptations. People curse God openly. They will purposely do evil. The world today has no regard for God or His commandments. It’s a sad world we live in today. However, we would be fools to think that no one else ever had to live in a world as dark as this. It doesn’t take long in reading the scriptures to see just how dark and sinful the ancient world was too. In fact, the first verse of the first Psalm deals with this very topic.

The writer of the first Psalm takes the time to make a heavy contrast between the wicked people of the world and the righteous people of the Lord. Many people want to know what it takes to be blessed by God. Getting a blessing in the Bible was a great honor. Jacob even stole a blessing from his older brother Esau because it was such a great honor. If I were to ask you if you want to be blessed, I hope your answer would be, “absolutely!” Our verse today shows us how to be blessed.

            Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. Where do you seek your counsel? Do you ask your parents for help? Your husband or wife? Your friends or coworkers? Do you consult books, TV, Internet, and newspapers? There is nothing wrong with seeking advice from these things, but never forget that your true help come from God. God should be the first person you seek counsel from. And in the case of our verse today, people were seeking advice from people that did wicked deeds and disregarded the counsel of God. Make sure you make God the center of your counsel.

Blessed is the man who does not stand in the path of sinners. Where do you take your stand on sin? Are you someone who will allow sin to take place? Do you stand in the sinner’s path? This would literally mean that you are standing in their path waiting for them, as if you are going to participate. Do you participate when other people are drinking, cussing, gossiping, etc.? Or does sin bother you? Sin should make you feel uncomfortable. It should make us want to get off the path.

Blessed is the man who does not sit at the seat of scoffers. The word “scoffers” properly means those who mock, deride, scoff; those who treat virtue and religion with contempt and scorn. And you choose where to sit. Have you chosen to sit at the seat of the scoffers? A lot of people will not give God the respect He deserves. They will mock Him and speak ill of Him. Do we allow it? Have we chosen to associate with these kinds of people? Or have you surrounded yourself with Christians?

Blessed is the man who has delight in the law of the Lord. We should take pleasure in the commands of God. Many people will look at the Bible and see a laundry list of rules and things that God won’t let us do. I look at the Bible and see a laundry list of ways that God has helped me live a better life. I see a God who cares for me and loves me and wants the best for me. Put your delight in the law of the Lord, not in the law of man. The world is a dark place, but with God’s love comes much light.

Kevin

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Daily Spark #155

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Kevin

Daily Spark #155

 1 John 4:7 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”

             This week we have been focusing on what it means to be part of God’s family. We have looked at the importance of attending services, the importance of realizing who we worship, and yesterday we even took a detour and paid tribute to the virtuous women in our lives. But there is one thing that is definitely needed if we are to function as a family: love.

            All families thrive on love. In fact, if you know of a dysfunctional family, it might be safe to say that they are lacking love. Love is a constant theme throughout the Bible. I think we all know and can quote the verse that says, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” We all understand that God loves us. But love is a two way street. Love goes much deeper than that. Not only does God love us, but we need to love Him. Jesus says, “If you love me, then you will keep my commandments.” We show God that we love Him by following His law and His commandments. We dedicate ourselves to Him every day to show Him that we are His faithful followers. Jesus Christ has done so much for us. He gave up His own life so we might have eternal life. How can I withhold love from the One who showed me nothing but love?

But not only are we to love God, but we are to love one another. We are called brothers and sisters in Christ. We are a family. My parents would reprimand me and my brothers when we mistreated one another. They made sure we knew that we were family and we love each other. Think of your own family for a moment. You love your parents. You love your siblings. Sure, it’s hard at times to love certain people, but don’t you think God feels the same way about us? I wonder how God could ever love people who constantly turn their backs on Him. People are constantly sinning and deciding to turn away from God. Yet, God still loves us. It’s just amazing.

But we are also supposed to love those people outside of our family. There are many people who haven’t heard the Gospel, that need to know about the love of God and His people. It’s up to us to show them God’s love. Explain to them the power of God.

