First Love

To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.  But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelation 2:1-7

                Maybe you were five, or maybe you were twenty-five, but, most people remember their first “love.” Maybe you remember the pounding of your heart when that special someone entered the room. Remember the shy glances, the smiles? So hard to forget.

Maybe you felt a passion for Christ when you first came to know Him. Were you aching to share with the world how He changed you, made you whole, redeemed you? But somehow, the pounding in the heart once felt for Christ may have lightened. The smiles may have faded as we have gone about the business of working hard at “doing right”. The glances, no, gazes into the Word, have now turned away to other things, maybe not things that are intrinsically wrong, but things which steal our time and attention from Him.

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Take this time to stop and reflect: Have you lost the love you first had for Him? Was there a time when joy of learning more about Christ overflowed?

            Lord Jesus, my sweet Redeemer, I turn my gaze back to You now! Fill me with the passion for Your Word I once had. I repent that I have let that passion fade. Let my heart long for You, and my deeds follow, and not the other way around. Jesus, be my Victory!

Listen, Plan, and Prepare

A man’s heart plans his ways, but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:19

At the beginning of this New Year, we think about the year 2013; will we be any closer to God than in 2012? Only if we determine to live more in God’s will. Start some new habits; spend more time praying, listening to God and more time obeying. Start the New Year with prayer and fasting with a new determination to hear from God.

Start your day each morning with a time of listening to God’s voice, determining what he has planned for you to do today, and then doing it. There is no greater joy than serving the Lord. If there is no planning and no preparation there will be no progress.

Lord, teach me to listen for your voice. I need your guidance and direction for my life each day. You said, “If you love me you will obey me.” Help me to love you enough to make some real changes in my life.

“Lord, teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them. Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to Thee, 'Speak, for thy servant heareth.' Let me hear Thee speaking in my heart. Let me get used to the sound of Thy Voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of Thy speaking Voice. Amen.” A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

His Movement Toward Us

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:1-3

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Yesterday we considered whether the first sentence of our lives would be “in the beginning me” or “in the beginning God”. This choice directs the course of our lives. The question is, "How do I get to the place where my life paradigm is "in the beginning God?"

In the beginning God reminds us that the core issue is not our movement toward God, but His movement toward us. This first sentence of the Bible reminds us that God's initiative is the source and definition of everything, and when this becomes the first sentence of my life I realize that the core issue of life is not about what I do, but what He does. For example, 1 John 4:19 reminds is that "We love because He first loved us."

Which is why today we read John 1:1-3, 14. This passage makes it clear that the Word, Jesus, is the Eternal Creator God of Genesis 1:1. And He became flesh and dwelt among us. This is the initiating work of God that brings us into the family of God and re-orients our lives from "in the beginning me" to "in the beginning God" (1 Corinthians 5:17). When we receive Jesus, lean entirely upon Him to make us right with God, we become children of God (John 1:12). The start to becoming an "in the beginning God" person is a life defined by receiving and revolving around Jesus. His initiative—His incarnation—alone brings the God of Genesis 1:1 to us, and re-writes the first sentence of our lives.

Lord, Jesus was the only complete and perfect "in the beginning God" Person who ever lived. I am a believer in Jesus. Through His Spirit and His example I ask for help in following Him in this realigning of my life. Thank you for sending Jesus so I can know You and become the "in the beginning God" person you made me to be.

The First Sentence of Our Lives

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…Genesis 1:1

            The first sentence of the Bible describes the beginning of all creation, and also describes a mindset, an orientation of life.  We typically choose one of two basic options for our life orientation.  These two postures become, in effect, the "first sentence of our lives."  These two options are either "in the beginning God" or "in the beginning me."

Do I live as if the first sentence of my life is "in the beginning me?"  If so, I will live as if it is my job to "make myself."  I make my own meaning, purpose, or worth by what I accomplish or become, or who I know. We go through evaluating people and circumstances with the question, "How does this benefit me?"

Or is the first sentence of my life "in the Beginning God?"  If this is the case, then I am not defined by what I do but by Who God is and what He does.  I then go through life asking not “What benefits me?” but by asking, "Does this glorify God?" 

