When God is in control -- not us, nothing can interfere with the plans He has for us.
It is when we individually take charge that plans go awry.
Even in the midst of pain and suffering, when we give up control of the situation to the Lord, all that we undergo will not deter God from following through, making good on His promises. God always comes through. Why don't we?
"For I know the thoughts (plans) that I think (have) toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29: 11)
We don't really listen to what God says until we obey His teachings in the Bible. Wanting to and doing so are not the same. Doing so is a lifelong practice ... talking to, praying, meditation with God every step of the way and being obedient to Him. His thoughts, your thoughts. We must live in God's hope and trust in His purpose for us. Beware of false hope that abounds everywhere.
When we continually abide with Christ, we will be able to know, realize what is false and turn from it.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
We are mirrors
We are mirrors ... mirrors to our mates, to our children, to our friends, to all those with whom we come in contact.
According to Dennis and Barbara Rainey, authors of "Building Your Mate's Self-Esteem" (c 1986), "We can reflect loving acceptance or withdraw, reflecting rejection. When you see rejection or any lack of acceptance, the result is fear."
Fear is very powerful -- fear of the unknown, the what ifs, what now, why don't, why won't, torment, punishment; when another reflects rejection of you, you then reject yourself, withdrawing inside, and the negativeness starts all over.
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment..." (1 John 4: 18)
When we are insecure in our self-worth/self-image/self-esteem and are afraid to reach out, we retreat to our own secret hiding place deep within our mind, and watch and wait.
The images we have of ourselves are formed at an early age. "Our self-concept is actually a cluster of attitudes about ourselves -- some favorable and some unfavorable," says Norman Wright, author of "Improving Your Self-Image."
What is your self-portrait? Do you have feelings of tension, fear, insecurity, self-condemnation? Or are you confident, secure, relaxed? Your self-image plays a significant role in how you individually and as a couple relate. Don't let self-doubt take hold. What you think about yourself as well as what you feel are linked.
Often you hear men say they don't share their feelings. But if/when you pay attention to what they DO say and how they act, their feelings become more apparent to you.
Fear of rejection usually means poor self-esteem. The more fears your mate has the less open he or she will be in a relationship. Need to be built up -- that's hard to do if you yourself also fear rejection. When your fears are ignored by the other, you tend to feel unloved, uncared for, unimportant. Again, you withdraw into self.
"All things are lawful (permissible) for me, but all things are not helpful; all things are lawful for me, but all things do not edify (build up). Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being." (1 Corinthians 10: 23-24)
"...comfort each other and edify one another ..." (1 Thessalonians 5: 11)
The Lord does not condemn us, therefore we should not condemn ourselves. Troubles come -- persecutions, famine, floods, tornadoes, yet God remains true and faithful. His love for us is ever present in the midst of great difficulties. You may struggle to love yourself and/or love another, but remember God's love is greater still. ALL that goes on is not enough to overcome God. The Lord overcame the world. No evil can ever supercede the Lord.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 35, 37-39)
"If God is for us, who can be against us?
"Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?" (Romans 8: 31a, 33)
"Who is he who condemns?" (Romans 8: 34a)
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you have been declared righteous by God and He will not condemn you.
It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." (rest of Romans 8: 34)
Because for you Jesus died and rose and lives within you, He will also not condemn you.
A song in the heart puts a smile on the face.
A song in the heart -- our attitude, our inner being ... honesty before God is essential, phoniness is not. People see through what is not real, not genuine.
The people of today remind me much of the Pharisees of Jesus' day. They rejected, ignored the teachings and commandments of God, determining in their hearts the traditions of man were correct. They do their own thing, make their own laws, rules. What the world decides is correct. Who is God? A force we will not reckon with ... no one. Lip service.
A song in the heart puts a smile on the face. ... on Sunday, I wondered where my song was. I felt down, distressed, dismayed, sad. Others too were missing that song, but we are reminded God can give us peace when our whole life is falling apart. There is a reason for everything, but answers do not come as readily as we desire; only in God's time.
Esteem another better than yourself -- but that doesn't mean to tear yourself down. It doesn't mean you are worthless. We are all highly valued by God. He cares for each of us.
We can't make things right all by ourselves. Have to wait for God to make it right. He knows the right time for everything. Leave it in His hands. His purpose for you will come clearer as time progresses.
So, how do you feel about yourself? Are you a positive or negative person? Rainey provides us with clues to how our self-esteem could be inadequate:
1) childhood marked by parental abuse, neglect, ignorance or parents with overbearing authority
2) fears opening up, being real, being vulnerable
3) gets discouraged easily
4) lacks confidence, especially in decision making
5) has difficulty admitting being wrong; always needs to be right, or is unable to forgive
6) driven .... by a deep need for approval
7) is critical of others
8) is a perfectionist
9) is critical of self
10) indulges in escape, fantasyland
"Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?"
(Job 2: 10a)
We drift away ... we don't understand why because we are a child of God. But God never said all would be good and well in life. As it was for Job, so it is for us.
According to the April 29 Our Daily Bread devotional, attitudes that can result in us moving or drifting away, causing us to be selfish, with more negative traits than positive, include:
1) believing we need more than God to be happy
2) placing meaningful relationships above loyalty to God
3) thinking God should live up to our expectations
4) resisting His reproofs
5) turning a deaf ear when His word is uncomfortable
God IS all we need. We often don't discover that until many years into our personal adventure with Him. The trials we undergo, we think we have it worst of all, it can't get much worse. But there is always something else that is worse than what we undergo and there is always a tiny sliver of a silver lining hiding in the midst of every struggle. If we don't see any hope, then perhaps we are not remembering God's promises to us, His truths, His love.
"It's okay -- I've got God." You don't really believe that. It's not okay. It if was okay, having God would be enough.
There are things I think about, things I don't ever want to face, but will have to, at some moment in time. The best I can do is talk to God about my fears, and also ask Him to show me how to get past it all, how to overcome, how to be what He desires of me; how to rest in Him.
David Sper says it well --
"Lord, help me to stay close to you and trust you more each day,
So when the storms of life appear I will not drift away."
To avoid drifting away from God, stay anchored to the Rock.
Truth -- God's truth, not your own. What you think is truth may be very very wrong.
"Then Jesus said, ... If you abide in My word, ... you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
(John 8: 31-32)
Consider, when building up another or yourself ...
* Giving ... when we give, we also receive. When we refuse, when we ignore God's truths, we are succumbing to our feels of negativity, tearing down what we were attempting to build up.
* Understanding ... empathy, being able to see in our mind what another may be feeling through their speech and actions. Listening closely to their concerns, not missing the point.
* Perseverance ... striving to reach the goal
* Sowing and reaping ...
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. ... And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
(Galatians 6: 7, 9)
What are you sowing? hatred, anger, jealousy, complaints, impatience, selfishness? If these, these you will reap. Sow negative, reap the same or positive - positive.
* Teachability ... growing desire to learn; willingness to do what is right
* Accountability ... partnering with another, being needed, showing need for strength posessed by another
* Risk ... taking a chance to allow another to know you
* God-given worth
* Divine sufficiency
Jesus Christ must be at the center of your life.
God will be with you always, IF you are with Him. It is more than simply saying you believe in Him; you must follow through, obey His every command, listen closely to all the Lord has to say to you. Must seek, must study His word, must meditate on God's truths. Must abide with Him and He will abide with you.
This is what is meant when it said He is all we need. When we are open with Him, all else that comes along we'll be able to bear. And the blessings He sends our way will be an extra bonus. The Scriptures tell us we won't be given more than we can handle. I have often questioned that. Perhaps the Lord is trying to teach us that when He leads us, when we allow Him to be the leader and not us individually, then all of our personal difficulties are easier because we are relying on Jesus to get us through them. When we rely only on what we think about ourselves, we will actually accomplish little of anything.
When we think about ourselves we usually go into negativity -- I can't, it won't work, why not, how come, why don't you, and then you sit. Stagnant.
It is only through the power of 1 -- Jesus Christ, that we will be enabled to overcome.
"I am with you always, even to the end of the age."(Matthew 8: 20b)
"I will not leave you nor forsake you."
(Joshua 1: 5d)
"I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can men do to me?' "(Hebrews 13: 5a, 6)
"... If you have bitter envy and self-seeking (selfish ambition) in your hearts ... confusion and every evil thing will be there." (James 3: 14, 16)
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hyprocisy." (James 3: 17)
"Dear near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4: 8a)
According to Dennis and Barbara Rainey, authors of "Building Your Mate's Self-Esteem" (c 1986), "We can reflect loving acceptance or withdraw, reflecting rejection. When you see rejection or any lack of acceptance, the result is fear."
Fear is very powerful -- fear of the unknown, the what ifs, what now, why don't, why won't, torment, punishment; when another reflects rejection of you, you then reject yourself, withdrawing inside, and the negativeness starts all over.
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment..." (1 John 4: 18)
When we are insecure in our self-worth/self-image/self-esteem and are afraid to reach out, we retreat to our own secret hiding place deep within our mind, and watch and wait.
The images we have of ourselves are formed at an early age. "Our self-concept is actually a cluster of attitudes about ourselves -- some favorable and some unfavorable," says Norman Wright, author of "Improving Your Self-Image."
What is your self-portrait? Do you have feelings of tension, fear, insecurity, self-condemnation? Or are you confident, secure, relaxed? Your self-image plays a significant role in how you individually and as a couple relate. Don't let self-doubt take hold. What you think about yourself as well as what you feel are linked.
Often you hear men say they don't share their feelings. But if/when you pay attention to what they DO say and how they act, their feelings become more apparent to you.
Fear of rejection usually means poor self-esteem. The more fears your mate has the less open he or she will be in a relationship. Need to be built up -- that's hard to do if you yourself also fear rejection. When your fears are ignored by the other, you tend to feel unloved, uncared for, unimportant. Again, you withdraw into self.
"All things are lawful (permissible) for me, but all things are not helpful; all things are lawful for me, but all things do not edify (build up). Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being." (1 Corinthians 10: 23-24)
"...comfort each other and edify one another ..." (1 Thessalonians 5: 11)
The Lord does not condemn us, therefore we should not condemn ourselves. Troubles come -- persecutions, famine, floods, tornadoes, yet God remains true and faithful. His love for us is ever present in the midst of great difficulties. You may struggle to love yourself and/or love another, but remember God's love is greater still. ALL that goes on is not enough to overcome God. The Lord overcame the world. No evil can ever supercede the Lord.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 35, 37-39)
"If God is for us, who can be against us?
"Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?" (Romans 8: 31a, 33)
"Who is he who condemns?" (Romans 8: 34a)
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you have been declared righteous by God and He will not condemn you.
It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." (rest of Romans 8: 34)
Because for you Jesus died and rose and lives within you, He will also not condemn you.
A song in the heart puts a smile on the face.
A song in the heart -- our attitude, our inner being ... honesty before God is essential, phoniness is not. People see through what is not real, not genuine.
The people of today remind me much of the Pharisees of Jesus' day. They rejected, ignored the teachings and commandments of God, determining in their hearts the traditions of man were correct. They do their own thing, make their own laws, rules. What the world decides is correct. Who is God? A force we will not reckon with ... no one. Lip service.
A song in the heart puts a smile on the face. ... on Sunday, I wondered where my song was. I felt down, distressed, dismayed, sad. Others too were missing that song, but we are reminded God can give us peace when our whole life is falling apart. There is a reason for everything, but answers do not come as readily as we desire; only in God's time.
Esteem another better than yourself -- but that doesn't mean to tear yourself down. It doesn't mean you are worthless. We are all highly valued by God. He cares for each of us.
We can't make things right all by ourselves. Have to wait for God to make it right. He knows the right time for everything. Leave it in His hands. His purpose for you will come clearer as time progresses.
So, how do you feel about yourself? Are you a positive or negative person? Rainey provides us with clues to how our self-esteem could be inadequate:
1) childhood marked by parental abuse, neglect, ignorance or parents with overbearing authority
2) fears opening up, being real, being vulnerable
3) gets discouraged easily
4) lacks confidence, especially in decision making
5) has difficulty admitting being wrong; always needs to be right, or is unable to forgive
6) driven .... by a deep need for approval
7) is critical of others
8) is a perfectionist
9) is critical of self
10) indulges in escape, fantasyland
"Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?"
