Genesis – Revelation … The Never Ending Story!

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Revelation 19; Revelation 20; Revelation 21; Revelation 22

Genesis – Revelation …  The Never Ending Story!

Would You Make a Commitment to Read the Bible Through in 2012? 

Scripture

Revelation 21

 ³ I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
 ⁵ And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” ⁶ And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End.

Observation

Have you had a rough year? Do you wonder how your life is going to end up? Are you facing impossible situations right now? Well, if you answered “yes” to any of those questions then I would very much encourage you to read Revelation 19-20!

Sometimes life has a way of dragging us down and we somehow forget how all of this is going to end. So it is good to be reminded that if you are a Christ follower, someone that has put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, that your story is going to end up very good!

This past year in January I started reading in the first book of the Bible, Genesis and today on December 31^st I finished the last book of the Bible, Revelation! And I can tell you that this truly is a “Never Ending Story”! I can also tell you that God wants you and I to know that we are on the winning team. Every event, every story, every character found in God’s Word has been put their by God to show us that we can trust Him. He is faithful! He will keep His promises!

In Genesis, the story is all about a place called Paradise and in Revelation the story is all about a place called Heaven. Adam sinned and was cast out of Paradise. The rest of the Bible is all about a Loving God who makes a way for all of us to be restored to the Paradise called Heaven.

The Bible is a love story. As you read it you can’t help but see how much God loves those He created. How much He loves you! How much He loves me!

Have you ever read the Bible through in a year? Since 2006 I have been reading the Bible through every year and taking the time to write about something that God showed me that day from His Word. If you look on my blog you can see that I wasn’t perfect when it came to writing something down everyday. But this habit has helped me have the desire to get up every morning and dive into God’s word! I am going to do the same thing next year and the next year and every year until the day I die. You can look and see where I go to read every day. I use my computer to read my Bible daily reading and I use a blog to write down my thoughts. It is 2 links that are book marked in my favorites and all it takes is one click and I am there ready to read. You can do it too! All you have to do is make the commitment and ask God to help you keep it.

You may not want to use your computer and if you don’t then let me suggest that you try a Chronological Bible and have a journal or a notebook close by with a pen to write down your thoughts about what you have just read. Writing something down each day helps you to remember what you have read.

Before I began using my computer to read the Bible through each year I used a Chronological Bible that gives you a Bible reading for each day.

If you do make the commitment to read the Bible through in 2012 why don’t you let me know and I will commit to praying for you!

Application

I will read the Bible through again in 2012. How about you?  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. It has been a great year digging into all of Your Promises. You have showed me this year that You love to answer our prayers. You have showed me that You love to keep Your promises. Thank You for being so good to my family and me this year! Thank You for blessing our church in unbelievable ways this past year. I pray for our lead team. Bless them. Help them be men and women of Your Word. Help them to be strong! Keep them from sin. Protect them from the Evil One.

He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”

   Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

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Pay Day Some Day! You Don’t Really Want To Get What You Deserve!

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Revelation 15; Revelation 16; Revelation 17; Revelation 18 

Pay Day Some Day! You Don’t Really Want To Get What You Deserve!

Scripture

Revelation 16  “The Seven Bowls of the Seven Plagues”

I.                    ² “…malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue.”

II.                  ³ Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died.

III.                ⁴ Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they became blood.

IV.                ⁸ Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire. ⁹ Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues.

V.                  ¹⁰ Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish, ¹¹ and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores.

VI.                ¹² Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance.

VII.              ¹⁸ Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And a great earthquake struck—the worst since people were placed on the earth. ²⁰ And every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled. ²¹ There was a terrible hailstorm, and hailstones weighing seventy-five pounds fell from the sky onto the people below. They cursed God because of the terrible plague of the hailstorm.

Observation

Sometimes we may think that because God is a God of love that He really wouldn’t destroy this earth like the Bible says or that He really isn’t going to send people to Hell, but the truth is that God is totally just and He must keep His word.

Just as He has told us in scripture that those who put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ won’t get the punishment that they deserve because Jesus paid the penalty of their sins with His very own blood God will keep His word and punish those that decide to reject Him.

Revelation gives a horrible picture of how bad it is going to be during those final days of judgment. What is unbelievable to me is that even though the plagues were terrible and obviously from God the people refused to repent and they cursed God with every plague.

Out of all the plagues that God is going to send on the earth the one that really got my attention was the hailstones weighing seventy-five pounds falling from the sky onto the people below. Of course that is not as bad as the malignant sores that broke out on everyone or the plague where everything in the sea died! God will bring judgment on this earth. He has to do so because He is totally just! 

Application

I will continue to look for people that need to hear the Good News that Jesus can save them from their sins and that they don’t have to receive God’s severe judgment.

