Day of Praise

Tues, 04/19/16, Easter Day #24, "Day of Praise"

Matthew 4:10 - "Then Jesus said to him, 'Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve."'"

Years ago, I remember meeting with an 88 year old church member at her request to plan her funeral. To be 88, she looked  healthy as the proverbial horse. You might ask, then, why did she want to plan her funeral? Very simply, she wanted to plan her funeral when she was healthy so that her family didn't need to do it later when she died. That answered why she wanted to plan her funeral. 

But the better question was "How?" How did this 88 year old, thin, short lady plan her funeral? It would be easy to say "courageously." But it was more than courage; she actually planned it with confidence. In fact, she said so many things about Christ's constant presence with her and about her confidence in Christ's sovereign power that she seemed to be looking death and the devil in the eye and saying, "I'm not afraid of you! Just be gone, Satan. I'm walkin' in the victory and power of Jesus."

As should we all!

It's said that, 500 years ago in Germany, Martin Luther was in his study and felt a presence behind him. Remaining seated at his desk, Luther turned around and literally saw the devil. Luther looked at the Ol' Boy and said, "Oh! It's just you." Then he turned back to his desk and went back to work.

An 88 year old woman in this day and age, Martin Luther 500 years ago, and Jesus in today's Bible verse, all, in essence, saying, "I'm not afraid of you! Just be gone, Satan. I'm walkin' in the victory and power of God."

So what about you and me today? It's first thing in the morning, so there are many things in front of us, and unless Jesus comes again beforehand, some day in front of us is death. Will we face the things in front of us with the confidence in Christ displayed by an 88 year old lady?

And I'll tell ya; I don't care if you think I'm even more crazy than you already do. I have a matter in my life right now where I know that someone is lurking behind me in the shadows. Luther used to say something like this, "Pinch yourself real good. If it hurts, then you're in the world and you probably have something creeping up behind you too." Will we, like Luther, turn and look at the Ol' Boy and say, "Oh! It's just you," and then turn and get back to our day?

Friends, the devil was defeated before he ever got started. The Almighty and Living God is the Lord!

So let's get after our day and flick Satan away, the God in Christ that we worship is Lord!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Mo, 04/18/16, Easter Day #23, "Day of Praise"

John 15:5 - "[Jesus said,] 'I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.'"

So, our son, Caden, as he often does, asked me one time to print out some homework papers on our printer at home. I was glad to. 

So, I took his laptop and went upstairs to the printer in our daughter Calley's room. I plugged into the side of the computer, as I always do, pulled up the document, and pushed print. Nothing happened. Paper was fine. I turned the printer off and on and then pushed print again. Nothing happened. I went through all that another three times before I realized what I'd done, or I should say, what I had not done.

In sum, I went into mindless mode. And in so doing, I did one thing that was similar enough to what I always do, so that I didn't notice that I also didn't do something that I always do that really needed to be done to get the job done, printing Caden's doc. Did ya follow that? :-)

What I did was I plugged in one plug, like I always do, and stopped. The problem was that I plugged in the power cord because the battery was low. But having plugged in one cord, I stopped and didn't plug into the printer cord. The result? Nothing printed! In other words, no fruit for my labors.

Based on today's Bible verse, you might say my branch was plugged into something, even something important, but it wasn't plugged into the vine that's required to bear fruit.

Here's the deal, Friends. May I be honest? Many people are going into their day, either to work or school, in several hours. And they'll be plugged into the power cord, some coffee or energy drink or breakfast, but they'll start to work without being plugged into the printer.

Spiritually speaking, the printer is what makes it possible for you to see and feel good about the fruit of your labors in a day. I'm not talking about seeing a project finished or a sale closed or a paycheck earned. I'm talking about seeing and feeling good about the spiritual fruit of your labors. Ya know? Fruit! Like, the work I did today was eternally significant. Fruit! Like, God was pleased with my labors. Fruit! Like, I went about my work in a way that noticed the people and treated them respectfully so I can sleep with both the satisfaction of a job well done and a clear conscience that I didn't step on and over someone to get it done.

Such fruit can only come about if you're plugged into Jesus and not just Java, Juice, and Jelly. That's why Jesus said, "For apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) Oh sure, you can do something! But apart from Jesus, you can never do anything eternally significant, anything pleasing to God, or anything that lets you have peace and a clear-conscious when you go to sleep at night.

And all you have to do to end the day feeling good about your eternally-significant, God-pleasing, clear-conscious fruit is start the day plugging into the vine, who is Jesus.

Let's pray: Dear Jesus, you are the vine, and apart from you we can do nothing worth doing! So please Lord, right now, before we start our day, pour out your Holy Spirit to connect us to you, the vine, so that we can have all the good fruit spring forth from our labors, bring glory to your name, and impart a blessing to every person in our day! Anen

Praise God!

Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

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Day of Praise

Mo, 04/18/16, Easter Day #23, "Day of Praise"

John 15:5 - "[Jesus said,] 'I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.'"

So, our son, Caden, as he often does, asked me one time to print out some homework papers on our printer at home. I was glad to. 

So, I took his laptop and went upstairs to the printer in our daughter Calley's room. I plugged into the side of the computer, as I always do, pulled up the document, and pushed print. Nothing happened. Paper was fine. I turned the printer off and on and then pushed print again. Nothing happened. I went through all that another three times before I realized what I'd done, or I should say, what I had not done.