(Job 2: 10a)
We drift away ... we don't understand why because we are a child of God. But God never said all would be good and well in life. As it was for Job, so it is for us.
According to the April 29 Our Daily Bread devotional, attitudes that can result in us moving or drifting away, causing us to be selfish, with more negative traits than positive, include:
1) believing we need more than God to be happy
2) placing meaningful relationships above loyalty to God
3) thinking God should live up to our expectations
4) resisting His reproofs
5) turning a deaf ear when His word is uncomfortable
God IS all we need. We often don't discover that until many years into our personal adventure with Him. The trials we undergo, we think we have it worst of all, it can't get much worse. But there is always something else that is worse than what we undergo and there is always a tiny sliver of a silver lining hiding in the midst of every struggle. If we don't see any hope, then perhaps we are not remembering God's promises to us, His truths, His love.
"It's okay -- I've got God." You don't really believe that. It's not okay. It if was okay, having God would be enough.
There are things I think about, things I don't ever want to face, but will have to, at some moment in time. The best I can do is talk to God about my fears, and also ask Him to show me how to get past it all, how to overcome, how to be what He desires of me; how to rest in Him.
David Sper says it well --
"Lord, help me to stay close to you and trust you more each day,
So when the storms of life appear I will not drift away."
To avoid drifting away from God, stay anchored to the Rock.
Truth -- God's truth, not your own. What you think is truth may be very very wrong.
"Then Jesus said, ... If you abide in My word, ... you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
(John 8: 31-32)
Consider, when building up another or yourself ...
* Giving ... when we give, we also receive. When we refuse, when we ignore God's truths, we are succumbing to our feels of negativity, tearing down what we were attempting to build up.
* Understanding ... empathy, being able to see in our mind what another may be feeling through their speech and actions. Listening closely to their concerns, not missing the point.
* Perseverance ... striving to reach the goal
* Sowing and reaping ...
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. ... And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
(Galatians 6: 7, 9)
What are you sowing? hatred, anger, jealousy, complaints, impatience, selfishness? If these, these you will reap. Sow negative, reap the same or positive - positive.
* Teachability ... growing desire to learn; willingness to do what is right
* Accountability ... partnering with another, being needed, showing need for strength posessed by another
* Risk ... taking a chance to allow another to know you
* God-given worth
* Divine sufficiency
Jesus Christ must be at the center of your life.
God will be with you always, IF you are with Him. It is more than simply saying you believe in Him; you must follow through, obey His every command, listen closely to all the Lord has to say to you. Must seek, must study His word, must meditate on God's truths. Must abide with Him and He will abide with you.
This is what is meant when it said He is all we need. When we are open with Him, all else that comes along we'll be able to bear. And the blessings He sends our way will be an extra bonus. The Scriptures tell us we won't be given more than we can handle. I have often questioned that. Perhaps the Lord is trying to teach us that when He leads us, when we allow Him to be the leader and not us individually, then all of our personal difficulties are easier because we are relying on Jesus to get us through them. When we rely only on what we think about ourselves, we will actually accomplish little of anything.
When we think about ourselves we usually go into negativity -- I can't, it won't work, why not, how come, why don't you, and then you sit. Stagnant.
It is only through the power of 1 -- Jesus Christ, that we will be enabled to overcome.
"I am with you always, even to the end of the age."(Matthew 8: 20b)
"I will not leave you nor forsake you."
(Joshua 1: 5d)
"I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can men do to me?' "(Hebrews 13: 5a, 6)
"... If you have bitter envy and self-seeking (selfish ambition) in your hearts ... confusion and every evil thing will be there." (James 3: 14, 16)
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hyprocisy." (James 3: 17)
"Dear near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4: 8a)
Waiting ... and then
Waiting
People sitting
Reading
"It's cold in here."
Quiet
Noisy
Early morning sun
gives way
to dreary glum
Waiting rooms.
also
listless
colorless
drab.
Waiting
and thinking
Waiting
and reading
Waiting
and boredom
Waiting
time marches on
yet stands still.
... and then your name is called
People sitting
Reading
"It's cold in here."
Quiet
Noisy
Early morning sun
gives way
to dreary glum
Waiting rooms.
also
listless
colorless
drab.
Waiting
and thinking
Waiting
and reading
Waiting
and boredom
Waiting
time marches on
yet stands still.
... and then your name is called
Monday, April 27, 2009
Satan's ploys are no match for the Savor's power
Satan's ploys are no match for the Savior's power.
"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." (Philippians 2: 3)
That is to say build up one another, but in so doing, don't get caught up into thinking you are worthless. For we are not. We are not to tear ourselves down. In the eyes of God, each and every human being has value. He cares for you and me.
"Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion." (Romans 12: 16)
Do not follow the path that takes you away from God and toward Satan. ... the path that distracts you from what you know is true and right and ultimately leads to destruction. ... the path of thinking and acting upon your own advice and has no regard for the things of God.
"Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans15: 5-6)
God is so patient with us, continually working to show us the way. We are not so patient ... not with others, not with ourselves, not with God. We want what we want now.
"... having compassion (be sympathetic) for one another; ... be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil ... but on the contrary, blessing, ..." (1 Peter 3: 8)
Where is our compassion for others? When are we tender, courteous? Is it only for select individuals? God is not so choosy. All have value in His eyes. We are to be a blessing to all, to give what the Lord gives. Judgment is not for us to give ... we must leave that to a higher power, God will judge.
"He who would love life and see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking guile (deceit);
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And his ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1 Peter 3: 10-12)
Satan strives to take the joy out of living for the Lord. His whole goal is to destroy.
"Likewise you husbands, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, ... that your prayers may not be hindered." (1 Peter 3: 7)
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church ... So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. ... Nevertheless, let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wive see that she respects her husband." (Ephesians 5: 25, 28-29, 33)
Praise defeats the devil quicker than any other battle plan, but it must be genuine heart praise, not just lip service.
Must have a personal relationship with Jesus for the spiritual weapons of praise and prayer to work.
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, ... but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." (Romans 8: 5)
Joyce Meyer, author of "Battlefield of the Mind," says if we think fleshly or worldly thoughts, wrong thoughts, negative thoughts, we cannot walk in the Spirit. Our life will not get straightened out until our mind does.
We must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to even begin to be able to overcome our negative views.
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit."
The tree is you and me. The fruit is what we are known for, our works, bad or good, works of the flesh, or of the Spirit.
We have to choose to think good thoughts, pleasing thoughts. We have to keep going, not give up.
Acceptance, believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose again is the first step in your personal walk with Him.
"The renewing of your mind will take place little by little, so don't be discouraged if progress seems slow," Meyer noted.
When you have setbacks, or bad days, don't allow yourself to withdraw into negative thinking. Must stay on course. Think positive. God loves you. Don't allow others to discourage you. Think "I am above this. I will not allow your negative thoughts and comments to become mine. I will not be drawn down to your level." Positive breeds positive. Good, positive thoughts bring promise, faith and hope for a better tomorrow. Bad, negative thoughts are always full of fear and doubt. When we have a negative outlook, our thoughts are negative, our words coming out of our mouths are negative, our life is negative. We must turn around and begin to think positive about our life.
"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." (Proverbs 23: 7)
When we don't get what we want, we go into pity-mode and negative attitude. We need to get away from that, need to stop complaining, stop murmuring, stop finding fault with everything and everyone, including yourself.
If you truly desire to change from being negative-minded, believe God will change you as you trust Him. Must trust, must listen to the Lord, study His word, immerse yourself in His word, meditate on what you know is true and right. Not what you think or believe about yourself, but what God knows about you. He loves you. He has a purpose for you.
He who abandons himself to God will never be abandoned by God.
"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." (Philippians 2: 3)
That is to say build up one another, but in so doing, don't get caught up into thinking you are worthless. For we are not. We are not to tear ourselves down. In the eyes of God, each and every human being has value. He cares for you and me.
"Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion." (Romans 12: 16)
Do not follow the path that takes you away from God and toward Satan. ... the path that distracts you from what you know is true and right and ultimately leads to destruction. ... the path of thinking and acting upon your own advice and has no regard for the things of God.
"Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans15: 5-6)
God is so patient with us, continually working to show us the way. We are not so patient ... not with others, not with ourselves, not with God. We want what we want now.
"... having compassion (be sympathetic) for one another; ... be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil ... but on the contrary, blessing, ..." (1 Peter 3: 8)
Where is our compassion for others? When are we tender, courteous? Is it only for select individuals? God is not so choosy. All have value in His eyes. We are to be a blessing to all, to give what the Lord gives. Judgment is not for us to give ... we must leave that to a higher power, God will judge.
"He who would love life and see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking guile (deceit);
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And his ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1 Peter 3: 10-12)
Satan strives to take the joy out of living for the Lord. His whole goal is to destroy.
"Likewise you husbands, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, ... that your prayers may not be hindered." (1 Peter 3: 7)
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church ... So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. ... Nevertheless, let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wive see that she respects her husband." (Ephesians 5: 25, 28-29, 33)
Praise defeats the devil quicker than any other battle plan, but it must be genuine heart praise, not just lip service.
Must have a personal relationship with Jesus for the spiritual weapons of praise and prayer to work.
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, ... but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." (Romans 8: 5)
Joyce Meyer, author of "Battlefield of the Mind," says if we think fleshly or worldly thoughts, wrong thoughts, negative thoughts, we cannot walk in the Spirit. Our life will not get straightened out until our mind does.
We must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to even begin to be able to overcome our negative views.
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit."
The tree is you and me. The fruit is what we are known for, our works, bad or good, works of the flesh, or of the Spirit.
We have to choose to think good thoughts, pleasing thoughts. We have to keep going, not give up.
Acceptance, believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose again is the first step in your personal walk with Him.
"The renewing of your mind will take place little by little, so don't be discouraged if progress seems slow," Meyer noted.
When you have setbacks, or bad days, don't allow yourself to withdraw into negative thinking. Must stay on course. Think positive. God loves you. Don't allow others to discourage you. Think "I am above this. I will not allow your negative thoughts and comments to become mine. I will not be drawn down to your level." Positive breeds positive. Good, positive thoughts bring promise, faith and hope for a better tomorrow. Bad, negative thoughts are always full of fear and doubt. When we have a negative outlook, our thoughts are negative, our words coming out of our mouths are negative, our life is negative. We must turn around and begin to think positive about our life.
"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." (Proverbs 23: 7)
When we don't get what we want, we go into pity-mode and negative attitude. We need to get away from that, need to stop complaining, stop murmuring, stop finding fault with everything and everyone, including yourself.
If you truly desire to change from being negative-minded, believe God will change you as you trust Him. Must trust, must listen to the Lord, study His word, immerse yourself in His word, meditate on what you know is true and right. Not what you think or believe about yourself, but what God knows about you. He loves you. He has a purpose for you.
He who abandons himself to God will never be abandoned by God.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Hip Hip Hooray for Miss California
Those of us who advocate for one man-one woman marriage, who believe in God and what His word says, have rights too. ... a right to be heard, a right to stand up for our Christian beliefs.
Posted today on Baptist Press is the following article written by Michael Foust, BP assistant editor.
Despite pressure, Miss California stays true to Christian beliefs
LAS VEGAS-- It had all the elements of good TV drama, especially in 2009 America: a gay celebrity blogger asking a California beauty queen contestant a question about "gay marriage" during the Miss USA pageant, hosted in anything-goes Las Vegas.
Miss California, though, stood by her Christian beliefs, and some are wondering if it cost her the crown.
Carrie Prejean, 21, told a nationwide TV audience Sunday she believed marriage should be between a man and a woman. She eventually finished runner-up to Miss North Carolina, but she says she has no regrets about her answer.
The fact that Prejean is from California -- where the high court legalized "gay marriage" last year only to have voters reverse that ruling by passing Proposition 8 -- adds to the controversy surrounding her comments.
"By having to answer that question in front of a national audience, God was testing my character and faith," she told Fox News. "I'm glad I stayed true to myself."
She told NBC's "Today" show, "It's not about being politically correct. For me, it was being biblically correct." She added, regarding her missed opportunity to win the crown, "It wasn't what God wanted for my life that night."
Prejean is a student at San Diego Christian College in El Cajon just outside San Diego and a volunteer at Shadow Mountain Community Church's International Ministry Center, where she helps refugees learn English, the Christian Examiner reported. Shadow Mountain is a Southern Baptist church where popular TV and radio minister David Jeremiah is pastor. The Examiner reported Prejean is studying to become an elementary school special education teacher.
