A PSALM OF THANKSGIVING (PSALM 103 KJV)

1   Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

2   Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

3   Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

4   Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

5   Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6   The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

7   He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

8   The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

9   He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

10   He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

11  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

12  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

13  Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

14  For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

15  As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

16  For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

17  But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

18  To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

19  The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

20  Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

21  Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

22  Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.

(Public Domain)

Read the standard King James Version online...

CONSIDER THIS: LEADERSHIP

 "Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…Matthew 20: 25-26

CONSIDER THIS: The model of leadership has been set for us by God Himself, when He gave up the eternal throne and poured Himself out, then lowered Himself to be born as a man. This is the epitome of Servant Leadership. Fast forward to today….for some reason, some of Christ’s under-shepherds, ministers and just plain Christians prefer to be served, in the modern church today….thereby seeing things differently than our Boss Jesus (in the above verse).

ACTION: The plan for today is to really search our own hearts and minds to see #1. if we even deserved the Blessings He has given us (NO, we don’t) and then, #2. why aren’t we then humble and obedient to be His True Servant as He stated? Contemplate this for the next several days and then journal your response by studying the Foot-washing Technique of the Lord Jesus and why He did what He did here.

Oh Most Gracious and Heavenly Father, we thank You for the Grace which sent Jesus to be our perfect model of excellence in Character, Humility, Love and Leadership. Help us to understand that to be like Christ is first of all to follow Him in obedience, submission and commitment to YOUR WILL, YOUR WAY and YOUR WISDOM….and not the wisdom of the world, which leadeth to destruction. Lord, help us to see this truth and to begin to readjust our focus from navel-gazing to Kingdom minded, in Jesus’ Strong Name amen.

NEW LIFE: A MONTH OF VERSES: JANUARY 15, 2017

VERSE: "Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts". Proverbs 8:34 

FORMULA: Being alert + Standing in the Doorway of Hope (Petah Tikvah) = Direct Line to Divine Wisdom

ACTION: Christianity is the only intellectual Faith system, where logic, reason AND hope reside.Therefore, by following the admonitions of Yahweh to take up residence, at His Tent of Meeting DAILY, like a Mezuzah on your doorposts, we gain direct access to His Holy Temple...from where DIRECT blessings flow constantly from His Hand and Magnificent Heart!

PRAYER: Great Father in Heaven, what a wonderful, gracious and powerful God You are. There is none like You! From everlasting to everlasting YOU ARE GOD! Your love for Your children goes beyond amazing as You invite us to come visit You, test You, find You True and then watch and marvel at what You will do next! This is life altering. This is beyond comprehension. This is too good for words. Father, we love, praise, magnify, adore, worship, bless, lift up, glorify and sing of Your Love forever, to the Praise and Glory of the Great King of the Universe - the Lord Jesus, forever and forever, amen and amen!

(Clip Art Credit Here)

ROCK SOLID FAITH FOR TROUBLED TIMES - PART 2

DANGER: SOUL IN PERIL OVER SLY MODERN DECEPTIONS- Mindfulness & Contemplative Prayer

4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.

The first warning (Col 2:4 above) concerns deceptive modern ideas about Christianity, Christology and the Certainty of your salvation, which sound good – but are completely ungodly and unbiblical. 

It is almost understandable why even sensible Christians could fall prey to some of the faulty teachings we see and hear these days because they sound so good, even biblical and makes the person feel good. In times of trouble, doubt, temptation and trial, if a brand new well-dressed and well-spoken author/speaker and even singer comes along with a new exciting take on an old problem, the appeal and response are tremendous. The bookstores – both Christian and secular – are full of books from every imaginable angle to make a person feel good about their lives….except the one angle that really matters. This is the matter of sin.

Every problem under the sun begin, results from and will never be resolved until we deal with the matter of sin., Instead, we have teaching from million selling books which tell us it is “Our Best Life Now”. Just in case anyone is confused, the best life for the Christian is NOT now, but in the eternal Kingdom of the Christ. Tell the Christian who is being literally destroyed in the persecuted lands, that his/her best life is now!!  The heresy does not get any better than “The Power of I Am”…..not “I Am Who I Am” (Yahweh”)….but “I am”… as in self-declarations of Biblical principles.  (No photos will be posted of these books here, so as to not promote them).

