What Happens When A People Go To Church As a Living Sacrifice...

"God, Who is the best, must be served with the best we have." - Matthew Henry"
The good man will give his best things to God.""Of all we have we should give the Lord His portion, and that should be the choicest we can select."
"Reader, never attempt to come before God without Jesus, the divinely promised, given, and accepted burnt offering." - All three quotes from Charles Spurgeon
Proverbs 15:8 says - "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD..."
Now contrast Solomon's statement with that of David's in Psalm 66:13 and 15 - "I will go into Thy house with burnt offerings...I will offer unto Thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah."Both portions of Scripture deal with offering "sacrifices" unto the Lord. In other words, they deal with acts of worship. However, the "wicked" man's offering is distinguished from the godly man's by these words - "is an abomination to the LORD."Why is his particular "sacrifice" referred to as such?First of all, His "sacrifice" doesn't represent Jesus - the Ultimate Sacrifice. On the contrary, it represents self - self-will, self-confidence, and self-pride. The second reason is because his heart is not in it. Thirdly, his observance of the "sacrifices" doesn't flow from a principle of pure devotion to God. It is done hypocritically - not according to His word and will...not done in faith...not springing from love to Him... and not directed to His glory.It is "an abomination to the LORD."Just how many "sacrifices" of this sort are offered every time a worship service is conducted? And just how many "wicked" people are there - impersonating as Christians - who approach God without faith and with no sense of sin or repentance for it?The truth of the matter is - our churches are full of such people and the stench of such offerings before the Lord - each time that the doors are opened.David said - "I will go into Thy house with burnt offerings..."He made up his mind that he was going to the place of worship to acknowledge God's goodness and render Him His due praise. He had been delivered out of many troubles and brought into a "wealthy" or prosperous place (Psalm 66:12). Hence, he would bring the best for the King of kings. He wouldn't dare to appear before Him empty. His "sacrifice" would surely cost him something."I will go into Thy house with burnt offerings..."Would to God that every worshipper would come before the Lord with such "offerings."Why?Because of what the "burnt offering" represents.The words in the Hebrew mean - "to go, ascend." It applied to the sacrifice that was wholly consumed by fire on an altar or made to ascend in smoke before the Lord. It was a voluntary offering of which the offerers had no share and where all parts were entirely burned - except for the blood which was sprinkled round about the altar. It was offered in honor of God.In Psalm 66:15, David went on to say - "I will offer unto Thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah."He was determined to give God his very best. This is implied in his words - "burnt sacrifices of fatlings." These "fatlings" were just as they sound - the fattest of the flock - the best of the herd and fold. He would not dare to offer God any "sacrifice" that was lame or lean.He burnt the fattest of rams on the altar - which produced a smoke which ascended before the Lord and was just as acceptable and aromatic as sweet incense - "with the incense of rams.""I will offer bullocks with goats" - This type of offering cost him a great deal for he was very liberal in expressing his gratitude for all that the Lord had done for him.The "whole burnt offering" was the highest of the gifts given to God. Every part was burnt in the sacred fire - which symbolized God's Holy Presence. It represented the offerer's unreserved dedication of his body, soul, spirit, and will to the Lord. It also represented the most perfect surrender of the human will to the divine. It symbolized the true meaning of worship.It was that which the Apostle Paul referred to in his exhortation to the Christians in Romans 12:1 where he said - "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.""Present" is a technical term used in the language of offerings or sacrifice. It means to offer or bring.What were the believers required to offer before God?Their "bodies" - which included their personality as well as their faculties and rational powers - were to be placed at the disposal of God - dedicated and consecrated for His service and use. Their greatest desires would be - to live a life of holiness ... live for God ... worship and obey Him ... hate evil ... stand for righteousness... follow and serve Christ ... be filled with the Spirit ... and imitate Christ in all their relationships.In other words, they would be that "whole burnt offering" that was placed on the altar and figuratively burnt with the Holy Fire of God's Presence - sending forth a sweet aroma from the complete dedication and commitment of their lives unto Him."The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD..."When we read this, we think of the gross sinner who uses religion as "a cloak for sin." And that understanding of the Scripture can easily apply here.But what about the believer who tries to enter into the Holy of Holies with his life so totally consumed with His own fleshly ideas, plans, agenda, ways, and confidences? What kind of stench - do you suppose - comes from the smoke of his worship?What would happen if every believer would go to church as a "living sacrifice" - as a "whole burnt offering" - one whose carnal flesh is so totally consumed by the fires of God's Holiness? The Lord would surely come down in our midst in His Power and Glory. Miracles would be "the order of the day. "David said - "I will go into Thy house with burnt offerings...
"After reading this message, how will you go?
May God Bless His Word,Connie© COPYRIGHT Connie Giordano - All Rights Reserved
Subscribe to Daily Bible Messages at - connie@walkingintruth.org .
Walking In Truth Ministry P.O. Box 383016 Duncanville TX 75138

Having Crossed Over, Hold On...

Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

This amazing passage defines all true believers in Messiah as “Abraham’s seed and heirs according to God’s promise”. Abraham was known as the first Hebrew – literally, “one who crosses over!” Before he crossed over into the promised land, we know from the scriptures that Abraham lived in a deeply idolatrous society and that even his own father was an idol worshiper. (Joshua 24:2) But one remarkable day, a call came to Abraham….a call from the Most High God – and he became one who “crossed over” from idolatrous polytheism into a personal knowledge of the one true Creator God. So leaving his past behind, he entered a new life of spiritual truth and holiness and a new land of promise; a profound transformation, and for us, a beautiful picture of our own “crossing over” into the new life of Yeshua the Messiah.Now looking at Abraham’s story, do we see that his life was free of obstacles and troubles once he reached his destination in Caanan? No way! Here are a few major events: he felt forced to go into Egypt to escape a famine, where his wife, Sarah, was held captive in Pharoah’s harem for an undisclosed amount of time; after being liberated, Sarah continued barren until old age; then, Abraham was required by his own deep loyalty, to rescue his worldly nephew Lot and his family, risking his own life and the lives of his men; again he was tested when following Sarah’s advice, Abraham conceived a son with Hagar, whom he deeply loved but was required to send into the desert with his Egyptian wife/mother. And of course, he probably faced the greatest test of faith when God asked Abraham to sacrifice the son of promise, Isaac, Sarah’s only son, for whom they both had waited all their lives!Isn’t it interesting that we know nothing of Abraham’s life trials before he crossed over into Caanan? Only after he crossed over do we read of the successive testings of this great man of faith – and in fact, because of those tests Abraham is considered the “father” of faith. (Romans 4:16)We are called to bear our crosses daily, and also to respond with faith to whatever may come our way. And, praise God that when we do, we also will be known as those who “crossed over” and overcame every obstacle and trial of faith…having held firm to every great promise of God!

By Worthy Devotions

Wisdom From Proverbs

1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight.
-Proverbs 11:1

My pastor is doing a study on the heart and each day in July we are reading a proverb. Today's devotional really spoke to me. I couln't get past the first verse.

I know in verse 1 God is talking about fair and just business practices, but spiritually I think He may also be talking about deceitfulness, carnal thinking, etc. Honest scales will always be in perfect balance. Is our hearts honest, or our we off balance in some areas of our lives? We are studying the heart, and God measures everything by the heart, so how balanced are our hearts? Jeremiah says that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? Jer 17:9

In those days things were measured with stones. That is interesting to me because, we may need to take away some stones in our heart to get in perfect balance. Then our "just" weight will be His delight.

Praise God and may He Bless His Word.

