The Comforting Word of GOD.

Isaiah 49:13 ……. Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains!  For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

Isaiah 51:11 ……. The ransomed of the LORD will return.  They will enter Zion (Heaven)  with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Isaiah 61:1-2a ……. The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor

Luke 4:14-21 ……. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.  He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.  He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.  And he stood up to read.  The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.  Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: (Isaiah 61:1-2a)  The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,  to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Jesus was reading about himself in Isaiah)

Romans 3:21-24 ……. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

John 6:28-29 ……. Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”  Jesus answered, ”The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

John 17:24-26 ……. ”Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. ”Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.  I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

John 14:1-3 ……. ”Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ……. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

James 1:2-8,

How to Save Our Country – Taking America Back

No matter where you are on the political spectrum, you know this country has problems.  Violence, unemployment, poverty, and many other things are causing many to wonder what’s wrong, and how our country can be saved.

Before I answer that, let me ask a question.  Could imperfect man ever build a perfect system?  No, not totally perfect.

The Bible tells us that “If my people, which are called by My name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14)  Now, this promise was for Israel specifically – America is not called by God’s name.

We are, however, very blessed, and we have had great Revivals in the past. The question is, how do we have them again? We can find things in that verse, and apply them to us, because God is rich in His mercy. We are not a chosen nation. Still, those in our country who have put their trust in Jesus Christ as personal Savior can rest on one important thing. God is unchanging. And, He has blessed us despite our sins before this.

That unchanging nature, and his gifts before this, show why we know He can come to help now; it’s not the verse that tells us that.  The verse simply guides us toward how we must be to cause Him to hear.

My people

In this case, we apply it to mean Christians.  We must take back America the only way possible; on our knees.  Only God can fix what’s wrong.  Only His people, who have the indwelling Holy Spirit, can have their prayers heard to do that. Christians are called by his name, so we can pray for this land.

Humble ourselves and pray

We must never go to God insisting on our rights. We are to go boldly before the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16), but we must also be humble, asking in faith but trusting in God’s perfect will to be done. Remember that God will always resist the proud, and give grace to the humble. We must accept we don’t have all the answers. Imperfect man can never build the perfect system.

When we humble ourselves, we must do like in Daniel chapter 9.  We must accept that we have sinned as a nation – but not just in the last few years.  We sinned as a nation for 200+ years.  See, here is the difference between the liberals and Godly people. Liberals want to keep bringing up the past.  God wants to forgive us, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  But, in order for God to forgive us, we must *want* Him to forgive us.  That means accepting that we sinned greatly against Him in our treatment of others, our culture was one that often only spoke of Godliness on the outside, though inside our hearts were wicked.  We were selfish in some of the things we sought.  Yes, of course, we sent missionaries to the ends of the earth.  But, we twisted doctrine selfishly to support our own views.  The “curse of Ham,” for instance, was a lie straight from the pits of Hell.  Canaan was the one cursed, he was a part of Ham’s line, and his line got wiped out when the Israelites took the land.  Canaanites had drifted into horrible idolatry, even practicing child sacrifices!  They were judged by God, and that was the end of that curse.

Imagine if Bible believing Christians, 150 years ago, had insisted on Godly behavior toward other races.  We sinned against God, but He wants to wash our sins away.  He wants us to humble ourselves and pray, asking forgiveness for the sinful, selfish attitudes.  He doesn’t want it to be held against us. He wants to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)  In that and other areas, we need to humble ourselves, and admit we are *not* the perfect nation, and never have been.  We’re a *great* nation, but greatness is not perfection.

Seek His face

Next, God says to seek His face.  That means seek who He is – *not* who we think He is – with His Word.  Instead of all the modern Bibles, we can go back to the original King James Version and ignore all the liberal scholars who try to change it so often while removing thousands and thousands of words.  But, we must remember something else.

Seeking His face means that we seek Him for who He is.  He is all-present, but there is a difference between His being everywhere and His being everything.  His being everywhere is just the attribute of omnipresence.  His being everything is a false doctrine that we must get rid of.  We need His Spirit to cleanse us and get false doctrine out, but He can do it.  Only if we seek His face, though.  He is not a pantheistic deity.  He is the Triune God, Who shows Himself in three persons – Father, Son, and Spirit.  He can be talked to directly through prayer.  He lives in each believer through the Spirit.  We should *never* mistake other religions for Christianity.  Christianity really isn’t a religion like others, because all religions are about man trying to reach up and please god.  However, true Christianity is about God reaching down to us, sinful people for whom He died for our sins and rose bodily from the dea! Hallelujah!

Turn from our wicked ways

We must put God at the center of our hearts, as individuals, and as a nation.  We must repent, and let Him change us on the inside, and then seek for Him to do the same to others, and for others, in this land.

