Blessed are those who hunger and thirst

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" Matthew 5:6.

In the society we live in we are prompted to hunger after many things. Be that material gain, career, self esteem, acceptance, wealth, power, or security to name a few. We are busy and actively promoting or serving a cause, a system; society has so orchestrated life so and it is natural to follow.

Yet, at the end of the day, when the lights are out and its quiet and you are left to yourself what do you find? Are you empty? Has the new this or that satisfied, brought contentment, or set the essence of yourself at peace?

For to understand hunger and thirst one must experience both; one must recognize the need. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Jesus is saying that we are blessed when we desire and crave Him; when we trust and obey Him.

Jesus promised to fulfill our longings, to end our hunger and our thirst; to complete us if we follow him, the Lamb of God (Rev. 7:16-17).

How do we follow Jesus? How do we follow anything? We seek it out, we research, we set our mind on Him; He becomes our focus, our need, and our desire.

Seek Jesus and find peace, contentment, and life, life so full, so abundant, and so very, very rewarding!

Blessed are the meek

“Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth” Matthew 5:5

Meekness is not weakness but rather a strength of heart and character that refuses to use its given power to the hurt or destruction of another. Meekness is humility wrapped in mercy and forgiveness. For a meek person will not shout from the roof tops its own glory but with restraint will purposely give the glory to another. Meekness is content with blessing others, giving to others, and residing contently in the back ground.

The meek inherit the earth for God has so worked on their character as to instill in them a rule of righteousness and not tyranny. King David showed meekness when Saul threw the spears but he did not throw them back and again when Absalom gained the reigns of the kingdom but David trusted in the Lord.

Meekness believes that God ultimately rules and reigns in the affairs of mankind; that God sets up one to reign and brings down another. All not from any ability of the person but because God has so decided for His ultimate plan and glory.

Today, can you trust that God is in control? Can we not scratch and claw our way towards the top but rather be content and faithful in the place or position that God has so given us? Can we show mercy and grace to another when we have knowledge and the ability to ruin another?

Blessed are those who mourn

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” Matthew 5:4

Has the Holy Spirit inside of you ever mourned? Have you ever looked around you and seen the filth of this world? Have you seen the wrecking ball of sin and Satan crush individuals, families, and friends? Have you stopped and looked inside your own heart and seen what thrives there?

If you've seen these then the Spirit of your soul mourns. You sense a deep weeping within of the suffering, the misery, the bondage surrounding you. There's this abiding grief at the onslaught of sins destruction and the broken lives left in its path.

If you stay there, if you live and dwell on such mourning it will consume you but God's provided us a Comforter who reminds us and guides us and carries us towards prayer.

Not a prayer for miseries end but that such pain will prompt hearts to look outward and upward. Often we pray not because we mourn not. The sights, sounds, and frills around us have us giddy; we are distracted by the idols and pleasures of this world; we are consumed by the getting and not the giving. Where are the men and women of God who cry and weep and shudder in mourning, in prayer, and in the fear of Almighty God?

For in the book of James we are reminded: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners: and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4: 8-10).

We are comforted although we mourn... We are joyful and yet we weep... We are led to share despite our apprehensions, despite the obstacles, and despite the cost the Good News of Christ our Lord! (Psalm 38:6).

Happy are the spiritually poor

People talk of happiness often but I'm not sure if they understand what happiness is. Is happiness a 1950s setting with the picture perfect house, little white fence, immaculate flower garden, with a family beaming with continual smiles?

Is happiness the biggest house, the sports car, the boat, and shining career? Is happiness based on materialism?

Or is true happiness something more...

Jesus said "happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!" (Matt. 5:3)

Are you spiritually poor? Do you have a need that this world does not nor cannot satisfy? Are you tired of the chains of sin, the cycle of guilt, the motions of religion?

Are you content with the mask of mediocrity or is there a piece of your soul that cries out, that hungers for fulfillment?

Maybe you’ve tried materialism and what has it gotten you? More frustration, more upkeep, more bondage to an empty possession when the essence of you so desires something more… something lasting… something eternal!

If such stirrings are in place in your heart then you are blessed indeed and on the path to true happiness. For true happiness is more than an American dream, more than an emotional level obtained by sweat and toil and labor.

True happiness is a hunger, a longing, and a strong desire that will not nor cannot settle for the temporary trappings of this world. Your fulfillment then must be eternal and your search will guide you through the doorway called Christ our Lord! When Christ fills your soul with a relationship then the elements of this world fall aside, become less important, and more demanding becomes your hunger… your need for more of Jesus in your life.

