The Daily Dose

Orphans?

Therefore, you are no longer a slave/orphan but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Galatians 4:7

I was an orphan.  I ran out into the world to act and live like the world.  I did my own thing and didn’t listen to anyone or answer to anyone for that matter.  Not that I didn’t cry out for help many times when I got in a bind.  God always came running to my rescue.  Actually, I wasn’t an orphan, but I acted like one.  God had adopted me into His family years before, but my understanding of that was limited at best.  When He adopted me, He didn’t look at my past to see if I would make a good child of God.  He didn’t look at my future and think I had a lot of potential.  He didn’t even look at my present and say “She needs a Father, so I will take her in”.   The only one He looked at was His son and said “I want many more Children like Him!”

Today’s verse talks about being a slave or an orphan.  I was a slave to the world’s way of doing things.  Even though I thought I was living life my way, it was a trap into living life the way those without a Father live.  One day, I turned back to my Father and said “I don’t want to do things my way anymore, I just keep making a mess of things.”  Of course He came running to my rescue.  He didn’t say, “No, I don’t want to be your adopted Father anymore, you are too messed up.”  He didn’t even mention the adopted part.  In His eyes, I was His child coming back into His home, His kingdom and His world.  I was now in a place where I was safe, protected and clean from the stains of the world’s sin.  Now instead of living like everyone else in the world, I began to live by the Kingdom of Heaven’s ways that are laid out in scripture.  Just because you have been adopted into the family, doesn’t mean you are automatically living His ways.

The fact is, that God’s ways are what work in this world.  It is the way He originally created this world.  To function just like Heaven does, but when sin entered the world, it was knocked off balance and Heavens ways were quickly forgotten about.  Today, we can bring heaven back to earth when we begin to live by Heaven’s principles.  When we take the time to get close to our Father, develop that personal relationship with Him through talking to Him and reading His Word, we will soon be taking Heaven with us wherever we are.

Today I want to encourage you to think about your adoption in Christ Jesus.  Just what does that mean to you and what does it mean to God.  Then ask yourself if you are living by the house rules or the worlds rules.  Even though you may not have gotten into trouble like I did, you can still be far from the Father right where you live.  Take time each day to grow your relationship with Him by talking to and listen to Him.  Lastly, remember where you came from.  You were once an orphan.  Even though your loving Father will never remind you of that, stay submitted to Him with the determination never to live as an orphan again.

Today’s scripture reading: Galatians 4:1-7

            Faith or Fear

just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.  Galatians 3:6

This is pretty interesting. . . Have you ever heard someone say or maybe you have said it yourself, “I’m afraid ____________ is going to happen.”  Maybe it’s something like cold weather or rain.  Maybe something a little more personal and serious like sickness or even disease.  Maybe it’s something you’re afraid for yourself or for someone else, but here’s the thing, when you speak the things you are afraid of (whether you are actually afraid or just considering) you are actually giving life to them.

Today’s scripture is about Abraham and how God made him the father of many nations long before he even had one child.  God made the promise to Abraham and then Abraham believed it and began speaking it.   Abraham didn’t go around saying, “God said it would happen but I’m afraid we just can’t have children, let alone a whole nation.”  Abraham believed God and so he began to speak what God promised him.  In fact, the scriptures says that Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”  Abraham not only believed God, but he showed his belief by speaking what God had promised.  God changed his name from Abram to Abraham which literally meant “father of nations.”  He didn’t go around saying I can’t call myself Abraham because I am not a father of nations yet.  He took the promise of God and gave life to it by speaking it every time he said his own name.  It grew so big in him until one day he believed it enough to open the door for God to come in and do a miracle.