Now, there is nothing wrong at all with claiming the Promises of God as in “I am more than a conqueror”… or “I am a child of God, saved and redeemed”…..or “I am the chief of sinners….until Jesus rescued me”. This is proclaiming Bible truths. What is troubling and a violation of the Second Commandment is a famous pastor, who knows better, taking the Name of the Lord in vain to sell books! 

But there are other deceptive teachings and practices which unsuspecting believers should not only be aware of, but should avoid like the plague!  Two increasingly popular practices from very faulty teachings are Contemplative Prayer and Mindfulness. BEWARE OF BOTH!

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER: 
In its simplest definition, Contemplative prayer is also called “centering prayer” or meditation. Now this meditation is not the same as the Bible calls for in Psalm 1 where we “meditate”, study, chew on and understand what the Word of God is saying to us. No, this centering meditation and contemplation seeks mystic experiences with God where Jesus is hardly ever in the picture. It requires emptying one’s mind and not praying on what is canonized Scripture, but what the gurus of this movement tells us what we may do to achieve “Spiritual Formation”. 

One of the dangers of this mysticism, where the practitioner sits in silence waiting to hear from God, while centering on a passage of some book by Thomas Merton, Dallas Willard or even chanting a bible verse/passage over and over, is that it can lead a person away from both Christ and Christianity. I know a person it actually happened to from Connecticut.  She was/is an avid blogger and stay at home mother of three children who was so caught up in being open to deceptive new thoughts and teachings she walked away from Christ, to her own eternal loss! This person had elevated the teachings of the Emergent Church and Ecumenism that she started reading, promoting and practicing. Ancient mysticism from both Hindu, some Catholic theologians and alleged Christian ones became woven fully into her spirit...and all of this while going to a mainline church in the center of Connecticut.

We had several disagreements including one with her co-“meditators” who instantly branded me intolerant. One day, Jessica wrote some chilling words.  She had gone to her church for the final time, looked around and “contemplated”  a while. She wrote that she looked at all the people with whom she had grown up her entire life and felt suddenly quite alienated from them. She felt , in fact, alienated from the entire state of being in a Christian church. She then said she felt sad, as then and there, she made the decision to walk away from the church, Christianity and reject Jesus Christ as the only Way, the Truth and the Life!

This is the kind of end result of years of so-called “open-mindedness” towards every strange philosophy of man and the devil.  This is the fruit of messing with strange mystic garbage, saying it is based on the Bible and promoting it to many, while fellowshipping with like-minded lost souls. I broke off any contact with this person because she and her family plunged headlong into pagan Hinduism, Buddhist “meditation” and all sorts of potential Baal worship. To the elite and the well-connected, this is the in-thing and makes them feel enlightened. To Holy God of Heaven and the Bible, this is storing up wrath for That Day. 

The slide into eternal separation from God, first began, because people listen to strange and deceptive words, which became practices. Which leads us to a new strange and unbiblical concept called “Mindfulness”. 

MINDFULNESS: Potentially, this is even more dangerous to the future eternal homes of millions of souls, as if Contemplative Prayer/Spiritual Formation were not enough. Mindlessness is leading people away from the Gospel weekly, while sounding good, easy and oh-so-modern and “cool”. In fact, this fits right into the template of those who call themselves “spiritual”.

According to dictionary definition, “mindfulness” is about focusing on a person’s awareness, mostly at the current moment, while concentrating fully on experiential stuff: thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. It has nothing to do with Jesus, God, The Bible or the Holy Spirit.  In fact, its origins are Eastern Mysticism, Buddhism and Hinduism rolled up into one! In fact the word “mindfulness” is a translation from the Buddhist “pali” term called “sati”. 

Proponents of this ungodly practice say it is good for Christians to do for good health, stress removal etc…etc…just like they do when they promote alleged “Christian” Yoga. Both Mindfulness and Yoga cannot be associated with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are an anathema to the pure Word of Christ and His Word which said “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5)“. If you speak to any true Hindu and practitioner of yoga, they will tell you exactly what it is – Hinduism.  Every movement is based on the “theology” of that earth religion.  Mindfulness is the same.  If the people promoting this stuff in public schools and general society were honest with you, they would tell the truth that it is part of the Eightfold Path OF BUDDHISM! Google it yourself. This will not be promoted in this article. 