In sum, I went into mindless mode. And in so doing, I did one thing that was similar enough to what I always do, so that I didn't notice that I also didn't do something that I always do that really needed to be done to get the job done, printing Caden's doc. Did ya follow that? :-)

What I did was I plugged in one plug, like I always do, and stopped. The problem was that I plugged in the power cord because the battery was low. But having plugged in one cord, I stopped and didn't plug into the printer cord. The result? Nothing printed! In other words, no fruit for my labors.

Based on today's Bible verse, you might say my branch was plugged into something, even something important, but it wasn't plugged into the vine that's required to bear fruit.

Here's the deal, Friends. May I be honest? Many people are going into their day, either to work or school, in several hours. And they'll be plugged into the power cord, some coffee or energy drink or breakfast, but they'll start to work without being plugged into the printer.

Spiritually speaking, the printer is what makes it possible for you to see and feel good about the fruit of your labors in a day. I'm not talking about seeing a project finished or a sale closed or a paycheck earned. I'm talking about seeing and feeling good about the spiritual fruit of your labors. Ya know? Fruit! Like, the work I did today was eternally significant. Fruit! Like, God was pleased with my labors. Fruit! Like, I went about my work in a way that noticed the people and treated them respectfully so I can sleep with both the satisfaction of a job well done and a clear conscience that I didn't step on and over someone to get it done.

Such fruit can only come about if you're plugged into Jesus and not just Java, Juice, and Jelly. That's why Jesus said, "For apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) Oh sure, you can do something! But apart from Jesus, you can never do anything eternally significant, anything pleasing to God, or anything that lets you have peace and a clear-conscious when you go to sleep at night.

And all you have to do to end the day feeling good about your eternally-significant, God-pleasing, clear-conscious fruit is start the day plugging into the vine, who is Jesus.

Let's pray: Dear Jesus, you are the vine, and apart from you we can do nothing worth doing! So please Lord, right now, before we start our day, pour out your Holy Spirit to connect us to you, the vine, so that we can have all the good fruit spring forth from our labors, bring glory to your name, and impart a blessing to every person in our day! Anen

Praise God!

Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Sa, 04/16/16, Easter Day #21, "Day of Praise"

Luke 18:16 - "But Jesus called them to him, saying, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.'"

Have you ever looked in a mirror?

Not the kind that hangs on a wall.

I mean the ones that breathe.

Having made us in His image, God meant for us to be a mirror. God meant for other people to see what God is like through us. And God meant for us adults to see God through the littlest ones. Specifically, God wants us adults to see both God's kingdom here on earth and also his holy place in heaven through children.

Like in our Preschool chapel. A part of chapel has the little ones singing a number of songs. Every single one of those children has one single goal in mind, namely, to let me and their teachers know that they are singing with love and gusto to make God, and anyone who's watching, ever so proud.

It's a mirror.

Through those sweet and dear little children, we see again what God wants from you and from me. He wants for me to march into my day with childlike dignity, then look for him in the crowd, then bounce on my toes with eagerness for what I know is about to unfold, and then belt it out with love and gusto, while, in essence, saying to my God, "I love you! I love you with all my heart! And I'm so glad glad glad to be your child!"

Luke 18:16 - "But Jesus called them to him, saying, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.'"

Praise God!

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Day of Praise

Sa, 04/16/16, Easter Day #21, "Day of Praise"

Luke 18:16 - "But Jesus called them to him, saying, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.'"

Have you ever looked in a mirror?

Not the kind that hangs on a wall.

I mean the ones that breathe.

Having made us in His image, God meant for us to be a mirror. God meant for other people to see what God is like through us. And God meant for us adults to see God through the littlest ones. Specifically, God wants us adults to see both God's kingdom here on earth and also his holy place in heaven through children.

Like in our Preschool chapel. A part of chapel has the little ones singing a number of songs. Every single one of those children has one single goal in mind, namely, to let me and their teachers know that they are singing with love and gusto to make God, and anyone who's watching, ever so proud.

It's a mirror.

Through those sweet and dear little children, we see again what God wants from you and from me. He wants for me to march into my day with childlike dignity, then look for him in the crowd, then bounce on my toes with eagerness for what I know is about to unfold, and then belt it out with love and gusto, while, in essence, saying to my God, "I love you! I love you with all my heart! And I'm so glad glad glad to be your child!"

Luke 18:16 - "But Jesus called them to him, saying, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.'"

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Fri, 04/15/16, Easter Day #20, "Day of Praise"

Romans 4:24-25 - "It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification."

Have you ever lost your way? 

When we hear in today's Bible verses that Jesus was "raised for our justification," God's telling us that Jesus was raised from the dead, and is now alive, in order to make things right in the lives of all believers. And one thing that Jesus will do to "justify us" and "make us right" is he will lead us in order to get us on track when we've lost our way.

I remember a time I'd lost my way. I was trying to find a restaurant where my family was meeting for a celebration. My phone had died, and I didn't have a car charger at the time, so I couldn't call for or google directions. So I stopped at a gas station, went inside, and asked nobody in particular, "Does anyone know where Aubrey's Restaurant is?" Immediately, a guy named Lewis said, "Follow me." I suppose that Lewis could've been a serial killer, but, fortunately, Lewis, simply and kindly, just led me straight to Aubrey's, which was tucked away off the road where I'd searched high and low. But just like Jesus, Lewis took me straight to a place that I would never in a million years have found by myself, though I was oblivious to the fact that it was basically right under my nose. 

And that's one of the things that God does constantly in our lives through Jesus to make things right in our lives. He helps us find our way. He sends people to us to help us see things we never would've seen, though they're right there under our nose. He helps us see things that, like that celebration meal, enrich our lives, give us strength, bring us joy, and weave our lives into a rich fellowship of relationships and love, all of which are blessings along the way that God made for us to begin with, but that we often miss because we've lost our way. 