Here’s the point . . . today we can speak what we fear or what we believe.  It is up to us to give “voice” to the promises of God both from His Word and from His Spirit.  We cannot be intimidated by the world’s philosophy of speaking doubt and unbelief.  We must take our stand on the Word of God for it to become evident in our lives.  This also applies to our current circumstances. God and His Word (Jesus) are more real than any circumstance but we cannot continue to agree with the seen, temporary, present things.      (2 Corinthians 4:8)  We have to ask God for the wisdom to speak what He is about to do in the situation, the changes He is going to make, and then speak the promises that He gives us.  2 Corinthians 4:13 says, “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak.”  Now is when we make the decision, “do I speak what I see and what I fear the outcome will be or do I speak and agree with what God sees the outcome can be if I trust Him?”  The choice is up to us.

Today I encourage you to consider your words over your circumstances.  Pay attention to the words you are saying over the details of your life and over the struggles of your life.  Consider if you are agreeing with your circumstances or if you are agreeing with God and His Word on every level.  Here’s the thing, you are saying something anyway that probably hasn’t happened yet, why not take the God side of the issue and speak His Word over it instead of the fear side?  Not only will His Words bring peace of mind, they will bring the results you desire for all the concerns surrounding your life.

Today’s scripture reading: Galatians 3:1-9

Redeemed from the curse

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),” Galatians 3:13

Today’s verse is a New Testament verse that tells us that once we are in Christ Jesus, we are redeemed from that curse!  Glory to God!!!  Redeemed means to be made free from captivity by payment.  Jesus paid the price and penalty for our sins so we could be free from captivity and that also includes being set free from the curse of the law.

In Deuteronomy 28 there is quite an extensive list of the curse.  The curse even includes such things a mildew, locust, and diseases that weren’t even recognized yet, diseases that are in the world today.  It is an incredibly terrible list and one that I am so thankful to be redeemed from.

The scripture in Deuteronomy says that God would bring these things on His people for not obeying His Word.  However, when Jesus was on the cross, God, the Father, poured out all His wrath on Jesus, so He no longer brings these things on people.  These terrible things are in the world still today because of the curse that resulted from the fall of man.  When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, the world was brought under a curse, so today’s cursed things are a remaining result of the original sin, but they are not for those who have been saved by the blood of the Lamb.  Even though the curse may try to come on us, we have the power and authority in the name of Jesus to stand up and say “No!”  However, God’s promise still stands and if we listen to and obey His Word, He will keep, protect, and bring us through every struggle.

Today I want to encourage you to examine your own life.  Is there any area where deception may have crept in and brought the curse along with it?  Turn those things over to God and get the devil under your feet.  He is God’s defeated enemy and has no authority to bring his evil curse on you, a child of the Most High God!!  Press into God and get into His Word then He will show you how to overcome all of life’s struggles!

Today’s scripture reading:  Galatians 3

Crucified with Christ

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  Galatians 2:20

As I began reading Galatians 2, I knew this verse was coming up at the end of the chapter.  So, I was looking for it and, of course thought, “I know this one”.  When I got to the verse, suddenly I saw it completely different than I ever had before.  When I read the first line “I have been crucified with Christ”, in my mind I could see Saul of Tarsus being knocked off his horse by a blinding light on the Damascus road.  Immediately, that fall from his horse to the ground represented to me his death to himself.  That’s when he met Jesus for the first time.  That meeting was when he was crucified with Christ.  When he got up off the ground, those who were with him helped him to get to a place where he could wait until he regained his sight (which he lost when he was knocked to the ground).  It was three days and he didn’t eat or drink . . . his burial time.  Then a disciple named Ananias came and laid hands on him, he regained his vision, and was baptized and began the ministry God had for him.  Now it was no longer Saul that lived in that body but Christ Jesus now lived in him.  He gave Jesus the space in his life that he himself used to occupy and became the minister of God.  The ministry was the way he demonstrated living by faith in the Son of God.

This revelation may seem like a no brainer to some people, but seeing this picture gave me a whole new perspective of my salvation in Christ Jesus.  Yes, I have always known that when I received Jesus I died and gave my life to him, but the reality of it was something I struggled to see.  Seeing the picture of Paul on the horse really brought the reality of salvation home to me.  Now I realize that at the point of my salvation, I died to my selfish desires and gave Jesus the space in my life that used to be full of what I wanted to have and do.

