ListenDaily: Feeling strong?

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Greetings!

As we begin to discuss "The Full Armor of God", I am struck by Ephesians 6:10, which says:

"Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. "

Can you imagine?

What do you think about when you imagine "His mighty power"?

The parting of the Red Sea?

The bringing of the flood?

The creation of everything out of nothing with His spoken Word?

The defeat of death itself in the flesh and blood of Christ?

That is the "mighty power" we have to be "strong in"!

What do you think of, when you imagine God's power?
Are there examples of it in your own life?
Do you feel strong?

Until tomorrow, shalom, Pastor Jim

Are you aware?

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Greetings,

Over the next few days we are going to take a look at Ephesians 6: 10-20, the passage often entitled The Armor of God.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Some things to consider as we move forward:

- We are told to be strong.

- We are given the armor.

- We do have an ongoing struggle in the spirit world.

Thoughts? Questions?

See you tomorrow, Pastor Jim

ListenDaily: An interesting morning

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It was an interesting morning.

God summoned me.

No, really. I woke up a little after four and felt the call to go downstairs and pray. I was sleepy and rolled over. Call it “Scripture” or call it a “Bible verse”, but remember it’s God’s Word, and the Word that exploded into my mind was “Couldn’t you keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak… He again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. Are you still sleeping and resting?”

So, downstairs I went and submitted myself in prayer. I felt the Holy Spirit moving, asking – no – telling me not to love God only when I felt that He had done something in my best interest. He reminded me, that while circumstances are often brought about by people with other than the best interests of the world (the nation, the city, me, the church, whatever) in mind, that He is indeed sovereign. And He spoke to me through His Word again, reminding me of my own teaching that “love”, as in loving God and others, is not a feeling but a verb, an action. He also reminded me that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Some of those “all things” are good things, some neutral, some are bad things, the result of living in a fallen world. The good, bad, or neutral nature of the circumstance has no bearing on God’s ability. And it is He who calls me. My role in this “all things” affair is to love Him.

I protested. Once again, the Word spoke, but this time He placed Peter’s words in my mouth: “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” But the response was not “feed my sheep” it was “this is love for God: to keep his commands.”

I had some question about time; the Spirit told me “I own time.” I stayed there on the floor and listened for what seemed like a few minutes, but ended up to be an hour and a half. I had a 6 a.m. meeting for which I was ten minutes late. It was OK, because, like I said…

…it was an interesting morning.

ListenDaily: Help me keep the rocks quiet

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(This message is also available at: http://pastorjimdorton.blogspot.com/)

In the church year, this is Holy Week. After a few weeks of writing (somewhat sporadically, I know) about what’s been going on with us, and with me, let’s talk about Jesus, shall we? Yesterday was Palm Sunday.

Jesus was riding into town. He was not on some great and mighty steed, which would have symbolized a king coming to make war, but rather He came riding a donkey, symbolizing a king who comes in peace.

But still a king.

As the crow shouted their praises, the church officials got upset. Funny, they talked about God all the time, and yet in the face of Truth, they still considered their own positions to be most important. We have to always watch out for that, still, leaders who talk about God, but whose actions place themselves on their own thrones. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” I tell you,” He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19: 39-40

Some would suggest this was a little hyperbole on Jesus’ part. I don’t know about that, I don’t see a lot of hyperbole in His demeanor. I think this news was so great that the earth itself would respond if the people didn’t. We’ll talk about this more when we get to Good Friday, when the earth did cry out.

But for today, let us remember this; the Gospel is such an explosive story that a lid cannot be kept on it for long.

Satan tried to keep it quiet.

He had Herod try to kill it off by slaughtering babies.

He tried to talk Jesus out of it.

He thought the crucifixion would kill it.

But the Gospel cannot die.

My prayer for myself, and for you, is that Satan would not be able to use us as a lid to cover up the Gospel. May it swell up so much within us, may it vibrate within us. May we not be able to keep our mouths quiet. Psalm 8:2 says that even as children we were ordained to praise God. May we do what we were called to do!

Shalom, Pastor Jim

Too weak to work

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ListenDaily: Too weak to work
Rest & Recuperation, Rehab & Therapy
(This message is also available at: http://pastorjimdorton.blogspot.com/)

Sometimes our post-surgery time includes physical therapy. A therapist will prescribe a certain routine to help return the injured and repaired part of your body back to optimum strength. On occasions, you might show up at therapy, just plain worn out, weak, and unable to perform the routine. On some of those occasions, the therapist will put you in a relaxed position and, in his capable hands and move your arm or leg or shoulder through specific movements, strengthening you even when you are too weak to do so on your own.

