A Masterpiece

Eph. 2: 10 - 'For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.'

There are 3 critical questions in life that we must all ask and answer for ourselves. This definitely has to happen if we are to be saved through to the end. Matt. 24: 13 says, 'He who endures to the end, the same shall be saved...'  If this is going to happen, allow me to ask you these critical questions:

1. Where do you want to be? In other words, where are you going? Where are you trying to get to in life? Do you have goals that you're trying to reach for your tomorrow? This is critical if you are going to last in the Kingdom of God - one of the tragic stories of mankind is that of a man/woman who wanders aimlessly through life!
2. Who do you want to be when you get there? This journey called life is more than just the destination, it's also about the type of person you're becoming on your way there. What type of person will you be, tomorrow?
3. How are you going to get there? So you can see, vision is two-fold...not only is it a Picture...IT'S A MAP! First of all, you must have a vision, and in order to make that vision live...you must walk it out...
For example...you wish to gain employment on an Executive level...praise God for that, but HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GO ABOUT ACCOMPLISHING THIS? Don't just talk about it....walk it out!

In order to answer these questions, you must realize that there are things you're gonna have to let go, and other things you must hold on to! Change has to be included in your life's diet. Whatever decisions you make in order to go and be what you wish...can God sign off on it? Would God write His signature on your tomorrow?
Don't you understand that God already had a plan laid out for you? However, will you allow God to put His hands on you and fashion you for His purposes...or would you rather wander through life, pursuing your own desires only to accumulate things that never matter to God, and eventually won't matter to you?

Ask yourself these questions...set up a plan in God's will, and pursue it with all your heart! To be in God's will, you have to be in God's presence! I'm telling you, if you learn these 2 things in life, they will definitely get you underway...
1. Learn to let go and let God
2. Serve Others, considering them before yourself

These 2 things kinda remind you of the 1st 2 Commandments don't they? Jesus told us to hang all of life on them...give it a shot...you may be surprised by the results!

To Have and to Hold

Genesis 2:18-25

New King James Version (NKJV)

18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

23 And Adam said:

“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Marriage is the most sacred bond on this planet. This is and should be the most important relationship you will ever have on the earth. This relationship is under severe attack by hell. It is up to you and I as believers in Christ to preserve what Jesus established thousands of years ago.

Marriage is under attack because it gives us a picture of God's nature in heaven; Father, Son, Holy Ghost...Husband, Wife, and Children. The devil wants to disrupt this union, but by the grace of God, we can keep our matrimony and fulfill the destiny God has for us.

Are You Satisfied?

Mark 7: 17-23, 'When he had entered the house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. So He said to them, 'Are you thus without understanding also?' 

Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?”And He said, “What comes out of a man that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication  murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

Religion:

 1. Any formal or institutionalized expression of such belief

2. The Practice of Sacred Ritual observances

3. Sacred rites and ceremonies

 Genesis 4:1-7

4 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.”2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

The origin of religion came from Adam and Eve! Since they failed to trust in God fully, they were left to fend for themselves…they relegated their relationship with God to only what they can get from God…not give to Him! In other words…religion is one-sided.

-       Religion will praise the worker, not the object of the faith

-       Religion exalts mankind, not deity

-       Religion focuses on the work, not the reason for the work

All of this is seen at the very beginning of creation!

Cain’s name is the epitome of religion: ‘I have acquired a man from the Lord’

In other words…’Look what I got from God!’

Abel was a rejected sort…his name means, ‘The breath’ or ‘Vanity’ Giving us the impression that Abel wasn't meant to be born because the family was satisfied with Cain! This application is connected to Christ by these 2 verses…

John 1:10-12

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

Psalm 118:22-23

22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.

Although Abel was a reject…his sacrifices to God rescued his family because what he sacrificed gained God’s respect…unfortunately, man chose religion over the satisfaction of God because Cain killed Abel. Having said all this…which do you prefer? So, are you satisfied with religion?

Comfort Zones

Mark 8:22-26

A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida

22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” 25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. 26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town

This is quite an interesting story because unlike the other blind men in the Word...this guy didn't initiate the healing. He was brought to Jesus by the people in Bethsaida, (House of the hunt). This man wasn't seeking Jesus, why should he? All of his needs were taken care of by the townspeople! He was probably taken care of pretty well, but HE WAS STILL BLIND...