She has received a host of criticism and praise. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who is homosexual and as one of 12 judges was randomly picked to ask the question, posted a video on his website in which he called her a "dumb [expletive]" with "half a brain." He also said she "alienated so many people."
Chris Clark, pastor of East Clairemont Southern Baptist Church in San Diego, applauded Prejean. He helped lead the effort in his area to get Christians behind Prop 8.
"She was extremely courageous, especially considering the venue. You're looking Perez Hilton in the eye and telling him, no offense, but this is what I believe. That is bold," Clark told Baptist Press. "That is exactly what we need more of, and she did it in a kind way and a very respectful way. She was great."
Mitch Fisk, vice president for enrollment and marketing at San Diego Christian College, said he was impressed by Prejean's character after overhearing a conversation she had with her adviser, whose office is just a few doors down from his. The conservation came last year after she had won the Miss California title.
"Keep in mind that this conversation took place with no one else around. The consistent themes were, 'I want to do what I can to have an impact' and 'I want to do what I can to take advantage of the situation that God has placed me in to have an impact,'" he told BP.
During the broadcast Hilton asked: "Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?"
Prejean responded, "I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite[-sex] marriage. And you know what? I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman -- no offense to anybody out there -- but that's how I was raised and ... I think that it should be between a man and a woman."
The crowd seemed to like her answer, and its applause was louder than the boos.
Keith Lewis, co-executive director of Miss California USA/Teen USA, submitted a statement to Hilton's web site in which he said he was "personally saddened and hurt" that Prejean "believes marriage rights belong only to a man and a woman." Lewis added, "Religious beliefs have no place in politics in the Miss CA family."
Hilton himself was quoted as saying Prejean "lost because of that question." Known for his bombastic statements, he said that if Prejean had won, "I would have gone up on stage, snatched that tiara off her head and run out the door." As one of the 12 TV judges, Hilton's score figured into deciding who won. The scores on the questions and answers, though, are not released publicly.
Ron Prentice, chairman of ProtectMarriage.com -- the official campaign behind Prop 8 -- released a statement thanking Prejean for "speaking her mind in support of traditional marriage."
"She represented the silent majority in America and expressed a point of view that over 7 million California voters also expressed just last November," Prentice said. "... Thank you, Miss California, for knowing the truth about marriage and standing up for it, even when you knew that your honest answer may hinder your chances for the crown of Miss USA."
Prentice further said that the "outcry from some activists in the gay community over Ms. Prejean's comments are indicative of how far they will go to force their same-sex marriage agenda on society."
Prejean told radio host Billy Bush that her sister "is a gay rights activist" who has "been to many, many rallies." But Prejean said her sister was proud of her because she stood up for her beliefs. Matt Lauer of NBC's Today show asked her if she wished she had given a more politically correct middle-of-the-road answer, which Hilton said she should have done.
"That goes against what I stand for," she said of such an answer. "And when I'm asked a specific question, I'm going to give a specific answer. I'm not going to stand in the middle."
Also posted today on SaveCalifornia.com ,
a leading West Coast nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing children and families, is the article:
Homosexual Activist Judge Displays Intolerance, Hatred
and Retaliation Against Miss California Carrie Prejean
Sacramento, CALIF.-- A leading West Coast pro-family organization is defending Miss California Carrie Prejean, who was unfairly discriminated against and denied the Miss USA crown because of homosexual activist judge Perez Hilton (real name Mario Lavandeira), who targeted Carrie as a contestant and publicly called her “a dumb b****” with “half a brain.”
“Why does an unjust judge get a free pass for retaliating against and openly slurring a beauty pageant contestant?” asked Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com and SaveAmerica.com. “The bad guy here is homosexual activist Perez Hilton, who never should have been allowed to be a judge. Carrie Prejean was unfairly discriminated against and viciously punished just because she knows and believes that marriage is reserved for a man and a woman.”
After Carrie was named first runner-up to Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton, Hilton recorded a video diatribe in which he said Carrie gave “the worst answer in pageant history," that “she lost because she’s a dumb b****!” and that she has “half a brain.” “Perez Hilton is showing the ugly face of the intolerant homosexual agenda, squashing everyone else who won’t bow down to immorality,” Thomasson said.
On this morning’s Today Show on NBC, Miss USA Judge Claudia Jordan admitted that “a few of the judges were very against her, they were bothered by her answer” because Carrie said “marriage should be for a man and a woman” in answer to Hilton’s question Sunday night.
Donald Trump, who, along with NBC Universal, owns the Miss Universe Organization, which produces the Miss USA pageant, said on The Today Show that Carrie’s answer “probably did cost her the crown.” Also on Today, Hilton said Carrie should have “left her politics and religion out” and said Miss USA is supposed to “make everyone feel welcome,” including homosexuals and atheists. But where is that in the Miss USA rules?
“This was a blatant miscarriage of justice,” said Thomasson. “The Miss USA rules explicitly state that judges should learn about the successes, goals and ambitions of the contestants. It doe not say judges should vote or rally others to vote based on their personal agreement or disagreement with young ladies’ answers to loaded questions.”
“Along with physical beauty, Carrie Prejean displayed character, poise, confidence and personality, which is exactly what the pageant says it’s looking for,” said Thomasson. “It is now suspect whether a homosexual can be a fair judge who puts aside his personal bias. It’s also doubtful that the Miss USA contest is a fair contest. To correct this serious problem, Donald Trump and NBC Universal should announce that Perez Hilton will never again be a Miss USA judge and that pageant judges must abide by the contest rules and not retaliate against contestants based on religion or politics.”
Posted today on Baptist Press is the following article written by Michael Foust, BP assistant editor.
Despite pressure, Miss California stays true to Christian beliefs
LAS VEGAS-- It had all the elements of good TV drama, especially in 2009 America: a gay celebrity blogger asking a California beauty queen contestant a question about "gay marriage" during the Miss USA pageant, hosted in anything-goes Las Vegas.
Miss California, though, stood by her Christian beliefs, and some are wondering if it cost her the crown.
Carrie Prejean, 21, told a nationwide TV audience Sunday she believed marriage should be between a man and a woman. She eventually finished runner-up to Miss North Carolina, but she says she has no regrets about her answer.
The fact that Prejean is from California -- where the high court legalized "gay marriage" last year only to have voters reverse that ruling by passing Proposition 8 -- adds to the controversy surrounding her comments.
"By having to answer that question in front of a national audience, God was testing my character and faith," she told Fox News. "I'm glad I stayed true to myself."
She told NBC's "Today" show, "It's not about being politically correct. For me, it was being biblically correct." She added, regarding her missed opportunity to win the crown, "It wasn't what God wanted for my life that night."
Prejean is a student at San Diego Christian College in El Cajon just outside San Diego and a volunteer at Shadow Mountain Community Church's International Ministry Center, where she helps refugees learn English, the Christian Examiner reported. Shadow Mountain is a Southern Baptist church where popular TV and radio minister David Jeremiah is pastor. The Examiner reported Prejean is studying to become an elementary school special education teacher.
She has received a host of criticism and praise. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who is homosexual and as one of 12 judges was randomly picked to ask the question, posted a video on his website in which he called her a "dumb [expletive]" with "half a brain." He also said she "alienated so many people."
Chris Clark, pastor of East Clairemont Southern Baptist Church in San Diego, applauded Prejean. He helped lead the effort in his area to get Christians behind Prop 8.
"She was extremely courageous, especially considering the venue. You're looking Perez Hilton in the eye and telling him, no offense, but this is what I believe. That is bold," Clark told Baptist Press. "That is exactly what we need more of, and she did it in a kind way and a very respectful way. She was great."
Mitch Fisk, vice president for enrollment and marketing at San Diego Christian College, said he was impressed by Prejean's character after overhearing a conversation she had with her adviser, whose office is just a few doors down from his. The conservation came last year after she had won the Miss California title.
"Keep in mind that this conversation took place with no one else around. The consistent themes were, 'I want to do what I can to have an impact' and 'I want to do what I can to take advantage of the situation that God has placed me in to have an impact,'" he told BP.
During the broadcast Hilton asked: "Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?"
Prejean responded, "I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite[-sex] marriage. And you know what? I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman -- no offense to anybody out there -- but that's how I was raised and ... I think that it should be between a man and a woman."
The crowd seemed to like her answer, and its applause was louder than the boos.
Keith Lewis, co-executive director of Miss California USA/Teen USA, submitted a statement to Hilton's web site in which he said he was "personally saddened and hurt" that Prejean "believes marriage rights belong only to a man and a woman." Lewis added, "Religious beliefs have no place in politics in the Miss CA family."
Hilton himself was quoted as saying Prejean "lost because of that question." Known for his bombastic statements, he said that if Prejean had won, "I would have gone up on stage, snatched that tiara off her head and run out the door." As one of the 12 TV judges, Hilton's score figured into deciding who won. The scores on the questions and answers, though, are not released publicly.
Ron Prentice, chairman of ProtectMarriage.com -- the official campaign behind Prop 8 -- released a statement thanking Prejean for "speaking her mind in support of traditional marriage."
"She represented the silent majority in America and expressed a point of view that over 7 million California voters also expressed just last November," Prentice said. "... Thank you, Miss California, for knowing the truth about marriage and standing up for it, even when you knew that your honest answer may hinder your chances for the crown of Miss USA."
Prentice further said that the "outcry from some activists in the gay community over Ms. Prejean's comments are indicative of how far they will go to force their same-sex marriage agenda on society."
Prejean told radio host Billy Bush that her sister "is a gay rights activist" who has "been to many, many rallies." But Prejean said her sister was proud of her because she stood up for her beliefs. Matt Lauer of NBC's Today show asked her if she wished she had given a more politically correct middle-of-the-road answer, which Hilton said she should have done.
"That goes against what I stand for," she said of such an answer. "And when I'm asked a specific question, I'm going to give a specific answer. I'm not going to stand in the middle."
Also posted today on SaveCalifornia.com ,
a leading West Coast nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing children and families, is the article:
Homosexual Activist Judge Displays Intolerance, Hatred
and Retaliation Against Miss California Carrie Prejean
Sacramento, CALIF.-- A leading West Coast pro-family organization is defending Miss California Carrie Prejean, who was unfairly discriminated against and denied the Miss USA crown because of homosexual activist judge Perez Hilton (real name Mario Lavandeira), who targeted Carrie as a contestant and publicly called her “a dumb b****” with “half a brain.”
“Why does an unjust judge get a free pass for retaliating against and openly slurring a beauty pageant contestant?” asked Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com and SaveAmerica.com. “The bad guy here is homosexual activist Perez Hilton, who never should have been allowed to be a judge. Carrie Prejean was unfairly discriminated against and viciously punished just because she knows and believes that marriage is reserved for a man and a woman.”
After Carrie was named first runner-up to Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton, Hilton recorded a video diatribe in which he said Carrie gave “the worst answer in pageant history," that “she lost because she’s a dumb b****!” and that she has “half a brain.” “Perez Hilton is showing the ugly face of the intolerant homosexual agenda, squashing everyone else who won’t bow down to immorality,” Thomasson said.
On this morning’s Today Show on NBC, Miss USA Judge Claudia Jordan admitted that “a few of the judges were very against her, they were bothered by her answer” because Carrie said “marriage should be for a man and a woman” in answer to Hilton’s question Sunday night.
Donald Trump, who, along with NBC Universal, owns the Miss Universe Organization, which produces the Miss USA pageant, said on The Today Show that Carrie’s answer “probably did cost her the crown.” Also on Today, Hilton said Carrie should have “left her politics and religion out” and said Miss USA is supposed to “make everyone feel welcome,” including homosexuals and atheists. But where is that in the Miss USA rules?
“This was a blatant miscarriage of justice,” said Thomasson. “The Miss USA rules explicitly state that judges should learn about the successes, goals and ambitions of the contestants. It doe not say judges should vote or rally others to vote based on their personal agreement or disagreement with young ladies’ answers to loaded questions.”