There is a huge reason the Apostle Paul warns of these nice sounding ideas and diverse philosophies. Who would be against stress relief and being “in your right mind”. The issue begins as to where the beliefs used to address these issues originate. People go to hell – the state of eternal and FOREVER separation from God – not because of what they do, but because of what they believe. Many in modern Christianity which is a mile wide and half inch deep, were never born again and are easily led astray by these modern easy fixes for peace, joy and contentment. Some authentic Christians may even be fooled by this for a while. Both will face an Righteous God on Judgement Day with no answer for this deadly folly.

Of the many evils out there for their “Spiritual Formation” these two are the most dangerous, because they have been proven 1000 times over to  lead people away from Jesus Christ – the Creator and Sustainer of Life. A lot of these practices are promoted by the Emergent Church and their supporters in the megachurches.  (Click here to read more on the Emergent Church).  Our job as Authentic Believers and Followers of Christ is to stay faithful to Him, remain planted like trees by living water and be obedient to His Spirit. Anything else will cause loss – permanent and deadly.  

(Photo Credit Here)

(Photo Credit here)

PRAY FOR.....GREATER FAITH

21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe;help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:21-24)
Can a believer NOT believe? Sure we can. It’s the frail human nature, which though replaced as a perishing soul at regeneration (or born-again) still continues to live in a mortal body, in a corrupt and evil world. But it is more than just our present temporary environment in this life.  We don’t believe completely sometimes because we just don’t know! We do not know because we do not read His Word and we are not led to read His Words because of a stunning lack of discipleship. We have a lack of the latter because we don’t know His Power and His Presence completely in our lives.

We do the same thing to Jesus and our Heavenly Father, which this father of the demon-possessed boy did in the verses above.  To wit, he actually said to Jesus (as translated into modern English in the New Living Translation) “have mercy on us  and help us IF YOU CAN”! Should we then be surprised when Jesus’ immediate response is “What do you mean, ‘IF I CAN’?” (verse 23a,  Mark chapter 9).

And we do the same thing: we approach God in prayer with our most serious needs, lay them before Him, then pick them right back up and go back to our corners with them. Then we call up all friends and family asking them to pray for us.  All along, Jesus stands with His Arms wide open waiting for His children to come to Him.  Is the Arm of the Lord too short?  Not it is not. He is our Prophet – He orders and ordains our past, present and future. He is our High Priest Who prays and intercedes for this who are His, and lifts us up in prayer to the Father when we ask in Faith!

Look at what Jesus said to the boy’s father here again in Mark 9:23b “anything is possible for he who believes” (NLT)! The response from the father is just so great. He has enough faith to believe Jesus can heal his son, but it appears to be the kind of faith which was just enough to look at the Lord as a “drive-up clinic”….without knowing Who Jesus really is! Thus when the boy’s father said “Lord, I believe, help my  unbelief”, he is asking for such a bump up in the measure of Faith he currently possessed that we, in this century 2000 years later, need to sit up and take notice.  

No matter how spiritually mature we think we are, we must always be pressing into and on to our higher calling in Christ. We can never know even 10% of what we should know. In fact,  after we’ve been in heaven there for 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we will not know half of Who the Lord is. This is why we have Eternity. But for this current life, it behooves us to be humble enough to realize we are still not as strong in our Faith as we should be, could be or would be. So why not ask  as this man did of Jesus: “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!” There is no simpler expression of Faith in God than this – simple, to the point, with full clarity in recognition of the paucity of our frailty before the Almighty!

Father in the Mighty and strong Name of Jesus, I believe, I trust, I have faith….but not enough.  Help me to understand the breadth and width and depth of the great mystery of our Faith, so that I may begin to comprehend just how great a God You are, Lord. Assist us in acquiring a modicum of supernatural Faith which is way beyond what is common.  Father, many have accepted You as Lord and Master of our lives, yet we do now know, nor do some even venture to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of just Who You really are beyond the baseline of the Christian Faith. Lord, we want more. 

