The disciples were out fishing one night when a huge storm struck. About 3:00 a.m. they were terrified by a figure approaching them on the water. “Immediately Jesus spoke…’Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid’…Peter answered…’Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You’…So He said, ‘Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water…to Jesus” (vv.27-29 NKJV). This story teaches us:
(1) If the Lord doesn’t call you to do it, don’t! There a story about a man standing at the gates of heaven. Peter says, “Name one great deed you’ve done.” The man replies, “Well, a gang of bikers was threatening a woman so I smacked them, kicked over their bikes and ripped out their nose rings.” Impressed, Peter asks, “When did this happen?” The man answers, “About thirty seconds ago!” To walk on water you must learn to discern between God’s voice and your own impulses. (2) To experience miracles, you must get out of your comfort zone. Exchange places with Peter. The storm is raging and he’s afraid. The boat’s secure and comfortable—wouldn’t you want to stay there? But you can’t. God designed you to do more than simply avoid failure; He’s calling you to step out in faith and accomplish things. You say, “What’s my boat?” It’s anything you put your faith in when life gets stormy, like a job or a relationship. Your boat is anything that stops you from getting out of your comfort zone. Leaving it is the scariest, but more rewarding step you’ll ever take!
From
Newlifeoakwood.org
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Daily Walking In God's Love
God wants daily fellowship with YOU. Here are some things that will help you walk in the love of God daily in your relationships with others/
1. Give attention to the Holy Spirit. He IS the love of God. Start with the Holy Ghost before you turn on the Today Show.
2. Spend time in prayer in the morning. Even if it is just a few minutes, spend time in prayer before God, before you leave the house in the morning.
3. Meditate the Scriptures before YOU leave. Begin to think upon it, particularly if you are in a situation when something stormy is happening between you and someone. Turn to the love Scriptures and meditate those. You will find that the power that is inherent in the Word of God will get on you. Instead of walking in the flesh in your relationships, you will find yourself walking in the spirit, walking in love.
Do you know what would happen if God were tired of dealing with us? If God were like us, He would have said, "I've told that boy 10 times not to act like that. Forget him." Thank God, He doesn't do that. His mercies are new every morning. Thank God, His compassion fails not. Thank God that the love of God is always available to us. Thank God that He is not like us. He expects us to be like Him.
If you are dealing with a situation where you are in conflict with somebody, take a moment to lift your hands to the Lord. Say from your heart to the Lord, Father I forgive that person. I roll this care over on You right now. I'm not going to hate them. I'm not going to stay in strife with them. I'll forgive them in my heart right now in the name of Jesus.
By doing that YOU have put yourself in position where YOUR faith can work, and deliverance can be brought to you in this situation. Now pray for that person right now. Ask God to bless them. Ask God to heal them. Ask God to provide for them. Do it right now in Jesus's name. Now praise God for it.
By
Bishop Keith Butler
1. Give attention to the Holy Spirit. He IS the love of God. Start with the Holy Ghost before you turn on the Today Show.
2. Spend time in prayer in the morning. Even if it is just a few minutes, spend time in prayer before God, before you leave the house in the morning.
3. Meditate the Scriptures before YOU leave. Begin to think upon it, particularly if you are in a situation when something stormy is happening between you and someone. Turn to the love Scriptures and meditate those. You will find that the power that is inherent in the Word of God will get on you. Instead of walking in the flesh in your relationships, you will find yourself walking in the spirit, walking in love.
Do you know what would happen if God were tired of dealing with us? If God were like us, He would have said, "I've told that boy 10 times not to act like that. Forget him." Thank God, He doesn't do that. His mercies are new every morning. Thank God, His compassion fails not. Thank God that the love of God is always available to us. Thank God that He is not like us. He expects us to be like Him.
If you are dealing with a situation where you are in conflict with somebody, take a moment to lift your hands to the Lord. Say from your heart to the Lord, Father I forgive that person. I roll this care over on You right now. I'm not going to hate them. I'm not going to stay in strife with them. I'll forgive them in my heart right now in the name of Jesus.
By doing that YOU have put yourself in position where YOUR faith can work, and deliverance can be brought to you in this situation. Now pray for that person right now. Ask God to bless them. Ask God to heal them. Ask God to provide for them. Do it right now in Jesus's name. Now praise God for it.
By
Bishop Keith Butler
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Idea Of People
There is a strange sort of phenomenon that occurs the longer someone works within the context of Church Leadership. It’s almost as inevitable as Sunday coming every week.
The phenomenon goes something like this – The more you do a great job of leading people, the more people are attracted to you and your church. The more that people are attracted and get connected to your church, the more it grows. The more the number of people at your church grows…the further you get from them.
The very thing that was essential to your growth – Ministering to people – is now a system, a strategy, an abstraction…an idea.
“This is inevitable,” you tell yourself. I simply can’t be with all these people, all the time. There’s only one of me and more and more of them, something has to give.
So, overtime, we replace actual people with the Idea of people. We subconsciously convince ourselves that all these meetings are ultimately about “those” people. All these emails are to real people out there…somewhere.
