Enter In With Thanksgiving

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him and bless His name."
Psalm 100:4 (NKJV)

There are many different methods that can used to access various places.  Some places require you to buy a ticket before you enter.  Some places require you to show a certain form of identification before you can enter.  Some places require you to enter an access code on a security panel before you can get in.  Some places require a special key to enter in.  While there may be different methods that are used to enter a place, the point is that something is necessary before one can enter and the same thing is true with the things of God.

We have access to God today through the blood of Jesus and by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:13, 18), this is the basis for our relationship with God.  But what about our every day fellowship with God and walking in the blessings of God, is there something we can do to make sure we have clear access to all that God has provided for us through Jesus?  By looking at what Psalm 100:4 tells us I believe we have an answer: thanksgiving gives us access.  Being thankful and praising God for who He is and what He has done will keep doors of opportunity and blessing open in our life.

When we are thankful we are focused on the right things.  If we consider all of the good things that God has done for us and how much God loves us it is easy to be thankful and also easy for us to walk by faith.  If we think about what we may not have or what might not be exactly right in our life it means we are more focused on natural things and it is easy to complain and harder to live a life of faith.  By maintaining a lifestyle of thanksgiving we keep ourselves in the place where God can work in our life; let's all make it our goal to be thankful and enter into God's best.

A Firm Foundation To Stand On

"Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong."
1 Corinthians 16:13 (NKJV)

Standing is a fairly simple thing for most people to do.  Unless a person has some medical condition that prevents them from doing so, people learn to stand at a very early age.  But, it is not just standing up on your feet that matters it is also what you are standing on.  If you are standing on a flat, stable surface then standing is easy.  However, if you are on a boat that is being tossed around by waves, or if you are trying to take a stand on some ice or an unstable surface then the simple act of standing becomes a challenge.

The Bible says several things about standing.  We are told we stand by grace (Romans 5:2), we stand against the enemy (Ephesians 6:11), and that we stand by faith (2 Corinthians 1:24).  But the question is, just exactly how do we do this?  If we are to stand by faith in the grace of God against our enemy then we need to be sure that what we are standing on is stable and secure.  Our position of standing is only as good as what we are standing on.  A firm foundation to stand on is built on the Word of God through what we hear and by the words we speak.

By hearing God's Word we build our faith to stand and we strengthen our foundation by a continual process of speaking God's Word.  Then when we face the enemy, when we deal with difficult situations, when we need to appropriate the blessings of God in our life we have a firm foundation to stand on in faith.  Many believers struggle because their foundation is not entirely built from God's Word and when they need to stand strong their foundation is not secure.  Build a firm foundation in your life by filling yourself with the Word of God and speaking His Word every day, in every situation of life.

One Step Leads To Another

"And He sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.  So they said to Him, Where do You want us to prepare?  And He said to them, Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.  Then you will say to the master of the house, "The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"  Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready."
Luke 22:8-12 (NKJV)

When you are traveling somewhere or you have a goal to reach the main thing is to get to the destination and reach that goal.  All of the steps between where you start and where you end are not as important as the final objective, but those steps are still important.  Without taking the necessary steps to move forward you would never get to where you need to go.  This is a problem area for some people in following God's direction, they want the end result without having to take the steps in between the start and the finish.

In Luke 22 we see Jesus sending Peter and John to a city to find the place to prepare the Passover.  The goal was the place where they could meet, going to the city was a step in the right direction but it was not the only step.  Jesus told them to locate a certain man, but that was not the final step.  The man with the pitcher was only leading Peter and John to the place where they would meet another man who would then take them to their final goal.  But what if Peter and John had skipped a step or two, would they still have gotten the same result?

We will often find that God directs us into one thing that brings us into something else; God gives us one step that leads to another.  This is not to say that we view the things we do or the people we meet as just stepping stones we use to achieve a goal, that is not right at all.  But as God brings us opportunities to take steps in our walk with Him we must realize that God has a plan and He is working to develop us, prepare us, and to direct us into what we need to do and where we need to go.  Follow the steps God gives you, take advantage of the opportunities He brings you to do things, and build relationships with other believers.  Doing these things will benefit us today and help us reach our future goals.

