The Gift

Hi! Wow, I know it has been a while since I have posted. But hopefully what I have to share with you today will touch you as much as it did me and make up for my silence. Life is a series of choices... To me life is trying to listen to God and follow His lead. Last night God not only laid someone upon my heart but something He wanted me to do for this person.  A gift He wanted me to send them.  So I contacted an old friend and asked them via messaging for their address, so I could send them this gift. At first this person seemed a little skeptical that this was for real.  And it got me to thinking... First, how sad it is that we can't trust that someone would contact us and really want to give us a free gift.  I mean in this world that does seem highly unlikely right? Now a days there are all these scams and such.

But all of this got me to really thinking... And I thought about how God must feel. Here He is with the most awesome, free gift ever and so many people reject His gift. Reject Him. Reject His love Just put yourself mentally in this situation, that you have a free and awesome, exciting gift to share but the person you most want to share it with won't accept it.

God wants the absolute best for us. He wants to share His love and blessings with us for all eternity. The greatest gift ever! I don't know that we can fully grasp this but let us try... After all we might have to sacrifice a little money or time with our gift but in no way can our gift and giving compare to His.  He who left heaven (perfection, joy, peace...) to come to earth and be in flesh.  To endure all that that we humans endure here... to be among the ugliness and sinfulness of this world. He not only did that but he suffered rejection, torture and death to bring us this gift. He battled death and rose from the grave to give us this gift of life. This amazing gift cost us nothing but cost Him so much. I can only imagine how it grieves Him when His creation rejects Him. Rejects love!

Let us think on His goodness, His love, and let us treasure Him and the gift He has given us. This is not a gift for us to horde but to share. So though we too may face rejection in sharing this gift, trust me the greater rejection and pain is felt by Him. Let our pride not hold us back.But let love lead us forward.Love truly does conquer all.

Just so you know my old friend did not reject the gift God desired to send... And I rejoice with Him in that and cannot wait to see the blessings that will come forth from this. He is good, all the time He is good.  Let love be ever before you and let love (Him) be your guide.

Waiting and Believing

Wow, it has been a while huh!?!  To say the least, though I have been silent on this blog God has not been silent in my life... He has kept me busy & growing.  He has been challenging me and showing me things about myself, sin, love, faith, trust, forgiveness, patience, humbleness, persistence, perseverance, helping, abiding, knowledge & understanding and so many other things in between. 

Does God sometimes seem to be silent to you, especially when you want to hear from Him?  The prophet Habakkuk felt the same way.  Sometimes He is speaking and we are not listening, sometimes He is active all around us but we overlook His hand, sometimes we have to wait because He is waiting on us to have ears to receive what He wants us to know... It may be a hard lesson, it may be difficult for us to understand.  But His word reminds us that His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isa. 55:8).  We are told to wait on Him, to believe Him, to rest in Him, to trust Him, to be strong and courageous... Yet are we? Are we doing those things or are we impatient, unbelieving, and set on things going the way we want them to? 

The waiting can be hard, but that might be why we should be strong and courageous, patient and keeping the faith.  Waiting, because in the waiting God can mature our faith and walk, He can change our hearts and our minds, He can do any number of things that seem impossible or unfathomable at the time... The main thing is HE CAN!  Do you believe that?  Do you believe that He hears you; that He cares; that He answers; that He desires what is above all best and right?  Do you believe Him, His Word, His promises?  Because without faith we are told we will not receive.  And even more if we don't believe He will answer us then how will we listen to hear Him?  I just started (as in finished the 1 chapter of) Discerning the Voice of God by P. Shirer.  If you open this book up it will speak to many of these things...  Several months back I read her book, One in a Million - fabulous and God so used it to speak to me over and over again! 

One thing I know is I do not want to stay where I am, I want God to continue to grow and mature me in Christ and His Word assures me that He will. He's not done with me yet.  I want to hear from Him. I want to obey Him. I want to be strong and courageous... and so I chose to be.  I chose Him, to believe Him and to let Him be my strength and the one who enables me to be more than I can be on my own.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me, and so can you...

