the day God cried

how is it possible to make God cry? God forbid that we do. but i am so sure that each one of us has done so. this is why He sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins. God is a loving God and merciful. we must learn to follow after His heart. but to imagine God crying, sad that He has bestowed on us His grace and mercy, lavished us with His love, and we have rejected him. such compassion from the Father.

here are a few things that i think will make God cry based on reading His word:

1) tell Him how you will live your life instead of listening to His purpose and plan for your life. this is a sure way to fail. (read the entire book of jonah!)

2) intentionally or subconcisously live without compassion. be heartless when you see someone suffering. (matthew 9:36, Jesus was moved by/with compassion.)

3) do not pay your tithes 10% (first fruits of money, time, work). this is connected to my point number 2 in that both are a result of selfishness. if you do not tithe, you are robbing God. of course He doesn't need the money! He is God and he is all powerful and and owns cattle on a thousand hills (psalm 50:10). in truth, the church needs it for practical reasons and so that the gospel may continue to spread around the world! (luke 20:25, Jesus said to pay your taxes, but also pay your tithes.)

4) to never tell anyone about the good news or invite them to church. it's okay for you to go to church, be filled with the Spirit, sing songs of worship, but never share the gospel message with anyone? really? this is also selfish and unwise. (proverbs 11:30, mark 16:15-20, it is wise to win souls for Jesus this is also the great commission)

5) ignore your calling. some people do this out of fear. especially fear of failure. but if you never learn about failure, you can never learn to win with dignity. it's always about growing in faith when it comes to the things that God asks us to do. if you do not know what your calling is just yet, ask God to show you and guide you. (matthew 25:14-30, Jesus gives a lesson in growing your talents.)

6) those who choose to be ignorant and not deal with their responsibilities. we gotta grow up sometime! even paul talked about this. handle your personal responsibilites and especially seek God's will in every aspect of your life. seek God's wisdom in al things. (proverbs 3:5-7, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.)

7) being greedy. coveting is a no-no on the ten commandments! learn to be content. (exodus 20, proverbs 21:25-26, 1 Timothy 6:6.)

8) worshiping idols. with all the gagets we are accustomed to today, it is so easy to worship an idol, even a person without even knowing it. sometimes you gotta turn everything off, even the news, and listen for God's voice. such peace! (exodus 20:3)

on the day that Jesus died, i can only imagine that God cried. the sky went dark and the angels wept right along with Him. what a sacrifice for the Father to send his only son Jesus to die in our place! that is true love, my friends, Jesus dying on the cross. but what made it even better was that Jesus did not stay dead, but was resurected from death into victory. now, we too can live!

questions
have you accepted God's love into your life? do you know how much he loves you?
if not, ask Him to show you right now. the Bible says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and Savior of your life, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, then you will be saved!

prayer
dear God, help us to be filled with your compassion, to follow after your heart, to die daily to our sinful nature, and to be lead by your Holy Spirit at all times. in Jesus's name, amen.

read Psalm 103:1-2 Lord help me to be a blessing to You!

song in my head 'Jesus keep me near the cross.' -F.J. Crosby

*need a Bible? check out your local dollar tree! or go to www.christianbooks.com.

Worship the Lord!

worship the Lord! make time to worship the Lord! worship as if your life depended on it. express your love and gratitude for the one who created you! today or tonight, find a quiet place to just empty yourself out before God and be filled up with His Spirit! Give Him thanks and praise!

king david had a reason to worship the Lord. he knew the importance of going back to say "thank you God" he knew the importance of worshiping the Lord when it was most necessary.

in 2 samuel 6, king david danced in worship and praise before the Lord. he did not care who saw him. he had a good reason to worship too. the ark of the covenant was coming home. the ultimate symbol of God's everlasting presence was coming back home.

king david found a quiet place to worship and he danced before the Lord until nearly all of his clothes fell off. it was his way of worshiping with all his might.

sometimes when you are in the middle of a battle against the evil one, you are being attacked on all sides. remember that your praise will confuse the enemy! stand there in the middle of battle, and as he attacks you will all of his might, you worship God with all your might. 'my praise causes things to look better,' says the song, 'it loosens and breaks every fetter.'

we are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart as Jesus said in Matthew 22:37. worship is symbolic of complete surrender to God's presence and will for our lives. what better way to express our love than through absolute worship of the one true creator God? worship increases faith!

question
when was the last time you worshiped the Lord?

prayer
Lord, help us to make time to worship you!

read
2 samuel 6

song in my head
'come let us worship and bow down before Him...for He is our God and we are His people! worship the Lord and give him praise!worship! worship the Lord!...worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!'

from the anointing to the calling

when king david was anointed king over israel he was just a young boy. samuel the prophet was led of God to find the young king david and anoint him in faith. the current king saul had not been pleasing in God's sight. it was time for change. samuel arrived at jesses's house. a man with seven sons or was it eight...?

"is this it?" the prophet asked Jesse. jesse had paraded seven of his sons before the prophet, but none had that particular favor that samuel was looking for so intently.

