Have a Pure Heart

Fresh Manna for Thursday, December 28, 2006© by Pastor Tim Burt
http://www.freshmanna.org

Acts 10:1-2 “At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.”

One morning my son Peter was sharing his daily manna with me. He was reading about Cornelius and shared about how God honored this man’s prayers, not because He was in covenant with him but because of the purity of the man’s heart, his reverence for the Lord, and his actions to do what was right! Pete was simply commenting on how even though this man did not have a two-way relationship with God, God saw and honored Cornelius’ heart. I was so touched by the insight the Holy Spirit had given him.

It’s likely that many of us reading Fresh Manna today were like Cornelius at least in one way. I don’t mean in the way Cornelius was god fearing. Even before his relationship with God was fully established, he was God-fearing. I don’t mean in the way he gave generously in behalf of God. That is monumental! Far too many people will not even give generously when they do know God! I don’t mean in the way Cornelius prayed regularly. Cornelius truly sought to know God in prayer. Few Christians spend much time in prayer when they do claim to know the Lord. I think many of us were like Cornelius in that we grew up having a religious relationship with God. God was up there and we were down here and our imagination had to fill in the blanks – something that our imagination is not able to do properly.

We all probably remember at some point, a hunger to truly know God but didn’t know how to make that happen. We probably even prayed but still weren’t able to connect the dots with God. The difference with Cornelius was that he never gave up seeking God and doing what he knew to be right even when God had not yet revealed Himself to Cornelius. Most of us probably faded or gave up to some degree in any consistent pursuit of God.

When we finally did seek Him with an open heart – whether it was because of crisis, heartbreak, or for whatever reason, we finally learned of Jesus and received Him personally. Then our lights came on and the Holy Spirit brought insight to the scriptures and consequently our life in God began.

Cornelius’ pursuit of God in prayer from a pure heart and living righteously has taught me a foundational truth. God is always there and if I pursue Him and live for Him despite what I see or feel, God will answer my prayers and will manifest Himself in my life at some point. I can count on it. Regardless of whether I can see or feel God doing anything, He is there working in my behalf if I have faith in Him. He knew of Cornelius, of his pure and generous heart, and of his good works. Nothing that is good and right escapes God and I can count on that! God looks at and honors the heart. He did so for Cornelius. It was powerful. God sent him an angel to comfort him and then to bring his answer – the Apostle Peter to be the one to get him saved.

Someone living from a pure heart for God – even when they don’t know His will from the scriptures is more important to God then all the religious actions and mindless prayers that go before Him from people doing their own things while trying to appease God.

How do we know if our hearts our pure? John 15:14-15 says, “You are my friends IF YOU DO WHAT I COMMAND. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

Let me put the statement “you are my friends IF YOU DO WHAT I COMMAND” in a light that might make it easier for you to see yourself fulfilling. Jesus is saying, you are my friends if you will be accountable to walk out what I have shown you through my word. Cornelius didn’t know all the commands of God at this point in His life. But, he did do what He knew to do and he did it with a pure heart.

Have confidence today that if your heart is pure before God in your attempt to live before Him, He will honor that with great promise and answer to prayer. Learning and growing is a continuing process but a pure heart moves God. Isn’t it just the most awesome things that we can talk to and pray with the Almighty God of this entire universe on a personal level and then know He calls us His friend? Praise God forever more! I am in awe at the thought of it!

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://www.freshmanna.org

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright©2006
All rights reserved.

What is Fresh Manna? God’s Word – the Bible, should be exciting and alive to us. God wants to speak to us through His Holy Spirit and give us a fresh word from heaven every day. Fresh Manna is a daily devotional – that nourishment of daily bread from His heart to ours!

Living by Faith, Not by Sight!

Fresh Manna for Wednesday, December 27, 2006© by Pastor Tim Burt
http://www.freshmanna.org

Rom 12:17-18 “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

One morning many years ago when Renee and I were very young in our marriage, I was praying to the Lord about His faithfulness. I was praying these words, “Lord, you are faithful and so full of love! You have never stopped loving us even though we have not treated you with the love you have had toward us. Jesus, thank you for leaving Heaven even while we were yet sinners and could have cared less about you. You loved us even when we didn’t treat you right and didn’t love you back.” As soon as I said those words, God used those words to speak back to me over our marriage. He said, “Yes I did love you when you weren’t loving me back.” I knew He was ministering to me about marital issues Renee and I had been having at that time.

The first years of our marriage were full of highs and lows. Renee and I had hit the lowest part of our marriage that we had ever hit. At the time, we were almost feeling like we didn’t like each other anymore. It was one of those times where I had to lay down my life and everything I felt I should stand for. Trying to make things work the way I thought they should just wasn’t working. The bottom line was, I wanted our marriage to be forever. I wanted to love Renee, and I wanted our marriage to work. Because of what the Lord spoke to my heart, I went to her and asked her to tell me everything she needed me to do that would help her feel better about our relationship. I told her to let me know of EVERYTHING that I did that bugged her and the things she thought would help turn our marriage around. Some of what she told me I felt was more her issues but regardless, this was no time to slit hairs. I was going to do whatever it took to help things turn around.

I went at it with an effort and fervor like nothing I had ever done before. I was going to stop everything that bugged her and help her with everything that would bless her. It’s funny but it didn’t take that long to turn things around. The arguments began to stop and some of the “word wounds” began to heal. We both became less touchy about things. I went out of my way to be kind to her. It wasn’t long before she saw the sincere effort I was making and kicked in with a renewed diligent effort of her own.

