Self Control

     Paul wrote to the Ephesians the following: "31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32, ASV 1901)

     How hard is this? It can depend. If life is going smoothly, this can be easier. If life is getting a little rough, this can be so much harder. But, these are not conditional commands!

     No matter what's going on at work, at school, at home, with your family, your friends, or your own personal comfort, we are called to put away or get rid of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor (or fighting), evil speaking and malice (bad intentions).

     Instead we are to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving, because God forgave us. We must remember that as David said, all sins are against God. God forgave us. He's not holding onto these items in vs. 31. Philippians 4:13 reminds us we can do all things through Christ. 

     Let us all strive to do what these verses say. May God bless you in your efforts.  -  Robert

P.S. This post in its original format first appeared on the blog Dear Christian www.dear-christian.com

Homesick for Heaven

     Are you homesick for Heaven? If you aren't, you should be. Here's why!

     First of all, lets define homesickness, so we are all on the same page (on the same page - get it ?;)) Homesick can be defined as a very strong longing for home. Most of us in this life have experienced homesickness at least once. It might have been the first time you went away to camp, or when you left home for college. For me, it was my two deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq that allowed me to truly experience homesickness. You might be asking how can we be homesick for a place we have never been to? I propose that some of the very same things that we long for when we are homesick in this life are what should make us homesick for Heaven. So what are those things?

     For most, home is a place of shelter, a place of protection, somewhere that our worries and cares can be laid aside, a place of shelter and rest. This is true of Heaven also. Revelation 21:4 (ESV) tells us, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

     When we are homesick, it is not necessarily for the place itself, but often for those who are there, our family and friends. Revelation 21:7 gives us an expectation that we will see our faithful family and friends again, even those we have never met, like Moses, Elijah, Paul or Timothy. It says, "The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son."

     We can also be homesick for Heaven, because like our earthly home compared to college or camp or a dusty tent in the middle of the desert, it is better than where we are at currently. When the Apostle John described Heaven, he used imagery of gold and jewels to convey the extreme richness and excellency of Heaven compared to his readers' earthly homes. Even though we don't live in earthen huts or tents, even the most opulent home on this earth can never compare to our eternal home in Heaven.

     If we are truly homesick for Heaven, then we are going to be like a horse headed for the barn. We won't let ourselves be distracted or drawn off course. We will be focused and intent. We read earlier in Revelation 21:7 that, "The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son." Conquerers are ones who have goals, and set out to accomplish them. Compare this with those mentioned in verse eight, those that take their eye off the prize. "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." When we fail to focus on Heaven, to lay up for ourselves treasures there (Matthew 6:20), then we can become distracted and end up on the road to the wrong destination.

     I would encourage you to stay on course. Many of us claim to be walking the straight and narrow (Matthew 7:13,14), when in reality, it is only occasionally that we are on that path as we stumble back and forth across it, like someone inebriated trying to pass a sobriety test on the side of the road! How sad is that? If we are truly homesick for Heaven, we will want to take as many people with us as possible so that they can all enjoy the benefits of being there also. Someone has said that our example preaches a louder sermon than our words ever will! How's your example? Is it truly the example of someone who longs for that place of rest, that place where our friends and loved ones will be, that place of indescribable beauty and splendor? If not, why not?

     I pray that you are homesick for Heaven, and that your life reflects this homesickness. May Jehovah God bless us all as we strive to stay on the road to Heaven, and not the "Highway to Hell."  -  Robert

     

Prince (or Princess) versus Pauper

     I don't propose to have the solution to the problem most of us face when dealing with our evangelistic call. I'm not going to suddenly turn you into the personal evangelist of the year, but I just might help you a little in your efforts with this post.

     While I was praying and meditating yesterday I was thinking about two verses and I had a lightbulb moment. The two verses I was pondering were Romans 8:16-17 and 1 Peter 2:9.

Romans 8:16-17 says, "The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him." while 1 Peter 2:9 tells us, "But ye are a elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"

     What do these two verses together mean? It means that we (God's elect) are Royalty! The problem is, we don't live like a Prince or a Princess, we live like a Pauper. Now consider if you will, which would you rather be, a Prince/Princess or a Pauper? It really shouldn't be that hard a decision. The royalty get all the benefits, do they not, while the common folk pay the taxes and do all the work, right? Exactly.

     Now, consider the average "Christian" approaches living for God. The act like Paupers, instead of Royalty. We "pay our taxes" when we give, and we "obey royal edicts" when we show up at services or do any of the other works we are called to do. We are completely wrong in our approach to serving God!

