God’s love for us is so amazing.  It’s not dependent on our works or our obedience.  He just loves us.  Period.

What about His blessings?  Perhaps that’s a different topic altogether.  A few days ago I mentioned how obedience can help us dismantle the hardness of heart.

Does obedience also unlock God’s blessings in our lives?

Take a look at this old testament promise that I love so much:

2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.
(Deut. 28:2) [emphasis mine]

What do you think?

Ever read a passage in the Word and just pause .. because it doesn’t make sense?

This one stood out to me this morning:

Genesis:  18:21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.
(context:  the Lord (appearing as a man to Abraham) will go and investigate the city of Sodom to see if it’s really as bad as the “outcry” that comes to him is)

Scholars agree that this man was a Divine Manifestation of God.  He calls him “Lord”.  So, why then, did God have to go investigate Sodom in person to know whether or not their sin was as bad as He’d heard?

My ESV Study notes say:

I will go down to see. These words reveal that the decision to destroy the cities of the plain was undertaken with careful scrutiny of the evidence. This remark should not be interpreted as indicating limited knowledge on the part of God, any more than do the similar and ironic words in 11:5. All that is implied is God’s direct attention to the matter.

OK.  But it still makes me scratch my head.  Huh?  Have you ever noticed that before?  What’s your take?

As I continue through the M’Cheyne 1-Year Bible reading plan at YouVersion.Com I am enjoying some observations from the Book of Acts.  What an incredible time in our church history.  The power of God was so strong in the early church.

One doctrinal issue that differentiates those of a more “Charismatic” or “Pentecostal” vein is that of the “baptism of the Holy Spirit”.  It’s called many different things … “the baptism” … “the infilling of the Holy Spirit” … “the baptism of fire” … and on and on.  It typically refers to an encounter post-salvation where we receive God’s Holy Spirit … again.

I say “again” because we all agree that upon our salvation experience and profession of Jesus Christ as Lord, we receive the Holy Spirit.  (Ephesians 1:13 says we are “sealed” with the Holy Spirit, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will be “in us” in John, etc).

Yet, throughout the Book of Acts we see examples where Christians have an experience where they are “filled” with the Holy Spirit.  In many cases, this experience is initiated through another Believer praying for them.

Here’s one such example:

14
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.  (Acts 8, 14-17, ESV, YouVersion.Com)

So, they had “received the word of God” … I think this means they’ve received Christ as Savior.  They are now Christians.  Jesus has risen and ascended, and the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Day of Pentecost.  We are “officially” in the New Testament, New Covenant church now.  These Christians received the word just like us.  Yet, it says they had not received the Holy Spirit, though they have been baptized.

Through the prayer of Peter and John, these new Christians “received” the Holy Spirit.  This occurs throughout the book of Acts.

I believe that we, as Christians, can receive the Holy Spirit again and again.  It’s a different type of “infilling”.  It’s not essential to salvation, yet who wouldn’t desire this?

I’ve heard some argue that God used the original apostles to distribute the Holy Spirit in the early church.  Huh?  So, once they die, we don’t get that?  I don’t think so.  Or maybe God was overwhelmed with the exponential increase in Believers, and needed some assistance … the Holy Spirit wasn’t coming fast enough from His throne directly, so he recruited some people to help Him get over the hump?  By no means.

All I know is this.  If I see evidence that Christians are being “filled” with the Holy Spirit … I want “in” on that bonus.  I want all of God’s Spirit.  In me, on me, around me.

Your thoughts?  Join the discussion by leaving a comment below.

7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7: 7-8, ESV, YouVersion.Com)

Over the Christmas holidays my Dad and I were having a talk about this Scripture.  (Pause to give thanks for a strong, Christian family and parents who are inspiring leaders in their faith!)  My Dad was saying how this verse really challenges him because his “success rate” of answered prayers isn’t as high as he’d like.  I think that applies to all of us.

Of course, I brought up the fact that we read later in Scripture (James 4) that sometimes the reason we don’t get what we ask for is because we are asking “amiss”, or contrary to God’s will.  (then again, I’ve seen God answer prayers when the answer wasn’t his plan … remember this prayer that God answered “give us a King, give us a King ..”)

