True Worship - May 6, 2014

Scriptures: Romans 11-13

22 Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. 23 And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. 24 You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong. - Romans 11
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. - Romans 12

Message:

Trusting in GOD and His kindness.

Observation/Promise:

GOD can cut off and graft in the people who pleases Him. Those who rejected Him even though HE chose them has been cut off from the presence and blessing of Almighty GOD. But those who seek GOD and truly worship Him by obeying His commands, not doing religious works to be praised by others, are those that have truly worshiped GOD, they have chosen GOD. It doesn't matter if we are chosen or not, what matters is our choice to obey GOD or not, to really seek Him with all our hearts and trust Him with our lives.

Application/Command:

Do not think like the world thinks or adopt their worldly ways which is contrary to the LORD's commands. When you constantly seek and obey GOD, keeping your mind and body pure, then you have given true worship unto GOD that is acceptable and pleasing before Him. When we set our selves apart from the world's ways, we bring ourselves closer to GOD and GOD can transform and change the way we think until we begin to live differently from the world by understanding His good and perfect will for us. But when we are engaged in the world, we do not allow GOD to change us. He wants to work in you, be holy, set yourself apart from the world and let GOD transform you. Trust in GOD for He is kind to those who obey Him and trust in Him. 

In your youth, Live in the ways of GOD - Feb 27, 2014

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 11-12
5 Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.
6 Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.
7 Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning.
9 Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. 10 So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. - Ecclesiastes 11
Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”
13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. - Ecclesiastes 12
Message:
God's works in mysterious ways and in all you do, do it out of reverence for GOD for He will judge us according to what we have done on earth.

Observation/Promise:
God does all things, He is working out everything according to His purpose. Are we working according to His purpose? Are we one with His will? God has given us youth and vigor, strength and energy and we can do anything with it as we please but everything we do can be a waste when we are not working in line with GOD's heart and will for us. It is wonderful to enjoy life, it's good to wake up early, to see the day dawning. Be eager to live and be excited for the future. But whatever we do on earth, we must give an account to Him who is the giver of our life. So it is good to sow seeds early in life, because whatever we sow, we will reap later. 

Command/Application:
Sow! Start sowing early in life. Invest, and divide your investments. Do everything you can do today, do not wait for the best time to do things. Let GOD work out things for you for He is the one working behind all things. God's ways are mysterious, just trust Him. More importantly than money, Invest in your spirit, which is eternal, for whatever things you invest in the spirit, you will reap eternal rewards in Heaven. The young because of their energy is prone to anger, we can be angry for a time but we can it go right away. Chose to keep your body healthy by not letting anger take it's grip on you. And in your youth, thing of pleasing your creator, the GOD who loves you more than anyone does because you are going to grow old someday and what more can you do when you are already in this dying age? Above all, fear GOD, and walk in His ways. 

Put GOD first and He will do the rest - Feb 26, 2014

Scripture: Psalm 137-139
4 But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget how to play the harp. - Psalm 137
6 Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.
8 The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me. - Psalm 138
1 1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me,O God. They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up,
you are still with me!
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. - Psalm 139

Message:
God knows the beginning to the end. He has set the course of all things. Make GOD your priority, put Him first and He will take care of everything.

Observation/Promise:
Psalm 137:4-6
The Lord has spoken to me about this promise years ago when I had to sing for a wedding and in other places that my heart was not inclined to singing because of my eagerness to be in Israel. My desire to be in Israel has overpowered my desires to sing in a land that is not where my heart is.
Psalm 138
I know that if I continue to humble myself before GOD, He will be merciful to me and enable to me do what He has put in my heart to do. He is the creator of my heart and so these desires that I have are from GOD. No matter how hopeless I seem to be, I can be hopeful in GOD because it is HE and not me or my ability, that will accomplish His plan for my life. His plans that He has written down in my heart.
Psalm 139
He has already set everything to happen according to His plans. Even I was planned by GOD to come into the world at such a time as this. He made me, He has already planned every moment in my life writing it on His book before they even happen. GOD's thoughts about me are too many, too precious. Whether I'm asleep or awake His thoughts are constantly upon me. How loving is that?! But may I please Him as He thinks of me, as each day passes by may I bring a smile to His face, as I continue to rely on His righteousness to keep me pure and holy in His eyes. May He like what He finds in me and if there is anything that displeases Him, may I be sensitive and quick to change my ways so that I am always walking in the path of life making the Lord happy with who I am.

Command/Application:
Be one with GOD's heart. Know His wil, His thoughts and desires for your life and walk in it. Work with GOD for He delights in you, He created you for a specific purpose, know what this is and work with GOD. Keep Him close to your heart, let Him be the Anchor of your soul. Let there be no other person or thing that can move your heart than GOD. When your goal is to always please Him, He will make sure that everything in your life will work out and every plan that He has for you will be fulfilled. Please GOD.

Soap Ezekiel 36:22-27 - The Holiness of GOD

SOAP - Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer

S: 22 “Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. 23 I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am theLord. 24 For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.

