Filled with satan or filled with God?

I see many articles stating that God has not fixed the problems between the different religions. Why do people think like this? God has provided the answer to this problem and the solution two thousand years ago.....in a manger, at the grave of Lazarus and between two thieves on a cross. The primary message of Jesus was a message of love. Active, alive, all embracing love is what we need. These terror attacks are the work of satan, not directly but through poor, deceived sin filled people. God gave man the power of "free will". This one attribute make man "like God" more than any other attribute. It is the misuse of this will that kills, steals and destroys and that attribute belongs to satan. The bottom line.....Love and be like God........Kill and be like satan. CHOOSE THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE!

12-4-2015      Luke 22:7-13

S.       7 Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the Passover, that we may eat. 9 And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare?10 And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he enters in.11 And ye shall say unto the good man of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples?12 And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.13 And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the Passover.

O.      Finding a place for the Passover.

A.      Jesus gave very specific instructions for the disciples to follow, they did as instructed and the last Passover is shared by all. God gave me specific instructions in his Bible. If I follow, I will be blessed. If not, I will be cursed. All this is my decision and the results are up to me.

    P.       Father; I choose to follow you with all my heart, mind and         soul. Fill me with courage, endurance and the wisdom so I               won’t stray. Amen. 

Used up

I am ready to be "used up" for Jesus. At my age I know that my time is short on this earth so I am determined to give more, do more and care more than ever before. I want my fuel gauge to show that I emptied myself in the "living" of this life. 

9-16-2015      Luke 11:37-40

S.       37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. 38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed before dinner. 39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?

O.      Jesus teaches about traditions.

A.      Jesus did not condemn the traditions of the Pharisees; he revealed the values that they were missing. Often our traditions are not completely Christ centered. I will examine all my traditions to be sure that they are.

P.       Father; give me the wisdom to evaluate all my traditions. Help me to improve or remove each one to keep Christ in the center of all I do. Amen.

I am Loved!

I am in awe of my Lord Jesus Christ. He went to the cross to die in my place. He never told a lie, broke his word, stole a meal, hurt his friends.......he never sinned. I stand amazed at his love for me, unmerited, undeserved and unlovable man I was, Jesus choose to be my salvation. He paid a price that I could never pay.......just because he loves me.

9-11-2015      Luke 11:23

S.       23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

O.      Jesus sets strict lines of division.

A.      I want to be with Jesus in every matter. I choose to make him my Lord, Saviour and King. I will resist the devil and all his army of evil.

P.       Father; anoint me with your Grace for power to overcome my enemies. Teach me how to love the sinner and hate the sin. Amen.

Learn.....Apply

Learning is of no advantage until it is applied. I will keep on learning for learning must never stop. I will keep applying what I learn......applying always leads to more learning. Quite a beautiful cycle, don't you think. So many people "learn"about Jesus but never apply their learning.....and the learning is wasted. Come to church tomorrow and let's learn together AND apply what we learn.......we can practice on each other before we take it to the world.

8-29-2015      Luke 10:7

S.       7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.

O.      Simple instructions for day to day living for the disciples while laboring in the field.

A.      A simple straight forward life is the best for the Christian. Our supply may come as a gift or by our labor. Our goal is to learn to be satisfied.

P.       Father; help me to keep my eyes on you instead of the “things” of this world. Teach me how to be satisfied with what I have. Amen.

Tickets Please

Why would you buy a ticket for the Heavenly Express and never get on board? Better yet, why jump on and off at the station? If you are a traveler........get your ticket.......get on board......and stay there.

8-2-2015         Luke 8:19-21

S.       19 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. 20 And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. 21 And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.

O.      Man must obey God’s words.

A.      I will live in God’s word. I will obey each and every day by its precepts: Love, forgiveness and peace.

P.       Father in Heaven; reveal yourself through my life. Amen.

Sinlessness

Adam and Eve in the Garden: No sin and no sickness.

Jesus as a man on earth: No sin and no sickness.

Us in Heaven: no sin and no sickness.

There is a clear lesson in this outline about sickness. Sickness came upon man as a result of sin, another good reason to HATE sin, avoid sin, repent and obey God's Word.

If you can avoid sin for only one minute at a time...........live your life..........one........sinless minute at a time.

