God live among us to bring the highest form of Glory in our lives!

This is my prayer for you in this 2014 Christmas Season:

May the God of Peace give His peace to you. May He speak to YOU!

For God lives among us to watch over the flock, God lives among us to declare good news, and God lives among us to bring the highest glory possible. 

Do you hear him speaking? 

 

This past week a preaching friend of mine, Nick Vipperman made this statement; “Maybe you are holding on to so much in your clutched hands that God cannot give you something new.” I agree and I also ask, “Could it be we are so cluttered with the noise of the world, the busy, Christmas bustle, and noises of the Season that God is not able to be heard?” 

It is not God that has stopped speaking…it is that you and me...we have stopped listening. Do you hear it…he wants to watch over the flock of the humble, he seeks to present a message of good news; he wants to declare his highest glory in your life.

You know I love ya, Don

Undeserved!

Grace means to get something that you do not deserve; unmerited favor.  Mercy means you do not get a punishment that you deserve; compassion, forbearance. God is abundant in grace and mercy and we can read about it in the Bible. Declaring the Lord’s Death grants us a deeper love for Jesus, because we do not deserve grace. His greatest act of grace is the gift of salvation that is available for all people through faith.

Annie Johnson Flint’s life on earth could never be measured in any degree by comfort and ease; quite the contrary, from childhood her body endured the onslaught of Rheumatoid Arthritis until she could no longer rise from bed. Over the years the affliction took a great toll, leaving her with no choice but to seek some comfort from sleeping and resting on soft pillows. Her body developed serious bedsores and finally she suffered the ravages of cancer.

Yet her attitude through all the struggles with pain and confinement may best be expressed through one of her great Christian poems. Her faith in God and His purpose, reflected through these words, portray her deep commitment and disposition of hope and peace:

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater;

He sendeth more strength when the labors increase.

To added affliction He addeth His mercy;

To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

His love has no limit;

His grace has no measure.

His power has no boundary known unto men.

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

Annie Johnson Flint understood that declaring the Lord’s death was a declaration of God’s grace that gives and gives and gives again.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:1-2 states  “since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”

It is a joy to boast in God's ability to shower His creation with favor because of Jesus. May I be so bold as to share my faith and love in response. You know I love ya, Don

Serve the Song, the Story, the Life

George Clooney said about his Aunt, Rosemary, "She serves a song better than anyone I have ever seen, At some point in her career she learned she didn't have to show off, but could just serve the song. That's what she does. She serves the song and the audience receives the blessing of seeing the service...she would take your breath away." To see the interview - click George and Rosemary

You can always tell the masters from those just trying to be a master. There are several in music that come to my mind, Sandi Patti, George Strait, Rosemary Clooney....all masters and the list could go on. It is amazing how a duet between one of the masters and one of those trying to be a master reveals the truth of pure talent. There is a scene in the movie of "Hello, Dolly!" that has a duet between Barbara Streisand and Louis Armstrong. This is a perfect scene of two masters. The entire movie is worth seeing just to experience the two minute duet between the two of them.

I want to be known as a person that serves a song, a story, and a life. I don't want to try to be a master, but to be a master. The difference is in the heart. A person trying to be a master is using talent to drive ambition, yet the master allows the ambition to rest and lets the talent shine forth. The talent is the God given gift that reflects the creative spirit of a generous God. Even if the person is not willing to recognize that God.

A Christ-follower allows the "mastery" of the God given gift to be guided, nurtured, and molded by the Holy Spirit. That is why we can not only be servants of the song, but of our story, and our life. We serve in humility so that He can make us into a great song, great story, and great life. It is the submission that is so difficult. 1 Corinthians 12:4 states, "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit." Thus, we make it our goal and we strive for His direction. He is willing and able to guide us through His Spirit. It is also so very worth it.

"Lord, peal all away that which keeps me from being a master of the gifts that you have given me. Help me to relax and serve the gift with truisms of life and not the ambitious things I make it. You are my God and I bow to your direction in all that I am. You are also my master, so train me as you see fit. I ask for this through the power and wisdom of Jesus. Amen."

Serving together, you know I love ya - Don

Words to encourage...

“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”- Ephesians 5:19-20

Speak to one another is the first mark of a Christian who is being matured by the filling of the Holy Spirit: “...Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs.”

In other words, these Christians are addressing one another in a way that encourages their mutual edification. Even in their conversation with one another, their desire is to edify, to build up, to encourage. It’s addressing and exhorting and encouraging one another—in this case, he says, with scriptural songs, or songs that are scriptural and spiritual—so that we’re moved to adoration and confession and thanksgiving, and petition and intercession.

An elder at Gethsemane Church of Christ is particularly good at doing this. Any time I got a note from him, he almost always began it by quoting a long passage of Scripture before he then moves on to a word of encouragement. And even sometimes when I was talking with him, he’ll start the conversation off by quoting Scripture, and then we would move into the substance of what it is that we’re going to talk about. And very often in his prayer he would quote Scripture first, verbatim, and then move into lifting up the specific praises or petitions to God. Cleveland Bosher will always be a good and encouraging example to me.

Yesterday, I was talking to one of the mothers of the congregation as she walked into the church, I was reminded of another manifestation of this speaking with one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. She was talking about the importance of parents encouraging their children to read the Bible, and to ask them what they’re reading, and what they’re learning from the Bible, so that their conversation is filled from time to time by talking about the things of the Lord, naturally; that we would desire to have that as a normal part of our interaction with one another in human relationships, whether parent and child, or friend and friend.

Well, the Apostle Paul says the person who’s being Spirit-filled has a conversation which is filled with the truth of God’s word in a way that encourages or edifies our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. That’s one mark of a Christian who is being matured by the Holy Spirit.

Lord, Help me to have encouraging words today! Amen.

I am sending encouraging words your way - you know I love ya - Don