“Along with physical beauty, Carrie Prejean displayed character, poise, confidence and personality, which is exactly what the pageant says it’s looking for,” said Thomasson. “It is now suspect whether a homosexual can be a fair judge who puts aside his personal bias. It’s also doubtful that the Miss USA contest is a fair contest. To correct this serious problem, Donald Trump and NBC Universal should announce that Perez Hilton will never again be a Miss USA judge and that pageant judges must abide by the contest rules and not retaliate against contestants based on religion or politics.”
Living by Faith
Faith ...
This morning I read "Faith in the Daily News Chase" by John McCandlish Phillips. It was a most heart-warming, well-written, engaging and to-the-point article. I had never heard of this man. Sometimes I think I must be living in a huge vacuum; there seems to be much I haven't seen or heard, much I am missing. I am thankful a chance article in the February Missouri Baptist Convention's publishing arm, The Pathway, led me to my first ever Christian Journalism Conference.
I searched the Internet for information on McCandlish Phillips, beyond the little I already knew -- from a night copy boy to general assignment reporter, he spent 21 years with The New York Times, 1952-1973.
Faith ....
Faith is not one big word that means one thing and one thing only. When we try to describe it to another, we tend to say it is believing without seeing. Hebrews 11:1 says it best, and depending on what translation/version of the Bible you use, some say it better than others. The New King James version says: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The New International version says: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
I believe there is the Faith we live in, live with and live by.
The Christian faith we live in is believing Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Virgin Mary, believing He died, was crucified for my sins and your sins, believing He was buried, believing He rose from the grave, believing He ascended into Heaven, believing God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit are three distinct beings. Living in faith is the kind of faith that saves us.
Living with faith is believing God will do all He says He will do.
Living by faith is following through without question, being totally obedient to the Lord, totally dependent on, totally relying on the Lord's instructions, commands to us through His word written and spoken, through all of life, all ordeals, turmoils, catastrophes, until all is accomplished.
"The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17b, Hebrews 10:38)
Who are the just? -- Those who have been made righteous by God, those who have been saved/born-again, those who have received the Good News of Jesus Christ and have believed it and accepted it, the called, His sheep, His children.
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
Our lives, every aspect of our lives, may bring much pain and chaos, running the gamut (personal health, finance, housing, employment, transportation, state governments, federal governments, insurance, interest rates, moral upheaval), but we are not to see, not to live as though these struggles are permanent, but rather only temporary. I know that is not easy. God didn't say it was going to be easy. What He said was the afflictions we are presently dealing with, we will get through, by faith, assuming we are looking to Jesus, waiting on Him to guide us, looking to our eternal glory. We must always look upward, always think about what Jesus would do, always believing, trusting that the Lord will enable us to accomplish, to pass through this stage, unto the next and the next, until He has called us Home, however long it takes, wherever His road takes us.
McCandlish Phillips said, "Faith makes the decision to trust God fully, no matter what the appearance of things may be, or how contrary to faith the message that is screamed into our being is. Faith is a voluntary act of trust in God."
This morning I read "Faith in the Daily News Chase" by John McCandlish Phillips. It was a most heart-warming, well-written, engaging and to-the-point article. I had never heard of this man. Sometimes I think I must be living in a huge vacuum; there seems to be much I haven't seen or heard, much I am missing. I am thankful a chance article in the February Missouri Baptist Convention's publishing arm, The Pathway, led me to my first ever Christian Journalism Conference.
I searched the Internet for information on McCandlish Phillips, beyond the little I already knew -- from a night copy boy to general assignment reporter, he spent 21 years with The New York Times, 1952-1973.
- I found an Annals of Communications column by journalist Ken Auletta The Man Who Disappeared
- I found the World Journalism Institute's blog, Case in Point and Web site, which in turn led me to additional information on the man who lived by faith.
Faith ....
Faith is not one big word that means one thing and one thing only. When we try to describe it to another, we tend to say it is believing without seeing. Hebrews 11:1 says it best, and depending on what translation/version of the Bible you use, some say it better than others. The New King James version says: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The New International version says: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
I believe there is the Faith we live in, live with and live by.
The Christian faith we live in is believing Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Virgin Mary, believing He died, was crucified for my sins and your sins, believing He was buried, believing He rose from the grave, believing He ascended into Heaven, believing God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit are three distinct beings. Living in faith is the kind of faith that saves us.
Living with faith is believing God will do all He says He will do.
Living by faith is following through without question, being totally obedient to the Lord, totally dependent on, totally relying on the Lord's instructions, commands to us through His word written and spoken, through all of life, all ordeals, turmoils, catastrophes, until all is accomplished.
"The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17b, Hebrews 10:38)
Who are the just? -- Those who have been made righteous by God, those who have been saved/born-again, those who have received the Good News of Jesus Christ and have believed it and accepted it, the called, His sheep, His children.
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
Our lives, every aspect of our lives, may bring much pain and chaos, running the gamut (personal health, finance, housing, employment, transportation, state governments, federal governments, insurance, interest rates, moral upheaval), but we are not to see, not to live as though these struggles are permanent, but rather only temporary. I know that is not easy. God didn't say it was going to be easy. What He said was the afflictions we are presently dealing with, we will get through, by faith, assuming we are looking to Jesus, waiting on Him to guide us, looking to our eternal glory. We must always look upward, always think about what Jesus would do, always believing, trusting that the Lord will enable us to accomplish, to pass through this stage, unto the next and the next, until He has called us Home, however long it takes, wherever His road takes us.
McCandlish Phillips said, "Faith makes the decision to trust God fully, no matter what the appearance of things may be, or how contrary to faith the message that is screamed into our being is. Faith is a voluntary act of trust in God."
Monday, April 20, 2009
God is the final victor
The fight for moral integrity will continue regardless of what people say they want and go to great lengths to get, regardless of what any state supreme court rules. The fight for God and His laws will continue to be fought by His people, and although right now it seems the winning is in the hands of Satan's children, God is the final victor.
On April 16, the Tama News Herald/Toledo Chronicle published the editorial, "Iowa's Title Fight - The Bible vs. Iowa Code by State Rep. Lance Horbach (R-Tama).
Read the article below or click on the above link.
Today we tried to call up the Marriage Amendment (defining marriage as one man and one woman) and it was a show down between God's law and Iowa's Law.
Iowa's law won!
44 YES Votes - 42 Republicans, 2 Democrats
54 NO Votes - 0 Republicans, 54 Democrats
2 Absent - 2 Republicans (one in Iraq one attending family funeral)
Odds makers expected itafter all, it was ONE bible verses 6 volumes of the Iowa Code, 7 Supreme Court Justices, 54 Democrat Representatives, and every rule book the opposition could muster.
Did you ever wonder why there are 6 volumes of the Iowa Code, yet God's Law remains encompassed in only one time-tested book the Bible? That's because God doesn't accept amendments when his laws are broken! He has no interest in changing his laws in order to adapt to new lifestyles.
I could go on for hours sharing my frustration with the Supreme Court decision and the broken promises of Gov. Culver, but the real news for today is the vote count in the Iowa House.
Yes, God's Law lost this round and there will be more fights in the future, with the winners yet to be determined. Don't be discouraged, we've got a "ringer" on our side. When we get to the "final round" there will be no Supreme Court Justices, no volumes of the Iowa Code, no political favors; there will be only one judge, holding his rule book, the Bible.
Lance Horbach is a state representative for District 40, Tama and Grundy counties. This is his sixth term in the Iowa House and he is a ranking member on the Labor and Industrial Relations Committee.
On April 16, the Tama News Herald/Toledo Chronicle published the editorial, "Iowa's Title Fight - The Bible vs. Iowa Code by State Rep. Lance Horbach (R-Tama).
Read the article below or click on the above link.
Today we tried to call up the Marriage Amendment (defining marriage as one man and one woman) and it was a show down between God's law and Iowa's Law.
Iowa's law won!
44 YES Votes - 42 Republicans, 2 Democrats
54 NO Votes - 0 Republicans, 54 Democrats
2 Absent - 2 Republicans (one in Iraq one attending family funeral)
Odds makers expected itafter all, it was ONE bible verses 6 volumes of the Iowa Code, 7 Supreme Court Justices, 54 Democrat Representatives, and every rule book the opposition could muster.
Did you ever wonder why there are 6 volumes of the Iowa Code, yet God's Law remains encompassed in only one time-tested book the Bible? That's because God doesn't accept amendments when his laws are broken! He has no interest in changing his laws in order to adapt to new lifestyles.
I could go on for hours sharing my frustration with the Supreme Court decision and the broken promises of Gov. Culver, but the real news for today is the vote count in the Iowa House.
Yes, God's Law lost this round and there will be more fights in the future, with the winners yet to be determined. Don't be discouraged, we've got a "ringer" on our side. When we get to the "final round" there will be no Supreme Court Justices, no volumes of the Iowa Code, no political favors; there will be only one judge, holding his rule book, the Bible.
Lance Horbach is a state representative for District 40, Tama and Grundy counties. This is his sixth term in the Iowa House and he is a ranking member on the Labor and Industrial Relations Committee.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Me, Journalism & God
I am a Christian.
I am a journalist.
Ever since I was a child I have had an interest in writing and in helping others - particularly along the lines of medicine.
Before I entered college I considered pursuing physical therapy. When I was in high school I volunteered as a candy striper at a local hospital. I enjoyed writing short stories and poetry.
After two years of college I determined my grades were not good enough to get me into a specialized field of medicine. Another year, I wasn't sure where to go. I lived in a secular world. I had no relationship with Jesus Christ, so there was no special calling to a chosen field - at least not one I was aware.
I selected journalism, but I took courses in fiction writing and poetry. I pursued journalism, yet I wasn't fully into it. I struggled with the courses offered and my abilities to grasp the meanings of all that was taught.
I graduated, receiving a B.A. in journalism.
I still wrote stories and poetry, still kept a journal, filling pages upon pages with my thoughts, desires, dreams, joys and sadnesses.
I sharpened my skills - learned advertising layout at weekly newspapers and printing companies. I discovered what I enjoyed and what I did not. I published a weekly newspaper for two years. I covered all aspects. I worked all ends. My weeks were often 100 hours rather than 40. It was tiring, often thankless. Yet I enjoyed it and I pushed on. I took picture after picture, covering sports, school events, school board and city council meetings.
I had no mentor. I never knew if what I was doing was right, fair. Yet I pushed on.
Most of my experience in journalism was obtained at weekly newspapers. Each place had a distinct way of doing things, so I was always learning something new.
In 1982, a new dimension was added - I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.
I moved from reporting the news on weeklies to becoming part of the daily newspaper. I moved away from reporting and photography to newsroom assistant to obituary editor.
I again became a publisher - for a few months I put together, wrote stories and sold ads for a senior citizen newsletter, in addition to my full-time job.
Time went by. I occasionally thought about writing news obituaries. I thought it was my heart's desire. I knocked on doors, but the opportunity never was realized. I knocked three times, always it was wait-and-see, always maybe, never Yes.
God gave me an idea for a Christian magazine. Originally considering a print format, it became a web presence. Window to Christian Ministries ... in Iowa was born in 2001. My first blog, In...Sight was added in 2004. My current blog, Journeys was started in 2008.
For over 20 years now I have edited obituaries. Sometimes I have considered it a ministry - a way to reach out to those who have lost loved ones. It is another avenue of the many facets of journalism.
The occupations we hold can be our chosen field or it can be a place of arrival that may become our chosen field. But not necessarily. Sometimes our occupations are merely jobs that we do day in and day out, with no thought as to where they might lead.
I chose journalism, principally because I enjoy writing. But I have not written, as in newspaper reporting, for many years.
But I do have a Web presence -- a Web site and blogs. So I am still a journalist.
And I am a Christian.
Do they go hand-in-hand?
This past week, on April 14, I attended a Christian Journalism Conference in Jefferson City, Mo. Sponsored by the Missouri Southern Baptist Convention and its publication arm, The Pathway, it was the first such event.
I chose to attend the conference with hopes I would gain some new insights as to my future as a Christian journalist/writer.
My first realization was that a Christian journalist and in Christian journalism, you can not be neutral. In secular journalism, it has always been about being objective vs. subjective, being fair, looking at all sides, reporting the facts, not falsehoods. In Christian journalism, it is the same, yet different. If you say you are neutral, then you are also saying you don't believe in God's word, that His truths don't mean anything to you. If you say you are subjective, then you are saying it is only your opinion, there is no truth or fact to what you report.
