Going, Going, Gone

Baseball season is starting up very soon, and a common baseball "call" after a ball is hit very hard and looks like it is going to leave the park is "Going, Going, Gone". The scripture today is very clear on something else that is "Going, Going, Gone; let's take a look.

Scripture

1 John 2:15-17

15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Observation

Don't get very attached, in fact DON"T GET attached at all to this world and its desires because they will pass away, in fact they are "Going, Going, Gone".

Application

Where is my heart, and what am I in love with? Verse 15 says not to love the world or anything in the world. So what do I love? Evidence will show in two areas; where I spend my time, and what I spend my money on. All this stuff in this world-passed away-"Going , Going, Gone", why should I be attached to it, there is no return on investment. But in God's Kingdom, what I do matters. Did I show and act out in love more than I boasted about what I had? Did I give to the poor and needy instead of giving into the lust of the flesh and buying a flashy new cellphone that slides, flips and practically cleans itself? And after craving that promotion did I discover turmoil instead of peace? So what should I do today? Follow the teachings of Christ in all situations I face. Love my neighbor as myself instead of loving a thing of this world, give to the needy and poor instead of giving to myself with more "trinkets", and if I feel a craving for something that is "Going, Going, Gone" flip that craving into something eternal, such as a craving for God's word and His kingdom, so when I engage in "things", I am storing up in Heaven things where they will never rot or decay, unlike this world which is rot and decay.

Prayer

Father, Thank you for the powerful and instructive word on what we should put our life into. It is not things of this world. I ask that you would guide and develop me in how I should spend my time and money so it is profitable for your kingdom, instead of something that will pass away. Amen

The Defense Rests

In the news is a man by the name of Bernard Madoff. You may have heard about him and his $50 billion dollar ponzi scheme. He is accused of scamming money from 1000's of investors, and having spent all the money on himself instead of investing it, like he said he would. So he has done the only thing a person in this situation would do, and that is to hire the best defense attorney money can buy. He is in trouble and needs the best paid help he can get, to get him out of this mess.....that he made. Let's take a look at 1 John 2:1 at another defense attorney.

Scripture

1 John 2:1 1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

Observation

I do not have to go through the Yellow Pages and look for a defense attorney, I already have on and a pretty good one.... A Righteous One!!!!

Application

Jesus is my defense attorney, but I have to call and tell him that I need some defense, from my sinful actions. It is that simple. Jesus is waiting for me to confess my sin( 1 John 1:9) and when I do, my defense attorney-Jesus the Righteous One-goes to the Judge and presents my defense, that I am purified by His blood (1 John 1:7) and made righteous. God wants us to know him is so we can see his Glory that he has provided it ALL for me, so a sinful man can have an unbroken relationship with Him. When my sin is cleansed then God sees me as totally righteous, because I am. What a wonder. I don't even have to wait for the jury to give a verdict. The defense is made and rested and I have been declared as FREE.

Prayer

Father, Thank you for giving me a Defense Attorney who is always working for my good, to continue to present me to you, as your son who has been washed clean of all sin, and in right relationship with you. Amen.

In the Mud

Scripture
2 Peter 2: 22
Of them the proverbs are true: " A dog returns to his vomit," and " A Sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."

Observation

Is that me?

Application

As I read this scripture I began to wonder if there is any part of me that is returning to things of old, before I was rescued by Christ from the corruption of this world? A dog returning to his vomit is disgusting, and a pig will return to wallow in the mud and food slop, and I have been washed by the cleansing blood of Jesus and if I return to anything that I have been freed from it is just as disgusting as me going back to eat my own vomit. Why would I do that? What will keep me from returning to wallow in the slop? It has to the constant renewing of the my mind (Romans 12:2) so I have NO conformation to this world, BUT will approve the good, pleasing & perfect will of GOD. That renewal will come from feasting on the Word-like a starving man going to a buffet, from listening to the Fathers Voice and Direction-instead of the banter of the world, and receiving the freshness of the Holy Spirit as a fresh drink of mountain water.

Prayer

Father, I ask that you would reveal in me any area I am returning to to wallow in that is covering the cleansing you have given me. I pray that you would bring a stronger will in me to feast on your word, to listen more intently to your voice and take in all the freshness from the Holy Spirit. Amen

Recipe of the Day

Yesterday I needed a recipe so I went to a website "AllRecipes.com". In reading the Bible today, it did NOT direct me to a recipe website, however it did give me a recipe for being a productive and effective servant of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's take a look at this recipe, and how and if we have the ingredients on hand.

Scripture

2Peter 1:3-9

3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Observation

God has given me EVERYTHING I need for life and godliness.

