The Power of Love

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16 (NIV). 


"Years ago, R. G. Lee told a powerful story about a mountain school that had a hard time keeping a teacher. It seems there was a group of big, rough boys who took pride in running the teacher off. The biggest and roughest of them all was named Tom.


"A new young teacher won over the boys, however, by letting them write the rules for the school—which were very strictly enforced with a rod. For example, cheating would be punished with five strokes of the rod, and stealing with ten strokes, both to be given with the offender's coat off.


"Everything went well until one day Tom's lunch was stolen. A frail little boy in hand-me-down clothes that were too big for him admitted his guilt. The school rules demanded that he be whipped. When the teacher called the little fellow up front, he came whimpering and begging to leave his coat on. The pupils insisted he obey the rules and take off his coat. When he did, a deathly silence settled over the room, for he had no shirt on and his emaciated body looked like skin stretched over bones. The teacher gasped and dropped the rod. He knew he could never whip that little boy.


"Suddenly, big Tom strode up and stood between the two. 'I'll take it for him, Teacher, for after all it was my lunch he stole.' He shrugged out of his coat.


"At the third blow the switch broke, and the teacher threw it in the corner and said, 'That's all, school dismissed.'


"The frail little boy laid his hand on big Tom's arm and through his tears said, 'Thank you, Tom, it would have killed me.'"


And that's exactly what Jesus did for you and me when he died on the cross some 2000 years ago—he took your and my punishment for all our sins so we could be freely forgiven and given God's gift of eternal life.


"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins and, if so, have you accepted God's full and free pardon? You can do that right now by praying the following Prayer:


"Almighty and Loving Father God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs that I have done. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me. I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life as Lord and Savior. I commit and trust my life to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be, and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your free pardon, for your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, In Jesus Loving Name I Pray, Amen."

Do you really believe God can use you in this generation?

Throughout the Bible, God has a way of using ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Look at the men & woman in the bible, unpromising materials, but God used them all to shape history, they changed the course of nations. Of course they had their weaknesses.

God used a tongue-tied stutterer like Moses to free the Hebrew nation from slavery in Egypt. He used the meekest and lowliest of the low like Gideon to defeat an army. He used one good man like Noah to save the human race and all living creatures from total humiliation. He used a boy like David to destroy a giant and even a teenager like Mary to become the mother of Christ. So it’s not surprising that God can use anything He chooses to accomplish His purpose.

If God can use a donkey for His service, there ain’t no reason He can’t use each and every one of us. Look at yourself, and ask if you are going to one of those men and woman whom God is going to use in this generation to make an impact for His glory. 

Don't Forget to Pray

"The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord" - (Joshua 9:14, NIV). 

After the days of Moses when the armies of Israel, led by Joshua, were conquering the Promised Land marked out for them by God, the surrounding kings and nations were understandably terrified. This was because God was with the Israelite's giving them great victories wherever they went.


However, the men of Gibeon, a nearby country, resorted to trickery and outsmarted Joshua. They sent a delegation to Joshua with the appearance of having come from a distant land so they could deceive Joshua into making a treaty with them. Their donkeys carried worn-out sacks and old wine-skins that were cracked and had been mended. They wore old clothes, and worn and patched sandals, and the bread they carried with them was dry and moldy.


Their ruse worked. Joshua signed a treaty with them and only afterwards discovered they were a neighboring people among those countries God had told Joshua to destroy because of their wickedness. They had to live with the  consequences as a result.


Joshua's mistake was that he made this treaty without praying and inquiring of the Lord! An extremely valuable lesson for all of us to learn!

"RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE"

The message of Jesus was one of love, but he never taught religious tolerance, that was a fabrication of man. Jesus, speaking to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, said, "You hypocrites, Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you...they worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men" (Matthew 15:7-9). Does that ring of placability? Jesus, conversing, again with the Pharisees, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God...you belong to your Father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire..." (John 8:42-47) Does that reveal an indulgent Jesus?

If Jesus did not teach religious tolerance, then where do Christians get their directive for mingling with false teachers in our assorted union fellowships? Can you imagine the apostle Paul participating in a Good Friday communion service with the Judaizers, Sadducees and Pharisees? No. He said the exact opposite. " I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause division and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teachings you have learned. Keep away from them" (Romans 16:17). Does that sound like a resolution to endure erroneous religious instructors?

The absence of a Biblical directive authorizing inter-religious activities in which Christians may participate seems of little consequence to the contemporary church. For example men join in interdenominational and inter-religious worship. It may take the form of a Good Friday communion , a musical concert, a teaching seminar, or other ways in which we show our tolerance, in not our-right acceptance of those who pervert the doctrines of God! Why would we want to give credence to those who deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus, pray to the Virgin Mary, negate the essentiality of water baptism, claim sprinkling is valid Biblical baptism, advocate once saved always saved, or deny Jesus as the Christ and the only Son of the living God?

