Just sharing.

[beensetfree]

I know two young girls who have both had a very bad time as animal owners. Within the space of a couple of years, while only in first or second grade, the older of the two lost a dog to distemper even though it had been properly vaccinated. The replacement dog, a small energetic animal, was hit by a car—right in front of the child’s eyes.

The younger child, still a pre-schooler had a dog all her life that was not very good-tempered. A few months ago, the dog bit her and had to be permanently “moved” to another home. While that dog was still alive, this little tyke had two nearly identical kittens from the same litter, one she kept at her mom’s home and one at her dad’s.

The first cat disappeared within a few weeks but she had the other one a while longer, four or five months. It would wander the neighborhood until she stepped out of a car at her dad’s home and then it would run to her and leap into her arms…until one day it didn’t come home anymore. A puppy her mom acquired was hit by a car…driven by her mother as she backed down the driveway. A pet rabbit died. Another dog didn’t come home and was discovered dead on the highway.

As I said, these two young girls have both had really bad times with pets, but they also have something else in common. The older of the two spent the first few years of her life in the home of her grandparents and remained closely attached to them, seeing them every day even after she and her mother moved into their own home. It was very hard on her when her Grandpa passed away.

The other little girl has lived part of her life with her beloved grandmother and a much larger chunk of her very young life in the house right next door. Now her grandmother is in the end stages of cancer; and we know that before she even starts school, this sturdy little girl will have to face the terrible burden of losing her Grandma.

When I think about these two little girls, both given such sadness while still very young, I wonder if God did not make plans for them to have a taste of grief with their pets to enable them to survive the greater loss of family members. We felt bad for each of them when they lost pets they had grown to love, but perhaps that led them to an understanding of death they would otherwise not have had.

These children know when there is death, there is no coming back. They have learned that even though death engenders sadness, we can still go on and live as we did before and that after a while we stop being quite as sad as before. Perhaps those lost animals were God’s angels sent to sacrifice themselves for the sake of training these children in the ways of death.

God’s ways are mysterious and in our human limitation we cannot know why things happen as they do, but we believe that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord; so maybe–just maybe—that was part of His purpose.

 

[beensetfree]

What does it mean to walk with God

Enoch walked with God and was no more, so what does it mean to walk with God?

Walking in Agreement


Amos the Prophet asked a very good question when he wrote, “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet” (Amos 3:3)? The obvious answer is no, they cannot walk together if they’re not in agreement with one another. It might be a disagreement over religion, a relationship, or a philosophy of life, but unless they can walk together, meaning unless they can agree on things, they cannot walk together.

Shortly after the fall in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve “heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Gen 3:8), but instead of joining God, they hid from God because they had sinned.

Originally, God walked with them in fellowship and in relationship, but once they choose to disobey God, they could no longer walk in agreement with God because of their sin.

Not long after this, mankind had been fruitful and multiplied over the face of the earth, but mankind in general had turned away from God and “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5), and “the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth” (Gen 6:11-12), but there was one exception as “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation.

Noah walked with God” (Gen 6:9), however God told Noah “I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die” (Gen 6:17). Noah and his family walked with God and so they survived the flood, but the rest of mankind was not in agreement, except for the fact “that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5).

Enoch Walked with God

Enoch walked with God. This means, Enoch didn’t walk ahead of Him and he didn’t walk behind Him…but He walked with God. What does it mean to walk with God?

I believe it means that we don’t get ahead of what God has in store for us or His will for our lives and we don’t take steps according to our own will but get in step with God’s will. It also means we obey the Lord.

We can’t hear what God may be telling us if we’re way out ahead of His will or we’re out of fellowship with Him. We can’t walk with God if we’re not doing what He commands and fall behind His prescribed will for our lives. When this happens, we’re going to stumble.

We know that God opens doors that no one can open and closes doors that are not good for us to walk through, so if we are walking with God, we’ll go through the door with Him, and at the same time. We’ll walk where He walks and go where He goes, but it also means, we don’t’ go where we know God doesn’t want us to go, so we can’t walk ahead of Him because He might not have the door open when we get there, or if we lag behind, the door may already be shut by the time we get there.

Follow Me
Jesus frequently told those He called to “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt 4:19). Many said they were His disciples, but when Jesus’ teachings were difficult to accept, “many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66). Following Jesus is more than just walking in agreement with Him.

For example, He says, “whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matt 10:38), so “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24). Following Jesus is a lifetime commitment and He requires 100% of us.

In one case someone said they’d follow Jesus, but, “said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father” (Luke 9:59), and “Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home” (Luke 9:61). They said they believed in Jesus, but so do the demons, but they’re by no means saved (James 2:19). You must follow Jesus and when you do, you can know that you’re walking with God.

Walking in Obedience

If we walk behind God, we are still not following His will for our lives. We may be lagging behind and not going where He is going and where He intends for us to go.

We may miss where He wants us to go, and if He has opened a door for us, it might not be open when we finally get to it, but most of all, walking with God means to be walking along side of God by doing the things He commands (e.g. Matt 25:34-40; Matt 28:18-20).

When we walk with God we can more easily talk with God, and walking beside God helps to ensure we will be walking in the right direction, and at the right pace…not too fast or not too slow. It’s better to be in step with God than out of step. Besides, you can’t talk with someone behind you or talk with someone ahead of you, but if you’re walking with someone, you can communicate with that someone.