Just Read It

"Your words were found, and I ate them, and your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts."
Jeremiah 15:16 (NKJV)

The Bible is an awesome, wonderful book.  Knowing and practicing the truth found in the Bible can change your life!  But, some people see the Bible as a book of secrets and there is one certain key that unlocks the mysteries so they spend time searching for that one key.  Other people find something specific in the Bible that fascinates them and they spend a lot of time just focusing on that one thing.  But, if we really want to have a complete understand of the Bible we need to just read it and get to know all of it.

There are 66 "books" within this one great book of the Bible and these 66 books are divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament.  While the Old Testament is important, today we live in the New Testament and that is the part of the Bible we should focus on the most. You can get a Bible in print or electronic form, you can read the Bible yourself or have an audio version of the Bible that you can listen to.  Multiple translations of the Bible can be found on the Internet and you can even have the Bible on your smart phone. But having a Bible is one thing and getting the Bible into you is another.

What some people fail to understand is just how simple the Bible really is.  Certainly there are some things in the Bible that are easier to understand than others but if we make it our goal to read and know the whole Bible we will find that the individual parts of the Bible become easier to understand.   When we spend time with the Bible we are really spending time with God because He is the true Author of the Bible and by the Holy Spirit God guided men to write the words we find in the Bible.  We should be like Jeremiah and make God's Word the joy and rejoicing of our heart; we do this as we read it, and read it, and read it.

Small Beginnings Lead To Big Things

"Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly."
Job 8:7 (NKJV)

It was several years ago, but I remember it like it just happened yesterday.  It was Friday October 30, 1998 and I had just arrived at the Frankfurt Germany airport.  This was the start of my ministry work in Germany and Europe.  My arrival that day was just the first step in a much longer journey.  Looking back now I really had no idea about all of the wonderful things that God was going to have me involved in.  It is nice to look back on how things started and to see how they have developed.  But, to be able to look back we first have to start somewhere, even a long journey starts with one step.

To have grand finale you first have to begin something, to accomplish great things you will have to start by doing the little things.  Doing those little things leads you to bigger and better things.  We all like the part of seeing the big development and the work that is accomplished over time but those big things always start small.  It is a rare thing to be what is called an overnight success and in most cases that is really not even true.  What often appears to be an overnight, or instant, success is most of the time the result of a lot of long hours of hard work that most people don't even see.

It is good to dream big dreams for God, but then we have to put our dreams into action.  We need to first of all know that what we are doing is what we should be doing and we need to have the mentality that what we start is only the beginning; no matter how small something may look at the start it is only the beginning.  Too often people just want to jump into something big not realizing that every great thing starts somewhere and often that start is a small one.  We may not see the end result after a few steps in our journey or even after a few years but we need to keep on going.  No matter where you are in life or what you are doing remember that with God our small beginning can become something big!

Say What You Mean And Mean What You Say

"The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips."
Proverbs 16:23 (NKJV)

It has been said that talk is cheap.  People use this expression because it is very easy to just say something.  But, while it is easy to just speak it can be more difficult and it is more important to have something to say that is worth saying.  Jesus set the standard for us and if we look at His life we don't see Him just carelessly throwing words around or continually having to apologize for saying the wrong thing.  Jesus chose His words wisely and we should do the same.  Jesus said that He only spoke words that His Father taught Him (John 8:28); that is something that would be good for us to imitate.

Sometimes people say things that are not very kind and not very good.  These same people might try to justify what they have said by making the comment, "Well, I didn't really mean that" or "OK, I know what I said was not really right but you know what I mean".  Saying things that can hurt or cause a problem for other people is never a good thing.  We need to say what we mean and mean what we say.  We should have a good basis for what we say; we cannot allow ourselves to just say anything at anytime.  The Bible should always be our standard for how to live our life and for the words we speak.

We need to be wise with our words and choose our words carefully.  This is something that all of us can work on for as long as we live.  But it is not an impossible task and Proverbs 16 gives us a key about how we can say the right words, we teach / train our mouths what to say by what we have in our heart.  If we fill ourselves with God's Word then it is easier to be able to find the right words to speak.  Jesus said that it was out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34).  Fill yourself with the Word of God and don't just say anything that comes to mind, teach your mouth what to say about yourself, others, and your life.