What do we repent of?  We need to ask the Lord to touch our hearts, and show us *every* problem area, and we must commit to changing that to conform to His will, which is perfect.  We must also seek Him for every area of our nation’s sins, and cry out for His forgiveness there.

Now, He won’t tell us to give up everything; each person is called to do something different, and someone whose ministry is on the Internet will surely be called to stay in it – but they should still dedicate that computer or whatever to the Lord.  Others, who use the Internet for sinful purposes, will feel called to give it up.  But, remember, God will give them something far more satisfying in the long run.

See, this is all about accepting that He is sovereign, and knows what’s beat for each of us.  He wants us to follow Him, but He doesn’t want us to be mindless robots.  He wants us to have free choice.

But, He’s also telling us that by refusing to turn from our wicked ways, we sacrifice blessings and rewards.

Part of those wicked ways is in our attitude.  It’s not just an attitude that we put other things ahead of God, it’s that we selfishly put ourselves before anything.  We must remember the old Sunday School acrostic – true joy is in this order – Jesus, Others, You. We must act that out in our lives, and show others who Jesus is in our actions.

And, if we do all this, praying without ceasing – alays being in an attitude of prayer – we can call upon the Lord, in faith, and expect Him to:

1. Hear from heaven.  He gives grace to the humble.  He’ll hear that prayer, because the person is praying from an attitude of true need.

2. Forgive their sin.  If we confess our sin, He is just and faithful to forgive us of our sin, and cleanse uf from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)  When he forgives, He remembers it *no more*

3. Heal their land: And, this one is really special.

See, the Holy Spirit was not free to roam in Old Testament times because the curse of sin hadn’t been broken.  But, when Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom, and the Glory of God was free to spread around the world. (Matt. 27:51)  What this means is, He is freer today than He was.

We need to pray not just for our land to be healed, but for a great repentance revival to break out.  We must pray for hearts to be changed.  We can pray for so much more now, and He will give us, as in the past.

See, the Great Awakenings that came in the past, all the great repentance revivals, came about *despite* our nation’s sins.  God is unchanging.  We should never go to God and insist on something.  But, we can certainly humbly note that as we speak to God about our sins, and the sins of the nation as a whole.

And, above all, pray without ceasing for that repentance revival.  Pray without ceasing for the unsaved to get saved, and pray with specifics about each situation you can think of.  But, let it begin with us.

Heart Sick Vs. A Sick Heart

We have all heard the phrase “They died of a broken heart.”  I’m not a doctor. I’ve been in medicine for many years and have never really seen a “broke heart.” I’ve taken care of people who have a sick heart from causes known or suspected. Many heart problems are from real physical causes. I’ve also known/seen people with signs of a “broken heart”.

I can tell you there have been many times in my life I experienced “heart sickness.” No, it was never a physical symptom or cause (thank the good Lord). It usually was associated with a loss, hurt, rejection, pain from the past and on and on. But one pain in particular recently almost made me want to give up. However, I must stress NOT give up my life…give up my dreams, the thing(s) I have been waiting to come true. You see, I learned many tears ago that “thou shalt not kill” meant me too! I wasn’t supposed to kill others or myself. Suicide is never an option.

I had one choice only. Find a way to hang on. I tried to share what my heart was feeling. Sometimes advice isn’t always perfect when friends try to encourage and be helpful.  One told me to “let my dream die or be willing to let it die like Abraham had to be willing to do with Isaac.” They went on, “You’re in so much pain because you’re hanging on to it. You have to be willing to stab it to death”

The words of this friend sent me into a tailspin. Their intent was correct.  I also know that this world is dominated by a spiritual power that causes accusations to flood our minds and hearts for one purpose only … to give up and lose hope. I thought I had done that…the “turning over” that they learn in Twelve Step Programs. What now? Listen to a trusted friend’s advice and tell God as fast as I could I was sorry or give up and spend the rest of my life angry, depressed and feeling hopeless? I knew “hope deferred makes a heart grow sick.”

I decided to ask a small group of wise friends what they knew about God and this subject. Here are some of their direct responses :

“Nothing stays at the altar.  Not even Isaac.  God provided a substitute sacrifice in a moment of time.  So when Abraham was told to put his own son upon the altar – it wasn’t so that God could kill him, rather it was a sign of obedience that Abraham was willing to do anything he was told by the Lord.   In a moment of time, when God saw that Abraham was willing to sacrifice even his own son, God brought the substitute sacrifice; the ram!”

“For me keeping hope means that I always feel expectant toward my future, openhearted toward people, and soft in the attitudes of my heart. When I let hope go…I get hard-hearted, negative and cynical about…well, everything.”

“His dreams for my life have far exceeded anything I could’ve made happen.  For the dreams that still remain in the womb of my heart, my hope is in Jesus. While we are waiting for our dreams to come to pass, I have learned that God is deeply investing in building our character and making us more like Him. He also takes that time to show us who He really is during the process and who we were created to be.”

“God takes all of our ambitions and turns them into relationship with Him IF we will let Him! We must be willing to let the dream, promise, whatever, remain in God’s hands and in his timing.” 

“When I let something die I stop looking at how it will happen. I never give up hope, because my hope is wrapped up in God and His purpose for my life. He gave me my gifts and He said my gifts will make room for me. There is a peace in my heart that really doesn’t care one way or the other because I know they (my gifts) don’t validate me (who I really am). It only serves to validate my hope… which is in God.”

Why do I share these responses with you? Because, I have found that when I can’t find the answers in front of me I need to hang on to what I know from the past and the experiences of others (their testimonies).  Twelve Step Programs call that “sharing your experience, strength and hope.”

I have had to search for the answers in the testimony of many living and dead:

“ ‘Be strong and of good courage, fear not, or be afraid, neither be dismayed, for it is the Lord your God, He goes with you; He will not fail you, or leave you.”  “Do not be in fear, despair, crushed, terrified, demoralized, panic.  Do not crack under the stress. Do not be beaten down.’ God knows that we will have times of stress, uncertainty, and fear, but he wants us to recognize that he is wonderful, loving, kind and don’t forget really smart.”

“If Jesus is your hope, you will always have hope no matter how far away the dream feels or how dead things seem.”  Read Psalm 39:7

Since that initial tailspin, I’ve grown and become stronger in finding where my answers are and hope lives. The relationship I thought was so clear and strong is more intimate, safe and a source of strength and direction. I’m not in a rush about the answers and have learned to be grateful for all I have and look forward to the future…whatever it may hold! My heart is well and …“It is well with my soul.”

Shining Perspective

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”~Matthew 19:26

Miracles come in all shapes and sizes. How quickly I can forget the miracles that God has richly blessed me with. Recently I have experienced so much of God’s grace. The precious gift of God’s grace is truly a miracle that is so easily taken for granted. His hand has guided my every step and even when I had nothing to put forth, God filled up the space with His amazing grace.

I have come to the end of my first challenging semester in college. I think going back to school after taking 15 years off is a struggle in itself. Taking two classes and a lab, working full time, being a wife, a mother and having all of the commitments that go along with those rolls is well, crazy to say the least. Of course, I didn’t see any reason why I couldn’t do it. I know now it was not the wisest choice to take two classes. I could have just taken one class. However, I would have missed an opportunity to watch Romans 8:28 in action. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I watched God make all things work together for my good. I would have missed out on the immense grace that overflowed throughout every difficult day that I put one foot in front of the other. Psalm 34:8 says “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” I saw, felt, tasted and tested God’s promise for myself. By trusting God I was touched by him in a way I never would have been, if I had not made the decisions I did. Some people might say I just took a leap of faith.

How is it so easy to forget? How can you possibly forget in such a short amount of time?  Circumstances come and knock you around and before you know it they are in the spotlight and somehow you have lost sight of the miraculous events that you have been privileged to taste. I witnessed the Lord’s hand upon all that I had been doing for months. I watched in awe as I would pass a test I had no business passing. I felt His overwhelming presence as I sat through the exam. I knew every time I received a test back, the Lord gave me that grade. There is no way possible that I could accomplish what I have. Only by the grace of God could I successfully have made it through this semester.

I still forgot. I let circumstances such as, being sick, the stress of preparing for Christmas (yes, Christmas, you know the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Prince of Peace) and the everyday chaos of this world blind me from the miraculous grace I had experienced. I let the circumstances that arose, change my view.

I have been miserable because I have been focusing on my circumstances and allowing them to dictate all my choices, my mood, my life. Today, I went online to see what books I needed to order for next semester. Once I was there, I was distracted; or shall I say God had something for me to see. I ran across my grades for the semester. That is when I was reminded how amazing God has been to me and how grateful I am for what I had just experienced. My joy is in full bloom as I count the blessings of the lessons I have learned. My hope is renewed as I relive the moments where God held my hand and once again did not fail me. My faith has grown as I have seen firsthand that God makes all things work together for my good, even when I make poor decisions.

What miracles has God done in your life? Are you counting them? Or are you letting them get lost in your circumstances? God is faithful and there is nothing too hard for him. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Mark 9:23 What do you believe? Have you tasted and seen for yourself how great the love of God is?

