Tag Archives: glory

Guided by the Holy Spirit – Acts 16:6-10

Posted on by
Reply

In Acts 16:6-10 we see throughout the passage Paul and Silas are constantly guided by the Holy Spirit.  They have allowed themselves to be open to the guidance of the Spirit, and when the Spirit then gave Paul a vision, they didn’t sit back, trying to decide if they should do anything about it, they simply got up and went!  They obeyed the Holy Spirit and went on to preach the Good News to many who were saved.

Last night at our Lifegroup, we looked further into the sermon that Phil preached on Sunday (I am posting in Fellowship some the rest of my notes on the sermon in the near future). A large emphasis of what we talked about was about the Holy Spirit, and how He strengthens us and guides us, as well as enables us to grow in Him. Looking then at today’s Our Daily Bread reading, I was surprised that Ephesians 2:22 has popped up again (Sunday, Thursday and now Friday)! As you may have read from previous posts, I believe the Lord will repeat Himself as much as it takes so that we will sit up and listen.

22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

The Holy Spirit does live inside us.  Before Jesus death, the only place for God’s Glory was the Holy of Holy’s in the temple at Jerusalem, and yet when Jesus died, the temple curtain was ripped in half, Jesus rose from the grave, and the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples and has continued to be poured out across the world.  The Holy Spirit is there as our guide, like in this passage in Acts.  We need to listen carefully to what He says, and be obedient to His guidance.  If we feel we must share the Gospel with a random person on the street, then we should do so, ignoring the old human fears and impulses, but just trusting in the Lord and His Holy Spirit.  You may only plant a seed, but one day that seed with burst forth life.

Living in a state of obedience to the Holy Spirit is really quite exciting, as we are no longer living a life that we plan out for ourselves!  We are living a life where we don’t know where the Holy Spirit is going to take us next.  That is not to say we shouldn’t try to plan our careers etc, but we should lean heavily on the Holy Spirit for guidance to make the right career choices, family choices, etc.  I pray that I can be as faithful as Paul and Silas and that I will recognise the Holy Spirits voice when He calls and points me in directions, that sometimes I may not want to go.  And I pray that in those situations that the Lord will be Glorified.

Simple – 2 Corinthians 4:1-7

Posted on by
Reply

In verse 1 we are called to spread the message.  A reminder of the great commission in Matthew 28:16-20.

…we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’ s con

science in the sight of God. (NIV)

Verse 2 we are advised in how we can do this.  We see an emphasis on not steering away from the Word of God.  We shouldn’t add to the message for convenience or effect to try and win souls for the Lord, or even to boost ourselves.  We should rely on whole heartedly on His word.  Keeping what we say simple, easy to understand of which anyone can then understand.

I think of times when I have shared the gospel with someone and have often forgotten that some people do not know all the “religious” words and abbreviations I have learnt from years of growing up in a Christian family.  So that may be a bad example, and I think this passage is warning too more importantly on changing the meaning of what the Word is saying.  It is important we take it as truth and do not try and change it to our own agenda.  Our agenda should be Gods agenda, for His Glory.

I think from verse 3, if we are to disguise or hide the true meaning of the word, by false representation or over complicating what we are trying to communicate, then the truth will not be apparent to those who are listening and potentially souls could be lost whom simply needed to hear the simple honest truth that would soften their heart.

Verse 5 again emphasises communicating the truth, after all a preacher doesn’t (or shouldn’t) stand speak in the church about himself the entire service!  Jesus Christ is the Word, the Word is Truth.  It is truth that will win souls and advance Gods Kingdom.

Verses 6-7.  God has shone His light into our hearts so that we can understand and believe.  It is our duty to let Him shine through us so that others too may be brought out of the darkness of sin, disbelief and slavery and into His glorious light.

Keeping the message simple, without adding or taking away helps us communicate easily to those who do not yet believe what the Lord would want them to know.  I pray that the Lord will bless us with the right words, and the ability to sense when we may need to go into a little more detail with someone, or simply step back and make it clearer.  We have such a responsibility to be shining examples of His Glory that others may be saved, and I pray that the Lord will continue to pour His Holy Spirit into our lives to build us up, give us strength and wisdom.  Amen.

Going Green – Genesis 2:1-15

Posted on by
2

Whenever I read a passage of scripture, I see things in the scripture that I feel I need to learn, or that touches me. The amazing advantage to reading an extra devotional like the Word For Today or Our Daily Bread to complement the reading, is you get to see how other people have understood the messages contained, and they can sometimes offer a perspective I would not have considered. Today’s struck home.

Home? Home can be where we live, the house, or piece of land. It could be as the old saying goes, “where the heat is” (ie out parents house). Wherever we physically live, or refer to as home the fact is the Lord provided the earth for us to live on.

Think of the family who take care

of their gardens at the front and back of their homes, ensuring the plants are watered, the grass is green and the area is clean and free from weeds. The Lord gave us a job to do, similar to the gardener tending the gardens at his home, however our Garden is the planet we live on.

