Father Knows Best
 Hebrews 12:4-13

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves” (Hebrews 12:5-6).

The Lord is a disciplinarian.  Never doubt it.  He is far too faithful to let us get away with some of the things we think, say, and do.   He has obligated Himself to grow us, be glorified in us, and give us away to His Son as a fitting bride “made…ready” (Rev. 19:7).  Completing the good work He began in us demands discipline. 

What definition of discipline does the writer intend?  Take another look at verse 11.  We can describe the Lord’s discipline as His means of teaching profitable lessons in painful ways.  Granted, some are more painful than others.  The writer of Hebrews offers us wonderful encouragements in the midst of discipline.  Let’s consider a few. 

God only disciplines those He loves.  Today’s text gives us reason to be concerned if we’ve never experienced the Lord’s discipline.  If you have, Beloved, count yourself among His children.  Unbelievers sometimes experience God’s wrath but, according to Hebrews 12, only His children undergo His discipline.  How do we know the difference?  Wrath is condemning in nature.  Discipline is correcting in nature. 

God always disciplines with expertise.  He is the expert parent and disciplinarian.  “Our fathers disciplined us…as they thought best” (v. 10).  God disciplines us because He knows best.  Unlike us, God won’t have parenting regrets.  He doesn’t get wiser with age.  He won’t someday be a grandparent who says, “I wish I knew then what I know now.”  He is omniscient.  He sees every detail, He knows every motive, He reads every thought, and He discerns every heart.  He applies His loving discipline perfectly. 

God never disciplines without profit in mind.  Hebrews 12:11,13 lists at least three benefits discipline brings the teachable child: righteousness, peace, and healing.  The straightforward approach of Proverbs 12:1 makes me laugh, “He who hates correction is stupid.”  No wonder.  Look at those gains! 

In my teenage years, with fear and trepidation, I began to ask God to be strict with me.  I saw that His ways produce constant wins and my ways produce only losses.  I deeply desired to live the holy life and to glorify Him.  This remains my ongoing pursuit and my daily struggle.  As the apostle Paul said: “I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But…I press on” (Phil. 3:13-14). 

God is presently doing what I asked Him to do.  He is very strict with me, and I never attempt to cross a line that I don’t find Him standing on it.  In order to cross it, I have to absolutely defy His authority.  I’ve never been so disciplined—and I’ve never been so free.  I am still capable of defying Him horribly but, if I dare, I pray His loving discipline will jerk me home. 

Oh, beloved child of God, Father knows best. 

Father, I rejoice that Your discipline means that I’m your beloved child.  I praise You for being the expert Parent who disciplines perfectly and with full knowledge of the situation at hand.  Please help me become a teachable child so that I can experience righteousness, peace, and healing.  I know that freedom and joy are found in living under Your authority.  I love You and I pray these things in Your Son’s name.  Amen. 

1 THESSALONIANS 5:18
"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you".

Are you giving thanks to God today? You should. If you want to be happy, you must. For, without being thankful, you will never be happy.

Just because things are not going the way you would like is no excuse. The Bible clearly says that God's will for you is to be thankful -- always.

The Bible does NOT teach that we're to thank God for evil, because God is not responsible for evil. No, God is not guilty of any wrongdoing.

What the Bible does teach, is that we should always be thankful -- even when evil happens. Being thankful is part of an attitude of faith, and faith will overcome evil.

Although the Bible does say we should give thanks to God FOR all things, that only means the things for which God is responsible. For example, if a guest at your home said, "Thank you for everything," you wouldn't think they were thanking you for what someone else did.

God doesn't do bad things to people. He's not the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. That's the devil, and people motivated by selfishness and demonic influence. So you have the devil "to thank" for the bad things in life.

Yet, during the bad things in life, we are to continue thanking God, no matter how we feel. This helps us keep our eyes on God and keep things in perspective.

No matter how dark and hopeless the situation may look -- give thanks. This is God's will for you.

Thank God for the opportunity to see His deliverance. Thank Him for His mercy and grace. Thank Him for His faithfulness. Thank Him for defeating the devil and setting you free in Christ. Thank Him that Jesus is Lord. Thank Him that your name is written in Heaven. Thank Him for loving you and taking good care of you. Thank Him! Souljah!

Seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you search after him with all your heart and soul.

My pastor ended his sermon one Sunday with a challenge for us to "Go and seek God." How am I to find God? I thought. I am not a saint or a scholar, and I do not always understand God's ways. God seemed so great and awesome, so out of my reach.

Nevertheless, during the following week, with my eyes ready to see and my ears willing to hear, each day I discovered God's presence all around me. I heard God's voice in the sweet song of a nesting mockingbird and in the clicking and buzzing creatures deep in the grasses of my meadow. I felt God in the soft skin of a newborn baby and in the calloused hands of a hard-working laborer. I saw God in the first flowers after winter and in my dog's kind and intelligent eyes. God was everywhere and always with me. I understood God in a new way.

