Isaiah 6:1-5
In the year that King Ussiah died, I saw the Lord. Seated on a throne, high and exalted and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings." with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying, and they were calling to one another:
" Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. "
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
I am deeply into this passage of scripture in away that just captures me. I have been recently asked what verses convicted me, ment a great deal to me ( my favorite). Maybe it helped, or changed me in some way. These questions were put to me and others in a small group I attend with my wife. I have many favorite passages in the bible that just rock my world. However there is something about this section in Isaiah, that gets to me just right. Let me see if I can explain it just right. (bare with me.)
Here we have Isaiah, in a distraught manner, King Uzziah had just died, and Isaiah was extremely close to him. Isaiah was searching for something, and really there was only one place for him to go.
He goes into the temple of the Lord. Lets get this right, he walks into the ( Temple of the Lord).
Whats the first thing he sees, -- Isaiah, " I saw the Lord, seated on a throne, high and exalted,(lifted up), and the train of His robe filled the temple. Now there is no doubt that what he saw was the pre-incarnated image of Christ, but stop for a second and think about it. Think about seeing the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, sitting high and exalted on a throne in front of You, ...... what would you do? The first thing that comes to mind, is a fall to my knees and a worshipful prayer of thanks to just be in the presence of the Holy One.
(Lets continue),.... Above Him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another"
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and threshold shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
All I can say is,....... what a worship service!
Now I have been to some good and loud worship services. Ones that would make you jump, and dance. I can't hardly make it through a song or two at church on Sunday, if I could have seen this, WOW, I have no idea what I would have done, save for the fact of as said before, "dropping down to worship". I do know however, that day is coming. His glory is going to burst through the clouds and the trumpets will sound, and the whole world, everything that has breath will sing His glory, ...................... and I will certainly be one of them. For it will be our Lord, our Savior, our Redeemer, the true One and only, the Alpha, the Omega, the First, the Middle, the Last, the one and only Saving GOD.......................... JESUS CHRIST !
Getting back to this passage now, think of the worship service that this is, the seraphim's and the cherubims were fluttering about, from one end of the temple to the other, singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, the whole earth is full of His glory". ( I would like to try that one day, in the church, take half of the people in the audience, and split it right down the middle, start one side to the other, and have them all sing, Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy Holy, Holy, getting louder and louder, with every passing word. What a lesson.)
I feel for Isaiah, at this point. I have never been face to face with our God yet, someday yes, but for now, just by prayer and example. Being in a position to take a lead in a group or to finally decide to go out and share the word of the Lord, with anyone. This is where Isaiah is finding himself. (wait for it, its coming) God is going to ask the question that we all have been commanded to do, the question is to go and not be ashamed or embarrassed to confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, that He died on the cross for our sins, and through Him and Him alone is the only way to our God. To plead and make the case that only Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the light. Its not easy, but all we have to do is say it. We can't change others minds, that is His job, not ours, we just speak the truth. Do we all see that now.................................
Get it folks, I have tried to make this point before, but get it, GET IT!!!! Get the point, if someone says their having a bad day, "their is your opportunity". If someone says, they've had enough, of politics and religion in the world today, "there is your opening".
Always be looking and willing if not ready to share, share the good news, the absolute truth, the one and only way to heaven, to our God, is through His son, Jesus Christ. There is no other way, no other way what so ever. Many will tell you that you could work your way in or earn your way somehow. No, No, No, No, No, that is not the way. Get that part first. Know it for Yourself, and for your family and friends, express it to all that you come in contact with, all that don't believe, all that have doubt....... JESUS CHRIST, THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, HIMSELF, THE TRUE ONE AND ONLY LIVING GOD CAN DO ALL THINGS....... Believe it, there is no other real truth in our lives. Reach out for His touch, read His word, attend His house, and feel His presence in your life. If there is someone who says that, that is bull and not the truth, please stand firm in the light of Jesus Christ, and spread the gospel, for He is the ONLY RISEN CHRIST, THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE RESURRECTED SAVIOR!!!!!!
Back to the passage in Isaiah, (again, sorry I take off on tangents) not only did the first part of the chapter effect me in a profound way, but the rest of chapter 6, just piles it all on. He sees the Lord, He sees the angels flying and singing, (O just to see one Lord, before I go, how neat would that be). He feels guilt, for he has unclean lips. (ever been there?), Don't worry we all have. However he ends up being redeemed. and has found himself a new job.
The the Lord said, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?
Isaiah just stuck his hand up and said send me, I'll go.
Folks he was going into a place where no one wanted him there, were no one wanted to hear the word of the Lord God. The entire place was sin, and the Lord told Isaiah he was to stay and preach til the buildings fell, and there were no more in the land. (That's along time!)
