LUKE & JOHN

Today is Thursday.  I have a full day planned out and into the night.  I'm glad I get to start the day with God's Word and prayer.  Here are some items to share:

1) IMPOSSIBLE!  Yes it is.  Luke 17:1 tells us:  "It is impossible but that offences will come:  but woe unto him, though whom they come!"  People are going to offend you!  Yes, that is a fact.  But how you handle these times you are offended determines your own spiritual maturity.  The Bible also tells us:  Psalms 119:165 "Great peace have they that love thy law:  and nothing shall offend them."  This tells us that IF we abide in God's Word and love it, that we will not take offence when someone tries to offend us.  James 3:2 says:  "For in many things we offend all.  If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able to also bridle the whole body."  Now this verse tells us that at time we will offend.  If we don't, it is because we are perfect, which we are not!  But God's Word has told us in Luke 17:1 that there is a "woe" attached to offending someone on purpose.  We should be very careful to not offend someone even when we are correcting them, because God doesn't take offences lightly.  I teach our staff this principle:  Speak His mind, not ours!  Hope this will help you in a practical way.

2) OCCUPY TILL I COME- Throughout America, we have seen the "Occupy" movement entering larger cities only to camp out in their city parks.  They have no concise message, only a desire to camp out and occupy some land.  God tells all of us as Christians to "Occupy till I come."  in Luke 19:13.  This is not taking about camping out.  This is talking about serving His and His purposes till Jesus comes!!  We are to join the occupy movement of Christ by witnessing, loving our families, supporting our church, lifting the load of others, and being a representative of Jesus Christ doing what He leads us to do, where He leads us to do it!  Let us join that Occupy Movement!

3) TARRY-TIME-TRANSFORMATION- In Luke 24:49, after Christ's resurrection, Jesus says to His disciples:  "... but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."  So in this little statement, we see this three-fold command of our Savior.  TARRY- "tarry ye" - to tarry is not just to wait.  It is to wait for what is promised.  To wait with expectation.  Alertly waiting.  TIME- "until".  Not for a day or two, but "until".  The wait is for the expected promise.  Wait until it arrives.  Don't hurry up God and His timing.  Wait for the promise!  We wait, but not "until".  We give up waiting and move to action.  Our own action, not God's.  Let us learn to wait for HIS timing!  TRANSFORMATION- "be endued with power from on high".  This is the promised expectation!  The power that comes from on high.  The power that makes us effective to do His bidding.  Without which we are powerless.  Let us wait ourselves until we have God's enduement of power for our necessary Christian Life.  

Well, my time has come and gone, and I'm not even got to share some from John.  Hope you have a blessed day.  Pastor Mike Mutchler