Friends, is something missing from your life and you realize that you don't know what it is? Or maybe you know what it is, but you have no clue how to find it? Well, Jesus is alive; he was "raised for our justification," for making things right in our lives. He wants to lead you straight to the things and places that you yourself are just flat out never going to find on your own. So he invites you to stop, to turn to him and ask, "Do you know how to get to this thing or place that I need but can't find?" Friends, you can trust God and trust God's Word, Jesus! He will lead the way!

Follow Jesus, and you'll see!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Day of Praise

Fri, 04/15/16, Easter Day #20, "Day of Praise"

Romans 4:24-25 - "It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification."

Have you ever lost your way? 

When we hear in today's Bible verses that Jesus was "raised for our justification," God's telling us that Jesus was raised from the dead, and is now alive, in order to make things right in the lives of all believers. And one thing that Jesus will do to "justify us" and "make us right" is he will lead us in order to get us on track when we've lost our way.

I remember a time I'd lost my way. I was trying to find a restaurant where my family was meeting for a celebration. My phone had died, and I didn't have a car charger at the time, so I couldn't call for or google directions. So I stopped at a gas station, went inside, and asked nobody in particular, "Does anyone know where Aubrey's Restaurant is?" Immediately, a guy named Lewis said, "Follow me." I suppose that Lewis could've been a serial killer, but, fortunately, Lewis, simply and kindly, just led me straight to Aubrey's, which was tucked away off the road where I'd searched high and low. But just like Jesus, Lewis took me straight to a place that I would never in a million years have found by myself, though I was oblivious to the fact that it was basically right under my nose. 

And that's one of the things that God does constantly in our lives through Jesus to make things right in our lives. He helps us find our way. He sends people to us to help us see things we never would've seen, though they're right there under our nose. He helps us see things that, like that celebration meal, enrich our lives, give us strength, bring us joy, and weave our lives into a rich fellowship of relationships and love, all of which are blessings along the way that God made for us to begin with, but that we often miss because we've lost our way. 

Friends, is something missing from your life and you realize that you don't know what it is? Or maybe you know what it is, but you have no clue how to find it? Well, Jesus is alive; he was "raised for our justification," for making things right in our lives. He wants to lead you straight to the things and places that you yourself are just flat out never going to find on your own. So he invites you to stop, to turn to him and ask, "Do you know how to get to this thing or place that I need but can't find?" Friends, you can trust God and trust God's Word, Jesus! He will lead the way!

Follow Jesus, and you'll see!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Thur, 04/14/16, Easter Day #19, "Day of Praise"

John 20:30-31 - "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

Have you ever had something wonderfully strange happen to you, when all the stars align through total "coincidence"? And it's so strange you know it can't be a coincidence; it must be what's called a "sign" in today's Bible verses. 

A "sign" is something that only God can arrange and pull off, and God does it so we'll "believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31) In other words, when something wonderfully strange happens to you, God's arranging it and pulling it off to give and strengthen faith in Jesus. And note that God's word says that God is seeking to strengthen our faith in who Jesus is moreso than what Jesus does! "Jesus is the Christ," and believing that Jesus is the Christ, believing in who he is, is the way God chooses to give us "life in his name." (John 20:30-31) In sum, as great as God's wonderful signs and deeds are, God does them not so we'll look for more signs and deeds but in order to get us to look for him!

Let me give you an example. The night before a friend of mine and I strangely wound up at the same breakfast table on the anniversary of the death of both our fathers to pray for a sister in Christ whose mom had just died, I was driving from the church to one of our neighborhood groups. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I noticed what I came to discover were two $20 bills just lying there on the ground. God told me, plain as day, who to give one $20 bill to at the group that I was right then going to attend. When I got there and gave it to them, they basically started crying because they said that $20 was going to be the gas money they needed to get to work and that they'd just literally been praying for. Coincidence? Well, you can believe what you want, but those people who needed the gas money and I chose to believe that it was a sign from God that, if we'll just have what the world sees as a radical faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, then God will miraculously provide for us. (By the way, the other $20 wound up being part of the money that God obviously provided for us to buy food for their poor next door neighbor whose mom had just died!)

Notice that I did NOT say that, if we'll trust God to provide, then we'll see that Jesus is the Christ. That's what Jesus was talking to Thomas about when Thomas believed because he'd seen a miracle instead of believing in Jesus so he could see the miracle of life in Jesus' name. God's plan is for us to believe in who Jesus is more than we believe in what Jesus does miraculously. In other words, God wants us to fall in love with him moreso than falling in love with his signs and wonders and miracles because the power for our lives and the greatest miracle of all is the life-giving relationship with God through Jesus, which is why today's verse ends with "that by believing you may have life in his name."

So! Is something lacking in your life? Don't look for a miracle; instead look to Jesus. Is something wrong in your life? Don't look for a miracle; instead look to Jesus. The power of God is in Jesus who does the miracles, not in the miracles that are done by Jesus.

