There is a lot of crazy stuff going on around us today. Sometimes, it doesn't affect us personally, but sometimes it does. Do we praise God even in these storms? Do we thank Him when we go through these trials of life as well as when He is pouring His abundant blessings on us? The rain brings beautiful refreshment when our hearts belong to Him. Praise Him in the rain!
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Image © http://www.123rf.com Joseph M. Scriven was born in Ireland in 1819. When he was 25 years old, he fell in love and plans were made for him to be married. Tragically, one day before the wedding, his fiance died in a drowning accident. Joseph, heartbroken, left his home in Ireland and traveled to Canada to start a new life. He worked as a teacher and was blessed to fall in love again with a relative of one of his students. But this wedding did not take place, either, as his fiance, Eliza Roche, became ill and died. We all have lives filled with tragic events, so it's easy to understand the turmoil that this young man was having to deal with. But he held strong in his faith in God, and that carried him through. Not very long after Eliza died, Joseph joined the Plymouth Brethren and began preaching for a Baptist church. Never to marry again, he spent the rest of his life, until he died in 1896, giving all his time, money and his very own clothes to help those less fortunate. He continued to spread Jesus' compassion and love everywhere he went. About the same time that Eliza died, Joseph learned that his mother was ill. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to travel to be with her. So to comfort her he sent her one of his poems he had written entitled What a Friend We Have in Jesus. Many years later, Joseph became ill himself and was visited by a friend. During the visit, the friend was impressed with Joseph's poems, which included What a Friend We Have in Jesus. It was almost 30 years after he had written to his mother to give her comfort, and as a result of his friend's visit, that the poems were published in a book called Hymns and Other Verses. Not long after that, that very poem was put to music by musician, Charles C. Converse. In 1875, a well-known musician and revivalist, Ira D. Sankey, who greatly admired Mr. Scriven, saw the music and words for the song and included it in his publication Sankey's Gospel Hymns Number 1. Because he gave so much of himself in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, the citizens erected a monument to his life. What seemed to be one man's sad and obscure life has resulted in many lives being uplifted, from the 1800s through modern times today. There is no other friend like the friend we have in Jesus. If you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, let us show you how you can know Jesus today. What a Friend We Have in Jesus What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer. Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He'll take and shield you; you will find a solace there. Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer. Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there. Do you ever find yourself wrapped up in your own "it's-all-about-me" world? Guess what? It's not about us - it's about Him, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is a powerful video. If we could see the "heart signs" that people are wearing, would we act differently towards them? Would we be more caring, compassionate, understanding, or forgiving? Would we be more like Jesus? May God open our eyes to see as He sees and our hearts to love as He loves. Each one of us, individually, can make a difference in this lost and hurting world when we change our way of thinking from "it's my time" to "it's His time".
Change Your View - Look Up! Some time ago, when our children were younger and still at home, Shirley and I decided to have our entire family “take a break” from TV. Shirley put a note on front of the television that read, “The view gets better when you look up.” One day a pre-teen nephew was visiting and read the sign that could not be missed and looked up with a curious and puzzled expression, seeing nothing but a ceiling. It was humorous, yet a great teaching moment. As Christians, we are encouraged, admonished and warned by God to “Set your mind (affection) on things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:2-3) Paul also speaks of the miraculous change in his life and how he viewed life after his conversion. He said, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ”. (Philippians 3:8) How about you? Are you willing and desirous to look up to Jesus and enjoy the view He has for you? Hiding Place © Anna Gavrilova | Dreamstime.com Can you imagine your local supermarket manager coming to you and saying that you can have