     No wonder so many people we talk to don't want to be like us! They see us living the life of a serf and a servant, and think that, by comparison, they are free. Who would give up perceived freedom to live like a vassal? No one in their right mind. And that is why we are often so ineffective. 

     So what is the answer? Live the life of a Royal! Live a life that truly reflects what Romans says, that we are God's children. We aren't just children of a king, we are the children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Let your spirit reflect the fact that we are the Royal offspring of the Lord God Jehovah Almighty, Creator and Sustainer, Ruler of all Eternity, Time, Space and every other dimension possible! We are not poor homeless paupers living under a cruel king, but rather Royal emissaries traveling out of their kingdom to invite others in!

     Imagine then what would happen if your life truly reflects who we are? People will be drawn to us! They will see the difference between our freedom as Royalty and their enslavement as spiritual paupers.

     Celebrate your royalty by living the life that God called us to, rejoice in the fact that we have the privilege of tasting glimpses of our eternal glory when we worship or serve. If we have this attitude, then we would do almost anything legal, ethical and moral to be there when the doors open, to join the small groups on different nights, to be open and inviting to others whenever we get the chance! 

     Change your attitude, and your change will become evident. I think maybe now I am beginning to understand what was meant when Matthew recorded, "Let your light so shine before men; that they may see your good works ,and glorify your father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16, ESV) Why would men glorify God for our good works? Because we are simply reflecting the Royalty we have been adopted into!

     May God Bless you today as you transform your attitude and approach to God from Poor Pauper to Precious Prince or Princess  -  Robert

Morning Prayers and Mourning Prayers

     I'm not a good early riser, which means I don't get a lot of prayers in during the morning hours. Today happened to be one of those days when I woke up a little ahead of my wife and the littles (the bigs are at Winter Retreat), so I got to start my Bible reading early. Normally, my Bible reading ends up coinciding with breakfast, since that is usually my only sit-down time in the a.m.

     All of this led to my looking at Facebook for a few minutes while I ate my delicious oatmeal muffin the Mrs. had whipped up last night and drank my coffee. Within just a couple of minutes on Facebook I had come across three prayer requests and a reminder of the state of our nation. Morning prayer became a priority.

     My prayer this morning was a prayer of requests; prayers that our nation might recover from the road she is on, prayers that myself and my family would stay faithful no matter what, prayers for a family suffering through the delivery of a term baby who has already passed on, prayers for those in a plane crash related to the Iron Dog race. These prayers were requests, but also prayers of mourning; for our country, for a grieving set of parents; for those injured. My morning prayers became my mourning prayers, and suddenly my prayers took me back to Afghanistan, where I prayed over every injured and dead service member I came in contact with, every one that I worked with or encountered there.

     I mourned the situation that had brought us there, and I prayed that whatever was happening in each person's life, that it would cause them to seek God, to strengthen their relationship with Him, or correct it. That the effects would spread like ripples in the water, affecting not just those touched by whatever incident, but those around them; family and friends, neighbors and co-workers.

     We are told that "All things work together for good to them that love the Lord, to those that are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) My prayer in Afghanistan, and my prayer this morning was that everything I was reading about and praying about would work for good, to bring souls to love the Lord, to become those who are called. I want my prayers of mourning to become prayers of victory.

     Is this wrong? I certainly cannot find a Biblical example of this kind of prayer. I know that God can use painful circumstances to bring people to obedience. Look at Saul's conversion, or the jailer's. I know that God hears the prayers of those who are seeking Him, but are not yet saved. Cornelius and his household tell me this. But nowhere do I find a prayer that asks for these things to happen specifically. However this has become a prayer that I pray so often, because I don't know how else to ask God to take awful circumstances and use them for good for those who are not His elect, yet.

     I do know that as part of this prayer, I need to be asking God to use me to effect that change, if possible. I am sure that I fall short so often, but I pray that even the tiniest seed will find good soil. I had a very hard time in Afghanistan, and being reminded of it still causes me to question my effectiveness there. I pray that some good will come of what I said or did for someone.

     My prayer for you today is that you would pray these prayers also, that when we pray prayers of mourning, when we pray for good to come from evil, that we all would strive to be the one to help someone through the bad to turn to the Eternal Good.

     Blessings  - Robert

Going Through the Motions

     This past week had been a confluence of events. I received a post from Rich Little entitled, Jesus Was Not a Good Man. The link is here: http://richlittle.org/2013/02/05/jesus-was-not-a-good-man

     I've been hearing this song on the radio by Matthew West called, Going Through the Motions. One of the lines in this song asks, "What if I had given everything, instead of just going through the motions?" 