Hunh? Maybe that's why I saw another wonderfully strange thing a couple days ago. I saw two families who both are really struggling financially though they work as hard as anybody. And both these families said that, though they've never been poorer financially and struggled so much, they both volunteered that they've rededicated themselves to tithing, to giving the first ten percent of their income to spreading the good news of Jesus in partnership with our church. Why? Because they both have discovered, in their financial poverty, an immeasurable wealth in the person of Jesus, that he truly "is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31)

In sum, God is eager to do physical miracles, as our church experienced again this past Sunday when another person was physically healed of knee and back pain. But as great as those miracles are, God does them to bring us to the greatest miracle, which is the miracle of Almighty God giving us himself, dwelling in our very bodies through Jesus Christ, so that the presence and wisdom and power of God's Holy Spirit can fill and flow through our lives to all the world with the Abundant Life for which every person yearns, now and forevermore!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Day of Praise

Thur, 04/14/16, Easter Day #19, "Day of Praise"

John 20:30-31 - "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

Have you ever had something wonderfully strange happen to you, when all the stars align through total "coincidence"? And it's so strange you know it can't be a coincidence; it must be what's called a "sign" in today's Bible verses. 

A "sign" is something that only God can arrange and pull off, and God does it so we'll "believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31) In other words, when something wonderfully strange happens to you, God's arranging it and pulling it off to give and strengthen faith in Jesus. And note that God's word says that God is seeking to strengthen our faith in who Jesus is moreso than what Jesus does! "Jesus is the Christ," and believing that Jesus is the Christ, believing in who he is, is the way God chooses to give us "life in his name." (John 20:30-31) In sum, as great as God's wonderful signs and deeds are, God does them not so we'll look for more signs and deeds but in order to get us to look for him!

Let me give you an example. The night before a friend of mine and I strangely wound up at the same breakfast table on the anniversary of the death of both our fathers to pray for a sister in Christ whose mom had just died, I was driving from the church to one of our neighborhood groups. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I noticed what I came to discover were two $20 bills just lying there on the ground. God told me, plain as day, who to give one $20 bill to at the group that I was right then going to attend. When I got there and gave it to them, they basically started crying because they said that $20 was going to be the gas money they needed to get to work and that they'd just literally been praying for. Coincidence? Well, you can believe what you want, but those people who needed the gas money and I chose to believe that it was a sign from God that, if we'll just have what the world sees as a radical faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, then God will miraculously provide for us. (By the way, the other $20 wound up being part of the money that God obviously provided for us to buy food for their poor next door neighbor whose mom had just died!)

Notice that I did NOT say that, if we'll trust God to provide, then we'll see that Jesus is the Christ. That's what Jesus was talking to Thomas about when Thomas believed because he'd seen a miracle instead of believing in Jesus so he could see the miracle of life in Jesus' name. God's plan is for us to believe in who Jesus is more than we believe in what Jesus does miraculously. In other words, God wants us to fall in love with him moreso than falling in love with his signs and wonders and miracles because the power for our lives and the greatest miracle of all is the life-giving relationship with God through Jesus, which is why today's verse ends with "that by believing you may have life in his name."

So! Is something lacking in your life? Don't look for a miracle; instead look to Jesus. Is something wrong in your life? Don't look for a miracle; instead look to Jesus. The power of God is in Jesus who does the miracles, not in the miracles that are done by Jesus.

Hunh? Maybe that's why I saw another wonderfully strange thing a couple days ago. I saw two families who both are really struggling financially though they work as hard as anybody. And both these families said that, though they've never been poorer financially and struggled so much, they both volunteered that they've rededicated themselves to tithing, to giving the first ten percent of their income to spreading the good news of Jesus in partnership with our church. Why? Because they both have discovered, in their financial poverty, an immeasurable wealth in the person of Jesus, that he truly "is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31)

In sum, God is eager to do physical miracles, as our church experienced again this past Sunday when another person was physically healed of knee and back pain. But as great as those miracles are, God does them to bring us to the greatest miracle, which is the miracle of Almighty God giving us himself, dwelling in our very bodies through Jesus Christ, so that the presence and wisdom and power of God's Holy Spirit can fill and flow through our lives to all the world with the Abundant Life for which every person yearns, now and forevermore!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Wed, 04/13/16, Easter Day #18, "Day of Praise"

Revelation 7:16-17 - "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Once upon a time, there was no such thing as the internet. One such year was 1972. In order to get a hotel room in places such as Daytona Beach, FL, a family actually had to drive there from a place like Kingsport, TN and look for a hotel that had a little sign in the window that said "Vacancy." If there was no room in the inn, the hotel would put a sign that said "No" in front of "Vacancy." 

My late father, Ben, Sr., had driven our family of six the long trip from Kingsport to Daytona for a July 4 holiday. He found a place with a "Vacancy," parked the car, and went inside with many other travellers who were seeking a room during that busy holiday. The process of getting a room was taking a while so us four kids, (I was 7 years old), talked my mom into letting us swim in the hotel pool until dad was finished. I myself took off my shirt and exposed my very pale, never-south-of-Tennessee, skin to the scorching Florida sun for 30 minutes while we had an absolute ball in the pool. Bad idea.

I was introduced to my first official sunburn. And it was bad. I was scorched so intensely on my face, arms, chest and back that I had to walk like the Hunchback through the newly built Disney World. As the Haunted House ride went backwards down a steep slope, I held onto the safety bar for dear life because I couldn't lean back against anything without excruciating pain. I had to sleep on hotel floors, lest one of my 3 siblings accidentally turn in the night and touch my sun-scorched body. I literally froze with fever chills as the ceiling fans sent what felt like an Arctic blast in every place we ate. And by the end of the week, I was peeling very large chunks of skin off my body.

This whole recounting is a parable for one of many reasons why I'm a Christian and thankful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, namely, that, in the language of today's Bible verse from Revelation 7:16-17, I don't want to be struck by "any scorching heat. For the Lamb [Jesus] in the midst of the throne will be [our] shepherd, and he will guide [us] to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes." 