We want to know more of You, see more of You, be more in Your Presence. We want to desire to walk fully in the knowledge of the Holy and travel in the paths of Your Righteousness, but first oh God, give us the capacity to dispatch with our incorrect notions. 

These wrong assertions about You, have come from a lifetime of traveling in the wisdom of the world or in the works of Christian authors and teachers who do not fully grasp the Power and Position You have always occupied at the Throne Room of all Time in the Universe. Lord as we get rid of our error, replace with Truth and Revelation, as much as we can handle, process and then walk out in our daily lives, helping as many as we can to come to that same place of knowing the Real God and Your amazing wonderful self.  Lord, we believe….take away any unbelief and replace it with more of You, in Jesus all Wise and Power Name, amen

(Photo Credit Here)

A LIFE WELL LIVED, Part 1 - HONOR

Living well....and finishing well, is the main goal of every level-headed person I know. Several of my friends have bucket lists and are fortunate enough to have the means to accomplish the items on that list, one by one. Given the brevity of life, we are more than encouraged to get the most out of life and there is nothing wrong or ungodly about giving it your best.

This is what short series is about - A Life Well Lived. The first sign that God wants for us to "Live long and Prosper" can be found in the first commandment with a promise - The Fifth Commandment. God said "honor your father and mother that your days may be long, which the Lord your God has given you" (Exodus 20:12).  This is a horizontal or relational statute because it pertains to us on a human level. But because it comes from a Divine Source, it carries all the weight in the world.

This is the start of a life well lived - kabad in the original Hebrew - meaning glorify and treasure with respect your parents, because if you do - you will honor, revere, adore, glorify, magnify and lift up the Holy Name of God, from Whom all blessings flow! He has promised, if you do that, He will give you a long and fruitful life!

Are you living that today?

TOMORROW - PERCEPTION

WHY WE BLESS THE LORD - PART ONE

Too many of us not just take God for granted but use Him as an ATM machine. Except this "ATM Machine" has riches we did not create and deposits we did not make! What do we have that was not given to us by His Grace?

And what is His Grace - God's Riches At Christ's Expense. The timeless, eternal Ancient of Days came down and  I mean DOWN, to this very earth to be born in a nasty stinky cave, so that evil filthy religious men who spit on Him, persecute and murder Him. Then this VERY God, would pay the price for ALL SIN for ALL TIME, since Adam until the end of the coming Tribulation.

But wait - it gets better - He rose out of the grave they put the dead Savior in! He kicked down the gates of death and hell and won the Victory for us, forever.

So today, when you feel like God has not only abandoned not just all mankind but YOU, remember that Truth...remember what He has not only done but done in YOUR life - when you were sick, when you were hungry, when you were at your wits end, when you had no job, when you had no love in your life, when you had no nothing...remember WHO was there...because He still is and He is waiting for you to come back to Him - RIGHT NOW!!

Psalm 103: 1-5

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

2 

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits:

3 

Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

4 

Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

5 

Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

THIRTY DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE - DAY 30

PRAY THE NAMES OF GOD

DAY 30
GOD IS JEHOVAH SHAMMAH


"Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there" goes the well known auto insurance commercial! The implications is that no matter what the cost or the consequence, whenever you have an accident or issue which calls for insurance coverage, you can more than depend on the integrity and full faith of State Farm Insurance Company! In fact, you can rely on them being there, no matter what the reason.


Of course, this is only valid if you pay the high premiums regularly. If your teenage kids have a couple fender benders while they are still young, watch how fast some of these auto insurance companies drop you from their roster!


God is not like that (thank God)! First of all, there is no cost  to being covered by the Blood of the Lamb.  Jesus Christ paid it all on the Cross of Calvary. He is always THERE for us, when we are in pain, trouble or just need a friend.


Unlike the temporary coverage of any type of insurance companies, God's Coverage is forever. He gives Fire Insurance. If you are truly saved and born-again by repenting, believing and accepting His Sacrifice for Sin on the Cross, His Blood is the only True "Insurance" mechanism by which you and I can avoid going into the Lake of Fire for all eternity. The majority of the world does not have that eternal guarantee or protection from the fires of Hell!


