Monday, November 28, 2016

What's Happening?



Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour:
I Peter 5:8

The day is as clear in my mind as if it was yesterday. I was 8 years old and had been playing outside in the yard with some friends from across the street. My Mother came out to get me and while in that process, one of the girls told my Mother that I had said the word “darn.” It wouldn't have been so bad if my Mother had believed me when I protested, but she took for granted that I had said that “bad word.” Yep, in those days, it was a bad word in our house...a very bad word. It didn't make any difference that all around me with family, neighbors and adult family friends, I heard lots of cursing, but also knew better than to say any of those words myself.

Perhaps my Mother believed me, but just to make sure, I was ushered into our kitchen, handed a small bar of Ivory soap and was told to bite into it. After doing that, my front and side teeth were sufficiently coated with that soft soap. In those moments, I knew literally what foaming at the mouth looked like. Not only did that stuff taste terrible, but it was next to impossible to wipe off my teeth and even totally brush it off, at least for awhile. It stayed as a reminder for a few hours that “darn” could never ever be a part of my vocabulary even though it hadn't been. I was told that saying “darn” was the same as saying “damn.” That was news to me, but from that point on, even though in a lifetime I may have said “that” word, I can honestly say it's never been a part of my vocabulary. If I were to use it, I'm afraid that Ivory soap taste would reappear in my mouth.

That whole event seems so incidental as I look back. I mention it only in light of that being about 70 years ago. I've known in recent years, many children who are 7 and 8 years old using four letter words on a school playground that I would hope would make their parents blush. There are things in our day we may not like, but that are happening almost without the blink of anyone's eye. What's happening?

I look at TV programs in our day with the scanty attire, sexual passion, some cursing and all the rest that goes with immorality and any other sinful activity. America soaks in those programs or they wouldn't continue to be on the air. Advertising is often sensual or just dishonest whether on television or on our computers. It seems today, there are no fences or barriers protecting us from the ugliness of depraved thinkers. Because of that, we can be slowly pulled in to so much that years ago would have been totally unacceptable to us.

In the aging process, I learned from Scripture that society will not improve. It will always be on a downward spiral. Satan is the god of this world and he works much harder at what he does than we do in combating his ploys. In the light of today's society, “darn” seems pretty small and almost insignificant. Perhaps my Mother knew beyond what I knew that a word like that might be only the beginning of leading to more and other usages of other bad words.

Satan has worked ever so subtly and slowly to get the snowball rolling downhill when it comes to all of the things that have and are destroying the society many of us know or once knew. We feel helpless to say or do anything that will be of any influence and yet, Scripture tells us in any number of places that even though we may feel very alone, we still have influence even if only as individuals.

Peter spoke to Christians fleeing persecution in his day. Both of his epistles are such encouraging books for Christians to read who are either going through some tough things of life or in preparation of such. He speaks to them as a group, but each verse spells out personal responsibility expected of Christians no matter their state or time in history. He gives you and me something to remember as we may be facing frustration with our world.


But ye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood,
an holy nation,
a peculiar people;
that ye should shew forth the
praises of Him who hath called
you out of darkness into His
marvelous light.
I Peter 1:9

Notice WHO we are in Christ...we're a part of His Kingdom, we are priests, we are holy because of our standing with Christ. You and I as Christians have the privilege of being a part of God's holy Kingdom. We have a standing as priests in that we have the privilege also of praying straight to our Heavenly Father with no one to intercede except for Jesus Who is our mediator. But notice, we are peculiar. That word “peculiar” means we are to be different from the rest of an ungodly world. That can't be done as a group project. Individually, we are to be so different from the world that we stand out as an oddity. That will show forth praises to God, THE One who has called us from the dark to light. This doesn't mean, however, that we put on a show for people. The Spirit within us will direct us to be different from the rest of the world.

So when things seeming to go haywire in our country, putting frustration aside, what do we do now? Just a few suggestions that I am first writing to myself:

  • Be a person of prayer...we need to pray in these days like never before.
  • Be a person of the Word...it will keep us on track with our morals and basic beliefs.
  • Live a life above reproach...enabled only by walking in God's ways.
  • Set good examples before family, friends, church and community.
  • Be a good citizen....in these days VOTE and obey established law.
  • Stay focused on the Lord, not people...Revelation tells us Who in the end wins.