With both of us working at it, the results were miraculous. We were both amazed at God’s working and how things did such a complete turn in just a few months. Our marriage suddenly felt awesome.

From that time forward, we made the determined choose to be careful in how we talked to each other. I no longer poked fun at her in public embarrassing her. I worked to stop and look at her when she was talking to me. She became more considerate at her timing in our conversations. There was a multitude of ways we communicated better – especially in being kind in our attitudes. We have made kind and considerate communication a top priority. We value our marriage more than anything except our relationship with the Lord. Plus, we felt we had to be this way if we wanted to walk out being the influence to others that we believed God wanted us to be.

I have told you this because life is full of having to do things that are right to do, when there is no emotional impetus to do so. When the Bible says, “We live by faith, not by sight,” (2 Cor 5:7) this is what it is talking about. There are times where we have to get our emotions or the circumstances that face us out of the picture, and rule our decisions and actions by what we know God wants us to do. As today’s Fresh Manna verse says, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.”

When we do “what’s right” whether we feel like it or not, God can bless us in ways that we would have never imagined. Jesus knows this kind of sacrifice. He lived it all His earthly life. Remember it was He who said, “Father, if it is possible, please let this cup pass from me.” Sometimes there are things we just need to do because of what God wants us to do whether we feel like it or not.

Be blessed when you become a doer of what is right and good despite how you feel!

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://www.freshmanna.org

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright©
All rights reserved.

What is Fresh Manna? God’s Word – the Bible, should be exciting and alive to us. God wants to speak to us through His Holy Spirit and give us a fresh word from heaven every day. Fresh Manna is a daily devotional – that nourishment of daily bread from His heart to ours!

God Offers Us His Best!

Fresh Manna for Wednesday, December 20, 2006© by Pastor Tim Burt
http://www.freshmanna.org

Psalm 84:11 says, “For the Lord God is our light and protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who do what is right.”

Last night I sat down and picked up my Bible with the intention of reading of reading the Christmas story in Luke Chapter 2. I didn’t get very far. I actually only got to verse 7. “And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” As I read it, all I could suddenly see was God giving us His best – Jesus.

I could only imagine Jesus departing Heaven and what that must have been like for all those there who knew where He was going and why. I honestly can’t imagine what it must have felt like to His Heavenly Father to send His only begotten Son into the kind of humble conditions with which He entered the earth only to await and prepare for rejection and persecution. I could only think about how despite all that. God would not withhold giving mankind – each one of us – His very best. He held nothing back from His pure heart of love for mankind.

I was lost in that thought when it suddenly hit me in a new and fresh way. He did not stop giving me His best with Jesus. I thought about how He gave me His best in a wife – Renee, the finest woman I know on the face of the earth – the perfect mate for me. Both of us are light years from perfect but we are perfect for each other. Then I thought about my children and how He gave me His best with my children – four of the most loving kids that a man could ever ask for. They also are not perfect but they are perfect to me. Then I thought about the precious son and daughter-in-law God gave me. They both wholeheartly love God and couldn’t be better spouses for my children. Then I thought about my Pastors – Mac & Lynne Hammond. I had prayed early on in my Christian walk that God would lead me to a church with the best Pastors and leadership I could ever be under so I could learn to how to become a Pastor that made a difference and that loved God’s people. God gave me the best in answer to that prayer. I was truly feeling overwhelmed by this point. Then I thought about the congregation of people that we have in our church and the people I get to serve God along side of. I have never seen such sold out dedicated God fearing – God loving, selfless people anywhere. God had given me His best even there. I was wowed. God had not held back His best in any area of my life.

At that point God reminded me of Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” These were the words, the praise, the very song of a host of angels – the heavenly choir to mankind that God has given His best!

These words were not casual but carried profound meaning and power. The words, “Glory to God in the Highest,” are a collection of literal Greek words that exalt God in the highest expression of any collection of words in the Bible. The remainder of the words, “…and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests,” carry this literal meaning: “to all those upon this earth, peace meaning prosperity, quietness, and rest in heart, and purpose in life with pleasure and satisfaction are available at God’s entry point – faith in His Son Jesus Christ – and this available to any and all human beings on the face of this planet.” This is the literal meaning of those glorious words “…and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests,” sung by the heavenly choir of angels.

This was and is God’s best and it is available to all through the gate of faith. Again the words “…on whom His favor rests,” is an entry point. It is making the decision to have faith in God through His Son Jesus Christ. Hebrews 11:6 says it like this: “So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that there is a God and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” Jesus did not come to condemn any human being. Condemnation and damnation is the choice that is left when Jesus is refused because God did not create any other way for mankind to be forgiven or receive His love. John 3:17 says, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. “

As I was thinking about all of this, I was overwhelmed with the fact that God has given His best to me over and over and over again. He has never stopped. As today’s Fresh Manna verse says, “For the Lord God is our light and protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who do what is right.”

To be honest, at that point I felt like the reciprocation of my love to Him has been woefully inadequate in light of the best He gives me. I thought about how we often say, “I’ve given it my best,” but how short in truth those words fall – at least from me.

Christmas reminds me continuously of God giving His best to us – even if the world does not understand that. Today I am filled with desire to make greater effort to give God more of the selfless and best love that He has shown me.

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://www.freshmanna.org

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2006
All rights reserved.

What is Fresh Manna? God’s Word – the Bible, should be exciting and alive to us. God wants to speak to us through His Holy Spirit and give us a fresh word from heaven every day. Fresh Manna is a daily devotional – that nourishment of daily bread from His heart to ours!