There is another way to consider, that of biblical objectivity. We must be willing to recognize certain fixed truths, such as God's word being the standard, according to Andy Chambers, vice president for Student Development and associate professor of Bible at Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis. We must recognize and abide by why God says in His word as we interpret and report on the world around us.
A me-centered worldview fails to see this truth. Me-centered lives under false pretenses, false gods, false hopes. A Christian worldview knows the God of Abraham is the only true God, knows God is sovereign.
In pursuing a Christian worldview of journalism, Chambers said we must
(1) draw out the theological dimension of the news
(2) keep readers' spiritual needs in view as we research and report the news
and
(3) help readers see their need for a Savior.
We must keep in mind just whose we are. We must consider the fruits of the spirit in all of our dealings. As we report and write about others, we must be honest, fair, humble, patient, trustworthy, and so on. It must be God's platform that we are obedient to first and foremost.
"Does a story need to be told?" was posed by Will Hall, executive editor of Baptist Press. It is a question worth asking, as we seriously consider all aspects of a story we're thinking of writing for publication. Is it factual? Is it true? Will it harm another? Are we being fair?
When we profess to being Christian and a Christian journalist to boot, we MUST follow Biblical instruction all the time. Not haphazardly, not only when we think it is beneficial to us. If we follow that reasoning, we've fallen to a me-centered worldview and missed the mark. We need to hold ourselves up to a higher power and consider what Jesus would do in any activity we consider being a participant.
I think of the instructions in Psalm 37 -- "Trust in the Lord ... Do good .... feed on His faithfulness ... delight yourself in the Lord ... Commit your way to the Lord ... Rest in the Lord ... wait patient for Him ... Do not fret ... Cease from anger ... forsake wrath ... wait on the Lord ... keep His way..."
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)
We are to serve God at all times anywhere and everywhere, delight in Him. Even when inconvenient, when we're not where we want to be, when life is in turmoil. Even in the workplace.
"Delight yourself in the Lord" - seek my pleasure in You. Seek the desires of my heart in You, through prayer, Bible study, meditation, serving. When I continually follow through and am obedient to You and your word, your peace will settle in me and your desires for me will become part of me and those desires will be my desires, Your plans my plans.
God, His word and His ways are the focus and foundation of the Christian life.
"Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." (Psalm 37:5)
We can bloom and bear fruit wherever God places us, if we are committed to Him and His leadership.
Does He have a new plan for me?
I am a journalist.
Ever since I was a child I have had an interest in writing and in helping others - particularly along the lines of medicine.
Before I entered college I considered pursuing physical therapy. When I was in high school I volunteered as a candy striper at a local hospital. I enjoyed writing short stories and poetry.
After two years of college I determined my grades were not good enough to get me into a specialized field of medicine. Another year, I wasn't sure where to go. I lived in a secular world. I had no relationship with Jesus Christ, so there was no special calling to a chosen field - at least not one I was aware.
I selected journalism, but I took courses in fiction writing and poetry. I pursued journalism, yet I wasn't fully into it. I struggled with the courses offered and my abilities to grasp the meanings of all that was taught.
I graduated, receiving a B.A. in journalism.
I still wrote stories and poetry, still kept a journal, filling pages upon pages with my thoughts, desires, dreams, joys and sadnesses.
I sharpened my skills - learned advertising layout at weekly newspapers and printing companies. I discovered what I enjoyed and what I did not. I published a weekly newspaper for two years. I covered all aspects. I worked all ends. My weeks were often 100 hours rather than 40. It was tiring, often thankless. Yet I enjoyed it and I pushed on. I took picture after picture, covering sports, school events, school board and city council meetings.
I had no mentor. I never knew if what I was doing was right, fair. Yet I pushed on.
Most of my experience in journalism was obtained at weekly newspapers. Each place had a distinct way of doing things, so I was always learning something new.
In 1982, a new dimension was added - I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.
I moved from reporting the news on weeklies to becoming part of the daily newspaper. I moved away from reporting and photography to newsroom assistant to obituary editor.
I again became a publisher - for a few months I put together, wrote stories and sold ads for a senior citizen newsletter, in addition to my full-time job.
Time went by. I occasionally thought about writing news obituaries. I thought it was my heart's desire. I knocked on doors, but the opportunity never was realized. I knocked three times, always it was wait-and-see, always maybe, never Yes.
God gave me an idea for a Christian magazine. Originally considering a print format, it became a web presence. Window to Christian Ministries ... in Iowa was born in 2001. My first blog, In...Sight was added in 2004. My current blog, Journeys was started in 2008.
For over 20 years now I have edited obituaries. Sometimes I have considered it a ministry - a way to reach out to those who have lost loved ones. It is another avenue of the many facets of journalism.
The occupations we hold can be our chosen field or it can be a place of arrival that may become our chosen field. But not necessarily. Sometimes our occupations are merely jobs that we do day in and day out, with no thought as to where they might lead.
I chose journalism, principally because I enjoy writing. But I have not written, as in newspaper reporting, for many years.
But I do have a Web presence -- a Web site and blogs. So I am still a journalist.
And I am a Christian.
Do they go hand-in-hand?
This past week, on April 14, I attended a Christian Journalism Conference in Jefferson City, Mo. Sponsored by the Missouri Southern Baptist Convention and its publication arm, The Pathway, it was the first such event.
I chose to attend the conference with hopes I would gain some new insights as to my future as a Christian journalist/writer.
My first realization was that a Christian journalist and in Christian journalism, you can not be neutral. In secular journalism, it has always been about being objective vs. subjective, being fair, looking at all sides, reporting the facts, not falsehoods. In Christian journalism, it is the same, yet different. If you say you are neutral, then you are also saying you don't believe in God's word, that His truths don't mean anything to you. If you say you are subjective, then you are saying it is only your opinion, there is no truth or fact to what you report.
There is another way to consider, that of biblical objectivity. We must be willing to recognize certain fixed truths, such as God's word being the standard, according to Andy Chambers, vice president for Student Development and associate professor of Bible at Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis. We must recognize and abide by why God says in His word as we interpret and report on the world around us.
A me-centered worldview fails to see this truth. Me-centered lives under false pretenses, false gods, false hopes. A Christian worldview knows the God of Abraham is the only true God, knows God is sovereign.
In pursuing a Christian worldview of journalism, Chambers said we must
(1) draw out the theological dimension of the news
(2) keep readers' spiritual needs in view as we research and report the news
and
(3) help readers see their need for a Savior.
We must keep in mind just whose we are. We must consider the fruits of the spirit in all of our dealings. As we report and write about others, we must be honest, fair, humble, patient, trustworthy, and so on. It must be God's platform that we are obedient to first and foremost.
"Does a story need to be told?" was posed by Will Hall, executive editor of Baptist Press. It is a question worth asking, as we seriously consider all aspects of a story we're thinking of writing for publication. Is it factual? Is it true? Will it harm another? Are we being fair?
When we profess to being Christian and a Christian journalist to boot, we MUST follow Biblical instruction all the time. Not haphazardly, not only when we think it is beneficial to us. If we follow that reasoning, we've fallen to a me-centered worldview and missed the mark. We need to hold ourselves up to a higher power and consider what Jesus would do in any activity we consider being a participant.
I think of the instructions in Psalm 37 -- "Trust in the Lord ... Do good .... feed on His faithfulness ... delight yourself in the Lord ... Commit your way to the Lord ... Rest in the Lord ... wait patient for Him ... Do not fret ... Cease from anger ... forsake wrath ... wait on the Lord ... keep His way..."
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)
We are to serve God at all times anywhere and everywhere, delight in Him. Even when inconvenient, when we're not where we want to be, when life is in turmoil. Even in the workplace.
"Delight yourself in the Lord" - seek my pleasure in You. Seek the desires of my heart in You, through prayer, Bible study, meditation, serving. When I continually follow through and am obedient to You and your word, your peace will settle in me and your desires for me will become part of me and those desires will be my desires, Your plans my plans.
God, His word and His ways are the focus and foundation of the Christian life.
"Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." (Psalm 37:5)
We can bloom and bear fruit wherever God places us, if we are committed to Him and His leadership.
Does He have a new plan for me?
Life is a gift from God
Life is a gift from God. A precious gift.
But unfortunately, sometimes that life is taken from us before it has barely begun. Such was the case for 16 children, ranging in age from 6 days to 10 years, who died in Iowa in 2008 from abuse and neglect.
From all across the state, the names of these innocent victims are remembered:
• Aliya Blanchard, 6 days
• Delilah Ann Clark, 1 week
• Spencer Lee Corson, 3
• Tanner Heinrich-William Doran, 15 months
• Alexis Gilbert, 7 months
• Skylar Christine Inman, 2
• Seth Kehoe, 2
• Domanic Meador, 1
• Xzavier Posey, 4 months
• Eleanor Sueppel, 3
• Ethan Sueppel, 10
• Mira Sueppel, 5
• Seth Sueppel, 8
• Alysha Suing, 8
• Kendra Suing,10
• Antwuan Williams Jr., 8 months
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. For the past five years, a memorial to the abused and neglected children in our state has taken place. This year, "Light of Hope: A Service of Remembrance and Hope" was April 16 at at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines.
To read the rest of the story: Des Moines Register
But unfortunately, sometimes that life is taken from us before it has barely begun. Such was the case for 16 children, ranging in age from 6 days to 10 years, who died in Iowa in 2008 from abuse and neglect.
From all across the state, the names of these innocent victims are remembered:
• Aliya Blanchard, 6 days
• Delilah Ann Clark, 1 week
• Spencer Lee Corson, 3
• Tanner Heinrich-William Doran, 15 months
• Alexis Gilbert, 7 months
• Skylar Christine Inman, 2
• Seth Kehoe, 2
• Domanic Meador, 1
• Xzavier Posey, 4 months
• Eleanor Sueppel, 3
• Ethan Sueppel, 10
• Mira Sueppel, 5
• Seth Sueppel, 8
• Alysha Suing, 8
• Kendra Suing,10
• Antwuan Williams Jr., 8 months
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. For the past five years, a memorial to the abused and neglected children in our state has taken place. This year, "Light of Hope: A Service of Remembrance and Hope" was April 16 at at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines.
To read the rest of the story: Des Moines Register
Saturday, April 11, 2009
"Happily Ever After" is a bumpy road
Hebrews 12a: "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."
Do you know what love is?
Love grows. The love verses in 1 Corinthians 13 speak way more than the mere words on the page.
Love is not to be rushed into.
Love can blossom
or it can grow stagnant.
Effort on each one's part must be put forth. When you decide to marry, it does not then become a "happily ever after." There is nothing that easy. There are many bumps, uneven paths, turns and curves along the way. No matter what your age, young or old, maturity comes through obedience to Christ, not what we want, what we feel, what we desire.
Divorce exists. Couples separate.
Marriage, according to God, is between one man and one woman one time forevermore.
But there are couples everywhere, Christian and non, who marry and divorce, marry again and divorce. A continuing cycle to nowhere.
When do you know when to stop running and looking for that prize that is forever it seems just beyond your grasp?
Is it not when you finally admit God is in control, not you?
When you realize God knows better than you what you need, when you need it and will provide for you?
When you finally reach out to Him and seek His will, His guidance?
When you become willing to wait for Him to lead you?
When you realize all self thoughts that enter your mind is Satan trying to gain control and convince you there is something better elsewhere?
Satan's plan is to prevent you from living for Christ. He is all about self pleasure, living only for yourself, not for another.
We must be willing to put aside the self-doubt thoughts that take over our being and patiently build up each other, not tearing one another down, not relying on yourselves, not giving up, but relying on God, striving for oneness with each other and Him.
1 Corinthians 13 from The Message:
"If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love."
Do you know what love is?
Love grows. The love verses in 1 Corinthians 13 speak way more than the mere words on the page.
Love is not to be rushed into.
Love can blossom
or it can grow stagnant.
Effort on each one's part must be put forth. When you decide to marry, it does not then become a "happily ever after." There is nothing that easy. There are many bumps, uneven paths, turns and curves along the way. No matter what your age, young or old, maturity comes through obedience to Christ, not what we want, what we feel, what we desire.
Divorce exists. Couples separate.
Marriage, according to God, is between one man and one woman one time forevermore.
But there are couples everywhere, Christian and non, who marry and divorce, marry again and divorce. A continuing cycle to nowhere.
When do you know when to stop running and looking for that prize that is forever it seems just beyond your grasp?