    "I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. John 5:24

 Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for providing a way for us to escape receiving the punishment that we deserve. Thank You for sending Jesus to die in our place and to pay for our sins with His very life. The punishment described in Revelation is terrible and I am so glad that I don’t have to experience Your Wrath. You are my Heavenly Father and all that I will experience is Your Blessings and none of Your Wrath.

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Death Of A Saint – What An Example!

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Revelation 10; Revelation 11; Revelation 12; Revelation 13; Revelation 14 

Death Of A Saint – What An Example!

Scripture

Revelation 14 

¹³ And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”

Observation

In just a few minutes I will be attending the funeral of a Brother in Law’s mother. It is good to read verses like this just to help us realize that death may seem like the end but with God it is just the beginning. She was a saint in the best sense of the word. She loved the Lord with all her heart and she didn’t have any doubt where she was going to spend eternity. I loved to talk to her and with her husband when I got the opportunity because it was always a conversation about what the Lord was doing in our lives and in the lives of other people. They supported an evangelist and they would always tell me about how his ministry was going even though I had never met him. They were very proud of him.

She talked with me about a year ago about her funeral. She was preparing even then for her departure. Today she is celebrating with her husband in Heaven and with all of her other loved ones. She was and still is an incredible lady.

Here are a few passages of scripture that describe her and I hope that would describe you and me when we get ready to die. By the way, I found out the hard way that many times a person doesn’t have time to get ready to die. A heart attack, stroke, or tragic accident could happen to us at any time so you better get ready to die right now! I just went through having a heart attack, dying several times and trust me there was no time to get ready for that experience it hit me in an instance without any advanced warning. Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord? If you are a believer are you holding grudges against someone and unwilling to forgive them because of a wrong that they have done to you? Get that right today!

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Psalm 116:15

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14 

“O Lord, you alone are my hope. I've trusted you, O Lord, from childhood. Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother's womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you! My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long.  And now, in my old age, don't set me aside. Don't abandon me when my strength is failing.

O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I have constantly told others about the wonderful things you do. Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me. Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things.  Who can compare with you, O God”? Psalm 71:5-9; 17-19

Application

I plan to always be ready to be called home to Heaven. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You love us so much and we don’t deserve any of Your love. You take care of us when we are coming into this world and You take care of us when it is our time to exit this world and go to the place that You have prepared for us – Heaven! Help me always be ready to meet You face to face. Don’t let me hold any grudges. Don’t let allow me to harbor ill feelings toward someone else. Help me to be right with You and right with all of those around me. Give me the ability to forgive. Give me the ability to love people even when they do me wrong. There is nothing more important than my relationship with You and my relationships with those around me. Who can compare with You, O God?

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Every Tribe and Language and People and Nation Will Surround The Throne!

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Revelation 5; Revelation 6; Revelation 7; Revelation 8; Revelation 9

Every Tribe and Language and People and Nation Will Surround The Throne!

Will You Help Us Reach an Unreached Unengaged People Group in 2012?

Scripture

Revelation 5

⁹ And they sang a new song with these words:
   “You are worthy to take the scroll
      and break its seals and open it.
   For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God
      from every tribe and language and people and nation.

Revelation 7

⁹ After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they were shouting with a mighty shout,

   “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
      and from the Lamb!”
 ¹¹ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. ¹² They sang,
   “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
      and thanksgiving and honor
   and power and strength belong to our God
      forever and ever! Amen.”

Observation

The Saturday before my heart attack Kathy and I had just returned from an International Mission Board Expo Conference where we had decided to serve in India to reach an unreached unengaged people group. The following Monday I had my heart attack. 

So what do you do when you know that God has called you to do something but an obstacle gets in the way? Do you just forget about God’s call because now it might be a little more difficult or a little more complicated to answer that call? I don’t think so.

Kathy and I will still target and unreached unengaged people group and hopefully that people group will be in India. If God doesn’t open the door for India then there are plenty of unreached people groups scattered all over this planet that need to hear the Good News.

We will have to raise our own support. We were going to have to do that anyway going out with the International Mission Board under the Master’s program. Raising support will be a challenge for us, but I am confident that our God will supply our needs to be able to serve Him. We have a great church and I know that they will help us all that they can. 

One day when we stand around the Throne of God in a crowd too great to count, with folks from “every nation and tribe and people and language” wouldn’t it be great if you and I were the reason that some of them had the opportunity to be in Heaven. 

“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?  And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” Romans 10:14-15

Please pray for us! 

Application

I will do everything that I can to help an unreached unengaged people group hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. How about you? 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know that people who haven’t had the opportunity to hear the Good News are the people most on Your heart. I know that one day every nation and tribe and people and language will stand around Your Throne to worship You. I pray that those that read this blog this morning will be moved by Your Holy Spirit to join us in accomplishing this task. 

I pray for people that will lead our church and other churches to join us. I pray for people that will organize a team(s) that will go over with us to build relationships with these unreached people and help them to know our Savior. I pray for the people who will financially support us and for people that will commit to pray for our unreached people group.

