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Take Time to Be Holy

There is a popular song that says:

Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above

With wisdom, power and love, Our God is an awesome God.

Just two lines–yet so powerful.  This God whom we have chosen to serve is indeed awesome. There is nothing He cannot or will not do for His children.  He deserves so much.  Do we give Him all the praise we should; does He have our undying love?

Firstly, how do you perceive God?  What is your attitude toward Him?  Is it sort of yeah, yeah, I know there’s a God but let’s talk about something else. Or is He your friend who dwells in your heart?

Think about it.  God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die as atonement for all our sins.  Atonement—that means Jesus gave His lifeblood to cover all we have ever done that would fall under the category of ‘sin’. I wonder if we do enough to thank Him?

When was the last time you sincerely praised God?

In his book, “Praying the Lords’ Prayer” author Elmer Towns makes these suggestions on how to begin praising God:

1. 1. Try thanking God for all He has done in your life.
2. 2. Try worshipping God for all He has created.
3. 3. Try praising God for all He has done especially as recorded in the Bible.
4. 4. Try magnifying God for all you have in Christ.

Do you remember to thank Him whenever you see a sight that takes your breath away?  Do you think to tell Him how wonderful He is when something good, or exciting, or special happens to you?  Or are you too caught up in the excitement of moments and remember way later that you didn’t give thanks to God. If we want to be sure we adequately praise God, and worship Him as He deserves, we have to think of these few things.

First, take time to be holy.  You may well ask, “In this day and age, how is that possible?”  Time is the currency of today’s world, according to Towns.  We’re all so busy and time is something most of us just don’t have enough of.  But how long does it take to reach God–a heartbeat perhaps?  When we call, He hears us.  It only takes a second to say thank you, or help, or that’s amazing!  We can do it at any time.  Those few words connect us with God.  But if that’s all you do don’t pat yourself on the back yet.

Taking time to be holy, to worship God is the most important routine you will ever develop.  A few minutes daily of reading in His word, along with any devotional, saying a prayer of thanksgiving and care for friends and family let Him know that you care enough about Him to seek Him out just for a little quiet time with Him alone—quality time, one on one. That’s important to Him—that you care enough to take a piece of His time.

Speak often with the Lord, small stuff and really big things. Marvel at what He does. Let Him know you notice. Tell Him how awesome He is. Talk to Him about everyday things, about coincidences.  You could have some serious conversations on that topic.  You have a wound that won’t heal, and you’re not really doing a lot about it because you figure it’ll go away on its own.  But it doesn’t and it’s starting to look bad. You could go to the doctor, you’ll make an appointment tomorrow, but it wakes you in the night and you search out the polysporin or something.  Is it just coincidence that a different, stronger salve or ointment comes to your hand first, or did you get a little nudge because this was really a bad infection?  Or there’s an accident on a highway you were just travelling on, but for some reason, you had changed your route and you were safe.  It could have been you on the way to the hospital or the morgue.  Was that different route a coincidence, or a nudge?  We say, “Boy, that was lucky!” a lot, but was it luck or direction?  Speak oft with the Lord. Think about those things. And listen to His responses.

Abide in Him always.  That means to stay in Him.  Make the choice.  The Bible says: In all ways acknowledge Him and He will direct Thy paths. That’s the difference between lucky and God’s intervention.

Feed on His word.  It’s not enough to listen to the Word of God as it is read to you on Sunday mornings.  Look up the passages, mark them and reread them at home after the service.  Reflect on them and on the message for the day. What can you learn from reading and hearing His word and its application to real life?  Develop a voracious appetite for the Word and as you read, use study notes, check the cross-references mentioned in your Bible.  Be discerning about the translation you are using. One or two words can completely change a meaning. A good Bible has been directly translated from Greek and Hebrew. Join Alpha and Bible study groups. Feed on His word.

Make friends of God’s children.  That’s a tough one. We don’t always work with God’s children. Lots of us have friends who never go to church.  They’re great people; maybe they know God and they know all about Jesus, but it’s not an important part of their life.  In fact they are good people, much better than some of the so-called Christians walking out of church on a Sunday morning.  But many of these friends don’t want to talk about the Lord, they may not respect the Sabbath and they read books and watch movies you know are not wholesome.  Some of them do these things—not all. So do you too, probably. Remember you’re not perfect either. There are lots of good people around who are just that—plain good, but they don’t have a relationship, or at least not a visible one, with the Lord.  Making friends of God’s children is much like finding a spouse who shares your own background.  You may fall in love with an Asian, or an African or a child from a broken or abusive home. That happens a lot. But as you progress through life, you will discover many things that keep you apart, mostly because of how both of you grew up.  That’s how it is with a Christian and a non-Christian.  They have a few things in common but when religion becomes the topic of discussion, non-Christian friends will simply shy away from a lengthy discussion or anything that is important to you. They don’t want to talk about it.  Don’t stay away from your friends—pray for them. Your faith may be visible, but it doesn’t mean it’s better.

Help those who are weak.  We don’t have to look far to find them.  People in the counseling profession could certainly tell lots of stories about them. So could teachers and police officers.  We’ve seen signs as we travel through northern Ontario: “Spouse abuse is a crime!” Schools are filled with bullies.  Children suffer from broken and abusive homes. When we can, we need to reach out and help.  We cant sit back and hope somebody else will do it. As a church, we need to seek them out and lend a hand and when we do all these things, we seek His blessing and we are blessed.

We are. The book of Psalms tells us this:  Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night.

Keep this in mind and don’t stop meditating or worshipping.  God’s blessing is what keeps us on our feet.  Worship Him with praise, but also worship Him with your hands and your heart.

Let your friends and acquaintances see Jesus in you.  Let them see that you have something they do not have. Make them want it. They might not talk about it, but they’ll notice, and just maybe they’ll ask and you can direct them to an Alpha group or invite them to your Bible study.

