Daily Devotional Time: Philippians 1

How do you feel about your brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you love them? Long to be with them? Or can you not get away from the church quickly enough on Sunday? The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:3-7

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

Every time Paul thought of the believers at Philippi, he thanked God. He also prayed for them every time, making requests for them, and being thankful for their fellowship in the Gospel.

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we have a common experience. We were lost, dying and going to Hell for our sins, until an evangelist, preacher, friend, family member or neighbor shared the Gospel with us. Upon hearing how Christ died for our sins, taking our punishment, and rose again to give us eternal life, we repented of our sins and trusted Him for salvation. That saving experience liberated us from the shame of sin and guilt, and gave us a whole new lease on life.

At that time, God began a perfect work in us... redeeming us from the sin that entraps us, and teaching us how to overcome the wiles of the devil. Through His word, the Lord has built our faith, and helped us to live our lives for Him. The longer we live under His grace, the more we grow to be like Him. Paul wrote that God will continue this work until the day that we are reunited with Christ.

As Christians, we all share this common experience. It unites us as believers. It makes for some very good fellowship time.

To my brothers and sisters in Christ, it is a pleasure to fellowship with you, and an honor pray for you every day. I hope you enjoy the fellowship as well. May God bless you, wherever you are.

The Journey Through the Bible Will Continue... As Soon As I Learn to Walk

In studying Genesis for the "Journey through the Bible" YouTube series, I came across Genesis 5:22, 24, which talked about how Enoch walked with God. So, I did a word study on walking with God and learned that it means to walk with and commune with... so, Enoch walked and communed with God.

Have you ever taken on an exercise program where you and a friend would walk together? Along with the walking, you probably enjoyed some good conversations. That is what Enoch did with God. He communed with God. He talked to God. God talked to Him. In spending time with God, he grew close to the LORD, and became a spiritual giant in his day.

At this point in my study, I did some introspection. I discovered that I was not walking with God as I should. If I am going to preach a message to the world via YouTube, I ought to be practicing what I preach. So, I have been "Walking with God," meaning that I have been spending more time in prayer, and more time studying His Word (outside of my sermon preparations.)

Now don't misunderstand me. I have been a man of prayer, and a man of God's Word up until now, but I had not spent much time with the Lord lately. I've prayed for others. I've spent hours preparing sermons and lessons. But I have not spent much time praying for myself, nor had I spent much time just learning from God's Word for my own benefit. Think of me as the older brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I was out in the field working, doing what my Father wanted, but I wasn't spending time with Him.

So, now that I am correcting this issue, I expect that a "Walking with God" vlog will appear on my YouTube page in the near future.

The awesome thing about the "Journey through the Bible" is that we grow and change as we study God's Word. For me, changes began happening at Chapter 5. How about you?

To catch up on the Journey, click here.

Daily Devotional Time: Philippians 4

My daily time with God, today, involved a 1-mile prayer walk at Riverside Park, and reading Philippians 4, where three verses caught my attention...

Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

I have worked myself silly, and worried myself sick making sure that I was able to provide a certain lifestyle for my family. Through the course of things, problems arise, bills come in, bank balances run low, and things break. When those things happen, it can be easy to become disgruntled, stressed out, and wonder why things always happen to us. (To quote Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh, "Oh why does it always have to be me?!!!")

When problems arise, it's important to look at the big picture. In Matthew 6, The Lord made two promises, (1) to feed me and (2) to clothe me. Anything beyond that is gravy.

Not only has God kept His promises of feeding me, and clothing me, but He has also thrown in a good variety of food, a nice home, and a beautiful family to boot. Did I mention that God has blessed me with an awesome way to make a living... serving as the missionary pastor of Grace Pointe Missionary Baptist Church, and as news director for KOXE 101.3 in Brownwood, Texas. On my worst day, I should be praising God for the blessings in my life. Whatsoever state I am in, therewith I should be content.

What if the bottom falls out? What if I lose one of my jobs, can no longer pay my mortgage, lose my home and struggle financially? This passage tells me that God has given me the power to endure hard times, and I should praise Him anyway.

Paul said in verse 12 that he is instructed to abound and to be abased. To both be full and to be hungry. The lesson I took from this today is that God wants us to be thankful for what He has done for us. In all things, we are to be full, or content. However, at the same time, we are to be hungry... that is, we are to be motivated to continue to work for the Lord. We work when we are hungry, and we shape up when we want God's favor. These verses tell me that we should stay in that state of mind, ready to work and serve the Lord. Though God has made us full, we should continue to work as if we are hungry.

Then verse 13 concludes the thought... that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. This verse, taken in context, means that we can endure all things. We can enjoy the good times, endure the bad times, and stick it through until the end.

God is great, all the time, and He has blessed us beyond all measure. Let's continue to praise Him and serve Him as He provides opportunity.

The Journey: Genesis 4:17-24

Genesis 4:17-24 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. 19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. 23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

It's tempting to skip over genealogy passages when reading the Bible. Oftentimes, however, interesting nuggets of truth are contained between the lines of genealogical passages. In Genesis 4:17-24, we not only have the genealogy of Cain's descendents, but we have the record of the rise of an unGodly civilization.

Contrary to popular belief, Cain didn't move to Africa and live in poverty. He moved to Nod, which is east of Eden, in modern day Iraq or Iran. He then began fathering children, and thus became a grandfather and great grandfather. Along with his descendants, Cain founded a society that would go on to be the center of agriculture, commerce, music and craftsmanship.

Cain, unable to farm, wanted to prove to everyone how good he could be without God. Doesn't the world try the same thing today?

New Wednesday Night Series at Grace Pointe...