These words were written to and were a comfort to those who, through faith in Jesus Christ, had endured the great tribulation of suffering from the scorching heat of persecution under Emperor Nero in 60 A.D. and beyond. Every movement of every Christian came with the uncertainty of bumping into and being touched by an unbeliever who would inflict great pain. It would have been difficult to eat or sleep in peace. When discovered, the lashings would cause the loss of large chunks of not just skin but flesh and leave a body scarred for life.

So when God's word says, "the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat" what it means in reality is that, though we are struck by heat and burned on the outside, there is an unmistakable victory on the inside, "For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

In the end, I had a great time in Florida that week with many fond memories from "It's a Small World" in Disney to a Stock Car race at Daytona International Speedway. And I intend to have a great time today, even as we live in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to lives fully devoted to Christ and his ways. 
The Lamb is with you today. Come what may from the scorching heat of your day, trust him to "guide you to springs of living water, and to wipe away every tear." He promises. He will. 

Praise God!

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Day of Praise

Wed, 04/13/16, Easter Day #18, "Day of Praise"

Revelation 7:16-17 - "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Once upon a time, there was no such thing as the internet. One such year was 1972. In order to get a hotel room in places such as Daytona Beach, FL, a family actually had to drive there from a place like Kingsport, TN and look for a hotel that had a little sign in the window that said "Vacancy." If there was no room in the inn, the hotel would put a sign that said "No" in front of "Vacancy." 

My late father, Ben, Sr., had driven our family of six the long trip from Kingsport to Daytona for a July 4 holiday. He found a place with a "Vacancy," parked the car, and went inside with many other travellers who were seeking a room during that busy holiday. The process of getting a room was taking a while so us four kids, (I was 7 years old), talked my mom into letting us swim in the hotel pool until dad was finished. I myself took off my shirt and exposed my very pale, never-south-of-Tennessee, skin to the scorching Florida sun for 30 minutes while we had an absolute ball in the pool. Bad idea.

I was introduced to my first official sunburn. And it was bad. I was scorched so intensely on my face, arms, chest and back that I had to walk like the Hunchback through the newly built Disney World. As the Haunted House ride went backwards down a steep slope, I held onto the safety bar for dear life because I couldn't lean back against anything without excruciating pain. I had to sleep on hotel floors, lest one of my 3 siblings accidentally turn in the night and touch my sun-scorched body. I literally froze with fever chills as the ceiling fans sent what felt like an Arctic blast in every place we ate. And by the end of the week, I was peeling very large chunks of skin off my body.

This whole recounting is a parable for one of many reasons why I'm a Christian and thankful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, namely, that, in the language of today's Bible verse from Revelation 7:16-17, I don't want to be struck by "any scorching heat. For the Lamb [Jesus] in the midst of the throne will be [our] shepherd, and he will guide [us] to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes." 

These words were written to and were a comfort to those who, through faith in Jesus Christ, had endured the great tribulation of suffering from the scorching heat of persecution under Emperor Nero in 60 A.D. and beyond. Every movement of every Christian came with the uncertainty of bumping into and being touched by an unbeliever who would inflict great pain. It would have been difficult to eat or sleep in peace. When discovered, the lashings would cause the loss of large chunks of not just skin but flesh and leave a body scarred for life.

So when God's word says, "the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat" what it means in reality is that, though we are struck by heat and burned on the outside, there is an unmistakable victory on the inside, "For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

In the end, I had a great time in Florida that week with many fond memories from "It's a Small World" in Disney to a Stock Car race at Daytona International Speedway. And I intend to have a great time today, even as we live in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to lives fully devoted to Christ and his ways. 
The Lamb is with you today. Come what may from the scorching heat of your day, trust him to "guide you to springs of living water, and to wipe away every tear." He promises. He will. 

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Tues, 04/12/16, Easter Day #17, "Day of Praise"

2 Corinthians 13:11 - "Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you."

If I aimed and swung a billion times, I could not ever again match the notorious feat. Son, Caden, and I were hitting golf balls in the large, grassy, power-line right of way that was behind the houses at one of the grandparent's house. At the same time, younger daughter, Cassidy, was swimming all by herself in the neighborhood pool about a hundred and twenty yards away. 

I myself am not a skilled golfer, so when Caden said, "Dad, don't hit the ball toward Cassidy." I said, "Caden, this ball won't hit your sister in a million years." Well, the moment I hit the golf ball with a 7-iron, we saw that we might just as well have played the lottery that day because the ball went high and true and straight on line toward Cassidy. Caden and I just started screaming, "Cassidy!" and sprinting toward the pool as we both had visions of her getting knocked unconscious by a direct hit from the golf ball and then drowning in the pool. And sure enough, the ball hit in the pool parking lot about 20 yards from her, bounced high in the air, and, drawn like a fly to honey, hit her squarely on the top of her head.

God love her! Cass yelled out in pain and started dancing in the pool like Elaine on a Seinfeld episode, i.e. not gracefully at all. Fortunately, she wasn't knocked out. But oooooh, did her head hurt for days. And it was all because of my poor aim, coupled with an unbelief in the possibility. 

And this is why St. Paul is inspired by the Holy Spirit to urge us to aim carefully and thoughtfully with our efforts each day. "Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace," writes Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:11. It's as if Paul is recognizing that, without care and thought in a fallen world, the things we do can all too easily harm and injure other people and whack 'em on the top of the head. So "aim for restoration!"

But Paul closes with a great encouragement, noting "and the God of love and peace will be with you." In essence, Paul's also recognizing that in a fallen world, God is alive and well through the crucified and risen Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. And the reason we need to hear this is because, without such assurance of God's presence, anybody who cared would never do anything. We'd be paralyzed by the fear that every little swing of our club, despite our best aim, was going to wind up hitting and hurting someone. But since "the God of love and peace [is] with [us]," then trusting God to work through all things for good, we're set free to swing away!

