As I sit here I cannot help but think of all the blessings I have in my life. God has truly been so good to us. But I can remember a time in which I did not feel this way. I remember when all I could think about were the things that were wrong. (All of them were things that I could control and were my fault) When we think about all the negative things in our life it will consume us and it will suck the life out of everyone around us.

The thing I want you to understand is simple: think/remember the blessings in your life.
Psalm 107:43 says, “Let all who are wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the LORD.” (TNIV) I think that is a simple concept. Scripture is telling us to look back at the things God has done for us. It is not telling us to dwell on the past and sulk in our sorrows. I encourage all of us to truly PONDER these things. (If you cannot think of something, just let me know and I will tell you the greatest thing ever)

I just finished reading The Shack by William P. Young and it was awesome. I had read a lot of negative things about it and I can understand why people got upset…if they did not read it as fiction and with an open mind.

I have to say that I got angry, laughed, and cried throughout the book. It truly was a great experience, which says alot because I normally do not enjoy fiction. The character in the book is very relatable and it shows how God moves and can truly get people through their issues. If you enjoy reading I would suggest it because we all have some sort of issue that we have had trouble dealing with. I believe that this will help you give God the control and let Him deal with it for you.

In Him,
Michael

Today’s reading was Luke 16 and it is a very harsh chapter. Jesus is teaching parables again and he tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Jesus tells us how everyday Lazarus would sit and beg and how he was covered with giant sores. The rich man passed him every day and did nothing. Eventually they both died and Lazarus went to heaven and the rich man went to Hell.

From Hell, the rich man could see Lazarus in Heaven and asked if Lazarus could dip his finger in water and let the rich man drink from it. Can you guess the answer? It was no. The rich man was told: ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great CHASM has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ (Emphasis mine)

This is real. The thing that really stands out is this: The rich man did not live right. (Sin) That sin created a CHASM in his earthly life and his eternal life. You ask what is a chasm? It is defined as a breach or wide fissure in a wall or other structure.

When we let sin into our lives it creates a CHASM and sin has a way of creeping into our lives and growing. (Kind of like when water gets into a crack and when it freezes it expands) This keeps us separated from God. He is standing on one side looking at us and we are on the other side looking away. We have to fill the CHASM with His love. What type(s) of CHASM’S do you have in your life? I pray that we begin to seek forgiveness and stand with Him on the correct side, eleminating the CHASM.

With the Holiday season just around the corner many will be purchasing, receiving, and returning gifts. Some people return what they get because they do not like it, or at least they try to do so. But if the item was purchased on sale, many times they will not let you return the item…So you are stuck with something that pretty much stinks.

Today’s reading was Luke 15. Here Jesus tells the Parable of the Lost Son, which I think is one of the coolest parables. What is so awesome is that this young man thought that he would be better off on his own. So he asked for his inheritance and essentially squanders it. It would be like us going to Vegas and spending our inheritance on booze, hookers, and slot machines. We then would end up broke and washing dishes somewhere in hopes that we could eat the scraps that are left on the plates. (Vivid, I know…)

Here’s where it gets good. The son finally realizes that he was an idiot. He decides to go home and he hopes that he could work as a servant for his Dad because he did not believe his dad would accept him back. When he got there his dad took him back with arms wide open.

My question is this: How many of us have had a relationship with the Lord at one time or another? And how many are afraid that He won’t take us back because what we have done is so vile and wretched? The awesome thing is that He will accept us back…with His arms open ready to embrace us… Why don’t you just come home? We can return our old life to Him anytime.

I am sure that most people have had some sort of party before. It could be for a birthday, Christmas, wedding shower, baby shower, Superbowl…You get the idea. We have parties for a lot of things. I have found that the most difficult thing to do is…pick out who to invite. We are always worried about including everyone or not upsetting someone. When we do this, we neglect people who we think that our other guests may not like or it may be someone who we really don’t know, but would like to.

Today’s reading was Luke 14. What is so cool about this chapter is that Christ actually talks about this, but in a totally different manner. He tells how easy it is to invite friends and family because they pay us back. But then he tells us how hard it is to invite those we normally would not, but if we do we will be rewarded greatly.

My question is this: If we invite someone to church or even talk about Christ, are we inviting those who already attend a church or know about Christ? Or are we inviting those who don’t attend anywhere and do not know Jesus as their Savior? It may be more difficult to ask these people, but we have to get out of our little comfort zones and reach. After all, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Who are we going to invite now?

The other day I watched a video on YouTube from Francis Chan. He was talking about how he never hears anyone praying to God to only give them what they need…Their daily bread. For as long as I can remember I have prayed selfishly, asking God to give me riches, then it became a prayer of give me riches so I can pay off my old riches. I know many can relate.

Today’s reading was Luke 11. I would say that everyone has heard the prayer that Jesus recites and I would say that all have said it before a sports game especially. My question is: Do we really understand what it means? Especially verse 3. Are we asking God to give us riches? Or are we asking Him to give us what we need, like Jesus was asking? Just some food for thought.

I am sorry that I have not done this for about a month. I felt like I needed to just shut up and listen to what God had to say. I think that sometimes we get so caught up in everything that we neglect to listen to His voice. It would have been a dis-service to God if I would have written anything.

I want you to know that the move of God has been going on here and many other places. I want to truly give him thanks and praise for what He has done in my life. (Especially recently) I look forward to writing what He is showing me everyday in His Word and through His people.

In Him,

Michael