• About Us
  • Weekly Devotion Blog
  • Misson Videos
  • Schedule Bridgette for an Event
THREE THINGS WILL LAST FOREVER—FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE—AND THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE.
1 Corinthians 13:13

Immeasurably More

7/26/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture

Acts 3:1-11 Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. 2 As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.4 Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,[a] get up and[b] walk!”7 Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. 8 He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.9 All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. 10 When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! 11 They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.
In this passage the beggar has been placed on the steps of the temple.  He sat at the beautiful gate, which was one of the most popular entrances to the temple. Daily he begged for someone to give him a little of their leftovers.  He could be begging for food, money, clothing, or anything to help.  His expectation everyday was to beg and receive gifts of charity. I wondered how many people passed him by each day at this busy gate. Peter, prompted by the Spirit, meets his eyes.  Peter says, “Look at us!” The Greek word here for look means to be completely fixed upon, fastened, or to look intensely at something. Peter is demanding the man give him his undivided attention.  The man looked at them expecting to get some type of coin to go in his cup. The beggar felt his biggest need was money for essentials, but Peter was about to expose his real need: Jesus. As the man looked at them expecting coins, Peter deflated him by saying, “ I have neither silver nor gold, but I give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ get up and walk.” Then Peter bends down and offers him a hand.  Don’t miss this part.  Peter has spoken the words of healing, but the man has to make a choice to receive it and get up off the mat. Here is where I want to make the first point.  Someone can buy you the most elaborate gift, but if you don’t receive it, you don’t benefit from it. The man had been on the mat his whole life with people passing him by daily without giving him a thought.  However, now a man not only  sees him, but says, “get up and walk in the name of Jesus.” The man had no reason to believe he could walk other than having faith in Peter’s (a stranger’s) words. I wonder how many times Jesus has commanded us to get up and walk spiritually, yet we continue to stay on the mat. How many times has he spoken his healing words over our hearts, yet we continue to mourn? I am not talking about for a loved one here, but maybe over a relationship, job, etc.   How many times has he spoken words of forgiveness, nevertheless we remain bitter? The man had a choice, and so do we.  We can continue to be on the mat or reach for God’s extended hand and fulfill our purpose. The man chose to cling to faith and leapt to his feet.  I love that about God.  The man didn’t get up like an 80 year old man, but God empowered him to leap to his feet. God so desires us to take great leaps in our faith by taking His hand.
    Another thing that I love is that Peter saw him because he was walking in the Spirit.  Peter himself may have even passed by this beggar before. However, on this day the Spirit moved Peter, and he was obedient. He said, “I have no money, but what I have I give you.” Right here Peter announces that nothing he has will meet this man’s deep need, but the power of Jesus is more than enough! You see, the miracle had been sitting on the steps everyday, but it had just not been realized yet.  Sometimes opportunity presents itself in the form of a problem, or what we think of as a distraction. God opened Peter’s eyes so he did not see the beggar as a distraction, but as an instrument by which he would preach the gospel.  Sometimes in our lives, we are asking for God to change our circumstance or the people we find ourselves surrounded by.  However, sometimes God creates the circumstance to change us. Somebody probably does not want to receive what I just said.  I sure didn’t want to receive it when my friend said it to me. Basically, sometimes God puts us in situations to grow us in the Word.  It is easy to read the Word and say you believe; it’s way harder to walk it out. The statement is simply implying God puts us in difficult circumstances or around difficult people to chisel the rough edges off our spiritual lives. Maybe we need to ask God what He is trying to teach us in our current situation or surroundings. We might be surprised by the answer.

Often times we are like the beggar looking for a few blessings to get us by in life, but God says He wants to radically change our lives from the inside out. Ephesians 3:20 says. “God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us.” God is saying, “I don’t want to give you a few coins to get by; I want to do beyond what you can even imagine.”  Do you think the beggar got up that morning and believed he was going to walk?  Absolutely not, but when the opportunity came he clung to it. He reached for Peter’s hand and left his mat behind forever! Why in the world when God reaches down His hand do we not take it?