How important is doctrinal purity? Can we deny the central principles of the Gospel and still be saved? What do the Scriptures say in that regard? Many of the religious groups with whom we fraternize DENY THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES.

The Resurrection (Romans 10:9): "That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Water Baptism(John 3:5): "Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (also see: Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 22:16, Mark 16:16).

Immersion (Romans 6:4-5): " Were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him in his death, we will certainly be united with him in his resurrection" (also see: Acts 8:38-39, Mark 1:9-10)

One Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5): " For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, that man Jesus Christ."

One Way (John 14:6): "Jesus answered, I am the way,the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me".

Once Saved Always Saved (Luke 8:13): " Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in time of testing they fall away."

The Scriptures teach that there will be false apostles who will masquerade as apostles of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:4-15). The Living Bible paraphrased says it well. " Let God's curse fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other way to be saved than the one we told you about, yes, if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let him be forever cursed" (Galatians 1:8)

Considering what the Bible clearly teaches about religious tolerance, we can only conclude that Jesus taught us to love those in error, to pray for them, to study God's Word with them, but He never suggested we accept them in their present state as joint heirs, heaven bound.

There are those who would excuse the honestly ignorant, but will self imposed ignorance be excused come judgement day? However , ignorance is not the problem with most, after having read the Scriptures they simply reject what dose not suit their particular tradition or concept of TRUTH!

Religious Tolerance may help us cultivate friendships, but will it save anyone? 

s purity & honesty is the only benchmark?

All of the 10 virgins in the bible were pure and faithful to be married, but the 5 virgins were only wise and prudent, However, 5 of them weren't vigilant or valiant in their actions. They were pure but not fully ready. Actually, they did have oil in their lamps, but not in the vessels they carried with them, and which provided reserves of oil. They lacked those reserves.

The lesson is preparedness through vision and foresight. Because it is an internal state, preparedness cannot be transferred. It is a matter of the heart, an intangible that accrues by spending long periods of time under many circumstances with the Dispenser.

What cannot be transferred to those who are unprepared are matters of attitude, character, skill, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. They are personal attributes that are built and honed over months and years like in the lives of Joseph, David , Daniel , Esther and Paul .

So, plan ahead and be ready when the time comes. Purity is not enough, we need to be prudent too. 

Good & Bad

The most impressive people I know are all terrible procrastinators. So could it be that procrastination isn't always bad?



Most people who write about procrastination write about how to cure it. But this is, strictly speaking, impossible. There are an infinite number of things you could be doing. No matter what you work on, you're not working on everything else. So the question is not how to avoid procrastination, but how to procrastinate well.



There are three variants of procrastination, depending on what you do instead of working on something: you could work on (a) nothing, (b) something less important, or (c) something more important. That last type, I'd argue, is good procrastination.



That's the "absent-minded professor," who forgets to shave, or eat, or even perhaps look where he's going while he's thinking about some interesting question. His mind is absent from the everyday world because it's hard at work in another. - That's the sense in which the most impressive people I know are all procrastinators. They're type-C procrastinators: they put off working on small stuff to work on big stuff. - What's "small stuff?" Roughly, work that has zero chance of being mentioned in your obituary. It's hard to say at the time what will turn out to be your best work (will it be your magnum opus on Sumerian temple architecture, or the detective thriller you wrote under a pseudonym?), but there's a whole class of tasks you can safely rule out: shaving, doing your laundry, cleaning the house, writing thank-you notes - anything that might be called an errand. - Good procrastination is avoiding errands to do real work.

Adam and Seth :

This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.

He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created. When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.

Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.



Genesis 5 : 1 - 5 (New American Standard Bible)





"Adam was made in the image of God; but when fallen he begat a son in his own image, sinful and defiled, frail, wretched, and mortal, like himself.

Not only a man like himself, consisting of body and soul, but a sinner like himself. This was the reverse of that Divine likeness in which Adam was made; having lost it, he could not convey it to his seed. Adam lived, in all, 930 years; and then died, according to the sentence passed upon him, "To dust thou shalt return."

Though he did not die in the day he ate forbidden fruit, yet in that very day he became mortal.

Then he began to die; his whole life after was but a reprieve, a forfeited, condemned life; it was a wasting, dying life. Man's life is but dying by degrees."# 

When You Don't Feel Loving

"Let love be your highest goal" - (1 Corinthians 14:1, NLT). 

