TODAY'S PROMISE

 

“God is our merciful Father

and the source of all comfort.

He comforts us in all our 

troubles so that we can comfort

others.”

(2 Corinthians 1:3,4 NLT)

LITTLE IS MUCH

"There's a young boy here with

five barley loaves and two fish.

But what good is that with this

huge crowd?"

(John 5:9 NLT)

You remember the story.  Jesus took

that lunch and fed 5000 men and also

the women and children.

I wanted to do big things for God.

You know, earn lots of money so I

could give a lot to missions and the

church.

But for the last near fifty years God

has been constantly drilling this 

truth into me.

"I tell you the truth,' Jesus said,

'this poor widow has given more

than all the rest of them.  For they

have given a tiny part of their

surplus, but she, poor as she is,

has given everything she has."

(Luke 21:3,4 NLT)

The little bit that I have can be "MORE"

than what the rich are giving.  How much

of it is God getting.

"And if you give even a cup of

cold water to one of the least

of my followers, you will 

surely be rewarded."

(Matthew 10:42 NLT)

Refrain:

"Little is much when God is in it!

Labor not for wealth or fame;

There’s a crown, and you can win it,

If you go in Jesus’ name."

 

TODAY'S QUOTE

 

“It was brother Bakht Singh’s

quiet rest in the absolute

sovereignty of God that gave

him his characteristic freedom

from stress.”

- Brother Bakht Singh of India -

TOO MUCH

"But Peter said, 'I don't have any silver

or gold for you.  But I'll give you what 

I have.  In the name of Jesus Christ the

Nazarene, get up and walk."

(Acts 3:6. NLT)

About sixty years ago I read of an incident

that had a lot of truth wrapped up in it.  I

do not remember the names or the exact

location.  But, it went something like this.

Two, cardinals, bishops or archbishops or

some other high position in the church were 

in one of the large cathedrals I believe in

Europe.  I do not remember their discussion

but when looking around at the grandeur 

of the church one mention to the other;

"We cannot say with Peter we do not have

any silver or gold."  And the other wisely

replied, "Neither can we say 'rise up and

walk.'"

Do we have "Too Much" today?

When was the last time you went to church

in your shiny automobile and watched as

someone in a wheelchair in church was 

told to "Rise up and walk in the name

of Jesus Christ."?

Today in our affluence we depend on

our money, doctors, medicines etc.

and continue to suffer.

The apostles had 

NOTHING BUT JESUS,

and signs and wonders followed.

TODAY'S PROMISE

"You will show me the way of life,

granting me the joy of your presence

and the pleasures of living with you

forever."

(Psalms 16:11 NLT)

 

 

WEARY

"I have told you all this so that

you may have peace in me.  Here

on earth you will have many trials

and sorrows.  But take heart, because

I have overcome the world."

(John 16:33 NLT)

I am not young like you.  I do not 

jump out of bed anxious to get the

day going and do all that needs to be

done.

This morning as I drug myself out

of bed and staggered in to turn the

coffee pot on I was weary.  Not so

much from over work, but a couple 

of projects down in the shop that I

am attempting to do for the Lord 

simply are not going the way I want

them too.  So, I not only had a 

tired body but was somewhat

depressed.  I was tired of life and

felt like I wanted to go on home and

be with the Lord.

As I headed back to the bath room,

with out my mind in this direction at

all, the Lord seemed to say to me;

"be not weary in well doing", that would

be King James talk, but I got the 

message.  O.K., Lord.

Or as we would say it today:

"So let's not get tired of doing

what is good.  At just the right time

we will reap a harvest of blessing if

we don't give up."

(Galatians 6:9 NLT)

P.S.

This of course is many hours latter.

But the project that was particularly

heavy on my mind God let it work

out very well and has me praising 

Him.

 

TODAY'S QUOTE

 

MAN-MADE IDEAS

"Jesus replied, 'You hypocrites!

Isaiah was right when he prophesied

about you, for he wrote,

'These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

Their worship is a farce,

for they teach man-made ideas as

commands from God.'

For you ignore God's law and 

substitute you own tradition."

(Mark 7:6 - 8 NLT)

Just get your Bible out and look.  There

are clear instructions on how to have a

church service in there.  Strange as it 

seems I've never heard a sermon on the

instructions given by God himself, 

because they do not match our customs.

I have been a regular church attender for

over eighty years.  I have attended a lot

of different denominations depending

on where I lived, and circumstances, but

only once have been in a church service 

like the Bible tells us to have -

AND IT WAS NOT IN A CHURCH.

IT IS NO DIFFERENT TODAY,

WE STILL OPERATE ON 

MAN-MADE IDEAS

and wonder why we

are not more 

successful.

 

TODAY'S PROMISE

"Then Jesus said, 'Come to me

all of you who are weary and carry

heavy burdens, and I will give you

rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let

me teach you, because I am humble

and gentle at heart, and you will

find rest for your souls.  For my

yoke is easy to bear, and the burden

I give you is light."

(Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)

 

IMPORTANCE

"About that time the disciples

came to Jesus and asked,

'who is greatest in the Kingdom

of Heaven?'

Jesus called a little child to him

and put the child among them.

Then he said, 'I tell you the truth,

unless you turn from your sins and

become like little children, you will

never get into the Kingdom of

Heaven.  So anyone who becomes 

as humble as this little child is the

greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven."

(Matthew 18:1-4 NLT)

"Jesus replied, 'I assure you that

when the world is made new and

the Son of Man sits upon his glorious

throne, ........... "

"But many who are the greatest now

will be least important then, and 

those who seem least important now

will be greatest then."

(Matthew 19:28 & 30 NLT))

 

TODAY'S QUOTE

“Yet, I have learned that success 

does not come by learning easy 

formulas or principles: we must 

learn the secret of brokenness 

which gives us more grace.

It is the grace that grants us 

ultimate success.”

- Paul Y. Cho -

 

SHOW OFF'S

OK, OK, OK.

So I'm off on a rant again.

What triggered me was the images of the

head of the Russian orthodox church I have

been seeing recently in the news.  You have

seen them if you are keeping up with the news

of today.

I am not trying to pick on him over the head

of any of the other churches.  But look at him,

with the flashy robe his is wearing, the crown

on his head and the scepter in his hand.  Is that

suppose to represent "Christian humility"?

For over sixty years seeing the pride in the

ministry, or any where else, has been a 

problem to me.

You can easy find a list of 100 Scripture 

verses on the internet about the problem 

of pride.  But just consider a few statements

that Jesus made in Matthew chapter 23.

"The teachers of religious law and

the Pharisees ..."

"Everything they do is for show."

"Don't let anyone call you 'Rabbi,

for you have only one teacher and

all of you are equal as brothers and

sisters."

(Matthew 23:2,5,8 NLT)

  We may all

have some outstanding trait or quality,

but so does the other guy.  If we are 

Christians, we are only brothers and 

sisters and all headship belongs to 

Jesus Christ.

"God blesses those who are humble,

for they will inherit the whole earth."

(Matthew 5:6 NLT)

TODAY'S PROMISE

 

"Be strong and very courageous.

Be careful to obey all the instructions

Moses gave you.  Do not deviate from

them, turning either to the right or to

the left.  Then you will be successful in

everything you do.  Study this Book of

instruction continually.  Meditate on it

day and night so you will be sure to obey

everything written in it.  Only then will

you prosper and succeed in all you do.

This is my command - be strong and

courageous!  Do not be afraid or dis-

courage.  For the LORD your God is 

with you wherever you go."

(Joshua 1:7 - 9. NLT)

LIFE IS TOUGH

LIFE IS TOUGH.

