On Being Critical…
05 Thursday Sep 2013
Posted in Quotes
Labor Day Blessings (2)
30 Friday Aug 2013
Posted in Holidays and Special Events, Quotes
Kingdom Awareness
29 Thursday Aug 2013
Posted in Kingdom of God, Luke
Tags
Abraham, Adam and Eve, Elijah, Exodus 3:2-5, hearing God's voice, Jacob, Jesus, John 19:10-11, kingdom of God, Luke 17:20-21, miss God's will, Moses, physical signs, Rome, signs, spirituality
The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20-21
Jesus said people miss out on what God is doing in and around them because they fail to detect or discern what the Lord desires to accomplish in them personally. In this verse Jesus calls His followers to become Kingdom Aware.
So are you Kingdom Aware? Are you looking for the Lord to work outside you or inside? When we are looking for the Lord’s action some other place rather than inside ourselves, we will probably miss the Lord’s movements. I wear glasses. Occasionally, I misplace them and go searching for them. In desperation, I will finally ask my wife… “Have you see my glasses?” She will give me one of those looks and say… “They are on top of your head!” It is embarrassing. It must have been embarrassing for Jesus’ followers to hear Him say, “Stop looking and expecting the Kingdom of God to arrive with physical signs…The Kingdom of God is within you.” Jesus could have said, “Hey, stupid… the Kingdom is starring you in the face… can you feel me now?” Jesus is, was, and will continue to be a perfect gentleman.
The major focus for Jesus was the Kingdom of God. It still is! The power of Rome and its occupying force was hardly a blip on the radar for Jesus, even though it was foremost in the minds of almost everyone else. Jesus wasn’t concerned with the power of Herod, the Jewish leaders or even Pilate. In fact, when Jesus was being questioned by Pilate at His trial, Pilate said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:10-11).
Jesus’ focus was not on the power of the government, but on the power of God. He stood before Pilate in complete confidence. What was it that freed Jesus from fear and gave Him such confidence? It was the constant awareness of the presence of the kingdom of God. The same Kingdom that ruled and reigned in Jesus’ heart and life should be ruling and reigning in ours as well.
Unfortunately, we miss Kingdom’s movements all the time. Most of our favorite Bible characters did too. It started in the garden with Adam and Eve. God told the first couple they could do anything they wanted and eat anything they wanted except for one small item. As soon as they thought God was off somewhere snoozing, they proceeded to make a dinner of the forbidden fruit. They acted as if God didn’t exist anymore. Because God was absent, His presence didn’t seem to appear as important. Bottom-line, the first couple didn’t value the Presence of God or His Kingdom.
God broke into the world of both Abraham and his son. He made special promises to both generations. Apart from these special visitations, they seem to be unaware that the Lord was continually with them. It was mainly during down times of testings and trials in which they doubted God’s word and forgot His promises.
Abraham’s grandson, Jacob was on the run when God spoke to him in a dramatic way. While he was sleeping, the Lord revealed to him that earth and heaven were not two separate places, but connected. Jacob saw a ladder connecting heaven and earth with angels traversing in between. Jacob called the place “Bethel”, which means “house of God.” He was partly correct. God did live there, but He also lived everywhere. This dream was not a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence…. it was an eternal truth about the Presence and Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is always waiting to be discovered by seekers. Bethel was not an unusual experience for one man way back in history, but a reality for every person, in every place, in every time. How many of us have had times when God’s presence broke through into our everyday lives? These experiences should have made us want more of God and His Kingdom.
I have had Bethel type experiences in prayer or when reading the Scripture, and I have had them when I least expected it. The point is, God is always trying to break through our world, if we will only be aware of Him. I believe God had been attempting to speak to Jacob many times earlier in his life, but he was not ready to experience Him. It was only until Jacob became desperate enough and needed the Lord that the Lord was able to capture his heart.
At first Moses tried to force the Kingdom of God into action and killed a man in the process. It was not until Moses had spent a long time away from Egypt, and came to the point of desperation that he was ready for God to speak to him.
The Bible says, “There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up… When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’ ‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:2-5).
I believe that every place can be holy ground, and the only thing that keeps us from experiencing God is our willingness and readiness to experience Him.
Elijah may offer the best example of how the Kingdom of God should move in our life. Elijah knew and experienced the power of God. He had witnessed God consume the sacrifice on Mount Carmel. Immediately following this great victory, Queen Jezebel sought to kill him. Feeling dejected and depressed Elijah ran. At this point he desperately needed a word but couldn’t get one from the Lord.
- God sent a great a powerful cyclone, but the Lord voice couldn’t be heard in the cyclone.
- God sent a great earthquake, but God’s voice was absent here as well.
- Then the Lord sent a consuming fire that ravaged the area, but God was not in the fire.