As none of us is perfect, most of us have an issue of one kind or another. Probably my biggest issue was being afraid to love, which  came from childhood hurts. A friend recently asked me if I ever still feel afraid to love and I said not very often but sometimes I do. "What do you do when you feel this way?" he asked to which I replied, "I do the loving thing."


Nobody feels loving all the time, but we can always do the loving thing if we so choose. People who choose otherwise usually end up driving love away. I've seen this happen and I'm sure you have too.


Jesus never told us how we should or shouldn't feel … he just told us how to act. Sure, it is important to recognize and acknowledge our feelings. Not to do so is to be in denial. However, it is equally important not to allow our feelings to control us. That can be childish and immature. But rather, we need to be in control of our
feelings and regardless of what we feel, always do the right thing, the loving thing. This is a mark of maturity.

He's Not Heavy - He's My Brother

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2 (NIV). 


You may have read how "when Sadhu Sundar Singh and a companion were traveling through a pass high in the Himalayan Mountains. At one point they came across a body lying in the snow. Sundar Singh wished to stop and help the unfortunate man, but his companion refused, saying, 'We shall lose our lives if we burden ourselves with him.'


"But Sundar Singh would not think of leaving the man to die in the ice and snow. As his companion made his farewell, Sundar Singh lifted the poor traveler onto his back. With great exertion on his part, he bore the man onward, but gradually the heat from Singh's body began to warm up the beleaguered frozen fellow, and he revived. Soon both were walking together side by side. Catching up with his former companion, they found him dead—frozen by the cold.


"In the case of Sundar Singh, he was willing to lose his life on behalf of another, and in the process, found it; but in the case of his companion who sought only his own well-being, he only lost it."


As the caption of the painting (housed at Girls and Boys Town National Headquarters in Nebraska) of the "Two Brothers" commissioned by Father Flanagan back in 1943, and copied from the original statue done in sandstone, says, "He ain't heavy, Father ... he's m' brother."


When we treat a needy person who crosses our path as our brother (or sister), the rewards of carrying them until they can get on their own two feet will far outweigh the burden of the load.

Gentle Strength

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16 (NIV). 


"In her memoirs, an anonymous woman writes of her experiences as a field nurse in the Civil War. She worked for the Confederate forces, patching up dozens of wounded, sick soldiers every day. One day at the war's end, news came that President Lincoln would be visiting this Confederate field hospital. Many of the rebel soldiers were terrified of meeting him. Surely Lincoln was a monster, and he would treat the Confederate soldiers cruelly! But when Lincoln entered the hospital tent, he began to cry. He bent over the injured soldiers' cots and spoke softly to them. He patted their hands and stroked their hair, just as a father might do. And when he left, the men couldn't stop talking about what a good man he was. They had expected a tyrant, and found instead a kind and gentle and forgiving leader."


In childhood days I used to believe that God was out to get me for any wrongs I might do. And, if I committed big or bad enough sins, he might even kill me. Unfortunately, that came from how I felt about someone who had a profound impact on my early life. Unfortunately, I had mistakenly projected my feelings towards him onto God, the Heavenly Father.


How glad I am to learn how wrong I was. It is true that God is against all sin and wrongdoing, not because he's out to zap us, but because he is truly a loving Father who wants to protect us from hurting ourselves and others—and to save us from the ultimate consequences of sin which is eternal death, which, in turn, is eternal separation from God, the author of all love and life.


The fact is that no matter what you and I have ever done or have failed to do, God loves us with an everlasting, unconditional love. But he does want us to come to him for forgiveness and to help us live wholesome, meaningful, and loving lives.

Beyond Destruction And Above Calamity

"Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; happy are the people whose God is the Lord." - Psalm 144:15 (NRSV).


Recently, while going through a personal struggle, I learned that I could still be happy in the Lord, right in the midst of chaos. How is this possible?


Even when one is amid crushing events, and everything seems spinning out of control, God has already thought of all that, and has made himself our refuge. God is ever-present. He must be. It is his nature to be. He sustains with his Creator-might all the land and its people. I am consoled that God hears the cries of the oppressed. I am also comforted that God is the final judge in all our circumstances. We can safely trust all things to him, and, without fear, rely on his stronghold. All who turn to him can safely declare the truth of today's scripture, "Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; happy are the people whose God is the Lord."


We do well to repeat this verse until it becomes our victory song, until it becomes our song of rescue, our shield of hope in our Creator, his Son, and the Holy Spirit, who together transcend the earth and fill the heaven. Let that song begin in us and let us join the heavenly host, singing to the glory of God an endless song of praise. It surely is right to do so. The majesty and glory of His name are in the depths and the heights of his touch.


Do not expect unbelievers to help us. Do not wait for insecure people to come to our rescue. The God of heaven and earth sees our struggles for wholeness, all the while saying that he has the ultimate answer.