Do Good Works Always Equal Good Fruit?

"For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;"
Colossians 1:9, 10 (NKJV)

Everyone likes to get maximum results; everyone likes to see that what they do is successful and accomplishes something.  No one wants to spend time doing something that is nothing but a waste of time and energy.  Wouldn't it be sad to spend hours and hours working on some project that you later find out to be unimportant and not even necessary?  We all want to be sure that the things we are doing really matter.  How can we be certain that we are making the best use of our time and not just wasting time?  The answer is in knowing the plan and purpose God has for our life.

God has a plan for everyone, not just for pastors, missionaries, or other ministers.  We must know and understand God's plan for our life or we will spend our time doing things that we were never meant to do.  There are many, many good things we can find to do in life but just because something is good to do does not mean we should automatically do it or that it is the right thing to do.  This is what I believe Colossians 1:9, 10 is talking about.  We want to be fruitful in every good work but to do so we need to be doing the right good works.

God has called us to do good works, this is something we see throughout the New Testament.  But, God has a specific plan for each person's life and while there are some general good works that everyone can do, like walking in love, there are some specific things that God has planned for us to do.  The key is being filled with the knowledge of God's will and having the wisdom and understanding necessary to fulfill that will.  We find God's will in God's Word, the Bible.  Start by doing the things you know are good to do and allow God to move you on from there to the specific plan He has for your life.

Working With God Or Working For God?

"We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain."
2 Corinthians 6:1 (NKJV)

There is a big difference between working with someone and working for someone.  Working with someone implies shared effort and responsibility, what is being done is a collaboration of abilities and resources.  Working with someone means that a person is not alone and has someone else helping them get things done.  When you are working for someone that carries with it the thought of one person giving direction and another person carrying out the plan that was given to them.  Usually when you work for someone the main effort comes from one person and responsibility is given from one person to another.

In both letters to the Corinthians Paul talked about being a worker together with God.  Paul realized that what he was doing was in partnership with God.  Paul was not trying to figure out everything on his own and just relying on his own ability.  Paul knew that it was God that had called him and it was God that would help him.  Paul understood, just as we should, that the only way to really fulfill God's plan is with God's help.  Yes, Paul did talk about being a bondservant of God in many of his letters but Paul also knew that whatever He did for God he was doing with God.

We can be sure that no matter what God might call us to do He will be there to help us. We never want to fall into the trap of thinking that what we do depends solely on our ability and our coming up with the best plan on our own; we need to develop a trust and reliance on God.  This is the difference in Christianity, we do serve our God but He works with us as well. Other religions focus on man working for and serving some god but there is no cooperation with a distant and often harsh deity.  But we are children of God who can always rely on our heavenly Father to be there and work with us in anything and everything that needs to be done.  We are workers together with God!

People Must Be Stirred And Willing

"Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord's offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments."
Exodus 35:21 (NKJV)

In the Old Testament we read about Israel traveling from Egypt to the Promised Land.  As Israel traveled through the wilderness God spoke to Moses about building the tabernacle.  We can read many details about how the tabernacle was built, but to build it some materials were necessary.  God told Moses to receive an offering from the people to get the things that they needed for the tabernacle and the clothing that the priests would wear, this is what we see in Exodus 35.  What happened when the people brought the offering is a very interesting part of the story.

Once Moses told the people what was needed, all of the people who were stirred and willing came and brought an offering.  In the next chapter (Exodus 36:7) we read that they finally had to stop the people from giving because there was too much!  That is obviously not a normal type of offering.  A key point is that people were stirred to do something and they were also willing, so they actually did something.  Often when people hear about a need it stirs them up and makes them want to get involved.  But unless those people are willing and then do something not much is really going to happen.

