Personal T.O.R.I.

Today at service we honored our T.O.R.I. graduates.  T.O.R.I. is our churches Texas Offenders, Re-Entry Initiative.  We spend many resources, from people to monetary, to help Ex-Offenders re-enter society.  Their recidivism rate is one of the lowest amongst its graduates.  It’s a program, with a ton of care, love, and support, which really make a difference in the lives of ex-offenders.

While at service today, The LORD began to minister to me.  He began to show me how He had given me my very own and personal T.O.R.I. in a way.  You see we are ALL offenders in some fashion or another.  The bible says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23.  And we need a “T.O.R.I” of sorts to make our way back to Him.

He gave us this “T.O.R.I.” way back on Calvary.  Jesus gave us all the care, love, and support we would ever need!  There His will was set aside, and The Father’s will was made to rise.  From the depths of the grave, to riding on a cloud in the sky, His name was lifted up on high!

There is no greater name than the name of Jesus.  And if you are feeling, out of place, scattered, hurt, pained, or in any way needing to get back up and get back in line, just ask Him to be your personal “T.O.R.I” program.  And He will do for you just as He has done for countless others, when He shed His blood for you and me! 

Focal Point

While at the gym this morning I decided to push farther and after my normal back and bicep workout, to do an extra 20 minutes on the Elliptical machine.  Now realize the day prior was my cardio day, so in this regards, I could say these muscles were tired.

As I pressed into the program, I found myself getting tired and ready to give up. I had thoughts of giving up and saying, “I have done enough”. Then a man comes walking into the club. He caught my attention because he had a limp.  The limp came from his prosthetic leg, which attached above the knee, and he moved with a noticeable dip and limp as he meandered across the gym.  He slowly climbed onto one of the machines and began to do his cardio workout. 

As I looked at him I focused on his mechanical knee, which pivoted in perfect motion.  He pushed onward and faster and I watched with great intent. The more I focused on his knee, the more I pushed in my own workout. I stopped watching all the other people in the gym and concentrated on the precise, and pinpoint pivot of his knee.

Then God spoke to me, and reminded, if you will focus on Me, and make me your focal point, I will give you the drive to accomplish the things I have set you out to do. Just then my I-pod changed songs, to Walter Hawkins’ “Thank You, LORD”.  I completed my workout far above where I had planned to finish and more than accomplished my goal.

Moral: Rather than be distracted by all the comings and goings of people, focus on Christ and accomplish that thing which He has called you to do! 

Do You Look Good Naked?

 I was at the gym this morning and I came across an individual who said to me, “I doing this because I want to look good naked.”  This got me to thinking, “Do we really look good naked?”

If you get sick and go to the doctor, the first thing they will do is draw your blood.  Why? Because in the blood they can tell a myriad of things, which are taking, place in your body.  They can tell what you have recently eaten, what you have recently drank, or ingested. They can tell if something has infiltrated your system and now your body is rising up an army to fight off the intruders who come to steal your health, destroy your spirit, and ultimately kill you. I wonder what would happen if we pulled your Spiritual Blood right now? What would we find that has infiltrated your system? What is it you have ingested, drank, and taken in, which seeks to steal, kill and destroy you?

You say, Brother, I am not ingesting any poisonous things, my life is pretty good.  Then I ask you, “Do you spend more time on Facebook then you do in your Bible?” Or, “Is the TV program you love, get a higher priority for its time slot, than your time slot for Sunday morning worship service?” “Do you have time to gossip about everyone else, but no time to talk with the LORD who loves you and ask Him to help fix you?”

We know when we pass we shall stand before His throne, naked, stripped of all earthly gains and possessions, and He will judge us according to what He sees.  Will He see your wretchedness, or will He see Jesus’ blood, covering your ugly nakedness. How will you look, naked?

Will You Die Physically or Spiritually?

We have recently been talking about Adoni-Bezek: A king in the Canaanite land whom the Israelites were told to go and fight against.  They conquered him and cut of his thumbs and great toes, as he had done to 70 kings himself. We understand he had many opportunities in which God appealed to his heart, yet he shut out the word of the LORD, an grew more and more calloused to the gentle voice of the LORD pleading at his heart.  And we see what happened to him in his last days, as he was brought to Jerusalem and the bible says he died there.

Which left me wondering, did he die physically or spiritually?  Did his earthly life perish, or was he humbled enough to realize his life was not his own, but to Him he belonged?  There is no mention of his burial there. No dancing at his death as an enemy nor is there mourning of his passing; after all he was still a king.  No the bible does not record this for us.

What we do know is it’s not too late for you and I.  We still have breath in our members and life in our blood.  The LORD is ever pleading with our hearts trying to get us to see it is in Him we move, live and have our being.  He is still softly calling and nudging us, and yes we still have time.  Time to harken unto His call, time to listen to His beaconing pull.  It’s not too late, no matter what you’ve done, no matter where you are, God still loves and he is still just. He will forgive us of each and every sin, and welcome us back to His side, to be His child and reign with Him forever.

Will you stand before the throne, today, and say, LORD; I’m available to You!