Faith....do you have any?

I have faith, you have faith, everyone has faith. The Bible says so. Faith is in us as a gift from God. It is how we use that faith that makes the difference. One example: faith without works is "dead" faith. We must reveal our faith by the way we live, give and serve others. Believing that there is a God is only a part of what faith is all about. By applying faith to more and more of life's experiences (and relationships) we expand our understanding and we will see that faith "MUST" be "APPLIED" to be of any value to ourselves or those around us. 

S.O.A.P.

4-1-2015         Romans 13:1-7

S.       1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

O.      Proper respect is due to those in power. Paying taxes (tribute) is proper.

A.      God places those into power that he chooses. Our relationship to those leaders hinges on our honesty and integrity. If I live a holy life as a Christian I have nothing to fear from leaders.

P.       Father; I know that you set this world into motion and you are reaching out to man in many ways. Help me to be a living example of faith and love. Amen. 

Redefining God???

With all the terrible things going on in this world today a person could get pretty scared. I hear about fear on a daily basis. Fear of Isis, fear of our president and his christian hating ways, fear of the health care laws, fear of guns, fear of environmental changes, fear, fear, fear!
The thing that alarms me the most: People redefining God. I see people chasing sin, embracing sin one minute and the next they are talking faith and love of God. Pure and contaminated do not flow from the same source. How do these people live with the imbalance, the contradiction?  Easy......just redefine God. God is removed as the creator, the sovereign judge and perfect and then redefined into some sort of heavenly bell-hop filling orders for any and all who speak his name in a positive manner. 
Awake or perish for when the blind lead, the ditch becomes your home.


S.O.A.P.

2-17-2015      Romans 7:22-25

S.       22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

O.      The battle with sin as fought with the mind (under the law) is always lost.

A.      Paul paints a very dim picture of spiritual life when lived under law. He is building up a contrast to describe how the law was incomplete and needed to be improved. I will remember my past as a reminder of where I came from. I came out from under the law and into the Power of Grace.

P.       Father; I know that my flesh is weak and that without your help I will fail. Fill me with the power of your Grace, the guidance of your Holy Spirit and the joy of holy fellowship. Amen.

Love is our best gift.

Thank you friends for the "little" things you do each day. The smiles, a wink, wave and especially the hugs. These actions make my life a joy. Love really is the best we have to give.

S.O.A.P.

2-10-2015      Romans 7:4

S.       Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

O.      Being dead to the law of sin and death we are free to be married to Christ and live productive, faithful (sinless) and holy as his bride.

A.      There are no chains that link me to sin. I am free of condemnation and at liberty to live in peace, joy and love. I choose Christ as my Saviour and Lord and I am free from the laws of the flesh.

P.       Father; grant me wisdom to live a sinless life. Remind me of my weaknesses that victory may be maintained. I ask for your mercy and grace to fill my mind. Amen.

How I begin each day.

Early morning time alone with God is my "secret to success". Praying for my family and friends brings me comfort. Reading the Word fills my soul with delight and my day starts off right.

S.O.A.P.

12-26-2014    Mark 15: 1-4

S.       1 And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.3 And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.

O.      Jesus is silent before Pilate.

A.      The life of Jesus was his testimony and there was no need to justify or defend himself.  The life I live shall speak louder than any words. I need not defend or justify righteousness, just live it!

P        Father; I am committed to you and you alone as my God and Saviour. Reveal to me my shortcomings as I strive to live in righteousness and faith. Amen. 

Put Christ in you....Then in Christmas!

We should walk into this day with the glory of God flowing out from us as a river overflowing it's banks. This is a dry and barren land and the only hope is God. Let the joy of your salvation shine bright. If we want Christ to be put back into this Christmas season let it begin within our own heart and mind and spirit. Show the world the Christ of Christmas.......in you!

S.O.A.P.

12-18-2014    Mark 14: 12-16

S.       12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?15 And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.

O.      The disciples prepare for the Passover.

A.      God is a God of preparation. I will learn and apply myself to preparation. I will learn god’s word to prepare my mind. I will learn how to pray his word to prepare my soul. I will learn his love to prepare my heart.

P.       Father; lead me by your Holy Spirit, prepare me to: serve, speak, listen and live as one of the redeemed.Amen.