9/1/16                                                       BACK TO SCHOOL                                       1 
I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.   Deuteronomy 30:19

SCRIPTURE READING:  JOSHUA 24:13-15:  “¹³ So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’¹⁴ “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”                                                                                                                                        COMMENTS: Today we began a fresh month and a new journal file.  Summer is quickly coming to a close.  Children are back in school and opportunities to do home repairs or other family play or work needs are fading as winter comes closer.  I have a dear friend and classmate from college who lives in Sweden.  He endures heavy snow and bitter cold and 22 hours of darkness in February and 22 hours of sunlight in July.  He and his neighbors work diligently in summer to do home repairs and improvements before winters furry and darkness fall.  We need to recognize and appreciate the gifts of country and shelter and health and family and ability to earn a living or income but most of all for forgiveness and salvation and relationship with the One Creator and Sustainer and Redeemer of all.  God has prepared a eternal place for us but has also provided for our temporary home on earth.  We not only should appreciate all His gifts but be good stewarts of those gifts and be generous in sharing His blessings. We don’t have to look far to discover others less fortunate.  Even the poorest if living in peace are far better off than those enduring war in displacement in their neighborhood or disaster from earthquake or flood or volcano or … Why does God allow us to suffer, especially the faithful, while sinful enjoy prosperity and comfort.  The answer may not be clear but one thing for sure.  A time of suffering loss or pain or death followed by eternity with Christ in heaven vs. wealth and comfort on earth followed by eternity in judgment without Christ.  Which do you think is better.  It’s obvious when said that way!  But  “we want our cake and eat it too” right?  We want comfort and prosperity and a “good life” as well as heaven.  For God to bless us that much, much will be required in being generous and a good steward of such resources.  If little is given while on earth, even that modest resource needs to be managed wisely in order to please and honor Christ’s sacrifice and His Majesty.    We need to take some time and praise our Lord and show our gratitude for all He has given us and consider how we can be a better stewart of those blessings.  The parable of the talents shows us God blesses us more if we are faithful stewards but takes away from those who are foolish and squander His blessings.  I’ve seen much of that.  Those who go deep in debt for more expensive things than they need and end up working harder to pay for them so can’t enjoy them anyway.  God always has a better way, but seldom seems better at the time.                           

 9/2/16                                         CHRIST’S REDEMPTION IS FOR ALL                                  2                              Acts 8:25    “After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.”                                                                                                                                          COMMENTS:   Discrimination based in gender or color or nationality or status have always been a human failing.  Christ taught against such by instruction like the Sermon on the Mount or the Lord’s Prayer or His parables, including the Good Samaritan, for example. Yet the Christians are blamed for being judgmental or hateful or intolerant because of not condoning sin.  Loving sinners while hating sin is what we are called to do.  But others can’t separate sin from sinner so conclude they are inseparable so sin must be condoned in order to accept the sinner.  That is not God’s way.  His way is to heal and restore the sinner to a sin free life.  We wouldn’t condone disease and leave it untreated a curable disease and deny it or call the doctor intolerant for working to cure the disease and restore the patient.  But man can’t see Christ as the Great Physician who came to cure the disease of sins and restore His creation to spiritual health.  But that is exact what He did and offers to us if we only accepet treatment and healing medication He has purchased and provided for us.  Well many will deny that but fact remains.  If we remaining our sins, we will be lost and face eternity of judgment as a result.  If we accept His mercy and healing medicine, we will be restored to what we were designed to be and enjoy the full measure of His inheritance.   Eternal reward for simple obedience.  He did the hard work and paid the great price.  Our price is modest and our work is light by comparison.  And yet He still offers to help us do the light work He does ask of us.  A perspective we need to reflect on especially when we get discouraged from injustice or hardship.   Children had little patience but patience comes from learning to endure unpleasant circumstances.  That comes best with practice… 

                                                                                                                                                                                                  9/3/16                                         GOD’S AMAZING PLAN!                                                                     3
SCRIPTURE READING:  COLOSSIANS 1:1-8:   “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,  ² To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters^[a] in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.^[b]3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— ⁵ the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel ⁶ that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. ⁷ You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,^[c] who is a faithful minister of Christ on our^[d] behalf, ⁸ and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.”                                                                                                                                                  COMMENTS:  As I reflect on today’s scripture and above devotion, I am mindful of amazing way our Lord guides us to a perfect plan best for us. For Arlene and I, because neither allowed ourselves to follow destructive or distractive paths, God opened the door for us to meet and marry and build a life together that now allows us more freedoms than others in our family and neighborhood.  Freedom to be more generous in Christ’s work.  Freedom for Christ to use us in ways we would never have thought of and to help workers in Christ’s work we likely never would have met.  By partnering with some new brothers and sisters in Christ, we are privileged to be involved to sharing Christ in remote areas where people are eager to learn about and accept Christ. An openness and eagerness I have not seen in my own community nor have seen evidence of in the United States overall.  What I have seen too much in America is people working to buy things they don’t really need with money they don’t have, thereby creating debt that enslaves them to repay with money they could have used to satisfy greater needs later on.  I also see poor choices made resulting in consequences that endure many years and even to next generation in spite of God’s forgiving grace.  Yes, God forgives the repentant heart, but scars can remain.  You see, God’s best plan is for us to avoid sin and follow His plan from birth.  But if we follow a sinful path destructive to our souls and our bodies, He provides a way of forgiveness and healing.  But this was not His first choice – the best choice.  Yet to continue down a sinful destructive path unrepentant is still far worse, because the final conclusion is death and eternal judgment.  No I have not lived a perfect life, far from it.  Yet there have been key crossroads in life, with God’s help, I chose wisely.  I encourage you  to reflect and take note of those times you chose wisely and maybe some times you chose foolishly and reflect on the long term results of those choices.  I venture to say both have had long lingering affects.    God want’s the best for us, not to deprive us.  Satan deceived Eve and Adam into thinking God was hiding something from them, not that He was wanting to spare them the pain and suffering from sin.  They could have chosen to say no to temptation.  If they would have and if generations would have, then Christ would not have needed to die and we would have Adam and Eve and every generation since still alive and available to talk to.  We would never had known war or sickness or death or divorce or ….   We would be living in a perfect world.  The good news God has provided a way for that dream to become a reality for all who accepts His gift of salvation – and a eternal home in heaven.  But all the pain and grief and death is still a part of living on earth.  It needn’t have been if we would only have obeyed from the beginning.  How do we teach our children and grandchildren the lessons our experience has taught us without following down the same wrong paths?   They too have Christ’s redemption available but they also have Christ’s offer to avoid all the pain and grief if they follow Him early in their lives instead of late.   That is His desire and Will and is ours.  So we need to really pray for that and seek His help and our obedience to work to make that a reality.  But free will means we still can choose foolishly as can our children and grandchildren.  Satan is still doing his best to make sure God’s best doesn’t happen.                                                                                                                                  9/4/16                                      SPIRIT DIRECTED MINISTRY                                                4                            Acts 8:26-29 “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means ‘queen of the Ethiopians’). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’ ”                                                                                                                  COMMENTS :  Have you ever felt God’s nudge to visit or call someone?  When you ignored it, did you later have regrets and wish you had?  How about those times you did obey and received and gave a special blessing.  I felt such a nudge and visited my Aunt Helen, who had just turned 100.  That visit and prayer we had together was the last time I had with her.  I nearly missed it.  God has such blessings for us more often than we realize as we become more obedient and accustomed to obeying His small interruptions in our lives.                               

