The Spirit of God: 02/04/10

Thursday, February 4, 2010

LastCall: God doesn't command you to worship Him today -Jon Courson

And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.
	Genesis 8:21

Even though the external flood couldn’t deal with the internal depravity of man, the fragrance of Noah’s sacrifice—a sweet-smelling savor unto the Lord—overpowered the stench of sin. A burnt offering was made, and that made all the difference. Every Old Testament sacrifice points to Jesus Christ—the ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb of God slaughtered on the cross for the sin of the world. It’s the fragrance of the work of Christ that overrides the stench of my depravity. The flood didn’t clean up the culture. The flood didn’t solve the problem. No, it was the sacrifice that caused God to say, “Neither will I again smite every living thing” (Genesis 8:21). You might feel terrible. You might feel like you’ve blown it badly. But even now you can worship God, and He will smell a sweet savor. He knows our imaginations are evil continually, yet He still finds sacrifice sweet. God doesn’t command you to worship Him today, but some of you will. He won’t command you to worship Him tomorrow, but some of you will. And in so doing, you’ll bless Him.

Michael James Stone

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LastCall: Living by Grace: Humility and Faith -Bob Hoekstra

Living by Grace: Humility and Faith

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble…through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand. (James 4:6 and Romans 5:2)

How does a believer in Jesus Christ access the ongoing, sanctifying grace of God for daily godliness? It is accessed the same way that the initial, justifying grace of God was acquired—by humility and faith.

We were justified, declared righteous in God's sight, when we humbly trusted in the Lord Jesus. We humbly agreed with the Lord's account of our guilty condition. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 3:23; 6:23a).

We also put our trust in Christ concerning His offer of life (based upon His death and resurrection on our behalf). "But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23b). Thereby we partook of the justifying grace of God through humility and faith. This is how the Lord wants us to continue to relate to Him for sanctifying grace.

Our God wants us to walk in humility, because grace is what we need for growth in godly living. Remember this great truth of grace: "But grow in the grace…of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

If we are unwilling to walk in humility, we will not enjoy this wondrous sanctifying impact of grace, because "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." When we live by self-sufficiency, God resists us. When we walk in humility, God gives us grace for living.

Our God also wants us to walk in faith, because faith accesses grace. "Through whom [Christ] also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand."

We now stand in a kingdom that offers "grace upon grace" (John 1:16). Abundant grace is available for every step we are to take. This grace is partaken of by faith. Whenever we trust in the Lord Jesus concerning any issue of life, we are reaching by faith into God's unlimited resources of grace, by which we are enabled to live effectively.

Hereby we see that living by grace involves two relational realities: humility and faith. We do not produce either. Neither one is a work. Humility admits we cannot do the work (of being holy, loving, perfect). Faith relies upon the work of another, the Lord Jesus Christ.

These two attributes become real in our lives through a growing relationship with the Lord. The more we get to know the Lord Jesus Christ, to that degree humility and faith will become realities in our lives.

O Lord, You are my salvation, from justification throughout a lifetime of sanctification. Forgive me for underestimating my need for You. Forgive me concerning the self-sufficient, self-confident ways by which I have often lived. I humble myself before You.

I want to live by trust and confidence in You. I long to live by Your grace, not by my best efforts. Help me to know You, that humility and faith might develop in my life, Amen.

Michael James Stone

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LastCall: God knows all about sports -Melody Green

Sports

by Melody Green

Sports fans unite! This is a big month. Everywhere we look there are tournaments and trophies. Championships. Winners and losers. The recent talk of not keeping score at childrens games? Never gonna happen. We are created to compete. To strive for the gold. To succeed with excellence. To win the prize. The crown.

From Goliath to gladiators to gridiron, God knows all about sports. “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
1 Cor. 24-25 NIV

Battle in Miniature

Each sporting event this month is a microcosm of the spiritual battles we fight everyday. In one way or another, we’ve all felt the thrill of victory -- the agony of defeat. But we can’t let the comfort of the thrill, nor the despondence of the agony, stall us for too long in our journey. We need to keep running the race towards God even when we’re limping, or perhaps while we’re being carried. After all, we are racing for the real gold. Streets of gold. The crown we win at our finish line is not like any crown won in the world. Our crown will be incorruptible.

We all have our cheerleaders and our enemies. But those who want to see us defeated need to deal with the Captain of our team. He is fierce and goes to war on our behalf. We serve the Champion of Champions and He’s never asleep at the wheel, although sometimes we might wonder... Our God is almighty and all powerful. We may lose a few battles but the ultimate victory has already been won for us.