Is it not when you finally admit God is in control, not you?
When you realize God knows better than you what you need, when you need it and will provide for you?
When you finally reach out to Him and seek His will, His guidance?
When you become willing to wait for Him to lead you?
When you realize all self thoughts that enter your mind is Satan trying to gain control and convince you there is something better elsewhere?
Satan's plan is to prevent you from living for Christ. He is all about self pleasure, living only for yourself, not for another.
We must be willing to put aside the self-doubt thoughts that take over our being and patiently build up each other, not tearing one another down, not relying on yourselves, not giving up, but relying on God, striving for oneness with each other and Him.
1 Corinthians 13 from The Message:
"If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love."
Friday, April 10, 2009
The world is changing .... so?
On CNN Thursday night, the comment was made that the world is changing and because it is we should just get on with things, just move on, go with the flow. But why I ask. Just because the world is changing, doesn't mean its right or that our moral values, God's laws, must also change. Just because gay marriages, abortions, stem cell research and other evils have become more common place, doesn't make it right.
Thursday morning I read what Jesus had to say in Matthew 12:39-30: "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
In Luke 11:29-30, Jesus says, "This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no signs will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation."
Jesus Christ is the sign. For over 2000 years he has been the sign and so few see Him as He is, for what He is. He brings salvation to all and warning of judgments to come to those who refuse, who do not repent, who continue to sin.
"Woe to the world because of offenses! ..." (Matthew 18: 7)
"The Son of Man goes (a) as it is written of Him, but (b) woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! (c) It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." (Matthew 26:24)
(a) As it is written, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3)
(b) Jesus said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take head to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him." (Luke 17:1)
Judas is the betrayer, but I believe Jesus speaks of all who sin against God and causes another to stumble or become a temptation to sin.
The judgments are written in Revelation. Revelation 19:2 reminds us, "For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her by the blood of His servants shed by her."
In Psalm 19:9: "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." Verses 12-13 are a prayer to keep the sin that is invading us at every corner away, to not let it dominate us. The Scripture says: "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults? Keep back your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless; and I shall be innocent of great transgression."
Thursday morning I read what Jesus had to say in Matthew 12:39-30: "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
In Luke 11:29-30, Jesus says, "This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no signs will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation."
Jesus Christ is the sign. For over 2000 years he has been the sign and so few see Him as He is, for what He is. He brings salvation to all and warning of judgments to come to those who refuse, who do not repent, who continue to sin.
"Woe to the world because of offenses! ..." (Matthew 18: 7)
"The Son of Man goes (a) as it is written of Him, but (b) woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! (c) It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." (Matthew 26:24)
(a) As it is written, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3)
(b) Jesus said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take head to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him." (Luke 17:1)
Judas is the betrayer, but I believe Jesus speaks of all who sin against God and causes another to stumble or become a temptation to sin.
The judgments are written in Revelation. Revelation 19:2 reminds us, "For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her by the blood of His servants shed by her."
In Psalm 19:9: "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." Verses 12-13 are a prayer to keep the sin that is invading us at every corner away, to not let it dominate us. The Scripture says: "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults? Keep back your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless; and I shall be innocent of great transgression."
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Gay marriage in Iowa more damaging than a 500-year flood
This post was written by Eric Schumacher, pastor of Northbrook Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids. It was published April 8 in Baptist Press .
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (BP)--Last June, a "500-year flood" ushered millions of gallons of water through eastern Iowa. In Cedar Rapids alone, more than 25,000 individuals were displaced in one day. Hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage was done.
The Flood of 2008 is arguably the most destructive disaster that the state of Iowa has seen -- at least, that is, until last Friday.
On April 3, the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a state law limiting marriage to one man and one woman violates the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution. Licenses will be issued to homosexual couples April 27.
It is not hyperbole to say that this ruling has the potential to be the worst disaster to strike the state of Iowa.
Flood waters destroy houses, ruin offices buildings and displace families. Yet, recovery happens. Houses are rebuilt. Businesses relocate. Families eventually find housing.
Legalized "homosexual marriage," on the other hand, does far more pervasive and irrecoverable damage. Civilization itself is eroded as marriage, the central building block of culture and society, is redefined. Soon, our sons and daughters are confused about what it means to be male and female, as "homosexual marriage" gains both legal status and visibility in neighborhoods and the classroom.
Far worse, the Gospel message is confused. Marriage is established by God to be a living picture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the husband representing Christ and the wife representing his church. "Homosexual marriage" presents a distorted picture, a false Gospel, promoting a blasphemous message.
Flood waters erode the soil. "Gay marriage" erodes the soul. A flood impacts for a decade. "Same-sex marriage" destroys generations. A flood draws a community together. "Homosexual marriage" tears the family apart. Communities recover from floods. The promotion of un-natural unions has an eternal consequence.
As a native Iowan and as a pastor, I cannot remain silent. In light of this, I would exhort the church in Iowa to do three things:
-- First, we must honor biblical marriage in the church and in the home.
God commands that marriage be honored (Hebrews 13:4). He is not pleased when it is attacked (Malachi 2:16).
Legalized "homosexual marriage" is not the only way that marriage is attacked and dishonored.
Marriage is attacked when church members go undisciplined for fornication and adultery. Marriage is dishonored through abusive husbands and disrespectful wives, through the use of Internet pornography and the reading of smutty novels.
Marriage is honored when biblical roles for husbands and wives are humbly and joyfully taught, modeled and encouraged. Marriage is protected when pastors ask tough questions of potential and current members about the divorce they are pursuing and the children they have abandoned. Marriage is honored when pastors follow biblical standards when considering which ceremonies to officiate.
-- Second, we must speak through the humility of repentance.
Let's be honest. Much of the church's knee-jerk response to legalized "homosexual marriage" smacks of hypocrisy.
For decades, local churches in America have winked at, ignored, tolerated and even approved of fornication, adultery and unbiblical divorce among its membership. The unrepentant have not been lovingly rebuked and disciplined. Rather, we have allowed marriage to be dishonored by our members, our leaders, our benefactors and our children -- so long as that dishonoring comes in a manner acceptable to our broader culture.
We are uncomfortable with practicing homosexuals in ways that we are not uncomfortable with practicing fornicators, adulterers and covenant-renders. And so, not out of a love for the Gospel, but out of a love for social comfort, we balk at "gay marriage."
So long as we allow marriage to be dishonored by those on our church rolls, we have no credible voice with which to speak against the dishonoring of marriage by those in our state.
The humility of repentance will grant our outcry the ring of truth.
-- Third, we must patiently and kindly preach the Gospel.
The heart of legalized "homosexual marriage" is not bucking against societal norms perceived to be antiquated. The heart of homosexual sin -- like all sin -- is hatred of the glory of God, especially as it is revealed in the good news of Jesus Christ.
The antidote to our situation, therefore, is not solely a marriage amendment.
Government is established by God to approve of what is good. I do hope and pray that our state's constitution is amended to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. I've encouraged my legislators to pursue it.
Nevertheless, we know that changing a state's constitution does not change a man's constitution. The kingdom of God does not come through the steel sword of the state, but through the sword of Spirit. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).
Therefore, we must proclaim the saving reign of God through His Son Jesus Christ. We must speak of the eternal Son of God who became man and lived a sinless life. We must proclaim His crucifixion, in which He bore the wrath of God to take away the sin of the world. We must herald His resurrection from the dead and His reign at the right hand of God, from whence He will come again as judge.
It is through the proclamation of this message that God washes, sanctifies, and justifies homosexuals, adulterers, drunkards and idolaters -- as some of us once were (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
We do this not with shouting, arrogant quarreling and picket-signs proclaiming hateful messages. Rather, we must be kind, patient and gentle, praying that "God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:24-26).
To read how "gay marriage" impacts parental rights and religious freedom: click here.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (BP)--Last June, a "500-year flood" ushered millions of gallons of water through eastern Iowa. In Cedar Rapids alone, more than 25,000 individuals were displaced in one day. Hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage was done.
The Flood of 2008 is arguably the most destructive disaster that the state of Iowa has seen -- at least, that is, until last Friday.
On April 3, the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a state law limiting marriage to one man and one woman violates the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution. Licenses will be issued to homosexual couples April 27.
It is not hyperbole to say that this ruling has the potential to be the worst disaster to strike the state of Iowa.
Flood waters destroy houses, ruin offices buildings and displace families. Yet, recovery happens. Houses are rebuilt. Businesses relocate. Families eventually find housing.
Legalized "homosexual marriage," on the other hand, does far more pervasive and irrecoverable damage. Civilization itself is eroded as marriage, the central building block of culture and society, is redefined. Soon, our sons and daughters are confused about what it means to be male and female, as "homosexual marriage" gains both legal status and visibility in neighborhoods and the classroom.
Far worse, the Gospel message is confused. Marriage is established by God to be a living picture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the husband representing Christ and the wife representing his church. "Homosexual marriage" presents a distorted picture, a false Gospel, promoting a blasphemous message.
Flood waters erode the soil. "Gay marriage" erodes the soul. A flood impacts for a decade. "Same-sex marriage" destroys generations. A flood draws a community together. "Homosexual marriage" tears the family apart. Communities recover from floods. The promotion of un-natural unions has an eternal consequence.
As a native Iowan and as a pastor, I cannot remain silent. In light of this, I would exhort the church in Iowa to do three things:
-- First, we must honor biblical marriage in the church and in the home.
God commands that marriage be honored (Hebrews 13:4). He is not pleased when it is attacked (Malachi 2:16).
Legalized "homosexual marriage" is not the only way that marriage is attacked and dishonored.
Marriage is attacked when church members go undisciplined for fornication and adultery. Marriage is dishonored through abusive husbands and disrespectful wives, through the use of Internet pornography and the reading of smutty novels.
Marriage is honored when biblical roles for husbands and wives are humbly and joyfully taught, modeled and encouraged. Marriage is protected when pastors ask tough questions of potential and current members about the divorce they are pursuing and the children they have abandoned. Marriage is honored when pastors follow biblical standards when considering which ceremonies to officiate.
-- Second, we must speak through the humility of repentance.
Let's be honest. Much of the church's knee-jerk response to legalized "homosexual marriage" smacks of hypocrisy.
For decades, local churches in America have winked at, ignored, tolerated and even approved of fornication, adultery and unbiblical divorce among its membership. The unrepentant have not been lovingly rebuked and disciplined. Rather, we have allowed marriage to be dishonored by our members, our leaders, our benefactors and our children -- so long as that dishonoring comes in a manner acceptable to our broader culture.
We are uncomfortable with practicing homosexuals in ways that we are not uncomfortable with practicing fornicators, adulterers and covenant-renders. And so, not out of a love for the Gospel, but out of a love for social comfort, we balk at "gay marriage."
So long as we allow marriage to be dishonored by those on our church rolls, we have no credible voice with which to speak against the dishonoring of marriage by those in our state.
The humility of repentance will grant our outcry the ring of truth.
-- Third, we must patiently and kindly preach the Gospel.
The heart of legalized "homosexual marriage" is not bucking against societal norms perceived to be antiquated. The heart of homosexual sin -- like all sin -- is hatred of the glory of God, especially as it is revealed in the good news of Jesus Christ.
The antidote to our situation, therefore, is not solely a marriage amendment.
Government is established by God to approve of what is good. I do hope and pray that our state's constitution is amended to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. I've encouraged my legislators to pursue it.
Nevertheless, we know that changing a state's constitution does not change a man's constitution. The kingdom of God does not come through the steel sword of the state, but through the sword of Spirit. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).
Therefore, we must proclaim the saving reign of God through His Son Jesus Christ. We must speak of the eternal Son of God who became man and lived a sinless life. We must proclaim His crucifixion, in which He bore the wrath of God to take away the sin of the world. We must herald His resurrection from the dead and His reign at the right hand of God, from whence He will come again as judge.
It is through the proclamation of this message that God washes, sanctifies, and justifies homosexuals, adulterers, drunkards and idolaters -- as some of us once were (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
We do this not with shouting, arrogant quarreling and picket-signs proclaiming hateful messages. Rather, we must be kind, patient and gentle, praying that "God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:24-26).
