Generating Enthusiasm

 

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

—Romans 12:9

What generates enthusiasm in the very core of your being?

Is it watching the way your children are growing up into responsible adults? Is it a hockey game, basketball tourney, Super Bowl game, NASCAR race, boxing match, soccer game, horse race, baseball game, lacrosse tournament, or some other sporting event? Is it completing a project like that quilt you've been working on for weeks?

Is it doing a good job at work? Learning a new skill or a new language? Is it perfecting a new procedure? Writing some new software code? Solving a tricky problem?

Maybe its traveling to some locale on your bucket list? Perhaps it’s a visit with your grandchildren, or nieces and nephews, or your parents or siblings?

Most everyone of us has something that fires up our enthusiasm into what the Bible calls “zeal.”

For the Apostle Paul, and for countless believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is unfettered devotion to God that ignites their enthusiasm.

Here's how Paul put it when he wrote to the Christians in the church at Rome in Romans 12:9-13:

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

As you consider this day, examine your own enthusiasm for obedience to God'’ will and His Word. Does your enthusiasm burst into genuine zeal? I surely hope that it does.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

God Is With Us

 

“It is God who arms me with strength…”

—Psalm 18:32a

When God sets you on a path, or gives you an assignment, you need not ask, “Can I do this?” The very fact God has given you the pathway or task indicates that He knows you can do what He requires.

Furthermore, you are not walking on the pathway or working at the task alone. God lovingly will provide every ability you need to have in order to accomplish His purposes.

The Psalmist acknowledged this when he wrote these words in Psalm 18:32-35:

It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great.

Our “greatness” does not depend on our own strength. In fact, if we rely on our own strength we will surely not achieve true greatness. God alone offers us the love and power that will propel us to genuine greatness.

Let us make a conscious decision to cling to His steadying strength and power.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Genuine Trust

 

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

—Psalm 9:10

Sadly, and I do mean "sadly," this photo depicts what life has taught me through many painful lessons.

Fortunately, I have learned that the one, and most important, person I can trust is the One who knows me the best and loves me the most: God!

As King David has written in Psalm 9:7-10:

The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

God is turly the One in whom we can place our trust. He will never leave us. He will never let us down.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Start With Joy…

 

“You make known to me the path of life…”

—Psalm 16:11a

“Let this new day begin with joy in your heart. Start this day by releasing the troubles that assail you into the caring hands of Jesus. Bask in the glory of His love and grace. Let your voice well up with singing. Let your mind and heart soar with thoughts of gladness.

“This new day opens a new beginning for you. Seize this day with enthusiasm. Rejoice that Christ has risen and claimed victory on your behalf.”

So reads a Call to Worship for an Easter Morning Sunrise Service. God intends for us to greet each new day with the same joy we feel when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As the Psalmist has written in Psalm 16:11:

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Eternal pleasures! Joy in the morning! A newness of life to kiss the new day! Hallelujah!

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Pick Yourself Up!;

 

“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

—Matthew 10:30

Self-reliance is a quality that all people should embrace. The ability to pick yourself up and keep going when things become challenging in one’s life is a precious gift from God.

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ draw their strength and protection from the faithfulness and care of the God who loves them. Note Jesus'’ own words, as recorded in Matthew 10:29-31:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

God will care for us even more so than He cares for the other creatures He has created. We bear His image, the Imago Dei, that other creatures do not bear. We alone of all creation have this unique connection to our Father/Creator.

As the Genesis account records, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the Triune God—said in Genesis 1:26:

Let us make mankind in Our image.

Take heart this day. Your self-reliance is rightly built on the foundation of God's love and grace.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Difficult Roads

 

“I lead you along straight paths.”

—Proverbs 4:11

Sometimes the road we walk in life turns rocky and difficult. Fortunately, we do not walk alone.

A gospel songwriter, Normal J. Clayton, captured this thought in these words:

He holds my hand;
Jesus holds my hand
Safely to heaven he leads the way
He is my keeper from day to day
He holds my hand;
Jesus holds my hand
Though the way may be long
But my Savior is strong.
And he holds my hand.

As King Solomon wrote in a message from God that he recorded in Proverbs 4:11-12:

I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.

Let God lead you along the path He has prepared for you.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

“The Power To Surrender”

 

“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”

—Romans 2:5

Writing in his classic devotional book, My Utmost For His Highest, Oswald Chambers pens these words about surrendering ourselves to God:

In our surrender, we must give ourselves to God in the same way He gave Himself for us—totally, unconditionally, and without reservation. The consequences and circumstances resulting from our surrender will never even enter our mind, because our life will be totally consumed with Him.

Successful daily living requires us to hold nothing back from the God who loves us. God gave us His Son, Jesus, to die in our place. How can we withhold ourselves from Him?