Our sermons that we write in an office or Starbucks, in isolation, are for them too. Our Evangelistic efforts and strategies are for “all those lost people out there.” We see them at church…for a moment…from a distance. They are there. But they are more of an idea than a reality.
And if we’re being brutally honest, we kind of like it this way. Our Idea of People is much easier to lead and manage and care about than all those Actual People. Actual people are at times unpredictable, uninterested, inconsistent, moody, needy, demanding, hurting, and basically messy.
The more we get involved with them, the harder it gets. Better to just hunker down in our offices. Better to busy ourselves with meetings, emails, podcasts, Twitter. Better to make 100 hoops for those actual people to jump through to get any amount of time with you. It’s much easier this way.
It just so happens, though, that it is the furthest thing from the way of Jesus.
For Jesus, people were not an idea. The World that God so loves is filled with Real People with real lives, real struggles, real needs, real stories of rebellion and redemption. These are the people that surrounded Jesus. From his days of small town obscurity to his intensely demanding days of public ministry.
He actually Invited them in. The sick, the poor, the despised, the self righteous, men and women, children, you name it. Some were invited, others invaded. All were welcome. While it’s true that there were many whom Jesus did not surround himself with, there were always 3, 12, 50.
There were always people. Real people at his birth, through his life, at the cross, at his ascension. He was rooted in God’s love, grounded in relationship with everyday people.
I’m not sure what it looks like for you to intentionally surround yourself in relationship and proximity with Real People. I know that your job is demanding. I know that your time is limited. But the stakes are too high for you to be elusive.
Your inaccessibility is no longer acceptable. You will serve much more humbly, you will preach much more accurately, you will lead much more effectively when you allow yourself to be invaded by real people.
How can you volunteer somewhere in your own church?
How can you lead a small group for people young in their faith?
How can you stick around after church and help tear down?
How can you intentionally create time and space this week to know and love and lead and serve the Real People that a Real God has called you to…really?
By
Jarrett Stevens
The phenomenon goes something like this – The more you do a great job of leading people, the more people are attracted to you and your church. The more that people are attracted and get connected to your church, the more it grows. The more the number of people at your church grows…the further you get from them.
The very thing that was essential to your growth – Ministering to people – is now a system, a strategy, an abstraction…an idea.
“This is inevitable,” you tell yourself. I simply can’t be with all these people, all the time. There’s only one of me and more and more of them, something has to give.
So, overtime, we replace actual people with the Idea of people. We subconsciously convince ourselves that all these meetings are ultimately about “those” people. All these emails are to real people out there…somewhere.
Our sermons that we write in an office or Starbucks, in isolation, are for them too. Our Evangelistic efforts and strategies are for “all those lost people out there.” We see them at church…for a moment…from a distance. They are there. But they are more of an idea than a reality.
And if we’re being brutally honest, we kind of like it this way. Our Idea of People is much easier to lead and manage and care about than all those Actual People. Actual people are at times unpredictable, uninterested, inconsistent, moody, needy, demanding, hurting, and basically messy.
The more we get involved with them, the harder it gets. Better to just hunker down in our offices. Better to busy ourselves with meetings, emails, podcasts, Twitter. Better to make 100 hoops for those actual people to jump through to get any amount of time with you. It’s much easier this way.
It just so happens, though, that it is the furthest thing from the way of Jesus.
For Jesus, people were not an idea. The World that God so loves is filled with Real People with real lives, real struggles, real needs, real stories of rebellion and redemption. These are the people that surrounded Jesus. From his days of small town obscurity to his intensely demanding days of public ministry.
He actually Invited them in. The sick, the poor, the despised, the self righteous, men and women, children, you name it. Some were invited, others invaded. All were welcome. While it’s true that there were many whom Jesus did not surround himself with, there were always 3, 12, 50.
There were always people. Real people at his birth, through his life, at the cross, at his ascension. He was rooted in God’s love, grounded in relationship with everyday people.
I’m not sure what it looks like for you to intentionally surround yourself in relationship and proximity with Real People. I know that your job is demanding. I know that your time is limited. But the stakes are too high for you to be elusive.
Your inaccessibility is no longer acceptable. You will serve much more humbly, you will preach much more accurately, you will lead much more effectively when you allow yourself to be invaded by real people.
How can you volunteer somewhere in your own church?
How can you lead a small group for people young in their faith?
How can you stick around after church and help tear down?
How can you intentionally create time and space this week to know and love and lead and serve the Real People that a Real God has called you to…really?
By
Jarrett Stevens
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
How Do You Love?
How do you love someone that continues to go down destructive paths no matter how much guidance you try to offer?
How do you love someone that always points out the negative but never seems to see the positive?
How do you love that boss that always takes the credit for the successes, but points their fingers anytime something fails?
How do you love that neighbor who refuses to monitor their children’s behavior and allows them to wreck havoc on the entire neighborhood?
How do you love that family member or friend that is always asking for a hand-out but is always unavailable if you need assistance?