  9/5/16                                  FAILURE NEED NOT BE PERMANENT                                      5     
For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.
Proverbs 24:16

SCRIPTURE:  PSALM 51  “For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.  ¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;  according to your great compassion  blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity  and cleanse me from my sin.³ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  ⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.  ⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.  ⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.  ⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  ⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. ⁹ Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.  ¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  ¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. ¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. ¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. ¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is^[b] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. ¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem.  ¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole;   then bulls will be offered on your altar.”

COMMENTS :  Failure isn’t final is a wonderful hope of redemption.  How often did we as children fall down and get right back up.  Learning to ride a bicycle or even walka for that matter came from many falls and scrapes and skinned knees.  Yet, as adults, we still stumble and fall.  Christ is there to forgive and help us get back up and move on too.  IF our pride gets in the way and we think we can fix our lives ourselves, we are at great risk of deeper and more permanent falls and failures.  That is why pride is such a dangerous and sinister sin.  It is a sin that leads to many others. A sin that keeps us from seeking and receiving the help we need most.  The help that keeps failures from becoming final – because pride keeps us from Christ.   Naomi’s family sinned in thinking they could fix the problem of drought themselves.  Cost of that sin was the loss of the men in the family.  She came home in deep poverty losing everything but a daughter –in-law who refused to leave her.  Yet when she humbled herself and accepted God’s help, then God could then do the job of healing and restored.  Her failure was final until she sought redemption.  Then her failures could be turned into victory.   Only God can do that, but only if we turn from our pride and to Him.   In what ways is pride still taking and keeping control in our lives?  What areas have we still kept control of and are still convinced we know best.  Areas we still think we would lose If God had control of.  When will we ever learn God’s ways are best and HE only removes what is destructive to us anyway.  By keeping them, we only do ourselves harm.  Join me in prayer for God to show us those areas and help us to open our hands and let Him removed them.  He might just let us keep them but by opening our hands, we allow ourselves to not only lose what we have but for Him to place in our hands something far better.  Trust in Him is the challenge but the requirement.  Failure is not God’s best but Failure not being final is God’s Grace administered.  Some failures may be unavoidable but many if not most can be avoided by following the path He guides us to take and stay on or be properly prepared instead of putting off preparation.  THAT IS GOD’S BEST.  No regrets and wasted effort.  But when we fail, that is when God’s Grace allows us a do-over or at least an opportunity for healing and redemption.  That is God’s second best but still a wonderful blessing of life and healing.  Don’t let pride keep you from allowing God’s fix.  But next time don’t let pride keep you for taking the right path from the beginning.  Afterall, that is God’s best and the best for us anyway – and will bring blessing to far more in ways too.              

   9/6/16                                          CHRIST-CENTRED SCRIPTURE                                6              Acts 8:30-35 “Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked. ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: ‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.’ The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” COMMENTS : Such blessings can be missed if we ignore or say no to God’s nudgings.  Such blessings to us and to others await us when we allow God’s distractions in our days.  We always will have time ato do most important day duties if we allow God’s distractions to replace the less important day’s plans.  Stop and think about some examples from past.  How many of the day’s “got to get dones” could have waited or didn’t need done anyway.  Then again, how much time do we waste each day? Time that would have been much better used? God wants us to use the time He gives us wisely and would be glad to help us use it more wisely if we only ask Him and be a bit more open to listen.  Are you listening today?                                                                                     

 9/7/16       REGULAR SOUL CLEANING – CONFESS SIN AND REPENT        7                
I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.              Psalm 32:5

SCRIPTURE:  1 JOHN 1:8-10   “⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

COMMENTS :   These verses reflect the condition of every human being and but also the promise and gift of forgiveness available to every human being who confesses his sins and accept God’s priceless gift of salvation.  Clutter seems to happen on it’s own.  We don’t notice how easily and consistently we add to it.  As look over our dining room table I see a lot of clutter.  Piles of material from various church committees and mail open but not yet deciding what to keep and what to throw away.  Some things are easy to decide but some, especially Christian materials, are harder for me to decide. Result tends to quickly become a cluttered mess.  Well, next meeting I have to weed through piles to find notes from last meeting but at least are in one place.   But that is not a good way to manage and file nor is way I want to.  So as I continue to struggle with this issue, I realize soil from our sinful world continues to dirty and tarnish my relationship with Christ if I am not disciplined to come to Him for daily cleaning too.  You and I need that no matter how many years we have walked with Him or how devoted and successful we are in our walk with Him.  Yes each day we still get soiled and need cleansing.  But He is ready and willing to cleanse us each day and many times during day as we are willing.   Well, I am forced to clean up my clutter when we have company and use the dining room table for a family dinner.  Then I later struggle finding those materials I cleaned up.  But it isn’t a day until the table is full of clutter again.  Arlene prompts me with limited success.  Yes, some failings or even sinful behaviors are more easily defeated than others.  Some have no problem keeping things tidy while others, like me, struggle with limited success.  Yet my strengths may indeed be the lingering weaknesses of those who are tidy.  God is compassionate and wants to be in continual relationship with each of us.  Maybe in part that is why we each have a few weaknesses we just don’t seem to gain victory over and have to seek His continual help.  Well, I believe we all have the option of gaining victory as we desire and work at them with His help.  But key is always be willing to be and stay in relationship with Him seeking and accepting His help each day.  As we recognize our need and are willing to accept His help, He there to fellowship with us and provide that help.  AMEN!    

  9/8/16                                      GOD TRAINING US FOR ETERNITY               8
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.                    Psalm 119:67

SCRIPTURE:  ROMANS 8:18-30  “¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that^[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. ²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. ²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[b] have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”                                                                COMMENTS :  Today’s devotion and scripture reminds me of a gospel song “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus” by Bill & Gloria Gather. They have blessing us with a great number of wonderful praise and worship hymns – some of which have been making their way into church hymnals.  I have been blessed by them over the years.   Well, this hymn speaks of the trials and sufferings we all endure to various degrees over our live journey.  Sometimes God seems a long ways away while other times very close.  Sometimes we feel we are strong and struggles are manageable while other times we are overwhelmed.  “SOMETIMES HE CALMS THE STORM AND SOMETIMES HE CALMS HIS CHILD”.   I believe His help and provision comes one way and other times in the other.  However, in either method He draws us close to Himself and sustains us.  Every day Christians endure persecution and suffering in various ways and each day many Christians die from various causes.  The difference in way a Christian faces death is much different than one who doesn’t know Christ.  What has been your experience as loved ones and friends and acquaintances you knew faced death?   The difference I have noticed only motivates me to draw closer to Christ and seek a deeper relationship with Him.  How about you?  As you look back, can you see how God used both blessings and hardships for your good and to strengthen and bless you?  I encourage you to reflect and confirm that to be true.  Sure some hardships have been from poor choices.  Me too.  Some from poor choices of others beyond your control.  Me too.  But all proved to have made us stronger as they drew us in weakness to Christ for help.  Agree?  Well, that has been my experience.  Well, not all of them are in rear view mirror but still being worked out.  I’ve heard it said we are going through a trial or recovering from one, but there will be another waiting us if not in one now.  That is not very encouraging but as long as we live in this world there will be troubles.  John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”   That is our confident hope and promise.  God offers us either peace in our circumstances or peace in our souls.  How great it is when we have both, but peace in our souls is the most important and will sustain us when we lack peace in our circumstances.  BUT GOD IS IN CONTROL OF BOTH AND WILL BRING US THROUGH THEM SAFELY!           

