Meditate On It

December 2, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Trust

Meditate On It

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:8‬

According To All That Is Written

Moses was dead and Joshua was the one chosen to lead the people of Israel. He was chosen and appointed by God to lead the people into the Promise Land. In Joshua Chapter 1 God had some specific words of encouragement and commitment for the new leader. Even though Joshua was chosen by God he still had to gain the respect of the people and he did so by the grace fo God.

God’s message to Joshua was to be strong and courageous. Three times in the first nine verses God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. He did so to let Joshua know that he was going to face some uncertain days ahead that will be determined by his faith and by his determination of moving forward with faithfulness. It takes strength to be faithful when times get tough. It takes courage to keep your faith when everything else seems to be collapsing. But take note of the specific condition that God lays before Joshua. He tells Joshua that as long as he meditates on the Law (the first five books of the Bible) then he would have great success and be prosperous in his ways. The promise of God was conditional upon Joshua keeping his part.

This same promise is for us today. We need to meditate upon the Scriptures of God and not let them leave our mouth nor our mind. Meditating upon the Scripture allows our heart to be in alignment with the will of God. When our heart and mind are right with God then our actions and our decisions will reflect the things of God. That is how we can be assured that we will be blessed by God.

Prayer

Lord, allow me to know your Word by heart. Help me to be rooted and sustained by your precepts.

Happy Thanksgiving

November 28, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Trust

Happy Thanksgiving

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:20‬

Thankful

Thanksgiving means a variety of things to many people. For some it is a day of cooking and eating. For some it means a day of fun and fellowship. For some it involves traveling and visiting. But for most people, it means an expression of gratitude, especially towards God. What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

We can express an attitude of thankfulness for many things. Of course it is easy to do when things are going reasonably well. When the bills are paid, the family is healthy, and you have a roof over your head it is easy to praise God and give thanks. But when times are hard we tend to lose our attitude of thankfulness. In today’s verse, Paul clearly states to give thanks always and for everything, good and bad. The Apostle Paul set forth a great example of how to be thankful even when in bad times.

Regardless of your circumstances the Lord deserves honor and praise. Far too often we fail to give God what is due to Him. This is a great time to express our love and devotion towards God for His endless love and mercy. Once you begin to praise Him your attitude will change for the better and you will be a blessing to others who need to witness God’s great grace. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have much to be thankful for.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you for your love and grace that You have shown towards me. I pray that I will be a blessing to others so they see You in me.

Fervent In Spirit

November 19, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Faith, Trust

Fervent In Spirit

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:11‬

Passion And Enthusiasm

The word fervent means to have passion for something or towards something. There are many things that we show passion for. But most importantly, we are to be passionate about serving the Lord. That really means that we show enthusiasm when it comes to our spiritual behavior. In other words, we are to be excited about the things of God.

What do you have a passion for? Are you enthusiastic when it comes to serving Christ and serving others? We live in a very selfish world that tends to make everything revolve around self. We must constantly and consistently be searching for opportunities to glorify God.

Today it is rare to see someone excited about their job. But when you do it is noticeable. They have a smile on their face and enthusiasm in their soul. They enjoy what they are doing. That is the kind of passion we should have when it comes to serving the Lord. People around us should witness the joy we have and the passion for serving Christ. It is not about money, power, and prestige. It’s about having a fervent spirit. You are not going to naturally wake up in the morning ready to go to work for Jesus. The natural tendency is to be lazy about the work of serving others. Paul essentially instructs us to get our priorities straight. If we have passionate desires for worldly things, something is wrong spiritually. Our focus needs to turn to being enthusiastic about what makes God happy.

Prayer

Lord, renew my mind and fill my heart with joy. I want to serve You today and be enthusiastic about Your work that You have called me to do.