To read how "gay marriage" impacts parental rights and religious freedom: click here.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Shadows ... stripes
Shadows
tall, gangly
like human legs
standing still
beneath the sky
upon the earth
flat
stripes
row upon row
endless
like Jesus
beaten
His stripes
upon Himself
were ours
Our sin
row upon row
endless
Our sin
Our stripes
Our punishment
Jesus
took it all
To bear
at Calvary
So we
could be
set free
Have you
accepted
all He
has done
for you?
Have you
accepted
all He
continues
to do
for you?
Have you
accepted
Jesus
as your
personal
Lord and
Savior?
Are you
one of
His?
tall, gangly
like human legs
standing still
beneath the sky
upon the earth
flat
stripes
row upon row
endless
like Jesus
beaten
His stripes
upon Himself
were ours
Our sin
row upon row
endless
Our sin
Our stripes
Our punishment
Jesus
took it all
To bear
at Calvary
So we
could be
set free
Have you
accepted
all He
has done
for you?
Have you
accepted
all He
continues
to do
for you?
Have you
accepted
Jesus
as your
personal
Lord and
Savior?
Are you
one of
His?
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
He ... Jesus Christ
He
came
He
was born
He
grew
He
lived
He
walked
He
taught
He
ministered
He
mourned
He
loved
He
was despised
He
was mocked
He
was beaten
He
was stripped
He
bore our griefs
He
carried our sorrows
He
was wounded
He
was bruised
He
was blasphemed
He
was oppressed
He
was afflicted
He
was led away
He
was cut off
He
was separated from God
He
was the offering for the sins of mankind
He
was nailed to the cross at Calvary
He
was crucified
He
died
He
was buried
He
arose from the grave!
He
has risen indeed!
He
lives again!
He
reigns!
He
is the King of Kings, the Lord Almighty, My Saviour
Jesus Christ
(Isaiah 53: 1-12, Mark 16: 1-16)
came
He
was born
He
grew
He
lived
He
walked
He
taught
He
ministered
He
mourned
He
loved
He
was despised
He
was mocked
He
was beaten
He
was stripped
He
bore our griefs
He
carried our sorrows
He
was wounded
He
was bruised
He
was blasphemed
He
was oppressed
He
was afflicted
He
was led away
He
was cut off
He
was separated from God
He
was the offering for the sins of mankind
He
was nailed to the cross at Calvary
He
was crucified
He
died
He
was buried
He
arose from the grave!
He
has risen indeed!
He
lives again!
He
reigns!
He
is the King of Kings, the Lord Almighty, My Saviour
Jesus Christ
(Isaiah 53: 1-12, Mark 16: 1-16)
Ironing reflections
Ironing. A never-ending thankless job. I hate ironing. I have always found it a chore, standing in basically one place over a board, moving an iron back and forth, up and down, over a piece of cloth. Boring, tiring work.
The other night I gave in.
A trip coming up in the near future necessitated getting clothes ready and that mean ironing.
One hour later 5 shirts and blouses and 1 skirt were nicely steam-pressed.
It was a time of reflection. ... I thought about writing -- I've always enjoyed the art ... I thought about suggestions others have made to write a book or a devotional ... I thought about my mother.
The ironing -- the hot steam took me back to childhood memories of her sitting in front of the big old mangle iron on the back porch, summer or winter, pressing our clothes. I could see the clothes line, the summer house my grandparents first lived in when the big house was being built, and almost smell the sweet fragrance of those popcorn-shaped flowers.
We lived in the country, not far from the Cedar Rapids city limits, but far enough if you needed aid -- because they just wouldn't come. If your house was on fire, it would likely be burned to the ground before anyone would or could get there.
Still, I loved living in the country. Now days, I look out our front window or back window or any window and just see houses. When I was younger, I was surrounded by cornfields and massive maple trees and evergreens. I could stand in one place or sit on the front porch step and watch the beautiful sunsets. Here, now, nothing is as simple. Life is not so serene and peaceful. Only in our memories.
But back to ironing. ... hey, this is kind of relaxing. I didn't say it was fun and I didn't say it would be relaxing next time, but for this brief span, it is.
The iron -- I bought a new heavier model nearly a year ago -- it works very well; does a much improved job over those cheap lightweight little gadgets you can buy.
The iron just glides across the material, and if you're not paying attention, as when memory wandering, you may find the iron has slid off the board and onto your foot. It didn't, thank God, but the possibility was there. I didn't burn my hand either. I think about these things ... steam heat is HOT! I refilled the water reservoir three times before completing the task at hand.
If only my mother were here, I could have shown her how well I ironed my blouse. Kinda silly isn't it? I held up that blouse and promptly complimented myself on doing such a fine job. I had considered showing my husband, but then I thought, no, the effect would have been lost.
The other night I gave in.
A trip coming up in the near future necessitated getting clothes ready and that mean ironing.
One hour later 5 shirts and blouses and 1 skirt were nicely steam-pressed.
It was a time of reflection. ... I thought about writing -- I've always enjoyed the art ... I thought about suggestions others have made to write a book or a devotional ... I thought about my mother.
The ironing -- the hot steam took me back to childhood memories of her sitting in front of the big old mangle iron on the back porch, summer or winter, pressing our clothes. I could see the clothes line, the summer house my grandparents first lived in when the big house was being built, and almost smell the sweet fragrance of those popcorn-shaped flowers.
We lived in the country, not far from the Cedar Rapids city limits, but far enough if you needed aid -- because they just wouldn't come. If your house was on fire, it would likely be burned to the ground before anyone would or could get there.
Still, I loved living in the country. Now days, I look out our front window or back window or any window and just see houses. When I was younger, I was surrounded by cornfields and massive maple trees and evergreens. I could stand in one place or sit on the front porch step and watch the beautiful sunsets. Here, now, nothing is as simple. Life is not so serene and peaceful. Only in our memories.
But back to ironing. ... hey, this is kind of relaxing. I didn't say it was fun and I didn't say it would be relaxing next time, but for this brief span, it is.
The iron -- I bought a new heavier model nearly a year ago -- it works very well; does a much improved job over those cheap lightweight little gadgets you can buy.
The iron just glides across the material, and if you're not paying attention, as when memory wandering, you may find the iron has slid off the board and onto your foot. It didn't, thank God, but the possibility was there. I didn't burn my hand either. I think about these things ... steam heat is HOT! I refilled the water reservoir three times before completing the task at hand.
If only my mother were here, I could have shown her how well I ironed my blouse. Kinda silly isn't it? I held up that blouse and promptly complimented myself on doing such a fine job. I had considered showing my husband, but then I thought, no, the effect would have been lost.
Monday, April 6, 2009
United Church of Christ Renewal Leader Apologizes to Citizens, Christians of Iowa
ChristianNewswire.com -- The Rev. David Runnion-Bareford, executive executive director of Biblical Witness Fellowship, the Confessing Movement in the United Church of Christ, and president of the Association for Church Renewal, strategic alliance of renewal ministries in the mainline denominations of North America, submits the following and is available for comment:
To the citizens, pastors, churches and Christians of Iowa. Today on behalf of many thousands of Christians who belong to congregations of the United Church of Christ and millions of faithful Christians in the 'mainline' churches that helped found our nation, I apologize with a broken heart for our denominational officials and other proponents of faux Christian religion who have publicly advocated and applauded the attempt of your court to redefine marriage. This is an ancient idolatry in new skin. We know that the ordinance of marriage between one man and one woman is imbedded in natural law and the natural moral order by the sovereign word of the creator God.
That has not changed. Marriage for all of us, regardless of belief, is the primary covenant in which all other human covenants, laws, and governments are grounded. When courts, governments, or religious bodies make decrees to change the character and definition of marriage, nothing is changed other than the state of their own legitimacy. To decree some other form of relationship a marriage, does not make it so in the only court before which each of us will ultimately stand. To tell dear folks who yearn to have it so, that it is, is a cruel deception. Natural law, the ordinances of God, and the faith of the church are not subject to change by political action, legal decrees, denominational meetings or cultural consensus especially in our era of sexual and relational confusion, perversion and failure.
For us who are Christians that word is confirmed by our Lord Jesus Christ who said, "at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." (Matthew 19:4, 5)
To the citizens, pastors, churches and Christians of Iowa. Today on behalf of many thousands of Christians who belong to congregations of the United Church of Christ and millions of faithful Christians in the 'mainline' churches that helped found our nation, I apologize with a broken heart for our denominational officials and other proponents of faux Christian religion who have publicly advocated and applauded the attempt of your court to redefine marriage. This is an ancient idolatry in new skin. We know that the ordinance of marriage between one man and one woman is imbedded in natural law and the natural moral order by the sovereign word of the creator God.
That has not changed. Marriage for all of us, regardless of belief, is the primary covenant in which all other human covenants, laws, and governments are grounded. When courts, governments, or religious bodies make decrees to change the character and definition of marriage, nothing is changed other than the state of their own legitimacy. To decree some other form of relationship a marriage, does not make it so in the only court before which each of us will ultimately stand. To tell dear folks who yearn to have it so, that it is, is a cruel deception. Natural law, the ordinances of God, and the faith of the church are not subject to change by political action, legal decrees, denominational meetings or cultural consensus especially in our era of sexual and relational confusion, perversion and failure.
For us who are Christians that word is confirmed by our Lord Jesus Christ who said, "at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." (Matthew 19:4, 5)
The case of mistaken identity
I received these cute pictures in an email, and have decided to share them with you. The subject in itself, identity theft, is not one to be taken lightly, but in this particular case, its just silly and cute.
Whatever circumstances, God is with us
To fellow believers in Christ:
Whatever circumstances you find yourself in, remember God has allowed you to be there.
Every now and then a song by the Moody Blues from the 1970s comes to mind. The song is "I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock and Roll Band)" and the lyrics I especially connect with say "I'm just a wandering on the face of this earth."
Wandering, wanderers, travelers, sojourners in a distant land ... that is what we fellow believers in Christ are. Wherever we are it is all temporary. Our eternal home is heaven and God alone determines when we will arrive there.
Throughout time I can imagine many have thought, "It can't get much worse than this." But it can, it has, it will. No matter what part of the country, the continent you live, events transpire that result, reap negative and positive.
We must pray. Prayer can never be fully taken away from us. We must seek His guidance, His will for us in the circumstances surrounding us. We will experience God's peace as we pray and acknowledge He is in control, not us ourselves nor any other.
In Jeremiah 29, verses 7-9, 11-13, the Lord says: (7)"And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. (8) For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you ... (9) For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord. (11) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (12) Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. (13) And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."
In Romans 8, verses 28, 31-35 God promises: (28) "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (31) What then shall we say ...? If God is for us, who can be against us? (32) He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (33) Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. (34) Who is he who condemns? It is Christ ... who also makes intercession for us. (35) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
Nothing, no one. As long as we continue to abide with the Lord, walking with Him in obedience, nothing will ever separate us from His love, His power, His will, Him.
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 38-39)
Whatever circumstances you find yourself in, remember God has allowed you to be there.
Every now and then a song by the Moody Blues from the 1970s comes to mind. The song is "I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock and Roll Band)" and the lyrics I especially connect with say "I'm just a wandering on the face of this earth."
Wandering, wanderers, travelers, sojourners in a distant land ... that is what we fellow believers in Christ are. Wherever we are it is all temporary. Our eternal home is heaven and God alone determines when we will arrive there.
Throughout time I can imagine many have thought, "It can't get much worse than this." But it can, it has, it will. No matter what part of the country, the continent you live, events transpire that result, reap negative and positive.
We must pray. Prayer can never be fully taken away from us. We must seek His guidance, His will for us in the circumstances surrounding us. We will experience God's peace as we pray and acknowledge He is in control, not us ourselves nor any other.
In Jeremiah 29, verses 7-9, 11-13, the Lord says: (7)"And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. (8) For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you ... (9) For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord. (11) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (12) Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. (13) And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."
In Romans 8, verses 28, 31-35 God promises: (28) "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (31) What then shall we say ...? If God is for us, who can be against us? (32) He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (33) Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. (34) Who is he who condemns? It is Christ ... who also makes intercession for us. (35) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
Nothing, no one. As long as we continue to abide with the Lord, walking with Him in obedience, nothing will ever separate us from His love, His power, His will, Him.
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 38-39)
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Ah, hindsight
We must not consider all of life based solely on ourselves. We must seek God's input, His will for each of us.
My thinking is not His thinking. My thinking can cause heartache, can get me and you and others in trouble.