25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. - Ezekiel 36

O: God does great things for His people not because we deserve His goodness or are we worthy of His blessings but because He is a good GOD. His Holiness is greater than His anger. Even though HE is a righteous GOD that judges His people, HE does not treat us according to what we deserve. HE is so good that He is willing to do for His people what HE always wanted of them - hearts that love and worship Him alone. The Holiness of GOD is what makes HIM Righteous and Merciful at the same time.

A: I need GOD's grace and power to help me cleanse me and keep me pure and obedient to His will because without His Spirit at work in my life, it is impossible to please GOD. So with faith, we please GOD by believing that HE is who He said HE is. HE will, what HE said HE will do. I have to depend on HIS power and not my efforts to make me righteous.

P: Your Grace O Lord is what I need to live a life that is right before your eyes. I humble myself before You great GOD, make me clean, holy, pure and true. Fill me my entire being with Your Holy Spirit, for no one else can make me obedient to Your ways and give me the desire to do Your will than Your Spirit that is within me. So I need more of You and less of me, each day O Lord I depend on you, in Jesus Name, Amen!

Imperfect Man

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed,
“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?
20 “What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord. 21 Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant.
22 “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you! 23 What other nation on earth is like your people Israel? What other nation, O God, have you redeemed from slavery to be your own people? You made a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations and gods that stood in their way. 24 You made Israel your very own people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God.

- 2 Samuel 7

David wanted to build a temple, a home for the Ark of GOD that was at this time, staying in a tent. But GOD spoke thru the Prophet Nathan that David was not to build a home for Him, it was going to be David's son who will build the temple. But GOD had promised David that his family and descendants will always be a royal family, that kings will come from their family. This is what made David in awe that GOD would promise to him such an eternal blessing on earth, when he never even dreamed to be king of Israel one day while he was still a shepherd boy. It was too much to ask and now GOD is giving him even more after GOD has fulfilled the promises of David in his life and made him king over the entire nation of Israel.

A heart of thankfulness is what David's heart is really made of. From his heart, wonderful thoughts of praise and worship came out of his mouth remembering everything that the LORD their GOD has done for them from the time Israel was still a slave of Egypt until now... King David was not perfect, in fact he stole a man's wife and killed the man to have her. But David was still a man after GOD's own heart, and in the true praises of his heart towards GOD, we can understand why GOD was pleased with such an imperfect man.

What Drives You?

16 It is better to be godly and have little
than to be evil and rich.
17 For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
but the Lord takes care of the godly.
18 Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,
and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.
19 They will not be disgraced in hard times;
even in famine they will have more than enough.

- Psalm 37

The world thinks that money is all that matters, money can get you everything you want, but it cannot buy love or happiness. GOD says it is better to have little than to be evil and rich. But we do not know at all times if we are doing right or wrong. Therefore it is wise to pray for GOD to show us when we are doing wrong and to ask GOD's Spirit to stop us from doing wrong. The human will is strong and the strength of the wicked may be evident but it will fail in due time. Do not be deceived by the strength that you may have now, for it may be strength to carry out vengeance and this will never make things right.

But blessed are those who trust in GOD, whose strength and will are in HIM. For GOD will always take care of those that love Him, those that depend on Him will never be disappointed because He is faithful and dependable. The LORD never fails. Even in hard times GOD's hand of protection will be evident in their lives because they will not lack anything. Where should you put your trust? What will cause you to do things? What drives your soul? Should you depend on what you feel? What the world thinks? or What GOD thinks? It is indeed wiser to please GOD than to please anybody else in this world.

Our Love

10 “Stay here with me,” Micah said, “and you can be a father and priest to me. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, plus a change of clothes and your food.” 11 The Levite agreed to this, and the young man became like one of Micah’s sons.
12 So Micah installed the Levite as his personal priest, and he lived in Micah’s house. 13 “I know the Lord will bless me now,” Micah said, “because I have a Levite serving as my priest.”
- Judges 17

People want to be blessed, they want to be rich and wealthy and have all the happiness they can in life. And so we find ways to get what we want. Some try to please GOD, be religious, give to the church and do good things. Somehow people are like Micah, they try to please GOD in their own way, but they are not necessarily right in trying to do so. Even though our actions seems right, GOD eventually looks at the reason for doing so. The motives of our hearts are the things that GOD weighs. Why do we try to please HIM?

According to this verse Micah tries to please GOD so that he will be blessed. By doing so, is he really pleasing GOD when he tries to set up his own "church" and install a priest he offers life support? Sometimes we try to please GOD but it's just the wrong way, and in this wrong way they are not really pleasing GOD but in themselves. One can't pay for righteousness to please GOD, none can pay someone or give enough money to win GOD's favor. So how do we please GOD? What does GOD really want from us? The answer lies in our hearts, it is every child's need towards their parents, every desire of a soul searching for a partner. Love, GOD wants our love.