To see Gods Glory

http://bible.us/111/EXO33.12.NIV Moses said to the Lord , “You me have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
Lord, teach me your ways that I may find favor with you.....

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord , in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” Bible.com/app

How???

http://bible.us/111/EPH4.1.NIV
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

How does one do this? 

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions ? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Ephesians 4:1-32 NIV

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”  (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions ? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.  That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.  Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and
slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

James 3:17-18 NIV

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Loving the difficult ones

http://bible.us/114/HEB13.1.NKJV Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also. Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Bible.com/app

REACHING OUT

When people ask Dr. Thomas P. Malone, a psychiatrist, what psychiatry is all about, he answers, "Almost every emotional problem can be summed up in one particular bit of behavior people walking around screaming 'for God's sake, love me.' He goes through a million different manipulations to get somebody to love him. On the other hand, healthy people are those who walk around looking for someone to love. And if you see changes in the people seeking for love, they give up their screaming for all their lives."

Dr. Malone's view of his role as a psychiatrist is certainly a noble and awesome one. He tries to get people to love one another. While psychiatry certainly has helped some to adjust, only Christ can so revolutionize character as to change a person from seeking to giving. Jesus came to this world to show men how to live. Through Christ, we can learn how to give up our selfish seeking for attention and start giving ourselves to His Kingdom.

Jesus told us that when we give up our lives, we find them. As we give up our selfish seeking, and long to reach out in genuine love, we receive many blessings. No wonder it says in Hebrews, Let brotherly love continue.

Lord, please give me discernment in all matters

http://bible.us/114/1CO2.14.NKJV But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Bible.com/app

NO NEWS

"If newspapers would give less attention to crime, there would not be so much of it," the average person on the street says. In response to requests from civic groups and individuals who felt that vandals were doing it for the publicity, the news media in Iowa decided not to report any news of vandalism for ninety days. Then the police department released statistics showing 36.5 percent more vandalism than during the same three months of the year before.

Three things emerged from this experiment: (1) turning one's back on a problem does not make it go away; (2) an uninformed public often harbors a false sense of security; and (3) that which "sounds" logical is not always logical.

These three observations are also true in the spiritual realm. Turning our back on coming judgment does not erase that judgment. The Bible says: The soul who sins shall die (Ezekiel 18:20). We also can be lured into a false sense of security through being ill-informed about eternal values. And finally: There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death (Proverbs 14:12). Natural man simply cannot perceive the things of God; only after we are born again do we have the proper perspective.

Tongue

http://bible.us/111/JAS3.9.NIV With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Bible.com/app

James 3:9 NIV

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness

What an amazing verse.  It is so true.  I think I get myself in more trouble with my tongue. Even when I am hurt, it is when someone says something.  Why do we speak poorly of people?  Believers or otherwise?  People I don't like and people I don't know?  Lord, when I develop a thought that is offensive, please put a guard at my mouth so that it doesn't come out. 

Imagine a world where people really only said kind things??  Or at least honest, using words not meant to harm..... I say things to be funny, that end up hurting someone... (Although I do put my Natalie comment in here, I was not being unkind with Alyssa....).

Judgement and mercy

http://bible.us/111/JAS2.12.NIV Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, Bible.com/app

James 2:12-13 NIV

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Just last week the sermon was on judgement. And mercy.  Lord, give me a discerning heart, that comes from you.  Please give me your wisdom and your love.  May those I come in contact know I am yours by the love I show. 

Liberated by abounding love....

Lord Jesus, it is your abounding love that i need.  I need to feel it, and i need more, to show it to others in all of my dealings with people.  I become so easily offended that a parent would go to the school board.  Why is that father?  I have assisted this parent in having Wendy not report things to her any longer.....yet when i kindly explain a dress code violation, ....

Father, you know all of the details.  Lord, i lift up to you your school, and those that you have there. Thank you Jesus for your word.  Please lord, give me serenity, love peace and joy.  Thank you for your work on the cross. 

  Thhttp://bible.us/Phil1.9.NIV And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

What I need is Gods wisdom and discernment.  I also need His love, as the great of these faith, hope and love is love. 

Hebrews 12:1-3, 12-13 NIV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Today's devotional
LIBERATED

Michelangelo saw the task of the sculptor as that of freeing figures from their marble prisons. In each block of stone, he saw some "person" then chipped away until that form emerged. Sometimes he failed, as with St. Matthew. This famous statue is only half-finished because Michelangelo could not get the stone to release the figure of the brilliant apostle.

Paul saw God as the Sculptor Who frees men from the prison of their carnal nature. He wrote to the Philippians that God was doing a great work in and on their lives and encouraged them to have confidence in His work. He assured the new believers that God is perfectly capable of "finishing" us as He desires, for His (and our) greatest good. This Master Sculptor never gives up, and no prison is too strong for His skilled eye and learned hand.

In yielding ourselves to the direction of the Master, we are being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:11). All believers should remember that today's bumps and bruises may merely be the Master chiseling, working away at our lives until we are conformed to the image of His Son. Thus we relax, even though the chisel may bite, for we know His work is sure and the result well worth the moment's inconvenience.