Is Your Beauty Skin Deep
"He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites--a head taller than any of the others."
1st Samuel 9:2
The scripture above describes King Saul before Samuel anoints him as King. Even in this time there was a great value placed on outward beauty, and Saul filled the bill as an attractive king for Israel. However, Saul's beauty turned out to be only skin-deep, as shortly after becoming king, he revealed his true inner character by disobeying God on two different occasion. He then made matters worse by trying to cover up his sin by lying and blaming others. God knew what was happening, and that Saul was not obeying Him. The Lord was displeased with Saul's behavior, and his punishment was that he was rejected as King over Israel. Saul's beauty proved that it was only skin deep and should give us reason to look at our own lives. Are we guilty of devoting major attention to our outward appearance, while neglecting our relationship with God. God knew the heart of Saul, and that he did not follow His commands. God also knows your hearts and knows if you are obeying Him. God can see behind your outward appearance through to your inner being. He knows if you are covering up a sinful heart, and what your relationship is with Him each day. You can put on your good front with your fellow man, but cannot fool God into thinking you are more than you really are. If your outward appearance is not the same as your inner appearance, now is the time to seek forgiveness and begin a new life. God can forgive you of all your past sins, and let your inner beauty be as attractive as your outward beauty.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
My Daily Devotional
The Majesty of God
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27
Last night I attended a small group meeting of our church, where a series called the Truth Project was being discussed. This session was on the differences between evolution and divine creation. As this discussion continued for several minutes, I was reminded of my career in the health field and the knowledge I have learned about the human body. Everything in the human body must function and work together, and in unison for us to be healthy and in good physical condition. If our heart is not functioning, blood will not get to the rest of our body and these parts will deteriorate and we will die. If our brain does not work properly our muscles will not know when and how to move our arms and legs. If our lungs do not pump and produce oxygen the rest of our body will suffer and die. When God created man He made us in His image, His perfect image, and with all the complexities of every part of our bodies working and functioning together. The presence of God is in us because we were made in the likeness and image of God. All we have to do is look at our own bodies to recognize the amazing wonder that God has created. We can also see His majesty all around us in the wonders of nature, when we see birds in flight, the fluffy clouds in the sky, a magnificent sunset, a beautiful rainbow, the feel of the wind on our face. God is all around us and to have someone question His creativity, and suggest that all this beauty was created by a process of evolution is absurd. Just knowing the wondrous creations that God has made is enough to give us a glimpse of what lies in store for us when we enter heaven, to be with Him for all our eternity. The majesty of God will be everlasting and all this is for us.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27
Last night I attended a small group meeting of our church, where a series called the Truth Project was being discussed. This session was on the differences between evolution and divine creation. As this discussion continued for several minutes, I was reminded of my career in the health field and the knowledge I have learned about the human body. Everything in the human body must function and work together, and in unison for us to be healthy and in good physical condition. If our heart is not functioning, blood will not get to the rest of our body and these parts will deteriorate and we will die. If our brain does not work properly our muscles will not know when and how to move our arms and legs. If our lungs do not pump and produce oxygen the rest of our body will suffer and die. When God created man He made us in His image, His perfect image, and with all the complexities of every part of our bodies working and functioning together. The presence of God is in us because we were made in the likeness and image of God. All we have to do is look at our own bodies to recognize the amazing wonder that God has created. We can also see His majesty all around us in the wonders of nature, when we see birds in flight, the fluffy clouds in the sky, a magnificent sunset, a beautiful rainbow, the feel of the wind on our face. God is all around us and to have someone question His creativity, and suggest that all this beauty was created by a process of evolution is absurd. Just knowing the wondrous creations that God has made is enough to give us a glimpse of what lies in store for us when we enter heaven, to be with Him for all our eternity. The majesty of God will be everlasting and all this is for us.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Look To The Future
Look To The Future
“This is how it will be with any one who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:21
So often I believe that people become so enamored with material possessions and wealth that they lose sight of what the real riches of this life is all about. The scripture above is a lesson that each of us need to learn and follow. It is the story of a rich man who was a farmer, and whose crops had produced so generously that he had no place to store them. He thought to himself, I will tear down my barns and build bigger barns where I can store all my grain and my goods, and I can lay back, take life easy and be merry. But God told him that this very night his life would be taken from him, and then who would get all his possessions. We must never forget that our material possessions and wealth will some day pass away, as they are only temporary things, and that they are not going to last, but will be here for only a season. Everything that we cherish and love will be left behind for someone else to use and enjoy. The only thing that should matter to us is what is waiting in heaven, as this will be eternal and will last forever. We must look beyond the moment, past our temporal pleasure and into the future. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew that Jacob was cooking, as he saw only a temporal pleasure and failed to look ahead. There are a lot of people like that today. They don’t think about God, or have time for Him unless they have some trials or troubles come against them. Then all at once they begin to think about God, and now have time to pray to Him. Then when their problems and crisis is past they return to their old ways, and no longer think they need God in their lives. I would encourage each of you to seek God, not as a temporary God, but as an Eternal God, one that will last forever.
“This is how it will be with any one who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:21
So often I believe that people become so enamored with material possessions and wealth that they lose sight of what the real riches of this life is all about. The scripture above is a lesson that each of us need to learn and follow. It is the story of a rich man who was a farmer, and whose crops had produced so generously that he had no place to store them. He thought to himself, I will tear down my barns and build bigger barns where I can store all my grain and my goods, and I can lay back, take life easy and be merry. But God told him that this very night his life would be taken from him, and then who would get all his possessions. We must never forget that our material possessions and wealth will some day pass away, as they are only temporary things, and that they are not going to last, but will be here for only a season. Everything that we cherish and love will be left behind for someone else to use and enjoy. The only thing that should matter to us is what is waiting in heaven, as this will be eternal and will last forever. We must look beyond the moment, past our temporal pleasure and into the future. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew that Jacob was cooking, as he saw only a temporal pleasure and failed to look ahead. There are a lot of people like that today. They don’t think about God, or have time for Him unless they have some trials or troubles come against them. Then all at once they begin to think about God, and now have time to pray to Him. Then when their problems and crisis is past they return to their old ways, and no longer think they need God in their lives. I would encourage each of you to seek God, not as a temporary God, but as an Eternal God, one that will last forever.
Friday, February 4, 2011
God Will Not Disappoint
God Will Not Disappoint
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5
Every one of us will sometimes have problems that we expect others to help us with, but we will find that they do not always have the answer and will disappoint us, even though they may not intend to. It would be nice to have someone that we could depend on, but there is only one that we know that will always be there for us, and that is God. When we depend on God we will never be disappointed, as He is always going to be there showing His love and providing all our needs. The majority of disappointments and hurts we will face in life are ones where we have depended upon others, and they have let us down. Whether it is a family member, business associate or a friend, we set our expectations that others will assist us in a project or something we are interested in. Then for whatever reason, when they do not come through with what we expected of them, we are hurt and disappointed. Usually the people that we have trusted and have depended upon in the past are the ones that will disappoint and hurt us the most in these kinds of situations. The thing that we need to remember during these times is that everyone’s priorities are not the same as ours. We should not expect others to be as enthusiastic about our projects and plans as we are. They have their own priorities and projects and their own expectations. What may seem like the most important thing in our immediate life may not be important to them, and results in them not taking the time to help us, and we become disappointed and hurt. However when we are disappointed with others, we can look upward and find God who is always there for us, as He will never leave us or forsake us. I would encourage each of you to keep your eyes on Jesus, and you will never be disappointed in the results.
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5
Every one of us will sometimes have problems that we expect others to help us with, but we will find that they do not always have the answer and will disappoint us, even though they may not intend to. It would be nice to have someone that we could depend on, but there is only one that we know that will always be there for us, and that is God. When we depend on God we will never be disappointed, as He is always going to be there showing His love and providing all our needs. The majority of disappointments and hurts we will face in life are ones where we have depended upon others, and they have let us down. Whether it is a family member, business associate or a friend, we set our expectations that others will assist us in a project or something we are interested in. Then for whatever reason, when they do not come through with what we expected of them, we are hurt and disappointed. Usually the people that we have trusted and have depended upon in the past are the ones that will disappoint and hurt us the most in these kinds of situations. The thing that we need to remember during these times is that everyone’s priorities are not the same as ours. We should not expect others to be as enthusiastic about our projects and plans as we are. They have their own priorities and projects and their own expectations. What may seem like the most important thing in our immediate life may not be important to them, and results in them not taking the time to help us, and we become disappointed and hurt. However when we are disappointed with others, we can look upward and find God who is always there for us, as He will never leave us or forsake us. I would encourage each of you to keep your eyes on Jesus, and you will never be disappointed in the results.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Resist Temptations
Resist Temptation
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Matthew 26:41
Temptation is a strong force that drives a wedge between what we mean to do and what we actually do in so many issues of our lives. Every one of us makes decisions all during our lives concerning financial issues, relationship issues, family issues and work issues. We reach a point in each decision as to whether to do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord, or whether to be tempted to do something that we know God would not approve of. Temptation is present in most of our daily lives to try to gain a foothold in our minds, our attitudes and our actions and lead us down a path that could lead us to our ultimate destruction. When we are tempted to do what we know is not right, we are living independently of God, and living in the flesh, which is of Satan. This is really the true battle when we are facing temptation, as we are deciding whether to follow Christ or Satan. The scriptures tell us that God has provided a way of escape from every temptation. 1st Corinthians 10:13 “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” It is important for us to know what is right and wrong at the time we are tempted, as we must control the temptation at the beginning, because if we don’t control the temptation at the threshold, we run the risk of allowing the temptation to control us. Once we give in to the temptation it is very difficult to turn around and escape, and return to our innocence. God will provide a way out when we are tempted, but we must be willing to take a stand and not give in to Satan. Our stand is to trust and be obedient to God’s will for our lives, as God will strengthen our will to obey.
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Matthew 26:41
Temptation is a strong force that drives a wedge between what we mean to do and what we actually do in so many issues of our lives. Every one of us makes decisions all during our lives concerning financial issues, relationship issues, family issues and work issues. We reach a point in each decision as to whether to do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord, or whether to be tempted to do something that we know God would not approve of. Temptation is present in most of our daily lives to try to gain a foothold in our minds, our attitudes and our actions and lead us down a path that could lead us to our ultimate destruction. When we are tempted to do what we know is not right, we are living independently of God, and living in the flesh, which is of Satan. This is really the true battle when we are facing temptation, as we are deciding whether to follow Christ or Satan. The scriptures tell us that God has provided a way of escape from every temptation. 1st Corinthians 10:13 “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” It is important for us to know what is right and wrong at the time we are tempted, as we must control the temptation at the beginning, because if we don’t control the temptation at the threshold, we run the risk of allowing the temptation to control us. Once we give in to the temptation it is very difficult to turn around and escape, and return to our innocence. God will provide a way out when we are tempted, but we must be willing to take a stand and not give in to Satan. Our stand is to trust and be obedient to God’s will for our lives, as God will strengthen our will to obey.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
My Daily Devotional
Our Sins Will Find Us Out
“The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Galatians 6:8
We have all read the Bible’s wisdom telling us what we sow, so shall we reap. I recently saw a story that so well exemplified this wisdom. A successful building contractor called in one of his senior employees, a skilled carpenter, and told him he was going to put him in charge of the next house the company was building. He told him to order all the materials and oversee the entire process from the ground up. This was the carpenter’s first opportunity to be the boss, but greed got the best of him, as he began thinking that he could make more money for himself if he would cut a few corners. He then ordered second grade lumber, inexpensive concrete for the foundation, put in cheap wiring, and cut every corner he possibly could. All of this with the thought that the paint would cover up all the inferior materials and no one would ever know. When the home was completed, he asked the boss to come and see it. His boss was impressed by the outward appearance and said, “you did such a fantastic job and have been such a good and faithful worker, and so honest all these years that I am going to show my gratitude by giving you this house.” This is such a good example of how we reap what we sow. We can’t make beautiful flowers bloom in the summer if we plant weeds. We can’t reap righteousness if we sow sins throughout our lives. If we want to reap rewards from God we must obey and follow his commands. We cannot go our own way and continue our sinful nature, and expect to be rewarded by God on our day of judgment. We reap what we sow, and our sins will someday find us out, and we will receive our just rewards as we stand before God.