 9/9/16                         RESPONDING TO THE GOSPEL CALL                                 9           Acts 8:36-40   “As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptised?’ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptised him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.”                                            COMMENTS:   You and I have no idea what opportunities God give us when we respond to that nudge to call or visit or stop to talk with someone we pass on the street.  When we miss such opportunities we don’t know what we have missed.  God may give us those opportunities again or give them to someone else.  Allowing our busy days to be interrupted to give a warm greeting or stopping to listen and pray if needed are all ways we can make a lasting impact.  I remember a call at work I had from a field serviceman.  I don’t remember the work related problem he called about but I do remember taking the time to listen to a personal tragedy he was going through and praying with him over the phone while others listened.  He and I and those who were listening haven’t remember that conversation and prayer, but am sure he doesn’t remember the work problem he called about either.  I did little more than simply listen and pray for God’s help.  That was what he needed.  He knew when he asked me to pray for him that I would but when I offered to pray right then, it made a greater impact.  I am so glad I did.                         

 9/10/16                                          God’s Specialty – Second Chances            10
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.
John 21:7

SCRIPTURE:  II SAMUEL 12:18-25 “¹⁸ On the seventh day the child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “While the child was still living, he wouldn’t listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.”  ¹⁹ David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked.  “Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”  ²⁰ Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.  ²¹ His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”   ²² He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ ²³ But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” ²⁴ Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him; ²⁵ and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.^[a]”

COMMENTS :   David came very close to facing God’s judgment, as did his predecessor, King Saul.  He was confronted by the prophet Nathan with his sin of adultery and murder.  Fortunately his response was genuine repentance, resulting in God’s forgiveness.  He pleaded that God would also spare the child of that sin but when God chose not to, David accepted God’s decision.  David expressed great distress in prayer, doing all he could pleading for his son’s life.  But once God’s answer was given, he anguish was over.  Read the account in 2 Samuel 12.  You might wonder why God spared the guilty (David) and killed the innocent (his son).  Yet noticed David said he would one day join his son.  David realized he was forgiven and would one day join his son in heaven (vs 23).  That was David’s hope and is ours as well.  Well,  God’s best is fleeing temptation and not allowing temptation to gain root and growing into sin.   There is always consequences of sin – sin in this case resulted in death of a faithful soldier.  Christ’s redemption gives a second chance – a way of redemption from judgment from sin.  Redemption is not God’s first choice but next best.  The very worst option for David would have been, like Saul, to let pride blind him of his sin (which he had done until Nathan confronted him) and face the full consequences of his sins.   We too have 3 choices when face satan’s temptations.  Resist and flee temptation or allow temptation to take root in our minds and hearts until we can no longer resist.  Then we have a choice to allow sin to run to it’s final destination – death or take the escape route of forgiveness and redemption, as did King David.  So what are your temptations?  What weaknesses do you still have which satan keeps confronting you with?  It may not be adultery, but might be discouragement, or fear of failure, or laziness, or a short tempter, or selfishness, or yes the worst sin of all – pride.  I encourage you to reflect and list the temptations that are the most dangerous for you – the hardest to resist.  Reflect on past choices and how you could have fled.   Then spend some time on your knees seeking God’s help to deal properly with satan’s temptations the best way the next time.  For sure, satan will tempt you and me again and most likely the way he was successful before.  Well, God wants us to choose the best response the next time.  The way of fleeing temptation but fleeing to Him, not into hiding.  Satan can seek us out if we only run away so that is not God’s best way.  God best is running away from temptation but running to His open arms. But don’t forget a key weapon we also have.  By hiding God’s word in our minds and our hearts, we enable God to bring His word to our minds at critical times of temptation as a weapon to fight with too.  Recall how Christ used God’s word during His time of temptation. Bottom line – it is far better to win the battle of temptation than to yield to temptation and seek God’s forgiveness.  Let’s not forgive to always be repentant of our sins but let’s also work at fleeing temptation and hiding scripture in our minds so it will be available when temptation has us cornered.  That is His best for us while living in this sinful world.   1 Corinthians 10:13 – There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. James 4:7 – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Psalms 119:11 – Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.       

9/11/16                                                   WHEN GOD CONFRONTS US                                       11           Acts 9:1-4  “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’”                                                                                                         COMMENTS :  While Saul was still hunting down Christians to bring them to face Roman persecution and death, God was preparing Saul to become Paul, the one called to spread Christ’s Gospel to the world from his generation to ours.  Were there Christians praying for Saul’s conversion or his death?  We don’t know, but the character of those early Christians makes me believe many were praying for his salvation.  Those were the prayers God answered, the prayers He honored.  Through my blog and journal posts in that blog, I am meeting many Christians being persecuted in overseas countries who are praying for their Muslim and Hindu neighbors, some of which are responsible for persecuting Christians to varying degrees.  I am beginning to learn their stories and seeing God’s saving Grace at work.  Fifteen years ago today Muslim terrorists flew two passenger airplanes into the twin towers in NYC.  A third was thwarted by courageous passengers and crashed in Pennsylvania. How can we fight such evil?  What weapons are effective against such evil that is infiltrating into most countries and deceiving our own peoples into following such deception and evil?  Well, satan has been deceiving all of us all our lives.  First we must change our course and follow Christ and obey His call and direction.  Second we are told by Him to pray for those who plan and do harm against us.  Pray for their salvation.  Pray for a change in them.  We should pray evil will be thwarted and support effort to stop such evil but that doesn’t mean we should stop praying for the humans we are trying to stop or that God will change them.  By the way, God is ‘doing just that.   Thousands we know of have had visions directly from Christ, just like Paul, and are now following Him.  Those who have not had an opportunity so Christ gave them that opportunity Himself.  We are indeed living in very dangerous times when being a marginal Christian is becoming less and less possible. To be a faithful Christian has always brought persecution.  Being in the USA has shielded us from persecution common over the years in other countries.  But today more persecution and more severe persecution is going on than ever in past.  To be a Christian is quickly becoming a path to pain and suffering.  That is in early stages of becoming true in USA as well.  More and more being a Christian is being judged as being responsible for the world’s problems or at least a major reason for the world’s problems.  Yet the world has completely forgotten Christians have been responsible for freedoms and liberties and equality between people of different races and genders and cultures.  For those who think Christians breed poverty and suffering, notice history in USA.  The USA was founded and built based on Christian morals and values and world view.  Today those values are quickly eroding resulting in a deteriorating of it’s strength and conduct.  No, the prosperity and freedoms and hospitals and schools are all due to the influence Christ followers have had in it’s government and leadership but also in it’s citizens.  Not very American was  Christian in past generations, but most Americans respected or was judged by laws inspired by those values.  As I look at pagan countries ruled I see severe poverty and tyranny and suffering all looking for US to help and provide aid.  Oh yes, there is much injustice and poverty in USA, but a closer look will find evil and most not living the life Christ has called us to live either.  Yes there are also unfaithful Christians in USA – more today than in past generations.  That is not a failing of Christ but a failing of those who profess to be Christians.  Christ is the answer to the world’s problems and the answer to sin, which is responsible for the world’s problems.  Christ will win.   He will return and stop the insanity and the source of that insanity – satan.  He is able to and will at the time God has set.  We choose the side we will be in – the world’s side or His side.   A time of suffering and death to win eternal reward and salvation.  Sounds like a “no-brainer” but during danger and suffering to ourselves or especially our families that choice will not be so easy.  But the importance and focus on the right choice now but especially then will be critical if we are going to reach the goal of eternal life with Christ in heaven.    The promise He gives us is sure but the road to that promise is our choice and will not be an easy one.  Get ready, but our time of testing and trial, as for past Christians, may indeed be coming very soon.                                                                                         