Application

What if I don't feel like I have everything, because life seems hard and I feel a long way from being godly? I need to preach to myself because it doesn't matter what I feel......it matters what the Bible tells me about myself. So the Bible tells me that God's divine power has given me everything I need to for life. The scripture goes onto say that God has given me these promises and through MY PARTICIPATION in them I will escape the corruption of the world. So what do I have to do? I've been given these promises. I now have to take them and embrace them and actual use them in my life. If I treat them like shirt someone gives me, and I hang it in the closet, it does me no good. It was given to me, but I have made it useless because I have not put to use the gift I was given.

So what is the recipe I need. The Bible says that EVERY EFFORT should be made to take the faith I have been given and add a CUP of goodness. To goodness add a CUP of knowledge. Once that is mixed up a bit put in a CUP each of(maybe two CUPS) self control and perseverance. Thoroughly mix scraping the sides then add a CUP of godliness. Let that stand for 30 minutes, then finally add brotherly kindness and the final ingredient which must cover the entire batch and then be mixed completely throughout is Love. That's it. A wonderful recipe for me to put together to be effective for our Lord. I can't leave Love on the spice rack and try to substitute it with something else, because the Bible says I am blind and have forgotten how my sin was forgiven.

Do I fail in making this recipe? Yes. But do I make the effort to have these promises and ingredients displayed in my life? Yes. I think the lesson for me is that I need to take inventory of my spice rack and see what I am using; are they the spice promises God has given me or are they spices I bought for myself at the Farmers Market?

Prayer

Father, you have given me everything I need for life without me even asking for them; you know what I need. Thank You. I ask that you go through my spice rack to take inventory to make sure I have your promises in the inventory, not useless Warren spices. Amen.

What A Deal

Remember the times when you got a great package deal. It came with this and that, and even more and you had a wonderful feeling about the deal you had received. That's kind of how I feel about this last chapter in 1 Peter. Let's take a look.

Scripture
1 Peter 5:5 "give grace to the humble"
5:6 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may life me up in due time"
5:7 "Cast all my anxiety on him, for he cares for me"
5:9 "Resist the devil"
5:9 "Stand firm in the faith"
5:10 "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

Observation
This is a great deal/package!!

Application
Let's see what's in this package deal.
1) I have to be humble because opposes the proud. I can do that because the last person I want opposing me is God-what do you think? For that I get more GRACE from God, and then God will lift me up. Good deal so far.

2)Cast all my worries/cares/concerns/anxieties on God. Take a look at that. It's not just give them to God, it is casting the net of everything that weighs me down onto the back of God. In movies, you see a big net fall down and trap the person under the weight of it, but get the image that we cast everything, daily/hourly, onto the back of God and it has NO effect on Him. He will carry it for me, because he cares for me.

3)Resist the devil by being in more faith, standing firm in the faith that God has given us. I could go into a long list of things to resist, but Peter has just told me to cast all my cares onto God, so much of what I should resist is to take the net of cares back over because the devil is telling me that God is not taking care of me, or I think that it is not happening fast enough, whatever. SO, I need to resist the devil in taking those anxieties back on, and stand firm in the faith that God has it covered.

4)Here's the whip cream. Do you all like whip cream on top? Fat Free of course. Wait back to the topic. The God of grace, will HIMSELF restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast.
What a Deal. I follow the word, I act humbly before God not boasting with pride about myself, give ALL my anxieties( these would not be just your run of the mill small concern, these are the anxieties that I would have to take medication for, to get through the day) to God, he does the heavy lifting, and then He will turn around and restore me, strengthen me, firm me up and make me steadfast. It would seem like the person who is doing all the work would be the one who should get the "goodies". So why am I being restored, when my burden is light if I have given it all to God? The Bible tells me that God takes pleasure in having his children be free.
If I am free from all these anxieties, then I live a life pleasing to God, I worship and fellowship more with God, and that is exactly how God wants me to live; sacrificed to Him so he can me through his power, nothing on my own.

Prayer
Father, what an awesome package you have provided for me. I have the freedom to give you everything that bogs me down, and that is good enough, but then because I am in Christ you are going to make me even stronger because I have trusted in you. What a deal. Amen.

So That......

When was the last time you thought about us living in the end times, and what exactly did you think? Did you get excited that our time on earth is short, so that we can begin our eternity in heaven with Christ? Were you excited that the pain and trials of this old world would be in the rear view mirror? I've always learned towards the last one, that to think about the end being near, is a time to think about all the garbage of this world being gone, and I'd be living in paradise. In reading 1 Peter 4 the Bible tells me to think something completely different than what I have about the end. Let's take a look:

Scripture

1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.

