Superstitions

As I have mentioned before, I am a big fan of baseball. Baseball players are notorious adherents to many superstitions. They will wear the same socks and wristbands for long periods of time. They exhibit the same sets of movements as they get into the battery’s box. They eat the same foods every gameday. They do all these things because they believe the power is in the superstitions, rather than their abilities and experiences.

I Samuel 4:3 says, “And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” The elders of Israel trusted in the ark of the covenant to win their battles, rather than trusting in their God. Their superstition led to another humiliating defeat. We should place our faith in God, not in the superstitions of church attendance, family Christian heritage, coffee table Bibles, or formula prayers. Although these may be good things, our faith must always be firmly placed in God Himself.

Extreme Makeover

We have seen television shows and news reports chronicling extreme makeovers of houses, personal appearances, and business operations. All of these makeovers aim to completely remake the subject, but they start the makeovers with the foundation that already exists. God wants to do an extreme makeover of our character by removing our old self-centered and sinful nature and replacing the old nature with a new identity in Jesus Christ.

I John 3:2 says, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” As God’s children we are being transformed into His image. The transformation is filled with trouble as our new nature constantly battles to render our old nature fruitless. In eternity, these troubles will no longer be present with us as our transformation will be completed and we be like Jesus.

Give Me Liberty

From an early age, we learn that the wrong actions result in less freedom. Parents may have sent us to our rooms for “timeouts” when we did something wrong. Later, we may have been “grounded” for errors in judgment. As adults, we know that if we are caught doing something illegal, we can be sent to confinement. God’s truth tells us what we must do to have real liberty to experience all that He designed for us.

James 1:25 says, “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”Obeying the laws of the land and the ways of God gives us freedom. This freedom is liberty from governmental punishment, and liberty to live as we are designed by God to live.

Honor the On

Have you ever owned a unique product or art piece? Or have you ever participated in a one of a kind event. These unique experiences or possessions hold a special place in our hearts and we give them honor whenever we think about them. How much more, then, should we honor the only Sovereign King.

I Timothy 6:15-16 says, “he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. ” If we want to live for eternity, we must trust the only one who has immortality. If we desire to live according to wisdom, we must walk with the only one who dwells in light. Our God is the only Sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords.

Plans Gone Awry

So many times, things do not turn out like I had planned. The timing was wrong, I forgot something important, or some other obstacle pops up that I cannot overcome. I may have had the best intentions, but lacked the ability to overcome the obstacles and follow through.

Isaiah 14:24 says, “The LORD of hosts has sworn: As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.” We face all kinds of obstacles in life and many times, the plans that we make do not come to fruition. But God never fails and obstacles can never thwart His plans and purposes. Therefore, we can trust His promises and act in faith.

Let The Celebration Begin

Some people are known as the life of the party. The fun begins when they show up. I am not known as the life of the party.

Psalm 24:7-8 says, “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!” In ancient times, the king would return from battle victory and the gates of the city would be opened for king, the beginning of a great celebration. We have the opportunity to open our hearts so that the King of all glory may enter and the celebration of saints and angels shall begin and continue throughout eternity.