Though "No Fear" is a popular slogan on T-shirts and bumper stickers, claiming victory over fear takes more than just posting a public declaration on your clothing or car. The truth is that everyone battles fear to varying degrees on a
daily basis, and the only force capable of defeating fear is the power of Jesus Christ.

Fear originates with Satan. It is his tactic for demoralizing and distracting believers from following the will of God. In fact, fear has posed such a
problem for believers throughout history that God chose to make the directives "Do not fear" and "Fear not" the most frequently repeated commands in the Bible. As Joshua prepared to take over the reigns of the leadership of the Israelites following the death of Moses, God challenged him to "Be
strong and courageous; do not be discouraged; for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).Though the task was intimidating and the responsibility was enormous, God urged Joshua not to be paralyzed by fears
and doubts but to trust that God's wisdom and provisions would guide and sustain him.

The list of Bible characters that dealt with fear includes prophets, judges, and apostles. Whether it was Gideon hiding from his enemies, Elijah running for his life, or Peter denying association with Jesus, all of these great men of
faith battled fears that plagued their ministries. Yet, when they tapped into the power of God they received the strength they needed to overcome their weaknesses and became bold witnesses for the Kingdom. The Bible declares that those who have been made righteous through Jesus Christ will be
"as bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1). King David was so confidant of God's power to bring the victory that he declared in Psalm 18:29, "With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall." In other words, he had
"no fear" because God was before him, behind him, and beside him. And as believers in Jesus we now have the benefit of having Him in us as well!

Today God is calling you out of bondage to fear and into a place of boldness for Jesus Christ. In II Timothy 1:7-8 Paul states that "God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline." Anytime you battle with doubt, fear, or timidity you can be sure that the devil is at work trying to
keep you from doing the task God has called you to complete.

God wants to instill confidence in believers so that they will proclaim the Gospel of Christ without hesitation. Let's ask God today for His boldness to replace our fears and for the ability to distinguish Satan's lies from God's truth. Jesus paid the price on the cross so that you could be free from fear, and you need only to come
and receive this peace and freedom. What are you waiting for? Are you bold enough?

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4).

Just as darkness precedes the dawn, death is the precursor to resurrection. Christ experienced the agony of an unjust trial, brutal scourging, humiliation, and the pain of the crucifixion. There's no way to grasp the extent of the cruelty He experienced. Even nature blushed with humiliation as the sun darkened and the earth shook with shame on that afternoon of sacrifice. There was nothing pretty about Calvary and no pleasure in His pain.

In our celebration of the resurrection there is no attempt to minimize the pain of the passion of Jesus. The beauty and glory of the cross is found in the result of the sacrifice. Even Christ endured the cross and despised the shame "for the joy set before Him" (Hebrews 12:2). When we rejoice in His suffering it is with thanksgiving for His sacrifice. We know the story did not end on Golgotha or in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea. The intensity of His dying and death was but a triumphant herald to the glory of His victory to come. The empty tomb proclaims the power of life and His triumph over the tyranny of death.

The Gospel of Christ was made effective through His death, burial, and resurrection. When we approach God in faith and according to His word we can experience the Gospel. Our death is accomplished through repentance. We are buried in baptism and are raised by the power of the Spirit. We can rejoice in the resurrection because we have experienced it through His Holy Spirit!

Every resurrection is preceded by a death. If there is no dying, there will be no celebration of living. The glory of salvation requires a death to sin, but the fulfillment of the Gospel is that we can rise up to walk in a new life!

May the message of the Gospel bring us to the scene of death. Let our old nature die. Crawl into the watery grave, and get ready to really live!

John 13:5 After that, Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Washing someone's feet is very humbling for the owner of the feet and the washer. When I read about Jesus washing his disciples' dirty feet, I am both surprised and a bit shocked. Why should the Lord of all Creation stoop so low to act like a common servant? Why don't the disciples stop Him, so that they can wash His weary feet?

And then I remember who Jesus is and feel His compassion wash over me. If the King of Kings becomes a servant to His followers, then I must also learn to be a servant in His Kingdom. I may never aspire to be a wonderful servant of Christ like the other people used by God, but I can decide to serve Christ each day of my life. Instead of wanting to be a pastor someday, I need to learn to be more of a compassionate servant.

Wherever we find ourselves today and in whosoever company we end up, let's attempt to be servants of Jesus, compassionate caregivers, and humble followers, so that people will see less of us and more of Christ.

Lord Jesus, washing the feet of others is not something that we naturally want to do. We all have trouble with humility and service, esteem and pride. Help us today to become less of ourselves and more of You. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen

Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.

Bridge:
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

Chorus:
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.

Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.


I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.


I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.

I am yours.

Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?
'Cause I am yours.
I am yours.

---this song reminds me always of who i am everytime i've got stocked in difficult situations, instead of giving a word just like "where is God?, "Is He able to get me out of this crap?" everytime am down..i start it out just singing this song from my heart and i will be ok. And Truly, if we commit our lives to the Lord's will, He will let you feel and realize who we are, and we are special in His eyes indeed. I  Just feel it everyday, everytime, everysecond im so special, and whom and what shall we fear? if God is for Us, Jesus is for Us!

