Are You Following the Master Pattern?

  
   "Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount." (Hebrews 8:5)



     When I was a young child, I wanted to make a quilt made from squares of scrap fabric. Mom made one square for me to use as the "pattern". I began cutting squares out using this pattern and using a needle and thread to sew them together. Eventually, I began to notice that the squares began to be different sizes. They began to get smaller the longer I sewed. I asked mom what happened. She asked me, "Are you still cutting these squares using the master pattern?" I said, "No, I use the last square to cut the next one, then use the next one to cut the next one" and so on. She informed me that was the problem. She said each piece cut would gradually get smaller then if it was used as a pattern, the piece cut from it would be even smaller. Therefore, each piece would become smaller. She told me to go back to only using the master pattern and only then would everything measure up.  That made sense after she explained it to me. 

     Jesus is the Master pattern that we are to measure our lives by every day. If we measure our lives by Him every single day of our lives, then our lives will fit into His plan for our lives. However, most of us tend to measure our lives by what we did last year, last month, last week or yesterday. If we do that, we will not measure up to the standard God has set for us. We must always hold our lives up to Him to see if we measure up. We will come up short every time we try to do things our way. We will become less like the pattern and farther from the intended purpose.
   

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."  (Proverbs 14:12).

      What or who are you patterning your life after? Are you doing what grandma and grandpa always did? Are you always doing things the way mom and dad did them? Do you continue to do things the way you have always done them; yet always coming up short? or, are you truly patterning your life after Christ and His Words? His way always works out for our good.  His way is always right and perfect. We should strive to be Christlike; and not be content to be any less.

Will You Be Ready?

    "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."  (Matthew 24:42).

"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."  (Matthew 25:13).


    Suppose your friend told you, "I'll come to your house and pick you up, so be ready when I get there". Your friend did not tell you what time they would be there, but you knew they were coming. What would you do? How would you spend your time while you were waiting on their arrival?  You could leave your house and go about your day running errands and shopping. You could go to work. You could go to sleep. You could do your household chores. You could watch the window to see if they drive up in the driveway. You could do some household chores while still watching the window. You could sit on the porch and wait for them. There are so many things you could do while waiting. If they come to your house and you are not ready, if they have time, they might wait for you to get ready.

     We are told in the Scriptures that Jesus is coming for us. We know He will return for us, but we do not know when He will return. We are not told in the Bible when that wonderful day will come. He tells us to watch for His return. He tells us to be ready because we do not know when He's coming. If He returns and we are not ready, we will not be permitted to go with Him. If we are off doing our own thing, fulfilling our desires, or ignoring His Word, we will be left behind when He returns. He will not wait for us to get last minute preparations made. He will not give us time to repent of sins and get things in order. When He comes, it will happen in a twinkling of an eye. There will not be time to get ready.  Only if we are watching and ready to go, will we be going with Him.



     When Jesus returns, He will only take those who have repented of their sins and are serving Him according to His Word. It isn't enough to be a "good person". Just being a nice person who does good things won't guarantee eternal life in Heaven. It takes the blood of Jesus. It takes repentance. It takes surrender to Him and His will. It requires a sold out life to Him. This world is full of "good people" who think that's enough to get into Heaven. Jesus will be coming for those who are cleansed by His blood and living a daily life of surrender to Him. 


    When you hear someone say, "Jesus is coming", how do you feel? Does this excite you? Do you long to go with Him? Do you smile with anticipation? Do you feel scared? Do you get nervous? Do you scoff? Do you ignore? Do you laugh? Do you feel nothing at all? What is your response?  Believe it or not, Jesus is coming soon. If you want to go with Him, you must have a daily commitment to repentance and surrender to God's Word in every way.  



    Won't you invite Jesus into your heart and life today? Won't you ask Him to search and cleanse your heart? Will you surrender your life and your will to Him today? This is the only way you will be ready to go with Him.   Ready or not, He's coming soon!

Are You Expecting?

 "Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God." (Acts 3:1-8). 


    When a woman is having a baby, we use the expression, "she's expecting". This means just what it sounds like. She's "expecting" to have a baby soon. When she is expecting, she doesn't just sit and wait until the baby comes. She doesn't just ignore the fact that the baby is on the way. She is "expecting". She is preparing. She makes room for this miracle. She names her baby, she gets everything she will need for the baby. She eats healthy, she avoids things in her body that could harm the baby, she tells everyone she is expecting. It's all she thinks about day and night. She feels it moving, and gets excited the closer to the delivery she gets.

      It is the same with us in our Christian walk.  God has promised us miracles. He has promised us deliverance, healing, blessings, answers, direction, salvation, and many other gifts. Do we just sit and wait for God to birth this miracle in our lives while we go on with our daily lives? Do we ignore the promise and hope that some day it will be birthed in us? Or, do we actually begin expecting the miracle as the woman expects this baby?  Do we make room for it? Do we name it? Do we tell others that we are expecting it? Do we get excited when we think about it? Do we think about it day and night? Do we do everything we need to do in order to receive this miracle?  If we expect, we will receive. It takes faith to expect when we don't see it yet. It takes faith to wait and expect when the circumstances look like it's not going to happen. If we wait on God, expect, believe and look to Him, He will deliver. He will keep His promises and He will never fail.

If you are discouraged today, are you expecting God's hope? If you are sick today, are you expecting His healing? If you are struggling with the past, are you expecting God's forgiveness? Are you expecting His strength when you are weak? He can give you any miracle you need, but you must expect. Anticipate. Long for. Prepare for. The expectant mother delivers her miracle. When WE expect, GOD delivers!

      So, are you expecting?

Is Jesus Your Friend or Just An Acquaintance?

"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;"                   (Philippians 3:10).              How do you get to know someone? If someone asked you if you know a celebrity or famous person, you might say yes, but do you really know them? Do you know their favorite color? Do you know what their favorite food is? Do you know what their likes and dislikes are? Do you know what makes them truly happy? Do you know all the details of their lives? If not, then you do not know them. You only know about them. They are just an acquaintance. In order to really get to know someone, you must spend time with them and talk with them.          Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ. He had such a relationship with the Lord that so many before and after did not have. At one time, he was such an unrighteous man. His name was Saul at that time. He actually persecuted Christians and enjoyed it. He was on his way to persecute Christians when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,   And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound  unto Jerusalem.    And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:   And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?    And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.    And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." (Acts 9:1-6).        After he had this encounter with Jesus, his life was radically changed. His name was even changed to Paul. Paul served the Lord and became an apostle to many churches in the world at that time. He had a special relationship with the Lord; yet he states that he wants to know the Lord. He was not content with the depth of his knowledge of who Jesus is. He was striving to continue to learn more about Jesus.      How much do you know Jesus?  Do you just know about Him or do you really know Him? Are you determined to continue to learn more about Him? Do you spend time with Him daily? Do you talk with Him (not just to Him, there is a difference). is a Friend or acquaintance? Can you say as the Apostle Paul said, "That I may know Him"?  Is that your heart's desire?

"Father, May I?"

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way." (Psalms 37:23)

       Remember the game we played as a child, "Mother, May I?" When one player (Mother; or Father if a boy was playing,) told the other player (child) to take a certain kind of step, the question, "Mother (or Father), May I?" had to be asked before the step could be taken. If the step was taken without asking for permission , the player had to go back to the beginning and start over. The goal is to walk to "Mother" or "Father" in a straight line without messing up to only have to start all over again. 

In this life, we are all taking steps every day. We are either walking toward God or away from God. Satan often tries to get us to take steps and do things that take us away from God. In every case, every day, with every decision, we should stop and ask, "Father (God), May I?" In other words, "If I take this step, will it bring me closer to You? Will it glorify You? Is it pleasing to You? Is it Your will?" or, "If I take this step, will it separate me from You, will it take me from You, will I be led astray?" etc. Our goal is to get as close to the Father as possible and not lose ground and go backwards from Him.

 So the next time you are tempted to take a step, stop and ask, "Father, may I?" Your soul's eternal destination (and those who may be following you) depends upon it.

Why Toil?

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. (Luke 5:4-7).

    
     Have you ever worried, worked, stressed, been anxious, feared and toiled over a situation and it seemed the more you did, the worse the situation became?  We worry over finances, economy, jobs, children, crime, violence, inflation, and situations we have no control over. We become stressed and doubtful that they will ever improve. This is not God's plan for our lives.

     Jesus had told Simon to launch his net out into the deep for a draught (or haul, or catch). So He pretty much guaranteed Simon a successful catch if he would simply obey. However, Simon; like most of us today, began to whine and complain and offer excuses as to why that was not a good idea. (It's not a good idea to tell God His ideas aren't good ideas). Simon told Jesus that he had toiled all night and not caught one fish. Not one. He had fished all night, toiling, stressing, worrying, being anxious, over working, and becoming frustrated all for nothing. This sounds like a lot of us today. We wear ourselves out trying to get our goals accomplished the conventional way. We become mentally, physically, emotionally, psychologically and Spiritually exhausted trying to do things our way. Simon was a fisherman, he knew how to catch fish; yet he toiled all night to no avail.


 "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12).


      At the simple command of Jesus to cast the net in a different location, he caught so much fish the nets began to break.  Another ship was summoned to help and both ships almost sank because of so many fish. Simple obedience.
It is not God's will for us to toil and do things our way. It is His plan for us to listen to Him and obey Him. When we obey Him, we receive an over abundance of blessings. 

"...my cup runneth over." (Psalm 23:5).


"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6).


So, you can toil and do it your way with no joy, no peace, no hope and no results, or you  surrender all to God in obedience and be blessed!