“And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll
 and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” Revelation 5:9

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What Is Your Picture Of Jesus?

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Revelation 1; Revelation 2; Revelation 3; Revelation 4

What Is Your Picture Of Jesus?

Scripture

Revelation 1

⁷ Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven.
      And everyone will see him—
      even those who pierced him.
   And all the nations of the world
      will mourn for him.
   Yes! Amen!

 ⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

¹² When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. ¹³ And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. ¹⁴ His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. ¹⁵ His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. ¹⁶ He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

Revelation 4

¹¹ “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
      to receive glory and honor and power.
   For you created all things,
      and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

Revelation 19

¹¹ Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. ¹² His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. ¹³ He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. ¹⁵ From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. ¹⁶ On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

Observation

When you think of Jesus what image comes to your mind…a babe in the manger…a gentle, meek teacher? As we read the Gospels we see and experience the humanity of Christ. I am not saying that we don’t see His Deity too, but we definitely see the man Christ Jesus Who allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross for our sins.

What does the ascended Jesus look like? After He went back to Heaven to sit on the throne next to His Heavenly Father what did He look like? When He comes back again to this earth what will He look like? Will He look different than when He walked on this earth with His disciples? Oh yes, He definitely will look different.

We will see the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords in all of His Splendor and all of His Glory. He will come as Victor just look at Revelation 19:11-16. This is the Jesus that is praying for us.

This is the Jesus that has promised us:

John 14

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. ² There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? ³ When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

John 16

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Hebrews 7

²⁴ But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. ²⁵ Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.

Application

When I pray I am praying to the Jesus described in Revelation 19 I am praying to the One named Faithful and True, King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

 Prayer

Heavenly Father, I can come boldly to Your throne this morning because of Jesus. Help me to keep in my mind the picture of Jesus that I find in Revelation. I pray for those who I haven’t seen at church lately. I have already mentioned them to You by name. I pray that You do a Mighty work in their lives and bring them back into fellowship with us.

“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.” 

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Stopped Dead In My Tracks This Morning by Three Words: Grace, Mercy and Peace

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Psalm 117; Psalm 119:81-176; 2 John 1; 3 John 1

Stopped Dead In My Tracks This Morning by Three Words: Grace, Mercy and Peace

Scripture

2 John 1

³ Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.

Observation

Maybe you are like me and most mornings when I read God’s word if I come to something I don’t understand then I just skim over it and keep on reading. Yes, there is plenty in God’s Word that I do not understand. But this morning I couldn’t do it. When I got to 2 John 1:3 I stopped and I had to think and meditate on the three words that John had written.  When I finished reading the rest of my daily Bible reading my thoughts were still on those 3 words.

I found that Paul used those same three words when he wrote to
Timothy in his letters, I Timothy and 2 Timothy:

1 Timothy 1:2b

“…May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.”

 2 Timothy 1:2b

“…May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.”

 It seemed so natural for John and Paul to use those terms and the people must have been very familiar with them.

In 2 John 1:3 John uses these terms almost as a statement of facts, as a gentle reminder of what we have received from our Heavenly Father and what we have received from the Lord Jesus Christ. But in First and Second Timothy the Apostle Paul’s uses these words as a blessing.

All three of these words are used over and over again throughout the scriptures and yet they are not normally part of our vocabulary today. When was the last time you blessed someone by saying, “May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.” I doubt that you and I have ever greeted someone with that kind of blessing, but evidently this was very common in the life of the early church.

Here is a quick definition of the three words in an Eddy paraphrase:

Grace – We are sinners and deserve to go to Hell, but because Jesus Christ came to this earth, lived a sinless life, died on the cross in our place, and rose again, if we put our trust and faith in Him then we will not get what we deserve we will not go to Hell but instead we will get to enjoy Heaven. We don’t deserve to have a relationship with God we don’t deserve to be adopted into His family as children, but because of what Jesus did for us we are Kings Kids.

Mercy – The story of the Good Samaritan probably best explains this word to us. The Good Samaritan stopped and helped the man that was left on the side of the road and was close to death. The Good Samaritan doctored and bandaged up his wounds then he carried him to an inn. Then he told the innkeeper that whatever expenses the innkeeper incurred that he would repay him when he returned. God loves us so much that He gives us things that we don’t deserve.

Peace – This is not the absence of troubles, trials, or difficulties, but rather Peace is the assurance in the middle of a mess that God is in control and that God is Sovereign. During these past 2 months after my heart attack I have had the peace of knowing that my God is Sovereign and that He is in control. Because of His Mercy and His Grace that I have experienced in my life I have the Peace of knowing that whatever happens in my future He is in control of it.

Application

I will meditate on these three words today: Grace, Mercy, and Peace!

  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, those three words describe how much you love us! You don’t give us what we deserve – Hell. And you give us so much that we don’t deserve. You lavish Your love on us. You bless us with so much. We are rich. And in the middle of tremendous troubles You give us the Peace of knowing that You are right there with us and You give us the assurance that You are going to handle the situation. I thank You that You are a God of Grace, Mercy, and Peace.

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We’re Called Children of God

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1 John 1; 1 John 2; 1 John 3; 1 John 4; 1 John 5

We’re Called Children of God

Scripture

1 John 3

 ¹ See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. ² Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. NLT

1 John 3

¹ What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to.

 ^2-3But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. MESSAGE

Observation

Merry Christmas! This is the day we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. God sent His only Son to come to this earth to save us from our sins! 

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like if you had been born a child of a King? To be raised as royalty and having anything that your heart desired. Remember Moses had that opportunity only it was not a king but a Pharaoh. Solomon also had that opportunity; in fact, when he became king he became the richest man to ever live. 

You and I (if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ) are children of the King. We are not just children of any king; no we are children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
As you open up presents on this Christmas morning, as you stare at your Christmas tree with all the lights and ornaments, and as you enjoy this special time with your children, grandchildren, family and friends, remember that the first Christmas happened because of God’s marvelous love that He has lavished on you.

What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God! 1 John 3:1

    "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15

“And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory...” Romans 8:17a

“…We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.” Romans 8:23

“For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.” Ephesians 5:1

As you watch or watched your children and grandchildren open their presents who got the greatest joy – you or them? As our grandchildren ripped open their presents I guarantee you that Grandpa and Grandma experienced way more joy than any of our children or grandchildren. To see their faces full of joy and excitement was priceless. You and I are most like God when we give gifts to others. God loves to shower us with blessings/gifts. 

We have a God who loves to lavish gifts on His children even when we don’t deserve them. 

Application


I will strive to be a better gift giver in 2012. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for your Indescribable Gift – Jesus. Thank You for Your marvelous love. I don’t deserve it. You are so good. Help me to be like You and help me give myself away. Help me to be like You when it comes to gift giving. Keep me focused on those around me and not on myself. Thank You for my family. Thank You for giving me another Christmas to celebrate with them. Thank You for life. Thank You for sending Your only Son into this world to save us from our sins!

 

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The Whole Story About Christmas

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John 19; John 20; John 21

The Whole Story About Christmas 

 

Scripture

Luke 2 – His Birth

 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. ⁷ She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

The Shepherds and Angels

 ⁸ That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. ⁹ Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, ¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. ¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! ¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 

¹³ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

 ¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven,
      and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

 ¹⁵ When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
 ¹⁶ They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. ¹⁷ After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. ¹⁸ All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, ¹⁹ but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. ²⁰ The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

John 19 – His Death

So they took Jesus away. ¹⁷ Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). ¹⁸ There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them.

³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. ³³ But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. ³⁴ One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.

 He brought seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. ⁴⁰ Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. ⁴¹ The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. ⁴² And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

John 20 – His Resurrection

⁸ Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—⁹ for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. ¹⁰ Then they went home.

Observation

Tomorrow is Christmas! It is the day when millions will celebrate the birthday of the Christ Child. Sad but true, most of those who will celebrate tomorrow will not know and will not understand the whole story about Christmas. The birth of the Messiah is so much more than a quaint little story that most will think about on Christmas morning. 

I agree that it is a beautiful story. The description of His birth that we find in Luke 2 is something that I never get tired of reading about or hearing songs about, but that is just the beginning of the story. Most people on this planet will get no further in the story than what we read in Luke 2 and for many the legend of Santa Claus and the birth of the Christ Child have about the same significance on Christmas morning. 

If you and I only know about the birth of the Christ Child then we only know a small part of the Christmas story. Jesus did come to this earth from God. And yes He was born in a manger. But he came to this earth for a specific purpose and if you don’t understand why He came then you can’t understand the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus came to this earth to do something for us that we could not do for ourselves. He came to die for the penalty of our sins. He came to provide a way for us to have a relationship with His Heavenly Father. So Christ was born, He lived a sinless life, and then He allowed Himself to be put on a cross and He died a horrible death so that we might live forever with God in Heaven. 

Jesus’ birth and Jesus death on the cross are still not the whole story of Christmas! In John 20 we discover that Jesus came back to life. The story of the Christ Child is not complete without his birth, his death, and his resurrection.

So as I stare at our Christmas tree this morning from my recliner across the room I can contemplate the true meaning of Christmas. I can think about the whole Christmas story. And I hope that you can too.

Application

 I will take time today to thank Jesus for coming to this earth, for dying on the cross for my sins and for His coming back to life!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help people understand the true meaning of Christmas this year. Use our Christmas Eve services to help them understand that the Christmas story is more that just a babe in the manger. Help them to see and understand and accept the “Whole Christmas Story.”

