Buried In The Sea??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #26

05 Friday Aug 2022

Posted by in Abiding In Jesus, All Sufficient God!, Believe God?, Broken Hearts, Buried IN the sea, Choices And Consequences, Choose you this day?, Choosing Jesus or The World?, Comfort, Confidence, Faithful is He that has Promised!, Faithfulness, Fearlessness, Forgetting or Remembering?, Forgiveness, Knowing God's Word, Light In The Dark, Love, Peace, There is no condemnation, Trusting God, Trusting Jesus

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Buried In The Sea???  A Word from THE WORD!!!  #26

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!!  We got rain—a good rain last night.  Thank YOU, Jesus!!!  So, a brief word to encourage you this morning, that God’s precious physical rain is a blessing, yet there is HIS blessing of what I call “soul rain”—the renewal and joy that Jesus gives to us when we think we can’t go one step farther.  When we think we’ve ruined our lives!  When we think we have no recourse!  JESUS still changes hearts and lives TODAY!  And HE can and will change your darkness into light.  He died to forgive your sin and mine—and HE does it permanently!!!

“Who is a God like unto thee,

that pardoneth iniquity,

and passeth by the transgression

of the remnant of his heritage?

he retaineth not his anger for ever,

because he delighteth in mercy.

19 He will turn again,

he will have compassion upon us;

he will subdue our iniquities;

and thou wilt cast all their sins

into the depths of the sea.”  Micah 7:18-19

When we come to Jesus for salvation through repentance of our sin and faith in Jesus’ substitutionary, atoning sacrifice, we also receive the forgiveness of our sins.  And I love what Corrie Ten Boom used to say about God casting our sin into the “depths of the sea”, she said not only were our sins cast into the sea, but God also puts up a “no fishing sign”!  Don’t let the enemy of your soul go fishing in your past—it’s just that PASSED—GONE!  Yes, we have memory, but we also have a Savior with a great big eraser that will help ease the pains of those past failures, mistakes, and sin.  He saves and FORGIVES!  They’re buried in the sea—don’t go fishing, but press on in God’s Kingdom work not regrets and fears but right thinking (a sound mind)!

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;

but of power,

and of love,

and of a sound mind.”  2 Timothy 1:7

“Giving thanks unto the Father,

which hath made us meet to be partakers

of the inheritance of the saints

in light:

13 Who hath delivered us

from the power of darkness,

and hath translated us

into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption

through his blood,

even the forgiveness of sins:”                Colossians 1:12-14

You are forgiven—redeemed—and a possession of the KING!  Don’t let that toothless lion disturb you, but “withstand in the evil day”—remember we win!

“Humble yourselves therefore

under the mighty hand of God,

that he may exalt you in due time:

7 Casting all your care upon him;

for he careth for you.

8 Be sober,

be vigilant;

because your adversary the devil,

as a roaring lion,

walketh about,

seeking whom he may devour:

9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith,

knowing that the same afflictions

are accomplished in your brethren

that are in the world.

10 But the God of all grace,

who hath called us unto his eternal glory

by Christ Jesus,

after that ye have suffered a while,

make you perfect,

stablish, strengthen,

settle you.

11 To him be glory

and dominion

for ever

and ever. Amen.”  1 Peter 5:6-11

Just remember whose you are!

“There is therefore now no condemnation

to them which are in Christ Jesus,

who walk not after the flesh,

but after the Spirit.”  Romans 8:1

Amen and Amen!!!

How Fast Are You Going??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #25

03 Wednesday Aug 2022

Posted by in Apart from ME you can do nothing, Approved Unto God, Contentedness, Contentment, My Grace Is Sufficient, Never Alone

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How Fast Are You Going???  A Word from THE WORD!!!  #25

As I just sat down after watering my flowers before the temperatures soar, I can’t help but thank God for HIS amazing grace, mercy, and love towards us. It’s so easy (muchly because Satan is always nudging that jealousy and discontent button when we see our friends and loved ones in cooler places—in less stressful situations than we are in—doing things we’d like to do, but can’t—you fill in the blank) to grovel in discontent when God calls us to exercise the fruit (no ‘s’) of The Spirit not just once a week as a ‘workout’, but moment by moment as we walk through each day; be it in the heat, in the sorrow of loss, in concern over economic issues, or just the demands of ‘LIFE’!  It’s not an easy task, but it is a doable way of life through Jesus!