My dad always says that the church is “a small world, big family.” Think about that for a moment. God’s family is all over the world. We are all connected by the blood of Jesus Christ. We are all loved by our heavenly Father. He wants us to come home. He wants us to be part of the family.

Kevin

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Daily Spark #154

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Kevin

Daily Spark #154 

Proverbs 31:28 “Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her” 

            A lot of time is spent by preachers and teachers talking about the importance of being part of God’s family. There is a lot to be said about that topic and it’s very important to make yourself part of the Lord’s church and be part of His family. However, while we are here on earth, we all have responsibilities to our earthly families as well. Mother’s Day is just around the corner and I think it’s appropriate to say a few things about the dear mothers in our lives.

The last chapter in Proverbs deals with the “Virtuous Woman.” A lot is said about how her husband thinks of her and what she does for her household, but I want to focus on how the children are to treat their mother. A virtuous woman’s children should raise up and praise her, and also her husband. Take a moment and think about your mother.

My mother holds a special place in my heart. She has done so much for me that I could never repay her. She was the only girl in our family until my wife became part of the family. She was constantly surrounded by four men. She never got to have tea parties with her daughters. She never got to go shopping with her daughters. She never had girl talk with her daughters. Instead she had to wash dirty boy clothes. She had to learn how to understand soccer, hockey and football. I don’t think she ever missed a game. She had to rush us to the emergency room when we broke a bone doing something stupid. She had to endure broken windows because someone (not me) shot a hockey puck at it. She had to sit through hours of Boy Scout meetings, back to school nights, parent/teacher conferences, and so many other things. She was our constant taxi service. She made sure my brothers and I were at every church service, even if we had a sports game or homework to finish. She made sure we knew God was number one. She sacrificed a lot. Why did she do all that? Because she loved our family.

I want to take moment to “rise up and call her blessed.” I know “her husband also [my dad], praises her.” He’s been the one by her side. All those things my mom has done, my dad has been right there too. I am thankful for a wonderful mother. I thank God for her and the rest of my family. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be preaching the Gospel. Take a moment today and call your mother, grandmother, or whoever raised you and thank them for their hard work. Some of you don’t have the privilege of picking up the phone and calling your mother. To you, I suggest kneeling in prayer and thanking God for the wonderful times you were able to have with your mother. I’m sure He can relay the message.

I know that one day, my wife will make an awesome mother. I would have never married her if I didn’t think so. Some of you aren’t moms yet, but that doesn’t mean you are off the hook. Start preparing today to be a virtuous woman and a virtuous wife. It starts now. You choose today what kind of wife and mother you want to be. And fathers…your day is coming. But for now, honor the special women in your life because they are truly a gift from God. And they are truly virtuous.

Kevin

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Daily Spark #153

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Kevin

Daily Spark #153

Galatians 3:29 “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

            Many people call themselves Christians. It’s just a general term to announce that you believe in Jesus Christ. But why do we call ourselves Christians? What does it really mean to be part of Christ’s church and Christ’s family?

The first thing I notice in our verse today is that we belong to Christ. “And if you are Christ’s…” Many times we like to think the opposite of that is true. Christ belongs to us. We try to adapt him into our religion, thoughts, and practices. If He fits into my wants and desires, then we call ourselves Christians. However what we see is that we belong to Christ. Jesus died for us and paid for our sins. He made a transaction. He bought us. We belong to Jesus Christ. We follow His wants and His desires. We follow His commandments. We put Him in every aspect of our lives, instead of just the convenient aspects of our lives.

If we truly belong to Christ, then we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. We are not literally all connected to Abraham through blood, but we are connected to the family of Abraham by the promises that he received from God. Remember the three promises? A great name, a great nation, and a great land. Haven’t we been given the greatest name of all? We are called Christians after our Lord Jesus Christ. We have a great nation. Not a physical nation with borders, but a spiritual nation. We have a family that spreads all over the world. There are thousands of people who have been baptized for the remission of their sins and that wear the name of Christ. And lastly, we have a great land. Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for us. He was going to be with His Father and one day He would come back for us and take us to our heavenly home.

