Who is Training our Children…

Eph 6:4a “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger…” 

Who is Training our Children!

The man came home from work late again, tired and irritated, to find his 5 year old son waiting for him at the door.

“Daddy, may I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, sure, what is it?” replied the man.

“Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?”

“That’s none of your business!  What makes you ask such a thing?” the man said angrily.

“I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?” pleaded the little boy.

“If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour.”

“Oh,” the little boy replied, head bowed.  Looking up, he said,
“Daddy, may I borrow $10.00 please?”

The father was furious.  “If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can borrow some to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed.  Think about why you’re being so selfish. I work long, hard hours every day and don’t have time for such childish games.”

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even madder about the little boy’s questioning. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money.  After an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son.  Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00, and he really didn’t ask for money very often.  The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door.

“Are you asleep son?” he asked.

“No daddy, I’m awake,” replied the boy.

“I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier,” said the man.  “It’s been a long day and I took my aggravation out on you. Here’s that $10.00 you asked for.”

The little boy sat straight up, beaming.  “Oh, thank you daddy!” he yelled.  Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more crumpled up bills.  The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.  The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at the man.

“Why did you want more money if you already had some?” the
father grumbled.

“Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy
replied.

“Daddy, I have $20.00 now.  Can I buy an hour of your time?”

***** Share sometime today with someone special.  ******

Always leave loved ones with loving words.

Eph 6:4 “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring
them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Prov 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

How do you dress for Church…

James 2:9b “But if you show partiality, you commit sin…”

How do you dress for Church?

One Sunday morning the congregation of a ritzy church (with
vaulted ceilings, oak pews, stained glass windows and deep plush carpet)
had a stir.

A man came in just minutes before the service was to begin and
he was dressed horribly, was stinking, had on old boots, torn overalls,
a dirty flannel shirt, and a dusty cowboy hat.

The congregation was aghast! Many quickly sent notes to the
minister about this concern. At the end of the services the minister
greeted the humbly dressed man and asked him if he enjoyed the service.

The man exclaimed that he enjoyed it very much. The minister asked the
man to consider possibly dressing differently, and taking a shower, &
told him to pray to Jesus about how he would have him dress if he should
return again.

The next week the man returned. He was dressed the same and once
again the congregation was disturbed. At the end of the service the
minister greeted he man again and asked him what he had been told by
Jesus concerning his how to dress for church?

The man exclaimed. “I spoke with Jesus about this, but Jesus
said he didn’t know how I should dress for “this church” because He has
never been allowed in there.

James 2:1-4, 9 “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come
into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there
should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention
to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, ‘You sit here in a
good place,’ and say to the poor man, ‘You stand here,’ or, ‘Sit here at
my footstool, have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and
become judges with evil thoughts. But if you show partiality, you commit sin…”

Eternity, No Excuses Accepted…

Eternity, No Excuses Accepted!

No excuses! After our short life on this earth then comes eternity. Are you ready and what logic will you use to be in heaven versus the alternative? The Bible says that some day each of us will stand in front of Jesus and hear about where we will spend eternity. Will we hear; ‘Well Done’, or ‘Depart from Me, or I never knew you’, or….

Mat 7:22, 23 “Many will say to Me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name,
and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?  And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”

Unlike our society, there will be no excuses accepted on the final judgment day that ushers in eternity. We are all without excuse. We must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ by accepting His sacrifice for our unworthiness called sin before it is too late. That is the only basis or sacrifice that is acceptable to God obtaining eternal life in heaven with God in the new heaven and earth that He will create (Revelation 20).  Without believing we are doomed to eternity separated from God (2 Thessalonians 1:8,9, John 5:24).

Don’t be like this group………
 
Rom 1:18-21” For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of mankind, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has shown it unto them. For the
invisible things since the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became

vain in their reasoning’s, and their senseless heart was darkened.” 
By ourselves, by our deeds, by our Church affiliation, or by family heritage, we cannot find Eternal Life with God, because;

Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

Ephes. 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

You must be ‘Born Again’! Have you been?

John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto them, ‘For truly I say unto you, except you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God’.

 

How does your eternity look this morning and how about that person sitting or living next door to you?

CHRISTianitys One Foundation…

CHRISTianitys One Foundation!

In these times of unrest in our world and the increase in natural disasters and terrorist attacks what are you most dependent for your security? Whatever the answer is it reflects where your faith is placed. Are you dependent on a person or place or business group or family or church organization or???

Biblical CHRISTianity has One Chief Cornerstone|||

It is not any one Church denomination or its’ leaders or any person on this earth.  Check out Who it is!

Eph 2:19-22 “…you are…built on the foundation of the Apostles with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”

Which foundation is your life standing on? Where do you go to find real peace? If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior He provides this answer.