Among many things, I am an artist.  I usually don’t have enough wall space to hang my work.  I stored two of my favorite paintings under a bed. They had laid there unviewed for several years.  Did I mention the bed was in the cats’ favorite room?

So on the day of my exodus from the old house to the new, I discovered my two forgotten treasures.  In addition, I found the cat’s had left me a gift.  Two gigantic cat furr ball excrements right on the paintings!  I was crushed and didn’t know what to do.  I loved these works of art and the message behind them.   I guess my cats had other feelings.  My friends knew how distraught I was.  They kept saying “Can’t you just paint over them?” Artists know this is not an easy task, especially with paintings that are unique and were created years prior.

I didn’t know what to do.  Everytime I looked at them I felt crushed and a failure since I had no solution.  So, I decided that out-of-sight was the best option.  I buried them inside of a large rented storage shed where spiders and such could find a good home.

Four years later I was forced to empty that shed and move the paintings again.  This time they would be on my property.  But again, I had a shed I could store them in safely for a possible miracle in the future.  You see, I had believed in miracles…just not miracles with inanimant objects.  I felt that was too trivial for God to fix.  My not painting over them or throwing them out was my only way of hanging onto hope.

This past Thanksgiving, I had cause to go into the shed.  I noticed two canvas’ facing away from me. I pulled them out. I was crushed because once again I was faced with my failure to solve this impossible task.

But this time God new it was time.  He  knew I would be able to hear His voice and not be afraid to fix what was broken, with His help!

I bravely took both paintings out and began to follow the leading of a Power higher than my reasoning.  I again dusted off all the spider trails and dust.  He began to lead me (in a matter of minutes) into the solution to saving the original intent of these pieces while enhancing the beauty and detail. I’ll admit it was scary.  I risked making a mistake I could not turn back from.  But my need to be obedient …to go beyond the fear… the sense of failure…was greater than my need to hide the failure once again.

When I was done I heard something that I will never forget.  Something that was a witness to all of my life failures and unfinished business.  “When I say it’s time to repair the things that the world considers broken and unrepairable…it will be done and it will be better than before.”

Those painting hang on my walls in clear view of everyone who comes.  I challenge visitors to find the original traces of the cat deposits.  No one has been able to.  Many have had chills and look in awe of what God can do when no man can.

Do you feel like you can’t be fixed or something the cat puked out?  Don’t because He sees the beauty inside of you and knows the answers.  He is waiting for your OK to do the repairs and let the world see you how He intended you to be.   A work of beauty!  Say “yes” to Him.  What have you got to lose?

Reflecting on Resolutions

Well here we are again, another year is gone and a new year a waits us, but what does that really mean to us individually, to the whole of humanity?

Generally at this time of year most of us are busy making plans to “Party Hardy” or “Make New Year’s Resolutions” that are for the most part lost in our own ambiguity.  Yet would it not be more prudent to be pondering on our thoughts and actions of the past, in order to improve the future?  Perhaps it seems overly introspective, but have you ever asked yourself “What am I really committed too and what is it that I value above all else?”  Could one or more of your answers be; Money, Power, Influence, Acquisitions or perhaps you have identified so strongly with your job, as being a means to worth. If so, I guess my question would be the same as Jesus’; “What good would it do to attain the whole world and lose your own soul?”

What if we take to heart what we are really committed too and why, and identify what those things really mean to us, those intimately around us and the world as a whole.   After all Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “Commitment” as;

1 a : an act of committing to a charge or trust:

2 c : the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled <a commitment to a cause>

“How many of us actually take these two extremely important time frames of passage, from old and new, whether it be minute to minute, month to month or year to year  to heart and instead simply transition with little or no reflection of the opportunities lost or the successes to be gained in our personal relationships to others and Christ?”

As I grew up, I used to hear an old saying that goes something like this, “All things are fleeting and pass away and only what’s done for Christ will last.” Yet most people would say that those who take this message to heart really don’t understand what’s really important and valuable to the people of the world.  However I would beg to differ with that conclusion and instead believe it identifies the essence of what life is all about and exemplifies what is really valuable.

Imagine implementing all of the words to the popular Beatles song “Imagine”.  After all there seems to be tremendous acceptance of that ideology, because it probably evokes a warm fuzzy feeling when you become nasolgic about those four young men. But I would ask you to actually hear the words and point they made around the world using their musical talents:

Imagine there’s no heaven, It’s easy if you try, No hell below us, Above us only sky, Imagine all the people, Living for today… Imagine there’s no countries, It isn’t hard to do, Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too, Imagine all the people, Living life in peace… You may say I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one, I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will be as one, Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man, Imagine all the people, Sharing all the world…
But what if I pointed you to Christ, the only begotten Son of God, does that warm fuzzy feeling suddenly get lost and instead you no

WHAT’S YOUR ANSWER TO THE CHRISTMAS EVE QUESTION?