We often look at God through glasses with limitations.  You see, the beggar was merely asking for a few coins, but Peter opted for doing something beyond the man’s wildest imagination: healing, which would in return take care of his financial needs. Sometimes we know what we want but not what we need. Our expectations of God are so low at times; it is embarrassing. Think about the last prayer you were praying.  Did you believe that God was going to take care of it, or did you hope?  There is a big difference. God is calling us to be bold in our prayers, to expect mighty things.  George Muller, a man of unwavering faith said, “If we desire our faith to be strengthened, we should not shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried, and therefore, through trial, be strengthened. Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man's power ends."

Lastly, the beggar was a living, breathing message of God.  When the man went into the temple running, shouting, and rejoicing in the Lord, the people took notice. Although the Lord did not heal everyone, He always had a purpose when He did. Peter had the people’s undivided attention to preach the gospel because of this miracle.  Because they saw the miracle with their own eyes, their hearts were turned toward the message. The council became angry with the disciples because they were proclaiming resurrection in Jesus name so they arrested them. Over 5,000 people had believed! “16 “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it………….21 The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God 22 for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.” Although the religious leaders wanted to keep them in jail, they had no grounds.  Everyone there had witnessed the miracle with his or her own eyes.  There was no way to deny what the people saw.  We all have a story and more than likely an answered prayer that only God could have supplied. I heard a pastor say once, “How would we know God was God if we didn’t experience problems?”

How would we know God as Jehovah Rapha (healer) if there were never any sickness?
How would we know God as El Roi (God who sees) if we never feel lost on our way?
How would we know God is Jehovah Jireh (God will provide) if we are never in need?
How would we know God as Elohim (strong) if we do not experience weakness?
How would we know God as El Shalom (peace) if we never experience turmoil or unrest?

Today God wants to be all these things in your life and so much more. He wants to perform amazing miracles in your life, just as He did for the beggar, through the Spirit.  I pray that we will begin to pray BIG prayers with deep unwavering faith! What can God do in our lives if we will fully depend on Him?????????



0 Comments

The Emmaus Road

7/13/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Emmaus Road
Luke 24:13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” ESV
In this story we find two people traveling back from Jerusalem to Emmaus.  One was named Cleopas; the other is never named.  In the city, Passover was complete, and their Savior had been crucified on a cross. They were traveling back with profound disappointment. They had anticipated so much, yet now on the third day, they traveled home with a dismal story. They were so sad that Jesus was no longer present, but in the midst of their deep sorrow, the story takes a twist.  A traveler (Jesus Himself) walks up and asks, “What are you discussing so intently?”  The two men are stunned the traveler does not know what has taken place in Jerusalem. They begin telling Jesus what happened.  Now picture the scene in your mind.  The risen Savior is asking two travelers what has happened in Jerusalem. Who would know better than the man who stood before them with scars in His hands and feet? Many scholars have debated why Jesus did not immediately reveal his identity.  Some feel it was because Jesus had many things He wanted to walk them through in scripture and have an in-depth conversation about their thoughts and opinions, so He concealed His identity. I believe Jesus wanted them to become stronger in their faith. I don’t think He just wanted to appear to them so they would believe but build a deep faith within their hearts so they didn’t have to see Him physically in order to believe.  As He walked them through scripture, their minds and hearts were set upon those things that were righteous and holy.  Maybe this allowed them to recognize Jesus in the end because their eyes and hearts were turned in the right direction. Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29
One verse in particular sticks out to me in the conversation. “21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.”  This verse says it all about the men’s downcast appearance; they had lost their hope. They are using past tense verbs when the Son of Man is standing right in front of them as their Living Hope! How many times have we said, “I had hoped He would answer my prayer? I had hoped He would save my marriage? I had hoped He would heal my friend? I had hoped he would help us with our finances?” How many times have we asked these questions in a defeated voice, when Jesus is standing in our circumstance-we just don’t see Him?
But why have they even lost their hope in the first place? In verse 22 it goes on to say, “22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.” This is the Gospel Jesus preached the whole time. He would be crucified and raised on the third day! It is currently the third day, and the angels are declaring he is alive-so what is the problem? Why are these men not rejoicing? They had heard the Gospel, but they didn’t necessarily believe it when they could no longer explain it. The same can be found in our own lives today.  When we are faced with a very difficult situation we don’t understand, sometimes we begin to question or doubt.  It is almost as if when they could no longer physically see Him, they did not believe. Jesus tells them they are foolish and slow of heart to believe. They want to have it all logically figured out before they believe. If they can’t find the reason or the answer to the situation, they want to get off the road, so to speak (lose the faith). But the Bible tells us very clearly, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)   
Let’s go back and revisit the opening passage. It said the road was seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus. The number seven in the bible stands for completion, perfection.  Don’t miss the importance of where they were on the road. They had only begun their journey, so they did not fully understand who Jesus was. Don’t be tempted to get off your seven-mile journey when you aren’t even half way down it.  The Lord never asks us to try to figure it out, He asks us to have faith and stay the course! The more and more I walk with Jesus, I believe life is truly about the journey not the destination. You see, if we are sinners, saved by grace, we all have the same destination, but we do not all travel the same road. God has ordained a road, a specific path for us to take in order to reach others for Him. I cannot walk in empathy with someone who has a drug addiction because I have never had that problem.  I can, however, walk in empathy with a woman experiencing infertility because I have traveled that road.  You see, you never know what you will face on your road or what traveler you can bless.  
In verse twenty-seven it says, “ And beginning with Moses, and all the prophets He interpreted the scripture for them.” How awesome would it be to have Jesus interpreting the scriptures! The Lord walked with them, explained scripture, and fellowshipped with them on the road.  Their countenance lifted as Jesus moved them deeper into the Word and farther down the road.  The same can be true for us.  When we dig in His Word and begin to walk deeper with Jesus our countenance will lift. 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

