This is for HIS Glory

Kirk Cameron

2011-10-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a short comment from Kirk Cameron from www.livingwaters.comI hope it inspires you and keeps your heart and mind on Christ.

"Some have referred to seeing things with "the eye of faith". In my natural state, I always seem to revert to favoring the trusty eyeballs I've used since birth. But now, even those are starting to dim (glasses are just around the corner), and I am seeing the value of a better pair of eyes. Eyes of faith are able to believe what they cannot see, but know for certain because of the Word they have heard. When you and I believe the voice of God in Scripture, we can stand on His promises of being fully forgiven, totally accepted, deeply loved, and complete in Christ- no matter what happens to us in this life. Anything that happens in this life, including "losses and crosses", are obliged to "work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) When things look gloomy through those windows above your nose, close them and look instead through your eyes of faith to see God's victory over your trial!"

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

One hundred years from now

2011-09-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

One hundred years from now it won't matter what type of fancy new gadgets we bought or what type of cars we drove. All that will matter is what we did with the time we had. By human nature we are are so focused on tomorrow, that we don't even realize we are doing little more than wishing our lives aways.

What are we in a hurry to do? Where are we in a hurry to go? Heaven? I would guess that most people don't even think about Heaven on a daily basis. For many people, Heaven is a place far away. A place that old people or dogs go when they die.

That might be true; however, Heaven is so much more.

Heaven is God's Kingdom. And for those blessed enough to be granted access, I believe it will be like nothing we could ever imagine. It will far surpass our wildest expectations.

Heaven is not some distant destination. It is THE destination. It is THE place to be. I once saw a book titled, "1001 places to see before you die." And I would remind anyone that Heaven is the only place you want to SEE when you die.

Serving the Lord for all eternity is both a privilege and a blessing. It is a honor bestowed based on what you did with the little time you were given.

Don't put off tomorrow - what you can do today. Ask the Lord for guidance in all that you do and think about Him in all your actions.

Verse of the day:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7
New International Version (NIV)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Accountability and Resiliency

2011-09-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

How many times can a person backslide? How many times can a person continue to make the same mistakes over and over and over again? How many times can a person continue to sin - day in and day out? How many times can a person ask for forgiveness - over and over and over again?

The answers to those questions don't really matter. What matters is that God's love is measureless. How do I know this? I know this because of John 3:16.

I know that all men sin and all fall short of the Glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

However, once we sin there is typically time for retrospection. During this time, we can choose to do one of two things. 1) Ask for forgiveness and pray. 2) Do nothing

It's a given that we are going fail in being pleasing in God's eyes. We all fall short. Thus, our responsibility should be to focus on accountability and resiliency.

Be accountable for our actions and ask for forgiveness by humbling ourselves toward the Lord. And being resilient by allowing the past to stay in the past. What we've done, we cannot undo. However, we can move forward and learn from our mistakes and become stronger. It's not about how many times you fall down. Its' about how many times you get up and what you do next.

If you allow it - sin will invite you to give up your relationship with God. That is the focus of the enemy - to plant seeds of doubt and deceit so that we feel unworthy or even too depressed to speak with God. This is how the enemy builds momentum... you sin and the enemy wants to keep the wheels moving. Put the breaks on this momentum by speaking a simple prayer, be accountable and resilient.

Jesus showed tremendous resiliency during his walk to Calvary. He was whipped, beaten, spit on, nailed, etc. and still He continued to His destination: The cross.

Jesus took accountability for our sins. The next time you sin, take accountability for yours. Then move forward. Don't dwell on it.

Prayer:
Father forgive me for my sinful ways. I know that I am unworthy of your love. I pray you have mercy on me and allow me to be an instrument of your Will. Help me to lead myself, my family, and others into your Kingdom. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Choices

2011-08-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

The current drought in Africa is another reminder of just how blessed we are. There are starving Somali families that are forced to travel 50 miles just to wait in line at a overcrowded relief center. Of course, there are no guarantees - just hope.

With millions starving and tens of thousands seeking aid, it's a never ceasing ocean of need. Many families are forced to make a choice that most of us could never fathom. That choice to decide which child to take to the relief center and which to leave behind. Thousands of families must determine which child is most likely to survive the 50 mile journey. The rest - they are forced to leave behind. They do this not out of cruelty, but out of necessity. It is a choice of save one or save none.

The United States has a malnourishment rate of 5%, which is one of the lowest in the world. Especially when you take into consideration the Dem. Republic of Congo that has close to 42 million malnourished people and Ethiopia 31.6 million.

It's easy for us to forget the extreme hardships that many in the world face daily. In a domesticated society where we dwell in "excess" it's unavoidable to take things for granted. How many of us get irritated when we run out of milk and then must get into our car for a (probably less than 5 mile ride) to the local grocery store? Sound familiar?

Our most difficult choice for the day might be "Do I get the milk now or wait until later?"

We are blessed.

Please remember to pray for those who are less fortunate in this world and thank God for the wonderful gifts He has allowed us to have. Everything we have comes from the Lord. Nothing is given in mistake, nothing is overlooked, nothing is given without a reason. Also, everything we have is a temporary gift from God - because nothing is forever except God.

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord for all the wonderful gifts and blessings that you have bestowed upon us. I pray that you bless and comfort those who are less fortunate and help us to stay humble and pleasing in Your eyes. In the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

God Bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Bystander turned Believer

2011-04-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

For a few moments picture yourself living as a local in the small village of Bethany a little over 2,000 years ago. The village is slightly less than 2 miles from Jerusalem and you have made the trip back and forth many times. As is the case with most days in this part of the world, it's scorching hot. The blinding sun is beating down on you and all you really care about is finding a nice shade tree to sit under and eat your figs.

Just as you find a good spot on a hillside, you notice a dusty disturbance in the road below. More than a dozen people have gathered and are making their way toward another group walking into the village. The last thing you want to do is lose your shady spot, but Bethany is small and rarely has much excitement.

Even though it's probably nothing, seeing the crowd in the distance is enough to peak your curiosity. Thus, with a surrendering sigh you take the last bite of your fig, rise, and head back out into the baking sun to see what all the commotion is about.

As you make your way closer to the crowds you notice many familiar faces. Everyone in Bethany knows each other... there are no strangers in this paltry town and not a day goes by that you question why you haven't moved to Jerusalem yet.

As you are pondering your life circumstances a women abruptly bumps your shoulder and falls to her knees weeping to a man whom you do not recognize.

Instantly, you recognize the women. She happens to live in a small abode directly diagonal from your small home and her name is Mary. She and her sister, Martha, had recently buried their brother, Lazarus. Both sisters were still in deep mourning and you had just stopped by their home two days earlier to give your condolences.

In a quivering voice, you hear Mary say... "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Clearly, he must be physician of some sort, you reason.

As you look closer at the man (whom you still do not recognize), you see a deep compassion in his eyes and you can tell that he is deeply saddened by this situation.

“Where have you laid him?” The man asked.

There was something in his voice that made you stop in your tracks. It was as if everything around you went into slow motion and for a moment... you gave him your full attention.

“Come and see, Lord,” another replied.

Thus, Mary and her sister, Martha, led the stranger up the road and over some rocky terrain. Not knowing exactly what to expect, you decide to follow the crowd. It's not like you had a lot of other options anyway.

Walking up the hillside you recognize the tree that you sat under just a few moments ago. Curiously, you also realize the intense heat from the sun doesn't seem to bother you like it had earlier. Looking up, you see the stranger briefly look toward the tree, then to you, then back to the tree. For a moment you wonder if he saw you sitting under the tree as he approached Bethany. You quickly dismiss the notion, chalking it up as a coincidence and nothing more.

After a few more minutes of walking the crowd stopped. They had reached the tome of Lazarus... which happened to be carved into the rocky hillside.

There was complete silence and strangely, the wind was calm as you stand at the top of this hill.

Now what? You wonder.

As if he had read the question in your mind you hear the stranger say...

“Take away the stone."

If it could have been physically possible, your jaw would have hit the ground by your sandals.

Then Martha replied... “But, Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

You begin to interject in agreement, but instead you hesitate... your lips still slightly ajar.

Then the stranger said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone and the stranger looked up to the sky as if praying. Once finished, he cried out in a loud voice...

“Lazarus, come out!”

The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

You hear yourself gasp as you fall to your knees.

The stranger said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Jesus raises Lazarus from the Dead

In a matter of a few short moments you went from being bored and hot, to curious, to witnessing Jesus glorify God by raising Lazarus from the Dead.

Can you truly picture the actions of the crowd as Lazarus walked out of that tome? I can't even begin to imagine what that would have felt like if I had seen it with my own eyes.

That day in Bethany started off like every other typical day. Yet, after a few short minutes of Jesus' arrival a miracle occurs. Not only did He raise Lazarus from the dead... He turned many from being lone bystanders to believers!

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Roadmap to Heaven

2011-04-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

Abbreviations and Buzzwords seem to be everywhere these days... I can't seem to get through the day without someone emailing me a "LOL", "IMHO", or "BTW". It's even worse when there is direct dialog, because there's about a 99% certainty that someone's going to throw out a "Leverage", "Best Practice", or "Think outside of the box". Yeah, you know what I'm talking about, right? :)

Oops... there I go with the famous and greatly overused smiley face. :) :) :)

OK, at this point you might be asking yourself, so how does this relate to Jesus Christ?

Well, Jesus had his own arsenal of buzz words that He "leveraged" on a daily basis. Unlike the buzz words of today that enter and fade with the passing of fads, we have the comfort of knowing that the words of Jesus will endure the test of time.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Mark 13:31

Jesus frequently used one word in particular... "Blessed"

If I were to look up the word "Blessed" in the dictionary, I would run across this definition:

Blessed: divinely or supremely favored; fortunate.

Wouldn't everyone want to be blessed in some way? I can't reasonably say that I know anyone who wouldn't want to be blessed.

Now the question becomes... How do I find favor with God? What do I need to do to remain obedient and be pleasing in the eyes of God? Well it's easy to get overwhelmed with trying to find a single answer to this question. Let's face it, the Bible is big book and there are thousands of passages we could underline, highlight, and memorize that would help. However, there is one particular event in the Bible that, to me, sums up the path to Heaven. Let's call it the "Roadmap to Heaven" as they would probably say in the business world.

This one significant event was The Sermon on the Mount. It's where Jesus preached of the Kingdom of Heaven. It's the third decade of the Luminous mysteries of the Rosary. "The Announcement of the Kingdom."

During the Sermon on the Mount Jesus introduced the Beatitudes (which means blessed or happy in Latin) to all of us and each teaching begins with the word "Blessed."

Here are the Beatitudes:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matt5:3-12

In conclusion, when I think of a question like, "What's the roadmap to Heaven?" I think of the Beatitudes. This is because Jesus clearly outlines the way we should act, think, and live in nine loving statements. He shares the secret with us.

Personally, I felt the Beatitudes were so important that I memorized them and now recite them on a daily basis. It really doesn't take long to memorize, it just takes some determination and a little repetition. IMHO :)

See you can't get through anything these days without an abbreviation/buzz word!

God Bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Two for the price of one

2011-03-01T18:02:00.000-08:00

A man in Lisbon, Portugal, was suffering from Parkinson's disease. As the creeping paralysis rose from his lower limbs, eventually closer and closer to the heart, the patient was plunged into deep melancholy. His wife pleaded with him repeatedly to go to another Mirian shrine like Lourdes, which was only 90 miles away.

One day, in mockery, because he knew that, like himself, his attending physician did not believe in miracles, he said to his wife in his doctors presence: "I'll go if he does." It occurred to the doctor that a trip to the church at Fatima might cheer his patient, or at least it would be a temporary distraction, so he surprised the ill man by saying: "Alright, let's go."

The day they arrived at the shrine was the 13th of the month, so there was a large crowd of pilgrims. The non-believing doctor and his non-believing patient were among the first in the rows of invalids. A man beside them was carrying a canopy over the Holy Eucharist as it was raised by the priest to bless the patient. Suddenly, the ill man pushed himself up from his wheelchair, trembling, he began to move and feel his legs. Then, over and over he pleaded to those around him: "Am I not dreaming? Am I not dreaming?"

The doctors mouth fell open in amazement and he slowly sank to his knees. Tears began to roll down his cheeks. "This is not for you." He exclaimed through his sobs. "This was for me."

A true story by John M. Heffert

Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima photos

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Allow others to see Jesus through you

2011-02-12T20:20:00.000-08:00

At a very old age, St. Francis of Assisi was blind and in poor health. During the same time a nearby village was in an uproar about their priest and had called for St. Francis to help them. You see, the priest of this village was living in sin. He had a woman living with him in the rectory and the people of the village were absolutely furious about it.

St. Francis hobbled into the village, came up to the door of the rectory, and when the priest opened it... St. Francis looked at him through blind eyes, fell to his knees, grabbed the hands of the priest and said... "All I want to know is that these hands bring me Jesus."

The priest was instantly converted on the spot and from that point on he turned his life around.

St. Francis could have easily condemned, disheartened, discouraged, or warned the priest of his sinful ways. Instead, St. Francis humbled himself and through his actions, showed the priest Jesus.

Take from this story what you will... but one thing to remember is that all of us should be a light for others. Each day find one person who can see Jesus through you.

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Matthew 7:2

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

A short prayer on Pride

2011-01-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

Lord, help me to come to grips with any pride I might have in me that separates me, like a chasm, from the people I just don't feel comfortable with. You had to work on your disciples to get them over the problem of always wanting to be first by teaching them that, in the Kingdom of God, the "first" is last. Work on me, too, Lord. With your help, I can overcome any obstacle to serving You when you come to me hungry. Grant me some of the humility that prompted You to enter our human race as an infant in poverty, hungry and homeless. Amen.

-From the book... "When did I see You, Lord?"

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Reflections

2010-12-30T05:14:00.000-08:00

As we prepare to enter into a new year, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the past and also get into the appropriate state of mind for the future.

As part of our ongoing growth as Christians (followers of Christ), the short meditations written (below) are to help us overcome barriers in recognizing Jesus in our midst, so that we can serve Him. Specifically, the seven Capital Sins serve as reference points for our meditations because so often, those common failings in our lives prevent us from seeing Jesus all around us, and moving into the mode of serving Him.

Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust are among the principal hazards of the spiritual life that prevent us from seeing and serving Jesus. There are others as well - for example, Ignorance and Fear. You may wish to add whatever else should come to mind as you consider these barriers.

However, with the grace of Christ, we are able to overcome these hurdles. Each hurdle we overcome, each struggle that we succeed, each small victory over sin that we achieve, brings us one step closer to preparing us for the heavenly reward that awaits those who see, follow, and act according to His words.

Meditations:

There is never a moment when God does not come forward in the guise of some suffering or some duty, and all that takes place within us, around us and through us both includes and hides His activity.

-Jean-Pierre De Caussade, S.J.
(Abandonment to Divine Providence)

If we do not recognize Jesus in the poor, he will not be able to recognize us at the Day of Judgement.

- St. Teresa of Calcutta

The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry;
The garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked;
The shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot;
The money that you keep locked away is the money of the poor;
The acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.

-St. Basil the Great

Many excerpts are from the book "When did we see You, Lord?" by Bishop Robert J. Baker and Father Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Routines

2010-11-30T21:06:00.000-08:00

We all have a routine. In fact, many of us have several. Some routines may only last a few weeks, others a lifetime.

There are many types of routines (yep, we can be very creative)...

Some are essential in order to function in modern society like - showering regularly, brushing teeth, combing hair, etc. Other routines are self created like... needing to drink a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Or even reading a few pages in a book in order to help fall asleep at night.

We were made in God's image, but that doesn't mean we are consistent in doing what we should be doing. You see, just like us, God has a few routines of His own. The one difference is that His routines are not selfish or self imposed. However, God's routines ARE essential for our eternal salvation.

If I were to guess, I'd say here are a few of God's top routines:

1. Forgiveness
2. Mercy
3. Love
4. Patience
5. Kindness

You see, without God following these daily routines we would have absolutely no chance of eternal life. Salvation would be lost.

So, tonight begin a new routine for yourself. Begin the routine of prayer. Take time to speak to God through daily prayer. It will be something you will never regret.

I know that God won't break His routine.

Will you?

"The miracle is not that I finished. It's that I had the courage to start."
-John Bigham

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

A Prayer of Humility

2010-10-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Lord,

I admit that I am a sinner.
I admit that I am unworthy of your grace, your mercy, and your love.
I admit that I am weak in spirit, perseverance, and patience.
I pray that you show kindness to me even though I don't always show kindness to others.
Oh Lord, please forgive me of my sins.
Help me to always see the face of Jesus in others.
Help me to fight the projection and deceitful lies from the evil one.
Help me to be a pillar of Christ.
Help me to be a rock, just as Simon Peter.
Help me to be relentless in praising your name as Paul.
Help me to trust in you as Abraham trusted in you.
Help me to have the wisdom to discern right from wrong such as Solomon did.
Help me to love just a fraction as much as Jesus.

Amen.

Humility

2010-10-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector

9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 18:9-14

Most of the time we are not as good as we think we are. Even if we exceed the expectations of others, we probably still fall short in eye's of the Lord. Humility is a word that we are all familiar with, but it is also an act that is difficult to sustain. The word itself is used many times throughout the Bible (several times in Proverbs) and there seems to be clear indication God prefers a humble spirit over a proud one.

Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
1 Peter5:5

Over the next few days consider your outlook on life, your attitude, and how you interact with others. Are you seeking their approval? Are you looking for people to exalt you in some way?

Honor the Lord by honoring His word.

with humility comes wisdom
Proverbs 11:2

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Unashamed of God

2010-09-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

Dear God, how often we are tempted to push you into the background because we’re afraid of standing out in a crowd, afraid of how it will look. And yet what opportunities to bring people to you could be had if only we would be bold.
— from 39 New Saints You Should Know

Mark 8:38
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Matthew 10:32-33
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Reverence to the Holy Mother

2010-09-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

"My goodness has decreed that anyone at all, just or sinner, who holds Mary in due reverence will never be snatched or devoured by the infernal demon."
-God's pledge through St. Catherine of Siena

— from Mysteries of the Virgin Mary

One way to satisfy this is to pray the Rosary daily...

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

John the Baptist

2010-08-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

The drunken oath of a king with a shallow sense of honor, a seductive dance and the hateful heart of a queen combined to bring about the martyrdom of John the Baptist. The greatest of prophets suffered the fate of so many Old Testament prophets before him: rejection and martyrdom. The "voice crying in the desert" did not hesitate to accuse the guilty, did not hesitate to speak the truth. But why? What possesses a man that he would give up his very life?

