Have you ever went through one of those Family squabbles and tried to get past the hurt.   This is one of the most difficult things in life to get past – intact and whole – most of the time after you get through it – it is never whole again.
My Daily Devotional Scripture today was from John 13: 2-5 > 2. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4. so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
           Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray him and still became a servant as he washed Judas’s his feet.   WOW….    What would that look like if we were in one of those Squabbles with a Family member or a friend and we sat down to wash their feet.   Something to really think about – a powerful act of Obedience.
I like to talk about a song that Matthew West wrote (Forgiveness) when I am visiting with a friend or family member that are going through one of those Squabbles.    It talks about that Forgiveness is one of the Hardest things to give away – especially when you know it is not deserved.  “How True”   But as the song states that the healing is not for the person being forgiven – but for the person doing the forgiveness… YUP>…      Then another part of the song that really gets to me is:   “Show me how to love the unlovable – Show me how to reach the unreachable – Help me now to do the impossible”  –  We cannot do this on our own – we must have the power of the Holy Spirit working through us to accomplish what is needed to heal the broken Relationships.
Enjoy listening to this song.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Lu5udXEZI&feature=kp

 As the scripture above shows:   Jesus did just that – He was able to wash the feet of Judas – this is an act that does not come easy. 

 HE DID IT ALL THE WAY TO THE CROSS….   

HE LOVED THE UNLOVABLE….

I have tears every time I listen to this song and see Jesus doing just what the song talks about.    So today – Heal those broken relationships – do as Jesus did – Wash some feet…

Bobbyg

 Ephesians 4:32:  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
 
 

A very good friend of my (Pastor Jason) shared a saying with me from his dad that really has impacted me. (“You May be the only Bible that someone sees”).
During my travels recently K-Love has been playing this new song that was put together by several Artist.   The part of the song that I have highlighted below reminded me of this saying once again of what we could be to someone else.

We could be the Hope that someone needs…

Hope Can Change Everything: K-Love World Premiere – enjoy the song….
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=0EC9BJNU
A spark can start a fire – A shot can start a war – A breeze can start a wave That crashes on the shore
Hope…hope can change everything
A breath can give you life – A hand can turn the page – A word can give you strength To face another day –                                                                  Hope…yeah hope
****Reaches in the heart – Of your darkest night – Lifts you off the ground – When you’ve lost the fight
Keeps you hanging on – Through the disbelief – Every day, every step, every dream

 Hope can change everything – Hope can change everything

     I could be the spark – You could be the word –  We could tell them something – That maybe they’ve never heard – Hope, yeah we could give it together  *****
Love is a cry of our hearts – To show them that hope isn’t far  ****
As you can see – we really need Hope to keep us going….  and it is a power weapon in our Daily lives that can move Mountains.
K-Love was also interviewing an Addict and he stated that what healed him was.  

1. 1.       HOPE           2.  Prayer      3. Surrender 

 So just something to think about:   Do you have Hope in your life – are you helping others in getting the Gift of Hope in theirs if it is missing?

Bobbyg

 
 

 Hobby Lobby does some great work in standing up for their faith — this is the Article they put into the News Paper on the 4th of July.
 

It seems to be one of those times right now that I am wondering where God is taking me…   I read this verse about approaching God with Confidence and my thoughts are how do you do that?
Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
               This verse is a great one on being able to receive God’s mercy and grace to help us through our times of need – and this is when we need him the most.   I have learned that we have to practice our Faith allot to be able to acquire the confidence that comes from being Obedient.   When we have done this – then we do have that Confidence that is required to approach God.
Then I listened to this song below and thought:   Look what he has done for us and the power that comes through him.   This is something that we should be seeking Daily….   enjoy……
 This is amazing Grace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjXjkbODrro
Who breaks the power of sin and darkness
Whose love is mighty and so much stronger
The King of Glory, the King above all kings
Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder
And leaves us breathless in awe and wonder
The King of Glory, the King above all kings
[Chorus:]
This is amazing grace
This is unfailing love
That You would take my place
That You would bear my cross
You lay down Your life
That I would be set free
Oh, Jesus, I sing for
All that You’ve done for me
[Verse 2:]
Who brings our chaos back into order
Who makes the orphan a son and daughter
The King of Glory, the King of Glory
Who rules the nations with truth and justice
Shines like the sun in all of its brilliance
The King of Glory, the King above all kings
                Now as my week is progressing it seems to be going better – the question of where is God taking me does not matter as much – but my focus is on talking with my Lord with the Confidence I need.   The answers of where he taking me will eventually come….

 So please as you go through those Daily struggles – seek out God with the Confidence that he longs for and he will give you Peace through his Mercy and Grace.