The goal of Great Beginnings is to adopt this orientation toward life: "In the beginning God."  This must become the first sentence of our lives

Lord, my natural tendency is "in the beginning me."  I know that I will only change by the power of your Spirit and your Word. Please use this Great Beginnings time to change me into an "in the beginning God" person.

                            

With All Your Heart

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. 

(Deuteronomy 4:29)

On this last day of the year, as we prepare our resolutions for the New Year (and remember to write “2013” instead of “2012”), let’s take a moment to prepare our hearts to seek the Lord. What an incredible promise we are given in Deuteronomy, that we will find Him if we seek Him with all of our hearts!

In his devotional book, In His Presence, Charles Stanley offers some practical helps for seeking the Lord. Stanley writes:

Seek God out of your need but be willing to accept His solution.  Many of the psalms are the heart cries of God's people in deep distress.  Their persecution, loneliness, anxiety, fears, and troubles have led them to a point of desperation. God often uses extremity to press you to Himself.  You seek Him because you are in arduous straits.

Be careful not to seek the quick or easy way out of your dilemma. That would lessen your pain, but it may not be God's way of escape.  Don't let the urgency of your need obscure God's wise and loving answer.

Seek counsel from others.  Seeking God first and foremost is about knowing who He is.  However, realize that He frequently reveals Himself through the counsel of others.  When you seek God, you are receptive to the means He chooses to help and comfort you, including the loving touch of a friend, pastor, or counselor.  Be alert to His leadership as you read Christian material and converse with other believers

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Try fasting as part of the seeking process. Fasting can be helpful on occasions, especially when your need is crucial. Skip a meal or two---or more as God directs-and you will find your focus on Christ even sharper. Fasting indicates you mean serious business with God.

As we enter into this time of Great Beginnings, let’s take the time to seek the Lord and to encourage one another in seeking Him.

Happy New Year, and have a blessed Great Beginning! 

Teach Me to Number My Days

Never before in the history of the world has it been so feasible that the end times are upon us.  I am no Biblical scholar, but when we look at the exponential increase in knowledge the last 30 years, that people are running to and fro with ease (see Dan 12:4) we can see that we are approaching the last days.

We are so connected that when some catastrophe happens across the world we know in minutes.  It is not difficult to see that a one world government could be put in place. Mountains and rivers and oceans used to be a natural barrier to invading armies, but now all we need is the threat of nuclear, biological or chemical warfare to bring a country to its knees. 

All countries have now been penetrated with the gospel and nearly all language groups.  As I type, the You Version of the Bible has been downloaded nearly 74 million times in hundreds of languages. (See Matt 24:14)

When the Son of Man returns, it will be like in Noah's day where people are marrying and working right up until the time of His return.  The days of Noah are also described as a time of violence.  How many mass killings have we seen in the last couple of years and other violence against each other?

Russia and Iran have never been friends in the history of the world, as far as I know, until now.  They are two of the nations that are predicted in the Bible to come against Israel in the last days.

No one knows the day or time when these things will happen except the Father.  But Jesus warns us to be on guard! Stay alert! "You too must keep watch!  For you don't know when the master of the household will return - in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak.  Don't let Him find you sleeping when He arrives without warning.  I say to you what I say to everyone:  Watch for Him!" (Mark 13:35-37)  But even if you don't believe the return of Christ is going to occur soon, we must always remember that our works, as Christians, will one day be tried by fire.  And I know that I don't want to be left kneeling before Him with nothing to show for my days here.

So almost two years ago I started to pray, "Teach me to number my days that I may gain a heart of wisdom."  Since then God has put an urgency in my heart for his kingdom.  This did two things for me.  First, it helped me to eliminate things that weren't important to Him and not waste my time.  Second, it made me more grateful for every day and what blessings He's given me.  God put this urgency in my heart.  I didn't have to feel like I was working to feel this way.