 9/12/16                                    GOD’S GREATER PURPOSE                                      12  
Concerning this [thorn] I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
2 Corinthians 12:8

SCRIPTURE:  II CORINTHIANS 11:13-15, 12:1-10 “¹³ For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” “I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. ² I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. ³ And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— ⁴ was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. ⁵ I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. ⁶ Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, ⁷ or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”                                                              COMMENTS :  We have no idea what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was.  We know Paul saw it as a distraction and hinderance if not also an annoyance.  I believe he also felt it weakened him and prevented him from sharing the Gospel to more places for more hours each day.  We might think the evil he had done to Christian resulted in him enduring his “thorn”.  We might think it was a scar of guilt left lingering in his mind and soul.  I am sure regrets of those years did linger especially when he met those or families of those who suffering as a result of those years.  Yet we don’t see that regret affecting his passion or message of redemption.  If anything, the depth of his passion was greater.  But what his thorn did do is keep him humble and prevent pride from overwhelming him.  He was a gifted man in whatever he did, so pride was always a weakness for him.  That could have been his “thorn”.  Only God knows.   But pride is the one sin that brings on a multitude of others and is the one sin God can’t forgive because when we have pride, we refuse to accept help and forgiveness because we refuse to admit wrong and seek help.  It is the one sin that prevents us from accepting forgiveness.  Until we see our pride and deal with it and push it to the side, can see then see God’s merciful hand of forgivenss and accept it.  Only then can God deal with our pride and shower us with forgiveness.   I urge you, as am I, to reflect and see where pride has roots and is growing.  Seek His help and forgiveness to uproot that pride before it grows and blinds us from seeing our own sinfulness and damage it is doing to us and others and to the ministry God so wants us involved in.  Pride blinded Saul from seeing what damage he was doing until God rendered Him blind. We are all vulnerable to pride.  It is a very useful tool for satan – causing wars between nations and within families and yes, in the church as well. Pride is satan’s most effective too even though it sometimes follows other sins of passion because it prevents us from seeing the consequences of our sins and repenting just like it kept King David from seeing what he had done until God through His prophet Nathan revealed his sin as it really was.  Only when David saw his sin and repented did redemption and healing come to him.  That is the only way it can come to us too and to our nations too.                                                                                                                               9/13/16                            SATAN’S WORK UNDONE BY GOD’S WORK                                 13                Acts 9:5-9  ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.” COMMENTS :  There are many mysteries in scripture.  One related to today’s scripture is why did God decide to let Stephen die and let Saul and others present stone him.  Yet why then did God show mercy on Saul and pardon him and let him be such a significant instrument of spreading the Gospel instead of Stephen?  Truth is, like King Saul and King David of long ago, all were confront with their sins and had a choice to make – let their pride continue to blind them and refuse mercy or embrace God’s mercy and willingly receive it and new life that would come with that mercy.  David chose God’s mercy.  So did Saul, but King Saul refused, resulting in judgment and death for himself and his son and many others.  With mercy came life for David and Saul who would become Paul.  Think of all the lives affected positively over the centuries as a results of David’s choice.  All of history from that time forward was impacted positively so much that even God choice His Son to would be in that line of decendents. Likewise, the impact Paul has had in his generation and every generation since so much that his letters are part of our New Testament scripture.  What a eternal legacy from saying yes to God’s offer of mercy.  God has a legacy for you to leave for Him of eternal worth by saying yes to His offer of mercy and following Him in obedience as well.  Not an easy path but a path of no regrets.   Well worth the cost and effort.  Afterall the cost for His offer to be available was huge for Him.                                                                                           9/14/16                                             God’s Super Bunker                                           14
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1

SCRIPTURE: PSALM 46:  “For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.^[b] A song.¹ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way  and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,  ³ though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.^{[c] 4} There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,  the holy place where the Most High dwells.  ⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;  God will help her at break of day. ⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. ⁷ The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. ⁸ Come and see what the Lord has done,  the desolations he has brought on the earth.  ⁹ He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields^[d] with fire.  ¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,  I will be exalted in the earth.” ¹¹ The Lord Almighty is with us;  the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

COMMENTS :  “God is our refuge and strength, a very present helping trouble”.  What a incredible and precious verse of truth and confident hope each of us has available as a Christ follower.  I ask myself, as I reflect on the above story of bunkers built for the wealthy, who is worthy of such a shelter?  Who is worthy of being spared or protected during disaster?  Who should choose?  Just because someone is wealthy, should they be the one to survive destruction because they can affort it?  What will survival gain them.  Living in a world that will no longer support life above ground?   There have been a number of science fiction movies made with this very theme and question.  Well, the great news is the true “survivalists” are really Christians.  No, not because they build bunkers and store hoards of food to sustain them in disaster or weapons to protect their hoards from intruders wanting  to steal them.  Not, to be Christian speaks against hoarding without sharing and building bunkers without share shelter available.  No, a Christian’s bunker and hoard is not what he works to gain for himself but what Christ freely is building for him.  A bunker not earned but simply received as a gift.  A bunker then not hoarded but freely offered to  all who will also receive it BECAUSE THERE IS ROOM IN THE BUNKER FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE WHO WILL RECEIVE IT.  The bunker is heaven and a changed life while on earth.  The gift is eternal life in heaven and a changed life that will grow to be more like Christ each day while on earth.  We serve then out of gratitude for Christ’s generosity and love to us and out of the love and caring concern for others that Christ puts in our hearts to have.   When will we learn just how trustworthy and faithful God is to us and how unfaithful and untrustworthy the world’s goods and treasurers are?   When will we learn all we gain here by the most wealthy will be all left behind when we die?  The only treasures from earth we can take with us to heaven are the souls we win for Christ while here and the souls won for Christ from the legacy we leave behind.  That legacy and list of souls is still growing for Paul and countless many like him.   Your legacy may be obscure to you but an open life of faithfulness and obedience leaves a lasting legacy of eternal significance.  How that is accomplished isn’t up to us but He has promised to make our lives a lasting legacy if we are and remain faithful to  Him.  We can make no better investments than that.  AMEN?  AMEN!!                                                                                                                                                         9/15/16                                                       A RISKY JOB                                                          15       Acts 9:10-16   “In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, ‘Ananias!’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he answered. The Lord told him, ‘Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.’ ‘Lord,’ Ananias answered, ‘I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.’ But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.’ “                                                         COMMENTS :   Saul really didn’t have much choice but to follow Jesus’ command.  Jesus left him blind and entirely vulnerable.  He could not defend himself nor was in a position to refuse.  If he had, he would have remained blind and we would have had another evangelizing and authoring the letters Paul wrote.  The loss would have been Saul’s (Paul’s), not ours.  God would have found another.  Ananias, however, had a much harder test of his faith.  He had to expose himself and his faith in Jesus to the most dangerous man for Christians at the time.  Ananias had to show mercy to a man responsible for the emprisonment – suffering – and death of many of his dearest brothers and sisters in Christ.  Scripture reveals some of the struggle to trust and possibly even forgive Paul, but forgive him and trust him they did once his fruit became evident.  Paul’s teaching and passion was persuasive, but when he enduring suffering like them, that become the most convincing.  Who has hurt us and how well have we forgave?  Forgiveness does the most healing for the one showing forgiveness – even more than for the one forgiven.  God has a wonderful way of restoring something lost but so precious when we forgive. That is a deeper relationship with God Himself.  Corey TenBoom encountered the guard responsible for the suffering of herself and her sister and ultimately death of her sister during a revival service she lead.  That guard came to the altar for forgiveness and redemption.  When she saw him, she recoiled and debated with God, but his loving hand was firm with her, and she struggled only briefly before reaching out to him with a hand of forgiveness.  But I can see God’s one hand reaching out with her’s to him while His other arm was around her comforting her.  I don’t know about you, but this makes my petty grudges and ill fillings towards others very petty and their offenses much easier to forgive.   Such also makes me reflect and seek God’s mercy again but with greater earnestness for the suffering He endured to cover my sins too.                                                9/16/16   GOD’S PLAN FOR EACH OF US IS VERY GOOD – IF WE WALK IN IT          16                
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”  Isaiah 30:21

SCRIPTURE:  PSALM 85:10-13  “Love and faithfulness meet together;  righteousness and peace kiss each other.¹¹ Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. ¹² The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. ¹³ Righteousness goes before him  and prepares the way for his steps.”

