Long Time No Posts

New Year's resolution: blog each week. Now we will see. LOL

CRUNCH TIME

In the book of Esther, we find an amazing narrative displaying the handiwork of God without a mention of His name anywhere. Sometimes we fail to recognize that God works whether we see Him at work or not. There are some vibrant characters in this account. We see the powerful king, Ahasueras, King of Persia's vast empire. We find some Jewish captives living in Shushan, one of the capital cities of Persia's empire, Mordecai and Esther. Of course a villain pokes his ugly mug into the story, too. Haman, the Agagite, acts as the Adolph Hitler in this account as he seeks to wipe the Jews from the face of the earth.

These were dark days for the Jewish captives. Haman's hatred stemmed from Mordecai's unwillingness to bow his knee to him. Anger turned to hatred and bitterness. His malicious emotions turned into actions as he plotted to destroy, not just Mordecai, but every Jew in the realm! Working closely with the King, Haman pushed a law into the books which would make Jews legal game at a certain time. Their money would be confiscated by the government (and mostly by Haman himself), but their lives were to be snuffed out.

Little did Haman know that God was already working. God had established someone on the inside, a beautiful young Jewess named Esther. Esther was the new queen. She had little political power, but she had the power of influence which would prove to be Haman's demise.

In Esther chapter four, Mordecai makes the statement that Esther had come to the kingdom for such a time as this. These times were frightening times for the Jews. What could they do if the government stepped in and made them targets of destruction? Haman thought nothing. God had a plan already. I am so glad that God always has His plans. Nothing takes Him by surprise. You cannot sneak up on Him.

We also live in tough times and can learn some vital principles on how to live in these days from Esther and Mordecai. We live in perilous times according to 2 Timothy 3. Times when men shall be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Times when men who loved God will turn cold and indifferent. Not only perilous times, but also PROUD times. We live in days when the politicians seem to act like they know more than God does. When one man and one woman are not the definition of marriage any more. When the work of God going on in a mother's womb is treated like mere scientific research materials! We are living in times of pride and arrogance. Sadly these days are also characteristically PRAYERLESS times. At the very moment when God's people should be calling the all-night prayer meetings, we are partying. At the times when our prayer closets should be filled, we are watching TV or something else as insignificant. "But God made these things for our enjoyment," someone says. Paul told Timothy, "But thou, therefor, endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. . ." We are more couch-potato type Christians. An old hymn seriously challenges my at-ease-in-Zion mentality: "Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease, while others fought to win the prize, and sailed through bloody seas; Sure I must fight, if I would reign, increase my courage Lord. I'll bear the toil, endure the pain, supported by Thy Word." Wow! Does that sting you like it does me?

It is time for us to do four things:

TIME TO STAND UP. . .not to simply fade into the background. Though there are dangers, we must stand like Esther. Her words, "If I perish, I perish" should be ours in these times when real commitment is needed. We get so tied up on the non-essentials that we fail in the essentials. The devil has us fighting each other about our hair being one inch or a half inch over our ears, while the world goes to hell in a handbasket!! God help us! Let's take our stand for Him. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

TIME TO SPEAK UP. . .Yes, to raise our voices! Never let the devil put a sock in your mouth. His socks taste terrible! Some are "socked" with the spirit of fear. Others are stymied by pride, or worry about what others might say. Some are stifled by indifference. . ."Someone else will do it." Esther could have been silent, but she would have suffered for it. She was not silent. She spoke up with discretion and diplomacy. She showed wisdom in her approach to the king and her enemy. Let's remember that our presentation of the Gospel and the truth of God's Word can be creative. Even preaching, public discourse, does not have to follow homiletical rules. Sometimes they are helpful, but let the Lord be the Lord of the sermon as well as our lives!