Remember what Jeremiah proclaimed, “The LORD is with me like a dread champion; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed; With an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.” Jer. 20:11 NASB

Jeremiah knew his God, and his God is our God.
He will do no less for us.

High Court Gets Last Call

So this month while enjoying the games remember to stay strong in your own race. In your own personal battles. If you are on God’s side, He is on yours -- cheering you on. The enemy may be invisible or may be sitting right next to you. Call out to God. To fight for you. To defeat your enemy. To make things right and to keep your heart right.

Don’t give up, in spite of what the scoreboard in your head tries to tell you. God doesn’t keep score the same way we do. Whenever “team evil” wants to mess with you, remember who your Captain is. One day in His court all scores will be settled. Listen to Him and do what He says. He is your dread Champion!

Michael James Stone

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LastCall: I AM WHO I AM -Bob Coy

ETERNALITY

And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." Exodus 3:14 (NKJV)

Moses found himself in the uncomfortable position of being called on by God to do an impossible task. In his mind, there were a myriad of reasons why he wouldn't be able to deliver the Israelites from Pharaoh's vice-grip.

As Moses went back and forth with God, he eventually asked, "What if people ask me your name? What should I tell them?" God answered the question, and in so doing uncovers an amazing attribute about Himself. "I AM WHO I AM."

By identifying Himself as "I AM," God is declaring that He always is existent in the immediate now. He isn't bound or trapped by time like we are. There was never a time when God wasn't. He has no fixed point when He was born or brought into being. He has no beginning or end. He just...is.

We use the word eternality to describe this divine attribute. It reminds us that God is eternal and everlasting; a truth attested to by Abraham in Genesis 21:33, Moses in Deuteronomy 33:27, David in Psalm 41:13, Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:34, Paul in Romans 16:26, and John in Revelation 1:8.

The eternality of God is also part of one of the most important prophecies in all the Bible. Micah 5:2 not only tells us that Jesus would be born in the unassuming town of Bethlehem, but it also states that He would be brought into this world "from everlasting," pointing to His eternal existence from eternity past.
We're so governed by time that it's hard to imagine anything else, but what a comfort it is to know that the God who ultimately governs over us isn't.

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17 NKJV)

What does this passage reveal to me about God?

What does this passage reveal to me about myself?

Based on this, what changes do I need to make?

What is my prayer for today?

Michael James Stone

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LastCall: This is not your rest -Daily Light

Ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the Lord your God giveth you.

This is not your rest. - There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. - Within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus.

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. - With Christ; which is far better.

God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. - There the wicked cease from troubling: and there the weary be at rest.

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. - Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

DEUT. 12:9. Mic. 2:10. Heb. 4:9. Heb. 6:19,20. John 14:2,3. Phi. 1:23. Rev. 21:4. Job 3:17. Matt. 6:20,21. -Col. 3:2.

evening

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin. - But now once in the end of the world hath he ap-peared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

As the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: hence-forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.

I COR. 15:55. I Cor. 15:56. Heb. 9:26 28. Heb. 2:14,15. II Tim. 4:6 8.

Michael James Stone

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LastCall: When we are born again by Spirit of God -Utmost for His Highest

The Compelling Majesty of His Power

The love of Christ compels us . . . —2 Corinthians 5:14

Paul said that he was overpowered, subdued, and held as in a vise by "the love of Christ."

Very few of us really know what it means to be held in the grip of the love of God. We tend so often to be controlled simply by our own experience.

The one thing that gripped and held Paul, to the exclusion of everything else, was the love of God. "The love of Christ compels us . . . ." When you hear that coming from the life of a man or woman it is unmistakable. You will know that the Spirit of God is completely unhindered in that person’s life.

When we are born again by the Spirit of God, our testimony is based solely on what God has done for us, and rightly so. But that will change and be removed forever once you "receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . ." (Acts 1:8 ).

Only then will you begin to realize what Jesus meant when He went on to say, ". . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . . ."

Not witnesses to what Jesus can do— that is basic and understood— but "witnesses to Me . . . ."

We will accept everything that happens as if it were happening to Him, whether we receive praise or blame, persecution or reward. No one is able to take this stand for Jesus Christ who is not totally compelled by the majesty of His power.

It is the only thing that matters, and yet it is strange that it’s the last thing we as Christian workers realize. Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane-he did not care.