I see not only the fact that when we enter the house of the Lord, no matter if you are a Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, non denomination, The House of The Risen Lord it is. No one should focus on the person next to them, who's wearing what, who looks like what, what will happen tomorrow at work, or how will I get through this or that. STOP IT! It is not about us, it is not about me, or you, we are there to worship Him, the One, the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. It needs to be all about Him. PERIOD.
I challenge all of you, and yes myself is included, to focus on Him when worshiping, not on anything else, let your voices ring, let the heavens hear your praise for Him, for He alone deserves it. There is no other. When the opportunity presence itself, "go for Him", spread His word, for His will. Be passionate, for our God. We pick such little things to put our passion into, (sports, politics, money, work, cars, toys, I can go on, and on, and on.) Lets put our passion and love into Christ for He alone is worthy.
Heavenly Father, how wonderful it is to speak of You, to think of You, to praise You. You are the Holy One, the One that keeps us in Your love. You are never surprised, You never tire, You never strain for anything. Father forgive us for not putting You first, for not worshiping You when we need to, when we should. I ask for Your loving care and warm comfort. We give You this day, we give You our lives, we praise You for all You are and all You do, and all You allow. In the name of Your sons Holy name, our Redeemers wonderful glory, Jesus Christ, we pray,
amen
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Believe
John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, and even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?
No one really knows when Christ will call us to Him. When we will enter the shadow of His grace and receive His salvation. Some of us accept His gift at a young age, being raised in a Christian home, or maybe some will hear a deep meaning sermon, or a friend says the right thing at the right time. Others go through tragedy, some however are convicted in a deep, meaningful, and startling way.
I am reminded of a story I heard sometime ago. There was a young man attending a prominent college back east, this young man had all he could have wanted and more growing up and obviously it followed him into college. He was very talented and even was being looked at for the sport of Diving for the next Olympic that were coming around soon enough. With all of this, this young gifted soul was an atheist, had no belief in Christ, God, anything Christian, his train of thought was, "when you're dead, you're dead." The loan saving grace so far was his roommate. Another gifted young man, however this was a deeply grounded believer in Christ, the son of a minister, attending college mostly by scholarship. This roommate (friend) never pushed the truth on his non believing friend, but chose small times on when to interject Christ into a conversation, the atheistic young man never arguing, but just listening and moving on.
On one occasion on a late, but clear fall evening, the non believing young'n entered the schools indoor pool for some practice. The lights were already out and except for the light coming in at the top by skylights nothing else could be seen. He walked around the pool finding his way to the ladder for the tallest diving platform, his train of thought was on his diving, being a perfectionist he enjoyed diving in the dark, thinking it honed his skills. Once at the top of the platform, he turned his back to the pool, as countless times before. Balanced himself on the balls of his feet, just like before and stretched out his arms to the sides, just like clock work. Only this time the moonlight shining through the upper windows behind him casting his shadow on the wall in front of his face, making the shape of a cross. For some reason, at this time, the young man couldn't continue, feeling an overwhelming feeling of guilt, remorse, love, grace, fell forward onto his knees, and accepted Christ as his savior, accepted the only true and unfailing gift of salvation that can only come from our Lord, Jesus Christ.
After several minutes of long overdue prayer, and deep thought, the young man got up and assumed his position at the end of the platform, just at this time the night janitor entered the building on his normal rounds and turned on the lights, yelling up to the boy " hey, what do you think you're doing?" The newest member of Christs family turn to see that all the water had been drained from the pool for maintenance.
Powerful. You see the boy thought he knew where he was going, what he was doing. However that was not the case, everyone has been there. I don't believe for a second that someone hasn't, but look how Christ led that young man, someone who doubted all the time, who was sure he had all the answers or his life in control, but as most of us life can lose control just at the edge of your feet.
Have you accepted Christ as your savior? Do you have questions? Are you fulfilled in your faith of wherever you are? If you haven't accepted or know someone who is on the verge, I invite you to do so, or to allow a conversation to happen. We can't save each other, we hold no gift of salvation for anyone. We are examples to one another, we can speak the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and only He and He alone can save us/anyone. Only Christ alone can give the gift of salvation through His saving grace of His sacrifice. How blessed is His name, how wonderful is His word, is His love, is His grace. Ask your questions, seek the knowledge, find the answers you are looking for and experience His saving grace. There are no stupid questions, only unasked ones, don't be afraid, He can take it all, He looks forward to your questions, the more we ask, the more we learn. Please feel free to ask or forward this, don't hesitate, for only the wonders of Christ lay ahead, embrace it.