TIME FOR SUPPLICATION. . .actually, this is before the speaking up. Be prayed up. Spend time alone with your God. Jesus needed His time with the Father, and He shows us the path to power. Let us pray! Pray alone or with somebody. Pray as families. Pray as friends. Pray for more than the sick and hospitalized, but do not leave them out. Pray for spiritual needs. Pray for power from on high. Pray for souls to come to Christ. Pray for lives to be changed. Pray for revival among indifferent believers. PRAY!! "Pray without ceasing." Let it be our first breath in the morning and our closing breath at night. May God give us some who can pray like Elijah and call down the demonstration of real Heavenly power.

TIME FOR SOLIDARITY. . .I have borrowed this term from the Polish labor group that rose up and threw off their communistic slave masters several years back. How did they do it? SOLIDARITY. . .unity. These days of danger and demonic oppression call for Christians, those who truly believe in the Bible and the deity of Jesus Christ (real Christians), to stand together. Mordecai was told to go and to gather the Jews in Shushan so that they could pray together with Esther's handmaidens. You might be called a Baptist or a Presbyterian, but if you love the Lord Jesus, and are true to the Bible the Word of God, then I will stand with you in these days. May God help us to stop shooting our friends and our wounded, but especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. Read Acts 2:1. The early believers were all with one accord, in one place. That is the solidarity about which I am speaking.

Let's take these four principles and put them into action today. No time for waiting around until the next battle is lost. Do it now! God bless you this week.

BATTLING DISCOURAGMENT

Psalm 55

How often we have been like the poor man who was carrying a load of sticks, but became tired. As he sat down beside the lane, he muttered, "I am sick and tired of this. I wish death would come and relieve me." In an instant Death slipped up to him and said, "Here I am, what do you want of me?" Our flabbergasted friend stammered, "I want you to help me put this bundle of sticks on my back again." We are all prone to think that our load of sticks is heavier, that our road more difficult, and that our enemies are more daring than any other Christian's.

Are you ever discouraged on the path to Heaven? Perhaps depression has you sidelined and in active in your service for the Lord. Here is an outline that I found in the Sermon Notebook of Pastor Alan Carr's which has helped me and that, I trust, will also be a help to you.

In Psalm 55, we find a believer, David, whose son had turned against him, whose best friends were trying to kill him, and he felt very alone. He sailed a stormy sea like many of us. Let's learn from David.

1. Notice some aspects of DAVID'S DISCOURAGEMENT; Consider the situation he was in with Absalom, his son, rebelling against him, Ahithophel his dear friend giving Absalom counsel to have David's kingdom taken from him and to leave David dead. Folks, how David felt is usually exactly how we feel when we get discouraged.
- HE FELT DESERTED, v 1-2; Though he was not deserted and we are not, there are times when we feel like we are all alone. That is an awful feeling to have. Sometimes it comes out in kids as homesickness. In adults it can be homesickness or just this desperate feeling of ALONENESS. (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20 show us the truth of our situations, but we are prone to forget.)
- HE FELT DECEIVED, v.3, 9-15, 20-21; The story of this deception is found in 2 Samuel 17:23; @ Samuel 23:34; and has it's root in 2 Samuel 11:1-4. David's sin with Bathsheba resulted in bitterness in his best friend's heart. Ahithophel then plotted David's destruction with the rebellious Absalom. Imagine, and some of us do not have to imagine very hard, that hose with whom you have worshiped the Lord, who you have taken sweet counsel with, and with whom you have entrusted your friendship turning against you. Not simply drifting off, but actually turning in a vengeance against you out of their bitterness. Bitterness of course will destroy you. Do not be the guilty party here. Do not play with the fire of bitterness or you will be consumed. Pull it our by the roots! David however, felt deceived as the friendly smile turned to bitter anger.
- HE FELT DIRTY, v. 4; Often this is the main cause of depression. A feeling of guilt. Guilt can either be imaginary or it can be real. It can just be a feeling or it can be an actual judicial, legal difficulty between us and our holy God. Both of these can and should be dealt with. Jesus died on the cross for our cleansing! He will wash you and remove every stain of sin which causes real guilt before God. God invites, "Come now and let us reason together. . .though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18. We can be clean. The real guilt can be taken away. That false feeling of guilt that comes when we remember our failures of past days must be taken to the Word of God. God's Promises must be claimed. These feelings are not from God, if we have already confessed these things. These guilt feelings are brought up by our enemy, the devil, and we battle him using the Word of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
- HE FELT DEFEATED, v. 5; What a way for the hero of Israel to feel! The one who had brought victory after victory as he served the Lord now was trembling and fearful. Sometimes we feel this way, too. We feel like we could sit on the curb and dangle our feet without touching the ground. Like we could walk under the belly of a snake. We feel like we have blown it and there is no hope of recovery! David's discouragement expressed itself in these ways and in these feelings.

