Sounding Forth!

"For from you the Word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also to everyplace. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything." (1 Thessalonians 1:8-9) I remember hearing a story about a Christian father who was tucking his little boy into bed one night; and while he was in the process, he was explaining to his son what being a Christian was all about. To this his little boy asked a very poignant question: "Daddy, have I ever seen one?" When people look at us, do they see that we are faithful Christians? That our desire is to live and serve Jesus Christ 100%? Are we doing what the Christians at Thessalonica did, and "sounding forth" concerning our faith in Jesus Christ? I remember our son Brian playing probably the hardest percussion instrument in the marching band. They were called "The Quads". Four drums that were harnessed in the front. They were heavy, but had an emphatic sound when played. You could tell from a great distance, that the band was coming. Paul said of the Christians at Thessalonica, that nothing more needed to be said concerning Jesus Christ in this area of their witness. They had boldly and broadly shared concerning their faith in Him. As the world watches our response to various issues that cross our path. Issues that challenge our stand on the Word of God, and test our faith. Are we going to be quiet, and just blend in, and not say a thing? Or are we going to express the truth of God's Word concerning these issues?  Will we make no bones about what we are all about, and who we are living for? This is a choice, we as Christians must make before the world today. GP

Be Committed To Your Choice!

"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, "he told Israel." "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15) As Christians, have we ever asked ourselves, why we chose to become Christians? Was it something that our family expected us to do? Was it something that looked exciting, or challenging? Was it something that we did, and when we realized how much it involved, we were sorry that we did it? There are various reasons why people choose to become Christians. Joshua presented Israel with a challenging question. In essence, he presented Israel with a choice. Are you going to worship the gods which your fathers served (from Egypt) or the gods of their neighbors (the Amorites)? Or are you going to do as me and my family, and "Serve the Lord."(v.15) When it comes down to what is involved in the Christian life, it is faithful service, to the one, who came to serve us. The one who gave His life, so that we could have life, now and forever. The sin debt that we owed, had to be paid, and Jesus paid it with His blood. We owe Jesus everything. Because He provided us with everything that is necessary, in order for us to enjoy all the blessings that God has to offer. The right answer is that we choose to be a Christian, because we choose to allow Jesus to be Savior and Shepherd of our lives. And we choose to live and serve the Lord with all of our heart, because we want to be used by Him to further His kingdom. If that is the reason you became a Christian, I ask you today; will you be committed to that choice? (GP)

Our Focus On Love

(1 John 4:7-21)
Love is not something we just focus on during the month of February. It is to be the main focus of our lives, as we live moment by moment. We are not thankful just on Thanksgiving Day, but again, moment by moment. John writes in our text, that Love begins with God, and is to manifest itself in us, and through us. It is evidence that we are born of God. If you want to see God, look at His children, because they have His love. "If you say, that you love God, and hate your brother, you lie, and the truth is not in you." (v.20) Loving God, and loving others, go hand and hand. They are the two main commandments, which are the fulfillment of the law. (v.21) Satan, tries his best to keep us from loving others. Especially in our relationship with those who hurt us, and want nothing more to do with us. The main focus he wants us to have, in these situations is on ourselves. But just as love beat Satan at the cross, when Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins; love will find victory for us. When we forgive those who have hurt us, it releases us from the bondage of bitterness and despair.
It is God's intent that we always contribute to the well being of our enemies. God wants us to always have their best interest at heart, even when there is conflict. If love does not bring about reconciliation, at least it frees us from a terrible destructive bondage in our hearts. Showing love, demonstrates to the world, that we are born of God, and that we have fellowship with Him. We won't have to worry on the day of judgment, because our relationship with God is sincere and sure. Loving others will show what the power of love can do. The Apostle Paul said "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. "(1 Corinthians 13:13) The most powerful virtue, and threat to selfishness, and spiritual destruction, is LOVE GP

Loving The World

"Do not love the world, or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him." (1 John 2:15) As time goes on, I am seeing that Christians are becoming more in love with the things of the world. The Apostle Paul encourages us to "Abhor what is evil, and cling to what is good." (Romans 12:9) To the Christians at Thessalonica he says: "Test all things, hold fast to what is good, abstain from every form of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:21) To me, this means we are not to flirt with the things of the world. A little alcohol is alright as long as you consume just a little. A little pornography is alright as long as you don't go too far with it. Lying and cheating is alright as long as you don't get caught. On and on we make excuses, until we are way over the line, and we have not only hurt ourselves, but we have hurt others as well. If anyone loves the the world, he/she does not have a love for the Heavenly Father. God wants us to love Him totally and sincerely. The worldly things that are mentioned in His Word, are to be avoided 100% at all costs. Some would ask:" How can you be happy if you don't dabble, or experiment, or enjoy a portion of what the world has to offer? Anything that in time can gradually take the place of God in our lives, and gradually ruin our lives, is totally off limits. A choice must be made in the beginning of our relationship with God. A choice to be totally obedient to His will for us. He knows as a loving Father knows what is best for His children, and wants only the best for us. That is such a comfort to know. By being faithful to Him and His Word, we will have the protection from the destruction of the world. (GP)