A Song of Thankfulness

1 Samuel 21And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.2There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.3Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.4The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.5They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.6The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.7The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.8He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them.9He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.10The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

Commentary on 1 Samuel 2:1-10 (Matthew Henry)Hannah's heart rejoiced, not in Samuel, but in the Lord. She looks beyond the gift, and praises the Giver. She rejoiced in the salvation of the Lord, and in expectation of His coming, who is the whole salvation of his people. The strong are soon weakened, and the weak are soon strengthened, when God pleases. Are we poor? God made us poor, which is a good reason why we should be content, and make up our minds to our condition. Are we rich? God made us rich, which is a good reason why we should be thankful, and serve him cheerfully, and do good with the abundance he gives us. He respects not man's wisdom or fancied excellences, but chooses those whom the world accounts foolish, teaching them to feel their guilt, and to value his free and precious salvation. This prophecy looks to the kingdom of Christ, that kingdom of grace, of which Hannah speaks, after having spoken largely of the kingdom of providence. And here is the first time that we meet with the name MESSIAH, or his Anointed. The subjects of Christ's kingdom will be safe, and the enemies of it will be ruined; for the Anointed, the Lord Christ, is able to save, and to destroy.

Hey Everyone, You Don't Want To Miss This...

My pastor is doing a verse by verse study in Proverbs and he is blogging it @
www.pastordavevcc.blogspot.com

It is very interesting, and he is receiving a lot of comments. So join in, read and get blessed, and leave a comment about whatever the Lord has revealed to you about a verse. It is how we learn. God can say many different things to different people and it is good to get a wide variety of thoughts.

My prayer is that Pastor Dave will put his audio sermons on his blog page. It would be a HUGE blessing to the whole world. I have listened to many preachers around the world on the web and it is a blessing and a good learning tool. Sooooo, Pastor Dave, something to pray about!

The Prostitute in the Mirror...

Don't know who this lady is, but this teaching blew me away. It will definitely make you examine yourself to see if you be in the faith.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aloviJ1Hnbc

Best Poem in the World...

"BEST POEM IN THE WORLD"

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor..
But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.
'And why's everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock..
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'
JUDGE NOT.
Remember...Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more
than standing in your garage makes you a mechanic or a car.
Every saint has a PAST...
Every sinner has a FUTURE...

Disobedience Rooted in Fear...

Disobedience Rooted in Fear

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os HillmanSaturday, June 06 2009

"Then Moses said to them, 'No one is to keep any of it until morning.'" - Exodus 16:19
Have you ever seen God do something really good in your life only to find that you have abused the blessing He gave you? Such was the case of the Israelites as they were traveling through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. God was providing for them in miraculous ways. Manna was provided each day as their bread. God gave Moses specific instructions as to how this manna was to be eaten. God said each one was to gather only what he needed for that day. No one was to keep it until the next morning.
"However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them" (Ex. 16:20). God was teaching the Israelites daily trust in His provision for them. He wanted them to trust Him one day at a time. If they tried to hoard, God put a self-destruct feature in the manna. Yet God also told them to gather two days' worth on the sixth day so that they would have manna to eat on the seventh day. Interestingly, this manna did not stink or have maggots.
For many years I gathered manna in business out of fear of not having enough. One day, the Lord decided that manna should be destroyed in order for me to learn total trust in His provision. When we operate out of fear, we can expect the Lord to lovingly discipline us in order to help us learn to trust Him. There is a danger when we seek to "insure ourselves" against calamity. If your actions are born from fear, you can expect God to demonstrate His loving reproof so that you might not live in fear.

Ten "I Will's" of Psalm 119...

"I will praise Thee..."
"I will keep Thy statutes..."
"I will meditate in Thy precepts..."
"I will delight myself in Thy statutes..."
"I will not forget Thy word"
"I will run the way of Thy commandments..."
"I will walk at liberty..."
"I will speak of Thy testimonies also before kings..."
"My hands also will I lift up unto Thy commandments..."
"At midnight I will rise to give thanks..."

The Ministry of Prayer

"The Ministry of Prayer"

There's a holy high vocation
Needing workers everywhere;
'Tis the highest form of service-
'Tis the ministry of prayer.
None need stand idly longing
For a place in which to share,
Active service for the Master-

There's always room inprayer.
In these days of tribulation,
Wickedness prevades the air;
And battles we engage in
Must be won by fervent prayer.
There's no weapon half so mighty
As what the intercessors bear;
Nor a broader field of service
Than the ministry of prayer.
-A.S. Woolworth

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority... ITimothy 2:1

Daily Bread...

