Bowing Now Or Later?

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
    and gave him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT)

When I read this verse, my mind always goes to Jesus' second coming. I think about seeing him in the clouds and being overcome. Overcome with love and adoration. Overcome with the idea that I will get to be with him and talk to him. I imagine everyone bowing and everyone praising him.

But this text is not just a future event. This is a current event as well. We are supposed to grow closer and closer to Jesus every day so that at the mention of his names our hearts will be overcome with love and adoration. At the mention of his name we will bow.

What stops us from living the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven? What causes us to put off to the future what we should be doing now? And then, I can't help but wonder.....if I don't live like this now, will I get to in the future?

A Minute In It - Not What You Thought Would Happen

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Reach the passage below and answer the questions after the post.

But now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers became fearful. “Now Joseph will show his anger and pay us back for all the wrong we did to him,” they said.

So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he instructed us to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept. Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said.

But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them. Genesis 50:15-21 (NLT)

Joseph's brothers had sold him into slavery.  Because of this he was imprisoned (either as an indentured servant or in a jail) for about 14 years. When God turned his life around and used him to save Egypt, his brother's resurfaced.

Is there some event in your life that you've gone through....that you can look back on and say "They intended it for harm but God used it for good?"  What are you doing with that? Are you holding on to it and holding a grudge or are you letting it go?  Are you in the middle of such a thing now?  Can you trust that God can make all things work for his good and his glory?

Whatever You Do.....

And be sure of this: I am with you always. Matthew 28:20 (NLT)

Happy Monday!

What plans do you have for today? Whether you are

• Working in an office
• Driving a cab
• Teaching at a school
• Managing a home
• Working construction
• Waiting tables
• Hiking trails or
• Taking a day off

No matter what you do or where you do it, Jesus is with you. You are not alone.

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

Have a Great Day!

Mission Possible

In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness. Ephesians 4:1-6 (MSG)

These are your instructions for today. The only way you can do them is by keeping in touch with the Holy Spirit. Each time you feel that you want to quit or slack off, each time you want to take off on your own path and do your own thing, stop and pray. When it gets hard. Stop and pray. And when you find joy in the journey, stop and PRAISE!

Happy Friday Everyone!

A Minute In It - Do As I Do

For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Galatians 5:14 (NLT)

Question.  What does it look like to "Love your neighbor as yourself?"

Maybe it looks like this.

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. John 13:34

Another question. What was it about the way Christ loved us that was so perfect?  If we modeled that, how would it change how we loved each other?

That's hard to do.  How do we accomplish this?

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Hebrews 12:2

Please Don't Sit There

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:23‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

As I boarded the plane and found my seat, I wanted so much to have some quiet time to myself. It had been a rough week. Work had been taxing and I needed to prepare for a sermon I was going to preach the following weekend. What I wanted was some time to think. 

I settled into my seat and realized there was no one in my row. WOOOHOOO! Thank you, God. I can stretch out and rest and think. They closed the doors to the plane and just as I was getting ready to spread out, the flight attendant walked up to my row with a man and said, “You’ll be able to stretch out more in this seat.” I’m not going to recount the thoughts that popped into my head at that moment.

Anyway, as we took off I heard “Ask him why he’s going to Dallas.”  My response? “Why would I do that?” Again. “Ask him why he’s going to Dallas.” I know the Voice and sometimes I listen to it. I wish I could say I always do but that would be lying.  This time I did.  I asked him. And I got to hear the best story about how he was going to meet his daughter who lived with her Mom. He was bringing her home to spend the summer with him. 

He told me her mom was afraid of flying so the only way she was allowed to come see him was if he actually picked her up at the airport in Dallas. His day started with an hour and a half drive to the airport where he got on a plane in Virginia, flew to Dallas, met his daughter at the airport and flew back to Virginia and then drove an hour and a half home.  I was dumbfounded at the taxing day this man had ahead of him.

We talked for a while and I asked him “What do you want your daughter to take away from these trips?” His response? “I want her to know that no matter where she is, I will come get her. I will go anywhere to be with her.”

Did I mention that my sermon that weekend was on Father’s Day? I wanted to think through how to portray the love of our Heavenly Father. Do you think God wrapped that up in this one conversation that I didn’t want to have with a man I didn’t want to sit next to?

Our encounters are never random. They are divinely appointed. Maybe, just maybe, we should embrace each encounter we have every day as if God were in it. Because he is.

What A Beautiful Name

There is a song called "What a Beautiful Name" by Hillsong Worship. There is one verse in it that makes me pause every time I hear it. It is

You didn't want heaven without us
So Jesus, You brought heaven down
My sin was great, Your love was greater
What could separate us now.

I especially get hung up on You didn't want heaven without us and My sin was great, your love was greater. Every single time I hear it I think about the love that Jesus has for us. A love so great that he left Heaven to live here because his love was greater than my sin.

There is a Bible verse that says the same thing.

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT)

Truly, what a Beautiful Name is the Name of Jesus.

Right Where You Are Supposed To Be

Your road led through the sea,
    your pathway through the mighty waters—
    a pathway no one knew was there!
Psalm 77:19 (NLT)

Last night in the U.S. the Super Bowl was on. While I really like football, most of the times I don't find the game super exciting. But last night was different. It was a great game! There was something though that really impressed me.  It was the story of the Eagles' Quarterback, Nick Foles.

In his career he'd not always done so well as a quarterback. He was traded from regime to regime. At one point he was considering retirement because he was so discouraged. He decided it to give it one more try and ended up back with the Eagles (which is where he started in the first place). After an injury of the Eagles' starting quarterback, Foles was tapped. And the rest is history.

After the game, one of the first things he said was "To God be the glory." Amen.

We never know where our path will lead. Only God does. What we need to do is keep going. Don't give up. And watch as God unfolds his glory in our lives.