peace/thanksgiving

November 23, 2011

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

Colossians 3:15

     This is a very crucial area of life for me. I often worry about things that aren’t even a big deal. I’ve learned that God works everything out for my good (Romans 8:28) and even the bad things happen for a reason. Since we have no control over what happens to us, we’re best off to approach it as best we can and stay positive, because we are in control of how we react to hard times. “In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid” (Psalm 56:11). And thankfulness, something that is lost in our society, is important in all of our lives. So many people don’t realize how good we (who live in America) have it. We couldn’t be more blessed to live in a free country, have three meals a day, a roof over our heads etc. Thanksgiving for example: even though it is a day where we need to give thanks, it should not be just one day a year, but a lifestyle.

Application:

     I will not look at thanksgiving as one day to be thankful, but will make it my goal to thank the Lord for something every day.

November 22, 2011

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”

Colossians 3:14

     There are different kinds of love and different ways in which we express our love. In this verse, I believe its talking about agape love, which is other’s centered love, completely selfless. When we love in a way that puts others first, unity is inevitable. The hard part is finding that love for others, especially people that we don’t particularly get along with or even respect. We must remember that God has those individuals in our lives for a reason, and it is not to blow them off, but to love them unconditionally just as God loves us. If we don’t have love, we dont have unity, but even worst, we don’t have God. Again, I bring this back to Jesus and remember how His love for us never runs empty, so who are we to stop loving others?

Application:

     I will read over 1^st Corinthians 13 to remind myself of the standards that agape love holds to us believers.

“And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who as given to us.” Romans 5:5

forgiveness

November 21, 2011

“Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also you should.”

Colossians 3:13

     We often get so frustrated with the weaknesses and wrongdoings of other people that we want to fix them. But the fact of the matter is, we can’t. We can’t control others any more than we can control when the sun comes up. All we can do is what the scripture tells us, and in this case, we must forgive them when they wrong us. When I personally remind myself that God not only died for our sins, but that He forgives us daily, it makes it much easier for me to forgive other people. Who am I to judge? And who am I to try and fix someone else’s weakness? That’s God’s job. The verse also doesn’t say “forgive them if they apologize.” We are told to forgive regardless of repentance on their part. This has been an issue for me in the past and I am constantly working on forgiving others (not an easy thing).

Application:

     I have to keep in mind that my God is sovereign and all-knowing. In that, I need to find satisfaction in forgiving others when I am wronged.

fill me up

November 18, 2011

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

     Before you go driving or use a power tool of some sort, you must first make sure it has enough gas in it. If its empty, than the smartest thing to do is always to fill it up as much as possible so it will last as long as possible. In the same way, before we go out into the field (wherever it may be) I believe it’s important to be filled with the Holy Spirit first. Right now I am being poured into, and soon I will be pouring myself out to the needs in Uganda.

Application:

     I will continually ask the Lord to be filling me up with the power of His Holy Spirit and to prepare my heart for my six months in the field.

“Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you.” Mark 11:24

    

end times

November 17, 2011

“He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.”

Acts 1:7

     If God wanted us to have the ability to know when the end times are, then He would give us that ability. But He didn’t, so therefore we have no possible way of figuring it out through any estimates and calculations. This makes me think of all the people who are lost and are going to hell today if they die. I’m bothered by the fact that as of right now, many people that I know and am even close to, will not be in heaven. Because we do not know when the end times will be, I believe Christians must do everything within us to let God use us to expand the kingdom while we still can. Another thing I get out of this is that we are not to worry about when the end times are, because we (Christians) know where we are going when we die. “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own.” Matthew 6:33

Application:

     In applying this I will keep in mind the very important fact that the end times are near, as the Bible says so (Revelation 22:20), and work on being more aware of opportunities to talk to someone about Jesus.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angles of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” Matthew 24:36

special day

November 16, 2011 

“So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’”

Acts 1:6

     This is probably one of the many questions that were going through the disciples’ minds at the time. I’m sure it was very difficult and confusing for them. I know that I can personally relate to the disciples when it comes to not understanding what the Lord wants from me. This verse brings me back to three hundred and sixty-five days ago at my high school when Mike Rozell spoke and did his presentation. On this day a year ago I knew God had called me to come here. Of course I had to research a lot and asked a lot of questions to people   who had been to the program, but I knew eventually, even though I didn’t know when, that I would come here. One thing led after another and here I am. I had to wait quite a long time for this and it was always on my mind. But just like the Disciples, I had heard the calling, but I couldn’t go yet because it wasn’t time. This verse is about trusting God.

Application:

     When I KNOW that God has called me to go somewhere or do something, I will look back on this and remember that God was in control the whole time. I will look back to this for encouragement and reassurance of His sovereignty.

“Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.” 2^nd Corinthians 1:9

Power of the Holy Spirit

November 16, 2011

“For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Acts 1:5

     Being baptized with water is an outward symbol and an inward commitment of our renewed relationship with the Lord. I think of it as becoming more serious with our relationship with God, and that every believer should do it. Then there is being baptized with the Holy Spirit. This I have not experienced for myself, but my understanding of it is what Margaret told me. She said, “When we are saved we have an internal understanding and relationship with the Lord, but receiving power from the Holy Spirit has an outward result, meaning God has anointed us to be able to do new things such as speaking in tongues for example.” Some Christians receive the power of the Holy Spirit right when they become saved, and some a few years down the road of their walk with God. It’s not a one-time deal; we progressively need to ask for God to empower us with His Spirit.

Application:

     I’m going to talk to Pastor Gennarino and Margaret to gain a better understanding of this doctrine, and then I’m going to start continually praying for the Lord to fill me up with the power of the Holy Spirit.