Greek ThoughtsWeek of May 24 - 30, 2009
EN* - In
Please note that all Biblical quotes, in this and all other lessons posted to Greek Thoughts, are from The Literal English Translation of the Bible produced by BTE Ministries - The Bible Translation and Exegesis Institute of America.
This week we are studying the fourth word in our series of studies relating to the believer's battle with the attacks of Satan. We first considered the verb diw/kw (Strong's #1377, pronounced dē ō kō**), meaning "to pursue" or "to chase." It is from diw/kw that we developed an understanding of the first principle relating to dealing with evil forces in the spirit realm: Satan (the devil) is only able to chase or pursue those who are in Christ; but he is unable to spiritually overtake them, since the Spirit of Christ resides within their souls (spirits) thereby sealing them—making them spiritually impenetrable (see Ephesians 1:13). Because only the flesh is left exposed, Satan attacks here, in an attempt to chase believers. His desire is to continually divert their thoughts and emotions away from God.
We next considered the word a´nqi/sthmi (Strong's #436, pronounced än thēs tā mē**), which means "to resist" or "to oppose." It holds the concept of our second principle—that the plan of God for each believer is revealed as he or she resists the devil's attacks. Believers are to resist Satan while resting in the finished work of Christ. This, of course, is the opposite of what Man would implement– which would be to fight Satan in an attempt to chase him away.Last week we studied the word ièsthmi (Strong's #2476, pronounced hē stā mē**), which means "to stand, set or place." It reveals the third principle involved in comprehending how believers are to respond to Satan's attacks, in that it brings to light the purpose God has for believers in resisting Satan. God's designed plan for Christians is that we resist Satan's attempts to chase us, and the purpose for this is that of being able to stand in a one-place position.
In this week's study our attention is focused on the place in which believers stand. Our word of study is the preposition e´n (Strong's #1722, pronounced ĕn**), which is translated "in" and represents a position or location. We will again be looking at Paul's letter to the Ephesians, noting that its theme is "In Christ." Paul has this letter distributed to all of the churches, in order for believers to understand their position within the spirit realm. This is one of the most misunderstood truths of the Christian faith, because Satan works through the physical realm to try to convince believers that their spiritual condition is based upon their physical circumstances and feelings. In contrast, Paul writes that everyone who has received Christ has the Christ living within them and that they are positioned in Christ in the spirit realm. Ephesians 1:3) Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One who has blessed us in (e´n) every spiritual blessing, in (e´n) the spirit realm, in (e´n) Christ.
The aorist participial form of euÌloge/w (Strong's #2127, pronounced ū lō gĕ ō**), which means "to bless," indicates that God's blessing upon us has already been given at a time in the past (which would be at salvation). The use of "in (e´n)" tells us the location in which He has blessed us – "in (e´n) every spiritual blessing." This tells us that we are positioned in every – not some – spiritual blessing from God.
Paul then tells us that every spiritual blessing is located "in (e´n) the spirit realm." The traditionally used word "heavenlies" is a translation of the Greek word eÌpoura/niov (Strong's #2032, pronounced ĕ pö rä nē ōs**), which literally means "the spirit realm." So our blessings are found in every spiritual blessing and are located in the spirit realm. Next Paul gives us the exact location of our blessings in the spirit realm: "in Christ." The location of our blessings is spiritual, in the spirit realm, specifically in Christ.
Ephesians 1:20-21) which He worked in (e´n) Christ, having raised Him from out of the dead, and seated Him in (e´n) His right hand in (e´n) the spirit realm (eÌpoura/niov),
21)
above every ruler, and authority, and power, and lordship, and every name being named, not only in this age, but also in the one being about to come;Our consideration now is to understand the position of Christ within the spirit realm. In verses 20,21, Paul presents the power of God having first said, in verse 20, that it is the same power that worked in Christ when He raised Him from out of the dead and seated Him "in (e´n) His right hand in (e´n) the spirit realm." These verses tell us that God raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in (e´n) the right of the throne of God in (e´n) the spirit realm. Verse 21 reveals even more about the surpassing power of God and the spirit realm. In it we see that Christ is seated in (e´n) the right of the throne of God, "above every ruler, authority, and power, and lordship, and every name being named, not only in this age, but also in the one being about to come."
From a study of Ephesians 3:9-10 and Ephesians 6:11-12,we can identify the rulers, authorities, powers, and lordships referred to in Ephesians 1:20-21.
Ephesians 3:9-10) and to enlighten everyone as to what is the fellowship of the mystery, the one which has been hidden from the ages in (e´n) God, the One who has created all things through Jesus Christ,
10)
in order that might be made known now to the rulers and the authorities in the spirit realm (eÌpoura/niov) - through the church - the manifold wisdom of God.In Ephesians 3:9, Paul expresses that it is God's desire to enlighten everyone about the "fellowship of the mystery" which has been hidden in ages past in (e´n) God who created all things through Christ. The next verse is connected to this one by the phrase "in order that" and presents the purpose for God's desire to enlighten everyone about this mystery– …to make known the manifold wisdom of God through the church to "the rulers and the authorities in the spirit realm (eÌpoura/niov)." Here Paul reveals that the rulers and authorities are ranks of spirit beings in the spirit realm; but he defines them more specifically in Ephesians 6:11-12.
Ephesians 6:11-12) Put on the full armor of God, for you to be able to stand against the methods of the devil;
12)
because the wrestling for us is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual forces of evil in (e´n) the spirit realm (eÌpoura/niov).In Paul's conclusion to this letter, he emphasizes the absolute necessity of putting on the full armor of God, in order to have the ability to stand against the continuous attacks of the devil. He gives the reason for this in verse 12: because our wrestling "is not against blood and flesh, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual forces of evil in the spirit realm." Paul is teaching that Christians wrestle and struggle against the spiritual forces of evil "in (e´n) the spirit realm (eÌpoura/niov)." In verse 12, he defines the spiritual forces of evil as ranks of rulers and authorities and world rulers "of the darkness of this age."
Therefore, since Christ is seated in (e´n) the right hand of God in (e´n) the spirit realm, as we see in Ephesians 1:20-21, He is seated far above all the forces of evil that inhabit and operate in the spirit realm. Understanding this positioning of Christ is foundational to understanding the position of believers, especially as it relates to responding to Satan's attacks.Ephesians 2:5-6) and while we being dead in trespasses, He made us alive together in (e´n) Christ (by grace you are having been saved);
6)
and raised us up together, and seated us together in (e´n) the spirit realm (eÌpoura/niov) in (e´n) Christ Jesus.In Ephesians 2:5-6, Paul uses resurrection terminology to describe the salvation experience. He writes that God makes people, who are dead in trespasses, alive together in (e´n) Christ, raises them up together, and seats them together in (e´n) the spirit realm in (e´n) Christ Jesus. This teaches us that three things happen in the salvation experience: First, a person is made alive in (e´n) the life of Christ being born within; Second, a person is raised from out of the spiritual dead; Third, a person is seated – at the time of salvation – in (e´n) the spirit realm, specifically in (e´n) Christ Jesus.
This is the great teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that has been hidden in ages past and is still a mystery to many believers: When Jesus Christ was raised from out of the dead, He was exalted above every spiritual force, whether good or evil, and every name being named, both now and in the coming age. He is now seated in (e´n) the right hand of the throne of God far above the ranks of evil spiritual forces in the spirit realm; and once a person is born of the Spirit of Christ, that believer is then in a spiritual position of being seated in (e´n) Christ in (e´n) the spirit realm. "In (e´n) Christ Jesus" is the present and continuous spiritual position of every believer.
With an understanding of this basic fundamental truth, we can better comprehend our part in the battle against Satan's attacks. Since believers are already in (e´n) Christ in (e´n) the spirit realm, Satan attempts to chase them by using elements of the physical realm, in order to make them feel that they are under attack and must run. Satan's ultimate goal is to make believers think that they are not in a spiritual position of safety, but are rather in a position of vulnerability where Satan must be fought with every ounce of effort and attention. The Bible, however, establishes that believers are spiritually positioned in (e´n) Christ in (e´n) the spirit realm, and this is the reason that God's plan for them is to "resist" aÌnqi/sthmi (Strong's #436, pronounced än thēs tā mē**), in order that they can "stand" ièsthmi (Strong's #2476, pronounced hē stā mē**). The position in which a believer is to stand is in (e´n) Christ, in (e´n) the spirit realm. Therefore, the Good News message is that those who have been born by the life and Spirit of Christ are spiritually protected by the armor of God, Jesus Christ.
Next week we will study the biblical teaching of overcoming evil.*EN is the English font spelling of the Greek word e´n.
**English pronunciation of vowel sounds & accented syllables: āle, ăm, fäther; ēve, ĕnd; īce, ǐll; ōld, ǒdd, whö; oi as in oil; ow as in cow; ūse, ŭp, rüde. Bold type indicates an accented syllable.
Author's Bio:Bill Klein has been a pastor, counselor, and educator for the past 36 years. He has had extensive training and education in biblical languages, and has authored a Biblical Greek course. He is currently serving as Professor of Biblical Greek at Master's Graduate School of Divinity, and president of BTE Ministries - The Bible Translation and Exegesis Institute of America, a non-profit organization located in California that provides Bible study tapes and Greek study materials through their website BTEMinistries.org.
Copyright Statement: 'Greek Thoughts' Copyright 2003-2009 © Bill Klein. 'Greek Thoughts' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each article, along with a link to www.studylight.org/col/ht/ 2) 'Greek Thoughts' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
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Happy are the doers...

In the Book of John chapter 13 verse 17 Jesus sneaks in a lot of wisdom in just a few short words. He said, If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

He didn't say happy are you if you know them. He said happy are you if you do them. There are a lot of people in this world that knows the Bible from front to back but doesn't practice it. Knowing the Bible will not make you happy. Listening to the Word all day long, whether it be christian television, teaching cd's, or going to church 7 days a week will not make you happy. No, you must DO what it says. I am amazed at the number of people who say they believe in tithing yet they don't tithe. You may know it is Biblical to tithe, but if you don't tithe don't expect God to open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing.

Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22

I Give Thee Humble Thanks...

For all the gifts that Thou dost send,
For every kind and loyal friend,
For prompt supply of all my need,
For all that's good in word or deed,
For gift of health along life's way,
For strength to work from day to day,
I give Thee humble thanks.

For ready hands to help and cheer,
For listening ears Thy voice to hear,
For yielded tongue Thy love to talk,
For willing feet Thy paths to walk,
For open eyes Thy Word to read,
For loving heart Thy will to heed,
I give Thee humble thanks.

For Christ who came from Heaven above,
For the Cross and His redeeming love,
For His mighty power to seek and save,
For His glorious triumph o'ver the grave,
For the lovely mansions in the sky,
For His blessed coming by-and-by,
I give Thee humble thanks.

-Clifford Lewis

A Monkey's Viewpoint...

Three monkeys dining in a coconut tree
Were discussing something they thought shouldn't be,
Said one to the others,
"Now, listen, you two-Here monkeys,
is something that cannot be true:
"That humans descend from our noble race!
Why, it's shocking- a terrible disgrace!
Whoever heard of a monkey deserting his wife;
Leaving a baby to starve; maybe ruin its life?"
And have you ever known of a mother monk
To leave her darling with strangers to bunk?
Human babies are handed from one to another
And some scarcely know the love of a mother.
"I've never known a monkey so selfish to be
As to build a fence 'round a coconut tree
So other monkeys couldn't get a wee taste
While bushels of coconuts were going to waste.
"Why, if I'd put a fence 'round this coconut tree,
Starvation would force you to steal food from me.
And here is another thing a monkey won't do:
Seek a cocktail parlor and get on a stew;
"Carouse on a whoopee, disgracing his life,
Then reel madly home and beat up his wife.
Some humans think it fun-they fuss and theycuss-
They've descended from something, but it can'tbe from us."
-Anonymous

Sitting at His Feet...

