Snares and Destruction

Psalms 38:12, “Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, And plan deception all the day long.”

Life is filled with difficulties that can sometimes seem like they are too much. The stress of life needs to be dealt with. We also need to watch out for snares and destruction.

Those who seek my life lay snares for me. Since everything in this day and age is recorded in one form or another, it is easy to have something repeated back or used against someone. Words can become one of the biggest snares to an individual. Now where most people will not die for what they say, in some countries, people do die for what they say. Declaring Jesus as Lord and Savior can die for professing this. We need to avoid snares where we say what we do not mean and watch out for those who mean us harm.

Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction. Christians around the world always need to be watchful based on the perception of who they are. Saying the name of Jesus can bring about reactions that are not always rational. Sometimes people can become very angry when they hear His name. Sometimes they can straight out deny He existed. Some can even become violent against the church and its members. Just like David had enemies, Christians have enemies who would hope to snuff out their message.

Plan deception all the day long. Some people have nothing better to do than deceive others. They say one thing and do another. They tell one person one thing and another person another thing. There are some Christians even that are very deceptive. They live one life on Sunday and Monday through Saturday is a completely different life. We need to remember to be consistent in our life

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for all that You do for us. Help us to not plan harm for others and that others would not plan any harm to us. We need You and we love You so much.

In Your name we pray,

Amen

Laid Down Life

1 John 3:16, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

One of the most physical altercations to be seen is by two kangaroos when they are fighting. Their kicks are fierce. Their punches are fierce. They show little mercy. This is all to defend or take over territory. For all that fighting, the animal kingdom lacks one thing that the human kingdom does: they do not go to the extent of a laid down life.

We know love. Humans know love. They feel love every day or almost every day. Love is a very basic of emotions. True love comes straight from God and is piped directly into our souls. God loves us so much and wants us to love others just like Him. Our God is capable of perfect love that we could only wish that we could show.

He laid down His life for us. This perfect love went so far as to have Jesus go to the cross, endure extreme pain, take on our sins, and finally die so that we may live. He truly laid down everything for a very people that had nothing to offer. We give Jesus our pain, suffering, sin, failures, and misery. He gives us happiness, love, freedom and most importantly, eternal life.

We also ought to lay down our live for the brethren. Just as Jesus died for us, we should be willing to die for others. Now, for the majority of us, we will not be asked to die for another person, but we need to be willing to go the extra mile (or three) to be there for someone. Be a friend to the person who is impossible to deal with. Be a helper to the person who pushes us away. Do all we can in love, even to the point of laying down a life.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the amount of love that You show us. We can never show You the amount of appreciation that You deserve. We ask that You show us how to love others like You. Help us to be everything that we should be for others.

In Your name we pray,

Amen

Nowhere to Lay His Head

Matthew 8:20, “And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

At the end of the day, after we are done with work and school and everything else we are doing, we put our heads on pillows.  We put our heads on pillows in our beds to go to sleep.  These beds are found in houses, in apartments, in condos.  We have been so blessed to have what we have.  Jesus had nowhere to lay His head.

Foxes have holes.  To get out of the weather, foxes go into holes called dens.  They raise their young in dens.  They hide from larger predators in dens.  Just like foxes, people need a place to raise a family, protect a family, and rest.  Our lives can get assaulted by all sorts of things.  It is important to protect our physical lives as well as our spiritual lives.

Birds of the air have nests.  For most, if not all birds, their home is a nest.  This nest can come in varied sizes and shapes.  In the same way a den or house works, it provides comfort and protection.  Birds can’t fly forever, just like people cannot work forever.  Nests give the birds the chance to recoup and get some much-needed rest.

Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.  Jesus had no place to feel protected or lay His head.  His own people rejected Him.  His own people mocked Him.  Everywhere He went was a love-hate relationship.  People loved Him and wanted His healing.  Others hated Him for claiming to be God (which He is).  Someone needs to be able to put their head down and feel safe, but Jesus did not feel that on Earth.  Far from it.  For being the Son of God and perfect, lots of people did not trust Him.  Even though He gave no indication of breaking promises, people did not want anything to do with Him.  Even though Jesus had no protection, He can protect us all with the power of God.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for all the blessings that You shower on us.  We have a place to go at night.  We have a pillow to lay down on.  A house to store our stuff and protect us from the elements.  You are our God and we are Your people.  Thank You for being our God and Father and Protector.

In Your name we pray,

Amen

No Other Foundation Than Jesus

1 Corinthians 3:11, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

When building a house, there are steps that have to be done before it can be built.  There needs to be ground work laid in order for the house to stand.  The ground needs to be prepped or it will give way and the house will come down.  The ground needs work so that the foundation can be laid.  In our lives, we need groundwork, too.  If we want our lives to be successful, we can have no other foundation than Jesus.

When God made the world, part of what He made was the ground.  He made it the way He did so that it could support all the weight and all the items that are on it.  God knew what was required to make the Earth sustain life.  This is the foundation that is necessary.

When Jesus came to Earth, He came as a  baby.  A perfect baby.  He led a life that was perfect.  He gave the perfect example of how to live for each and every person.  He laid the perfect foundation for life.  Even in death, Jesus showed the perfect example of what love is and that love is a crucial ingredient of a perfect foundation.

Many people try to build their own foundations.  They try to fill in blanks that only God can fill.  They try to live a life that has nothing to do with God.  The problem is that without God, the foundation crumbles.  The cement that holds the foundation together is God.  Jesus is the cornerstone and that if removed, everything comes down.  Without Jesus, there is no salvation.  No escape from sin.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for all that You do for us every day.  You provide us most importantly with salvation, for which we are not worthy of.  You love us even though we are not deserving of love.  You do not need us but You do everything for us.  Help us to love others as You love us.  Help us to rely on You alone and Your Son as our firm foundation.

In Your name we pray,

Amen

Laying Down a Life

John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

In so many careers, there is an expectation to put others’ needs before their own.  Police take on vicious criminals to help innocent people every day.  Firefighters run into burning buildings to save people every day.  Military servicemen and women go all over the world to protect the freedoms of their country.  These individuals do what they do out of love for others or country or both.  Even with all of this, Jesus is still the best example of laying down a life for others.

Jesus is love.  No one in the history of the world exhibited the love that Jesus did for us.  Jesus, seeing the state of the human race, did what He knew that only He could do.  He died so that we may live.  Seems illogical to someone but makes so much sense.  People still die in a physical way.  They live and die.  People can live after death if their life is grounded in Jesus.

Jesus wants us to love people as He loves people.  We must be willing to do anything for others without getting anything in return.  People need the love of Jesus and we, as Christ-followers, need to be willing to share Jesus with them.  They do not need judgement.  They do not need hateful speech.  They do not need to shoved a ton of verses.  They need love.

There is so much that can be done in this world.  We can chase after popularity, wealth, or other worldly items.  These items may give happiness for a time but true happiness comes when we can help someone save their soul.  This world is not all that there is.  There is so much in store for us after this world.  Jesus has promised this and He cannot lie.  Our life is worth so much and what we do with it is worth so much as well.  The people who are the richest are those that lead people to Christ.

This is not to say that popularity is bad.  Several popular people use this to reach others.  This is not to say that wealth is bad.  Many people use their wealth to help others.  Worldly items, used the right way, can be beneficial.  The problem comes when they all come before God.  Number one is God.  God needs to be first in our lives.  Above all else.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the lives that we have been given.  We owe everything to You and Your Son.  Let us use our lives to Your honor and glory.  That means do everything we can for Your creation.  Everyone deserves to know You and we need to make sure that we show You to others.  Let us use the gifts that we were given to further Your kingdom.  We are not deserving of Your Son’s life given and yet, He did it for love.  Help us to show this same love for others daily.

In Your name we pray,

Amen