Say....Yes! to Life !

 

 Scripture:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."         Jeremiah 29:11

  Commentary:

When the bad news gets "badder," your God does not get smaller; He just opens up His large inclusive umbrella. He is still in control of the universe. So, recognize God's ultimate say and take solace in the knowledge that He has plans for and that....who can be against us..if He is for us.  God is our reservoir of strength when the clouds set in. The same God that created the universe can bring about sunshine...and just in the nick of time.

A book I read many years ago came to my mind in this early morning.  The book is Say "Yes" to Life!  by Anna B. Mow.  Mow dedicates her book to "those who know about being born into a new life but are puzzled by their growing pains".  Are we not shackled so many times with the depression of failure, the anxiety of life's circumstances, or the inability to discern God's Will for our lives.  Oscar Wilde had a hold on this concept in his words:  “What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise”  Two thoughts come to my mind here.  From the Old Testament Proverbs...the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom and from the New Testament the declaration that...who Jesus loves, He chastens. The adversities of life serve to both test and advance our faith.

When we revere God and His Son we exhibit our faith. When we rebuked, we can know that it is in love, "Agape love". Saying Yes to Life leads us to examining ourselves and by doing so we are guided by God...on step at a time.

We have two major purposes in our lives.  The first is a common denominator for believers...to glorify Christ.  We also have our own personal purpose that God uses many different ways to reveal.  The Bible is not only the story of God redeeming man, but it also offers guidance with our life's purpose.  Prayer, those with special insight, fellow church members, and service are some ways God reveals His Will for our personal lives.

No Christian is alone in his relationship with God.  Others stand beside offering support and affirmation.  When I was still working, one of the most prevalent courses we took was group dynamics.  The concept of teamwork became almost a fanatical concept and was not a suggestion but a command from on high.  The goal of the team was for the sacrifice of all  for the good of the goal at hand.  Many times the groups became an end unto themselves and the goal fell victim to all the meetings, minutes, agendas and

communication equipment failures.

The unity in Him is led by a master leader...the Holy Spirit. All become ambassadors for Christ and take heart and hope in the promise of....when two are more are gathered. A modern team with an old message.  God is Love.

Rest peacefully in His Grace and be not afraid for the team will leave it's mark...written on the heart of man.  "Say Yes to Life" .  A life in Christ Jesus and for His glory.

Lord...

Fill our hearts with hope and our minds with an understanding of Your 

promise to be with us always....even until the end of the age.

Plant us where you wish.

Use us in your plan.

Help us to stand ...tall in adversity

and upright in prosperity.

Either way we can be assured that our Hope

rest in His sacrifice of the past

and a second coming in the future.

Amen

If Saved By Faith...What is Faith?

First from the Old:

It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.          Romans 4:13

Then from the New:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— Ephesisans 2:8

picture from Google Images

Commentary:

I have been reading a book by Ann Graham Lotz titled The Magnificent Obsession.  It is an outstanding presentation of the life of Abraham, his faith to heed God's calling, his amazing sense of discipline, and his fears. Mrs. Lotz's offers a plethora of personal experiences as the daughter of evangelist Billy Graham.

One particular illustration on Faith. A young Indian couple approached her after a message and asked politely "Ma'am, if we are saved by faith then what is faith?"   The story involved high wire walker performing before a large and attentive crowd. They were spellbound at his first walk across the Niagara Falls. The walker spoke to the crowd asking if they believed he could walk over to the other side pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with sand.  The crowd yelled yes and were loudly vociferous in their excitement.  The courageous performer then announced he would cross the wire with a wheelbarrow full of sand.  As he proceeded the crowd was completely silent and breathless with anticipation.  On return from the other side the walker was again regaled with applause.  Next he asked the crowd if they thought he could walk the wire with a person in the wheelchair.  The crowd responded yes as the weight of the sand was consistent with a medium size person.  Hearing the positive response the air performer asked for a volunteer.  In silence he waited patiently for a response, but no one responded.  Finally, an older gentleman said "I believe you can do it so I'll go over and back with you."  Now the crowd was even more ill at ease as both men proceeded on the wire.  Over and back and the crowd went wild.  The acrobat acknowledged the applause, saluted the man, and thanked him for really believing in him.

Mrs. Lotz drove home the point of the story in her discussion of Faith.  Everyone in the  crowd at Niagara Falls said they believed, but only the one man demonstrated his genuine faith.  He trusted completely and was willing to step out in faith.  Abraham received the promise from God but he had to step out in faith and trust everything completely to God.

So then how did Abraham muster up the faith to follow God's call?  As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesisan Church even our faith is a gift from God.  Any gift from God is sufficient to the tasks he puts in our path.  The process of following His leading helps us grow our faith even stronger.  In doing so, we open ourselves to greater things to be done for the glory of God.

Lord...

Grant us the courage to walk in faith

even when we are walking alone.

Help us to call on Your promise to never leave

or forsake us and remember the comforter

left on Your departure, the Holy Spirit.

