Sunday, October 30, 2022

NOT YET GRAVE



"The LORD protects those of 
childlike faith;
I was facing death, and he saved me."
(Psalms 116:6 NLT)

I want to give a personal testimony of how
the truth of that verse worked out in my 
life.

I should have died about nine years ago.
I ended up in ER and they found that 
my body had quit making blood.  A normal
man's blood count would be about 15, but
mine had fallen to 5 and I was only 79
years old.

For about a year or two I lived on other
peoples blood.  You know, blood transfusions.
There is a lesson in that.

Our true life comes to us from the 
blood of Jesus Christ which was shed
for us.

Yes, they sent me to the state hospital down
at Little Rock, Arkansas.  There I went through
a couple of therapies.  One with horse serum
which did not work.  Then later one with rabbit
serum which I don't think worked either.

BUT GOD:

Of course my church family and friends
were praying for me.  And as according to
the Scriptures, I was anointed with oil and
prayed over.

Points of interest.

The first time I was in the hospital I did 
not know anybody but my own family.
The insurance records I have here show
that 10 different doctors came through and
checked me out.  They did not find the 
problem, but they sure charged the insurance
company.

God lead through a non-medical doctor to
easily find the source of the infection.  When
that was cured it made recovery possible.

Shortly after a supplement was recommended.
That supplement seems to be the real source of
healing.  Yes, I have increased the dosage several
times.  But thank God, at 88 years old I still go
out and work hard - for short periods of time.

I know.  I might not live through this day.
But at least God has given me 9 more years
of life and headed toward 10 years more.

GO TO GOD FOR HELP FIRST.


 

Thursday, October 27, 2022

TODAY'S QUOTE





“Indeed most Christians are so far 

away from God that they no longer 

seem to be able to see the evil in art, 

music, fashion and pop culture of our 

day.”


- Y.P. Yohannan -



 

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

THE WOMEN SHOW US HOW.




I don't know about you, but I want to do 
something for God.  Yet, here I sit, a 
nothing.

The world tells us to have great dreams.
Strive to accomplish your goals.
God has a plan for your life.
Etc.

But, is that God's way?
Consider two women and their service
to God.  Jesus sets both of them before
us as examples to follow.

There was the woman who poured her
expensive perfume on Jesus.  In another
place of the Scriptures we get the impression
that she may even have had a bad reputation.

Now over a long life and my experiences
around women my guess is that was her
 prized possession.  But, she gave it all
to Jesus.  Not just a smell of it, but poured 
it on him. She was criticized for it, but 
Jesus said;

"She has done what she could..."
(Mark 14:8 NLT)

Then Jesus was in the temple with
his disciples and another example
comes by.

"Then a poor widow came by and 
dropped in two small coins.
'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 21:2-4 NLT)

Did you catch that.  The one with 
least - did the most.  Why?  She
gave all she had. 

Remember, Jesus tells us;

"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)

O.K.,
so I don't have anything and
cannot do anything.  But Jesus is only
asking me to do what little I can and all
I can.



Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Sunday, October 23, 2022

A SORRY SUCCESS STORY



Lot has a lesson to teach us.
The New Testament tells us that Lot was
a righteous man.  Today we would say that
Lot was a Christian.

In fact to this point God had blessed him
and his uncle Abraham in a big way.
Lot would have been considered a very
successful rancher in our day.

Then Lot had to make a decision regarding
his livelihood and he went for the green.  Green
pastures in his case.  For us that would have
been for the green - money.

"Lot took a long look at the fertile
plains of the Jordan Valley in the 
direction of Zoar.  The whole area
was well watered everywhere, like
the garden of the Lord or the beautiful
land of Egypt.  (This was before the
Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorra.)
Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan
Valley to the east of them.  He went
there with his flocks and servants and
parted company with his uncle
Abram."
(Genesis 13:10,11 NLT)

It is not long until we see Lot has moved
right in with the world.  His home is in 
Sodom in the middle of a bunch of homosexuals.
And we know what God did to Sodom as a
result.

Yes, God saved Lot in the outcome.  But
Lot lost everything.  He ended up living 
in a cave with his two daughters.  Going
after the "green" was a very costly thing
for Lot.

Where is true wealth found?

"Yet true godliness with contentment
is itself great wealth.  After all, we
brought nothing with us when we came
into the world, and we can't take any-
thing with us when we leave it.  So if 
we have enough food and clothing, let
us be content."
(1 Timothy 6:6-8 NLT)


 

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

TODAY'S QUOTE

 



“Too assert that a world as intricate as 

ours emerged from chaos by chance

is about as sensible as to claim that

Shakespeare’s dramas were composed

by rioting monkeys in a print shop.”

- Merrill C. Tenney, modern scientist.-



 

Sunday, October 9, 2022

YOU CAN'T DO IT BY YOURSELF


I know.  I know.  I know.
The trend on social media is what we
call self help.

You know.
"You can do it."  "Get up and try again."
"Hang on, you will make it."  "Don't give up."
etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. - over and over and 
over again.

But, what would God teach us.
The apostle Paul shows us:

"In fact, we expected to die.  But 
as a result, we stopped relying 
on ourselves and learned to rely 
only on God, who raises the dead."
(2 Corinthians 1:9 NLT)

How would God have us do it?
Again the Apostle Paul shows us:

"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)



 

Thursday, October 6, 2022

TODAY'S PROMISE


"All praise to God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ.  God is our merciful
Father and the source of all comfort. 
He comforts us in all our troubles so
that we can comfort others.  When they
are troubled, we will be able to give them
the same comfort God had given us."
(2 Corinthians 1:3,4 NLT)



 

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

GOD KNOWS BEST.


This old computer brings some things to mind
about how God knows what I need best.

Twenty some years ago I wanted this old
computer real bad.  I do not remember why.
All I remember it that I wanted to get home
to my computer and buy this computer at 
the "buy it now" price before someone else 
got it.

But, the auto agency I was working for sent
me and a fellow employee from Fayetteville,
Arkansas down to Fort Smith to pick up an
automobile and bring back to Fayetteville.
That kept me from getting home to "buy it 
now" before the bidding started.

So, I had to get in on the bidding.  Guess
what!  Buy getting in on the bidding rather
then buy it at the "buy it now" price I got it
quite a bit cheaper.

Oh! and I still use it to this day for some
things.

The property I live on.  When I moved into
this area I wanted a lot more acreage than 
this place has.

God gave me a very clear sign that I was to
buy this place instead.

You know the answer.   Over about forty
eight years has proven that this place fit my
needs best.

I have a few areas of woods I bought at a 
state tax sale.  All the places that I really 
wanted I was out bid on over a couple of
years.  It was just to be a place to hid from
the world once in a while.  So just a patch
of woods would be good.

But, one place did not sell at the last sale
I went to.   After the sale was over I dealt direct
with the state and and was able to buy this 
little patch of woods at a very affordable
price.  It also had a usable structure on it 
that others did not have.

Plus, checking the county's estimated value
a few years later on my little patch of woods
my value had about tripled over what I paid
for it.  And the place I really wanted the most,
and was far out bid on, was only worth about
one third of what the fellow paid for it.

One more and then I will shut up.  Years ago
while I was still single there was two ladies
[At different times.] that I waned more than I
wanted to live.  They were prayed for a lot,
But I did not get either one.

But, in watching them over the years I can 
see that had I gotten either one - I would have
been hurt very badly.

Later God clearly told me who was to be my
wife.  And, you guess it, I could not have gotten
a better woman for a wife.

"And we know that God causes everything 
to work together for the good of those who
love God and are called according to his 
purpose for them."
(Romans 8:28 NLT)



 

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Sunday, October 2, 2022

JESUS CARES



YES, YES, YES.
Jesus turned water into wine at least once.
Yes,
Jesus stilled the storms a couple of times.
Yes,
Jesus gave the fishermen miraculous
hauls of fish at least twice.
Yes,
Jesus feed about 5000 men and their
families once and about 4000 men and
their fames once.
Yes,
Jesus raised dead people to life
at least three times.

But where was Jesus real concern?

"A huge crowd kept following him
wherever he went, because they saw
his miraculous signs as he healed
the sick."
(John 6:2 NLT)

"Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped
from the boat, and he had compassion 
on them and healed their sick."
(Matthew 14:14 NLT)

In the Gospels we read about ten times
that Jesus "had compassion" on them.
And again in the Gospels we read about
thirty-five times that Jesus healed them.

Jesus cares about people.  He cares about
our hurts, our sickness and our problems.
That is why he died for us.
JESUS CARES ABOUT US.

Remember;
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
today and forever."
(Hebrews 13:8 NLT)
And;
"By his wounds you are healed."
(1 Peter 2:24 NLT)

Jesus seems to have special concern for 
our sickness and problems.

King Asa was a great king.  But in his
latter years he messed up.

"in the thirty-ninth year of his reign,
Asa developed a serious foot disease.
Yet even with the severity of his disease,
he did not seek the LORD'S help but
turned only to his physicians."
(2 Chronicles 16:12 NLT)

Yes,
I had a deathly sickness.  About a dozen
doctors looked me over and I have been 
in the hospital four times,

BUT IT WAS JESUS WHO HEALED ME.

The doctors efforts helped me stay alive longer,
but it was Jesus who had to give me direction
apart from the doctors for healing.

Look to Jesus first.
He cared enough about you to die for you
and he wants to heal your problem now.