Money does not mean much when compared to the glorious and fulfilling joy found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. The old car is good enough. The old clothing is good enough. For the chains of their desire is replaced with a contentment found in a walk and not a harried run.

Happiness is found in walking with our Lord and giving to others. A giving of self be that material, or attention, or prayer, a hand up, or a shoulder for others to cry on.

His banner over me is love

“He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” (Song of Solomon 2:4)

One day all of this toil, tension, and anxiety will be no more.

There be no more crying. There be no reason to cry. There be no heartache, no anguish, no burden to carry, no worry, and no fear. Sorrow will be no more. Guilt and shame will not exist. Remorse will have run away and in its place the comforting eternal joy of the Lamb of God (Rev. 21:4).

Pain will not hold us, buffet us, and break us. Pain will not exist (Rev. 21:4)

Death will be no more. The sting of death will be extinguished (1 Cor. 15:55). Bereavement will not pass our lips for its memory will have faded, melted, and vanished away (Rev. 21:4)

We will be dressed in robes of white, the righteousness of Christ (Rev. 3:5). We will be called overcomers, pillars of God, and given a new name (Rev. 2:17; 3:12).

We will be summoned and called to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 7:14; 19:19). And there we will sit and bask in His glory with His banner over us of love.

Stumbling and God's hand

“Stalwart walks in step with God; his path blazed by God, he's happy. If he stumbles, he's not down for long; God has a grip on his hand.” (Psalm 37:23, The Message)

Sometimes we are up and sometimes we are down. Sometimes we walk in righteousness and sometimes we falter. Yet, we get up when knocked down because the path to glory is all that we want, we treasure, we need. Nothing this world has to offer satisfies the longing, the craving, the driving hunger we have for God.

For without God we are empty. When we falter we sense, we know, in booming echoes the emptiness of our own heart. We are unsettled, we mourn, we grieve for we’ve grieved the eternal seed within.

We get up, reach out and our Heavenly Father is there. Our Heavenly Father knows our weakness, he knows that we are but dust. Yet, our Father will call Heaven and earth to our rescue when we look to him, when we reach out to him, when we trust in his loving kindness, mercy, and grace. When despite our feelings we believe in him. When we trust His Word. When we turn and walk His way.

‘Heavenly Father, help us when we stumble. Hear the prayer of our hearts and reach for us. Never let us stray so far that your grace and mercy cannot reach us.’

Beautiful Day

This morning and throughout this day… is a beautiful day! A beautiful day because this is a day that the Lord has made… why then should I not be glad (Psalm 118:24)? For seeing God’s goodness and given the opportunity to see His goodness is His free gift to me. Why then can I not see this? Why then is my outlook so glum? Why such a gloomy outlook?

Is it not the dark clouds of sin that whiff by and trouble my gaze upon the son of righteousness? Is it not the guilt of a misspoken word, an angry thought, or a loss of faith? Can I not trust, believe in and receive the ever mercy that is present from such a gracious and merciful Heavenly Father? Why do I hold on, carry on with these, and not relinquish all this, my burden? Why comfort myself in the swirling storm residing within my heart?

I must trust, I must believe, I must resign my heart to His goodness… even when my heart sees the darkness of my own. I must ask forgiveness in my heart, with my mouth, in my own way to Him who knows, who understands, who cares so, and who gives forgiveness so easily.

For like an early morning shower that washes the trees and grass so my Heavenly Father will wash me, cleanse me, and renew me to bask in this new day he’s created. Then the dirt in my life will be washed away. The son will shine through clouds of wispy white, touch my face, and warm my heart and I will sing his song, glory in his triumph, and marvel at his mercies.

How good is our God! What beauty he has planned for you today. A beauty found in doing, in being, in listening, and in viewing him on this… beautiful day!

We Praise Jesus Christ from whom all blessings flow

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped, therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank him” Psalm 28:7

In all that we do, in all that we are, and in all that are future holds is from the Lord. Our Father is the given of talent, of ability, of strength of character, and of the kindness or mercy that flows from our hearts.

Truly, we are vessels for our Masters use. Some vessels are dinged, some are scratched up, and some are cracked but vessels we are. None of us are perfect, we all have our issues. Each of us, in our own way, are unique due to the bumps, scraps, and cracks that make up who we are.

So often we run from who we are. We do our best to patch up the cracks in our vessel when our maker gave them to us for his glory. God make us with our uniqueness to demonstrate his strength in our lives and to use us to help reach someone else’s heart.

