Ain'ta That Good News?!: June 2009

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

THE BLOOD OF JESUS!

SCRIPTURE

Leviticus 15:19-31 (NRSV)

Bleeding women are unclean

When a woman has a discharge of blood that is her regular discharge from her body, she shall be in her impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. Everything upon which she lies during her impurity shall be unclean; everything also upon which she sits shall be unclean. Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. Whoever touches anything upon which she sits shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening; whether it is the bed or anything upon which she sits, when he touches it he shall be unclean until the evening. If any man lies with her, and her impurity falls on him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness; as in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. Every bed on which she lies during all the days of her discharge shall be treated as the bed of her impurity; and everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her impurity. Whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. If she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count seven days, and after that she shall be clean. On the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest to the entrance of the tent of meeting. The priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement on her behalf before the Lord for her unclean discharge.

Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.

DEVOTION

Every day I meditate on the scripture of the day from the Revised Standard Lectionary! The last two days I have really been challenged to connect the scripture to my love for evangelism!

Today, I just want to thank God for the blood of Jesus that makes all of us clean! In the days of
Leviticus, the people believed that the blood of a woman made her and everyone around her unclean.

But, this side of the cross, we know that it is the blood of Jesus that makes us clean from all of our unrighteousness!

Can I get a Hallelujah!

Aren’t you glad that God loves us so much that God gave Jesus to die upon the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life?

If it were not for the blood of Jesus, we would be drowning in our sin. We would have no hope for eternal salvation. We would be bereft of any hope!

But, because of the shed blood of Jesus, we are able to cast all of our cares on God, knowing that God cares for us. Because of the blood of Jesus, we are able to approach the Throne of God seeking, and receiving mercy, when we put all of our hope in Jesus!

I don’t know about you, but I get happy-glad when I think about God’s great love for us revealed to us on the cross!

Jesus made a great sacrifice to reconcile our relationship with God! Let us remember to thank and praise God daily for the blood of Jesus!

Now, ain’ta that GOOD NEWS?!

Holy God, thank you for the shed blood of Jesus that makes atonement for my sin. I am so thankful that you love me so much that you gave Jesus to die and rise again! Please forgive me of my sin and fill me with the Holy Spirit. I can’t wait to share your love with others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Congratulations to all of those people who have recently put all of their hope in Jesus! Welcome to the Christian family! We love you and we are praying for you even now in Jesus’ Name!

If you would like to put all of your hope in Jesus today, please visit my blog entitled, “Putting All Your Hope In Jesus” located at
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/putting-all-your-hope-in-jesus.html

If you have additional questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus"
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html

Pastor Yolanda is now publishing another blog entitled, “A Spoken WORD” in celebration of Holy Hip Hop, Gospel/Christian Rap and Spoken Word. Please check it out @ http://aspokenword.blogspot.com/

You are invited to follow Pastor Yolanda on Twitter www.twitter.com/PastorYolanda

Good News has now added a Prayer Ministry. http://www.kindlejoy.com/groups/goodnews

You are invited to leave comments or questions regarding today’s devotional. These comments are public.

EACH ONE--REACH ONE! To share GOOD NEWS with a friend please click the "Share With Friends" button to the right!

Thanks for reading and please come again. Pastor Yolanda extends a very special welcome to all of our friends reading outside of the United States of America! We are honored that you are sharing with us today.

From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com

Monday, June 29, 2009

PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART! ♥

SCRIPTURE

Leviticus 21:1-15 (NRSV)
Dead bodies are unclean

The Lord said to Moses: Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them:

No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his relatives, except for his nearest kin: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother; likewise, for a virgin sister, close to him because she has had no husband, he may defile himself for her. But he shall not defile himself as a husband among his people and so profane himself. They shall not make bald spots upon their heads, or shave off the edges of their beards, or make any gashes in their flesh. They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for they offer the Lord's offerings by fire, the food of their God; therefore they shall be holy. They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled; neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband. For they are holy to their God, and you shall treat them as holy, since they offer the food of your God; they shall be holy to you, for I the Lord, I who sanctify you, am holy. When the daughter of a priest profanes herself through prostitution, she profanes her father; she shall be burned to death.