Being a Christian is more than just saying you love Christ. Being a Christian means giving your life to Him. It means wearing the name proudly. It means that we serve Jesus every day. It means that we be part of the family. We attend every service. We take care of our brothers and sisters. We are kind to the people around us. Jesus said, “if you love me, keep my commandments.” Are we keeping Jesus’ commandments? Or are we saying, “Jesus, if you love me, let me do what I want to do”?

It’s time we all start acting like part of the family. Wear the name of Christ boldly and proudly. Give Him your all. Show Him you love Him. I can’t wait for the promised land to come. I can’t wait to spend eternity in that promised land with all my brothers and sisters.

Kevin

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Daily Spark #152

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Kevin

Daily Spark #152

Matthew 12:49-50 “And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.’”

            I grew up in a family of five. There is my dad, mom, and my two brothers (poor mom). We were all very close. My mom and dad always did their best to make sure they were taking care of my brothers and I. Not only did my dad work hard, but so did my mom. They made sure food was on the table, they made sure we could play the sports we wanted to play, they made sure we were at every school activity, they made sure that we had new clothes for school, they were always there to listen to my problems and stories, and the list can go on and on. My older brother and I grew up playing sports with one another. My little brother and I shared a room until I was in High School. We were all very close. I think many of you have the same sort of closeness with your family.

I’ll never forget the first time I read our verses for today. It’s a familiar story where Jesus’ family comes to see Him. When someone tells Jesus that His mother and brothers are there to see Him, He then tells the people that the people who do the will of His Father are His brothers and sisters.  I remember thinking to myself, “How could Jesus just neglect His own family like that? I would never do that to the ones I love. “

But Jesus was teaching us a very valuable lesson. We all have an earthly family. And that family is very important to us, however there is a family that should be far more important to us: our Godly family. It’s not that Jesus didn’t love His mother and brothers, in fact, I’m sure that He had a good relationship with them, but Jesus was teaching us that God’s people and God’s family are our true brothers and sisters.

A healthy family will spend time together. They will talk to each other. They will help each other. They will correct each other when one is not acting right. They provide for one another. They love one another. We see that in the regular world, but do we see that in our spiritual family. Are we spending time with our Godly family by attending every worship service? Are we making an effort to get to know our brothers and sisters in Christ? Do we talk to each other, spend time together, help each other, correct each other, provide for one another, and most importantly love one another?

All the functions of a normal, earthly family can be seen in our Godly family. Those who do the will of the Father are our brothers and sisters. One thing I respect about my parents most of all is that they taught me the Gospel. They made me go to every church service. They were “mean enough” to not let me play sports on Sundays because they wanted me to understand the importance of attending every service. They made me do my Bible class work and memory verses. I’m thankful for that.

There is one thing I always say about my wife: “The reason I love her so much is because she loves God more than she loves me.” And I might add that she loves God’s people. Take a moment today and see where you are in God’s family. Are you part of the family? God loves you. God’s people love you. You are family.

Kevin

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Daily Spark #151

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Kevin

Daily Spark #151 

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

            We all have busy lives and busy schedules. Kids have to be at sports fields, we have work schedules to maintain, and busy family lives to keep up. By the time Saturday roles around, all we want is a break. We just want to relax, recuperate, and get ready for a new week. It’s amazing how many people will skip going to worship services because they are tired from the previous week’s activities. They want to use their Sunday as an extra day to get ready for the new week. As I was sitting is worship services this past Sunday, I started thinking to myself that there was no other place I would rather be. It was amazing how energized I felt after gathering together with Christians. I felt ready to take on the new week after I was able to sing praises to God and study His word.

It’s amazing the kind of life that Jesus can give us. It’s Jesus Christ who gives us a new life. Sure after a busy week our bodies might be tired, but through Jesus, we can restore our soul. If we are in Jesus, then we are a new creation, the old things have passed away and all things have become new. I hear a lot of people say things like, “when I miss services, I just don’t feel the same during the week.” Or, “coming to services is like recharging my batteries for the week.”

Jesus gives us true life. Like I said before, coming to church does not change our physical status. Going to church won’t cure you of a disease or make you less tired. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in the power of prayer and the strength of God’s people, but the point I’m making is Jesus gives us a new spiritual life. He rejuvenates us spiritually. HE picks up our spirits. He sends a shock through our souls and wakes us up. He gives us the strength to carry on during the week. He gives us the wisdom to make proper decisions.

Yes, God is capable of healing the physical needs. And many people who are sick or suffering say they feel better after they’ve been around God’s people. But we are all sick and suffering spiritually. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We have all made mistakes. But Jesus can make us new. Jesus can fix those wrongs. Jesus can make us complete again. Jesus can heal even the deepest spiritual wounds.

Jesus is the great physician. He gives us new life. Sitting in services is one of the greatest blessings we have. It’s a chance for us to get close to God. To sing praises to Him, pray to Him, study His word, and be close with other Christians. Why do people feel like they can only come once on Sunday mornings? Why do people feel like they don’t need to attend on Wednesday nights? Why do people feel like once is enough? Why wouldn’t you want to be there as much as you can? Because when you are at services, you are praising God. And it’s God who will make you a new creation.

Kevin

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Daily Spark #150

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Kevin

Daily Spark #150

Hebrews 10:10 “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

            Being holy in an unholy world. Many people think being holy is about what we do. If we do enough good deeds, we are holy. I found this quote and I want to share it, “you can no more become holy by your good works than you can become a banana by painting yourself yellow and hanging form a tree.” It just doesn’t work like that. How do we become holy?

Holy can also mean “sacred,” which means “set apart.” So, how do we set ourselves apart from the rest of the world? Is it just by doing good works? If that were the case, then I know some pretty sinful and unholy people that do good works. Does that mean someone who curses God, but does good works, is a holy person?

From a careful study of the Scriptures we see that we are set apart by the blood of Christ. Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we can all be sanctified, set apart, from the rest of the world. He has done His part, now we have to do ours. When we are baptized, we are accepted into His family. We have chosen to be set apart from the rest of the world. We have put our old, sinful man to death, and we raise out of the water a new man.

Jesus Christ makes us holy. His blood makes us holy. But once we have been sanctified and set apart from the world, it is our good works that keep us on track. We don’t just stop obeying Jesus, but we continue to do good works in the name of God. We don’t just stop being holy; we must strive to be holy everyday. We ask for forgiveness when we’ve done wrong. We love God and our neighbors as ourselves. We attend services so we can praise God. We pray to God for help and for strength to remain holy in this unholy world. Isn’t that what Jesus did? He strived everyday to please the Father.

Take a moment today to see if you have been sanctified by the blood of Christ. Have you been buried in the waters of baptism? Have you begun your new walk with Jesus? If you want to talk more about this, feel free to contact me. Maybe you’ve already been baptized and you feel like you have already been doing everything in your power to stay in a right relationship with God. To you I say, “keep it up.” It’s a long race and you must pass the finish line. Don’t drop out now. God loves you. Jesus died for you so that you can become holy. Now it’s up to us to take it the rest of the way.

The newest Christian, all the way to the oldest Christian can all learn from the advice of being holy and staying holy. God did everything in His power to make it as easy as possible to be with Him in heaven; He sent His Son. Are we doing everything in our power to go be with Him? “Be holy for I am holy.”

Kevin

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Daily Spark #149

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Kevin

Daily Spark #149

Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

            Being perfect is a difficult thing. It’s a rare feat in a baseball game for a pitcher to throw a perfect game. A doctor can’t save 100% of their patients. Even the top-notch chefs have burnt a dish a time or two. No student has ever scored a perfect grade on every single assignment, quiz, test and project. So why does Jesus expect us to be perfect? This week we have been looking at how to be holy in an unholy world. I’ve said this before, and again, “Jesus never asks us to do something HE wasn’t willing to do Himself.”