"So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah" (Ruth 2:17-18).
The story of Ruth provides an excellent illustration of the connection between spending time in the presence of God and receiving physical provision. Naomi was married to Elimelech. They had two married sons. Elimelech died and ten years later both of the sons also died. Ruth was married to one of the sons.
The other daughter-in-law moved back to her family, but Ruth, in spite of Naomi's encouragement, insisted on staying with Naomi. The only way for the family line to continue would have been for Ruth to marry another son or direct relative. Now, through a custom known as the kinsman redeemer, Ruth could be married to a relative in the family line. Times were tough and most people made a living by farming. Naomi had a relative named Boaz who was a prominent land owner and farmer. She sent Ruth to glean in the fields of Boaz all day in hopes of picking up excess grain left behind by the harvesters.
Ruth stayed in the fields all day and yielded just one ephah of grain. It is a picture of sweat and toil for very little return. However, something happens later in the story. Naomi realized the only way Ruth was going to have any kind of future is if a kinsman redeemer came to her rescue. She instructed Ruth to go to the threshing floor where Boaz would be and to quietly sit at the feet of Boaz all night. This would be a sign of submitting her life to Boaz. He would have to exercise his right to be her kinsmen redeemer.
Later, Boaz sends Ruth home and takes the necessary steps to become her redeemer. But before he sends her home, he gives her six ephahs of barley - six times what she got spending all day in the fields.
Friend, if we are going to succeed in fulfilling God's destiny for our lives, we must have a life of intimate worship and devotion to Jesus. Why not start spending more time at the feet of Jesus.
-Os Hillman

Daily Bread...

Losing Your Life for His Purposes...TGIF, Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Saturday, April 18 2009

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it." - Luke 9:24
When the time came for God to fulfill Joseph's dreams, Joseph himself had virtually no interest at all in it. Jesus said, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it" (Lk. 9:24). God wants to teach us a different set of values so that the kind of thing we start out wanting becomes secondary. God has something in mind for us that is far greater than the interest we began with.
Joseph's day of exaltation had arrived. Yet, through it all, a very real humiliation had to take place. We know about the humiliation Joseph had experienced for 13 years after being sold by his brothers into slavery, then taken to Egypt. We know how he was falsely accused and cast into prison.
Then came a different situation. Joseph had had a triumph and was given an exaltation, but the kind he really never asked for. He did not appear to be all that interested in what was about to happen. He watched as the Pharaoh took his ring off his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. Joseph never asked for that. All he wanted was to go home. He longed to go back to Canaan, to see his father, and to have his dreams fulfilled.
Therefore, here we find an extraordinary incongruity: a humiliation in the heart of vindication. A triumph that was the opposite of everything he, himself, could have envisaged. Joseph wanted to go home, but a one-way ticket to Canaan wasn't available. Before he knew it, he had Egypt in his hip pocket. He had never prayed for that. But God wanted Egypt. What God wanted is what Joseph got.
Joseph was given something that he could be trusted with because it didn't mean that much to him.

Remember This...

If it's free, it's advice.

If you have to pay for it, it's counseling.

If you can use either one, it's a miracle!
-Barbara Johnson, Author

The Owners Manual...

I borrowed this from a fellow blogger, I hope they don't mind.

Years ago a young man was stopped by the side of the road with the hood of his Model T Ford raised up, trying to figure out how to get it started again. While he was bent over the motor a limousine pulled up behind him, and out stepped a well-dressed man. "Can I help you with that?" the stranger asked. "Nah....I'm just tinkering around 'till I get it fixed. I think I can handle it, thanks."After watching the young man for a few minutes the stranger offered a couple of suggestions: "You know, you might try jigging that thing right there, and then crank up the engine again." Frustrated that he hadn't figured it out for himself the young man snorted, "Fine", and gave it a whirl. To his surprise the motor roared to life again."Wow. How'd you know to finagle that thing?"Reaching his hand out the stranger said, "My name is Henry Ford, son, and I designed and built that thing."You know, friends, life is like a Model T. God has designed and built it for us to use and run at peak perfection, but sometimes things break down, and we can be as stubborn as the young man by the side of the road: "I think I can fix it on my own, thanks."But why not go straight to the Designer and His Owner's Manual for our fix-it advice? He knows better than any of us what needs to be jigged and tweaked.

Ps 139:13-24"For You formed my inward parts;You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;When I awake, I am still with You.Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties, and see if there is any wicked way in me..... and lead me in the way everlasting.

Word of Wisdom

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. -Psalm 141:3

The Dangers of Overcontrol...

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os HillmanSaturday, April 04 2009

"For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king." - 1 Samuel 15:23

A friend of mine who is a jet pilot once told me that whenever a jet goes out of control and begins to spin, the only thing to do is totally take your hands off the controls and the plane will right itself. This goes against our natural inclination to control and manipulate in order to bring things back under control. It is scary to be out of control. Or is it?
Saul was a man out of control. He was losing control of his kingdom to David. He was losing the favor of God and the people. It began as compromises. Eventually he was given a final test to obey the voice of God fully. He was instructed to kill the Amalekites completely; but he failed to follow through. The prophet Samuel delivered a hard word to King Saul, "Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king" (see 1 Sam. 15:26). Saul obeyed partially, but not fully. It was partial obedience that led to his removal as king of Israel and his calling from God. But why did Saul do such a thing? "I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them" (1 Sam. 15:24b). Saul's fear and insecurity made him more afraid of the people and what they thought than of God. At the core of Saul's disobedience was fear of losing control. That fear of losing control led to partial obedience and the loss of his reign as king.
How many of us are in danger of losing God's blessing due to partial obedience? How many of us have such a need to control people and circumstances that we fail to fully walk in obedience to God's voice in our lives? Saul provides a great lesson for us as workplace believers. The need to overcontrol things around us can prevent us from receiving all that God has for us. Today, take an inventory of your control quotient.
Ask God if you are being fully obedient to what He has called you to do this day, and avoid being put on the shelf for disobedience. "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22b).

Abe's Memorial Service...

I chose the picture of Abe seeing Santa Claus last December 12th because it depicts the wonder of Abe. Santa was standing in the doorway as Abe looks on with amazement. He was very ill and thin at this time but still laughing and smiling and still had his child like wonder even though he was so ill.

My son Abe, whom was born with severe brain damage 30 yrs ago passed away March 11th from complications from pneumonia. He would have been 31 April 27th, 2009. I thought this scripture reading and the words my pastor spoke at Abe's memorial was very appropiate. Abe is not coming back and although I will miss him very much, his contagious laughter, his continous smile, he is not coming back. But I will go to him one day and he will be perfectly whole the next time I see him. That is exciting. Another exciting thing is Abe is going to be someone's miracle. I donated his body to the Alabama Organ Donation Center where they will extract every usable thing from Abe and study his body. His bone marrow may give a child with leukemia a second chance at life. His eyes may give a blind person sight. There are many things Abe may cure for a lot of people.

2 Samuel 12:15-23 (King James Version)
15And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.
16David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
17And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
18And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?
19But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
20Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.
21Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.
22And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
23But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this....The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!'Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.Is that important? Absolutely!Is it really significant? Yes!In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'.But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because..........The folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!'He is Coming Back!Now everytime I use a cloth napkin after a meal I will think of this one.

That FORM of doctrine..

Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
The phrase that form of doctrine is part of a beautiful picture. The word form describes a mold used to shape molten metal. The idea is that God wants to shape us - first He melts us by the work of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Then He pours us into His mold of truth - that form of doctrine and shapes us into His image. Adam Clarke on that form of doctrine: “Here Christianity is represented under the notion of a mould, or die, into which they were cast, and from which they took the impression of its excellence. The figure upon this die is the image of God, righteousness and true holiness, which was stamped on their souls in believe the Gospel and receiving the Holy Ghost. The words . . . refer to the melting of metal, which, when it is liquefied, is cast into the mould, that it may receive the impression that is sunk or cut in the mould; and therefore the words may be literally translated, into which mould of doctrine ye have been cast. They were melted down under the preaching of the word, and then were capable of receiving the stamp of its purity.” -David Guzik of www.enduringword.com Romans 6 commentary.

God's Word is awesome, there is so much hidden in there to be searched out. What a blessing it brings when you take the time to search it out.

