Finish for a Change

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. (Genesis 11:31 NIV)

It is much easier to start something than to finish it. There is an old adage that says, 'it is not how you start but how you finish.' The great philosopher Manuel Diotte said, "Wining isn't always finishing first. Sometimes wining is just finishing." Success in dealing with the secular and the sacred is not contingent on the start of a thing but rather on the end of a thing.

How great of a man would Noah have been if God had given him the directive to build the ark and Noah built the ark half way? How great in Biblical record would any ink be wasted on the life of Nehemiah if he had heard about the walls in his hometown that were damaged, started the walls and then heard miserable comforters who beckoned him to come down, prompting him to stop the job half way?

Imagine then the God that we serve sent his beloved son Jesus to save humanity. But would we really have followed Jesus or worshiped Him if all He was able to leave was a testament of his goodness; feeding 5000, blind man able to see, deaf man able to hear, and a crippled man able to walk? Would He really be worthy of worship? It was not until Jesus was on the cross with his arms stretched out, blood trickling down his eyes down to his chest that he was able to declare so that men would see as a role model, 'it is finished.'

There is something that beckons us to greatness that God does not want men or women to just start good ideas, or to embark on great projects and not finish them. You could have been talking about 2 to 4 different careers but will you not finish something? You have probably failed to finish school, doing one semester and leaving three more semesters undone. Will you finish anything? As a new convert, one is usually in church shouting, praising and rolling around but after they get blessed, they sit in church like God owes them something. Endeavor to finish something.

God told Terah to shift his entire family. The place that Abraham and his family were living in was not were they were to die. Where you are right now may not be where you are supposed to be forever or die. The anointing the Lord is releasing on you is not for individual advancement nor is it for personal gain, but it is to shift your entire family. God promised to take Terah out of Ur of the Chaldeans.

Ur translates means, the place of fire. God is shifting you from an area in your life where you may have been under attack, and persecution. God took him from Ur to a place called Canaan- the place of promise. Unborn generations were able to walk on this promise. Whenever God gives a promise, it is not a seasonal promise, but a generational promise. Get ready for a shift because when God gets you into a wealthy place, you will not be 'hood rich' - where you have a nice car but don't have a house, dress good but your children look a mess. You will be wealthy.

On their way from Ur the place of fire and persecution to Canaan the place of promise, something happened. Halfway to their destination they got to a place called Haran. Archaeological facts state that, Haran is one of the wealthiest regions in the east. In 1832, they uncovered the tombs of 18 kings all of which were shrouded in 14 karat gold robes and gold headdress. Their wealth was so pronounced that the workers of their court were burred alive with them.

They said we would rather be dead than to live without our king. In "Haran" they had the best schools, best university, and water plumbing system. The problem was that as good as "Haran" looked, it was not the promise. The Promise was Canaan. Some people could be confused. Because they have a job or degree, they might think they have arrived. There is more to you than what you have now. They might become comfortable and complacent because where they are could be better than where they had left. Do not be satisfied with second best. Just because you have taken a step up doesn't mean you have reached the full flight of steps.

As you read the text you will notice that Terah was the father of Haran and the place were they stopped was called Haran. Many of us go half way because we can't go on after a person leaves us. After the breakup, or divorce, you may feel like the world has come to an end. Don't rely on a person, because when they are no longer with you, God promised to never leave or forsake you.

Some of you ought to thank God that some people left you early because they left you before you ever got your promise. If anyone is planning on leaving you, let him or her leave you at the half way mark. They shouldn't stick with you until you get to your promise. If you ever get discarded, dumped, or played, that is a sign that you are half way to your destination. God was not mad that they stopped. He was mad that they stayed.

When Terah set out to go to Canaan, he took Abram and his wife Sarai, and Lot Terah's grandson. We have a problem here because Terah has three sons; Abram Haran and Nahor, but when he had to go to Canaan, he didn't take Nahor. Instead he took Abram and his wife Sarai. Abram's name means 'man of faith.' In other words the only person Terah could take into the promise was somebody who had faith that the promise was still there. God is only going to release a promise to those who believe it is theirs. He took a man of faith and Sarai, which means princess.

When she got to Canaan she become Sarah, meaning queen. In this next shift God is not only going to bless men but women as well to seat on their own throne. Determine not to be second in rank for anything because you were born to be a queen. Terah didn't take Nahor. I couldn't figure the reason until I discovered that Nahor's name means dry. The secondary definition of Nahor's name means hoarse. One becomes hoarse from a dry throat. Terah couldn't take anybody into the promise, who couldn't use his or her throat.