He comes into our bad news, into our questions, into our deep grief, and our seemingly senseless pain. He comes with light for those who sit in darkness. The God of everything good watches and slumbers not.

Singing Through The Pain

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28. (NIV). 


I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.- Jeremiah 31:13b (NIV)


Have you ever wanted to bring comfort to someone you cared about, yet after listening to his or her situation, you were left with a feeling of helplessness? Recently that happened to me. The phone call was so upsetting. As I went back to work, the caller's words kept tumbling over and over in my mind. Someone I cared about was going through rough waters. I could be there for her, but I couldn't cure her pain.


Later as I went about my work I became aware I was humming, and when I tried to identify the tune, I realized that I was humming the song, I Must Tell Jesus. "I must tell Jesus all of my troubles; I cannot bear these burdens alone."


It was a song I learned at my mother's knee. She sang it often the year my dad broke his leg and was out of work all winter. The song won't take our troubles away, but the words point to Jesus, the Son of God, who assures us, through his Word, that he is there to bear our burdens, and we no longer have to bear them alone.

The Mountains Have Doors

"For, "every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved." - Romans 10:13 (RSV). 

Over the years, I have become one to call upon the Lord when mountains appeared, valleys had to be passed through, or seas had to be to crossed. These were mountains of illness, unemployment, and personal struggle, valleys deep into despair, and seas that assailed my boat in endless storms of conflict.

Disabled with spiritual imbalance inwardly, alarmed outwardly, and having nowhere to hide, I was prompted to pick up my dusty Bible in response to an inner prodding. Opening it, I read clearly-given directions: "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you." (Matthew 7:7 NRSV)

The mountains began to have doors, the valleys had exits, and the seas had ports. Mountains may rise again. Valleys appear anew. Seas swell with high tides, but I know now to fall back on the certainty of that encounter with God, that I will be rescued again and again.

Believing that whatever names the mountains have, wherever the valleys lead, however high the waters swell, today's scripture is true: "Every one who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." We can rest assured that Jesus' love never fails us. It is the end result of God's purpose for us.

My Hiding Place

"It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain." - Isaiah 4:6 .(NIV). 


I had just finished planting the last flowers that I had planned to put into my garden. When I had finished, I proceeded to look it over, and I thought, "My! how God must have marveled over Eden." Everything was to my liking, and now, all I had to do was water, weed, and feed. I took time to sit and look upon the garden with a certain sense of accomplishment and a sense of quietness from within.


Then, as I gazed up into the depth of the bright blue sky, I watched the puffy white clouds, some so small that they simply disappeared from view like the vapour they are. Other clouds were dark and heavy, hiding the sun from view. Then, suddenly, the sun poked a hole through the clouds, the clouds broke away, and the sun  etched the rounded edges with a glitter that was like gold, a glow that dazzled my eyes.


These two moments together seemed to me to be a heaven-sent opportunity to feel, to touch, to smell, to observe, to be still, and not to speak, but just to be in the presence of God.


It might be referred to as my hiding place, a place, though in the world, yet away from the world, and a place of escape. We all need to have a hiding place, to be alone with God in prayer, to take time to listen, to look up far into the sky, to take time away in silence, to meditate, and to appreciate God's gifts and the awesome greatness that is beyond and, at the same time, within.


God help us to make time, to mark time, like putting a bookmark where we left off, so that we might return to this place again.

Loving When It Hurts

Bible Reading: 1 John 2:1-6


Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did. - 1 John 2:6. 

Here's a quiz to take. How many of these actions sound loving?


(a) If a friend shows up at church with a smudge on his face, I quietly let him know so he can clean it off.


(b) I share my glue with friends who like to color, cut, and glue.


(c) Once in a while when I'm bowling with friends I purposely throw a gutter ball so they won't feel bad about being such awful bowlers.


While those might not be the most significant examples of love in the world, at least they're a start. Because love is more than a good feeling. It's an action.


Be aware of this: All of your right, good, loving actions might not be accompa­nied by a flood of warm, fuzzy feelings of love or affection.


You don't always feel like obeying your parents, doing your homework, or brushing your teeth. But most of the time you manage to do those things because you have made a decision to do what's right.


Love is the same way. It isn't something you always feel; it's something you do. You might get good feelings when you do loving deeds, but God wants you to love even if you don't. Jesus didn't feel like giving his life to save the human race. He prayed, looking for a way to avoid the cross (see Matthew 26:38-39). But he chose to follow God's plan and sacrifice himself for our sin.


When we wonder if we really love people the way God intends, here's our real-life, real-love checklist:


I make the health, happiness, and growth of my friends as important tome as my own.


I help my friends mature in every possible way-mentally, physically,spiritually, and socially.