Bobbyg
 

My wife just purchased this saying to put on our wall from Exodus 14:14:  “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to Be Still” – This just happens to be where my Bible Reading is (Exodus), **This is the time when the Israelites are finally being taken out of Slavery and then Pharaoh’s heart has been hardened and his armies are once again in pursuit of them.   Then you know the Rest of the Story – God protects them and they are successful in escaping – they just needed to Be Still and let God do his work.
About a week ago I Blogged on the Scripture of 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 about “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business”
https://godsmightymen.com/2014/06/12/mind-your-own-business
This has been extremely confusing to me – I have always written about how important it is to always be going forward in God’s work…   One of my blogs was about Jonathan and his armor Bearer and we needed to be one or the other and go forward together in Battle.
https://godsmightymen.com/2014/05/26/jonathan-and-his-armor-bearer-you-gotta-be-one-or-the-other
We should not be just sitting underneath the Sycamore Tree doing nothing and waiting for the enemy to come…
As you can see – I am really confused…    Should we “Be Still” or should we be “leading a quiet life and minding our own Business” or should we be “Going forward in Battle as Jonathan did”?????
After doing much pondering on this tough topic of being quiet or active,  I have had to settle with the idea that are different seasons in our lives that we need to be all of these.

1.  There are times we need to Be Still and let God do his work so that we can be successful.  He needs us to trust in him to accomplish His will in the direction he has going.
2. Then there are times we need to lead a quiet life and mind our own business as was required of the Thessalonians.  We need to work hard and let Jesus Shine through us….
3. Then there are the times that we need to engage in the Battle as Jonathan did and go forward with our Armor Bearer alongside of us.

So the question is:   What season of life are you at the present time…   As my wife’s saying that we put on our wall – I would have to say that God is telling us to “Be Still” and allow him to do His work.  We are getting close to retirement and He has a plan for my wife and I – we just need to allow him to prepare the way for us.  It can be very hard to be patient – but in order for God to do his work through us –  we must “Be Still”.

 So look at where God has you at the present time and be obedient to where he is taking you.

Bobbyg

 

I had was reading my Daily Devotion this morning the scripture was from James.
James 1:22:   Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says….
This had me going back to last weekend – I spent Father’s day weekend with my Grand Kids in Colorado Springs (and with my son and daughter in-law).   It was my Grand Daughters birthday, so one of her gifts was taking her to the Wolf Refuge west of Colorado Springs – she loves Animals.   Well they had a Gift store and I really like to spoil my Grand Kids – so I told them I would pay for up to $20 of stuff for them.  While my Grand Daughter was getting her special gift of feeding the fox’s – my Grand Son and I went to the store.
While we were shopping Jonah kept asking the question of “Is this the Wolf Braidyn liked or would she like this?”.  My response was “what does it matter – this stuff is for you” – thinking that he did not want to buy what his sister would buy.  Well when we were finished purchasing our stuff – he looked at me and said “Now I can give this to Braidyn for her Birthday”...   Man did that put me in my spot…. the heart of a 7 year old was for giving someone else a gift. (Jonah was baptized in March).
It is great to see the perspective of the young doing what Jesus would do… the gift of giving to someone else.   My Grand Kids know the stories of the Bible – but it is humbling to experience them doing what it says…  We can all learn from the hearts of the YOUNG>
As the verse says above – we should not just be Listeners but Doers of what of what the word says…   and it is as simple as buying something for your sister instead of yourself.  Jesus commands are extremely simple to follow – our response is just to be obedient…

 So this week – look for those simple things to do and use your Talents to let Jesus shine through your response….

 Bobbyg

It has been one of those weeks again – Pondering about a scripture that my Pastor (Shaun) talked about on Sunday…    It was one that really had be thinking – is that right – nah it has to be wrong – well maybe it has a different meaning??????
OK – here is part of the scripture he had for his sermon….
1 Thessalonians 4:10-12      10.  And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11.  And to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12.  So that you’re daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
So my pondering has been on the part “To make it your ambition to lead a quiet life – you should mind you own business”.
My study bible has an explanation at the bottom that states:  “There is more to Christian living than simply loving other Christians.  We must be responsible in all areas of life.  Some of the Thessalonian Christians had adopted a life of idleness, depending on others for handouts.  Some Greeks looked down on manual labor.  So Paul told the Thessalonians to work hard and live a quiet life.  You can’t be effective in sharing your faith with others if they don’t respect you.  Whatever you do, do if faithfully and be a positive force in society.”
         OK I can go for the hard work is a great example for Christians to show their faith and get the respect of others.  But I am still puzzled on the “Be Quiet and Mind your own Business”…    I have always believed that Christians needed to speak out a little more about our Christian Values…   – the mind your own business – well maybe we should sometimes…
I am not going to try to go much farther in explaining what I think this passage is about and how to live it…     I am seeking some great Wisdom from all of you…..
So please think about this scripture an email me your Thoughts…                    gmmgodsmightymen@yahoo.com       Thanks…..
Bobbyg
 

I was having Lunch with a couple of guys yesterday and part of the conversation was about how do we minister to the people around us?  That has been a big question that allot of us do not know how to do – to tell people about Jesus.   We see it as something that is beyond our expertise and that we need to be preaching at them.
I had an the opportunity once at work several years back when a guy came up to me and asked me about Church (he knew I was a Christian or supposed to be one).  My response is one that I regret to this day – I told him to go ask this other guy – he knew more than I did about the Church (it was an elder at my church).  The guy never did and to this day, I am not sure if he ever made it to a church – I blew it….  I did not think I had the knowledge about the Bible or what it took to answer his questions.
Well during our lunch conversation my good friend Pastor Jason K.  Stated a quote that his dad had given him (Jason’s dad was a Pastor also).
“You May be the only Bible that someone sees” – Then it was asked:  “What does that Look Like?”  (The statement may have been a little different – but that was the main meaning of the statement).
**So my question to myself is:  When people look at me – “Do they see Jesus in Me??????”  — And as in my past for this person at work – I may have been the only Bible he would have seen and I really blew it.
 