2. DAVID'S DESIRE v 6-8;
- He wanted to sprout wings so he could FLY AWAY, v.6; God does not always want to get us out of a situation, but we sure would like to be somewhere else. Like those funny Southwest Airlines commercials that ask the question, "Want to get away?" we often would just like to run away from our situation.
- He wanted to FLEE AWAY, v.7; into the wilderness. To get away like some hermit. To head for the wilderness.
- He wanted to FLOAT AWAY, v.8;
But we cannot run from our problems, we must face them with God's help. Like the Israelites coming out of the wilderness, we must face our giants with God's help. We must face them today or we must face them again later. HOW CAN WE FACE THESE GIANTS?

3. DAVID'S DELIVERANCE v.16-23; Here are the principles that can help us live our lives in joy and in victory.
- CALL UPON GOD - Pray, v.16-17 (Isaiah 65:24; Jeremiah 33:3; John 14:13-14; James 5:16) When i am discouraged, it is time to lay it all out before God and LEAVE IT. Do not bring your burden to the altar and as you go back to your seat, pick it up and take it with you. LEAVE YOUR BURDEN WITH HIM? "Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, thy wings shall my petition bear. . ." Call unto me, and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty things that thou knowest not, God invites in Jeremiah. Just remember that God is always bigger than your problems.
- COMMUNE WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE v.18; Whether we like to admit it or not, some folks are not good to be around. Not because we feel uncomfortable either, but because they do not help us get and stay close to the Lord. Psalm 1 gives clear warning as it outlines the path to the blessed life. "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, not sitteth in the seat of the scornful." When discouraged, go up to the house of God and commune with the people of God in the Word of God. It is sad that there are so-called churches today who are not any more spiritual than a barroom. God help us to come back to Him so that the discouraged souls may enter the place of worship and really sense the love of God and the presence of God so they can be helped.
- CAST AWAY YOUR BURDENS v.22a; What an awesome privilege we have! We are invited to cast our burden on the Lord. We are promised His sustaining power! That is a good time to shout right there! Hallelujah! Give that mess to Him. We came in to the church this morning and PHEW what s atink!! It is garbage day here and ours was needing to go away. We could tell by the smell. You have this burden that is like that old garbage, so take it to God and leave it there. Too many Christians carry their stinking garbage around with them all the time. No wonder we lose our witnessing power. Let's exercise this blessed privilege and cast our burdens on our God. (1 Peter 5:7; Matthew 11:28)
- CONTINUE IN HIM v.22b; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Though tempted to throw in the towel and "give up church", do not do it! Keep on keeping on. The gray skies will clear. Jesus told His disciples to throw their nets again in the same place where they had fished all night and caught nothing. Let that remind us that the victory can be had right were our biggest failures took place.
- CONSIDER HIM v.23; Hebrews 12:1-3; Ephesians 3:20; When we do not know where to turn, let us turn our eyes again to t One Who loves us and Who has gone through the same things we have. Some years ago a man living in Wales was involved in an unfortunate mining accident which necessitated the amputation of his right leg. After a period in the hospital, he went to a prosthesis maker to be supplied with an artificial leg. When the appendage was strapped to the stump, which was all that remained of the injured leg, the attendant requested that the patient get up and walk across the floor. Awkwardly, the man struggled to his feet and staggered across the room. Then dragging himself painfully back to his chair, he slumped into it utterly exhausted and discouraged. "That's not how to do it," said the attendant. "Watch this!" Then he walked gracefully across the floor. "Ah," exclaimed the patient, "It's all very easy for you because you don't have any disability." "Oh, haven't I?" replied the attendant. "Look." Pulling up the legs of his trousers, he disclosed that he was not wearing just one artificial limb, but TWO!
Too many times we doubt or we get depressed and discouraged and we are inclined to say, "Jesus, it was easy for You. You were God and could not sin. You never tasted the abundance of daily temptation, toil, and frustration." Yet the writer of Hebrews tells us that our High Priest, Jesus was tempted in all points, like as we are. He sounded the depths of human emotions and trials so that He could effectively intercede for us as our Great High Priest in the heavenlies. So the next time you find yourself doubting you can finish the race, look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. The next time you are depressed about giving thing sup for God, look to Jesus Who gave up even more. The next time you are discouraged, remember the ultimate sacrifice - Jesus bearing the sins of the world on the cross as God turned His back - all to say, "I LOVE YOU" to us.