I protect my friends from anything that threatens their well-being.
I help my friends love God more.


If we can say each of those statements with total honesty, we're truly loving others. And when we put love into action, we're loving people with the greatest love in the universe. It's the kind of real-life, action-packed love that God has shown to us.


TALK: Who in your life needs love—even if you don't feel like loving them? How can you use God's love to love that person?


ACT: Maybe you've intended to do something great for a friend but haven't gotten around to it. Do it today!

THE FATHER OF FAITH WAS SO FEARFUL TOO!!!

THE FATHER OF FAITH WAS SO FEARFUL TOO!!!


In (Genesis chapter 14) we can read here that Abraham faced a lot of conflicts when he dealt with the enemies including his brother’s son Lot, when he was captured by his enemies. Abram came home with all the blessings, confrontations with different people, but in spite of all that, he showed kindness and generosity to the king of Salem. Then notice what the Bible said in chapter 15: 1- “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” Notice the phrase “After these things…” In this verse, it also says that “the Lord appeared to Abraham in a vision…” only to tell him not to be afraid. And the Lord went on to say, in which God promised Abram 2 things, that He is his (Abram) shield and great reward. Abram asked God a question which I believe leads to this great conversation and promised of God to Abram and to his seed. Of course, we know that it was already God’s plan, but here in verses 1 to 11 of Genesis chapter 15 is really clear that God has a promised. Because of fear of famine, Abraham doubted God who promised him of shield and reward. I love this verse, (Deuteronomy 1: 21) 21- “Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.” It means no matter who you are, what you have in life and what you have accomplished in life: fear will come your way and disturb your minds, fear will invade your heart and fear will come and shake your home. Fear will come from different sources and in a different way and from different circumstances. Your fear from years back, your fear yesterday could be different from your fear today or at this very moment. Jesus is the author of faith and Abraham is the father of faith, but Abraham had fear when there was famine in the land. Abraham had fear when they were in Egypt as they explore the land. Let’s be encouraged through the encouragement of Joshua to his people after they captured their enemies and their kings in (Joshua 10: 25) “And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.”

The Cup

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." - 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV). 


I have read that when Leonardo de Vinci was forty-three years old, Duke Ludovinco of Milan asked him to paint the dramatic scene of Jesus' last supper with his disciples.


Working slowly and giving meticulous care to details, he spent three years on the assignment. He grouped the disciples into threes, two groups on either side of the central figure of Christ. Christ's arms are outstretched. In his right hand, he holds a cup that was painted beautifully with marvelous realism.


When the masterpiece was finished, the artist said to a friend, "Observe it and give me your opinion of it."


"It's wonderful!" exclaimed the friend. "The cup is so real I cannot divert my eyes from it."


Immediately Leonardo took a brush and drew it across the sparkling cup! He exclaimed as he did, "Nothing shall detract from the figure of Christ!"

RED FLAGGED CHURCHES

Jesus said in (Matthew 16:18).....I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. The church of Christ began on the day of Pentecost (2 Chapter of Acts)

If those claiming Christ as Lord, say their church was established a hundred years or even centuries after the day of Pentecost, does that not raise A RED FLAG?

In the apostle Paul's letter to the church in Rome he said (Romans 16:16)......All the churches of Christ send greetings.

If the contemporary churches choose to be identified by other names, rather than Christians or churches of Christ, does that not raise A RED FLAG?

The apostle Paul said that Jesus was the head of the church. (Colossians 1:18) And he is the head of the body, the church;......

If a modern day church states that someone other than Jesus Christ is the head of their church, does that not raise A RED FLAG?

A partial list of RED FLAGGED churches: the Baptist church, the Methodist church, the Catholic church, the Lutheran church, the Episcopal church, the Pentecostal church, the Friends church, the Nazarene church, and the Presbyterian church.

Question: Which one of the RED FLAGGED churches did the twelve apostles claim to be a member of?

Question: Which one of these churches preach the "Gospel Plan of Salvation" that the apostle Peter preached on the day of Pentecost? (Acts 2:36-38)

I know of not one RED FLAGGED church that preaches or teaches what Peter said was essential in order to have your sins forgiven, receive the gift of the Holy 
Spirit, and be added to the Lord's church.

Words

"With the tongue [words] we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers [and sisters], this should not be" - (James 3:9-10, NIV). 


I recently read about a middle-aged man who has been struggling with chronic depression for many years. His counselor told him that he would need to be on antidepressant drugs for the rest of his life. He told the counselor that his father, a self-made head of a large corporation, repeatedly said to him, "Son, when you inherit the family business, I expect you'll ruin it."