How quickly Christmas has come and gone.  Decorations are once again hibernating on their shelf in the garage.  Two potted poinsettias, like silent sentinels, still “stand guard” by the front door, the only visible reminder Christmas has ever been here.

Swirling in my head is one last reminder of Christmas and I cannot put it away just yet. It is the question the pastor asked at the church service on Christmas Eve.  Whatever else he said that evening is now forgotten, but the question lingers.  It is not for me alone.  Humankind has always wrestled with it and now I ask it of you even as I ask it of myself.

“How close do you want to come to the manger?”

Look past the shepherds and the sheep, past the wood and the straw.  Do you really see the baby in the manger?  He is no ordinary child. He is God, deliberately inhabiting a human body.  He will live about thirty-three years, and will face temptation, rejection, persecution, and death.  Because He is God in heaven before coming to earth, He knows how difficult His life on earth will be.  He also knows the sinless life He will live makes Him the only One qualified to pay the penalty for the sins of all people.  To do that, He will have to die an agonizing death on a cross, but because He loves us so much, He will do so – willingly.  He did not come into the world to condemn it, but to give us an opportunity for a relationship with Him. And so I ask.

“How close do you want to come to the manger?”

Do you want to come close enough for a quick glimpse of the baby and acknowledge He was really born?

Do you want to come close enough to see the baby and believe He is God, but continue to ignore Him and any influence He might have on your life?

Or do you want to come so close you can embrace Him, ask Him to forgive your sins and take Him into your heart?  This is what He would like you to do!  This is why He came to earth, for a relationship with you.

Right now He lovingly whispers in your ear, “What is your answer to the Christmas Eve question?  How close do you want to come to the manger?”

Reprint: This article has appeared in the Church of God Evangel Magazine, December 2005 and in Purpose Magazine (date in the future)

He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

-John 1:8-13

John the Baptist was not the Light. He was not the Messiah and never claimed to be so, but he came into the world to testify concerning the Light who was coming. The true light was not John the Baptist but was Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. And coming into the world the true Light is said to enlighten every man. The meaning of this particular statement is hard to determine. There are many good commentators who have written learned things about this statement. The one which seems most within the context of the passage is this: Verse 4 of John 1 reads: In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. Perhaps it can be concluded through this statement that enlightens every man is equivalent to gives life to all men. He is the one who sustains life for all men, who upholds life for all men, and who provides life for all men. This interpretation seems to be most well aligned with the next verse. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. Without Christ nothing that is made would be made, the entire world was made through Him. Yet, when He came to His own (the world), not even His own Jewish people received Him.

To those who receive Him and believe in His name, the right is given to them to become children of God. Ponder the depth of that statement: children of God. Even though man rebels against the One who sustains him, he is still able to be given the right to be a child of the most high God. The way in which a man is born and becomes a child of God is this: not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. The point here is that man does not become a child of God because he is a descendant of some special man, because he wills it, or because another man should will it. A man is saved because God wills it.
 

We live in a world which is filled with people who do not know Him. The world we live in abhors God so much that they would rather believe they are descendants of apes than give glory to their Creator. Even more amazing is this: that men blaspheme the very One who sustains them. Just as John starts his gospel by describing the Light who sustains creation, just as Paul opens his gospel proclamation to the men of Athens (Acts 17:25) with an account of creation, so believers would be wise to include creation in their proclamation of the gospel. And if it sounds absurd to it’s audience then it would be good to remember 1 Corinthians 1:18:

Verse 8- John reassures his readers that John the Baptist merely prepared the way.

Verse 9- “enlightens every man” — This is an interesting phrase that is sort of difficult to interpret. The “every man” is likely emphasizing that Christ came not just for the Jew, but also for the Gentile.

Verse 10- John re-emphasizes verse 3. He adds to verse three in saying that even though Christ sustains everything, the world did not recognize Him.

Verse 11- The first “own” refers to the whole world, the second “own” refers to the Jews (this is a bit more clear in the ESV translation).

Priceless Eternity Message Board Link

I get this question all the time, especially when disasters happen like Hurricane Katrina or someone we love gets seriously ill… or worse…if someone dies. “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

When troubling things do happen, what exactly does this mean?  Does it prove that God does not exist? If He does exist – doesn’t God care? Does He enjoy seeing us suffer?  Of course none of these things are true.
See Answers to tough questions.

First of all, the Bible does not promise that we will be without challenges.  As a matter of fact, it says the opposite.  The Bible tells us that we will have trouble in this life.  God never meant for our lives to be this way.  Death, sickness and calamity are a direct result of the fall of man…and sin has had a devastating effect.  Am I saying all this death and disease and sickness is because Adam and Eve sinned?  That is what the Bible tells us.  There was no sickness in the Garden of Eden.  This will be the life the redeemed will have again in heaven.  God’s Word says…”And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Rev 21:4 (NKJV).  Our sins have enormous consequences.  Maybe you have been dealing with the affects of the sins of your parents for your entire life?  Multiply that by a trillion sins…compounded over thousands of years.  May God have mercy on us.

Sometimes God uses the bad situations in our lives to turn them into a blessing…”And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NKJV).  A good example would be the story of Joseph in Genesis 37 – 50, where he is put into a position to save millions of people from starvation.  If he would not have been sold into slavery, it would not have happened and millions of people would have died.

Many times God gets the blame for our own mistakes.  We smoke all our lives and when we get lung cancer, we tend to blame God. Everything we do in life has consequences.  The good things we do have good consequences and the bad have bad consequences. Yes, through prayer, God in His mercy will sometimes reverse the damage we’ve done to ourselves.  “Whatever we ask in the Name of Jesus will be done by the Father in heaven.” Matt. 18:19. Also, read John 14:13-14

None are good. The Bible is clear that all humans are deeply affected by sin.  “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands;  There is none who seeks after God.  They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”  “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”  “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.”  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.  Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:9-20 (NKJV)

God’s Righteousness Through Faith…see Romans 3:20-31 (NKJV)

Something else to consider. After Hurricane Katrina happen, Billy Graham’s daughter was interviewed on The Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her ‘How could God let something like this happen?…Anne Graham gave an amazingly profound and insightful response. She said, “I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives…and being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?”

Do you call God only when you are in trouble or need help?  How can you expect God to answer your prayers if we don’t have a relationship wit Him, except when we’re in trouble?

Finally, God is more interested in character building than he is in just seeing us enjoying a worldly life.  Sometimes He answers our prayers like below.

MOST RICHLY BLESSED (by unknown civil war veteran)
I asked God for strength…that I might achieve; I was made weak…that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for help…that I might do great things; I was given infirmity…that I might do better things.
I asked for riches…that I might be happy; I was given poverty…that I might be wise.
I asked for all things…that I might enjoy life; I was given life; …that I might enjoy all things.
I was given nothing I asked for, but everything I had hoped for. Despite myself, my prayers were answered. I am among all men most richly blessed.

God loves you and me. He hates to see us in pain or trouble.  And one day we will no longer have to face these struggles and hardships. Meanwhile, He is waiting for us to ask Him for help to have a relationship with Him in the here and now.  We are designed to have relationship with Him. You might have everything…money, power, health and more, however, until you fill that part (a relationship with Jesus) of your life, you will always feel unfulfilled. I’ve been there…I know.  I’ve had it all, only to find out that the things that we think will make us happy do not deliver happiness.  Only Jesus can fill that void…period.

Find out how to have true relationship with Jesus…Success in this life and the next.

Also check out the following links:
Wisdom for Living – Online Bible Study Tools – Can you earn your way to heaven?

“The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it: so fine that we are often on the line and do not know it.”  –Elbert Hubbard, American writer

Failure is not always a bad or a negative experience.  Some people use failure as an excuse to stop striving for what they really want or need.  The Bible says in Proverbs 24:16,  “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…” According to Charles C. Manz, in his book, The Power of Failure: 27 Ways to Turn Life’s Setbacks into Success, “Sometimes failure is failure, at least in the short run.  If we can learn to accept failure as a necessary part of life and then take from it the valuable lessons it offers, we can transcend it.  Sometimes it’s best to not try to deny or redefine failure but to effectively cope and cooperate with it for future success.”

We may experience setbacks in life, but if we continue to rise again, the very next time may be the push we need to make it to our reward.  As Donnie McClurkin says in his popular gospel song, “We fall down, but we get up…”  The only way to accomplish what God is calling you to do is to have faith that God will be with you through it all.  “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13)  As long as we are obedient, God will even supply the faith, “… think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” (Romans 12:3)

“Most people search high and wide for the key to success. If they only knew, the key to their dreams lies within.”  – George Washington Carver. American inventor

Comfort Foods – What’s Your Comfort Food?

At a recent pot-luck, my friend looked at the rice pudding I had brought and exclaimed, “O boy, comfort food.”  For her, rice pudding was more than something pleasing to her tongue.  It seemed to stir up all sorts of wonderful and delicious memories. Perhaps it even touched a very special spot in her heart.

Comfort food is different for each individual.  For many it is chocolate that brings comfort – chocolate in just about any form. Some people even think of mashed potatoes and gravy as comfort food.  For my husband, comfort food is apple pie, especially apple pie a la mode.

Think for a moment about your comfort food.  What was happening in your life when that particular food brought comfort to you?  Were things going well or not so well for you?  Can you relate it to a particular person or event?

No matter what our comfort food may be, eating it always seems to make us feel a bit better and gives us a little brighter outlook on whatever situation we may be facing.  Although it is probably high in carbohydrates, it somehow touches whatever that spot is that needs to be touched at the moment.

Thinking about my friend’s response to rice pudding reminded me of my favorite comfort food.  Perhaps it’s your favorite too.  It’s my “spiritual comfort food,” and it’s found in the Bible.  It is the “go to” comfort food I rely upon.  I can eat all I want and never gain a pound, never get a cavity, and never feel guilty if I over eat.  It is delicious to my soul and readily available day or night.  No matter what I’m experiencing it is always there to bring just the exact comfort I need at that particular moment – and I don’t even have to go to the kitchen and prepare it.

For example, when I was a single mom raising three young children on my own, my comfort food was found in Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV): “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  And when I was having trouble collecting all my credits from various college locations to apply toward a degree, my comfort was Isaiah 45:2 (NIV).  “I will go before you and will level the mountains.  I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.” And many times I have found comfort in these verses: Jeremiah 29:11(NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Proverbs 15: 29 (NIV) says, “The Lord hears the prayers of the righteous.”  And Psalm139 comforts me continually for it says God knew me before I was born and he will never forsake me no matter where I go.  How comforting those verses have been in my life.

Let’s face it. Chocolate may be comfort food for the body, but for the soul, you can’t beat The Bible.  It is delicious to your heart and satisfies your soul.  For as it says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” (Psalm 119:103 NIV)  So go ahead.  Indulge – in God’s comfort food.

How to succeed in tough economic times – the right kind of treasure

Are we in a recession? A depression? Have you or someone you know faced hard times? You can still succeed, no matter what the economy does.

Let’s look at your worldview.  How do you see the world? I’m not talking about being a Pollyanna, ignoring every possible problem. But, I am talking about figuring out what things are important.

See, we live in a society where there is so much advertising, we tend to look at it and say, “Oh, if I have this latest gadget I’ll feel better.” Or, we think that, “I need a bigger home, bigger car, bigger everything.”  In other words, our worldview is partly shaped by that desire for the newest and best of everything.

But, who told you that newest was best?  Who told you that biggest was best?  Chances are, it was probably a combination of advertising and your friends, many of whom have a lot of that stuff. Or, had it, till the recession, depression, or whatever this is.

The way to succeed in these times is to change worldviews.

It’s really a sweet decision.  All those advertisers have been telling you that you have to have the latest gadget, and that only the newest things are the best, and so on.  You can tell them to forget about their things, which don’t last, which can be broken, lost, or stolen,and which grow old.  And, you can gain rewards that will never grow old, never wear out, never get stolen, and never lose value.

I’m not talking about gold, silver, or anything else here on earth, either.  I’m talking about building Heavenly rewards.  Because, only there can we really have satisfaction.

How do we get these rewards that are free from crashes, free from aging and inflation?  You might have even heard Matthew 6:20, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” But, you wonder how to do that.  Here are several basic principles, to help you build those treasures.

1. Have a home up in Heaven.

Think about it.  If you wanted to invest in the stock market, what would you do?  Pick out the right stocks?  Plan your investment strategy?  No, of course not.  You’d open an account.

In the same way, you need to open an account in heaven.  To do that, you need to receive His forgiveness for our sins.

Think of Heaven as a delicious human food, and sins as dog food.  Most people would never eat dog food if they had a choice, especially if it was between that and a delicious meal of whatever your favorite food is.  You’ve got that food all ready to be served, but there’s a problem.  Someone threw dog food into it.  You couldn’t touch that yucky stuff, right?  You’d throw it out in a hurry.

In the same way, anything we bring to the table in Heaven needs to be cleansed.  We need our lives cleansed from sin.  The only way to do that is to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.  You need to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” (Acts 16:30) It was “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  So, you can’t do anything to get those sins cleansed yourself. You need to let Jesus do it for you.  And, you can’t add anything to it, because Jesus Christ saved you by dying on the cross, and rising from the dead, before you ever knew Him.  He had you on His mind when He went to the cross.

So, you need to receive what He did, by simple faith, as taking the whole punishment for your sins.  He shed His blood once, for all; the just for the unjust.  That’s how you have your sins cleansed. Once you’ve received Him as your Savior, you can start earning those rewards in heaven.  Because, you have an account up there.