Sounds like tall orders but nothing we won't find in Scripture. When at the height of frustration, pray and be in the Bible. You can never go wrong reading in the Gospels and the Psalms if you don't know where to begin.

Whatever you do, don't ever say THAT word. Ivory soap tastes awful. The aftertaste has a way of staying with you.

Dear Father, help me to focus on the fact that You are in charge of everything and there is nothing in our country that comes as a shock to you. All indicators are that we may get to see Jesus in the clouds sooner than we could have thought. Give us the strength to endure the mess of our culture and not become a part of it. In Jesus' precious name....Amen

Monday, November 21, 2016

Faith Memories


Remember His marvellous works
that He hath done; His wonders,
and the judgments of His mouth.
Psalm 105:5



The Israelites had won a great battle over the Philistines outside of Mizpeh. It was a tremendous victory brought about through God's strengthening of His people. It was such a momentous moment that Samuel the high priest, felt it necessary to do...something special to commemorate the wonderful event. He chose to do something we would consider rather unusual:

Then Samuel took a stone,
and set it between Mizpeh and Shen,
and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying,
Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.
I Samuel 7:12

The word “ebenezer” means “stone of help.” Samuel didn't want the people to ever forget what God had brought about through them in that battle. He wanted there to be some thing they could always look at and remember more what God had done than what they had done.

It is interesting that this very thing is spoken of in the second verse of a very old hymn, Come Thou Fount. As a child, I remember singing it and always wondered what “ebenezer” was. The first two lines of the second verse say

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.”

I sang that song about raising my own ebenezer, but had no idea what I was singing. However, even today, I wonder if there aren't ebenezers we can look back to in our own spiritual walk. We may not have left special rocks along the way, but we have special spiritual memories we can remember “hitherby God's help I've come.”

An assistant pastor of ours in a Bible study recently mentioned the term “faith memories.” I love that term because that's what an ebenezer actually means. He mentioned stressing those in the lives of our children and grandchildren. Such faith memories are faith building for children and for we adults as well. There are times when God brings us through some tough battles both individually and as families. We all need to recognize His necessary part in those battles being won.

Human memories can be faulty or lacking, especially as we grow older. In general, we tend to not think or ponder on the blessings of God...ebenezers...things we take from God with little remembrance of those big and little blessings, victories that changed our lives. It means determining to be more conscious of our faith memories.

I will remember the works of the Lord:
surely I will remember thy wonders of old.
Psalm 77:11

There are times when we go through very disturbing events in life. We can focus on those events and become discouraged or depressed, but often remembering those victories or special events orchestrated by God for our benefit can encourage and uplift us.

Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed
within me;
my heart within me is desolate.

I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all thy works;
I muse on the work of thy hands.
Psalm 143:4,5

It is so easy for we Christians to get off track...lose our vision, enthusiasm and spiritual focus. I would like to think that the surrounding world and it's problems don't affect me but they do. If I find myself in such a rut, it's hard looking up and over the edges of that rut to see God's sunshine let alone being able to think upon the spiritual victories of the past He has brought me through. That may never happen for you but it does me on occasion. No matter the battle or war we face, God stands ready to strengthen us beyond any expectation.

Where are those spiritual landmarks of victory that have blessed us beyond words? Perhaps we need to get those “ebenezer rocks” out of the closets of our minds. As we remember those precious times of victory and God's goodness, we are renewed in spirit and others may share in those times be they our children or friends.

Thank You Father for all of the “ebenezers” I have stored in my heart of those times You've given me of blessing and victory. I am so undeserving of the richness I have in my relationship with You. Forgive my ingratitude. I love you....in Jesus' precious name...Amen

.