This great religious reformer was sent by God to prepare the people for the Messiah. His vocation was one of selfless giving. The only power that he claimed was the Spirit of Yahweh. "I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11). Scripture tells us that many people followed John looking to him for hope, perhaps in anticipation of some great messianic power. John never allowed himself the false honor of receiving these people for his own glory. He knew his calling was one of preparation.

When the time came, he led his disciples to Jesus: "The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God.' The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus" (John 1:35-37). It is John the Baptist who has pointed the way to Christ. John's life and death were a giving over of self for God and other people. His simple style of life was one of complete detachment from earthly possessions. His heart was centered on God and the call that he heard from the Spirit of God speaking to his heart. Confident of God's grace, he had the courage to speak words of condemnation or repentance, of salvation.

Each of us has a calling to which we must listen. No one will ever repeat the mission of John, and yet all of us are called to that very mission. It is the role of the Christian to witness to Jesus. Whatever our position in this world, we are called to be disciples of Christ. By our words and deeds others should realize that we live in the joy of knowing that Jesus is Lord. We do not have to depend upon our own limited resources, but can draw strength from the vastness of Christ's saving grace.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

St. Bartholomew

2010-08-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

In the New Testament, Bartholomew is mentioned only in the lists of the apostles. Some scholars identify him with Nathanael, a man of Cana in Galilee who was summoned to Jesus by Philip. Jesus paid him a great compliment: "Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him" (John 1:47b). When Nathanael asked how Jesus knew him, Jesus said, "I saw you under the fig tree" (John 1:48b). Whatever amazing revelation this involved, it brought Nathanael to exclaim, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel" (John 1:49b). But Jesus countered with, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this" (John 1:50b).

Nathanael did see greater things. He was one of those to whom Jesus appeared on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias after his resurrection (see John 21:1-14). They had been fishing all night without success. In the morning, they saw someone standing on the shore though no one knew it was Jesus. He told them to cast their net again, and they made so great a catch that they could not haul the net in. Then John cried out to Peter, "It is the Lord."

When they brought the boat to shore, they found a fire burning, with some fish laid on it and some bread. Jesus asked them to bring some of the fish they had caught, and invited them to come and eat their meal. John relates that although they knew it was Jesus, none of the apostles presumed to inquire who he was. This, John notes, was the third time Jesus appeared to the apostles.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Faith not Fear

2010-08-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

I thought this short summary on the topic of fear was well written by Dr. David Jeremiah and I wanted to share it with everyone as a reminder of the importance of faith.

(Links have been added for you to go to the readings)

* * *

Reinhold Niebuhr (d. 1971) penned the original version of "The Serenity Prayer." The first line of the poem says, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change," often popularized today as, "Don't worry about stuff you have no control over." The problem is, it sounds like it is okay to worry about the stuff you can control. However, Christians are told in Scripture not to worry about anything (Philippians 4:6-7).

Worry is fear--not necessarily the white-knuckle, knee-knocking kind of fear, but a fear that leaves us unsettled and anxious. Fear and worry are all about the future. Like when Jesus' disciples were afraid in a storm at sea (Matthew 8:26). They were definitely worried about their future--whether they would arrive safely on the distant shore or not. Fear is a lack of faith in God. We believe God knows "the future," but not our future. Yes, not worrying requires faith--but not blind faith. It is faith in a God who has promised He will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

If you know God through Christ, it's better not to worry about what you can't control. But it's biblical not to worry at all.

Nothing can cure us of fear till God cures us of unbelief.
-Francis Burkitt

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Stay Focused on God

2010-08-11T12:21:00.001-07:00

Dear Lord, help us to stay focused on you, to forgive those who sin against us, to desire the best for them, and to have hope for your triumph over sin and death.

— from 39 New Saints You Should Know

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Way to Heaven

2010-08-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

What does it matter to you whether Jesus wishes to guide you to Heaven by way of the desert or by the fields, so long as you get there by one way or the other?

-- from Safely Through the Storm

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

You took my parking space at church

2010-08-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

One day, a man went to visit a church. He got there early, parked his car and got out. Another car pulled up near him. The driver got out and said, "I always park there! You took my place!"

The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!" The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.

After Sunday School, the visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit! You took my place!"

The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still He said nothing.

Later as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"

The visitor replied, as his hat became a crown of thorns, and a tear
fell from his eye, "I took your place."

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

To Bear Witness To the Truth

2010-07-11T07:36:00.000-07:00

This was written by Father John Corapi over a year ago, but it's one of those reminders that has no expiration date.

An Unequivocal Moral Obligation for All Christians
by Rev. John Corapi, SOLT, STD
www.fathercorapi.com

Every Catholic and, indeed, every Christian faithful to the Gospel, has the moral obligation to bear witness to the truth, “in season and out of season, convenient or inconvenient,” accepted or rejected. This mandate is nothing new, of course. It’s as old as the Old Testament, and as new as the New Testament. Nonetheless, I’m afraid that it has become more necessary than ever to remind ourselves of it.

The Magisterium formally teaches in the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2471, quoting Sacred Scripture, “Before [Pontius] Pilate, Christ proclaimed the He has ‘come into the world to bear witness to the truth’ (Jn 18:37).

The Christian is not to be ‘ashamed then of testifying to our Lord’ (2 Tm 1:8). In situations that require witness to the faith, the Christian must profess it without equivocation, after the example of St. Paul before his judges. We must keep ‘a clear conscience toward God and toward men’” (Acts 24:16).

Let me give you one definition of equivocation: “A statement that is not literally false but that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth; intentionally vague or ambiguous.” How about this for an example: “A woman has the right to choose.” Choose what? A less vague, ambiguous, and equivocal statement would be, “A woman (or man) has the right to choose to perpetrate homicide. Or, “A nation has the right to facilitate, enable, or legislate genocide.” Oh, excuse me, that would be an unpleasant truth, or maybe an “inconvenient truth,” as the inventor of the internet, Al Gore, might say.

The Catholic Church unambiguously and formally teaches:

The duty of Christians to take part in the life of the Church impels them [IMPELS THEM] to act as witnesses of the Gospel and the obligations that flow from it. This witness is a transmission of the faith in words and deeds. WITNESS IS AN ACT OF JUSTICE THAT ESTABLISHES THE TRUTH OR MAKES IT KNOWN (see Matthew 18:16).

The recent travesty involving the University of Notre Dame’s invitation to the President of the United States to give the commencement address and receive an honorary doctor of laws degree is the antithesis of Catholic and Christian witness to the truth. A lawyer who vigorously, publicly, and consistently support an anti‐life and anti‐family litany of evils will now receive an honorary doctor of laws degree from what is arguably the most prestigious Catholic University in America. A picture is worth a thousand words. Indeed, what thousand words will be conveyed by the picture(s) of Mr. Obama receiving his honorary doctorate and sending off the graduating class at Notre Dame University?

This will be a dark day indeed for the University of Notre Dame and the Catholic Church that permitted it to happen. In the end the bishops have the right, and the duty, to decide if the University of Notre Dame can any longer claim “Catholic” credentials.

Father Corapi on the Notre Dame scandal

Meanwhile, the obligation to bear witness to the truth weighs more heavily than ever on each one of us. We have rapidly entered into a new era of persecution of the Church and the truth that she professes and teaches, reminding us again,

The disciple of Christ must not only keep faith and live on it, but also profess it,
confidently bear witness to it, and spread it: All however must be prepared to
confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst
the persecutions which the Church never lacks.” (Lumen gentius 42; Dignitatis
Humanae 14). Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation:
“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 10:32‐33).

Written by Rev. John Corapi on May 14th, 2009
www.fathercorapi.com

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Mi Amore

2010-07-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

On very rare occasions you find two people that are inseparable from very first time they meet.

From an early age Adam and Jessica were two people that you knew were always meant to be together. From the first time they met in the second grade everyone could tell they were going to be "boyfriend and girlfriend" some day. As predicated, once they grew older they began dating in junior high school. Rarely did you ever see them apart.

Later, after Adam and Jessica graduated from high school they went on to college and dated all four years of college. It was not long after graduation that Adam proposed and they were married.

Adam and Jessica had a very special relationship. When people saw them together they would say (or think)... "That's the type of relationship that I want."

One evening they were driving home from a New Years Eve party and were hit by a drunk driver. Instantly Adam became a quadriplegic from the impact of the crash.

Jessica was only twenty-five years old at the time and no one would have blamed her if she decided to put Adam in a nursing home to handle the demanding need of a quadriplegic. Sadly, there was nothing anyone could do for Adam. He would most likely remain paralyzed for the rest of his life. However, for Jessica, she had her entire life in front of her...with hopes and dreams that she still wanted to accomplish.

Jessica went to church and prayed for guidance on what to do. It was an extremely burdensome decision for a twenty-five year old. But Jessica had loved Adam from the first moment they met. After praying, she made the decision to put her faith in God and to not only be Adam's caretaker, but to remain his wife. At the young age of twenty-five she was the wife of a man who would never be able to move his arms or legs again.

Friends, family and others who became familiar with the situation could not believe the decision she made. However, it wasn't long before everyone began to understand how deep and loyal Jessica's love for Adam was. Through Adam and Jessica's trials, other people began see the true meaning of love. Through Jesscia's example of selfless love, others began to see how much they took their existing relationships for granted. Others began to pray and thank God for the wonderful gifts in their lives. Others began to pray asking to be blessed with the same depth of love that Jessica showed for Adam. Through Jessica's trials others began to turn toward God.

Out of tragedy, the glorification of God was mobilized through thousands of people as they heard this story of true love. Through Jessica's faith and obedience to God, I wonder how many souls were saved because of her decision?

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

God bless you. And this if for His Glory!

Staring Truth in the Face

2010-06-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

We've all been in situations where we try to explain an idea, concept, etc... to someone and they JUST DON'T GET IT. But, in saying that...I'm sure we've all been on the opposite side of this equation as well. It's kind of like when people drive while talking on a cell phone...many are virtually oblivious to what's going on around them...they are so totally engrossed in the conversation that they pay little attention to the other cars on the road.

There are similarities to this example in John 18. It's where Jesus was arrested and the people were demanding that He be put to death. During the ordeal, Jesus and Pontius Pilate have a short conversation (as Pilate is trying to figure out exactly what it is that Jesus is being accused of)...

35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?

36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews...
John 18:35-38

The part I want to place your attention on is verse 38, when Pilate asks..."What is truth?" The irony of this is that Pontius Pilate asks Jesus "what is truth?" as he is standing there staring Truth right in the face! Jesus Christ is the TRUTH.

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6

It's clear that Pilate was oblivious to the "truth" that Jesus came to redeem the sins of the world...and most importantly that He was the Son of God.

Some people are oblivious to the truth, others just don't want to hear it, and some hear it, understand it, but choose to either ignore it or pick the parts that best fit in to their daily lives. Jesus Christ proclaimed the truth of God's Word in the first four books of the New Testament (which are called The Gospels) - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Never let the truth slip from your grasp. Study it...so that you never find yourself staring at the thorns instead of the rose.

“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose”
-Kahili Gibran

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

"I require Heroism"

2010-06-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

The Congressional Medal of Honor is the top service award bestowed upon those in the armed service of the United States of America. The Medal of Honor is given to those who have distinguished themselves through their gallantry in action, in which they went above and beyond the call of duty. In many cases the award is given posthumous after the recipient has passed, usually due to injuries sustained during the heroic act.

The Medal of Honor is a symbol of bravery, sacrifice, courage, and selflessness. It's when a person puts the the well being of others above his own self interests.

The cross is a symbol as well.

Because it was at THE CROSS that Jesus made His brave and selfless sacrifice. It was at the cross where God allowed and willed his only begotten Son to die for our sins.

It was the ultimate act of heroism and love.

Jesus' suffering and death on the cross was and still is the single most significant event in human history. I can think of nothing more brutal or more painful than what happened to our Lord on that day.

As Christians, we sometimes carry and even wear the symbol of Christ's love for us. It is the symbol of the cross. The cross is a direct reminder of God's immeasurable love."For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John3:16

Jesus' death on the cross was indeed an act of heroism. He knew what He was destined to do... He was destined to teach God's word to those around Him, heal and perform miracles for those lost or undecided about their faith, die on the cross, rise, bestow the apostles with the Holy Spirit... and thus change the world forever.

If we are to walk in the footsteps of Christ, I believe that we too need perform acts of heroism. It doesn't have to be something big, but it does need to be a personal sacrifice. For example, it could be something like getting up a half hour early each morning and praying.

It's the little acts of heroism that add up and it's the daily sacrifices that God silently requires us to make in order to thank Him for the gift of another day.

This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

So think about it...

What will your next act of heroism be?

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Jacob's Well

2010-05-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

It was a typical blistering Saturday afternoon in the middle of August in Tempe, Arizona and Bobby was making his way down a rural stretch of road that was void of any buildings for over 50 miles. Bobby had decided to go out for a ride on his new Honda Motard motorcycle and was planning on enjoying a few hours of wind and road.

Fifteen minutes into the ride, Bobby noticed another biker parked on the side of the road. It looked like the guy was having some sort of trouble, so Bobby stopped and asked the guy if he needed any help.

After over an hour working on the Harley in the 115 degree heat, Bobby eventually helped the guy get his bike working well enough to ride. Bobby insisted that he'd follow the guy home (45 miles from the current location) to make sure he made it back without any difficulty.

Before the guy on the Harley turned down the street toward his house, he waved Bobby over and handed him his business card. Bobby pulled out his wallet and did the same. Each gave the other a silent wave and off they went in separate directions. Bobby never even considered the fact that he had gone out of his way. He was in the mindset that if a fellow biker needed help, then he would help. It was just an unwritten rule of the road.

* * *

What this story doesn't tell you is that the guy on the Harley was actually the CEO of the same company that Bobby worked for. It wasn't until Bobby got home and cleaned out his pockets that he read the business card. He nearly choked on his Coke when he read the title... "CEO".

After reading the business card, Bobby's shock must have closely resembled the Samaritan women who spoke with Jesus at Jacob's Well in John 4. Here Jesus tells her that He knows who she is, the number of husbands that she's had, and that He is the Christ. I can't help but try and picture the look that must have been on the woman's face when she heard those words. I'm sure you could have heard a pin drop.

The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

John 4:25-26

The point is that we never really know who we are going to meet throughout our journey in life. Many people that we meet, might only be placed in our lives for a short time. Others might be with us for many years. However, one thing is for certain...we will all see Christ one day and stand before Him to give account.

As you walk down this road in life, allow others see Christ in you so that you can see (and enjoy) the surprise on their face as you remain obedient to God and emulate the footsteps of Christ.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Beyond the goal

2010-05-05T10:24:00.000-07:00

Tim was a very gifted athlete. He was a high school standout in baseball, football, and track. Tim had been offered over 10 different scholarships from various universities (in both baseball and football) and when it finally came time for him to decide which sport he wanted to play, he choose to go the baseball route.

While playing college baseball, Tim worked extremely hard each and every day to get stronger, faster, and more fundamentally sound in his game. During that time, he had dedicated his life to achieving one goal - get drafted to play in the Major Leagues.

After a successful collegiate career, Tim was drafted 15th overall in the Major League Baseball draft. Along with being picked so high, he also received a $3 million signing bonus and a 4 year contract worth $7 million a year ($28 million over 4 years).

But, a funny thing happened after Tim reached the Major Leagues...

He somehow lost his drive. He still loved the game, but somehow he fell into a comfort zone (or false sense of security) and stopped training as hard as he once had. Tim was living a very comfortable lifestyle and had it in his mind that he could retire after re-signing for another 4 years. Tim had it all planned out. He would play 8 years in the major leagues and retire at the age of 30. By then he would have enough money to take care of any "troubles" for the rest of his life. He could relax on the beach, go jet skiing, go fishing, surf...do just about anything he wanted to do.

However, during the 3rd year into Tim's contract he suffered a shoulder injury. The team trainer told him that he needed to work hard to rehabilitate his shoulder in order to avoid re-injury. Unfortunately, Tim was never able to fully rehab his shoulder and ended up getting released from the team prior to starting his 4th season.

Tim never played professional baseball again.

* * *

In the story above it's obvious that Tim had a singular goal in mind - to play professional baseball. He prepared himself physically, mentally, fundamentally, and worked day and night to reach his goal. However, what happened after he got there?

Tim fell into a comfortable state of mind where he was living the glamorous life of a professional athlete. He had money and popularity...and most importantly...he had achieved his goal. For him, that was satisfying enough. However, Tim also had a choice. He had a choice to either continue to work hard or slack off. He had a choice to possibly put himself in a position where he could play the sport for many more years to come. He had a choice to adhere to the same level of standards and rigor that he had practiced during his high school and collegiate career.

Many of of us are in a similar situation...we have a great passion and desire to get "drafted" into God's kingdom. But, just as the Major League draft, it doesn't matter if you're drafted 1st or 100th. It only matters that you are picked and given an opportunity. (or "chosen" as it relates to scripture)

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Colossians 3:12

For professional athletes there is not a set of "black and white" criteria that must be met in order to play professionally. Professional athletes come in all shapes and sizes; however, one thing is certain - each had a desire to make it to the next level. We too, should live daily with a desire and passion to meet the criteria set out by God. Unlike professional sports, Christians have a criteria to adhere to. It's called The Word of God...the Bible, which tells us how we must to act. There is no question that it's the truth, because in many passages we hear things that directly go against modern culture...and for many people the commands are difficult to hear, (but not impossible to obey).

There are numerous citations written that prove that the bar is set really high to enter Heaven. The passage from Revelation 21 helps to re-emphasize this point very clearly...

Nothing impure will ever enter it (Heaven), nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Revelation 21:27

Let us never get too comfortable in our daily relationship with God, because Satan is always waiting for an opportunity to strike. If Tim's story tells us anything, its that we should never take our blessings for granted. So take some time and think about what you are going to do (next) once you reach a goal in your life...think about what you are going to do beyond the goal.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Rhyme

2010-05-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

I have never heard anything like this in my lifetime. I really enjoyed it and hope you will too!
(Thanks to EW for sharing this)

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.

Sweet Joe

2010-04-29T18:21:00.000-07:00

There was once a boxer named Joe. "Sweet Joe" to be exact. Sweet Joe had trained for 5 solid months for an upcoming fight that could (if he won) make him a top contender for the heavy weight title. After 5 grueling months of training not only was Joe in the best shape of his career, he had also worked out a solid strategy to defeat his upcoming opponent. Actually it was Joe's trainer (who had been in the boxing business for 30 years) that had come up with a solid game plan to help him be victorious. His trainer had told him many times to be patient and stick with the plan. "It will work." He would say. "Just stick to the plan."