Will you do it today? I trust that this has helped you as it has helped me. Thank God for His precious Word a medicine for hurting hearts.
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RECHARGING YOUR SPIRITUAL BATTERY

Psalm 95 shows us instructions for worship.

Let me give you the bare-bones version for lack of time.

1. CELEBRATE; We gather to worship the Lord and should "make a joyful noise" unto Him. Celebrate Him! Turn your focus off of yourself and onto Him. SING to the Lord!!

2. CONCENTRATE; Preaching is a vital part of worship as God is lifted up. Think about His wisdom, His power, His love, and His willingness to use ordinary people like you and me! We need to take a fresh look at Him when we come to a worship service. THE ONLY really accurate picture of Him we have is found in the precious Book of books, the Bible.

3. COMMUNICATE; "Come let us worship and bow down" We need to allow Him to speak to us, but we also need to speak to Him. What a privilege to bring the burdens of our hearts before Him and leave them with Him. He calls us to come and pray. He desires our fellowship. Sometimes we will be on our knees (if we have had a good look at Him we will want to be there) or maybe on our faces before Him. Sometimes we will be lifting holy hands to Him as we talk to Him. Learn to listen to Him and also learn to talk to Him.

4. These first three will become ordinary and dull quickly if we do not have this fourth aspect of real worship: CONSECRATION. Look at the Psalm, "Harden not y our hearts" it says. Consecration means a yielding of our will to God's will. Evan Roberts prayed a prayer that unleashed the Welsh revival in and through him when he prayed, "Oh Lord, BEND ME!" Too many people are wandering in the wilderness spiritually because they have come to some point in their lives where they have decided to do their own thing instead of listening to God and obeying God. You will find the other parts of worship becoming dry and tasteless if you do not also CONSECRATE yourself to Him. Yielding of our will to Him is the lost key to a vital Christianity in America today. We are way too selfish! May God give us grace to yield our will to Him today.

God bless you as you serve Him today! Stay in touch.

God's Tools

I have been preaching on the life of David Sunday nights. This is last Sunday night's outline. God does not stop working on us. Even today, He is working in your life. He is either seeking to save you from your sin, using His Word, circumstances, and people to bring awareness of your need and the knowledge of His awesome gift. The OR of God's working is that He is working in your life as a believer. He is seeking to change you from self to the Spirit and use you to help others through life for eternity.

God uses certain tools in order to do His work of shaping us into the image of Christ. He used four in the life of David: 1 Samuel 16:14-23

- He uses Solitude; v. 19
- He uses Sameness; vv. 11, 19; 17:15
- He uses Secrecy; v. 18
- He uses Struggles; vv. 17:34-37, 40-51

Using these tools God can bring out (v. 18)

1. A Skilled Person
2. A Strong Person
3. A Shrewd Person
4. A Striking Person
5. A Sanctified Person

Take it and improve upon it greatly as I did :-). God bless you all!

