Awake At 30

Perspective - Rough Week "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to  be  compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us...Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Rom.8:18,37) When times get tough, where do we go? Sometimes it's so easy to only think about your present troubles, those things which are bringing stress and trials your way. I've been thinking all week about this, but as I think here on a Friday my mind goes to my Savior. We often say "I can't wait until the weekend! If I could just get to Friday!" But when I consider my week, it's really nothing in comparison to Jesus. Think you've had a bad week? Think people have treated you ill? Think the stress is too much? Take the time to read Matthew 26-27. Quietly reflect. Take the time to read John 13-20. Quietly reflect. Pray to the Lord and thank Him, ask for guidance, ask for a greater perspective to hand...

Homeless "For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him." (Is.53:2-3) With tear-filled eyes, we consider our Lord and the prophecy of His life here and what He would go through to save us. How do we view those with less of this world's goods, without fine apparel, without the physical characteristics we deem appealing, without hygiene that suits our standards, without family, without money, without [fill in the blank]. How many times have we seen someone homeless and we turn our heads? I have to ask myself, would I have missed my Lord while He was on this earth, considering how I shamefully catch myself tempted to act toward those less fortunate at times? Would I despise t...

Boldness "The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion." (Prov.28:1) "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us." (1Jn.4:17-19) “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!" (Lk.12:4-5) Righteousness, in and of itself, is bold in the eyes of this world. The very act of being what a Christian is supposed to be, is called to be, is boldness to the workers of iniquity. Why? Because light exposes darkness for what it is. Light, by its nature, illuminates ...

Battle "Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle— " (Psa.144:1) "Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle." (Psa.24:7-8) Are you ready for a fight today? In the wee hours of the morning I rise before the sun, preparing myself for the day ahead my hands shake and my fingers feel stiff as I pick up my sword. I pray to my God that I will have the strength and presence of mind this day to wield the sword with courage, strength, and precision. My attention goes to strengthening my mind with His word so I may handle this sword with heavenly wisdom, a soldier's unwavering resolve, and with unflinching valiance. We, my God and I, prepare as I listen to my Commander instruct me in the ways I should go. He gives me the path to walk, He lights and leads the way, He prepares my h...

Speak The Same Thing "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." (1Cor.1:10) How can we do this? Man would tell us this is impossible. Ask a group of people to agree to doing something one way and you'll have many variations and ideas. However, when we agree to adhere to the same standard, the word of God, then we can do exactly what this verse says. God even tells us how to do this, observe: "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let  him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." (1Pet.4:11) "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were calle...

Haunting Thoughts Have you ever committed sins - which you have long ago repented of - which creep back into your thoughts on occasion with little to no warning? Does the memory of those sins bring you low, cause you to over and over again feel remorse (and/or anger at yourself) and pull you off course? The fact is, we have memories and we often can't control when our minds may be triggered by some external occurrence and those memories come flooding back as if the matter just happened. Our choice is what we do with those things when they do re-enter our minds. Fight? Find a solution? Be overcome? Consider with me a character who had these struggles himself - Saul of Tarsus, who later became Paul the Apostle. * Read Philippians 3-4 and focus on his words and experience * Consider who Paul formerly was - read Acts 7:57-8:3; 9:1-3 * Consider Paul's practice - read 1 Corinthians 9:19-27 * Consider Paul's actions, and concern, for the gospel and his brethren - read 2 Cor...

Battle Is The Lord's "...And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and sp...