A TRUTH ENCOUNTER

Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:14, 15).

Another common misconception of the spiritual world is that demonic influence is only evident in extreme or violent behavior and gross sin. Most Christians suffering from demonic activity lead relatively normal lives while experiencing serious personal and interpersonal problems for which no cause or solution has been found. Since they relegate satanic involvement only to mass murderers or violent sex criminals, these ordinary problem-plagued individuals wonder what's wrong with them and why they can't just "do better."

Satan's first and foremost strategy is deception. It is not the few raving demoniacs who are causing the church to be ineffective, but Satan's subtle deception and intrusion into the lives of "normal" believers. One Christian psychotherapist who attended a conference on spiritual conflicts and counseling said, "I discovered that two-thirds of my clients were having problems because they were being deceived by Satan--and so was I!"

A final misconception that must be dispelled is that freedom from spiritual bondage is the result of a power encounter with demonic forces. Freedom from spiritual conflicts and bondage is not a power encounter; it's a truth encounter. Satan is a deceiver, and he will work undercover at all costs. But the truth of God's Word exposes him and his lie. His demons are like cockroaches that scurry for the shadows when the light comes on. Satan's power is in the lie, and when his lie is exposed by the truth, his plans are foiled.

When God first disciplined the early church in Acts 5, He did so in a dramatic way. Peter confronted Ananias and Sapphira: "Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?" (verse 3). God wanted the church to know that Satan the deceiver can ruin us if he can get us to believe and live a lie. If I could infiltrate a church, a committee, or a person undetected, and deceive them into believing a lie, I could control their lives! That's exactly what Satan is doing, and his lie is the focus of the battle.

Lord, enable me to stay alert to the enemy's wiles and arm myself with Your truth.

The Calling of Matthew

I don't know if you realize it or not but Matthew was an outcast. It was risky and politically incorrect for Jesus to call someone like Matthew to be one of His disciples.

You need to realize that tax collectors in those days were viewed as traitors and crooks.

First, they were Jews working for the hated oppressors – the Romans – collecting taxes. They were like the Spaniards in the Philliphines in 18th century – someone who not only sold out to the enemy but even took their side in the struggle. In the case of Matthew, he probably worked for Herod Antipas and collected taxes and custom charges at the border crossing in Capernaum.

Second, generally they were very rich because they charged far more in taxes than the law required. And they enforced payment by using the Roman army. Matthew must have had ill-gotten riches because he could afford to invite Jesus and His disciples and followers over for dinner.

Third, being a tax collector and customs official Matthew had daily contact with "unclean" pagans. Furthermore, we are told that Matthew actually allowed tax collectors and sinners into his home. Not only did Matthew break the laws on uncleanness but he often broke the Sabbath rules as well.

Was Matthew a sinner? Was he unclean? Was he a crook? Did he sell out to the hated Romans? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Jesus knew all this. Jesus was aware of all this. Jesus never said Matthew was none of these. Yet, Jesus said to Matthew, "Follow me." Boy, was that risky and politically incorrect!

Was Matthew a sinner? Yes. But so were those who were so eager to condemn him. We are told that when the Pharisees saw Jesus eating with Matthew, other tax collectors, and sinners, they questioned His disciples about this. This wasn't just idle curiosity on their part – a simple question asked calmly. Rather, it was said with accusation and anger and hostility. "WHY DOES YOUR TEACHER EAT WITH TAX COLLECTORS AND 'SINNERS'?" Why does Jesus lower Himself and contaminate Himself? The scribes and Pharisees showed they were sinners when they were so quick to exclude and condemn Matthew. The scribes and Pharisees showed they were sinners when they could not extend a forgiving and restoring hand to Matthew. The scribes and Pharisees showed they were sinners when they refused to show mercy to Matthew. This bleeding heart was in their midst and all they could see was the breaking of their precious rules.

"Follow me." These are the words Jesus says to Matthew, to the sinners and tax collectors, to the scribes and Pharisees.

"Follow me." These are the words Jesus says to the sinners... And, we all are sinners – you, me, Pastors, the elders, parents, the Sunday School teachers, the musicicans, singers, the ushers, the infants in the Kidz Club.

Jesus knows our sins – just like He knew Matthew's. He knows our lusts. He knows our coveting. He knows our disobedience. He knows how we ignore the wishes or commands of our parents. He knows all of this yet He says, "Follow me."

Look, if there is a sincere, loyal, loving, unselfish, caring, intimate..etc..one Being comes in my mind that is Jesus, All in one lover, were we, many times broke his heart, disobeyed Him a lot..yet he wants to say to you..I Love You..Follow Me. And He did this to call and love sick sinners – like Matthew, and the scribes and Pharisees, and you and me – to follow Him..Love Him.