     I finished a book on world missions in which the author describes missionaries who are natives of a country moving to a new village to start a church. These missionaries take their families with them, including their children. One of the oddities about this situation is the missionary is not allowed to purchase food or milk within the village until someone from the village vouches for them. This means that the missionary, his wife and children end up going hungry for days or even weeks until they make a convert within the village. 

     All of these remind me of the story of the rich young ruler, when he is told the only thing he lacks is to go sell his possessions and follow Jesus. (Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21)

     And I started to wonder, "Are we (meaning American Christians) like the rich young ruler? Are we "just going through the motions?" We certainly aren't willing to go hungry to spread the Gospel, let alone our children. We would be called child abusers. In fact, most of us are somewhat proud that we "tithe" or even give a little bit more. Maybe it is because we think, like Rich Little says, that Jesus was simply a good man, and we don't need to change our lives.

     Then a what if came to mind. What if we truly evaluated our situations and said that we were going to "take up our cross daily?" I'm not even talking 100% commitment. Simply take stock of your situation, evaluate everything, and dedicate one half to God. One half of your income, one half of your time, one half of everything! What would that mean? We would have to move into smaller houses, because our rent or mortgage usually takes up a large portion of our income. We would probably have to change our diets, especially if we are in the habit of eating out. Hobbies? Most likely gone. Clothing expenditure? Try Pick n Pay or Value Village. 

     What if we did this? Work 40 hours a week, and spend another 40 hours spreading the Gospel, studying Gods word, praying, having family devotionals, serving others. Take 1/2 our income and give it to the church, the homeless, the poor. Get rid of the television and get out of the house. Meet your neighbors and invite them to a neighborhood Bible study or prayer group at your house. Talk to the grocery store clerk about God. 

     What if we did this? What would people think? What would they call us? Freaks? Weirdos? Bible Bashers? Would it matter?

     The crazy part about this is, it's not even what we are called to do. Jesus said to take up our cross daily and come follow Him. (Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23). We are supposed to give Him everything. We sing songs saying that we do, None of Self and All of Thee, All to Jesus I Surrender, etc. The first century church was willing to do this. They willingly gave up their homes, their lives, their possessions for Jesus and they set the world on fire! 

     We go to these conferences on how to reach the lost. We invite dynamic speakers to try and encourage people. We have children's ministries and youth ministries, coffee and pastries before services, jumbo screens and praise teams and where does it get us? Is the world on fire for Jesus? Are we the talk of the town because we are reflecting the glory of the Lord like we are called to do or can anybody even tell the difference between us and the rest of the world? We are supposed to be called out, not blending in!

     The sad reality is, most who read this won't change a thing. Even if this post were seen by millions, the number who would change their lives to be 50% people would number maybe in the hundreds. How about you? Are you willing to change? Are you willing to give yourself to Christ?

     May the Lord God Almighty Bless you as you make changes in your life to be the self-sacrificing servant we are called to be!  -  Robert

Linen Tunics and Booty Shorts

     My daily Bible reading plan has me in Leviticus right now. Leviticus is a review of the laws of the Levites, or priests. It has been so striking to read through this book from the perspective of how it applies to me, since we as Christians are told that we are now God's priests. 1 Peter 2:9 tells us, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (ESV, emphasis mine - RJA)

     I have only recently begun to think of myself as Jehovah God's priest, and I have to tell you that it has made an impact in my life. To read through the descriptions of what the priests are dedicated to, how they are to live their lives in such a way as to be able to offer sacrifice at nearly any time. These priests can only offer sacrifice if they themselves are pure. And isn't that what Peter is emphasizing also, the idea that we belong to God, we are no longer in darkness, but are to live lives of purity at all times?

     
     Which brings me to a consideration. In Leviticus chapter eight, we read of the clothing placed upon Aaron and his sons for their duty as priests. These items were first described in Exodus chapter 28. When you read through this description we find that these priests were to were breeches that essentially covered them to their knees (vs. 42) and tunics (vs. 42) which is found in Strong's concordance as the Hebrew word kethoneth which comes from the root word katheph meaning to cover. It is defined as covering the shoulders, and hanging down below. From Exodus 28:40 we know that they were long enough to need sashes to take them in at the waist. So what does all this mean in for me as a priest under the New convenant?

     Since the Old law was given to instruct us or prepare us for the New (Romans 15:4), then as a priest under the New Law, isn't the minimum given in the Old a great place to start? That means that at all times outside of my bedroom or bathroom, I should be attired from neck to knees, with covering of the upper part of the arm. If you are a New Testament Christian, than this should be your starting place as well.