So "Aim for restoration" to be sure, but believe all the more that "the God of love and peace [is] with [us]." (2 Corinthians 13:11)

Praise God!

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Day of Praise

Tues, 04/12/16, Easter Day #17, "Day of Praise"

2 Corinthians 13:11 - "Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you."

If I aimed and swung a billion times, I could not ever again match the notorious feat. Son, Caden, and I were hitting golf balls in the large, grassy, power-line right of way that was behind the houses at one of the grandparent's house. At the same time, younger daughter, Cassidy, was swimming all by herself in the neighborhood pool about a hundred and twenty yards away. 

I myself am not a skilled golfer, so when Caden said, "Dad, don't hit the ball toward Cassidy." I said, "Caden, this ball won't hit your sister in a million years." Well, the moment I hit the golf ball with a 7-iron, we saw that we might just as well have played the lottery that day because the ball went high and true and straight on line toward Cassidy. Caden and I just started screaming, "Cassidy!" and sprinting toward the pool as we both had visions of her getting knocked unconscious by a direct hit from the golf ball and then drowning in the pool. And sure enough, the ball hit in the pool parking lot about 20 yards from her, bounced high in the air, and, drawn like a fly to honey, hit her squarely on the top of her head.

God love her! Cass yelled out in pain and started dancing in the pool like Elaine on a Seinfeld episode, i.e. not gracefully at all. Fortunately, she wasn't knocked out. But oooooh, did her head hurt for days. And it was all because of my poor aim, coupled with an unbelief in the possibility. 

And this is why St. Paul is inspired by the Holy Spirit to urge us to aim carefully and thoughtfully with our efforts each day. "Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace," writes Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:11. It's as if Paul is recognizing that, without care and thought in a fallen world, the things we do can all too easily harm and injure other people and whack 'em on the top of the head. So "aim for restoration!"

But Paul closes with a great encouragement, noting "and the God of love and peace will be with you." In essence, Paul's also recognizing that in a fallen world, God is alive and well through the crucified and risen Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. And the reason we need to hear this is because, without such assurance of God's presence, anybody who cared would never do anything. We'd be paralyzed by the fear that every little swing of our club, despite our best aim, was going to wind up hitting and hurting someone. But since "the God of love and peace [is] with [us]," then trusting God to work through all things for good, we're set free to swing away!

So "Aim for restoration" to be sure, but believe all the more that "the God of love and peace [is] with [us]." (2 Corinthians 13:11)

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Mon, 04/11/16, Easter Day #16, "Day of Praise"

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 - "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"

Have you ever been proud of and thankful for someone? If so, you carry pictures of them, and you have things about them memorized, like their birthday.

Let's do something like that with Jesus. Let's tuck away some things about Jesus, not in our wallets, but in our hearts, so we can pull them out at any time and tell them about the one we're all proud of and thankful for. 

In today's Bible verses, we hear three things that Jesus is for us: righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Let's add seven and learn an even ten so we can walk even more powerfully in Christ. 

Here's an acronym tool to learn ten awesome things that Jesus is for us. Think of our sinful mess as ERR, as in mistakes. Our ERR was dealt with between PA (the Father) and JR (the Son), which gives us PAERRJR. And PA and JR are Always So Good (ASG) for dealing with our ERR, so we have PAERRJRASG. Got it? If not, then reread this paragraph, please!

So what do these ten letters, PAERRJRASG, tell us IN ORDER that Jesus is for us in dealing with our ERR?
P - Propitiation - He absorbs God's wrath against us for sin.
A - Atonement - He removes our guilt.
E - Expiation - He removes our sin that causes God's wrath and our guilt.
R - Redemption - He's the ransom payment for our liberty.
R - Righteousness - He fulfills all requirements for restoring us to God. 
J - Justification - He leaves nothing for us to be indicted before God.
R - Reconciliation - He restores us to God's face and therefore intimate fellowship with God.
A - Adoption - He makes us joint heirs of the PA (Father God) with himself, JR (the Son).
S - Sanctification - He seals aaaaaall the above and matures us in conduct by the power of the Holy Spirit.
G - Glorification - He completes our perfection at his coming again.

Please friends, take time to learn more about the most special One in our lives so that God can be praised and others can meet Jesus through you and you can walk in his power, the power of the Holy Spirit. Put your faith, your plain, simple trust in Jesus Christ, and you will see!

Praise God!

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Day of Praise

Mon, 04/11/16, Easter Day #16, "Day of Praise"

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 - "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"

Have you ever been proud of and thankful for someone? If so, you carry pictures of them, and you have things about them memorized, like their birthday.

Let's do something like that with Jesus. Let's tuck away some things about Jesus, not in our wallets, but in our hearts, so we can pull them out at any time and tell them about the one we're all proud of and thankful for. 

In today's Bible verses, we hear three things that Jesus is for us: righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Let's add seven and learn an even ten so we can walk even more powerfully in Christ. 

Here's an acronym tool to learn ten awesome things that Jesus is for us. Think of our sinful mess as ERR, as in mistakes. Our ERR was dealt with between PA (the Father) and JR (the Son), which gives us PAERRJR. And PA and JR are Always So Good (ASG) for dealing with our ERR, so we have PAERRJRASG. Got it? If not, then reread this paragraph, please!

