Monthly Archives: April 2013

Our Most Important Task

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Our most important task in life, and in faith, is not do anything. We can think there are things we are supposed to do.

Not just in our jobs or with our families or with our communities.

But in our faith. There are things we are supposed to “do” to make God love us, to change ourselves, to change the world.

There’s all the stuff that we are supposed to accomplish. But, what does Jesus tell us? What does He tell us that our most important task is?

Listen to what He told us in John 15:4-5:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

vine and branchesAbide in me. A branch cannot bear fruit, unless it is in the vine.

Your most important task today is not to “do” anything. But, it’s to be in relationships with God. Focus on Him. Chase after Him. Live in the fullness of His life and His grace.

Focus on Him. Our main goal is not about what we “do.” It’s about who we “are.” Live as His child today. Focus on your walk with Him. Pray. Read His word. Be in connection with Him and others that love Him.

That’s our job. That’s our task. Focus on God. Make Him the center of our lives. If we do that, then all else that we need to do will fall into place.

May Jesus Christ be the center of our lives and of all that we are. That’s our most importnat task.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Keep Fighting

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When bad stuff happens, we can think that something is wrong. That we’ve done something wrong that we being punished for.

Or perhaps God is trying to throw a roadblock in our way to keep us from going down a certain path. We can think that the troubles we face or the trials and challenges are there to point us to another way.

We very rarely, hardly ever, see these things as “good.”

Well, listen to what happens to Paul and Barnabas today in Acts 14: 1-3:

Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

il_fullxfull.355565768_lrs2It says they were there preaching and teaching. Lots of trouble got stirred up. So, they stayed longer.

Huh. That’s not what we may expect to happen. Lots of trouble gets stirred up, things go wrong, things happen, and we think, well, it’s time to quit.

It’s time to move on.

Nothing to see here. Nothing to do. Keep moving.

Sometimes, through, that’s not the case. That’s what we see with Paul today. It was not time to move on. It was not time to keep going. It was time to keep fighting. It was time to keep pushing. It was time to keep going.

The obstacles where not God trying to move Him away. It was the devil trying to stop him from doing what God wanted him to do.

Paul had to keep fighting.

So should we. Today, keep fighting. Keep pushing. Keep working. Keep being faithful. Keep giving it to God. Keep going.

And know that God is at work.

Today, don’t give up. Keep fighting. And know that God is faithful and true. Trust in Him in all things.

And keep fighting.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Fear Has Lost

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I was reading through the text of the resurrection as found in Matthew today, when something pop out at me.

By the way, people will sometimes ask me, how do I know when God is speaking to me in scripture? How do I know what God is trying to say? What should I look for? What should I listen for?

One of the things I tell them is this. When you are reading, pay attention to what pops out at you. What word, through, concepts sticks out to you. What grabs your attention.

Focus on that. Focus on that word, phrase or concept. Listen to what God may want to say to you in that. Ponder that word, phrase, or concept. Let it roll around in your mind for a second.

Listen in that.

For me, that’s one of the ways that God speaks to me in scripture.

Today, in reading Matthew 28: 5-10  that happened to me. Listen to what happens here. See if you noticed what I noticed, or see if you notice something different:

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

do-not-be-afraidWhat popped out at me was this. In this passage, a command is given twice. Do not fear. Do not fear. Do not be afraid.

In the light of the resurrection, this is so important for to hear and to know.

We have nothing to fear.

Death – defeated.

Sin – defeated.

The chains of sin – broken.

The power of the devil – defeated.

All that we can fear has been defeated. All that could stop us is done away with. That was the message of the angels. That was the message of Jesus.

And that’s a message for us today. No matter what you are facing today, do not fear. Do not be afraid. Do not given into that fear.

Jesus Christ is alive! Sin, death, and the grave are defeated! Life has won. Faith has won.

Fear has lost.

Today, don’t be a afraid.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.