NOTE: This is why it is never a good idea to attempt to discern God’s will right after a natural disaster. Yet, you hear people all the time attempting to do so. If you find it difficult to hear God in peaceful quiet times, how much more difficult do you think it will be to discern His voice when melee ensues.
Finally, Elijah heard God’s voice in a gentle whisper (small voice). This gentle, small voice was so holy and full of the presence of God, it made Elijah pull his cloak over his head, cover his face and fall on his knees.
Maybe you have been in this place? You desperately needed a word from the Lord, but couldn’t hear. You sought for the Lord to speak in a big way, but heard nothing. Later, God spoke in a still small voice. Why does God move in this way? Because the Kingdom of God will not arrive with signs to be observed… the Kingdom of God is within you.
The Good News is the Kingdom of God is coming! The better news is even though God’s Kingdom arrives in small ways… it doesn’t have to stay small. Jesus confirms to us that God’s Kingdom will grow if we water, nourish, and allow it to grow within us. It is a mistake to believe that just because the Lord is quiet at times, He is not with us. Our job is to be constantly Kingdom aware. We bless the Lord when we value His presence whether we sense it or not. Keep Seeking!
Blessings – From God’s Incubator,
Pastor
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Is Faith Really a Secret Weapon?
13 Tuesday Aug 2013
Posted in Kingdom of God, Luke, Our Spiritual Process
Tags
doing the impossible, faith, Hebrews 11:1-2, increase our faith, James 2:17, Luke 17:5-6, more faith, Mount of Olives, move mountains, must be planted, mustard seed, never feel ready, pods, seeds have life, spiritual gas tank, spirituality
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. Luke 17:5-6
Almost every believer I have ever met felt like they needed more faith. They’ve prayed for it, attended conferences, read books, attended services to bolster their faith, and even prayed earnestly for increased faith. The twelve closest to Jesus sure felt the need for an increased level of faith. Evidently they looked at Jesus and concluded,”Hey, we are lacking!” Jesus basically told His small band of ruffians they were not lacking, but slacking. The faith they had was enough! They were simply not properly using what faith they did possess.
Has your spiritual gas tank ever run dry? You go to church, worship, or spend some time with the Lord to fill yourself up. While your spiritual life may resemble a gas tank which occasionally needs filling, your faith level doesn’t operate along these same lines. Faith is not like a gas tank which constantly needs topping. The church is not a gas station that merely exists to service your Christianity. Like Jesus’ disciples, we falsely conclude if we had just a little more of God, just a little more faith, just a little more spirit …. then we could accomplish all of the things the Lord requires. Our request for the Lord to “top off our tanks” or “increase our faith” is invalid. These types of requests will not make us better disciples or stronger followers.
According to Jesus, we don’t need more faith. Faith is such a powerful weapon, we only need a tiny amount of it to do incredible things in the Kingdom. Faith is like an atomic bomb. The energy released from a tiny mustard seed amount of faith can literally move mountains. If you are a believer, then you already possess some faith.
I had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land a few years back. As our group was walking down the Mount of Olives I began to pick some of the branches and twigs from the trees along the path. I noticed some little pods growing from some of the trees and asked our guide about them. He told me they were mustard seeds. The pods were about the size of a pencil eraser. As I examined these little pods, the guide then instructed me to break one open. It was then that I discovered the real size of mustard seeds. Thousands of little ground pepper sized seeds burst forth from the little pods. They were minuscule. Jesus obviously used the smallest item known to his followers to explain just how little faith we need to see God move.
Faith is our secret weapon, but it is not used to destroy like the atom. Just a minuscule amount of faith brings about the impossible. Jesus used the example of mustard seeds because even though they are the small, they possess something a pebble, a grain of salt or a grain of sand doesn’t possess. Mustard seeds have life! The question is not whether there is life in the mustard seed. Each seed has an abundance of life. The question is have we planted our faith in God’s Kingdom so that He might do the impossible? Sized doesn’t matter. What does matter is action. Have we planted what faith we do possess?
Jesus knew that the quantity of faith is not as important as whether faith is present at all. It’s like being pregnant- either you are or you aren’t. There is no such thing as being a little pregnant. In the same instance, you either have faith in God or you don’t. If we do, then God will work amazing things in our lives. It serves no purpose to keep asking God for more of something we have never used in the first place. Faith, like seeds, must be planted. This is why James said, “Faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17
Are you planting what faith you do possess today or are you still waiting for the Lord to give you more. Your faith will not increase until you begin to use the faith you possess. None of us will ever feel qualified enough, know enough, or have enough experience to feel comfortable in seeing God move in our life. He only requires we believe in His process.