Sticking Together

Once upon a time there was a man who could not swim, who was asked to go fishing by a sailor.
He caught an enormous fish, and in his excitement to land it, fell overboard. He cried "Help, save me!" The sailor very calmly reached out, grasped the man's arm, and gave a hearty pull. The sailor had no idea it was an artificial arm...until the arm came off. The man continued to kick and splash around, crying out for rescue. The sailor reached out again, this time he grabbed for the leg, and gave a tremendous pull...and the leg came off, because it was a wooden leg.
The man in the water went under again, and came up yelling for help. The sailor still maintaining his calm, grabbed the man by the hair of his head, and gave a pull. When he did, he discovered that the man was wearing a toupee, and it came off. The man in the water continued to call for help. The sailor turned in disgust, and said, "How can I help you, if you won't stick together?"
I have an idea that our Lord at times asks the same question of us...as the church.
"How can I help you, if you won't stick together?" The New Testament is filled with instructions on unity. What can we do, to promote unity in the church? Here are four things we can do:
1. We Must Be Involved (Ephesians 4:3)
2. We Must Be Positive (Philippians 4:8)
3. We Must Be Supportive (Ephesians 4:15-16)
4. We Must Be Forgiving (Colossians 3:12-13)
We share a common bond of love
That comes from God our Father
And we're dependent on the strength
We draw from one another___Sper

KNOWING GOD

"...And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered"
(Matthew 10:30)
How well does my Heavenly Father know me? According
to Matthew 10:30, He knows you and I, very well.
To know each person on the face of the earth this intimately,
is beyond comprehension. David said in Psalm 139:1
"O Lord, you have searched me, and you know me."
It is clear that God knows all about us, but the question is,
how well do we know Him? I can say that at various times,
I have come to know God's love, and direction for my life.
But so much of the time, it was after a struggle on my part,
to find my own answers, and accomplish my own goals.
When I would come up short, that's when I felt I needed,
to seek God, and His Word for my life. And God, in His time,
and in His way, would always, lovingly and faithfully, come through.
Why do we treat God this way? I believe the answer is, selfishness.
Satan would have us question, the value of knowing God, and what
He can do for us. And that's just what we do. We place more
confidence in ourselves, than we do in God.
But in so doing, how many times have we been disappointed.
You have heard this said about people at different times:
"To know him, is to love him."
When you really get to know God, you will learn to love Him,
more than life itself. We need to do as David says in Psalm 34:8
"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who
takes refuge in Him." (GP)

Dealing With Conflict

It has been hard to watch the conflict between Israel and the Hamas, (a Palestinian militant movement) It is not a surprise, because this conflict has been going on for centuries. Genesis 21:9 says that after Isaac was weaned: "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing." *Galatians 4 tells us that Ishmael had been "born according to the flesh" while Isaac had been "born according to the promise"(Galatians 4:28-29) Isaac replaced Ishmael as the favored son and heir. This of course, made Ishmael jealous and bitter. As a result, he mocked and disdained his half brother. Eventually the situation became so intolerable that Abraham's wife Sarah demanded that Ishmael and Egyptian concubine mother, Hagar, be expelled permanently from Abraham's family. *(http://therefinersfire.org/ "Conflict between Jews and Arabs started in Biblical times") From that time until today, there has been conflict over the same land, that God gave the nation of Israel, and what the Arabs believe their god Allah gave to them. In the last part of Genesis 21, we find that God has mercy on Hagar, and her son Ishmael, and assures her that He will make of Ishmael "a great nation" (v.18) In this conflict, we see God showing mercy, and I am sure that it breaks His heart, to see the horrors of war, that ravage the land today. For us as Christians, it shows us, that we are to be like God, and show understanding and love in the midst of conflict. In Romans 12:20 the Apostle Paul quotes an Old Testament Scripture that applies to the conflicts we have today. "Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him, If he thirsts, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." (Proverbs 25:21,22 In our conflicts, we can show hatred and revenge, or we can heap the coals of love on the heads of our enemy, in order to show them the shamefulness of their actions are . (GP)  

Will You Allow Jesus Into Your Boat?

Luke 5:1-11
I didn't know what I was getting into, when I said that I would go ice fishing on the back waters of the Mississippi river. I went with two men from the church I was serving in Minnesota. It was a great experience. I was glad that I went. It was the first time I pulled up a three pound northern Pike, out of the icy waters, tail first. I can imagine how Peter, Andrew, James and John felt when they achieved this huge catch of fish. It was so huge, that their net was breaking. They had been fishing all night, and didn't catch anything. They were tired and worn out from trying for hours, and then Jesus tells Peter to Launch out into the deep. Peter is hesitant at first, but then concedes. "And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking."(Luke 5:6)
When I read this, a question came to my mind; How can Jesus make a difference in our lives? We will only see, when we allow Him to get into our boat (our life) and direct our journey. It will happen when we put Him first, and totally trust Him with every aspect of our lives. The disciples had been fishing on their own, and caught nothing. Jesus gets into their boat, and they get the biggest catch of fish, they have ever seen. Peter is so gripped with emotion over this, that he falls down on his knees and says to Jesus; "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"(Luke 5:8) Peter felt so unworthy to be in the presence of Jesus. The fisherman's pride was cut, and he was so ashamed to not have trusted Jesus in this event. It is time for us to humble ourselves, and allow Jesus to get into our boat, to take us to where He wants us to be. He will make the difference, if only we will give Him the chance. GP