This "Fire Insurance" is free, but it should cost US something which we should willing pay....not because God demands it of us, but because we want to KNOW HIM better and desire that closer walk with Him! If someone rescued you from a burning house, should it ever accidentally catch fire, you and I would be forever grateful to the brave fireman or neighbor who pulled us out of the inferno, just before the entire house exploded out of control. So we should be with Almighty God.


Many times, from beginning to end, God says to His people "I will never leave nor forsake you". He said it in Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5 and Hebrews 13:5. Jesus Himself said it at the end of Matthew 28 "lo, I am with you, even unto the end of the age "(verse 20). There are other Promises from the Holy God, Who cannot lie, and Who made this promise!.


You can count on Him. No matter what trial or tribulation, You can count on Him. No matter what you are facing, you can count on Him. From the rising of the sun, to the going down of the same, He is there for you. From the moment you are born until the second you leave this earth and cross into eternity, He is there for you.


He is Jehovah Shammah, the God Who is just - THERE! He is everywhere. You can't run from Him and you do not really want to, either! Praise God. Trust Him; fall on Him; fall before Him; surrender to Him and you will never regret it.


Father in the Name of Jesus, I just surrender my entire life into Your capable Hands, not only because You have the free Fire Insurance policy called Salvation, which saved me from eternal separation from You, but because I want to. Lord, I want to know You, the God Who is always There, better. Lord I want to learn Your Ways to love you more and more each day. Lord I want to know Your Word to learn all Your attributes, which are more than just Names, they are the every essence of You, Almighty and eternal Father.


You are my Creator and Sustainer and I come to You to not just know the One True God, but to live my life fully aware of His Presence in my life and my very being as Your Spirit lives in me. I release the Power of Your Spirit in my life and give Him full access to every area of my life so He can wash, cleanse, instruct, guide, convict and then lead me on to the path of full revelation of Who You are and what a complete Joy it is to have been adopted into Your Eternal Kingdom!


Jesus gave us this promise before He left earth the first time and He said “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." (John 14:1-3 ESV)


Father, I not only believe this Promise, I know in my very being that it is completely True. He said it, I believe it, the Spirit confirms it! Lord, I rest in that knowledge You are always there fore me, from the moment I was created in the womb, until I breathe my last earthly breath - You are there! And I know, because of the Promise from Your Son, Who is my Advocate and Savior, when that last breath comes, I will be there with You forever!


What an amazing thing that is, Father! What peace...what true joy in the inner man...what revelation...what a saving knowledge to know that You, Abba Father, are always there for me. And because of that and because You live forever, I can face today, tomorrow and all through this life with a song in my heart and Your Word on my lips. Thank You, Lord, in Jesus' Holy and Mighty Name, amen!

THANKS FOR PRAYING THE 30 DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE WITH ME!

THERE ARE MORE NAMES AND ATTRIBUTES, AND TOMORROW - A BONUS ONE!

(Image by Google Images)

MORE CHRISTMAS INSPIRATION from DIANE M. LANDRY

Giving of thanks can help psychological well-being

Christmas can be a very depressing time for a considerable amount of people, and for many different reasons. It seems the most joyful time of year, can become a time of great sadness for some. Could it be that a change in focus, an attitude of gratitude could help?

Recent studies indicate that an attitude of gratitude helps the emotional well-being of human beings. For some time now, psychologists rarely delved into the science of giving thanks.

The University of Miami psychology professor, Michael McCullough studied people who were asked to be regularly thankful, stated, “"When you are stopping and counting your blessings, you are sort of hijacking your emotional system."

He noted that some psychologists underestimate the power of simple gratitude. “It does make people happier….It’s that incredible feeling.” The Bible exhorts in many places that it is a good thing to give thanks.

Some psychologists are encouraging their patients to keep a journal writing three things they are thankful for, or that went well during the day. The benefits are evident and long lasting.

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy Name, O Most High.” Psalms 92:1 (KJV)

Previously, science found what the Bible stated many years ago, that a merry heart has healing properties, while harboring bitterness, anger or resentment can cause problems in the body. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

Diane Landry, a Christian writer/author of "Granny's Gift," and frequent contributor to Yahoo's AC, has overcome through faith in Christ Jesus, many obstacles in her life. She was abused, divorced and became a singe mother of five, after her husband abused her children. Diane hopes that through her writing, she can bring hope and inspiration to her readers. 
Click here to Contact Diane.
Click here for more from the Atlanta Examiner!

