Work

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
Col 3:23

Even as we have this trying economy upon us, we must remember that we are fulfilling our purpose to the Lord in all that we do. It is not about how, where or who we serve on this earth, but about the spirit with which we do it.

The same is true of our marriages. We are commanded, men, to "live with them (our wives) in an understanding way" and "love our wives as Christ loved the church."
1 Pet 3:7 & Eph 5:25

So tonight, make your "whatever" about your marriage... and then keep it that way tomorrow, the next day, and for the rest of your lives together, till death do you part!

God bless you all!!!

Cleansing Together

Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.
Joel 2:16

No expansion is required here. Brides and bridegrooms, leave your proverbial chambers and come together. Consecrate your assembly (your home or meeting place). Bring the whole family in, and pray together.

Bring your family back to the Lord, and start with the primary relationship in the home... your marriage!

God bless you all!!!

Finish it!

I have to say, when I started the study into Proverbs, I had no idea that it would turn into a book. But it has. And I have now printed and bound four copies of my very own 140 page book, because I finished my race.

I felt a need for this work, and God led me through an amazing journey, and now I am sharing this work with family, friends, and one person of interest who shall, for the time, remain anonymous.

It's a lot like when I felt a need to marry my lovely and wonderful wife... and God is still leading us through an awesome journey... and we share this journey with everyone we know.

Be certain of this above all: we will finish this race!

Pray together that your race will be run with focus and determination. Look to the Lord and each other for encouragement, not to the world. And know that you have prayers coming your way, wherever you are in whatever situation.

God bless you all!!!

Friday's thought.....

Prov 5:21 - For a man's ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all his paths.

QBQ - Am I trying to hide something from my omniscient and omnipresent God?

There are many things we can do to fool others in this world, but not one of us can do anything that God does not see. He sees all things, even matters of the heart... and that is where we must remain the most vigilant! Honor the Lord by looking deep into yourself and confessing what you are attempting to hide.

May He bless you!

Cleansing Together

Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.
Joel 2:15

Come together tonight to pray.

I pray that your time of prayer would be a blessed time, with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit right beside you.

God bless you all!!!

Cleansing Together

Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave a blessing - grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.
Joel 2:14

To further the thought from the two previous days, we are all asked the question of "why not?" What really would be the harm in trying it God's way, after all?

I know there are some who will say, "What if it doesn't work?" To them, I respond with my brothers and sisters in Christ by stating this: what will you do when it DOES work?

It may seem silly to some to go through things like this, but growing closer to each other and to God is never an exercise in futility.

Pray together today that you would take an introspective look into the "Why not" being posed to you here. Realize that you have more to gain by trying than by sitting and watching... trust me on that one!

God bless you all!!!

Cleansing Together

Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
Joel 2:13

An old tradition was to rend (or tear) your clothing when in mourning as a symbolic gesture. But the Lord, right here, tells us not to bother with symbolism... get down to the real business!

In 4th Wall Fashion, I say to you to rend your JOINED heart. Rend the heart that beats within both of you as one flesh, and return to the Lord.

So today, as you spend time with your spouse, find a moment to rend your heart in prayer together, asking for a deeper step in the cleansing process.

God bless you all!!!

Cleansing Together

"Even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."
Joel 2:12

Return to Him. Return to Him together, and place Him in the very center of your marriage.

This passage of Joel is titled "Rend Your Heart," and is specific instruction from the Lord for how we are to return to Him and gain revival. This is the first of ten verses in this passage that we will cover.

Pray together tonight, for the ability to return to Him. Be certain of this, though, you will have to return as individuals AND as a couple.

God bless you all!!!

Random 3

Yet again, I walked into Church this morning knowing what I was going to talk about, and God changed my mind! And then, when I brought forward the Scripture that I was led to speak about, our teacher had a reference from the SAME VERSE 20 minutes later. Divinely planned, I tell ya!

And then, tonight, I was thinking about the privilege we have to worship God openly, and I was reminded of the Parable of the Talents. I have said before that this is the story of my life, as I have buried my own talents far too often. But as I sat and listened to Steve Green perform at our church tonight, he made a statement that I couldn't ignore.

He spoke about the universal language of music... and what a privilege it is to be able to speak it! And this is true of all talents in this life we have been given.

Pray tonight, again, that your talents would come forth in both of you. Pray that you will find the courage to stand up and share them fearlessly, spreading the Kingdom with encouragement the way that (literally) only you can!

God bless you all!!!

Food for Thought

Just a quick thought tonight, for any of you who have couple friends where one or both might not know Christ; you need to meet them where they are!

If they think of the saved as never having any fun, up tight, tea-totaling rule sticklers who refuse to associate with anyone but their own kind, then we will NEVER win anyone to the Lord.

Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Mark 2:17b

If the Son of God wasn't above association with the sinners of the world, then we cannot be above it either. He is the example, beloved brothers and sisters... and we must follow.