free groceries the rest of your life…you’d scoff that up in a minute! But when Jesus tells us that He is the bread of life and anyone who comes to Him will not go thirsty or hungry, far too many are hesitant. Well, I understand that for many the tentativeness is because you can see the manager and the store is right down the street; but you can’t see God, and His Kingdom is a celestial mystery. But what if I told you that the certainty of what Jesus says is more real than your grocer. You won’t ever know, though, if you keep viewing Jesus from a distance. You have to be a part of His family to get to know the family secrets, so to speak. God is calling you, wooing you, desiring your fellowship. He is not some wrathful God waiting for you to make an error and then send you to a dungeon…no, no and no again! God is calling you, desiring you to come into fellowship with Him. He wants you back. Adam lost you to Him, but Jesus has made the way back into His family. Love is God’s middle name! Just look at this in John 6:35-37, 40 (NASB) “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I have said to you, that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out…For this is the will of My father, that everyone who beholds the Son, and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.’” Did we hear that? God will not cast us out…no matter what we have done. What a reprieve. All He asks is for your repentance of your sins, a desire to let God be your God, and obedience to His will. Give up the low-level, never-work-out stupid ways of the world, the flesh and the devil. In its place, you have access to His wisdom, power, mercy, love, glory, etc., here on earth AND His kingdom in heaven FOREVER…what a bargain that is! Why is it that we stall on this? Why do we drag our feet in responding to Him? Why do we go off on side trails of religion and religious beliefs which, for the most part, have come from some human’s interpretation of who God is and what He wants? Christianity is not a religion; it’s a way of life. It is a relationship with God not a religion about Him. The answer–we get off track because of the “Adam Nature”. It is not the nature that God originally made; it is the one we inherited after the fall and disobedience of Adam and Eve. What we use to think, want and feel is the “broken” version of what God made. It does not automatically seek and desire God. As a matter of fact, God has said our mind is enmity to Him. That means it is hostile, hateful, and full of ill will towards Him and His ways. That’s a pretty hard pill to swallow. But once we put away our pride and admit that we are not a “god” to ourselves and others; once we run to Jesus and ask for His forgiveness and for salvation to enter into our hearts…then, and only then, can we start on the path of change and freedom God intended. Many people are frustrated in trying to serve God because they always fail. That is because they are trying to obey perfect spiritual precepts with an imperfect vessel. Try building a new house with a broken hammer, or a screw driver without a head, or a saw without teeth. You will work your fingers to the bone and will not be able to follow the blueprint. Not because you are incapable, it is because you are trying to do something with tools that will NEVER work. The same thing happens to you if you try to serve God with a broken nature and not His own. The only way you can obey God is to have God dwell in you. You must crucify, kill, reject, and run far from the broken nature and all its desires and let the Spirit of God come through. Even when you do give your heart to the Lord in salvation and start walking with Him, you will stumble. Not because God did anything wrong, but because upon occasion you let the Adam nature rule instead of the God nature. Our awesome God knows all this and has tremendous mercy upon us. He doesn’t want that anyone should perish (2 Peter 3:9). He sees us for the handicapped children we are, but His desire is that we not remain in that condition. His love will chase you to the end of the earth. You can block your ears and cover your eyes, but He will send people, places and things your way that scream of His love for you. Even all of His creation loudly proclaims that there is a God (Romans 1:20). “If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9) God will not give up; He has done too much to let you sit in your own foolishness. He wants you and He loves you. He wants you to come home. Don’t wait to “get cleaned up” before you do…you can’t…not without Him and the sacrifice Jesus made for you. Jesus took the “death penalty” for your crimes against God. He did it knowingly and willingly. He knew you weren’t holy and you could not do anything to pay God back. So He did it for you. All you have to do is cash in your ticket