     Why do I bring this up? I do so for a couple of reasons. These garments in the Old Testament were designed to cover, not accentuate. This seems to be a lesson that some of the ladies, and especially young ladies in the worship need to address. As Job put it so aptly, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?" (Job 31:1, NASB) It becomes really hard to keep that covenant on Sunday mornings, evenings or even Wednesday nights or other church-related activities with what many supposedly Christian women are wearing. I do my best to imitate Job in this respect, but ladies, if I spill some juice, or dump some crackers in your lap some Sunday, you'll understand why, won't you?

     A second reason for this post is that it is the time of year here in my home state when many are planning their spring vacations to warmer locales. These locales usually tend to include beaches. Just because you're not at home doesn't mean you're not still a priest of God with the attendant qualifications and duties. So, if you plan to "hit the beach" make sure you are covered in a way that God would approve of. For me, that means board shorts and a rash guard shirt. For my wife and girls, board shorts and a modest one piece. If a modest one piece can't be found, they go for the board shorts and rash guard shirts as well. Also, if you plan to "hit the beach", it's probably a really great idea to find one that isn't so popular, so us menfolk can keep our covenant that Job stated.

     I haven't stated anything new here today, nothing earth-shattering, nothing mind-blowing, but a simple reminder that we are the priests of Jehovah, and we must act accordingly!

     May God bless us all as we strive to glorify Him and serve Him diligently as His priests under the New Covenant  -  Robert

The First Century vs. The Second Amendment

     Recently I've seen a lot of posts by many of my "Christian" friends regarding the Second Amendment. I've "liked" some of these posts and even reposted some of my own on Facebook. As I was perusing Facebook last night, and reading more of these posts about the Second Amendment, a thought came to me, "How would the first century church deal with this?"
     Remember, the first century church was under the rule of their Roman occupiers. At any time a Roman could command you to walk with them for a mile, or give them their cloak. When the first Century church began to be persecuted, Acts chapter 11 tells us that they were scattered, and the preached the word as they went. See verses 19 -21. Because they did that, the church grew. These first century Christians were so involved in the spreading the Gospel they didn't have time to worry about the government "infringing on their rights."
     And I think that's the problem with the church today.  We aren't busy enough spreading the Gospel. We aren't focused enough on what the first century church was focused on. We allow ourselves to get distracted by so many other things here in the 22nd century that we have lost focus on what we are supposed to be doing, what the first century church did every day of their lives, spreading the Gospel.

     May God bless you as you refocus on God's will, on spreading the Gospel daily - Robert

Two Reactions to Sin - guest post

Kevin is the preacher at the Delta congregation in Delta Junction Alaska. He posted this a couple days ago, and I asked if he would allow me to repost here. He gave me permission, so here it is:

Two reactions to sin:

Saul is given instructions and doesn’t follow them. 

When Samuel the prophet shows up Saul:
First claims he has done what God wanted.
Then he blames someone else
Next, an attempt to justify his actions for “sacrificial purposes”
When Samuel refutes him he stubbornly does it all over again:
Claims innocence while admitting he didn’t follow instructions, 
Then again blames the people.
Samuel again tells him he is wrong and he finally admits – I was wrong
Then says he did it because he was afraid of the people.
1 Sam 15

David takes another man’s wife,
gets her pregnant, tries to cover it up,
then has the other man killed.

When he is confronted by the prophet he writes Psalms 51.

He asks for mercy.
Admits his sin
Honors God for His truthfulness and instructions
Is crushed in spirit
Asks for a clean heart
Requests God not take the Holy Spirit from him
Admits he needs salvation that is only from God.

How will we respond?
The natural human reaction is to claim innocence, attempt to justify ourselves and blame others, yet it is not a proper response.

We all need mercy and grace and forgiveness that only come from God through His Son Jesus, the Christ. Repentance is not being sorry for getting caught, but godly sorrow that leads to a changing of our ways to live more like Jesus did.

The sacricifces of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Ps 51:17

Pride will get us no where.
Excuses are just that.
Humility and repentance is where it’s at!

How to Evangelize

     I'm not a people person. I'm really not very good at getting to know people, or even starting conversations. My wife, on the other hand, can be best friends with someone in a line after only five minutes.

     I've been aware of this isolationism for quite a while, and I have been praying that God would change me, and that I would become more evangelistic through personal conversation. While I was praying and meditating about this last night, it occurred to me that we have a perfect example of this type of evangelism recorded for us in the New Testament! This is found in John chapter four.

     We read the opening of a conversation in verse seven.  ^"A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, 'Give me a drink.'” (NASB)

     Those few words opened a conversation with this woman that Jesus had never met before! As the conversation continues, Jesus introduces the need for salvation, and the position of sin that she was in.