Pray tonight that the couples you encounter would see Christ's love in your marriage. Reflect the love you have been shown, and let others see the light within.

God bless you all!!!

Friday's thought.....

Prov 22:10 - Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.

QBQ - What can I do to ensure I am not the mocker?

I have said it before, and I will say it again; people are watching you for your mistakes. Even those that you may choose to show trust to and confide in will have thoughts about the words and inflections you choose. Always remember to be what you say, and to say the right things!

May He bless you!

Service

What are we called for? What is our purpose? What is the best thing we can hope to aspire to?

Service.

We are to serve the Lord. We are to serve His people. We are to serve each other. And we are to do so with a heart of joy and peace, knowing that we are, in every way, advancing the Kingdom of God through our service.

Pray together today that you are of the proper mindset towards each other, and to the world. Remember that it is not what other people do that compels you to serve, but what God has inspired in you.

God bless you all!!!

Joyful Noise

O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Psalm 95:1

So I am a singer... and I tend to keep that hidden from people. I am extremely shy about it, and nervous always when in front of others to perform. Well, with one exception; my wife.

I can sing in front of her till the end of time, and it will not make me the least bit uncomfortable. I love to sing around her! Moreover, I love to sing to her! But today, I found something out about myself that I had not known.

I was sitting with one of the Worship Leaders of our church, singing as he played, and my glasses were fogging up. I started to think about the way I sounded, and then I felt my voice going flat. I stopped, apologized, and we got back into the song. Just then, I removed my hat and glasses, and closed my eyes, and began to sing for God... not for me... and a wave of peace came over me like a cool breeze.

Now I can add a second exception to my "not scared to sing in front of" category, in the person of this Worship Leader. But, more importantly, I can add an entity to this list as well; God. I have always sung in front of God, as He is always there. But today, I sang FOR God, knowing He was RIGHT there!

Not everyone is a singer, and not everyone is musically inclined, but everyone has a hidden talent for something that God can use to expand His Kingdom. Pray together today that you and your spouse would discover (if you haven't already) the hidden talents that you can each use to advance the Kingdom. And then pray that you will go forth and do it! It's not easy at first, and I'm still a little shaken that I did this today... but the greater reward is going to be worth it!!!

God bless you all!!!

Responsibility, cont.

"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives."
1 Tim 3:1-2

Boy, oh boy... could I tell you some stories about how my wife won me over. There is no one better at winning over than my bride, and no one smoother at slipping in truths from the Word. To continue our discussion on Cleansing with the responsibility of the wives, I think it is wrapped up neatly in this verse.

We, too often, take our wives for granted, and pay far too little attention to the things they do for us. But, even for the most unemotional, stereotypical male, there are those moments when we wonder why she is doing all of these things for us? And (sorry about this one guys) our well-hidden insecurity comes bubbling forward in these times.

I remain amazed at my wife, for how she does everything she does. She truly is an inspiration to me!!!

Pray tonight with your spouse that your respective responsibilities would come with little difficulty to you. Remember that God has joined you together. Keep that moment when you smiled and said "I do" fresh in your mind, and never lose that!!!

God bless you all!!!

Consistency

Okay, I know I said I would keep it just to the one question today, but then my wife's exercise video guy said something. He said that it's easy to get out of shape, and difficult to get back into shape. But if you show up for the program, and do the work with consistency, then you will be fully amazed at the results!

And then I started thinking about how true that is in a spiritual sense. How much effort does it take to slide backwards? How hard is it to just let go of conviction and fall? Not very... and that's scary! But getting back up after the fall is not that easy. It takes determination, focus, and (you guessed it) consistency.

And just like the workout program, you have to GO TO THE WORD and actually DO THE WORK if you want to SEE THE RESULTS. Exceptional concept, isn't it? And yet, as simple as it sounds, I would be chief among those who allow the simplicity of it to fly right by me. But it is ALL about going back to the basics, and doing the work.

Fundamentals are, in fact, the building blocks of EVERYTHING!!! Sports, music, speech, writing... these all have their respective set of inviolable fundamentals. Faith is the same way.

Pray together tonight that you will find the consistency to keep on your path. And thank God for the spouse you have been blessed with to hold you accountable to that end!

God bless you all!!!

Labor Day!!!

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Psalm 127:1

Just a quick question today; did the Lord build your house? If not, has He been invited to reinforce it now?

Pray together tonight that the Lord would make His presence known in your home.

God bless you all!!!

Random 2

I planned out what I was going to open our Sunday School class with this morning... I had it all laid out on paper. I had practiced my opening remarks about wisdom, as related to Proverbs 18:6, and I was ready to go.

And then I got to church, went up to the choir loft, and began to sing "Thank You, Lord," and my whole morning changed for the better!