"well, yes these are all of my fine sons...you know..."

samuel thought for a moment, but did not break eye contact with jesse. he knew that he was hiding something from him.

"are you sure?" the prophet pressed in further.

jesse sighed. he began speaking slowly: "i do have another.."

"another son?"

"well...he's my youngest, but he's a bit scraggly looking and he works in the fields for me."

"is that so?"

"you wouldn't want to meet him. he's dirty from taking care of my sheep...and he's..."

"send for him," the prophet interrrupted planting his feet firmly. "i will not leave or sit down until i meet him."

"very well, my lord." jesse said. he motioned for one of his older sons to run and get david.

david walked in looking sunburnt, dusty, his hair a mass of curls framing his young face, eyes questioning. he had spent most of his time alone in the fields with the sheep writing poetry and singing songs to the Lord. he knew that it must have been important for one of his older brothers to come and get him to meet one of his fathers visitors.

"david come here," jesse motioned with a look of frustration on his face.

david walked slowly towards his father. he had been rushed back to the house and he still held his harp in his hands. his brothers nearly threw him into the room before jesse and samuel.

"david my son, i want you to meet the prophet samuel. he works for our king saul."

david knelt before samuel without thinking.

samuel walked towards david.

"rise, and anoint him, he is the one." the Lord said to samuel.

"my Lord..." david said. the power of the Lord filled the house. everyone took a step back not knowing what would happen next. jesse leaned forward. Lord God, could it be? he thought to himself.

"stand up my son," samuel said placing his hand on david's shoulder.

david stood up. samuel pulled out a horn filled with oil. he began to sing a familiar prayer to the Lord in Hebrew: "blessed art thou Lord God King of the universe..."

he poured the oil onto david's head.

"i now anoint you king of all israel."

the oil ran don david's head and began dripping off of his soft curly hair. it ran down his face, got into his eyes, ran down his nose, and dripped onto his mouth and fell in drops onto his clothes. it began to seep through his clothes and david felt the oil run across his heart which was beating nearly out of his chest. the power of the Lord came down onto david.

samuel finished his prayer. "...amen."

jesse fell to his knees. david's bothers bowed their heads in reverence. the Lord had come to visit that day. jesse's household was blessed.

david's life quickly changed. he was soon summoned to play his harp for king saul. he became known for his gift of music and poetry that could drive away evil spirits. he became best friends with king saul's son. he soon began working his way up the ladder of command. he became great warrior. he won many battles for the Lord and for the nation of israel.

but it was quite a while before he actually became king. the inbetween time, the time between the anointing and his coronation ceremony as king of israel was a time of preparation. God made a man out of him. david learned to trust God in all things, he chased after God's heart. God expanded his talents and his territory. all the stuff he went through as a child God had redeemed as training.

david went from tending sheep to killing a giant in the philistine army, winning great battles for israel. he fully trusted in God and God honored that trust by keeping his promises to king david.

questions
are you between the anointing and the fulfilment of your calling? are you not quite sure what to do with yourself right now?


prayer
Lord, help your servants who are in the inbetween times. train them well that they may be ready for the fulfillment of your promises. in Jesus's name, amen.


read
1 samuel 16:1-13


song in my head
'we lift our hands in the sanctuary. we lift our hands to give you the glory. we lift our hands to give you the praise and we will praise you for the rest of our days.' -kurt carr singers

can no one save her?

i was reading a magazine the other day. i came across a rather long article about a young celebrity. she began her career on the disney channel, but now she's all grown up and suffering from some pretty serious issues. she has been in the news quite a bit, the butt of harsh jokes, and ridiculed for her erratic behavior. she has been fired from movie sets and we have watched her young frame age very quickly from the substance abuse. it is obvious that she is addicted to the hard drugs and alcohol. she has been in a few very public broken relationships. her parents do not seem to have very much control or influence over the situation.

i am not going to mention her name. the reason i am telling you about her is because the title of the article rather shocked me:

no one can save her! it said.

the author of the article went on to talk about the young woman's life in depth as if she was close enough to her to really know all about her.

as believers, it is our responsibility to pray for others and lift up those in need before the Lord. celebrities are people too.

Lord knows i would be pretty nuts if the paparazzi chased me around all day! if people sifted through my trash to find a piece of gum with my dna on it. if i saw myself pumping gas on tmz or something. you never know how you might react in any stressful situation sometimes until it actually happens to you. in fact, having a lot of money all of a sudden is stressful and it adds to your problems especially if you do not know how to manage. most people do not handle fame and fortune very well.

but to read an article that declares 'no one can save her' really it me in a bad way. this is what the world wants us to believe. that when you are down you cannot get up. when you are down no one wants anything to do with you because you are used up and useless. hopeless beyond hope.

the truth is that there is no sin too deep or too bad that Jesus cannot save you from. the whole point of Jesus's death on calvary over 2000 years ago, is that he became the sacrifice for our sins.

but you have to want Jesus to save you. invite Him into your life and watch Him transform you. when it seems like no one can save you, Jesus can and He will! remember this: prayer still works.

questions
do you feel like no one can save you? have you tried reaching out to Jesus for help?

prayer
dear God, i pray for those who feel too sinful for You. touch their hearts right now and become very real to them like never before. surround them with Your love and mercy. in Jesus's name, amen.

read
john 17:20-26

s ong in my head
'take my life and let it be, wholly consecrated Lord to thee..'

