March 29 Thought for the day...the rescuer with you

How many times have you found yourself trapped? How many times has your back been up against the wall? How many times have you felt abandoned, alone, like you were the only one facing your trial? Paul gave us this hope to remind us that we are never alone.

"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Romans 8:26

I have read this scripture many times. It wasn't until I began to break it down that I grasped the full and very powerful meaning behind Paul's words.

The Greek word used here for "intercession" was not used in the common language of the day, it was very specific to the Christian culture. It does not mean intercession as in the definition used as simply prayer, but it is more of an active word. It is the picture of seeing someone trapped, hopeless, overwhelmed and the Holy Spirit comes in as a rescuer. He comes to you, He empathizes with your condition. He grasps the full reality of what is going on. He feels your full emotion. He completely understands the frustration and the battle you are facing. Having understood, He knows exactly what to do to break you free from the quandary and bring total freedom and release. He has a supernatural plan to deliver you and will execute that plan in the best way to bless you if you allow Him!

Don't ever hesitate to ask the Lord for help. He will immediately come to your rescue. He will understand exactly what you are walking through, encourage you in it, and at the right time deliver you out of it. You are never alone, never abandoned. This is the Holy Spirit's intercession for each of us every day.

I know some reading this are really going through it. If you aren't in a difficult situation if you are pursuing God, walking by faith it won't be long until you face your own situation. Choose every moment to trust the Holy Spirit's power of intercession to set you free and He will!

March 28 Thought for the day...amateur or pro

Those of you that know me know I am not into professional sports with perhaps one exception, the Olympics. Olympic athletes practice for years, for hours, daily to make their bodies do the impossible, and both men and women, large and small are able to do the impossible with enough focus and training. Paul gives young Timothy the same challenge

"And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules." 2 Timothy 2:5

I know many of you are thinking Tim doesn't even like sports yet here we go with another sports idea from scripture. All I can say is if the scripture goes there I must go there too!

The word Paul uses for "competes" doesn't mean simple amateur competition but like the
Olympics he is referring to someone who has given their lives to training, to be disciplined mentally, to emotionally be prepared, to take on any challenge at any time. Paul is saying that as Christians we must be disciplined in our study of the word, prayer, growing in the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Think about it. How many battles mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually do you face every day? How many attacks do you have to ward off? How many comments and thoughts do you have to overcome? Without real training and discipline, it would be easy to be worn down and out and rather than being an overcomer, to become overcome. It is sad to say, but I see it all the time. It starts innocent enough, I'm too tired to read, pray, get to church or the kids have to do this or be here, or go there I just don't have time. Then marriage fall apart, kids run away from God, they have sports, dance, cheerleading or whatever but are not prepared to be a success in life. Adults give their lives to the job, their club, or their kids and then have nothing because God has had no place in their life. They have lived, and amateur walk with God and are easily and quickly defeated.

Life can be tough, but the people we celebrate are the ones who make it through the bad places, the tough times, the challenges to their integrity. We celebrate the ones whose kids are walking with God as they grow older. The word "competes" that Paul uses is suggestive of living life always being prepared for the battle, always either training to win or winning the crown. The crown is the presence of God, the successful life, the faithful family. Our walk with Christ is not for the weak because, in our weakness, He gives strength, if we are willing! Move from the amateur to the professional ranks begin to compete with the drive to win.

March 27 Thought for the day...winning is the only option

We get very excited when our team begins to win. When they win, even when we aren't playing, there is a feeling of elation because it is our team and it was hard fought. Paul challenges us in much the same way.

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it." 1 Corinthians 9:24

Paul writing to the Corinthians church, a people who understood competition very well because of their familiarity with Isthmian games, a type of Olympics. When Paul wrote the word "race" the meaning behind it was pretty intricate. The athletes at these games were not competing only for riches, but they competed mainly for honor. Winners at these games had dedicated themselves to the discipline, training, excellence, and mindset to win. They were considered heroes and icons in their culture. They were given respect, notoriety, and fame for a lifetime. Paul's emphasis was partially this that we should compete, run our race, that we too would commit the excellence, discipline, and training to win our race and we would be given, by God, the honor, respect and notoriety of a winner for heaven.

The other part of this idea is that our excellence and training would cause us not only to win but to challenge others, by our victories, to want to do the same thing to win. Both the honoring by God and the challenge to others with them beginning to compete are both our prizes. Paul repeats this thought in Romans in 2:10. Paul expects every Christian to run this race, as he says, "all run," and every Christian should then expect to impact everyone around them so they too might run.

Paul's other challenge to "obtain" the prize, means to give everything you have to win the race. The expectation from Paul is that you will strain, do battle with your own heart and mind, to overcome every obstacle with the expectation of not just placing, but winning. This is not just "jogging for Jesus" but an expectation of giving all that you have to win the prize. It is expected for you to impact everyone you know to strive to win as well.

The cost if we don't run this way is; families falling apart, children walking away from Jesus, people by the thousands going to hell every hour. The blessing if we win is; thousands more in heaven, God blessing us more than we could ever imagine, our families strengthened and blessed. Let's choose today to run to win! When these are the stakes, winning is the only option!

March 26 Thought for the day...who is Jesus part 1

Jesus coming to earth to be one like us is a story that always astounds me. Paul, in just a few verses, lays out the power of this story. I will need to take two days to break it down so watch for the rest of the story next week.

"being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men." Philippians 2:6,7

There are many ways people describe Jesus. Some call him a good teacher, a moralist, a prophet but Paul, in this verse, makes it clear who He is! When Paul uses the word "being" the Greek meaning of our translation is eternal existence, the first, the original. Paul is making it very plain that Jesus has always existed. Jesus birth in Bethlehem was not His beginning, He has and always will, exist.