I have learned that waiting is a great opportunity to see God grow me, change me; to see God do things I couldn't have imagined and to even know He is right there with me and He is working on things, on me and He is faithful.  I have no idea where all this is going except to say, He prompted me to write today and I am being obedient to do so.  Maybe in some of this rambling is encouragement to you or for someone you know... I am not sure but what I do know is that God can use anything or anyone to serve His purposes.  May you be blessed today - seek Him, believe Him, trust Him, listen and obey... wait at His feet.

I am waiting on Him, I am believing Him and I am being changed... Praise Him!

Give me Ears to hear, Give me Eyes to see - Truth

As I sat down today and opened up my quiet time with prayer the LORD laid upon my heart to read the first portion of Isaiah 59 and then blew me away. What He spoke to my heart is not something new to me however; it is very pertinent to what is going on in our Nation. I am here LORD, I am listening, I will obey… Here is what He shared with me:

(During the time of Isaiah the prophet there were parents sacrificing their children to idols. Today our Nation condones the sacrifice of the unborn to the idol called Choice. It is an industry that is full of lies and greed, it is corrupt and it leads the people astray – in its wake follows desolation, destruction and certainly not peace. –This is my side note).

Isaiah 59:3 – For your hands are defiled with blood
And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken falsehood,
Your tongue mutters wickedness. (NASB)

I have seen in our Nation a great evil called Choice (i.e. Abortion). It covers our Nation’s hands in blood. It is corrupt, this industry that tells falsehoods and lies (“it is not a baby”, “it feels nothing”) to make money never mind the destruction in its wake... The hurt, desolation, grief, guilt, and shame it reaps upon our Nation’s men and women. It tells them lies that they will be fine – that everything will be normal again (as it was before this choice) once this procedure is done. An untrue statement if I have ever heard one. This choice ends a life – no one in the Choice camp wants to admit this but it is true. And even if you don’t want to admit it somewhere deep inside you know it is true. This choice will often leave in its wake physical, emotional, and spiritual damage. It manifests itself in the lives of men and women in different ways… none the less the damage is there.

There are fathers who grieve the loss who had no choice. There are fathers who come to grieve who did. There are mothers who are led astray, who are fed lies and platitudes and who then are the ones who have to deal with the aftermath. The child is not the only victim in this sin we call Choice. Now our Nation wants to call this Healthcare!

LORD how far we have fallen from You! How can Your eyes bear to look upon this Nation steeped in sin, covered in the blood of babies?!

Verse 4 – No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly. They trust in confusion and speak lies; They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.

How true are these words for the abortion industry. Show us LORD the truth, open our eyes to see – our ears to hear – LORD forgive us, may this Nation return to YOU in repentance. I grieve… As I know You must grieve too.

Verse 6b – 8. Their works are works of iniquity, And an act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Devastation and destruction are in their highways. They do not know the way of peace, And there is not justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked, Whoever treads on them does not know peace.

WOW! LORD wow – it is so true. Why can people not see? Are their hearts so hardened and their eyes blinded to the truth!?! Let them SEE, HEAR and KNOW – Make them understand LORD please!

This is not what I expected to hear from you today LORD – yet I know it is right and it is exactly what needed to be read and heard. As our Nation’s elected leaders refuse to listen to the voice of the people and are pushing through their agenda. It seems the abortion industry and many in D.C. are walking hand in hand – their plan – their profit. The profit of the wicked made upon the blood of the unborn. It is wickedness!

How? How can this be?! How is this healthcare? How is this even allowed? Condoned? We are speaking of lives here – babies – humans! And yet it is as if they cannot see – they are blinded to this truth…hearts hardened and peace will not be found in this. How can it, when the cries of the unborn are heard by You LORD?! You hear, You know… Just as Abel’s blood cried out to you (Gen. 4:10) so does the blood of the millions of unborn sacrificed to the idol of Choice. You see … nothing is hidden from You. LORD I cannot get over it – and nor should I be able to.