I hope that as we give this first 21 days to God as a tithe of our time, fasting and praying and reading His Word, we will pray this prayer together as a church, and He will answer in a mighty and powerful way to stop treating this world as our home and seeking Him and His will continually.

-Heather Weismiller

Welcome To Great Beginnings!

We are so excited to be embarking on this journey of fasting and prayer together! Great Beginnings, which is what we are calling our dedicated time of fasting and prayer as a church body, will begin Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 6:00 pm, and end Tuesday, January 21, 2013. We hope this blog will be a helpful aid in this journey!

What is fasting and why should we fast?

           Fasting, which should always be done hand-in-hand with dedicated times of prayer, is an act of obedience, a spiritual discipline, a sacrifice to God, and a humble act of worship. Typically, fasting means abstaining from food.

           There are many Scriptural examples of fasting. Moses fasted and received a covenant-- The Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28). He fasted again when he cried for mercy for his people (Deuteronomy 9:13-20). David fasted for repentance and for prayer for the welfare of his child (II Samuel 12). Nehemiah fasted and prayed for the safety of his people in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1). Daniel fasted in confession for himself and his people (Daniel 9). The church in Antioch fasted and prayed for Paul and Barnabas as they were sent off to preach the Gospel (Acts 13). Paul and Barnabas fasted and prayed as they appointed elders for various churches (Acts 14). And of course, Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness (Matthew 4). We cannot begin to imagine the prayers of love, mercy, grief, and blessing our Savior prayed as He fasted there.

            In all of these instances, fasting and prayer were done in communication with the Lord. And in all of these instances--and more—the Lord was sought, and the Lord answered.

            We are emphasizing this time as a time of “Great Beginnings" because, through this concentrated time of fasting and prayer, we seek to begin our new year, and each new day, with knowing that His mercies are new every morning. We are asking God, as it says in Psalm 90:12, to teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. We long to see spiritual growth in our church and surrender our days to God. We long for the Holy Spirit to reveal our spiritual condition. And we long for repentance and transformation.


Who should not fast from food?

             Everyone, of course, can set aside this time in dedicated prayer. However, if you have a medical condition in which fasting could interfere with your physical health, we recommend consulting your physician, and possibly refraining from fasting if necessary. Fasting from things such as internet, television, or any other thing that turns our hearts from spending time in the Word and in prayer is a good alternative for those who wish to participate but who cannot fast from food, and also is a great source of additional fasting for those who can fast from food. God knows our hearts towards Him!

How to prepare for a fast: Spiritually and Physically:

         Spiritually, we should prepare for the fast by being in prayer and studying the Word of God. We should come into this time humbly, seeking no accolades or acknowledgement. We should enter this time simply for communication with the Lord.

         Physically, we can prepare for the fast by eating a healthy diet of vegetables and protein in the days preceding the fast, and limiting sugar, white flour, white rice, starchy foods, and other forms of simple carbohydrates which our bodies burn up quickly for fuel.

Types of fasting:

          We recommend setting goals ahead of time for the type of fast you plan to do. If you choose to do a Daniel fast, which restricts the diet to vegetables, fruit, and water (and there are variations of this fast), we suggest planning your menus ahead so that your time is not consumed with preparing new ways to cook fruits and vegetables. This would defeat the purpose of setting aside the time we usually spend in food preparation for times of prayer.

           You may choose to do a juice-only fast, or a water only fast. You could also choose to graduate your fast from one type to the next, week by week. Or, you could choose to fast a meal only every day. This is between you and God.

           As always, if there are medical concerns, consult a physician.

Journaling: 

          We recommend writing down specific prayer requests you have at the beginning of the fasting period, and continuing to write down daily the things the Lord is teaching you, the things you may be struggling with during this fast, and prayerfully, how the Lord is answering you. Sometimes our prayers are being answered when we do not know it, and we may recognize this process long past the fasting period, and sometimes our prayers are answered after the fasting period has ended, so it will be good to be able to reflect on how and what you specifically prayed for. Some space is provided in the booklet (which you can obtain at First Baptist Church of North East) for personal reflection on the daily devotionals, but we also recommend keeping a separate journal for specific prayers.