Fear is not of God!

What did the disciples go through on the day between the cross and the resurrection?  Their hope was all gone. Their Lord was dead. They were sure to be next on the crosses of Rome. Fear, worry, doubt, shame and hopelessness was the order of the day. Why? They had been taught, by Jesus himself, that on the third day he would come to life again. They had seen his power as he calmed the sea, fed the multitude, raised the dead and set the demon possessed free. Why doubt now? They were too focused on how they were feeling and not on their faith. People are acting like this right now...... Are you?
Sunday is on the way!

S.O.A.P.

4-4-2015         Romans 13:11-13

S.       11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

O.      Abandon all evil and walk in the light of love and salvation.

A.      Our eyes will not function without light. No light and we are blind. The same is true for our souls. Spiritual blindness is the result of sin. God gives us light from his word to guide us away from sin.

P.       Father; I confess all my sin and ask for the Blood of Jesus to wash me clean. Give me wisdom to implant your word into my mind and the Holy Spirit to remind me of each line. Amen.

Change is Good

Today I will say goodbye to a special blessing of my life. Change is coming so quickly this year that my head is spinning. Change requires adjustment, re-thinking, evaluation and some rearranging. For many years I have kept old cars around, repairing, upgrading and certainly enjoying driving them around. Today I deliver my favorite old car to it's new owner. I have my memories and lots of pictures to cherish and enjoy. May the new owner be blessed with joy as I have been. Goodbye old friend. (sorry for the mush, just feeling a little sentimental today)

S.O.A.P.

1-6-2014         Romans 2:1-5

S.       1Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

O.      God judges in truth and is patient and kind thus giving sinful man opportunity to repent. When we judge others and are guilty of the same things our judgment will condemn us.

A.      My judgment will be of myself and the parameters of that judgment will be God’s Holy Word. I will not throw stones!

P.       Father; reveal your judgments to my mind and soul. Lead me and keep me strong in the faith as I lean on you. Help me to see others through your eyes and love with a holy love. Amen. 

Praying for others.

You load sixteen tons, what do get, another day older and deeper in debt, Saint Peter don't call me cause I can't go, I  owe my soul to the company store. Woke up singing that this morning. Don't know why, not even heard it in many years. Praying this morning for all the soldiers around the world. Praying for everyone that may read this page; God bless you with health and give you extra Joy! Amen.

S.O.A.P.

1-2-2015         Romans 1:8-15

S.       8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

O.      Paul prays for the Christians at Rome and tells of his desire to minister among them.

A.      Praying for others is my primary reason to pray. When each of us prays for the others we learn not to be too self-centered, self-important and selfish. As I pray for you and you pray for me all our needs are brought before God and we also learn love for one another.

P.       Father; teach me to pray as I should, to focus outside myself. Amen. 

Home Time

My Children are home and safe, My house and heart are full, I am blessed. This must be a sample of how God will feel when he calls all his children home. I am planning on making Heaven my home some day but I don't want to be so heavenly minded that I become ungrateful for the blessings I have now. God is so good to me. Some time I marvel as I ponder the magnitude of his grace and how he could ever love me. I am glad he does.

S.O.A.P.

12-29-2014    Mark 15:27-41

S.       28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross.31Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.36 And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.37And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.40There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;41(Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.

O.      Jesus is ridiculed as he is dying on the cross. His family and friends were keeping their distance and watching.

A.      I will not deny my friendship with Jesus or stand afar off. He is to dear to my life to be a sloppy Christian. I know that he died on that cross because of my sin. His sacrifice was too great for such a worm as I, but because of his love, mercy and grace I am made whole. I am a disciple, follower, worshiper, friend…….I am a CHRISTian.

P.       Father; wash me fresh today of sin, fill me with the Holy Ghost and use me for your glory. I praise you, exalt you and adore you. Thank you Jesus, Amen.

Get Ready,,,,Get Set....

Life goes by so fast. One day your a kid, the next a great grandfather. At the end of this year I am looking back at it's events, some with pleasant memories, some not so pleasant, all in all a great year. The question comes up; what would I have done differently? My answer; I would have prayed more, hugged more, laughed more, and spent more time with the ones I love. All these are simple things and don't cost much to make happen.....so.....I will start over and do a better job, glad that I serve a God of new beginnings.

S.O.A.P.

12-28-2014         Mark 15:16-26

S.       16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.21And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.26 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

O.      Jesus is crucified.

A.      The darkest day in the history of man. A perfect, pure, holy and loving man is killed. Jesus healed, fed, taught and helped others every day of his adult life and yet because he dared to expose the false, the fake and the hypocrisy of religion he was murdered. I will be a man of truth.

P.       Father; fill me full that there is no room for hypocrisy, no room for hate, no room for self and no room for sin. Amen.

Retirement....To Be Or Not To Be

New directions in life are just ahead for me. I have retired from my secular employment and will be able to devote more time to the ministry and to my beautiful wife and family. I plan on doing some traveling in my old car. My end may be nearer than before but I plan on enjoying every last day.

12-10-2014    Mark 13:3-8

S.       3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? 5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: 6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. 8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

O.      Jesus tells of the end of time and the attitude that his followers should have about it.

A.      I shall not fear the end of time. I am diligently following all that I have learned about faith in Jesus Christ. I am open and seeking a better understanding and relationship with God. I will not live in fear!

P.       Father; I want to know you as much, as deeply, as is possible while I am confined in this human shell. Draw me nearer to you this day and fill me completely. Amen. 

The Real Victory!

People all around me are speaking fear, dread and worry. Why do we think the worst? Why do we expect bad things to come our way? If you have your hand in the hand of God, what are you afraid of? Is there any terror too big for Him to handle? Is there any power that can overcome Him? Try looking "up" into his eyes as you tighten your grip. You won't "see" the fearful, wicked or profane around you........your on the right path!

9-10-2014      Mark 1:16-20

S.       16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

O.      Jesus calls his first disciples, four fishermen, Simon, Andrew, James and John to train them.

A.      We must heed the call of God each day, “take up our cross” and obey. The lost will not come to us and ask for guidance into the kingdom of God. We must declare the gospel message and increase the kingdom of God, one person at a time.

P.       Father; thank you for reminding me of your call. Lead me, sweet Spirit, to the people that I  might help today. Strengthen my heart and give me courage to speak. Amen.