O LORD if only we would turn to You in repentance, if only we would seek redemption and You would roll away the reproach of this Nation (Joshua 5:9)! LORD if we would repent and come to You there is forgiveness without measure and redemption. There is healing to be found under Your wings… Healing for men and women who are desolate and in pain… Healing for this Nation gone astray. You offer healing to hearts, minds and more… If we would but turn to You.

Forgive us and lead us in the ways and paths of righteousness. LORD make our paths straight and light the way before us that we may not stumble and fall. If we do, You are faithful and You are there to lift us up and set our feet again on solid ground.

(Isaiah 6:9-10).

LORD awaken this Nation. Bring healing to our land. Great are our trespasses but they cannot surpass Your grace and Your unfailing love to those who call on Your Name. Call on Him!

Joy

Food for thought – I have been reading and thinking about joy today. According to Holman’s Bible Dictionary the definition of Joy is “state of delight and well being that result from knowing and serving God”. You can find the word joy used over 150 times in the Bible, if you include words like “joyful” or “joyous” you will find the number to be well over 200 times. Joy is the fruit born of a right relationship with God. Joy is different than pleasure. “Joy in the Christian life is in direct proportion as believers walk with the LORD” (Holman’s Bible Dictionary).

In thinking about all of this and in reading through several scriptures on joy… things have popped into my mind. How often do you experience joy? Have you given up on experiencing joy? As believers joy should be a part of our daily lives. Joy is not dependent upon circumstances… we cannot bring about joy on our own. Joy is a gift, a fruit born of the Spirit and is dependent upon our walk/relationship with God.

I know that to be true… and yet I know there are times that I don’t feel this joy. The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy – The enemy comes to steal our joy. Often that is forgotten that we are in a battle here not against flesh and blood but against the enemy of God. Often times we let the cares of this world keep us from living the abundant life and yes, in that abundant life there should be great joy.

Have you put on the full armor of God today? Have you pulled out the Word of God and prayed to fight the attack? Have you abided in Him today that you may bear much fruit? I ask myself and you this… And I cannot say that every day I guard myself … My intentions start off right but sometime after I awake and pray and start my day … breakfast, my to do list, etc… I can get off track… and I can lose my joy.

We have to be; I have to be purposeful, alert, and prepared each hour of everyday. And that is possible by walking with God, by abiding in Him every moment, by praying about everything… and by knowing God’s Word. He has given us every tool we need, He has given us access to Him… there is power given in us to live, to overcome… He is our strength and He is our joy.

Today take a moment and be still… Calm yourself and sit at His feet and listen. Ask Him – ask Him what He wants to show you today; what He wants you to read in His word; what He wants you to do today; to open your eyes to His opportunities… But mostly just listen and then obey. Ask and receive, ask and even if you hear silence for now trust that He is at work and loves you… Draw near to Him and may your joy be complete.

“The joy of the LORD is your strength” Nehemiah 8:10

Greater Love

I have been trying to figure out how to put in to words all that has been going on ... I am going to try to say it as simply and concisely as I can but knowing me it may not come out that way. I know I have told you before that I have felt the LORD refining me... it has been a journey of walking through the valley and seeing my own sinfulness... not fun but necessary.

For the last few days I have felt as if I am truly being emptied out, hollowed out if you will... and I am in a numb state at the moment... caught between the grief of my sin and the joy of my salvation. I wish I had better words to explain it in than in these terms... even to my own ears they sound pitiful at best in capturing what I wish to express.

I am the LORD's... I was bought with a price, not one I paid but one that was paid for me on the cross. And who am I but dust, flesh, sin... yet I am called, chosen and loved! The Maker of all that exist called my name, loves me and desires for me to know & love Him intimately. I have chills just thinking about it.

