Changed Men

I have been reading in the book of Acts for my daily devotions. Though I have read the book many times, this time some stood out to me.

This is the book where we find Jesus ascending to heaven and the Holy Spirit being poured out on the believers. This all happens in the first 2 chapters. But what caught my attention was what happened after the outpouring of the Spirit.

Not to long ago these were ordinary men that didn’t quite grasp what Jesus was trying to teach them. These were men that coward in the face of trials and at the thought of persecution. But we see a different group of people after Acts chapter 2. We see Peter, who once coward back at the question of knowing Jesus, now he is standing boldly in front of people proclaiming Jesus.

Wow, what a difference the Holy Spirit makes in our lives. He gives us the power and boldness to stand up in the face of persecution and trials. What would our lives be like if we allowed the Holy Spirit to invade our lives like the disciples did in the book of Acts? How exciting would our walk with Christ be?

I would love to hear how you have allowed the Holy Spirit to guide you through a trial.

Be blessed as you journey with Christ.

Are You Tired? Worn Out?

Recently I came across a very familiar passage of Scripture that caught my eye in a different way. I have been reading out of the parallel Bible with the NIV/Message translations. Great study tool that you can pick up at any Christian Bookstore. The passage that I was reading was Matthew 11:28-30.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

I have read this Scripture numerous times, but I was reading in the Message translation and found it worded just a little differently. This different wording made me think a little differently about the passage.

Matthew 11:28-30 (Message Translation)

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

Now let’s take a look at a few phrases here that shows us what real resting is. Jesus says to “get away with Him“. When was the last time you actually put aside time and really got away with Him. I know for me it has been some time. We often let the busyness of life get in the way of truly letting Him direct our lives. When we don’t take the time to get away with Him, the things of this world tend to pull on us.

The second thing I want to point out is the phrase “with me“. He says this phrase 4 times in this passage of scripture. How many of us are guilty of trying to do it on our own? Many times that is why we are so tired, run down, and burned out. We are go getters and people who like results now. But sometimes the results come at a price. If we were to take the time and walk with Him and allow Him to show us how to do the work, then we would be better off in the end. I know that I am completely guilty of trying to do things on my own and not allowing God to work His process.

So I guess my question is, are you tired? I know that I am. I am not to the point of burn out, but I know that the things of life sometimes weight heavy on me. Jesus says in verse 30 to “keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” This is a process of learning. As long as we are teachable, then the process of letting Him do the things He needs to do will become easier and easier. Also don’t forget that to keep company with Him. This means that He is wants to talk and listen to us. Don’t be afraid to let Him know how you feel, but be ready to listen to His comments an advice.

Character Traits

Today was my first day of my breakfast with Jesus time. You can read the post about this here. As I was sitting in a little coffee shop close to my house pondering on how all of this was going to work, I had a mental picture of having a cup of coffee with Jesus. As I began the morning I prayed that He would open my heart to a new vision of His word. I prayed that as I was reading His word it would be like having a conversation over the cup of coffee that was sitting in front of me. Here is what I got today.

Proverbs 22:1,4

1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

4 Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.

Character reveals who we are. From that character or reputation is based. We can have a character that provokes a good reputation, or just the opposite. Proverbs 22:1 says that having a good name is better the any wealth. This does not mean the type of name that your parents gave you when you were born, but rather the thoughts that come to mind in people when they here your name spoken.

You know as well as I do that when certain names are spoken around you there is a certain feeling you get. Whether it is a feeling of joy, sorrow, or anger there is an emotion tied to names.

If we are to portray Christ to people, then our name (reputation) must be one that is in good standing. Proverbs 22:4 goes on to say that with humility and fear of the Lord our wealth (or Godly riches) are established. Our character produces humility or reveals the opposite. The question we must ask ourselves is, “what seed is my character sowing in the lives of others”?

Breakfast with Jesus

I had an epiphany this morning. It came to me as I groaned and crawled out of bed to get ready to go to work. You see I am not a morning person. I never have been. I am not like all of you bubbly morning people that jump right out of bed before the alarm goes off and go about your day. In fact, I am the complete opposite. I really enjoy my sleep and enjoy all that I can get. So I usually hit the snooze button 5-6 times before I get up. This morning was different. I did not hit the snooze several times, but I also did not jump out of bed (I was really warm and it was really cold in the room). Anyway, I believe that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me and asked me this question; “why don’t you spend the first part of you day with me”? Good question. I really did not have a valid reason other than I don’t like mornings.

Over the last several weeks I have witnessed my wife set the alarm for 30 minutes earlier than her already crack of dawn time and she takes this time to enjoy fellowship with God. She has her cup of coffee and spends some time in the word to start her day. As I thought on this the thought came to me that I am always ready to go if I have a meeting or somewhere to be no matter the time. Why am I neglecting time with God?

So here is the epiphany. Why not have daily breakfasts with God? This would be something that I would have to get up to do and be ready. This would have to be at some coffee shop or restaurant just to make it real for me.

So for all of you not-so-morning people, this may give you some motivation to set an appointment with God. I think that my day will thank me for it as well as yours.