Thursday, May 3, 2012
BLOGGING is EASY!
All ya have to do is DO IT! LOL
Welcome back to the blog, Mr. Blogger.
OK it has been a while since I have added any entries to the blog; however, I have not been sitting and doing nothing in the meantime. Lots of things have happened! People coming and going. School years also. Pounds too! :) Wedding of our daughter. Parents moving. LOTS!!
In the midst of it all GOD REMAINS FAITHFUL!!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
REVIVAL!
That which was dead raised to life! REVIVAL! The blog has been revived and I hope to keep it up better than I have been. TY for your support and patience.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
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.
-
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.
-
Monday, May 3, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
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!
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!
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