MID-WEEK

Usually Mondays find me working away at the computer updating my blogs, but a holiday threw me for a loop! :-) President's Day gave me a little extra rest and relaxation. . .and time to go shopping with Brenda and Caleb for some shoes. School at Heritage academy holidayed, but our tutoring schedule remained unchanged.

Last Sunday night I began a new series on the life of David, a Man After God's Heart. The message focused on some observations from 1 Samuel 13:13-14. Here is the main outline:

We began with some

1. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS answering some of those basic observation questions like Who?, What? When?. . .

- This phrase was spoken by Samuel, the preacher, to Saul, the rebellious, impatient king.
- This phrase showed that Samuel was hearing from God. He was relaying the Word of God. God called His next choice of a king a man after his own heart.
- The man of whom this was spoken was, at this time,a a very young man. Let us not take our children for granted. Look at them with the eye toward what God may be able to do through them. Guard your tongue! Be careful of what you say to them. If you think what you say does not matter, then remember the harsh, hateful, and harmful words adults spoke to you when you were younger.
- As an aside, but very important in our time, God does not seek to be excluded, and indeed cannot be, in government. The affairs of state are still in His hands for good or for judgment. Saul forfeited the kingdom whether or not judgment fell that day or not. "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. . .". If the courts of the United States, the elected officials, the special interest groups, and the influential people with money think that they are in control, let them be warned and reminded: GOD IS IN CONTROL. He cannot be legislated off the planet. While He might be scorned, He will be revered in the end!

2. GRAMMATICAL OBSERVATIONS
- God sought for "a" man. . .one. God still looks for those who will honor Him, live for Him, and lift Him up one at a time. He seeks a personal audience with you for salvation. People do not get saved in groups, though there may be more than one saved at a particular meeting or service. People get saved one at a time as God deals with each soul personally. God calls out individuals to serve Him, to leave their comfort zones, to cross the seas to other fields one by one. When you are faced with the crises, the only sustaining factor you will have at times is this personal encounter you have had with God.
- God sought for a "man". I realize that this is simple, but God still uses people. He usually uses the ordinary, or the less-than-ordinary, people to do the most for Him. He seeks all to love Him and serve Him, but if your intellectual pride stands in your way, He will use an imbecile to confound you. If your physical pedigree makes you "too good" to stoop and humbly serve the King of kings, He will use a Samaritan of some sort to show you what real honor is. 1 Corinthians 1 reminds us of this and shows us the reason, "That no flesh should glory in his presence." If you are feeble, God will use you. If you are not the sharpest tool in the shed, God can still use you. If you are willing to be used by God on His terms and timetable, He will use you and bring great glory to Himself. God sought for a MAN.
- God sought for a man "after". . .This word points to the character of the man. Here is not the couch potato, but the hungry individual. Here is someone who could be called a disciple, a follower.
- Energy and movement are not enough. These must be directed. The direction is defined in the next words, "his own heart". When this is your direction, be assured that God desires to use you. Sadly, there are not many in this group. A lot of people seek God as a "sugar-daddy" Who will give them what they want on their terms. Some are stimulated only by the high thoughts of the Lord and His Word without the humble spirit to obey His commands. Saul had talent and ability, but was unwilling to accept God's timing when it threatened him. He was unwilling to submit to God's plan when it limited him and cramped his style. A lot of people talk about loving God, but they don't want God or anybody else defining their morals or deriding their "lifestyles". The person God sought, David, was submissive to His will, willing to adjust to God's Word, able to wait on Gods time, and fervent in prayer and praise. There is so much more, but that will have to come in the next few weeks.

