January 4

Today's Bible reading...

Genesis 8:1-10:32 - Noah first sent out a raven. Anytime God is providing the provision or a particular work is sought to be glorifying to God, can man's own devices be used to bring it about. Never can a common thing be used, in our own efforts, to being Glory to God. Not that God doesn't use common or unholy things, He certainly does, but when we, as followers of God, come to a place where we feel we can wield or command God to do a thing or use the business mindset of this world to achieve a goal on behalf of God we are certainly in error!

For example there a a lot of books on church growth or how to make more money for your church. These books may have been written by a well meaning Christian or maybe by a person just looking to sell books to the Christian community either way this is an example of using a raven to search for dry land, using something of the world to try and get a goal accomplished. All the while God has given His method for reaching said goal. Using books on growth or attending a conference on church growth almost inevitably will lead to the use of some aspect of the worlds ways and not God's. For his prescription concerning growth is given in Acts 2.

What is God doesn't want your church to grow, ever thought about that. Maybe refining and purifying the fruit that have been given is needed before more will ever come. Either way pastor, Christian, be happy with the flock God has given you and poor everything into them. Make your knees bleed and your heart ache before feeling "ready" to grow at all. Read God's Word and examine for yourself the size of the HOME CHURCH that was part of the first church. Do not let this world deceive you into thinking bigger is better. I would challenge you to meditate on the precept that your heart is simply to magnify yourself and your ministry and not God or His.

Matthew 4:12-25 - vs 17 - Jesus Christ had a simple message and that to repent. This was His first message here and his last message in the book of Revelation and continues to be His message today, so simple, so lain, so freeing, so the Truth. No big doctrinal statement or program... A simple message of repent, Oh how we need to repent and stay humbly before Him.

vs 19-20 - This is truly a great message and what great fruit that come. Follow me and they dropped their nets and followed Him. No worry about career and livelihood on the part of the lowly fishermen. They dropped their nets they as Christ said of those who wish to follow Him must deny themselves pick up their cross and follow Him. Should any other response come? When the God of the universe, our Father in Heaven, calls what could possibly come to mind except to drop all and to follow. For any need that may arise since all comes from Him anyway, isn'y He sure to provide all that is needed, yes!

Psalm 4:1-8 - vs 2 - How long will we, as Americans and the world for that matter, turn the Glory of God into shame? How long will we love vanity? How long will we seek after corruptible things? I think we have long enough.

vs 4 - I believe what is needed so basically and desperately is simply to sit in awe. Turn of Seacrest and American Idolatry and Desperate Housewives and sit, don't talk, sit, be still, stop moving, stop thinking about all that clouds our mind, just sit, be still in awe and commune with God. There is nothing more valuable. There is no time spent that will recharge and clean the lens of focus like sitting at the masters feet in awe worshiping.

Proverbs 4:1-8 -