Fill our mind with the knowledge of Your Son, 

and touch our hearts 

that we are ever mindful of the possibilities

of all things through the power of Jesus Christ.

Amen

Christianity: Relationship instead of Ritual

Proverbs 3:5-6

 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Commentary: 

 

Accepting Christ is not an intellectual experience; it is a heartfelt experience

able to withstand the rigors of this world.  It is an experience that is very much beyond our on understanding and familiarity.  Trusting in Jesus and Lord and Savior requires more than an understanding of facts.  The word  "know"  used by the Apostle Paul insinuates more than facts but a personal experience.  It's that personal practice that guides daily and lends itself so demonstratively when we witness to others.  Many can dispel the Bible as only allegory, traditional stories and tales even though so much is historical and all prophecies  fulfilled are exactly as prophesied.  Personal experience, however, is irrefutable.  When Jesus is real in our lives, he changes us to one more in line with His example as God incarnate.  An old friend and Sunday School teacher of mine, explained it excellently with "our wants change".  We become new creatures in Christ Jesus with a new nature.  One that can lead us to more than just an acknowledgment but one of trusting.....with all our heart.

There is a way appointed to all men...

in that I do believe.

There is an undaunted course

to be taken…

despite of the forked road.

There is a plan...

but man

moves about on his own

to disrupt the order of events.

The question is not the plan ever existing

but does the twisting

of man...

the circumstantial process disrupt

it's purpose to the extent

that it is lost.

At all costs...

man must trust.

Man must accept.

and surrender.

In the absence of these...

man cannot please

His maker.

He can only survive

for another confrontation.

A Safe Place to Rest...

Matthew 11:28 (KJV)

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Jesus offers us total freedom from the condemnation that our sins and mistakes would ordinarily bring. The biggest source of fear and anxiety in all of human existence — death and the threat of being separated from God for all eternity — are put to rest.

Commentary: 

Looking further at the scripture found in Matthew's Gospel, I pay special note

that Jesus wants us to learn about him.  Would we guess Him to say He is meek and lowly in heart? Would you expect the Savior of the World to be without pomp, without angst for the sinner, and without anger at our disobedience? Would that we understand  His forbearance and His compassion!

 

Matthew 11:29-30

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."


Spurgeon addresses the "meekness" and "lowliness of Christ Jesus.
The words should not lead to to see Jesus as weak or as without esteem.
He was esteemed not and not even accepted in His homeland, Nazareth.
Rather, the description of one of control and willingness to accept...even the lowly of these.  Jesus came to fulfill the Law. He brought compassion to a law that allowed little for acceptance in disobedience, but served it's purpose to show the sinner of his sin. There is ease in our coming to Christ.  It only requires a confession and repentance (willingness to change).  The power of our Salvation rests with a Resurrected Lord and the power  for obedience with the Holy Spirit (comforter) left upon His ascension.  Spurgeon summed it up better than I could ever do...

The Beauty of Second Fiddle...

I will prepare and some day my chance will come.

Abraham Lincoln 16th president of US (1809 - 1865)

Everybody's Victory

Rescues are usually like that. Oh, one person or a few people may actually bring the person out, but that's because of a much larger group of people who are behind them in many ways. And nowhere is that more true than in the spiritual rescue of people who are trapped and dying in the pit that the Bible calls sin. But all too often, the people who are supporting the rescuers have little or no sense of how vital they are; how many would be lost without what they do, how much each rescue is their victory, too.

Ron Hutchcraft Ministries
Harrison AZ

 Commentary:

 I read this with particular interest as my youthful experience in the corporate environment led to many supportive moments.  Those leaving me less than satisfied because of a need to feel of special significance. As happens so many times in the competitive avenues of advancement; the final goal or cause falls victim to personal ambition and the failure of teamwork.  With age so many times comes the recognition of the need for others, and the value of a supportive spirit in whatever the tasks.  As we all are talented and "gifted" in many different ways, it behooves us to make diversity our strength and unity our end goal.  My experience leading in my avocational life came about far in advance of my vocational life.  My first completely led project was in 1990 some seventeen years after I graduated from college.  I feel I may have been knowledge ready sooner, but not so much people ready.  The project was extremely challenging with an ambitious schedule.

I had to do everything from buy a computer to hire assistants.  Over the year of the project, the team became very close and used each others strengths to promote the main goal:  Go Online December 31.  When we ended the developmental stage and moved into the system administration phase, it was a cohesive group celebrating the common success and the newly found responsibiity.

How much more important is it to be so united in the effort to share Jesus with others. Everything associated with my old project will one day be dismantled.  The spiritual rescue is a never ending success.  It leads to an eternity with Jesus in His Heaven.  Let us thus go about being prepared for the witness opportunities that come our way.  Let us work in the spirit of Andrew whose first inclination after meeting Jesus was going to get his brother.  On that Rock was placed the burden to lead and on brother Andrew; the noble post of following.

And Andrew being first...

Look where he led his brother.

More the evangelist than fisherman.

More the support than lead...

But o the seed

Planted with one

Who would be the rock.

