www.mastershandsdeafchurch.org

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Deaf Devotion 1/29/2011

“The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death. Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen. (2 Timothy 4:16-18 NLT)

It is sad to say, but if we honestly examine ourselves, many of us have experienced times of abandonment just when we needed that other person the most. It could have been a spouse withdrawing emotionally, a co-worker who is ignoring us, or a close friend who seems to be too busy even to listen. The life of the apostle Paul teaches us how not to become discouraged in these situations.

As he writes these words, the Apostle Paul is in prison, charged with rebellion against the Roman Empire. He has spent almost 4 years in prison, 2 back in Israel, and nearly 2 more in Rome. He has already appeared in court at least once, & now the court is waiting for more evidence to arrive from his accusers. So he writes these letters to Timothy about the way God stands with Him no matter what and how this makes a difference in our lives.

Paul says that God gives us grace when we face life’s disappointments. And that grace is sufficient.

You know how we usually deal with the disappointments we experience? We get angry. We seek revenge. We wonder why God let’s things like this happen. But we also need to keep one thing in sight. God is God and He does love us and is interested wants the best for us. All of it, good and bad, works together to show HIM as mighty, as righteous, and as God.

Remember that the Lord is always with us. When we trust in Jesus as our personal Savior, we enter into a permanent relationship with Him, and His Spirit comes to live in us. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus remains with us at all times, regardless of the circumstance. He is our friend—one who will never leave us. And His is the most important friendship we have. He promised in His Word to never leave or forsake us. Reading our Bible will help us to remember this.

We are invited again and again to draw on God's strength. Through the Holy Spirit, we have access to divine power every minute of the day. When we let go of control and depend on the Lord, we will be able to draw on His strength. Then, if family or friends cause hurt, His presence will provide comfort and help us to forgive them.

God gives us the strength to face whatever “life” throws at us. Look expectantly for God's deliverance. Paul testified that the Lord had rescued him and would continue to deliver him from every evil situation. He knew he could always trust God.

God has not promised us smooth sailing, or a free pass or even a “Get Out of Jail Free” card like in the game of Monopoly. What He did promise is a safe landing. He has a purpose in allowing every circumstance into our life, good AND bad.

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6 NLT)

Andrew Murray (1828-1917) was a South African writer, teacher, and Pastor. He once said, “God is willing to assume full responsibility for the life totally yielded to Him.” One of these days your destiny will be fulfilled. And soon and very soon, He is going to step down from the mountain of His glory, and the trumpet will sound. Our little ship will leave the sea of time and immediately we’ll be on the shores of eternity. When He comes, He’s coming for you! He’s coming for me!”

Can we say this morning: “Yes, I do love the Lord Jesus Christ with an enthusiastic love. I have a hunger to know His Word. My heart longs to please him, and it grieves me to think of disobeying His commands. My delight is to live for Him. Whatever he brings into my life I know he is using it to conform me to the image of Christ.”

If this describes any one of us then there is evidence that God has already begun a good work. I pray that each one of us can join the great Apostle Paul in saying, “What God started He will finish. He will stand with me and deliver me. When He decides, not me, He will bring me into HIS everlasting presence. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.”

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Deaf Devotion 1//22/2011

“So all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things. “Open up, O heavens, and pour out your righteousness. Let the earth open wide so salvation and righteousness can sprout up together. I, the Lord, created them. “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’” (Isaiah 45:6-9 NLT)

Many times people want to place God in a “box” and only pull Him out for show on a Sunday or on Christmas or Easter. I remember my mother always pulling out the “good china” when company was coming over. It was not used any other time. It was kept in a box and never used unless someone special was coming to the house. Just imagine how much more special it would have been to enjoy those dishes other times.