with belief in Jesus and a willingness to let Him change your life. Don’t delay any longer. If your heart is really convicted and you want to call out to God, then say the following prayer in earnest and sincerity: “Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I know I deserve hell. I know that You died for me and the penalty I owe. Right now, the best that I know how, I trust you as my Savior. Please save my soul and forgive me of my sins. Now, help me live for You. Thank You for saving me. Amen.” If you have prayed that prayer, don’t look for fireworks to go off, all your bills be paid or a beautiful woman or handsome man to sweep you off your feet. Don’t expect to have your kids become angels or that you will win the lottery in four different states! Rather, you best get prepared and tighten your seat belt—you are in for the most difficult, trial and trouble-filled, exciting, awesomeness of your life. You will NOT be trouble free, but HOW you get through them will change in a way you can never even imagine. You may not get rich, but you will have everything you need. You may not gain health, but you will be more alive than ever before. You may not empty yourself of all pride, jealousy, greed, anger, etc., but you will start on a journey that will teach how to get those impediments out of your way and not remain the ruling factors. One millisecond in the presence of God will make it all worth it. He is a grand, breath-taking, awesome, splendid, tremendous, remarkable, amazing, impressive, imposing, magnificent, superb, wonderful, incredible and miraculous God. Money back guaranteed! You can run, but you’ll only get tired! He’s gonna get you! Thank you, Jesus. © Carolyn Marshall, www.livinglifephoto.com John said of Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" God sent His only begotten Son as a lamb to be sacrificed on our behalf. Jesus poured out Himself to death that we may live. As we likewise (pour out) our lives unto Jesus, He in turn gives us "new life" everlasting. Jesus said, "If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me, and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scriptures said, 'from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.'" John 7:37-38 He heard a voice call his name and saw a vision of Christ. This was miraculous, because up until then, Kamal was a Muslim. The story of Kamal Saleem is a beautiful example of how the love of God can penetrate the heart of any man. © Vonshots | Dreamstime Did you ever watch that TV show that follows the building of a brand new home for someone? The family sends in a video of their need and why they should be the recipients of this new home. Ty and his staff come out, assess the situation and then start the process of building. But did you ever notice that they don’t go into the ramshackle mess of a home that is there and fix that up, but totally knock down the existing home and build it completely new from the bottom up. The old is replaced by the new. That is exactly what God has to do with us. This is not a “re-do” of the mess we are. Coming to Him means that He will knock your socks off, so to speak, and start from scratch! Sort of like the caterpillar thing—a whole new creature emerges! A while ago, I heard another good analogy to the extreme makeover we must go through to live a life in Jesus...from ugly to beautiful. Our beginnings are ugly...like the old rhyme, “U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi, you’re ugly, you’re ugly.” We are ugly, like an old beggar in the streets (which is a good picture of our spiritual condition before Jesus starts His extreme makeover in our sorry lives).
What God is talking about is an EXTREME MAKEOVER…a total renovation not just a paint job and duct tape repair...religion does that! Becoming this “new creature” hurts so much sometimes because God has to rip out what we have built. He has to do that, not as punishment, but in order to replace it with all new. What He builds remains forever (and He knew you before your bones were even formed!). It has to be that way because nothing unclean, broken and incomplete can stand in His presence. All the reconstruction, even though painful, is lovingly done so we may be made new for here and for eternity. Don’t hold on to the moldy, broken and rotten anymore. Send Him your request for an “Extreme Makeover”. Let Jesus come in to your heart and make you brand new, total and complete. C’mon, we’re all dying to see that completed project and say, “Move that bus! Obviously, I have no idea what it is like being a man. But, as a woman, I know what it is like to be on the other side of every man that has been in my life...the good and the bad of it. As men, you should be aware of the powerful influence you have on all those around you, especially us women.