The priest who is exalted above his fellows, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been consecrated to wear the vestments, shall not dishevel his hair, nor tear his vestments. He shall not go where there is a dead body; he shall not defile himself even for his father or mother. He shall not go outside the sanctuary and thus profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord. He shall marry only a woman who is a virgin. A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, a prostitute, these he shall not marry. He shall marry a virgin of his own kin, that he may not profane his offspring among his kin; for I am the Lord; I sanctify him.

DEVOTION

Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever had the challenge of writing a devotional from the book of Leviticus. But, here we are; so say a prayer and let’s see what Spirit shares with our hearts today.

When I read this, two things come immediately to mind. First of all, it must have been a tremendous burden and responsibility to be a priest and to live with God’s commandment to judge others. It must have been difficult to always be on your guard, seeking to discern what—and who--was clean or dirty.

It must have been difficult to live with that burden of judgment upon your shoulders. It would be hard because you would always be afraid of being defiled and it would be hard because you would constantly be judging others.

Do you know that in 2009, and this side of the cross, I still know Christians who choose to live like this? They live with a constant sneer of judgment upon their faces. Whenever they meet or see someone, they seek to discern whether they are clean or dirty. They engage in malicious gossip, spreading rumors, lies, and half truths about people they hardly know. They make assumptions about a person’s character based on how they dress or what kind of car they drive.

Oh my! This is such a sad situation because it keeps them from truly loving all of the people within their sphere of influence.

Can I tell on myself today? I have found that when I am suffering from a judgmental spirit, I am less open, kind, loving, and forgiving. When I am beset with the question, “Does this person deserve my help or ministry?,” I fail to serve as Christ would serve or welcome the stranger in Jesus Name!

In the days of Leviticus, God called the priests’ to discern holy from unholy, clean from unclean. But, this side of the cross God instructs us, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get (Matthew 7:1-2).”

Wow! Doesn’t this Matthew passage give you pause? It basically says, in the same way that you judge others, God will judge you!

Have mercy Jesus!

I am so glad that in this earthly life I am not called to judge others, but to love them. I have found that I am sometimes a terrible judge, but I am really very good at sharing love, joy, and peace with people who need it.

But, you may be asking, “Then who will judge?”

The answer is simple, JESUS is the only righteous judge! 2 Timothy 4:1 says that Jesus will “judge the living and the dead at the appearing of his kingdom.”

Since Jesus clearly loves and gave his life for all of us, it is Jesus who will judge all of us at the end of the world as we know it.

Until that time, our assignment is clear. We are instructed to “LOVE the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and LOVE our neighbor as ourselves.”

Will you put away your judgmental spirit and choose to love somebody well?

Dear God, thank you that Jesus is the only righteous judge. I know that I am too sinful to judge anyone else. Please forgive me for standing in judgment of others with my words and actions. Please forgive my sin and fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can love and serve others well. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

HE TOUCHED ME!

SCRIPTURE

Mark 5:21-43 (NRSV)

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat^* to the other side, a great crowd gathered round him; and he was by the lake. ²²Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet ²³and begged him repeatedly, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.’ ²⁴So he went with him.

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. ²⁵Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. ²⁶She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. ²⁷She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.’ ²⁹Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. ³⁰Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ ³¹And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?” ’ ³²He looked all round to see who had done it. ³³But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. ³⁴He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’

35 While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’ ³⁶But overhearing^* what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’ ³⁷He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. ³⁸When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹When he had entered, he said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’ ⁴⁰And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. ⁴¹He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum’, which means, ‘Little girl, get up!’ ⁴²And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. ⁴³He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

SERMON

This scripture has a very special meaning in my life. It is the scripture that I preached my first sermon from when I was a junior in college!

It is so fun to revisit this scripture again for the purposes of writing a sermon and to notice the manifold ways that I have grown, changed, and matured in relationship to my interpretation of this pericope.

So, in today’s scripture, Jesus is surrounded by a great crowd of people, when a man named Jairus comes to him asking Jesus to heal his dying daughter. Jesus, ever generous with his love, compassion, and service agrees to come with him. But, on his way, he feels someone touch him in a way that draws healing power of out of him. Although Jesus was in a hurry, he stops and confronts the person who has come to him in faith, but also in secrecy. After assuring her that she is well, he continues to Jairus’ house where he also heals the daughter.

Now, I can hear you saying, “Whoa! Wait! That’s not exactly what happened! You’ve missed some important details!” And so I have…

So, let’s slow down a bit and see what we can learn from this story.