"These words stung more painfully each time he heard them. When his father died, the man felt driven to work unreasonably long hours to prove his dad's prediction wrong. The pressure to avoid failure that relentlessly gnawed at him was quieted only by alcohol. Soon a serious drinking problem developed. His wife threatened to leave him.


Finally he succumbed to ongoing depression for which he could find relief only in drugs. His life was devastated by the power of his father's tongue."


I was once told that I was physically ugly. It took me years to overcome that one sentence because, tragically, I believed it.
However, I have since learned that it had more to do with the person who spoke those words than it had to do with me.


With words we can bless or curse others; encourage or discourage; hearten or dishearten them. They can be powerful motivators or de- motivators. Let's always use them as an instrument of healing and encouragement—and never use them to hurt, demoralize or destroy another. 

Never Boil Dry

 


"My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie all night on
my branches. My glory will remain fresh in me, the bow ever new in my hand. - Job 29:19-20. (NIV). 


Once the kettle has come to a full boil and we take it away from the heat, the steam ceases to come from the kettle. But if we leave the kettle to boil, the water inside will eventually boil dry. We need to add more water.


We might compare this to things in our lives. How many times do we become engrossed in things that we really get fired up about? It could be something to do with our workplace, or an event in our Christian lives that keeps "the kettle at a full boil." We need to add more "water".


When we are on fire for God, we need to be sure we keep on replenishing our spiritual supplies through activities like Bible studies, prayer, and fellowship with one another. We need to call upon God through the Holy Spirit to refresh us with His strength, in order to keep an even flow of productivity coming out through our
lives in Him, never boiling dry.


So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. - Galatians 6:9.(NLT)

Listen Up

"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." - Psalm 46:10 (NIV).


I have read how, in days of yesteryear, people used ice-houses in order to preserve their food. I heard how one man lost his pocket watch while working in one of these ice-houses. He searched diligently for it raking through all the sawdust on the floor—but without success. Fellow workers also failed to find it.


A boy who wanted to know what all the fuss was about went into the ice-house, closed the door, and before long he emerged with the watch. 


"How did you do it?" the men asked.


"I closed the door," the boy replied, "lay down with my ear in the sawdust on the floor, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking."


Many people ask, "Does God speak to people today?" And how would I know if God spoke to me?


Actually God speaks to us in a myriad of ways. But unless we stand still long enough and listen with our heart, we may never hear him. God may not speak in an audible voice but he "speaks" very specifically through his Word, the Bible. But we need to read and study it to get his message. And God "shouts" to us through creation. As his Word, the Bible, says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." - Psalm 19:1-4 (NIV).


God also speaks to us through various circumstances. Unfortunately, some of us don't stop and listen until a crisis hits us and causes us to slow down and take stock of our life.


Basically, however, in life we see what we want to see, we hear what we want to hear, and we pay attention to what we want to pay attention. Hearing God's voice is a choice. If we truly want to hear it, we will. 

 

You perhaps recall the story of the blacksmith who gave his heart to Jesus. Though living a more Godly life, still he was not prospering materially. In fact, it seems that from the time of his conversion more trouble, affliction and loss were sustained than ever before. Everything seemed to be going wrong. One day a friend who was not a Christian stopped by to talk to him awhile. Sympathizing with him in some of his trials, the friend said "It seems strange to me that so much affliction should pass over you just at the time when you have become an earnest Christian. Of course, I don't want to weaken your faith in God or anything like that. But here you are, with God's help and guidance, and yet things seem to be getting steadily worse. I can't help wondering why that is." The blacksmith did not answer immediately, and it was evident that he had thought the same question before. But finally, he said, "You see here the raw iron which I have to make into horse's shoes. You know what I do with it? I take a piece and heat it in the fire until it is red, almost white with the heat. Then I hammer it unmercifully to shape it as I know it should be shaped. Then I plunge it into a pail of cold water to temper it. Then I heat it again and hammer it some more. And this I do until it is finished." "But sometimes I find a piece of iron that won't stand up under this treatment. The heat and the hammering and the cold water are too much for it. I don't know why it fails in the process, but I know it will never make a good horse's shoe." He pointed to a heap of scrap iron that was near the door of his shop. "When I get a piece that cannot take the shape and temper, I throw it out on the scrap heap. It will never be good for anything." He went on, "I know that God has been holding me in the fires of affliction and I have felt His hammer upon me. But I don't mind, if only He can bring me to what I should be. And so, in all these hard things my prayer is simply this: Try me in any way you wish, Lord, only don't throw me on the scrap heap."

God of Second Chances

"Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 'Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.'   Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh" - (Jonah 3:1-3, NIV). 


As far as following God was concerned, Jonah failed hopelessly. He defiantly did the opposite of what he knew he was supposed to do. But did God reject him? No. God allowed him to experience failure. 