Our best is not when we are having a good day. Our best is when we wake up on the wrong side of the bed, when we are not at our best, and when we feel like a total failure and flop. For it is then, it is on those woeful and painful days that the strength of our lives is working in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

It is so often that folks are watching our lives the more… when we (feel) that we are at our worse. And when we place our hope and our trust in the Lord during those times that others see His strength and abiding joy in our hearts and in our lives.

That is why this morning and on so many mornings we rise with a song on our hearts and praise on our lips for the only one worthy of praise and honor and glory. “We praise Jesus Christ from whom all blessings flow”!

Truth in the inward part

“You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part you will make me to know wisdom” Psalm 51:6

How different God looks at us as compared to how we look at ourselves. We look in the mirror and arrange every hair just so, scrub the bedtime sleep away, fix the face and off on our day we go. Yet, we leave the home that God’s provided without a prayer, without a look into His mirror, and without the son rising in our hearts.

We, too often begin our day, empty. The armor of God hangs loosely on us, the helmet of salvation rattles on our heads, and our feet are unprepared in the proclamation of the gospel of peace (Eph. 6). We simply are unprepared to face the deceptive evil of our day.

On the surface we’ve ‘got it going on’ but what of our heart, that inward portion of ourselves that is eternal? What are we here for unless called upon to shine forth the love of Christ to foreigner and friend alike? If we are thus unprepared to face the spiritual war of our day then who will the Captain of Grace utilize to speak a word of kindness here… or stand for the truth… there?

If unprepared have we not become worthless and unprofitable servants for our Commanders use? If we are so unfaithful and so slothful to dismiss this, our so great salvation, then is it not fair and right for our Heavenly Father to choose another to serve in the place intended for us?

I ask, where is the heart, the passion, the thrill and joy of our salvation? Where is that childlike excitement and over abundant energy to simply and joyfully serve, another?

We find then our hearts turning back to David’s psalm, and crying… “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of your tender mercies wipe out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” Psa. 51

We do so for we seek not a position or a reenergizing of some gift or talent or ability but a return to the feet of our Savior; a healing in our relationship a return to the joy of our salvation…

Our Hope in Christ

Sometimes , I take a moment and sit back and look at the world I live in. It’s a unique perspective and position that Christians hold. We are in the world but not of this world (2 Peter 1:4).. We are subject to this world’s laws, environmental, social, and political fluctuations and yet there is a seed budding and flowing within us that is not of this world and that is eternal. That seed is the Holy Spirit – a part of God, a teacher, leader, comforter, and guide to help us. God’s Spirit whispers to our hearts in the middle of the night, warns us in the middle of the day, and comforts us when the darkness of discouragement falls on our lives.

We are blessed and given God’s Word. An instruction and guide book penned through the lives of men and women for our benefit and for our use (Romans 15:4). A message of hope and encouragement that we often take for granted or ignore all together. A book that frightens the sinner but inspires the saint; and we are the saints of God. No longer do we hold the title of sinner. We’ve been cleansed, washed, and purified by the blood of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7). The sin and habits of old that kept us bound and shackled in fear Christ broke and dashed on the cross. We are free in Christ and yet we think and act as if we are in bondage (Romans 6:18). Why? Due to unbelief. We believe with our eyes, we hear with our ears, and we perceive with our minds the earthly when we are clothed upon with the heavenly. We yet can not fathom the reality of our lives in Christ and His truth that has set us free (John 8:32).

So for now we “see through a glass, darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12), our knowledge is only partial as is our understanding (1 Cor. 13:9) and yet in Christ we have the greatest of hope (Romans 5:2)!

We are constrained by the love of God towards Him and for each other. Christ is increasing within us and urging us on-ward and upward to continue patient in hope and yet ever pressing for the high calling found in Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:14).

Men, Love your Wives

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,” Ephesians 5:25
It is a sad commentary, I suppose, that we men need to be so reminded. One would think that such a love and care and concern would reside… would play an intricate role in our every day lives; but such is not always the case.
We are often too busy. Too locked away in our own thoughts, own plans, own ambitions, and own failings. We are mentally trapped in a revolving door of problems and concerns that overwhelm us, shut us down, and cause us to retreat into the cave of our own choosing. At least, this can be our perspective, this can be our outlook.
Yet, the answers to our questions are closer than we perceive. They are a heartbeat away, in the wife God’s blessed us with, chosen for us, created for us.
The answer is not in the market place or behind a desk, or with our peers… the answer is sacrificial… a willing and loving giving to our wives. Her counsel is often the best as it is honest, to the point, and without a political agenda. What wife wishes her husband to fail?
Men, can we trust God enough, to give up our hopes, our dreams, and our aspirations and devote ourselves to our wives and children? Does not God know your problems and your needs? Has not God provided an able partner wise in counsel; joined in prayer, ready and willing to give… to you?
When we fail to love our wives as Christ desires us to then we fail as men, as priests, as ministers, and as husbands. How can we expect Godly success when in our homes our wives go unloved?