Observation

The Bible is pretty clear about here; I am not to think about ME getting out of here and enjoying the life in paradise, I am not to think about eternity, I am to pray. Straight up....pray.

Application

So I am to be clear minded and self-controlled, so I can pray. In looking at the scripture before and after this verse, the Bible is very clear how to stay self controlled. Stay away from debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. So whether my mind is on any of these things, or off onto something else, then my mind is not clear to the things of God and not doing the will of God(verse 2). If I am caught up with something, then I will not be able to do what God has asked me to do after verse 7. God tells me to Love, offer hospitality, faithfully use the gift given to me, speak for God, and serve with an ending strength.

So what does this look like in my life, how can I apply this? I need to determine what is clouding my mind? What things are muddling my mind? Then those thoughts are the ones that need to be kicked to the curb. What actions am I doing that are not self controlled? Is there a form of lust in my life? Lust of influence, things of this world(better JOB, PHONE, CAR, HOUSE, BOAT, FILL IN THE BLANK) and what about potential idolatry in my life(self esteem, TV, 22" spinners for the car). As I look at this list, these are, honestly, all things that will be in a land fill within 20-30 years, so why am I so caught up in them? Because the scripture will be true and Satan is not just going to let that happen, because then I will start to pray more and more and more. The Bible says that all of our prayers are as a fragrance in a bowl, and God leans over the bowl to smell the sweet fragrance of his saints praying. Now that is awesome, so let's keep the mind clear and be self controlled and pray until we see the end.

Prayer

Father, Thank you for giving me instructions on what to do. I ask that you would forgive me for not following the instructions given. Help me to keep my mind clear and be in controll of things in my life, so they do not take away from the real and true purpose here and now, and that is so I can pray. Amen

Brought

Isn't it nice when someone brings you something? Many times it is a surprise, but even if it is not, it is special to receive a gift/token/spoken word. Today, the scripture tells me about something that was brought. Let's take a look.

Scripture

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.

Observation

Look what was brought to God by Christ-ME.

Application

In this crazy, got to run around, get ahead of everyone else, make a name for yourself world Jesus has come so he could bring me to God. The Bible. 1 Corinthians 6:20 tells me that I was bought with a price and that price was the body of Christ. So not only did Christ pay for my sins, but I am so important to God that in paying for me, Jesus also has taken me to God. I am not left in "the store" paid for, but I am picked up and taken to the Throne of God. The conversation may go something like this: "Father, I paid for this but it is such a special gift that I wanted to bring it straight to your Throne, so as my special gift to you I bring and give to you Warren Watson". Wow. Does that show how much God really loves me and how He looks at me? God is not sitting in heaven waiting for me to sin, so He can punish me (many people think just that, that God is just waiting to club them in the back of the head), but rather He takes me in as an righteous person and we will speak with each other to deepen the love for each other. So not only have I been bought with a price, but also Brought straight to God.

Prayer

Thank you for the sacrifice of Christ for purchasing my life. Because of the work of Christ, I have been brought to you. Thank you for such an intimate relationship. Amen.

Have you been to a company or function and nothing was in order? Everything and everyone was kind of out of place? It was probably because there was not one person taking full charge of the situation. What I will look at today is a scripture that clearly shows me how my life will be directed.

Scripture

1 Peter 2:25

25For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Observation

God has again nailed me to a T. I am as a sheep just wandering around, but I came back to the only Shepherd and Overseer I need to know.

Application

What really sparked in my spirit was that God Oversee's me. He is not the dictator, he is not bossing me around; he gently oversee's my life. What does it mean to me that he is my Overseer? In my mind I see it as a garden. In John 15:1 the Bible says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener." So the gardener oversees my life. If my life is all the plants in a garden then.....he knows when I need to be trimmed, he knows when I need water, he knows when I need more nutrition, he knows what pests will try to destroy me, he knows how to protest my roots during winter, he knows it all because he OVERSEE's it all. I trust my OVERSEER, that what is being done to me right now is good for me. I know that all my branches and flowers may have been trimmed and I look like a bare twig in the ground, but the trust I have in the OVERSEER of my life tells me that because of the trimming I will be stronger and more beautiful in the end. I need to let the OVERSEER do the correct and timely work on me.

Prayer

Father, Thank you for overseeing my life. I surely can't, I'm just a wandering sheep, BUT your chose to oversee me. I pray that you could help me accept every area that you oversee. I don't know the big picture, but you do, so I turn that over to you so you can oversee my life to bring more glory to your kingdom. Amen