Day 159 - The Song of Heaven

Last year on this day I preached in the Spanish speaking church services at our church through an interpreter. From that experience I wrote the following:

"At the last song we were singing together, the congregation in Spanish and me in English, I got a picture of heaven where all tribes and tongues would be singing the songs of heaven in their own language. It was beautiful."

There will be a day, sooner than we know, when every tribe, every nation, every tongue will sing the song of Heaven. It will be in unison and will be glorious. All are welcome, many are called, few are chosen. But the faithful will be there. They will be robed in white and the praise of God will be their song. 

I look forward to that day and I pray for a worldwide outpouring of the Spirit that people would be saved. I pray that people from all over, from different cultures and diverse social and economic backgrounds would be reached. From the urbanized to the third world to the huts in the most remote jungle I pray they hear and respond to the gospel message. 

I long to see all the nations united by one blood, the blood of Jesus, singing the song of Heaven to His glory, honor and praise! 

What excites you about Heaven? How can we reach more people with the message of Jesus? 

Day 158 - New Levels

"We are going to a new level."

Life is a journey. Sometimes it is uphill and you go to a new level. Sometimes you backslide and it brings you down. There are also plateaus where you feel like nothing much is happening. 

The goal is to go onward and upward. It comes by choice. You decide your direction and destination. Don't be afraid to tell people your intent. Pray and commit it to God. Agree on it with your spouse. Involve your friends and family in it. There is accountability to what you have spoken. 

It also comes by consistency. You have to stay focused on your direction and continue in it. If you abandon your goals you won't make it there by accident. You have to keep at your course until you make it. 

A year after writing this statement I believe it has come to pass. We made the choice and stayed consistent. We are lifting our sights for the next year to come. We are going to a new level. 

Why is it hard to choose life direction sometimes? What keeps us from being consistent?

Day 157 - Missed Opportunities

"I took all the kids home and then prepared for the wedding I had tonight. The wedding was at a golf course. The groom was a nice guy. While we were waiting to go to the lakeside for the ceremony he saw a golfer he knew that was a doctor. The doctor asked him why he was there and he replied it was for his wedding. The doctors response was “Thanks for the invite!” All I could think was that it was a missed opportunity."

The old saying that hindsight is 20/20 is true. We all could look back and see missed opportunities. I know I have wished I would have dove into an opportunity or a deal. I have regretted staying silent when I could have spoken or wished I would have shut up instead of talking too much. 

Whatever the case may be how do we deal with missed opportunities? Are they final?

To some degree we have to accept that a missed opportunity is just that; missed. Oh well. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. But we can't sit and cry over spilled milk. We have to be mature about it and move forward. But now we have wisdom. 

Learn from the mistake. Looks or opportunities. Be in tune with the Holy Spirit and listen for His voice. Part of His job description is that He will show you things to come. If that is the case then you never have to miss another opportunity again. All you have to do is listen and do what He says. 

Have you missed an opportunity? How can we take advantage of when opportunity comes our way? 

Day 156 - God's Desire

"God desires faith in us." 

There is no other way to enter into relationship with God than by faith. There is no other way to please God than by faith. There is no other way to get things done on the earth than by faith.

God not only desires it in us He requires it of us. Right in the middle of a talk about eating vegetables or eating meat in the book of Romans the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle to write a small sentence with huge impact. He says "Everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23b)

Far be it from me to sin against God. That means that if I want to stay out of sin I must stay in faith. It may seem cruel because believing doesn't always come naturally to us so why require it? Here is why, sin comes natural to us. Doubt, fear and unbelief come naturally.

So how we start is how we will sustain and also how we will finish; in faith. God desires it.

How can we build faith? What are you believing God for right now?

Day 155 - Mess Ups

"I blew it this morning from the time I woke up."

I actually record in my journal two times I had to patch things up after an argument with my wife, one in front of our children. I also had to work with someone else on their issues and then that night preach in the pulpit. My message was called "Stop complaining". I was obviously preaching to myself. 

What is funny is that after the message it was confession time. I almost could've had a line and people taking a number. I didn't mind though because our confession is healthy for us. If we confess then God can work with us. Once we say "God I messed up, forgive me please!" His grace and mercy do the work of forgiving us and cleansing us. 

Don't try and hide or be prideful and never admit guilt. We are all mess ups and need the blood of Jesus to blot out our sin. Confess it to God, repent and make it right and then resist the temptation and the devil in the future. 

Have you ever had a day where you just seemed to be messing up all the time? What scriptures do we have to lean on for days like these? 

Day 154 - The Dinner Course

"Jess made an omelet this morning for me that was delicious. Then for lunch I made fish and salad. Then we had quesadilla and cereal for dinner."

I have noticed that on social media if you want to start a conversation and get people commenting all you have to do is post a picture of your food. People are passionate about food. Some people skip breakfast and some, like me, love breakfast. Some eat to live and some live to eat. 

Whatever your preference you are what you eat. It becomes a part of you and gives you the energy to do life. What you eat can hurt you or heal you. It is important to put good things in!

Similarly our spiritual life is governed by what we put in. Not only that we have to be consistent at it. A good meal in the morning and afternoon with a terrible meal for dinner is not going to cut it. You have to finish what you started. Consistency is what makes the difference. 

Make sure to consistently put in truth (whatever God says), goodness, grace, pure things, beauty, praiseworthy things, and anything healthy. There are multiple lists in the Bible of things that we can feed our souls and strengthen our spirits with. 

Just reading the dinner I had last year makes my stomach turn. We must have been tired or lazy. In any case that is the exception and not the rule. 

What do you like to eat? What spiritual food do you regularly eat? 

Day 153 - An Unprofitable Servant

"Inspired from Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotional for the day: They laid Jesus penniless in a borrowed grave. He had nothing in death. Friends had to purchase cloth to wrap him and lay him in their grave. How then can we pride ourselves against Him when He would stoop so low for us. Father forgive me for my presumptuous sins. I presume that I am too high and so great in faith that I forget what You gave for me. How rich I am at the expense of Christ! And yet would I hold on to anything?! Here Lord take all for your service. It is my reasonable service and all I have you gave me therefore I am an unprofitable servant. Let me only attend to your needs, wants, desires and pleasures."

Just this morning I was thinking along these lines and echoed King David's prayer: Who am I? And who is my family that You are so kind to us? 

God is so gracious and good that words fail to express how great He is. His goodness requires no less than my all in return, yet even my all is not sufficient for His kindness. 

What emotions come when you think about what God has done for you? How can we express our gratitude to Him?