Heavenly Father, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Your glory reigns forever and ever, You never fail, You never tire, or give up. You can take all the questions, concerns, frustrations, You can handle anything and everything, without effort. We praise Your Holy name, and give our lives to You, Father I lift up those who maybe searching today with questions of You and Your love, not sure of where to go or what to believe, Lord I pray that You allow those individuals to find a true follower of Christ to lean on, that You reveal Yourself to them in away that not only gets their attention, but fills them with Your love and joy. Once again I put myself out there to be used for Your Holy grace and sovereign plan. May all things sings Your glory. I give You these things, these words, this time, and my life as well as my family to You, for everything is a gift from You and not truly ours. I pray in the name of Your Holy Son, our Lord and Savior, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ,
amen
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, and even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?
No one really knows when Christ will call us to Him. When we will enter the shadow of His grace and receive His salvation. Some of us accept His gift at a young age, being raised in a Christian home, or maybe some will hear a deep meaning sermon, or a friend says the right thing at the right time. Others go through tragedy, some however are convicted in a deep, meaningful, and startling way.
I am reminded of a story I heard sometime ago. There was a young man attending a prominent college back east, this young man had all he could have wanted and more growing up and obviously it followed him into college. He was very talented and even was being looked at for the sport of Diving for the next Olympic that were coming around soon enough. With all of this, this young gifted soul was an atheist, had no belief in Christ, God, anything Christian, his train of thought was, "when you're dead, you're dead." The loan saving grace so far was his roommate. Another gifted young man, however this was a deeply grounded believer in Christ, the son of a minister, attending college mostly by scholarship. This roommate (friend) never pushed the truth on his non believing friend, but chose small times on when to interject Christ into a conversation, the atheistic young man never arguing, but just listening and moving on.
On one occasion on a late, but clear fall evening, the non believing young'n entered the schools indoor pool for some practice. The lights were already out and except for the light coming in at the top by skylights nothing else could be seen. He walked around the pool finding his way to the ladder for the tallest diving platform, his train of thought was on his diving, being a perfectionist he enjoyed diving in the dark, thinking it honed his skills. Once at the top of the platform, he turned his back to the pool, as countless times before. Balanced himself on the balls of his feet, just like before and stretched out his arms to the sides, just like clock work. Only this time the moonlight shining through the upper windows behind him casting his shadow on the wall in front of his face, making the shape of a cross. For some reason, at this time, the young man couldn't continue, feeling an overwhelming feeling of guilt, remorse, love, grace, fell forward onto his knees, and accepted Christ as his savior, accepted the only true and unfailing gift of salvation that can only come from our Lord, Jesus Christ.
After several minutes of long overdue prayer, and deep thought, the young man got up and assumed his position at the end of the platform, just at this time the night janitor entered the building on his normal rounds and turned on the lights, yelling up to the boy " hey, what do you think you're doing?" The newest member of Christs family turn to see that all the water had been drained from the pool for maintenance.
Powerful. You see the boy thought he knew where he was going, what he was doing. However that was not the case, everyone has been there. I don't believe for a second that someone hasn't, but look how Christ led that young man, someone who doubted all the time, who was sure he had all the answers or his life in control, but as most of us life can lose control just at the edge of your feet.
Have you accepted Christ as your savior? Do you have questions? Are you fulfilled in your faith of wherever you are? If you haven't accepted or know someone who is on the verge, I invite you to do so, or to allow a conversation to happen. We can't save each other, we hold no gift of salvation for anyone. We are examples to one another, we can speak the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and only He and He alone can save us/anyone. Only Christ alone can give the gift of salvation through His saving grace of His sacrifice. How blessed is His name, how wonderful is His word, is His love, is His grace. Ask your questions, seek the knowledge, find the answers you are looking for and experience His saving grace. There are no stupid questions, only unasked ones, don't be afraid, He can take it all, He looks forward to your questions, the more we ask, the more we learn. Please feel free to ask or forward this, don't hesitate, for only the wonders of Christ lay ahead, embrace it.
Heavenly Father, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Your glory reigns forever and ever, You never fail, You never tire, or give up. You can take all the questions, concerns, frustrations, You can handle anything and everything, without effort. We praise Your Holy name, and give our lives to You, Father I lift up those who maybe searching today with questions of You and Your love, not sure of where to go or what to believe, Lord I pray that You allow those individuals to find a true follower of Christ to lean on, that You reveal Yourself to them in away that not only gets their attention, but fills them with Your love and joy. Once again I put myself out there to be used for Your Holy grace and sovereign plan. May all things sings Your glory. I give You these things, these words, this time, and my life as well as my family to You, for everything is a gift from You and not truly ours. I pray in the name of Your Holy Son, our Lord and Savior, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ,
amen
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Hallelujah!