The Incredible God All Hulked Out

a few summers ago, a movie came out called the incredible hulk starring edward norton and liv tyler. the movie is based on a marvel comic. i was very moved by a scene where the protagonist began testing the hulk to see exactly how strong he was. actually, he was trying to destroy the hulk. firebombs were going off all around the hulk, every weapon that could be used against him was being aimed and fired.

but the hulk was fireproof. bullets hit him and fell to the ground like paperclips. there were explosions all around the hulk. large objects were being thrown at him. but in the middle of it all he was selfless. he looked around and saw his friend standing in the path of great danger. the protagonist was evil enough to sacrifice his own daughter in his attempt to destroy the hulk.

the hulk grabs her and covers her with his entire body as fire explodes all around. the hulk is completely hulked out! it's noisy, it's bright, it's scary, it's terrible! but when the dust settles, thehulk unfolds and the girl walks away unscathed.

this is how God protects us. we may be going through the fire bombs, life is throwing things at us that we cannot understand, your health may be compromised from stress, and the enemy may be throwing those firey darts your way.

i once heard a wise person say: "one thing i know for sure about God is that he is never late, and always on time." whatever you are going through right now, remember that God is all hulked out in your situation! you have His ultimate protection from the firestorm, the enemy cannot get to your soul if you are under the precious blood of Jesus. allow God to cover you completely. trust God in all things and depend on Him for protection. God is not the causal observer in your life.

questions are you having a moment of truth that is leaving you feeling unprotected? do you feel like life is throwing it all at you right now?

read psalm 91

song in my head
'...but the impossible is God's chance to work a miracle...' -maurette brown clarke

On God's Good Side

doing the right thing is not always easy. sometimes i find myself doing the right thing only because it feels right in my gut. no other reason. we are born with it you know. that little thing in your head that says "yes" or "no" when your about to do soemthing.

but some people have become quite skilled at putting that little voice on mute. it's really the quiet wisdom of the Holy Spirit promting you to follow after God's will. The 10 commandments guide us like a beacon of light for doing it right in a world that is so dark.

Jesus added 2 more commandments to those original 10:
"love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' this is the first and greatest commandment. and the second is like it: 'love your neighbor as yourself.'

truth is, if we can get these two commandments down the rest will just flow easily through us.

there is a show on abc called what would you do? it test people in various situations to see how they would react. you'd be surprised. a pastor and his family walked past a guy stealing a bike and did nothing. this is the nature of our world today.

even if everyone around you is doing the wrong thing, you do the right thing. they might tease you, they might talk about you behind your back, they will call you names even come up with a nickname for you, they might try to tempt you into their lifestyle, they might try to trap you even hurt you...you be strong. doing the right thing gains respect. doing the right thing is never overlooked in God's eyes.

remember abraham when he and lot came to the promised land? lot took the easy way out and went towards the land where the grass was already green. but abraham took the other side that did not look very good. in the end, God blessed abraham exceedingly and abundantly above all he could ever ask. lot didn't do so very well with his choice. lot had muted that voice in his head.

this could be your big test before God gives you your big promotion. tests like this grow you. always respect the power of God. God is still alive and very much in control. do the right thing, stay on God's good side.

questions
is there something that you need to do that might be difficult? do you need the Lord's help?

read
Exodus 20: 11, Matthew 22:34-40

song in my head:
'he never said it would be easy. but you're a winner in the end. Jesus defeated all your enemies. way before the fight began.' -it ain't over sung by maurette brown clarke

Finisher

there is nothing sadder than seeing someone drop out of a race. We are competitive beings. but to start something and not finish without good reasoning is just sad. it is one of those moments where one might say: "now that i've dropped out of the race, now i'll never know if i could have won."

the thing about being in a race is that the competitor has an advantage over the casual sideline observer. while in the race, one can see the enemy face to face, smell the enemy, observe the enemy's game up close, but most of all one can see the finish line clearly.

anyone who drops out of a race knows the excitement of starting, but cannot experience the joy of conquering the finish line. be a finisher!

the writer of the book of hebrews compares our relationship with the Lord here on earth to running a race:

'therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.' hebrews 12:1.

it takes courage to run a race. sometimes one has to do practice runs, shorter races that prepare you for the bigger race. one needs to train and get in shape for the race. but everyone is required to race. are you ready to shake yourself loose of all those things that hinder you in the race? or will you let these weights hinder you from being a finisher?

sometimes it's not that you win, but that you finish and how you finish, and that is what makes all the difference.

questions
do you need courage to finish a race?

read
joshua 1:9

song in my head
'be strong and take courage. do not fear or be dismayed. for the Lord will go before you and his light will show the way...'