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timewithgod.blog-city.com — October 2008
Titus 3 -- A Solemn Reminder From God About This Election?
I guess You saved this one in Your perfect timing over these years to come up just before this election, God. I suppose You're wanting to show us, as You did the Israelites, to be careful what we ask for. They had asked for a king whe
I guess You saved this one in Your perfect timing over these years to come up just before this election, God. I suppose You're wanting to show us, as You did the Israelites, to be careful what we ask for. They had asked for a king when God desired to be their only ruler.
This chapter starts with: "Remind the believers to yield to the authority of rulers and government leaders, to obey them, to be ready to do good, to speak no evil about anyone, to live in peace, and to be gentle and polite to ALL people."
My commentary said this about these verses:
"The Christian approach is that all governments are ordained of God. A regime might be very unchristian or even anti-Christian, but any government is better than no government at all. The absence of government is anarchy, and people cannot survive for long under anarchy. Even if a ruler does not know God personally, he is STILL "the anointed of the Lord" in his official position, and should be respected as such."
I really noted the following paragraph:
"In voting, a Christian would normally vote for a man thought to be upright and honest. But sometimes it is God's will to exalt the LOWEST of men (Daniel 4:17). How could we know and obey the will of God in such cases?"
Father, these are vital and crucial days ahead of us. I think never has the choice been clearer, yet it appears that far too many people are being swayed by charisma rather than character. Please shine Your light of wisdom so that all may be revealed for what it is, and so that we may vote according to Your will. I pray that this is not a time when it will be Your will to exalt the lowest of men.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Special Entry -- Read this and be sick
http://focusfamaction.edgeboss.net/download/focusfamaction/pdfs/10-22-08_2012letter.pdf
Philippians 1 -- Praying For America RIGHT NOW
God first got my attention this morning in verse 3 where Paul says that he always prays WITH JOY for the believers in Philippi. So many times we find ourselves praying for healing or troubled times that others are going through, and our prayers
God first got my attention this morning in verse 3 where Paul says that he always prays WITH JOY for the believers in Philippi. So many times we find ourselves praying for healing or troubled times that others are going through, and our prayers don't feel very joyful.
I can remember a season of prayer, though, almost 10 years ago, when I too was constantly praying with joy for what God was doing in the lives of young men in our youth group -- many of whom still read these quiet times. That is energizing prayer! Verses 9-11 contain a beautiful prayer like the one in Colossians 1 that I prayed for each of those guys.
The subject of prayer is also mentioned in verse 19. The Philippians were praying for Paul, and their prayers were giving him the encouragement to know that He could go through anything that might come up and not fail Christ.
God's continual prods to me about prayer, along with His laying a burden on my heart about the upcoming elections, led me to something in my commentary about verse 19 that is again perfect in His timing:
"Marvel here at the importance which Paul puts on the prayers of a feeble band of believers. He sees them as sufficiently powerful to thwart the purposes and the mighty power of Rome. It IS true; Christians CAN influence the destiny of NATIONS and CHANGE the course of HISTORY through PRAYER."
Father, we reach out to You now in humble, believing prayer. We ask that You protect us from our own ignorance as a nation. Shock the world by guiding the hearts and hands of those who are about to vote. Be sovereign in this nation and pluck us from the edge of the abyss that we have allowed ourselves to be led to during this campaign. Help us allow You to be God in America.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Philippians 2 -- Giving Up Our "Rights"
I saw so much in here today about the value that God places on giving ourselves up for others. Paul basically says that if Christ could do it for us, then certainly we should do it for others, both in service at the church and in service to oth
I saw so much in here today about the value that God places on giving ourselves up for others. Paul basically says that if Christ could do it for us, then certainly we should do it for others, both in service at the church and in service to others.
Our giving up of ourselves doesn't even have to be a physical thing. My commentary gave a great example regarding just getting along with others at church: "Although we might not agree on minor matters, yet we can submerge our OWN opinions, where no real principle is involved, for the good of others."
Using Christ as the example for us, my commentary talked about verse 2: "To be like-minded really means to have the mind of Christ, to see things as He would see them, and to respond as He would respond. To have the same love means to show the same love to others that the Lord has shown to us, A LOVE THAT DOES NOT COUNT THE COST.... to be of one mind means to act so united as to show the Christ's mind is directing our actions."
Now God seems to direct Paul to step on our toes in order to help us become what God wants us to be. Some things we must root out of our lives are selfish ambition (the desire to be #1, no matter what the cost) and conceit (pride or self-display). My commentary says, "Wherever you find people who are interested in gathering a clique around themselves or in promoting their own interests, there you will find the seeds of contention and strife. The remedy -- let each esteem others BETTER THAN self.... we should live for others BETTER THAN self ... People who are willing to die for others do not generally quarrel with them...."
For us to be able to see another's side on an issue, we sometimes have to assume that our opinions aren't right, in order to be able to understand what they think. That's giving of ourselves to become one-minded.
It also said that the lesson we learn from all of this is that "the way up is down. We should not exalt ourselves but be the servants of others, that God may exalt us in due time."
This kind of constant giving up of our "rights" for others is not meant to wear us down and leave us as a person with no self-worth. On the contrary, "it is better to burn out for Christ than to rust out." As verse 5 said, "In your lives, you must think and act like Christ Jesus." If we feel our own selfish resistance to this process, we need only reread verse 13: "God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do WHAT PLEASES HIM." He doesn't expect us to be able to do it alone.
Father, help me to be willing to let You guide me in areas where I resist giving up my own thinking or my own time. Remind me that Your Son did it for me, and if I want to be like Him, then I must do it for others.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
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