3. GRAVE (serious) OBSERVATIONS
- We live in days where the Word of God is also being twisted and tortured by personal tastes and human philosophies. Popular religion neglects the "darker" side of the truth, if there really is such a thing. People want the Bible, if it reads like they think it should. How do I know this? So-called Christians live just like their worldly neighbors. There is NO DIFFERENCE in their speech. There is NO DIFFERENCE in their habits. There is NO DIFFERENCE in their music or TV selections. God's Word cannot change and so, if you are going to live in sin, you will have to ignore It. Conscience becomes seared when you make this a habit.
- Many claim the role of modern prophets, but are like Ahab's false preachers. They are popular, but untrue.
- Sadly, a man after God's own heart is still a man. Yes, David was a great man. He may have been the greatest of Israel's historical characters apart from Jesus Christ, but his life contains some very dark chapters. He still sinned grievously. Praise the Lord, he was also a great repenter! Do not look to men for perfection or you will be sadly disappointed. Keep your eyes on Jesus!

4. GLORIOUS OBSERVATION - What God can do with a single individual who is "after his own heart". The list is long, but here are a few characters to note:
- From Abraham, God raised up a nation.
- Through Joseph, God spared His people.
- Using Moses, God delivered His people.
God does not need an army of millions to turn the world upside down. He had an upper room-full and used them to do that job.

Will you allow God to use you? D.L. Moody was led to Christ by Edward Kimbell, his Sunday School teacher. Moody was greatly used by God and the torch was passed from him up to the present day. Moody's talents did not match something more important - His heart for God and God's Word. He sought to be a man totally yielded to God. He studied Scripture to a degree that shames modern preacher due to his own humility and hunger for the Word. He would read, according to his own study plan, a passage of Scripture 18 times and then would just be beginning to understand It's meaning. He willingly invested the time in such diligent study, and God said, "I can use him." Ask God to give you a new heart today. If you have never trusted Christ, remember what He did for you at Calvary. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house." Rid your heart of any idols you might be even unwittingly worshiping. Become a person after God's heart.

JESUS: THE SOUL-WINNER

Do you remember when you met Him? Nobody who meets Him ever forgets it. He makes more of an impact on our lives than anyone else we could ever meet, so how could we forget? In John 4, Jesus met the woman of Samaria at Jacob's well outside of Sychar.

Her conversion was IMMEDIATE

Her conversion was INCREDIBLE

Her conversion was IMPELLING

Neither this woman, or any of the others who came out to the well and met Jesus as Savior, would ever be the same again! How did this conversion happen? Jesus brought this event about.

He came to Sychar on purpose. Just like He came to this world, He "must needs go through Samaria". He came to this earth on purpose. Born of a virgin and thus without sin, Jesus came to pay for my sin and for your sin at the cross. He knew when He came the reason why He came. John the messenger, the forerunner, cried out, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"

Jesus waited at the well for a person. This woman was known to Jesus. I believe that Jesus wants to save the worst person in town, the greatest sinner in town. He did it here, it would seem. He did it over in Jericho when He saved Zachaeus. Jesus is in the soul-saving work. He sent the disciples into the town to find food, but He Himself knew that there was a sinful woman coming out to the well at the time of day when others avoided the heat. He arranges these meetings with individuals ON PURPOSE. He wants to go one-on-one with you today. That is the way people get saved. We have a personal encounter with the Savior. Others may be in the room, but there is only One that matters. Others may be kneeling at the altar, but there is only One Whose voice you hear.

Jesus demonstrated His power. "I that speak unto thee am he," He told the woman. After He had told her all about herself, provoked her to honesty, and discussed real worship, Jesus revealed Himself to her. He minced no words. In one of the most clear exposures of Who Jesus is, He says, "I that speak unto thee am he." He is making it clear beyond a doubt that He is the Christ, the One coming to save! That in itself demonstrates His power, but the power was also applied. Here is a woman who hears Who Jesus is and believes on Him. She leaves her waterpot. She runs back to the city, and tells the men of the city to come out and see a man that had revealed her own heart. She challenged them, "Is not this the Christ?" Jesus' power to reveal and to change hearts and lives is demonstrated in this woman's life, but also in the lives of those who came out and also believed on Him.