We understand that Jesus was perfect. But isn’t it understood that He was the only perfect man to ever walk this earth? So why does Jesus expect us to be perfect? Maybe the better question is how does Jesus expect us to be perfect? First off, let me start by saying that I know we are human. I think God knows that we are human and that we will make mistakes. But is being human an excuse for making mistakes? Are we allowed to continue in sin just because “we are human”?

I think what Jesus is trying to say is that we need an attitude that strives towards perfection. New Testament writers will elsewhere write things along the line of “imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” Even though we are human, and humans are prone to making mistakes, we can still strive for greatness and perfection. We need to instill in our hearts an attitude of wanting to be perfect. We can’t achieve perfection if we don’t want to. We need to want to be more like Jesus. We need to want to be holy.

We also can’t achieve perfection if we think perfection is unattainable. You and I can be perfect. God has sacrificed His Son so that we can obtain perfection. I am not perfect. I am a sinner. But through the blood of Jesus Christ, I believe that I have been made perfect. Perfection is only attainable through Jesus. If you are looking for perfection anywhere else, you will be thoroughly disappointed.

The world around us doesn’t care about being holy or perfect. Notice that in our verse today, Jesus doesn’t give us the option of striving for perfection. He tells us that we shall be perfect. We shall be holy. Take a moment today to see where you are in your quest for perfection. Are you trying to do it without Jesus? My guess is you aren’t getting very far. I would suggest that you stop fighting the world around you and you start following in the footsteps of Jesus. Only then will you be on the true road to holiness.

Kevin

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Daily Spark #148

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Kevin

Daily Spark #148

Luke 5:16 “So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.”

            The one thing you hear about Jesus and His time here on this earth, is that He never sinned. He was the one perfect man to ever step foot on earth. I find that fascinating. Yes, Jesus was still God, but Jesus found himself in situations just like we find ourselves in. Jesus was tempted by Satan. I’m sure there were people that pushed His buttons, and He would have loved nothing more than to do something about it. He had a father and mother and had the opportunities to defy their counsel. He had brothers and sisters and had the opportunity to be evil to them. Jesus was human and thus faced everything normal humans face. But how was He able to stay holy? Can we remain holy today?

I think our verse today tells us a lot on how Jesus was able to remain holy during his few years here on earth. He often withdrew Himself into the wilderness and prayed. Jesus understood the importance of prayer. Many of you are fortunate enough to still have living parents. Some of you live far away from your parents. Some of you may live down the street from them. No matter where you live, what is the importance of talking with your parents? I try to call my parents as much as I can. I love them. They have given me great advice. They have helped me through tough situations. They put me back in my place when I stepped out of line. They were always, and are always there for me.

Jesus understood the importance of talking to His Father. He would do it often. How often do we talk to our heavenly Father? Do we make it a priority? Do we realize the importance of prayer? We don’t have many of Jesus’ prayers recorded, but the ones we do have are remarkable. I often wonder what He prayed about. We know that He prayed for strength before the cross. He prayed for you and me. He prayed for His apostles. He prayed for the lost souls of this world. Jesus was constantly placing His mind on Godly things.

It doesn’t surprise me that Jesus was able to remain holy during His time here on earth. It probably doesn’t surprise many of you either. But would it surprise you if I told you that we can be just as blameless as Jesus? Jesus has shown us the way, all we need to do is follow.

Take a moment today to establish a relationship with your heavenly Father. Withdraw yourself from your busy life and pray. Thank God for the blessings He’s given you. Ask Him for strength to get through this life. Ask Him for forgiveness from the wrongs that we’ve done. Thank Him for the example of His Son.

We can be holy, just like He is holy. It starts today. It starts with prayer. Jesus understood the power of prayer…do you?

Kevin

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