COMMENTS :   Can you look back and recall circumstances and events that altered your life for good and opened doors for God to give you opportunities to do good for others.   God used a dear friend a co-worker to enable Arlene and I to meet.  When God is involved in relationships, both righteousness and peace come hand in hand into that relationship.  Righteousness is the path we are called to walk when we receive His forgiveness and begin a relationship with Him.  The journey of faith we then embark on may encounter persecution and injustice to us, but is a journey of peace and fulfillment.  They journey will have danger – temptations and distractions satan places on our path to deter and pull us back into his pit.  But Christ not only forgives us but walks the journey with us.  We can’t see Him but He is there none the less.  I am so glad God granted me that forgiveness and took my hand at the tender age of 10. Yet maintaining that choice to keep my hand in his over the years is not due to my strength or a credit to me.  There were times of temptation and distraction that caused me to loosen my grip on His hand but HE HAS NEVER LOOSEN HIS GRIP ON MY HAND!!  God way is the best way – best for us – best for our families – best for those impacted by us – best because only God loves us that much and only God is in control of all circumstances everywhere past and present and future.  That means there is nothing beyond His awareness and control.  He only limits Himself to our willingness to be used by Him and willingness to submit to His will and trust Him.  Peter could only walk on water as he kept his eyes on Christ.  Christ was there to pick him up, but the best would have been for Peter to have kept his eyes on Christ until he got to Christ.  We need to keep our eyes on Him until we finish our journey  when we reach our eternal home.  That is where we will see Him face to face.  “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus”  as the song of that title says.                                                                                                                                                             9/17/16                            FAITH IN CHRIST SUFFICIENT TO RISK IT ALL                              17    Acts 9:17-19   “ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord – Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here – has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.”                                                                                                         COMMENTS:  Ananias displayed a great deal of trust to go to where Saul (Paul) was staying only knowing God had told him to go there.  Did he have enough faith to believe God could or did change Paul and enough forgiveness to be willing to help him?  Well, he knew better than to turn his back on God or say no to Him.  He knew Jonah’s example wasn’t a good one to follow and am sure had many even personal examples to confirm wisdom in obedience and trust in Him.  He knew God’s voice and had learned to trust and believe Him.  Yet it wasn’t easy for Ananias to do what he did.  But I’m sure in the years ahead he was so glad he did as was Paul.  By choosing Saul to be the great evangelists to the gentiles and to us, Christ opened the door for redemption for Saul as well as for the disciples and many Christians who suffered at his hand or their families to reach out and forgive.  Forgiveness does more for the forgiver than for the forgiven, but we always think the opposite.  But God’s economy and plan all too often seems illogical and opposite to ours.  That simply means we are wrong and He knows infinitely better than us.  It also means we have much to learn  and change to be Christlike in our motives and actions and capacity to love but also gain insight and wisdom with others, Christian or not.  Well, God had to get Saul’s attention and administer a little “tough love” on him in order to prepare him for repentence and redemption.  I am not sure if Saul would have repented if faced Christ without blindness.  But then again, we simply need to realize when God responds, it is the best and most effective way.  Trial and error are unnecessary for Him.  God could have spoke at Stephan’s execution and spoke to all there, including Saul, and struck all blind and only healed those willing to go and be healed, thereby saving Stephan.  That is probably what the best of us would have done.  The worst of us would have struck down dead all there in order to save Stephan.  Yet over the centuries, God’s wisdom is made evident.  Stephan’s death ushered him to heaven and rendered his brief ministry more effective going forward than likely a long life of ministry would have had.  Yet others He gave a long life of ministry.   Well, long life or not, what really matters is our surrender and obedience.  Our legacy will be what matters.  God has a wonderful way of making our meager obedience more effective than we can imagine.  But when we run or rebel, like Jonah, we at best miss out on a real blessing from Him, resulting in Him picking another to do His work,  and at worse negatively affect that will hinder or prevent another from coming to Him.  Not every day we live will have that significant but we all will have days of significance God wants to use to impact ourselves and another in a eternal way.  Thing is, my experience has been few of those days are known and prepared for ahead of time.  Most come unexpected without prior warning or preparation.  But our preparation comes with previous obedience and fellowship with Him.  So uneventful days in close relationship with Christ as we go about the day’s duties become preparation for life changing days if not life changing days themselves.  We have to complete kindergarden before can go to grade school which needs to be completed before high school and high school before college and college before a professional career.  Should we expect any less from our service for Christ even thought His lessons can come very quickly as well as over a lifetime.  Our education and training will not be completed til we are greeted by Him at heaven’s gate.    

    9/18/16                         Naomi’s / Ruth’s Kinsman – Redeemer and Ours               18  
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”).   Galatians 3:13

SCRIPTURE:  RUTH 2:19-20

COMMENTS : The concept of a kinsman – redeemer is a close male relative who marries a relatives widow in order to provide children – decendents for his deceased male relative.  Boaz became a kinsman – redeemer for Naomi by marrying Ruth and fathering children through her.  Even though Ruth was a pagan, both her and Naomi’s faithfulness, impressed and drew Boaz to accept his responsibility which would be a rich blessing for him too.  By doing son, he would become the grandfather to King David and to be a blood line to Christ Himself.  By doing so, he also enabled Naomi and Ruth a blood line to King David and Christ as well.  Such  reflects God’s redeeming love for all – Jew and Gentile.  By taking on human form, Christ has become our kinsman redeemer, becoming our brother as well as redeemer in addition to being our creator and God.  He took on another role for us so we could gain a relationship with Him not otherwise possible. By Boaz giving up his right to choose “a good Jewish girl” to marry for a pagan widow, he chose to far more righteous wife and legacy than otherwise likely would have happened.  We would otherwise, never likely have heard of Naomi or Ruth or Boaz because their lives would have been like so many  unnamed people during bible times.  God would have chosen someone else with a different story to continue that legacy to David and Christ.   God’s will and plan will not be stopped.  We can either support and be part of it or we will be left behind and miss tremendous blessing.  I see so many couples who failed to wait and follow God’s best and end up with regrets and struggles that needn’t have been.  Think about such stories.  Maybe one of them is yours.  Well, we can’t turn back the clock, but we can confess our sins and change by repenting and seeking His help and direction going forward.  As long as we are alive on this earth, it isn’t too late.  Now is the time.  Today is the day of salvation.  He is only a prayer away.  AMEN!!