So what do these ten letters, PAERRJRASG, tell us IN ORDER that Jesus is for us in dealing with our ERR?
P - Propitiation - He absorbs God's wrath against us for sin.
A - Atonement - He removes our guilt.
E - Expiation - He removes our sin that causes God's wrath and our guilt.
R - Redemption - He's the ransom payment for our liberty.
R - Righteousness - He fulfills all requirements for restoring us to God. 
J - Justification - He leaves nothing for us to be indicted before God.
R - Reconciliation - He restores us to God's face and therefore intimate fellowship with God.
A - Adoption - He makes us joint heirs of the PA (Father God) with himself, JR (the Son).
S - Sanctification - He seals aaaaaall the above and matures us in conduct by the power of the Holy Spirit.
G - Glorification - He completes our perfection at his coming again.

Please friends, take time to learn more about the most special One in our lives so that God can be praised and others can meet Jesus through you and you can walk in his power, the power of the Holy Spirit. Put your faith, your plain, simple trust in Jesus Christ, and you will see!

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Sa, 04/09/16, Easter Day #14. "Day of Praise"

John 8:11 - "She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.'"

Surprise!

Who likes surprises? I guess, for all of us, it depends on what kind of surprise you're talking about. 

My wife, Amanda, and I have been touched by the surprise of credit card fraud before. That's not fun. But you work through it together, and ultimately it's no big deal. 

And then there are pleasant surprises. 

I feel so blessed when someone surprisingly walks into my life for any reason. But, it's always a pleasant surprise when someone walks into your life who is Godly, Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, grace-flowing, relationally-wise, divinely-prioritized, Biblically-valued, humble-AND-meek-bent, long-term-oriented, patiently-persevering, kid-sharing, huge-hearted, sharp-minded, kind-and-compassionate, socially-confident, smoothly-articulate, community-involved, the-more-the-merrier-postured, fun-filled, silly-humored, flower-loving. You, of course, can make your own list of traits that pleasantly surprise you, but that's part of mine. And when I see those traits with someone who I meet in life or who comes to church or who Amanda or our kids tell me they met at work or school, then I'm pleasantly surprised. 

But easily the best possible surprise is when we're met with grace. Grace, by it's nature, is surprising because grace is always undeserved. God's word is clear that God's grace alone makes life worth living. For example, fundamentally, we didn't do anything to be called into being because we didn't exist, so how could we deserve to be created? The very fact that we exist is purely God's grace. It's a surprise. The best surprise.

Today's Bible verse, gives us another example of grace as the best surprise. It's the example of forgiveness. Forgiveness is when an offended party gives up the right to get even with the offender. Though the consequences of sin touch people, all sin is against God because sin, by it's nature, is a rebellion against God, against God's word, and against how God has established life to work. 

So when the woman, caught in adultery, is spared by Jesus's wisdom instead of stoned by the people of the town, she's surprised by his mercy, which means she was surprised that she did not get what she deserved. When Jesus, though, takes it further and doesn't condemn her but forgives her and sends her on her way to live a new life, she's downright shocked. Surprise! The best surprise. The surprise of grace. The surprise of something totally undeserved coming your way.

Friends, I constantly hear people talking about wanting a better world. Well, the power to make it better is in our reach. All it takes is our lifting our hearts and thanking God for his surprising grace. And then, in the strength and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, passing along his grace. People will be surprised, even shocked, like the woman caught in adultery. And your world, our world, will instantly be a better place!

Let's do it! Wooohooo!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Day of Praise

Sa, 04/09/16, Easter Day #14. "Day of Praise"

John 8:11 - "She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.'"

Surprise!

Who likes surprises? I guess, for all of us, it depends on what kind of surprise you're talking about. 

My wife, Amanda, and I have been touched by the surprise of credit card fraud before. That's not fun. But you work through it together, and ultimately it's no big deal. 

And then there are pleasant surprises. 

I feel so blessed when someone surprisingly walks into my life for any reason. But, it's always a pleasant surprise when someone walks into your life who is Godly, Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, grace-flowing, relationally-wise, divinely-prioritized, Biblically-valued, humble-AND-meek-bent, long-term-oriented, patiently-persevering, kid-sharing, huge-hearted, sharp-minded, kind-and-compassionate, socially-confident, smoothly-articulate, community-involved, the-more-the-merrier-postured, fun-filled, silly-humored, flower-loving. You, of course, can make your own list of traits that pleasantly surprise you, but that's part of mine. And when I see those traits with someone who I meet in life or who comes to church or who Amanda or our kids tell me they met at work or school, then I'm pleasantly surprised. 

But easily the best possible surprise is when we're met with grace. Grace, by it's nature, is surprising because grace is always undeserved. God's word is clear that God's grace alone makes life worth living. For example, fundamentally, we didn't do anything to be called into being because we didn't exist, so how could we deserve to be created? The very fact that we exist is purely God's grace. It's a surprise. The best surprise.

Today's Bible verse, gives us another example of grace as the best surprise. It's the example of forgiveness. Forgiveness is when an offended party gives up the right to get even with the offender. Though the consequences of sin touch people, all sin is against God because sin, by it's nature, is a rebellion against God, against God's word, and against how God has established life to work. 

So when the woman, caught in adultery, is spared by Jesus's wisdom instead of stoned by the people of the town, she's surprised by his mercy, which means she was surprised that she did not get what she deserved. When Jesus, though, takes it further and doesn't condemn her but forgives her and sends her on her way to live a new life, she's downright shocked. Surprise! The best surprise. The surprise of grace. The surprise of something totally undeserved coming your way.