Joe's trainer was totally convinced that if Joe listened and "stuck with the plan", he would win and be next in line for a title fight.

On fight night Joe's adrenaline was pumping. He had never felt so confident and prepared for a fight like he did tonight. During the fight, Joe was controlling the tempo and was winning the after the first 5 rounds of the 12 round bout. He had stuck with the game plan and thus far, was doing rather well.

About 1 minute into the 6th round, Joe slightly dropped his hands and took a hard jab that broke his nose. Joe immediately knew his nose was broken and became furious. He fought back with a vengeance and in his fury nearly knocked his opponent down before the end of the round.

Joe won the 6th round.

In between rounds Joe's trainer evaluated the break and told Joe to settle down and stick with the game plan. Basically, the plan was to conserve his energy and not throw more than 25 punches for the first 2 1/2 minutes of each round. The idea was to conserve as much energy as possible up until the last 30 seconds of each round and then get really aggressive. The conservative game plan had worked up to this point, as it was really frustrating his opponent. Joe's opponent was stronger, had more knockout power, and did not fight well against conservative opponents.

Joe's strategy was to stay light on his feet, move around, and limit his punches. The strategy was to wear down his opponent and knock him out in the late rounds.

As the bell rang for round 7, Joe was reminded to stick to the plan. After a few exchanges Joe got caught (rather lightly) in the nose again. It didn't take much force to aggravate his already broken nose as the fresh break was swollen and extremely tender. At that moment Joe decided he had enough. He wasn't going to let his opponent continue to tear his nose up for the next 5 rounds...he was going to end this now.

As Joe hurled a flurry of punches at his opponents head, he could hear a distant voice from his trainer yelling, "Stick to the plan....stick to the plan, Joe!"

Joe blinked his eyes several times and was suddenly startled at the sight of his trainer kneeling beside him only inches away. "You okay, Joe?" The trainer asked.

It was then that Joe realized he had been knocked out. In his fury, he abandoned his strategy and got caught with an uppercut. Joe was knocked out cold before he ever realized what happened.

* * *

We all get advice. Sometimes we ask for it and sometimes we don't. Some advice is good and some...eh...not so good. Then there's advice that we just really need to listen to regardless of what/how we feel. Sweet Joe's story above ties into the Story of the Wise and Foolish Builders in the Gospel of Matthew...

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Matthew 7:24-27

Sweet Joe trained for 5 grueling months and had a solid game plan that should have aloud him to defeat his opponent. Then in the midst of adversity (and thinking he knew better than his trainer), he abandoned the plan and paid the price. He was knocked out and lost a chance to fight for the heavyweight title.

If we are to listen, remain obedient, and put God's word into daily practice then we emulate the wise man that built his house on the rock. Meaning that when the storms of life come (temptation, impatience, selfishness, greed, etc.) we are grounded in the foundation God's word and remain steady. However, if we abandon, get out of practice, or alter our path because we think that we have a better way...then we will soon meet a similar fate to Sweet Joe and the man who built his house on the sand.

There's only one way to salvation... and it's not your way... and it's not my way.... it's God's way.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Nine words

2010-04-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, there are many poor and crippled people on this earth. I think in many instances, we have become so use to seeing beggars/panhandlers that we tend to ignore then. In some situations (mostly in larger cities), there are people who intentionally panhandle for a living. These individuals deliberately seek and take advantage of the good will and charity of others in order to make a living. In fact, there are numerous surveys where (depending on the location) a panhandler can make between $150-$200 a day.

There are many things that have changed over the past 2,000 years, but petitioning the charity of others certainly has not...

and many less fortunate people actually rely on it for their very survival.

* * *

Gospel Story:

One day, (this was after Jesus' ascension) Peter and John were making their way to a temple around prayer time (3p in the afternoon). As they made their way up the temple stairs a crippled man called out to them. He had been a cripple since birth and begging was his only means for paying for a meal. Upon hearing him both Peter and John turned toward the man and Peter instantly said...

"Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and leaping, and praising God.

When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade.

Acts3:3-11

* * *

Try to imagine the absolute joy felt by the man as he stood up for the first time in his life. Imagine the emotion and adrenaline that poured through his body. I'm quite sure that before that day he had accepted his fate. He most likely had come to terms with the fact that he would never walk and would remain a crippled beggar for the remainder of his difficult life.

He was down, but through the power of Jesus Christ he stood up.

For many us we get knocked down on a daily basis. Most of us have the power to stand back up. For God has blessed us with the ability to walk and work in order to take care of ourselves and our families. It's these small things that we take for granted every day. But for this man...his life changed the instant Peter spoke those nine words. "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Acts 3:6

The road in life is riddled with challenges and the walk down the path toward Christ is not easy. Read 1 Peter 4-18

So my question is this...Do we have to wait for a miracle before we go walking and leaping and praising God? Does it always need to be a "what's in it for me" scenario? The answer to that question is simple.

What's in it for us = Eternal Life.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Guardian Angel

2010-04-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

Question:
How is it that we avoid so many close calls in life? I can't even count the number of near miss collisions that I see just driving home on the freeway. How do we keep it together? How do we keep it from falling apart? Today's post might bring to light some answers...

Saint Joesemaria Escriva, founded Opus Dei in Madrid, Spain on October 2, 1928 (which is the Feast of the Guardian Angels). Although he wrote and spoke about many great things as it relates to our daily relationship with God, the focus for today's post is on a true story involving an Angel. Saint Joesemaria Escriva was convinced that God had placed an Angel beside each and every human being to help that person along the road of life.

Here is a true story:

One day during a very intense time of anti-clerical persecution in Madrid, Spain, an assassin made his way toward Monsignor Escriva (intending to kill him) as he walked down the street. As the would be assassin got closer, a very large man (who seemingly came out of no where) instantly placed himself between the assassin and Monsignor Escriva and drove the would be assassin away.

It all happened within the course of a few seconds and was over as quickly as it started. Swiftly, the large man turned, came over to Monsignor Escriva, and whispered into his ear... "Mangy donkey, mangy donkey."

It was the exact phrase that Joesemaria Escriva would recite while praying privately to God and his Guardian Angel. You see, in private, Joesemaria Escriva would pray something along the lines of..."Lord, I am nothing more than a mangy donkey, help me to do your will and glorify your name for I am nothing without you." The expression "mangy donkey" was only confessed in prayer and no human had ever known that he expressed this. Immediately, peace and joy filled his heard as he recognized this intervention was his Guardian Angel.

- - -

Answer:
The Lord watches over His children and has charged His angels to guard us every moment of the day. God loves us more than we can ever comprehend and He has a specific plan for each of us. In the case of Saint Joesemaria Escriva, this point proves that God alone has the final say in every matter on earth and in Heaven. When the devil deceived the heart of the would be assassin, the Lord vetoed the final act. Saint Joesemaria Escriva had much more of God's work to do on this earth and it was not his time.

Even the Saints humble themselves in front of the Lord. If they do this, then certainly we should try to emulate that as well. Mangy donkey, mangy donkey...

10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Psalm 91:10-12 (NIV)

10"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

Matthew 18:10 (NIV)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

"I thirst"

2010-03-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

John 19:28 (KJV)

For six agonizing hours Jesus suffered and carried upon Him the sins of the world as He was crucified. The "thirst" mentioned in John 19:28 was probably much more than a physical thirst, it was spiritual. Because Jesus was covered in our sins, He was separated from the Father and probably felt completely empty inside.

As human beings, we all have felt emptiness in our lives. These feelings can be brought on by disappointment, despair, guilt, loss, uncertainty, etc. Yet, throughout the Bible the Word of God continuously hits on one key point...Love.

God thirsts for our love.

Time and time again we are given chance after chance to redeem ourselves and ask for forgiveness. If God were not a loving and forgiving God then none of us would stand a chance at gaining eternal life.

It's easy to validate this statement because the most well known verse in the Bible proves it.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 (KJV)

This point is also echoed in the words that Jesus spoke to St. Margaret Mary Alocoque when He said to her..."I so ardently thirst to be loved by men in the Most Blessed Sacrament that this thirst devours me..."

Do you thirst for Christ? Are you empty inside, do you feel alone, unmotivated or maybe just a little afraid of what's next in your life?

Then take a moment to quench your thirst by reaching out to Jesus.

If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

John 7:37 (KJV)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Drawing Heaven

2010-03-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Watch and listen to the amazing story behind this young girl as she obtains her painting inspiration from God.

If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:11

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The time is now

2010-03-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

Quick memory test...

Try to recall how often (just this week) you decided to put something off. Perhaps it was going to the store, cleaning the house or something else that was on your "to do list." It doesn't matter if it was a big deal or not, just think about it for a moment.

In most cases we start off with very good in intentions. Then somehow along the way we end up talking ourselves out of doing what we had originally planned to do. Often the excuses we have are legitimate...and yet some times they are not.

If we look inside the 8th chapter in the Book of Matthew we will find a similar situation.

Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."

Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Matthew 8:19-22 (NIV)

In this scenario, it's very likely that the man's father was not dead. It's most likely that he was old or even sick and the man wished to go home and wait for his father to die, and then he would follow Jesus.

Jesus' answer was a little tricky, but the message He was delivering was that we should never make excuses when it comes to following him. The time is now and there is no better time than the present.

Just keep this in mind the next time you have a little free time in the morning, afternoon or evening. Do you watch TV, get on the computer, pick up your Bible, etc. It's really easy to say "I can do it later."

Remember - On His way to the cross Jesus never paused, never said, "Ah, I can do it later." He had a job to do and He did it.

As followers of Christ we have a job to do as well and that includes interacting with God on a daily basis.

The time is now.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Obedience and Consequence

2010-03-11T19:13:00.000-08:00

If you were to go to the doctor and he were to tell you that you had high cholesterol and that you had to change your diet or risk a heart attack, chances are you would follow his advise. The consequences would just be too great to ignore.

If you were driving down the road and noticed flashing blue lights in your rear view mirror you would probably pull over without giving it a second thought. The consequences of not doing so would be too great to ignore.

If you were at work and your boss gave you a due date to complete an assignment, chances are you would complete the assignment by the date requested. The consequences would be too great to ignore

* * *

During Jesus' first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana, His mother, Mary, set a very early example for us to follow….to do whatever Jesus tells us to do.

Once the wine was completely gone, Mary told the servants…

"Do whatever He tells you."
John 2:5

It was a very simple request.

This one little statement of faith showed us the love and dedication Mary had for Jesus. Mary knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus would do something special even though He had not performed a single public miracle up to that point.

Mary’s simple request still holds true today. "Do whatever He tells you."

Since we should be fully obedient to God and obey every one of His commands, then basically we should “do whatever He tells us to do”. Therefore, by reading the Bible we know exactly how God desires us to act and treat others. The Bible is The Word of God and it provides us with His unquestionable laws for mankind.

Of course, out of convenience, there are many decrees in the Bible that people would rather ignore. Some of the scriptures can be down right disturbing or even unsettling. However, no amount of denial on our part will make the reality of God’s Word disappear. We do not get to pick or choose the convenient parts of the Bible that we want to follow. Whether we like it or not, the truth is exists on each and every page. We certainly may have several favorite passages, but that does not provide us with the luxury of ignoring the rest of the truth.

* * *

If you were to pick up your Bible and read God’s Word, chances are you would follow His commands for the rest of your life. The consequences would just be too great to ignore.

"At the end, forever, you and I will either be in Heaven or Hell. Period."
-Father John Corapi

This post was inspired by a message delivered by Father John Corapi.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

I can't get no Satisfaction

2010-02-21T14:54:00.000-08:00

Jeremy was an extremely smart young man. He was born with exceptional intelligence and the personal drive to go along with it. Once Jeremy finished college and was in the work force, he began to realize that he could use his intelligence to his advantage. Jeremy was so driven to be successful, that it really never bothered him if he hurt anyone on the way to his next promotion.

On his journey to the top, Jeremy said and did just about anything in order for a situation to look favorable for him. Failure was not an option for Jeremy. He was not willing to learn from his mistakes, because in his mind he had none. It was always that everyone else was too stupid to understand his point and therefore they needed to be fired. Finally, after fifteen years of stepping over (not around) anyone in his path, he became the CEO of a mid-size financial company.

Jeremy deceived and lied to many people. Some of his deception was harmless, yet some would be considered mind-boggling to anyone with a fraction of any ethical standard. None the less, Jeremy's drive, willingness to do/say anything and his intellect, eventually got him to the top.

Every night Jeremy would come home and tell his wife a story about how he had manipulated a certain situation in his favor and that everyone was too stupid to realize how he had "played them". He might not always had put it in those exact terms, but he would angle the story to his benefit. Heck, he even had his own wife fooled.

Even though he had stepped over many people to become CEO, he had done it so cleverly and so insidious that few people (who were still in the company) had ever caught on. Jeremy's mistake was that he loved himself and his ambitions above everything else. He had always thirsted for more. Sadly, he died of a heart attack at the age of 57 after walking out of a business meeting. At his funeral one of his colleagues said this...

"I remember Jeremy as a shiny red corvette. Yeah, he was like a fast car that never slowed down. He never took his eyes off the speedometer. Because if he had, if he had looked up, he would have seen the many road signs warning him to SLOW DOWN, STOP or YIELD. But that wasn't in his nature. Because when Jeremy put his eye on the prize, he went after it with every ounce of his being. And I don't think that he ever had a chance to sit back and enjoy everything that he had...everything that he was given."

* * *

Let's be clear about one thing in this story. God is the sole provider of everything that we have. Our home, car, job, money, stature, health, relationships - everything. Out of love, these things are given to us because He wants us to find joy and in turn glorify Him for these wonderful gifts.

However, Jeremy loved himself more than anyone or anything. He loved the feeling of success. He loved being on top of the world and yet he was never satisfied and was always on the lookout for his next conquest. And at the age of 57 his world came to a sudden halt.

Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
This too is meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NIV)

We can learn a valuable lesson from Jeremy. We too should never be satisfied. We should never be satisfied in our relationship with God. We should never be satisfied with how much we give back to Him. We should never be satisfied with the amount of love or compassion that we show our family or friends. All of us have daily struggles with temptations and many times we may not even realize that we're in the Devil's cross hairs...but rest assured we are.

Don't give the Enemy the satisfaction of pulling us away from our daily duties to glorify God. And before we rest our heads on that pillow tonight, let's give ourselves the satisfaction of knowing that we did everything we possibly could to please God today.

And finally, I am satisfied with this post and will close it here. :)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

When the game is on the line

2010-02-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

There is a common sports analogy that goes something like this…

“Big players,
make big plays,
in big games.”

Essentially, this means that great players step up when the game is on the line and somehow (presumably through their skill or athleticism) turn the game into their teams’ favor.

Translating this into Christianity…

For many of us, when we tend to think about Jesus the first thing that comes to mind is His death on the cross. But what about all those other times that He stepped up and came through? As a matter of fact, can you think of a time when Jesus did not “make a big play?”

*Every time someone was sick or impaired…He showed compassion and healed them.

*Every time someone attempted to trick Him..He got the better of them and they left Him alone.

*Every time His flock was hungry...He fed them.

*Every time He was asked to dispel a demon…He removed it in the name of Almighty God.

*Every time He told a parable…it was done in order to help us understand.

*Every time He spoke…people listened.

*Every time He prayed…God heard him.

*Every time someone doubted Him…He proved them wrong.

*Every time we sin against Him…He has the power to absolve us.

Over 2,000 years ago, when “the game” was on the line, Jesus stepped up and made a “big play”. He sacrificed Himself for all of us. He suffered, was crucified and died so that our sins would be forgiven.

“Big players,
make big plays,
in big games.”

No one has ever had more responsibility placed on their shoulders than Jesus Christ did when He walked the earth. Once he gathered His apostles, He showed up every single day to teach the word of God and to turn sinners toward the path of righteousness.

Jesus gave us 100% then, and He gives us 100% now.

Can we say the same?

For us, it's a much more serious matter than winning or losing a game. It's a matter of eternal life or eternal suffering.

Think about it.

God bless you. And this if for His Glory!

Tough Love

2010-01-28T19:37:00.000-08:00

Many years ago there was a woman who was extremely distraught over her sons behavior. Eventually, she went to visit her priest to ask him if he would talk to her son. The priest agreed and met her son a week later. During the meeting the young man (let's call him Robbie) was the most obnoxious, rude, disrespectful, and arrogant person the priest had ever met.

The priest absolutely could not get through to him at all. Eventually, Robbie got up to leave and right before he got to the door the priest said, "Do you mind if I pray for you?" Robbie turned around, gave a shrug and said, "Yeah, whatever."

The priest then said..."I'm going to pray that God takes you by the throat, lifts you up and crushes you for your sins." Robbie hesitated for a second, mumbled a few words and then left.

About one week later Robbie was in a terrible car accident and was basically placed a full body cast in the hospital. The priest walked into his room, saw the boy laying in bed and grinned widely. The boy did not smile back. Every day or two the priest returned to visit and it took Robbie several months to get through his rehab. The injuries were serious, but they were not physically life altering.

During numerous visits and watching Robbie go through countless rehab sessions, the priest noticed that Robbie's spirit had changed. The boy had evolved into one of the humblest individuals that the priest had ever known. Robbie's near death experience had changed his entire outlook on life and he became close to Jesus.

* * *

I want to go back to a point in the story where the priest said..."I'm going to pray that God takes you by the throat, lifts you up and crushes you for your sins."

After that first meeting the priest did pray for Robbie. He prayed that the Lord humble the boy in order to bring him closer to Jesus.

It's only through trials and tribulations that we find ourselves seeking and moving closer to God. God gives us these burdens to bear because He loves us. Trials, tribulations and hardships are invisible blessings from above and it's in these times that we draw closer to God and really find out how dependent we are upon him.

* * *

The story above is TRUE and I believe there are at least three points that standout:

1) It's okay to pray that God humble someone who has grossly strayed off the path. God will decide the appropriate action to take...we don't need to be specific. But, this should only be done out of love, not out of malicious intent.

2) The cross that we bare in life can be heavy at times, but God will never give us more than we can handle. He does this to remind us that we need Him more than anything else in the world.

3) Sometimes we just need a good kick in the (you know where) as a wake up call to remind us why were are here.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

1Peter5:6

God bless you. And this if for His Glory!