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A Very Important Lesson From A Christmas Tree!

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John 15; John 16; John 17; John 18

A Very Important Lesson From A Christmas Tree!

Scripture

John 15

⁵ “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

⁷ But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! ⁸ When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

Observation

When Kathy and I decided to answer God’s call on our life, I had been working heavy construction and I was at that time making a lot of money for a young guy. But to be able to go to college I had quit working construction and Dr. Waylon B. Moore (Pastor Bruce Moore’s Dad) created a staff position at the church for me, my title was “Associate to Ministries”. The title gives you a clue as to what my job was my job was helping everybody on staff with their ministries. I went from making $400 a week to making $75 a week. This was probably in 1974. My father in law, Clayton Bearden was very upset about my leaving the good paying construction job and going to work for the church part time. He told me that I was going to starve his daughter to death. A few years later my father in law got saved and he understood why we had done what we did and he would send us love gifts while we were in seminary in Ft. Worth.

It was during this season of our life that we learned a very important lesson about Christmas trees. It was Christmas and we hadn’t bought a Christmas tree yet. I don’t think we had money to buy a tree. So some good friends of ours offered their tree to us. They were going to go away during Christmas and they weren’t going to be able to enjoy it. I can remember that we brought the tree over and we set it up. We were very happy to have a free Christmas tree. I don’t know if it was the next morning or a day or two later that Kathy somehow knocked the tree over and when she picked it back up all the needles from the tree stayed on the floor. A Christmas tree without the needles is worse than a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

In John 15 Jesus refers to Himself as the Vine, and He calls those that believe in Him the branches. He says that as long as we remain attached to Him we will bear much fruit, but apart from Him we can do nothing. Apart from Him we are like the needles that fell off of our Christmas tree. We are worthless.

But if we remain in Him and His words remain in us, we can ask for anything that we want and it will be given to us. We will produce a lot of fruit and we will bring great glory to the Father.

Application

I will stay close to Jesus so my life will be fruitful. I will read His word every day. How about you? 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, my thoughts went back to those days when You first called Kathy and I to serve You. How You blessed us, as we trusted in You. It seemed crazy to do what we did but it was exactly what You wanted us to do. Help Kathy and I to stay close to You so that our lives will be fruitful. We want to bring You glory. I pray for our children and our grand children that as we celebrate Christmas tonight with them that each one of them would understand the true meaning of Christmas. I pray for our Christmas Eve services. I pray that Your hand would be on our church in such a way that hundreds of people would be drawn to a personal relationship with You. I pray that on Christmas Eve people would put their trust and faith in Jesus Christ.

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DoYou Believe This?

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John 12; John 13; John 14

Do You Believe This?

Scripture

John 14

¹² “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. ¹³ You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴ Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

Observation

Jesus wants to be sure that you and I understand that what He is getting ready to say in John 14:12-13 is the truth. So He prefaces what He is getting ready to say with, “I tell you the truth.” Now what He says next is not really believed by us or at least we don’t put what He says into practice very often.

I believe that verses 12 –14 of John 14 are just as much for us today as they were for His disciples back when they walked with Him.

So lets look at what He says next; “anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works.” So lets get personal. The phrase “anyone who believes in me” is talking about you and is talking about me if we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus says that you and I will not only be able to do the same works that Jesus did but you and I will be able to do even greater works.

So why aren’t we applying this verse? Do you think that Jesus is a liar? Do you think Jesus wasn’t telling the truth? What if we really believed that what Jesus said was the truth? What if we acted on these verses and trusted God to do mighty works through us?

Here is the key, it is found in verse 13, “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.” When we pray we can ask anything in Jesus name and He will do it if it brings glory to the Father.

As I pray and intercede for people I always try to ask that God would get he glory and honor from answering my request. God wants to answer our prayers. He wants us to do mighty works on this earth, but He wants to receive the glory. He wants to receive the credit!

So do you believe that you can do the works that Jesus did while He was on this earth and even do greater works than Christ did? Jesus says that we can. What keeps us from seeing this happen in our lives? Could it be Unbelief? Could it be a lack of faith? What else could it be?

In John 16:23-24 Jesus tells his disciples that after the Holy Spirit has come and after the Holy Spirit lives in them that they can directly to the Father and ask Him because they use Jesus’ name. We have the Holy Spirit living in us today. We can go directly to our Heavenly Father and He will grant us our requests because we ask in the Name of Jesus.

John 16:23-24

 ²³ At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. ²⁴ You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.

Application

I believe what Jesus says in John 14:12-14 and so I will pray asking God to do great things for the people that He brings into my life so that He can receive Glory and Honor.

  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me believe what You have said to me this morning in John 14:12-14. Give me the boldness to come directly to Your throne and ask of You big things. I pray that I would have the faith to ask You to do the miraculous in the lives of the people around me. Do it all for Your glory and Your honor. Thank You Jesus for giving us access to the Father through Your death on the cross. Help our church believe You for big things. I pray that Your Holy Spirit would move the core of our church to do great and mighty things in 2012. 

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How Does Jesus Feel About You?

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John 9; John 10; John 11

How Does Jesus Feel About You?

Scripture

John 11

²⁵ Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. ²⁶ Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

Observation

This has got to be one of my all time favorite stories in the entire Bible! I have shared this story at almost every funeral that I have ever done. I almost always work it in either as an illustration or as the main text. I can’t believe that after someone reads John 10 and John 11 they wouldn’t put their faith and trust  in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Take time to read both of these chapters today.

In John 10 Jesus talks about how much He loves His sheep. How He is the Good Shepherd that lays His life down for His sheep and in John 11 Jesus shows how much He loves His sheep. As you read John 11 you can feel how much Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Read these verses slowly and see if you don’t pick up the love and the grief that Jesus had for them: 

 “When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.” ³⁴ “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Then Jesus wept.

The way that Jesus felt about Martha, Mary, and Lazarus is just the way He thinks and feels about me. And if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ it is just the way He thinks and feels about you. Do you believe what Jesus says in John 11:25? Let me put my name in this verse! I would encourage you to do the same thing!

     ²⁵ Jesus told Eddy, “I am the resurrection and the life. Eddy if you believe in me then you will live, even after dying. ²⁶ Eddy who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this?”

How did Jesus feel about me when I was I suffering my heart attack? How did He feel about me as I was hanging on to life by a thread? How did He feel as He heard people crying out to Him for Him to save me?  I can tell You exactly how He felt. Just read John 11:33-35 and see if you can discover how Jesus feels about you. 

“When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.” “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept.  John 11:33-35

Application

I know how Jesus feels about me and how much He cares about me so I will not be afraid of what happens in the future.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, give me the compassion that Jesus had for those that loved Him. Help me to feel and help me to be deeply moved and troubled when people around me are going through difficult times. Give me Your heart for people.

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Have you found something in life that you are willing to die for?

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John 7; John 8

Have you found something in life that you are willing to die for?  

Scripture

John 8

¹² Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

⁵¹ I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!”

Observation

On October 24^th at around 10 pm in the evening I was struck with a pain so excruciating I thought that I had been hit with a sledgehammer in my stomach. In that same moment all I could see was an intense bright light and as I remember it was sort of bright green. At that same moment the Lord let me know that I was having a heart attack. I immediately thought of my wife Kathy and God gave me a peace that she would be fine. I then thought of my kids and my grandkids and God gave me the same peace about them. I remember thinking OK Lord here we go. I think in that moment I believed that God was taking me home. I remember I was at peace with what ever was going to happen.

My life verse is Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify the Father which is in Heaven.

Some have asked me if God allowed me to glimpse into Heaven when I quit breathing and they had to resuscitate me multiple times. I am sad to say that as far as I can remember the answer to that question is “no”. The only bright light that I remember was at the moment of my heart attack. It could have been God’s glory, but it wasn’t a peek into Heaven.

As I started waking up after being unconscious for over a week I remember my brother Rick asking me to quote Matthew 5:16. He said that most of what I was saying didn’t make any sense and the doctors were afraid that I had suffered brain damage because of having quit breathing so many times. So he asked me to quote Matthew 5:16 and when I repeated the verse back to him he told me later that he knew I was OK.

I remember hearing the sirens and the Paramedics talking to me. They kept telling me to stay with them. I remember thinking to myself or maybe I even said to them I can’t stay with you I am going out! I remember being in the ambulance and I remember the doors at the emergency room bursting open and I remember very bright lights in the ER and I remember seeing Kathy one last time. During this entire time I never once was afraid. I was not afraid of dying. In fact, I thought I was dying. God had given me a peace that my family would be OK so there was not any reason for me to worry.

The reason I was able to have that kind of peace was because I knew that I was not ever going to really die. I knew that if the Lord allowed me to die I knew that I would live forever. Just as Jesus says in John 8:51, ^“I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!”

One day I know that I will die. It may be because my heart never recovers completely and I have another heart attack. Who knows? One thing I do know for sure I know that I will die again. And the next time I die I will stand in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This may sound morbid to you, but it is the truth. When I die I want to die serving the Lord in some other country, sharing the Good News about Jesus to people that have never had the opportunity to hear about Him. I want my life to count for Him until the moment He calls me home.

How about you? Have you found something in life that you are willing to die for?  

Application

I will go overseas this year and take the Gospel to those who have not had the opportunity to hear about Jesus.  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing me a little more time on this earth. It is good to be able to enjoy my family. I know that You allowed me to remain here for a reason. Thank You for answering the prayers of so many and allowing me to come back to life. Help me take advantage of every moment that I have here on this earth. I pray for Dick Whittleton this morning. I pray that you restore him to health. I pray that You give the doctors all the wisdom that they need to be able to treat him. You are the Healer. You are the Great Physician. Nothing is too hard for You .

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Miracles Still Happen Today

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John 5; John 6

Miracles Still Happen Today

Scripture

John 6

 ⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
 ⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
 ⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
 ¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
 ¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 

Observation

The miracle called the feeding of the 5,000 really should be called the feeding of the 20,000. We know that there were 5,000 men that sat down on the grass, but we don’t know how many women and children were also with them. Jesus took a boy’s lunch consisting of two fish and five small barley loaves, he gave thanks for the food and He then distributed food to everyone that was seated on the grass. The people ate until they were full and then the disciples collected twelve baskets of leftovers.  

I love this story.  A miracle is when something happens in our lives that had to have Divine intervention. Only God could have fed 5,000-20,000 people using two fish and five loaves of barely. It was enough food for a boy’s lunch and yet in God’s hand that food could feed up to 20,000 people with plenty left over. It was an Act of God. 

I believe that God wants to do a lot of miracles through His church. I know that He does lots of miraculous things in the churches in China, in parts of Africa, and in many other countries. Many of those churches because of severe persecution live totally dependent on God for their daily survival. They cry out to God and He hears them and He intervenes and shows them His Mighty Power.
Eight weeks ago today our church had the opportunity to cry out to God and ask Him to work a miracle in my life. From what Kathy and others tell me the halls of the hospital were lined up with people praying for me. My brother in law said that he saw men praying to God who were moved to tears and they were desperately crying out to God for God to save me. I am glad that God’s Holy Spirit moved so many people to pray for me. He wanted to do a miracle. He wanted to show His power and His glory. He wanted to answer their prayers. 

In Pastor Bruce’s message yesterday he shared Luke 1:37, “For nothing is impossible with God.” The angel Gabriel told Mary this when she was told that she would have a baby (the Son of God) and yet she had never had sexual relations with any man. Because all of us face seemingly impossible situations this verse needs to be deeply embedded in our hearts so that when we face the impossible we can turn to our Heavenly Father who doesn’t even have that word in His vocabulary. 

Application

I look forward to seeing God at work in 2012. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I love it when things happen in our lives where we can’t get any of the credit. I hope it happens a lot in 2012. I pray that things will happen in our church where only You will get the credit, only You will get the Glory. I pray that You would move powerfully within our church and I pray that Your Hand would continue to stay on our church. It is exciting to watch how You work. You are a Mighty God.

 

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Taking The Gospel To The People Groups Who Have Not Had The Opportunity To Hear

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John 2; John 3; John 4

Taking The Gospel To The People Groups Who Have Not Had The Opportunity To Hear

Scripture

John 4

³⁴ Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. ³⁵ You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.

Observation

I spent last night looking on the IMB.org (International Mission Board) website at all of the unreached and unegaged people groups that still need to be reached with the Gospel. I printed out those that the IMB has decided are the top 12 for West Africa. It is my hope that I will be well enough in 2012 to lead our church and other churches to engage an unreached unengaged people group and send teams into that people group until we establish a group of believers that would constitute a church. There are unreached unengaged people groups all over the world that God could lead us to work with!

These people groups have generally been the most neglected and the most isolated people on our planet. This morning’s Bible reading reminded me that Jesus did just what I want to do and what all of our churches should do. The Jewish people hated and despised the Samaritans. They would travel around Samaria because of their hatred for the people that lived there even though it made their trip much longer. They would have nothing to do with the Samaritans.  

Jesus intentionally went into Samaria to reach an unreached people. He met the Samaritan woman at the well. He did something that no Jew would do He spoke to her. She was shocked. He explained to her that He had Living Water. As He talked to her she realized that He was the Messiah. This Samaritan woman went back to her village to tell everyone that she had found the Messiah. She was so excited that she left her water pot behind at the well and ran all the way back to the village. Those in the village believed the woman and hurried out to see Jesus. Jesus stayed two days in that Samaritan village and many in the village became believers.

This is exactly what God is calling us to do. We are to go to the people groups that have not yet had the opportunity to hear the Gospel. We will build relationships/friendships with them and we will win them one person at a time just like Jesus did until entire villages come to the Savior. I can visualize our winning one person to Christ and then that person sharing with someone else until the entire people group has had the opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Would you go with me? Would you sacrifice your time, your comfort, your money to go on one of the first Mission Trips to help reach a people group for Christ? Let me know.  I am starting to make plans right now!

Application

I will help our church and other churches to engage an unreached unegaged people group in 2012.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me get well enough to once again go overseas. Give me the ability to motivate and organize our church and other churches to engage an unreached people. I know that this will make You smile. I know that nothing is on Your heart more than having the Good News reach every person on this planet. This is an exciting time to be alive. It is an exciting time to serve You. Help us to be successful for Your Kingdoms sake.

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The Bible…A Book Full of God’s Promises

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2 Peter 1; 2 Peter 2; 2 Peter 3; John 1

The Bible…A Book Full of God’s Promises

Scripture

2 Peter 1

³ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. ⁴ And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

2 Peter 3

⁸ But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. ⁹ The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

 ¹⁵ “And remember, the Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved…”

Observation

Why is it so important to get up everyday and read God’s Word? There are many reasons to develop this great habit, but one of them is to get to know all the promises that God has made to us.

Oh my goodness today’s Bible reading is just full of promises that God has made to you and me. When I hear people talk about God in a way that makes God seem mean and vindictive it tells me that they have not spent much time in God’s Word.

Let’s look at just a few verses in 2 Peter and see how many promises we can discover that God has given us:

1. God has given us everything we need to live godly lives.
2. His promises enable us to share in His divine nature.
3. God is patient and doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed.
4. God’s patience gives people time to be saved

God’s Word could be called the book of promises. What are some of your favorite promises that God has given you from His Word? It is important to have these promises in your heart so when difficulties come you will be able to make it through those rough times. Here are just a few that come to my mind this morning:

1.      “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me” John 10:28

2.      “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 Because of this promise found in Jeremiah 33:3 I can call on God for help like the Psalmist did Psalm 30:2-3

“O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.
You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death.” Psalm 30:2-3

3.      If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved….  for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-10,13

There are thousands of promises for you and me in God’s Word and they are there so you and I can live the Christian life in victory and not defeat. Reading God’s Word everyday and relying on God’s promises gets us through all of life’s most difficult circumstances.

What are some of your favorite promises that God has given you that help you get through the day? Encourage me today by writing down one of your favorite promises. It may be just what someone else needs to make it through this day!

Application

I will continue hold on to God’s promises to get me through this time of illness.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us so many precious promises. You are so good. You make promises to us and You keep them. We can count on You to fulfill and do whatever You have said in Your Word. Help me today to rely on Your promises. When my mind begins to think of all the “what ifs in my life”…Lord bring to my mind all of your wonderful promises and help me trust You with my health and my future.

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Get In This House! A Lesson In Hospitality…

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1 Peter 1; 1 Peter 2; 1 Peter 3; 1 Peter 4; 1 Peter 5

Get In This House! A Lesson In Hospitality…

Scripture

1 Peter 4

⁹ Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.

Observation

When I was a seminary student in Ft. Worth at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary I pastored a small church just outside of Ft. Worth. It was a very small congregation made up of mostly older senior adults. One of those senior adults taught me the meaning of 1 Peter 4:9, “Cheerfully share you home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. Opal Penn’s husband Glenn died during heart surgery while Kathy and I pastored the church, leaving Opal home alone with a college age grandson that sometimes stayed with her.

As I would make visits to all of those senior adults (there really wasn’t that many) in my congregation there were some homes that I almost dreaded to visit. One church member had diabetes, but refused to change her eating habits. I watched her first lose her toe, then her foot, and then her leg up to her knee and as much as I talked to her about changing her lifestyle it was futile. It was pathetic. Because of this it was difficult to go by and visit her and I did it but only because I was her pastor.

But there was one house that I loved to visit; in fact, I think I made up reasons just to drop by her house. Opal Penn lived in an old house very close to our small church. It was very modest by anyone’s description. Opal and Glenn were probably in their upper 70’s or early 80’s when Kathy and I first met them.

As I would come up to the screen door at the side of Opal’s house I will never forget her words, she would always say to me, “Get in this house!” And she would have a big smile on her face and she would invite the young seminary student to sit down at her very humble rustic kitchen table where we would talk. Sometimes her hands would be immersed in hot paraffin wax because of the crippling arthritis that she had to live with. Never once did I hear her complain about this painful condition.

She would always offer me an ice-cold soda and usually she would have some very good cookies to offer me. We would sit at that table and talk. She knew just how to encourage a young struggling seminary student and every time I left that house I felt a hundred times better than when I came in. I don’t know if I have ever experienced such hospitality since!

So at our house when someone comes to our door you will often hear me yell out, “Get in this house” and behind those words lies the incredible story of a rare woman with an extraordinary gift of hospitality. I will forever be indebted to her for the lessons that she taught me about how to love and treat people. I wish that I could say that I had her gift of love and hospitality.

Application

I will strive to make our home warm, friendly, and open to anyone in need.  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I have learned more important lessons about life and ministry from the people that you have placed in my life than I ever did in seminary. Thank You for putting special people like Opal Penn in my life. Help me to be an encourager. Help me be someone that people want to be around because I lift up their spirits like Opal did for me. She was a saint. Thank You for people that You have placed in our lives today that encourages us and are so hospitable to us.

Today’s"Life Journal" Daily Bible Reading can be found on Line. Click Here!