     What was the result of this conversation? Firstly, the woman began asking questions of her own. The conversation continues to the point where, ²⁵ The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” ²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

     This made such an impact, ²⁸ So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, ²⁹ “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”³⁰ They went out of the town and were coming to him."

     What an awesome example for those of us who have trouble talking to others! Jesus ended up with the opportunity to speak to an entire community from a simple question, "Will you give me a drink?" (NIV) I am fairly confident that each one of us can ask a simple question to someone we don't know.

     There is one other aspect about this encounter that I would like to bring out. Jews didn't usually speak or mingle with Samaritans, but Jesus was willing to break that barrier as well. We need to be willing to talk to anyone and everyone that we get the opportunity with, whether they are acceptable in our society or on the fringe.

     If you struggle with personal evangelism, I challenge you to follow Jesus' example. Start a conversation with someone you don't know. I pray God's Blessings on you and I as we strive to be more Christ-like in our evangelism!

Just Like Job

     I want to be just like Job. Not just like him, in that I want to go through all the suffering and have my best friends call me a liar and my wife tell me to curse God and die. 

     I want to be "Just" like Job, meaning moral, upright, spiritually mature and clean. Imagine being so aware of your purity that you know you are not guilty of a single sin which would be cause for the punishment you are receiving. I pray that someday I will be so aware of my state of sin or sinlessness that I can say, "Yes, I am worthy of punishment today," or, "No, I am sinless before the Lord."

     Consider Job's words in Chapter 13, starting in verse 16, "This also will be my salvation, For a godless man may not come before His presence, 17 "Listen carefully to my speech, And let my declaration fill your ears. 18 "Behold now, I have prepared my case; I know that I will be vindicated. 19 "Who will contend with me? For then I would be silent and die."

     When we drop down to verse 23, Job asks, "How many are my iniquities and sins? Make known to me my rebellion and my sin."

     He knows that He is guiltless! Even Jehovah God knew this about Job when this book opened. We read in chapter one and verse 8, "And the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.'"

     How awesome will that be? I long for the day when I can say to those around me when I am accused of sin, "I know I am innocent of all sin this day." How about you? Are you there yet? Can you look back at the end of your day and say, "I did it! I didn't sin all day!"

     I've been dealing with a herniated disc in my back for well over a year. Do I think this is some punishment for a sin I have committed? No, I don't. A friend of mine has taught me that the more that comes at you, the more it means Satan is scared of you. If you feel like you are a Job, being punished unrighteously, think of it as Satan being scared of you, of God placing His stamp of approval on you.

Yes, I know that God causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust, but it sure helps me mentally and spiritually to think that I am or have the potential to be so valuable to God that Satan would be scared of me. I want to be "Just like Job," and I hope that you do also.

God Bless you as you strive to be "Just like Job." - Robert

King Asa's Secret to Success

     Do you want to know a little secret? Actually, it's not a secret at all. Do you know how King Asa was able to win a battle in which he was clearly outnumbered, by over a million to 580,000?

     Was it because he was some great master of battle tactics, a Sun Tzu before there was a Sun Tzu? No.

     Was it because he had lured the Ethiopians into a trap where they would be caught in mud pits and be unable to defend themselves? No.

     Was it because he had developed or discovered some new weapon like Greek fire that more than evened the odds against him? No.

     Was it because he had secretly captured the Ethiopians' king or queen or some other high ranking official that the Ethiopians would be willing to trade for rather than risk their death? No.

     So what was it? What was Asa's secret? Look in your Bible at 2 Chronicles 14:11 and you will find Asa's secret. "Then Asa called to the Lord his God, and said, "Lord, there is no one besides Thee to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in Thee, and in Thy name have come against this multitude. O Lord, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee."(NASB)

     What an awesome prayer. Asa knew that it was not up to him or the men he commanded to determine the outcome of the conflict, but God! Asa acknowledged in this prayer that they didn't have the strength themselves to accomplish the goal. But what He said that was positive is absolutely amazing. His words, "So help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in Thee, and in Thy name have come against this multitude. O Lord, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee."

     What an amazing statement! This man was king of millions, but he didn't trust in himself. He trusted in God. He said that he was going into this conflict in God's name. And he was trusting that God was powerful enough to prevent any man, no matter how great, how important, how mighty, or how many to overcome the Lord.

     What if we adopted the same attitude as Asa? What if we prayed a similar prayer? What if when we woke up in the morning, we said, "Lord, there isn't anyone but you to help us in the battles we will face today. Please help us, because we know we are weak, but You are strong. O Lord God, You are our Lord, and nothing can stand against Thee. Help me to face this day, knowing that You are on my side, and that you will let no evil prevail against You."

