Ornament of Grace

I have always loved the part of the Christmas Story of the Wise Men. It is interesting to me that it is only mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew and the it is only 12 verses long. Although short in length, MUCH information is given to us by the Lord in His Word of the Wisdom possessed by these men. Reading one morning a few weeks ago, the Lord showed me some things I have never seen before about the Wisdom these men had.It has blessed my heart, how the Lord has answered prayer in studying this these last 2 weeks and seeking His face on this!This post is my testimony of how He has!

Proverbs 4 is where I was reading. The whole chapter deals with Wisdom from God's Word. When I came to verse 9, a phrase jumped off the page at me.....ORNAMENT OF GRACE! With it being Christmas, the word "ornament" is what first got my attention. I thought "Well, we put ornaments on a tree and garland, what ornament, or decoration is the Lord talking about here?" The last part of the verse tells what "ornament" it is_ a CROWN of glory! I read on,and the following verses were shown to me like I have never read them before! If the Lord did not write all of the following verses SPECIFICALLY referring to the Wise men,or Kings as traditions calls them, they DEFINITELY can apply to them.

These Wise men EXHUMED  the true Wisdom that can ONLY come from the Lord.The definition of "Knowledge" is knowing information, but WISDOM is knowledge of what is TRUE AND RIGHT, coupled with just judgment as to action, sagacity, discernment, and insight.(ref.dictionary.com). That second word "sagacity" refers to "sages" or WISE MEN! What made these men wise was that they KNEW the Word of the Lord! We may wonder how in the world these men, from Persia & Arabia, knew about the prophesy of the Messiah and all of the details. I always have. After reading this in Proverbs and praying, a few days later, I was awake from 3am in the morning on, unable to sleep. After laying there and praying for about 2 hours, I turned on the TV and a Christmas special/documentary on the Wise Men was on!!! The preacher narrating the show asked the same question as to where the wise men got their information. The answer is is Daniel 9. The same angel, Gabriel, that the Lord sent to announce Christ's birth to Mary, appeared to Daniel. In verses 25 &26, the angel gives Daniel details concerning the Messiah. Was not Daniel a WISE MAN in the court of three different rulers of the Medes and Persians?????? He also had the knowledge from God's Word spoken by Balaam, in Numbers 24:15-25, that gave the prophecy of "a STAR out of Jacob, and a SCEPTRE (King) shall rise out of Israel." These Wise men EXHUMED the truths of God's Word that Daniel put in place in the palace, from 500 yrs before,  and applied them to the wondrous sign of the Star, HIS STAR as they called it, and believed the Word of the Lord!!! Proverbs 4:7 says, "WISDOM is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all of they getting get understanding."

Next, the Wise men EXALTED God's Word as it says in Proverbs 4:8, "EXALT her (wisdom)and she shall PROMOTE thee: she shall bring thee to honour,.". The Wise men did so. They exalted God's Word as TRUTH, and it PROMOTED THEM.They BELIEVED God's prophecy above all other knowledge they had from all around the world. They believed the sign of the Star in the heavens and BY FAITH knew the significance of it. It didn't promote them just as Wise men in the King's court, that would have given them the means to make this trip in search of the newborn King. It PROMOTED, or caused them to go forward physically, in search of the Messiah also! Did not the Lord bring them to honor, as the verse says, in recording their actions of obedience and faith in His Word forever?????

Lastly, the last half of Proverbs 4:8 says "...when thou doest EMBRACE  her (wisdom.)" These men not only EXHUMED and EXALTED God's Wisdom, but they EMBRACED it as well!!!! They believed and clung to His Promise. Even if they didn't know exactly where the King of the Jews would be located, they knew He would show them the way they should go in order to find Him! Further down in the chapter of Provers 4:11&12 it says, " I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble." Then verse 18 reads, "But the path of the just is as THE SHINING LIGHT, THAT SHINETH MORE AND MORE UNTO THE PERFECT DAY." Was it not THE STAR that shone the way for the Wise men (Matthew 2:2, 9&10)????? Brethren, I don't believe these verses are there by chance!!!!! These men trusted & EMBRACED, BY FAITH, in the Lord Himself for guidance that since He had made known the birth of His Only Begotten Son to them, He would also GUIDE them to Him!!! Prov.4:19 also says "The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble." Does it not say in Matthew 2: 3-7 that Herod and all of Jerusalem was troubled at what the Wise men said and obviously didn't know His Word concerning the Star,and where Messiah would be born?? Had they EMBRACED the Word of the Lord that the nation of Israel were blessed with, they would have known, just as the Wise Men did. Proverbs 4 also says in verse 24-27 "Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thing eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet,and let all they ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left;remove thy foot from evil." Did not the Lord send the Wise men, still directing their path, away from Herod when he lied, as the verse says, another way to their country? They obeyed the Word from the Lord, and didn't turn back or think another thing about what Herod had commanded them! They definitely "removed their feet from evil" in doing so!!!

