"Our God Reigns"

07/04/2017

06/25/2017

Loved this

06/24/2017

Food for thought

08/15/2016

We apologize for the lapse in posts. Our writer has been ill. We hope to resume posting thoughts in the next few weeks. Please feel free to encourage our readers with anecdotes of your own walk with the Lord.

05/21/2016

A dear woman, Lois, who sits near my daughter and me in church, recently approached my daughter shyly. I overheard Lois quietly telling my daughter that the previous week, she had glanced over and had seen Jesus standing behind my daughter with His hands on her shoulders. He looked at Lois and told her to let my daughter know how much He loves her.
I was awestruck at the thought that our Lord loves my daughter so much that He sent her a special message. To me this message is huge. As we navigate the troublesome teenage years, with all of their pitfalls, nothing is more reassuring to me than the picture Lois painted of our Savior standing by my daughter, loving her. What better way to tell me that He loves her and follows her throughout her day?
Not all of us are chosen to receive special messages as Lois did. When one of my daughters was seven years old, she asked about her guardian angel. She wanted to see her angel and, while I assured her she had one, I told her that she probably would not ever see him. She didn't understand why she couldn't see him. Finally, I told her to ask Jesus to allow her to see the angel and perhaps He would. That night, when she said her bedtime prayers, she did just that and laid her head down convinced it would happen.
The next morning, she ran to the breakfast table and excitedly told me that she had seen her angel. She said she woke in the middle of the night and he was sitting at the foot of her bed dressed in glowing white garb. He told her his name, which I've long since forgotten, and they spoke for awhile before she drifted off to sleep.
While glimpses of the other world are rare, they are intensely meaningful. Have any of you dear readers had an experience that you would like to share? If so, we would be blessed and grateful to hear your experience.

04/07/2016

One of the most difficult areas to overcome in Christian circles is the judgmental spirit that seems to overtake most at one time or another. I can remember one church I attended that, when an unfortunate situation occurred, members would attempt to determine which sin had been committed to cause the trial that person was facing. I can remember my mother's car accident that took the life of my grandfather and left my mother in ICU. One of the associate pastors at my church actually approached me to ask what my mother had done wrong to cause such a terrible thing to happen.

In John 9, the story is told of a man who was blind from birth. The disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus response in verse 3 was, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." God uses every opportunity for His glory if we allow Him to do so.

Through my mother's accident, my paternal grandmother, who saw the newspaper coverage, contacted my father. She and my father had been estranged for many years.God used the accident to break down the walls and restore the relationship.

I don't want to ignore the fact that sometimes often we suffer bad times due to our own poor choices. In John 15:2 it says, "Every branch that does not bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." Sometimes God has to cut away at the mess in our lives in order to bring glory to Himself by making us more fruitful. This is can be a painful process, but one that ends in a growth spurt if we cooperate.

Regardless, it is not our personal business to know why another person is experiencing difficulties. Whether it's their "fault" or not, it is our responsibility to love them, bear them up in prayer and most of all not judge, lest we be judged.

04/05/2016

"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." I Corinthians 2:4,5 NIV

The simplicity of the Gospel and of God's words of direction are lost on the wise. Sometimes it is very hard for an intellectual to wrap his brain around a plan of salvation so simple that it requires no effort from the recipient. Man's intelligence tends to overthink and, in so doing, makes the simple act of grace much more complicated than it is.

Those who first believed in Christ were the simple people of society. For the most part, they were not wealthy because sometimes wealth also gets in the way of accepting what is offered freely. They were not the learned over-thinkers.

It is no wonder that children flocked to Jesus and eagerly clambered onto his lap. Who is more trusting and teachable than a child, who's mind is a blank manuscript, uncorrupted by the world's knowledge?

When we examine our lives before Christ in stark contrast to our lives after Christ, let us say, like the apostle Paul, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 1Corinthians 1:31b NIV

04/04/2016

"If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them." James 4:17 NIV

When I think of my personal sin, I usually think of it in terms of the Ten Commandments and New Testament commands I have broken. It may be the angry word that slid so easily from my tongue, a tidbit of scintillating gossip I shared, a "white" lie, overeating or being overwhelmed with anxiety when the Word tells me to be anxious for nothing. The list of possibilities is endless.

I seldom think of something good that I neglected to do. After reading this verse, I thought of times when I begged off of tasks that I may have had the time to perform, or walked a different way to avoid someone I thought would hold me up with their chatter.

There are many ways to do good for others that take little effort. It takes little effort to return the shopping cart to the designated area for it. It only takes a few cents to contribute a can of food to the food bank. It takes a relatively small portion of the day to speak with that chatterer. Perhaps she needs support and I was the one sent to give it.

In addition to avoiding sinning, we will be the only Bible others ever read. Our consideration, compassion, and love expressed through our actions may be instrumental in helping others find Jesus.
There are many small things that we have the opportunity to do for others on a daily basis. We should make the most of each one.

03/29/2016

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess His name." Hebrews 13:15 NIV Thinking of praise as a sacrifice was shocking to me at first. I am accustomed to thinking of praise as a joyful outpouring to my Father. We all know, however, that we are to offer praises in good times and bad. When under the cloud of adversity, we don't really feel like praising and thanking God. That is the precise time we need to do it most. Job was tormented relentlessly, but continued to acknowledge God through praise. Though beaten and chained in a filthy prison, Paul and Silas sang praises all night long. Whatever troubles we may have, we are just passing through. Only God knows what is on the other side, but He does have a plan--a plan that will work for our good. As the song says, "Praise Him in the morning, Praise Him in the evening, Praise Him when the sun no longer shines. . ."

03/22/2016

This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:5-8 NIV

I believed I had an amazing relationship with my spouse. When he left the marriage, I discovered that I was at a loss. I literally had no idea where to turn for advice, comfort or just to talk about my day. To my chagrin, I had become the cursed one in Jeremiah 17, "who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord." The realization that I was placing my confidence in man led to a habit breaking journey, wherein I learned to share all of my trials and joys with the Lord. Do I still confide in friends? Of course! But today, I place my whole trust in my best friend, Jesus. He will never leave or disappoint.

03/19/2016

"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Ephesians 4:11-15 NIV

When Christ Jesus was taken back into the heavens, He did not leave us alone. Along with the inward guide of the Holy Spirit, He appointed men of God to teach and guide us--evangelists, pastors, and teachers--in order to nudge us toward adulthood in the Lord. From this passage and one other, I would like to make two points.

1) Some of us have been believers for many years, yet like the Christians spoken about in Hebrews 5:11-14, we have never dug in and studied and know little beyond the fundamentals of Christianity. Even though we have been born again long enough that we should be mentoring others, we are still being bottle-fed like infants. To those of us that fit that description, I urge you to dig in and feast on the meat of the word. Read it. Study it. Memorize it. In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul exhorts his flock to go after knowledge of the Lord "as workmen." That cannot be accomplished with only one or two sermons a week and no day to day effort on your own.

2) For those of us who are mentors, we are admonished that our approach should be "speaking the truth in love." In Hebrews 5:2, a high priest (pastor, teacher) is "able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray." Mentors are to educate, correct and encourage. They are not positioned to judge or condemn. Romans 8:1 tells us, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." If God is not condemning us, who are we, as human mentors, to assume that responsibility.

As we approach tomorrow's Sunday services, let those of us who are infants search out the Word and grasp at every morsel of truth made available to us in our services. And may those of you who are mentors approach your calling with humility, carrying out the responsibilities of educating, correcting and encouraging your portion of the flock with love.

Blessings to all as we seek maturity in Him.

03/17/2016

Hebrews 3: 7-11
So, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did.
That is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”

During the bad times, the children of Israel forgot all of the miracles that God performed from their escape from Egypt through their years of wandering in the wilderness. Their ungratefulness ran the gamut from grumbling to idol worship. Every time a new trial presented itself, they forgot how God had provided previously.

In the midst of my current spate of difficulties, I began to feel lost, depressed and fearful. On Saturday, I was shopping for furniture and I had the opportunity to share some of my experiences with the salesperson, who is also a Christian. Giving examples dating back nearly 30 years to the present, I told him how time and time again, God has met my needs in the most amazing ways.

My spirits were much improved by recalling the miraculous ways in which my needs have been met and acknowledging that God is, indeed, faithful. Because I believe it is so important to acknowledge God's goodness and share the miracles He's done, I'm inviting you to share your experiences here on Our God Reigns. It will be uplifting to all of us to hear your stories!

03/16/2016

In keeping with yesterday's theme, we all acknowledge that we sin, daily. We know that if we "confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Having taken those steps, how many of us continue to cling to the guilt long after our Lord has forgiven the sin? Wallowing in self-recrimination gives Satan a foothold. It keeps us from moving forward and achieving anything meaningful for God. Don't let your own humanity hold you back. The mighty man of God, Paul, stated in Romans 7:15 "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." By virtue of our human nature, we will sometimes fail. Instead of self flagellation, let's say, as Paul did, "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."(Philippians 3:13-14 NIV)

03/15/2016

After what can be only be called a cyclone of one awful event atop another in the past ten days, I lost my temper in a big way. I was subsequently ashamed, of course. After confessing my sin to the Lord, I had time to think about what was happening and draw several conclusions.
1) Jesus completely understands. Hebrews 2:17, 18 say, "For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." He came to earth in human form and suffered through all of the same stresses that we do--and more. He understands what I am going through and that I am human and, therefore prone to sin sometimes.
2) Jesus has already forgiven me. I John 1:9 tells us that if we admit to our sins he forgives them. Period.
3) Satan does not want me to write this column. Ever since I started writing, I have been plagued in one way or another. He doesn't want the Word spread. He doesn't want us to have victory.
I Peter 5:8 b states, "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." If you've ever read the book of Job, you know that all of the bad things that happened to Job were the result of the devil trying to coerce Job into cursing God. I have never lived through anything the magnitude of Job's suffering, but the principle still applies--Satan will do anything to stop Christians from living for Christ.
4) It will all turn out just as it should. Romans 8:28 tells us, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." A look at Joseph's life shows us that he went through many trials that were unfair and uncalled for. No doubt he wondered, at times why those things were happening to him. In the end, though, God was prepping him to be Pharoah's right hand man, which was a position of strength, power, and influence. He was placed to use his position to feed his people during a great famine.
As I put my failure behind me, I'm leaning on Jeremiah 29:11 " For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." There is something wonderful I am working toward and I have not got a clue what it may be. I just know that if I hide under God's wing during the storm, the storm will pass and I will reach the ultimate goal God has for my life.

02/18/2016

I Thessalonians 4:4 . . that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable."

There is a familiar expression that states, "The heart wants what the heart wants." It is very true that the heart often demands satisfaction of its every whim and it is up to us, as Christians, to learn self- control. This passage in I Thessalonians is referring to the avoiding of sexual sins, but we can broaden it to include any sin spawned by the continuous lusting of the human heart. Perhaps one has a food addiction, another a sexual desire, another consumed with material things to the point of envy--the list of heart's desires is endless. Insert your own specific desire with which you are at war. You can control yourself with the help of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The heart may"want what it wants," but it doesn't have to have it. Join me in learning to control the body's lust. The victory is ours. Remember--"I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13