Jesus is Your Commanding Officer!

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Timothy, my child, Christ Jesus is kind, and you must let him make you strong.  You have often heard me teach. Now I want you to tell these same things to followers who can be trusted to tell others.  As a good soldier of Christ Jesus you must endure your share of suffering.  Soldiers on duty don't work at outside jobs. They try only to please their commanding officer.

2 Timothy 2: 1 - 4

I remember the day that my youngest son went away for Basic Training in the United States Navy.  He was not yet 18 and was our "baby" so that day was difficult for us.  But two months later he had been transformed into a man to be admired!  The discipline and yes "suffering" he endured produced character traits that still, many years later support him in successful living!

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are in every way a soldier.  You will endure suffering and the focus of your life is not your job, but your relationship with Jesus.  He is first place in your life, before everything else.  And the most important thing in your life is "pleasing your commanding officer."

When Jesus says "jump" you don't even ask "how high," you just simply jump as high as you can!  Jesus is your commanding officer and your day must be constantly a day of watching and listening for any Word from Him!  If Jesus even looks your way, you will get ready to respond.  

When a soldier is sent on a mission, he doesn't need to "understand" what he is doing.  All a soldier needs is to clearly hear the command and he is off to the fight!  It is not for the soldier to understand the war.  He simply needs to do the will of his commander!

It is not for you to understand the war with Satan! It is for you to do the Will of your Commander, Jesus Christ!  When you do that you will suffer here and you may even lose your life here on earth, but you will gain Life forever with Jesus in Heaven!

"Lord Jesus, help me today to look for Your glance and listen for Your Word so that I may be the soldier You want me to be.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

WWJND

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But the foundation that God has laid is solid. On it is written, "The Lord knows who his people are. So everyone who worships the Lord must turn away from evil."  In a large house some dishes are made of gold or silver, while others are made of wood or clay. Some of these are special, and others are not.  That's also how it is with people. The ones who stop doing evil and make themselves pure will become special. Their lives will be holy and pleasing to their Master, and they will be able to do all kinds of good deeds.

2 Timothy 2: 19 - 21

When you decide to "stop doing evil" you become very special to the Lord.  Perhaps you have heard of the WWJD bracelets that remind the wearer to ask themselves the question: "WHAT WOULD JESUS DO" in every situation.

There is a "part two" to that question that should not be ignored.  It would be WWJND, or "WHAT WOULD JESUS NOT DO!"

Every day we must ask ourselves both questions.  What would Jesus do is certainly an important thing to ask when seeking direction for your day.  But asking "what would Jesus not do" is a critical question to ask, especially if you have time to rest and relax or even be involved in what is called "recreational" activities.

I believe the way to evaluate any activity is by considering whether what you are doing is something Jesus would have been comfortable doing.  Remember, the Holy Spirit is living in you, if you are a follower of Jesus.  Is the Holy Spirit comfortable doing the thing that you are doing right now?  If the answer is "NO," then just stop doing it so that your life can be "holy and pleasing" to God!

"Lord Jesus, help me today to not only do the things that You would do, but help me to say no to the things that You would not to.  And may Your Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."  

We Will Soar With Jesus!

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Here is the great mystery of our religion: Christ came as a human. The Spirit proved that he pleased God, and he was seen by angels. Christ was preached to the nations. People in this world put their faith in him, and he was taken up to glory.

1 Timothy 3: 16

The humanity of Jesus Christ is indeed a great mystery!  How could the Son of Almighty God be born as a baby and live on this earth as a human being for thirty three years?  

When a missionary goes to a foreign land he may live like the people, but it is beyond his ability to become one of the people to whom he is preaching.  Jesus was a human baby and experienced everything every other baby experiences!  Jesus was a small child and then became a young man in his teen years.  Jesus was an adult and was tempted like we are even today, and yet He was without sin!

Jesus didn't simply come to deliver a message.  Jesus was the message.  Jesus didn't come to tell us about a solution to our problem of sin, Jesus was the solution to the problem of sin!  Jesus didn't simply open the door to Heaven, He is the door to God!  

Jesus didn't come so He could see the plight of our condition here on earth!  Jesus could see that from Heaven.  The Lord Jesus Christ came and put on the robe of our human nature so that we could put on the robe of His righteousness and live with Him forever!  

Jesus came as we are so that we can go and live with Him as He is!  Like a lowly worm becoming a butterfly carried by the wind we will soar throughout eternity with Jesus!

"Lord Jesus, thank You for taking on our humanity so that we can become like You.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

Believing the Impossible Promise!

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Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised.  So God accepted him,  just as we read in the Scriptures. But these words were not written only for Abraham.  They were written for us, since we will also be accepted because of our faith in God, who raised our Lord Jesus to life.  God gave Jesus to die for our sins, and he raised him to life, so that we would be made acceptable to God.