1 Corinthians 2:2
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
I am taken with this verse above for certain. I have such devotion to our Lord, to rest in Him, and His sacrifice, to rest at the foot of the cross, cause through Christ we are saved, who could want more. I have focused on a few songs also, songs that bring where we should all be to the heart of the matter. I have added a few items to this blog, to your right you'll see a few slides from youtube, they are of Lincoln Brewster, singing and playing his music to our Lord. The forth one down is called Surrender, I have provided the lyrics to the song for your reading. Take your time, and focus on the words, link onto the music, it is a beautiful song, and in touches in a manner, honoring to our Lord.
"I'm giving you my heart, and all that is within, I lay it all down for the sake of you my King. I'm giving you my dreams, I'm laying down my rights, I'm giving up my pride for the promise of new life. And I surrender all to you, all to you. And I surrender all to you, all to you. I'm singing You this song, I'm waiting at the cross, And all the world holds dear, I count it all as loss, For the sake of knowing You for the glory of Your name, To know the lasting joy, even sharing in Your pain. I'm giving you my heart, and all that is within, I lay it all down for the sake of you my King."
How wonderful it is to surrender all we have to our Lord. Yes we all know that in turmoil, and hardships our trips to the cross can be quick, but how about when life is good. When we are all healthy, and together. Remember they are gifts from Him, He, The One, The First, the Middle, and The Last. I have also included a new photo. The photo is of the most important gifts from our Lord, to me. They are of my love, and of our little lives.
See how beautiful my bride is, this is not bragging, this is a gift, God allowed her to come into my life, it was of His plan, not mine, He alone directed that, and what a gift. Not only beautiful, but bright, the smartest woman I have ever met, not to mention strong. I sit and ponder the strength God gave her, the grace He bestowes' through her. She is an angle in the flesh, I love her more than I could describe, and am in debt to God for her.
Our boys, my goodness, how wonderful they are in our lives. God gave them to us, we hold them close, quite often. Their endless little quirks, their little lives are so important to be apart of. God created them, for us to teach, guide, and protect. He alone, as with us all actually hold the reigns on them, He allows their presence in our lives. I never knew what my dad meant when he said, "take your time, it goes by so fast" until now. O was he right, the oldest in going on 9, and entering the 4Th grade, the youngest is 5 1/2, and is starting kindergarden. Where did the midnight feedings go? Where did the little snuggles go? Memories, sweet innocent memories, I praise God for it all. It is only through Him and His glory we are here and have what we have. I praise Him, and with a humble and heavy heart lay it all down at the foot of the cross, along with my life. He gave His life for us, the least we can do is give ours back to Him.
The following is a classic song that Lincoln turned into a marvelous worship song;
(verse 1)I love You Lord with all my heart, You've given me a brand new start, And I just want to sing this song to You. It goes like this the fourth the fifth, The minor fall the major lift, My heart and soul are praising, Hallelujah(chorus)Hallelujah, hallelujah, Hallelujah, hallelujah(verse 2)I know that You're the God above You're filling me with grace and love, And I just want to say thank You to You. You pulled me from the miry clay, You've given me a brand new day, Now all that I can say is Hallelujah.
Heavenly Father, we praise You, You are our God, our Lord, for You alone are worthy of our praise, we give You our lives, with whole and humble hearts. Forgive us of self-seeking, for lookout for number one, when the one should and only be You. You have allow so much into our lives, given us so much, most of all You have given us salvation through Your son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not deserve it, but accept it, and praise You, we wait at the foot of cross for the day when we can lift Holy hands to You in person, in Your presences and look upon Your glory, and shout out our praises. May Your name be praised, through all the earth. In the name of Your son, Jesus Christ we pray
amen
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
I am taken with this verse above for certain. I have such devotion to our Lord, to rest in Him, and His sacrifice, to rest at the foot of the cross, cause through Christ we are saved, who could want more. I have focused on a few songs also, songs that bring where we should all be to the heart of the matter. I have added a few items to this blog, to your right you'll see a few slides from youtube, they are of Lincoln Brewster, singing and playing his music to our Lord. The forth one down is called Surrender, I have provided the lyrics to the song for your reading. Take your time, and focus on the words, link onto the music, it is a beautiful song, and in touches in a manner, honoring to our Lord.
"I'm giving you my heart, and all that is within, I lay it all down for the sake of you my King. I'm giving you my dreams, I'm laying down my rights, I'm giving up my pride for the promise of new life. And I surrender all to you, all to you. And I surrender all to you, all to you. I'm singing You this song, I'm waiting at the cross, And all the world holds dear, I count it all as loss, For the sake of knowing You for the glory of Your name, To know the lasting joy, even sharing in Your pain. I'm giving you my heart, and all that is within, I lay it all down for the sake of you my King."