I can’t imagine taking a walk with my wife and being behind her or ahead of her. When we walk together, it shows that we are in agreement with each other. Perhaps that explains why “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away” (Gen 5:24).

Conclusion
Walking with God means that we “do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom 8:4), and that frequently we must walk by “faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7b), so that’s why we’re warned, “be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise” (Eph 5:15).

Paul urges us all to “join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us” (Phil 3:17), as it was “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God” (Heb 11:5). May the same thing be true for you too.

 

[beensetfree]

In search of God.

One Sunday, during the children’s time with the pastor, the pastor asked all the children to spend one afternoon searching for God and then come back and tell him what they had found. One little boy, named Bobby, did just that.

Bobby spent the following Saturday doing just what the pastor had asked, searching for God.

First Bobby went to the park. While he was at the park, he saw families swimming, eating and children swinging on the swings. Bobby walked down to the lake and saw ducks paddling their way across the water. Bobby lied on his back in the grass and watched the clouds move by. After walking through the whole park, Bobby decided to give up on his search for God and go home.

On the way home Bobby saw Mrs. Johnston, who was one of his neighbors, and she asked him if he needed a ride. Bobby said, “No thank you Mrs. Johnston. I want to walk.” Mrs. Johnston said, “o.k.” and good-bye to Bobby as she drove away.

When Bobby was near his house he saw Mr. Arnold unloading groceries from his car, and Bobby asked him if he needed help. Mr. Arnold said, “Sure Bobby, I could use a hand.” Bobby helped Mr. Arnold carry several sacks into the house, and then he continued his walk towards home.

When Bobby got to the church he decided to see if the pastor was there, to tell him that he had spent the afternoon searching for God but hadn’t found him. Bobby found the pastor and the pastor said, “Hi Bobby. Why do you look so down?”

Bobby said, “I did what you told us to do. I spent the afternoon looking for God, but I didn’t find him.”

The pastor asked Bobby to sit down and tell him how he had spent the afternoon.

Bobby told him he went to the park, and the pastor said, “What did you see at the park?”

Bobby said, “I saw families playing, and I saw ducks swimming on the lake and I watched the clouds.”

The pastor said, “God is present in families. God is present wherever people are joined together in love. God is also present in nature. Nature is God’s creation and so are all the animals in it. God is also present in the clouds. God created the clouds, just like he created the rain and the wind.” Then the pastor asked, “What else did you see and do this afternoon?”

Bobby said, “Well, I saw Mrs. Johnston, and she offered me a ride home, and I helped Mr. Arnold unload his groceries from his car. That is all.”

The pastor said, “God is present when someone offers to help us, just like when Mrs. Johnston offered you a ride home. You found out one more thing about God today, do you know what that is?”

“No,” said Bobby.

“God was present when you offered to help Mr. Arnold. You see, God is present in your heart. I would say you had a very successful day looking for God.”

Bobby agreed and said good-bye to the pastor. He could not wait to get home and tell his Mom that he had such a great day searching for, and finding God.

 

[beensetfree]

“Waiting for the adoption.”

Romans 8:23

Even in this world saints are God's children, but men cannot discover them to be so, except by certain moral characteristics. The adoption is not manifested, the children are not yet openly declared. Among the Romans a man might adopt a child, and keep it private for a long time: but there was a second adoption in public; when the child was brought before the constituted authorities its former garments were taken off, and the father who took it to be his child gave it raiment suitable to its new condition of life.

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be.” We are not yet arrayed in the apparel which befits the royal family of heaven; we are wearing in this flesh and blood just what we wore as the sons of Adam; but we know that “when he shall appear” who is the “first-born among many brethren,” we shall be like him, we shall see him as he is.

Cannot you imagine that a child taken from the lowest ranks of society, and adopted by a Roman senator, would say to himself, “I long for the day when I shall be publicly adopted. Then I shall leave off these plebeian garments, and be robed as becomes my senatorial rank”? Happy in what he has received, for that very reason he groans to get the fulness of what is promised him.

So it is with us today. We are waiting till we shall put on our proper garments, and shall be manifested as the children of God. We are young nobles, and have not yet worn our coronets. We are young brides, and the marriage day is not yet come, and by the love our Spouse bears us, we are led to long and sigh for the bridal morning. Our very happiness makes us groan after more; our joy, like a swollen spring, longs to well up like an Iceland geyser, leaping to the skies, and it heaves and groans within our spirit for want of space and room by which to manifest itself to men.

 

[beensetfree]

Helping a child learn honesty.

I think honesty is one of the most important aspects of good character. People have better perspective on life situations if they are honest with themselves, and I don’t even need to mention why it is important to be honest with others.

To get your child to feel uncomfortable when he lies and feel “right” about telling the truth—or in other words, help him develop a conscience—here’s something you need to stick by from his earliest years.

Never accept a lie. If your child tells you an untruth, you may agree to drop the subject, but never give him the idea that you believe what he said if you actually know it to be untrue. (It’s not cute or permissible for him to lie, although “make believe” is a little different and before the age of four or five the child may not know the difference himself.)