Now the travelers have reached their destination, but Jesus acts as if He is going to continue.  The two travelers insist that He come and spend the night. So as they gathered to eat, Jesus picked up the bread and blessed it.  As He did this, their eyes were open and they recognized Him. Then He vanishes from their sight.  Wow, now that would have been either really cool or very disturbing for someone to just disappear.  But notice they had finished their journey, and at the end, Jesus revealed himself to them.  We don’t have to wait until the end of our journey for the Lord to reveal things along the way. However, when we have finished our path, I think Jesus will make so many things clear to us, just as he did for the travelers. It wasn’t until they reached the end that they could fully understand the things Jesus said on the road.   For many things on this earth, we can understand neither the purpose nor the reason.  Sometimes we find ourselves second-guessing ourselves or maybe even God. I believe the point of the Emmaus Road can be summed up in a few sentences.  

  • Don’t quit. Stay the course and see how it ends.
  • Don’t lose HOPE because we serve a risen Savior. Even our Savior had to be crucified before he was glorified!
  • When you feel like you are traveling all alone, adjust your vision; God is always there.

​
0 Comments

Roots

7/6/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 And he told this parable: “A man had ta fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. uCut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

If you plant a fruit tree, then you naturally assume it is going to bear………..yes, fruit. However when this landowner returned to his vineyard, he was disappointed the tree was not producing fruit. He was so angered by it that he instructed it to be cut down because it was only taking up space.  But the vinedresser spoke up, who tended the trees, and said, “Sir, one more year. Just give the tree one more chance.” The problem with the tree was it did not bear figs on its branches, yet look closely at what the plan of action was going to be. He is going to dig around the roots and fertilize it.  You see, the problem can be seen on the branches, but it can’t be treated there because the true problem lies beneath the dirt in the roots. Where the problem surfaces is not where it is growing.