Some of the scariest verses in the Bible...

1 Corinthians 10:1-12 1Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.8Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Why does this scare me? They were surrounded by God at every corner. He was with them wherever they went, and even with His presence like it was, they were still lusting after evil things, they were still commiting every sin kown to man, if you read the above verses. What happened? They were destroyed of serpents. We know that a serpent respresents satan, so because of their sin, satan destroyed them. There are a lot of christians who think they are standing for Christ, when in reality they are living for themselves People get secure in their sin and sinfulness. If the deathblow doesn't get them right away, or if they seem to get away with something for awhile, they get a false sense of security. It is like the ignorant person living on top of a volcano and thinking all is well. What does scripture tell us? 21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. -Matthew 7:21-23

God's Suddenlies...

Read Exodus 3:1-5, John 4:1-30, Acts 3:1-8 Three familiar old stories, Moses and the burning bush, the woman at the well, and the blind man at the gate called beautiful. Familiar scripture with powerful truths hidden in them that we miss because we tend to read through them so fast because they are familiar.
Was Moses thinking on that day, take my father-in-laws flock to the back side of the desert, again. Perhaps the woman at the well was thinking, get my waterpot, go to the well, draw water, same old, same old. Maybe the blind man was thinking, hope I can beg enough to get some bread today, nothing ever changes. Our lives are not much different today. We do the same mundane things day after day. We get in a routine and tend to think, same old, same old, nothing ever changes. What these three didn't know, on those particular days, it wasn't going to be the same old dull day. Suddenly and unexpectedly, as they were going through their same old routine, the Lord shows up and their whole lives were changed.
That's what makes Jesus so exciting. You never know when, where, or how Jesus will show up and your whole life be changed. Today may be that day for you as you are going about your same old dull routine. Today just may be the day you get that long awaited answer to prayer or some other unexpected blessing.

Daily Bread

To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge, to find the will of God is the greatest discovery, and to do the will of God is the greatest achievement.


If any man serve me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honour. -John 12:26

Root of Bitterness - Hebrews 12:15

This is one of the best explanations for Hebrews 12:15 that I have found.

What are bitter roots, or bitter root judgements?* They are our sinful reactions to circumstances that occur in our lives.* They are condemning judgements of other people.* They are the inability or refusal to forgive someone.* They are the operations of the unchangeable Laws of God, which cause us to reap in kind what we have sown.
Bitter roots are not:* Hurtful or terrible things that happen to us, nor are they the sins of those who have wronged us. They are OUR sinful responses to those things that have happened to us, planted deeply within us due to our refusal or inability to forgive.
We all have a past that God wants us to acknowledge, understand and responded to in a Biblical manner. Our response determines our happiness, hope and harmony. There are many wounded people walking the streets of our city. They have never been healed from the wounds of their past. Yesterday's hurts affect how we respond to people today.I have become aware that the health of our relationship with God is linked to our earthly relationships. That's why Jesus said, "Don't come and worship me if you have something against your friend. Patch the relationship and then bring your gift to the altar." (Matt. 5:24)Every adult has an incredible story to tell about the things that shaped their lives. The most instructive part of that story is how you are integrating the reality of the past with the cold hard facts of the present. If your stories were told with clarity and candour they would be powerful messages motivating positive change in others. Forgiveness sets you free from the bondage of the negative emotions. It does not set the person who hurt you free. Every one will answer to God for their sins. God is just and fair, and every evil act will be answered for.

Does this describe you?...

Psalm 109:22 - For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.

That described me and unfortunately it describes the majority of the people walking the earth today. We are a needy bunch and our hearts are wounded from various things that went on in our past. For me I have just recently found out that a lot of things going on inside of my spirit is a result of a bitter spirit I had toward my mother. It was there all of my life, I just didn't or I should say refused to recognize it. Looking back I knew it was there, I just stuffed it away somewhere in the recesses of my spirit. I can also say "had" against my mother because I have completely forgiven her. For others it may not have been an abusive or neglectful parent, it could have been any number of things, from a sibling, a school teacher, a spouse, a friend, a boss, many things can leave us bitter and resentful. Some people are angry at God. Angry because of their "lot" in life. They're angry at things God let happen, etc. They won't admit it, but it's true. Instead of denying we need to confront the thing that is causing us the problem. If it is God you are angry at, tell Him. He can take it, He knows it anyway. First we have to admit we have a problem. I compare it to the alcoholic or drug addict that denies they even have a problem. That was me, I always knew something wasn't quite right, but never would come to terms with it.The next thing, and it is the biggest thing, is forgiveness. You HAVE to forgive, regardless of the wrong done to you. You have to make the choice to forgive just as Christ has forgiven you. It is not a feeling, it is a decision you make. My mother passed away 10 yrs ago, so I couldn't go to her personally and forgive her. Instead, I bought flowers and took them to her grave, and there I made peace with my mother. It was really odd to me because while my mother was living angd going thru cancer I grieved for her. I cried over her illness and her suffering. After she passed away, it was as if I had no emotion. I never understood it. I didn't cry at her funeral, never visited her grave. It was all very strange. Now that the Lord has opened my eyes to some things that was previously hidden to me, it all makes perfect sense. Your heart is a deceitful place the Bible says. No one can understand their own heart, much less be able to judge someone else's heart.Are you the needy person the above verse speaks about? Are you looking to any number of things to fill that need? Christ alone can heal your broken heart. That wound that is on your heart for whatever reason, let Jesus heal you from the inside out. It will take a deep look inside your soul. Ask God to reveal to you anyone you may be bitter toward, and and make the choice to forgive that person. Get rid of the bitterness and resentment and find a new freedom you didn't know was possible.

Recommended reading - "Total Forgiveness" by R.T. Kendall. Also a book by Dr. Larry Crab titled "Inside Out."

My Emotional Healing.... Pt 1

The Lord has really been showing me some things in my life that were previously hidden to me. Since my son Abram has been on his death bed God has been speaking to me more and healing me more than ever in my christian walk. It is as if part of me is dying (Abe) yet another part of me is coming to newness of life.The Lord has revealed to me about a bitter and resentful spirit against my mother I had no idea I had. My mother was always my very best friend, we had a good relationship, she lived with me when she passed away from cancer. When my mother died it was as if I had no emotion, I didn't cry at her funeral. She has been dead 10 yrs, and in those years I have not visited her grave, didn't take flowers at Mother's Day, etc. I always wondered why. My family was in complete shock that I was not devastated over her death, because we were so close. I was shocked as well. Never knew why I had these feelings until recently. I was praying about that, asking God why I reacted that way, why I had no desire to visit her grave, why I didn't cry, etc. I never told anyone that, but it was something that has bothered me over the years. I listened to Charles Stanley speak about bitterness and unforgivness, I have been studying about bitter roots, etc. I googled the word bitterness and unforgiveness and it blew me away what I was led to. It read:Who in your life should be important, but to whom you are totally indifferent? The opposite of love is not hate; it's indifference. If you are completely emotionally detached from a parent, you probably have not forgiven them, and your indifference is a sign of that.I loved my mother VERY much all of my life, so how could I be bitter? After my parents divorce when I was just 11 yrs old I had no discipline in my life. My brother and sister and myself, raised ourselves. My parents were married for 25 yrs, it was fighting, yelling, no peace for even one day in our household. After the divorce my mother went down the wrong road, drinking, staying out, leaving me home alone. I was the baby, my older brother and sister were out doing their thing. How does a child grow that is left to themself? Smoking, Drugs, Sex, you name it. Yep, all alone, and the devil was right there to accomodate me. I was 17 yrs old when Abe was born. I am thankful I was saved at 24yrs old and all of that is gone. But the scars of that wasn't gone. I never dealt with it, I "stuffed" it I guess you could say. That "root" of rejection and bitterness was planted in me at an early age, being left to myself. With all of that I had no idea I was bitter at my mom for it. I had no idea in the recesses of my spirit I blamed my mother for Abe. I always loved my mom very much, so how could I be bitter? You can, as I am finding out. The Lord is revealing more and more to me everyday. It hasn't come around full circle yet, and I am sure it won't be easy or quick, but I have a new life of freedom now. I can talk about things I have never told anyone. I was sharing with my friend Laurie at church this morning, and it is amazing to me that I can do that now. I never could before. If someone would have told me I was bitter against my mother I would have told them they were crazy. I am puzzled why all of this revelation while Abe is laying on his death bed. I am sure God has a reason I don't know or understand. His ways are past finding out. I am thankful for it though, it is changing me and I desperately need that. We all do. You just have to let go and let God do His thing as they say.Psalm 19:12 - Who can understand his errors? cleanse Thou me from secret faults.

Word of Wisdom

I don't know why I am blogging this, maybe it will help someone. Many years ago a Sunday School teacher of mine was teaching about enemies and forgiveness. He said think of 5 people that you don't like for whatever reason. It may be someone who wronged you in some way, or hurt you deeply, someone you don't like their personality. It may be someone you have held a grudge against for years, you are jealous of, or you just don't like them and don't know why. Now write those 5 names on a piece of paper and fold it up and keep it with you. Everyday call their names out in prayer and next Sunday I want to know if you feel differently about the people whose names you wrote down. I did that little exercise and it worked. You can't hold a grudge, or dislike someone you pray for regularly, it is impossible. Try it. I don't care if it is your most bitter enemy. Pray daily for God to bless them and see how differently you feel about them after just one week.

Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. Luke 6:27,28

Contentment pt2

If you are like the average American, you own twice as much stuff as your parents did. You probably earn more money than your mother could. You are surrounded by luxuries. You eat out three times more often, own more cars, and travel more. You possess more rights and freedoms as a woman. But do you experience contentment, that is, the sense that "I have everything I need?" Or are you constantly looking to the future thinking, "If I can just do this or have that, I'll be happy?"
All kinds of pressures keep you from being content-because you don't possess this thing or you don't look like that person or you lack a certain ability. Refusing to dwell on comparison, developing a generous spirit toward the attributes of others, provides greed controls. Otherwise, you'll only tolerate what you have until you get more.
J Burroughs said, Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.
CONTENTMENT - Do you have it?

Contentment

Contentment - 1. ease of mind. 2.. pleased with things as they are. 3. a comfortable geniality. 4. Biblical: the knowledge of the presence and grace of the Lord. 5. Personal: complete acceptance of what God is doing and providing for you.
The Hebrew word for contentment is sabea, which means "to have one's fill of," "to have desires satisfied," even "to have in excess."
Contentment is to be comfortable with your lot in life. The poor can have it; the rich might not.
How many of us are content? Something to think about as you go through your day. If I were to be honest, I am not "content" in every area of my life. There are some things I would like to change. But as far as having everything I need, the basics in life, food, shelter, and clothing, yes, I have more than enough. The Bible says that is all you need to be content because contentment centers on your relationship with God, how close you are to Him, how well you know Him.
I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hugry, both to abound and suffer need. Philippians 4:12
Taken from: Words to live by for women

Daily Bread

Satan wants to destroy your faith. Once that is weakened or gone altogether, you are powerless against him. Your faith is constantly under attack. Some battles you will win; some you will lose. But regardless of the shape your faith is in, your salvation is always intact. For whereas your faith is often tuned in to your changing circumstances, your salvation is anchored in the unchanging nature and grace of God.God remains faithful, even to the faithless. -Charles Stanley :The Power of the Cross"

Daily Bread

You will never learn faith in comfortable surroundings. God gives us His promises in a quiet hour, seals our covenants with great and gracious words, and then steps back, waiting to see how much we believe. He then allows the tempter to come, and the ensuing test seems to contradict all He has spoken. This is when faith wins its crown. This is the time to look up through the storm, and among the trembling, frighten sailors declare, "I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me" (Acts 27:25) ~Selected


And Jesus saith unto them, Have faith in God. -Mark 11:22

LORD, I my vows to Thee renew;
Disperse my sins as morning dew;
Guard my first springs of thought and will,
And with Thyself my spirit fill. -Thomas Ken


Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. -Proverbs 16:3

Daily Bread

Daily devotion: I have been studying sanctification. It is a very interesting topic to study, and very informative.And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. -Luke 9:23
There is that word again, daily. The Bible speaks so much about today.We need to daily put ourself in it's place. If you want victory that place is in Christ. We do this by forsaking our own agenda, our own desires, and "take up the Cross." By Jesus telling us to do this on a daily basis tells us that we have a problem that must be addressed constantly. What is your "daily" problem? What one thing do you wrestle with on a regular basis? For some it is alcohol, drugs, sexual sins, food, money, etc. Some are more subtle, we don't even know about them, but prayer will bring them to the light.How do you take up our cross? You look only to Jesus for your answer, not some scheme devised by man. If you look at the church world today they seem to have so many answers for our problems, but rarely mention the word sin, or the Cross of Christ. How many christians do you know that claim to have faith in Christ yet they place their faith, their way of getting victory from different things by doing certain things. Confess this, give that, do this, do that, etc. The Bible tells us not to do anything, but to believe. Believe in what? Believe that Christ' death on the Cross is complete payment for our salvation and our victory. By grace we are saved, thru faith, not of works. It is so simple, people don't get it. They think they have to do something, when in fact, when Christ died on the Cross, it was finished. All we have to do is believe. When you truly believe, works will follow. You don't work to get something from God, you work because you love God. Will giving to God bring blessing? YES, you will reap what you sow. But giving to God is not what will deliver you from money problems. You can't buy your deliverance, Christ already paid the price. When you give your money only to reap a blessing so you can pay down your debt, (which is a result of greed, not trusting in God's provision) you are not addressing the real sin problem in your life. I would dare say that 95% of the church world would not give money to the church to further the gospel if they wasn't promised a return. Most people give in faith that they will be blessed from it. Any christian can tell you Christ died to save you from your sin, but then they can't admit they have any sin. There is no such thing as sinless perfection, so if you are breathing today, you are wrestling with something. We go from glory to glory the Bible says. It is a process called sanctification. You can look at it this way, we are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners. It was born into us from the fall, unfortunately. Getting saved did not take away your nature to sin. But instead of admitting that, we try all of these different ways to get our victory, instead of admitting what the true problem is. Jesus said, ye shall know the truth, and truth shall set you free.We are deceived into believing that we must "work" to get victory. I need to read so many chapters a day, or pray more, or give more money, be a better church member, etc. All of these things are good and important, but it is Christ and His death on the Cross and faith in that + nothing, that brings victory.Oh, the simplicity of the Gospel, and the deceitfulness of sin. Open our eyes Lord to the truth. Jesus is the Truth. He is the Way, the Truth, the Life. Yes, He is the Way, no other way, not works, not anything, just Jesus. You get this in your spirit and you will have life, and have it more abundantly.

Losing Weight God's Way...pt3

Why are so many people overweight? First, lets look at some of the excuses for being overweight. Obesity tends to run in families, but since family members share diet and lifestyle habits as well as genes, identifying genetics as the sole cause may be difficult. Simply put, you are not overweight because your mom was, or your grandma was, you are overweight, and they were too, because of poor eating habits. There are some medications that will make you gain weight. I have taken steroids for bronchitis and felt like I could eat a buffalo on the run. The effects should not last a lifetime though. I am guilty of overeating at stressful times. When Abe was so sick and in the hospital I put on over 10lbs from stress eating. I had my focus on the wrong thing. I am getting back on track finally.I love what Charles Stanley said, "Remember the flesh that rages within you is at war with God, not with you. You may feel as though the battle is yours, but in a spiritual sense it is God's battle. We are the ones that must learn to say no to the desires of the flesh, but not just because we are disciplined. Without a sincere love for God and a desire to obey His will for our lives, discipline becomes nothing more than a physical exercise."The flesh is the part of us that stands in opposition to God's truth. It cannot be improved, disciplined, or changed. It is totally self-focused. It is self-centered, self-pleasing, self-promoting, self-seeking, self-concious, self-righteous, self-indulgent. Oswald Chamber writes: "If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself." We overcome the flesh by setting the focus of our hearts on loving the One who gave us life.There you have it, the answer to permanent weight loss is summed up in those 2 paragraphs. Change your focus. Change your eating habits for God, not because you want to look good in a pair of jeans. When you say no to that second helping, or that krispy kreme, because you want to please God, He will help you with the rest. Soon, you won't even be thinking about food. But it is a DAILY battle. Have you ever noticed how much the Bible says about "today?" Choose you THIS DAY whom you will serve, TODAY is the day of salvation, etc. That is why you should live for the day, not worry about tomorrow. Every day give your eating to God as worship, you won't believe how much that will change your spiritual life. So give up the urge to listen to worldly wisdom. Admit your gluttony is a sin problem, and remember, only Jesus can deliver from sin. You can't get deliverance from a pill, or a diet.How many overweight people 50 yrs of age or older have you seen in church requesting prayer for different things like diabetes, heart disease, etc, and testify that the devil put those diseases on them when the truth is the devil had nothing to do with it. They chose death by their years of overeating. Deut 30:19 - I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life... Lets not spend our lives digging our graves with a fork, and expect the results of that to go away in a prayer line in an instant. Yes, God is a loving God but He is also just. Be not deceived, God is not mocked, whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.

