Daily Wisdom

1Th 1:6 “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost (7) So that ye were examples to all that believe”

In Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica he applauded the zeal they fostered for Christ and their example to all about them. Christianity cannot be contagious without zeal. A man knowing anything about intimacy with Christ cannot stop speaking of it. (Rom 12:11 “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord).  Paul described their zeal as being an example by using the Greek word (tupoi) – meaning (to stamp, instrument to make a mark with). Christ did not come to impress us, but He was the instrument that made the impact for our eternal good.

Don’t look to make an impression, it will fade. Instead make an impact with Christ, it’s permanent… HSAY  

Daily Wisdom

Psa 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

Such a transformation requires giving-up the struggle and the fight; relax in the omnipotence of the Lord Jesus; look up into His lovely face and as you behold Him, He will transform you into His likeness. We do the beholding-He does the transforming. There is no short cut to His holiness.

The renewing of the mind and heart is a little like refinishing furniture. It involves taking off the old and replacing it with the new. The old is the lies the flesh and the devil perpetrate, and we believe; it’s the attitudes and ideas that invade our thoughts and become reality. The new is the truth! The promise of the Word of God that renews our thoughts and attitude in Christ-likeness and allows God to bring to light and expose the lies that we have mistakenly accepted and replace them with the truth. To the degree we do this, our behavior, worth and love will be transformed into Christ image.   

The same Jesus who turned water into wine can transform your home, your life and your tomorrow. He is still in the miracle-business, and His business is the business of transformation… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

Gen 17:1 “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.”

The Lord put before Abram a charge to walk before Him in perfectness (meaning completeness). In conjunction God promised five blessings towards Abram, stating “I will…”  But for clarity God is saying I have, meaning God’s will and promises are always complete and bring victory. The issue for us is this, are we willing to be the one who walks into them? Man will never thwart God’s perfect will, he can only thwart God’s will and victory working through them. God will, with or without us. Victory is found by those whose valor leads them to walk in the Lord’s will. The promise always lies a step ahead of us. No matter what we face we win in the Lord’s will. There are only two results by way of God’s promises, either we will live, or we will live, can’t lose!

Because God doesn’t answer our prayer our way, doesn’t mean He hasn’t answered our prayer anyway…HSAY

Daily Wisdom

Eph 4:16 “from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

God never intended for any of us to live the Christian life alone. At the mere mention of the word community though, people often eye you as if you’re an intruder in their life. To avoid thinking about community simply because we misunderstand it will deprive us of one of God’s greatest gifts. The idea of community is, in a sense, from another world, a world very unlike our own. Community is from the world as God wants it to be. It is the gift of a rich and challenging life together, one that we need and can receive with joy.

Christian community is the sharing a common life in Christ. It moves us beyond the self-interested isolation of private lives and beyond the superficial social contacts that pass for "Christian fellowship." The biblical ideal of community challenges us instead to commit ourselves to life together as children of God.

We know all too well that maturity takes time. We know less well that it also takes our sisters and brothers in Christ. It’s a process that is revealed in the "each other" language of the New Testament: Love one another, forgive each other, regard each other more highly than yourselves (Phl 2:3).  Teach and correct each other, encourage each other, pray for each other, and bear each other’s burdens (Gal 6:2). Be friends with one another, kind, compassionate, and generous in hospitality. Serve one another and submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Eph 5:21). This list just scratches the surface, but it is enough to remind us that we need the community of faith to grow up in Christ.

Christian community is the place of our continuing sanctification. Its goal is that, individually and together, we should mature (Gen 17:1), able to stand tall and straight with and among each other, embodying the very "fullness of Christ" as ambassadors to and for each other.

Sadly, to the world, Christian appear most skilled at shooting their own.

A Christians relationship with each other is the criteria the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful – Christian community is the final apologetic (defense) of God’s love… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

1 Jn 1:5 “… God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Jesus declares in (Jn 9:5) He is the light which is truth and manifest righteousness (Jn 3:21). Yet, (Jn 3:19) declares that man, by his fallen nature, are drawn to and love darkness. Light is reveling while darkness is suppressive, meaning one uncovers while the other covers-up. This is a truth or lie scenario, we cannot declare one and walk in the other (vs 6). Darkness cannot have fellowship with light! One path is unobstructed while the other causes us to stumble (Jn 11:10). Desiring truth requires one to walk in the light of it, in doing so others will be able to see the truth more clearly as well.

Walk in light, you never know who’s following you? Be confident someone is… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

Jn 1:46 “And Nathanael said unto him, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

Nathan was in considerable doubt of Philips claim, not that he had found the Messiah, but rather how anything good could forth out of Nazareth. Living four miles from Nazareth in Cana, Nathan was aware of their lack of morals, aloof attitude toward religion and overall reputation. If Nathan would’ve held to his prejudice and ignorant thoughts towards grace, he would’ve missed the Saviour. Don’t doubt the power of grace and the good it affords ourselves and others. It’s not about where one’s been but where their heading. One who looks to the past finds dreams of doubt; he who looks toward tomorrow awakes to the assurance that God’s goodness promises us hope in any occasion.  

Pay attention to your Creator and not your critic’s, one offers hope the other hurt… HSAY 

Daily Wisdom

Joh 1:38a “Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye...”

If you find what you’re looking for then you don’t have to look any longer. Notice that Jesus asked Andrew “what seek ye?”  That question, while the simplest, is deeply profound! In Andrew’s first encounter he was challenged in deciding if he was looking for the answer or an answer? For Andrew he found the answer and was quick to tell his brother Peter as well (vs 41). Answering such a question, “Why follow me?” in our own life is just as profound in determining our relationship with Jesus. Is Jesus an option for our life challenges or the answer? If we turn away from His will when life gets difficult, Jesus is just an option and not your final answer!

Following Jesus because it feels good will lead to one falling away when life feels bad… HSAY