     How different do you think you would face your days? How different do you think the outcomes of the struggles you face tomorrow will be if you pray this prayer when you get up, and remember that God is standing beside you, fighting for you? What an awe-inspiring and humbling concept. God, THE GOD of all Glory, The Maker, The Redeemer, The Most Holy of Holy who loved you enough to want to spend eternity with you is right there beside you ready to fight for you simply because you asked Him to? Wow.

I know I plan to start my day with this prayer when I rise in the morning. How about you? Will you pray the prayer of Asa, and let God be the mighty warrior on your side as you face the day?

Thank You!

                                                                                                       The sign for "thank you" is made by starting with the fingers of your dominant hand near your lips. Your hand should be a "flat hand." Move your hand forward and a bit down in the direction of the person you are thanking. Smile (so they'll know you mean it).                                              

                                                                                  Memory aid:  Imagine blowing a kiss to the person you are thanking. (Don't pucker up -- unless you'd like to get to know him/her better!)
Many of us are familiar with how to say "thank you" in ASL, so why did I put this visual aid and explanation at the beginning of this post?


     That's an excellent question! I'm so glad you asked. The reason these items are here is to remind us of the New Testament  Greek word for worship, "proskuneo." It's literal meaning is "to kiss, to fawn or crouch, to prostrate oneself in homage, or worship." What is implied is a direction, making the meaning "to kiss towards," "to fawn or crouch towards," "To prostrate oneself before the person receiving homage,' or "to worship towards."

     Our worship towards God is, or at least should be, our outpouring of thanksgiving towards Him. Worship is not for us! It is not for our entertainment! It is not for our enjoyment! Worship is our chance to formally and in a holy, prescribed manner, Give Thanks to our Maker, Sustainer, Redeemer and Friend!

     That is what the Hebrew writer is conveying in Hebrews 12:28, when he says, "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;" (NASB)

     Tomorrow when you pull into the parking lot, or walk into the tent, or however you arrive at your place of worship, I would ask you to remember this post. When you worship God, give Him thanks that He is due.  Let the words of the old song fill your thoughts as you prepare to worship, "Hallelujah, praise Jehovah, for His name alone is High. And His glory is exalted, And His glory is exalted, far above the earth and sky!"

     May God bless us all as we struggle to worship Him correctly, to remember to say thank you, and kiss our lips towards the Almighty when we do so - Robert

What is the scariest verse in the Bible?

   
     I'm sure the answer to this question is highly subjective. For me, however, the answer to that question comes from the pen of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians in his second letter. In chapter five Paul is discussing the difference between the temporal and the eternal. It is here in verse seven that he makes this statement, "for we walk by faith, not by sight -."

     If you don't agree with me that this is an absolutely frightening verse, consider the example of a young man who lived by this ideal, one who walked by faith, and not by sight, Joseph.

     We will not look at Joseph of the Old Testament, whose life would well illustrate the fear this verse can contain, but the first Joseph we are introduced to in the New Testament, the step-father of Jesus Christ.

     Matthew 1:19 tells us that Joseph was a righteous man. The definition of righteous is "right with God." When we drop down to verses 20-25, we find Joseph being visited in his sleep by an Angel of the Lord, giving Joseph instructions. What was his action in response to these instructions? In verse twenty-four we find that, "And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, . . ."

     The faith of Joseph was one of immediate, unquestioning, unconditional obedience!

     We see it again in the very next chapter, verses thirteen and fourteen, and again in nineteen through twenty-three,. Verse 14, "And he arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and departed . . ."and again in verse 21, "And he arose and took the Child and His mother, . . ." then in verse 22, "And being warned in a dream, he departed for the regions of Galilee."

     Think about if you were in Joseph's shoes, what he did. He jumped up and left everything in the middle of the night, on more than one occasion. He was walking by faith, not by sight. He didn't call ahead and book hotel rooms along the way or make sure he had a place to stay when he got there. He was commanded to go, and he went. He didn't even know if there was a job available for him when he got there.

     How many of us are commanded to go just a few miles to the building a couple times of week, and we can't be bothered to leave the comfort of our beds or EZ chairs, knowing they will be there for us when we get back.

     How is your faith? Is 2 Corinthians 5:7 a scary verse now? Are you willing to; do you have a; do you want to have a; faith that is one of immediate, unquestioning and unconditional obedience to God?
God commanded us on multiple occasions to go, preach, teach, baptize, and evangelize the entire world! How many of us have a faith that is immediate, unquestioning, and unconditional in carrying out these commands? Are we going to go do what God said to do because He said to do it? Do we have this kind of faith at home, at work, with our family, with our friends, with the rest of the world?

     If not, then I believe yes, 2 Corinthians 5:17 IS the most scariest verse in the Bible. If you have that kind of faith, that is awesome. That is awe-inspiring. WOuld you do me a favor? Can you teach me how to have immediate, unquestioning, unconditional obedient faith?

God Bless You where ever you are in your walk of faith. My prayer today is that we all develop the faith of Joseph, the faith that makes 2 Corinthians 5:17 not the scariest verse is the Bible! - Robert

Forgetting to Focus

     Have you ever taken a picture with a 35 mm camera, but forgot to focus? What was the result? If you were lucky, you got a picture that still looked okay. If you weren't quite as lucky, you had a wasted shot. With film, that meant that you could never recapture that moment. From this illustration, we know that focus is important.

     When the United States first entered the War on Terror back in 2001, there was a singular focus - Get Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Both of those objectives have been accomplished, yet over 50 thousand U.S. personnel remain in Iraq, and we are still actively engaged militarily in Afghanistan. The U.S. government has lost focus. The result is that the troops continue to die, because there are now multiple ideas regarding the goals of our involvement across the seas. Losing focus can be deadly. Just ask the parents of our young men and women who have returned to our shores in flag-draped coffins.

     As Christians, we also should have a singular focus - to get ourselves and as many others to heaven as possible. Unfortunately, all too many of us wearing that holy name have lost focus. We are now mired down in this world, arguing over different ideas/ideals and goals. The result is much more significant than a ruined picture, or even physical death. The result is spiritual death. Literally millions are dying everyday without hearing the Gospel. This should not be! The first century church had a singular focus and was able to evangelize the entire known world. In this day and age, we have no excuse for not doing the same.

     
May God Bless you as you re-examine your focus!  - Robert

Prayer Request

Hey y'all,

In about an hour I am going under the knife for back surgery. If you would say a prayer on my behalf, I would really appreciate it. It has been almost sixteen months since I first injured my back, and I would like for this to be the final step in making it right.

Thank you much and God Bless you for Blessing me with your Prayers - Robert

"Difficult Times Will Come" - Are they Here?

   
     In Second Timothy chapter three, Paul is writing to Timothy. Paul is talking about the last days. He starts by saying that difficult times will come. Verse two talks about this time, and says, "For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power;" Paul concludes verse five with the statement, "and avoid such men as these."

     Really, Paul? How is that even possible? Judging by the list he gave Timothy, I'd say we are in the last days, 'cause I know a lot of folks or hear about them on the news that fit just about every category he listed. What's even worse, some of 'em are in the church!

     So what do we do about it? How are we going to get through these times? In verse twelve, Paul says that, "And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." I was accused one time of belonging to the church of Christ. He said he could tell, because we all have a "persecution complex." Maybe it's not a complex, maybe we really are being persecuted, because we are desiring to live godly lives! When you put someone who is godly in the midst of the people mentioned before, you will stand out.

     But what does Paul tell us to do to get through this? He says, "You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, (thoroughly) equipped for every good work."

     Paul says stay in the word. It is what we need to keep ourselves from the contamination around us, and to bring the light into this world of darkness. Pick up your Bible and use it the way God meant us too.

God Bless you richly as you spend time in His word - Robert

Oaks of Righteousness

     Isaiah 61 starts with a prophecy of Jesus, speaking of His work bringing Good News, healing and freedom. In verse three, those that are the recipients of His efforts have this said about them, "So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." (NASB)

    That term really struck me, "oaks of righteousness." What symbolism. Why an oak? Why not a birch or a cedar tree? Why an oak? Here is my perspective.

     Oaks are mighty trees. They are incredibly strong. They can withstand fierce storms. They are also very useful. Oak is one of the best woods for building with. If you build an oak dresser, you can count on it lasting hundreds of years with proper care. Oak is used in many different settings. You can use it in furniture, construction of buildings or boats, and in curing or smoking meats and cheeses, to name just a few applications.

     I believe the Holy Spirit inspired Isaiah to use the oak in this verse because of the reasons just listed above. With salvation, we become incredibly strong, because we are rooted in Christ. We can withstand whatever trials and storms come our way. We can be extremely useful to Jehovah God, with each of us having a different use, because of the skills and attributes God has blessed us with.