Losing weight God's way, pt 2

To begin I was the skinny kid that know matter what I ate I could not gain weight. I even took the super weight on pills trying to gain weight and couldn't do it. That is hard for me to imagine now, but that is the way it was. That was the trend all the way thru my twenties. At first I was maybe a hundred lbs soaking wet and then it began after I got into my thirties, I started gaining weight. Believe it or not I was so thrilled at the idea of not looking like a toothpick that before I realized what was happening my little 100 lb frame was 155 - 160lbs and I looked in the mirror one day and thought, OMG, I am fat. The first thing I did, was what the Word warns us against in Psalm 1, I took counsel from the ungodly by reading all the diet crazes, the womens magazines, doing what I thought was the right thing. I noticed I would lose weight, put it back on, lose weight, put it back on, on and on it went. I decided to ask God for wisdom.I was in a buffett restaurant and I looked around and noticed that everyone had their plates piled so high they couldn't put another thing on them if they wanted to. Some people were shoveling the food in so fast it was as if they were unconcious to what they were doing. I watched as people left with their hands on their stomach, groaning. It is something we don't give much thought to, but we should. Eating IS a spiritual matter. God has a lot to say about it in His Word. You wouldn't think a visit to a buffett restaurant would be a spiritual experience, but it was. That visit changed my relationship with food forever. It was then God had my attention, and he lead me on a study that changed my life. ICorinthians 3:19 - For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.A good example of worldly wisdom is found on any newstand. Magazines, especially womens, are covered with all the ways to lose weight. Eat and stay thin, do this exercise, buy this, yada, yada, yada. They usually throw some drs name in their with their article to make it look more appealing. Anyone who as ever struggled with weightloss has fallen for it. To think we spend our money, our energy, our time, and get all stressed out over weight loss, and the answer is found in God's Word, if we would just listen to what He has to say. Oh, the deceitfulness of sin. We are a deceived bunch.There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12Dr. Atkins was a good example of this. He sold millions of dollars worth of books, tapes, food products, etc all promoting his famous diet. Just because he had Dr in front of his name, everyone falls for what he sells. After his death his autopsy revealed he had extremely high cholestrol, high blood pressure, and major heart disease. I know he died from a fall, but that didn't change the fact he was in very bad health. I guess he was feeling good from all of the money he was raking in, he didn't realize he was so sick.God said He would destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. ICorinthians 1:19 Part 3 tomorrow

Losing Weight God's Way...Part 1

The scripture I am using, just about any christian can quote, but few live by it. It is funny how we can underestimate the scriptures that doesn't fit our lifestyle.I Corinthians 3:16,17- Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

I think the first problem with the church and obesity is people don't want to address their weight problem as sin. A quick study of the scriptures will tell you that gluttony is sin. I think that is one reason Paul worked so hard to keep his body under control.(ICor 9:27) Now there are a number of sins against the body, not just gluttony. There are sexual sins, which we have no problem addressing as sin, so why when it comes to gluttony do we have a problem? Drinking alcohol in excess is obviously destroying God's temple and we have no problem addressing it as sin. Gluttony is just as deadly, maybe even deadlier than alcohol. You get diabetes, heart disease, stroke, just to name a few. So, the first step to freedom is addressing your eating problem as sin. That is the reason diets and diet pills are a proven failure, they are man made, and nothing man made will ever free you from sin.What is gluttony? A glutton according to websters dictionary is a person who eats too much. Plain and simple. God's answer to weight loss is so simple it is almost laughable, quit eating when you are full. It is not necessarily what you are eating that is putting on the weight, it is how much you are eating. It is a sin of excess. But with that comes suffering, and we don't want to suffer, that is why America spends billions of dollars each year on diets, and pills and books, etc. We want to hang on to our sin and still be skinny, sorry won't work. God won't let it work because it goes against His Word. We spend all of that money and America remains the fattest nation on earth. Have you ever heard that the definition of an idiot is a person who does the same thing over and over expecting to get different results? I kid a lot about my weight, but I use to be a whole lot bigger than I am now, and I have kept my weight off for about 8 yrs now. I still manage to put on some extra pounds, especially in the winter months, but I have been delivered from the dieting, and I know what it takes to get results. My next few blogs I am going to be sharing that. So take the journey with me and learn some habits to keep you off the never ending counting calories, counting fat grams, counting carbs, etc. All of that counting is not freedom, it is bondage. Everything I went through on that journey many years ago I wrote in a book and I am going to blog a little of it each day, so stay tuned. When it is all over, I may even upload one of my old fat pictures and you will see the difference.

Daily Bread

Bind Youself to the Mast

In centuries past, sailors and even captains of ships would bind themselves to the ship's mast to keep from being swept overboard by giant waves that threatened to capsize the vessel. In that manner, they'd ride out the storm, trusting in God to calm the winds and waves.When the storms rage against us, and we find ourselves sailing in waters where we know the Lord has led us, we must do likewise. We must bind ourselves to the mast of the Lord Jesus and hold tight, trust in God to rebuke the storm that is raging against us, and, at the same time, preserves our lives and keep us strong in our faith.

I'm experiencing a tempest, God. The wind is howling, and the billows are raging. Right now, I am binding myself to the mast of the Lord Jesus. Let me cling fast until this storm has passed.

Taken from "The Power of the Cross" by Charles Stanley.

If you haven't read any of Charles Stanley's books, go to your local christian bookstore and purchase one. There are many to choose from, not just daily devotions. He is an awesome writer and speaker. He is the pastor of the 1st Baptist Church in Atlanta Ga.

Daily Bread...

This is my favorite daily devotion site. Click on their page at the bottom and sign up for the daily devotion email. It is very uplifting, and will teach you the Word like nothing else will.
Today's WordSaturday, January 10, 2009
Doing Theology
he who does these things shall not be shaken forever Psalm 15:5
Does – David asks a very important question. “Who will spend time in Your presence?” It’s worth reading the list in Psalm 15. You will notice one important quality about every facet of the answer. They are all actions toward others. Not a single part of David’s answer is about the right doctrine or an inner feeling or having a personal experience of salvation. Everything David mentions is about actions on behalf of other people. The one who will enjoy God’s presence is the one who does theology; who turns cognitive contemplation into benevolent deeds.The Hebrew verb is asah. All of its nuances are about getting things done. To do, to make, to accomplish, to complete, to perform an action with a particular purpose, to construct, to engage – there is nothing here that remotely suggests a passive, cognitive stance. Apparently, entering into God’s presence demands doing things.Our Greek-based view of the primacy of reason has affected our idea about what matters to God. We are believers in beliefs. We think that what God really wants is our affirmation of doctrines. We think that God is really interested in our inner experience. We think that being a Christian is having the right beliefs. This means that all those Old Testament verses about “works” don’t apply to us. We have Jesus in our hearts – and that’s enough to guarantee our goodness before God. We no longer share the worldview of those who delivered God’s Word to us. We have progressed.It’s such foolishness. The Old Testament view of works has nothing to do with God’s choice about His people. That is grace, and grace alone. But both the Old Testament and New Testament consistently exhort us to act according to the grace God has given, and without the action, there is little evidence that grace has ever had any part of a man’s real life. James said it perfectly. “Unless there is tangible evidence of grace exhibited in outward deeds, any claim to have faith is worthless.”Of course, we all know this is true. Faith claims without visible manifestations are bogus. But we might not appreciate the underlying psychology of God’s emphasis on action. God knows better than anyone how human beings really work. He knows that if we begin doing our theology, we will very soon discover that the attitudes and beliefs that support those actions become a part of us. God also knows that merely entertaining a cognitive belief never transformed anyone. So, God starts with action. “Do what I ask you to do, and it will change your heart in the process.” It’s the oldest psychological method in the book. Obedience comes before understanding. Do what God asks even if you don’t feel like it. Do it anyway. Do it again and again. And one day you will discover that it feels just right.So, go read the list. Then do it until you stand in His presence.Topical Index: Faith, Belief, Action, asah
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Daily Bread