I don't know about you, but I get weary of

all the problems of life.  Sometimes I just

want to go and hide from life.  But my Bible

tells me otherwise.

Consider these random samples of the teaching

of:

Jesus;

"I have told you all this so that

you may have peace in me.  Here

on earth you will have many trials

and sorrows.  But take heart, because

I have overcome the world."

(John 16:33 NLT)

John;

"This means that God's holy people

must endure persecution patiently

and remain faithful."

(Revelation 13:10 NLT)

Peter;

"So then, since Christ suffered

physical pain, you must arm

yourselves with the same attitude

he had, and be ready to suffer too.

For if you have suffered physically 

for Christ, you have finished

with sin."

(1 Peter 4:1 NLT)

Paul;

"Can anything ever separate us

from Christ's love?  Does it mean he

no longer loves us if we have trouble

or calamity, or are persecuted, or

hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or

threatened with death? (As the 

Scriptures say, 'For your sake we are

killed every day, we are being

slaughtered like sheep' overwhelming

victory is ours through Christ,

who loved us."

(Romans 8:35,36 NLT)

James;

"Dear brothers and sisters, when

troubles of any kind come your way,

consider it an opportunity for great

joy.  For you know that when your

faith is tested, your endurance has a 

chance to grow."

(James 1:2,3 NLT)

Wow!

Am I stuck with only problems for the

rest of my life?

Consider the other side of the coin.

Here are more random teachings of

the same people.

Jesus;

"I am leaving you with a gift -

peace of mind and heart.  And the 

peace I give is a gift the world cannot

give.  So don't be troubled or afraid."

(John 14:27 NLT)

John;

"God blesses the one who reads

the words of this prophecy to the

church, and he blesses all who listen

to its message and obey what it

says, for the time is near."

(Revelation 1:3 NLT)

Peter;

"Give all your worries and 

cares to God, for he cares about

you."

(1 Peter 5:7 NLT)

Paul;

"Don't worry about anything, 

instead, pray about everything.  Tell

God what you need, and thank him

for all he has done.  Then you will

experience God's peace, which 

exceeds anything we can understand.

His peace will guard your hearts and 

minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

(Philippians 4:6,7 NLT)

James;

"God blesses those who patiently

endure testing and temptation.

Afterward they will receive the 

crown of life that God has promised

to those who love him."

(James 1:12 NLT)

THANK GOD.

Life is filled with problems.  But God

did that on purpose to help me grow

into what he wants me to be.

And,

of course he has provided help and 

encouragement for me while I go

through it.

 

TODAY'S QUOTE

“Every follower of Jesus 

has a unique ministry.

(1 Cor. 12; 1 Pet. 4:10-11;

Rom. 12; Eph. 4)”

- Loren Cunningham

In

Is That Really You,God? -

 

STRESS

I don't know about you, 

but I don't like it when things don't go right.

My plans get messed up, things I try to fix 

don't work right, at my age even my body

does not always work right and people do

dumb stuff.

However, by now I have learned two things.

1. God is going to test all of us.  Are we 

going to remain true to him?

2.  Just like exercise, it might strain or even

hurt.  But it is making us stronger.  So all

these trials and test strengthen us in our

relationship to God, if we will let them.

Consider what Paul and Barnabas was

teaching the various churches.

"They encouraged them to continue in

the faith reminding them that we must

suffer many hardships to enter the 

Kingdom of God.,"

(Acts 14:22 NLT)

Perhaps if things are going too well

we are no longer a threat to Satan.

[That would be scary.].  So, with God's

help instead of letting all this stress and

strain getting me down, I'll follow the

instruction of the apostle James.

"Dear brothers and sister, when

troubles of any kind come your way,

consider it an opportunity for great

joy.  For you know that when your

faith is tested, your endurance has a

chance to grow.  So let it grow, for

when your endurance is fully devel-

oped, you will be perfect and com-

plete, needing nothing."

(James 1:1-4 NLT)