“But godliness

with contentment

is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world,

and it is certain

we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment

let us be therewith content.

9 But they that will be rich

fall into temptation

and a snare,

and into many foolish and hurtful lusts,

which drown men

in destruction

and perdition.

10 For the love of money

is the root of all evil:

which while some coveted after,

they have erred from the faith,

and pierced themselves through

with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God,

flee these things;

and follow after

righteousness,

godliness,

faith,

love,

patience,

meekness.”  1 Timothy 6:6-11

And as Paul put so aptly in many ways and places, I want us to ponder all the things that we speed through rather than taking each moment as God leads, directs, prompts, and directs; determining not to be rushed by the enemy of our souls.

“I can do all things

through Christ

which strengtheneth me.”  Philippians 4:13

“But my God shall supply

all your need

according to his riches in glory

by Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:19

“Abide in me,

and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit

of itself,

except it abide in the vine;

no more can ye,

except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine,

ye are the branches:

He that abideth in me,

and I in him,

the same bringeth forth much fruit:

for without me

ye can do nothing.”  John 15:1-5

Also, in my opinion, one of the most neglected passages of Paul’s today; for instead of “name it and claim it”, God responded to Paul’s prayer with “my grace is sufficient”!  Remember, “not my will but thine by done….”!

“And lest I should be exalted above measure

through the abundance of the revelations,

there was given to me a thorn in the flesh,

the messenger of Satan

to buffet me,

lest I should be exalted

above measure.

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice,

that it might depart from me.

9 And he said unto me,

My grace is sufficient for thee:

for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

Most gladly therefore will I rather glory

in my infirmities,

that the power of Christ

may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure

in infirmities,

in reproaches,

in necessities,

in persecutions,

in distresses

for Christ’s sake:

for when I am weak,

then am I strong.”  2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Is God’s grace sufficient for you and me?  We can find power to be spiritually successful in JESUS’ power and the work of The Holy Spirit producing the “Fruit of The Spirit” working in and through us, as we yield to HIS work, and HIS power in all we do “Moment by Moment”—no matter the circumstances!!!

“But the fruit of the Spirit is

love,

joy,

peace,

longsuffering,

gentleness,

goodness,

faith,

23 Meekness,

temperance:

against such there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22-23

In closing, here’s a great old Hymn that says it way better than I can, I pray that it will encourage you today and point your heart and mind toward Jesus—every moment of every day!  Amen!!!

Moment By Moment by Daniel W. Whittle

1 Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine;
Living with Jesus, a new life divine;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am thine.

 

Refrain:
Moment by moment I’m kept in his love;
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am thine.

 

2 Never a trial that he is not there,
Never a burden that he doth not bear,
Never a sorrow that he doth not share,
Moment by moment, I’m under his care. [Refrain]

 

3 Never a weakness that he doth not feel,
Never a sickness that he cannot heal;
Moment by moment, in woe or in weal,
Jesus, my Savior, abides with me still. [Refrain]

Amen and Amen!!!

Here Am I!!! Really??? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 19 No. 09

01 Monday Aug 2022

Posted by in Abiding In Jesus, Am I willing to go?, Apart from ME you can do nothing, Are you ready., Are you ready?, Here am I send me!

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 19 No. 09  A Repost of BBs #480

Here Am I!!!  Really???

“Then said I,

Woe is me!

for I am undone;

because I am a man of unclean lips,

and I dwell in the midst of a people

of unclean lips:

 for mine eyes have seen the King,

 the LORD of hosts.

6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me,

having a live coal in his hand,

which he had taken with the tongs

from off the altar:

7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said,

Lo, this hath touched thy lips;

and thine iniquity is taken away,

and thy sin purged.

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,

Whom shall I send,

and who will go for us?

Then said I,

Here am I;

send me.”  Isaiah 6:5-8

Isaiah had a total transformation when he encountered God, and while most of us don’t see God in His glory at our conversion, as Isaiah did, we do receive the indwelling Holy Spirit when we are born again, when we are “washed in the blood” of Jesus!  So, when we hear the voice of God asking for one to go “in His name” what is our response?  And when we respond, what are we expecting?  Sometimes we must face the reality that ministry isn’t simple, easy, or even pleasant sometimes.  Ministry is work—it’s serving God with our all, no matter the cost, the inconvenience or the difficulty—or the response!

When we respond to God’s call, it’s not always to the task that we expected, and we may not receive the response that we expected.  I can imagine that Isaiah was surprised by God’s response to his volunteering.  What about you and me?  What is our response when God calls?

“And he said,

Go,

and tell this people,

Hear ye indeed,

but understand not;

and see ye indeed,

but perceive not.

10 Make the heart of this people fat,

and make their ears heavy,

and shut their eyes;

lest they see with their eyes,

and hear with their ears,

and understand with their heart,

and convert,

and be healed.

11 Then said I,

Lord, how long?

And he answered,

Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant,                                 and the houses without man,                                                           and the land be utterly desolate,

12 And the LORD have removed men

far away,

and there be a great forsaking

in the midst of the land.”  Isaiah 6:9-12

God didn’t water down the difficulty of Isaiah’s task or the fact that he was being sent to a people who, God warned him, would not truly see, or hear, or understand the message, or the urgency of repentance and returning to God!  And that he was being sent to preach this message until God’s judgment fell—because most wouldn’t heed.  Not the fluff and ease that we often hear about today.  Sadly, the people of Isaiah’s day are much like the people around us today—they give God a measure of credence, but they don’t really want to see Him, or hear His truth, or understand that “today is the day of salvation”—yet it’s as true today as it was those many years ago!

One of my favorite prophets is Jeremiah, and the call that he received from God was such a heart-breaking one, that he was later called the “weeping prophet” because of the hardness of the people and the grief that Jeremiah experienced as he preached with such broken-hearted passion to a people who didn’t want to hear his message.  When God calls us, and sends us on a difficult mission, we are often surprised and disappointed to find it full of tears, grief, and sorrow, where there is often no positive reception or response from the “masses”.  Yet like Isaiah and Jeremiah, when we come face-to-face with Jesus, and the holiness, grace, and awe of The Almighty God, it makes a change in our hearts and lives, and we too are empowered to do God’s work, God’s way—regardless of the outcome.  The outcome is God’s job!  We are called to sow (Plant and/or water, but God gives the increase!)  —remember, the harvest belongs to God.

“So then neither is he that planteth any thing,

neither he that watereth;

but God that giveth the increase.”  1 Corinthians 3:7

 “Then saith he unto his disciples,

The harvest truly is plenteous,

but the labourers are few;

38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest,

that he will send forth labourers

 into his harvest.”   Matthew 9:37-38

 God is: “Lord of the harvest”—it is “his harvest”!  Jesus reminds us that our focus must be yielding to God as we say, “Here am I; send me”, remembering Jesus’ words:

“I am the vine,

ye are the branches:

He that abideth in me,

and I in him,

the same bringeth forth much fruit:

for without me

 ye can do nothing.”  John 15:5

Amen and Amen!!!

May we each choose today to respond to God’s call, whatever it may be?  May we each be ready and willing to respond as Isaiah and Jeremiah did, “Here am I; send me”!

May we remember the words of Jesus, and be aware of the hour:

“Say not ye,

There are yet four months,

and then cometh harvest?

behold, I say unto you,

Lift up your eyes,

and look on the fields;

for they are white already to harvest.”  John 4:35

And in closing I can’t help but think of a line from a song:

“My house is full,

but My fields are empty…

…who will go and work for Me today?..

…  it seems My children all want to stay

around My table…

…but no one wants to work in My fields…..”                                             (From “My House Is Full” by Lanny Wolfe.)

Amen and Amen!!!

Keep On Laughing??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #24

29 Friday Jul 2022

Posted by in Abiding In Jesus, Giving and Sharing, Giving or Getting, Giving Or Taking?, Laughter is good medicine, Sharing What God Has Given, Where your treasure is--Your heart is!

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Keep On Laughing???  A Word from THE WORD!!!  #24

Another brief post this morning, as I sit here smiling and thanking God for precious friends who make my heart smile, and thank God for love, laughter, and light-hearted ways.