Blessings – From God’s Incubator,
Pastor
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What a “Cup of Cold Water” Can Look Like
29 Monday Jul 2013
Posted in Portraits of the Blessed, Servanthood
Tags
a little boy, be kind, cup of cold water, happy, inspiration, love without words, Matthew 10:41-42, meet God, old man, Plato quote, root beer, sitting in the park, smile, source of encouragement, Twinkies
And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. Matthew 10:41-42
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer. He started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old man. He was sitting in the park just staring at the pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.
The old man graciously accepted the snack and smiled at the boy. His smile was so pleasant and infectious… the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, the old man smiled. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word to each other.
As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was so he got up to leave. But before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around and ran back to the old man giving him a huge hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?”
He replied, “I had lunch with God.” Before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? God’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”
Meanwhile, the old man also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and asked, “Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?”
He replied, “I ate Twinkies in the park with God.” However, before his son responded, he added, “You know, He’s much younger than I expected.”
Twinkies and root beer may not be a cup of cold water, but they can be if we allow ourselves to be used by the Lord. Look for an opportunity to be a source of encouragement to someone who crosses your path today.
Blessings – From God’s Incubator,
Pastor
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Can God Trust You With True Riches?
12 Friday Jul 2013
Posted in Luke
Tags
bigger words, Canaanite god of riches, deeper truths, first-fruits, heavenly riches, Jesus, leftovers, Luke 16:11-12, mammon, Oscar Wilde quote, peace, security, spiritual blessings, strength, test us, tipping God, tithing, true riches, trustworthy, worldly riches
I have been thinking a lot lately about true riches. Jesus coined the phrase in Luke 16:11-12.
So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
Lets face it… riches in general (worldly riches) are mainly where our minds dwell. The good news is we don’t have to stay in this place. God has a plan to move us into the next level… into handling true riches. The main reason God gives us worldly wealth is to test us. The Lord wants to see how well we manage this kind of wealth (mammon), before He blesses us with true riches.
Has God allowed you to handle a little worldly wealth or mammon yet? Mammon was the Canaanite god of riches. So in the Lord’s plan, if you cannot handle a Canaanite god’s riches, how will you handle His real riches?
If you are trustworthy with a little thing like money, God knows you can be trusted with a heaven’s true wealth. True riches have nothing to do with money per se. They do include spiritual blessings like peace, security, and strength. They also include bigger words, special revelations, and deeper truths. These are so valuable they can’t be bought at any price.
This is where tithing comes in to play. It proves to the Lord we trust Him with our worldly riches. Sometimes people say, “If I was making a million a year, I’d be happy to give God 10% of it.” The truth is if you are not tithing on $10,000, or $20,000 or $30,000 a year, what makes you think God will trust you with a million dollars? It’s not about tithing, it’s about trusting.
The problem with many believers is they give God their “leftovers” instead of their “first-fruits.” They pay all their other bills and if they have anything left over, God gets a tip. God knows the difference between a tip and a tithe. The real issue is not whether God is trustworthy–it’s whether or not we are trustworthy in managing God’s money. Do you want God to trust you with more than you are managing right now? Prove it… because God wants to bless you with the true riches of His Kingdom.
Blessings – From God’s Incubator
Pastor
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Why Doesn’t God Stop Me?
08 Monday Jul 2013
Posted in Dying to Self, Luke
Tags
Abraham, Adam and Eve, attractiveness of sin, big sins, blood relationship, break fellowship with God, deep sin, father and younger son, free choice, free to go, God didn't stop me, God's voice, inheritance, Luke 15, Noah, the prodigal son, we cannot sever our relationship with God
I have had the opportunity to talk to a lot of Christians who have fallen into deep sin. Occasionally, some of these folks have opened up and confessed something like this…“When I first started to drift into sin, I noticed God didn’t stop me. If it was so wrong, why didn’t God stop me? Since God didn’t do anything, I assumed it was alright to proceed. So I kept sinning because God didn’t do anything.” I have even had people tell me after they were married,“I knew I shouldn’t have married this person, but God didn’t say ‘No’. Why didn’t God stop me? Since God didn’t say anything, I thought it must have been alright.”
Why doesn’t God stop people from sinning, especially from participating in “big sins“? Shouldn’t God’s voice get louder when we are about to commit some whopper sized sin? God doesn’t stop us from sinning for the same reason He didn’t stop Adam and Eve from eating the forbidden fruit. God didn’t stop Adam and Eve for the same reason He didn’t stop Noah from making moonshine and exposing himself. God didn’t stop Noah for the same reason He didn’t stop Abraham from lying to everybody he met about his wife being his sister. God doesn’t stop us because He loves us and gives us the freedom to choose.
In Luke 15 we are introduced to the story of a loving father who allowed his younger son to walk out the door with his inheritance in tow. This younger son insulted his father by asking for his inheritance early, long before his father passed. The son basically treated his father like he was dead. I am sure the father was wounded by this harsh demand, but he granted it. He basically said, “If you want to act and live like your father is dead, then go ahead… I will let you. It will hurt and wound me, but you are free.”