I have a few things I want to say here - one being I am sinful - I am prideful & I hate pride, even more God hates it! Too often I cling more to my own comfort, life if you will in this world instead of living for what counts - instead of living for the eternal purpose for which God created me. It grieves me... & I do not want to live this way. I want so badly to love God with all my heart and to live fully for Him... to walk in His ways & bring glory to His name... after all, all of "this" is all about HIM! It is all about God - if there is anything you take away from this post let it be that this life we are living is all about God, it is about a love greater than we can comprehend ... A God who loves us beyond measure and wants a relationship with us. I mean grasp this - the God who created us and doesn't need us wants us... and we the created thing who need God, most of the time think we can live and love without Him. I have been reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan... and in it he made a point about this... along with some other really great points... mostly about self examination and our love relationship with God. If you haven't read it yet you should... I have been convicted and again back to where this post started ... letting God empty me out... cleaning house so to speak.

I want to be rid of my fleshly/sinfulness and to be filled to over flowing with the Spirit - with love. I want less of me and more of God. I want God to come in and reign in my heart & mind - in every area of my life ... I want Him to take all of me, break me, make me and help me to live free... To love Him as He desires - absolutely, completely in awe, love and submission to Him... desiring Him above all else. And by doing so enabling me to love others. As Chan pointed out if I have trouble loving a perfect God, how can I possibly love sinful man... I need God's love in me to love others as I should.

I don't need more "positive" thinking, I don't need more "help" books, I don't need more head knowledge, I don't need all the things the world tells me I need... when all I need is God. I need to just sit at His feet and listen, I need to dwell upon His truth, I need to pray & pray & pray (and when I say this I do not mean a litany of prayer request but intimate prayer with God - loving Him, listening to Him..... again it is all about Him & not me). I need God's love, I need His mercy & grace... I need God. Not the blessings of God but God - the One & Only... He is life to me. He is God and there is no other. He is love. He is my Savior.

I am not sure what else to say - Except that I hope you come away from this with a desire & intent to get alone with God. To open up your heart and life fully to Him - to His love.

Do so and be blessed.

Obedience is better

Take a look at 1 Samuel 15. As I was reading several things came to mind... so I want to highlight some key verses for you and do a sort of commentary as we go...

We see in verse 3 the command of the LORD given to Saul.

3 ‘Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

Maybe this seems pretty harsh to you but remember we are not God and we do not know fully or know what is ultimately best. This command is in keeping with the promise God had made to avenge the Amalekites (see Ex. 17:14-16). The time had come for this to take place and Samuel gave this command to Saul to utterly (totally) destroy them, that is, to "place them under the ban (herem) of holy war".

8 He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

Here we see that Saul did not follow through on what he had been commanded to do... This is where it hit me. How many times have we been led, called or commanded to do something by the Holy Spirit and yet maybe we did it in part but not fully... and we thought well at least I did something ... and that is ok. But as we will continue to read and see no it is not... it is better to obey! Half way measures are not obedience... it is like telling our child to come here and they come half way and then decide they want to stop and sit... well yeah they did start to come but they didn't ever actually come to you.... and maybe where they decided to stop half way was a dangerous place (like the middle of the road)... to them they don't see the danger in not fully obeying us but we can. Like my poor example here God can fully see, and He fully knows what is best for us, where we can fall into a dangerous trap, etc... There are reasons we are called to do things or commanded and it is for what is ultimately best... we might not can see it in the here and now or yet but one day we will.

11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all night.

In a moment he (Saul) choose to turn his back and not follow the LORD but to do things his way, for his glory... he chose self/pride over God and obedience.

12 Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal.”

See here is where maybe we will start to see more of the "heart" of the matter... Because you see in bringing back Agag, king of Amalek, as prisoner and all of the other stuff... well this would enhance his own glory and prestige... they would be exhibits of his leadership... you can see this intent more clearly as you look at verse 12, in which it tells us that Saul went and set up for himself a monument to his own honor (not God's).

Look at me, look at what I have done, what I can do... When really it isn't about us, but is all about what God has done... it is all for His glory not our own. And when we are obedient that is exactly what happens God is honored, God is glorified and God is praised. However, when we seek to do things our way... half-heartedly following God, and acting on selfish, prideful motives... well that is when we, like Saul, turn and go our own way and stop following God. We are disobedient, sinful... When we think we know better than God, we know best, glorify self... NO, NO, NO... it is SIN, it is wrong!!!