This morning I am meditating on this verse.  It would do us good to meditate on it for a long time.   Something peculiar stood out for me this morning.  Jesus doesn’t just say “ask and it will be given”.  He gives us not one, not two, but THREE ACTION WORDS.  There are THREE verbs together here.  This tells me that “asking” alone isn’t enough.

ASK.
SEEK.
KNOCK.  (persistence, right?)

Take for example, a guy who lost his job and needs a new one.  You can “ask” God for a new job all day long.  But I don’t think that prayer will be answered necessarily, if that’s all you do.

ASK for a job.
SEEK for a job, search online, scan the newspapers, ask your friends, post bulletins at your church.
KNOCK on some doors.  Ask people.  Interview.  Submit resumes.  Do call backs.  Do followups.

As we pray and expect God to answer our prayers, think of these 3 action words, and how you can apply them to that prayer.  I’m not sure that simply “asking” is enough.

Comments?  Leave’em below!

12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.
13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.

(Acts 5: 12-13, ESV, YouVersion.Com, emphasis mine)

What do you suppose the people were so afraid of, that they “dared not join them”?

Thoughts?  Leave your comments below, and let’s discuss!

It’s my hope that one of the areas we’ll enjoy on the blog here in 2010 is increased discussion about God’s Word.

I believe that Matthew 5 is perhaps one of the more challenging chapters in the Bible.  Jesus’ teaching, “The Beatitudes”, and his explanation of what really constitutes sin ups the ante and is radical.

This morning, I’m especially stirred, challenged, and frankly, somewhat confused by this particular passage:

17
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  (Matthew 5:17-20, ESV, emphasis mine, YouVersion.Com)

We are taught that as New Testament Christians, we are no longer bound by the Old Testament Law.  (think specifically of the Ten Commandments, though there are thousands of other laws and commandments throughout the OT)

Yet here, Jesus seems to be alluding to that very Law, and actually, goes further in the next verses making it even more substantial.  (Example:  don’t commit adultery, but now, if you even think lustfully about a woman, you’ve committed adultery with her).

Guilty.

The only way our righteousness would exceed that of the “scribes and Pharisees” is by grace.  But Jesus doesn’t mention that at all in this passage.  He’s clearly speaking of keeping the rules.

So how does that play out?  Paul will teach us throughout the New Testament that we are not under law, but under grace.  Yet Jesus’ words here challenge us that “keeping the rules” is vital.

What are your thoughts?  Please add to the discussion below by leaving  a comment.

34 And he said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.
(Mark 5:45, ESV – YouVersion.Com)

I’m reading through Mark in my “Daily Reader” program right now, but I’m taking my time in this book.  It’s so easy to rush through the Bible once you’ve read through it a few times.  You assume “I’ve read that already”.  I found myself thinking that as I was reading the story of the “woman with the issue of blood” in Mark, chapter 5.

As I meditated on Jesus’ response to the woman, confessing that she was the one who had touched him, I noticed a few things:

1.  He calls her Daughter.  It’s capitalized.  Not woman, not lady, not child … but Daughter.  I think that is significant.
2.  It was her faith that brought about her healing.  Of course, the power went out of Jesus, He’s the source of healing.  But it was her faith that activated it.
3.  As he sends her on her way, he says “and be healed of your disease”.  It’s almost as if He is saying “don’t stop believing, don’t forget about it now – be constantly in faith, vigorous, and continue to walk in this healing”.  Like that as she goes, she should keep that healed condition.  Maybe if the symptoms could return, maybe she would fight wars in her mind about it coming back … and that’s why He told her “go AND BE HEALED” (but she was already healed).

Do you ever ask yourselves these kinds of questions as you study God’ Word?

I’m being challenged every day as I read through the Book of Mark.  This morning I encountered the story in Mark 2 where the religious leaders challenged Jesus and His disciples because they “plucked heads of grain” on the Sabbath.  Jesus responded by saying “27 And he said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”  (Mark 2: 27-28, ESV – YouVersion.Com)

It seems that Jesus’ response wasn’t challenging the existence of the “sabbath” so much; rather, He was challenging the layers of legalistic rules and regulations that the religious leaders applied to it.

Fast-forward to New Testament, modern-day Christianity.  What is our view of the “Sabbath”?

