Jesus left His throne in Glory and came to earth for:
THE LAST
Matthew 20:16 (KJV) tells us this…
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
THE LOST
Luke 19: 10 (KJV) says…
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Read more…
I went to the Promise Box this morning and found the following:
“Jesus said unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man comes to the Father, but by Me.” -John 14:6
I began to ponder that verse in my mind-asking myself such questions as:
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10 KJV
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The above verse came from my Promise Box. I drew it this morning. I’ve read/heard this verse many times, but as I read it this morning, the word dismayed caught my attention. I decided to look it up…to find all the facets of the meaning.
It means:
cause (someone) to feel consternation and distress:
synonyms:appall · horrify · shock · shake (up) · disconcert · take aback · alarm · surprise. concern. perturb
WOW! How many times during the day do unexpected things occur-things that we have absolutely no control over? Only speaking for myself here…but most days, these things happen more times than I can count! Read more…
Yesterday’s message was really great! Pastor spoke on Ecclesiastes chapter 1. It was a real eye-opener to me when I realized that even the wisest, richest man on earth at that time said, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? (verses 1-3)
I got it yesterday when Pastor was talking…but this morning, I REALLY got it when I saw the mountain of laundry piled high from only three days! How does that happen? I just spent one whole day last week washing clothes, bedding, etc…and here it ALL is again! When you see the picture for yourself, and have to deal with it…it IS all meaningless! Life and its daily duties seem to never end!
But, Solomon wasn’t talking about laundry! LOL! I doubt he ever did any for himself! He was saying throughout the whole chapter that there is NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN that happens in this world; the wind blows, the seasons change, and then it starts all over again…day after day, year after year…or in my case…laundry!
However, as Pastor pointed out later in the sermon, when we accept Jesus into our hearts and lives, The Son makes ALL things new! HE gives us purpose in our lives! Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-16 (MSG) 13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. 14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand-SHINE! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this (our) generous Father in heaven.
So…to all of you…all of us that have the Monday morning blues, knowing this same old humdrum week of repetitive actions has just started…be encouraged! God has a plan and a purpose for your days ahead! Look for the purpose in everything, and then act on it. It’s a new day…a new week! Let The Son make ALL things new for you!
Below is the promise I drew for today. I have heard this particular scripture used in witnessing to the lost in an effort to bring them to Salvation. It is used perfectly in context…for it IS Jesus asking to enter the heart of the sinner and save him from his sins; however, it can also apply to those of us that already KNOW Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Take a look…
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” -Revelation 3:20
In plain English…here is what Jesus is saying to the Believer, (and I paraphrase using my own words)
“Hello?! I’ve been standing here at the door of your heart for a while now…if you hear me, can you please open the door? I’d like to come in and have some ‘alone’ time with you! It’s been a while since we talked. Can we discuss what’s going on in your life? If you’ll share your troubles with me, I’m sure I can help…” Read more…
Our Worship service at the Mission on Saturday was such a blessing! Praying for folks with all kinds of requests. I was amazed when I realized that none of them asked for prayer regarding their homeless estate. They were praying for others-family members, friends, strength to witness…it was a real eye-opener to me.
We that are not homeless, usually ask prayer for our “miserable” situation such as a job change because we hate the one we have, a better place to live, a more reliable car ….and the list goes on.
These folks however, are homeless. They have no job-but wish they did…ANY job; they live in the street, sleeping in door-ways, or beside dumpsters…or maybe a cardboard box; they have no car-reliable or otherwise…yet they were not asking prayer for themselves-only for others!
As happened last time we went, my little “Prayer Warrior” Joe, was standing next to me in the battle against Satan and his demons that seemed to overwhelm the room at times. I prayed for the last person in line, and when I opened my eyes-Joe was already out in the crowd of people praying for those that didn’t have the courage to get in line and ask for it.
I saw him walk up to someone and presumably ask them if he could pray for them. They shook their head no, so he patted them on the shoulder, and went on to the next row. He was undaunted in his quest to pray for those in need. The man who had been sitting next to the person that refused prayer, called Joe back to pray for him. He was a big biker looking dude. Joe grabbed both of his huge hands, knelt before him, and prayed. I wish I knew what he said in his prayer, for when he was finished, he rose, shook the man’s hand, patted him on the shoulder, and went looking for another person to pray for. As Joe walked away, I saw this rough-looking biker begin to wipe the tears from his eyes. He was sobbing now, and could not control the tears as they ran down his face. His countenance had changed. My “little David” had struck at least one of the giants in this man’s life with his prayers!
We as adults need to have that kind of faith. The kind of faith that believes NO ONE is beyond God’s grasp…that NO ONE is beyond redemption.
When we become adults, something happens to our innocence, our belief that ALL things are possible with God. We begin to reason, and think logically, but forget that miracles still happen if we’ll only believe. We forget that prayer changes things! Jesus said, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16 Are we righteous within ourselves? NO! We are righteous, or, in right standing with God because of what Jesus did for us on the cross of Calvary. Because we are washed in the blood of Jesus, God hears our prayers and answers them for Jesus’ sake!
Let’s stop offering obligatory prayers to God. Instead, let us call on Him, in faith, believing that He will answer our prayers! Let’s put on the whole armor of God, and walk into the battle unafraid…undaunted by what we see; let’s look with the eyes of a child, and like the little shepherd boy of the Bible-little David…and like my little Joe, let’s go slay some giants in people’s lives!
Have you ever had an “Aha!” moment with God? I myself have had many! Some of those moments came while I was reading something-usually the Word of God, and a light seemed to come on. Some were when I heard some words spoken by others more wise than I and at other times, I’ve had these enlightening, mind-blowing moments watching a movie, most of which were non-religious.
Like a miracle from God, these moments seem to come when my Faith is waning. See, God can speak through ANY circumstance; the Bible says, “He (God) uses the foolish things of the world, to confound the wise.” – I Cor. 1:27
The sad thing is, these “Aha!” moments seem to dwindle as quickly as they appear! And yes…just like the Children of Israel, I soon fall back into my rut of disbelief and doubt regarding what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do-even long after I’m gone!
We read the miraculous deeds of God in the Bible, and shake our heads when we read on and discover the same folks that stood in awe of the miracles, are now complaining and standing in unbelief of what God can and will do for them. Remember the parting of the Red Sea? You would think that this particular miracle, in and of itself would never be forgotten, and that knowing this…seeing this occur, would surely outweigh any future unbelief; but not so!
We, in this day and age, look down the end of our self-righteous noses, and judge the Children of Israel for their lack of devotion to God Almighty, because after all…look at the many times He delivered them with visible miracles, yet they doubted! “How ridiculous!” we scream, and go on to say how, “If God did a miracle like that for me…I’d never forget!”
But we do forget. From one trial/deliverance to the next, we forget how God brought us out…rescued us…took us through.
It’s time to stop doubting! Time to look for the “Aha!” moments that God has for His Believers! He’s talking all the time, but we aren’t listening. Turn on your radio! Listen for the voice of God!
God says…. “BREAKER, breaker…do you got your ears on?”
That’s when we should respond…. “That’s a big 10-4 Good Daddy! Over…” and wait for God’s instructions!
Over and Out!
The veil of sin lay stretched before me;
The night was deep and dark and long…
But then the Light of mercy found me-
No longer blind…on my way home!
The Light broke forth upon the darkness,
It lit my way to paths unseen. Read more…
The anniversary of the passing of my dad, and my mother-in-law, will be coming up shortly. I think about them often…them, and other loved ones that have gone on to be with Jesus. These thoughts are what inspired the following poem.
I still feel the pangs of loneliness from time to time, and, yes…even regret at things I failed to tell them while they were here; things that would have meant the world to them to hear. Like, “I love you so much!” … or, “I’m sorry that I hurt you!” I know they are in a wonderful place, and all the bad things, sad things that happened here on earth are far from their minds now. Read more…
I drew this from my Promise Box this morning. “Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior,(You are the God of my salvation) and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:4, 5 I know you all must be getting tired of my Promise Box revelations, and my Teddy stories… But, God reveals so much to me through these two things. So…here I go again! Read more…