Monday, November 14, 2016


God's Positioning System

I will instruct thee and teach thee
in the way which thou shalt go I will guide
thee with mine eye.
Psalm 32:8

Amazingly, Brian and I have never had a GPS (Global Positioning System) in our most recent cars. After all of the stories I've heard from folks about their adventures with those gizmo's, I must say I'm just as glad I don't have anything like that. One person told me several years ago that their installed system told them to always make left hand turns. This person knew most of those turns were incorrect, especially if instructed to turn on a one way street going the opposite way. Some have spoken about the female voice (or what seems to be female) that they can't seem to even turn off when they want to turn her off. I've also heard of drivers who are perfectly happy with their system and haven't seemed to have any problems at all getting to where they want to go.

Despite whatever system any of us use to get to where we want to go, we can find ourselves on the wrong path. In our day, many rely on computers that suggest where to order clothes, where to find someone who makes home repairs or even in some cases, folks who are looking for love and companionship off of a computer screen. Our computers often become a type of guidance/positioning system. Many of our young people today are taking much of their advice and guidance from people on electronic devices, people they don't even know and have no reason to trust.

Any GPS is dependent on satellites in space that feeds information of one's position fed to various devices. Those devices aren't just found in cars. In our day, there is equipment to locate almost anyone or anything which is frightening to me. Even animals can be tagged whether family dogs or animals in our national park that can help in locating any tagged animal at any time.

Why all this hodge-podge of thinking? I, like some readers, have as of late, been overly exposed to an overload of political information. Something that has always fascinated me regarding our top political leaders is how they and their families are guarded over by the Secret Service. It is known at all times where those leaders and families are, doing all possible to insure their safety. I recall the Sunday morning when George and Barbara Bush attended First Baptist Church Dallas. Secret service checked people at the door, others were located near the Bush's and some standing at side walls. Others sat in the congregation, making themselves as incognito as possible. You could see many of those agents, some with eyes on that special couple, others with roving eyes looking for any problems and all with devices in their ears informing of locations and timing of departure.

Anyone who has had teenagers in their homes have heard at one time or another, “I never have any privacy.” Let me in on a secret you and I may not think of very often. There is no one, anytime, anyplace who has privacy where God is concerned. God has His own Positioning System. Because He, right now, is not in human form, doesn't mean we are ever off His grid of observation. We can find comfort in God's omnipresence in our lives, but at the same time, there are some whose lives aren't perhaps where God would have them be, who might ask that teenage question...”Don't I ever get any privacy even away from God?” I have news for any of us no matter where we are in relationship to God...He is ever present and observant in our lives. He is our positioning system. Hopefully we can feel a comfort and security in that fact. Scripture speaks often in very loving terms of God's tender and loving presence in our lives.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good.
Proverbs 15:3

Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord,
and not a God afar off?
Can any hide himself in secret places
that I shall not see him? Saith the Lord.
Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith
the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:23,24

What an awesome thing that God is always with me, guarding my every step, hearing every word. That is love beyond my comprehension and security even the best the secret service could ever provide. When in God's will, I am at rest with his omnipresence. If some are not where they should be in God's will, perhaps that sweet fact will draw them back to Him where He longs for them to be.

Let's pray:
O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Psalm 139:1-5

Thank You, Father, for all of that....In Jesus precious name.....Amen and amen.




God's Positioning System
I will instruct thee and teach thee
in the way which thou shalt go I will guide
thee with mine eye.
Psalm 32:8

Amazingly, Brian and I have never had a GPS (Global Positioning System) in our most recent cars. After all of the stories I've heard from folks about their adventures with those gizmo's, I must say I'm just as glad I don't have anything like that. One person told me several years ago that their installed system told them to always make left hand turns. This person knew most of those turns were incorrect, especially if instructed to turn on a one way street going the opposite way. Some have spoken about the female voice (or what seems to be female) that they can't seem to even turn off when they want to turn her off. I've also heard of drivers who are perfectly happy with their system and haven't seemed to have any problems at all getting to where they want to go.

Despite whatever system any of us use to get to where we want to go, we can find ourselves on the wrong path. In our day, many rely on computers that suggest where to order clothes, where to find someone who makes home repairs or even in some cases, folks who are looking for love and companionship off of a computer screen. Our computers often become a type of guidance/positioning system. Many of our young people today are taking much of their advice and guidance from people on electronic devices, people they don't even know and have no reason to trust.