The Wise men EXHUMED, EXALTED, AND EMBRACED God's WISDOM! In doing so, it was an ORNAMENT OF GRACE to them! Whether or not they were Kings as tradition calls them, they were in the King's palace and the wise men of that day did wear literal crowns. But,those didn't matter. The Lord was more concerned with their spiritual "crowns of glory"vs 9! This Christmas as we see the Ornaments in our homes, may we think about the Ornaments of Grace, and the Crowns of Glory we can have for our Lord, just as those Wise Men did over 2, 000 years ago!!!

Proverbs 4:20-23

"My son, attend to my words;incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes;keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

Salvation's Song: The Ira Sankey Christmas Story

"I AM the Good Shepherd, and KNOW MY SHEEP, and am known of mine." John 10: 14

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This is not fiction. It is part of Ira Sankey's life testimony. I heard this on our local radio station, WSSC 1340 AM. I did more research on it, and wanted to share this blessing with all of you! I pray it blesses your heart as the Lord used it to bless mine!

It was the year of 1862, during the Civil War. It was a bitter cold night, with bright moonlight that gave clear view to everything below. A Confederate Soldier was on picket duty, when across the field, a Union Soldier who was also on picket duty, came into full view. The Confederate Soldier got his musket and took aim, completely hidden in the shadows. Just as he did, the Union Soldier began to sing. "Saviour, like a shepherd lead us, much we need thy tender care. In thy pleasant pastures feed us, for thy use our folds prepare. Blessed Jesus, Blessed Jesus, Thou hast bought us thine we are. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus. Thou hast bought us, Thine we are." This took the soldier with the musket by surprise. He thought to himself, " I'll let him finish his song, then I'll shoot him. I can't miss him and he won't be able to get away fast enough." At that moment, the Singing Soldier started verse two: "We are Thine, do Thou befriend us, BE THE GUARDIAN OF OUR WAY...". The music touched his heart as he heard it and he took his finger off the trigger.It brought back childhood memories of when his mother would sing that song to him, teaching him of the Lord. He listened until the end of the song, then dropped his musket. Without the Union soldier ever knowing he had been there, he turned and slipped away in the darkness.
 
Fourteen years passed, and it was now the year of 1876. The Union soldier had since become a very well known hymn writer and song leader, traveling with Evangelist D.L. Moody. His name was Ira D. Sankey. He had written many hymns, including "The Ninety and Nine," and also composed the music to many other famous hymns, including "A Shelter in the Time of Storm." He was on his way home, on a steamboat on the Delaware River on Christmas Eve. Many passengers on board recognized Sankey and decided they would ask him to sing a song for everyone. On the deck, Sankey agreed and leaned against one of the big funnels. He paused for a moment, before he started. He wanted to sing a Christmas song, but the Lord seemed to lead in another direction. The words to "Saviour, Like A Shepherd Lead Us" came to his mind and he felt impressed to sing this song. So, he did. Everyone on deck listened intently to the singer, and the words of the song in stillness. The Lord's power was on him and his song.

As he finished, a bearded man approached Sankey from the other side of the deck.
He asked Sankey if he could speak with him for a moment. As the two men separated from the crowd, the bearded stranger asked Sankey if he had ever served in the Union Army. Sankey replied with the answer of yes. The stranger asked if he had picket duty, 14 yrs ago, on a clear cold night. Sankey said yes, and asked if the stranger had been there in service also. He told him yes, but had been a Confederate soldier. He went on to tell Sankey he had seen him in clear view, while hidden in the shadows across the enemy lines. He told him how he had raised his musket to fire, and at that same moment he had begun to sing. "It was the same song you sang tonight. When I heard your voice, I knew it was you." He went on the tell Sankey how he planned on letting him finish his song, and then shoot him. "When you started to sing the part that said, "We are Thine, do thou befriend us, Be the Guardian of our way... it touched my heart. It made me think of my dear mother that had passed, and how she loved the Lord, and would sing this same song to me as a child. I couldn't shoot you. My heart was smitten. I didn't know what to do, so I slipped off in the darkness. These fourteen  years I have often thought of that night . Tonight, I know that the Lord that was able to save you from certain death, and was the Guardian of your way,MUST SURELY be great and mighty. I have wondered these fourteen years since lost without that Shepherd. Will you please tell me how he can save me?" And there, on board that steamboat, two soldiers, once enemies, now prayed together for that Great Shepherd to bring another lost sheep home.

Verse##    Thou hast promised to receive us, 
    poor and sinful though we be; 
    thou hast mercy to relieve us, 
    grace to cleanse and power to free. 
    Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! 
    Let us early turn to thee. 
    Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! 

    Let us early turn to thee. 

I See Your True Color Shining Through!!!

  Fall is here! I LOVE to see beautiful colors,  especially the orange and yellow ones. We dont have as many this year, due to all of the Tropical Storms, etc we have had. But, as I was reading  in Psalm 1, the Lord showed me something about Fall leaves.

