* To Encourage

 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.
Hebrews 3:12-14 NIV

I want to go on record declaring that I am a believer and follower of Jesus Christ and His gospel. I have a strong faith. I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and the standard by which we are to live. I believe that we will live eternally somewhere and that both heaven and hell are real. 

So, I have hope in the Lord. It's hope - not born of desperation, but rather of relationship, knowing in Whom I have believed and having been witness to His mighty works and amazing grace. I truly believe that God is good even when I don't understand the dark times. Let the believers say "Amen!"

My brother died a year ago. It's been a hard year. I am doing better now than I was 6 months ago, but deep in my heart, I am sad beyond words. I feel as though a part of me has died, too, and in a way, it has. Following his death, a part of my heart seems to have gone dormant. But that's okay; it's just a season. Please know that I am not writing this for your sympathy. I am writing to reiterate these truths. Do not confuse my grief with lack of faith. Do not interpret my tears as signs of unbelief.  Here's what I know that I know. Jesus tells us in John 12:24 that unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. There IS coming a time of rebirth.  I'm no farmer, but I understand many seeds = much harvest. 

My brother, Joe, was an encourager! He was the family cheerleader and story-teller and so funny! I miss him so much, but I will see him again. I know this because it's written in God's Word.

1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 NLT, And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.  

May you be encouraged today.

Prayer:

Father,
          The heavens declare Your glory and I? I can only attempt to echo their praise. Thank You for Your grace and for salvation and for Your mercy, and help us to try to fathom the depth of Your great love...even in the dark times. May the many seeds bring about a great harvest, O God! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Sometimes, Life Stinks

But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God!
1st Samuel 17:34-36 NLT

Before David ever killed the giant, he had to kill the lion and the bear. Think about that for a moment. He learned how to do that while isolated for long periods of time as he tended a lot of smelly sheep, but he used it as an opportunity to spend time with the Lord. We all want to be giant-killers, but are we willing to put up with the long, lonely, stinky parts of life and use them to get to really know who God is - or do we just want to whine and complain about how life stinks?

Prayer:

Father,

           Help us to clear our hearts and minds of the clutter of everyday stuff - just stuff - so we can focus on You and our relationship with You. When we can see clearly, Father, help us to walk in Your purpose for our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Thoughts on Equality +

…These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. 

Matthew 20:12 NKJV

Mathematics is considered by many to be the perfect science. I'm sure you've heard in one context or another - numbers don't lie. According to thinkquest.com, an equation is defined as "representing the equality of two expressions involving constants and/or variables, and thus usually includes an equals sign."

I've been thinking about the equations of life. There are some amazing constants and variables. Constant in that those of us on the upside of the dirt are alive and breathing. Variables are too numerous to even begin to list. Constant in that according to Scripture (Hebrews 9), all people are appointed to die once and then the judgment. But the variables - why, when, where, how, how long before that happens - again, are too numerous to list.

In doing the study for equals, I was amazed at how many online requests there were asking for the "Scripture reference" for the following:

     "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are 
     created equal..."

which of course is NOT chapter and verse in Scripture but part of the Declaration of Independence for the United States of America. However, the praying forefathers of our nation were steeped in Scripture. It was the foundation on which they built. So, let me tell you what I've been thinking about.

Are all men created equal? Well, the constant is that we are all created by God - Proverbs 22: - The rich and poor have this in common: The Lord made them both - but the variables (rich and poor) are there, too. We know that we started with one man and then one woman, and after the flood, then we started all over again from one family.

We are all equal when it comes to sinning. Romans 3:23 tells us, For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Not very encouraging, is it? But we all have an equal chance at salvation and freedom from our sinning ways. Galatians 3:27-28, And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

And we will all be judged impartially by the same criteria, based on what we've done (Revelation 22:12).  It will be by the Gospel (Romans 2:16), the record of our lives ( Revelation 20:12), us in comparison to the Truth (also in Romans 2), and it will be fair and just because God has no favorites (Colossians 3:25).

Colossians 3:11 reads, In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. 

The plan of salvation is offered equally to whosoever believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who laid down His life to pay for our sins (John 3:16) and whosoever has equal opportunity to accept or reject His offer. No matter if you've always known Him, or just found Him, or if you'd like me to introduce you, Jesus is the great Equalizer. He balances the equation(s) of life.