Any GPS is dependent on satellites in space that feeds information of one's position fed to various devices. Those devices aren't just found in cars. In our day, there is equipment to locate almost anyone or anything which is frightening to me. Even animals can be tagged whether family dogs or animals in our national park that can help in locating any tagged animal at any time.

Why all this hodge-podge of thinking? I, like some readers, have as of late, been overly exposed to an overload of political information. Something that has always fascinated me regarding our top political leaders is how they and their families are guarded over by the Secret Service. It is known at all times where those leaders and families are, doing all possible to insure their safety. I recall the Sunday morning when George and Barbara Bush attended First Baptist Church Dallas. Secret service checked people at the door, others were located near the Bush's and some standing at side walls. Others sat in the congregation, making themselves as incognito as possible. You could see many of those agents, some with eyes on that special couple, others with roving eyes looking for any problems and all with devices in their ears informing of locations and timing of departure.

Anyone who has had teenagers in their homes have heard at one time or another, “I never have any privacy.” Let me in on a secret you and I may not think of very often. There is no one, anytime, anyplace who has privacy where God is concerned. God has His own Positioning System. Because He, right now, is not in human form, doesn't mean we are ever off His grid of observation. We can find comfort in God's omnipresence in our lives, but at the same time, there are some whose lives aren't perhaps where God would have them be, who might ask that teenage question...”Don't I ever get any privacy even away from God?” I have news for any of us no matter where we are in relationship to God...He is ever present and observant in our lives. He is our positioning system. Hopefully we can feel a comfort and security in that fact. Scripture speaks often in very loving terms of God's tender and loving presence in our lives.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good.
Proverbs 15:3

Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord,
and not a God afar off?
Can any hide himself in secret places
that I shall not see him? Saith the Lord.
Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith
the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:23,24

What an awesome thing that God is always with me, guarding my every step, hearing every word. That is love beyond my comprehension and security even the best the secret service could ever provide. When in God's will, I am at rest with his omnipresence. If some are not where they should be in God's will, perhaps that sweet fact will draw them back to Him where He longs for them to be.

Let's pray:
O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Psalm 139:1-5

Thank You, Father, for all of that....In Jesus precious name.....Amen and amen.




God's Positioning System
I will instruct thee and teach thee
in the way which thou shalt go I will guide
thee with mine eye.
Psalm 32:8

Amazingly, Brian and I have never had a GPS (Global Positioning System) in our most recent cars. After all of the stories I've heard from folks about their adventures with those gizmo's, I must say I'm just as glad I don't have anything like that. One person told me several years ago that their installed system told them to always make left hand turns. This person knew most of those turns were incorrect, especially if instructed to turn on a one way street going the opposite way. Some have spoken about the female voice (or what seems to be female) that they can't seem to even turn off when they want to turn her off. I've also heard of drivers who are perfectly happy with their system and haven't seemed to have any problems at all getting to where they want to go.

Despite whatever system any of us use to get to where we want to go, we can find ourselves on the wrong path. In our day, many rely on computers that suggest where to order clothes, where to find someone who makes home repairs or even in some cases, folks who are looking for love and companionship off of a computer screen. Our computers often become a type of guidance/positioning system. Many of our young people today are taking much of their advice and guidance from people on electronic devices, people they don't even know and have no reason to trust.

Any GPS is dependent on satellites in space that feeds information of one's position fed to various devices. Those devices aren't just found in cars. In our day, there is equipment to locate almost anyone or anything which is frightening to me. Even animals can be tagged whether family dogs or animals in our national park that can help in locating any tagged animal at any time.

Why all this hodge-podge of thinking? I, like some readers, have as of late, been overly exposed to an overload of political information. Something that has always fascinated me regarding our top political leaders is how they and their families are guarded over by the Secret Service. It is known at all times where those leaders and families are, doing all possible to insure their safety. I recall the Sunday morning when George and Barbara Bush attended First Baptist Church Dallas. Secret service checked people at the door, others were located near the Bush's and some standing at side walls. Others sat in the congregation, making themselves as incognito as possible. You could see many of those agents, some with eyes on that special couple, others with roving eyes looking for any problems and all with devices in their ears informing of locations and timing of departure.

