cup of joe

This is Holy Week, the week that signifies the final one that Jesus spent fulfilling His mission on earth. For several weeks I've been thinking about "the church" and why it seems so different from the one that started after His resurrection. Are the modern day churches seeming to erupt the same way now that they did then? Is it over the manifestation of the supernatural…over the appearance of the miraculous? What are we chasing? Are we are spending too much time running after healing when we should be running after the healer? When we go after a movement rather than the MOVER, we set ourselves up for disappointment and worse than that we disappoint Christ. The Bible tells us that Jesus cried over Jerusalem before he rode into the palm branches and worship songs. Was he crying about the pending street party? Was he unhappy with the colt they brought to ride on? Have you ever thought about that? What makes Him sad? Perhaps what makes our Lord cry is when our passion is g…

Judges 6:36 Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised—37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said."38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water. Isn't this like most of us when "bargaining" with the Lord? God if you will do this for me, I'll serve you forever! For Gideon, it was a bowlful of water that changed everything...at least for a minute. He then went on to ask God to make the wool dry and the ground wet! Can't you just see the smile on God's face when he asked that? Walking in faith requires you and I to simply trust and obey...like the old hymn says, "there is no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey."
Choose to let yourself believe in all that He said He would…

All the crazy in my dreams,
Both my broken wings,
Every single piece of everything I am,
Yeah, she knows the man I ain't,
She forgives me when I can't,
The devil, man, no, he don't stand a chance,
Cause she loves me like Jesus does. (Eric Church)

Chances are if you are a country music fan you have heard this song by Eric Church. It's a love song about a wayward guy that has too many problems to count but has thankfully found a woman who loves him just the way he is...she loves him like Jesus does. Loving people like Jesus does is sort of my mission in life. So I'm stealing a lyric from Eric Church and bringing it to you!
Every person that you and I come eyeball to eyeball with deserves forgiveness, some hope and that special kind of love. You see the love of Jesus can look beyond the brokenness. The love of Jesus can see through the facade. And the love of Jesus is so much stronger than anything the devil tries to throw at you! How about joining me and offering up …

“Finally, my brethren, be strongin the Lord and in the power of his might.” EPH 6:10 NKJ  Read this closely.  It seems to suggest to me that it may be possible for us to be strong IN THE LORD but completely miss the POWER that is available. Perhaps that is why we have so many organizations today and gatherings where people are IN THE LORD but few of them seem to have evidence of their being any life-changing/transforming power. We must be careful where we sit; even more so where we soak! So many folks are standing on the promises but not able to activate the strength and the power necessary to endure this season and press through to the next. We've got to find some enduring POWER. Where does that come from? How are we to be strong in the Lord AND in the power of his might? You put on the FULL ARMOR of God! Read that today and make sure that you put on ALL the pieces!

Ephesians 2:4 "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." Know this today...you are loved by God! I mean really loved. He has made you alive, raised you up and seated you with himself! That's great love! He lets others know of His goodness through what He has done for you and for me. Stop hanging your head and being discouraged. You have been made alive! Don't let circumstances drag you down...He has raised you up above them! Now take your seat with the King of Kings and let the day begin...this is your day to shine and the day of His favor working in your life!

I feel like so many of us are going through tough times. So today I want to pray...for you! Let me paraphrase one of my favorite prayers out of Colossians 1...

Since the day I heard about you, I have not stopped praying for you. I continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way. I pray that you would bear fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God and that you would be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might. I want you to have great endurance and patience while you give joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued you and me from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Now, go get em tiger!

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. (Acts 20:24 NLT).  Life is filled with change. It seems like we are in the midst of some sort of transition everyday. I remember going through a divorce ten years ago and the mental and emotional instability that came with it. To be honest with you I felt like the spiritual things I was doing were bringing all of this pain and dysfunction. I'd question faith, shy away from people and my ability to trust anyone was greatly diminished. I can't tell you what day it was or exactly what I was doing but the feelings encapsulated in this verse became my personal mantra as well. There was a plan for me. There was something I was put on the planet to do and God would surround me with the people and things that would be necessary to accomplish His plan. My life would need to be used to finish this work He had c…