God doesn’t stop us from sinning for the same reason the father in Jesus’ parable didn’t fling himself across the door and say, “Stop it son, I won’t let you leave!” It is not the nature of God. God loves each of us so much, He allows us to make our own choices, even though He knows what the consequences will be. Even though some consequences are more devastating than others, He voice will not modulate.
There’s a very important principle all believers need to understand. We cannot sever our relationship with God, but we can break fellowship with Him. The whole time the prodigal son was away, he was still a son but He had left the presence and favor of his Father. Christians can do this. Through Jesus Christ we have a “blood relationship” with God… Jesus’ shed blood. Even though we break fellowship with God, the blood relationship remains… we are still His children.
Once you become a Christian, God establishes a love relationship with you. He is your Father and nothing can ever change this. But if you choose to rebel and disobey the Father, He’ll allow it. He will never leave you, but if you walk out of fellowship with Him–He will let you go. One of the messages of the Bible is that God loves us so much we are free to go. He will never force any of us to stay in fellowship with Him. So, if we are bound and determined to do something as foolish as walking out on God, He won’t stop us. This is how so many believers have gotten themselves into their messes. God doesn’t coerce obedience and loyalty; He wants us each to freely love and serve Him.
Blessings – From God’s Incubator
Pastor
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14 Inspirational Picture Quotes on Discipleship and Character
06 Saturday Jul 2013
Posted in Quotes
Tags
big assignment, Billy Sunday quote, catch fire, come and die, D L Moody quote, Dick Eastman quote, Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote, fail to finish, G.K. Chesterton quote, Henry Blackaby quote, Hudson Taylor Quote, John Wesley quote, Oswald Chambers quote, power of obedience, see the invisible, seed, small character, teach people, Teresa of Avila quote, the Christian Ideal, what is your message, work through me, worth remembering
Be Blessed This Fourth of July
04 Thursday Jul 2013
Posted in Holidays and Special Events, Quotes
Just What Is God Really Like?
02 Tuesday Jul 2013
Posted in Luke
Tags
a mean God, Dillon Burroughs, explaining God, funeral of a child dying, God searches for us, God talking a child, God's love, heart deformity, inaccurate concept of God, Jesus came to reveal the Father, Luke 15, what kind of God do you believe in
Many people go around asking others, “Do you believe in God?” The response is usually in the affirmative. Most do believe in God. Maybe the better question to ask is, “What kind of God do you believe in?” This gets to the heart of the issue. There is something worse than being a non-believer… it’s possessing an inaccurate or erroneous concept of who God really is. A lot of people want to believe in God, they just don’t want to believe in the God of the Bible. Why? They are not impressed with the Deity most Christians have presented… either by tongue or deed.
All of our lives we attempt to explain what God is really like to those around us. This usually happens in a passive way. Let me explain. I was officiating the funeral of a young infant who died prematurely days after birth. The little infant had a heart issue. A lot of well meaning church friends came by to offer comfort to the hurting and troubled parents. On more than one occasion some well meaning Christian said something along these lines… “They were sorry about God taking their baby or God must have wanted or needed their child in heaven“… or some variation of that phrase. After so many people said this to these parents, it was left to me to explain why such a mean, vindictive God took their child. The truth was that God didn’t take their child from them. The child died of a heart deformity. The Lord didn’t give their child a deformity so He could take her in heaven.
So why do we say such things? One reason is we don’t know what to say in such situations. The best course of action to take is to say nothing… simply love on people. The other reason we say such things is because we have heard it uttered before from some other ne’er do well. Since God is responsible for everything from earthquakes to hurricanes, it must be His fault. It is much easier to blame God than to seek to understand the effect of sin upon the world. The truth is we live in a fallen world and bad things happen. It is not all God’s fault. My point is we give God a bad rap when we utter faulty theology in difficult circumstances. Yet, this is done everyday. More is caught than taught. When a sermon is later delivered about the love of God, most have difficulties in believing in God’s love because they only know of a God who kills little children, wipes out thousands of people with hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes.
Jesus said one of the reasons He came to earth was to reveal His Father to people. How Jesus responded to people’s needs and His actions to the hurting gives us our best description of God. Jesus Christ came to planet earth to show us exactly what God is like. In Luke 15 Jesus shares three parables to reveal how God searches for us like a shepherd searching for his lost lamb, like a woman for a coin from her dowry and a father waiting for his lost son to return home. It’s not enough for any of us to believe in God; we must understand the nature of God … the God Jesus came to introduce. Is this the type of God you believe in?
Blessings From God’s Incubator,
Pastor
eisakouo 