First of all, I notice that Jesus is willing to heal important people and unimportant people. Scripture says that Jairus was “one of the leaders of the synagogue.” Jairus would have been someone who was well known and well respected. He was important. He probably had a nice home. He had lots of friends and well wishers. He had the courage to approach Jesus face to face. When Jairus asked for help, Jesus promptly agreed and set out for his home to attend to his daughter.

On the other hand, the unnamed woman with the issue of blood was unimportant. Mark and Luke don’t even bother to recount her name. She was just one desperate and faceless woman in the crowd. She had no money. She was considered ritually unclean. People probably avoided her like the plague. She really had no business being in a crowd, touching people, at all, given her circumstances and yet…

And yet, something made her think that Jesus could—and would—help her. She assumed that she wasn’t important enough to come to him directly, so she just pushed through the crowd and briefly touched Jesus’ clothing.

Scripture says “that at once” she was healed in her body! Now at this point, she probably wanted to melt into the crowd and go running home where she could shout her joy behind closed doors, but Jesus did not allow it!

Have you ever wondered why? I think the answer is the second lesson to be learned from this text. Jesus wants us to boldly share our testimony with others! See, the woman could have been healed and slipped away into the crowd, but Jesus gave her the opportunity to bear witness to what God had done for her!

When Jesus felt her healing, he stopped and said, “Who touched me?” Now, you and I know good and well that Jesus knew who had touched him! After all, Jesus is the Son of God; he is fully God and fully man and as such he was omniscient. He knew the woman, her story, and her miracle! He just wanted to give her an opportunity to share her story with others!

At first, the woman stayed hidden in the crowd. She was afraid to tell her story. She was embarrassed about all of the pain and hardship she had endured to get to that particular moment in time. But, when Jesus kept looking around and insisting that she come forward, scripture recounts that the woman came forward with fear and trembling, falling on her knees, and telling him the whole truth!

Oh Hallelujah! Isn’t it wonderful when a person finds the courage to get up in front of other believers and tell the whole truth of their life story?

See, Hollywood would have us clean things up! Our friends and neighbors sometimes don’t want to know from which we’ve come. On our jobs, we don’t broadcast our sins and failures to our colleagues.

BUT, in the church, with other believers, and in front of God, we ought to be able to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help us God!

We ought not to be ashamed to say, “God has brought me from a mighty long way!” In the Black Church tradition we have a time set aside in our services for “testimonies.” This is the time when people stand up and announce the GOOD NEWS regarding what God has done in their lives.

I’ve heard people testify that they were sick and couldn’t get well…BUT GOD HEALED THEM. I’ve heard people say they were down to their last dime and didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, BUT GOD PROVIDED. I’ve heard people say that they were living in broken marriages with wayward children, BUT GOD RECONCILED. I’ve heard people say they were strung out on drugs or alcohol and had no hope for the future, BUT GOD RESCUED THEM.

I could go on and on, but I know that I don’t have to. Every single person under the sound of my voice, and reading the GOOD NEWS blog, has their very own testimony! All of us have been blessed by God in some way! All of us have been healed by God in some fashion! All of us have been the recipients of God’s Unconditional Love and Amazing Grace!

Since this is true, we ought to tell somebody! Jesus gave the woman with the issue of blood an opportunity to tell her story because in doing so she was not only healed in her body, but in her mind and spirit as well.

It was not until she had told the whole truth that Jesus declared, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

She was healed in her body before giving her testimony, but she was at peace in her mind and spirit after sharing what God had done for her!

This is true of us as well! As we share our GOOD NEWS stories with others, we not only affirm God’s blessing upon our own lives, but we also reaffirm--to ourselves and to others--that we are truly healed, thus receiving peace in mind and spirit as well.

Finally, I want to share one more lesson with you today! While Jesus was healing the woman with the issue of blood, Jairus’ daughter died! Now, this sounds like terrible news.

But, let me tell you something Saints of God. Jesus’ healing and blessing power is unlimited! It is not a zero-sum game. If God blessed me, he can bless you too! If God heals you, he can heal your neighbor as well.

Aren’t you glad that God is not limited in God’s ability to heal us? God is Alpha and Omega—present from the beginning to the end.

God is All Powerful, All Knowing, All Kind, All Compassionate, All Gracious, All Merciful, All Loving, and always willing to heal, save, and deliver, in Jesus’ Name!

Today’s scripture reminds us that when we hear the testimonies of others, we do not need to be jealous! No! No!