Leadership

Then He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. He said to me, "Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you " Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. (Ezekiel 3:1-3)

There are a lot of things that can fill a man’s mind. There’s work, there’s family concerns, there’s sports, or there’s something even more worthwhile… something eternal and that returns the warrior-servant heart to men… and that is God’s Word.

God wants men to lead, women want men to lead, our children crave our leadership, and the world is failing because men fail to lead. There are any number of excuses or reasons why men have failed to lead but the main reason is men need an inner direction… an inner truth or conviction to guide them. God’s provided this conviction through his Word. “You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part you will make me know wisdom” (Psalm 51:6)

When the God of the Bible leads a man to his Word it is the sweetest experience. Jeremiah the prophet said, “Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart” (Jer. 15:16) and David the King-Warrior said that God’s words were sweeter than honey (Psa. 119:103).

Yet, like Ezekiel the prophet the Lord asks us to go beyond reading; God asks us men to meditate on His Word, to chew on it all the day and to make it apart of our thinking, our doing, and our living (Psalm 1). Why? God wants men to be men. God wants men of action, men of courage, men to stand for righteousness, and men to provide and protect for their families. When men follow God with an earnest and tender heart they can not help but lead and their wife and children will want to follow; for they are following a heart under God’s direction.

"Be strong, and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what is good in His sight." (1 Chron. 19:13)

Days of Decision

In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 17:6
In the days of the Judges the hearts of the people forgot their God. Making a living, trying for that promotion, and reaching for a dream became more important than their Creator, their God, and eternity.

In those days the voices of Judges were silenced. Folks just did not want to hear, to realize, to come to an understanding that the way the were doing things were wrong. Without leadership and the proclamation of God’s Word people followed what they believed was right; a way that was easier, they “did that which was right in their own eyes.”

In our day, are we all that much different from these people of the past? Have we, as a nation, as a world, given up on God and turned to do our own thing? Is God a relic, a notion of the past clouded in mysterious words and symbols that applied only to the days of Moses or King David or the times of the prophets?

Is the God of the Bible still on the throne? Is this mysterious and loving God on the throne of your heart? What is important to you or to me? What takes up our time and enters into our pocket book? Who do we look to when times are tough or when times are going good for us? Who is the strength of our lives?

These are questions of the heart. Have you asked them of yourselves? Have you looked beyond the surface and reached inside your heart and seen what is there? Is the peaceful light of God’s abiding grace there or is the substance there of your own creation?

In our day, just as in the days of the Judges we have a choice. Will we do what we think is right or will we study the Bible and learn what is right and wrong? Will we crack open a book that many believe is full of condemnation and judgment? Or, can we, will we, see there love, peace, grace, and mercy? Mercy for the heart so in need of mercy?

Then once we’ve seen the light of what God states is right will we surrender to Him so that what he asks, he can then perform in our hearts?

We live in the days of decision.

Blessed Hope!

“And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach-- if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.” Colossians 1:21-23

We are blessed beyond measure in the eternal for the great hope we have in Christ. Not a hope in the temporal, that will pass away, but a hope secured for us in the eternal and that is eternal in Christ our Lord.

We have a blessed hope to see with our own eyes and touch with our own hands the one who loves us, cares for us, died and rose for us all to give us hope in him.

A hope longed for over the generations and that draws us closer with each passing day. Therefore we ought to keep fighting the good fight of faith while helping others along the way. We do so through giving of our selves, praying in secret and openly, forgiving, and sharing the Good News of Christ with every opportunity.

For why should our temporary failures, blunders, and occasional faltering make us slow, then hinder, and stop our walk with Christ? Are we not persuaded that Christ truly is on the throne? Is not Christ in control? Can not Christ see us through our present distresses? And, are we not called for his sake “we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” (Rom. 8:36)? Are we not persuaded that what Christ has promised he will perform (Rom. 4:21)?

Maybe there is something wrong with our expectation or our ability to patiently and yet actively wait on the Lord (Rom. 8:19)?

I believe like our brother Paul that “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” and “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:37-39).

Hold on to your blessed and great hope in Christ! When down, get up and give… when tired rest… in him!