If your child has actually tried to convince you of the truth of a lie, a few days or even weeks later, if you bring up the subject again, he may feel comfortable telling you the truth. Then you can praise him and show your approval. I believe this has better results than “punishment” because when the child is “telling a story”, he may be afraid of the consequences of the truth. Punishing him for the lie confirms in his mind that there’s something important and scary about the situation.

 

[beensetfree]

“The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

Ephesians 1:7

Could there be a sweeter word in any language than that word “forgiveness,” when it sounds in a guilty sinner's ear, like the silver notes of jubilee to the captive Israelite? Blessed, for ever blessed be that dear star of pardon which shines into the condemned cell, and gives the perishing a gleam of hope amid the midnight of despair! Can it be possible that sin, such sin as mine, can be forgiven, forgiven altogether, and for ever?

Hell is my portion as a sinner — there is no possibility of my escaping from it while sin remains upon me — can the load of guilt be uplifted, the crimson stain removed? Can the adamantine stones of my prison-house ever be loosed from their mortices, or the doors be lifted from their hinges?

Jesus tells me that I may yet be clear. For ever blessed be the revelation of atoning love which not only tells me that pardon is possible, but that it is secured to all who rest in Jesus. I have believed in the appointed propitiation, even Jesus crucified, and therefore my sins are at this moment, and for ever, forgiven by virtue of his substitutionary pains and death.

What joy is this! What bliss to be a perfectly pardoned soul! My soul dedicates all her powers to him who of his own unpurchased love became my surety, and wrought out for me redemption through his blood. What riches of grace does free forgiveness exhibit!

To forgive at all, to forgive fully, to forgive freely, to forgive for ever! Here is a constellation of wonders; and when I think of how great my sins were, how dear were the precious drops which cleansed me from them, and how gracious was the method by which pardon was sealed home to me, I am in a maze of wondering worshipping affection. I bow before the throne which absolves me, I clasp the cross which delivers me, I serve henceforth all my days the Incarnate God, through whom I am this night a pardoned soul.

 

[beensetfree]

Beating the labels

After only one year of marriage and both in their early twenties, Donna and Calvin Bader were told it that conceiving children was unlikely for them without some kind of fertility treatments. Since they wanted children right away, this was a big disappointment. Both agreed however, to skip the specialists. “I knew of other couples who had paid thousands of dollars to fertility specialists,” said Donna. “Calvin and I both agreed it would be better to spend our money on adoption. It was Wednesday. By Monday we were the parents to four-month-old Samuel.”

Although adoption does not usually work that quickly, Donna’s mother-in-law had been caring for Samuel as a foster mother. The original family backed out. He was a mixed-race baby and the parents were concerned his skin was too light compared with their other adopted children.

The Baders were already licensed foster parents in Indiana. “I received a phone call from Adoptions of Kentucky on Monday morning informing us that we could have Samuel right away since we had a foster care license,” Donna explained.

She called Calvin at work, unable to contain her excitement. “Calvin,” she cried, “we’re parents!” He came home right away and they hugged and cried tears of joy. God had answered their prayer for a child with amazing speed. But God was not done answering their prayer yet. And again, things would happen quickly.

Calvin and Donna had applied to work as house parents with Noah’s Ark Children’s Village. This is a specialized Christian foster care agency. While they waited for an opening, they had contacted the couple to help out one of their foster families by taking over for the weekend.

When Donna walked into the door and into the gaze of five children of varying ages. Dylan grabbed her attention immediately. The little guy in diapers appeared much younger than his three years. Instead of the eager and curious young face he should have worn, Dylan looked deeply sad. In his short little life, he had already experienced so much pain. This was his fourth foster home. Dylan and Donna cared for the kids for about two hours that day. In Dylan’s case, Donna said their attempts at interaction were rebuffed. “He did not talk much, instead using grunts and his fists to communicate,” Donna said. “Dylan’s verbal ability was poor but he excelled at hitting the other children.”

Although Dylan wanted nothing to do with Donna, she was captivated with him. “I thought about him all the way home. A few days later, the agency asked Calvin and me to baby-sit the entire weekend for the same family.” It was the perfect way for them to determine if they wanted to work at this eighty-eight acre village where homes, support, and other amenities were provided to the on-site foster families.

Donna and Calvin loved the experience and wanted to do it full time. Dylan was no more interested in them than he had been the first time. On top of that, he had diarrhea all weekend. But Donna was drawn to him even more. “I cried all the way home for Dylan,” Donna recalled. “I told Calvin that I felt he was suppose to be their son.”

Calvin warned Donna not to get her hopes up since parental rights had not even been terminated in his case so he was not available for adoption. “It did not seem to make sense but I’ve learned to trust my instincts as long as I stay close to God in prayer,” said Donna. She could not get Dylan out of her mind and kept praying that God would lead the way concerning him.

A couple months later, Donna and Calvin moved into a Noah’s Ark home to work as foster parents. Dylan was in another home on the premises but when that family felt he was too much for them due to his violence with other children, Donna and Calvin took him in. They had other small children and he was very violent. Even though Dylan was three-years-old, he could only say “truck” and “blue” and kept repeating those words. He had been diagnosed as autistic and would often rock back and forth among other repetitive behaviors. Regardless, Donna still wanted to be his mom.