Phil 4:6, 7 “In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.”

 I Cor 3:11 “For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

If your foundation is weak…..it’s time to trust…………..

 Mat 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

I Cor. 10:4 “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

Why the Cross…

Luke 9:23 “And he said to them all, if any man will come after me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

WHY THE CROSS

The young man was at the end of his rope.  Seeing no way out,
he dropped to his knees in prayer.  “Lord, I can’t go on,” he said.
“I have too heavy a cross to bear.”

The Lord replied, “My son, if you can’t bear its weight, just
place your cross inside this room.  Then, open that other door and
pick out any cross you wish.”

The man was filled with relief.  Thank you, Lord,” he sighed, and
he did as he was told.

Upon entering the other door, he saw many crosses, some so
large the tops were not visible.  then, he spotted a tiny cross
leaning against a far wall.  “I’d like that one, Lord,” he whispered.
And the Lord replied, “My son, that is the cross you just brought in.”

When life’s problems seem overwhelming, it helps to look around
and see what other people are coping with.  You may consider yourself
far more fortunate than you imagined.

Your cross
Whatever your cross,
Whatever your pain,
There will always be sunshine
After the rain.

Perhaps you may stumble,
Perhaps even fall.
But God’s always there
To answer your call.

As our Lord points out in His word, when your cross seems
unbearable, that is exactly the point where our Lord can intervene
because we are powerless to change it. Of course it requires us to be
at least mentally on our knees at His feet. And figuratively doesn’t
hurt either.

It is the best position to be in!!!!!

II Cor 12:9 “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My  
strength is made perfect in weakness’ Most gladly therefore will I
glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

A Silent Sermon…

Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,
as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more,
as you see the day approaching.”

A Silent Sermon

A member of a certain church, who previously had been
attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks,
the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The
pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.
Guessing the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him,
led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.

The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave
silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning
logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully
picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the
hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent.

The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone
ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow
and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word
had been spoken since the initial greeting. The pastor glanced at
his watch and realized it was time to leave, he slowly stood up,
picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of
the fire.

Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth
of the burning coals around it. As the pastor reached the door to
leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, “Thank you
so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall
be back in church next Sunday.”

Mat 18:12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one
of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the
mountain to seek the one that is straying?”

Storing Joys and Sorrows…

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am
meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

God’s Boxes

I have in my hands two boxes,

Which God gave me to hold.

He said, “Put all your sorrows in the black box,

And all your joys in the gold.”

I heeded His words, and in the two boxes,

Both my joys and sorrows I stored,

But though the gold became heavier each day,

The black was as light as before.

With curiosity, I opened the black,

I wanted to find out why,

And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole,

Which my sorrows had fallen out by.

I showed the hole to God, and mused,

“I wonder where my sorrows could be!”

He smiled a gentle smile and said,

“My child, they’re all here with me.”

I asked God, why He gave me the boxes,

Why the gold and the black with the hole?

“My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,

The black is for you to let go.”
I Peter 5:7 “Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you”

Hitting the Self-Destruct Button…

Mat 7:1, 2  “Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Hitting the Self-Destruct Button

It seems we are constantly battling the temptation to judge.  If we aren’t trying to refrain from judging someone else, it is usually because we are judging ourselves.  Most of us would deny being judgmental and it is absolutely true that we do not want to be. However, if we are being honest with ourselves, we often are guilty of comparing ourselves to other people.  We compare our jobs, clothing and, oh yes, our body types.

In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”  So true!  It’s as if we are hitting a self-destruct button every time we compare ourselves to others because the outcome will never be good!  One of two outcomes occur when we compare ourselves to others.  The first possible outcome is that we instill a false sense of joy.  We have a temporary high due to the false sense that we are better than someone else.  In reality, we are simply having a better hair day or we spent more time being high-maintenance that day.  The other possible outcome is that we feel down on ourselves and actually begin to resent the person who we are feeling jealous of.

It’s so much easier to focus on the things we don’t like about ourselves rather than focusing on the things that we do like (if we will admit we actually like something about ourselves).  We all have good qualities and we all have areas that could use some improvement.  Albert Einstein said, “Everyone is a genius.  But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.”  Yep, we have all been there…. we have all “judged a fish for its ability to climb a tree” or allowed our feelings to be decided by judgmental comparison.

Are you ready to expose all the shame and guilt you experience when you don’t focus on the wonderful God-given qualities you have and instead compare yourself to those around you?  Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”  We can begin to let go of comparison when we expose our weaknesses to God and admit the mistakes we make.  Saying, “God, I am a mess, forgive me for putting my focus on who I’m not instead of who you made me to be.” Tiffany Arbuckle Lee, better known as Plumb, co-wrote and recorded “Lord I’m Ready Now.”  Read the lyrics slowly and let them sink in….