Paul goes on to describe Jesus pre-birth existence. Jesus was in the "form" of God. This means He looked just like God, in fact, the Greek understanding isn't that He just looked like God but that He was God in every way, all His glory, splendor, and power, so much so that no flesh would be able to stand it. He was in such glory that no human mind would ever be able to comprehend it. Yet, He desired to pay the price to get us back from the devil's grasp so He had to step out of that glory and clothe himself in human flesh so that we could grasp who He is!

What Paul is describing to us is someone who had everything, who is everything, and willingly let it all go so He could meet with us face to face. He laid everything down to take on your sin and my sin. He always was and is God but for a brief moment in time laid it all down so we could understand His love, grace, and mercy from our limited perspective.

This just starts the story. Think about it for a week then we will finish the story next week. Please remember God always wants to make a connection with us because of His great love for us. He comes to us in a way we can understand because He first loved us!

March 25 Thought for the day...insisting in prayer

If you have ever had your back up against the wall. If you have ever been in extreme danger or in need, you know what it is like to either feel helpless, get desperate, or even becoming demanding of God. How far can we go in prayer? What does God expect and tolerate from His people?

John 15:7 "But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!"

This verse eliminates the idea that we are worthless and need to beg God for answers. The word John uses for "ask" means to demand or insist strongly. It does not imply arrogance but the idea of a person coming to their boss and asking what has already been promised or released through previous authority. It is a word full of expectation and anticipation that the request is going to be fulfilled because of relationship.

Remember the context of this verse is that you are abiding in Christ. The expectation is that your heart is aligned with His heart so to be able to demand something of God is not arrogance but a demonstration of faith in your relationship with Him. You can courageously come before him with the expectation of His heartbeat being fulfilled because your heart is aligned with His! He wants you to seize His will for your life to demand the fulfillment of His plan and your destiny.

The word used here for "ask" is also the word meant to insist upon receiving; food, clothing, shelter, protection, guidance, finances, and all the very tangible needs. Jesus is telling us it is OK to come to the Lord with the expectation of His supply. The expectation from God is, we are keeping His word, living a Christ-follower type of life, that people can see Jesus in our actions and hear Him in our words, then we can expect God to move on our requests!

March 22 Thought for the day...remember

It is nice to remember to pray for someone. We all need it, but do you know that is a way to pray that enables heaven to remember you?

"I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day" 2 Timothy 1:3

Paul was waiting to be executed, he had been imprisoned for quite some time. He knew at any moment the soldiers could come and take him to his beheading. However, young Timothy was hurting as I had mentioned in previous thoughts for the day, he had been abandoned and was concerned about being left without any help. Paul set his focus not on his execution but instead on bringing young Timothy to God's attention.

Most people reading this "thought" know that I am praying for them. If I know you, I am praying for you, and even if I don't know you, I am always praying that this "thought" will have an impact to make you more like Jesus and cause you to fulfill your destiny. For those I know, I have taken Paul example here for my prayers.

Paul says he "remembers without ceasing" his words mean he is bringing Timothy before the Lord always. Before Paul would ask for the Lord's guidance, protection, or supplying Timothy's need he would remind heaven of all that Timothy had done. Paul would paint a picture before heaven of all the things Timothy had accomplished. He reminded the Lord of who Timothy was and the faithfulness with which he served heaven. The word used for this phrase means that Paul memorialized Timothy in heaven (like the Centurion in Acts 10:4). Before he asked for a need for Timothy, he reminded heaven of the man of God that he is. God forgets nothing, He remembers everything so even though Paul was going to his death he laid out a memorial before the Lord of who Timothy was that God would see forever.

Paul was saying even though my time on earth may be short, I want heaven to always know and remember who you are Timothy so when you pray the Father will have a memorial that I have built to remind Him just who you are. Don't you wish you had someone who prayed like that for you? If I know you, then you do! God will remember you!

I would encourage you to love the people you know enough to remind the Lord of what they have done. Build a memorial before God, for the people in your life. Watch what happens as God remembers your prayers

March 21 Thought for the day...everything decently and in order

I have been in every kind of church you can imagine from the very conservative to the very wild. I have been part of things that are so profound and holy that I literally could not stand in the presence of God to things so profane I wanted to take the microphone and ask people if any of them had a relationship with Jesus. What is the best way to do church? Paul gives us clear direction.

"Let all things be done decently and in order." 1 Corinthians 14:40

That statement means different things to different people. It could mean the dancing, swaying and shouting of a Gospel choir and it could also mean the quiet stillness of an Orthodox service or the wildness of Pentecostals in South America. Each one of these services and more could be either decent and in order or totally out of order. This could also be a reflection of your life.

When Paul talks about "decently" there are only two other places in scripture where this same word is used. In all three cases, the inference is doing something with honest heart and intent, to do something properly. The emphasis is not so much on what is done but on the motivation behind it. When Paul is talking about doing something decently, his challenge is that it be done with honesty, sincerity, and the right motivation. We must judge the heart of why we are doing something, and as a Pastor, the challenge for me is to judge the motivation of the heart of someone doing something in ministry that they are claiming is God-driven. This is also the way we should be responding in our daily lives. Everything should be done with honest, sincere, motivation or attitudes should always be governed by honesty.

When Paul mentions "in order" the word translated this way means that something is done in a fitting way, it fits with the service, does not disrupt or distract but adds to in a respectful, courteous, differential, well-mannered way. This is the definition of in order. This is also the way we should treat one another.

Think of all of the ways you communicated or were communicated to in the last week. Has it been decently and in order? As far as a church service goes, this is not limiting if everyone is truly moving by the Spirit of God. Yes, there will be times when someone will get offended because to them it is a disruption, but if done honestly and respectfully it is not really a disruption but God!