I love what Jesus did for him! He simply grabbed him by the hand and led him out of town...He removed the man from his comfort zone.  You know, sometimes Jesus won't answer your prayers right then, sometimes, He'll simply grab you by the hand and lead you!! Once He brought him out into the unknown...He spit on his face and a
sked him if anything changed!

Now, what's interesting is, this man could've seen anything (after the miracle), but the first thing he mentioned was 'Men walking about like trees!'  You know Healing has taken place by the way you view people! He could see people, just not clearly...so Jesus prayed for him again!

Can you allow Jesus to touch your vision? Can Jesus cause you to see others the way He does? Can Jesus take you out of your comfort zones and away from familiar things, so that healing can take shape in your life? Jesus charged this man to never go back to his old friends or town! If the healing was to remain, he can't go back to where he came from...neither can you!!

Growing In the Dark

Judges 16:20-22
20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” 
So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as 
before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he 
did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

21 Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, 
and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze 
fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. 22 However, 
the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been 
shaven.

I can only imagine what Sampson must have felt the moment he reached for his God - given strength only to come up empty.  I can only wonder how it felt to be subdued by someone he knew he was stronger than before.  Wow, the feeling of humiliation, the reality of failure - that probably stung the most.  On top of all that, he was put in irons, his sight was taken from him, and he became a slave to the very people he gained victory over, time and time again.

In the bottom of that prison, it was dark, dank, and lonely.  Sampson had no choice but to reflect on all of the terrible decisions that got him there in the first place!  I wonder if he reasoned within himself things like; 'Why in the world did I fall for this woman?' or 'How could I be so stupid to think that I was invincible?'  Ladies and gentlemen, Sampson was in a very dark place. Have you ever been there?

It's in times like these that we must make some critical decisions if we are to rise from the hell hole we've found ourselves in.  Rather than grope in the dark, whine and complain in he dark...our text says that his hair began to grow back...Sampson decided to grow in the dark!

Lord of All

Psalms 47: 1 - 4, 'O clap your hands, all ye peoples! Shout unto God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet. He will choose our inheritance for us, the excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah

I love this verse because God tells us to rejoice in the fact that He is Lord over everyone!  Not just the church, but EVERYONE! Furthermore, He will conquer and subdue people beneath us, those who oppose the will of God for their lives, and for ours.

I also rejoice because through Him, my inheritance has been chosen! I'm accepted in the beloved because of His grace and His mercy. Acts 2: 39 says, 'For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.'

This is amazing! What we must do as God's people is listen for the Voice of God to speak life, the Hand of God to move on our behalf, and the Power of God to fill us with Him!!  Christian, can God speak to your life and move you closer to Him?  God longs to put things in motion for us and help us to realize what our destiny and inheritance is; I wonder if our distractions and / or unbelief, tie His hands?

Jeremiah 29: 11, 'For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.'

The word 'thoughts' is also translated as 'plans'.  The imagery given is a weaving or knitting of fine fabric together in order to create a wonderful masterpiece called, your life!!  God is telling us that the plans He has for us will give us a future and a hope in Him! Give Him complete cooperation, and let Him have His way in your life...if He will truly be Lord over all the earth...that would include you wouldn't it?

- Pastor Melrose

Can I Trust Him?

Prov. 3: 5 - 7, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.  Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart of evil.'

There is nothing more frustrating in life than change unaware.  We are creatures of habit, and once we form habits, they begin to form us.  However, there will Never be progress without change. There are many in the body of Christ who have accepted things in their lives that Jesus did not place there!  Jesus comes with change and the first thing they do is buck and flee.  We think God is picking on us or trying to hurt us but the truth is, God's pressure on you is goal - oriented, and He's looking to take you higher!

Don't run from change, embrace it and allow Jesus to shape you and make you according to His will and good pleasure.  Where we see this change most prominently is in our taking up, and laying down of things found in the crevices of our heart.

Jhn. 12: 24 - 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it will remain alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.'

See, many times, in order for us give birth to the things of God - the death of us has to take place first.  If you want to live for God, you're gonna have to die first!  This involves CHANGE...something we find difficulty coming to grips with.  Can you trust God?  Can you humble yourself and allow Him to place you on the Potter's Wheel, if you will > keep you on the wheel until He makes you into His vessel, not just what you're used to!

- Pastor Melrose