 

“Lord I’m Ready Now”- Plumb

I just let go
And I feel exposed
But it’s so beautiful
Cuz this is who I am
I’ve been such a mess
But now I can’t care less
I could bleed to death

Oh Lord I’m ready now
All the walls are down
Time is running out
And I wanna make this count
I ran away from you
And did what I wanted to
But I don’t wanna let you down
Oh Lord I’m ready now
Lord I’m ready now

You called my name
I turned away
But now I
Am listening
I was so caught up
In who I’m not
Can you please forgive me?

The bottom line is…Comparison is dangerous!!!  Comparison can cause resentment, pride and ruin relationships.  Most importantly, comparison is a sin.  God is pretty simple and blunt when he says “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”  (Mathew 7:1)

Challenge:  Instead of comparing yourself to others today, thank God for three qualities He gave you (make sure one of them is a physical characteristic).  Also, give three people, who you may feel a little sting of jealousy towards, a compliment.  Focusing on our positive qualities and appreciating the positive qualities of others can change the way we see ourselves and the way we view others.  Don’t hit the self-destruct button today. Instead, choose to lift up those around you and be thankful for the beautiful person God has made you!

One final thought. There is One who you should keep your eyes and pattern your life after. Can you guess Who He is? And yes, if you do He will change your life.

Hebrews 12:1, 2 “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Blessed are the Merciful…

Mat 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.” 

Blessed are the Merciful….

A young nurse understood mercy in this way. She was just getting started
in her career when she was thrust into a situation where there was a patient who 
could not show any appreciation or response to those caring for her. 

The patients name was Eileen. She had a cerebral aneurysm, broken blood 
vessels in the brain that left her with absolutely no control over her body. As near 
as the doctors could tell Eileen was totally unconscious and unable to feel pain and 
unaware of anything going on around her. 

Caring for Eileen was the most thankless task you could have on the hospital 
staff. One an older nurse came to the young nurse who was just getting started and 
she said to her, ‘ when it is this bad the only way you deal with it is to detach yourself 
emotionally from the whole situation. You have to be cold toward it, you can’t get 
involved, because if you do you will just become discouraged and distressed’.

But for some reason the young nurse decided not to take the low road. She 
decided to take a different approach. She decided she would not treat this person like 
everyone else had treated her. When she was on duty she would come into the room 
and sing to Eileen, and she would encourage her and bring her little gifts which Eileen 
could never open.

        One day when things were especially difficult and it would have been easy to 
take out her frustration on Eileen she was especially kind. It was Thanksgiving Day and 
the nurse said to Eileen, ‘I’m in cruddy mood today Eileen, because it was supposed to 
have been my day off. Now that I’m here I’m glad. I would not want to have missed 
seeing you on Thanksgiving Day. Do you know it is Thanksgiving Day? ‘. 

Just then the phone rang. As the nurse reached for the phone she turned to 
Eileen and suddenly she saw something that no one at the care facility had ever seen 
before. Eileen was looking at her and she was crying. Big damp circles stained her 
pillow and she was shaking all over. That was the only human emotion that Eileen 
ever showed to anybody on the staff. And a few days later Eileen died. 

The young nurse closed her story in the campus magazine by saying, ‘ I keep 
thinking about Eileen and it occurred to me that I owe her an awful debt. If I had not 
met Eileen I might never have known what it is like to give myself to someone who 
could never give anything in return.

Mercy is giving to those who cannot return the action. 
Mercy is loving as Jesus loves us. Unconditionally.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Could this be the day Jesus returns…

Could this be the day Jesus returns…..

Jesus came once to live a sinless life, die for OUR sins and be the first to be resurrected from the grave. As the Son of God, He today sits at the right hand of the Throne of God making intercession for sinners. That is you and I. He is our Savior if we have trusted Him as our Lord and Savior.

Here is a test for us this morning. Answer the following question. Make sure you stop and think about your answer.

• Do you feel Jesus could return TODAY?
• Do my actions and priorities proclaim the same??
  • If I do then my actions will give me away!

Jesus will return! How do I know? Scripture tells us so. We are some 1900+ years closer than when we first heard that the Church was in the ‘last days’. When you read scriptures you see that the 1st Church expected His return at any moment. So, how much more should we expect His return now that we are so much closer?

Rom 13:11,12-14 “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

John 9:4 “I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: The night comes, when no man can work.”

Are you and your family ready? If Jesus does return today it will be to rapture or take His church out of this world and then the tribulation period begins. You or your family members do not want to be “left behind”!

Jesus promised to return a second time!

John 14:1-4 ““Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

ARE YOU READY?