13 Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD.”

Here I have to say "oh, come on", Saul knows he has not carried out the command of the LORD. It is like the water example... Let's say I have a jug of pure water and a jug of urine.... and let's say you ask for a glass of pure water and I pour you one half way but because that I don't want to run out of the pure water & have plenty of pure water for myself, I then decide to put oh just a splash of the "other" jug into your glass... and say here you go, this is just what you asked for... well is it? NO, of course it's not! It is disgusting and you wouldn't event think to drink it!!! Well, that is sin, & it is disgusting... and half measures don't measure up.

17 Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel, 18 and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.’ 19 “Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD?”

Here we have it again... disobedience, rushing upon the spoil (selfishness/pride)... doing what is evil in the sight of the LORD!

20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the LORD, and went on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 “But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”

I am sort of laughing at him here because I can see myself maybe trying to plead my case, and make myself feel better... "but I did do that but these people..." oh it isn't me it is these people.... I was obeying the Lord.... Blame, blame, blame... it is as old as Adam and Eve (seriously). And it isn't even just the blame but hey really we had good intentions for not fully obeying... we didn't fully obey God because we thought it best to offer these things up to Him as a sacrifice, hum yeah that sounds good; yep that is why we did it. LOL - get real here people! Can you see how ludicrous this is! Well, Samuel has a few words for us when we do that ... it is better to obey!

22 Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 “For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
He has also rejected you from being king.”

To obey is better than sacrifice... even if we like to think that what we are doing is ultimately going to be a gift for God by not fully following Him ... He doesn't want it! He wants obedience! Rebellion, insubordination... it is sin!!! And you guessed it, God hates sin! That is why we need a Savior... and praise Him because He sent us one! Thank you Jesus! Thank you for redeeming us, thank you for forgiving us, thank you for you loved us even in our sin!

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.

Ok, I am sure you can think of a time (I know I can) when we have let the fear of other people (what they might think or want) influence us from doing what we know we should do... from what God has commanded or called us to do.... Maybe if I say that then they won't want to be my friend any more, maybe if I tell them that it will keep them from coming to the Lord... on and on we can come up with stuff... but the truth is, well the truth ... and what sets us free??? The truth! How can a person come to salvation if you don't tell them the truth? Well any way just an example... There are many, many more...

29 “Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”

I am so thankful that God is nothing like me because if He was well people would probably still be dying in sin... God's ways are sooo much higher than ours, His thoughts are... He is not like us and He does not change His mind. Praise you Lord!

30 Then he said, “I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and go back with me, that I may worship the LORD your God.”

Ahhh, and here is again another struggle... recognizing our sin and desiring to worship the LORD but at the same time still concerned over what others will think... We have to really get this... it does not matter what any other person thinks... what matters is what God thinks about you!!! Thankfully, in Christ we know that we are accepted and loved! Cling to that and walk faithfully with the always present and ever faithful, loving and merciful God!!! To His glory - Amen!

Amazing Love

God's love is so amazing to me... I don't even know if we can fully grasp it in our humanness?! I was reading in Hosea 11 & 14 today as well as in Ps. 81 ... and it so touched my heart.

If you have time please read all of these chapters if not please at least read the ones I paste below, notice my emphasis on certain verses:

Hosea 11

1“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
2But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baalsand they burned incense to images.
3It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them.
4I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.
5“Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent? 6Swords will flash in their cities, will destroy the bars of their gates and put an end to their plans. 7My people are determined to turn from me. Even if they call to the Most High, he will by no means exalt them. 8“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.
9I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man—the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath.
10They will follow the LORD; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. 11They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes,”declares the LORD.

Hosea 14

1Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall!
2Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips....We will never again say ‘Our gods’to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.”
4“I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.

9Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.