God has decreed what you are to be, even though hampered by what Adam did with his God-separating disobedience. It is harder, but nonetheless possible for you by walking in the Spirit of God. Now, in all likelihood, men, your most difficult challenge will be the establishment of a stable, happy, functioning, and wholesome family. Any struggles here guys! As our world gets further and further away from the original plan of God for marriage and procreation, the more problematic it will get. You don’t have to be a nuclear physicist to see the poor results of today’s system. Some deny it, but God has deeply set within each man the uniqueness of body, soul and spirit to efficiently carry out the duties of the husband, provider and family head; and has deeply set within each woman the uniqueness of body, soul and spirit to efficiently carry out the duties of wife and family manager, nurturer and co-leader. Only in following the system and instructions God has established can you even hope to come close to that stable, happy family. Guys, it will cost you your life so they may have theirs. The sacrifices you must make are tough, but heck, you’re a man...or should be. Kind of hard to be a man in today’s society though. I call it the “woosifcation” of America. It seems lately that men are being emasculated at every turn—books, movies, advertisements, etc. Men are being presented as the stupid Neanderthal in the group. What a far cry from what God intended. Men need to be men; there I said it! Not a “metro-sexual” pansy trying to find his inner female self—get a grip, it ain’t there! God did not put it there. Now, you can go and put it in there yourself. You can float around as part of the wallpaper of the world or you can be a man and stand out as God has intended. “Take courage and be a man” (1 Kings 2:2 NLT) is what David said to his son Solomon. But God did not say to be the master and your wife (and all women) to be the slave. He did not give woman to man so man could have a live-in servant and sex object. No, He gave woman to man so that man could have someone to be the “Christ” to on this earth. No animals and plants were suitable for Adam to be the “Christ” to, only the woman God made. Being the “Christ” to her means you have to lay down your life for her, forgive her, and meticulously make sure she is gently loved, cared for, nurtured and brought up to the fullest in purity, knowledge and wisdom. Far cry from the “put another log on the fire, rustle up some beans and bring me another beer” picture that some men have in their minds. Authority and power are tools of destruction in the hands of a fool; but they are life and productivity in the hands of the wise. Being this type of man to your wife will produce the kind of “beauty” that you will always want to rescue. You may not currently have what you want in a wife, but that may be because you have not been a true husband to her. Do things God’s way and you get God’s results. "As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5). Be her Christ, and your wife will be glad to respond to you as seen in Song of Solomon 4:16 “Come into your garden, my love, and taste its finest fruits”. We are not talking rough and tumble here. As Teddy Roosevelt said, “It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat.” Success, victory, boldness, adventure—it is not for the timid...but for the men of this world! Those words bring pictures to my mind, that of Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart. A man’s man for sure. He was willing to suffer greatly to assure the better good for his family and the whole village; or Saving Private Ryan, Top Gun, Die Hard-movies that show masculine men on a mission that not only helps others but fills them as well. That is what God intended for our men...adventure, daring, excitement, challenge, discovery, etc.; a joy at being a man, made in His image, to be the High Priest, so to speak, for his family and “village”. Far cry today from the bogged-down, hen-pecked husbands who see no way out of the drudgery that is their lot. Hours working, no respect from family, no adventure to live; who often live in a world of pornographic fantasy. What a shame, what a waste. No, that is not what God intended! No way. Jesus is called the “Lion of Judah” for crying out loud—that’s the visual we need! When you get a chance, guys, read John Eldredge’s book, Wild at Heart. He nails it on the head when he says that God has put core desires in a man’s heart: a “battle to fight, an adventure to live and a beauty to rescue”. Funny thing, the match to that is deeply set in each woman, a beauty to unveil, a desire to share adventure and a desire to be rescued (Prince Charming dreams start very young)! Wow—quite a different picture, heh! The battle is not what you think. I’m not talking about invading countries and grabbing power (although that has occurred over history)! The battle I’m talking about is the big one, that is, the battle against the world, the flesh and the devil. Get on the front lines of this one, guys—you are built for it. The adventure is with your God—leading your family and those in your care through the maze of life down here, including all the risks, the failures and the successes. Don’t soften it; this is a wild journey down here. Adventure—you should desire it—smell it in the air yet? And a beauty to rescue. It is in you—strong, courageous love. Love for your wife, a wife you should have watered and nurtured into fullness of life. If she’s haggard and worn out, bubba—it could be that you have not “rescued” her to the fullest as Jesus rescued His bride! With all this in mind, do we see those battle-hardy, adventuresome, Prince Charmings filling our churches? Where are the men? God put the mantle on YOUR shoulders for spiritual leadership...why aren’t you at church? And why aren’t you, through the precepts of your God, out there changing our communities? The beginnings of the church were filled with accounts of men dying for the principles of Christ. They confronted the “religious” leaders who were all fluff and vinegar; they were out there promoting the care of the needy; they challenged authority, as well as the pampered rich and the pagans alike, to come to the truth in Christ. They were fighting battles, on an adventure, all the while leading the family and community in Christ. What do we have in churches today? Instead of the risk and challenge that men are so suited for, we often have this sweet little safe place full of pomp and circumstance. Pretty, soft lights, wafting music, all surrounded by crowds of women and children. How did it get to this? Christianity that is soft, safe and feminized is not going to bring men into the church. A revitalized, manly, strong, yet compassionate “Christ-like” congregation will be full of men who love Jesus more than life itself; who incorporate His principles into all aspects of family and work. Men who have Jesus’ love, kindness, fidelity, virility, integrity, purity, power, joy, etc., as their foundation and upon which they make each and every decision. THAT is the kind of “church” that will change the world. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been pretty busy lately praying and asking God to use the power of His Spirit to call men to that type of life and devotion. For them to come out from under the yoke of this world and rise up as men to the glory and fullness of Christ. Ah-men! You love the Lord with all your heart, you read the Bible, you go to church, you generously give to the ministries that help you on your spiritual journey, you pray for God’s strength to do His will ... but those old habits (in thought, word or deed) just continue to dog you to death. They not only cause frustration but even failure at times; failure right at the feet of the Jesus you love and serve.
