I have a new toy, that Ben gave me. It is my live pod cast. The address is web.me.com/repent let me know what you think about it.
Blessings
Doug
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Don't Bargain with God
Sometimes we think that we have to bargain with God, I will do this, if you do that. With this way of thinking we end up being performers instead of sons. There is a truth in the word, about what you do, and what the Father will do. But we should be doing what He commands us because we love Him and want to be more like Him. Not because of what we can get from Him.
I like what Luke and Hebrews tells us about this from the message.
Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?
Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
Let us remember, that it was the Father who choose us and called us His own. We are children of the King, a chosen people a Holy Nation. We are to walk as Sons and Daughter,for that is the truth of who we are.
Blessings
Doug
I like what Luke and Hebrews tells us about this from the message.
Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?
Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
Let us remember, that it was the Father who choose us and called us His own. We are children of the King, a chosen people a Holy Nation. We are to walk as Sons and Daughter,for that is the truth of who we are.
Blessings
Doug
Monday, December 1, 2008
Be Bold with God's Gift
Every time I say your name in prayer—which is practically all the time—I thank God for you, the God I worship with my whole life in the tradition of my ancestors. I miss you a lot, especially when I remember that last tearful good-bye, and I look forward to a joy-packed reunion.
That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Loisto your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed—keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.
So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.
This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground—the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end. So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It’s as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.
I was blessed by what Paul wrote in 2 Tim 1, it reminds me of the faithfulness of our Father, who has called us before the foundation of the earth, and has predestined us to good works in Christ Jesus.
Remember we are in the world but not of the world, we are spiritual not fleshly. We are a chosen people, set aside for the Father's own purpose. Our Father knows the end before the beginning. We not only trust the Lord, He is our trust, and we will be fruitful even in dry places.
Grace on your journey.
Doug
That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Loisto your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed—keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.
So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.
This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground—the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end. So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It’s as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.
I was blessed by what Paul wrote in 2 Tim 1, it reminds me of the faithfulness of our Father, who has called us before the foundation of the earth, and has predestined us to good works in Christ Jesus.
Remember we are in the world but not of the world, we are spiritual not fleshly. We are a chosen people, set aside for the Father's own purpose. Our Father knows the end before the beginning. We not only trust the Lord, He is our trust, and we will be fruitful even in dry places.
Grace on your journey.
Doug
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Agreeing with the Father
I am in Brazil with Mitch doing some meetings with some bible college students. Last night Mitch was talking about the story of Jesus, when he was baptize by John. When he came out of the water they heard a voice saying, this is my son in whom I am well pleased. Then the next thing that happen was that the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil and to fast for forty days.
I was thinking that so many times when we hear a word from the Lord, we get so excited that God has spoken to us about our purpose and destiny, Then we are lead into the wilderness to be tempted, to see if we really believe what the Lord has spoken.
Notice that when the devil came against what God had spoken about Jesus, that Jesus didn't feel the need to prove himself to the devil, but just spoke to the devil what the Father had spoken. If Jesus had fallen into the trap of trying to prove to the devil what God had spoken, then the devil would have been the judge to rule on what God had spoken. Jesus just agree with what the Father had said.
I think that it is good to just agree with what the Father has spoken and let the devil see that he is the liar and the truth is not in him.
We don't have to prove anything to him and we don't have to perform for him.
Let us be the people that takes the Father at His word and see His Kingdom established in us and around us.
Food for your thoughts.
Blessings on your journey.
Doug
I was thinking that so many times when we hear a word from the Lord, we get so excited that God has spoken to us about our purpose and destiny, Then we are lead into the wilderness to be tempted, to see if we really believe what the Lord has spoken.
Notice that when the devil came against what God had spoken about Jesus, that Jesus didn't feel the need to prove himself to the devil, but just spoke to the devil what the Father had spoken. If Jesus had fallen into the trap of trying to prove to the devil what God had spoken, then the devil would have been the judge to rule on what God had spoken. Jesus just agree with what the Father had said.
I think that it is good to just agree with what the Father has spoken and let the devil see that he is the liar and the truth is not in him.
We don't have to prove anything to him and we don't have to perform for him.
Let us be the people that takes the Father at His word and see His Kingdom established in us and around us.
Food for your thoughts.
Blessings on your journey.
Doug
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Being a Friend
Here are a few thoughts on being a friend.
Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.
Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped
This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.
Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.
Friendships are eternal, we need to be friend to have a friend.
Let's learn how to be a faithful friend of God's and to one another.
Blessings
Doug
Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.
Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped
This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.
Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.
Friendships are eternal, we need to be friend to have a friend.
Let's learn how to be a faithful friend of God's and to one another.
Blessings
Doug
Monday, March 31, 2008
Practice Love
My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God’s command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us.
If you know the truth, the truth will sent you free.
Blessings
Doug
And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God’s command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us.
If you know the truth, the truth will sent you free.
Blessings
Doug
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Life as an Offering
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”
Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
Food for thought.
Blessings
Doug
I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”
Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
Food for thought.
Blessings
Doug
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