General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, summed up this thought when he wrote the words on the graphic at the beginning of this blog post. As we begin another day, let us ponder these words and determine to live them out to the glory of God.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Starting A New Chapter

 

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on…”

—Philippians 3:13b-14a

Early in my business career, an older man offered to give me some advice. He urged me to not live by following cliches.

He illustrated his point by saying, “Keep your ear to the ground, your shoulder to the wheel, your head in the game, and your eye on the prize. Now, just try to work in that position and see how far you can get!”

I like the words the Apostle Paul gave the Christians in the church at Philippi much better, as recorded in Philippians 3:13-14:

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Don’t live in the past! Of course, it’s quite proper, even helpful, to remember the lessons you’ve learned from past experiences. But don’t “live” there.

Instead, keep moving forward along the pathway God has laid out for you—even when you may feel that path leads nowhere. The goal may lie ahead, just out of sight. Trust the God who loves you with His unfailing and undying love.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

“Be Still And Know…”

 

“Be still, and know that I am God…”

—Psalm 46:10a

At the beginning of this new day, we do well if we pause to consider with awe and gratitude the power of the God who loves us with His everlasting love.

The Psalmist has captured a glimpse of God's mighty power in Psalm 46:8-11:

Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Today, let us worship the God of immeasurable power. The God who made everything that exists. The God who sees the sparrow fall from the tree branch. The God who loves and cares for us even more than He cares for the sparrow.

Here’s an appropriate musical reminder that I hope you will enjoy:

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Feeding Your Mind

 

“…if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

—Philippians 4:8

Our thought life has a much more profound impact on the direction our lives take than we realize. Wherever we focus the attention of our minds usually determines where we are going in this life, and even the next.

Applied psychologists have verified the effect our thoughts have on our actions through countless studies. Lots of popular motivational literature is based on the concept: “As I think, so I am.”

Even believers in the life-transforming power of the Lord Jesus Christ recognize the effect their thought lives have on their spiritual formation.

The Apostle Paul urged the Christians at Philippi to guard their thought lives, as recorded in Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

We do well to guard our thoughts in order to channel our actions.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Forgiving Heart

 

	“But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
	—Matthew 6:15

Has anyone ever done something to you, or said something to you, or said something about you that harmed you so badly you simply can't imagine extending forgiveness to the one who harmed you?

Most of us have been hurt by others. Fewer of us have had someone try to utterly destroy us.

Imagine, just for a moment, how God must feel when He observes us purposefully rebelling against His laws. It’s as if we want to destroy Him. And yet, He forgives us through the precious blood of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We really have no choice. As hard as it may seem, we absolutely must allow the Holy Spirit to create within us the willingness to forgive those who have harmed us. Please consider what Jesus said, as recorded in Matthew 6:14-15:

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Let us pray and ask God to give us forgiving hearts, so that when those who sin against us come to us and ask for our forgiveness we will already have had our hearts changed to hearts willing to extend that musch needed forgiveness.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Trusting God, No Matter What

 

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…”

—Philippians 4:12c

“No matter what happens in my life, I intend to trust God!”

That kind of a bold statement comes from someone who has faced many trials in life and found perfect peace at the center of God’s will for his or her life. God is faithful. He is trustworthy—that is, He is worthy of our trust.

No matter what kind of “storm” may roll into our lives, no matter how deep our disappointment, no matter how strong an attack from Satan assails us, the God who loves us with His powerful and everlasting love will give us the ability to overcome.

So, as this new day begins, take comfort from these words of the Apostle Paul as recorded in Philippians 4:12-13:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Hang On To Your Spinning World!

 

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand…”

—1 Peter 5:6

Is your world spinning so fast that you can barely hang on? Do you feel so assailed by the cares of the world that you feel squeezed on all sides?

If so, I have good news for you: God willingly waits for you to surrender your cares and cast them at the feet of Jesus. God does not expect you to carry your burdens alone.

The Holy Spirit will gladly ease your burden by taking the weight off your shoulders. Just as Jesus bore your sins on the cross, so He will lovingly take whatever is wearing you down and carry that burden in your behalf.

As the Apostle Peter instructs believers in 1 Peter 5:6-7:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

The gospel song writer has confirmed this good news:

All your anxiety,
All your cares,
Bring to the Mercy Seat,
Leave it there.
Never a burden
He cannot bear.
Never a friend
Like Jesus.

Here'’s a thoughtful version of this song:

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Then Comes The Blessing…

 

	“The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.”
	—Job 42:12a

Everyone faces little annoyances in the course of our daily lives. But sometimes something really big happens that knocks us flat.

Perhaps its the loss of a loved one, the dissolution of a marriage, a devastating accident, the termination of employment, or some other tragic event. Whatever this intrusion may be, it throws us for a loop.

Consider the Patriarch Job. His devotion to God was tested in a striking way. He lost his children and all of his possessions along with his health. But the tragedy of Job’s life was not the end of the story.

Take note of these closing words to Job’s narrative as recorded in Job 42:12-16:

The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters.

The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation.