We need to rejoice! If God has done good for you, it means God will do good for me. If God has healed your body, God can heal mine as well. If God has rescued you from destruction, it means God can rescue me as well!

Scripture teaches us that on that day both the woman and Jairus had cause for celebration. The woman was healed in her body, mind, and spirit and Jairus’ daughter was raised from the dead as good as new!

Wow! Isn’t God amazing?! God does not play favorites. God offers healing and blessing to all of us regardless of any defining factor like gender, age, or class. God invites all of us to share our testimonies with others in order to build up their faith and to bring peace into our own lives as well. And finally, God’s power to save is unlimited. We never have to worry that God’s love, joy, peace, or blessing are going to run out!

My dear friends, since God so loved the world that God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life, don’t you think God will also give us anything else that we need to be healthy, happy, holy, and whole?

God is waiting, with open arms, for us to trust him enough to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help us God!

Will you come to God in faith, tell the truth of your story, and receive God’s peace?

Let us pray:

Holy God, I am astounded by your great love for me! Thank you that although I sometimes feel like nothing, you value me so much that Jesus died and rose again to save me from my sin and gift me with eternal life. I am not ashamed of my story. Please give me the opportunity to boldly share it with others. I believe that this GOOD NEWS is meant to be shared. Please forgive me of my sin and fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can be a GOOD NEWS ambassador everywhere that I go. I pray this in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Congratulations to all of those people who have recently put all of their hope in Jesus! Welcome to the Christian family! We love you and we are praying for you even now in Jesus’ Name!

If you would like to put all of your hope in Jesus today, please visit my blog entitled, “Putting All Your Hope In Jesus” located at
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/putting-all-your-hope-in-jesus.html

If you have additional questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus"
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html

Pastor Yolanda is now publishing another blog entitled, “A Spoken WORD” in celebration of Holy Hip Hop, Gospel/Christian Rap and Spoken Word. Please check it out @ http://aspokenword.blogspot.com/

You are invited to follow Pastor Yolanda on Twitter www.twitter.com/PastorYolanda

Good News has now added a Prayer Ministry. http://www.kindlejoy.com/groups/goodnews

You are invited to leave comments or questions regarding today’s devotional. These comments are public.

EACH ONE--REACH ONE! To share GOOD NEWS with a friend please click the "Share With Friends" button to the right!

Thanks for reading and please come again. Pastor Yolanda extends a very special welcome to all of our friends reading outside of the United States of America! We are honored that you are sharing with us today.

From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com

Saturday, June 27, 2009

ALL POWERFUL ONE

SCRIPTURE

Luke 4:31-37 (NRSV)

The man with an unclean spirit

He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath. They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, "Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm. They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, "What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!" And a report about him began to reach every place in the region.

MEDITATION—Today is Saturday Psalmody! Today, the meditation is offered as a psalm from my heart. If you would like a more traditional devotion, please search the archives for a title that appeals to you! (smile)

ALL POWERFUL ONE

All Powerful One
Cloaked in humanity
Hidden in obscurity
Awash in humility

All Powerful One
At whose Name demons scream
None of us ever dreamed
You’re so much more than you seem.

All Powerful One
Making all things new
No one even had a clue
What you would go through

All Powerful One
Sent to save
So you gave
Your body to the grave
Now, we’re no longer slaves

All Powerful One
Opened heaven’s door
So we could adore
You forever more
Our sin’s been paid for!

All Powerful One
Authority is strong
You are never wrong
I’m right where I belong

For eternity…

All Hail!
The All Powerful One!

Friday, June 26, 2009

ARE YOU A CHEERFUL GIVER?

SCRIPTURE

2 Corinthians 8:1-7 (NRSV)
Encouragement to be generous

We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, - and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. Now as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you - so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

DEVOTION

Yay! Today’s scripture gives me the opportunity to talk about one of my very favorite topics—STEWARDSHIP!

To be a “steward” means to be responsible for the welfare of resources that are not your own. We know that everything that we think we “own” actually belongs to God. God allows us to hold “God’s stuff” in trust, with the understanding that it ultimately belongs to God and that we will willingly and obediently relinquish it whenever God asks for it.

Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple.”

A tithe is equivalent to 10% of your gross income. In other words, as Christians we are mandated to return 10 cents out of every $1.00 we earn to God. Now if you think about it, that’s not very much!