15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. (NLT)

We have a responsibility to our creator to tend to the earth, keeping it healthy and glorious. The earth is God’s amazing beautiful creation and for us to neglect it is offensive to God.

I have made half hearted efforts to recycle, and cut down my car journeys, but this morning, I am feeling very challenged to really research the implications of “Going Green” and begin to answer the call of “watching over” the planet, Gods amazing workmanship.

Direction – Proverbs 16:1-9

Posted on by
Reply

Proverbs is full of wise words. I’m going to go through line by line noting what I feel the Lord is telling me per verse;

1 We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. (NLT)

Its true! We can have a perfectly laid out plan for the day, and yet nothing seems to go the way we planned it! Is it just bad planning

? Are we incredibly unlucky, or is it God determining our steps giving us opportunities to share Him with others, to show others how His children react in certain situations, thus witnessing into their lives?

I love the example in the Our Daily Bread reading of a choir that turned up to an old peoples home on the wrong day, only to be asked to sing therefore at one of the residents funeral thus witnessing into the lives of those who attended! Their plan had gone wrong but the result was something that enabled them to glorify the Lord.

2 People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. (NLT)

There are many times we can convince ourselves how good we are, and how well we are doing. We loose sight of the Lord, and our motives can become self pleasing. We need to make sure we don’t become proud and do things for our own gain. The Lord as in this verse examines our motives and act accordingly.

3 Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.

(NLT)

When we commit our actions to the Lord that will help advance His kingdom and give Him the glory, we will succeed.

4 The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster. (NLT)

First of all no one is exempt from Gods plans, or from His judgement. The actions of the wicked eventually lead to destruction and death.

5 The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished. (NLT)

Pride is the opposite to what God wants for us. It gives ourselves credit for things we have achieved, and done. It throws all the good works the Lord has done for us back in His face. Pride is a serious issue in anyones lives. If we are struggling with it, we need to humble ourselves, and give it all to the Lord.

6 Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil. (NLT)

Since I came back to the Lord, a healthy fear of Him has developed in my heart. An understanding that he is our almighty, powerful God. It makes sin a far less attractive option in life, and when I do it leads me to throw myself at His mercy seeking his grace and forgiveness. We shouldn’t act as children, seeing how far we can push our parents, but we should be humble, God fearing, seeking to do what pleases Him. Remembering that the hold of sin has been broken by Jesus death on the cross. Thank you Lord.

7 When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them. (NLT)

There is always going to be an enemy, for to Satan, we are a problem to him! However when our lives please the Lord, even our enemies will not be able to deny what our Mighty God is doing in our lives!

8 Better to have little, with godliness, than to be rich and dishonest. (NLT)

I have said this in a past reading, wealth and riches don’t last for an eternity. The love of God lasts forever as will those who believe and come into His kingdom. Treasures in Heaven also do not have the same fate as earthly treasure, therefore if we live lives pleasing to the Lord, committing ourselves to His will, His plans, His Glory, we can humbly look forward to riches in heaven as our reward. These are unlikely to be gold and jewels, but riches that we can not understand in our earthly form! I can’t wait!

9 We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. (NLT)

This verse sums up this group nicely. The Lord is in control. He has a plan for our lives. Even though we make plans for the days and weeks, the Lord will direct us even in such a way where our own plans fly out of the window!

Shine your light – Matthew 5:13-16

Posted on by
Reply

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father“. (NLT)

I am immediately reminded of being humble and not going good deeds so that others will see…  Surely this is a contradiction?  Not at all!  There are 2 motives for letting your good deeds “shine out for all to see”.  Firstly some people like attention. They like others to admire them, to be impressed and to talk about them.  They like to project an image of themselves to others that creates a picture of perfection etc.

The other motive to “shine” is to Glorify God.  Looking straight away at this short passage, it is obviously not saying, “Shine your light so you will look good and others will talk about you and envy you”!!  It is saying that any good deeds you do, give all the Glory

to God.  Doing the things he requests of us, humbly, without grumbling is a perfect way to shine.  What would Jesus do can be applied to our actions each and every time.  By doing that we don’t need to announce in a loud voice what we have done, as our actions and they way we go about things is so much more a better witness to those looking on.  When people see a Christian really living for the Lord, they can see that its the Lord at work, and He gets the Glory.

An example of issues I have had to work on myself include speeding and gossip!!  For speeding I placed a fish symbol in the back of my car, and I now have a responsibility to ensure I obey the law ensuring I stick to the correct speed limits, and gracious and safe.  For gossip my WWJD band even reminds me of “what would Jesus say”, and I have found that if you think that there is something that you are unsure is right to say as it could be gossip or upsetting, then hold your tongue!

I pray the Lord will strengthen us in all the areas of our lifes that we struggle with, and will enable us to shine in everything we do giving Him the glory.  Amen