God has a perfect plan for each one of us who belong to Him. In the midst of the trials and tragedies of life, we need to learn how to fall backwards into the safety of His loving arms.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Imparting Patience

 

	“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction…”
	—Romans 12:12

I’m a very impatient person. I’m not at all good at waiting. It’s not so much that I want instant gratification. Rather, I want things to happen quickly so I can move on to the next task. I’m very task oriented. I’m a work-aholic.

Part of our commitment to God, through the life-transforming power of the Lord Jesus Christ, involves bending our will to His will. We must accept the fact that His timing is perfect in all things. That means we must wait patiently on Him.

One of the tasks of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete who comes along side us in our walk with Christ, is to help us learn patience. In writing to the church at Rome, the Apostle Paul shared these words recorded in Romans 12:11-12:

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

The trials and afflictions that may enter our lives can help teach us patience. We can learn to trust God, to lean on Him, and to patiently wait for Him to act in our behalf.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

“Fear Not!”

 

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”

—1 John 4:18

The recent Supreme Court decision favoring the right of closely held, family corporations to opt out of providing the four of twenty birth control methods that abort a fetus—on the basis of the religious beliefs of the owners of the company—has caused an outcry. In their fear, many scream, “Where is love? Why don’t these Christians love women enough to pay for ALL forms of birth control, even those four methods that effectively abort a newly formed fetus? There’s a war on women!”

Discussions regarding the philosophical underpinnings of this controversy will need to wait for another day. But the outcry does show how divisive fear can become.

The outcry also illustrates how the word “love” can become misused by those who do not take into account the whole counsel of God. God’s love is an extremely important quality. But love is not God’s only quality. His love does not trump His justice, or His mercy, or His grace, or His jealousy.

Yes, God tells us in Exodus 20 that He is a jealous God, not willing to share our worship with other gods. These other gods includes the god of fear.

So many evil things take place in our lives that are promoted by fear. We must determine to not bow down and worship at the feet of fear.

Take note how love and fear are connected, as found in 1 John 4:16-19:

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.

In the most loving way possible, I urge you to flee whenever fear calls your name. Don’t worship at the feet of the god of fear.

Let God’s love draw you irresistibly into His mercy and grace, never forgetting that He is a jealous God who wants you to worship Him and Him alone.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

At Our Darkest Moment, The Light Shines

 

	“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”
	—Romans 5:6

Some people say, "“I’m not good enough to be a Christian. I’ve done so many bad things in my life so that God could never forgive me.”

These dear ones seem to miss the point. We are all sinners—every single one of us. We were born into this world already cursed by the sin nature we inherited from Adam. If that wasn’t enough, we have continued to sin from the moment of our birth right up until this very day. Sin is an inextricable part of us—all of us!

The Apostle Paul shares this good news from Romans 5:6-8:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God waits to welcome anyone who comes to Him in response to the wooing of the Holy Spirit. If you’re a sinner—and please remember that we’re all sinners—you are exactly the kind of person for whom Jesus died in order to save you from your sins for all eternity.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

“Has God turned His back on America?”

 

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

—2 Chronicles 7:14

As we approach the celebration of 238 years as a nation, I wonder if our nation has lost its way. Truthfully, I stopped wondering a long time ago.

Please read these words carefully:

My country tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died!
Land of the Pilgrim's pride!
From every mountain side,
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love.
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture fills
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song.
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our father's God to, Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King!

Celebrating the founding of our nation, do you think that the majority of our citizens truly honor and revere these sentiments?

Perhaps a question even more important than, “Has our nation lost its way?” is the question, “Has our national sin caused God to turn His back on America?”

Note these words from Jeremiah 18:5-10:

Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.

“If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.

“And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.”

More than ever before in my lifetime, this is a day when we should fall to our knees and plead with God to send a great, sweeping revival. Let us join together to claim these words from 2 Chronicles 7:14:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

May it be so, dear Lord!

It seems that we need to turn from our wicked ways and restore what’s missing in our nation.

Here’s an appropriate musical reminder that I hope you will enjoy:

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

“Where Are We Going?”

 

	“You make known to me the path of life…”
	—Psalm 16:11a

I really like the question embodied in the Latin phrase "Quo Vadimus." This phrase asks, "Where are we going?"

I’ve written about this subject extensively in the past. I believe this question represents a key point of self-examination for an individual, for a church, or for any organization.

We who serve the Great King Jesus can always circle around to the stark reality that He has a definite pathway for us.

“Where are we going?”

We may not know the full answer. But, we can depend on God to direct us and illuminate the pathway He wants us to follow. Note these encouraging words from Psalm 16:11:

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

The Psalmist acknowledges that God has made known to him the path of life. Just as God did that for the Psalmist, so He will gladly do it for you and for me.

Let’s determine to joyfully receive this unique gift from God and also determine to follow the path that God opens up before us this day.

 

_{Copyright © 2014 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}