What is needed in any project is people who are not only stirred up but people who are willing to do what it takes to get things done.  We see from the story in Exodus that when the stirred and willing people did something it more than met the need.  Often needs go unmet and work goes undone because people may be stirred but they are not willing to do what is necessary.  People may be stirred about something, they may even believe that doing something is good, but unless people willingly get involved not much will happen.  Are you simply stirred or are you also willing to get involved?  People who possess both of these traits are necessary to do what needs to be done.

A Lifestyle Of Being Led By The Spirit

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God,"
Romans 8:14 (NKJV)

What is the difference between breathing in air and flying through the air in an airplane?  One is something you do continuously from the moment you are born and the other is something that is not done all day, every day, by anyone.  Breathing in air is something that everyone can do because of the lungs we were born with; flying an airplane is something that only specially trained people can do.  Many Christians view being led by the Holy Spirit in a similar way; some see it as something natural that every believer can do, but some think that it is something that is only possible for a select few.

When someone accepts the salvation that Jesus provides they are born again and they receive the Holy Spirit.  As Christians we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).  The question is, what is the Holy Spirit doing in us?  We know from John 14:26 that He is our Helper and one way He helps us is to lead us and guide as it mentions in Romans 8:14.  The good news is that we can be led by the Holy Spirit every day; in fact we should have a lifestyle of being led by the Spirit of God.

So many Christians struggle in life and make wrong choices because they are not being led by the Holy Spirit.  One big reason many people do not have a lifestyle of being led is because they have not taken the time to develop their relationship with God through reading His Word and spending time in prayer.  If we want God to lead us then we need to get better acquainted with Him.  God wants to lead us and guide us in life, not just once and a while but every day.  We all need to make being led by the Holy Spirit a way of life and not just a rare event.

Qualified For Blessings

"Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."
Colossians 1:12 (NKJV)

Did you know that not just anyone with athletic ability can compete in the Olympics?  There are athletes who train for years trying to earn a spot on a team or in a certain event to compete in the Olympics.  But to compete at that level you first have to qualify for a position.  The same is true in other sports where people must first compete to qualify before they can actually participate in the sporting event.  We can see the same thing in other areas of life like in qualifying for a home loan or in being eligible to go to a certain school by having the necessary grades.

There are a lot of Christians who think they still have to earn the blessings God provided through Jesus; they are still trying to qualify themselves for something that already belongs to them!  Through Jesus we have already been qualified to receive all of the blessings of God.  Too many people focus more on the work they do than on the work that Jesus did.  The truth is that none of us could ever be good enough or work hard enough to qualify ourselves for anything that God has.  That's why it is good to know that through Jesus we are already qualified for blessings.

We need to know who we are in Christ and what belongs to us.  If you don't know what Jesus provided for you then you can't take advantage of it.  The Bible tells us that God will supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19), that God will guide us and direct us (Psalm 32:8), that God will give life and strength to our body by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11), and that through Jesus God gives us a peace that passes all understanding (John 14:27; Philippians 4:7).  Whatever you need, find out what God said about it in His Word and know that because of Jesus you are already qualified for the blessings!

Receive The Word And Do The Word

"Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hears only, deceiving yourselves."
James 1:21, 22 (NKJV)

What would happen if you needed to wash some clothes and you put the clothing into the washing machine but did not use any laundry detergent?  The results would not be what you intended because you wanted clean clothes not just wet clothes.  What if you instead put the detergent into the machine and even turned the machine on but never put in your dirty clothes?  Again, you would have a problem.  Many times we have failed to succeed in something because while we may have taken one step or done one thing we have neglected something else.

In James we see two things, we must receive the Word and we must put it into practice; first you take in God's Word and then you do something with it.  That is simple enough, but there are also two potential problem areas.  The first is if we don't know what the Bible says and the second is if we don't act on what we know.  You can't use what you don't have and you can't do something that you don't know about.  James talks about receiving the Word of God but he first mentions laying aside something else.  To receive the Word we often also have to reject things that are not in line with God's Word.

We must receive the Word and do the Word; we need to learn more about Who God is and who we are in Christ.  We need to find out what belongs to us in Christ and what God's plan is for our life.  When we learn these things and then put that knowledge and understanding into action it will change our life!  This is how we can make an impact for God in the world and help people around us.  Wherever we are in our walk with God we need to do what we know to do and continue to grow in our relationship with God and our knowledge of His Word.

