Today Reminder - 22 November 2013 (Day 16 - A Life of Change)

A reminder for today

“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)

I must say it: “It’s Friday again!” Wow, this week seemed to fly past us even though it was filled with challenges. The end of November stares us in the face and we still have so much to do for this current project. It is funny how the devil will always try and stir up fear within us and make us think we are unable to succeed so that we lose hope and trust. I believe that with God all things are possible and even if it seems that the burden is more than the time remaining, I know that the Lord will not let us fail. Our wisdom and strength comes from Him and this means we should stop worrying and keep on focussing.

Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this – Now this is so awesome. In fact this is exactly why God made Esther queen, so that she can save her people. My dear friend, it is my privilege to remind you today that you are where you are for just such a time as this. You are wonderfully made and positioned in life so that you can save people. Did you know that? Did you know that this amazing responsibility lies on you to carry the gospel in your heart wherever you go? Yes you! You are chosen to be God’s representative. Now don’t frown and don’t fear. You are the one that will show people how to walk on water and to calm the storms in our lives. Yes, you will heal people and let the blind see. You will open the eyes of the lost and break the grip of the enemy on the lives of those who do not know Jesus and those who seem to have forgotten Him. Why do I say this? 

Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! (John 14:11-14)

Do I need to say more than this? Do you need more confirmation than that from the Lord? Now remember this:

"I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

Yes you! You are to go and make disciples and teach them to obey the commands the Lord gave us. Do you remember those, they are based on love. "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:38-40) And fear nothing my friend – no impossible challenges, no creeping timelines, no overload of work, no personal problems, no sickness, no pain and no enemy, because be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 21 November 2013 (Day 15 - A Life of Change)

A reminder for today

And "don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27)

How are you today my dear friend? How are you coping with your anger? I must say that this week has been a challenging week leaving me upset at a number of times. After I wrote to you about anger yesterday it remained in my head and I decided to explore the matter a little. You see I wondered if there are good and bad anger, because God is angered. We read about God’s anger and His wrath many times during our study of the Old Testament in the last few months. When is anger needed and when is it wrong?

According to Mike Obsatz there are eight types of anger:

Chronic anger -- ongoing resentment toward others and life in general

Volatile anger -- comes and goes, builds to rage, explodes as physical or verbal aggression

Judgmental anger -- critical statements are made which belittle, shame, or correct other, done with disdain

Passive anger -- expressed indirectly through sarcasm, or being late, or avoiding a situation

Overwhelmed anger -- arises when people can't handle their life circumstances, and lash out to relieve stress or pain

Retaliatory anger -- directed to a person to get back at them for something that they did or said

Self-inflicted anger -- may result in hurting oneself emotionally or physically -- negative self-talk, starvation, eating or drinking to excess

Constructive anger -- using anger to make some positive difference, such as becoming involved in a cause or movement for positive change

I believe that there are two types of anger: a good anger and a bad anger. Let us look at the bad one first. The first type of anger is sinful. It fits into the list of sins in Galatians 5:20 that people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. We can say that it is the temperament of some to be short and more easily angered but it is also the sign of an unsaved person. The sign of someone who is an angry man, woman, or child is evidenced by hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, envy, murders, and revelries. Let us ask ourselves about how often these are evidenced in our lives? We might be right to look at murder and focus on the big stuff but what about contention, outbursts, or revelries? Revelries are speaking evil of other people. These are all evidences of an unholy and ungodly person.

The Bible declares an angry person as proud, foolish, and unrighteous. Scoffer/Mockers are proud and haughty; they act with boundless arrogance. (Proverbs 21:24) Webster’s dictionary defines scoffer/mocker is someone who “shows contempt by derisive acts or language. In other words laughs at others in mocking or ungodly manner. The Bible also reveals someone who is easily angered is foolish. Ecclessiastes 7:9 also says that anger rests in the “bosom” of fools. Again in Proverbs; “People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness. (Proverbs 14:29).” Wrath or anger forces us to make poor decisions based off of our emotions. It is impulsive behaviour that gets us into trouble. James also tells us that the wrath of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. As a Christian we should avoid such behaviour.