A leader of the twelve.

A preacher to the early flock.

So here is the second

Who brought forth Simon

To fish for men.

Review, Repent and Renew...

And witness a rising.

O to be among these who

Are such seconds.

Early Morn: A Celebration of Hope

Titus 3:7 (New International Version)

⁷so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

picture by John Eschleman

Commentary:

What does it mean to be "justified"?  As sinners it is important to understand

what our salvation means to us, who and where it comes from, and how it came about. So much the more promising are our days when the promises of God are taken to heart.

Salvation is the greatest of all gifts  in history.  It means a life forever with Jesus.

Thus, our Salvation comes from God through the death of Jesus on the Cross.  Our salvation came about from the beginning.  Our God is omniscient and knew that man would need a Savior to take on the sins of a sinful nature.

Now Justification. Since all have sinned and fallen short of God's Glory, we need an intermediary.  Jesus is the substitute for our sins.  His act on the Cross makes all believers made right before God.  So when we face our God we will be as white the fallen snow. 

This bestows on us the hope for each day...the promise of a final resting with our Lord; a perfect service in a perfected body. Amen

Lord...The wonder of it all

is our God's intent

not the time spent

but the creation to mark an eternity.

Lord...

The hope of it all

is not our God's power

but how He has been so long suffering

in waiting for the turning...

the burning

desire to kindle a new spirit within...

a moving us from sin

to service

from the wide path of destruction

to the narrow path that leads to joy...and peace.

Early morn

o God

is a celebration of that established mode...

the code

of an expanded Hope

set in place by the Creator of our universe

a Sovereign God who is synonymous with love.

I pray in praise

I raise

the name of Jesus.

I pray in Hope

I understand the scope

of Grace.

I pray in His Name...

accepting the same

that so many before...

have found redemption.

I pray under confession...

finding no rest in transgression

but the need for contrition.

I pray for the day...

that in some way

I address the need of another...

Some sister or brother

in Christ.

Alas, the only actions that stand

meet the command

to do the good you have shown...

How we have moved

and how we have grown...

is held in that purview...One that stays on the heart of the reborn.

Hold us tightly...O God

Ease pain...

The sparrow still sings in the rain.

A Gump Moment...

 

 

Romans 8:32 (New International Version)

³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Commentary:

Sharing with others the Gospel Message of God loving us so much that He gave His only...His only begotten son can be tedious at times. Jesus' taking on the sins of all who believe in His name; those who would accept with their heart and confess with their mouth that The Son is...the Lord, is a challenge.  It is through God's Word that we have support for calling one to Christ, and our personal experience is irrefutable.

First however, is the one question we have to answer. We will never lead anyone further in Christ than we are ourselves. The question rings home  "what will I do with this Jesus?"  It was the prevailing question of Passion Week, and remains the most important question of one's life.

Will we accept the gift of Salvation and walk in the Spirit it is given? Will we mark each day as one to glorify the One who gave it all, provided for us an model for life, and who was born to die.  God is a just and righteous God and Sin must be accounted for. Friend, that is the reason Jesus came and the reason He continues to call us unto Himself.

Do we have a destiny..

or are we just floating around on a breeze?.

A Forest Gump holding

and one to consider before folding...

the tent.

To me it was Heaven sent

and found me pondering.......

I saw the feather fly

and I wanted to cry

from a feeling of loss.

We gloss

over things many times...

but truth lies in the most simple facts.

Not so much how we act

but how we feel.

If we are real...

if we steal

the moment to promote our inner being

we may just wind up seeing

what God has indeed...allowed

for our mending

an offering for sending

our hopes...in all His power and proclamation.

our service for His Kingdom and His Glory.

Every Knee Shall Bow...

 

Philippians 2:9-11 (New International Version)

 ⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
      and gave him the name that is above every name,
 ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
      in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
      to the glory of God the Father.

Commentary:

Psalm 10:4 (New International Version)

 ⁴ In his pride the wicked does not seek him;
       in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

So many times we don't allow room for God.  We go about our way rationalizing our behavior, or exercising pride and enjoying the fruits of our labor.  And then;  the crisis comes and we are left hopeless in our own efforts.  What then?

"Each owe a death...no exceptions."
                      Greenmile


The ultimate crisis of life is personal surrender to God's Will.  The time is now...for us to see, the need for humbling ourselves and finding victory on bended knee.  God's ultimate purpose for us is to glorify His Son.  His personal will is found in the trenches of adversity and walking daily in obedience.


God's guidance is passed along to us in many different ways:


1. In prayer;  the promise we have that he will be faithful to hear our prayers.
2. Circumstances of life;  Learning from experience.
3. His Word ; Spirit "Breathed" on those chosen to share.
4. Common Sense;  Through conscience and creation.
5. Counsel from those with special insight.

 

 

The  bended knee

Tends to match

The fork in the road.

A fine time for direction…

Even better time to lessen the load…

Casting our burden

On a God who deals in perfection…

And whose power is limitless…

And Great in Faithfulness.

gjr/08-16-2010