Your Favorite Sin

2010-01-12T17:46:00.000-08:00

The beginning a new year is always a good time to reflect upon all the blessings that we had over the past year and to look forward to what's to come. Most of us find ourselves making a new year resolution. This typically leads to giving up something for the betterment of our physical, mental or spiritual health.

If you are contemplating the idea of a "resolution", then consider your favorite sin. Everyone has one. It's that one sin that we keep repeating over and over again. It's that one sin that if we were to go to confession or ask for forgiveness on a weekly basis, it would be on our list every single time.

Of course, I'm being facetious when I say "Favorite Sin". It's more like least favorite (being the repeat offender that it is). Mine is selfishness...and I struggle with it daily.

So, I challenge you to work from "the top down" to reduce and eventually eliminate your favorite sin this year. Put it in your cross hairs, make it a priority and by God's grace all the other loose ends in your life will start to fall into place as well.

¹⁵ This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. ¹⁶ But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.

1 Timothy 15-16

Happy New Year.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Put down that stone

2009-12-15T20:02:00.000-08:00

We've all made mistakes and have done things that we end up regretting. It's not as important as to what specifically the mistake was (because we can't undo it), it's more about how we bounce back after we acknowledge the mistake and ask for forgiveness. Essentially, it's understanding how to apply the principle of "Lessons Learned" in order to not become a repeat offender.

True Story:
Several years ago a woman was driving in her car. Without warning her windshield exploded and something very hard hit her square in the face. The woman (I'll call her Deb), ended up undergoing facial reconstruction surgery. Deb was hit by a frozen turkey that was thrown from the rear window of a speeding car by a teenage college student out for a joyride with friends.

The teenager was indicted on a first-degree assault charge and could have faced up to 25 years in prison. And then Deb stepped in. She saw the young man for the first time coming out of the courtroom. He stopped, choking and crying as he tried to apologize to her.

For an intensely emotional few minutes, Deb embraced him tightly, stroked his face and patted his back as he sobbed uncontrollably. The young man kept saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," the woman he could have killed repeated, "It's OK. It's OK. I just want you to make your life the best it can be."

Then, at Deb's insistence, prosecutors agreed to a plea bargain for the young man, giving him six months in jail and five years' probation instead of 25 years in prison. One man later said that in his 30 years as a prosecutor "he had not seen such a forgiving victim."

* * *

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ²At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" ⁶They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." ⁸Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

¹¹"No one, sir," she said.

"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

John 8:1-11

Final Thoughts:

Many times in life we instinctively pick up that stone in preparation to declare judgment on another persons actions. One thing we must remember is that God wants us to soften our hearts and provide love and encouragement to one another. We are blessed that our Lord allows us to redeem ourselves and is a God of second chances.

There is not a righteous man on earth
who does what is right and never sins.

Ecclesiastes 7:20

So the next time someone makes a mistake...instead of pointing a finger at them, offer them guidance and support out of compassion for their mistake. Because one day we all will stand before the final judge and will be held accountable for all of our actions.

God bless you. And this if for His Glory!

Out of the Blue

2009-12-06T19:18:00.000-08:00

A young women was working her way through college as a waitress (I'll call her Sally). Sally was hard working, dependable, always on time for her shift, and would even help out with other duties such as the register and hostessing when the restaurant was short staffed. One day, at the end of her shift, she was approached by the owner of the restaurant. The owner was a very savvy businessman and had about five additional restaurant chains across the state. The owner was well aware of Sally's work ethic and that she had been using her job as a waitress to help pay her way through college. Out of the blue the owner said that he was opening up a new restaurant a few miles down the road and wanted Sally to be the General Manager.

At first Sally thought it was a bad joke. But the look in his eyes told her that he was far from joking. They talked for another ten minutes and Sally was able to get most of her questions answered. Sally was very scared...it was a big step for her. The reality was that she was a waitress and she wondered if she really even had what it takes to run a restaurant?

In the end, Sally accepted the position and went on to run a very successful establishment.

* * *

Sally's story is very similar to when God sent the Angel Gabriel to Nazareth. God had chosen Mary to carry and give birth to His only son, Jesus. He picked Mary out of all the other women in the world. When Mary heard this message she was both frightened and uncertain how to respond.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Luke1:28-33

Of course, we all know that Mary accepted God's chosen path for her. It would have been very normal for her to feel great joy and fear at this sudden "out of the blue" encounter with an angel.

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Luke1:38

We can only imagine what was going through Mary's head after Gabriel told her the good news. One thing is for certain...Mary was and is favored by God. It really cannot be argued that Mary is the most important female character not only the Bible, but in the history of the world.

The importance of Mary cannot go unnoticed and to this day this is exactly why many people pray the Rosary. The purpose behind the Rosary prayer is to ask the Holy Mother to pray for us. It's always a blessing to have someone pray for us and even better if that person is Mary!

Mary has God's ear and by saying the Rosary we ask her to keep us in her prayers. My challenge is for you to say the Rosary prayer at least once this week.

Final thought:

The next time you receive some news that frightens you - remember that God has a specific plan for all of us. Stay gracious, humble, and accepting of Him and you will continue to find favor in His eyes.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Knowing how it's going to end

2009-12-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

I see many interesting things on my drive to work. This morning I saw a van with a vanity license plate. The plate read "DTH N TAX" which is eluding to the Death and Taxes quote by Benjamin Franklin which goes...

"but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."

Mr. Franklin got two-thirds of it right. The part that's missing, of course, is Jesus. There is nothing more certain in life than Jesus. He is our guide, our protector, our conscience, our inspiration, and our comfort. That much I'm certain.

When it comes to "Certainty" the entire Book of Revelation is based on certain events that will transpire before, during, and after the final coming of Christ. Since Revelation details these event for us the only unanswered question is when...

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
-Mark 13:32-33

Continuing on with this thought let's say someone records (DVR, Tivo, etc.) a sports game from their television. Before they get to watch the game, they hear who wins. So, the final outcome is already known and whether they choose to watch the game is up to them.

We have an advantage that we know for absolute certainty that Christ will come again. Our DVR is the Bible. It's God's pre-recorded message to us. It gives us the knowledge to follow the path to righteousness. We know how the story is going to end...whether or not we continue to educate ourselves with God's word is up us. But one thing is for certain...Jesus is the only way.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
-John 14:6

This post was inspired by my best friend who always says, "Jesus is the only way."

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

I Have Everything

2009-11-24T10:59:00.000-08:00

The following is by Dr. David Jeremiah:

Erma Bombeck once wrote about the subject of thankfulness, saying that when she forgot to be thankful among cancer survivors, she would hear the voice of a particular eight-year-old named Christina, who had cancer of the nervous system. When Christina was asked what she wanted for her birthday, she thought for a moment and then responded by saying "I don't know. I have two sticker books and a Cabbage Patch doll. I have everything!"

Sometimes a momentary thought about someone other than ourselves is all it takes to remind us to be thankful for what we have and who we are. In the same way, when we turn our attention away from ourselves and upward, toward the Giver of all life, the many blessings He has poured out on us come rushing back and overwhelm us with thanksgiving.

If we find ourselves complaining about our situation or longing for a better life, we need to take a few moments to worship God and allow His goodness to wash over us until we are consumed with gratitude.

The optimist says, the cup is half full. The pessimist says, the cup is half empty. The child of God says, my cup runneth over.
-Anonymous

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Fear of God

2009-11-15T19:30:00.000-08:00

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge
Proverbs 1:7

Some redefine the fear of God for believers to “respecting” Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews 12:6), it is still a fearful thing. As children, the fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some evil actions. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in such a way that pleases Him.

Believers are not to be scared of God. We have no reason to be scared of Him. We have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshiping Him in awe.
-Excerpt from gotquestions.org

By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.
Proverbs 16:6

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Procrastination

2009-11-13T19:53:00.000-08:00

When Jan and Barb moved in together, they decided to set up a joint bank account where they both deposited money to pay rent and utilities. One month, Jan ran short of money and wrote a check from their bill-paying account. She planned to replace the money several days later when she got paid.

Jan intended to tell Barb about this, but she knew Barb would not be pleased. So Jan wanted to wait for the best time to break it to Barb. The first day seemed no good because Barb had a really rough day at work and she was already irritated. The second day seemed no better because they only saw each other for a few minutes while Barb was getting ready to go out on a date. By the third day, Jan had put it off for so many days that she sank into her comfortable TV-watching spot after work and forgot to mention it.

So, Barb wrote out a check to pay a utility bill without realizing there weren’t enough funds to cover it. The check bounced, and it cost them additional fees to clear up the bounced transaction.

* * *

In the Book of Exodus, Rameses (the Pharaoh of Egypt) futilely attempts to keep the Israelites as slaves after Moses continued to warn him that God's will was for His people to be released. Because of Pharoah's hardened heart, it took God (working through Moses) 10 plagues to finally convince Pharaoh to free the Isrealites. The 10th plague was the death of every first born son (also known as the Passover). The Israelites were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a lamb and upon seeing this, the Spirit of the Lord would pass over their home. Hence the term Passover.

Essentially, Rameses procrastinated in his decision to allow the Isrealites to leave. In doing so the Egyptians paid a terrible price and it took the death of his first born son (and heir) to finally convince him.

Although the Bible doesn't mention the word procrastination, it does make mention of the fact to not delay in such things as reconciling with others. Matthew 5:23-25 Sometimes, procrastination is a form of laziness and the Bible has much to say about that as well. Proverbs 15:19; 18:9

Dictionary.com defines procrastination as:

1.To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.

2.To postpone or delay needlessly.

Opportunities that we have today, may not be there tomorrow. Let's try to remember to make the most out of each day.

13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
James 4:13-14

I'll close this out by sharing message that I saw on a bumper sticker the other day...

"Those that seek God at the 11th hour end up dying at 10:30."

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.

Serving Others

2009-11-05T18:06:00.000-08:00

Little Jimmy had lived on the streets since he was 8 years old and today was his 10th birthday. But, to Jimmy, that didn't really matter much at all. The only thing that mattered to him was that the local food bank would be opening it's doors at 6pm sharp. Jimmy looked forward to Thursday evenings because each week he was able to go down and get a nice hot meal for free.

Jimmy arrived at the food bank around 5pm and there was already a line of about 30 other homeless people. During his weekly visits to the food bank, Jimmy had met a wonderful older lady named Teresa. Teresa was in her 70's and came down every Thursday evening to help pass out food. She always smiled and hugged Jimmy when he came in. On most occasions Jimmy came more to see Teresa than he did for the meal itself. She was like a grandmother to him. She was always so kind and would often bring him a blanket, box of crackers, or a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper, which was Jimmy's favorite!

Finally, the doors opened and Jimmy was pushed inside by the crowd behind him. Like a herd of cattle they lined up and received their hot plates of food. But one thing was missing...tonight Teresa was no where to be found. It was then that Jimmy felt an arm touch his shoulder. Smiling, he whirled around thinking it was Teresa. Another familiar older lady named Beatrice bent down to Jimmy's height and struggled with a smile. "I'm sorry Jimmy." The women said, as wetness began to swirl up in her foggy eyes. "Teresa won't be coming here any longer. God called her home last night." Jimmy unconsciously dropped his plate. It was the only hot meal he would have for another week. He cried bitterly for the rest of that night.

* * *

Many years later Jimmy sat behind a polished wooden desk. Numerous certificates and accolades hung from his wall proving he was a well educated man. He was now the Executive Vice President of a large Fortune 200 Technology company. Jimmy or "Big Jim" as he was called across the enterprise, was known for getting teams to deliver on schedule regardless of how bad the situation was. Basically, he came in and "corrected" projects that were at risk of not meeting customer deadlines.

Today, he was getting ready to speak with one of his company's project managers. This particular young lady had been with the company for less than a year. More importantly, this particular software project she was managing was over budget, behind schedule, and the customer was very close to pulling the plug.

Big Jim was getting himself pumped up to put this lady in her place. His plan was to bombard her with several questions that she could not answer and then degrade every decision she had made on the project. Finally, he was going to fire her and take over the project himself. He had done it many times before and this time was going to be no different.

Big Jim motioned for the woman to come into his office. She sat down and smiled. Unlike many of the other times he'd done this, Big Jim noticed something strangely different in that smile that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"I'm Teresa, Teresa Myers, she said, extending her hand." Big Jim wasn't accustomed to his "victims" talking first and for the first time in many years he was caught a little off guard. Without even realizing what he was saying, he responded, "I'm Jimmy, errr I mean Jim. Call me Jim." He stated, trying to compose himself and remain in "Executive mode".

"Oh." Teresa replied with a smile. "My grandfathers name was Jimmy and I'm actually named after my grandmother." Jim tried to act interested and nodded as he took a drink of the Dr. Pepper can on his desk. "And wouldn't you know", she continued, pointing at his drink. "Dr. Pepper was her favorite drink also. She use to take 6 packs down the food bank every Thursday and give them to the orphans."

Instantly, Jim's body went numb. He slowly lowered the can (which now was shaking in his hand) and leaned forward. It took him several seconds to speak and Teresa patiently sat through the silence as he brought back a buried memory. When Jim finally composed himself, he looked Teresa square in the eye and said, "Let's see how the two of us can get this project back on track."

In this story, Big Jim is reminded of the kindness that the old woman (Teresa) gave to him each time he visited the local food bank. She didn't have to show him the kindness that she did, but without even knowing it she changed a young orphans life. After her death, it was then that Little Jimmy no longer had a desire to go to the food bank. Losing Teresa actually motivated him to get off the streets and make a better life for himself. Once Jim realized that he was speaking to Teresa's granddaughter, his heart was immediately flooded with compassion and he decided to help (and not fire) this young project manager.

If we look at Mark 10:35-45 James and John boldly ask Jesus to allow one of them to sit at His right hand and the other on His left in Heaven. Jesus clears up the "I want to be the greatest" attitude by saying...

whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Mark 10:43-45

The Lesson:

The word "ministry" in the New Testament translates to mean "servanthood in the service of love". We might often find more joy in ministering to the needs of others rather than to our own. It may not be an immediate satisfaction, but you can be certain it will be felt by the person(s) on the receiving end.

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:10

Ultimately, it would be very difficult to imagine a world without people like Teresa in it. Those who volunteer their time for the needs of the poor are favored in God's eyes. If the Lord Jesus Christ came to serve others, then what should our role be towards one other?

In the end, Jim learned that we all become great in God's eyes when we help other people become greater than ourselves.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Innocence of a Child

2009-11-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

A small child walked daily to and from school. Though the weather one morning was questionable and clouds were forming, this child made the daily trek to the elementary school. As the day progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning. The mother was worried that her child would be frightened walking back home from school, and she herself feared the electrical storm might harm her child.

Following the roar of the thunder, lightning would cut through the sky like a flaming sword. Being concerned, the mother got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school. Soon she saw her small child walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up and smile. One followed another, each time her child stopping, looking at the streak of light and smiling. Finally, the mother called and asked, "What are you doing?" Her child answered, "God keeps taking pictures of me."

* * *

The innocence of a child is heartwarming and so very enjoyable to be around. However, it's not long before they grow up, have their own views, and become responsible for their own actions. But, before this ever happens, a child starts off life totally dependent upon his/her parent(s). This dependency is not just during a time of convenience, it's a constant dependency that lasts for many years. Children have a very pure and unfiltered way of looking at the world. They are free from malice, do not hold grudges, do not desire authority or riches, do not lust, are teachable, and provide unconditional love. But again, they are 100% dependent upon their parents.

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matt 18:3

When Jesus spoke about this, His message was focused on teaching His children about how we should act if we want a chance to enter into His Kingdom. The message focuses on two key points:

1) Our hearts and minds must change like those of a child. Not in a childish sense, but in the sense of being free from hate, envy, malice, seduction, greed, and all evil desires.

2) Being totally dependent upon God and trusting Him as a child unconditionally trusts his/her parents.

3) Humbling ourselves and removing pride from our hearts

These three acts of obedience will not only change your own outlook on life, they will also change those who are influenced by you. Don't be surprised when you start to see more blessings being unexpectedly handed your way.

For the full reading click the link:
Matt 18:1-9

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Favorite Versus Part 2

2009-11-01T07:47:00.000-08:00

I found each of these passages to have a very similar 'core' message on how we should be living. Just click the passage below and it will take you to it. Enjoy!

Doing What is Good
Titus 3:1-11

Rules for Holy Living
Col 3:1-17

Do with all your heart
Col 3:23-25

The Parable of the Sower
Luke 8:1-15

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Pain versus Pleasure

2009-10-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

World renown motivational speaker Anthony "Tony" Robbins often talks about a Pain versus Pleasure principle that seems to be ingrained in each and everyone of us. Basically, it goes like this...

If we ask ourselves the question "Why do we do the things we do?", it seems complicated, but actually, it has a very simple answer. The answer is to either avoid pain or gain pleasure. Think about this for a minute.

For example - If the only way that I can go to the gym and workout would be to get up at 4am versus 6am, then the question I will ask myself is "Is it worth it?" But, what I'm really determining is whether or not the pain of getting up two hours earlier is worth the pleasure of working out. Not only that, but do I want to do this on a consistent basis?

If the pain is greater than the pleasure, then I will stay in bed. If the pleasure of working out is greater, then I will force myself to get up. It's really that simple.

The same can hold true in terms of eating. For example, will I get more pleasure from eating a candy bar or a carrot...or would I rather just eat nothing at all?

The Bible talks about how Pain and Pleasure keep us from entering through the narrow gate. Many times this comes into play when people start going outside of the status quo and talking more openly about Jesus. There are many Christians "in this boat" (I should know, I use to be one of them) that don't like talking about Christ and either get embarrassed, angry, or turned off. ²⁰The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
Mathew 13:20-21

To elaborate, this verse from Matthew is basically pointing out that many hear the Word, but then tribulation, persecution, isolation, etc. occur on account of the Word and they fall away. This is where the pain versus pleasure principle kicks in. Because we are either thinking short term and trying to please men. Or we are thinking long term - standing firm and carrying forward with God's Word.²⁸Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28

Sometimes we may think that people are driven away from God by pain. I'd argue that more people are lured away by pleasures. Earthly pleasures are very unlikely to push people closer to God. When things are going well, we tend to forget who is pulling the strings and even when things are not going so well, we often lose faith and may not try as hard as we should to rectify our situation through prayer.

There are always going to be perils in life. The temptation to receive praise or acceptance from others will remain a constant challenge. Especially if it means that you have to take sides. It's only through faith and prayer that courage is granted and perseverance will win.³³But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
Matt10:33

In my humble opinion, a little bit of pain now is worth an eternity's worth of pleasure. What do you think?

