Sep 27, 2011 @ 08:31 am by claypot
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18: 19,20
Where is God is a continuing question for humanity. People throughout the ages have asked this ancient question, where is God? We understand there is a God, but are not sure where He is. We look for Him with all of our senses. Is He in the thunder we hear? Is He in the wind that we feel? Is God in the water I drink? Is God in the words I say? Can I see God in His creation? Where is God?
Perhaps we are asking the wrong question. Perhaps we should be asking when is God? In the above verses, examine the timing with me. When Christians agree, God works for us. When Christians unite, God is with us. These are powerful images of God coming near based on what people do. Perhaps it is not a question of where but when is God working with us.
In Deuteronomy 4:7, the Israelites are told that God is near them when they pray. The act of praying brings them nearer to God. James tells us to come near to God and He will come near to us (4:8). So the question where is God is really a question of when is God. We understand God is eternal and fills us the universe we live in, but when are we near Him? God comes near to us when we seek Him.
God acts in the world today based on his followers coming together and asking for Him to come near. Prayers of the faithful are powerful and effective (James 5:16) . Is that based on the person praying or to whom the prayer is offered? Perhaps the answer is both. We must act on our faith. That is one of James’ biggest themes. Faith without works is dead. We must act on our faith in God and ask for what we need. In fact, Jesus tells us to agree and unite to come near to Him. People often have a hard time getting along. Christians are no different. But when we agree and gather in His name, we come near to the power of God. God has control in this world. Lets agree to pray together and tap into the power of God. He will come near.
Scripture: 1 Kings 19: 9-13
Sep 19, 2011 @ 02:09 pm by claypot
23 Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful.
He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. Joel 2:23
Rain is a unique weather phenomenon. What causes water vapor to condense and fall to earth as precipitation that we call rain? Did you know that rain provides the majority of the fresh water in the world? That rain that evaporates before it even gets to the ground is called virga? That raindrops can hit you with a speed of between 4.5 and 20 miles per hour? That the biggest raindrop ever recorded was only .39 inches in size? Rain is truly a blessing from God.
In the book of Joel, the prophet is warning the people about the day of the Lord. Israel has undergone many plagues including drought and locusts. Joel is telling the people the Lord will return and judge His people. Those that repent and return to Him, He will bless. The others will be judged by what they have done. (Joel 3:4) God is seeking His people and promising them that He will return and bring justice to the land.
In Joel 2:23, Joel tells the people that God gives us “abundant showers” because He is faithful and not because of what we do. This is a critical issue for us today. We can never do anything to deserve God’s blessings. God blesses us with rain because He is faithful. That is to say, He fulfills His promises. This is extremely important as we traverse life and consider what we must do to ‘earn’ God’s blessings. He is faithful means that He brings justice to the land as Joel describes.
Today, we have the same promise that the people of Joel’s time had. The day of the Lord is coming. Christ promised to return in glory. (Matthew 24:30) We cannot earn salvation, but we can do exactly what Joel described to the people of His day. We can return to God with all of our heart. (Joel 2:12) This is what God wants from us. Jesus prepared the way and we need only to follow Him with repentance, obedience, and the certainty of our salvation. It is as sure as the rain that renews us, because God is faithful.
Scripture: Romans 5: 6-8
Sep 12, 2011 @ 01:43 pm by claypot
And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” Jonah 4:11
Did you ever think about why God sent Jonah to Nineveh? Nineveh was a great city of its day. It was located in the modern country of Iraq along the eastern banks of the Tigris River. It was the capital of the Neo Assyrian Empire which stretched to the Mediterranean Sea at one time. Nineveh was essentially the capital city for the enemies of Israel and Jonah was sent to save it.
Why would God want Jonah to preach repentance to the avowed enemy of His chosen people? Why would he care about this great city? These questions are answered in the Book of Jonah and in the New Testament.
First, in Jonah 1:1, we see that God identified that Nineveh was wicked. He tells Jonah to go preach repentance to them. (1:2) Jonah of course decides to go in the opposite direction and thus the storm and big fish to convince him to do God’s will. We see in chapter 3 that Jonah’s threat of punishment from God was taken seriously, the people repented, and God spared the great city. (3: 10)
In Matthew, Jesus refers to the men of Nineveh in 12: 41. Here Jesus makes a point that the people of Nineveh heard God’s call and repented. The Ninevites were therefore more attentive than the Jews of the first century to God’s call. Nineveh had Jonah and the Jews had Jesus.
So why did God send Jonah to Nineveh? In Jonah 4:11 we see the love of God for these evil enemies. They did not know God and he asks Jonah why he shouldn’t care about these people. God loves every soul. His goal is for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3: 9)
We are Jonah in today’s world. There are people in the world that don’t know God. They don’t know what God expects. We are not here to condemn them. We are the messengers of God bringing light into their world. We must never forget the lesson of the mission to Nineveh. God loves every soul; even us sinners.
Scripture: Matthew 12: 38-42
Sep 08, 2011 @ 03:52 pm by claypot
22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ Acts 13:22
Who is a person after God’s own heart? Luke tells us in his writing of Acts how Paul in Antioch claimed that David was chosen by God because he was a “man after my own heart.” (Acts 13:22) Here Paul is quoting 1 Samuel 13 where Saul is told that God chose David to be king because he was “a man after his (God’s) own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) This was based on David following God’s commands. Paul echoes this thought by telling the people at Antioch that God knew David would do everything He wanted him to do.
Do we have the heart of God? The key to David’s having the heart of God was obedience to God. Are we obedient to God’s call today? Do we really know our creator? How are we involved in His Body here on earth? How is our mission to the world going?
Last week we talked about coming closer to God via a Sabbath rest. He created this spiritual rest for us, but we have to enter it. That involves us getting to know God and His will for our lives. We must do our best to present ourselves to God as those who know and correctly handle the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2: 15) This means we need to get into His Word and find out who God is. We must open our hearts to His Spirit and become transformed by the renewing of our mind. (Romans 12:2)
We must also understand that we do not develop in a vacuum. God has enriched us with His Church here on earth. We are all members of the Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12: 27) There are strong and weak among us. It is up to us all to put others first in order that the whole Body can develop into what God wants it to be here in His Kingdom. (Romans 14: 17-19)
Finally, having the heart of God means being obedient to our Lord. Matthew 28: 18-20 is our mission statement today. God is looking for us to take His good news out to the world. That can be here in Albany or to the Ukraine or to Africa. Why? 2 Peter 3:9 answers that question for us. God does not want anyone to perish, “but everyone come to repentance.” He is patient with us as we search for Him. The gospel is good news so lets tell the world.
Let’s come to God today with the heart of obedience and serve Him as individuals that form a community of believers dedicated to accomplishing a mission of spreading the gospel.
Scripture: 2 Samuel 12: 1-10