                                                                                                                                                                                      9/19/16                  WHO ARE YOU GOD’S DREAM FOR YOU TO BECOME?                19                Acts 9:20-22  “At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, ‘Isn’t he the man who caused havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?’ Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.”                                                 COMMENTS:  Saul was transformed into a misguided man with great passion from doing all he could to kill and stopping them to becoming a Christian the greatest evangelist of them all in spreading the Gospel and winning many to Christ. Every Christian of that day marveled at the transformation in Saul (Paul)  and was inspired to a greater commitment and boldness in witness.  Such courage and passion and life change is not realistic unless the Holy Spirit did the change and transformation.  God’s transforming Grace still changing everyone willing to be changed in every generation since.   The benefits are eternal.   We have so much to gain and so much garbage and dead baggage to loose.  We have so much good to do and so much bad to give up and turn from.  If we would start thinking logically and start listening and obeying Him, oh how much better our lives would become for ourselves and for those God wants to be blessed by us.  A true “Win – Win”.                                                                                                                                                               9/20/16                                              My Plans vs. God’s Plan                                                          20    
After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.
Acts 16:7

SCRIPTURE:  JAMES 4:13-17   “¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”                                                                                                 COMMENTS :   How much do we take for granted?  What blessings do we think little about because we’ve had them all our lives.  Such blessings as ability to see, or hear, or walk or feel / touch, or think and reason, or ….   What about not needing to worry about where our next meal is coming from or next weeks for that matter, or a shelter or reliable transportation.  What about living in a country without war or a family who loves us and who we love.   The list goes on, but there are a majority of people in the working lacking most of these things.  Even the poorest of us are blessing with strong muscles and eyes that see and legs to walk.   So that means none of us has any excuse for taking God’s blessings for granted or to complain God is not providing for us.  There are many extremely wealthy who would give everything they have for ability to see or hear or walk or to have peace in their family.   No, we tend to focus on what we don’t have and be ungrateful for the greater blessings we do have.  Likewise, we make plans to fulfill selfish goals without regard to the plans God has made and wants us to follow.  Well, God’s Will will be done with our help and support or in spite of our resistance and disobedience.   God wants to give us added blessings if we but ask His guidance before we put effort to planning and working on our own plans.   We should be mindful God doesn’t own us another day of life.    Few knew their last day on earth would be their last at the beginning of that day.  We should be ready and not take our days for granted.  Likewise, by following His guiding path hand in His, we not only avoid wasting effort and having regrets, but also open opportunities provision and blessing following Him brings.  The manna God provides for us each day might just be raining on  us we think it is hindering us from finishing what we are working so hard on that day.   It might just bee rain on a day we were planning on mowing the yard or repairing the room needed to be used to help a neighbor finish repairing a water leak in his house.  Then tomorrow he might be able to help you with your roof.  Since God loves us developing relationships with Him and with each other, we need to look for ways God is guiding us to accomplish that.  Likewise, the blessings God provides as we do that might just be what we were hoping and praying for but have been disappointed we aren’t finding those blessings.  But maybe we are looking in the wrong place for them.   Maybe we are going to the wrong destination or at least at the wrong time.    God answers our prayers in different ways and responses.  He answers No when we ask selfishly or against His Will.  He answers NOT YET because He needs for us to prepare or He needs to prepare others.  He may answer GET READY without seeing His answer yet.  But His answer of YES is in his time and in His way and may be answered differently than we envisioned but always in the BEST way and TIME.  Reflect back and see just how true that is.   AMEN?   AMEN!!

 9/21/16                        DANGEROUS FAITH                                               21                        Acts 9:23-30  “After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall. When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.” COMMENTS:                                                                                                                               Saul became a new and much different man after his encounter with Jesus.  He saw his blindness after seeing Jesus and encountered brief physical blindness in order to see what Christ wanted to make him into.  His transformation was so radical and his past so sinful, God decided to give him a new name “Paul”.  It took 3 years for God to sufficiently prepare Paul for ministry and return him to partner with the disciples.  Maybe it too that long for Saul to become Paul or for God to also sufficiently prepare the disciples and other Christians and heal from Saul’s damage.  Maybe both, which is what I believe.  We are not told, so need to leave it at that.  Yet, 3 years later Paul went back to Jerusalem and started a ministry that would change the world of his day and centuries after. It may have been three years before Saul arrived in Jerusalem (Galatians 1:18). Yet there remained much understandable suspicion of Paul but time and Paul’s ministry and sacrifice eventually prove he was genuine. (Acts 9:20-21). Similar concerns and caution is what I am encountering and exerting as I get to know and get involved with ministry with many pastors in Africa and India and surrounding areas.  I am at risk of being deceived and my blog materials used wrongly.  Likewise, such can pull me to share finances or information I shouldn’t.  Yet, God is helping me with discernment directly and with discernment and council of others.  I am also experiencing the list of discerning partners growing as trust is earned and build with some pastors. That must have been what it was like to be a Christian in the first century.  Many pastors and Christians in all walks are encountering great persecution for their faith in very dangerous parts of the world.  I so pray God will continue to help me and arm me so I will not expose but protect these faithful Christians from harm but only strengthen and encourage and provide them with needed resources to fulfil God’s call for their lives and ministry.  To be a part of that in any way is becoming very rewarding and pray that will expand and continue.  I believe it is time God’s people claim and use the internet tools for His glory.  Satan has used it far too long.  AMEN?   AMEN!                                                                                                                                               9/22/16           Everything in It’s Time – God’s Time                               22
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.   2 Timothy 4:6                                                                                                                            SCRIPTURE: HEBREWS 1:1-2 “ 1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,  2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.”       COMMENTS : How did Old Testament believers fellowship with God and how did God guide them personally.  Forgiveness for sin came by sacrifice by the priest.  Sacrifices were defined by strict defined requirements and sacrifice was made by strict requirements both in practice and in purification prior to sacrifice.  On the surface it seems God was distant to the average Jew and his relationship with God was defined through the priest.  Well, that is still somewhat true in the Catholic Church even though sacrifice is no longer necessary due to Christ’s sacrifice but confession before a priest is still required.  In protestant denominations confession is still vital but can be anywhere but directly to God.  With Christ’s sacrifice and forgiveness, the Temple Vale was tore apart giving evidence God has opened the door to a deeper relationship with you and me and opportunity to approach Him directly not to judge us but to forgive and be in daily fellowship and relationship with each of us to love and guide and help and forgive as a Father does His Child or as a Older wiser Friend helps a younger Friend.  Well, when we look more closely at the lives of David or Daniel or Joseph or Samuel or …. (there are many more in scripture), we begin to realize it was possible to  have a personal relationship with God in Old Testament times.  Yes, sacrifice requirements for forgiveness were different in those times, but God’s relationship with us was as real as they were willing for it to be.  Most of them, like us, settled for a superficial relationship to achieve the “minimum requirement” God asked at best instead of seeking the relationship with their Creator and Savior and Lord that God wanted with each and the relationship they needed most if were truly honest.  God hasn’t changed and humans haven’t either.  What has changed is Christ paid the price for their and our sins completely so no other sacrifice is needed or required in order to have that relationship God has always longed to have with us if we only reached out to Him.  AMEN!!                                                                                                                                                              9/23/16        TIMES OF WAR AND TIMES OF PEACE                    23                       Acts 9:31 “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.”                                                 COMMENTS:   We all long for peace and prosperity.  To live having a secure job and income in peace with shelter and family and support of a safe community and church family is a dream many enjoy and others, especially in most countries, long for and dream with little hope of ever achieving.  Yet peace and prosperity are seldom sustained.  Living on earth as humans dooms even the wealthiest and healthiest and freest of us limited enjoyment until something happens, either out of our own foolishness and sin or the foolishness and sin of other, resulting in, like Job, losing everything or going through a difficulty or tragedy causing loss and hardship.  Everyone is either going through a difficult time or war or suffering or is about to go into such a time or coming out of such a time.  Yet some poor souls seem to go through more trying times than others.  Yet what history teaches from Old Testament scripture to even our own generation and personal experience, is:  Prosperity and comfort make us weak and tempts us greatly to turn from God and to rely on our own strength and wisdom and foolishness.  When we think we can make it on our own, we quickly go down a path to sin and poverty and enslavement – a path to regrets, not reward and blessing.  Yet God brings judgment and suffering when we journey down that path of disobedience.  Yet as we they and we repent, His hand of protection and guidance and forgiveness brings us back out of that terrible place – a place satan draws us to and God warns us of.  But it is usually when we have nowhere else to go or to turn we finally realize how much we need God and then, like Nebuchadnezzar, when we acknowledge our sin and repent to God, our sanity is restored and God restores what was lost. History does repeat itself, as it does for us from one month or week or even day to another.  But Christ is still available to forgive, to pick us up when we fall and fail, and but also to take our hand so we need not repeat history and old  habits.  AMEN!