Psalms 1 described the Blessed man in the Lord. It describes how that man lives, what he does, and what his end will be. Verse 3 "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth is fruit in his season; HIS LEAF SHALL NOT WITHER, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." I looked up the definition of "leaf." It is "a flattened structure of a HIGHER PLANT ....that is attached to stem  directly or via a stalk." Does the Bible not say " I am the Vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing." John 15: 5. We are the leaves on the Lord's Tree of Life, the "HIGHER PLANT." To become a leaf, we had to be BORN INTO THE TREE!!! "Ye must be BORN AGAIN..." John 3:7.

The color of the leaves of a tree tell a lot about the life of themselves. When they are first grown, or "born", they are green. Green is the color of life, and they are that color due to a chemical  CHANGE  that takes place in the leaf. "...old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." II Corinth. 5:12. Photosynthesis is the process of the leaf that creates the food fuel needed FROM THE SUN AND ITS LIGHT and WATER, to change the "bad" byproducts from carbon dioxide, into air, or oxygen. Being planted by the "rivers of water" don't we as Christians do the same? Our "food fuel" spiritually comes from THE SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS HIMSELF(Malachi 4:2) and the Water of His Word gives us the life we need!He rids us of the "by-products" of sin as we spiritually grow in Him. "But GROW IN GRACE , and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ...." II Peter 3:18.

If verse 3 says "his leaf shall not wither", then how does this match up to the fall leaves???? Well, to the physical eye, the leaf outwardly looks to be perishing. It is "PHYSICALLY" dying. The break-down of the chlorophyll is what gives the leaves the beautiful colors that appear. Chlorophyll of the leaf is ITS OWN ENERGY SUPPLY, that makes the leaf depend on self for its life. As new Christians we green, new and tender in our spiritual life. As we grow, we should depend MORE AND MORE on the Lord for our STRENGTH! We should spiritually "breakdown" as well.  Paul said"....though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." II Corinth. 4:16. As we learn that "He must increase, and I must decrease," John 3:30, we "die to self". We should be in agreement with Paul when he said "..I die daily." I Corinth. 15:31. When we die to our own wants and desires and consume the Water of the Word for our fuel, others will see the Lord's beauty on us! We will not, but they will!!!! Is this not what happened to Moses when he came down from Mt. Sinai when receiving the 10 Commandments???  The children of Israel saw it and he didn't know it! His face shone so bright with the Lord that he had to put a vale over his face! Did not the men of the Sanhedrin say the same of Peter and John when they saw their boldness for the name of Jesus?? "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they MARVELED: AND THEY TOOK KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS." Acts 4:13. Our TRUE SPIRITUAL COLORS will come shining through when we have been sitting at Jesus' feet.

If we keep our Spiritual Man  planted by the Rivers of Water as the Psalms says, we will be strengthened daily and grow in grace by the Lord's power and might. Just like verse 2 says, our delight should be in the Law of the Lord and we should meditate in it day and night. Then we will bring forth fruit in our season and our inward "leaf" or man WILL NOT WITHER!!!  Inwardly we will be an EVERGREEN LEAF! Although it may look to the world that we are weak, feeble, and even dying. the beauty of the Lord can shine through us if we have been with Him!!! His true Majesty and Beauty can shine through us for others to see, bringing ONLY HIM honor and glory.

Save Yourself!!!!!!!!!!

Nope. NOT TALKING ABOUT SALVATION! ;) The Lord Jesus is the ONLY One and Way the anyone can be saved from death and Hell. He has paid our sin debt in FULL, and made the way for us. He has left us here, after we have ACCEPTED His Salvation for ONE PURPOSE ONLY: to live for Him and win more souls. BUT, we have to take care and control of our Spiritual Life and Walk with the Lord. THIS DECISION is up to us, and can affect our VERY LIVES!!!
Let's face it folks. This world is going to Hell, LITERALLY, in a "hand basket" as the cliche goes.BUT, we as God's children DO NOT have to be a part of it! There are three main areas of our Spiritual life that we HAVE to protect and keep pure with the Lord's help, in order to do so: 1) our eyes, 2) our minds, and 3) our hearts.

