Be sure to use God Logic

S - Scripture
Psalm  53 v. 1a  The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

O - Observation
Misguided trust. It's so hard to believe in some thing that you can't see or touch. Ask Thomas. John 20 v. 25b, "Unless I see in this hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." Its when we let us use our logic vs. God's logic, that things become clouded.  1 Corinthians 1 v. 25, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." This is where we need to take off our blinders. God is much like the wind or gravity. We can't see it, but yet we feel its effects. We know it exits. So we need to turn our eyes, our hearts, towards things and see God's influence, impact. Belief in God requires faith. Hebrews 11 v. 1, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

A - Application
Am I using my logic or God's logic?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Reveal yourself or your works to me.  Love Will

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The Hand of the Lord

The Hand of the Lord

Guest Blog by Gary Riedel 

S - SCRIPTURE:  Acts 11:21 And the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

O - OBSERVATION: This is a rather obscure text tucked away in some verses about the church at Antioch, but a remarkably profound verse of scripture. When we seek the will of the Lord in our lives and our endeavors, we will accomplish His purpose because He is with us. Think back to Judges 7 and Gideon’s 300 man army, and how The Hand of the Lord routed the vast armies

of the Midianites and Amalekites while Gideon’s army of 300 carried only torches and trumpets. It wasn’t Gideon and his men who routed the army but “The Hand of the Lord.” God wanted 

to drive that point home, it’s why He pared the army down to 300 men.

A - APPLICATION: What does that have to do with us? Everything! For our church, AIC, if we are going to have a successful visioning process, we must seek to have “The hand of the Lord”totally involved. Success depends more on our hearts for the Lord than on the physical talents we might bring to the table. For our own lives and the challenges we face, again, it is not our own solutions that solve problems, but rather our dependence on, and our seeking of, “The Hand of the Lord” to Bless our efforts. Romans 8:31b,When God is for us who can be against us? So, in our life, in this, God’s Church, and on this Memorial Day weekend, in our nation, May we always seek to have “The Hand of the Lord” with us!

PRAYER: Gracious Father, may we, Your people, always seek the blessing of “The Hand of the Lord “ on all we say and do! In Jesus Name, Amen

Image by Jackson David from Pixabay 

Open your mouth and share!!!

S - Scripture
Psalm  51 v. 15 O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth they praise.

O - Observation
Praise and thanksgiving. A great verse to SOAP on Thanksgiving day. There is so much to be thankful for, so much praising to be done. God has blessed me physically, mentally and spiritually. God likes it when we give him complete adoration. Think about it. God created our mouth, lips, tongue, vocal cords to do more than bark or mooo. But to actually talk and sing. It makes me think of what Peter and John said when the religious leaders were trying to get them to shut up. Acts 4 v. 20, "For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." Sharing your joy, speaking your praise to others, encourages and enlightens. We are encouraged to do this. Ephesians 5 v. 29, "addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart."

A - Application
Am I opening my mouth and singing praises?

P - Prayer
Jesus, You are awesome. You Rock!!! Love Will

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Keep your eye on the Prize!!!

S - Scripture
Psalm  51 v. 12 Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold with me a willing spirit.

O - Observation
Keep your eye on the prize. The prize of eternal life in Heaven with Jesus. This is a prize that truly is indescribable. 1 Corinthians 2 v. 9, "But as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him." So if this is such an awesome prize, why do we ask for a "willing spirit?" Quite simple. We are at war. There is a very specific enemy. His purpose is clear. John 12 v. 10a, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy." and... 1 Peter 5 v. 8b, "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to destroy." We are constantly being bombarded with things that dull our awareness of the prize. Idea's and  temporal things that reflect the moment. The things we can see, hear and perceive. Thus the cry for a willing spirit and faith for the things not yet seen.

A - Application
Am I keeping my eye on the Prize?

P - Prayer
Jesus,  Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold with me a willing spirit. Love Will

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We need the countenance of the Lord

S - Scripture
Psalm  51 v. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me.

O - Observation
The countenance of the Lord. We need God to be looking over us. We need his presence. If God turns his back to us - that is Hell!! When God faces us, Christian or not, there still is a sense of order, plan, even thought we may see chaos. God knows how important he is for the world and to those  who love him. He gave this blessing to the Israelites, Numbers 6 v. 24-16, "The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his FACE to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his COUNTENANCE upon you and give you peace. " The great news is this, not matter what you have done, God is still facing you. He's still looking at you with loving and longing eyes. We just need to look back.

A - Application
Am I looking back at God? Do I see his countenance - which is Love?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thank you for keeping me in your presence. Love Will

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Do your house cleaning!!!

S - Scripture
Psalm  51 v. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. 

O - Observation
House cleaning. Removing the filth, removing the stains, making new again, making it fresh, making it presentable, making it something to be proud. That's the point of house cleaning. (At least from a man's point of view!) That's the point of asking God to do some house cleaning in our own hearts. 2 Corinthians 5 v. 18, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. " That's the point of asking God to do some spiritual house cleaning. It removes the guilt of sin, it rearranges the purpose of your heart. It changes your presentation. Ephesians 4 v. 24, "and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

A - Application
Am I asking God to do house cleaning in my heart?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Create in me a clean heart, and put a new and right spirit within me. Love Will

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Your Heart is the Rudder of your Ship

S - Scripture
Psalm  51 v. 6 Behold, thou desires truth in thy inward being, therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

O - Observation
Heart work. That is what the Lord wants. He's not interested in long pontifications, long laborious hours, giving sacrifice. No he wants your heart. Jesus says just that in Matthew 23 v. 23a, 25, " Woe to you scribes and Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. For you cleanse the outside of the cup and plate, but inside they are full of exhortation and rapacity." Your heart is the rudder of your ship. Your heart will reveal your true motivation, actions and words. Matthew 19 v. 19, "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart." That my friends, is why this Psalm is KEY. Control of the heart, controls the life.

A - Application
Where is my heart at? Where is my rudder taking me?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Teach me wisdom in my secret heart.  Love Will

Photo by Maximilian Weisbecker

Who you gonna call?

S - Scripture
Psalm  50 v. 15 And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

O - Observation
One of my favorite verses. This one is worthy to be memorized. I love how the logic of this verse goes. 1st) Jesus wants you to, he invites you to, call upon him when you are in trouble. Why? It really doesn't make sense, aren't God's suppose to be only for worshiping? No. Not our God. Not Jesus. He has a vested interest in us. Simply put, He loves us. Romans 8 v. 35, "Who shall (or what shall) separate us from the LOVE of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"  Nothing can separate us from the Love of God. Thus... He  will DELIVER us, because he Loves us. Then comes my favorite part. GLORIFY. His deliverance opens the door, our hearts to sing praise to him, to share with others, what amazing things he as done in our lives.

A - Application
Who you gonna call?

P - Prayer
Jesus, You have delivered me in most spectacular ways. You are amazing.  Love Will

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Made Clean

 

Made Clean

Guest Blog by Gary Riedel

S - SCRIPTURE: 
Acts 10: 15b Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.

O- OBSERVATION: 

This text is making reference to Peter’s vision about all foods being made clean by God. The Jews were historically restrained from eating certain foods as part of their religious traditions handed down from the Old Testament. In this vision of Peter’s, God made it obvious that anything made pure by God was pure, regardless of its origin. 

A - APPLICATION: Although these passages in Acts refer to food, I like to think about how being made pure by God applies to His children. 2 Corinthians 5:17 If anyone is in Christ He is a new

creation, behold the old has passed away, the new has come. How does this happen? Romans 6:4 We are buried therefore with Christ by Baptism into death that like as He was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. God cleansed us through Baptism and continues to do the same each time we repent. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness! God’s Grace is way better than Tide!

P - PRAYER: 

Heavenly Father, teach us to seek Your vision of being “made clean”, and to repent and accept the bountiful Grace you offer, so that we might be made new in You. In Jesus Name, Amen 

Trust God to guide you

S - Scripture
Psalm  50 v. 12b  For the world and all that is in it is mine. 

O - Observation
Proper perspective. Everything I have, is Gods. God gave me a decent brain and an engine that idles fast. I'm fooling myself if I think the things I have is due to me. I have been told, the harder your word the luckier you get. As I think about that, its only partially true. In my own life, its clear that God has placed me where he wants me. I do think that he has blessed me because of my work ethic, but it’s not due to any of my amazing abilities. Proverbs 3 v. 5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

A - Application
Since everything I have is a gift from God, why wouldn't I trust him to guide me?

P - Prayer
Jesus, All I have is yours, open my eyes on what to do next with it.  Love Will

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Know your source of security

S - Scripture
Psalm  46 v. 20 Man can not abide in his pomp, he is like the beasts that perish.

O - Observation
What is your source of security? Its interesting to see a Proverb in the middle of Psalms. But, this Proverb rings true. Trust in money, status and power is fleeting or short lived. Once you have these things, then you spend all sorts of time working to protect them. 1 Timothy 6 v. 10, " For the LOVE of money is the root of all evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith, and have PIERCED their hearts, with many pangs.  So what should be our source. Jeremiah 9 v. 23-24.," Thus says the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the might man glory in might, let not the rich man glory in his riches, but let him who glories, glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord."

A - Application
What is your source of security?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Help me, guide me to be fully reliant upon you. Love Will

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Learn to be Still

S - Scripture
Psalm  46 v. 10 Be still and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations. I am exalted in the earth!

O - Observation
Be Still. Wow!!! That is unbelievably hard for me. My idle runs fast. I'm either on or off. Stillness is a spiritual discipline I have not even come close to mastering. I wonder if the business of my life has me pass by, ignore, reprioritize my time getting to know God, or build relationships. I think about how Elijah heard the  Lord, 1 Kings 19 v. 11b-12, "And after the wind an earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire a still small voice." All this commotion, all this time for God to talk in a mighty way, he talked to Elijah in a still small voice.

A - Application
Do I have too much commotion, to be still to hear the voice of God?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Give me the discipline to be still and know that you are God.  Love Will

Put Life's turmoil into perspective

S - Scripture
Psalm  46 v. 2-3  Therefore we shall not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains trouble with its tumult.

O - Observation
No Fear. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. We will see all the above disasters in our lives. So far, in the past few years, devastating earthquakes: Haiti, Chile. Tsunamis, volcano's. Wow!!! The earth is doing these things stated in today's Psalm. Jesus tells us that this will happen when he talks about signs of the end of the age. Matthew 24 v. 7b-8, "And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places, all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs. " This much is true, the thing we stand on, the existence we know, (life on earth) is not stable. But, life with Jesus is. Matthew 24 v. 35, "Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."

A - Application
Do I worry with all the turmoil that is going on?

P - Prayer
Jesus, You will never fade. You are the I AM. Love Will

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Jesus is the Under Armor!!!

S - Scripture
Psalm  46 v. 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

O - Observation
Armor all. This verse reminds me of the under armor commercial where a bunch of football players are saying. "We must protect this house." Well that's what God is saying about us. Why? 1 Corinthians 3 v. 16, "Do you knot know that your are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" Following Jesus, believing on him, makes us special since we have the Holy Spirit in our lives. We have to recognize this, so that when trials and troubles come, instead of saying why me, we can say what for? 1 Peter 1 v. 6-7 explains. "In this you rejoice, though for now a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness  of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory of the revelation of Jesus Christ." 

A - Application
Am I putting on Jesus as my Under Armor? Do I lead my life confident, regardless of what is thrown at me?

P - Prayer
Jesus, Thank you for being a very present help when I am in trouble. Love Will

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Remember, Jesus has your back

S - Scripture
Psalm  40 v. 16  But may all who seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee; may those who love thy salvation say continually, "Great is the Lord." 

O - Observation
Take me to a happy place. That's what happens when you place your trust, your life, your focus and faith on Jesus. When we do this, we can say with confidence, Romans 8 v. 28. "We know that in everything God works for the good with those who love him who are called according to his purpose." It's not to say that we don't face troubles in our life. We will. But we have a God that cares about us.  1 Peter 5 v.7,  "Cast all your worries on him, for he cares about you." God never grows weary. He never quits loving you. You can't over burden God with your Burden's.  Psalm 50 v.15, Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you and you will glorify me. "

A - Application
Am I at a happy place? Am I focusing my life on Jesus?

P - Prayer
Jesus, In you I know you got my back, my best interest. Thanks!!! 

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Regaining Sight

Regaining Sight

Guest Blog by Gary Riedel

S - SCRIPTURE:

Acts 9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said “Brother Saul the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

O-OBSERVATION: 

Saul of course had encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus where he was going to round up more Christians for persecution. Jesus encountered him with a bright light and these words “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? In the encounter, Saul was struck blind. Thereafter his servants led him to a house in Damascus, where after three days, Ananias

following the Lords instructions, came to Saul and by the power of the Spirit restored his sight.

A-APPLICATION: 

Have we ever been blinded by sin? I know I have, especially in the years before I met Carol. I wasted several years

indulging self, and although I never stopped attending public worship, my private life was not consistent with that of a child of

God. I regained my sight when suddenly I had terrible back pain and was incapacitated for a week. At that point, I came to my senses, looked to Jesus, and REGAINED my sight. The eyes of my heart were opened and my sight was restored and my pain 

was gone. This is an abbreviated version, but the key to REGAINING SIGHT, is to repent and look to Jesus.

P - PRAYER: Heavenly Father, you are so gracious to your children you allow healing of the soul when we look to Jesus with a contrite heart. By Your Spirit, help us always to open the eyes of our heart so that we may see Your salvation.

In Jesus Name, Amen 

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Make the Lord your trust

S - Scripture
Psalm  40 v. 4 Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the Proud, to those who go astray after false Gods!

O - Observation
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. No merit of my own I claim but wholly lean on Jesus name. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. That is the lyrics of one of my favorite Hymns. This verse reminded me of it. In all situations, in every step I take, I need, I will make the Lord, Jesus Christ my trust. But this is in direct violation of what the Devil wants. He wants us to place our hope, our trust in anything but Jesus. Thus the pressure to fill our lives with stuff and goals that distract us from our hope. Hebrews 2 v. 1, "Therefore we must pay the closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it."

A - Application
What is my hope and trust built on?

P - Prayer
Jesus, You are my foundation. Keep me secure.  Love Will

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