How wonderful it is to surrender all we have to our Lord. Yes we all know that in turmoil, and hardships our trips to the cross can be quick, but how about when life is good. When we are all healthy, and together. Remember they are gifts from Him, He, The One, The First, the Middle, and The Last. I have also included a new photo. The photo is of the most important gifts from our Lord, to me. They are of my love, and of our little lives.
See how beautiful my bride is, this is not bragging, this is a gift, God allowed her to come into my life, it was of His plan, not mine, He alone directed that, and what a gift. Not only beautiful, but bright, the smartest woman I have ever met, not to mention strong. I sit and ponder the strength God gave her, the grace He bestowes' through her. She is an angle in the flesh, I love her more than I could describe, and am in debt to God for her.
Our boys, my goodness, how wonderful they are in our lives. God gave them to us, we hold them close, quite often. Their endless little quirks, their little lives are so important to be apart of. God created them, for us to teach, guide, and protect. He alone, as with us all actually hold the reigns on them, He allows their presence in our lives. I never knew what my dad meant when he said, "take your time, it goes by so fast" until now. O was he right, the oldest in going on 9, and entering the 4Th grade, the youngest is 5 1/2, and is starting kindergarden. Where did the midnight feedings go? Where did the little snuggles go? Memories, sweet innocent memories, I praise God for it all. It is only through Him and His glory we are here and have what we have. I praise Him, and with a humble and heavy heart lay it all down at the foot of the cross, along with my life. He gave His life for us, the least we can do is give ours back to Him.
The following is a classic song that Lincoln turned into a marvelous worship song;
(verse 1)I love You Lord with all my heart, You've given me a brand new start, And I just want to sing this song to You. It goes like this the fourth the fifth, The minor fall the major lift, My heart and soul are praising, Hallelujah(chorus)Hallelujah, hallelujah, Hallelujah, hallelujah(verse 2)I know that You're the God above You're filling me with grace and love, And I just want to say thank You to You. You pulled me from the miry clay, You've given me a brand new day, Now all that I can say is Hallelujah.
Heavenly Father, we praise You, You are our God, our Lord, for You alone are worthy of our praise, we give You our lives, with whole and humble hearts. Forgive us of self-seeking, for lookout for number one, when the one should and only be You. You have allow so much into our lives, given us so much, most of all You have given us salvation through Your son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not deserve it, but accept it, and praise You, we wait at the foot of cross for the day when we can lift Holy hands to You in person, in Your presences and look upon Your glory, and shout out our praises. May Your name be praised, through all the earth. In the name of Your son, Jesus Christ we pray
amen
Friday, August 8, 2008
Love
1 Corinthians 13:3-8/13
Love is patient, love is kind, It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth, it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. -------- (13) And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love, But the greatest of these is love.
We have all heard these verses before, mostly at weddings. Most likely in our own wedding as well. Matter a fact, when the verses are mentioned we think of weddings. However I think we have all missed the fact that these verses are a map for our everyday lives. I have dropped the ball in everyone of these categories, and with not only my wife, but my children, family and friends. I feel bad about it, but we can't go back and fix the past, all we can do is move forward, and hope for another chance to do it the right way.
Family is the hardest part of this. Being an in-law is a prime example. We have to remember that our parents-law now have adult children in their families that they did not raise, this person has different views, or habit, or traits that may take some getting used to. As children we on the other hand were not raised in this new family, and therefore are different, just from that standpoint. This is were I believe these passages are a necessity, as we get to know the other side of the family we need to use every point in which there are about 15. If you notice the first two, (patience and kind) are not actions, they are reactions. What does that tell ya, it tells me that to have patience and to be kind are the hardest to obtain and pull off, in any given situation and with anyone.
I have to say, that aside from the first two, pride (proud) is the hardest part for me. I have a tremendous amount of pride, and releasing it has been a tremendous problem, in marriage as well as in my relationships,(friends, work,etc). I thank God for my wife. I really do, it is cause of a strong wife, a smart woman, God has worked through her to me to help me in this area. It has been no small work, but then again what is in a marriage.
The thing about all 15 points, the Apostle Paul makes in this passage is that, it is no multiple choice part of life. You can't pick just 4 or 5 out of the 15. You can't just say that you'll just work on one. No, it is all 15 or nothing. All 15 is apart of love, and with out love you/we have nothing. As we read in the first part of chapter 13, If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, (that martyrdom) but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love thy neighbor as you love yourself. Christ's words are spoken out in such truth, and meant in no other way. The greatest commandment is Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love thy neighbor as you love yourself. Were are we if we have lost this truth. Folks I have been so far from this, in my marriage, family, friendships, yes I have been forgiven by God, through His son, and my wife loves me as well as my family (I hope), but how long can we test each other before we are all lost. It has taken me a long time to come to this point, I have let quite a few relationships drift away because of the pride, I am in danger and have been in danger of this with family members who were at once so close, that now, I wonder if it is all lost, or if there is a chance to fix, and move on. (?)