Our eyes do more for us than allow us to physically see. The images we see through them send messages to our brains and put thoughts in our minds! What we look at affects our wants, thoughts, and desires. An example from Scripture is Lot.Genesis 13 tells of when the Lord had blessed him and Abraham with cattle, so much that it caused conflict with their herdsmen,and they had to separate. Abraham told him to choose what part of the land he wanted for his dwelling, and Abraham would take the other. Verses 10 & 11 says, "And Lot LIFTED UP HIS EYES, and BEHELD all the plain .....that it was well watered. THEN LOT CHOSE all the plain of Jordan..". Lot made the decision of what to do based solely upon what the land LOOKED LIKE! He saw the physical beauty of it and selfishly chose the "best plain". BUT, look at what verse 12 says. "..Lot dwelled in the CITIES of the plain, and PITCHED his tent toward Sodom." One thing led to another. His EYES had affected his chose, which then affected where he spent most of his time, and HOW he pitched his tent, or home. It was a domino effect. We CAN NOT look at the things of this world and make decisions based upon how they look! We have to control what we allow our eyes to see! One simple 'second-glance' can be destructive to our walk with the Lord and our testimony! Lot eventually lost the respect of his family, his wife (FROM A LOOK BACK), and his testimony. That is a high price brethren! It all started with a look!  What are you looking at? What do you watch for entertainment? Most of what is on television, Internet, etc, is NOT SPIRITUAL! We cannot make things that are demonic, evil, witchcraft, or even "scientific" , pure, or righteous! Our world has been fascinated with zombies, vampires, goth, etc as NEVER BEFORE! Sadly, MANY of God's people have become wrapped up in it as well! Brethren, these things ought not to be!(James 3:10). We should be "LOOKING UNTO JESUS...". Hebrews 12:1 Would you sit and watch what you normally do with the Lord in the chair next to you? WE ARE! We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit and we are subjecting our Lord to the filth of this world when we watch wickedness! The Holy Spirit should convict us of this sin when we are doing so. If we are not, then SOMETHING is WRONG! WE need to check up and make sure we are saved,or either our conscience is "seared with an iron." I Timothy 4:1 & 2 speak about this EXACT thing! "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly (clearly or plainly) that int he latter times some shall DEPART from the FAITH, giving heed to SEDUCING spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; HAVING THEIR CONSCIENCE SEARED WITH AN IRON." We can become sooo burned on our conscience from the effects of sin, that it doesn't even bother us anymore. Save yourself from what you are looking at brother and sister in the Lord!
Our eyes next affect our heart! Jeremiah said so in Lamentations 3:51 "Mine eye affecteth mine heart ..". We can't argue with God's plain Word! The more of sin that we feed our eyes with, the more we will become hardened to it in our heart. The way to get the victory over this is to PURPOSE in our HEART to obey the Lord and walk with HIM! Daniel PURPOSED in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's meat and that he was going to serve the Lord! (Daniel 1:8). He could have easily enjoyed the pleasures of sin for a season, being away from family and the life he was used to, but he knew there would be a price to pay! Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep they heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." "Ye are the children of light, and the children of the day; we are NOT OF THE NIGHT, nor of darkness.... But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the BREASTPLATE of faith and love;" I Thess. 5:5&8. The Breastplate is our spiritual armour of our heart. Young people, what do you look at or participate in when your family or no one else is around? The Lord knows because He sees all! Purpose in your heart TODAY that you will follow the Lord. Save Your Heart!!

Lastly, our eyes affect our heart, and our heart affects our minds. We, through God's help, can control what our minds think. Will we always? No, because we are human. That is why we HAVE TO DEPEND on the LORD JESUS and His strength alone to do so! He knew that we would battle this DAILY, so He gave us the ammunition to fight back in His Word! "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of HIS MIGHT!" Eph. 6:10 "For to be carnally minded is DEATH;but to be spiritually minded is LIFE AND PEACE." Is your mind in constant turmoil? Maybe it is because you need to trust on God fully for help in keeping your thoughts on spiritual things. "Thou wilt keep in PERFECT PEACE WHOSE MIND IS STAYED ON THEE because he trusteth in thee." Ish. 26:3. How can we do so? "'Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any VIRTUE, and if there be any PRAISE, THINK ON THESE THINGS." Phillip. 4:8. To be carnally minded is spiritual AND PHYSICAL death! If we continue in our minds to feed on the flesh, it will mortify our spiritual walk and testimony, and our very lives! Some sins affect our physical health, (i.e.  smoking, drinking). The Lord does talk about sin unto death I John 5:16. If we continue on in sin WILLINGLY, the Lord can take us on home to glory. He will not suffer reproach to His HOLY NAME. Christian brother or sister, SAVE YOUR MINDS!!


 WE need to SAVE OURSELVES!. May the Lord help us today when we look at things.May we put a guard or blinders on our physical eyes to protect our hearts and minds. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink or WHATSOEVER ye do, do ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD." I Corinth. 10:31 "See then that ye walk CIRCUMSPECTLY (wary and unwilling to take risks), not as fools, but as WISE, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephes. 5:15 &16.
 Today may the Lord help us to be busy "Rescuing the perishing" instead of having to waste time Saving Ourselves!! "But I keep my body under subjection:lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." I Corth. 9:27 "Take heed unto thyself, and unto doctrine; CONTINUE in them; for in doing this thou shalt both SAVE THYSELF, and them that hear thee." I Timothy 4:16.

Safety Net

As a child, I would love to watch acrobats in a show or circus, as they would perform their stunts in mid-air. I would watch with anticipation, hoping they would make it across, without harm or accident. But, while I was watching , I wasn't paying any mind to the SAFETY NET, under them. It was there to catch them if they did fall, to keep them from being harmed. They were DEPENDING on they net for their safety and well being. Just like the acrobats,  we all have something that we depend on or hold on to. This can be good or bad for our lives spiritually. The difference depends on what we are trusting in.

Whether we realize it or not, we ALL have a Safety Net.  Peter can be used as an example from Scripture to help us realize what ours may be. In Luke 5:1-11, the Bible tells of the Lord going to preach on the Lake of Gennesaret. The fishermen, Peter, James, and John were out of their boats, cleaning their NETS. No doubt seaweed and other debris would have made their way into the nets after a long night of fishing. They took great care of these nets to keep them in operating order.Their nets where the main thing they depended on for catching their fish. Without them, they would have nothing to bring the fish in with. They gave GREAT DETAIL AND CARE to those nets for their lively hood. What do we give great detail and attention to in our lives? It could be money, jobs, or even OURSELVES! These things in and of themselves are not bad or wrong, BUT it all depends on how we USE THEM, and if we are TRUSTING IN THEM! "Trust in THE LORD  with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding."Proverbs 3:5.  Our main dependence should be in the Lord and NOT the accessories He provides us with, or our own abilities.

The Lord knew what the fisherman's "safety nets" were. After He preached on the water from their ships, He told Peter to" launch out into the deep, and LET DOWN YOUR NETS for a draught." vs. 4. Peter responded with telling the Lord they had been fishing all night and had caught NOTHING. Peter was placing more STOCK,  or trust, in the net and his own ability, than trusting the Lord. BUT, He said "nevertheless" I will let down the net. This choice of word showed a half-hearted obedience of Peter. He did it with an attitude of "I already tried this, but oh well, I'll do it again." He wasn't depending on the Lord's ability to provide the need, but on his own knowledge and ability from  years of experience of fishing. We should do all things IN FAITH TOWARD GOD, and not our "safety net." "But without faith, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Heb.11:6. WE need to obey with an attitude of Faith. The Lord then gave them a miracle draught, or multitude of fish!!! But, the net broke!!!! The Lord SEVERED the safety net they were depending on to show them that HE WAS THE SOURCE of the blessing, not the net! The Lord will do the same with us. He will remove the net we are depending on to show us what we really are trusting in! It could be a job that we have lost, home, car, or even our health if we are depending on our own abilities. He discerns our thoughts and intents of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12) and KNOWS what we are REALLY relying on, EVEN if WE DON'T REALIZE IT! Sometimes the Lord removed the net to wake us up!

Lastly, when Peter saw that the Net was severed, but they still received the miracle of fish, he was humbled. After a half-hearted obedience to the Lord, now he was in full SUBMISSION. "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord." vs. 8. Peter was submitted but still didn't realize that the Lord wanted to use him, not abuse him! He didn't brake the net to hurt Peter, but to HELP PETER, and to get him to a place spiritually that He could use him for His work! Jesus then told Peter, "..Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men." vs. 10.   Mark 4:20 says, " And straightway LEFT THEIR NETS, and followed Him." He bowed to the Master's will and gave up his dependence on worldly things and self and submitted to the leadership of the Lord and FULL RELIANCE on Him ALONE. 

What is our SAFETY NET today? Are we still putting STOCK in it or the Saviour? Has the Lord SEVERED it, or do we need to? Lord help us today to be in SUBMISSION to the Lord and depending on HIM ALONE! "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: BUT WE WILL REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE LORD OUR GOD." Psalm 20:7. "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD IS." Jeremiah 17:7

Castles In The Sand

   As a child and teenager, I would love to build sandcastles when we would go to the beach.. I've even made sand sculptures as well. I would love to sculpt and build the castle or object just the way I wanted it. But, if I didn't start the project correctly, it would not turn out right or most of the time, it would crumble. Is this not how the Lord does with us? The Lord tells us of building castles, or houses on the sand.

Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:47-49 give the Lord's Parable of  two houses that were built. One was built upon a foundation of a rock, and the other was built on the earth, or the sand. There were great differences between the two, which ultimately led to completely different outcomes of each one.The Lord used the house upon the ROCK as the comparison for a spiritual or saved man, and the house on the sand as a lost man . Christ wants us to build our "house" according to HIS design. He gave us His blueprint in the parable.

 I Peter 2:4 says a saved man  is " also as lively stones , are built up a spiritual house." First in order to build a spiritual house we HAVE to have a solid foundation, or CORNERSTONE. The solid foundation and basis for that house is Jesus Christ Himself. Eph. 2:20 says, "Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone."  Luke 6:48 says the spiritual man "digged deep, and laid a foundation on a ROCK.". Our salvation and our life MUST be based and solely built upon the Lord HIMSELF! He is the ONLY FOUNDATION and no other will do. He is our Rock. 

Secondly, our house has to be COMPACT together. When I would put sand in my bucket or mold, it would have be be pushed down to compact it, or else when I tried to make it stand, it would crumble. Our spiritual house is the same. Ephesians 4: 16 speaks of the building of the church body and says "fitly joined together and COMPACTED.." This can be applied to our lives as well. We need to have everything in our life to be molded and kept together in the way the Saviour wants it to be. Is He not the potter, and we are the clay? (Jeremiah 18:6) Only He can make us according to His plans and can turn us into "spiritual house" He intends us to be. If we don't stay compact, or close to the Lord,  and go after our own heart's desires for our lives without following what HE WANTS, our plans will crumble. 