The second type of anger is righteous anger. This is anger in regards to sin and ungodliness.” All who fear the LORD will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.” (Proverbs 8:13) Being angry at sin is being described here. It is what every Christian should feel towards evil. Rather than being angered from a sin nature we should be angered toward ungodliness in ourselves. 

God is also angered by sin. Just do a study on anger and you will find that God is not happy with ungodliness. This doesn’t justify being upset at people or to be a constantly wrathful person toward sinners. The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. (Psalms 103:8) Remember that Jesus died for our sins so that we can be free from that burden. Though anger can be present in a Christian it should be few and far between.

So there you have it. Even though anger is needed at times it is not something that should control us nor should we get angry just to make a point. I want to end with referring back to Ephesians 4 – Don’t let anger control you, but instead control your emotions so that you do not get angry and lose control of your words. Do not allow the devil to use anger to get a foothold in your life. Let us defeat him by following God’s example. Let us be slow to anger and let us be filled with unfailing love.

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 20 November 2013 (Day 14 - A life of Change)

A reminder for today

When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. (Esther 3:5)

It is Wednesday and the week is rushing past us as end of the year gets closer and closer. What are your plans for the Christmas holidays? Are you going away or are you at home for Christmas? This time of the year can be quite challenging. We are in the midst of a huge project and challenges at work seem to get the better of us at times. It is interesting how tiny things can fire up emotions and anger and how quickly people can turn from good to bad. Anger is such a great tool used by the enemy to bring distance between us and God and it is so well used especially in this time of the year. 

Why do we get angry? I believe that anger is directly related to selfishness and self-idolising. You see we get angry when things are not going our way and this means that our own needs are placed ahead of other or ahead of God’s plan. When we deem our own self more important than the needs of other we are starting to idolise ourselves. Haman had a huge problem with self-idolising. He wanted to be important and he wanted everyone to know it and respect him for it. Mordecai did not show respect by bowing to Haman and this enraged Haman so much that he plotted to kill Mordecai and destroy all the Jews. So in one selfish act Haman wanted to hurt a lot of people. Isn’t this what we do? If we do not get our way we become irritated and say things we would normally not say. When we are selfish in that way, we protect our need for self-idolising by hurting other with our words. My dear friend, words can cut deeper than a sword and the marks of words can last much longer than the marks left by a sword. A cut left by a sword heals over time, but cuts left by words can last forever.

Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. (Ephesians 4:29)

But the words you speak come from the heart—that's what defiles you. (Matthew 15:18)

And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you." (Matthew 12:36-37)

And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish,but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! (James 3:4-10)

Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. (Proverbs 12:18)

Dear Lord, please help us in what we say each day. Let our words not leave marks, but instead let our words bring healing. Let our words honour You in every conversation and let those we speak to be blessed by our words. Let us not harbour anger but let us defeat anger by listening to your voice and seeking your guidance, Lord. Please give us the wisdom to say only what is good and appropriate in every occasion and let the words of our mouths bring freedom to our emotions. In Jesus name.

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 19 November 2013 (Day 13 - A Life fo Change)

A reminder for today

All the king’s officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect. (Esther 3:2)

How are you my dear friend and how have you been? How was your weekend and did you survive Monday? It is always interesting how a Monday can start with so many issues all at once and how we can so quickly be pulled into this stream and before we know it we are much further down than we thought. I love Mondays, they always have so many surprises and I am often amazed at God’s hand in helping me through all these surprises. I always believe that these issues in life are there to humble me and to remind me that I am reliant on God and that nothing I do comes from me but it all comes from God who graciously blesses me with my abilities and all my talents.

It is in making me humble that I often realise if we submit to issues and allow problems to get the better of us we submit to their power over us. Mordecai refused to bow down and show respect to Haman for he was a Jew and God was the only one he bowed down to. This is so important for is in our journey towards a life of change. We should not submit and bow down to anything other than our Lord. Nothing should take God’s place in our lives and nothing should come between us. 

My dear friend, let us face this day with all that awaits us giving glory to God by not allowing anything to bring us down but to stand and fight. The Lord is our strength and with Him we are able to overcome anything. 

Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. (Romans 12:4-8)

Come my dear friend and let us honour God with our talents and with everything that we do. Do not let the challenges force us to submit, but let us force our challenges to submit to us. Whatever we do today, let us do it well and gladly for our Lord for He will rescue us and set us free.

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 18 November 2013 (Day 12 - A Life of Change)

A reminder for today

Movies depict the Ark of the Covenant as the most fascinating ancient artifact a treasure hunter might hope to uncover. That may be right. The gold-plated Ark, decorated with carvings of heavenly creatures called cherubim, was a chest upon which God’s glory rested in Old Testament days. It was how God chose to have a unique presence among his people, the Israelites. To find it would indeed be a priceless discovery.

But I think what the Bible tells us about the Ark is even more valuable than the Ark itself: We who put our faith in Jesus today have God’s presence with us in an even better way—through his Holy Spirit in us. The old Ark can teach us about the joys and demands of living close to God. After all, it was the Ark of the Covenant—of the agreement between God and his people. We too made a pledge when we believed: that Jesus would be our Lord (see Romans 10:9). We need to know what covenantal life with God is supposed to be like.

The Ark contained three things. Each teaches us about an important part of life with God.

The Ten Commandments. The commandments, which were written on stone tablets, were a summary of God’s law. Obeying that law was at the heart of the covenant. The people promised, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey” (Exodus 24:7). Then they were splattered with blood to confirm their oath.

We who love Jesus must take a similar approach. We need to acknowledge that he makes the rules, and we must work hard to obey him. Jesus said, “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me” (John 14:21). So obeying God’s commands is central to life with him.

A jar of manna. Manna was the bread-like food from heaven that God sent six days a week to feed his people in the desert. His purpose was to teach them to humbly trust him day after day not only for basic needs but for everything they might achieve: “He did all this so that you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy’” (Deuteronomy 8:17).

We too must look to God for absolutely everything we need and hope for. We must rely constantly on him, not our own strength. We must learn to say, “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). Depending daily on God is also central to life with him.

Aaron’s staff. The staff went into the Ark after some of the people rebelled against Moses and his brother, Aaron, whom God had appointed as leaders. To show his support, God caused Aaron’s walking stick to sprout leaves, blossoms, and ripe almonds. The staff became a warning against complaints and bitterness, and a reminder that God requires a submissive attitude.

We too must be submissive. This is more than just obeying clear commands of God when we “have to.” It means eagerly tuning our lives to the drumbeat of the Bible and the needs and guidance of our fellow believers, especially appointed leaders. Submission means wanting God to have his way and being willing for others to get their way—and wanting this more than we our own desires: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). A submissive attitude is central to life with God.

It’s important that I remember these three characteristics of life with God, because I naturally resist each of them. I don’t like to obey. I prefer to depend on myself. I want my own way.

Because of this—because of the things inside the Ark and how I often fail to do what they teach me—I also need to remember what was on the outside of the Ark. You see, the Ark was kept closed. Its contents were hidden from view. Except when it was traveling, even the Ark itself was seen only once a year by a priest who dipped his finger in blood, which he sprinkled on the Ark’s cover. The blood came from an animal sacrifice that represented payment “for the sins the people had committed” (Hebrews 9:7).

No one who caught a glimpse of the Ark ever saw the Ten Commandments. Or the manna. Or Aaron’s staff. Instead, splattered on the gold and around the cherubim, they saw the blood.

The only way you and I can bear the requirements of our covenant with God is by the blood offered for us. Jesus shed his blood to take the punishment for our sins. If animal blood on the Ark could cleanse sinners, “just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God” (Hebrews 9:14).

I doubt that the Ark or the artifacts inside it will ever be found. I can’t imagine that God would let that happen, given how they were mere shadows of better things to come. But I still dare to learn from the Ark. I dare to look hard at God’s commands, practice daily dependence on him, and work at submitting—because no matter how I might fail, I know I am not condemned. I can embrace all the demands of life with God because I see the blood.

(Lessons from the Lost Ark by Jack Klumpenhower)

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers