Tag Archives: Ezekiel

Time squandered can’t be regained

Posted on June 13, 2018 by | Comments Off on Time squandered can’t be regained
time

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Time is a funny thing. We spend so much of it making plans for the future and thinking about the things we wish we had done differently. We often forget that time squandered can’t ever be regained. Once it is gone, whether for good or bad, it is gone. As I share with you today, it is obvious that for much of 2018, I’ve wasted time. As a result, there are many things I haven’t kept up with in my life. I have a history class I want to revise. I’ve not been keeping up with my exercise and diet the way that I should. And I’ve not been as faithful in my personal Bible study as I should have been.

Things that squander our time

We all have things which takes up more of our time than they probably should. For me, it is easy to become focused health issues, work, family commitments, and even things I regret in my past. Each one of these things is enough to derail my best of intentions each day. A while back ago, when I was teaching a pre-teen Sunday school class, we discussed the things which can rob us of time. For a few, it was Facebook and other social media platforms. For others, it was video games and on-line gaming.No one is exempt for the very real spiritual battle of how we manage our life.

Our emotional state plays a role

A study of David’s life shows the power of emotions in our life. Whether it is our service to the Lord or our relationships with other believers, our emotions impact us. At times, when David was happy and full of life, his life reflected a wish to do all he could for the Lord. His faith wasn’t a chore or something he dreaded, but a part of himself he freely gave to God. But then there were the other times. And we’ve all experienced them. Our faith is challenged or we have failed Him. Guilt and depression begin to pull at our very soul. David captured this feeling when he wrote, How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? (Psalm 13:2).

But David doesn’t stop there. He doesn’t allow his emotional state of being interfere with his faith in the Lord. He writes, But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me (Psalm 13:5-6). This is often easier said than done especially if you struggle with depression. I often have to remind myself of the sovereignty of the Lord in every situation I face. And I understand it is difficult to praise and give thanks to the Lord when everything around you seems to be crashing down. It comes down to this: we either believe God will or we believe God can’t.

Attitude affects how we use our time

Our emotions have an impact on our attitude. Whether it is worshiping the Lord or even preparing dinner for the family, our attitude plays an important role. When we feel loved and valued by our family we have a tendency to focus on others more. For me, that involves cooking their favorite meals and helping with the household chores. Attitude is a mental position with regard to a fact or state; a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state.1

When we feel angry, bitter, or even depressed, our attitude will shift. Things that need to be done will often find a back seat as we seek emotional comfort. For me, that could be binge watching a television show on Netflix, eating junk food, or even binge-playing my favorite PC-based game. In a book written by Dr. Stephen Thurston Jr., Attitude – The Paint Brush of the Mind, the connection between our attitudes and how we approach the Lord and others around us is discussed. But as I read the book I began to understand my attitude was also affecting how I used my time.

Our attitude is a driving force each day

Since January of this year, there has been a struggle each day to stay focused on what needed to be done. At the heart of the struggle was my attitude. Unlike David who turned his entire heart over to the Lord, I allowed myself to become consumed by what I was feeling. Soon, things I normally did, such as daily Bible study and my daily prayer time began to suffer. My attitude, which was one of defeat and uselessness, was impacting every thing I did every day. Not only did it strain my relationship with the Lord, but it also affected relationships within my family, church, and even at work.

It also affected the ministry which the Lord called me into service. As you may have noticed, it has been a while since my last entry. The gifts and talents the Lord gave me went unused. Small things I do for the local church I attend, such as the monthly newsletter, the prayer list, and even preparation of the weekly Bible lesson I teach on Thursday were no longer fun. Therefore, they began to become things I did which were expected and not things I enjoyed doing. My attitude had caused me to lose my focus. I began focusing on other things trying to fill the void now created by my attitude. My attitude allowed me to waste time and to make excuses for it.

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Posted in My Walk, Our relationship with God

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Be the champion your church needs

Posted on January 3, 2017 by | Comments Off on Be the champion your church needs

championChampion – what does it mean and are you willing to step up to the challenge? Do you have it takes to be a champion for your church and family? A champion is defined in the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary as a militant advocate or defender or one that does battle for another’s rights or honor. Within the King James Bible there are two ways this concept is used. The first is seen in Samuel and references Goliath, the enemy of God. The second concept, God calls more than our modern definition of champion, and this is a man of valor. In our modern usage of the English language, it is the second concept I will be using.

The challenge put forth to me by the Lord

The Daily Walk, for the most part, is the vehicle the Lord has given me to share my faith and my walk with my Lord and Savior. As a part of this ministry, I’ve shared my struggles with my faith and the ministry where the Lord has called me to serve. The week before Christmas (2016), the Lord began working in my heart. At the center of the struggle were two verses. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (James 4:17). The second verse is found in the Old Testament. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me (Isaiah 6:8). Within the week of Christmas, two more verses were added to what was already going on in my heart.

At the center of my confusion, the two verses the Lord brought into my mind simply brought everything else into focus. The one that stung the most was: And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). I know the specific ministry the Lord has called me to serve. I also have problems with my past; can our Lord forgive completely? Yes. This has never been the problem and I know I have been forgiven. The problem lies in my own frustration and anger in what I was and the time I wasted pursuing things that have no eternal value. 

Becoming the champion that the Lord needs

The last verse the Lord brought into my heart was one penned by the apostle Paul. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9). Throughout 2016 many people tried to share with me the simple wisdom of this message – if the Lord has called you to do something, he will bring you to the place you can do it. Those two weeks before Christmas and the week after, the Lord began to show me something about myself that I didn’t know. I had become so fixated on worrying about things I could not change that I missed opportunities to serve Him. God was calling me to be a man of valour – not in the future, but now.

The concept of a man of valour is found forty-two times within the King James Version of the Bible. Thirty-five times, you’ll find the exact phrase, men of valour and seven times, man of valour. According to Biblical mathematics, the number thirty-five refers to hope and seven refers to completeness and spiritual perfection. Both numbers added together, forty-two, refers to the oppression of Israel and the first and second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. What the Lord was working on was my heart and the need for men and women to stand up and become these servants of valour – champions the church needs today.

The men of valour were equipped, willing, and ready for combat

As I began to study what made these men so noteworthy that the Lord inspired them to be recorded as men of valour, several traits became obvious. In 1 Chronicles, the Lord gives us a trait: All these the sons of Jediael, by the heads of their fathers, mighty men of valour, were seventeen thousand and two hundred soldiers, fit to go out for war and battle (1 Chronicles 7:11). These were men who knew, understood, and drilled in the art of war. They knew what it took to win the battle and once committed to battle, would only break off an attack when given orders from their king.

The second trait these men of valour possessed is also found in 1 Chronicles: And their brethren, heads of the house of their fathers, a thousand and seven hundred and threescore; very able men for the work of the service of the house of God (1 Chronicles 9:13). The Hebrew word translated here for able men is the same phrase meaning men of valour (חָ֫יִל – Strongs 2428). These men were ready to do the work that the Lord set before them to do. Within our faith as Christians, we have a lot of things in common with the description given of these men. Our Lord and King has left us a specific set of instructions. We know what He’s asked of us, and we know we have all the equipment we need.

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Posted in My Walk, Our place within the local church, Stewardship

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The relevance of the Bible in today’s world

Posted on November 9, 2015 by | Comments Off on The relevance of the Bible in today’s world

holy-bibleSince our society has now entered into what the definition of marriage should be, there has been a question posed by the American mainstream media and stars from the entertainment industry. It is nearly impossible to visit the society section of Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, or any other major media website where the author of the commentary is addressing the need to either abandon traditional Biblical teachings or to abandon Christianity altogether in favor of new societal norms. There are articles all across the web that were authored by sociologists and psychologists claiming that freewill and self-determination are illusions, homophobia and being in opposition to homosexuality is a mental disorder, and even religion and the belief in God itself is a mental disorder. Some even press the notion that those driven by obedience to their faith in God to do good works are actually self-centered. With the increasing anti-Christian rhetoric and critics driven by what has become regarded as science, it is easy to understand why so many people – and Christians – question the relevance of the Bible today.

Since the days of the apostles, Christians have been told by the lost that we should not share our faith because it might offend or cause others discomfort. We’ve been told that our faith teaches intolerance, hate, racism, and any other derogatory thing they can decide that Christianity seems to promote. At the heart of the lost world’s rejection of Christianity is the faulty belief that man does not need God and a rejection of Jesus as the sole means of salvation. Christians today must stand strong on the authority and the basic teachings of the Bible because it is the foundation of our faith. Within its pages are life’s lessons, comfort during times of need, and guidance in all of life’s difficult situations. 

The Bible’s relevance: An unchanging God

The apostle Paul understood the eternalness and the changeless nature of God and explained it as he wrote, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8).The Bible is relevant because within its pages it contains a chronicle of the unchanging nature of God. It takes faith to believe the Bible is the word of God; it should be recognized it also takes faith to claim the world view that it is not the word of God. The Holy Spirit led Malachi to write, For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed (Malachi 3:6) as a testimony and promise of God’s unchanging nature. The unchanging nature of God is essential within the Judeo-Christian world; it is especially important to the Christian concepts of atonement and the sacrificial work of the Lord Christ Jesus. The disciple John understood this very concept and wrote, These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:13).

John also testified in other writings of the unchanging nature of God and the timelessness of God’s plan for mankind’s salvation when he wrote, And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). We often approach God and matters of faith from our own particular perspective so it is hard for us to even begin to understand God’s plan for the redemption of man being the same from the very earliest days of creation. We are accustomed to living in a society where everything is fluid. We also approach God and matters of faith through our own sense of fairness, justice, and understanding, which is why God reminds us through scriptures, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9) and Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? (Ezekiel 18:29). The scriptures contained in the Bible have testified not only about the timelessness of God’s values but about the differences between our understanding and that of the Lord. We need this testimony of God’s unchanging nature, more specifically of His unchanging grace towards mankind. It is reassuring to the believer that the same salvation offered freely to the disciples, to the patriarchs of Israel, and to those who heard the sermons of Jesus as He walked the shores of Galilee.

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