Sunday, February 15, 2009

Go In Peace

"And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The presence of the LORD be with you on your way.” (Judges 18:6 NKJV) It could be said that peace is the opposite of anxiety and fear, because when you are not fearful and or anxious you can have peace. In these troubled times we are all anxious and fearful...for our jobs, security, finances, welfare, family, and futures. But, the Lord is with you "on your way" wherever you go. God is always with you. Not only that God has your back. He has the map of where you're going, how you're going to get there, and He has given all of us the tools we need for the journey. Not only that God has a backup plan, and a backup plan to the backup plan. He's totally prepared for whatever happens in our lives. We can rest assured that no matter what happens in our lives, no matter how bad things get, no matter how stressed and anxious we get, as long as we have God with us on our life's journey it's all going to work out okay...even if we can't see that at the time. And so, we can go in peace knowing all is well. Love, Beau

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Patience Is A Virtue

"But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness." (1 Timothy 6:11) Everyone experiences time of frustration, desperation, anxiety, etc., when we all need to have patience. But, having patience can be very hard sometimes. We want things to happen NOW, if not sooner. God says we are to have patience in ALL things, and that He does answer our prayers. However, God's timing is not our timing. What seems like an eternity to us is only a second to God. So, when we ask God for something, and or tell Him our needs, we need to remember God responds to us in His time, not our time. We also need to be open to how our prayers are answered...no expectations. God doesn't always answer our prayers the way we expect, or want, Him to. Sometimes He says yes, sometimes He says no, sometimes He makes us wait a little longer...and sometimes if we wait patiently enough our prayers are answered better than we could ever dream of! Waiting patiently for God's response is hard, but it is always in our best interest...and what God wants us to do. Patience IS a virtue! Love, Beau

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Superbowl Sunday - God vs Satan

"And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Revelations 12:7-9 NKJV) God and His angels, led by Michael are facing team Satan (aka The Dragon or The Devil). It's a fierce battle and they are in the fourth quarter. God's team tackles the Devil's team...they score....they win!! WOOOHOO!! Team Satan is defeated and sent out and back down to where they came from. And, instead of getting gold rings to wear, God's team receives eternal life and a kingdom made of gold and pearls.! And God's team includes ALL of His children and those who truly believe in Him and follow Him! AND, God's rewards are much better than a ring! Love, Beau

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Love Is A VERB

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." (John 15:12, 13:34 NKJV) Love is a verb. It calls us into action. God loves us so much that He allowed His son to die a horrible death for us. God acted on His love for us. And, God doesn't just tell us to do the same, He COMMANDS us to love one another as HE loved us. God tells us that if we love another, then not only are we to act on that love, but act on it fully and completely...even if it means dying. Then God tells us that if we love another we have fulfilled His law. Loving is such a critical thing to God, that He tells us "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the GREATEST of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV) But what exactly is loving to God? God gives us a description of love. He says: "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Cor 13:4-7) At first this sounds like just a description, but when you go back and reread it you will see that the descriptions are also actions...being patient...being kind.... Conversely, when you do these things, you are being loving towards another. And remember, being loving is even more important, and bigger, than faith! So, remember to always uphold and sustain your words with actions! Love, Beau

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Child of God

"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." (Romans 8:16-17 NKJV) We are all children of God. And, as children of God we are all part of a royal family. God values each and every one of us as His children, and He does so equally. We all are hard on ourselves, and maybe others, at some point in our lives. Do not let anyone tell you that you are anything less than what you are in God's eyes. Don't buy into it and don't believe it. It's not true. And, don't sell your own self short. Each and everyone one of us, whether an animal or human, was created by God and is extremely special, valuable, and important to God. We need to remember that about ourselves and about each other. We need to treat each other as a valued and important person in high esteem, and just importantly we need to treat ourselves that way. We are all a child of God and dearly loved! AMEN!!
Love, Beau

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Lean On Me

"But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;" (2 Corinthians 6:4-5 NKJV) God never said being a Christian, or even doing the right thing in general, was going to be easy. In fact, when you read The Holy Bible, many were persecuted, tortured, and even killed for doing the right thing. It takes patience, strength, fortitude, and reliance on God. But, the good news is this...God never said you had to go it alone. He say, "lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b NKJV) God is always there to lean on and be our rock and our pillar...He wants that! Hallelujah! Amen.!
Love, Beau

Sunday, January 4, 2009

New Wine, New You

"But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved." (Luke 5:38 NKJV) Just like wineskins, when we give our life to God, the old and the new do not mix. One cannot put old wine into new wineskins. New wine has to be put into new wineskins. Otherwise the skin bursts. When we give our lives to God, the old life cannot be part of the new life. We are made brand new in God through Christ. God wants us to fully commit ourselves to Him. Otherwise, we are lukewarm Christians. God does not recognize lukewarm Christians because they are not fully commited to Him. In Revelations, God says of the lukewarm church, "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth." (Revelations 3:16 NKJV) It is only when one fully gives onesself to God, can they truly be freed of their past and live totally for God and be preserved. But, what a relief it is to know you are no longer chained to your past mistakes and hurts! What a joy that is! Love, Beau