Ouch!

These past few months have been very trying for me. I have had a nagging toothache for the last few months, but have not been able to do anything about it. There always seemed to be something that I felt was more important. My wife is expecting, my son needed glasses, and my daughter needed her tonsils taken out. But finally, I was able to get the tooth cut out. Praise the Lord! I feel the best that I have felt in a long time. Yet, as I think of the pain that I have had, and the trials that my family has faced these last few months, I find myself in awe of what God is doing in my life. You see, God uses a multitude of things to get our attention, or just to let us know that He is there. Sometimes good, and sometimes painful. This reminds me of one of my favorite verses, Romans 5:3-5. The Apostle Paul writes "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." God does not want bad things to happen to us, but sometimes He allows it to test our faithfulness to Him, just as He did to Job. However, instead of looking at how bad things are, or how they are piling up, think about how blessed you are. An old preacher from my youth once said, "Instead of counting all of your problems, try counting your blessings and see how long it takes you to feel better." When we look to God in times of trouble, we learn to persevere, build character, and gain hope for better things to come. For instance, getting rid of that tooth!

Thanks and God Bless You all this week!

I refuse

These past couple of months I have been blessed to see some wonderful miracles in my life and in those around me. Praise the Lord we have had 8 people saved at our church in the last few months. Prayer really works. We have been actively praying for a long time for our new brothers and sisters. The sad thing is, you just do not hear of people getting saved like we did years ago. It is becoming uncommon in today's society. Many people are in a state of false assurance these days. Back in the 1980's Rev. Billy Graham estimated that 85% of all church goers are not saved. That is staggering! What is the reason for this. I have an idea that I would like you to entertain for a moment. How many of us are actively looking for ways to serve Him and be an active witness for Him in our daily walk? I know that I am guilty of this, being caught up in the worries and happenings of this life. Many times we seem to have our blinders on to God. We do not think actively every day of how best to serve Him. Because of this, the gospel of Christ has become diluted, and somewhat misconstrued by some "so-called" believers. The only way to combat this is to do what scripture teaches. In Matthew 28:19 Christ says "Go and make disciples of all nations...." He did not say when you feel like it, or when you have time in your schedule. He said "GO". In 2 Timothy 4:2-5, Paul charges Timothy "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." We have a job to do. These scriptures were not just for the recipients of the message, but to all of us. I refuse now to stand by and let others be an example for me. I refuse not to take a stand. I refuse to putting other things ahead of my bible reading time. I refuse to not witness based on what others may think of me. I hope that all of you that read this, will join me in a refusal to just stand idly by and "GO" to work for Him before it is too late.

Thanks and God Bless You this week.

Can this day be any worse!?

Matthew 5: 3-12
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Be attitudes for Christian life. Blessed is another word for happy. Try substituting the word every time you see the word blessed. Go ahead and read again. There are going to be many times in our lives, not just these last few and next few weeks, that our lives are going to seem impossible. Times when we are so mad that we just want to scream. As we look at what life deals us, remember that our reward in heaven is greater than all the troubles we face. Every one of these traits in the verses above all come with a promise. This promise is from above, and His are the ones that we know will be kept. So the next time you feel frustrated and overwhelmed, try to remember these ways to be "happy." Because our time here is short, and rewards and eternity in heaven with "Him that is Greater than he that is in the world" is something to look forward too.

God Bless You this week.

Who is wise?

There are many people these days that are always willing to give advice. Sometimes whether we want it or not. But, is it really good advice? We have to be careful about the wisdom of others. One of the best ways to tell if the advice given to you is good, is if it contains scripture, or a reference to Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:20-25 reads " ²⁰ Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. ²² Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." Let's face it. There is no greater wisdom, than the wisdom gained from a devotion to the study of God's word. By seeking God, and an active prayer life, we gain wisdom. Even if the rest of the world thinks that we out of our minds. So, the next time you have a struggle and someone tries to give advice, see if they use scripture to help you. If not, do not be too trusting of it, and search the Word yourself. You will never go wrong with Christ.

Thanks, and God Bless You all this week.