Prayer:

Father,
          We cannot even begin to understand how You put it all in balance when the situations in life seem so unequal. I only know that You do. Your amazing love and grace and mercy are beyond our full comprehension, but You knew we would need them and You've made them readily available to us. Help us to walk and work within Your equation. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Sounds like...

God is not a man, so he does not lie.
He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
Numbers 23:19 NLT

I read a quote today by Francis Frangipane; it's from the book In Christ's Image Training. "If you have prayed through and truly placed your burden in the hands of God, then stop fretting about it. God calls us to be prayer warriors, not prayer worriers."

How many times have we prayed, planting seeds of hope and faith? Watered them with our tears? Kept the soil cultivated by humbling ourselves before the Almighty God? Only to despair of ever receiving a harvest because it did not happen when WE thought it should happen... as if WE set the laws of sowing and reaping? As if WE knew just exactly what is the length of "Due Season" (Galatians 6:9). 

Then in the process of our worrying, we sow the weed seeds of doubt and become like the ones in Mark 4:19, where the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

So what will it be? Faithful Warrior or Fateful Worrier? Sounds like...

Prayer:

Father,

        We pray Your Word in Acts 17, that we should seek You, Lord, in the hope that we might grope for You and find You, though You are not far from each one of us; for in You we live and move and have our very being.  Our hope is in You. Our trust, our faith, our belief - all You. Let us be faithful warriors, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

How to Praise *

Sometimes, we just need to praise our God.  Psalms 148 & 150 from the Message.

Hallelujah!

Praise God from heaven, praise him from the mountaintops; Praise him, all you his angels, praise him, all you his warriors, Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, you morning stars; Praise him, high heaven, praise him, heavenly rain clouds; Praise, oh let them praise the name of God— he spoke the word, and there they were!

He set them in place from all time to eternity;
He gave his orders, and that’s it!

Praise God from earth, you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps; Fire and hail, snow and ice, hurricanes obeying his orders;
Mountains and all hills, apple orchards and cedar forests; Wild beasts and herds of cattle, snakes, and birds in flight; Earth’s kings and all races, leaders and important people, Robust men and women in their prime, and yes, graybeards and little children.

Let them praise the name of God - it’s the only Name worth praising. His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky; he’s built a monument—his very own people!

Praise from all who love God! Israel’s children, intimate friends of God.

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

Praise God in his holy house of worship,
praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!
Hallelujah!

Prayer:

Father,

           It's been said that she who sings prays twice. Lord, I pray the words from the old song, Calvary's the Reason Why. I was lost but YOU knew where to find me. I was hungry, YOU were bread for my soul. I was thirsty and YOU gave living water. YOU were my shelter when I had no place to go. And that's why sometimes I just want to praise YOU. Sometimes just to speak YOUR name. Oh sometimes I just want to thank YOU, Without asking YOU for a thing. Oh sometimes I lift my hands to YOU. And sometimes all I do is cry. Everything that I have I owe to YOU, LORD, and Calvary's the reason why. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

A God-Filled Life *

Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine.  Titus 2:1 The Message

2-15 Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives.

But mostly, show them all this by doing it yourself, incorruptible in your teaching, your words solid and sane. Then anyone who is dead set against us, when he finds nothing weird or misguided, might eventually come around.

Guide slaves into being loyal workers, a bonus to their masters—no back talk, no petty thievery. Then their good character will shine through their actions, adding luster to the teaching of our Savior God.

God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.

Tell them all this. Build up their courage, and discipline them if they get out of line. You’re in charge. Don’t let anyone put you down.

Prayer:

Father,  

We want to be people that You can be proud of, energetic in goodness. Correct us in Your love if we get out of line. We want to serve You in a good, pure life. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Paul's Advice *

Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:10-11 NLT

Paul’s Final Advice

¹² Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.

¹³ Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

¹⁴ Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
¹⁵ See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
¹⁶ Always be joyful.
¹⁷ Never stop praying.
¹⁸ Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Worth the Effort - reposted on request

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:8 KJV

It's been said that anything worth having is worth fighting for. There are several different connotations to that, but the one I'd like to focus on is the one that relates to making the extra effort to obtain and keep something of value.