He will do the same thing today. If you have not met Him, will you trust Him today? Christ died for our sin. He was buried for three days. He arose and lives forever! Right now you have the opportunity to trust Him to forgive your sin and to make you a brand new creature. Then, you can pass the word along, "Come see a Man!"

MIRACLES AT ZACCHAEUS' HOUSE

Sunday night we looked at some truths that brought great changes to the home of Zacchaeus, the wee little man who climbed up in the sycamore tree. Consider these truths and rejoice in the love of our Lord.

Luke 19:10

1. Jesus IDENTIFIES with us. He calls Himself the "Son of man". As the Son of God he reveals a special relationship with the Heavenly Father, and as the Son of man, He reveals a special relationship with us.

"Emmanuel" God with us. Jesus is all God.

Born of a virgin. Jesus is, at the same time, all man.

He is able to identify with our human weakness. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin according to Hebrews 4:15. What a comfort!!

As the Son of man, Jesus is able to become our substitute. He is God's Isaac sacrificed upon the altar so that we might be saved. God has provided Himself a Lamb.

2. Jesus INTERVENES for us. "For the Son of man IS COME. . ."

He stepped in when no one would or could. He intervened.

Ephesians 2:4 makes the remarkable statement, "But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace are ye saved." Though we were dead in trespasses and sins, God, in the person of Jesus Christ came to bring salvation.

3. Jesus INVESTIGATES. He searches. He seeks the lost. This is part of the reason why He came. TO SEEK.

In these days of the "seeker-sensitive" mentality, it is wonderful to know that JESUS SEEKS. He is really the only Seeker. There is not a man or woman who would seek after God, according to Romans 3, unless God first sought them. "We love him because he first loved us." Instead of dipping our standards and adopting unscriptural methods in efforts to win those who are lost, let's ask the Lord to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ, to shed abroad His love in our hearts so that He might do His wonderful work of seeking the lost. Certainly He uses believers in this effort.

We pray that He would give us the heart to GO THROUGH SAMARIA. He made an out-of-the-ordinary stop at Jacob's well so that souls could be saved. Why? He is the Seeker. There are places and people groups today who are neglected in our outreach, but who are loved and sought after by the Master. Who will take the path of the Savior and enter these "Samarias" for Him?

We ask that He would give us the determination to win the one. Jesus made a trip across the Sea of Galilee. He met one man, the outcast of society, the devil-possessed wild man. He delivered him. Then, Jesus sent out this one as a missionary, and returned to the other side of the sea. All that way for one, but He was still not discouraged. How often do we see the single soul saved after much effort and bow our heads in discouragement? Let us continue to SEEK the one. Phillip went out to the desert at the leading of the Holy Spirit so that one man could trust Jesus. Phillip never saw the results of this one man's witness. He rejoiced to be able to obey the Lord and lead one to Christ.

4. Jesus INTERPOSES Himself for our salvation. He is our Substitute. . .mighty to save. "For the Son of man is come to seek AND TO SAVE. . ."

The old hymn says, "He to rescue me from danger interposed His precious blood." Making the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus stepped in and took our punishment, our judgment, on the cross. He was made sin for us so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Like a secret service agent stepping in and taking a bullet for the president, Jesus stepped in and took the weight of sin's penalty on Himself at Calvary. Beyond the terrifying physical suffering, He endured the mental and spiritual suffering as well so that you and I might be saved.