Today I want to encourage you to ask yourself, “Have I fully given my savior that space I once occupied?”  “Am I letting the Holy Spirit of God navigate and direct me daily?”  “Have I truly been crucified with Christ Jesus, or do I still allow that “dead” person to control my life?”  These are hard questions, I know, but if you will answer them honestly and try not to justify your actions, you will be able to go so much deeper in your relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  That is when you will truly be on the road God has planned for you and live your life to the extreme fullest!

Today’s scripture reading:  Galatians 2

Wilderness?

“nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and remained with him fifteen days.”  Galatians 1:17-18

Today’s scripture is about the Apostle Paul after his conversion on the road to Damascus  It says that he didn’t go right into ministry.  He had a “wilderness” time. Many people believe that as soon as he was converted, he went right into full-time ministry.  However, that just wasn’t the case. He spent three years growing in his spiritual walk with the Lord. This “wilderness” time no doubt, prepared him for the writing and teaching that he would do throughout his ministry.

There are many other examples of those who have gone through “wilderness” times as they prepared for ministry. Elisha served Elijah for several years before he was ready to step into the leadership position.   David was pretty much an outlaw for several years before he became king even though he was anointed when he was still in his father’s house.  Joseph spent 13 years in Egypt as a slave. Some of those years he spent in prison before he sat next to the pharaoh. The scripture is full of examples of those who went through the refining time and years of training.  Their “wilderness” time was meant for refining, building up strength, and receiving the power of God for effective ministry.

Today I want to encourage you if you are going through a “wilderness” time to recognize it as a time of refining or growing.  If it seems like you keep facing the same tests repeatedly, it could be because you haven’t passed them yet.  As you recognize your “wilderness” time, begin to rejoice that God has a plan for you. Even though it may seem burdensome and weary, spend that time learning and growing as much as you possibly can.  Then recognize this time is preparing you for the calling on your life.  God is getting ready to accomplish many things for the kingdom of heaven through what He has called you to do!  Ask the Lord to show you any areas where you need to grow so that you can move out of the wilderness into your promised land.

Today’s scripture reading:  Galatians 1:17-24

Put away the past

But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.”  Galatians 1:23

Have you ever had thoughts that you were not qualified to be in ministry?  Maybe that you don’t have the training or the perfect attitude?  Maybe you feel unqualifies because of something you have done in the past?  In today scripture we see the Apostle Paul struggling with this very thing.  He goes through a long list of activity that happened after his conversion on the Damascus Road.  He gives his testimony here of how he was on the path of being trained for the priesthood.  He was excelling in his training above most of those he was training with.  Because of the drive in him to excel, he began to persecute the new believers in Christ Jesus.  Then he talks about how God separated him from that, but after God called him, he didn’t go directly into ministry.  He spent time growing in his faith and renewing his mind in walking by the directions of the Holy Spirit.  Certainly, he knew God’s ways. He had spent his entire life being trained in the scriptures and the laws of the priesthood.  However, it wasn’t until he met God personally that he realized God had more for him.

All through Paul’s writings, we can see that he did not dwell in the fact that he was on a serious track against God’s plan.  He didn’t let his past stop him from completing the assignment God had on his life.  He did take some time to grow, but then he got on track and ran his race fervently and zealously. By the time he started his ministry, his testimony was “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy” (Gal.1:23)

Today I want to encourage you to not let your past stop you from accomplishing all God has for you here in this world.  Let Him use the things in your past to reach others.  Whatever it is, good or bad, God can use it.  Paul had good in that he was studying the scripture, but he also had the bad in that he persecuted the church.  God used both.  He will do the same for you.  Your part is to surrender it all to Him and say.  Father God, here is my life, good and bad. Take it and make something out of it that will glorify You for all eternity.  He will lead you to the perfect path of life where you will live fully satisfied and complete.