There was only one thing he lived for— to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of "the love of Christ." This total surrender to "the love of Christ" is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life.

And it will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.

Michael James Stone

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Last Call: God Speaks (1B)"People are listening with their Thumbs Stuck in their Mouth " -Michael James Stone

God Speaks

(People are listening with their Thumbs Stuck in their Mouth)

Most people say, if only God would speak to me. I don’t.

To put it bluntly, I can’t figure out how people DON’T hear God speak because as far as Him speaking to me,

I can’t get Him to shut up.

Maybe I need more work than others….,

· Devotion or Emotion

1. God speaks in Devotion

When I wrote on God Speaking the responses were interesting. One person was excited, one was skeptical, another was saying which God and frankly whether we could deceive ourselves. Another wanted to lock me up for hearing voices, some one else said ‘His Gods” talked to him that way and the list goes on.

For better or worse this was my response to all of them good and bad:

“Would you please stick your thumb back in your mouth and shut up”

The Bottom line is:

"People are listening with their Thumbs Stuck in their Mouth "

1. “I want God to” –Thumbsucker

2. “Please Give me” –Thumbsucker

3. “In the name of Jesus!!” –Thumbsucker

4. “I command you” –Thumbsucker

5. “If you Give me I will” –Thumbsucker

6. “If God is real He will” –Thumbsucker

7. “I believe God said” –Thumbsucker

8. “The Bible Says” –Thumbsucker

9. “I feel like God is saying” –Thumbsucker

10.“I claim the promise” –Thumbsucker

Were you offended? If so, you are a Thumbsucker.

Hearing God Speak is not about you.

“If you want to hear God speak SHUT UP!!”

The majority of issues facing people in hearing God speak boil down to;

1) How desperate are you to Hear Him.

2) How willing are you to do anything to hear him?

A guy that tells me there is a bomb in the building or yells fire when I smell smoke, I don’t ask him for his credentials, I get out of the building.

In some ways God is the same.

Only difference is, He is God, you are not.

You are trying to Hear Him, no offense, he’s already heard from you and doesn’t need a refresher course on Who You Are.

So,

1) Devotion

Another “type” of devotion is when God Speaks to me is my reading of the Bible. The “majority” of the times, when I am reading my Bible is a “preset” reading plan, (if I can stick to it), God isn’t really speaking to me, His Spirit is.

Yes the Holy Spirit is God, but what I mean is the “Spirit of God” will inspire and apply the “Word of God” to accomplish the “Will of God” in your life.

Hear that?

“Spirit of God” + “Word of God” + “in your life” = “Will of God”

Inspire + Apply = Accomplishment

Want to know the Will of God?

You just found out How.

Go for it

This IS my stipulation to you.

You CAN hear God speak to you.

While Pastors and Teachers Don’t want you to become a “nutcase”

They also DO WANT you to know God and to Follow Him.

In Twelve Short Devotions Starting Tomorrow

We Will State Emphatically

How YOU

Not only can Hear God speak to you personally

He is the Only One who can get through all the “Voices” you hear

And Speak Directly To You.

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW?

Michael James Stone

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ClassicWorshipVideo: For Those Tears I Died - Children of the Day

Michael James Stone

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40 Days: Day Fifteen -Rick Warren

Formed for God's Family

God is the one who made all things, and all things are for his glory. He wanted to have many children share his glory. Hebrews 2:10a (NCV)

See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are! 1 John 3:1 (NLT)

You were formed for God's family.

God wants a family, and he created you to be a part of it. This is God's second purpose for your life, which he planned before you were born. The entire Bible is the story of God building a family who will love him, honor him, and reign with him forever. It says, "His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure."

Because God is love, he treasures relationships. His very nature is relational, and he identifies himself in family terms: Father, Son, and Spirit. The Trinity is God's relationship to himself. It's the perfect pattern for relational harmony, and we should study its implications.

God has always existed in loving relationship to himself, so he has never been lonely. He didn't need a family-he desired one, so he devised a plan to create us, bring us into his family, and share with us all he has. This gives God great pleasure. The Bible says, "It was a happy day for him when he gave us our new lives, through the truth of his Word, and we became, as it were, the first children in his new family. ^"

When we place our faith in Christ, God becomes our Father, we become his children, other believers become our brothers and sisters, and the church becomes our spiritual family. The family of God includes all believers in the past, the present, and the future.

