David Wilkerson Killed in Car Crash

David Wilkerson Killed in Car Crash

Random Reflections

Genesis 27:34-36 34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!” 35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” 36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob ? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”

When we speak we are unable to take back our words.  Even when we speak in error, the words have left our mouths, so we must be mindful of our words.  In Esther, the kings decree had already gone out and could not be repealed.  They had to write another decree to have any hope.  My friend just shared with me this week about Jesus and the fig tree.  When He cursed the fig tree, it did not immediately shrivel up, but at the moment the words left His mouth, it was done.  The evidence came later.
I'm finding that there is merit in controlling my mouth.  Proverbs 17:28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.   This controlling of my mouth is from idle words, misplaced blessings and curses, foolish words, gossip, and other words.  The Lord has really been ministering to me and I'm finding that holding my tongue is often times better than if I were to speak.
What comes out of my mouth is obviously an issue, but the Lord has also been dealing with what I put into my mouth.  I have eaten without restraint.  It wasn't until I began to document what I should eat and compare it with what I do eat that I was amazed.  In just a few days of restraint on what goes in, I have lost weight.  I began limiting what I eat and making sure that it is nutritionally balanced.  The interesting thing is that I am satisfied with smaller portions when I get complete nutrition.  Obesity is not of God!  Even Daniel and his colleagues proved that eating right is good.  Instead of the "choicest" food from the king's table, they ate vegetables.  They proved wiser and surprised the king.  Wow, what goes in my mouth and what comes out of it both need to be bridled.
Another thing that has really been on my mind since I heard it was a comment from a wonderful Christian whom I believe is following God wholeheartedly.  The comment was something like, "Well, it has nothing to do with the ministry that God called me to do, so I really have nothing to do with it."  It was spoken in regard to another Christian entity.  I've heard similar comments before.  Isn't this His Kingdom?  Shouldn't we be in unity?  If your gift is evangelism, does that mean you pay no attention to the prophet?  If your gift is prophecy, does that mean you pay no attention to the gift of helps?  I remember when the previous pope passed away.  I am not catholic, but I felt compelled to pray for the incoming pope that God would place the right person in that position.  I shared this with a few other believers who share much of my understanding of the Bible and one of them made some comments that I don't remember clearly except that the tone was unkind.  They felt that the pope had little importance, possibly because he wasn't over our church.

Mark 9:38-41 38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” 39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me,40 for whoever is not against us is for us.  41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly be rewarded.

Jesus said that no one comes to the Father except through Him, and that is key.  If your church offers another option to go to heaven by some other means, then reexamine.  Jesus warns that there will be those who come claiming to be the messiah, and those are false messiah's.  If you are going in Jesus' name and knowing that He is the ONLY way, then you are considered the church.  When Jesus said that we are many parts, but one body, He wasn't just telling each congregation that they were a body, but the church as a whole is one body, His body.  If the only spiritual food we receive is from the pulpit on Sunday morning, open His Word and invest time into the knowledge of his Word.
Now what if a church/congregation/denomination is doing something morally wrong?  Unfortunately, that comes from the fall of man.  Man runs the church under God and man can be wrong.  We shouldn't send out bulk emails or run our mouths about the sin of another church.  In the book of Revelation, God speaks to 7 churches about their individual problems.  Apparently, He already knows about the problem.  Am I surprised?  No.  If I am not surprised that God knows and He is in control, then I shouldn't have reason to gossip about it in the form of a concern.  Neither should I discount the ministry of a megachurch or a small church or a certain type of ministry because of its category.  I should judge each by the Word of God and pray for issues that may come into the light.  My own church has had to make course corrections because we've done things wrong.  I pray that corrections happen across the body of Christ when mistakes are recognized. 
This leads to the final reflection for the day.  Even as I type this, I have people, and churches and examples in mind as I'm sure any reader may have.  This is not directed toward them.  God is changing my heart even today.  He has ministered to me in ways I have never before thought necessary.  He keeps asking, "Do you trust Me?"  Similar to when Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him.  My answer is, "Of course."  He keeps asking me, though.  He then showed me that in the same way He is dealing with me, He is dealing with His bride.  I believe that this is a time of awakening for believers everywhere and it is not what I say or think about someone that will change them.  His kindness leads us to repentance.  He is dealing gently with each of us right now.  This is seriously important.  I have no idea the conversations that anyone else is having with God right now and I cannot presume to.  He has all things in His control.  My interjections are not going to change things for those I am concerned about.  My prayers, however, will.  If He gives me words, then I will go and speak, but my fired up opinions and words are like stones in my hand.
Father, guard my mouth.  Guide what I put into it and guard what comes out of it.  Guard my mind and my thoughts that they may be directed only toward you.  Help me to love your people.  Help me to not misrepresent Your word or think more highly of myself than I ought.  Help me to take my place in Your body and support the rest with my eyes open.  Help me to trust You to complete the works that you've began in all of us that You have called Your own.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen

Any scripture quoted here is from the TNIV c 2005

The Plank... really?