Lastly, our house has to be built in CHARITY, or love. Just as I would make a solid foundation for my castle, dig deep, and compact the sand in the mold, I would have to slowly, or lovingly, construct each part. "..that ye being rooted and grounded in LOVE, ....and to know the LOVE of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17 & 19. It is not the Lord's intention to hurt or cause us injury in His plans for our lives.Both of the houses in this parable had the storms waters beat upon them. The difference in the houses though was the one stood and the other fell. Being saved will not make us exempt from trials and storms.But the difference is that the Lord lovingly molds and shapes us to what He wants us to be.He is our strength in the storm! This is how we can and will stand in them! He does so lovingly, and IN HIS TIME. He does not get in a hurry. "He hath made everything beautiful IN HIS TIME." Eccel.3:11a.  In return, we need to Love our Creator because He "first loved us."  I John 4:19. His love will "constrain", or keep us dead to our own desires and make us  want only what He wants for us." II Corinthians 5:14. 

Today may we let the Master Sculptor be the Cornerstone foundation of our lives. Let Him keep us Compacted , or close to Him and His Will for our lives. His Charity will be what holds us together in strength to stand for Him in this world, according to His Will. Let us be a beautiful display of His great transforming power as a "Castle in the Sand" as sung by the Booth Brothers  below.

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Remind Me Dear Lord Conclusion-Peter

Remind Me Dear Lord started with the Quitting prophet Elijah, and went to the Questioning Prophet John the Baptist. To conclude this series is  a man that most all of us can identify with-the Apostle Peter. 

Peter was called to be the first of the Lord’s disciple. He would be the “leader” and outspoken one in the group. His salvation and calling were a miracle in itself, with the Lord giving him a draught of fish. Peter had often boldly and passionately stood for the Lord, sometimes without seeking the Lord first, and handled things wrongly. Our sin in doing things in self-will and not following the Lord will QUENCH the Spirit, and the Lord cannot and will not bless. But, inspite of this, the Lord used Peter greatly for Him during his life. The Lord showed great mercy and grace to Peter in appearing to him, and six other disciples, after His resurrection. This appearance was mainly to deal with Peter after he had denied the Lord, and to REMIND him of his higher calling.

John 21 begins with Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, and John and two others at the Sea of Tiberias, or Galilee. Verse 3 says, “Simon Peter saith unto them, I GO  a fishing.” Here Peter decided in self-will to go and do what HE WANTED to do, instead of what the Lord had commanded him to do. He was returning to his old way of life before the Lord had called him to follow him. Proverbs 14:14 says, “The backslider in heart shall be filled with HIS OWN WAY..” .  Peter had turned to his own thinking again, and hat night they set out to sea to catch NOTHING. Once again, the Spirit was QUENCHED.  But the Lord stood on the shore in the morning and asked , “Children, have ye any meat?” When they answered “no”, He told them to cast the net on the RIGHT SIDE of the ship, and they were not able to draw the fish in because they were great in number! Doesn’t this sound familiar? This is what the Lord did when he first called Peter to follow Him. The Lord was reminding Peter to “LAUNCH out into the deep” as He had commanded him in Luke 5:4. He had let down his net then for a draught of fish as well after another night of catching nothing. Jesus told Peter “from henceforth thou shalt catch men.”  No doubt the Lord was speaking to Peter and the others to REMIND them of what HE HAD DONE in the past and what they were supposed to be doing now. Peter then wrapped himself in his fisher’s coat because he was naked. He had become so backslidden in heart that he literally had himself bare to the world. In other words, he was “showing himself” as we often say to descirbe a child that is not behaving well. When we are filled with our own ways and doings as the verse in Proverbs said, the only thing others will see in us is ’SELF” instead of seeing Jesus. Our backslidden state will be seen by everyone, just as plainly as being naked.  As soon as the Lord showed Himself to Peter and moved to remind him, Peter realized what he had done. He immediately covered himself in humility, BUT as he often did, literally flung himself headlong in the water to get to Jesus! He had to get back to where Jesus was! He wasted NO TIME! We need to do the same. When Jesus is pricking our hearts to call us back to Him and REMIND us to return to the path He has called us to, we should run headlong back to Him, wasting no time. He is there ready to forgive on the shore, just like He was for Peter.