Some people are too calm to the extent that even when they are under fire, they will not know how to praise God. Secondly, he could not take him because he was stiff. Terah needed someone who could get excited before they ever got to the place of promise. Get connected to somebody who wants you to praise God with him or her. If you can see your promises begin to praise God in advance. If God has given you an advance preview of what lies ahead of you, I dare you to praise God. What do you think Abraham did when he saw the sign, '10 miles to Canaan?'

Terah died in Haran. The Lord then told Abraham to leave the place where his father had died and go to the place of promise.

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1 NIV)

The Lord has anointed you to go further than your father. Where your father would have stopped and quit, God put some extra kick in you not to stop and fall short of where your predecessors stopped. Some of you have perfect fathers but if you want God to stretch you to go beyond where you father was able to go, I dare you to finish something. God told Abraham that when you finish, I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. (Gen 12:1-3 NIV)

The Lord spoke to Abraham in Haran, the half way place where he was driving the best car, living in the best house, and making the best money he had ever made. God told him Haran was not the promise, Canaan was. He had more for him at the place of promise. Imagine what God has for you when you finish up? The lord has got more for you. God told Abraham to do what nobody in his family had ever done to FINISH! You are probably comfortable in "Haran". That is not it, go all the way and finally complete something.

----Dr. Jamal Bryant

Draw Near to the God Who Understands

"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:15-16

There is great significance to the fact that Christ was born in the likeness of man and lived through adulthood on this earth. That Jesus experienced life from the cradle to the cross has great relevance to how we live our lives as Christians. Sometimes we might think that God being God cannot possibly relate or understand our incessant needs and weaknesses. We might be prone to think that we have sinned so much that we can no longer be forgiven.

We might be tempted to think that God has given up on us. Perhaps we have concluded that God doesn't care to hear our prayer, and if we do pray, we do it with a serious lack of belief, confidence, and hope. Yet the message from Scripture is that Jesus understands and even sympathizes. There is no need to be embarrassed or confounded by our neediness and weakness.

Christ wants to show Himself to be strong in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10), and He promises to meet our needs according to His good and perfect will (Philippians 4:19). His throne is a place of mercy and grace. He knows that we need help, and He wants us to come and ask Him for it.

He understands pain, for He was beaten and bruised for our transgressions. He understands rejection, for many professing followers abandoned Him. He knows what it is to be fatigued as He spent many long nights in prayer. He knows the frustration of laboring for the Lord when even His own disciples seemed to not understand. He can relate to family life, to the work place, to the meeting place for worship, and to the everyday issues of life. He hungered and He thirsted. Our God understands, for He has been there.

Yet, despite all that He experienced and endured, He did not sin. This has made it possible for us to be saved and to have the ability in Christ to draw near to God in prayer. We have the awesome privilege of approaching the God of the universe in prayer in the name of Christ. It is not our goodness that makes this possible but His. And given all that He endured for this to be made possible, how awful it must be to Him when we don't take advantage of this privilege of prayer.

We get to approach the very throne of God in prayer which is a place of supreme authority and power. This is where things can get done, where sin can be forgiven, where requests can be answered, and where hopes can be renewed. And because of Christ, this throne is not a place of the pouring out of God's wrath but a place of grace and mercy.

There is no reason for God's people to not offer their requests and petitions to God. There is no reason to think that God won't hear our prayers or that He wouldn't desire fellowship with us. He sent His own Son so that this could happen. We need to take advantage of this privilege and enjoy intimate communion with our Lord in prayer. If we have unconfessed sin, God wants to hear that before anything else. He is ready to forgive and not condemn. If we have needs, He wants to be asked to meet them. If we have weaknesses, He wants to provide the strength. When we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8).

Jesus had weaknesses, though He was without sin. We have weaknesses and sin. Yet our hope is that we can go and be forgiven this day and receive help and strength to carry on not from a God Who doesn't care or can't relate but from a God Who anticipates our needs and sympathizes with our struggles. When we come to understand the mercy, grace, and sympathy of our Lord, we will readily entreat Him for wisdom, provision, and deliverance from sin. We will eagerly rush to His presence to be cleansed from any unconfessed sin. We won't shrink away in fear, but we will run to His open and eager embrace. We have a God Who sympathizes and understands. Let us thank God for the work of Christ, and let us draw near to our gracious Father this day.

----Brent Barnett

The Thanksgiving Joy of Harvest

The term "HARVEST" appears frequently in Scripture, as the people of the Bible lived in an agricultural society. At Thanksgiving, the imagery of harvest frames our own nation's history, inspiring us with things reflective of Early America.

Yet Thanksgiving is about more than that.

It is a call for us to celebrate not only God's provision and restoration, but also His promise and presence--even amid delays, restricting circumstances, or tears.

Thanksgiving also calls us to constancy, for the journey to harvest will usually be harder than we think, longer than we expect, and more rewarding than we can ever imagine.

Scripture says, "Though weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning" (Ps. 30:5).

For many of us, it's been a demanding year.

But as you and I come to Thanksgiving, the joy of celebration makes everything else incidental. When we finally see the harvest, it no longer matters how tough things were, how much time they took, or how heavy the pressures were. What's important is that we have answered the call to faith.

There is joy in that call. The Bible likens this joy after travail to a woman who has delivered a child. After the difficult months of pregnancy and the pain of labor, the baby is born, and what it took for that to happen doesn't matter anymore. There is only the songs of rejoicing.

These songs are a celebration of God's purpose through and beyond trial. It reminds us that triumph ultimately outlasts trial. And the triumph is en route, folks.

Even if we can't see what God is doing, there's evidence in our hearts that He will be faithful. This song is an invitation to constancy of focus--to go forth with sacks of seed, not just one.

So today, ask yourself: What are you sowing?

Even with the wind in my face, the sand in my eyes, the weeping from circumstance or adversity, we must keep sowing the promise of God. Not as one who is mindless or superstitious, but as one who knows that the God who makes a promise to His people never forgets it.

God has done more things of love and goodness in our lives than any of us can imagine. When you face the thing that hasn't happened yet, keep sowing.

With a heart of Thanksgiving, find joy in the harvest to come.

----Dr. Jack Hayford

For He is Good

Often at this time of year, we put a lot of emphasis on Christmas. As merchants compete for our attention, we start becoming preoccupied with putting up the lights, trimming the tree, buying presents, and so on. In the process of it all, we can very easily forget the beautiful holiday called Thanksgiving. Proclaimed as a national Thanksgiving Day in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln, it initially was a religious holiday and, more to the point, a Christian holiday.

At this particular time of year we can sometimes forget about how thankful we ought to be. We need to never forget that God has blessed us to live, in my opinion, in the greatest country on the face of the earth, the United States of America. We have so many privileges here. We have a lot to give thanks for.

Certainly the Bible urges us to give thanks to the Lord. We are told in Psalm 106:1, "Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" (NKJV). Colossians 3:17 says, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (NKJV). Then in Hebrews 13:15, we read, "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (NKJV, emphasis mine).

Sometimes worship and thanksgiving can indeed be a sacrifice. Why? Because we don't feel like it. It may be because we are down or depressed or things aren't going all that well for us. Maybe we are experiencing hardship or a tragedy has struck, and we don't want to thank God. But Psalm 106:1 doesn't say, "Give thanks to the Lord because you feel good." It says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good."

We are quick to ask for help, but we are slow in returning thanks. Yet we should be just as definite in giving thanks to God as we are in requesting help from Him. As a result, there are at least three things about giving thanks that we Christians need to know.

First, to give thanks, we must recognize that God is in control of all circumstances surrounding our lives, both good and bad. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (NKJV). God is paying attention to what is going on in our lives. And He knows what you are going through right now.

Second, we must realize that God loves us and is always looking out for our eternal benefit, even if what we are presently going through is difficult. As 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (NKJV).

Third, we must realize that God is wiser than we are. He is always dealing with us for our best eternal good, where in contrast, we are always interested in what is for our temporary good. But sometimes what is good for us eternally is not easy for us temporarily. God will make that determination and work in our lives accordingly.

When is the last time you said...

Lord, thank You that you have allowed me to live in the United States of America...
Thank You for my church and allowing me to be a part of it...
Thank You for sending Your Son to die on the cross for my sins...
Thank You that He rose again...
Thank You that my life, which was once filled with guilt, is now filled with Your purpose and peace...
Thank You that no matter what happens, You are coming back again for me...?

------Greg Laurie

Lord Have Mercy!

Have Mercy On Me is not a phrase that you hear very often. When many of us hear "Have Mercy On Me," we immediately think of the Parable of The Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

You know where the Pharisee prayed to God, "Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like those other people--robbers, crooks, adulterers, or heaven forbid, like this IRS Guy, I mean Tax Collector. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income." Meanwhile the Tax Collector slumped in the shadows with his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, "God, Have Mercy On Me... I'm A Sinner."

This story reminds me of the story of a young lady who attends my church. About six weeks ago we had offered for people to come down for prayer at the end of service. This young lady came down and began to share the story of "Livin' la Vida Loca" (livin' the crazy life). She was excited about the fact that she was once that crazy troubled teenager and now she gets to work with troubled youth as a Detention Officer.

As we talked about Juvenile Corrections, I shared the fact that I used to be the Warden of a local Juvenile Correctional Facility. One thing led to anther and I realized that her younger brother used to be one of my kids in the facility. I quickly remembered that I had seen on the news several years back that her younger brother was murdered.

She shared the story of her 19-year-old brother being murdered execution style in 2005. Recalling a knock on the door around midnight one summer evening in 2006, that knock led to her 16-year-old brother going to answer the door. The next thing she remembers is hearing gunshots. One Year after her 19-year-old brother was killed; her 16-year-old brother was gunned down by a group of guys that were coming to kill her.

For years and years she walked around with the guilt that she was responsible for her brothers death. "I felt like I was brainwashed, I was brainwashed into thinking that I was supposed to live that crazy life forever." It wasn't until she quit saying "poor me" and truly humbled herself before the Lord, that things began to change. "I remember getting on my knees, with my face in my hands and tears running down my face."

Understanding that she wasn't worthy, she prayed this prayer "God, I know I'm jacked up and should have probably died instead of my brother. God Make Me Different; Change Me for Real, Lord Have Mercy On Me... I'm A Sinner!"

We all need to pray less like the Pharisee and more like the humble Tax Collector and this young lady (modern day tax collector). God I don't just ask for your forgiveness, God Have Mercy On Me... I'm A Sinner!

I'll close with these words from Jesus talking about the Tax Collector in Luke 18:14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Sometimes you gotta get down, so that God can lift you up! Lord Have Mercy!

-----Scott Williams

The Spiritual Test

We can all remember our school days when we were faced with exams. We spent all day in school-and still we panicked when it came to test time.

Why? Perhaps it's because our time in the classroom was only one part of the learning process. The other part was time at home engaging with the material through homework, worksheets, and flashcards-all designed to prepare us for exams and to make sure we had a grasp of the material and were headed in the right direction.
The exam brought panic because it was the culmination of all of our hard work and the measure of our direction and mastery of the material.

These exams and tests were for our benefit. They measured our growth, highlighted our strengths and weaknesses, and guided us to the paths we should take. The same is true of our spiritual lives. We face tests and exams on a spiritual level, but they count for greater consequences because the results of these tests are indicators of our eternal future.
We must examine ourselves with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and always be ready to be tested. Always being ready for exams is foundational to a positive life in Christ. Throughout 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul wrote about all that God taught him and what gave him power to live positively in Christ in the midst of fear, trepidation, imprisonment, and flogging.

In his conclusion to this letter he says, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!" (2 Corinthians 13:5, NASB).

The Corinthians of old fell into the trap that some of our modern educators have fallen into today. If students are not keeping up and succeeding in school, some believe that the standards must be too high-so they lower the standards. The problem is that lowering the standards and changing the curriculum doesn't insist on accountability.

When we refuse to examine ourselves on a regular basis we are taking God's grace and salvation for granted. But don't miss the fabulous news: In this test that the Bible talks about, we can be always a success. Even those who fail the test can succeed.

If you examine yourself on a daily basis and find that you are in the faith, then you will be overjoyed by His grace and mercy and will give God the glory. But if you examine yourself and find that you have moved away from the truth, then God has given you an engraved invitation to repent and to return to the truth.

God promised in His Word to receive anyone who turns to Him. The moment you come face to face with the reality that you have departed from the faith by sinning gravely and you repent, God in His grace and mercy receives you. He embraces you. He forgives you. He restores you. You are, again, overjoyed by His grace and mercy and give God the glory.

Either way, God is glorified. Examine yourself.