I don't know......... I pray everyday for a chance to hug those individuals look them in the eye and assure them that I love them, and that I hold no grudge, no pride, no self-seeking attitude toward them. That no matter the heart of the subject back then, Christ controls my heart now, my mind and body follow, and with that, how can I not love them. There is no way that I can allow this friction and emptiness to continue. Especially family, family is to be close, to help, to lift each other up. Family is supposed to be the true example of the words of the Apostle Paul. We are all different, there for we at the heart of it all need to be patient, kind, not with envy, not boasting, not proud. Never self-seeking, not easily to anger, doesn't hold grudges. Doesn't delight in evil, holds to the truth, always protecting, always keeping hope, always persevering and never failing.
I......., I can go on and on, (fearing if I do, no one would come back and read this blog again, saying man that guy is long winded). O well. As I stated before, the words are of the Holy Spirit, not of me, I pray that all that is said is of honor and glory to our Lord, and not to me, I am just the example. So I'll just end with this, we've all heard it in our own lives. Life is to short, to short for the petty bickering's, and squabbles. To short for macho attitudes and miss communicated words, taken in the wrong context. LETS GET RID OF IT!! Lets lay it all out on the table, and get back to what is real, to what matters, and that is Christ. Plain and simple, Christ is and should be the center of all things in your/our lives, ....... lets bring Him back.
Father, forgive me of my sins, forgive me for not listening to Your word, it has been there, there's no reason for not reading it, it is all on me. Father, I'm sorry, please take this from me and make me whole again in Your eyes. I long to see those who are at a distance from me, I long to speak to them and talk of Your word and love, and how we all should be in Your light. I ask for Your power to descend upon us and bring us all together again. Forgive us all. I pray that the words said here do honor You, do glorify Your name, that they reach some who are falling, or have fallen away, and that they bring those back to the ones who love them dearly. May You forever shine, may Your Spirit never leave, and may we ever long to see Your face. We give You these things, as it always should be, in the name of Your son, Our Redeemer, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray,
amen
Love is patient, love is kind, It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth, it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. -------- (13) And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love, But the greatest of these is love.
We have all heard these verses before, mostly at weddings. Most likely in our own wedding as well. Matter a fact, when the verses are mentioned we think of weddings. However I think we have all missed the fact that these verses are a map for our everyday lives. I have dropped the ball in everyone of these categories, and with not only my wife, but my children, family and friends. I feel bad about it, but we can't go back and fix the past, all we can do is move forward, and hope for another chance to do it the right way.
Family is the hardest part of this. Being an in-law is a prime example. We have to remember that our parents-law now have adult children in their families that they did not raise, this person has different views, or habit, or traits that may take some getting used to. As children we on the other hand were not raised in this new family, and therefore are different, just from that standpoint. This is were I believe these passages are a necessity, as we get to know the other side of the family we need to use every point in which there are about 15. If you notice the first two, (patience and kind) are not actions, they are reactions. What does that tell ya, it tells me that to have patience and to be kind are the hardest to obtain and pull off, in any given situation and with anyone.
I have to say, that aside from the first two, pride (proud) is the hardest part for me. I have a tremendous amount of pride, and releasing it has been a tremendous problem, in marriage as well as in my relationships,(friends, work,etc). I thank God for my wife. I really do, it is cause of a strong wife, a smart woman, God has worked through her to me to help me in this area. It has been no small work, but then again what is in a marriage.
The thing about all 15 points, the Apostle Paul makes in this passage is that, it is no multiple choice part of life. You can't pick just 4 or 5 out of the 15. You can't just say that you'll just work on one. No, it is all 15 or nothing. All 15 is apart of love, and with out love you/we have nothing. As we read in the first part of chapter 13, If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, (that martyrdom) but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love thy neighbor as you love yourself. Christ's words are spoken out in such truth, and meant in no other way. The greatest commandment is Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love thy neighbor as you love yourself. Were are we if we have lost this truth. Folks I have been so far from this, in my marriage, family, friendships, yes I have been forgiven by God, through His son, and my wife loves me as well as my family (I hope), but how long can we test each other before we are all lost. It has taken me a long time to come to this point, I have let quite a few relationships drift away because of the pride, I am in danger and have been in danger of this with family members who were at once so close, that now, I wonder if it is all lost, or if there is a chance to fix, and move on. (?)
I don't know......... I pray everyday for a chance to hug those individuals look them in the eye and assure them that I love them, and that I hold no grudge, no pride, no self-seeking attitude toward them. That no matter the heart of the subject back then, Christ controls my heart now, my mind and body follow, and with that, how can I not love them. There is no way that I can allow this friction and emptiness to continue. Especially family, family is to be close, to help, to lift each other up. Family is supposed to be the true example of the words of the Apostle Paul. We are all different, there for we at the heart of it all need to be patient, kind, not with envy, not boasting, not proud. Never self-seeking, not easily to anger, doesn't hold grudges. Doesn't delight in evil, holds to the truth, always protecting, always keeping hope, always persevering and never failing.
I......., I can go on and on, (fearing if I do, no one would come back and read this blog again, saying man that guy is long winded). O well. As I stated before, the words are of the Holy Spirit, not of me, I pray that all that is said is of honor and glory to our Lord, and not to me, I am just the example. So I'll just end with this, we've all heard it in our own lives. Life is to short, to short for the petty bickering's, and squabbles. To short for macho attitudes and miss communicated words, taken in the wrong context. LETS GET RID OF IT!! Lets lay it all out on the table, and get back to what is real, to what matters, and that is Christ. Plain and simple, Christ is and should be the center of all things in your/our lives, ....... lets bring Him back.
Father, forgive me of my sins, forgive me for not listening to Your word, it has been there, there's no reason for not reading it, it is all on me. Father, I'm sorry, please take this from me and make me whole again in Your eyes. I long to see those who are at a distance from me, I long to speak to them and talk of Your word and love, and how we all should be in Your light. I ask for Your power to descend upon us and bring us all together again. Forgive us all. I pray that the words said here do honor You, do glorify Your name, that they reach some who are falling, or have fallen away, and that they bring those back to the ones who love them dearly. May You forever shine, may Your Spirit never leave, and may we ever long to see Your face. We give You these things, as it always should be, in the name of Your son, Our Redeemer, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray,
amen
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Patience
Jeremiah 29:11-14
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you" declares the Lord.
Patience. Who of us has patience. Some more than others, but I feel that we all lack patience. I myself lack a major amount. I have a lot of pride, and selfishness, but patience I lack. I can tell you that the level of pride and selfishness compared to patience is balancing more and more everyday, but more times than not, patience is out weighed.
The verse above asks us for patience, without coming right out and saying it. Look how he starts out, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord" It feels like a parent tell us as children that, "hey I know what I have in store for you, don't worry, I have it all set for you." My parents at one time or another, have said that in my childhood, and of course I always came back with, "well hurry up, what is it?" Patience, Patience, Patience.
As I said earlier I am learning patience. I have been delt a good lesson to be coming up. Most of you know my health situation, with my back. I have found out I will need surgery again, to get some bone fragments and scar tissue out of the way. Seems they have been the source of my ongoing pain and constant discomfort. However, the recovery time is the same as the last time. 1 whole month at home, no driving in a car to go anywhere, until I see the doctor again. Then 2 months of physical therapy, not to mention the pain management that goes along with it. Talk about a patience lesson.
I find myself deep in the lessons of the psalmist that wrote in psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." I can be still for that. I am at an age, and finally believe at a mind set that I can be still and wait on the Lord. He knows our hurts, and pains. He knows our needs and desires for that matter. He never gives us more than we can handle, so that means He knows our limits. Now to have a God that's in charge like that in tune like that. To have someone that is looking out for you like that, come on now who wouldn't want to be in His shadows of protection and guidance.
I have an opportunity to dive deeper in the word of our Lord. To explore Him on another level. My goal was to enter school and begin my education here in about two weeks, to build credits to enroll in a Seminary College. However that may still be, but God wants us to do it later. He has a plan for me to be still and wait on Him. I have talked of this in past blogs, He has a plan, we can't always know it, we can't have the inside track on everything He is doing, but when we read the verses from before, why should we worry about tomorrow. He has a plan, and it is His, He is in control. He made all that you see, and that you have. He has allowed you to draw breath in His world, and now He wants you to believe in Him and have faith that all will work out for the better good. He knows it will, He has already seen it and knows the way it will go. Now it is up to (us, you, me, I, everyone) to have faith and say, "alright Lord, I am here and I am waiting on You, may Your plan unfold as You want, and may the world see Your glory."