Immediately all of the church lingo comes to mind “every day is now a Sabbath”, “Jesus has become our Sabbath”, “the Sabbath was fulfilled on the cross”, etc. Blah, blah, blah – you see, I’ve been in church since I was steaming up my own diapers … I can quote all of the religious responses.  (and let me interject that I’m not trying to suggest that all of those responses are wrong!)

But this is my confession.  “I’m not sure I really understand all of those religious responses and how they truly apply”.

“Remember the Sabbath, and keep it holy” is one of the Ten Commandments.  That means it’s important.  If that no longer applies, how about murder and adultery?  Are they no longer relevant?

I am not trying to wander back into the legalistic rules of the Old Covenant – God knew we could never keep those to begin with.  We needed the “Law” so that we could see our sin.  I do wonder if we carelessly throw it out completely, though.

I’d like your input.  What do you believe about “keeping the sabbath holy”?  Do you practice “sabbath” – and if so, what does it look like?  If you scroll down a bit, you’ll see “Leave a Reply” …  and that’s where YOU come into this discussion.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
(Matthew 28: 19-20, ESV – YouVersion.Com)

These are some of the final words Jesus had with His disciples.  It’s the last two verses of the book of Matthew.  What were His last words?  What was his final wish?

He told us to “go”.  Make disciples of ALL nations.

As I meditate on those words this morning I’m deeply convicted.  I am a full-time, professional “Christian”.  I work for the “church”.  Yet, when I evaluate how I spend my time and energy, very little of it is “going” to make disciples.

I dunno – maybe that’s not true.  I spend hours upon hours every week in prayer, reading, study, and conversations … coming up with ways to make our worship services at SSCC a place where the Believer can be edified, while creating a space where the Seeker can come to know Jesus.  We strive to create a space where the lost can be found, and where the found can be discipled into a greater understanding of God’s plan for their lives.

But that’s all part of the job, right?  How about those of us who don’t work for the church.  The real heroes – the Christians out there in the workplace, doing the jobs, rubbing elbows with those “in the world” all day.

One thing is for sure … this culture we live in has us all “going”.  But how can we add the “and make disciples” to our “going”?

Would love your thoughts!
Fred

14 Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord’s offering.15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord’s offering to make atonement for your lives.
(Exodus 30:14-15, ESV, YouVersion.Com)

I couldn’t help but think about the big “fair tax” debate these days when I read this.

What if our “taxes” we paid to our government was like an “offering” to our country …. and this principle applied.  A fair, fixed, flat-rate, set amount … the rich aren’t required to give more, the poor aren’t asked to give less … everybody pays the same amount …

I certainly don’t want a nasty debate on my blog, but I am definitely curious … why was it that God used that standard during the census and the atonement offering?

Challenged by my own “rebuke” of sorts on last week’s popular blog post, “Who Are We Kidding“, I decided I’d better get myself in the Word this morning.  YouVersion.Com and my “Daily Reader” program on my Treo phone took me to Proverbs 8:12-13.

So, if “wisdom” hates “perverted speech” (referred to as “perverse speech in many translations) …

What exactly is “perverse/perverted speech”?

I think of the movies and TV shows we, as Christians, watch with little or no conviction any longer … filled with what I’d consider to be “perverse” speech.  Drink it in.  Filthy water.

What do you think “perverse speech” is referring to?

That’s today’s Monday Muse.  Tweet it, invite your friends to answer, and let the comments begin.

Thanks to Kim Bontrager for posting this on Twitter – I saw it the other day, and thought “this would be a good conversation on the blog”.

Here ya go – from “The Message”, Matt 7:

13-14 “Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.

What say you?

Dear God,

I repent.

I’ve allowed life to overwhelm me.  I’ve allowed our crazy culture to overtake me.

I say I love you, but I don’t show you that affection as I should.

I should be so grateful.  You’ve given me so many blessings.  An incredible family, an amazing church, and an unbelievably amazing wife.  I complained to her recently, that with her schedule, keeping up with four young kids, all of their activities, plus a house to manage, I feel like I’m last place.  I complained that by the time I get time with her, she’s spent.  I get the leftovers, if there are any.

Then, it dawned on me.  That’s exactly how you feel about me.

I get preoccupied with social networking, with this blog, with subscribers, stats, comments, or the lack thereof.  I get preoccupied with business ideas and networking plans that I’m positive come from your Spirit; yet, they become idols instead of tools.