How do you love that mean usher that refuses to smile or be polite at church?
How do you love your ex-husband or wife who refuses to make the children a priority?
How do you love that parent that was completely absent from your life as a child?
God gives the answer to these and every other, “How do you love …?” question in John 15:12. Simply put God says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Whoa, do you know what this means?
It means you can’t keep count of the times they let you down. You can’t constantly remind them of what they’ve done. You can’t attach conditions to your love. You can’t withhold your forgiveness towards them.
Love is not passive, it’s an action word. It won’t always be easy to love but God commands it, therefore we must try to show the love of God to everyone we come in contact with even if we don’t think they deserve it.
So yes, I know that woman at the checkout counter was just very rude to you … love her anyway!
By
Tanya S. James
How do you love someone that always points out the negative but never seems to see the positive?
How do you love that boss that always takes the credit for the successes, but points their fingers anytime something fails?
How do you love that neighbor who refuses to monitor their children’s behavior and allows them to wreck havoc on the entire neighborhood?
How do you love that family member or friend that is always asking for a hand-out but is always unavailable if you need assistance?
How do you love that mean usher that refuses to smile or be polite at church?
How do you love your ex-husband or wife who refuses to make the children a priority?
How do you love that parent that was completely absent from your life as a child?
God gives the answer to these and every other, “How do you love …?” question in John 15:12. Simply put God says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Whoa, do you know what this means?
It means you can’t keep count of the times they let you down. You can’t constantly remind them of what they’ve done. You can’t attach conditions to your love. You can’t withhold your forgiveness towards them.
Love is not passive, it’s an action word. It won’t always be easy to love but God commands it, therefore we must try to show the love of God to everyone we come in contact with even if we don’t think they deserve it.
So yes, I know that woman at the checkout counter was just very rude to you … love her anyway!
By
Tanya S. James
Monday, February 21, 2011
Do We Really Love Jesus?
How many of you say that you love Jesus? Well, this devotional will be a litmus test as to whether that is true, based on the Bible. The church has sung for years, “Oh how I love Jesus…." But do we really know what that means? I am convinced that many Christians have no idea what it means to really love Jesus.
Loving Jesus is of paramount importance. So, let’s look at the distinguishing characteristics of a person who does.
1. He/She will keep His words or commandments. Unfortunately, we make loving Jesus more difficult than it truly is. I John 5:3 says that “His commandments are not grievous. All that is require to really love Jesus is to simply do what He says. Living for Jesus gets easier the more that you do it. Repetition is the mother of learning, and the more that you do anything, the better you become at it.
2. He/She will lay down their lives for Him. Jesus says in John 15:13-14 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.” So, Jesus gives a clear line of demarcation as to those who love him and those who don’t. Ask yourself this question: Do I obey His Word in every area of my life.? If you are honest, you will be able to answer that question with crystal clarity.
3. He/She will not love the world. I John 2:15 says “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
When we really love Jesus, we can expect these results :
1. Jesus and the Father will make their abode in us and manifest themselves. (John 14:21, 23) They will take up residence in our lives, and Jesus will reveal Himself to us in every situation that we encounter.
2. There will be progressive intimacy with Him. John 15:15 tells us that, if we love Him, we move from being a servant to a friend, and later Jesus calls us brethren. This is progressive intimacy.
3. More assistance through the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17, 26)
In conclusion, I ask the same question: Do we really love Jesus?
If you have identified that you don’t, I want to encourage you to start. By doing so, you give Him avenues by which to manifest Himself in your life, and you will walk in the “Fullness of the Blessing” this year.
By
Dr. Orlando Burt
Loving Jesus is of paramount importance. So, let’s look at the distinguishing characteristics of a person who does.
1. He/She will keep His words or commandments. Unfortunately, we make loving Jesus more difficult than it truly is. I John 5:3 says that “His commandments are not grievous. All that is require to really love Jesus is to simply do what He says. Living for Jesus gets easier the more that you do it. Repetition is the mother of learning, and the more that you do anything, the better you become at it.
2. He/She will lay down their lives for Him. Jesus says in John 15:13-14 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.” So, Jesus gives a clear line of demarcation as to those who love him and those who don’t. Ask yourself this question: Do I obey His Word in every area of my life.? If you are honest, you will be able to answer that question with crystal clarity.
3. He/She will not love the world. I John 2:15 says “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
When we really love Jesus, we can expect these results :
1. Jesus and the Father will make their abode in us and manifest themselves. (John 14:21, 23) They will take up residence in our lives, and Jesus will reveal Himself to us in every situation that we encounter.
2. There will be progressive intimacy with Him. John 15:15 tells us that, if we love Him, we move from being a servant to a friend, and later Jesus calls us brethren. This is progressive intimacy.
3. More assistance through the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17, 26)
In conclusion, I ask the same question: Do we really love Jesus?
If you have identified that you don’t, I want to encourage you to start. By doing so, you give Him avenues by which to manifest Himself in your life, and you will walk in the “Fullness of the Blessing” this year.
By
Dr. Orlando Burt
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