O how I can go on and on about our God. I look upon these words, I sit with my laptop on one leg, and my bible on the other. I see what God has done in the lives of my family and myself, and where He has us now, and I ask myself, who wouldn't believe in a God like this. I look forward to talking to anyone who's beliefs are struggling, or someone who can't grasp Gods word, and who puts their faith in something else. I am not perfect, by far, and I don't know everything, but I know that the word of God is true, there is no other truth, and as long as we hold on to that and follow that we stay in the right. When we preach the word, or talk of God, it is for His glory, and honor, and it is to further our learning as others. Jesus saves, not us, we can lead the horse to the water, but only Christ can make it drink. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Father, we seek Your glory, we seek Your wisdom, we ask for forgiveness, and for Your direction. Lord, look upon us in favor, You give us support throughout our days, we know and we don't. We see it and sometimes we take it for granted, forgive us for this offence. Father I ask for the Holy Spirit to invade my life, and guide my mindset and direction of my walk with You. I ask to be an example for Christ, for others to see what Christ does, and nothing for my glory, for it is never and should ever be about us, but only about You, about Your grace, glory, and majesty. Blessed be Your name Lord, blessed be Your glory. Lay Your mighty hands upon Your children and seal that love and grace in our hearts. Father we adore You, and pray in the name of Your son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
amen
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you" declares the Lord.
Patience. Who of us has patience. Some more than others, but I feel that we all lack patience. I myself lack a major amount. I have a lot of pride, and selfishness, but patience I lack. I can tell you that the level of pride and selfishness compared to patience is balancing more and more everyday, but more times than not, patience is out weighed.
The verse above asks us for patience, without coming right out and saying it. Look how he starts out, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord" It feels like a parent tell us as children that, "hey I know what I have in store for you, don't worry, I have it all set for you." My parents at one time or another, have said that in my childhood, and of course I always came back with, "well hurry up, what is it?" Patience, Patience, Patience.
As I said earlier I am learning patience. I have been delt a good lesson to be coming up. Most of you know my health situation, with my back. I have found out I will need surgery again, to get some bone fragments and scar tissue out of the way. Seems they have been the source of my ongoing pain and constant discomfort. However, the recovery time is the same as the last time. 1 whole month at home, no driving in a car to go anywhere, until I see the doctor again. Then 2 months of physical therapy, not to mention the pain management that goes along with it. Talk about a patience lesson.
I find myself deep in the lessons of the psalmist that wrote in psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." I can be still for that. I am at an age, and finally believe at a mind set that I can be still and wait on the Lord. He knows our hurts, and pains. He knows our needs and desires for that matter. He never gives us more than we can handle, so that means He knows our limits. Now to have a God that's in charge like that in tune like that. To have someone that is looking out for you like that, come on now who wouldn't want to be in His shadows of protection and guidance.
I have an opportunity to dive deeper in the word of our Lord. To explore Him on another level. My goal was to enter school and begin my education here in about two weeks, to build credits to enroll in a Seminary College. However that may still be, but God wants us to do it later. He has a plan for me to be still and wait on Him. I have talked of this in past blogs, He has a plan, we can't always know it, we can't have the inside track on everything He is doing, but when we read the verses from before, why should we worry about tomorrow. He has a plan, and it is His, He is in control. He made all that you see, and that you have. He has allowed you to draw breath in His world, and now He wants you to believe in Him and have faith that all will work out for the better good. He knows it will, He has already seen it and knows the way it will go. Now it is up to (us, you, me, I, everyone) to have faith and say, "alright Lord, I am here and I am waiting on You, may Your plan unfold as You want, and may the world see Your glory."
O how I can go on and on about our God. I look upon these words, I sit with my laptop on one leg, and my bible on the other. I see what God has done in the lives of my family and myself, and where He has us now, and I ask myself, who wouldn't believe in a God like this. I look forward to talking to anyone who's beliefs are struggling, or someone who can't grasp Gods word, and who puts their faith in something else. I am not perfect, by far, and I don't know everything, but I know that the word of God is true, there is no other truth, and as long as we hold on to that and follow that we stay in the right. When we preach the word, or talk of God, it is for His glory, and honor, and it is to further our learning as others. Jesus saves, not us, we can lead the horse to the water, but only Christ can make it drink. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Father, we seek Your glory, we seek Your wisdom, we ask for forgiveness, and for Your direction. Lord, look upon us in favor, You give us support throughout our days, we know and we don't. We see it and sometimes we take it for granted, forgive us for this offence. Father I ask for the Holy Spirit to invade my life, and guide my mindset and direction of my walk with You. I ask to be an example for Christ, for others to see what Christ does, and nothing for my glory, for it is never and should ever be about us, but only about You, about Your grace, glory, and majesty. Blessed be Your name Lord, blessed be Your glory. Lay Your mighty hands upon Your children and seal that love and grace in our hearts. Father we adore You, and pray in the name of Your son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
amen
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