God could have legitimately requested 90% of our income, but God didn’t. God could have rightfully asked for 75% of our income, but God didn’t. Instead, God asks us to return a meager 10% of all that God has blessed us with!

Wow! Isn’t God incredibly generous?

Now, you may be asking? What does The Church do with all that money? I’m glad you asked!

The tithe is the means by which God’s kingdom building work is done on the Earth. Just like it takes money to run your home or business, it takes money to run God’s ministry on the Earth.
It is the tithe that pays the mortgage or the rent on the church building. It is the tithe that provides the lights, heat, air conditioning, and technology that keeps us comfortable on Sunday morning. It is the tithe that pays our pastors and worship leaders a living wage so that they can work full-time in our churches carrying out ministry activities five to six days a week!

But, the tithe does some other important things as well. It is the tithe that feeds the hungry and gives drink to the thirsty. It is the tithe that clothes the naked and houses the homeless. It is the tithe that sends out caretakers who visit the sick and imprisoned and offer care to widows and orphans. And it is the tithe that sends out missionaries in the United States and throughout all the nations of the world to carry the GOOD NEWS message that Jesus saves and He saves to the utmost!

Now, let me tell you, I’ve actually heard Christians say, “Well, since God is so rich, why doesn’t God supernaturally provide for the ministries of The Church?” I always answer this statement in the same way, “God did supernaturally provide for the ministries of The Church when God trusted God’s children to obey the commandment to tithe!”

WOOT, there it is!

In today’s Bible passage, Paul is bragging on the Christians in Macedonia, who although they were by no means wealthy, were able to raise a large and generous offering in support of the work of the church!

In fact, when they were encouraged not to give because of their own poverty, the Macedonians actually begged earnestly for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints!

Can you imagine? Have you ever gone to church and begged for the opportunity to give a large and generous offering in support of God’s kingdom building work?

As a clergywoman, I am sad to say that I have never seen this happen. In fact, in most churches when the offering is announced, people look downright mad and/or sour; they dig out a coin or a dollar and toss it into the basket like it is a punishment to give, rather than a privilege!

Oh my! Lord, please have mercy on us!

Here’s what I know my friends. It is our honor to give anything to the Lord! Although many of us are not able to be in full time ministry 24/7/365, our financial offerings make it possible for another saint of God to be at the ready to serve God’s children when they are in need!

Wouldn’t it be awful if a person wanted to pray, but the church building was closed because the congregation could not afford the heat bill? Wouldn’t it be horrible if someone needed to be funeralized, but the pastor was absent because s/he was working at the mall? Wouldn’t it be sad if someone wanted to give his life to Christ, but could not find a Christian to tell him how?

Oh God forbid! Let us become like the Macedonian Christians! Let us become obedient unto God and gladly and cheerfully give of our tithes and offerings! Let us beg for the privilege of sowing good seed into the ministries of the church! And let us give according to our means—and then a little more than that--as a sign of our faith!

I’ve heard the old ladies in The Church say, “You can’t beat God giving, no matter how you try!” And you can’t saints of God! I’ve tried over and over again and the more I give to God, the more God gives to me!

Look, we can’t pay God for the love, joy, and peace we enjoy on a daily basis. We can’t pay God for the sunshine, rain, food, clothes, and shelter that we are dependent upon for our very lives. We can’t pay God for the smile on our children’s faces, the love we feel from our spouses, or the health that we take for granted every day.

I could go on and on, but I bet you get the point. We can’t pay God back for all that God has done for us! When God gave JESUS to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life, God gave us a gift that priceless beyond measure!

So, since we know that we cannot pay God, what can we do? We can show God our appreciation by being obedient to God’s commandment that we bring the tithe into the storehouse! We can show our love and support of God’s ministry in the Earth, by providing the financial resources necessary to run The Church’s ministries with excellence!

If everyone in the church just obeyed God’s commandment to tithe, all of our churches would have more than enough to grow and to prosper!

Remember, God is not asking for equal giving; God is asking for equal sacrifice!

Your ten percent might be 50 cents p/week; my ten percent might be 200 dollars p/week. What we give does not matter. How we give does--Let us give of our tithes and offerings obediently and with a cheerful heart!

Si se puede! Yes we can!

Remember, you absolutely cannot take any of your wealth or fame with you.

Therefore, it is only what you do for Christ that will last.

Will you trust God and bring your tithes and offerings to church on Sunday?

