If You Will Live For Him?

After an 18-day overseas trip and spending time with God's people across Europe, Asia, and The Middle East, this passage was strong on my mind this morning so I shared it with our local church at offering time. I hope it speaks to you God's peace that surpasses all understanding:

(31) So don't worry about having enough food or clothing. (32) Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs. (33) and He will give you all you need from day to day if you will live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
-- Matthew 6:31-33 (NLT)

Holiness Unto The LORD!
Grateful

No Turning Back

But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God." -- Luke 9:62 (NLT)

Lord, keep me focused forward. Hold my hand steady when it trembles on the plow. No turning back. No turning back. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Peace & War

As I was reading from Dennis Kinlaw's writings this morning, I was wonderfully reminded that because Jesus is my Prince of Peace, it profoundly means that the war within my heart is simply over. Yes, temptation still comes, but if I am totally surrendered to King Jesus and His government within, while the evil enemy still rages on the outside, The Prince of Peace reigns on the inside.

Isaiah 9:6-7a from The Living Bible Paraphrase delightfully declares: (6) For unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. These will be His royal titles: "Wonderful," "Counselor," "The Mighty God," "The Everlasting Father," "The Prince of Peace." (7) His ever-expanding, peaceful government will never end.

Luke 17:21b (TLB) -- For the Kingdom of God is within you.

Colossians 1:27b (NIV) -- Christ in you, the Hope of glory!

ALL... JOY TO YOUR WORLD!
Grateful

The Losers Win? Yes We Do.

In Luke 17:33 (MSG) Jesus said, If you grasp and cling to life on your terms, you’ll lose it, but if you let that life go, you’ll get life on God’s terms.

Galatians 2:20 (MSG) helps us to know more clearly what it means "to lose our lives": Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

And in Philippians 3:7-11 (NLT) the Apostle Paul applied the lose-your-life words of Jesus to his own life with these words: (7) But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. (8) Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ (9) and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; (10) that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, (11) if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

So is it correct to say that "The Losers Win" in the Kingdom of God? Yes, in fact losing is a core value of Christlike winners. Think about it. On Crucifixion Friday Jesus looked like the #1 Loser of all losers, but on Resurrection Sunday He proved to be the #1 Winner of all winners! Indeed, Jesus turned His loss on Friday's Cross into our gain outside Sunday's Tomb. Let's exhale. The Losers Win? Yes, We Do!

ALL JOY!
Grateful