And, that account can never be taken away.  You are sealed unto the day of redemption, with the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 4:30, 1:14).  That seal can’t be broken.  Nothing can separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. (Rom. 8:38-39)

2. Put Jesus Christ first in your life, and serve Him.

Remember that dog food example, where we compared sin to it?  Your account is secure in Heaven.  That means you can build treasures there, like a chef makes a great meal.  However, sometimes, the “great meal” you build in Heaven have a little “dog food” in it yet.  Obviously, it’s no good then.  How does this happen? It happens when we don’t build in the right way; when we put something else ahead of Jesus.

The things we build here on earth won’t matter in Heaven.  There’s a famous joke that a very rich man, who had trusted Christ as his Savior, asked to bring something with him when he got to heaven.  He was told he could bring one bag, and so when he died, he had that bag stuffed, ready to take it with him.  When he got to the Pearly Gates, St. Peter checked the records, and said, “Okay, I see you were allowed to bring one bag, but I have to check inside.” He opened it, and said, in a shocked voice, “Of all the things you could bring, why would you bring pavement?!” the rich man had brought gold, but gold is useless as pavement up there; it’s what they pave the streets with in heaven!

First Corinthians 3:11-15 tells us the things we do will be tested, to see if they were really for Jesus, or for ourselves.  If you want to gain rewards that will last forever, your goal in life must be to be Christlike, and to glorify God in all you do.  That doesn’t mean that you totally ignore wealth.  If God has gifted you with the ability to make money as a good, honest businessman, you should.  But, what it means is that you use whatever wealth, talent, or time you have to help others, instead of always trying to please yourself.  And, that in helping others, your eye should not be on making yourself look good by doing so.  It should be on showing the love of Christ in helping others.

The beautiful thing is, these are treasures we can earn at any time.  Some people do better with little than they would with a lot.  You are where you are in life, because God has placed you there, or God has allowed you to be there through your choices, so that you can show Godly love, goodness, and so on to others.

These are things we can do no matter what the economy does.  The poorest person on earth could have untold riches in Heaven; but, so could a very rich person. The key is simple. Build your treasures in Heaven. This requires you to put them on the foundation of Jesus Christ, first of all, and to seek, in your heart, to glorify Him by showing others Who He is. Because, we are not here to save the world, though we should try to make the world better where we can.  We are here to save sinners from a lost and dying world.  This world of things will one day vanish. But, the rewards we build in Heaven will last forever.

Do you believe that people can’t be successful and spiritual at the same time?  Speaking as one who grew up in the church, we were often taught that we should equate humility with poverty.  We were also led to assume that successful people could not be humble.  That  was certainly misleading!

2 Chronicles 26 relates the story of King Uzziah, stating in the 4th and 5th verses, “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.”

As long as Uzziah sought the Lord, and minded religion, God made him to prosper.  Those only prosper whom God makes to prosper; for prosperity is His gift.  Many have owned, that as long as they sought the Lord, and kept close to their duty, they prospered; but when they forsook God, every thing went cross.  God never continues either to bless the indolent or to withhold his blessing from the diligent.  He will never suffer any to seek his face in vain (bible verse notes taken from Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Bible).

When successful people speak, others tend to listen.   If you have a story of Christian success,  do you share it with others?  Your positive message may be just what someone else needs to hear (or read) to jumpstart their own journey to success!!

More bible commentary on King Uzziah can be found at  BibleGateway

As a Christian I have learned to say to those who have wronged me “I forgive you”!

It is not always easy but,it is the Lord’s will for us!

The Lord has forgiven us so many times and loves us so much that he gave his only son- a living sacrifice.

When we don’t forgive others we live with guilt and shame!

As Christians we learn  that saying “I forgive you” is a  life changing experience!

So,the next time someone hurts you are you willing to follow Christ and say “I forgive you”?

John 1 ……. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

John 1:14……. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,  who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ***

Isaiah 51:4-5 ……. ”Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation:  The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations.  My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations.  The  islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.

Isaiah 7:14 ……. Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (God with us)

Micah 5:2 ……. ”But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. (Jesus)

Isaiah 9:6-7 ……. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 40:3-5 ……. A voice of one calling: ”In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;  the rough ground shall become level,  the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,

and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Matthew 3:1-3 ……. In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: ”A voice of one calling in the desert, ’Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’

John 1:15-17 ……. John (The Baptist) testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ “ From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:18-21 ……. This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Luke 2:1-11 ……. In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Psalm 119:130 ……. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

Psalm 19:7-11 ……. The law of the LORD (God’s Word) is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

Psalm 118:26-28 ……. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD (Jesus-the WORD)  is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give you thanks;  you are my God, and I will exalt you.

Romans 16:25-27 ……. Now to him (God) who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ!

AMEN!!!

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