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Missing the mark? The Last Days – 4 of 7


Verse for Today:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. – 2 Tim 3:1-5

Watching that movie Armageddon was really intense. Will they save the world from the next ice age to hit the earth? When something is about to end it really matters what you have been doing in the process between the start and end. Many religions have an end of day scenario.

The Bible depicts it as not a nice time. To see what it is really about we will apply the AB thinking to compare the two.

            Terrible                                                     –                                  Good

  1.   Lover of Yourself                                       –                                   Lover of God
  2.   Lovers of Money                                        –                                   Lover of People
  3.   Boatful about themselves                       –                                   Boast in God
  4.   Proud about themselves                          –                                   Proud about God
  5.   Abusive                                                          –                                  Encouraging
  6.   Disobedient to their parents                  –                                   Obedient to their parents
  7.   Ungrateful                                                    –                                   Grateful
  8.   Unholy                                                           –                                   Set apart for God
  9.   Without Love                                               –                                   Loving
  10.   Unforgiving                                                  –                                   Forgiving peoples hurting you
  11.   Slanderous                                                    –                                   Complimenting people
  12.   Without self control                                   –                                   Self Control
  13.   Brutal                                                              –                                   Gentle
  14.   Not Lovers of the Good                              –                                   Lover of the Good
  15.   Treacherous                                                   –                                   Honest
  16.   Rash                                                                 –                                   Thoughtful
  17.   Conceited                                                       –                                   Humble
  18.   Lovers of Pressure                                       –                                   Lovers of God
  19.   Form of Godliness                                        –                                  Powerful walk with God

On which side do you find yourself mostly today? If you look at the world we can say we live in the last days.

In the end it says have nothing to do with the terrible side.

Prayer for Today:

Lord in the end it is a choice about the good or the terrible. Your choices will determine on which side you are on. Lord help me to choose you rather than the world. Amen.

What is my Purpose and Destiny? – Talking to God – 5 of 7


Verse for Today:

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'” – Luk 11:1-4

Can you remember those sleepovers at your friends house? You used to hire one of those suitcase video machines and watch movies all night long. Afterwards you would have chatted into the early morning times while you had your midnight feast. Or going camping lying in your tents and talk about the glory days.

Prayer in a sense is just a conversation with God. But having a conversation with your friends is miles different that have a conversation with God. You did not get to be in your profession with some internship or training. Same with prayer; it is best to learn it from those who have practised and learned it for a long time. 

I think the attitude here is one of humility and learning to be the best for God. That is an attitude yiu need to have for your rest of your life or you will never grow and leave God. It is pride that got the devil kicked out of heaven. Do you have the humility to ask for help? 

Practicals:

You must learn to pray — disciples saw the strength Jesus received from the Father. 

Daily personal relationship with God (v. 3); daily prayer. Image not talking to your wife or girlfriend not for a day. They will be worried. My daughter did not want to pray yesterday. So I asked her how must Jesus  must feel when she does not want to talk to Him (she calls Him her Father), very cute. Afterr a while she prayed. I think our prayer should be that personal!

What I do most of the time is to write my prayers in a journal. It make it so much more personal and then you can go back and see how God answered your prayers. Remember the reason we have Psalms is that David and the sons of Korah wrote down their prayers.

There is a guy who lived in the middle ages, they call him brother Lorance. What he used to do is pray one sentence prayers throughout the day. So that keeps it simple and you are in a sense walking with God throughout the day.

There is a bit of a of a format here in Jesus’ prayer. They call it ACTS, like the book of the Bible. 

A – Adoration: To praise God. Think of all His attributed or nature that He created. 

C – Confession: Know where you are missing the mark? Confess that and ask God for help.

T – Thanksgiving – This one should not be difficult. Praise God for all your blessings. 

S – Suplication – Asking God for stuff. We are really good at this one.

When you follow the template it will give you some structure and ideas. You can even write your ideas at the back of your journal and pray accordingly or use as a reference.

Prayer for Today:

Dad help me to have a great prayer life / relationship with you. Help to be consistent every day. 

What is my Purpose and Destiny? – Consider the Cost – 4 of 7


Verse for Today:

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” – Luk 14:25-33

In my line of work you have to calculate the cost of buildings all the time. You even have to do a feasability to see if you will make money with the project. You most probably have seen that half built house that is the laughing stock of the town stand there. Sometimes we are very enthusiastic about to start something but lack the determination to complete it. We did not determine up front the magnitude of our decision and resolved to do it. 

Hate is a strong word. Most conflicts in the world today stems from hate. It is such a destructive emotion that destroys relationships. Now out of the ordinary Jesus calls us to to everything except Him. Why would He do that? If you put everything in an eternal perspective what really matter is if you, yourself go to heaven. No relationship, even your own life should deter you from loving God. It is thee pinnacle of all prioroties. Jesus makes it a condition to be a disciple. 

The other condition we have seen in the previous verse is that if you do not carry your cross, you cannot be a disciple as well. Seems a bit harsh when Jesus says that. What if your work was optional, would you have gone? No, I dont think so. So some things in life is non negotiable. 

When you strategize against an opponent you take into consideration their strength, resources, influence, etc. You are stupid if you take on an enemy that is stronger than you because he will crush you due to your ignorance and stubbornness.  Do we really think we stand a chance against God? Do we measure up to Him? If not you just need to submit and get with the program. 
Are you willing and do you give up everything you have on a daily basis to follow Jesus? That most probably is the biggest call. 

Practicals:

  • Prioritise your life.
  • Plan God into your day, it does not happen automatically. 
  • Determine what you have to give up.
  • Building your life does not happen in a day, you have to resolve every day. 
  • Just let go of the peanuts, they will burn up anyway. Trust God that He will look after you.

Prayer for Today:

Lord help me to love you wholeheartedly. Help me to see life in perspective. I pray that I will give up everything everyday to you. Amen

1.4. God seeks men … when men are Seeking God – Part 4 of 8

23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

John 4:23-24 | NIV

God definition

The supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe.

How do you distinguish between : True vs. False Worshippers?

There is a qualification:

1. In spirit – The part of a human associated with the mind, will, and feelings. A pervasive or essential attitude, quality, or principle. An attitude marked by enthusiasm, energy, or courage. Temperament or disposition. From the heart, the inner self. The vital principle or animating force within living things. So we need to worship God in the right spirit. It’s like hanging out with someone. Is it a pleasant or bad experience? We also need God’s Spirit to worship through him. What is your attitude about seeking God? Is it positive? How serious are you about it? What priority does it fill in your life?

2. In truth – The quality of being true, genuine, actual, or factual. Something that is true as opposed to false. The Bible is truth. How well do you know the truth? Do you know God’s saving plan, he’s will for your life?

Amazing that God seeks us out. He wants a relationship with us.

Do you worship God in spirit and truth?

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