When Peter got on shore, the Lord had provision for him and the others, with a fire with fish and bread on them cooking. This was the best fish fry in history! J The Lord had provided their need for them. They didn’t have to go fishing all night long, out of God’s will, trying to do or get something He hadn’t told them to. If we are obedient to the Lord, “…my God shall supply ALL your need…” Philip. 4:19. He THEN told Peter to bring of the fish THEY had caught, and the net still wasn’t broken. The Lord wanted to bring the point home to Peter that we can do nothing apart from the Lord in our own strength. HE HAS TO GIVE US THE STRENGTH to be successful, in His Name. This is just as it was when the Lord told Peter that he would deny Him, Luke 22:31 & 32. Satan had desired to sift him as wheat, but the Lord told him He had prayed for him, that his faith would not fail. Peter had the provision he needed for that test then also, but decided to trust in SELF, as it says in verse 33 when he responed “I AM READY…”. Later that night, after the third denial, the Lord LOOKED at Peter to remind him of HIS WORDS. Peter was then broken, UNLIKE the net of fish now, because of his sin. The net of fish wasn’t broken because Peter went in OBEDIENCE to bring the net to the fire WHEN THE LORD told him to. We will not be broken from sin when we follow in obedience.

Lastly, the Lord REMINDED Peter of His LOVE for Him. After Jesus told the disciples to “Come and dine” John 21:12, and they ate, He asked Peter, “lovest thou me MORE than these?” He answered “Yea Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.” Jesus told him to “Feed my lambs”. He wanted Peter to go out to preach and save babes, or “lambs”, in Christ, leading the other disciples in the Gospel. The Lord asked him again if he loved Him. He answered the same, and the Lord told him to “feed my sheep.” vs. 16. He wanted Peter to follow on, preaching and teaching, and strengthening the brethren, as he had commanded him in Luke 22:32.  And a third time He asked, and Peter was grieved. The Lord was dealing with Peter about the sin of his denial. Peter now confessed to Him, “Lord, THOU knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee.” He was admitting that the Lord knew all and what was best, and that HE did not. “But HE KNOWETH THE WAY THAT I TAKE: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10. The Lord was purging Peter. He knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts, Hebrews 4:12. He then told him a third time to feed his sheep, and went on to tell how Peter would die on a cross also. But, once again before the trial, the Lord encouraged Peter and said, “Follow me.” vs. 19. We should follow the Lord’s leading out of a hear of  LOVE for him.
Peter’s QUENCHING of the Spirit was answered each time with the same  Quota from the Lord. Every time an offence took place, the Lord dealt with each one. He reminded Peter that He had called him to LAUCH out into the deep, LOOK to Him for direction, and serve out of LOVE!

 Thank God for the pricks of our heart (Peter) , the still small voice (Elijah) , and the reassurance of what He has done in the past for us(John the Baptist). Please Remind Me Dear Lord today!

Remind Me Dear Lord! Part 2

Discouragement is the number one tool used of the Devil to hinder or stop our service for the Lord. The last post was on Elijah and his discouragement which made him want to quit. The Lord answered him with a question and a quake to get him back on track. But, there were two other leaders in Scripture that faced the same discouragement and doubt-John the Baptist and Peter.

John the Baptist was Jesus' cousin and was chosen as the forerunner of the Messiah to "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." Ish. 40:3. He preached Repentance for the remission of sins, and baptism as a public witness that you believed in Christ. He indeed baptized the Lord Himself in the Jordan river! (Matthew 3:13-17). But as John prophesized , "He must increase, and I must decrease" John 3:30 his ministry was drawing to a close. He had done what the Lord has wanted him to in preparing the hearts of the children of Israel to accept their Messiah. John found himself thrown into prison for boldly declaring to Herod that he had unlawfully married his sister-in-law. This persecution is what lead to John's discouragement, which led to doubt. In Matthew 11:1-15 & Luke 7:19-29, we read that John sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask if He truly was the Messiah that should come. How could this faithful servant of the Lord doubt the ONE, that he had proclaimed himself to be "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29? The answer_He was human, just like we are! ANYONE CAN DOUBT when we get our eyes off of the Lord.This saint of God was QUESTIONING from his place of persecution, where it seemed it was only him, the prison cell, and the darkness! All he could see then was the present situation, instead of what the Lord had allowed him to accomplish in the past. Surely John didn't expect to end up in a dungeon after he had baptized the Lord of Glory Himself!!  I can only imagine what must have been going through his mind, as he sat in the darkness! He very well could have felt alone and deserted! Where was the Messiah that he had proclaimed to Israel? Could he have been wrong in doing so? Was this man, his cousin, truly the Son of God? BUT, the Lord knew EXACTLY WHERE JOHN WAS AND WHAT WAS HAPPENING! IT WAS STILL PART OF THE LORD'S PLAN!!! 

The Lord sent back John's disciples with a QUE for the QUESTION! He had to que John's thoughts back to where they needed to be! His answer was a REMINDER of His Word, His Witness, and THE WAY! "Go and shew John AGAIN those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed,the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them." Matt.11:4&5. He reminded Him of the Word that was spoken to him from Isaiah 29:18, 35:5&6. HIS WORD is what REMINDS us of what He has done and WILL do! 