“A merry heart

doeth good

like a medicine:

but a broken spirit

drieth the bones.”  Proverbs 17:22

And then there’s a direction that I’m sure will catch you off guard, but I truly believe a giving heart is a merry heart.  It’s such a delight to give with open heart and open hands—it almost always makes the giver smile; for being married to a true, godly ‘giver’ has helped me to understand that more than I ever did.  It makes me see why Paul wrote what he did—not to get people to “give”, just to “give”, but to bring people to understand that a heart filled with the “joy of The Lord” just spills over onto others in so many ways!  Being stingy, grasping, and greedy almost always leads to discontent, sadness and often sorrow over the cost the individual pays for their greed!  Thank you, Lord, for teaching me to be willing and delighted to share!

“But this I say,

He which soweth sparingly

shall reap also sparingly;

and he which soweth bountifully

shall reap also bountifully.

7 Every man

according as he purposeth in his heart,

so let him give;

not grudgingly,

or of necessity:

for God loveth a cheerful giver.

8 And God is able to make all grace

abound toward you;

that ye, always having all sufficiency

in all things,

may abound to every good work:”  2 Corinthians 9:6-8

It is very sad that so often we neglect this passage and relegate it to the “giving” sermons; for Paul wasn’t simply speaking of financial giving, but a heart that is sharing whatever God blesses us with!  Just as the writer of the Proverb makes the contrast between the joyful, merry heart and the broken one (and the spirit is often broken because of a greedy, clutching heart and life) for a heart full of God’s goodness ought to spill over everywhere it goes!

Paul also encouraged Timothy with a challenge in this regard, and while this isn’t exactly where I intended to go, it seems to be the way God is leading; for it is a sad, greedy, and uncaring world that we seem to be cultivating.  God calls us to be different—for true trust and dependence upon God should breed grace, caring and a sharing, giving spirit. We are to labor not just to get, but to be able to share.  Not as I’ve often heard in the modern proverb, “Get all you can!  Can all you get!  And sit on the can!”, or the other popular one, “Me and my four and no more!”  May God open our hearts to the joy of laughter, and delight in sharing with others—sharing our hearts, our lives, our resource, our wisdom, and our caring!  I can’t tell you how much it means to be sitting here smiling as I’ve been sharing experience and love with some that God sent into our lives—those sent to bless us, and to give us opportunity to smile and laugh in the sharing of God’s love!  Go—smile—share—laugh heartily!!!  It’s a lot more fun to give than to hoard!!!

“Let him that stole

steal no more:

but rather let him labour,

working with his hands the thing which is good,

that he may have

to give to him that needeth.

29 Let no corrupt communication

proceed out of your mouth,

but that which is good

to the use of edifying,

that it may minister grace

unto the hearers.” Ephesians 4:28-20

Go—gain—share—and laugh your heart out with others!!

“But godliness with contentment

is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world,

and it is certain

we can carry nothing out.”  1 Timothy 6:6-7

And Jesus own commission:

“Lay not up for yourselves

treasures upon earth,

where moth

and rust

doth corrupt,

and where thieves break through

and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves

treasures in heaven,

where neither moth

nor rust

doth corrupt,

and where thieves do not break through

nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is,

there will your heart be also.”  Matthew 6:19-21

 

Let’s go—share–not till it hurts–but till laughter abounds!

Amen!!!

Springs Of Living Water??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #23

27 Wednesday Jul 2022

Posted by in Drinking at Jesus' fountain, Living in Christ, Living Waters, Springs of Living Water, What are you drinking?

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Springs Of Living Water???  A Word from THE WORD!!!  #23

Just a few words this morning to remind us that we are invited to come to the well of “living waters”; and we can choose whether we want the stagnant water of the world or Jesus’ fresh water that always quenches our thirsty soul!  Choose wisely!

“Hath a nation changed their gods,

which are yet no gods?

but my people have changed their glory

for that which doth not profit.

12 Be astonished,

O ye heavens, at this,

and be horribly afraid,

be ye very desolate,

saith the LORD.

13 For my people have committed two evils;

they have forsaken me

the fountain of living waters,

and hewed them out cisterns,

broken cisterns,

that can hold no water.” Jeremiah 2:11-13

This living water is mentioned by Jesus!

“Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him,

How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink

of me,

which am a woman of Samaria?

for the Jews have no dealings

with the Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered and said unto her,

If thou knewest the gift of God,

and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink;

thou wouldest have asked of him,

 and he would have given thee

 living water.”  John 4:9-10

Amen and Amen!!!