Every human being was created by God, but not everyone is a child of God. The only way to get into God's family is by being born again into it. You became part of the human family by your first birth, but you become a member of God's family by your second birth. God "has given us the privilege of being born again, so that we are now members of God's own family."

The invitation to be part of God's family is universal, but there is one condition: faith in Jesus. The Bible says, "You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever. Our families on earth are wonderful gifts from God, but they are temporary and fragile, often broken, by divorce, distance, growing old, and inevitably, death.

On the other hand, our spiritual family-our relationship to other believers-will continue throughout eternity. It is a much stronger union, a more permanent bond, than blood relationships. Whenever Paul would stop to consider God's eternal purpose for us together, he would break out into praise: "When I think of the wisdom and scope of his plan I fall down on my knees and pray to the Father of all the great family of God-some of them already in heaven and some down here on earth."

BENEFITS OF BEING IN GOD'S FAMILY

The moment you were spiritually born into God's family, you were given some astounding birthday gifts: the family name, the family likeness, family privileges, family intimate access, and the family inheritance!? The Bible says, "Since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you."

The New Testament gives great emphasis to our rich "inheritance." It tells us, "My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."As children, of God we get to share in the family fortune. Here on earth we are given "the riches ... of his grace . . kindness ... patience ... glory ... wisdom ... power ... and mercy." But in eternity we will inherit even more.

Paul said, "I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people." What exactly does that inheritance include? First, we will get to be with God forever.' Second, we will be completely changed to be like Christ. Third, we will be freed from all pain, death, and suffering. Fourth, we will be rewarded and reassigned positions of service." Fifth, we will get to share in Christ's glory. What an inheritance! You are far richer than you realize.

The Bible says, "God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.' This means that your eternal inheritance is priceless, pure, permanent, and protected. No one can take it from you; it can't be destroyed by war, a poor economy, or a natural disaster.

This eternal inheritance, not retirement, is what you should be looking forward to and working for. Paul says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." Retirement is a short-sighted goal. You should be living in light of eternity.

Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever.

BAPTISM: IDENTIFYING WITH GOD'S FAMILY

Healthy families have family pride; members are not ashamed to be recognized as a part of the family. Sadly, I have met many believers who have never publicly identified themselves with their spiritual family as Jesus commanded-by being baptized.

Baptism is not an optional ritual, to be delayed or postponed. It signifies your inclusion in God's family. It publicly announces to the world, "I am not ashamed to be a part of God's family." Have you been baptized? Jesus commanded this beautiful act for all in his family. He told us to `Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.'

For years I wondered why Jesus' Great Commission gives the same prominence to baptism as it does to the great tasks of evangelism and edification. Why is baptism so important? Then I realized it is because it symbolizes God's second purpose for your life: participating in the fellowship of God's eternal family.

Baptism is pregnant with meaning. Your baptism declares your faith, shares Christ's burial and resurrection, symbolizes your death to your old life, and announces your new life in Christ. It is also a celebration of your inclusion in God's family.

Your baptism is a physical picture of a spiritual truth. It represents what happened the moment God brought you into his family: "Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ's body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit."

Baptism doesn't make you a member of God's family; only faith in Christ does that. Baptism shows you are part of God's family.

Like a wedding ring, it is a visible reminder of an inward commitment made in your heart. It is an act of initiation, not something you put off until you are spiritually mature. The only biblical condition is that you believe.

In the New Testament, people were baptized as soon as they believed. At Pentecost, 3,000 were baptized the same day they accepted Christ. Elsewhere, an Ethiopian leader was baptized on the spot when he was converted, and Paul and Silas baptized a Philippian jailer and his family at midnight. There are no delayed baptisms in the New Testament. If you haven't been baptized as an expression of your faith in Christ, do so as soon as possible, as Jesus commanded.

LIFE'S GREATEST PRIVILEGE

The Bible says, `Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. That is why he isn't ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters."

Let that amazing truth sink in. You are a part of God's family, and because Jesus makes you holy, God is proud of you! The words of Jesus are unmistakable: "[Jesus] pointed to his disciples and said, `These are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!" Being included in God's family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive. Nothing else comes close. Whenever you feel unimportant, unloved, or insecure, remember to whom you belong.

Being included in God's family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive.

DAY FIFTEEN THINKING ABOUT MY PURPOSE

Point to Ponder: I was formed for God's family.

Verse to Remember: "His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:5 a (NLT)

Question to Consider: How can I start treating other believers like members of my own family?

Michael James Stone

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