I lead others in worship and serve you – it’s my job.  I love it, and I love Your Presence, so why do I ignore it so often?  Why do I reject you so often?  Why would I rather stay up late watching meaningless TV shows only to regret it in the morning when I’m too tired to worship you in my private, hidden life?  Why is there dust on my piano, and why do I never make music to you on my own anymore?  You created me for this, yet I constantly fall to petty distractions.

I allow lustful thoughts to spark around in my mind until they ignite into a fire.  Then, I have to fight to put it out.

I ignore Your Holy Spirit, constantly speaking and convicting me about the lack of care I have for my physical body.

I get too worked up over what others think about me.  I get consumed with the desire to be accepted by everyone else, forgetting that you accept me regardless.

I spend more time typing in a blog or Twitter than I do in Your Word.   No wonder I’m so screwed up.  Do I really believe, even for a second, that ANYONE out there has more to offer than YOU?

God, I’m really sorry.  It grieves me.  I’m grateful for our time together this morning.  I’m grateful for your love, mercy, and acceptance.  I’m really eager for you to speak to me.  I want wisdom.  I will do whatever You say.  Please order my steps.

Your Word is my prayer this morning:

5 Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set;
6 Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel.
(Psalm 119: 5-6, “The Message”)

Hey Everybody -

So don’t worry … “FreePlay Friday” is coming … (I think), but I wanted to journal a bit about something I read this morning.  First, I’d like to thank everyone who commented a few days ago when I asked if I should put these “From the Word” snippets on a different blog or just keep it here.  All along, my initial desire was to keep it here, and for now … that’s what I’m going to do.  I think Ben summed it up best in his comment:

If your blog is intended to help shape the heart of worship folks like myself, what better way than to hear what God is teaching you as a worship leader thru the Word. Bring it!

Thanks, Ben!

That being said … if you want to skip over these, I’m trying to title them “From the Word” so they’ll stand out.

Now – on to what I wanted to share … and my hope is that I share a snippet, and you, the readers, jump in and we develop this thought together.

I’m reading in Gensis 8 – the story of the flood, and how the waters subsided.  This jumped out at me:

(20) Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.  (21) And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never …” (ESV)

It seems from the text that the Lord was moved into action as a result of the sacrifice.  He smelled it (the aroma was pleasing) and WHEN HE DID, He made a gracious comment to mankind – a covenant that would last for eternity.

God is moved by sacrifice.  He sent His Son to be the ultimate sacrifice.  Clearly, we don’t offer literal “burnt animal sacrifices” to God anymore, so what kind of sacrifice would He notice … what would be “pleasing” to Him … that would cause Him to respond like this today?

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17, @ YouVersion.Com)

What do you think?

Hey Everybody – Happy Monday …

I’d like your feedback … after all, if you’re reading this – YOU are the people who actually come to my blog, or read via RSS.

From time to time, I write little “snippets” or short insights called “From the Word” – they are basically reflections from my time studying the Bible.  I want to be more active in doing that.  Just yesterday, our Pastor talked about God’s Word, and really encouraged us on how to study, journaling, taking notes, etc.

As a result, I’d like to take my Bible Study time and my passion for blogging, and put them together.

Example:

Today, I was reading Matthew 4, and in both verses 20 and 22, the word “immediately” jumped out at me.  Jesus called Simon, Andrew, James, and John … and when he asked them to come follow him, it says “immediately, they left …”

That’s the type of thing I’d post – just my “reflections” from my own personal time in the Word.

Here’s the question … this would likely increase my blog posting count to more than one post per day.  Would that be OK?
Would you prefer to see these “From the Word” blog entries right here on FredMcKinnon.Com, mixed in with all the other stuff (I already have a category setup for it that I’ve used in the past), or would it make more sense to have a totally separate blog, just for that?

I’m leaning a certain way … but want your feedback.

So let’s hear it.

Hey Everybody -

I just finished leading an hour of worship and prayer here at SSCC.  We do this every Wednesday at noon.  For obvious reasons we spent a lot of our time worshiping and praying about our economy and the current financial situation.

About half way into the meeting a lady came to the mic and begin praying some of the Psalms.  It’s electrifying to hear God’s Word being prayed back to Him.