Then we discussed what it would look like when we are asked to be the Bible to someone.   You know – it is not that we have to preach to anyone – we just have to be what Jesus said – here a few of them.  (It is Simple – Read Matthew 25)

•           If someone was Hungry  feed them.
•           If someone is in need of a Coat give them one.
•           If someone needs a place to sleep – give them one.

**Then I  had this conversation with my Niece (Stephanie M) and asked her what it looked like.   She had a great answer.

•   Smile at people.  –  Be Joyful to People – Visit with them…
•   BE NICE – With this gift they will see Jesus in you……

So as you see – it does not take much to be the only Bible that someone will see – what they must see is Jesus in You!

So my challenge to you is to say this Prayer:  

Jesus here I am, USE ME!

Jesus will give you the words to tell people about him – have faith.

 Bobbyg
**One of my best compliments this week was from a Postmaster in northwest Wyoming:  She stated that when she talks to me her conversation has to be different because she knows that I am a Christian….  You know what – I have never preached at her – she has actually done more preaching to me and she does not go to church – but what she does see: is Jesus in me and that is all I want.

This last weekend the KLove awards were doing their Christian Artist awards and one of the songs that was put together “God of this City by Chris Tomlin” was for a special purpose..   During the awards they had a Video on Detroit MI and it was one of the Cities that needs allot of help… 
     Below is a portion of the lyrics and a connection to listen to the song.
You’re the God of this city – You’re the King of these people – You’re the Lord of this nation You are………………..
You’re the light in this darkness – you’re the hope to the hopeless – you’re the peace to the restless you are……….
There is no one like our God – There is no one like our God………..
Greater things have yet to come – And greater things are still to be done in this city – Greater things have yet to come – And greater things are still to be done in this city……………………
 Chris Tomlin – God Of This City Lyrics | MetroLyrics
http://vimeo.com/19632313
     So my question to you is::   Is there more to be done in My, Our, Your City?  I have always believed that one of greatest mission fields is in our Back Yard.   There are souls that need to be told about Jesus just in our Neighborhood or around the block.  We do not have to go oversees to do Mission work – we can look at our city and find plenty of opportunities to be missionaries. 
     When I set back and just identified the people on my block – I really had to question myself about what am I doing:  Do I know who they are and Do I really know them good enough to know if they have a relationship with Jesus.   When I moved into my new Home @ a year ago, I made it my goal to know my neighbors..  I can tell you who is on each side of me – but I cannot tell you whether they go to church or if they know Jesus.    So now I have a Mission……….. – and it is right in front of me.     Our Mission should be anyone who is in front of us that may need to know how to have a relationship with Jesus.  
          So Yes there is more to do in my City and Greater Things are to come – because there is no God Like my God.

 My Challenge to all of you would be:

First of all find out who your Neighbors are.

Then get to know them….

You have a Mission NOW>>>>

Bobbyg
 

I have been writing a few times lately that we must be doing something – and then a couple of days ago this scripture was part of my daily devotional.
James 4:17 – If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
WOW – what does that mean – it is a very tough verse to read and be obedient – can we be Obedient to what this verse says?   We all have those times when there is a prompting from the Spirit to do what is good…

1.  Pray for someone.
2. Give to a great cause.
3. Help at the church when there is a need.
4. Share with someone at work or just listen.
5. How about those in need at the side of the street…… – do we pause and give?

This list can go on and mine does…   there are several things that I have been prompted to do – but Time seems to be my biggest excuse for not doing…     Am I in Sin???   This scripture would say that I am…   As my wife stated we are all in Sin – and this scripture can be one that would really hit us in the core of who we are and what we are supposed to be – but we fail miserably.     I am so glad that we have a Forgiving Lord and one that has this Radical Grace that is given to us.
The next day in my Daily Devotional – it had this scripture:    Micah 6:8   He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
And then this Quote by Jase R. – “To do the right thing, while treating people the right way, and the whole time maintaining humility in a walk with God is the simplest form of worship with the most profound impact on our lives and those we come in contact with.”
I do believe that if we walk in Obedience to what Christ has shown us – then we can be that person who is walking in Humility and worshiping our Savior.     There is Hope for us yet – and that we can become all that He would have us be…   by Doing Good.

 So as you go forward this week – listen to those promptings from the Holy Spirit to do Good and act upon them…..

Bobbyg