Holy God, thank you that you are so generous toward me! It is my honor to give anything to you. I cheerfully release my tithes and offerings to Your Kingdom Building Work! I am so honored that you allow me to invest in what you are doing! Thanks so much for Jesus and for your continued work in the world. I love you and I will share Your Love with others! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

COME, LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN

SCRIPTURE

2 Corinthians 7:2-16 (NRSV)

Grief leads to repentance

Make room in your hearts for us; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. I often boast about you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with consolation; I am overjoyed in all our affliction.

For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way - disputes without and fears within. But God, who consoles the downcast, consoled us by the arrival of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was consoled about you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it (though I did regret it, for I see that I grieved you with that letter, though only briefly). Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance; for you felt a godly grief, so that you were not harmed in any way by us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves guiltless in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one who was wronged, but in order that your zeal for us might be made known to you before God. In this we find comfort.

In addition to our own consolation, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by all of you. For if I have been somewhat boastful about you to him, I was not disgraced; but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved true as well. And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you.

DEVOTION

My dear friends, today’s devotion touches me in the deepest part of my heart because it speaks to the deep pain and brokenness that many Christians feel regarding their sin.

One of the hardest things about seeing ourselves through the eyes of God is seeing ourselves as we truly are.

As human beings we are infected with congenital birth defect called sin-sickness. It is a condition of the soul and it is deadly.

In addition, we are also predisposed to sinful behavior. We do things—or leave things undone—that we know are wrong. We fail to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and we fail to love our neighbors as ourselves.

As a pastoral care and counselor, I have talked with many Christians, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, and feel convicted by their sin. This is normal; when we miss the mark, and grieve the heart of God, it hurts. This pin-prick of mind and soul is a gift of the Holy Spirit whose work it is to keep us in right relationship with God by convicting us of our sin and leading us in a prayer of repentance.

But, I have also talked with other Christians who feel terrible about their sin and yet refuse to accept the forgiveness of God! It is these people who toss and turn upon their beds in the midnight hour, tears flooding their pillows, noses running, and sobs choking their breath.

When I encounter people who are besot with guilt I remind them that 1 John 1:9 states, “If you confess your sin, God who is faithful and just, will forgive your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” It also says, “godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.”

Oh my! Do you see the distinction? As Christians we must learn to distinguish between Godly grief and worldly grief.

Godly grief comes as a result of a pricking from the Holy Spirit. Spirit reveals to us our wrong-doing and encourages us to make it right with God and with the person we have offended. When we are experiencing Godly grief, we are swift to ask for God’s forgiveness and we are swift to beg the pardon of the person we have harmed. As a result, we receive quick forgiveness from God and our soul is at peace.

On the other hand, worldly grief is a tool of our Enemy. The enemy of our souls wants to devastate us with our sin. He wants to convince us that there can be no forgiveness. He wants to depress--and oppress us—by wracking us with guilt, pain, fear and shame, so that we will be too embarrassed to ask God for forgiveness. Worldly grief isolates us from our family, friends, and church family and/or pastor/priest. It keeps us locked away from the very people who would speak words of forgiveness and absolution into our lives. It keeps us hidden, seeking to cloak our sin in the darkness, rather than bringing it into the marvelous light of God’s Amazing Grace!

Worldly grief is not of God! If you feel repentant, by all means ask God for forgiveness and receive that forgiveness in Jesus’ Name. This reception of God’s love and forgiveness leads to our salvation.

But, if you feel guilty and wracked with fear and shame, this kind of worldly grief leads to pain and death. Please join me right now in rebuking the Adversary in Jesus Name!

As long as our enemy can keep you bound up, you won’t think about God’s great love for you that gave Jesus to die on the cross to save you from your sin and gift you with eternal life. As long as you are focused on yourself, and on your failures, you are not focused on bearing witness to the GOOD NEWS that Jesus saves and He saves to the utmost!

Isn’t it tricky of the enemy of our souls to make us so self-centered, that we push God out of our lives? It’s it conniving of him to make us so self-involved that we make God out to be a liar, refusing to believe that God will forgive us just as God promised!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to call God a liar!

Psalm 103:8-12 says,

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.

Oh hallelujah! Come on, now, let’s take a praise break! 1-2-3-GO!

Bless that Wonderful Name of Jesus! Hallelujah!

We are a loved and forgiven people. As far as the East is from the West, God removes our sin from us and remembers it no more!

Dear Friend, today God is calling for you to come up out of the prison of guilt, shame, and fear that you have been living in. You are loosed now, in the Name of Jesus!

God does not condemn you. God loves you and God forgives you. There is nothing that you have done that God cannot forgive. You cannot out sin, out fox, or out run the love of God that has been revealed to us in Christ Jesus!

Jesus’ love and blood covers the multitude of our sin. Jesus’ love and blood is strong enough to make atonement for your every mistake!

Please, beloved of God, lay down the weight you have been carrying and put all of your hope in Jesus today! Confess your sin to God. Reconcile with your neighbor. AND LET’S MOVE ON…
God’s got “Kingdom-Come” work for you to do! Will you get busy?

Dear God, I have been wracked by guilt, shame, and fear. I thought that I was too awful to be forgiven. I now know that I was wrong. I believe with all my heart and mind that you love me and that you proved it when Jesus went to the cross to forgive me of all of my sin and to gift me with eternal life! I know that you are not a liar; so I also know that you will forgive me if I ask. I am asking now; will you please forgive all of my sin and fill me with Your Holy Spirit? Thank you, Jesus! My soul feels so much lighter! This is wonderful GOOD NEWS! Please help me to boldly share it with everyone I meet. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SPECIAL NOTE

If you just prayed this prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! I would be so honored if you would let me know about your decision by clicking “Yes” in the poll located at the top/right of today’s devotional! I am so happy for you! Happy Spiritual Re-Birth-Day!

Next steps: In response to what God did for you just now, let me suggest that you consider telling another Christian so that they can celebrate with you! Ask them to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand so that you can learn more about your new-found faith! Ask them to help you find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make loving friends who will walk with you on your new journey! You are already saved; now let God mature you by faith! Congratulations!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

WORTHY TO BE PRAISED!

SCRIPTURE

Psalm 65 (NRSV)

God silences the seas

Praise is due to you,
O God, in Zion;
and to you shall vows be performed,
O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.
Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.

By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
By your strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.
You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

You visit the earth and water it,
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.

DEVOTION

Doesn’t today’s Bible passage make you feel positively giddy?! What a wonderful psalm of praise to Almighty God!

Just think about all of the wonderful things that God does for us every day! God is the Lord of Creation. It is because of God’s creativity as expressed through nature that we have air to breathe, water to drink, food to harvest and eat, natural fibers with which to make clothing, and wood and stone to build our homes. Absolutely everything that we need to stay alive comes to us as a gift from the loving hands of our generous God!

But, God doesn’t stop there! God goes above and beyond our expectations by providing not only for our physical needs, but also for our emotional and spiritual ones too!

When we talk, God listens. When we ask for the forgiveness of our sin, God grants our petition. When we desire to worship God corporally; God’s Spirit meets us in a special way in our community of faith and when we are in trouble, God comes to our rescue!

Now that think about it, I have an awful lot to thank God for! I thank God for my loving husband and my beautiful kids! I thank God for the beautiful flowers that adorn my lawn. I thank God for my friends who bring joy and laughter into my life and I thank God for you—my GOOD NEWS family!

I could go on and on, but now it’s your turn! In today’s scripture, the psalmist takes time to praise and thank the Lord for the many ways in which God provides for us!

Will you take the time to thank God today? I bet if you start counting your blessings, you’ll never be able to stop!

Today the scripture says, “Praise is due to you, O God in Zion.” Later it says, “By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.”

Wow, hallelujah! The psalmist was right!

But from our perspective, this side of the cross, we can truly see that God does answer us with deliverance and salvation!

Aren’t you glad that God’s answer to our sin was, is, and will ever be, JESUS!

God loves the world so much that God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life!

I’m really happy about the air I breathe and the food I eat. I’m really appreciative for the clothes I wear and the house I live in. But, most of all, I am so eternally grateful for God’s love revealed to me in Christ Jesus!

Of all the gifts that God has granted to us, JESUS is the best! Jesus is the door that leads to a reconciled relationship with God, forgiveness of sin, and eternal life in the Heavens!

It just doesn’t get better than this my friends!

Will you take the time today to thank God for JESUS, as well as all the other wonderful blessings in your life?

Holy One, you are generous beyond measure. Thank you for loving me so much! Thank you for JESUS and for His life, death, and resurrection! Thank you for providing for all of my daily needs and many of my wants! You are an awesome God! I love you and I want others to love you too! Please help me to share Your love with others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.