Getting thrown overboard and being swallowed by a whale (big fish) brought Jonah to his senses real quick. When he was ready to listen, "the Word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time."


And so it is with us. No matter how many times we feel we've failed or blown it, God will continue to call us to himself. However, it is much wiser to "listen up" quickly so we don't have to get hit over the head with a "4 by 4"—or be swallowed by a "whale of a problem"  for God to get our attention.


So, if you feel you have failed, be encouraged. Now is the time to give God a chance. "He'll mend even a broken heart if you'll give him all the pieces." God calls us all to follow him, so why not respond  to his call and, if you haven't already done so, ask him to come into your life as Lord and Savior? He can make a much better job of your life than you can if you will trust it to him.

No Longer Embarrassed

"God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." - John 4:9-10 (NLT). 

A young boy asked his mother if she would go with him to his elementary school's first teacher-parent conference. To his surprise she said she would go. This embarrassed the boy because, though his mother was beautiful, she had a terrible scar right across one side of her face.


This was the first time his teacher and classmates saw his mother and because of his embarrassment, he withdrew from them and tried to hide himself. However, he did overhear his teacher ask how his mother's face was scarred.


"When my son was a baby," the mother replied, "he was in a room that caught on fire. Everyone was afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, so I went in. As I was running toward his crib, I saw a beam coming down and I placed myself over him to shield him. I was knocked unconscious but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us...the scar is permanent but to this day, I have never regretted doing what I did."


Hearing what his mother did for him, the boy ran towards her with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt an overwhelming sense of thanks for the sacrifice she made to save his life.


May we, too, feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us in giving his life to save us from our sins and a lost eternity.

A Uniting Cord

"So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." - Acts 9:17 (RSV). 

Imagine receiving a letter from some person for the first time and in the salutation is the phrase "Brother/Sister". I once addressed someone in a similar way (and I am glad to report that we came to be great friends later) and in his reply, he expressed his gratitude that we both belonged to a family, even though we had not met before in the physical life.

There exists a uniting cord between the members of God's family in which personality, status, abilities, location and origin appear as unimportant factors which can set not a single pause to the relationship, its promotion and expression. Fellow Christians easily link up even on the very first interaction, because of the great feature we share -- love for fellow brethren. What a privilege to belong to such a family!

In today's reading, Ananias addressed Saul -- who had set out for Damascus on a legalized mission of persecuting Christians -- as a brother. No sooner had Paul been converted to Christianity (by Jesus' voice, preceded by a great light that shone so brightly around Saul) that he switched from being Ananias' enemy to a brother. O how sweet it is, belonging to such a community, flowing with love, even for enemies!

Yes, we all belong to God's family with a principal uniting cord -- love for fellow brothers and sisters. Before us is the challenge of how we express, exercise and promote this uniting cord. Let's pray that we acquire and share this love, since "He who does not love does not know God; for God is love." - (1 John 4:8 RSV).

Your life can change in an instant. Are you ready?

God Bless the U.S.A.

.

If we've learned anything from Sept. 11, 2001, it's that you can wake up one morning, ready to start your day with enthusiasm and zest and then, in an instant, everything about your world, everything you know to be good, and true and honest, can be torn apart in the snap of your fingers, forever.

As I reflect on what happened 10 years ago tomorrow, I have a range of emotions: intense sorrow, horror, and pain for all the lives lost, but also immense pride for the tremendous bravery that was displayed that awful day.

My memory of that day is that it was a beautiful day in Sarasota, Florida where I live. I remember the President was coming to town to speak to children at Emma E Booker Elementary School. Shortly after 9 am I got a call from my husband telling me to turn on the TV. I watched in horror at what was happening in New York, and then in Washington. I was scared and nervous for all Americans. I was worried about my own children and husband because I knew the President was in our town. Would the terrorists be sending a plane to Sarasota to try and kill the President? There were so many, many emotions that day and in the days after as we all sat riveted to our TV screens watching everything unfold before our eyes. History in the making. Unbelievable and unthinkable history.

                                    President Bush reading with a child in Sarasota before he heard about attacks~

But as I look back now, ten years later, I want to focus and remember the heroics of that day. I want to remember how we, as Americans, came together as a nation in the days and months after those horrific attacks by those cowardly terrorists. There will be many memorials this weekend to those who lost their lives and those are very important.

It's essential to pay tribute to all the innocent victims, the brave heroes of flight 93, and all of the firefighters and police who charged into the chaos to help save lives in NYC and Washington, many losing their lives. Even many regular citizens who, in the midst of all the destruction, found it within themselves to reach out to others, often forgetting their own safety and risking their own lives to help their fellow citizens.