                                                                                                                                                                                             9/24/16                            IN GOD’S TIME IS BEST – NOT OUR’S                                  24 
Wait on the LORD, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.   Psalm 37:34

SCRIPTURE:  MATTHEW 14:22-23 “²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. ²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. ²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹ “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” ³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.”

COMMENTS : We tend to criticize, but relate to, Peter’s lack of faith.  If we are honest, we admit we tend to look at the storms around us instead of keeping our eyes on Him.   But we still tend to do that over and over again with tragedy comes or problems overwhelm us.  But the other disciples stayed in the boat and watched.  We don’t know if they marveled and later commended Peter on trying or criticized him for his lack of faith.  I suspect Christ’s words to Peter was a time of reflection and growth for all there that day, rendering any comments or criticism inappropriate.  Let’s take time to reflect as well and let the Holy Spirit teach us what we are lacking or have forgotten too.

  9/25/16                                                  WHEN GOD RESPONDS                                                   25                    Acts 9:32-35  “As Peter travelled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralysed and had been bedridden for eight years. ‘Aeneas,’ Peter said to him, ‘Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.’ Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.”                                                                                                                       COMMENTS:   Do physical healings still happen today?  Why don’t they happen all the time and what is the difference when they do and when they don’t?  Is it a lack of faith or something we are doing wrong? Reality is lack of faith and sin in our lives affects our prayers and God’s willingness to answer our prayers. When we pray in God’s will and have received forgiveness, than God’s answers are more forthcoming.  Yet we must not diminished in recognition that God is sovereign.  He is free to act in the time He chooses and in the way He Wills.  He promised to act in our best interest if we are in obedience to Him.  But how often do we miss His miracles because they came later or in a different way than we prayed and expected.  We need to also recognize God responds with NO to our prayers at times, or Later, when we need to prepare or if God needs to prepare us or others first, but a YES comes when all is ready and God’s timing is ready too.  We shouldn’t waste precious praying energy praying for things in our souls we know isn’t God’s Will.  We do better to seek God’s Will first and make sure we are right with Him and seek Him to guide our prayers first.  Let’s face it, few of us are able to pray non-stop for extended lengths of time so we need to treat our time with Him as precious.  But fasting and increasing our time with Him, just like for a athlete, are vital in strengthen endurance and quality of the precious gift of Prayer available to each of us.  God’s miracles may indeed be limited by us but God’s timing and way have be hindered or delay by our lack of obedience or by sin remaining in our lives and souls and behavior.  Maybe we should ask ourselves, how badly do I want God’s miracle and what price am I willing to make?  With sacrifice comes focus and faith.  It may be like a power booster allowing us to hear God’s voice clearer and preparing us to receive His miracle in response.  The Peter who  God responded through to heal Aeneas was different than the Peter who denied Jesus 3 times or the Peter who took his eyes off Jesus and sank in the water.  That change required God’s work but also Peter’s submission.  Does it require any less from you and me?  I think not…   AMEN?   AMEN!                                                                                                                                                  9/26/16                                  HONOR                                              26                    
1 Samuel 2 “Hannah’s Prayer  2 Then Hannah prayed and said:“My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn^[a] is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. ² “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. ³ “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. ⁴ “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. ⁵ Those who were full hire themselves out for food but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. ⁶ “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. ⁷ The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. ⁸ He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world.
⁹ He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails;
¹⁰  those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” ¹¹ Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before theLord under Eli the priest. Eli’s Wicked Sons  ¹² Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. ¹³ Now it was the practice of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat was being boiled ¹⁴ and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. ¹⁵ But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.” ¹⁶ If the person said to him, “Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.” ¹⁷ This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they^[b] were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt. ¹⁸ But Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁹ Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. ²⁰ Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to^[c] the Lord.” Then they would go home. ²¹ And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord. ²² Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²³ So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. ²⁴ No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. ²⁵ If one person sins against another, God^[d] may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who willintercede for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death. ²⁶ And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with theLord and with people.  Prophecy Against the House of Eli ²⁷ Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lordsays: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? ²⁸ I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense,and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. ²⁹ Why do you^[e] scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’ ³⁰ “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now theLord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. ³¹ The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, ³² and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age. ³³ Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life. ³⁴ “‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. ³⁵ I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always. ³⁶ Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead, “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.”’”

COMMENTS :      Stories in scripture, like Hannah’s reveal a great deal about God as well as those who put their trust in Him.  Why did Hanna need to endure many years of ridicule and grief longing for a son?  What was God silent, not giving her any encouragement that someday He would answer her prayers?  Yet, once He did, why would she give up her son to be raised by a priest who had not raised his own sons to be faithful?  Why would she think her son would turn out better?   Faith motivates us to do things that are totally illogical to those on the outside and even to some who have a good relationship with God. We see so many examples in scripture – Noah, David, Joseph,Daniel and his 3 friends, and Hannah  just to mention a few from the old testament.  Every generation has similar examples from Adam til today.  God requires that we trust Him, which can only be exercised and strengthen during trial and hardship and risk of failure. I encourage you to reflect on my current examples from those you know as well as from your past.  Such serve to strengthen our faith and help us when we face trials and tests of our faith.  Are you going through such a test now?  Chances are if you aren’t, you soon will be.  How we respond will make all the difference between becoming stronger in your faith and ability to resist temptation and be used by God to bless others, or to become weaker and filled with regrets.  I  have experienced both and recognize how important it is to me and those He wants me to reach for Him that I be faithful.  You and I  have no idea how He will use our faithfulness and who it will bless.  If you grieve over not doing more for Christ and being an effective witness, than it needs to start in prayer and finish with make hard choices  of sacrifice He nudged you to make.  We all have someone who looks up to us and notices what we do.  They may be children or family or neighbors or co-workers.  Likely are more than we realize.  So we are making a difference whether we realize it or not and what we do does matter.  But I believe God has so much more an impact for Him for us to do and be as we become more surrendered to His Will and as we becoming willing to take more risks for Him.  Such requires exercising our faith, which is similar to asking for patience.  In order to gain it, some pain is required.  Pray for me as I discover how God wants to strengthen my faith, as I will for you.  AMEN…                                                                                                         9/27/16                                       HONOURING GODLINESS                                                         27                 Acts 9:36-43   “In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became ill and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, ‘Please come at once!’ Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood round him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.  Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.   He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive.  This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.  Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.”    COMMENTS:      Today’s story is very similar to story when Jesus healed Jarius’s daughter.  Peter had been transformed for a impulsive fickled disciple, who would reach without thinking as his emotions would direct, to a deliberate committed disciple lead by the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit did the transformation, making Peter into the person God had dreamed and planned for him to become.  A disciple who was able to raise Dorcas from the dead.  Yes Dorcas would die again, so her healing was not permanent yet.  But the impact that healing had on spectators, and through scripture to every generation since, is eternal.  God’s working had transcends just meeting immediate needs, as much as God wants to and does meet those needs, but to also meet far greater and longer lasting needs.  Whe we ask of God, we always need to keep in mind God knows our greater needs and wants us to be open to Him both revealing those greater needs to us and seeking to receive provision from Him for those needs too.  The greatest need we have is daily fellowship with Him, the need He most wants to provide for each day.  Just as we must eat and drive each day to sustain life, we must fellowship with Hm each day in order to establish and sustain spiritual health.  Our spiritual food and exercise is only available directly from Him.  No one else can provide or satisfy that hunger and need, because He created that need in us that only He can nourish.  Is he selfish on doing that?  No more than us for taking in a stray dog or cat and caring for it and gaining enjoyment taking him into our home and giving him love and time.  The response we get from that pet nourishes us as we do him.  A poor analogy, but does help us understand our relationship with God both blesses Him as it certainly does us.  Maybe God gives us a soft spot for pets and children also to teach us how to love each other but also, but understanding a little better how He loves us, to also learn to love Him more.  Well, again, this is a poor analogy, but one that we may relate enough to to motivate us to draw closer to Him and spend more time with Him.                                                                                                                                       9/28/16                                                            He Holds the Future                                                  28                          
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.   Psalm 30:5