“A few months after he was in our home, parental rights were terminated,” Donna said. They immediately filled out the paperwork to begin the adoption process. Dylan’s violent behavior continued unabated, however. Often, he would not respond to anyone. When Donna tried to soothe him and told him: “Mommy is here,” a typical response was for him was to scream at her. But Donna would not give up. She kept showering him with love and patience and little by little, he started responding. The first time Dylan crawled up on her lap on his own, her spirit soared. “I looked over at Calvin and caught his eye with the unspoken message: ‘Are you seeing this?’

“Thank you, thank you, God,” she joyfully prayed.

It would be many more months before Dylan allowed Calvin to have anything to do with him. He did not even want to get into the car if Calvin was there. Calvin did not force himself on Dylan but he tried playing toys and games with him. Dylan would have none of it.

One day, Donna took Dylan to the playground. Then, while Dylan warmed up and began having fun, Calvin joined them and took Dylan horseback riding. “Look at you,” Donna gushed with tears in her eyes. Dylan grinned. He really looked happy and Calvin was trotting along beside him.

But Dylan’s pain would not let go. For the first four months, not a day went by that he did not hit others or act out in some way. One day, Donna put him in the corner for time out. He began screaming and banging his head against the wall. She wrapped her arms around this broken little boy. “I love you Dylan,” she cried. “You’re safe now. Daddy and I are never going to leave you.” Dylan kept swinging his arms so she held him tight and tried not to get hit. Then, Donna prayed: “God should we be doing this? Help this to stop. Help Dylan not to hurt and be afraid anymore. Lord, whatever his frustration and anger is please take it away.“

They sat there for a good thirty to forty minutes. At that point, she wondered if she had been wrong. Maybe she was not supposed to be his Mommy. “God, are we in over our heads?” she asked. “Can we help this poor dear boy?” Finally, Dylan calmed down. He was crying and Donna was crying. She was scared that she might not be able to help Dylan. But then she recalled all the promises she had made to love him forever. “If we did not keep Dylan, who would?” she thought. “I realized he needed us so we could not give up on him.”

Calvin and Donna prayed hard for Dylan’s healing. They did not want him to hurt anymore, but felt powerless to stop it. It was in God’s hands. They and their families and some of the members of their church began adding fasting to their prayers. “We were going to do everything possible to fight for our little boy,” Donna said.

The first year was rough but after six months, they began seeing improvements. Through speech therapy, Dylan’s speech was getting better and it became obvious that he was not autistic. The pain from his past often came out, but Calvin and Donna kept reassuring Dylan with their love. He also had the love and security of their extended families.

By the time his adoption became final, he was four years old and still lagging behind in some areas, but his progress was incredible. Instead of being trapped by his pain, a happy little boy was emerging. Dylan was bonding with his family and had begun to play with other children without the violence. Once the progress began, it never stopped. There were still bad days and struggles, but Dylan had let Donna, Calvin and little brother Samuel into his heart and he was firmly in theirs.

In spite of his rapid improvement, by the time Dylan approached school age, Calvin and Donna feared sending him into a situation that would label him. To them, labels meant limits. Calvin’s mother had mentioned the idea of homeschooling. “I think I said more than once, ‘Over my dead body’ when the subject was brought up,” Donna laughed. But Donna would often marvel at Dylan’s progress and then be reminded that the “experts” had said he was going to be very low functioning. “We believed that our God is bigger than that,” Donna said. “Then, we realized that once he was labeled, it would follow him.

In the end, it was the fear of labeling that convinced them to teach Dylan at home. “ We wanted to push him and challenge him and not to use labels as a crutch.” She added, “My hats are off to the teachers, they have many challenges but we thought we could do a better job just one-on-one. That was our main reasoning, but now we just love it.”

Dylan did continue to prove the labels wrong. Today, at age thirteen, he does well with school and is just a little behind grade level. He is also outgoing and a very affectionate, son. Often, Dylan will give his parents a hug and say, “I love you Mama, I love you Dad.” He and Samuel are typical brothers. They love to wrestle and sometimes fight, but are fiercely loyal to one another. They will even make excuses for each other if one gets into trouble.

Samuel, age ten, is also thriving at home. “I love them being who they are without the pressure of peers to be cool and pressured to do things based on what other kids are doing. Right now, Samuel is a grade ahead of where he should be. School is easy for him. Dylan takes longer to memorize but I’m able to tailor both boy’s education.”

The boys get plenty of socialization through field trips and get-togethers with other families. Both are on a competitive gymnastic teams which means practicing as much as four hours a day, four days a week. Donna pointed out that for the other kids on the team that don’t homeschool, their families barely get to see them since practices are from 4 to 8 P.M. during the school year.

A couple years ago, Donna and Calvin decided it was time to move out of the foster care facility into their own home. They bought seven acres in the country where they now raise chickens for the eggs and meat and goats for the milk. On the day they signed the papers for the property, Donna and Calvin had another big surprise to add to their lives. Donna was pregnant! Emma Grace–her name means “absolute faith”– was born in 2009 to the waiting arms of her big brothers.

Donna added that having the boys home to share in the joy of watching their little sister grow, is yet one more benefit of schooling at home.

Donna and Calvin are raising chickens, goats and children on seven acres in Indiana. They currently homeschool their two boys Dylan and Samuel while everyone takes turns playing with baby Emma Grace.

 

[beensetfree]

Though our church is struggling
And our membership shrinks,
Our pews aren’t as empty
As some folks may think.

Look at those spaces
With no one in view;
They are filled by the Spirit
Of He who loves you.

The Holy Spirit is beside us
As He is in our hearts
With His peace and His love
That never departs,

And I am convinced
If there is even one
Here in this building
That believes on God’s Son,

Then He will be here
With His comfort and care
As that ONE humbly bows
And meets Him in prayer.

The things of man vanish
Over time on this earth;
Churches and people
Know death, just as birth;

But though our little church
Won’t forever endure,
The love of our Savior
Will ever be sure

 

[beensetfree]

“Seeking the wealth of his people.”

Esther 10:3

Mordecai was a true patriot, and therefore, being exalted to the highest position under Ahasuerus, he used his eminence to promote the prosperity of Israel. In this he was a type of Jesus, who, upon his throne of glory, seeks not his own, but spends his power for his people. It were well if every Christian would be a Mordecai to the church, striving according to his ability for its prosperity. Some are placed in stations of affluence and influence, let them honour their Lord in the high places of the earth, and testify for Jesus before great men. Others have what is far better, namely, close fellowship with the King of kings, let them be sure to plead daily for the weak of the Lord's people, the doubting, the tempted, and the comfortless. It will redound to their honour if they make much intercession for those who are in darkness and dare not draw nigh unto the mercy seat.

Instructed believers may serve their Master greatly if they lay out their talents for the general good, and impart their wealth of heavenly learning to others, by teaching them the things of God. The very least in our Israel may at least seek the welfare of his people; and his desire, if he can give no more, shall be acceptable. It is at once the most Christlike and the most happy course for a believer to cease from living to himself. He who blesses others cannot fail to be blessed himself. On the other hand, to seek our own personal greatness is a wicked and unhappy plan of life, its way will be grievous and its end will be fatal.

Here is the place to ask thee, my friend, whether thou art to the best of thy power seeking the wealth of the church in thy neighbourhood? I trust thou art not doing it mischief by bitterness and scandal, nor weakening it by thy neglect. Friend, unite with the Lord's poor, bear their cross, do them all the good thou canst, and thou shalt not miss thy reward.

 

[beensetfree]

My cousin is a lay preacher. Over the years, there has been one subject that he has preached upon more than any other: “You Reap what you Sow” Of course, he uses plants and vegetables as illustrations of how a person cannot sow, for instance, onions and expect to reap apples; but he is also fond of calling up the story of David and Bathsheba.

As those who are familiar with the Bible know, David lusted after Bathsheba when he saw her bathing. When he gave into his lust, Bathsheba became pregnant. David then sent her husband to a certain death in battle in order to prevent him from learning of the sin. Although David later repented of his sin, for the rest of his life he endured many hardships. I don’t know whether all preachers interpret it in the same way, but my cousin sees this as a clear illustration of David reaping the bitter fruits of what he had sown.

I don’t know about David, but I do know about myself and I know that I have paid dearly for sins for which I long ago repented. There is a clear delineation between the time of my morality and the moment of my fall from the grace of God. Although I know God has forgiven me, there are all kinds of ramifications of sin that forgiveness cannot repair. I would prefer not to use my own situation to explain, so I will use a different story so that you can get the idea.

Consider a person who works at a grocery store and gives in to the temptation to steal from the cash register. He is of course sowing a lot of trouble. When he gets caught, he only begins to reap the bitter fruit.

When he repents, God rejoices; but the deed is still there in this person’s human history. When he tries to get a job, he cannot acquire a position of trust because he violated trust in the past.

When someone gives him a chance of employment and he works without incident for many years, there may still be a time when some little thing is lost or mislaid and someone remembers that he was once a thief and they begin to suspect him of stealing again. When he has children, they may someday learn of his misdeed. His mother, his wife, and all his other relatives will always worry that he will stumble once again.

So we do reap what we sow and we may yield a bumper crop of sorrow. So watch yourself. Don’t sow wild oats. Sow faith, constancy, goodwill and generosity. You will then receive sweet fruits you can savor.

 

[beensetfree]

An unhappy little boy was walking along a street when he heard a bell ringing and looked up to see many people walking up a wide sidewalk into a beautiful building. He was curious, so he stayed until the last of the people had entered and the door was shut. Then he walked to the door and opened it just enough to slip into the vestibule where he peeked around the corner and listened to all that went on.

Within moments he heard a great swell of beautiful notes from a large organ and then the voices of the many people who had entered the building sang together with one voice. The little boy was amazed at the beautiful sound that washed over him. He stayed motionless so that he could remain undetected in the vestibule and hear everything that happened in the building.

Following the singing of several songs, the little boy heard a man begin to speak. His voice was loud enough to be heard and was also gentle and melodious. His message bespoke a kind nature. The little boy listened and he heard about another meeting to be there in the same building that evening.

All too soon the people began to stir and to rise from their seats to depart. The little boy slipped out…almost without being seen…but not quite. A man in a simple black robe had walked up the aisle ahead of all the other people in order to be there to shake their hands as they departed. He caught a glimpse of the small boy.