Believe it or not, we do this to God. God is not meant to be put in a box. God is not meant to be hidden. In fact, God is deeply involved in everything from natural disasters to family disputes. Nothing touches a believer's life unless it comes through His permissive hand. And He will bring about good from even our worst experiences if we do not limit Him and put him away in a box. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 KJV)

But believing in God’s control over all the events of earth can mean there is a connection between holy God and our sin. Then, just how are they related?

Read this carefully: God neither starts sin nor does He lead anyone into temptation.
He is holy, so He can't be in the presence of sin.
He is just, so He demands payment for wrongs.
And He's loving and merciful, so He desires that all people know Him and His saving grace.

To lure people into wrongdoing and then judge those same people for disobedience would be opposite to His nature and character.

At times people point out some translations of Isaiah 45:7, which says that God makes good times and bad times; or that He makes peace while at the same time creates evil. Some people will use this to blame God for when things go wrong. God is aware of what is going on but the responsibility for our decisions still rests with us.

Even before we make a wrong choice, the Lord knows what the consequences will be. And He uses the evil circumstances related to our sin as a tool to teach us and show us just how mighty, powerful, and merciful He is. But we refuse to let God out of the box.

We do have a certain amount of free will. God allows us to step out of His will and pursue our own agenda. He knows that sin reveals the flesh's weakness and pride. Once we realize just how weak we are in our flesh and just how strong we are wrapped in His love, He teaches us to give up on our own plan and focus on His face.

We can then fully depend upon Christ's strength. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 KJV)

God is ready for us to let Him out of the box in which we keep Him whether that box is labeled as “pride,” “sin,” or “embarrassment.” He is ready and willing to break through to our spirit. He is ready to break through our spiritual filtering systems, and He is ready to break through and cleanse us from a past that limits Him and gives us a future that, according to His plan, has no limits or restrictions.

Paul says that the life He has now is by faith in Jesus who loves us, gave Himself and died. This means that Paul let God out of the box.

The Bible says many places that the tomb could not even keep Jesus inside. God let Jesus out of the box.

John saw in God’s revelation to Him a church in Sardis. A good church but a church that kept God in a box. John writes that Jesus is saying to the church at Sardis, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20 KJV) Jesus is saying to let God out of the box and let Him come into our lives.

Today, let God out of the box. He is waiting patiently for us to let Him out and then let Him into our lives. What are we going to do to let God out of the box and get to know Him and His Son more closely?

Today’s challenge is for all of us to blow the lid off whatever box we have that is keeping God limited and experience to fullness of His Grace, mercy, and Love.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Deaf Devotion 1/15/2011

“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” (John 15:16 NLT)

Before we study today’s verse, let’s take a look at a promise Jesus made in John 14:14. “Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” (NLT)

Too often people take the verse to suggest, "If you ask anything, I will do it." We tend to overlook the most important part of this verse: "in My name."

Asking in Christ's name has two meanings.

First, believers are welcome to make requests that line up with God's purpose and plan. To do that, we need to ask Him if our prayers match what He already has planned for us. God has several ways of assuring followers that they are on the correct path. For instance, He may increase right desires or decrease wrong ones. Another possibility is that He will use His Word to redirect a Christian's steps or confirm that he is going the right way. God always makes His will plain to the man or woman who seeks to know it. And we know from Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus said if we were to seek first HIS Kingdom and HIS righteousness, all “these” things will be added.

Second, invoking Christ's name means that we desire to glorify Him instead of ourselves. James gives this warning: "And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure." (James 4:3 NLT) To understand that, let's consider those who are trying to pray their way out of a financial hole. The question is really whether a person wants to get out of debt so that he has more for himself or so that he can use the excess in God-honoring ways? Motives are apparent to God. He will not offer help until our heart is right.

But at the same time when there is glory in that which God will use us to work out His plan for another person, and we are willing, then all we do is not for ourselves, but focuses the attention on God. We cannot heal people. God heals people and He will use HIS people to show HIS Healing power. God will use HIS people to bring others to salvation. But it is only the risen Savior Jesus Christ who has defeated sin and death. God will use HIS creation to display HIS work.