If you have ever read any of my emails, blog, or Facebook posts, you might have seen me quote Hudson Taylor, who said; ” I am so weak. I can't read my Bible. I can't even pray. I can only lie still in God's arms like a little child and trust." I have felt that way for a few days. Between my physical ailments and some other (nothing life-threatening) circumstances, I felt what the great missionary was saying. I started this a few times, without being able to complete it. I guess I’d have to add, “I can’t even write.”

But the Word of God cries out to me.

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

This is a common thread through my preaching. Rejoicing for always, whatever else is going on, always are we in the hand of God. Praying without ceasing; not always on my knees but always being aware of His presence. These two things help keep me from forsaking God. And while God does not promise to change my circumstances, but He has promised to never leave or forsake me in any of them.

His response to my circumstance is always the best thing for me, whether I can see that or not.

And in the midst of my weakness, God is never weak. As the prophet Isaiah said, God is never weak or weary, but gives strength to those who are and who wait upon him, then we can walk, run, and soar on wings like eagles’!

” I am so weak. I can't read my Bible. I can't even pray. I can only lie still in God's arms like a little child and trust."
And in His capable hands, I find peace, rest, and strength!

Shalom, Pastor Jim

Calesthenics

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ListenDaily: Calesthenics
Rest & Recuperation, Rehab & Therapy

Remember, throughout this study, that I am neither trying to slow you down or speed you up; these are daily readings but not one day at a time instructions. Some of them might be one time events, some must be revisited on occasion, others, like the principle of rest, must be made a constant in your life.

The principles today are like that. They are the basics. Like a healthy diet and exercise, you can’t live well without them. And, like physical exercise, which, once begun, strengthens you and enables you to do more, so these spiritual exercises strengthen and enable you...and their results are eternal.

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8

Our bodies have to be fed or they die. Our bodies have to move or our muscles atrophy. So it is in the spirit.

The Bible is the very Word of God. We have to read, study, learn, continue to learn, and share the Scriptures. The more we learn, the more we are able to

learn. We move from milk to meat! If not we stagnate, worse than stagnate, we atrophy. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. Hebrews 5:13

We must pray.

We must grow in our ability to pray. Throughout Paul’s letters, he encourages us to be faithful in prayer, to be devoted to prayer, to pray with mind and spirit, to pray without ceasing, How does our prayer life match up to that?

And consider these words from James 5:

Have you ever been in trouble? “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.”

Ever been sick? “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him…”

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Do your prayers have power?

“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.”

Life is hard. Really hard.

But God is your provider, of peace, joy, rest, and strength.

But you have to engage with Him. And you know what? He sees and listens! “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer….” (1 Peter 3:12). Not only does He listen, He delights in our prayers, they are sweet and wonderful to Him! “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Revelation 5:8) That’s you that’s me.

Like physical therapy, or any other sort of exercise, there is much beyond the basics; but you can’t skip the basics, and they are always the foundation of the program.

Read your Bible. Pray. See what happens.

Shalom, Pastor Jim

Tired?

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Rest & Recuperation, Rehab & Therapy
(This message is also available at: http://pastorjimdorton.blogspot.com/)

I am moving on from talking about rest but, please, do not move away from the idea. Resting in God is not something we do once then are done with. We must always go back to Him, always seeking Sabbath, always finding time and place to be still, to know. I have been sharing about my own medical problems, and I hope it hasn’t sounded whiny or self-absorbed, I really feel God is using this time and wants me to speak about it. A right shoulder labrum repair, hernia surgery, followed by this basal cell carcinoma removal. I know a lot of people who are suffering much worse, none of these were very traumatic or life threatening, but I’m tired of it.

I had the stitches out of my neck yesterday. Finally, a step forward. Then came this morning, when I found out I had developed an infection at the incision site.

But God says “be still and know”. Be still and know; know that “The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40: 28-31

Can you imagine a more beautiful image or promise of recuperation?

We all get tired, and we all get weak.

People outside the faith have no idea of the toll this world is taking on them, and we need to do all we can to lead them to the source of peace, rest, hope, and strength. But it is an entirely different story when those of us who follow Christ, ignore or refuse or just don’t pay any attention to the fact that we are in such great need and that God is calling out to us with an offer of strength and power.

We are all prone to stumbling.

Life is hard. Really hard. We wade, every day through the morass of this world; on the best days we are surrounded by a world refusing Christ. From atheism to addiction. From Sunday sports schedules for our kids to war around the globe.

On the worst days we find out someone we love has cancer, a friend’s teenager is cutting herself, our children can’t raise their children.

Life is hard. Really hard.

And oh, my, we’re getting older every day. And if “even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall” what about us?

Life is hard. Really hard. But…but…”but those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

No matter how tired, how weak, how depressed, how devastated we are, God’s strength never fails, and He is offering His strength to you.

Be still. Know Him. Then walk…run…soar!

Peace be with you, Pastor Jim