May our Lord bless you as you grow as an Oak - Robert

Bringing the Profane into the Pure

     In Exodus 3, God appears to Moses in a burning bush that is not consumed. When Moses approaches, Jehovah tells him to, ". . . take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." Why did God command Moses to be barefoot? Could it be a symbol of leaving the profane (the regular dirt of the sinful world) which was on his sandals behind, so that he did not bring it into the presence of Jehovah?

     We need to be reminded today to take off our sandals on occasion. We have gotten very good at bringing the profane into the pure. We would be horrified if someone brought a muddy dirty hog into our Sunday service and drove it down front and kept it there, squealing and stinking and disrupting the worship, wouldn't we?

      We know that this would be wrong. This would be mixing the profane with the pure. Yet, this is what happens when we bring musical instruments not commanded by God into our worship. When we show "video clips from today's hottest movies and T.V. shows" in the lesson as a local denomination advertised recently. When we mix eating and drinking with our worship. When we spend time thinking more about what's on T.V. or for lunch after services than we do about the message being presented.

     Here's the bottom line. We are no different than that pig I mentioned when we are not pure ourselves, but come to worship our Almighty Father, Lord and Master anyway. We are mixing the profane and the pure. When we have not kept ourselves "unspotted from the world," we are bringing the profane into the pure. When no one can tell the difference between a "Christian" and the rest of the world, we have mixed the pure and the profane. We have become guilty of dragging the profane into the pure on so many levels. It. Is. Shameful.

    Moses needed a burning bush to wake him up and get him on the right road. His objections were many. What will it take for us to purify ourselves? What objections do we need to overcome? What changes do we need to make in ourselves, our lives, our conduct, our speech, our behavior, our attitudes, our entertainment, our friends, our relationships, etc., so that we may purify ourselves? So that when we do approach the Pure God of Heaven and Earth, we are in essence barefoot, no longer bringing the profane into the pure?

May God Bless you today as you examine yourself, and separate the profane from the pure.  -- Robert

Amidst the Tears and Wails

Taken from the Garden

With sword and club and cheers

Sent before three false trials

Amidst the women's tears

Back and forth they sent him

None willing to send to jail

Pilate tried to set him free

Amidst the women's wails

A Roman scourge, a Roman cross

Three blacksmith's iron nails

That pierced the Son of God's pure flesh

Amidst the women's wails

Back and forth between two men

The insults and the jeers

Christ was raised up on that tree

amidst the women's tears

Six short hours suspended

Hung there by those nails

Then he cried, "It's done!"

Amidst the women's wails

He gave up mortal with a sigh

His side was pierced with spear

The water and the blood ran down

Amidst the women's tears

They buried Him in a tomb

Wrapped in linens, aloes bales

The stone was rolled into place

Amidst the women's wails

Come first day's dawn arising

An empty tomb was found

He is risen, Hallelujah!

and now,

He reigns aloft in Heaven

The price for sin He paid

We can rejoice that there we'll be,

Eternally,

No more tears, No more wails!

Are you content or comfortable?

     Are you content or comfortable? The Apostle Paul said he had learned to be content no matter his circumstances, (Philippians 4:11) and we are commanded to be content with what we have in Hebrews 13:5. So what is the difference between content and comfortable?

     Let me make an illustration from my own history. For most of my adult life, no matter what else is going on, I have been comfortable, because I AM HOME. I have my family and friends nearby. I know where everything is (or should be!) I have the food I like, the wife I love, the right pillow and as we phrase it, "all the comforts of home." When I am deployed, I am not comfortable. I can be content, because I have what I need, and I am doing a good thing helping our wounded troops, but I am never comfortable. I am only comfortable when I am home.

     That is the way we need to be in our spiritual life. We have sung on many occasions that, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passin' through," but the reality for many of us is that we are not just content in this life, but we have become comfortable! We have made this world our home, something that is against God's will. That is not right. The only place we should consider ourselves comfortable spiritually is when we get to our home, heaven. We can be somewhat comfortable around fellow christians and in our worship because it is a small taste of heaven, but the bottom line is that we should only be content in this life.

     For those of us who have become comfortable in this life, how do we go back to only being content?

     First, we have to remember that this is only a temporary assignment, like my military deployments. I don't spend all my money and time trying to make myself comfortable in a temporary abode when I am overseas. I am willing to be a little uncomfortable, because I know it is temporary. We need to allow ourselves to stop being comfortable in this life, because it is not our home. Instead, I would argue that we need to make ourselves at least a little uncomfortable, so that we can remember that this world is not our home.

    Second, just like we invest in making our homes comfortable, we need to invest in making our heavenly home comfortable. Jesus put it this way, 'For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:34)

My prayer for you this week, and from here on is that you always be content in this life, but never comfortable!

God Bless you in your contentment - Robert