In the name Jesus Christ, there is abundant power. However, calling upon Him in prayer is not a magic charm to get what we want. Rather, it is a signal that we are laying down our personal desires and our own way of getting things done. In so doing, we commit to follow God and bring honor to Him.

Obey God’s call and leading. Step in faith to see what God has planned. Trust God to work in the background to work out all the details. He already knows! Whatever happens when it is done in the precious name of Jesus Christ, God is glorified and HIS NAME is magnified.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Deaf Devotion 1/8/2011

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” (1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT)

On two separate occasions, the Bible records that Satan petitioned the Lord to test a believer.

In Job 1:6-12 God and Satan discuss Job’s apparent wealth and divine protection. Notice that Satan acknowledges that God is Job’s protector. Also notice that God acknowledges Job’s faith in Him. But what is also interesting is seeing God’s faith in Job.

In Luke 22:31-34 Jesus and Peter are discussing faith. Peter had a habit of speaking before he really thought about what he was saying. Jesus says to Peter that He has faith in Peter but Peter’s humanity will take over no matter what Peter believes. Jesus, in honest truth says, “Peter, I hear what you are saying but when you are tested, you will fail. But go ahead and give it your best shot.” Jesus essentially let Peter’s bring his weak earthly courage to the table and see what happens. Of course Satan took advantage of that.

In both cases, God agreed to let Satan have some leeway. God knew the outcome ahead of time, but you must give Satan credit. The Devil did his best to break the faith of first Job and later Peter, but he failed both times.

Then Satan tried his best test. Just after Jesus was baptized, He went into the desert. Satan, who more than likely heard God saying at the baptism, “This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased,” decided He would go after Jesus. It was an epic fail. It was failure in a big way. One would think Satan would give up.

Satan failed with Job. Satan failed with Peter. Satan failed with Jesus. Satan failed at the cross.

Have we ever thought that Christ and Satan have ever had a similar discussion about you or me? I think most people are too humble to assume such a conversation has happened. So let me ask the question a different way. Does our life make an impact worth talking about? Is our life making a difference for Jesus Christ that causes our name to pop up on Satan’s computer as a possible threat? Or are we easy for Satan to take advantage of? We must ask ourselves whether or not we are serving God sufficiently to make Satan feel threatened?

Pastors, preachers, Sunday School teachers, and missionaries aren't the only people who make Satan nervous. Any believer who is determined to obey the Lord is a threat to the Devil, particularly when sharing the gospel. God calls on us to witness to certain people because we have just the right knowledge, story, or temperament to reach some person who needs to hear the Gospel. Fearing that the unbeliever might choose salvation because of our testimony, Satan gives plenty of opportunities to fail.

Satan hopes we will be too discouraged to continue serving the Lord. The Enemy would like nothing better than to put a stop to God's plan for believers' lives by undermining their faith. That being the case, we might all be surprised how often our names pass between Jesus and Satan!

Although we may think we aren't important, God knows your true value. When HE was on the Cross, WE were on HIS mind.

Friends, as a Spirit-filled believer, we have amazing potential to serve the kingdom. Satan sees that, and he will try to make us stumble. Sometimes while we try to stay focused on God, our humanity will take over. Most times God has more faith in us than we sometimes have in Him. Satan knows this. But God holds each of our lives in His hand and not even Satan can snatch our life out of God’s hand.

Satan does not have much faith in our faith. If one were to fail and fall, the smart move is to lean on the Lord as we get to our feet and carry on.

If God is for us, who can be against us? It’s certainly not Satan. Satan tries to make us think God is against us. Satan will not give up until he achieves his goal of destroying everything God has created.

I imagine Satan coming crawling back to God for a follow-up discussion. “Well I tried to break (insert name here)’s relationship with you. I could not do it. Their faith in you is as strong as your faith in them. I will not give up. I will find others.”

God says, “Me too. I will not give up. I will find others. I have too many people who will tell the story. Now go away.”

Satan has no choice but to leave. You see He must obey God also.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Deaf Devotion 1/1/2011

“‘Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!’” (Deuteronomy 20:3-4 NLT)

Okay. It is January 1, 2011. It is New Year’s Day. It is the day we all look back and say, Thank goodness it’s done and gone and we can forget it.” But what is done, gone and being forgotten? It is a span of time. There were 365 days; 8,760 hours; 525,600 minutes; and 31,536,000 seconds. They are gone, spent and we cannot get them back to do over again. This means the good and the bad. We want to relive the high points but forget the mistakes, mess-ups, and the times we were less than what we should have been. What did we do with the time? Was it so terrible that we want to stop the calendar from turning to 2011? Or did we see miraculous things happen to give us hope for a future?

I am here to tell you that God was with us in the best of times and God was right there with us in the worst of times. God is still in control and God is still the God that created the universe and named the stars. Jesus is still Savior and is still living at the right hand of God in heaven.

So what has changed? God has not moved or changed His address. Not Jesus: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8 NLT)

We have changed. We made promises at the beginning of 2010 which were meant for self-improvement. Most of them were broken by January 2, 2010. We gave up. When we give up it invites more hardship. Some had successes. They became more than what they were in 2009. They overcame the hardship and frustrations. Now it’s not “what changed,” but “what’s the difference?”

A lot of negative emotions accompany hardship: frustration, feelings of hopelessness, fear, and doubt. People ruled by those feelings often make poor choices. This is why God’s Word says that we are to decide right now to respond to troubled times the way the Israelites did: with praise. Even in the darkest hours, worshipping God fills the heart with joy and the mind with peace. A believer who is filled in this way can wisely keep a commitment to obey the Lord no matter what.

But wait, Pastor, You said, “OBEY the LORD no matter what.” Yes, that’s right. I said it and I said it because it’s the truth.

Worshipping the Lord enlarges our vision. By doing so, we begin to see how He is at work in the world, perhaps in ways and places we never noticed before. More particularly, we see what God is doing in our situation and notice areas where He requires our obedience.

Our human tendency is to plot a course through a situation toward the easiest solution. But believers who strike out on their own do not mature in faith. Moreover, they miss out on the blessings of following the Lord's plan. Stopping to praise can divert us from the easy way out and direct us to the right path—namely, the way of God's will. Taking a step forward in obedience and faith can be frightening. However, believers are completely safe risking their whole future on the Lord's faithfulness. He has never disappointed anyone!

It's hard to feel hopeless while honoring the Lord for His love and strength. We can dispel doubt by recalling His past faithfulness—and ease frustration by committing our future plans to Him. Praise is not the obvious reaction to hardship, but it is the wisest response.

So, here it is 2011. Are we going to make more empty promises to ourselves? And then become frustrated when we fail? Or do we step out in faith and obedience to what God has planned, let Him take over control, and then actually let God work out the details of how to work HIS plan in our life instead of us trying to figure out how we can to work God’s plan into our life.

It comes down to a statement people sometimes have backwards. People say “I will trust you Lord to work out the details then I will obey.” Nope. If we do that we are delaying God’s plan. If we wait for God to work out the details on our terms, there will never be obedience. If, on the other hand we say, “Obedience then trust,” and we commit to this, then God can and will show exactly how glorious and powerful He really is. God does not want our ABILITY. God wants our AVAILABILITY. “Ability” is what we are able to do. “Availability” is letting God do what He does through us.

Let 2011 be a year of praise and worship of God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Yes that means 365 days; 8,760 hours; 525,600 minutes; and 31,536,000 seconds worth of praise, worship, lifting up, and encouragement, blessing, and yes, obedience. It means we cannot let anything else stop us from focusing on God and His plan for us.

Then as Paul said to the Church at Philippi, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)

Happy New Year!