After she finished I felt led to just encourage everyone that if they had a Scripture on their mind to stand up and read it out loud.  I repeated a couple of verses, my own paraphrase of them at least, and opened things up.

For the next while we had person after person speaking out and declaring God’s Word.  It was awesome.  At one point I found myself chuckling, thinking to myself “how could we ever be worried”?

My point – hearing God’s Word stirred my faith, my confidence, and made me ever-more aware of how incredible our God is.  It enhanced our time of worship in a big way.

So many times we think of “worship” as singing songs.  But the reading and celebrating of God’s Word is a beautiful act of worship.

“For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

With all that’s going on in our world these days – I’d like to hear from you.  What Scripture(s) are jumping around in your spirit today?

Fred

“You women! Mean to the poor,
cruel to the down-and-out!
Indolent and pampered, you demand of your husbands,
‘Bring us a tall, cool drink!’”

Amos 4:1

Wow, that’s what I call a rebuke. So, is this YOUR kind of WOMAN?

Hey Everyone,

So hope you’ve enjoyed the incredible interview and video about the song “Healer” that was on the Planetshakers album, and will soon be on the upcoming Hillsongs CD+DVD.

It’s a powerful song, declaring “I believe You’re my Healer” … which made me want a discussion on sickness and disease. I guess the whole thought really came back to the surface during a planning meeting at church where we were discussing a testimony of how God used cancer to radically intervene in someone’s life, drawing them deeper to Him. My concern was that we expressed that clearly, and didn’t allow it to come across as “God gave me this cancer/trial so I could experience this”. My thoughts were “God used this to ..” are WAY DIFFERENT than “God DID this to …”.

I realize this will probably be “one of those blogs” … we’ll all comment, and we’ve all decided what we believe, so nobody is going to get their mind changed here. With that in mind, let’s discuss your thoughts, your reasons, and as always, using Scripture is a plus.

Sickness – where does it come from?

Some say it’s from God … that He punishes or disciplines with it. Or that He uses it as a “trial” to teach us something. That since He is Sovereign, it must come from Him. (oddly enough, I cant’ stand the Sovereign stuff … just because someone is Sovereign, the Authority, the Supreme Ruler, doesn’t mean that everything that happens in their kingdom is the will of the Sovereign Ruler … )

Some say it’s from the Devil – it’s bad, sin, and it’s from the hand of Satan.

Some say it’s from neither – it’s the result of living in a sinful, fallen world. A consequence of sin – either vicariously, or from our own rebellion and disobedience.

Granted … you cannot read the Old Testament without seeing God Himself directly involved in sending plagues, sickness, disease, etc., usually as punishment to sin. I wish that weren’t the case … it makes me not like the OT God so much, but I don’t know how else to read that stuff.

However, I’d like to keep our discussion limited to the NEW COVENANT, meaning our promise and covenant with God that has resulted from the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His work on the cross, and His being raised from the dead.

I live and learn daily, and always seek for God to give me ongoing revelation and wisdom. But for me, I believe that under the New Covenant, our punishment for sin was put on Jesus … our substitute. I believe that healing of our disease and sickness is as much a part of the New Covenant and sacrifice that Christ made on the cross as is the forgiveness of our sins.

To suggest that God “puts sickness” on somebody seems completely against the reason He sent His Son into the world to be our substitute. Just as Jesus came to deliver us from sin, He came to deliver us from sickness. Would God “put sin” on us?

Of course, we still have sickness. We still have sin. People obviously will DIE. Many times, they die of sickness. God’s Word is clear that our earthly bodies are decaying.

In the New Testament, I’ve never really seen any Biblical reference where someone came to Christ in faith, asking to be healed, and where He said “no, I’m not willing”. On the contrary, He said “I am willing” and the passages that relate to Christ and healing indicate “he healed them all”.

Lastly, I would find it very difficult to have faith to pray for someone to be delivered from sickness and disease if I was thinking “maybe God wants them to have this”. As a natural father (which I understand is no comparison to our Heavenly Father), I cannot comprehend ever putting sickness on my children to teach them anything. When my children are sick, my heart and soul is broken and consumed with seeing them recover and be well. I don’t care how much they’ve misbehaved. I don’t care what lesson they could learn in the midst of their sickness. I want them healed and whole. There is not one single fiber of my being that would want anything less.