Anyone who has had teenagers in their homes have heard at one time or another, “I never have any privacy.” Let me in on a secret you and I may not think of very often. There is no one, anytime, anyplace who has privacy where God is concerned. God has His own Positioning System. Because He, right now, is not in human form, doesn't mean we are ever off His grid of observation. We can find comfort in God's omnipresence in our lives, but at the same time, there are some whose lives aren't perhaps where God would have them be, who might ask that teenage question...”Don't I ever get any privacy even away from God?” I have news for any of us no matter where we are in relationship to God...He is ever present and observant in our lives. He is our positioning system. Hopefully we can feel a comfort and security in that fact. Scripture speaks often in very loving terms of God's tender and loving presence in our lives.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good.
Proverbs 15:3

Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord,
and not a God afar off?
Can any hide himself in secret places
that I shall not see him? Saith the Lord.
Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith
the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:23,24

What an awesome thing that God is always with me, guarding my every step, hearing every word. That is love beyond my comprehension and security even the best the secret service could ever provide. When in God's will, I am at rest with his omnipresence. If some are not where they should be in God's will, perhaps that sweet fact will draw them back to Him where He longs for them to be.

Let's pray:
O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Psalm 139:1-5

Thank You, Father, for all of that....In Jesus precious name.....Amen and amen.



Monday, November 7, 2016

Trusting As The Days Go By


What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.
In God have I put my trust: I will not be
afraid what man can do unto me.
Psalm 56: 3,11

Have you ever given thought to the fact that we often trust people and situations first before putting our trust in the Lord? In good times and bad, God is in fact the only One who can do anything about any situation we face. I remember the old hymn I remember our church singing when I was quite young. The title is simply “Trusting Jesus.” I love the chorus to this great old hymn written by Ira Sankey and Edgar P. Stites:

Trusting as the moments fly,
Trusting as the days go by;
Trusting Him what e'er befall,
Trusting Jesus—that is all.

There are people in whom we place trust. As children, we trusted our parents and close relatives. We trusted policemen, teachers, pastors, and even that the postman would deliver family mail at certain times of the day. We still today trust our food supply that it is safe. We trust the brakes on our cars to work. We trust good friends to keep our confidences. We even trust the air we breathe. There are many ways we trust and never give second thoughts to them.

Without trust, people can become paranoid. Those folks are always fearful that someone or something is out to hurt them. Many people find themselves in a constant state of fear and their fears are very real to them. Fear is one of those things that is the exact opposite of trust. One of our problems in these days is that we place our trust in all the wrong things, in all the wrong people.

Our ultimate trust must be in God. There is no huge organization, government or even powerful people that can meet our every need. All of those things will let us down at one time or another. We've come to rely on them for all the wrong reasons. God is our ultimate help and He still works in the affairs of men to either help us or perhaps to teach us much needed lessons.

From a spiritual standpoint as I look at the word TRUST, I had some thoughts in acrostic form that certainly isn't exhaustive.

T-rust

Here I see a basic definition for trust I believe is a good one. For we Christians, trust is simply taking God at His word

R-est

Relaxing in the arms of God

U-nderstanding

Understanding the things of God will always build our trust. The main way we do that is through studying and taking in the things of God's Word. That may be through personal reading or also through the preaching and teaching of God's Word in a group or church setting.

S-ubmission

Being in submission to God's will in all things will always reinforce the trust we have in Him. When we submit, we are saying we completely trust God in every aspect of life

T-urn

I thought of two things here. I thought of turning from those things in our lives that contribute to breaking down our trust in God. The big thing here we can do to build our trust is to turn to God in prayer at every turn. He wants to hear from us not just when we face difficulties but in the happy times as well.

Another old hymn comes to my mind and I often find myself singing to myself. The verse and chorus explains the meaning of our word:

When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.


Trust and obey---
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey.


It's all there...to be happy in Jesus....TRUST ...and submit totally to Him.



Father, strengthen me when I falter and when my trust in You is at low ebb. I don't mean for that to happy. I know from experience and Your Word that You are the only One I can trust for everything above anyone. Thank You that Jesus' blood makes my trust possible. In His precious name....Amen