Matthew 7:1-4  1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?4 How can you say, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from the other person’s eye.

Usually when I feel upset, my first response is to call someone who will understand the situation.  I really am concerned for someone that I love and I call a mutual friend to get their take on the situation.  My flaw is easily seen in those 2 sentences.
Instead of making my first call to God in prayer, I contemplate the situation and run scenarios through my head.  I plan and scheme what I should do, then I call for a second opinion from a friend.  When I finally get around to talking with God, I get an answer that I am not always prepared for.
I appreciate this friend of mine because he speaks truth in love.  While we did rant a bit, he finally said to one of my comments: "You know that really is not any of our business."  Wow, that is true.  And, his first comments were, "I have noticed too and it bugs me, but I don't know what we should do.  All I can suggest is that we pray."  Right again!  We chatted for a while and then signed off.
I finally took the matter to the Lord.  He brought to my memory some of the answers that I recently received when inquiring about other situations recently.  On one hand, I learned that I am jealous of others.  OUCH!  I also heard that I need to take care of my own issues and He will take care of everyone else's personality issues just as He is taking care of mine.  Even as I made the recent phone call to discuss my "concern" for another, I kept hearing this song from a Bible Man DVD of my son's.  "I'm the Queen of Gossip."  I know people who are a lot worse than me in jealousy and gossiping and the other thing is that I really am concerned about my friend.
The point of this all is that I have not put my trust fully in God to handle certain situations in my life as well as those I love.  When I hung up the phone, I distinctly heard in my spirit, "why concern yourself with the speck in someone else's eye when you have a plank in your own."  You've got to be kidding me!  I surely don't have a plank in my eye, do I?  Apparently I do have a problem.  It is a trust problem.  He want's me to trust Him and I need to do just that.  There are some things that I need to just lift to Him.
I know that most of the things that I've been putting as major are just things.  Francesca Battistelli just released a new song called, "This is the stuff."  Really, this is a song that ministers to me in the midst of my stuff.  So I conclude with a portion of the lyrics.

This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

So break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation
It's not the end of the world
Oh Oh Oh

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmania.com/this_is_the_stuff_lyrics_francesca_battistelli.html
All about Francesca Battistelli: http://www.musictory.com/music/Francesca+Battistelli

Missed Opportunities

I just started doing yet another time-wasting activity.  It is Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook.  Today as I was playing the Lord showed me something that I often do in life.  I miss an opportunity for the best.  There are chances for me to let the game line up 5 + gems in a row which would be a great score, but I am busy trying to hope that my little line-up will amount to something.  I arrange what I think I can, to prepare for what could be and not what will be.  Shortly, something falls down on the other side and breaks up my plan and then I see where I should have been looking in the first place.
How many times do I make plans to do my own thing in life and miss out on the plans God has for me?  I try to make something work that isn't going to work no matter what I try.  Jesus didn't even do His own thing.  He waited and watched Father and did only what He saw Father doing.  He left His place of glory to dwell among man.  While He was fully God, he was also fully man.  A paradox I will not understand in this lifetime.  He could have tried to line things up differently as he prepared to go to the cross.  He KNEW that is what had to happen for me to see Father and He chose to go through with it.  His words in the garden were, "Not my will..."  That is amazing.  He chose to endure that temporary separation from the Godhead and even cried out, "why have You forsaken me?"  The torment of his flesh at that moment caused this cry even though He knew the truth.  He was following through with the plan He and Father and Holy Spirit devised from the beginning to redeem His beloved bride.  He never missed an opportunity to do Father's will.
Father is doing much in this day and in this time.  I don't want to miss it!  I don't want to lose out on an opportunity to bring glory to His name.  I have failed time and time again to do what is right because I was trying to line the wrong sequence up.  I want to be aligned in His ways and watch to see where He is moving.  One of the hardest things for me to do is say, "I will wait for You to move."  Not just that I would say that, but truly wait on Him.

Freely Give

Matthew 10:7-8   7 "As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."  Jesus shared this with His disciples just after calling them.  So many times I have heard this in my head or somewhere in a teaching.  The part I hear is freely you have received, so freely give.  I didn't give it much more thought.  I took it for a generosity scripture.  Jesus was commissioning His disciples to go out in His name.  The context is not just in possessions, but I'm sure that is not completely wrong to think of it in that light.  The items listed in vs 8 are signs and wonders.  Tell them the Kingdom is at hand and then go out them and perform miracles.  You have received them, so give them away.  

It is His desire that we follow Him and do what He does.  He did what He saw Father doing.  These verses tell the what while the following verses tell the how.  Jesus expected His disciples to succeed and He gave them a demonstration and a few chances to get it right.

This is something I've pondered into this night.  I've made up excuses of why this doesn't pertain to me today, but they are just excuses.  Again I say, "I am Yours, God.  Do with me as you wish."