Psalm 81

9You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god.
10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. 11“But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. 12So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
13“If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways,
14how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!
15Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever.
16But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

The LORD has loved us, He has called us and He forgives us... He has led us with cords of kindness, ties of love... He has fed us. And yet we are a rebellious people, prone to wander from Him, prone to turn from Him... Yet He is full of compassion and when we turn to Him, His arms are flung wide open welcoming us home! He heals our waywardness and loves us freely - for He is GOD and not man - the Holy One among us!!!! How amazing is His love!

Let His love wash over you today... call out to your 'Abba' Father!

BEWARE, IT'S A TRAP!

So yesterday I was reading in Matt. and several things hit me... but for now let me just focus on this one (or two).
Matt. 16:23 -
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

(I encourage you to please read this passage in context... it will make much more sense)...
Do you ever have those moments when friends or family are trying to tell you about something that has happened to them... and you say what you think they want to hear but not always the truth... Or flip that around and you are the one being pumped up so to speak by someone when your chips have fallen... Beware! Sometimes it is what you need to hear ... because it is truth, but sometimes is it just flattery or derailment from the course you need to take (I hope I am making sense here).

We can be and others can be to us, a dangerous trap... when we do not speak truth (in love). It is not easy to always hear the things others want to share with us or to accept the truth for what it is, when it is not pleasant. But sometimes (actually more than sometimes) life is just not pleasant. We have to look at our situations and others not from a human point of view, but from God's perspective. When we don't we must beware because it is a trap! The enemy would love to see us get off course and sink into pity, selfishness, bitterness, on and on... to where we have such a worldly view and miss the opportunity God has given us in that moment... For that is when with a God perspective, we truly live, we have great victory in Christ and bring glory to the Father.

Another thing that I have been thinking about is in v. 21 where it says that from that time on (after the feeding of the 5,000+ & the 4,000+ and explaining about watching out for the yeast of the Pharisees - false teaching)... it says in the NLT - Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that he had to go to Jerusalem, and he told them what would happen to him there.... (Note emphasis mine).... I started thinking about that... that Jesus had told them not in parables or analogies but plainly what was going to happen to him... So in the back of their minds from the time the went to Jerusalem they knew what was coming...When Jesus was worshiped as the entered in... as they had the last supper, in the garden when Jesus asked them to keep watch with him and pray, when he was betrayed and carried off... on and on... Maybe it was as mentioned above too unpleasant to imagine so they fell into the trap of unbelief, maybe it was shock, I cannot even begin to say that I know what was going through their minds... but I find it very interesting.

Interesting because when God tells us something - it happens! Yet we don't always live as if we really believe that.... Believe all the prophets foretold, all that Christ has said... we don't even live every moment (as we have been empowered to do by Christ) for the glory of the Father... Our lives would look so different if we would really believe and were living out the Word!

Maybe in our minds we say yes I believe but does our actions, which flow out from our heart mesh with that? Do you live as if Christ could return at any moment? Do you study the prophecies that tells us what the signs are for his return and look for them... and live for that moment!? I know I do not always do this... How I wish I could get my act together - Amen! That I would die to self and live for Christ, that I would live with an eternal perspective and care more about the lost... That I would be like minded with Christ in my heart and mind and actions... That I would be prepared for the day that we all have to give account... The DAY is coming, Christ will return... Oh that we may live as if we truly believe it and all that He has promised us!!! We have a great inheritance awaiting us... but for others - well, that is what we should be praying and living lives that witness, share and minister to the lost.

Lord give us willing and obedient spirits, that are fully devoted to you and your will & to loving others more than ourselves. Amen.

Listen to the Word

First off let me say how incredibly good the Lord is to us... How faithful & loving... He knows what we need and when we need it and He provides! Just walk faithfully with Him, trust Him and lean not onto your own understanding! I pray He will strengthen and support you today and always to walk in His ways and to know Him more. On another note I heard two really good messages today:

Please go and take a listen to Jim Andrews message today on 1 Tim. 6:3-4. Especially take a listen to the end part! You can go to the 15 min. mark ... It is so true!

Also take a listen to Alistair Begg's message from today - Bring Out the Book, Part B - Nehemiah 8:1-12.

Have a blessed day!