You start to doubt and think, “Am I even a Christian?” “Am I even saved?” Don’t go there, buddy! Your entire sufficiency is in Christ, not in your ability to control your behavior. If it were all about behavior modification, you’d go to a shrink. This is all about a “heart transplant” ... giving the Lord dominion over your inner being; letting Him be God of your life and have His Spirit enter into yours. You purposefully and powerfully choose to deny yourself the luxury of being your own boss so that the Lord’s mind, will and emotions would rule ... there is the victory. I can remember when I first gave my heart to the Lord over 35 years ago. The transformation was swift and sweeping. Yet, I knew my own weaknesses to some extent back then, and struggled greatly before the Lord in fear that I would fall back into certain sins. Civil war was raging deep within (the good fairy and the poo-poo fairy, as my brother Bobby puts it, were fighting for my attention). My greatest fear was that, while in the midst of some stupid sin, I would die during that period and end up in hell. That fear was dark and kept me frozen in time ... just what the “Ole Deluder” (Satan) wanted ... saved but in the freezer ... stored away not doing anything bad, but not living life to its fullest and being an ambassador for Christ. In crying out to the Lord to show me something, I opened the Bible, and it happened to fall open to Romans 7 and 8. Yeah, just happened to fall open to exactly what I needed. Do you think the Lord was orchestrating that moment? Yeah, me too! It really helped me to understand that old habits don’t go away overnight, and God knows that. His love for us helps us through those times. He’s not there holding His nose as we waddle through some mucky sin. He is on the other side wooing us through it. Through the sacrifice of the cross, that fallen person of yesteryear was restored and reinstated with the great and mighty heavenly Father ... Father ... get it? You get a new heart and a new covenant. He loves you and forgives you eternally IF you are His. In Him we have a guarantee of protection from hell; a new way of thinking, feeling and wanting AND a promise of a one-way ticket to be with Him in Paradise (as was the original plan!). Those assurances filled my heart, for sure. Here is what I read:
We must all realize that before we came to know Jesus we just went by our own ideas and willpower and got really good at it. So don’t be surprised that there’s a bit of a learning curve in switching tracks from the natural to the supernatural. (Ephesians 1:18-19 and 3:16-21). So whether it’s your impatience, your rotten temper, your bad attitude, your hard to control sex drive or your compulsion toward chocolate brownies ... how in the world do you find the strength to put these urges under control? The answer is ... you don’t find it in the world! You find it in Christ. Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world! The same power God made use of in Jesus is available to you when you ask Him in. Remember, Jesus says He stands at the door and knocks and if you let Him in, He will come dine with you ... sweet! Use the weapons of prayer, Bible study, and seeking truth; go worship and fellowship with strong Christians, practice thanksgiving in everything, with a strict accountability for your stinking behavior and walk in the power of the Spirit, not your own ways. That is what will push back temptation and deception ... not your willpower, which flounders far too frequently. It’s a fight to the finish. Ah, but what a finish. God is with us! |
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