All of a sudden, as I raised my hand to the heavens while singing to God, I realized that I needed to speak about "random" things in the world. And then we went to our class, and I did just that. I mentioned the verse from Jeremiah 29:11, and discussed how many things have to be in such amazing precision for us to end up right where we have, and I believe that it was well-received.

Then our teacher began to speak about the "coincidental" people that God placed in our teacher's path as we covered Mark 3. And then I realized just how good God truly is.

Today can ONLY be the work of the Spirit... and it all leads back to the original comments made on "Random" things in a previous post.

Thank God today for the path that you have taken... and for the path that will continue to be yours, wherever it leads! You and your spouse are together for a reason; there is no doubt about that. Pray for God's will to be revealed in your life, and be blessed for doing so!

God bless you all!!!

Saturdays.....

I usually don't get to spend Saturday with my family, but I happen to be on vacation for this one and the next. It is such a joy to be home with all of them, laughing and playing... really brings peace.

I wish I had something more to say this evening. However, all I am left with is that we all should pray with our family, FOR our family. And that has to start with the primary relationship in the home, the husband and wife.

God bless you all!!!

Friday's thought.....

Prov 18:6 - A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.

QBQ - Am I careful enough with my words, regardless of where I am?

Just like everyone is watching us, they are also listening to us. All of those around us are listening and waiting to see if our words match our demeanor. Honor the Lord by ensuring that your words and your actions are in line with one another.

May He bless you!!!

Foot in Mouth

Somehow tonight, I have managed to let my pride slip back into my speech.

I forgot, for a moment, that my calling is to build people up... not tear them down.
Eph 4:29

But thanks be to God for the wonderful and loving wife He has blessed me with! She saw right through my hypocrisy, and called me out on it. (Thank you, Lamb!) It is always helpful to have a close friend, loved one, or spouse be willing to tell you when you've gone too far.

My "too far" was to state that I would pray for this man, when I do not know him. You might say, "that sounds like a great thing to do!" But the truth is that he and I stand on opposing sides of a political issue... and he used the Lord's name in vain... and I told him that such usage of the Lord's name is not befitting of an educated person, and that I would pray for him.

As my beautiful bride pointed out, I was condescending in that moment, and not reflective of the love of Christ. And I thank her, and thank God for her.

Pray tonight that you will be receptive to the truths that you lay upon each other. After all, no one knows your spouse better than you do! So when a harsh truth is brought out, remember that it is for your benefit.

God bless you all!!!

Responsibility

"Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money."
1 Tim 3:2-3

To follow the theme of our cleansing, we must dive into the responsibilities of the husband and wife. Listed here is a shortened list of qualifications that a husband must have. And be certain of this, my brothers in faith, there is not a passage before or after this one that says "as long as she is doing her part."

That's one of the hardest things about marriage, I think. As the leader of my home, I am to conduct myself in a Godly manner, regardless of how my wife acts. Why would I do something like this? Why try to be respectful and loving when she's mad? Because... and grab hold of something before you read this one... GOD COMMANDS ME TO DO SO!

Nowhere in the Bible does the Father, the Son, the Spirit, or any of the prophets or apostles say that you must treat your wives with respect as long as it's fair to you. You and I are given a command to "love our wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."
Eph 5:25

What does this mean? Sacrifice. Servant-minded leadership of the home. Standing firm to assume responsibility for your family's actions in the eternal sense. Being ready to face judgment for all in your care. This is what real husbands and fathers do. The CHOOSE to be the last, serving the family first; and through this choice, the family esteems them to be the head.

Pray together for God's understanding to come more clearly to you both today. Spend time thanking Him for the plans we are a part of.

Husbands, specifically, pray for your hearts to be strengthened by the Spirit to assume the Godly responsibility that is yours and yours alone. Pray that you will be ready, willing and able to stand for your entire family at the judgment seat of Christ. And remember, when God searched the garden after the original sin to find Adam and Eve, "the Lord God called to the man."
Gen 3:9

And then BOTH of you thank God for the redemption that comes only through Jesus Christ!

God bless you all!!!

Cleansing Together

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land."
2 Chron 7:14

Prayer and confession require a constant attitude of humility. And the Lord offers us a way out of suffering, sin and death in this verse. Be humble and pray.

But there is more that is given here than just this... He also states clearly that we must turn from our wicked ways. REPENTANCE! We are flesh; meaning we are flawed, failed, fallible creatures that forever flail to find fulfillment. But if we turn from those sins (and make no mistake, beloved ones, we all have them), we can grow closer to God. And He will listen to us and forgive!

And He also promises to heal our land. Think of your land as your home. Now, if all of us took this one passage, spread it around a little, and affected enough homes in our great nation, would our literal land be healed??? Something to ponder on...

Pray tonight with your beloved gift from the Father that you would experience the healing of whatever ailment affects your land. Pray that you would turn from your own wicked ways and seek His face. I promise you, it will be in those moments that you hear Him speak!

God bless you all!!!