At Los Alamos, NM in 1946, a young scientist was conducting an experiment that he had done several times before. He was trying to determine the critical mass of two spheres of U-235 for the atomic project to be tested later at Bikini atoll in the South Pacific. He would normally bring the two halves together and then separate them at the last second with a screwdriver. This time the screwdriver slipped, and the pieces began to fuse sending out an eerie blue haze. Without wasting a second, the young man reached and with his bare hands he separated the two spheres averting a major nuclear catastrophe! There were 7 others in the lab with him who owe their lives to his daring feat. He said to his companions, as they awaited medical attention, "You'll come through this all right, but I haven't the faintest chance myself." Nine days later he died a horrible death. Over 2,00 years ago, the Lord Jesus walked directly into the critical mass of sin's radiation, allowed Himself to become accursed for us, laid down His precious life, and broke the chain reaction Adam had started in Eden. He broke the power of sin!!! He SAVES!!

5. Jesus ILLUMINATES our minds and hearts. He reveals that we need to be saved. You see He came to seek and to save THAT WHICH WAS LOST.

We must have our eyes opened! A young boy had a sign up: Democrat Puppies for sale. Of course such a sign drew great interest and a man stopped in to see the pups. They looked like ordinary puppies of the hound dog variety. Buying one, the man asked no questions about the "Democrat" label. But two days later, the sign read differently, "Republican Puppies for SALE". He had to stop just to find out what was going on. "I purchased a puppy from you a couple of days ago when your sign said, 'Democrat Puppies for sale', what made you change the sign? Did you not sell enough with the other sign?" "No, that was not the reason for the change," the boy replied. "I changed my sign because the pups eyes opened yesterday."

Unless the Holy Spirit of God reproves our hearts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, we will not recognize our need of the Savior or open our hearts to Him.

God has given His Word so that we might recognize that we are lost and that Jesus saves the lost. The Good News is "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. . .". Are your eyes open?

"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10


Let the Lord work a miracle at your house, in your heart, today.

HOW'S IT GOING???

New Year's resolutions might be suffering a little bit right now, but there is still the opportunity to turn things around.

Here is an outline for you to use:

"Back to the Basics" - Matthew 28:19-20

1. Remember His Power; vs 18 "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. . ."

2. Practice His Plan;

GO; make an effort, leave your comfort zone,

TEACH; witness, preach, tell the Good News

BAPTIZE - helping people identify with Jesus Christ openly. . .this is the first step toward victory in your own life as a Christian.

TEACHING. . .Let the cycle continue

3. Rejoice in His Promise; ". . .and lo I am with you. . ."

To Guide

To Guard

To Give, providing for every need


Well maybe that will be a blessing to you. It has been a busy year already. God is blessing, so we expect that the devil will be fighting, too. Pray for one another that the devil doesn't get in and use you as a part of the problem. Each of us has plenty to do to keep us busy with the work of the Lord instead of shooting others who are trying to do the work of the Lord. Keep your muzzle pointed in the right direction brethren!

Praise ye the Lord!!!

TOO LONG!!

Wow! The school year started, the time started flying, the holidays have come and gone, and I am updating my weekly blog! LOL

I do hope that this will become something that is done each week. The MS Sauvageot clan had a great holiday season. We are thankful for the reminders of God's great blessings to us. He is so good!

The kids upgraded their telephones to Droids, and Mom and I are enjoying the different sounds and abilities that the new phones have. We especially like the rooster crowing sound that wakes Caleb up every morning. :-)

One of our family goals for the year is to get into better shape, lose the excess baggage called FAT, and even run a 10k run in May. Caleb bought the family a Wii Fit for Christmas and all of us have been hitting the training pretty regularly. Our living room doesn't smell like a locker room yet, and we are losing some excess already. Keep us in your prayers as we move along with this. Some of us have farther to go than others.

We have been deer hunting several times this winter, and we have seen many deer. They are so beautiful. . .and I think they are tasty, too. Just a couple of weeks left to get one or two. Had a couple of days of snow that made the woods really pretty!

Our Sunday School class has set a goal for the year to improve our attendance to 20 each week. This is another prayer request: that God would bless our efforts and touch people's hearts as we reach out and try to bring them into the Wildwood family.

It is good to be back in touch with the blog-fans. Keep on praying for us, and pulling for the Cowboys. :-)