MONDAYS WITH MOSHER (an occasional feature!)

THE CHECKOUT LANE

LYNN MOSHER

One of my favorite Christmas stories. Hope you don't mind the traditional rerun...

With the parking lot full, finding a space was almost impossible. Shopper after shopper filed in the store’s front door, list in hand, and most lacking the Christmas spirit. 

The lines at the checkout lanes stretched halfway through the store. As angers were on the verge of erupting, loneliness carved a swath through the throng of shoppers, fighting for a place in each line.

“Why don’t they have more checkout lanes open?” complained one shopper.

“I don’t know. This is so depressing,” grumbled another nearby.

Each lane had its share of Grinches and lonely hearts, each moaning over all the congestion. In one lane stood a mother with three small children in tow, all whining and wanting everything in sight. In the next lane stood another mother with her three little ones, all in a joyous mood. Six year-old Olivia asked her mother, “Mommy, why is everyone so grumpy?”

Lowering her voice so others wouldn’t hear their conversation, Olivia’s mother whispered, “I’m not sure, dear. I think everyone is in a hurry and they don’t know the meaning of Christmas.”

“Don’t they know it’s Jesus’ birthday?”

Trying to shush Olivia, she lowered her voice again, “I guess not. Some people just don’t know.”

“Well, why don’t we tell them?”

“I don’t think this is a very good time, dear.”

“Why not, Mommy? Didn’t you say it’s always time for Jesus?”

“Well, yes, I did, but…”

“Well, let’s tell them.”

Overhearing their conversation, those standing near this family began shifting their weight from one foot to another, uncomfortable as to what they might hear next. 

The mother began to silently pray, “Oh, Lord, if You desire others to know it is Your birthday that they’re supposed to be celebrating, then please resolve this situation.”

Olivia bowed her head and thought for a moment. Then, a very soft, little voice began to sweetly sing…

“Away in the manger, no crib for a bed,The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.”
Silence fell on the checkout lanes. All that could be heard was the whirring of the cash registers. No one said a word.

Then, that sweet little voice began to sing again…

“Joy to the world! The Lord is come;Let earth receive her King;Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,And heav’n and nature sing,And heav’n and nature sing,And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.”

Just as a place was made for baby Jesus to be born so many years ago, a place was made for Him in the checkout lanes. Smiles erupted across the stone-cold faces of the Grinches. Peace swept across the store, carving a swath through the crowd of shoppers and banishing loneliness and the Grinch from the checkout lanes.

As you weave your way in and out of the stores this Christmas season, remember the Reason for the Season…it’s the celebration of Jesus’ birth! 

May the blessings of the manger find a place in your heart. 

(Image by Google Images)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART

Once there were 10 lepers who were crying out! Their heart cry was not just "UNCLEAN" but  "Jesus, Master, have pity on us"! You see they had seen His many healing miracles - most of which are not in the Bible.

True to form, the Great Physicians spoke the Word and all ten lepers were healed!  He did not even lay hands on them, but gave instructions to "Go show yourselves to the Priests"...(The entire passage is found in LUKE 17:11-19)

They did as He said and while walking, the leprosy fell off them and they were healed. Of the ten of them, one came back to thank Him! The Lord said “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Because the only want to show ANY GRATITUDE at all was a Samaritan!)

Then He (Jesus) said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Before you and I were saved, we were like that foreigner - outside God's Kingdom! We were lost, unclean and full of the perversions and death and disease of this world. The other nine lepers were just as lost to eternity as this Samaritan. 

Yet, they took the blessings of God and like most of the world - walked away from Him.

The Bible said this lone grateful, basically pagan (which you and I were) not only came back but threw himself at Jesus' feet, thanked Him and praised God.

Now here is the revelation: When Jesus told him in the first above "YOUR FAITH HAS MADE YOU WELL", Jesus was not talking about the Samaritan leper's health!

The original word for "WELL" is SOZO!!! You already know where this is heading! This former leper whose love and gratitude to God was obvious was told LITERALLY "YOUR FAITH HAS RESCUED YOU AND SAVED YOU FROM SIN"!!!

That leper was saved right there under the pronouncement of the Savior! You can't get a better confirmation than that! His body was already healed in the previous verses, now his soul was and unlike the other 9, who are like the people in our churches and towns, only 1 was really saved - the one with Faith and Gratitude.

This is the lesson on this Day of Thanksgiving - 2011. 

One man turned back as Jesus noted...except the word He uses has a deeper meaning than just turn around and come back....it means REPENTED in essence! Yes! The 10th Leper was going the way of all the other ungrateful lepers, stopped, turned and ran back to Jesus! That is Repentance!

Secondly, without submitting to Christ, a grateful heart and continued worship with that Repentance, a person will not experience that "SOZO" or eternal salvation!

Thanksgiving is more than just thanking Him for Saving you. He has given you everything. The very fact we even have the internet to write a blog like this, post it on Facebook and the freedom to be in a warm home on a cold November day is proof right there!!

How about thanking Him for this and more. 

How about writing down 10 Good Things about 2011 and just going "WOW" Thank YOU JESUS for all of this! 

We will then see just how Good God has been to us this year, we His people, while the world is heading where it is heading!

GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

THINK ON THESE THINGS - SUNDAY MESSAGE

THE FATHERS!

How the Hero Fathers are our patterns!

The new movie COURAGEOUS has just been released by Sherwood Baptist Church, Albany, Georgia and is showing in your local theater nationwide. Sherwood are the creators of the powerful FIREPROOF and FACING THE GIANTS movies. This new production revolves around four county deputies, who are also Fathers in different seasons and places with their children. It is such a powerful drama that it will take you on a roller-coaster of emotions - from laughter to tears - all in less than two hours!
However this is not a review of the movie.  What I wish to key in on is the INTANGIBLE which each of these Four Flawed Fathers filtered to their children. This intangible is their Faith.

The four law enforcement men in this movie have a lot in common with the heroes of Hebrews 11. These men of verses 20-22 are called the Patriarchs - or fathers of an entire people. It is written: ²⁰ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. 
²¹ By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
²² By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.


Fathers today seem to be under a lot more stress and duress and what a mess we have as the society demands things from men, which God never intended. BUT, God has a standard which very few in Bible times exhibited to such a degree that the Lord had them included in Scripture. However, what He did for us, is to give us these examples to follow as men like us, who long to be the best fathers we can be!

So, just briefly, let's look at the Treasures here to fire us up for the week ahead!
VERSE: (2O) 
BY FAITH ISAAC BLESSED JACOB AND ESAU CONCERNING THE THINGS TO COME: 
Here, Abraham's son passed on to all his twins (Jacob and Esau) the foundation of a new Nation and People - the Hebrews. How can you or I use this, no matter how weak our walk was, to bless the future of our kids? We do that by blessing them now and praying for them and THEIR children, starting tonight!


VERSE 21
BY FAITH, JACOB WHEN HE WAS DYING,HE BLESSED EACH OF THE SONS...
For us, I wish to point out a couple or three things we SHOULD NOT DO!! Let us resolve not to wait until we are dying to bless our children. Let us actively teach them Worship, Prayer, Bible reading and the basics of living the Life for God. Jacob was not the best father in the world. He played favorites etc...Let us - you and I - focus on our responsibility as parents and then administer love and blessings equally, yet liberally, to those whom we love.


Verse 22 is about Joseph and looks back on how the Prophetic Escape from Egypt, the Exodus -was handled because his bones had to returned to the Promised Land. 


These golden nuggets and more, can be found, accessed and downloaded into your heart by the makers of Courageous the Movie. If you get a chance, go see this movie. The writer of Hebrews used some of the choicest words; references and Scripture to illustrate what God meant to say. 


These heroes of the faith made a resolution by Faith to the Future of their children. WE should NO less and even double up on our efforts to serve God without that! 
WE SHOULD RESOLVE TO HAVE THE FAITH OF THE FATHERS, AS LISTED IN OUR PASSAGE TODAY! 


May God continue to richly bless you and yours as you continue to obey and serve Him, in Jesus' Name, amen!