Lip Service

LIP SERVICE

Anita May

31/10/07

 

S.  Mark 7:20

He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.'

 

O.

I am sure Jesus is speaking directly to me.  Have you ever know someone who speaks before they think?  If not, let me introduce myself.  I am one of those who always puts my bit in and later regrets it.  I am so quick to speak,  not always thinking  if its going to offend and it doesn't matter who it is, I just blurt it out. 

 

A. 

As Jesus said "its not what goes in, but what comes out."  How lucky am I that I have a friend in Jesus and that every night before I go to sleep, I can say my prayers, confess my sins and be forgiven, knowing that in the morning, I awake clean, leaving the past behind.  Over the years I have said some terrible things to my parents, friends, work colleagues, siblings etc.  I have hurt so many with what comes out of my mouth.  I call it LIP SERVICE.  Imagine if I didn't have Jesus in  my life to forgive me I would be carrying around one mighty big truck load of guilt. 

 

P.

Lord Jesus you know me, you created me and you know how hard it is for me to bite my tongue at times.  Lord I pray that you give me the wisdom to know when to speak and when to keep quiet and thank you Jesus that you love me unconditionally. 

 

Amen

 

 

Jesus didn't hide

Scripture

 

Mark 3: 3 “Jesus said to the man, “Come and stand in front of everyone””.

 

Observation

 

Everyone was trying to catch Jesus out. This would surely be the moment that he would break a religious law and his enemies would have the evidence they needed to discredit him. Jesus notices this man with a deformed hand in the doorway of the Synagogue. I imagine that compassion and mercy confronted Jesus for the plight of this fellow. Perhaps the reason the man was in the Synagogue was to seek God’s healing for his condition? Jesus immediately knew that healing would come to this man today. But how would he do it? He could have taken the man into a secret place and healed him, which would’ve drawn no attention. But not today. Jesus was determined to agitate the religious leaders. He brings the man out in front of everyone and heals him before the gapping throng. No hidden miracle, no undercover power – a blatant declaration of the power and equality of God toward humanity.

 

Application

 

There are many issues and situations that contradict and discredit the authenticity and veracity of the Christian faith in our society today. Most of this is done in the light of modernism and being relevant to our current societies accepted behaviour. It’s so easy to just give in and decide that raising the Christian position on many of the blatantly anti-Christian ideas accepted by our society is just too difficult and personally confronting. Perhaps we’ve decided that the personal cost of standing up for the values we espouse in private create a level of opposition that we aren’t prepared to accept? But this scripture today helps me to see that Jesus was confronting the same attitudes in his day and he didn’t baulk nor hide from the need to declare openly the inappropriateness of human legalism or misguided religious piety. I am confronted by the brazenness of Jesus’ action in this passage and am challenged to inspect my level of commitment to the Christian ethic and the eroding of biblical standards that I have allowed to proceed in my community unhindered.

 

Prayer

 

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for so often keeping my mouth closed in fear of the response of others. The actions you showed in the face of your enemies who sought to discredit and attack your integrity helps give me a reference to the degree of passion you have for the values of heaven. May I be endowed with the same passion to stand for the biblical values our society so desperately needs and may I find my voice in those times when something needs to be said.

 

 

Jim Jung

Purpose beyond the Circumstance.doc

soap 26/10/07

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FRIDAY 26^th OCTOBER 2007

 

TITLE:        PURPOSE BEYOND THE CIRCUMSTANCE!

 

SCRIPTURE :       JOB 17: 9

‘THE RIGHTEOUS WILL MOVE ONWARD and FORWARD

and those with  PURE HEARTS WILL BECOME

STRONGER and STRONGER.’

 

OBSERVATION:

 

As if Job hadn’t had enough! He’d lost his family and estate, suffered great physical pain, persecution from friends and betrayal. In fact counsel and circumstances had him questioning God, his beliefs, himself, his sin, his life…..and looking at his present circumstances,… you would think that yes, ‘ the accuser of the brethren had won!’ YET Job can make this statement amidst the destruction:  ‘ No, I  know I  have been right before God and I know God’s word and promise :

‘The righteous WILL move onward and forward (toward God and Eternity with Him.) Further more, those with a  pure heart WILL become stronger and stronger’.

 

APPLICATION

 

How often we too can go through hard times, hopefully not to the degree Job had to endure. I think this was an example to cover ALL that the enemy

could do. Yet when we come to amazing challenges in life, where is our faith? ‘If God has brought us to it,  He will take us through it!’

      There are times when I get caught in a situation and try to rationalize, justify situations and circumstances and can get caught in ‘trying to work through it’…….without waiting on and actually asking the Lord. :

‘What are you trying to tell me?’……and I share this question as to what I learned after a 10 year journey of extreme circumstances..

      How different things are now when I do go straight to my Lord and seek him, read His word and listen to what He is saying and stand on His promises. It doesn’t mean challenges stop, but my attitudes can change..

 

PRAYER

 

Lord above all else, guide me to walk righteously with you. Today I ask again to ‘create in me a clean heart , renew that right spirit within me’ that my heart is not hardened with bitterness or judgment, that I can allow your love to flow through me in all situations and in spirit, soul and body, I too can grow stronger and stronger, because of you.