Today’s scripture reading:  Galatians 1:11-24

Distractions

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel.  Galatians 1:6

Yesterday I talked about the grace and peace that Paul offered to the body of believers in Galatia in his letter to them.  We talked about how there are many different greetings and that he offered grace and peace because that was where they needed to turn the attention.  Today’s verse sheds a little bit of light on that.  Paul is marveling at how soon they have turned away from the grace of their salvation in Christ Jesus.  In this passage he goes on to talk about how they are following after twisted gospels.  In essence, they are being distracted by teachings other than Christ Jesus and Him crucified. These ideas were distraction that lured them away from the faith they had when they first believed.

Distraction and twisted gospels are still among us today.  If you don’t purpose to keep your faith strong, you will be easily turned to look in the direction of the noise of the world.  Whether its work, media or activity, life today can pull you away from the thing that you once held in the highest esteem.  Even though the distractions of life where not exactly what the Galatians were up against, the message is the same.  Our focus and main priority needs to remain on our walk and relationship with our Heavenly Father through Jesus our Savior.  His grace is what empowers us to be successful in our faith walk.

The Apostle Paul goes on in this letter to talk about how he separated himself from the former life he had.  He went away to take some time to prepare for the ministry God had called him to.  He put away the distractions of life so that he could focus on growing in in the grace God had put into his life. This is the same thing we can do today.  Although we may not be able to move away from the life we have now, we can pull away from some of the distractions and spend more time with our Father.  Even if we don’t know right now the plans and purposes He has for us, as we turn our attention to Him more each day, He will begin to reveal these things to us and give us a starting point.

Today I want to encourage you to pull away from the distractions of the life.  Set special time aside each day to spend with your Heavenly Father.  Establish an appointed time that you dedicate completely to communing with Him and then make that appointment your most important commitment each day.  Ask the LORD to reveal His plans for your life and then begin to follow the steps He gives to take you there.  Grow in the grace and peace He offers today and complete down to the last detail all the assignments He has for your life.

Today’s scripture reading:  Galatians 1:6-10

Grace and Peace

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, Galatians 1:3

This scripture is the greeting that the Apostle Paul used in his letter to the people of the church at Galatia.  It’s an interesting greeting in that he starts by giving grace to them  He says “I’m sending grace and peace to your from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ”.  How can he write this message?  Did He get permission from God and Jesus to offer grace and peace to those in Galatia?  The answer is yes!  Grace and peace are for all God’s people, and necessary to live life and complete each assignment.  Again, Paul doesn’t qualify this offer with, if it is God’s will. He knows it is God’s will for all the members of the body of Christ to have grace and peace?  He knows that God freely gave them to him at his conversion and also gives them to all believer that receive the Lord Jesus as Savior.

This may sound like a simple concept, but why did he choose these to aspects of salvation as his greeting?  Grace and peace.  We read a couple days ago that the Apostle John offered prosperity and health in his letter. So there are many different ways that the letters were addressed.  The reason, I believe is because that is what they needed.  Paul starts his letter by letting the Galatians know that grace and peace are available and this is what he wants to draw their attention to.  God’s unlimited grace and excessive peace.  As we read through this book of Galatians, notice the trouble the people at Galatia are having, then decide if the solution is indeed grace and peace for all their trouble.

Secondly, although this offer of grace and peace was sent to the Galatians hundreds of years ago, it is still available today for you and me.  Glory to God.  God’s unlimited grace and excessive peace are still here for us to walk in each day.  Not only that, but we can give them to others just as the Apostle Paul did.  We can greet each other with words of encouragement and remember that, Hey, grace is available to get you through the day and peace is there to calm the storm you are facing.  Instead of getting down in the dumps with those who are already down, give a word of truth that will remind them they are a child of God and more than a conqueror. The best part about this is that you already know that grace and peace are God’s will in every situation!

Today I want to encourage you to remember that grace and peace belong to you.  As a born again child of God, you don’t have to be knocked off course and have your world rocked every time a new problem comes along.  The storms will not stop, but you always have a way through by riding on the grace and goodness of God’s love and peace!  Take that with you and then share it as you have the opportunity.  Also, Help others to navigate their storms by remembering that grace and peace are theirs to carry them through.