First Things First

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

As far as I know most people put their socks on first and then they put on their shoes, that is pretty normal.  But what if you reversed the order, what if you put your shoes on first and then tried to put your socks on?  The result would be a mess, which is why people put on their socks before their shoes.  This is just a simple example of something we see all around us in our natural life and it is also something that applies to our spiritual life.  There are some things that need to be put before some other things or there will be problems.  An easy way to understand this is with what we call priorities.

Everyone has priorities, choices about some things they do first before they do other things.  Sometimes our priorities are dictated by natural circumstances, like the shoes and socks, and sometimes our priorities are just our choice.  We all make decisions about what things are important to us and we make those things priorities.  But if we put the wrong things first, negative consequences can result.  For Christians we must keep our relationship with God, His plan for our life, and spending time with Him through His Word and prayer a priority.

We are all busy and have a lot to do; this makes priorities vital for our success.  We might feel pressured from things we need to do and allow that to create a priority in our life.  People can make demands on us and we might allow that to create a priority for us.  But if we don't keep first things first, if we don't keep God's plan and our relationship with Him first, then it will show up in the rest of our life.  Personally I have found over and over again that if I put God first, then everything else works out well.  Let's all make the decision to keep first things first and keep our relationship with God, His plan for our life, and spending time with Him through His Word and prayer our top priority.

Light For Your Path

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
Psalm 119:105 (NKJV)

When things are dark you need some light. Have you ever been out walking in a field or in the forest when it got dark?  I have had that experience and there comes a point where you can't see where you are going unless you have something to light the path you are on.  You could just keep going forward the way you think you should go and hope for the best, but that is not a very wise thing to do.  Many people have gotten lost in places like a forest because they traveled in a direction that they thought was right only to realize later that they had made the wrong decision.

Some things are good for giving light and some are not.  Things like a flashlight or a candle will give you light while a chair or a pillow will not.  Having a chair or a pillow would help to make you more comfortable in the place where you are, but they will not help you get to where you need to go. Some people don't really have any light or direction for their life but they do have some things that make them feel comfortable and even secure where they are now.  But without having any actual light you may be comfortable somewhere but still in the wrong place.

God's Word will give us light and direction for our lives.  There is so much wisdom we can get from the Bible in places like Proverbs, in reading stories about men and women of God, and by looking at the life of Jesus.  The Holy Spirit will speak to us through God's Word to show us what to do and the Holy Spirit will remind us about what the Bible says to help guide us in life.  If you need wisdom and direction in your life, in any area, I would encourage you to spend time reading and studying God's Word.  God's Word will give us light for our path and direction for our life.

A Full Understanding Of God's Will Is Needed

"For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;"
Colossians 1:9 (NKJV)

It is one thing to know what to do and another thing to know how to do it.  For example, you might buy something at a store that requires you to put it together once you take it home.  You have seen the item in the store so you have an idea what it is supposed to look like.  You take your purchase home and open the box only to discover that there are no instructions for putting your item together.  You know exactly what you need to do, put your purchase together, but you don't really know for sure how to do it, there are no instructions.  This would certainly be a problem.

One thing that people ask me over and over is about how to find the will of God for their lives.  This is a good thing to want to know because as children of God we should want to please God and do His will.  But, knowing what God wants you to do is just the first step.  Once you know what to do you then also need to know how to do it and even when to do it; you need the wisdom and spiritual understanding that is referred to in Colossians 1:9.  The good news is that God not only wants us to know His will but He also wants to help us see how to do what He asks and also the best way to do it.

We may know what to do but we also need to have the full understanding of God's will to know how and when to best do it.  We have the written Word of God, the Bible, and as Christians we have the Holy Spirit living in us.  Sometimes the way we know how to do what God wants us to do and the way He wants us to do it is simply through seeing what the Bible says and sometimes it comes to us through the direction of the Holy Spirit.  Ask God to reveal His will to you through His Word and by the Holy Spirit and trust God for the wisdom and spiritual understanding about how to carry out His will.