Ah, hindsight. Don't you wish sometimes you had it a little sooner, so perhaps whatever you might say won't come back to haunt you? Learning is not easy. Hindsight is at least better than never seeing the error of your ways.
This morning as I was reviewing a handout taken from the book, "Loving God with All Your Mind" by Elizabeth George, I came across six points that could help us make decisions more wisely.
1. Will this cause me to compromise my character?
2. Could this put me in a potentially bad situation?
3. Could this hurt my influence with others?
4. Does this go against God's will? His word?
5. Will this draw me closer to God or further away?
6. Is it illegal, immoral or unethical?
Thoughts to definitely ponder upon.
And in Mark 8: 33a, when Jesus is speaking to Peter -- "Get behind Me Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men!" -- I am reminded how easy it is to remember me and forget God, and how that is not a good plan. Without God, I can do nothing, or that which I do do is foolishness. And I know well what foolishness I have given in to. Do not want to stay there. Want to be wise, stay focused on God, follow in His ways, not my own.
My thinking is not His thinking. My thinking can cause heartache, can get me and you and others in trouble.
Ah, hindsight. Don't you wish sometimes you had it a little sooner, so perhaps whatever you might say won't come back to haunt you? Learning is not easy. Hindsight is at least better than never seeing the error of your ways.
This morning as I was reviewing a handout taken from the book, "Loving God with All Your Mind" by Elizabeth George, I came across six points that could help us make decisions more wisely.
1. Will this cause me to compromise my character?
2. Could this put me in a potentially bad situation?
3. Could this hurt my influence with others?
4. Does this go against God's will? His word?
5. Will this draw me closer to God or further away?
6. Is it illegal, immoral or unethical?
Thoughts to definitely ponder upon.
And in Mark 8: 33a, when Jesus is speaking to Peter -- "Get behind Me Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men!" -- I am reminded how easy it is to remember me and forget God, and how that is not a good plan. Without God, I can do nothing, or that which I do do is foolishness. And I know well what foolishness I have given in to. Do not want to stay there. Want to be wise, stay focused on God, follow in His ways, not my own.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
"The unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God"
God is greater than you or I. God is the great I AM. Yet there are many who treat Him as nothing.
Such evilness to be found in the United States, in our very own back yards. The most recent upheaval coming to my mind is the ruling handed down April 3 by the Iowa Supreme Court making it legal for homosexuals to marry.
How sickening.
Have we returned to the days of Sodom and Gomorrah?
(Genesis 19: 1-5, 13, 23-28) "Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way. And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square. But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally ... For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it. ... The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace."
God destroyed the cities to rid the wickedness that prevailed within, but following the path of God was not their way. Disobedience to God's commandments was the way of so many; sin became rampant once again and has continued to be the norm down through the ages.
How dare we ignore the Almighty God. How dare we claim there is no God. How dare we expect Him to sit back and be pleased with what He witnesses. He is not pleased. I am not His spokesperson. He does not need someone to speak for Him. He is. But I am His child, and as His child, I must follow Him and be obedient to Him, showing others the way to true freedom, to eternal security, achieved only one way, through faith in Jesus Christ, His son, who paid the utmost price, going to the cross, dying for the sins of us all, and then too, the eternal punishment when you refuse.
You think, you claim you have no use of Him. One day Jesus will return. One day all of you who profess followers of Christ are imbeciles will discover how much truth is known. One day your end will come and you will have no where to turn, no where to go, but deep into the dark endless pit of hell. The Bible is true. God is perfect. One day you will see how misinformed you really are. God's wrath will be upon you. God will destroy all the evil.
It cannot come soon enough. I wish we didn't have to go through these times. It will get worse. But with God beside me and you, my fellow believers, we will prevail.
"Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge." (Hebrews 13: 4)
"You shall not lie with a man as with a woman: It is an abomination." (Leviticus 18: 22)
"If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20: 13)
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, ... will inherit the Kingdom of God. ... Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord and the Lord for the body."(1 Corinthians 6: 9-10, 13b)
"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness ... those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God." (Galatians 5: 19-21)
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, ... that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter (or her sister), because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit." (1 Thessalonians 4: 3-5a,6-8)
I pray Psalm 119: 133, "Direct my steps by your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me."
For other reading: Church History - the Homosexual Age
Bible Probe
Such evilness to be found in the United States, in our very own back yards. The most recent upheaval coming to my mind is the ruling handed down April 3 by the Iowa Supreme Court making it legal for homosexuals to marry.
How sickening.
Have we returned to the days of Sodom and Gomorrah?
(Genesis 19: 1-5, 13, 23-28) "Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way. And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square. But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally ... For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it. ... The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace."
God destroyed the cities to rid the wickedness that prevailed within, but following the path of God was not their way. Disobedience to God's commandments was the way of so many; sin became rampant once again and has continued to be the norm down through the ages.
How dare we ignore the Almighty God. How dare we claim there is no God. How dare we expect Him to sit back and be pleased with what He witnesses. He is not pleased. I am not His spokesperson. He does not need someone to speak for Him. He is. But I am His child, and as His child, I must follow Him and be obedient to Him, showing others the way to true freedom, to eternal security, achieved only one way, through faith in Jesus Christ, His son, who paid the utmost price, going to the cross, dying for the sins of us all, and then too, the eternal punishment when you refuse.
You think, you claim you have no use of Him. One day Jesus will return. One day all of you who profess followers of Christ are imbeciles will discover how much truth is known. One day your end will come and you will have no where to turn, no where to go, but deep into the dark endless pit of hell. The Bible is true. God is perfect. One day you will see how misinformed you really are. God's wrath will be upon you. God will destroy all the evil.
It cannot come soon enough. I wish we didn't have to go through these times. It will get worse. But with God beside me and you, my fellow believers, we will prevail.
"Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge." (Hebrews 13: 4)
"You shall not lie with a man as with a woman: It is an abomination." (Leviticus 18: 22)
"If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20: 13)
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, ... will inherit the Kingdom of God. ... Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord and the Lord for the body."(1 Corinthians 6: 9-10, 13b)
"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness ... those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God." (Galatians 5: 19-21)
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, ... that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter (or her sister), because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit." (1 Thessalonians 4: 3-5a,6-8)
I pray Psalm 119: 133, "Direct my steps by your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me."
For other reading: Church History - the Homosexual Age
Bible Probe
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
Remember the saying, "healthy, wealthy and wise?" What is being wise, wisdom? It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with longevity or maturity or tenure.
In Proverbs 1: 2, it is "to perceive the words of understanding."
-- To be able to understand, discern meaning
Verse 5 says, "A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel."
-- To listen intently, gain knowledge.
Wisdom, I have found, begins with the Lord.
Proverbs 1: 7 -- "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge"
Job 28: 28 -- "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding."
Psalm 111: 10 -- "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever."
Proverbs 9: 10 -- "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
Proverbs 15: 33 -- "The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility."
Ecclesiastes 12: 13a -- "Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is the whole duty of man."
Fear ... Not as in being afraid, scared, frightened, tormented; but showing reverence toward, being in awe of, the Almighty God.
I Timothy 1: 5 -- "Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith."
Hebrews 12: 28-29 -- "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire."
1 John 4: 12, 15-18 -- "If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this; that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."
John 3: 16 -- "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
The fear of God ... to be committed.
Deuteronomy 10: 12a-13 -- "What does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and will all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes. ..."
Psalm 27: 1-3 -- "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war should rise against me, in this I
will be confident."
Fearing the Lord ... is not being afraid of Him, but being in awe of Him.
Psalm 34: 4, 7, 11, 13-14 -- "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking guile (untruths, lies). Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."
2 Timothy 1: 7 -- "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
A spirit of fear ... a sense of awe, but not being cowardly. Of sound mind ... having good sense
Proverbs 24: 21 -- "... fear the Lord and the King; Do not associate with those given to change; (those in opposition to civil authority) for their calamity (distress, adversity, troubles) will rise suddenly," meaning, as it says in verse 17, "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles."
1 Peter 2: 17 -- "Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King."
Wisdom begins with God, is reverence for God, being in awe of God, abiding with God, trusting God, serving God, loving God, following God, obeying God.
In Proverbs 1: 2, it is "to perceive the words of understanding."
-- To be able to understand, discern meaning
Verse 5 says, "A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel."
-- To listen intently, gain knowledge.
Wisdom, I have found, begins with the Lord.
Proverbs 1: 7 -- "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge"
Job 28: 28 -- "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding."
Psalm 111: 10 -- "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever."
Proverbs 9: 10 -- "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
Proverbs 15: 33 -- "The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility."
Ecclesiastes 12: 13a -- "Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is the whole duty of man."
Fear ... Not as in being afraid, scared, frightened, tormented; but showing reverence toward, being in awe of, the Almighty God.
I Timothy 1: 5 -- "Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith."
Hebrews 12: 28-29 -- "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire."
1 John 4: 12, 15-18 -- "If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this; that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."
John 3: 16 -- "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
The fear of God ... to be committed.
Deuteronomy 10: 12a-13 -- "What does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and will all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes. ..."
Psalm 27: 1-3 -- "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war should rise against me, in this I
will be confident."
Fearing the Lord ... is not being afraid of Him, but being in awe of Him.
Psalm 34: 4, 7, 11, 13-14 -- "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking guile (untruths, lies). Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."
2 Timothy 1: 7 -- "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
A spirit of fear ... a sense of awe, but not being cowardly. Of sound mind ... having good sense
Proverbs 24: 21 -- "... fear the Lord and the King; Do not associate with those given to change; (those in opposition to civil authority) for their calamity (distress, adversity, troubles) will rise suddenly," meaning, as it says in verse 17, "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles."
1 Peter 2: 17 -- "Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King."
Wisdom begins with God, is reverence for God, being in awe of God, abiding with God, trusting God, serving God, loving God, following God, obeying God.
Friday, April 3, 2009
God does not approve
So, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriages legal. Because God has given mankind freewill, choices made often go against God. So, in essence, He does not approve. Look to the days in Biblical time of Sodom and Gomorrah, where the two cities were destroyed because of God's immense disapproval and wrath. The end, as we know it, is fast approaching. Satan may think he is winning, but he is not.
God alone
Reading
into
the
writings
the
speakings
the
tones
of
another
is
not always
beneficial
to
you
or
to
them.
Thinking ...
your
mind
can
play tricks
Thinking ...
is
that true
is
that real
?
Thinking ...
can
cause
trouble,
more trouble
than
is
warranted.
God
tells us
to
keep
our focus
sharp
by
pursuing
excellence.
Which is?
Abiding
with
Jesus
...
Always
looking
to
Him
...
Always
seeking
His
wisdom.
Not
becoming
inundated
with
outside
influences
Not
veering
into
unknown
spaces
that
you
think
you
know
what is
and
what is not.
No matter
what
we perceive,
God
is the
only one
who
fully knows.
To
stay
on
the
right path,
the path
God
has chosen
for
you,
must
listen
more intently
to His
leading ...
and
follow Him.
Not
me.
God alone.
into
the
writings
the
speakings
the
tones
of
another
is
not always
beneficial
to
you
or
to
them.
Thinking ...
your
mind
can
play tricks
Thinking ...
is
that true
is
that real
?
Thinking ...
can
cause
trouble,
more trouble
than
is
warranted.
God
tells us
to
keep
our focus
sharp
by
pursuing
excellence.
Which is?
Abiding
with
Jesus
...
Always
looking
to
Him
...
Always
seeking
His
wisdom.
Not
becoming
inundated
with
outside
influences
Not
veering
into
unknown
spaces
that
you
think
you
know
what is
and
what is not.
No matter
what
we perceive,
God
is the
only one
who
fully knows.
To
stay
on
the
right path,
the path
God
has chosen
for
you,
must
listen
more intently
to His
leading ...
and
follow Him.
Not
me.
God alone.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Quality revisited
In an earlier post I questioned whether quality was lost. My point of reference was all materials I read in print and on the Web. I am not going to list everything I read, because to my way of thinking it doesn’t really matter. The point I was trying, and am still attempting to make, is presentation is just as important as content and sometimes I fear we don’t pay enough attention to the presentation.
Perhaps if I just read for content alone, I wouldn't get so caught up in how it looks. What do you think?
Perhaps if I just read for content alone, I wouldn't get so caught up in how it looks. What do you think?
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