Let God guide you.  By asking yourself ‘What would Jesus do”, and taking the time to reflect upon it, you can’t go wrong.  When you take the time to keep the connection to God in heaven, you can’t make mistakes.

The Bible promises this: “If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the Lord, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;  Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble.  I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Because we love Him, he will do this for us.

Lastly, be calm in your soul.  Give your worries to God. Worship Him with a heart of thanksgiving. You can drop them at the base of the cross of Jesus and leave them there.  Far too often, we drag them all the way up the hill, drop them, rest awhile, and then pick most of them up again out of the dirt to worry about all over again.  Just take them to the cross with a heart full of praise and leave them there; search for the calmness of the soul and receive God’s holy peace. For God proclaims, “Be still and know that I am God.” The peace He gives passes all understanding.  It cannot be described.  You have to experience it.

To sum this all up, if that is possible, Micah 6:8 says this: What does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Amen

Book Talk 

Adam and Eve by Donna Dawson

We just finished reading the above book and we both agree—it was definitely a keeper. It is well researched and well-written. Ms. Dawson keeps you turning the pages to see how she deals with the difficult subject under discussion.

The book is fiction and tells a story of a group of near perfect young people spirited away from home and parents and delivered to an idyllic island where they are matched to the perfect mate. The author deals well with the subject of genetic tampering in the post war years—an idea initiated by Hitler and continued here in her tale.

The opening action draws you in immediately, keeping you on your toes as you wonder how violent will be the action and how evil is evil.  Including spiritual warfare lends an extra element of suspense.

The book is an excellent read for young adults and adults alike and leaves you to wonder how far science will go in the search ‘to know—to see if we can do it.”

We highly recommend that you find a copy of this book and read for yourself how powerful love is and what ‘undying love’ means.

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The Ezekiel Option–Joel Rosenberg

I just finished reading “The Ezekiel Option”, by Joel Rosenberg. What an amazing book! The author is truly gifted and for anyone who has done little or no reading about what’s going on in the Middle East it is very difficult to tell where fiction and non-fiction separate.

The book gives a chilling insight into the way history is speeding toward the end times and how we are asleep. We’re not seeing how today’s events are coming together as they have been foretold thousands of years ago. Excellent fiction.

The author is definitely giving a wake-up call.

We highly recommend it as reading.

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On a different note:

It doesn’t matter what I read.  Someone else always has a new book by a different author that shouts at me to read it too.  And so I will but for now, it will be added to my pile.

The days aren’t long enough! Or is it that there aren’t enough days in the week?

What are you reading?  Tell me about it.

At the moment I am reading Mohammed’s Moon a fiction story by Keith Clemons. It’s an excellent choice to follow up Joel Rosenberg. The theme is the same. Report to follow.

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Mohammed’s Moon by Keith Clemons

This is a must read—a book you can’t put down—either.

It is the tale of two brothers, twins, separated at birth. One grows up as a devout Christian, the other as a radical Muslim.

It deals with the spiritual conflict which accompanies ‘coming to know Christ’ from a life of lies, hatred and hurt. The author gives an excellent insight into radical Islam, but also reminds the reader that it is only one part of that faith. It is an excellent wake-up call to the free world.

An excellent follow-up to Joel Rosenberg.

Battle for the Soul of Canada by The Rev. Ed Hird

The author draws from a wealth of pioneering Christian Canadian leaders. He ties together the need for religious stability within our country to the same needs of the world following the death of Jesus. He brings to the forefront the words of encouragement offered by Paul to Timothy, making them relevant to the needs of the present day. He shares with Paul a love for the truth of Scripture, refusing to bow to the demands of a modern society to tell the people what they want to hear. This book is truly an inspiration to churches of all denominations who struggle to retain Scriptural truth as they deal with the overwhelming pressures of modern society.

What are you reading?

Vengeance—Donna Dawson 

Donna Dawson has done it again, tackling a frightening and black period in the history of modern mankind and pulling out of it the basest of human desires—that of revenge.

In her story, the characters and events revolve around the realities that exist behind the curtain of ‘leadership’—the lies that try to validate war as just, the lies claiming that any means is acceptable to obtain the required end.

They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”

We have two choices—forgive and wait for God’s justice to be exacted or spend a lifetime under the bondage of vengeance. This novel captures the essence of human frailty, the overwhelming reality of the haunting desire to see our tormenters brought to justice by our own hands in our own time and the satisfaction that comes from delivering it as we believe it should be dealt out.

On the other hand Ms. Dawson makes it clear that God is present in all situations—that He weeps as He walks beside His people in their time of fear and danger. The story makes it evident that He provides in all situations people who can offer the choice of reaching out for His redeeming love and protection, or rejecting it.

Two stories intricately woven to reveal two great truths.

Book Talk—Deep Waters—M.D. Meyer 

The love Ms. Meyer feels for the First Nations of our country is clearly evident as the events of the story unfold.  Each character is carefully created; each one haunted by one of the many hurts and sorrows that, sadly enough, are so common among the native people of northern Canada.

It is evident that Ms. Meyer has a deep desire to bring healing and peace through the teaching of God’s word.  As the characters are introduced, the reader is led to through their lives, chuckling, weeping, feeling their fear, anxious for healing, and sorrowful for the realities that face our native brothers and sisters.

A lot of issues are dealt with. As is so true in our lives, many of us have sorrows or hurts buried deep. Not all of us are blessed to know people who can lead us to freedom. Not all of us have the grace or the wisdom to accept it when it is offered. Ms. Meyer clearly illustrates the peace freely offered by the healing hand of God and the joy that follows its acceptance.

This is a book of sorrow, hope and salvation.  Well written and an excellent read.