Can God be glorified in the midst of sickness? Yes – absolutely. My wife was very sick with leukemia. God healed her, praise God. But in the midst of the sickness, God was still glorified by her response, by her faith, by her tenacity to cling to God and His Word.

But … where does it come from?

What say you? (and be nice!)

I was reading on YouVersion for my quiet time this morning, and I’ve never seen the Scripture quite like this, and couldn’t help but wonder ….

Daniel 2:49 Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court …

Daniel 3:19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.

So, Chapter 2 of Daniel ends with Daniel being promoted because of his interpretation of the King’s dream, and then using his influence to remember his loyal, faithful friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by giving them a place of influence in the political system.  (2:49)

Chapter 3 immediately starts with the story of King Nebudchadnezzar building the huge idol and asking everyone to bow to it.  (I guess his being impressed with Daniel’s God was short-lived).

You know the story – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to the idol, so the King threw them into the fiery furnace, where they were rescued.

So as I read this, I wonder ….

Where was Daniel?

From the Word:

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us

(1 Peter 2: 11-12, NIV @ YouVersion.Com)

I love this verse.  Peter makes it clear – we are AT WAR.  Our sinful nature, the lusts of our flesh, and wicked desires – they WAR at our soul.

How comforting to see the Apostle Peter admitting this, yet challenging us to abstain from these desires.

In Verse 12, we realize the “why”.  Not only is yielding to those sinful desires detrimental for our own spiritual health, it hinders our witness to the pagan and unbeliever.  Clearly, our ability to abstain from sin speaks volumes to the pagan, and gives us an opportunity to glorify God through our lifestyle.

“Father, in Jesus’ Name, please empower us by Your Holy Spirit to have the discipline and resolve to abstain from sinful desires today.  Even though the lusts of our flesh may war against us, we know that Your Word promises us an escape from temptation.  Give us eyes to see this escape, and help us walk in holiness, purity, and righteousness today.  May our lifestyle, our words, our thoughts, and our actions glorify You this day.
In Jesus’ Awesome Name!
Amen”.

OK Readers, what verse has really spoken to you in your time with God this week?
Fred

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
(Ezekiel 36:26-27, NIV, @ YouVersion.Com)

What a beautiful verse. I’m especially intrigued by Verse 27, saying that God will “put His Spirit in us and move us to …”. Other translations say “enable us to …”.

Let’s kickoff this week with your thoughts on this passage.

Psalm 112

1 Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. ;
2 His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. ;

(from NIV, YouVersion.Com)

Do we realize that our choices can have a ripple effect into the next generation?

Psalm 112:1-2 tells us that the man who “fears the Lord and finds delight in his commands” will have a blessing that extends beyond his own life, and into the next generation – affecting his children. They (the children) will be “mighty in the land” and “blessed”.

As a father of four beautiful children, I can truly attest to the fact that I want my kids to be blessed. I want them to succeed, prosper, and walk in favor in the land.

According to the Psalmist, I can have a direct role in bringing them this favor and blessing by simply fearing God myself, and delighting in His commands.

How quickly we stumble and choose sinful actions without thinking of the consequences – immediately, generationally, and eternally. We forget that by choosing life, by fearing the Lord, and delighting in His commands – obeying Him, submitting to His will, and walking according to His Spirit – that we are essentially sending a ripple into the future carrying God’s blessing for our children.

My prayer is that we would become more aware of the ripples we are creating today. Those ripples are created with the impact of our decisions and they roll across the waters of time into the next generation, affecting our children.

Will the ripples we create send favor and blessing to our children?

By the grace of God Almighty, yes, yes.

For the Kingdom,
Fred McKinnon

http://www.fredmckinnon.com

Ever go on a treasure hunt? Or as a parent, teacher, or relative, have you ever hosted a treasure hunt for your kids, family, or children that you love? I suppose one of the easiest “treasure hunts” I can relate to is the annual search for Easter Eggs.

Do you remember the suspense you’d feel, watching them search – giving them hints, nudging them on … all the while, holding your breath with anticipation in eager hopefulness that their search would produce the pleasure of finding the treasure.

As the parent or host of the event, the REAL JOY is in watching the seekers FIND their treasure. What pleasure comes from them giving up and calling it quits, leaving the treasure out in the field?