If we try to apply this in our own spiritual lives, how many times are we disappointed because we try to treat our problems where we see them? The truth is, if we would dive under the surface, we would probably find the answer to 90% of our problems, which is our heart, our motive. Whether we find ourselves in financial trouble, marital distress, relationship problems, work issues, family feuds, the problem is typically deep in the roots.  These problems are just the visible signs of it. This is why the vinedresser did not start pruning the branches but started digging at the roots. We can spend half our lives living in disappointment because we are not willing to look at what is really causing our problems.  I think a lot of people are scared to death to look under the surface. Why? When you start looking under the surface, it gets messy, and many Christians are not into messy. The word dig is a verb meaning it is going to require work and getting dirty. Nothing good grows when left unattended, only weeds that choke out life.  Jesus said, “I did not come for the healthy, but those that are sick.” I am so thankful for a Pastor that leads by example and encourages the flock to go out and find the sick. Once we locate them, it is our responsibility not to invite them to church, but tell them the gospel immediately. The philosophy is that we want them to know the saving gospel first and foremost.  How long has it been since you have shared the complete gospel with a lost person and not just invited them to church?

I recently read an excerpt from Francis Chan about leaving his mega church.  He said, “The final straw was when a gang member was saved and baptized. He eventually started falling away, and when asked why he didn’t come to church, he gave this statement: “I thought when I was baptized that was like initiation that these people would be my family.  I thought that they would care for me, love me, show me the way, but all it really meant was that church was somewhere to be on Sundays.” Could it be we are the very ones blocking the gospel from those that desperately seek it by our lives?
 
Notice when the owner is upset by the lack of fruit, the vinedresser does not offer the first excuse. He does not say we have had bad weather, I haven’t had enough time, if you would give me better tools, etc. There were no excuses; just a plea to allow one more year so he could do better. The vinedresser also did not see the situation through rose-colored glasses.  He saw the truth! The truth was the tree was not doing its job, which was to produce fruit. I am amazed how often people want to excuse people’s actions, or justify them. It’s almost as if they think that if they don’t address the problems, then they are not really there. This would be like saying I think I have cancer, but I am going to ignore it.  Obviously this line of thinking would kill you. The same is true for other areas in our life. If we are not willing to look at problems through God’s eyes with a Biblical Worldview, then it will also cause us spiritual death because we will not see the truth.  Grace means that you love a person and help them, not turn a blind eye to the problem.  The same is true in this story.  The vinedresser was ready to see the tree for what it was and do the hard work.

I think the owner can represent justice in this parable. The owner had every right to come in and cut the tree down.  In three years the fig tree should have reached its maturity. It was his land, his tree, and he could in reality do whatever he desired. God reigns with justice and can bring judgment whenever He sees fit. But aren’t we so thankful for the vinedresser side of God that brings the mercy.  The vinedresser knew the tree wasn’t where it was supposed to be but pleaded for mercy, one more year. When justice says to cut it down, it’s not worth it, mercy rises up and says one more chance. Where would we be without the grace and mercy of God?

​Isaiah 30:18   
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
 therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. 
For the Lord is a God of justice.
 Blessed are all who wait for him!

Nehemiah 9:16-17
"But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly; They became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments. "They refused to listen, And did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them; So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt But You are a God of forgiveness, Gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness; And You did not forsake them.

God desires for everyone to bear fruit for His namesake.  He is willing to extend His mercy and grace to anyone who calls on His name.  However there will come a day when the invitation is no longer extended.  When we leave our earthly bodies, or when Christ returns, there will be no more second chances.

Is there something in your life you need to tend to at the roots?  Maybe you need to literally pull it up by the roots, completely removing it from your life.  God loves us so much and wants to bestow His mercy and grace upon us through a relationship.  Do you have a relationship with God? I am not asking do you believe in God, even the demons believed in God, but that you personally have a day-to-day relationship with Him. The Bible encourages us that we can tell the type of tree by the fruit it bears. In other words, you can tell who belongs to God by their actions. Which side would God find you on today?

1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil:

0 Comments

    Author 

    My name is Bridgette Guest. I am a wife, mom, children's minister, as well as women's conference speaker.  I love the Lord, and want to share his word with as many people as I can.






    ​

    Archives  

    December 2022
    August 2022
    June 2020
    March 2020
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    August 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    Archives

    December 2022
    August 2022
    June 2020
    March 2020
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    August 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.