Friends, I constantly hear people talking about wanting a better world. Well, the power to make it better is in our reach. All it takes is our lifting our hearts and thanking God for his surprising grace. And then, in the strength and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, passing along his grace. People will be surprised, even shocked, like the woman caught in adultery. And your world, our world, will instantly be a better place!

Let's do it! Wooohooo!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Fr, 04/08/16, Easter Day #13, "Day of Praise"

Matthew 16:3 - "[Jesus said to them, 'You say,] "And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."'"

Here's some Driver's License Test questions: 
A red light means what? 
"Stop", yes! 
A green light means what? 
"Go", yes! 
And a yellow light means what? 
"Floor it!!!" 
Uuuuuh, no, I'm sorry, that's not right. A yellow light means "prepare to stop." And the unwillingness to interpret the sign that is a yellow light as "prepare to stop" has been the cause of many a death.

And that's exactly what Jesus is talking about in today's verse when he says, "You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times." The key sign that Jesus refers to is the sign of Jonah. Jesus even tells us what the sign of Jonah is, namely, that just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a whale, so too will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the belly of the earth. The sign of Jonah is a sign that testifies to the truth that just as Jonah seemed dead in the whale but he was spewed forth by the whale onto dry land, so too Jesus seemed dead in the grave but he was spewed forth by the Living God into the midst of the living.

So why, then, do so many people, many of whom profess to be Christians, continue to live as if Jesus is still dead and in the grave? Tragically, the unwillingness to interpret the sign that is Jesus' resurrection as "live like Jesus is alive" has been the cause of many a death. In other words, everyday, many a Christian approaches a difficult situation as if Jesus is dead by never appealing to the crucified, risen, and living Christ to do something about the situation and then believing that he will do it and looking for him to do it.

God wants us to read the signs of the times correctly so we can live abundantly. When a difficult situation comes up in our lives, it does not mean that we're done for or that we're supposed to deal with it in our own strength. Instead, when we have a difficult situation, it means that Jesus, who conquered the greatest ever difficulty of an unjust death, is about to show you his mighty power and conquer your difficulty too!!!

Let us be found believing, and may God be praised for his victory over every difficulty in our lives by the power of the risen and living Jesus Christ. Can I get an "Amen!"? Aaaaaaaaamen!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Day of Praise

Fr, 04/08/16, Easter Day #13, "Day of Praise"

Matthew 16:3 - "[Jesus said to them, 'You say,] "And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."'"

Here's some Driver's License Test questions: 
A red light means what? 
"Stop", yes! 
A green light means what? 
"Go", yes! 
And a yellow light means what? 
"Floor it!!!" 
Uuuuuh, no, I'm sorry, that's not right. A yellow light means "prepare to stop." And the unwillingness to interpret the sign that is a yellow light as "prepare to stop" has been the cause of many a death.

And that's exactly what Jesus is talking about in today's verse when he says, "You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times." The key sign that Jesus refers to is the sign of Jonah. Jesus even tells us what the sign of Jonah is, namely, that just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a whale, so too will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the belly of the earth. The sign of Jonah is a sign that testifies to the truth that just as Jonah seemed dead in the whale but he was spewed forth by the whale onto dry land, so too Jesus seemed dead in the grave but he was spewed forth by the Living God into the midst of the living.

So why, then, do so many people, many of whom profess to be Christians, continue to live as if Jesus is still dead and in the grave? Tragically, the unwillingness to interpret the sign that is Jesus' resurrection as "live like Jesus is alive" has been the cause of many a death. In other words, everyday, many a Christian approaches a difficult situation as if Jesus is dead by never appealing to the crucified, risen, and living Christ to do something about the situation and then believing that he will do it and looking for him to do it.

God wants us to read the signs of the times correctly so we can live abundantly. When a difficult situation comes up in our lives, it does not mean that we're done for or that we're supposed to deal with it in our own strength. Instead, when we have a difficult situation, it means that Jesus, who conquered the greatest ever difficulty of an unjust death, is about to show you his mighty power and conquer your difficulty too!!!

Let us be found believing, and may God be praised for his victory over every difficulty in our lives by the power of the risen and living Jesus Christ. Can I get an "Amen!"? Aaaaaaaaamen!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Thur, 04/07/16, Easter Day #12, "Day of Praise"

Colossians 1:9-10 - "And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

I got tickled yesterday. I drove past a church sign that on two lines read, "Is your life pleasing to God?" And then on the next line, it said, "Zumba - Wednesday 7:30." You can do all sorts of things with the sequence on the sign, but when I first read it driving by, it sounded as if a Zumba exercise class was their suggestion for pleasing God. So I chuckled.

Setting all humor aside, today's verses from Colossians are amongst sixty or so Bible verses that tell us what does and does not please God about our lives. In sum, God is pleased with our lives when we walk with Him and therefore walk in His blessings.

Walking with God is not difficult. Walking with God means surrendering to the faithful work of God's Holy Spirit so that we:
1) have faith in Christ, (both in Him personally and in His saving work),
2) look for Christ, (for example, look for the many chances to serve him daily by serving people in WORDS AND DEEDS with God's love), and
3) listen for Christ's voice (for example, daily Bible reading, prayer, and at least weekly worship).

The result of such a walk with God, according to today's verses, is that we are:
1) filled with Christ and, therefore, his spiritual wisdom and power,
2) increasing in the knowledge of God, and
3) bearing fruit in every good work.
In sum, we are blessed. The result of walking with God is that we are blessed in such a way that we become a blessing to others and a glory to God.

To bring it full circle, when, through faith in Him, we are a blessing to others and a glory to God, then God is pleased indeed.

Praise God!

This email was sent to ctdegreen.pcblog@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA