Craig's Living H2O

May 31st - "Sinners Liked Jesus"

"Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him."    Luke 15:1

Sinners wanted to be around Jesus. They enjoyed His company and yet the religious folks were envious, jealous, and critical of Jesus. Some things never change! The religious still get upset with Christians who are doing a good job of gathering sinners. How are we going to influence them for Christ if we don't gather them? If you are one of these complainers, stop it and become a fisherman of men. Get over yourself.

"And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”   Luke 15:2

May 30th - "Some Favorite Sustaining Verses"

"As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."   Joshua 1:5

"I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me."   Micah 7:7

"He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee."   Deuteronomy 33:27

"And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart."   Jeremiah 29:13

Recently, these four verses have been my constant in the midst of trial. Aren't the promises of God wonderful? We can truly hold on to them and expect our great and faithful God to come through for us. He is a God of power and might, a God of faithfulness and truth, a God who wants us to remind Him of His Word. Stand upon the promises of God each and every day. Stand upon the promises of God and make them your true North. Use them to navigate through the storms of life into your fair haven of rest. They are fixed and can be trusted. Oh, how I love His Word!

May 29th - "True Grit"

"Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed. Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your decrees."   Psalm 119:116-117

Have you made the decision to trust in God's Word no matter what the outcome may be? There are times in our lives that we must take an "all or nothing approach" when trusting in the promises of God. I believe that the writer of this Psalm was at that point. He is saying, "Lord, I am trusting in Your promise with everything I've got; do not let my hopes be dashed." What a great position to find yourself in - totally in the hands of God. The Psalmist then states that "sink or swim," I am going to trust God. "Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your decrees." He is saying that no matter what the outcome may be, "I will always have regard for your decrees." This is true faith - a faith in God that acknowledges that He always knows what is best for us.

May 28th - "Four Steps into a New Thing"

"And Mary said, 'Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her."   Luke 1:38

Mary exemplifies the proper response that all of us should follow when the Lord speaks to us. She accepted God's will for her life and immediately began to embrace it. God's will, became her will. Mary said, "Let it be to me according to your word." Mary heard the word, embraced the word, believed the word, and acted upon it. These are the four steps necessary for you to move into any new thing that God may have for you. Mary acted upon the word and went to Elizabeth's house. It all begins by hearing from God, so be a good listener. Once you hear His directions, embrace His will for your life as your own will. Then believe that what God has said will come to pass. And finally, begin to act upon it; do your part. Following Mary's example will lead you into a life blessed by God.

"And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."   Luke 1:45

May 27th - "Due Diligence"

"So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord."   Joshua 9:14

We must never evaluate things at face value only. We must bring everything to the Lord in prayer and seek His counsel.  Asking the Lord for guidance is a part of the "due diligence" process. Only He knows the future, so only He knows what is best. Ask first, and then you won't have regrets later as Israel did. Israel made a premature treaty with the enemy because they made their decision based simply on the face value of the evidence presented to them.

"Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath. Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them.     Joshua 9:15-16

May 26th "Laziness and Diligence"

“Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.”  Proverbs 10:4

 “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”  Proverbs 6:10-11

“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23

“He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.” Proverbs 12:11

May 25th - "Little by Little"

“Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” Proverbs 13:11

 Our culture seems to have a built-in disdain for doing anything "little-by-little." We wanted everything now, fast, and "don't make me wait!" We buy with credit because we don't have the patience to wait. But today, take time to hear and take heed to the wisdom of Scripture.

“Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil.” Proverbs 15:16

May 24th - "Cheating"

"A just balance and scales belong to the Lord; all the weights of the bag are His concern."   Proverbs 16:11

The God of the universe cares so much about justice, that even the smallest weight for the scales is His concern. God knows and He cares about every matter of integrity. Even the smallest matter of cheating is noticed by our heavenly Father.

"Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless, but wickedness subverts the sinner."   Proverbs 13:6

"The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; he who watches his way preserves his life."

May 23rd - "Grief"

"I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." John 16:20-22

Dear believer, is your soul burdened down with grief? Have you suffered a great loss? For that I am truly sorry. I know there is not much I, or anyone else can say, but I am truly sorry and I am praying for you. I wish I could take away your pain. There is One who can help. Let me encourage you to take your burdens and grief to the Lord. He offers you hope and comfort in these Scriptures.

"Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5

"For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."  Revelation 7:17

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."   Revelation 21:4

May 22nd - "Jezebel's Time"

"But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality."   Revelation 2:20-21

Even Jezebel, with her wicked ways, was given "time to repent." She was "teaching and seducing" God's servants to "practice sexual immorality;" and yet God extended grace to her. That is the depth of God's amazing grace. But that grace is not extended forever. Jezebel's "time to repent" expired. What a powerful truth is found here. There is no sin so dark and deep that God's grace is not deeper still. No matter what we may have done, there is forgiveness in Christ. And yet, there does come a time when His grace is no longer extended and judgment is rendered. Jezebel's time to repent had come and gone. Only God decides that time for each individual. Because our time to repent can expire, the Bible says that, "Today is the day of salvation." Don't run the risk of "falling into the hands of angry God." If there is sin in your life, repent of it today, while you still have a chance. Do you refuse "to repent of your sexual immorality?" Tomorrow's grace is not promised. Don't let your personal "time to repent" expire. Since even Jezebel had the opportunity to repent, you can too. But don't wait until it is too late.

"I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works."   Revelation 2:21-23