That evening when all the people gathered once again, the same gentleman was climbing to the tall platform at the front of the large room when something made him look toward the vestibule. He caught a flash of a small head as it peeked into the great room. The kind man did not make any indication of the sighting, but when he began to speak, his first words were, “This is the house of God. All of God’s children are welcome. Thank you to all who are with us today.”

The little boy in the vestibule heard this message but he thought of the clothes worn by all the people within and about those on own skinny body. He remained in the vestibule.

Later, before the final hymn was sung, the minister left his seat and slipped out the back door. When the little boy opened the front door and squeezed out ahead of all the other people, he walked straight into this kind man. Of course, he did not recognize him for he had not dared to look closely into the church for fear of being seen. How surprised he was when he was spoken to by the same voice he had heard only moments before filling the air of the church.

Taken aback, the little boy began to apologize, “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean no wrong. The bells and the organ and singin’ and your talking were just too wonderful. I had to listen, but I promise I’ll never do it again.”

“Oh, but you must,” said the minister. “I’ve been needing a boy like you to keep the pews polished and the floors swept and to light candles for the service. Can’t we arrange for you to do that?”

So it was arranged and out of the minister’s own pocket the boy was paid a small wage. His family was very poor and he used the money to help his mother and she was very grateful to the minister.

Soon the boy’s mother started attending the church wearing her best clothing, which wasn’t very good at all, and bringing her other son, a small frail child.

The mother was afraid she would not be welcome but she was and before you know it an elderly, widowed parishioner hired her to be his cook; and the little family began to pull itself up and became better off than they had ever been before, which was a very good thing; but perhaps you are wondering why that small boy was walking along the road that day when church bells called him into the house of the Lord. Well, that was the day the little boy had made up his mind to break the glass at the local grocer and grab some food and perhaps some money to take home to his mother who was sobbing because she could not feed his little brother.

The boy had purposed an evil intention, but the Lord had seen a boy who needed a little help and prevented him from ruining his life by committing a crime.

 

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“O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.”

Psalm 107:8

If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, and God would be more glorified. Let us daily praise God for common mercies — common as we frequently call them, and yet so priceless, that when deprived of them we are ready to perish. Let us bless God for the eyes with which we behold the sun, for the health and strength to walk abroad, for the bread we eat, for the raiment we wear.

Let us praise him that we are not cast out among the hopeless, or confined amongst the guilty; let us thank him for liberty, for friends, for family associations and comforts; let us praise him, in fact, for everything which we receive from his bounteous hand, for we deserve little, and yet are most plenteously endowed.

But, beloved, the sweetest and the loudest note in our songs of praise should be of redeeming love. God's redeeming acts towards his chosen are for ever the favourite themes of their praise. If we know what redemption means, let us not withhold our sonnets of thanksgiving.

We have been redeemed from the power of our corruptions, uplifted from the depth of sin in which we were naturally plunged. We have been led to the cross of Christ — our shackles of guilt have been broken off; we are no longer slaves, but children of the living God, and can antedate the period when we shall be presented before the throne without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.

Even now by faith we wave the palm-branch and wrap ourselves about with the fair linen which is to be our everlasting array, and shall we not unceasingly give thanks to the Lord our Redeemer? Child of God, canst thou be silent? Awake, awake, ye inheritors of glory, and lead your captivity captive, as ye cry with David, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” Let the new month begin with new songs.

 

[beensetfree]

The hypocrite

On Sundays, when in church you sit,

Is there a chance you’re a hypocrite?

You hear the preacher say again,

“Give to the needy,” and you say, “Amen”

But on Monday the beggar on the street

Is someone you don’t care to meet.

Do you reverently bow your head

And partake of the wine and of the bread

Then spend the rest of your whole day

Seeing frivolous videos play?

You know that heaven and earth are ruled

By Almighty God who can’t be fooled;

So do not think hypocrites will be

Seated in heaven at His knee;

Instead you’ll receive what is deserved

A special place, for you reserved.

 

[beensetfree]

I often advise people to go to church for pragmatic rather than spiritual reasons.

My own return to church after a nearly twenty-year absence was because I was worried about my children. I felt that the older ones were beginning to go off in the wrong direction. When I looked at successful parents, I realized most of them were regular church goers. Because I wanted to do my parenting job a little better, I started attending church every Sunday morning and every Sunday evening. Only six weeks or so later, the Holy Spirit moved me. I had been baptized long before, but I went forward to the altar and re-affirmed my faith. Before the year was out, my husband also accepted Christ and some years later I saw the youngest of my children baptized into the Lord.

I have no feelings of guilt whatever when I urge someone to come to church just to get a handle on how church people live—what they do to keep their bills paid even on low incomes and how they raise good children. It may not seem as if I’m trying to save souls, but I know if I get someone into the church, God will take care of the rest.

 

[beensetfree]

Jesus is calling

What if in your sleep tonight

The call of Jesus came

And you hadn’t found the time

To be baptized in his name?

Wouldn’t you be sorry then

That you thought you could wait

However long you wanted to

And still avoid your fate?

Oh friend, please turn to Jesus now;

The moment is unknown

When both of us, both you and I,

May hear the call “Come home.”

We must be ready on that day

We are summoned by surprise,

So if you desire salvation

To wait is so unwise.

Jesus asks you often;

But you always tell Him no;

Won’t you please say, “Yes,” today;

No one knows when they must go

 

[beensetfree]

Our church building has been in our community for about a hundred years, but for the last few years, the already small congregation has been losing someone to death every few months. It weighs heavily on my heart that all the remaining parishioners are elderly and there is little chance of keeping our church open beyond the next few years. This dismal thought was the inspiration for the following poem.

Our Little Church

In our pretty little church

Where we meet on Sunday morn,

Nearly every single worshipper

Was to former church folks born;

But alas, our children went away;

And we have empty pews

That far exceed the number

Of those that we still use.

In our pretty little church

The love and faith are true

And whenever we’re within it,

God is in it too.

It was there I learned to love Him

And there I’d rather stay

Until I go to meet Him

On that great and fateful day;

But our aging congregation

Keeps diminishing one by one,

As one by one our members

Pass away, their work well done.

And now we’re quickly dwindling

And I often face the fear

That the day our church must close

Is growing very near.

I know that I can worship

Anyplace that I may be;

But when I close my eyes to pray

I know I will still see

Within my mind the little church

Where God grew real to me

And where on Sunday mornings

I will always want to be.

 

[beensetfree]

“Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

Romans 8:23

This groaning is universal among the saints: to a greater or less extent we all feel it. It is not the groan of murmuring or complaint: it is rather the note of desire than of distress. Having received an earnest, we desire the whole of our portion; we are sighing that our entire manhood, in its trinity of spirit, soul, and body, may be set free from the last vestige of the fall; we long to put off corruption, weakness, and dishonour, and to wrap ourselves in incorruption, in immortality, in glory, in the spiritual body which the Lord Jesus will bestow upon his people. We long for the manifestation of our adoption as the children of God.

“We groan,” but it is “within ourselves.” It is not the hypocrite's groan, by which he would make men believe that he is a saint because he is wretched. Our sighs are sacred things, too hallowed for us to tell abroad. We keep our longings to our Lord alone. Then the apostle says we are “waiting,” by which we learn that we are not to be petulant, like Jonah or Elijah, when they said, “Let me die”; nor are we to whimper and sigh for the end of life because we are tired of work, nor wish to escape from our present sufferings till the will of the Lord is done.

We are to groan for glorification, but we are to wait patiently for it, knowing that what the Lord appoints is best. Waiting implies being ready. We are to stand at the door expecting the Beloved to open it and take us away to himself. This “groaning” is a test. You may judge of a man by what he groans after. Some men groan after wealth—they worship Mammon; some groan continually under the troubles of life—they are merely impatient; but the man who sighs after God, who is uneasy till he is made like Christ, that is the blessed man. May God help us to groan for the coming of the Lord, and the resurrection which he will bring to us.

 

[beensetfree]

6 Major attributes of God.

What are six of the greatest attributes of God? Is it love, mercy, longsuffering, or something else?

God is Holy
God is love (1 John 4:8), is longsuffering (2 Peter 3:9), is patient (2 Pet 3:15), is full of grace (Eph 2:8), and is merciful (Luke 6:36), but perhaps the greatest attribute of God, above all other attributes, is that God is holy.

In fact, the only time an attribute of God is mentioned three times is about His holiness. It is never said that God is love, love, love or God is merciful, merciful, merciful, or God is faithful, faithful, faithful, although He is all of these. When something of significance is mentioned, or when there is a sign of intimacy, something is often mentioned twice.

For example, Jesus said, “Verily, verily,” but also said, “Simon, Simon,” and “Saul, Saul,” so in the Hebrew, if something or someone is mentioned twice, it was intended to get their full attention. It is also a sign of an intimate relationship, like with Moses, Moses, and Abraham, Abraham.

The point is, mentioning something twice was intended to give the reader or listener the sense that this a very important point…somewhat like an exclamation point would be, so when Jesus would say, “Verily, verily,” what followed had great significance. With that in mind, Isaiah saw a vision in which God was on His throne, and it must have been a vision because no human can actually see God and live (Ex 33:20), but Isaiah “saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.

Above him [God] were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory“ (Isaiah 6:1-3).

Perhaps these angles have their feet covered because they were on holy ground, as with Moses’ case when he met God in the burning bush. With the other two wings they covered their faces, possibly because even the holy angels cannot look at God close up and live, and with the other two wings, they flew or hovered over the throne of God.

The number three does denote divine perfection, and God’s holiness is displayed in His righteous judgments in the Old Testament, but even today, God has not changed (Heb 3:8), and since God does not change, Peter quotes the Old Testament command (Lev 11:44) that “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16).

The Self-Existent One

In Exodus 3:14, God revealed His name to Moses as “I AM,” or the Self-Existent One. It could be thought of as, “I AM that I AM.” The Hebrew word is Hayah is and means “I AM What I AM,” or “I Will Be What I Will Be.”

In the medieval Jewish tradition, “I will be what I will be” is one of the Seven Names of God. The verb Hayah can also mean, “to be, to become, come to pass, to abide (forever), remain, and be in existence.”

[2] God’s name is perfectly fitting since there is no outside cause for His existence as He has always existed and has no need of anything to continue to exist. Many Bible Scholars believe “I AM Who I AM” is the best translation of all [3], because like God, He never changes, and has been, is, and always will be (Ex 3:15). [4] This is what so angered the religious leaders when Jesus kept referring to Himself as “I AM,” particularly in the Seven I AM’s found in the Gospel of John (John 6:35).