“The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Galatians 6:8
We have all read the Bible’s wisdom telling us what we sow, so shall we reap. I recently saw a story that so well exemplified this wisdom. A successful building contractor called in one of his senior employees, a skilled carpenter, and told him he was going to put him in charge of the next house the company was building. He told him to order all the materials and oversee the entire process from the ground up. This was the carpenter’s first opportunity to be the boss, but greed got the best of him, as he began thinking that he could make more money for himself if he would cut a few corners. He then ordered second grade lumber, inexpensive concrete for the foundation, put in cheap wiring, and cut every corner he possibly could. All of this with the thought that the paint would cover up all the inferior materials and no one would ever know. When the home was completed, he asked the boss to come and see it. His boss was impressed by the outward appearance and said, “you did such a fantastic job and have been such a good and faithful worker, and so honest all these years that I am going to show my gratitude by giving you this house.” This is such a good example of how we reap what we sow. We can’t make beautiful flowers bloom in the summer if we plant weeds. We can’t reap righteousness if we sow sins throughout our lives. If we want to reap rewards from God we must obey and follow his commands. We cannot go our own way and continue our sinful nature, and expect to be rewarded by God on our day of judgment. We reap what we sow, and our sins will someday find us out, and we will receive our just rewards as we stand before God.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
My Daily Devotional
Obedience to God
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
Hebrews 11:8
I would like for each of you to consider if you are willing to obey God even when it’s not easy, and you don’t understand? This kind of obedience takes a great deal of faith. It takes a devotion to God and a desire to please Him and obey Him, regardless of the circumstances and the unknown. Growing in faith and obedience is a process that will span our lifetime, and is one that will have no boundaries as we can grow each day. So many times throughout the Bible we see examples of just how much faith the Biblical men of God must have had. Noah must have had a tremendous faith to obey God in building the ark, or Abraham must have had an outstanding faith in God to obey Him when he was commanded to kill his own son. None of these examples were easy ones for these people to follow and obey God, but they trusted Him so greatly, and had so much faith that they were willing to sacrifice everything for God and be obedient to His commands. What would you do if you suddenly got a command from God to go build an ark or to kill your child? We need to all work towards building this kind of faith in God by meditating in God’s word, by prayer and letting God live in our daily life. We need to be in a position in our faith that when we sense God’s direction in our life, that we don’t hesitate, but will step out in obedience, even when we don’t understand the reason. We need to trust Him, as God’s plan and purpose for each of us is always perfect. We need to pray to God to help us follow in the example of Abraham and Noah, and be willing to sacrifice all that we have in obedience to God and His will for our lives.
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
Hebrews 11:8
I would like for each of you to consider if you are willing to obey God even when it’s not easy, and you don’t understand? This kind of obedience takes a great deal of faith. It takes a devotion to God and a desire to please Him and obey Him, regardless of the circumstances and the unknown. Growing in faith and obedience is a process that will span our lifetime, and is one that will have no boundaries as we can grow each day. So many times throughout the Bible we see examples of just how much faith the Biblical men of God must have had. Noah must have had a tremendous faith to obey God in building the ark, or Abraham must have had an outstanding faith in God to obey Him when he was commanded to kill his own son. None of these examples were easy ones for these people to follow and obey God, but they trusted Him so greatly, and had so much faith that they were willing to sacrifice everything for God and be obedient to His commands. What would you do if you suddenly got a command from God to go build an ark or to kill your child? We need to all work towards building this kind of faith in God by meditating in God’s word, by prayer and letting God live in our daily life. We need to be in a position in our faith that when we sense God’s direction in our life, that we don’t hesitate, but will step out in obedience, even when we don’t understand the reason. We need to trust Him, as God’s plan and purpose for each of us is always perfect. We need to pray to God to help us follow in the example of Abraham and Noah, and be willing to sacrifice all that we have in obedience to God and His will for our lives.
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