God bless you. And this is for His Glory

The Tenth Percentile

2009-10-27T05:56:00.001-07:00

Parents know that kids will say anything in order to get what they want. One example of an age old promise is when a child asks to get a dog for a pet. The child makes promises to walk the dog, clean up after it, feed it, let it sleep in their bed, etc. But we all know that when it comes down to it that the parents end up taking care of the dog. But that's okay...they're just kids.

Even as adults we think that we need certain things and even promise ourselves that if were to get it, that we would be grateful. Another example of this is when someone decides to buy a treadmill. Treadmills are bought with the best of intentions, but they usually end up turning into a coat rack within a few weeks. This is typical human behavior that we all experience. We yearn for something and once we get it, the elegance of it seems to quickly diminish. Either that, or we convince ourselves that it was never that great to begin with.

Let's take a look at a similar example of this from the Book of Luke.

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosymet him. They stood at a distance ¹³and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

¹⁴When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" ¹⁹Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well.
Luke 17:11-19

Isn't it amazing how quickly the lepers forget about Jesus and went about their merry way?

All except for one. That's one out of ten. Only one returned to Jesus to thank Him. To put salt on the wound and make it worse, this was a Samaritan, a foreigner, whom at that time was looked down upon by the people around Jerusalem.

So, the next time that you really yearn for something and end up getting it...will you fall into the tenth percentile?

God bless you. And this if for His Glory.

Unanswered Prayers

2009-10-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

A man got off work really late one Thursday evening. He had tried everything that he could to get off earlier because halfway across the country, his son was playing in a Thursday night college football game that was being televised on ESPN and he didn't want to miss it. On top of already being late it had been storming outside with rain, thunder, and lightning over the past several hours. The drive home was slow and not only did he have to be cautious driving in the current conditions, he also had to navigate around the other drivers. As he was driving, he said a prayer to God. He asked God to allow him to get home in time to watch his son on television. The storm continued to rage as waves upon waves of lightning flashed nearby.

Finally, after a drive that normally takes him twenty minutes, he arrived at home after an hour commute. He arrived just in time to see a group of his neighbors standing with umbrellas in his driveway. They were pointing and looking at the second floor of his house. The man froze as he stepped out of his car and understood what had happened. A very large tree had been struck by lightning and had fallen onto his house. The tree had fallen directly over his living room where the man would have been sitting watching the game. The tree had caved in half the roof and knocked the top floor down into the living room area. It was easy to see that if anyone had been sitting in the living room they could not have survived.

The story above has similarities to when Jesus predicted His death to his disciples. Jesus told them that He would suffer, die, and rise from the dead. Peter was not able to accept those remarks and took Jesus aside and rebuked him. Peter was in denial and had no idea about God's master plan.

He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Mark8:31-33

If Peter ended up having it his way, Jesus would have never died for our sins.

We all wish and pray for things that don't come to fruition. We must trust in God's plan and have faith that He will see us through difficult times. Forcing or going against God's plan only seems to worsen the situation. Have patience and accept the situation you are in with thankfulness and reassurance that there is a greater lesson to be learned.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Unforeseen Opportunities

2009-10-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been asked or told to keep a secret? I think it's safe to say that we've all been in a situation like this at one point or another. What if it was something that you knew to be true, but you were told not to say anything to anyone else about it? This happens to kids in school all the time. Perhaps they witness a bully picking on another kid. Or notice a theft or some other wrong behavior, yet they keep quiet. Typically, the secret is kept out of personal fear for retribution...fear surrounding what could happen if the secret gets out. Consider the situation with the guards who guarded the tomb of Christ in Matthew 28:11-15. To add more context to this, let's first jump back to the event leading up to this in Matthew 28:1-10.

The Resurrection

¹After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

²There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

⁸So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

The Guards' Report

¹¹While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹²When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, ¹³telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' ¹⁴If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." ¹⁵So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Can you imagine what must have been going through the minds of the guards? They personally witnessed at least one angel appear before them (for there were two, but it is unclear if the second spoke or was even seen by anyone other than Mary Magdalene at that particular time). Later, they ran back to chief priests and elders to report what they had seen. Then they were either bribed or likely even threatened not to tell anyone. Basically they were told to lie. So the guards accepted the bribe and went away. What happened to those particular guards after the resurrection is unknown. Perhaps they turned into believers and became followers of Christ. Or perhaps they just tried to forget that it had ever happened. Either way, they witnessed and heard the voice of God's angel.

In the end, this is a story about opportunity. It's obvious that the Roman guards were not expecting to have an angel appear before them. But, they had an opportunity as direct witnesses to change the beliefs of their family and friends. What would we do if we were placed in that same situation? Would we have kept quiet or spoke out? If they had kept silent as they were ordered, I wonder if they were able to sleep at night?

The point is that we never know when we'll have an opportunity to speak on Christ's behalf. Normally, opportunities are not foreseen in advance and one might suddenly present itself at a very unique or uncomfortable time. This is why we need to be ready to speak on behalf of Jesus at a moments notice. We never know when an opportunity will present itself. So speak up! Because else someone might just need to hear what you have to say. Follow Peter's advice as a guideline as the Holy Spirit speaks through him in the following verses.

¹⁵But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. ¹⁷It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. ¹⁸For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit

1 Peter 3:15-18

Appearances of Christ after the resurrection:

1. Mary --- John 20:10–18

2. Mary and women --- Matthew 28:1–10

3. Peter --- 1 Corinthians 15:5

4. Two disciples --- Luke 24:13–35

5. Ten apostles --- Luke 24:36–49; John 20:19–23

6. Eleven apostles --- John 20:24–31

7. Seven apostles --- John 21

8. All apostles --- Matthew 28:16–20; Mark 16:14–18

9. 500 brethren --- 1 Corinthians 15:6

10. James --- 1 Corinthians 15:7

11. All apostles --- Acts 1:4–8

12. Paul --- Acts 9:1–9; 1 Corinthians 15:8

You yourself must first believe, before you can convince others. So if you decide to speak on Christ's behalf - do so with passion. Don't sell yourself short by missing out on what was an unforeseen opportunity.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Journey

2009-10-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

The record of the oldest person in the world to receive a college diploma is Nola Ochs. She received her Bachelor's degree in general studies and history from the Fort Hays State University, which is in the state of Kansas. It was a wonderful moment when the Governor Kathleen Sebelius awarded the degree to Nola Ochs and the crowd of 2176 graduates broke into a standing ovation at her achievement, which included Nola Ochs' own granddaughter Alexandra Ochs (the 21 year old graduated with her) . The ovation was actually against the rule as according to the rule no one would applaud or create any sort of mayhem in the graduation hall until the entire class was awarded the degrees. Nola Ochs was 95 years old when she received her Bachelor's degree on May 14th 2007. But that does not seem to be the end of her educational career. If things go right, she is even planning to pursue a Master's degree.

We've all had something that was really important for us to complete. Can you remember the last time that you wanted to achieve something and put everything you had into it? It might have been studying for a degree, training for a marathon, working toward a promotion, building something by hand, etc.

Whatever it might have been - you put everything you had into it. Perhaps it even consumed your daily thoughts and you even scheduled activities around it.

Yeah, we've all been there at least once.

That's the journey...and the journey is the part that we remember the most. Because once we achieve our goal (the destination), we feel relieved and proud of our accomplishment. Ultimately, it's the journey that molds us into the person that we needed to be in order to achieve our goal.

Think about how this translates in our relationship with Jesus. What if we put everything we had into following and obeying His word? How do you think you would change as a person? If we are going to be consumed with something, let's get consumed with the Holy Spirit. It's only then that we start to appreciate the challenges and difficulty of our journey. Then the Lord will reward us when we reach our final destination.

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life^"will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
Mark 8:34-36

Each person has their own unique journey through life and not all of us are blessed with longevity. So, the question is...are we doing the things that we need to do now, in order to reach our final destination?

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

God is our Catcher

2009-10-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

Picture yourself as a baseball player.

But you are not just ANY baseball player, you are a pitcher! It's your job to stand tall on the mound, throw strikes, and get opposing batters out. Being a pitcher, you are proud, because you have a superior arm and are always the center of attention. However, in order for you to be successful you must have excellent non-verbal communication with your catcher. The catchers responsibility is to give you a signal, (telling you what type of pitch to throw) then once he catches the ball, he'll throw it back to you. Being the proud pitcher that you are, sometimes you listen or agree with the signal your catcher gives you and sometimes you disagree and "shake him off", because you want throw an entirely different pitch.

Let's stop here for a minute...I'm going to pick this back up again, but want to briefly change gears for a moment...

How many times have worries kept you up at night?

We all experience stress in our lives and sometimes the daily struggle of life can take a toll on our bodies - spiritually, mentally, and physically. We might worry about a thousand-and-one different things ranging from...money, relationships, career, being late, children, weather, food, illness, etc. and we all handle these situations differently.

I get told by my wife all the time that I'm too laid back. She's right, I am laid back. But, I also try not to get worked up over things that might be outside of my immediate control. Worrying about something does not make the current situation any easier. In fact, it makes it more difficult because now your body is attempting to compensate for the added stress, along with trying to think through the particular problem.

In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus speaks to a gathering and tells them they should not be concerned with their daily needs. He is basically telling them that worry and anxiety are fruitless emotions that cause more harm than good. He also tells them that worrying will not extend their life, so why bother?

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life
Matt 6:27

When you have worries, pray to God and allow Him to deal with your worries in His own way. Transfer your worries to Him. God wants us to be dependent on Him. Remember - we are His children and He is our Father.

Now back to the pitcher story...

Since we've already established that you are the pitcher, now let's say God is your catcher. God gives you "signals" (Holy Spirit) in an attempt to tell you what type of pitch you need to throw. When you do throw it, God always catches it. Do the same with your worries, throw them to God. In your life the "bases might be loaded" and He is signaling for us to toss away our worries and He will catch them. That's how much He loves us. But, before He can take away our worries, we must first be willing to trust that He is giving us the right "signal."

Trust in the Lord and allow Him to catch your worries. He is constantly signaling us and trying to get our attention. Let us seek and find Him.

Here is the passage from Matthew that inspired this posting:

²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matt 6:25-34

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The belief and obedience connection

2009-10-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

I believe in many things...

But, either by choice, happenstance, or lack of intention I may not always follow through and do what I'm supposed to do. Here's a short Q&A to expand upon what I mean...

Q1. Do I believe that if I drive too fast I might get pulled over by the police?
A. Yes. But, do I always obey the speed limit? Certainly not all the time.

Q2. Do I believe that I should to do what my boss tells me to do?
A. Yes. But, I may not always follow his/her line of thinking and sometimes feel that I should do things differently.

Q3. Do I believe that if I exercise and eat better, that I will be heather?
A. Yes. But, I don't always follow through and do it.

Q4. Do I believe that ignorance of the law is no excuse?
A. Probably in some cases.

Q5. Do I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?
A. Yes. But, do I always obey His word? No. I am a sinner.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
Romans 3:23

When we talk about belief and obedience as it pertains to God's word, it's nearly impossible to separate the two. I hear many people say, "I believe in God," then actions portray something entirely different from how the bible illustrates we should act.

Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:21-23

Being obedient to God means obeying His word. In order to obey His word we first must know what His word says (and understand the meaning). In order to know what His word says we must read the bible. How else are we to understand God's word if we don't read it? His words are not hidden from us, they are very easily accessible. Just as it is with today's legal system, I believe it will be the same at the day of judgement... "Ignorantia legis neminem excusat" meaning "Ignorance of the law excuses no one."

Many people become both delighted and surprised when they begin reading God's word. The Holy Spirit begins to penetrate and suddenly a whole new perspective on life and faith come rushing in.

Remember - we are responsible for seeking the Lord and gaining knowledge of His word.

Author, Betty Miller sums it up quite nicely when she illustrates how a change must occur on our end, not on God's end. Here is a small snippet from her book titled Extremes or Balance?

"If we are not receiving the answers to our prayers, we need to allow the Word of God to change us. The Word of God never changes, and Jesus never changes; so if there is any changing to be done, it must be on our end."
-Betty Miller

For I am the Lord, I change not
Malachi 3:6a

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever"
Hebrews 13:8

Remember - The Lord wants us to seek Him out and find Him.

So, let us go out and find Him.

I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.
Proverbs 8:17

But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 4:29

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

10th Commandment

2009-10-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

You decide to take a leisurely drive one evening. You feel adventurous and you go out to drive through a few towns that you've never really been to before. You enter into a nice neighborhood that slowly winds back further away from the heart of the town. It's not long before you start passing some very nice homes. Now these aren't your typical 3 bedroom, 2 story homes. You pass some lots that are a solid 2 acres deep with driveways anywhere from 50 to 150 yards long. The homes are just magnificent. Most of them are 7,000 plus square foot with at least 1 swimming pool and 4-5 car garages.

You can't help but to feel that little tug on your conscience. It's saying..."These are nice, I'd like to have one of these." In fact, the longer you drive down the road, the more you begin to do a self-evaluation. You begin to think about why you don't have the luck, brains, fame, or money to have something like this.

All of your inner thoughts are swirling because you are totally entranced by the enormity and beauty of these small mansions. You begin to think, "Wow, these people are really lucky, I wish that I could have something like this."

After you turn back toward home, you generally might have one of three reactions.

1) You are upset or depressed because you feel that you've been slighted
2) You feel thankful for the things that you have
3) It motivates you to work harder

For the purposes of this posting I'm going to focus on Option 1, as it correlates directly back to the 10th Commandment:

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. Exodus20:17

The word "covet" means - "to wish" or "to desire"

In a nutshell it is Envy.

The 10th commandment is arguably one of the most difficult to follow in the times we live in. Our entire world revolves around money and materialistic things. Somehow it's gotten to be the "in thing" to have nice cars, a big home, fancy clothes, or the newest tech gadget. All of these things might be nice in the eyes of men, but I'd ask how are they used to give glory to God?

I'm not saying that having any of these things is a bad thing. But, it's something that we must carefully manage so these things do not consume our lives and become our priority. There is not a single item that a person has that God doesn't allow them to possess. All of our possessions are 'on loan'. We don't own them, God does. And in the blink of an eye and by His Will, He can take them away or multiply them tenfold.

Let's try to remember to give thanks everyday for the things that God has blessed us with. I promise you there are so many people in a far worse situations.

To put things into perspective:

Approx 3-5 % of the worlds population have internet access. And only about 25% of the worlds population sleep in their own bed at night and only about 30% of the worlds population are rich enough to have a bank account.

Final Thoughts

In retrospect, the 10th Commandment is really the first stop on the "sin express". By the word "express" I mean that it will take you down quickly...and once you hop on board, don't expect to get off anytime soon. Envy will lead to greed. Greed could lead to lying, selfishness, or theft...and these could lead to far worse things.

The next time you are in a situation where you start to feel envious, stop for a moment to tell God about the top 2 or 3 things that you are most thankful for.

Let's remember to have patience and enjoy the gifts that God has given us. We never know how long He's going to allow us to keep these gifts, or when He will ultimately call us home to final judgment.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Never judge a book by its cover

2009-09-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

A older man pulls into a car dealership in his 12 year old Hyundai. Like hungry sharks, the always eager salesmen look over the potential buyer. The man is dressed in old sweat pants, a v-neck undershirt, and sneakers with an emerald stain (no doubt after years of cutting grass).

Quickly, the group of sharp dressed salesmen lose interest and go back to their water cooler discussions or start surfing ESPN.com on their iPhones.

The old man enters the dealership and literally has to tap a salesman on the shoulder in order to get his attention. As the salesman turns (we'll call him Dave) he offers a half-hearted smile, and can hear his buddies snickering in the background. This is going to be such a waste of his time he thinks to himself.

Just then another man pulls into the parking lot in a 2 year old Lexus. Before he even steps one foot out of the car, Dave feels a rush of wind as his associates sprint to meet the potential buyer. They are literally fighting over this guy.

The old man smiles at Dave and asks to see some of the higher end vehicles. Dave sighs and waves his hand for the old man to follow. After 15 minutes looking over various cars (Dave had finished giving the old man the revised version of his sales pitch 14 minutes earlier) the old man stuns him with a sudden remark.

"I'll take 3 of these." The old man says. "1 is for my daughter, the other is for my grandson, the other is for my wife of 35 years."

Dave is shocked and pauses for a minute just to make sure the old man isn't pulling his leg (these are $55k cars for crying out loud, is this guy serious he asks himself).

"Is cash okay?" The old man asks. "I'd like to get this taken care of before the end of the day. I'd like to surprise them before they get home."

Later that day, after the old man had left, Dave is finishing up his paperwork and he notices one of his buddies, Ralph, (the one who was lucky enough to get to the Lexus driver first) comes over, sits in the chair across from him and just stares.

"What?" Dave asks.

"I didn't sell a darn thing today," Ralph replied, as he tapped his lips with his finger, eying Dave up and down. "But you Dave, you get this old nobody who comes from nowhere and he buys not 1, not 2, but 3 cars from you...like that! (snapping his fingers). Dave just sat there, shrugged his shoulders, and marked it up to dumb luck.

Later that night Dave was cleaning out his bookshelf. He had just bought a $95 book titled, 'The Wine Connoisseurs Encyclopedia.' It was a nice thick hardcover book that he had been wanting for quite some time. After today's sale, the commission gave him the flexibility to purchase it. As Dave wiggled the book into the shelf he accidentally knocked over another book. It was an old bible that had been passed down from his father. Dave had never really opened it, mostly because he felt that he couldn't really relate to any of the stories. The bible was lying page up and as Dave reached down he noticed the page had opened to a chapter in book of Romans. For some reason that he could not understand, Dave began reading the page starting at verse 9.

⁹ For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. ¹⁰ You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. ¹¹It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "¹² So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Romans14:9-12

Then and there Dave got on his knees and began to weep. He knew that he had unjustly judged the old man at the dealership earlier that day. And for some reason that he could not comprehend, God blessed him with the sale of 3 cars.

Dave spent the remainder of the night reading his fathers old bible. God had taught him a valuable lesson to never judge someone by their appearance...

Let us remember to do the same.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Road Trip

2009-09-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the last time you went on a long road trip in your car? At some point along the way you had to make the decision whether or not to get gas. Depending on where you live and where your going, chances are that you can find a gas station with little difficulty.

For this example, let's say that you are going on a cross country road trip....

You fill up your gas tank and hit the road, your tires are smoking as you wave goodbye. Throughout the trip there are several places you could stop for gas; however, you decide to pass these up for now under the certainty that you'll come across several other gas stations sometime down the road.

You are just having too much fun in your new red convertible to take the time to stop for gas. The top is down, the wind is blowing through your hair, your sunglasses look cool, the sun is out, people are waving and admiring your sweet ride.

After a few hours you notice that the thrill of the ride has zoned you out and you suddenly realize that you are lost somewhere in the middle of the Mojave Desert. That's 25,000 square miles of sand, rocks, and blistering sun. Immediately you realize that your flashy convertible is not very good at keeping the sun out. To make matters worse you look down at the gas gauge and it shows near empty. The plethora of gas stations that you passed are now no where in sight. You are lost, alone, low on gas and no ones going to hear to hear your cries for help. So what do you do?

You turn to the only person that can help you...God. And so you begin to pray.

The story above is an example of when some people decide to pray. Why is it that the situation has to be serious or even life threatening before people suddenly "change their tune" and turn and toward the Lord?

This is a classic example of using God as a toy. In other words, the toy is always there, if you want to play with it you can, but most of the time you don't use it. It's exactly the the same way that a desperate act of prayer works. We use the Lord as a "God-in-the-Box" toy. Winding him up when we need him and then suddenly He pops out of the box and comes to our rescue. Do you think this is how God wants to work in our lives?

God looks forward to us praying to Him everyday. He expects it so that He can help us understand our daily direction. If we don't pray, then we will mostly likely pass up all those opportunities (gas stations) and some day realize that we've been "zoned out" for years and are suddenly in immediate and desperate need of Him.

Don't wait until the desperation sets in to pray and ask God for direction. Pray daily for the wisdom, patience, love, and guidance that only He can deploy into your life.

Seek Him daily and you will never get lost.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Ever Vigilant

2009-09-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

There is an old native American (Cherokee Indian) legend about a youth's rite of passage into manhood. His father takes him deep into the forest one evening, blindfolds him and sits him on a stump. The boy is required to sit there all night and cannot remove his blindfold until the sun comes up in the morning. He also cannot cry for help and must persevere any encounter. If he survives the night, he will become a man.

As night comes the boy's senses scramble in his mind and his ears are on full alert. He hears the rustling of leaves, the howl of the wind, the beats of heavy wings, and footsteps of unknown creatures. The boy is naturally terrified and wild animals must surely be all around him. Perhaps even another human being might do him harm. But, he must sit there stoically, never removing his blindfold. It is the only way he can become a man.

Finally, after a night that seems to have lasted a week, the sun rises and he removes his blindfold. It is then that he discovers his father sitting on a stump next to him. He had been keeping watch throughout the night, protecting his son from harm.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4 (NIV)

We too, are never alone. For our Heavenly Father is consistently watching over us even during our lowest times when we feel lost, depressed, and alone. Even the times that we pray and do not think that He hears us...He does. Remember that even Jesus felt alone and abandoned on the cross...

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Matthew 27:46 (NIV)

God will not forsake us. What we need to remember is that everything is working according to His master plan. We may not know the reason(s) why things happen the way they do, but we must maintain our faith in His plan and stay faithful to His words.

May you walk in faith even during your most troubled times.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Come Home

2009-09-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

The following short story was posted by Nancy Leigh DeMoss on her site: http://www.seekinghim.com/

(I added the 2 passages from Ephesians)

Lorna Wilkinson had just left her alcoholic husband of twenty-one years when she came across our radio program, Revive Our Hearts. There she learned about the forgiveness God is willing to extend to us. Soon she came to faith in Christ.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

Right about that time she also received news that her husband had suffered a heart attack and was in the hospital. She was convicted to go there and forgive him for the pain and chaos he had brought to their home.

“The Lord spoke in my heart and said, ‘Go and whisper in your husband's ear that he doesn't have to worry about a place to live, to come home.’"

Lorna’s life and marriage were miraculously transformed. Four months later her husband had another heart attack and was suddenly taken home to be with the Lord.

Now Lorna says, “I can’t imagine where I’d be today if I hadn’t made the choice to forgive.”

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)

Final Thoughts and remembering 911:
Sometimes forgiveness is the one of the hardest things for us to do. Many times we devote "lip service" to the act of forgiveness, but in our hearts we may not truly mean it.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Psalm 139:23 (NIV)

God makes it very clear that if we do not forgive others their trespasses that He will not forgive our own. (Luke6:37 & Matt6:15).

On this 8th anniversary of the Sept. 11th 2001 attacks, take a moment to stop and pray for the families of those that lost friends and loved ones. Then pray for those that selflessly came to the rescue of those in need (firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and all volunteers). Finally, take another moment to pray for those that committed that terrible act. There cannot be any room in our hearts to say "never will I forgive them for what they've done". The Lord will judge each of us and He alone will have vengeance.

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back,”says the Lord.
Romans 12:19 (NIV)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Obedience

2009-09-09T05:46:00.000-07:00

In the book of Genesis, God places what could be called the "test of all tests" upon Abraham. God tells Abraham to journey into the land of Mount Moriah. There Abraham was to build an alter and kill his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God.

"Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

Genesis22:2

Without hesitation Abraham left the next morning with his son and two other servants. After a 3 day journey he came to the place where the Lord told him to go.

Then Abraham took his son up the mountain, built an alter for the Lord, bound his son, and set him on the alter. Before Abraham was able to deliver the death blow an angel of the Lord called out to him...commanding him to stop.

"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Genesis22:12-13

Does this selfless act sound familiar?

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John3:16

Just like Abraham was willing to do, God offered up His own son to die on the cross in order to wash away our sins. Jesus paid the ultimate price in order for us to be cleansed and have an opportunity for eternal salvation. God was willing to do this out of love for us, even though man was consistently disobedient to Him.

How many times have we decided not to give our our time and efforts to God? How many times have we decided to either skip church, not pray before a meal, go to bed without saying a prayer, or be selfish when we know we shouldn't? God doesn't ask us to sacrifice a loved one in order to prove our love for Him. All He asks is that we obey Him. How do we do this? We do it by following Gospel. Some might respond to that by saying, "Well the Bible is a big book, how do I know where to start?"

Start with refreshing your mind with the 10 commandments. See Deuteronomy 5:6-21 to review the Commandments.

The following quoted excerpt was taken from gotquestions.org and explains the difference between the 10 Commandments and the new covenant that Jesus gave us.

"Many people mistakenly look at the Ten Commandments as a set of rules, that if followed, will guarantee entrance into heaven after death. In contrast, the purpose of the Ten Commandments is to force people to realize that they cannot perfectly obey the Law (Romans 7:7-11), and are therefore in need of God’s mercy and grace. Despite the claims of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16, no one can perfectly obey the Ten Commandments (Ecclesiastes 7:20). The Ten Commandments demonstrate that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and are therefore in need of God’s mercy and grace, available only through faith in Jesus Christ."

"Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and create a new covenant between God and His people. The old covenant was written in stone, but the new covenant is written on our hearts, made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His own blood to atone for the sins of the world. Luke 22:20 says, "After supper, [Jesus] took another cup of wine and said, 'This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you – an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.'"

Final Thoughts:

In the days to come, let's try to free ourselves from the heavy pressures and stale promises of the world. Instead, let's revisit the 10 commandments and really think about how we can obey/apply each commandment in our daily lives. If we don't know God's laws then how can we obey them?

You've probably heard the old saying... "The only thing certain in life are taxes and death." We all know that 10 out of 10 people will die. But, will 10 out of 10 people enter into eternity? Not likely if we don't read, repent, and release ourselves to follow God's laws.

On the day of judgment how will you respond if God asks you if you wholeheartedly followed His commandments?

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Revelation 22:14

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Wisdom of Hesitation

2009-09-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

Please bear with me on the formatting for this post. The preview looks fine, but for some reason I am unable to get it to post in the proper format.

The following story is provided by Jim Shaver from West Virginia!

"On a cross-country journey in the summer of 2009, I stopped at a rural
New Mexico freeway rest area. I noticed an elderly gentleman with a
small dog climb into his pickup truck and leave. Moments later an
elderly woman approached the parking space with a confused expression. I
asked if she was looking for the man in the white pickup.

She confirmed and I explained I'd watched him drive onto the highway. It
was her husband; she asked to use my cell phone. When she dialed his
number his phone rang in her purse; she was unable to call him.

For nearly an hour, I and several truck drivers patiently waited with
her. Quite a crowd gathered. At times, she appeared angry and
frustrated, other times more confused and worried. Finally, a truck
driver and wife escorted her to their rig for coffee, while he used his
CB to notify other drivers to be on the lookout.

Then I saw the white truck pull back into the same parking spot. A
frantic elderly man jumped out. I let him know where his wife was. I let
his wife know her husband had returned.

They both hurriedly approached each other from across the lot until only
a few steps apart. Suddenly, they both stopped and just looked at each
other. The standoff lasted several seconds, neither uttering a word.

Then the man began to weep. He ran to her arms and sobbed
uncontrollably. After several attempts of his unintelligible attempts at
speech, she gently took her husband's cheeks into her hands, forcing him
to look into her eyes.

Over and over she said, "It's OK." I looked around through my blurring
eyes to see numerous tears flowing in the nearby crowd.

After a few moments of tears and hugging, he regained enough composure
to explain he'd realized his error within seconds of merging onto the
highway. However, there was no safe place to turn around on the divided
highway until the next exit, 12 miles away. Needing to backtrack again,
he'd driven 48 miles to return.

The wife is the real hero in this story. When the couple both first saw
each other, she had every right to unleash her anger for being
forgotten. She had every right to chastise, and belittle until her heart
was content. Most people would have vented anger on first seeing the
perpetrator.

But at that moment, even though she had every "right" to lash out, she
hesitated. By delaying her tirade, she transformed a situation of anger
and bitterness into one of unforgettable mercy and kindness. Even though
only observers, those of us who witnessed this event were graced by her
demonstration of forgiveness and genuine love.

To this day, whenever I feel slighted and ready to lash out, I think of
this experience and hesitate. Just because I have every right to be
angry, doesn't necessarily mean it's the best choice."

-Jim Shaver

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matt 6:14-15

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Did God Create Evil?

2009-08-31T19:43:00.000-07:00

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis1:1

Even those who have never read a single verse from the bible have (most likely) heard the first verse from the book of Genesis. However, God did not create man to act like robots. He did not create us to be pre-programmed to do His will or obey Him. God granted us with individual minds, feelings, and a free will to choose.

Without blinking an eye, we make thousands of unconscious decisions each day. However, God chose to give us the breath of life. God chose to put us on this earth and God chose for us to live in order to glorify His name. Obviously, we also have a choice to follow Him.

I will proclaim the name of the LORD.
Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
Deuteronomy 32:3

With that being said, one question still remains...

If God created everything...Did God create Evil?

The following dialogue was provided by a new friend of mine (thank you Jan!) and with her permission I am posting it here. After you read this, it will make you think about things differently.

The Debate

At a certain college there was a professor with a reputation for being tough on Christians. At the first class, every semester, he asked if anyone was a Christian and proceeded to degrade them and to mock their statement of faith. One semester, he asked the question and a young man raised his hand.

The professor asked, "Did God make everything young man?" He replied "Yes sir he did!" The professor responded, "IF God made everything, then he made evil."

The student didn't have a response and the professor was happy to once again prove the Christian faith to be a myth.

Then another man raised his hand and asked, "May I ask you something,sir?" "Yes, you may," responded the professor.

The young man stood up and said, "Sir, is there such a thing as cold?" Of course there is, what kind of a question is that? Haven't you ever been cold?"

The young man replied, "Actually, sir, cold doesn't exist. What we consider to be cold, is really an absence of heat. Absolute zero is when there is absolutely no heat, but cold does not really exist. We have only created that term to describe how we feel when heat is not there."

The young man continued, Sir, is there such a thing as dark?" Once again the professor responded, "Of course there is."And once again, the student replied, "Actually, sir, darkness does not exist. Darkness is really only the absence of light. Darkness is only a term developed to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally, the young man asked, "Sir, is there such a thing as evil?" The professor responded, "Of course, we have rapes, murders and violence everywhere in the world, Those things are evil."

The student replied, "Actually, sir, evil does not exist. Evil is simply the absence of God. Evil is a term developed to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. It isn't like truth, or love which exist as virtues like heat or light. Evil is simply the state where God is not present, like cold without heat, or darkness without light."

The professor had nothing to say...

Be full of Christ today, there is no room for anything else.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Putting yourself in God's shoes

2009-08-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
Proverbs 19:11

We've all been there...

We've all had our moments when "enough was enough" and we've lashed out in frustration, anger, or even physical action. It might have been to a friend, loved one or even a stranger. But never-the-less we acted in a manner directly opposite of what God expects from us. There are countless stories where someone was victimized, either physically or emotionally and the perpetrator got away with it. Sadly, this is the world we live in...where our hearts, minds, philosophies, and goals are constantly influenced by the enemy.

4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
2 Corinthians 4:4

What we must remember is that patience is of great importance to our spiritual growth. It's really easy for us to be the 'poster child' for patience when everything is going our way. The true test of tolerance comes when we struggle with events that greatly irritate us. Each and every one of us has a "button" or multiple "buttons" that once pushed, trigger irritation, anger, irrational behavior, and possibly even violence.

So, how do you think God feels when we sin and disobey His word? Sin is a direct offense and irritant to God...and He deals with it countless times a day AND has dealt with it since the dawn of time. I don't think we can even begin to fathom the amount of patience and love that our God has for us if we think about how frustrating it must be to watch the things that we do each and every day.

Can you imagine your son, daughter or a close loved one constantly disobeying you? It can be very frustrating and lead to actions that we later regret. Some people even go so far as to disown or even murder their their own blood out of anger or frustration. The bible tells us that we will have trials on this earth...

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John 16:33

And it is through the victory of these trials that we will grow and teach others...

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows
Corinthians 1:3-5

Final thoughts:
The next time we get angry, feel frustration or discomfort about a particular situation let's try to think about how God has felt with us throughout our lifetime. Think about all the mistakes that we've made and how He's forgiven us and permitted us to learn and grow from our mistakes. How easily would it have been for Him to strike us down and be done with it. But, He does not, for He is a loving and forgiving God.

Let us have patience with one another as God has had patience with us. Then let us use these lessons to teach others around us, for some of the greatest acts come from sharing what we have learned so that others may not stumble as harshly.

25Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
2 Timothy 2:25-27

To save your soul, you must save a soul

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Here I am. Send me.

2009-08-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

I want to thank gotquestions.org and Brent Barnett in advance for giving me inspiration on the content I’m about to share.

Lead, follow, or get out of the way…

Many times we end up waiting for someone else to share or preach the gospel to us. This is especially true when it comes to friends or loved ones, as they know our past and it’s often more difficult for them to “buy in” to a slow or sudden change in spiritual direction. Too often, our expectations are set that a pastor, priest, spiritual leader etc. should always be the one who shares or preaches the word of God. It’s seems easy to listen and support them, but it’s not always easy to lead others to Christ.

But have no doubt that God wants us to play a direct role in building up His kingdom. I’ll say it again… God wants us to play a direct role in building up His kingdom. It pleases Him to see us glorifying His name.

1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
Luke10:1-3

Throughout the entire bible God has called ordinary men to do extraordinary things. Let’s look at an example from the Book of Isaiah.

Isaiah was called by God to prophesy to the Kingdom of Judah. At that time, Judah was going through hard times and was threatened by many other kingdoms. Judah was in chaos and falling into despair. Yet, out of mercy God spared Judah from destruction.

Isaiah’s commission began the day that he saw God. It was then that Isaiah immediately realized how unclean his life and the life of the people of Judah had been. After feeling God’s presence, perfection and holiness, Isaiah was overwhelmed by his sinful ways. His guilt was so great that he thought he was going to die.

5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
Isaiah 6:5

But the Lord had other plans for Isaiah…

6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
Isaiah6:6-8

When the Lord asked who He should send (and “who will go for us” God was referring to the Holy Trinity), Isaiah immediately volunteered himself to take on whatever responsibility God would ask of him. Ultimately, he was charged with proclaiming a message of repentance from sin throughout the land of Judah and after witnessing the glory of God, Isaiah took it upon himself to deliver God’s message with every measure of his being.

Final Thoughts:
If we are willing to do whatever it takes to please God, follow His ways, and bring followers to Him, then we will be rewarded.

4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. 5 Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 18:4-6

In the end we will be judged. We all will be charged to give a full account of our actions or lack of. So, I ask…would you rather lead, follow or get out of the way?

Here I am. Send me.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.

Favorite Verses part 1

2009-08-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

In this posting I thought I'd share some of my favorite bible passages with everyone. When I say "favorite" I'm really referring to the ones that truly hit home and influence the way that I think and act. By no means is this a comprehensive list...but it's a start. I've highlighted in red the parts that really catch my attention.

I would enjoy hearing some of your favorite or most influential passages as well. So feel free to share!

The Narrow and Wide Gates:
13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:13-14

Peter's Confession of Christ:
13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,the Son of the living God."
Matthew 16:13-16

Wealth:
24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Matthew 19:24 (New International Version)

Jesus' Last Command:
19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:19-20

Paul's Vision:
9One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.
Acts 18:9

Believe and it shall be yours:
24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mark 11:24

Job Praises the Lord (even after his family was killed):
18While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
19And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
20Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
21And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
22In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
Job 1:18-22

A Criminal is Forgiven at the Cross:
38There was a written notice above him, which read:sc THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Luke 23:38-44

Christ is the Key:
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Apostle John

2009-08-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Apostle John was one of the sons of Zebedee and younger brother to the Apostle James. John is known as the “disciple that Jesus loved.” Church history tells us that the Apostle John lived into the 90's A.D. and was the last surviving apostle. John is the only one of the twelve Apostles to have died a natural death. Although he did not die a martyr's death, he did live a martyr's life. He was exiled to the Island of Patmos under the Emperor Domitian for his proclamation of the risen Christ. It was there that he wrote the last book in the Bible, Revelation.

Calling of the first disciples:
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him.

21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-22

It seems that John had a closer relationship with Jesus than any of the other disciples. Jesus and John were essentially “best friends.” Jesus entrusted John with the care of His mother, gave John the vision of the transfiguration and allowed John to witness His most amazing miracles.

During the crucifixion:
26When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

27Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
John 19:26-27

Other references to the disciple that Jesus loved:

The Last Supper:
23Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
John 13:23

Jesus appears a third time after rising from the the Dead:
5Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

6And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

7Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.
John 21:5-7

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

At Calvary

2009-08-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary.

Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary.

By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary.

Now I’ve given to Jesus everything,
Now I gladly own Him as my King,
Now my raptured soul can only sing of Calvary!