Romans 4: 21 - 25

If you were to make a list of all the wonderful things that Abraham did, it would be very short.  At least in the Bible we don't find many "wonderful deeds" of father Abraham.  Abraham was known for and was acceptable to God for his faith.

Abraham believed that God could do the impossible, and it was "impossible" for Abraham and Sarah to have a child!  And I am sure it seemed impossible for Abraham's descendants to be more numerous than the sand on the shore, but that is what God promised and that is what Abraham chose to believe!

The "impossible promise" that God made to Abraham became a reality and Abraham is now known as the "father of the faithful."  

The "impossible promise" that God made to you and me is this:  We are made acceptable to God, not because of anything we do or even can do.  We are made acceptable to God because of our faith in Him and because Jesus died for our sins and was then raised to life!

Remember your faith is like the faith of Abraham when you believe the IMPOSSIBLE PROMISE!  That means that you believe that God will do something that cannot be done!

"Lord Jesus, give me the faith today to believe that You have done and will do those things that are impossible.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."  

Jesus Will Do Whatever You Ask!

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11. Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do.

12. I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father.

13. Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father.

14. I will do whatever you ask me to do.

15. Jesus said to his disciples: If you love me, you will do as I command.

John 14: 11 - 15

At some point in your Christian life you will discover verses 13 and 14 in this chapter from the Book of John.  

Again those verses say, “Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father. I will do whatever you ask me to do.”

I remember being seriously amazed that Jesus actually said such a thing.  He promised to do whatever we ask Him to do!  How could that be? 

In verse 12 Jesus said that we would do the same things He did.  What Jesus did was whatever the Father asked Him to do!  And He follows the statement that He will do whatever we ask by reminding us that if we love Him we will do whatever He commands us to do!

So if you want Jesus to do what you ask of Him, then all you must do is to do everything He asks of you!  If you seek to do His will in everything, and every day of your life, you will not be amazed to find that He does whatever you ask Him to do!  And if you seek His will every day, then what you ask of Him will be according to His will and of course He will do it!

It is a wonderful, love relationship with your Creator and Savior!

“Lord Jesus, may I do everything today that You want me to do!  And may Your Name be praised now and forever.  Amen.”

Superman with God's Power!

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I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you.  If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.  Simon Peter asked, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered, "You can't go with me now, but later on you will."  Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I go with you now? I would die for you!"  "Would you really die for me?" Jesus asked. "I tell you for certain that before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don't even know me."

John 13: 34 - 38

When Peter declared that he was willing to die for Jesus, he did not realize how great was  his own weakness!  Peter thought he was strong but he was not.  Within a few hours Peter would deny three times that he even knew Jesus!  It was the darkest hour of Peter’s life.

But a few weeks after the Rooster Crowed, the Holy Spirit came upon Peter and the rest of the disciples and Peter stood before the crowd and for the first time proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

You see, it didn’t matter how weak Peter had been, when he was filled with the Holy Spirit he had the strength of God flowing through his veins!  And Peter was able to forget his fear and stand before an enormous crowd and call them to repentance and to accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives.

When God calls you to become a disciple of Jesus, it does not matter how weak you are or how sinful your life was before you repented.  Jesus will send His Holy Spirit and you will be able to do anything God asks you to do.  Your power will come from God not from your own strength!  

Something like the fictional character Superman, you will look like an ordinary human being, but you will be able to do things that no “ordinary” human could do.  

Don’t forget the super human power that you will have is only for doing the things that God’s Spirit asks you to do.  And only God must get the Glory for the great things that are done!

“Lord Jesus, thank You that You give me the strength and power to do anything You ask of me, even if the thing You ask seems impossible. Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen.”

When You Come Back to God

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Israel, you have rejected me, but my anger is gone; I will heal you and love you without limit.   I will be like the dew-- then you will blossom like lilies and have roots like a tree.  Your branches will spread with the beauty of an olive tree and with the aroma of Lebanon Forest.  You will rest in my shade, and your grain will grow. You will blossom like a vineyard and be famous as the wine from Lebanon.  Israel, give up your idols! I will answer your prayers and take care of you. I am that glorious tree, the source of your fruit.

Hosea 14: 4 - 8

When you come back to God, He will heal you and love you without limit!  Your life will blossom and you will grow deep roots like a tree!  When you come back to God, your branches will spread like a olive tree and the aroma of the Cedars of Lebanon will grace your presence.

When you come back to God, you will rest in the shade of God and watch the grain you planted grow and become ready for harvest!

When you come back to God, the fruit of your vine will produce wine that everyone will desire!  When you come back to God and give up your idols, Jesus will answer your prayers and always take care of you!  Then the fruit of your life will come from God Himself!

When you come back to God, praise His Holy Name now and forever.  Amen.