Today's WordWednesday, January 7, 2009
Theological Correctness
but you must master it Genesis 4:7
Master – Everything important happens in the first three chapters of Genesis. Oh yes, plus the appendix of the story of Cain. This verse is absolutely crucial. Why? Because it says something about the essence of the Fall that we absolutely must know. It says that sin did not destroy the nature of Man.Read the story again. You probably think you know it, but I’m guessing that you haven’t really paid attention to all the details. After the Fall, Cain brings his sacrifice. It is rejected. We are not told why. Cain is angry and distressed. God comes to Cain and tells him that sin crouches at the door, ready to take possession of him (that is an important word too). God advises Cain to do what is right and everything will be just fine. Then God warns Cain to master his inner voice. What does this imply? It implies that Cain is able to do just what God says. It implies that Cain can make a choice to do what is right, that Cain has the ability to master (mashal) sin’s desire and that Cain’s offering will be accepted. It’s all up to Cain.That seems entirely reasonable, doesn’t it? After all, it is clearly what the text says, it makes Cain responsible for his actions and it shows us that God responds to our real choices. It seems reasonable – until you start to read the history of theology. In that history you will find a theological concept called Total Depravity. This idea, popularized by John Calvin but developed more than 1000 years before Calvin, claims that when Man fell, his nature was totally corrupted. From that point on, nothing that Man did could be considered good. In fact, Man did not have the ability to make right choices. He was cursed with a sinful nature that made choosing the way of God impossible. He was forever trapped in evil intentions and actions. He had no way out except by God’s act of grace. Total depravity leads to the doctrine of sinful nature, a concept imported into the translation of the NIV and other Bibles. It suggests that no matter what Man does, it is worthless and morally corrupt without the intervention of the Savior. The bottom line of this theological stance is this: in the Fall Man lost his ability to choose God.That doesn’t seem to square with this text, does it? It certainly looks like God expects Cain to control himself and do what is right. But if Cain as a fallen man is totally depraved, then this is a charade and a sham. Cain cannot choose what is right and God is just playing with him. Something doesn’t add up.Lest you think that this is just theological jargon and really doesn’t affect you, consider what happens to the idea of evangelism under the doctrine of total depravity. First, it means that every non-believer must be rescued by any means necessary. Evangelism becomes intervention focused on winning souls, not building relationships. All that is required is to get the non-believer to cross the line into a saved state. Secondly, it means that no good done by any non-believer really has any value at all. In fact, all non-believers are inherently worthless. They are not even capable of morally correct choices. Unless God intervenes, they are eternally lost. Therefore, while I may be called to present the gospel as the only real solution to life, I don’t have any further obligation toward these people. Their minds are corrupt, so unless God brings about understanding, there is nothing more for me to do. Evangelism from this perspective is proclamation without relationship. It is announcement of the non-believer’s darkened state of existence, the delivery of saving information and justified disengagement. I give the message but God has to save. And I can deliver the message as a tract, a billboard, a television commercial or any other information-transfer mechanism. Actually building relationships is unnecessary. That’s not my job (and they are incapable of understanding anyway).Isn’t it strange that Yeshua seems to have never taken this path? His life revolved entirely around relationships - deep and abiding ones. Do you suppose that we got off track somewhere along the way?Topical Index: Evangelism, Depravity, Choice, mashal
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Daily Bread

Today's WordSaturday, January 3, 2009
Untranslatable
In the beginning, God created [et] the heavens and [et] the earth Genesis 1:1 (Hebrew added)
Et – It’s there but you don’t see it. In Hebrew, this verse is Bere’shiyt bara’ Elohim et *hashamayim ve et *haarets. I put an asterisk around the words translated “the heavens and the earth.” The first three words are “in the beginning created God.” But after elohim is a Hebrew particle, et. It also shows up before “the earth.” It is not translated. In fact, it is never translated in spite of more than 1000 occurrences in Scripture. Why? Well, the grammatical explanation is that et is just a marker, a kind of verbal signal, that the next word or words are the direct object of the sentence. And we don’t translate grammatical symbols. So, in English it disappears.That is perfectly good English grammatical translation except for one amazing thing. Every Hebrew reader knows that et shows up in this verse and in hundreds of other verses. It’s all over the place. So, when Yeshua speaks in the book of Revelation, He refers to this odd phenomenon. In Hebrew, “I am the Alpha and Omega” becomes “I am the Aleph and the Taw.” And et is the two letters Aleph-Taw.Now, it might just be accidental (are there really any accidents in Scripture?) but it seems to me that when Yeshua claims to be the beginning and the end, the Aleph-Taw, he claims something quite amazing about the first verse of Scripture. In fact, the apostle John endorsed this claim in his prologue (which we also need to read in Hebrew). What Yeshua says is that He was there as the active verb in the formation of the heavens and the earth. If Yeshua is the Aleph-Taw, then His signature is stamped on the opening line about the creation of everything. Through Him all things were created, says John. Maybe John was reading his Hebrew Bible too. Yeshua is the One responsible for transferring the action of creation into the form of heavens and earth. He is the connector between bara’ and all that comes into being. No wonder the men on the road to Emmaus felt their ears burning. It’s just too bad that our translation robs us of this amazing little particle. We don’t get to see the hand of the Messiah moving space in the beginning.It’s truly unfortunate that contemporary Christianity converts God’s language into the parlance of the receiving culture. It’s like listening to your native tongue in the mouth of a tourist. Yes, most of the words are there, but often the idioms are lost, the nuances disappear and the whole communication is wooden. If you’ve ever heard broken English spoken by a native Japanese or broken Spanish spoken by a native American, you know just how much gets lost. If we wanted to really know what God said, our churches should be teaching His language, not converting the Hebrew culture into something that sounds like ours. That won’t happen today, but today we can start to appreciate just how amazingly complex and rich and revelatory God’s chosen language really is. Today we can offer up praise for His choice of Hebrew. It wasn’t an accident. It kind of makes you wonder what else we’re missing, doesn’t it? Topical Index: et, translation, Hebrew
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Copyright 2003-2009 © Skip Moen and AtGodsTable.com. All Rights Reserved.Articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with a link to http://www.atgodstable.com/ 2) Content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.

Daily Bread

The scripture I was reading this morning Isaiah 55:12 - For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

The greek word for joy is chara it means joy or delight. It's related to chairo, which means to rejoice. We know our joy comes from trusting God, and we can always find reason to rejoice even when we oversleep, wake up with a headache, etc. Just knowing Jesus is reason enough to rejoice.

I like what John Piper said, The glory and grace of Jesus is that He is, and always will be, indestructibly happy. Reflect on that a moment. Remember all the things Jesus went through as a man while on earth, but they couldn't steal His joy.

As you go through your day today and everything doesn't go just like you would like it to go, rejoice in knowing Jesus and He ultimately is in control.

Lord, bless all of my online friends with peace and joy. Remind them, You are in control. Get their minds off of their circumstances.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Have a great day.