Did you ever notice how easy it is to be grumpy? It takes hardly any effort at all. For some, all they have to do is open their eyes in the morning and poof! Without even trying, they're grump rumps. And have you ever noticed how contagious that can be?!? God, have mercy on us!

Recently, I was talking with someone at work and trying to get her to see the positive side of a challenge. Her response was that she was positive that it was bad and nothing good would come of it. The sad thing is - with that attitude - she's right. Nothing good will come of it, because her outlook won't allow it.

I'm not talking about living in "la-la land" or being a pollyanna. I'm talking about focusing on the goodness of God in the midst of the ugly. Life's circumstances change on a daily basis - God is eternal. His faithfulness doesn't change because the world does or people do. His pure, unselfish, never-ending love doesn't end - even in a world that for the most part doesn't want it, let alone understand it.

Whatever we focus on becomes larger, no matter what it is. Look for the good in those around you. If what they're doing is annoying and we focus on it, we're tempted to squeeze and squeeze until their little eyeballs pop right outta their head. If we focus on the wonderful, it almost threatens to overwhelm us with the "wonderfulness" of whatever it is. If you don't believe me, pay attention to yourself the next day or so. Or listen to those around you. 

Let old hurts die. Let the past go. Forgive. Quit piling up offenses by holding on. It's not Scriptural.

And finally, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on THESE things.

It won't be easy, but it'll be worth the effort.

Prayer:

Father,
       Shine Your light on our words and expose any malingering malady of grumbling. Let our focus be on You and Your Words of Light and Life, and help us walk accordingly. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* How Many Times?

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 NKJV

I was thinking about this Scripture because of the stories I hear at the end of a school year.

She did what?!? She must have learned that from one of the other kids at school – I never taught her that!!

Why would he do that at school?!? And in front of the principal?!? I taught him better than that!!

When will he learn? How many times do I have to tell him?

There is so much material for a comedy routine at a school! When I worked at the elementary school, we used to say we could have our own hit sitcom if we just had a video camera running during the day. 

However, on the not-so-funny side of it, I know so many Christian parents who are standing on this promised proverb that is our text for today. Let me encourage them somewhat. I think there are those children who take a little longer to “get old.” And so we wait with patience… sometimes it’s the oxymoronic frustrated patience…

You know the Scripture in Hebrews 4 that tells how Jesus was tempted in all points just like us, but sinned not? Well, there’s one in Hebrews 5 where the writer sure sounds to me as though he’s exasperated - I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you've picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again…

Always, it’s a matter of training and sometimes re-training. It’s finding the right combination of words and practice to get the point across. We don’t all learn the same things at the same pace or in the same way - whether we’re children - or children of God. Thank God His mercies are new every morning. Thank God His lovingkindnesses are better than life. Thank God for His Word in John 1:12 that declares, But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.  King James calls it the power to become His children.

We have this blessed assurance. He doesn’t give up on us. Philippians 1:6 NLT promises, And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Oh…THAT’S when we’ll learn! So don’t give up. Keep trying - no matter how many times it takes…

Prayer:

Father,

            Let us not be weary in well-doing. Strengthen us by Your example, Lord. Let us love as You love and be merciful one to another, so that we may learn. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

* Guaranteed Life

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Philippians 2:5-8 NLT

It seems we spend most of our lives trying to prove who we are or who we want people to believe we are. And yet, Paul told the Corinthians, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” 

We all want to be a new creation. We all want to have a new life, but we don't always want to do what it takes to have that. As Christians, we are supposed to die to self.  When it comes to the reality of that, we don't like the sound of it or even the thought of it. However, to have new, there must be an end to the old. And we're so worried about that! We don't want to "lose ourselves."  And we sure don't want to die. One of my favorite Alan Neel quotes is, "The only way to have resurrection life is to actually die [to self]."  

The writer of Hebrews says it best, Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. Hebrews 2:14-15 NLT

There's nothing to fear. We're talking resurrection... a guaranteed life in Christ.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for the Truth of Your Word - the comfort and peace in Your promises. It is good to know there is something solid to stand on - something that does not change or waiver. There's no chance of losing our balance when we're standing on Your Word. Help us to understand it better - to rightly divide between soul and spirit so that we truly understand what it means when we read ...in Him we live and move and have our being... In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen