Sat, Jun 24th - 11:12AM

Sometimes, usually when I am in a valley, and I feel the need to inspect myself and evaluate my walk with the lord, I almost become overwhelmed with my failures and shortcomings. It seems to me that I am forever letting the Lord down. In those times however, I am reminded of Peter.

Peter was quick to jump out of the boat to follow the Lord and in mere moments he took his eyes off of the Lord and began sinking into certain disaster. He told the Lord he would follow Him even at the expense of his life and that very same night he denied his relationship with the Lord three times. Peter was with Jesus when Jesus was transformed on the mountain and spoke with Moses and Elijah, and the first thing Peter wanted to do was create three tabernacles or portable shrines. Peter, along with all the disciples, could not stay awake for even an hour at his Lord’s request but he was quick to resort to violence as he cut off some guy’s ear. Peter even tried to rebuke the Lord. Paul had to reprimand Peter for falling into hypocrisy as he was compelling Gentiles to live like Jews when he himself did not.

Yet, despite all that, the Lord called Peter blessed. Peter gave the first sermon after Pentecost which saw hundreds saved, and Paul called Peter a pillar of the church. Peter is the perfect example of the Lord using imperfect vessels to carry out His perfect will. When I think of Peter I realize, that if there was hope for Peter, then there is hope for me despite my failures and shortcomings. It is my prayer that the Lord will use this vessel in whatever way He sees fit for His kingdom and glory. Amen.

Wed, Jun 21st - 3:06PM

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. (Gal 5:16-17)

The next few verses in Galatians continue with a list of some of the deeds of the flesh. When I read them I am inclined to say, at first, “that’s not me”, but if I am going to be honest and look a little bit closer, maybe some of those deeds do manifest themselves.

“Outbursts of anger”, I have been guilty of this in traffic.

“Jealousy”, I have been guilty of this when I see a brother living the victorious life that seems to be such a struggle for me at times.

“Dissensions”, I have been guilty of on more than one occasion when debating doctrine, not that it is wrong to point out error, but maybe I carried it a bit too far.

“Impurity”, can I honestly say an impure thought has never popped into my head, whether I wanted it or not.

The point is, in my life, there truly is a battle going on between the flesh and the spirit, and when I allow the flesh to rule the day, then I probably will not do the things that I want to do which are pleasing to the Lord. Verse sixteen (above) tells me what to do to win the fleshly battle. “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” For me, that means walking in the presence of Jesus. Keeping my mind on Jesus, and continually dwelling on things above, praying without ceasing, allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work in me, then I will be walking in the Spirit and it will be impossible for me to carry out the desires of the flesh. Sometimes though, it still seems like an uphill battle.

I just thank the Lord for His Word which is food for my spirit and for His wonderful grace without which I would be eternally lost.

Wed, Jun 14th - 12:24PM

It truly is a wonderful thing to share some insights that you believe God has shown you from His amazing Word with like minded people, friends of the faith (at least I hope so), and fellowship.

Our God is an awsome God. Yet, though He says He will never leave us or forsake us, there are times of silence that are almost deafening. Although the silence may not be total, meaning His Spirit still witnesses to and comforts our spirit, when it comes to discerning His will concerning a particular thing or situation it seems we are in the middle of the desert . . . alone. I don't know if this is common among believers or if words can accurately describe this anyway but, at times, it definitely applies to me.

On a personal note, I came to the Lord many years ago and I was on fire for the Lord. It was a wonderful and marvelous time. I would like to say that during this time some great tribulation arose but that would not be completely accurate. There were a few difficult times, of course, but for some reason (sin, I'm sure) that fire became nothing more than a smoldering ash. During that period, I didn't really jump into all that the world has to offer, no I was more like the guy that was a pretty good guy by the worlds standards just trying to do it on his own. What a fruitless time. Where by this time now I should be a mature believer, in many ways, I'm still the spiritual kid.

Anyway, I thank God for His loving kindness and His patience towards me, a sinner. Through Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, He has gently tapped me on the shoulder and said come back home. And I did. With all my heart I thank Him and praise Him.

 Now, the reason for this post. The time that I willingly spent in the wilderness my children were young and through my actions I basically neglected my responsibility as the spiritual head of the household. Due to this, my children, although good by the worlds standards, do not have a real desire for the Lord. My wife, whom I had helped lead to the Lord, has ceased growing and is happy in the "world" so to speak, kind of like I was. These are consequences to my disobedience. I was salt that had become un-salty.

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? it is longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under footby men."

Am I never to be salty again? Am I no longer good for anything? Are my efforts and desires for my family to be trampled under foot? This is a concern that weighs on me deeply. Sometimes more heavily than others and I am in one of those times.

I hope I didn't bore anybody with this post but, if any is willing, I would appreciate their prayers. God bless you all. Thanks.

Tue, Jun 13th - 1:54PM

Hope in tribulations

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulations brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Rom 5:3-5)

Exulting in our tribulations is probably something that most of us give very little thought to. It would be akin to saying we celebrate our root canal. Needless to say, this is not our natural inclination. But it should be. Why? Yes, it brings about perseverance and proven character, but more importantly, it brings us hope.

Paul had this to say; Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who IS our hope. (1 Tim 1:1)

 In other words, tribulation brings us hope (Jesus), and hope (Jesus) does not disappoint. Now since we already belong to Him, why should we as believers suffer through tribulations and why would we want to? Because, "For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake," (Phil 1:29)

This really shouldn't suprise us. "Beloved, do not be suprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation." (1 Pet 4:12-13)

So let's exult in our tribulations. Jesus said, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you." (John 15:19)

Our wonderful Savior has chosen us out of this world and claimed us as His own. How can we not rejoice in our tribulations because; "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." (Rom 8:17)

"Therefore having such a hope (Jesus), we use great boldness in our speech," (2 Cor 3:12) through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Boldness to say PRAISE THE LORD; no matter what tribulations we may be experiencing.

Fri, Jun 9th - 7:38PM

The other day, someone stated on a message board that a person would have to be out of their mind to follow such a mindless religion that would require you to cut off your hand if it causes you to stumble. Of course, he was referring to the following verses.

"If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for the whole body to go into hell." (Mat 5:29-30)

I responded by saying let's use our mind for the moment. Can your hand, or your eye, do anything without your mind consciously directing them first? Can your hand do anything without your mind knowing about it? Not handily. So, it is not really the hand, or the eye, but the mind that causes us to stumble. Why?

"because the mind set on the flesh (world) is hostile toward God . . .", (Rom 8:7) and "For the mind set on the flesh is death . . . " (Rom 8:6)

Peter had the same problem, But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's" (Mat 16:23)

Well we can't cut off our head so our mind won't cause us to stumble, that would be silly and not very productive as we try to do the works of our Father, so why did He say that? I believe it was to show us the seriousness of sin and our need to be holy just as our God is Holy. If you are anything like me, it seems that sometimes our mind has a mind of its own, so we must ask the same question the disciples asked, "Then who can be saved?" (Mat 19:25)

Jesus told us what to do with our minds. And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'" (Mat 16:37)

Paul told us, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom 12:2)

So no, I don't think Christianity is a mindless religion at all. We are told what exactly to do with our minds and what happens when we don't. But I think it even goes deeper than that. Just as Jesus said "with all your mind", He said "with all your heart" as well. In fact, He mentioned the heart first.

"For out of the heart come evil thoughts (in our minds), murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders." (Mat 15:19)

And all sorts of other stuff. Why?

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Luke 10:34) and "the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil . . .(Luke 6:45) 

We are told what to do here as well.

So as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; (Col 3:12)

for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. (Rom 9:10)

Then, "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good . . .(Luke 6:45)

Then, out out of this good treasure, we will be able to: Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. (Col 3:2) 

Why would we want to do that? Because, " . . . the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace," (Rom 8:7)

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your HEARTS and your MINDS in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7)

Now, to go back to the question that the disciples had asked Jesus "then who can be saved?" (especially with hearts and minds like ours). "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." was His response.

Praise the Lord His wonderful grace is sufficient for us.

Wed, Jun 7th - 3:37PM

Think about Jesus

Finally, brothers,whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things. (Phil. 4:8)

In other words, think about Jesus. He is the truth. He is the King of Kings. He is just and His judgments are never wrong. He is sinless and His righteousness is whiter than snow. How can the Son of the living God be anything but lovely, for God is Love? How can we not admire perfection? He is excellent in all His ways and the only one worthy of our praise. If He is forever in the fore of our minds and hearts . . . the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 14:7)

The Psalmist said, "Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually." By doing so, we will keep His commandments.

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Fathers commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." (John15 :10-11)

Lord, it is my prayer that you will always be first and foremost in my thoughts and deeds. Amen.

Tue, Jun 6th - 2:28PM

So that they might accuse Him . . .

Have you ever felt you are on display? Knowing in your heart that there are those who are watching you and they are just waiting for you to fall flat on your face. At best, you get an "I told you so", at worst you get persecuted, hopefully with nothing more serious than verbal abuse. Whether you are talking to friends, family, strangers, or folks on a message board, you are one tiny little slip away from being a failure, quack, or heretic, depending on the present company. I know I have, and I think I am in pretty good company.

Jesus had entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and a man was there with a withered hand. I know that He had compassion for this man. The Gospels are replete with instances where Jesus "was moved with compassion" or "felt compassion". Healing this man would only provide fuel for His detractors hate because they desired the letter of the law and not the Spirit. However, not healing this man would go against the will of His Father, since His Father clearly stated in the scriptures "For I desired mercy, and not sacriface, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." (Hosea 6:6) They were all about the show of sacriface for the approval of men.

So there they were; they were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. ( Mark 3:2) Jesus chose to do the work of His Father.

"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." (John 10:37-38)

Of course they accused Him. They had evil in their hearts. They had eyes but did not see, they had ears but did not hear. This has never ceased. Through us, through our mistakes and slip-ups while on display, they still accuse Him, sometimes with evil intent, and sometimes because they do not hear and see. It is my prayer that I will be like Jesus and do my heavenly Fathers work as well, whatever that entails.