SCRIPTURE:  JEREMIAH 29:11  “¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

COMMENTS: Scripture is so packed with God’s Words of Wisdom and Life for us a lifetime is not long enough to discover or absorb the life they give.  We take such a gift so for granted and fail to give it the time and attention it deserves or time God desires us to.  Yet here are two short verses that are packed with such wisdom but a revelation of nature and character of God.   Psalm 30:5 reminds us God does judge sin but not until He does all He can to draw us to repentance and back to Himself.  Those who experience God’s judgment have no one to blame but themselves.  Rebellion and sin is a choice, not something forced on us.  Yes, so many endure the consequences of other’s sins and their evil deeds being forced upon them.  You and I may be administer judgment on the perpetrators a lot sooner and rescue the oppressed soon than God often does.  Yet God does rescue and always has but in His time and way.  Truth is He is God and is not obligated to explain His timing and way to us. Yet someday He will and we will be in awe at the wisdom of His time and way of redemption.  Why did He wait til Roman rule to go to the cross.  Why didn’t He wait til Midevil times or more modern times?  Those are questions we can speculate about but will have to wait til we see Him face to face in heaven for the real explanation.  One thing I know.  We will be in awe of His wisdom and Grace when we know.  AMEN.   Well, Psalm 30:5 also reminds us not only is God slow to judge but His judgment is also lined in mercy by not administering it any longer than necessary to provide the healing medicine required.    Jeremiah 29:11 further explains God’s nature and character by assuring us that God always has our best interests at heart and loves us enough to put much time in planning and implementing plans of blessing for you and me.  Blessings that give us life and not death.  He assures us sHe is worthy of our trust and we can and need to rely on Him.  The bible is full of amazing examples from those who did trust HIM and put their lives in His hands.  How could Daniel have chosen to face the lion’s den or his 3 friends the fiery furnace as a consequence of being faithful to God, if they doubted God would take care of them either by sparing them, or by providing a heavenly home for them.  Either way, they were cared for.  God chose to spare them.  For many over the generations, He chose rather to give them their heavenly home earlier.  They, as we, are going to die sooner or later anyway, so whether it is sooner or later, our destination is secure.  What we prefer, is to be later so can help and enjoy family and friends a bit longer.  AMEN?                                                                                                                                                     9/29/16                                                    LIFE-GIVING GRACE                                         29                       Acts 9:40-43  “Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning towards the dead woman, he said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.”                                                                                                                           COMMENTS :   I have never seen someone raised from the dead, but believe the stories in scripture of Christ doing so and disciples doing so, including this one relating to Peter raising Dorcas.   So why did God raise her or Jarius’s daughter or Lazarus but not others?  There are many modern examples like Don Pepper, who describes experience in his book “90 Minutes in Heaven” or the story Rev. Todd Burpo wrote of his young son’s similar experience  in his book “Heaven is for Real”  Both reveal heaven as an amazing place where loved ones and Christ will greet us.   Yet we ask ourselves and each other and God the question “Why not heal more and why does suffering and death continue especially on the young and innocent?”   “Why does evil seem to go unchecked with consequences to the innocent as well?”  These questions cannot be answered sufficiently because no human knows nor can understand God well enough to answer those questions. We can refer back to stories like that of Dorcas (Tabitha) to remind us God is able to heal.  We can refer to stories like David to remind us of God’s redeeming grace on those who repent.  Yet David’s young son still died when he asked for mercy.  But even then David acknowledged he would see him someday.  To trust God enough to accepet His answer and timing of His answer to remain faithful to, like Daniel or his 3 friends stepping into the lion’s den or furnace without knowing if redemption would come without death.  For Job to endure loss of all without knowing.  Yet they did discover God’s purpose and greater plan and now can marvel that the trust they put in God was right and good to do and God was faithful to them too.  God is faithful to you and me and will continue to be faithful to us.  The question is not “Will He be faithful to us?” but the real question is “Will we be faithful to Him?”  God provision is dependent on that.  That is what is critical.  Our full trust in Him will not be wasted nor put us in peril for the things that really count and what will be most precious to us in heaven – our soul and the souls of those we love and care for.   AMEN?   AMEN!!                                                                                                                                                9/30/16             Where You’ll Find a Future President                                         30              
¹ Unless the Lord builds the house,  the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
² In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to^[a] those he loves. ³ Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. ⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. ⁵ Blessed is the man  whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.                Psalm 127

 

COMMENTS : Parents and Grandparents and even neighbors and family friends have a much greater impact than they realize.  Children than sometimes seem to be a distraction from doing important or urgent work are greatly impacted by what we do and say and how much time we spend with them.  Likewise, how involved they are in the things we do, as they get older, also has a great impact on them. We have no idea what they will grow to become, even a person of great responsibility.  Parents of present or past presidents or other world leaders had no idea, maybe with exception of monarchies where succession is only based on blood line.  Yet, how much history was tremendously impacted by good and bad parenting during young tender years of future president or king or queen or dictator.   Well, not too likely any of us will or are raising a national leader but we are raising a child that God loves and wants to be in relationship with and use for His honor.  How faithfully we serve and obey Him and how we fellowship with  Christ has a huge impact on the children we raise or are in close relationship with.  They admire and watch us closely and learn to imitate what we do and say.  We need to pay attention to the eyes watching and imitating us.  God will hold us accountable for the positive and negative ways we impact them.   If you think you are insignificant and not doing anything for Christ, just take a few minutes and reflect and ask Him.  Then look around and see who is looking up at you.  It may seem most of your day is spend doing tasks like cooking or cleaning or fixing things that won’t last or tasks that need done every day.  But consider things from God’s perspective and ask Him if you are being faithful to Him.  We should never be content if aren’t being faithful to what God is calling us to do, but if we are, the benefits and fruits are in His hands, not ours, so we shouldn’t be surprised if those results are not happening as we expect or when we expect.  God’s time is different and His ways are different than ours, but always Best, which is way better than ours.  AMEN?  AMEN!