Take It or Leave It

And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.  And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.  And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-22).


       In this passage of Scripture, we see these fishermen who were going about their daily activities. This was like any other day. These men made their living by fishing and selling those fish. This was their life every day.  Suddenly, Jesus walked by as they were casting their net in the sea and told them to Follow Him. Jesus had not begun His ministry yet, and these men were not His followers at this time. Now, these men had a choice to make. They could have ignored Him and gone on with their fishing. They could have argued with Him and told Him to go away because they had work to do. They could have explained to Him that they could not follow Him because they could not leave their nets unsupervised and they had to stay there. They could have asked Him, "Follow You where? How long will we be gone? Why are we going? What are we going to do once we get there? What's in it for me?" According to this passage, they left their nets behind, and followed Him, no questions asked. In verses 21-22, those men not only left their nets, but they left their boat and their father and immediately followed Jesus. Remember, Jesus was not a public figure at this time. They had not witnessed any miracles, signs or wonders. They had not listened to His wise teachings and parables. Yet, they followed without hesitation and question. They left all to follow Him, not knowing all the whys and wherefores. 

 Looking through fleshly eyes, that must have been a tough thing to leave the only source of income behind to follow someone without any details. They could have taken their nets and boats and continued fishing. They could have taken the day to fish for their income. They chose to leave it all and follow Him. This took faith. They realized that He was the way, the truth and the life. They knew that if they left it all behind, that He would meet their needs as they arose and would take care of them. They left their fleshly ways behind. They left the natural way of doing things by the way side. They stepped from the natural to the supernatural by giving up their abilities and following Jesus.


 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?  Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. (John 4:28-30).


Jesus was at the well in Samaria, when he met this woman who came to draw water. He began to minister to her and changed her life that day. This passage says that she left her waterpot and went to share the good news of Jesus with others. She could have taken her waterpot, gotten her water and gone her way. She could have gone back home with her water and done her daily chores. However, she realized that the natural way of getting water was not as important as Jesus the Living Water. Jesus was the most important priority in her life at that time.

We must realize that Jesus is most important in our lives. Without Him, nothing else matters. We hold on to things (attitudes, thoughts, lifestyles, habits, relationships, activites, etc) when Jesus is saying, "Follow Me". We can't follow Him still holding onto the things of the flesh. We must decide today, the world, or Jesus; the things of the flesh or the things of the Spirit. We can't have both. Today is the day to choose. Will you lay down all to follow Him? Will you surrender all to obey Him?

He's coming by your way today asking you to Follow Him. What are you willing to lay down to obey Him?

Are You Hungry?

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:6).

      Remember when you came home from school and your mother would ask you, "Are you hungry?"  As an adult, when you visited your mother, she would ask you, "Are you hungry?"  She would then give you something to eat to curb that hunger in you and fill that longing.  She would often say, "Don't eat too much, or you'll spoil you're dinner". She knew if we ate too much junk food, we wouldn't want to eat the healthy food.

      Have you ever been hungry and wasn't able to get anything to eat at the time? Perhaps you were at work or on a trip or somewhere where there wasn't any food. Your stomach began to growl and all you could think about was food. You would do almost anything at the time to be able to eat. You would be willing to pay whatever price necessary in order to eat something. People spend lots of money in markets, restaurants and stores buying food to fill their natural bodies. Food is necessary to keep our body functioning properly. Without it, life would not be possible.

        Have you ever experienced hunger for the things of God? Have you ever hungered for His presence? For His peace? For His joy? For His voice? For His love? For His grace? For His mercy? For His wisdom?  If you have, then you know that you would be willing to pay whatever price is necessary in order to partake of what He has to offer. Just like the natural food costs money, hungering and thirsting for more of Him will cost also. It will cost time, effort, sacrifice, self denial, and living our own way. We must be willing to pay the price to partake of what He has to offer us.

          Sometimes when we leave the table, we feel full and satisfied, but shortly thereafter, we feel hungry again. We soon began looking for a snack or dessert to munch on to fill us back up again.  We must eat daily in order to stay healthy and strong. If we partake of the world's junk, we will lose our desire for the things of God. We must avoid the things the world has to offer.

        Only Jesus satisfies. However, we must partake of His presence daily in order to stay strong and healthy spiritually. Just praying or reading the Word in church isn't enough. Only worshipping Him during the church service won't fill that longing in our soul. That would be the same as eating one meal a week. Our bodies couldn't survive if we did that. We must hunger and thirst for Him daily. We must seek Him every day. We must pray, seek His face and worship Him every day. He promised to fill us, but we must hunger for Him.


"Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine" (John 21:12).


        Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? Come to His table and be filled today. What He has to offer won't cause you to gain weight. It will, in fact, cause you to shed those weights and sins that easily beset and separate  you from God. He has more than enough to fill and satisfy. Don't ignore His invitation.