Omnipotent God

God is also omnipotent. He told Moses “I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them” (Ex 7:5a).

This omnipotence was mightily displayed in the fire, thunder and hail, the locusts, the boils, the utter darkness, and all of the plagues whereby “the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand against Egypt” (7:5b).

Even those “among the servants of Pharaoh [who] hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses,” understood that God has power to bring about whatever He speaks (Ex 9:20). Jesus too displayed His omnipotence in calming the storm (Mark 4:35-41), in withering the unproductive fig tree (Mark 11:20-26), and in resurrecting Lazarus from the dead (John 11).

In fact, if Jesus had not specifically mentioned Lazarus by name, I believe that all who were in their graves would have come out of their graves because Jesus Word has effectual power.

A Consuming Fire

Another of God’s attributes is found in Exodus, chapters 1-19. For much of the time, God is a burning or consuming fire. Certainly wherever He abides is holy ground, but He frequently appears as a burning pillar of fire or consuming fire which He did before Moses in the burning bush (Ex 3:2-5).

He was later seen as that pillar of fire witnessed by Israel in the Wilderness (Ex 13:21), and fire is seen as an active manifestation of His presence, and where He was known to the other nations. When God made a covenant (“a cutting”) with Abraham, (Gen 15:17), He appeared as a consuming.

Jesus also describes fire as part of God’s righteous judgment (Mark 9:43-48), and in the final consummation of His holy wrath in the Revelation of Jesus Christ (20:14; 21:8).

The fiery judgment is significant because it displays His anger against sin and that He is uncompromising in His attribute of holy perfection (Jude 1:7), but also intended be a warning to “flee from the wrath to come” (Luke 3:7c; Matt 3:7c).

Merciful God

Mercy is one of God’s attributes that stands out more to those who have trusted in Christ than matters to the world in general.

Even though many see Him as a harsh and judgmental God in the Old Testament, and radically different from the God of the New Testament where God is seen as a loving and caring God, should read the Book of Revelation and see if they still think that way.

The fact is that when the people grumbled against Moses in (Ex 16:2-4), God had every right to extinguish them on the spot; instead He sent them “bread from heaven” (Ex 16:4) in His great mercy. As a merciful God, He heard Israel’s cry during their oppressive treatment under the heavy yoke of their Egyptian bondage.

This cry moved Him to free them (Ex 2:23-24), and God gave Pharaoh ample opportunity to release Israel before God sending His plagues (or “strikes,” as the Hebrew says). [5] On the cross, Jesus epitomized the mercy of God, saying “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:24).

No human can fathom such mercy, and we might not even think about the suffering the Father had to endure in watching His One and only Son go through this. Imagine a parent seeing their child go through that. Truly the Father suffered too, but the cross was motivated out of love, and in this love, shows up as mercy.

Omniscient God

Another of God’s attributes is that of His omniscience which is displayed throughout the Bible. In one case, He is named for His attribute, like as El Roi, as the “God Who Sees Me.” [6] That’s because God knows the beginning from the end, and what will come to pass before it does.

How else could He say to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land” (Ex 6:1), but also declare that “Pharaoh will not listen to you” (Ex 7:4a) which did end up happening.

Jesus as God is also omniscient as “he knew all people” (John 2:24), knew the exact time of His crucifixion (John 17:1), who would betray Him (John 13:11), and even how He would be betrayed, as we see when Jesus tells Judas to do what he has to do quickly (John 13:27).

Jesus knew well in advance that one of His own disciples would deny Him, (Mark 14:30), even though that disciple (Peter) said he was willing to die for the Lord.

Conclusion


Of course, God is also love, but that shows up in His mercy, so it’s comforting to know that God does not change. He never has a bad day.

His attributes remain the same forever, and humans have an attribute that doesn’t change either…it’s called the sinful nature (Rom 3:10-12, 23), but even that God can change by His Spirit, but we can be thankful that God does not change, like He saved us through Christ, but He changed His mind.

No, God never changes, and neither does the Word of God. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). That is still true. God cannot lie (Heb 6:18; Num 23:19). Jesus is the one and only way (Acts 4:12), today, and forever.

Whatever attribute you think is the greatest, they cannot be separated from one another and rated, and they are all equally important in the sense that God is perfectly holy, is self-sufficient and self-existent, and He is also omnipotent, a consuming fire, merciful, and omniscient, but thankfully, God is still drawing men and women to Himself through Christ (John 6:44), so today may be the best day for your salvation (2 Cor 6:2), particularly since there is no guarantee about tomorrow

 

[beensetfree]

Fear not

He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

Psalm 91:4-6 NIV

 

[beensetfree]

Where do you find good people—how do you pick them out?

Would you trust a stranger on the street and never feel any doubt?

If you’re looking for a friend or a spouse,

You can look everywhere from house to house

And still be unsure about those within—

Whether they’re righteous or steeped in sin;

But if were to join the church down the street,

You could probably depend on the people you meet;

So pick out your friend at church—not the bar—

The odds there are better, much better by far;

And when you have a need and must hold out your hand,

Who do you think will understand?

Your friends at the church will be there for you;

They’ll give you a hand and pray for you too;

They’ll stand at the ready to provide what you need

For friends made in church are good friends indeed.