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”. (Hebrews 11:6, NIV from YouVersion.Com)

In Hebrews 11:6, we see that “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must …” do the following:
1. believe He exists.
2. believe that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

The God-pleasing kind of faith doesn’t stop at just believing. It trusts and knows that God doesn’t just want to be believed in. He wants to have our confidence that He is good, and that we know He wants to bless us indeed. God-pleasing faith doesn’t back away from the treasure hunt with false humility. “I’m not good enough, nor do I deserve to find the treasure”. No, God-pleasing faith says “I believe in this, and I know that God wants me to search diligently and find the reward that He has for me”.

Is God pleased when we believe? Absolutely.

How much more is God pleased when we not only believe, but when we are resolved that the treasure hunt is not a futile waste of time. On the contrary, it’s sure to release a blessing and reward that He cannot WAIT for us to discover.

Are you earnestly seeking? And do you BELIEVE that HE wants to reward you? Are you willing to receive His reward, and what do you think that reward can look like? C’mon, don’t just say “God is my reward” … that’s the truth, but He wants to reward and bless us in many, tangible ways, right here in our world.

Click here to discuss it – let’s get started!

“And it happened after TEN DAYS that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah”.
Jeremiah 42:7, NKJV (emphasis mine)

I’m all of 60-seconds into my Bible time over at YouVersion.Com this morning and this verse slaps me in the face. Jeremiah has been petitioned by a bunch of important people to pray and hear from God on their behalf. Jeremiah says “OK”. He seeks the Lord.

The answer takes 10 days. TEN DAYS. That’s 1-1/2 weeks.

Can you imagine the pressure? Can you imagine the emails, IMs, tweets, and phone calls Jeremiah got … “have you heard yet, have you got anything”?

God hears, and He is faithful to answer. But not necessarily on our time table.

We all want instant gratification. But it just doesn’t always happen that way. Are you willing to wait? Will your faith waver if you have to wait? How long do you keep pressing in, praying, interceding, knocking, and asking? One prayer – two prayers? For a day – a few hours … weeks, months, years, decades?

Are you waiting? Don’t give up – keep praying.

For the Kingdom,
Fred

“I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it”.
Psalm 81:10 (NKJV)

I absolutely love this verse. It reminds me that God wants to fill us … the NLT (New Living Translation) even adds “with good things”. The word “fill” is translated from the word [male'] in the Hebrew (mah-lay), meaning to fill, fill up, relates to fullness, fulfilling, filling to the brim, etc.

It’s also interesting that of all the ways God could introduce and reveal Himself in this passage, He chooses to reveal Himself as the One who “brought you out of the land of Egypt”. If you remember, he brought them out of Egypt (bondage, slavery) to deliver them into a place “flowing with milk and honey” (abundance, freedom).

All of that is good – but it’s the “open your mouth wide” part that I love the most. I truly believe that God will “fill us” and “bless us” according to our measure of faith … according to how “wide” we open our mouths.

Do you remember the story of the widow who was in desperate need? Elisha told her to go and borrow empty vessels … he challenged her “do not gather just a few”. Picking that story up in 2 Kings 4:6, “Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full that she said to her son, ‘Bring me another vessel.’ And he said to her, ‘There is not another vessel.’, so the oil ceased.

It’s unclear if the widow gathered a lot of vessels, or only “just a few”. We know that she gathered enough to pay her debts and live on the rest. The reality is, as long as she had empty vessels (or wide-opened mouths) that the oil flowed. The oil here represented provision for her family, and deliverance from her debts.

As we are drawing near to the conclusion of 2007 and looking forward to 2008, I’m sure we all have needs, dreams, visions, and desires. Assuming that they are within the scope of God’s will for our lives, He desires to fulfill those needs, dreams, visions, and desires – in greater measure than we could ever imagine. He’s waiting for us to open our mouths wide.

How big is your faith? How wide are you willing to open your mouth? Don’t respond with a false humility that says “oh well, I will just ask for enough to get by … there are plenty of other people in greater need than I am …”. We need to understand that God wants to fill us full … overflowing. In doing so, he’s not running out of resources that could be used on someone else – don’t you agree that God has plenty for everyone?

Open your mouth WIDE …. and go prepare yourself with empty vessels that God can fill (a faith-filled heart!) … and not just a few. See what He will do for you!

Are you ready?

For the Kingdom,
Fred