The High Calling of God

Philippians 3:12-14: "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (NKJV) We all have certain things that we would like to accomplish in the New Year. Some people make lists of resolutions that they are going to try to accomplish like losing weight, eating healthier, spending more time with the family, etc. But in these verses Paul is talking about something spiritual. Like a runner in a race reaching out for that prize, we as Christians should be reaching out for the prize as well. But in our case, the prize is the "upward call of God in Christ Jesus." I see this call, not as a specific position in the body o...

Isaiah 9:6 states in the NKJV: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." We must remember that the story of Jesus Christ did not end at the stable. He did not remain a babe in a manger. He became a man, lived a sacrificial life and His very reason for coming into this world was to die for the sin of mankind. Through His death and resurrection He made available the means by which we can be saved. It doesn't happen automatically- just because He did this. We must take the gift that He gave us- eternal life- give Him our life in exchange and allow His life to flow through us to accomplish those things He desires. We must turn from our old ways- sin--- repent-- and turn toward His new and living way- being filled with His spirit so that we can become that sacrifice unto Him. This verse says that His name is Wonderful...

Deuteronomy 16 is a chapter where the Passover is reviewed. Verse two states: "Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the LORD chooses to put His name." Of course we know that in the Old Testament the Hebrews had to offer sacrifices for their sins daily. Jesus Christ had not yet come as their Deliverer. The Passover was a celebration held once a year as a memorial to their great deliverance from Egypt. They were led out of bondage by God with great miracles. Later God established a covenant with them. But it was during the celebration of the Passover that they remembered and celebrated their freedom. The Lord said in verse two that He would choose a place where He could put His name. The Lord specifically chose the place to put His name! In the Old Testament, God chose places to put His name. After Jesus Christ's sacrificial death which paid the penalty for mankind's sin, God chose people...

Psalm 46:10 The entire verse reads: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" This word- "still" means to cease striving. The Amplified Version states it: "Let be and be still". Sometimes the most difficult place for a Christian or a church to be is when nothing seems to be happening. It is a place where it seems like the wind of God's Spirit is not moving. I remembered from my school years a geographical place called The Doldrums. It is situated just north of the equator, encircling the globe. It is where the winds of the northern and southern hemispheres come together. This area had little or no wind and could trap sailors for days, weeks or even months. With no wind to blow into their sails and move their ships, they were stranded. Stories have been told where sometimes these men would literally go insane due to the inactivity they were experiencing. Remember, back then, they had n...

We all have been there at one time or another, probably many times throughout our life-in that waiting process. We may be waiting for our vacation, waiting for that great job, waiting for that special someone, waiting for our healing, waiting for news from friends and family or waiting for something special to happen in our life. Wait, wait, wait. It's hard to wait! Just ask any child! I remember when I was young, and I would ask for something. My parents always had enough to go around, but usually there wasn't enough money for too many extra things. When asked the question, "Can I have..." the answer would usually be, "Wait until next week", or "Wait until you're older", or "Not this time, maybe next". It becomes disappointing to say the leas, especially when we feel that we just HAVE to have that particular item or pleasure. Our parents were not doing it to be mean, they may just not have had the means to give in to our desires ...

This past Father's Day, during our morning service, I wanted to say something to honor our fathers. The Lord lead me to this scripture: Deuteronomy 1:30-31: "The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place." Just before leading me to this verse, the Lord took me on a trip into my childhood memories. I vividly recalled a time when I was about 5 or 6. My mother had made a lavender dress for me. It was sleeveless and had pretty rickrack around the neckline. I guess even then I had a passion for purple! Oh how I loved that dress! We lived close to a river where my father would fish. I wanted to go with him on this occasion and I wanted to wear my lavender dress. After begging my mother, she allowed me to wear it to go fishing with dad. All was well ...

Isiah 45:3 (NKJV) "I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel". This verse is amazing in the fact that God was speaking to Cyrus, through Isaiah the prophet, about 100 years before his birth. To think that God knows about us and speaks about us even before we are born really staggers my mind! If we ever have questioned that God doesn't know us, the Bible has many references that prove the opposite. (For example-Psalm 139). Other than this wonderful thought, I saw something else here. He told Cyrus, that He (God) was going to give him the "treasures of darkness and the hidden riches of secret places." In this instance this meant the literal riches of that area of Mesopotamia. But I saw something else. Now who wouldn't want some treasures and riches? Sounds pretty good to me! Most of us when we were young read stories about looking for hidd...