Today’s scripture reading:  Galatians 1:1-5

Prosper your soul part 2

Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers. 3 John 1:5

As I wrote yesterday about steps to take to prosper your inner person, I consider that there is more to this than just your “input”.  I talked about the way you eat food to strengthen your physical body and compared it to what we take in through our other senses to feed our soul.  As I thought about this some more, it occurred to me that exercising is another aspect of prospering your soul.  We do physical exercise to build our body’s muscles to become healthier, stronger and more energetic.  Likewise, we can exercise what is put into our soul to reinforce the prospering of the elements that are being “put into” it. 

Let me explain.  Today’s verse talks about how this fellow believer was serving others.  In that way he was displaying the “prosperity” of his soul or what was on the inside of his heart.  He was showing his love for others in his acts of kindness and service.  It was an outward expression of what was on the inside of him.  He was “exercising” his soulish muscles by loving on others.

This is a practical step to take in your walk with the LORD and other believers.  As you grow in your faith and plant yourself in the house of the LORD (church building) some of your first steps can be serving in the church building.  As you continue to grow, you will begin to recognize opportunities to serve beyond the walls and ministry will begin to grow in your heart.  Connect with other believers that can help you to learn and understand the direction the Holy Spirit may be leading and determine to complete the assignments that God has put on your life to impact the world around you.  Stop sitting around “binge” feeding your soul on the spiritual junk food of world controversies and social media.  Instead, feed your inner person on the things of God that will last forever.

Today I want to encourage you to take next steps beyond what you are feeding your soul through looking, watching and listening.  Begin to step out and exercise the prospering that is going on inside of you.  Start looking for opportunities to serve others and show the love of God.  Ask the LORD to lead you to those who may need a helping hand or some encouraging words.  Don’t let your soul be weighted down by the poverty of the world’s input, prosper your soul by sharing the richness of His love everywhere you are.

Today’s scripture reading: 3 John 5-12

Prosper your soul

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.  3 John 1:2

Here we are in 3^rd John.  It starts out with a greeting to a fellow believer who is faithful and generous.  In verse 2 the Apostle John says, he is praying for his friend to prosper and be in health.  Notice he doesn’t qualify this prayer with “if it is God’s will”.  No, he is quite confident that God wants His people to be successful in what they are called to and to be in good health to get the job done.  The qualification seems to be on the part of the person receiving this blessing.  John tells him to prosper and be in health in the same way that he is prospering and healthy on the inside.  In his soul.

So, the question today is: How does a person prosper and have a healthy soul?  The soul part of a person is their mind, will and emotions.  It is what is on the inside of an individual.  If a person is overly emotional and loses control easily whether in anger or disappointment, we generally consider that individual to be weak in spirit/soul.  Usually  those with strength on the inside will project that on the outside in their daily disciplines. However, the scripture seems to give the impression of the soul growing or continually strengthening.  The key is in what you are feeding your soul.  What you take inside of your heart through your eyes and ears are what is feeding your soul.  Just as you put food into your mouth to feed your body, you are putting things continually into your soul through your other senses.  Jesus talks about this in Matthew 6:22 & 23.  He said your eyes are the lamp of your body, so if you are looking at “healthy” things (such as God’s Word, praise and worship) your whole body will be full of the light of God’s love and goodness.

Because life happens, we cannot always control what we see and hear, but on the occasions that we can control it, make a conscience effort to feed your soul with the things of God and life.  Limit your intake of news and other sources of world media.  Instead, focus on the good things God wants to lead you too and is doing in your life and the life of those around you.  If you feel like your external circumstances are controlling your life, this is a good indicator that your soul is not prospering.

Today I want to encourage you to prosper and be in health at the same rate that your soul (inner person) is prospering and being healthy.  If you do not like the results you are seeing on the outside of your life, consider what you are allowing to get on the inside.  Your inside person is controlling your outside circumstances, so decide today to prosper your soul by letting God direct what you are feeding your soul.

Today’s scripture reading: 3 John