 

Joan Bognuda

What Matters Most

Scripture

“I do know that it won’t be any picnic, for the Holy Spirit has let me know clearly and repeatedly that there are hard times ahead.  But that matters little.  What matters most to me is to finish what God started.” Acts 20:24

 

Observation

Paul is a man apprehended by the love of God, a love that transformed his life and changed his course.  Paul’s passion was to extend God’s Kingdom.  He knew that suffering and tribulation was just around the corner.  But he was not moved from the course.  Even with the understanding of what was ahead, Pal was able to have clarity and place importance on the thing that matters most.  He knew his mission was more important than the circumstance he’d find himself in.

 

Application

I doubt the road ahead for me is a picnic either.  But that needs to matter little. Keeping my eyes focused with clarity on what my God-given mission is and being open to Holy Spirits leading I then am focused on what matters most- not on the situations I find myself in.

 

Prayer

Father, thank you for the wisdom and clarity in your servant Paul.  His life speaks to me today about ‘the one thing.’  The one thing that matters most to me is to finish what you have started.

 

 

 

 

 

Hayley Stirling

 

 

A recipe for a bountiful harvest

Scripture:  Acts 17: 11 & 12 “And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message.  They searched the scriptures day after day to see if Paul & Silas were teaching the truth.  As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women & men”

 

Observation:  Paul has had huge opposition to his message in Thessalonica – to the point of there being riots in the streets! – because the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has offended the Jews so much!!  But in Berea, the people had a different spirit.  Firstly, their hearts were open to hear the message.  Secondly, they didn’t just gullibly receive anything that came along – but they looked for confirmation of the message in the Scriptures – and they looked hard. There was no cursory glance to see if just one or two Scriptures – possibly taken out of context – happened to line up with Paul’s message.  No, here was a concerted effort to search for & find the truth.  But the result was conversions – because, having heard the truth with open hearts & verified the truth with open bibles, they were ready to receive & believe.  Like the parable of the sower, here was fertile ground prepared to receive the good seed that it might grow into that which God had intended.

 

Application:  What’s the soil of my heart like?  Is it rich & soft, ploughed & ready to receive any seed the Lord wishes to cast my way – fresh revelation for a new day?  And am I one, like the Bereans, who will take the time, not to gobble up any new seed that might come along, but to take that seed and examine it in the light of the Word of God.  And when His truth is confirmed by my search then that seed is able to be received, watered & tended that it might grow as full revelatory truth to me, to my life, to my daily walk.  If I cannot find God’s truth behind the seed, then it must be discarded and never allowed to grow & take hold, lest the field of my life be marred by many weeds.  No, I must be open, or fresh revelation cannot come.  But I also must be vigilant to not allow just anything, any thought not of the Lord, to take root in my life.

 

Prayer:  Dear Heavenly Father, how important it is to get to know Your Word that I might handle Your Truth correctly.  But, Lord, I also need to maintain my heart’s soil, keeping it rich & ploughed, ready for fresh seeds.  I can only do that as I walk in obedience to You.  Please help me, Lord.

 

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

 

 

Sue Otto

The Free Gift

 

Scripture:

Acts 15: 11

 

‘Don’t you believe that all are saved the same way, by the free gift of the Lord Jesus?’

 

Observation

It’s a simple question to those who want to make salvation complicated.  Rules and regulations was not part of the whole package of salvation that Jesus had set out.  Free gift means a free gift. It costs nothing. Not a thing.  Earning salvation is something that we can easily get caught up in.  ‘If I do this God will give me a ticket to heaven’ ‘If I don’t, I will not make it to the Day of Reckoning.’  ‘I don’t deserve to make it to heaven – there’s too much water under the bridge for me to even see my way halfway to heaven!’   All these thoughts are striving.   Jesus came to give us life – with no strings attached.   A free gift.  

 

Application

I love it. I can handle a gift that is free with no strings attached.  No earning and striving for perfection. It’s mine – salvation – a ticket to heaven – one way – straight up.  All I have to do it accept it, lay myself at the feet of Jesus and he in return gives me HIS gift.  He laid down his life so I can have a free gift – All I can do is accept it – say thank you and not take it for granted.

 

Prayer

Lord, Thank you for your gift of Salvation.  Your Son died on the cross on my behalf – which I didn’t deserve.  This free gift I accept with open arms.  I DO believe that all are saved the same way and that I am part of your plan.  Let me not ever take it for granted – your free gift.

 

Terry B

 

"Don't worry Fear not"

18^th October 2007

Scripture: Job 3:25-26

What I always feared has happened to me, what I dreaded has come to be.  I have no peace, no quietness.  I have no rest, instead only trouble comes.

 

Observation:

It seems apparent by this scripture that this kind of disaster was always in the back of Job’s mind.  The things he dreaded the nightmare of his dreams was now upon him.  I wonder if he had ever shared or spoken to anyone about what he feared the most.  Where did this fear come from?  Why was he dwelling on a potential disaster, and was it when Satan had an open hand with Job Satan simply unfolded his worst fears?  Was Job his own worst enemy?

 

Application:

With Jesus in my life the word tells me to “Fear not” I am now reminded to bring all my doubts insecurities to God, all my fears and worst nightmares to the Father and have him speak peace into them that my Father would be strength and the Holy Spirit my comfort.  I don’t want any potential fears of disasters consuming any part of my thoughts.  Where I recognise these I must bring them before the Lord and consecrate them.

 

Prayer:

Father let there be no fear no nightmare of what the worst could be.  Let me have a confidence of my future and that you know my path and my destiny.  Let me always step into your plan, being the very best for things for good and not for bad.

 

Amen

 

Stephen Hutchison