                          Brave firefighter headed UP the Towers to rescue people trapped, he tragically lost his life.

We need to honor them and thank them for their sacrifices, but we also need to remember the blessings that came, even in the midst of all that evil. Blessings you say? Are you crazy? What good could have possibly come out of all that? What blessings could have come through all that loss and destruction? Where was God anyway on that terrible day? I believe that God was crying that day, just like all of us were.

But, in the midst of the horror of that day, I can think of some blessings that I want to share. One blessing I can think of immediately is that the attacks happened in the early morning, not in the middle of the afternoon, when the Twin Towers would have most likely been completely full of workers. As terrible as the losses were, the loss of life could have been much greater if the offices had been completely full, and for that we should all be thankful. I read that when completely full, those Twin Towers held over 50,000 workers. I am thankful that those Towers weren't full. What a tragedy that would have been if we loss all those lives.

                                               WTC Towers burning after the planes hit on 9/11/2001          

Another blessing from the day is the brave passengers of flight 93. They learned from phone calls to family members on the ground about the chaos that was happening in Washington and NYC. Having an idea that their hijacked plane was headed for another Capitol Landmark, they overtook the plane, drove it into the ground in Shankesville, Pa. and averted what could have been another catastrophe in Washington with the loss of many more lives. If the terrorists had attacked the Capitol or the White House, our government might have been abolished for many months or even years and our country might have gone into complete anarchy. That was an immense blessing in my book. A tragic loss of life, yes, but also a blessing.

                                          Temporary Memorial set up after flight 93 went down in Pa.


Remember when the members of Congress stood on the steps of the capital and sang "God Bless America" in the days following the attacks? We need to remember that awesome show of unity in our country, when we stopped to thank God for this awesome country that we have the privilege to live in. You may not think that is a big deal, but have you ever before or after seen such a strong showing of love of God and country by our members of Congress? We were all coming together as a country and that was a blessing.

                                        Members of Congress break into singing "God Bless America"


I want to remember people reaching out to help others grieving along with them. I want to remember the pictures of the firefighters covered with debris, doing what they could to help their own or others in need.

                                  Two women comfort each other in NYC when the Towers are attacked.

                                             Firefighters helping the injured amidst all the rubble after the first Tower fell

We came together as a nation during and after the attacks. We would not let the terrorists break us then and we should not they them break us now. We are a proud God-fearing Nation, one that was built on Christian principles. That was a blessing. We were reaching out to each other with God's love.

                                                                            

  St. Pauls Church in Manhattan offered refuge, rest and food

for the body and souls of the rescue workers

We saw that wonderful, caring side of us after 9/11/01. It came shining through in the days after the attacks. Many people who never prayed or went to church returned to seek solace and called out to the Lord to help find their loved ones, called for protection for the workers and everyone suffering the tremendous losses after the attack. We came together as a nation. There were blood bank opened up all over the country and citizens were giving blood to help in anyway they could. We were donating money, and sending food to help the workers. People from all over the country were leaving their jobs and volunteering to help in the cleanup at the Pentagon and at the WTC site. There were concerts held with big name musicians from all over the world coming to NYC and help to raise money and bring the hurting together. We are a caring nation and in the worst of times, you often see us at our very best. In bad times, us Americans pull together. That's a fact.

So, to the question...Where was God on the day of the 9/11 attacks? I believe He was watching, as He always is. And his was crying right along with us.

                                         Rescue workers stop to pray during the cleanup at the WTC.


But,'s here's the thing to remember. God gives us free will. It is our choice to live with Him in our life, or not. He is a gentlemen. He does not overtake our lives. Unfortunately, we live in an evil world, that is ruled by Satan. This world is not God's Kingdom. That will come in time when Jesus returns to earth. Many people in this world are ruled by evil and by Satan and they let that take over their lives. That was very evident on Sept. 11, 2001. God doesn't want that for any of us. He want us to turn from evil and come home to Him. Ephesians 6 says:

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

The Bible tell us in this powerful verse. It's clear and simple. The day of evil is now, friends. The evil is all around us in this world right now and there are spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Help Lord, what can we do?


What CAN we do, you ask? We can PRAY. We can pray for God's protection for our country, our leaders, those military men and women protecting us all over the world, and our family and friends. We can fall down on our knees and pray with softened hearts to your will.


We can turn from evil and embrace love. We can repent of our own sins and turn back to God Almighty before it is too late. I will be spending an hour praying tomorrow for just that. Please join me in praying for renewal for our country and for peace to be with the family members of all those lost on 9/11/01. May God
Bless you all.

                                  New Cross erected in downtown Manhattan, commemorating 9/11/01
                                                                          

My verse for today is in Red.