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!

Song written by William R. Newell, 1895

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Apostle Peter

2009-08-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

But he replied, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death."

Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that
you know me."

Luke 22:31-34

All too often we associate St. Peter with denying Jesus Christ. But, he did so much for the glory of God that it cannot all be outlined here. Peter was not only "the rock" as Jesus called him; but, he was the leader of the Apostles for many years. Peter and the other apostles were charged with spreading the word and works of Jesus throughout the world. They also had the responsibility of writing the first writings of scripture, so that future generations would not be corrupted by false teachings

"In short, it was the apostles themselves who saw the need for a New Testament canon of scriptures and it was they who produced it."

About Simon Peter:

It is said that the apostle Peter was a slender person, of a middle size, inclining to tallness, and that his complexion was pale, almost white. It is also said that he had a short, thick, curled beard, thin eyebrows, or no eyebrows at all. Peter's eyes were black, but flecked with red due to frequent weeping.

Born at Betsaida in Galilee to a fisherman by the name of Jona, Peter would eventually follow his father into this profession. He, and his brother Andrew, became partners with Zebedee and his sons James and John in a fishing business. All four, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, were to become disciples of Jesus; later to be appointed as apostles by Him. So firm was Peter's faith that Jesus gave him the name of Cephas, meaning, in the Syriac language, a rock. Peter is the Greek translation of Cephas.

The house in which Peter lived in, in Capernaum, is still standing; in the 5th century AD, however, a Christian church was constructed over it. It was Peter who preached to the masses in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost following the Lord's ascension to heaven, and it is his message which is recorded in the New Testament of the Bible, the book of Acts, chapter 2. In fact, much is written about the apostle Peter in the first 12 chapters of the book of Acts in the New Testament. Peter is, also, the one who prompted the disciples to choose a replacement to take over the apostolic ministry of Judas Iscariot (after his betrayal and death); and it was Peter who healed a man over 40 years of age who had been crippled from birth with but the words, "Silver and Gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."

Peter was called by the apostle Paul a "pillar" of the church, and it was believed by the crowds that the mere casting of his shadow upon the sick was capable of bringing about miraculous healing. Peter is, also, the one who defended the inclusion of the Gentiles in the Christian movement at the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem. His ministry was primarily to the Jews, as Paul's was to the Gentiles.

After being imprisoned several times in Jerusalem because of his faith, Peter left with his wife and possibly others. It is believed that he ministered in Babylon to the Jewish colonists there, and it is also believed to be his location when he wrote his first epistle (1 Peter).Peter eventually went to Rome, and while there it is believed that Mark (the writer of the Gospel of Mark) served as his translator as he preached. It is, also, believed that as Peter told and retold his experiences with Jesus, Mark interpreted time and time again to Christian groups, and by so doing gave Mark an almost verbatim memory of Peter's recollections.

After Peter's death, Mark, realizing the value of Peter's first hand account, recorded what he remembered so clearly in what we know as the Gospel of Mark. In this manner, Peter became the source of our earliest Gospel.According to church tradition, the Roman Emperor Nero, publicly announcing himself the chief enemy of God, was led in his fury to slaughter the Apostles.

Because of the persecution, Peter was crucified upside down while in Rome. Concerning the last hours of his life, it is said that when Peter saw his own wife led out to die, he rejoiced because of her summons and her return home, and called to her very encouragingly and comfortingly, addressing her by name, and saying, "O thou, remember the Lord." Of the final days of the apostle Peter in Rome, Jowett wrote that Peter was cast into a horrible prison called the Mamertine and for nine months, in absolute darkness, he endured monstrous torture manacled to a post. In spite of all the suffering Peter was subjected to, he converted his jailers and forty-seven others.

Although, just before the Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter denied three times that he even knew Christ. After the resurrection he did not do so again. Peter, just as Jesus told him in John 21:18-19, was crucified by Roman executioners because he could not deny his master again.

According to Eusebius, he thought himself unworthy to be crucified as his Master, and, therefore, he asked to be crucified "head downward." Peter met his death at the hand of the Romans in Nero's circus, 67AD.

Source: The Search For The Twelve Apostles, William McBirnie, PH.D

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.

The Twelve Apostles

2009-08-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

The CEO of a company is only as good as the people that work under him. Nearly every great goal requires the efforts of many people to accomplish it. Using a sports analogy…a coach can practice his team for hours, can teach them proper technique, fundamentals, and implant wisdom as to how to strategically play the game. However, a coach cannot be on the field with his team. He must trust that his preparation, enthusiasm, hours of training, and knowledge is strong enough to give them the advantage they need to persevere and win. This situation is not very different from what the twelve apostles went through when they were called to follow Jesus. They were twelve ordinary men whom God used in an extraordinary manner.

What does "Apostle" mean?

It’s the Greek word apostolos, meaning "a sent one", (by the LORD). Today we may call them Missionaries: those who are sent into other countries to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Apostles are part of the five-fold ministry of Ephesians 4:11 (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers), and the word "missionary" is not found in the Bible.

The Twelve Apostles:

1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Matthew 10:1-4

After Jesus’ resurrection and before He ascended into Heaven, eleven of these men were commanded to “Go and Make disciples of all nations…”

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Matthew 28:18-20

Final Thoughts:

"It is believed that all but one of the Apostles suffered and died a martyr’s death (even if we can’t be sure of all the details). Amidst some uncertainty, one thing can be made certain…the reason for each of their deaths were the same in every account. They were killed because they proclaimed to have seen Christ die and then to have seen Him alive. They all died because of an unwavering, unrelenting claim that Christ rose from the grave. "
– Sam Shaw

In the next couple of postings, I’ll talk more about the life and death of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ and how they were charged with changing the world after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.

Joke of the Day

2009-08-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

Every so often it's good to share a little humor in our lives. With that being said, here is my joke of the day.

A high school senior came to his dad a few months before graduation and said “Dad, I think I deserve a new car.” The father had the financial means to make it happen and he looked at his son and said, “Son, I’ll get you that new car, but first you need to do three things. Number one - bring your grades up. Two - read your bible more. Three – You’ve got to get a haircut.”

After a few months it was right before graduation and the boy went back to his father and asked if he was going to get the car or not?

His father said, “Well, son…you’ve brought your grades up from an average of a C to an average of A- and I’m proud of that. I’ve also noticed when I walk by your room in the morning that you’ve been studying and reading the bible more, so I’m happy to see that. But, son… you still haven’t gotten a haircut.” The son said, “Dad, I’ve been studying the bible and I’ve noticed that everywhere Moses is depicted he had long hair and even Jesus is shown with long hair.” His father looked his son square in the eye and said, “Son, you have to remember that Moses and Jesus walked everywhere they went. And so will you if you don’t get a haircut.”

Special thanks to Dr. David Jeremiah for telling that joke.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.

Jesus' First Miracle

2009-08-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

In John 2, Mary, Jesus and his disciples attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It is assumed that Mary might have been in some way related to the family of the bride or groom. This makes even more sense when Mary tells Jesus that the wedding party had run out of wine. Jesus responds by saying…

4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.

At that time, the term “Woman” was used out of respect and it seemed that Jesus was either implying that his time to work public miracles had not yet come, or that the time for Him to die for our sins had not yet arrived. Either way, Mary turned to Jesus for help as she certainly believed that he could do something. So, Mary turned to the servants and said...

5 Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

Then Jesus said…

7 Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

Essentially, this was Jesus’ first miracle where he turned over 30 gallons of water in fine wine and it was the beginning of a very long string of miracles that he performed while He was with His Apostles. For the Gospel says...

11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.

The Executive

2009-08-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

I’d like to share with you a true story about a job interview (of all things) between a head hunter and an executive. I bet you’re wondering what in the world does this have to do with God? Well, after reading the following story as told by Bishop Donald Hilliard, you will certainly find out. Enjoy.

The Executive:

Josh McDowell writes "An executive 'head hunter' who goes out and hires corporate executives for other firms once told me, 'When I get an executive I'm trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he's all relaxed. Then when I think I've got him relaxed I lean over, look him square in the eye and say - what's the purpose in your life?' It's amazing how top executives fall apart on that question.' Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed with my feet up on my desk talking about football. Then I leaned over and said - what's the purpose in your life, Bob? Without blinking an eye he said, 'To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.' For the first time in my career I was speechless."

There are basically five reasons why we don't share our faith more often, and not one of them will hold up when we stand before Christ:

(1) We think it's the preacher's job.

(2) We aren't sure of our salvation.

(3) We fear being rejected.

(4) We've never taken responsibility for learning how.

(5) Our love for Christ has grown cold.

But not Bob: he said, "Whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him."

Can you say that?

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.

Finding God in Walmart

2009-08-02T06:21:00.000-07:00

This is a the fourth installment in a series I'm writing concerning the theme "Examples of Faith." I'm writing this one based on a recent personal experience.

The Cashier's story:

It never ceases to amaze me how easily it is for me to get caught off guard by the actions of others. Case in point:

I was walking through Walmart the other day....and before I continue let me stop here and say that I really try to avoid going to Walmart whenever possible. It's typically just too crowded for my liking. Anyhow, as I was checking out the cashier asked me how I was doing. Of course, I gave the predictable..."Good and you?" My mind was elsewhere at the time and for whatever reason I was a little zoned out, so I was not really even thinking of what I was saying, or even asking for that matter. The cashier immediately responded by saying, "Blessed by the best and praying for the rest." I was so taken back by this response that I didn't really comprehend all of it at the moment. At the time all I heard was "Blessed" and "Praying"...I really didn't even put the rest of her statement together until I was halfway out the door. I did, however, manage to tell her "God bless you" before I left. It was more an attempt to salvage a lost opportunity more than anything else.

As I left Walmart the significance of her words finally hit me. "Blessed by the Best". The "Best" referring to God and "Praying for the rest" is fairly self explanatory. As I drove off in my car I felt that this was not only a lesson, but also a missed opportunity.

The Lesson: One can find God even in places we would never expect to find Him. In my situation, I really don't like going to Walmart. So, my priority was to get in and get out as quickly as possible. I wanted to get in and out without much thought or interaction with another human being. Then God showed up (through the cashier) and reminded me that He is everywhere, even in places that we would never think to look.

The Missed Opportunity: I felt as though this was a missed opportunity because I didn't take advantage of the situation by expressing my delight and surprise after hearing the cashier's words. What boldness and great faith she showed to express her love for God in such an openly manner. I even heard her repeat it to the person checking out behind me as I walked away.

Final Thoughts:
Later that night, I asked God for forgiveness because I felt as though I didn't do or say enough during that situation. At this point, I'm still not sure what I would have said or done differently, but saying something (anything) would have been better than nothing. I'll be sure not to make the same mistake again.

he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Psalm 23:3 (NIV)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.

The Narrow Gate

2009-07-31T08:22:00.000-07:00

As the picture at the top of this blog indicates...the road to Heaven is narrow and the path is treacherous. If you look closely at the picture you'll notice that not many are passing over the lake of fire into eternal life.

It is not always easy to follow and obey the word of the Lord. However, scripture makes it clear that in order to obtain eternal life we must eliminate sin in our lives, ask for forgiveness, serve one another and put God first.

Today, I've include a devotional written by Brent Barnett, who runs the website http://www.relevantbibleteaching.com/

I found it very fitting to add his comments about walking the narrow path to Heaven and how we sometimes put the selfishness and the pleasures of the world first, then ask God for forgiveness later (we often assume it's okay to sin since we can always ask for forgiveness - this seems to be our fallback plan).

If you take the time to read Brent Barnett's devotional, I promise that you will take something very valuable away from it.

Here is Brent's devotional...

The road to heaven is narrow, as Christ said, while the way to destruction is wide (Matthew 7:13).

Many take the wide road to their own peril, knowing all the while that they are breaking the ordinances of God and deserving His wrath for doing so (Romans 1:32). Some haven't joined the narrow road because they haven't yet heard the gospel of Christ. Others are just stubborn, choosing to pursue an agenda that is free from the control of God. They choose to live out an illusion of freedom, thinking they would rather be able to sin as they want to than have to succumb to the ordinances of God. They have been fooled into thinking that they have true freedom, for they are prisoners of the law of sin and death in their members (Romans 8:2).

Rather than deal with the guilt of their sin before a righteous God, they would rather enjoy sin as much as they can until they have to meet God and be forced to bow their knees to Him (Philippians 2:10).

The appeal to be able to live as we want to with no accountability and no remorse is highly attractive to the flesh and the sinful nature. Satan told Eve that God was keeping something good back from her by instituting a rule about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He convinced her that she was a slave of an unfair God Who withheld pleasure from her. She came to believe that true freedom could be found in exercising her free will against the will of God.
Adam and Eve found out the hard way that the freedom that they thought they would gain by eating of the tree was actually a curse that would lead to division, death, destruction, harm, suffering, and a loss of pleasure. When we sin, we will experience the pleasures of sin for a while, but we must understand that its pleasures are passing (Hebrews 11:25).

The curious thing about sin is that it must be indulged more and more deeply in order for it to continue to bring the same level of pleasure. Sin's exploits must grow grander and grander until it eventually consumes us. Its wage is death and the lake of fire. Thus, sin provides us no advantage for the life to come, only misery, pain, and horror.
Its pleasure is most certainly bound to this life on earth, and even this pleasure is nothing compared to the joy of the Lord.

Satan's way is always a way of bondage. It is thievery because God's pleasures are far better, more fulfilling, and longer lasting than the devil's concoctions could ever be. There will be an eternal bondage in hell for those who remain under the control of sin, Satan, and self. True freedom can only be found when we are freed from our sinful ways, propensities, and natures.
Only the Spirit of God can give us rebirth and regeneration that will enable us to finally be who God has created us to be. True freedom is found in submission to the truth, which alone sets us free (John 8:32).

Romans 6:17-18 says, "But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." There are two options for living. The first is to obey sin, and the second is to obey God. Either way we are slaves, though one way leads to the freedom, life, and joy that we have always wanted.

Many people don't want to enter into a relationship with Christ that will require them to follow after His commands. They want to know that their sin is forgiven, but they don't want to truly submit to the will of God for their lives. Yet Christ calls us to surrender to Him as Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9-10). In that sense, we become His slaves willingly. He doesn't force anyone to live for Him.

He simply tells us that His way brings life, fullness of joy, and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). We must choose to honor Him as our Master if we want Him to honor us in the life to come.

So many think that they have freedom because they have chosen not to become slaves of God. Following Christ might be hard. It might cost us family or friends, but it is well worth it in light of eternity. We can enjoy the pleasures of sin for a lifetime in theory, but we would be much better off forfeiting the passing pleasures of sin in exchange for joy and pleasure forever in Christ. We can't even fathom the riches of the life to come.

Let us remember that God's ways are not cruel, unfair, or stealing something from us. James 1:25 says, "But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does."
The fact is that we can't live apart from the eternal law of God and still experience the blessing of God. Freedom is only found within the bounds of sinless living. When we submit to our Lord, we remain free from the grasp of sin. When we disobey our Master, we enslave ourselves. The hope for the believer, however, is that God forgives us immediately when we confess our sins to Him and return to living according to His will and ways.

2 Corinthians 3:17 says, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." If we want true freedom and the promise of true pleasures that will endure forever, we have but one choice. We must submit to the will of God and allow the Spirit of God to lead us into all truth. When we give up what we think this world could give us in exchange for what only Christ can give, we will find true pleasure and freedom.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Temptation

2009-07-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

Temptation is not a sin; however, giving into temptation is sin.

Jesus was tempted by the Devil for 40 days in the desert after he was baptized by John the Baptist. If we remove the invisible chains that are keeping us from giving 100% of ourselves to Christ, temptation eventually becomes easier to defeat. The devil will ultimately realize that we are too closely connected to God and will concede (focusing his efforts elsewhere for the time being). However, we must always keep up our guard.

8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

The Temptation of Jesus

1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV)

I believe that a lesson can be learned in everything that Jesus did. In the above verses from Matthew, Jesus shows us a couple of things:

First, the devil is desperate for attention due to his extreme pride (which got him kicked out of Heaven in the first place) and will stop at nothing to deceive and poison the hearts and minds of men.

Second, Jesus shows us that even during the toughest times, i.e. hunger, lack of physical comfort, minimal sleep etc. that these are the times that we will be most vulnerable to temptation. During these times we must remain strong in our faith. Remember, Jesus was in the desert and he did not have the luxury of a bed or a roof over his head. The devil attempted to tempt Jesus right after he received the Holy Spirit thorough Baptism. That’s like attempting to stop a train at full speed traveling down a mountain…it’s just not going to happen.

Final thoughts:

If you look close enough, you should be able to find a message that ‘hits home’ for you somewhere in the Bible. I pray that you can find one that inspires you to have a life long relationship with Jesus Christ. You will always go through good times and bad times; but remember, the Lord will never leave your side.

I’ll leave you with this verse from the book of Romans:

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 (NIV)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Beatitudes

2009-07-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

I went to a Catholic grade school when I was younger and I remember learning about the Beatitudes but it never really stuck in my mind what they truly meant. So, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit these again.

A short background to set the stage:

Jesus Christ gave us the eight Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded for all posterity in the Gospel of Matthew, the first Book of the New Testament of the Bible. Jesus offers us a way of life that promises eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven.

-http://www.jesuschristsavior.net

The Beatitudes

1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:1-12

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Patience and Proverbs

2009-07-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

It’s natural for human beings to make uneducated judgments or assumptions based solely upon a person’s outward appearance. For without truly knowing what’s in the heart of another, evaluation and supposition through perception is what we default to.

But this is not the case with the Lord. For our Lord and Savior knows what’s in our hearts and minds.

⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

How many times have you made a quick judgment of someone without giving them the benefit of the doubt? I remember one time back in college I met a guy who was a friend of a friend. He came off as arrogant, obnoxious and sarcastic and it didn’t take very long for me to realize that not only did I not like him, but I wanted to fight him (forgive me, but I’m being honest). Over the course of time, I got to know this person a little better each day. Eventually, he became one of my closest friends at school and to this day we still keep in touch every now and again.

¹¹ A man's wisdom gives him patience;
it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)

Therefore, my message is this…be patient with one another and remember to not prematurely judge others, least you be judged the same way. God knows what’s in our hearts and minds and He cannot be fooled by outward appearance or deception. The Lord has given us scripture as His commands to follow. We must try to remember that every action we take should be to glorify God. For God is pleased when we are righteous and obey Him. However, sin is a direct insult to God and we will be accountable for all of our transgressions. Therefore, Lord, I pray that we are made wise by the Holy Spirit and remember to remain humble and patient with others. Amen.

I’ll leave you with one final verse from the book of Proverbs.

²³ Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Are you with Him?

2009-07-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

The following is a true story -

After giving a sermon and finishing up all of his duties the preacher was on his way out of church. Before the preacher was able to get out the door a man came up and introduced himself. The man said that he was a secret service agent and asked the preacher if he would be interested in visiting the Oval Office. The preacher agreed and met the agent the very next day. As the preacher walked with the secret service agent they passed through one of the main gates that allowed them to enter the White House grounds. Immediately, they were met by other secret service agents who said, “You with him? Then go on through.” As the preacher followed the agent down the endless hallways of the White House they saw several other agents that looked him over and asked, “You with him? Then go on through.” Finally the preacher and the agent made it to the door directly outside of the Oval Office. A single guard stood there at attention and looked at the preacher. He said, “Sir, you are with him, so you may enter.” So the preacher entered the Oval Office with the secret service agent that he had only met the previous day. The preacher smiled in wonder and amazement at both the beauty and history of the highest office in the land.

Now let’s look at this in a slightly different way…

Let’s say that your time has come and you are standing outside the gates of Heaven. Immediately, you are met by Jesus and He joyfully embraces you. Jesus turns and you feel compelled to follow Him. He passes through the magnificent front gates of Heaven and as you follow Him you see a dozen angels standing guard at the gate. They look you over and say “You with Him? Then go on through.” As you walk through Heaven you come up to a large mansion that is guarded by more angels. Jesus walks through the door and they look you over. “You with Him?” They ask. “Then go on through.” So, you follow Jesus into the mansion and pass many other angels that nod at you since they know you are with Jesus. Finally, you come to a great door of magnificent brightness that resembles no color ever seen on the Earth. Jesus walks through the door and you feel compelled to follow. As you take a step, you see a very large angel looking down upon you. The angel says, “Blessed are you, for you walk with Jesus. You may enter.” So, you walk through the door and into the glorious presence of God.

The previous story of walking with Jesus was provided by the very same preacher that visited the White House. I wish that I knew his name.

God bless you. And this if for His Glory!

Are you Amazed?

2009-07-08T19:34:00.000-07:00

This was too powerful of a message for me to pass up. You will be glad that you took 5 quiet minutes to watch this.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

God's Will

2009-07-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

The Lord’s Prayer-

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.

I’d like to reflect upon the “thy will be done” part of this prayer. Many times we ask God for things that we feel as though we need or will need in the future. These things can be anything such as a new car, a better job, passing a test, getting along with your spouse, health, safety, etc. But, what we need to remember is that God’s will always trump our personal priorities. His glorious plan for us has already been outlined and is in motion. The Lord will provide us with the things that we need when He is ready. This means that when He is ready, then we will be ready as well. Many times, we ask for things prematurely or in great haste, not fully considering the consequences or long-term effect. Even worse, we ask for things out of personal gain, i.e. such as material items or even money. The Lord knows all of our needs and desires and He also knows why we sk for everything. The one thing we must continue to reminder ourselves is that everything will happen according to God’s timeline. What he wants to happen will happen, when it’s suppose to happen. Everything that we have at this moment in time is because he has provided it to us as a gift. We might not see all of God’s blessings as gifts, but we need remember that we are not able to understand the glorious mysteries of the Lord. Not even the Angels in Heaven understand the ways of the Lord. His reasons and actions are perfect and are completed with purpose according to His ultimate plan.

I heard a true story once about a woman that had being trying very hard to get her youngest child to go to sleep one night. Just as the infant began to calm down and fall asleep, her older child came running up the stairs and unintentionally woke the infant up. The mother was exhausted and of course, got frustrated. Then by the grace of the Holy Spirit, she realized how blessed she actually was to even have children. And immediately she was at ease and gave thanks to God that she had two healthy children and that she was able to take care of.

God’s blessings are all around us. Everything that we have is a gift and at times, it’s difficult to remember to give Him thanks for all that we have instead of getting frustrated for all that we don’t have. The next time you become frustrated with a situation I hope the Holy Spirit falls upon you (as it did with this young mother) and you give thanks to God for your life and all that you have in it. Remember – it could always be much worse.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Money...Let's close this topic once and for all

2009-06-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

We have all seen the headlines: multiple bank and business bailouts, rising home foreclosures, jobs lost and firms downsizing, 401Ks and IRAs dropping in value, rising utility, grocery, and gasoline prices. What are Christians supposed to do when we’re hit by a national or personal financial crisis?

How we weather a financial storm depends mostly on our attitude about who the money belongs to in the first place. Do we view our money as just that, ours? Or do we view it as coming from and belonging to God? If we see our income as being from the Lord, it makes it much easier to navigate the turbulent waters of economic downturns and tough financial situations. Whether we lose or make money, it is all His and under His control, and that is a truly freeing concept.

The Lord created all of us with certain talents and gifts which we are to use to not only make a living, but to also help us live our lives in such a way as to bring glory and honor to Him (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:20). So while we grow up, follow our individual career paths into adulthood, and begin our lives as contributing members of society, making money and accumulating possessions along the way, we are also to serve and worship the Lord with every fiber of our being. We cannot do that if we consider it all ours and not His.

We will always find ourselves serving what we treasure the most, whether it is wealth, power, fame, or the Lord. The Bible shows us that Jesus knew all too well the lure of money and possessions because during His earthly ministry He actually spoke more on the subject of finances than on heaven and hell combined. Luke 12:15-34 is an excellent passage on the attitude we should have toward our money and possessions and is well worth taking some time to prayerfully read and study.

Our sovereign God placed us on the earth at just this time in history, and these tough economic times come as no surprise to Him. Since He knows every single detail of our lives, down to the exact number of hairs we lost to our hairbrush this morning (Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7), we can absolutely trust Him to help us through a time of financial crisis. Let us make sure we are living prudently to begin with, staying within our means and not accumulating too much debt, and every day prayerfully entrusting it all to the Lord. Then we can encourage each another with Paul’s words in Philippians 4:19 as he gives glory to God, trusting Him in every situation, “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Excerpt provided by gotquestions.org

God bless you. And this is for His glory!

Dealing with Difficult People

2009-06-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

Our response to difficult people should center around the examples provided by Jesus, for He surely dealt with many difficult people during His time here on earth. His interactions with these people was never with an attitude of superiority or dominance, but rather one of subservience. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus was quite specific: “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6: 27-31).”

We also see a related statement by Jesus in Matthew 19:30: “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” This is a very difficult assignment, and it is certainly not something we can do on our own or in our own power. Yet it is not impossible if we seek the Lord’s help, because power from the Holy Spirit will enable us to do things we could never do on our own. In so doing, however, it is important to recall the admonition given by the apostle Paul in Romans 12:3: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” When we succeed in dealing with difficult people with a Christ-like attitude, it is never a cause for pride or self-aggrandizement; it is an occasion to praise the God who makes all things possible through Christ, who strengthens and empowers u s (Philippians 4:13).

Some advice similar to that of the Luke passages, and just as difficult, is given by Paul to the Christians in Philippi, when he tells them to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves” (Philippians 2: 3-4). Furthermore, Proverbs 12:16 tells us that “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.” Chapter 13 of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians contains a description of true Christian love—it is to be patient and kind (v. 4).

Putting all this together, the way to deal with difficult people is to love them, pray for them, expect to give rather than to receive, maintain a humble spirit, and relate to them in patience and kindness. But more important is the need to pray for the Spirit’s power to change our own hearts and minds toward the difficult person and enable us to see them as needing the same love, grace and mercy that God extended toward us. Jesus even forgave the men who were going to kill him, as related in Luke 23:34-39. The way to deal with difficult people, then, is to imitate Christ’s humility and love. That kind of response is both edifying to us and pleasing to the Lord.

Excerpt provided by gotquestions.org

God bless you. And this is for His glory!

Thought of the Day

2009-06-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 11:24

I believe that this verse is reminding us of a few things:

1) To pray - Prayer is our way to commune with God and without it we are like tiny island in the middle of a vast ocean. I believe that it is important for us to take time out during each and every day to pray. The Lord always hears us and knows what is best for us. We may not get everything we ask for, but that is okay…because it is all done for a reason. God has a plan and His will shall be done.

2) If we don’t ask God for something, it probably won’t be given to us. And yes, God knows all of our wants and desires, but I think that he wants to us to ask for it. It is through prayer that we ask God for our needs…and prayer allows us to form our own special relationship with Him.

3) Believing that all things are possible through God - For even in the most hopeless or dire of circumstances the will of the Lord can turn things around in an instant. But, we must believe and have faith that He can do all things. The Lord has no limitations and He never takes a day off from loving and watching over us. Therefore, we should not take one day off from being thankful for our gift of life.

Prayer for the day-

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the wonderful gifts that you have given to me. I pray that you continue to breath your breathe of blessings upon me and my family. I thank you for every beat of my heart and every breath from my lungs. I pray that you watch over me and keep me safe. Help me to walk down the narrow path and avoid the wide road of temptation. All praise, glory and honor to you forever.

Amen.

God bless you. And this is for His glory!

Perspective

2009-06-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

If you take all of the best attributes of every living person on the planet AND THEN include all of the best attributes from those that have passed since the time of Adam AND THEN take all of the best attributes of those that have not been born up until the end of all things...AND THEN you combine all of these great attributes together and put it into one person - it would still fall short of the immense majesty of God.

God bless you. And this is for His glory!

How can you die for me?

2009-06-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

The message in this video is quite clear. But, I think that each person will get a little something different out of it. Let me know if the event that transpires rings a bell with you?

Reflection

2009-05-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we run across a song that pierces our heart so strongly that everything else just seems to stand still for a while. This is exactly what happens to me when I watch this video by MercyMe. It's provides a short escape to reflect on the people that are no longer with me, those loved ones that have went on to be with the Lord.

Every heartbeat, every breath, and every action that we take is a blessing from the Lord. Make no mistake that everything we did today and everything we will do tomorrow is because He wills it so.

It's so important to give thanks to Him every single day. For we are promised nothing and could be but a memory tomorrow.

I will come like a thief in the night.

Thessalonians 5

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Faith

2009-04-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

Since I'm kind of a techie guy, I must say that I found this rather amusing. Okay, who am I kidding this was downright hilarious! It's a spin-off of the PC vs. Mac commercials, but instead is Evolution vs. Creation. Enough said.

Enjoy -

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Jesus' Last Command

2009-04-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

Embedded below is one of the most viewed religious clips on the Web. In 5 minutes and 33 seconds it pretty much wraps up most of our daily struggles with temptation and shows how Jesus always intervenes on our behalf...always out of love.

The question is not whether or not he is watching over us...

So Jesus came to them and said, "All authority (power) in heaven and on earth is given to me. So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach those people to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world."

Matthew 28:18-20

...the question is whether or not we open our hearts to listen and allow Him in.

"That last hug. That last kiss. That last look. That last wave. Each of them is very important when you are leaving someone you love, especially if it could be the last time you see them for awhile. But the last word, that one last message, is precious. You try to make it pleasant ... you try to make it memorable ... you try to make it affectionate ... but most of all, you want your one last word to count!

The Great Commission is Jesus' last earthly message to his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew. While Jesus still leads and guides, this is the message he wants his disciples to remember as his parting command. This is his final message. He stresses emphatically that it is based upon his authority over everyone and everything and everywhere. What is that message? GO MAKE DISCIPLES!

Notice Jesus doesn't want us running all over the place telling about him. Notice he doesn't just want us baptizing everyone we see. Notice he doesn't just want us to teach others to follow him. He wants us to do all three! Go, baptize, and teach to obey so they will be my disciples, too! If we heed these marching orders, if we get out of the shadow of our church buildings and culture, he will go with us! That's it. That's Jesus' one last word. It's also our first word!"

The above excerpt was shared from lightheart.org

Enjoy the clip.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

A Child's Faith

2009-04-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

I know that I've been on a video kick here lately. But, there are times when I just think these videos provide a type of message that is important to share.

This particular video (really it's more of a conversation) is something that's been spreading across the internet lately and you might have already received it over email. But if you only decide to watch one video on this site, watch this one. This level of pure faith is just not seen or heard of very often. God is working through this young boy and it's a moving experience to listen to.

God bless you. And this is for His glory!

The Jesus Rant

2009-04-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

This short video is one of those that "knocks you back" into reality after watching it. I find myself (all too often), not giving thanks for all of the wonderful gifts that the Lord has blessed me with. I often find myself taking the things that are considered "normal" for granted. It's so easy to get caught up in our daily routines...but what about God? I'd say that He's caught up in all of us. Suddenly my schedule doesn't seem so hectic after all.

Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.

Psalm 34:3

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

I Will Rise

2009-04-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what it would be like on the last day? I don't think that we're able to comprehend the depth of joy that we would experience when we are called and accepted into our Lord's arms. Can you imagine it?

I can think of no greater joy than to have my name called and look up to see Jesus' outstretched arms. It's truly overwhelming for me to think about it and it gives me great incentive to glorify His name every single day.

The first video below is Chris Tomlin talking about his song "I will rise". It's very interesting to hear how he was inspired to write it and I highly recommend watching it.

The second video is the actual song itself. If you've never heard it before, it's very touching. So please just take a few quite minutes to listen. I hope you enjoy it and I hope that it inspires you also.

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Revelation 5:11-12

God bless you. And this is for His glory!

Satan's Meeting

2009-04-12T21:04:00.000-07:00

I'm sure it's 100 times worse than this video displays...but after watching/reading it, you'll certainly get the point behind this message.

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' "

Matthew 4:10

God bless you. And this is for His glory!

Easter - The Resurrection!

2009-04-12T03:00:00.000-07:00

Today is Easter Sunday and it is a time of great joy, celebration and reflection. Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. No stone or rock could hold him back. The grave was no match for the power of our Lord.

I hope that you have a great day and keep in mind the real reason why we celebrate Easter.

1In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

2And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

3His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

4And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

5And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

6He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

7And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

8And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

Matthew 28:1-8

God bless you. And this is for His glory!

Good Friday

2009-04-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

Good Friday is the day observed by many Christians as the day that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha. The day is also known as Black Friday, Holy Friday and even Great Friday.

Irregardless of what we call it, let's look at it for what it was and still is...it was Jesus' ultimate sacrifice for us.

As Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane he was very much aware of what was getting ready to transpire. He did not run or hide, but stayed and accepted the will of His Father in order to fulfill scripture and glorify God's name.

These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

John 17:1

Jesus died because He was the only one who could pay for our sins. God sent His one and only Son to die for us. He sacrificed the perfect Lamb to wipe away our transgressions so that, upon death, we might have an opportunity to enter into His Kingdom.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 3:23

God did this out of love for us...and even as Jesus hung dying on the cross he prayed for His executioners...

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Luke 23:34

Final thoughts -

Good Friday stands as an important to reminder of Christ's sacrifice. His crucifixion should be something that we reflect upon regularly - not just one day out of the year.

Pray with me and let us give thanks to our Lord for His sacrifice -

Oh Lord, we thank you for the great sacrifice that you made to cleanse our sins. Let us keep mindful of Your holy word and act in a manner that pleases and glorifies Your name.

May we always be reminded to repent of our sins daily, and to love one another as You have loved us.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

God bless you. And this is for His glory.

Peter's Confession

2009-04-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

This is the second in a series of postings that I’m calling “Examples of Faith.”

At this point, Jesus had performed many miracles in the midst of His apostles. Two such miracles included feeding a crowd of five thousand with five loaves of bread and another by feeding four thousand, when they only had seven loaves. Jesus also performed other marvelous works of healing (including expelling demons) to demonstrate that he was the Son of God.

Before Jesus died and rose from the dead, it’s impossible to know how deeply the apostles believed that He was the Christ. However, there was one individual that believed this with all of his heart...it was Simon, who is also known as Peter.

So at one point, Jesus asks His apostles a simple question surrounding their faith.

Here is the conversation according to the Gospel of Matthew:

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

20Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Matthew 16:13-20

Final Thoughts –

This should stand as a reminder for all of us to consider our actions in front of others. Do we quietly believe in God? Or do we allow faith to move us and confess it among ourselves? Clearly, Peter had such great faith that he boldly spoke out and announced his belief. This was his CHOICE and Peter did not care what any one else thought, for his heart and mind had been opened up by the Holy Spirit.

So I say, do not be afraid to speak God’s word in front of others. Remember this passage the next time an uncomfortable situation/conversation comes up and you have to make a choice between pleasing another person or pleasing God.

11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:11-12

God bless you. And this is for His glory!

Sundays Comin'

2009-04-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

As it gets closer to Easter, here is another noteworthy video to remind us of Jesus’ great sacrifice.

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

‘ I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ "

Matthew 26:30-31

God bless you. And this is for His glory!

On the Way to the Cross

2009-04-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

I have nothing further to add...this video speaks for itself.

Then again, maybe just one important reminder...

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Perfection...or lack thereof

2009-04-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

At times, I can’t help but feel like a hypocrite. There are situations where the stresses of life take over and I act in a manner that is far from being a Christian. I know that this is part of being human, for we are not perfect. Actually, no one is perfect except for God. However, I always end up feeling like I let Him down, my family down, and even myself down when I act in a foolish manner.

Why is it so hard to love our neighbor as ourselves? Why is it so hard to resist saying something in response to something that was said to us? Why is it so hard to put other people first?

Each day we are faced with temptation. The devil’s hatred of God is beyond our comprehension and he works 24/7/365 to try and get us to sin. It is through sin that the devil wins these small battles that take us farther away from God’s grace. However, through faith and perseverance, it is up to us win the war. By “winning the war” I am referring to resisting temptation, obeying God’s words, and bouncing back when you’re faith is down. We do this with one goal in mind - so that we have a chance to pass though the gates of Heaven on our day of judgment.

So how do we win the war against sin? First and foremost, we must familiarize ourselves with God’s word, i.e. the Bible. We must commit ourselves to thinking and acting in the way that the Bible tells us to. This is indeed a repetitive act and becomes much more than a “one time shot”…it is a lifetime commitment. The hard part is more in the execution than it is in absorbing His word.

27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

30I and the Father are one."

John 10:27-30

Final Thoughts -

When we think about it - doesn’t if feel better when we do something good? In times when we inadvertently distance ourselves from God, doesn’t something just not feel right? We will all be judged on our actions, our in-actions, and the thoughts within our hearts.

So, the next time you are about to respond or act in a highly emotional manner consider the following verse from the Book of Romans before you act.

16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.

18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

Romans 12:16-19

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!