This Word also reminded John of the WITNESS of the Holy Spirit to his soul when he was still in his mother Elizabeth's womb. When he heard the proclamation that the Saviour was on His way, he lept in her womb, being filled with the Holy Ghost! (Luke 1:39-45. His answer reminded John also of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire that he preached of, (Luke 3:16.) The Holy Spirit also bore witness to John's soul that He was the Son of God when John baptized Him in the Jordan river, (Luke 3:22 & John 1:33 &34.) 

He REMINDED John of the Way. "...The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye THE WAY of the Lord, make his paths straight." Luke 3:4, John 1:23. Jesus reminded John that He is the WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE! All of these miracles that had been foretold were now being fulfilled! He was now fulfilling the Word that John had been proclaiming! As the messengers returned to John, Jesus then declared to the multitude that John was indeed His Messenger that He had sent to prepare the way, (Malachi 3:1), and that he was the greatest prophet that had ever been born of women. He did so to confirm the witness of John, and to assure the multitude of his message. 

This great leader wasn't exempt from being discouraged and doubting. His thoughts and sight were taken from where they should be because of persecution. Satan will attack even the strongest of God's people to try to get us defeated. When we are doubting, we need to tell the Lord our QUESTIONS, because He already knows them anyway. Only HE can REMIND us, and QUE our thoughts and our sight back to Him. 

"Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees." Ish. 35:3. "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee.." II Timothy 1:6. The next post will end with Peter.

Remind Me Dear Lord!! Part 1

Living below here in this sinful world, it is VERY EASY to forget what the Lord has called us to do. There are distractions and distresses on every hand that are easily used of Satan to blind us to the work of the Lord. We need to be reminded of WHY we are doing what we are doing.
The Lord in His loving care did so with three men that were called of Himself in the Bible.

Elijah was one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. He had faithfully served the Lord, carrying out great acts of the Lord’s judgment, such as destroying the prophets of Baal and his altar. But even after such a great victory, he needed reminding that he was not alone. After the victory over Baal’s prophets and their destruction, he took his eyes off of the Lord (I Kings 19:3). He feared for his life, due to the threat of Jezebel to make him as one of Baal’s dead prophets. He retreated to the desert and requested that the Lord would take his life, that all of this was enough! (I Kings 19:4) In other words, He said “I QUIT!” How many times do we do the same thing? When it seems all of hell’s forces are attacking us and there is no one besides us to stand, we say also that “it’s enough,” and want to quit? But, thanks be to God, “..HE knoweth our frame, he remembered that we are dust.” Psalm 103:14. The Lord gave Elijah the ‘fresh manna’ he needed to restore strength to his physical body, vs. 5-7. Then he went to Mount Horeb for 40 days and nights where the Lord also addressed the heart of the matter. He responded to the QUITING of Elijah with a QUESTION!  He asked “What doest thou here Elijah?” vs. 9.  Elijah proceeded to blame everyone but HIMSELF for his retreat, vs. 10. The Lord answered him with a strong wind, then an earthquake, and then a fire. BUT, the LORD was NOT in any of them. THEN, He spoke to Elijah in a still small voice. This is what touched Elijah’s heart! “My sheep hear my voice..” John 10:27-29. The Lord used these great acts to remind Elijah that the great wonders he had performed were not where his reliance of strength and power should be, but in the LORD’s WORD and promise! The power was HIS Word  & NOT THE WONDERS!!! His Word was also protection! Elijah was not alone! We are NEVER alone, or so far away from the Lord that He cannot speak to one of His children’s heart! “….I will NEVER leave thee, nor forsake thee!” Hebrews 13:5. Since the Lord can NEVER CHANGE (MalachI 3:6), NEITHER WILL HIS WORD, because HE IS THE WORD, John 1:1. The Lord used His Word here “for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;”. (II Tim. 3:16). He REMINDED Elijah where he SHOULD BE, what he should be doing, and WHO was with him. The Lord reminded him that there were others that were serving Him also.

The Lord answered Elijah's QUITTING with a QUESTION, and  sent a QUAKE! He used the WONDERS to REMIND Elijah of His WORD! When we are burnt out, or faint, and want to quit, what will it take to REMIND US? GO TO THE LORD AND HIS WORD! It is what will speak to our hearts to REMIND US , “that the man of God may be THROUGHLY furnished unto all good works.” II Tim. 3:17. Parts 2 & 3 are to follow on John the Baptist and Peter.

Great is Thy Faithfulness

God is faithful! There is no way we can deny that! As the verse above says, they are NEW EVERY MORNING! There would be no way to completely count all of the blessing of faithfulness our Lord gives us daily, but the Lord laid these three things on my heart.

First, every morning, the Lord gives us a FRESH START. Everyday He wakes us up and we still have the breath of life in us. He still has us here to work for Him and fulfill His purpose for our lives. Despite what the day before brought into our lives or what good or bad we did, the rising of the sun brings a new day to start over for Him! "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new EVERY MORNING; great is Thy faithfulness." Lamentations 3:21-23. If the day before was full of failures, sins, and troubles all the way around, we can ask for forgiveness. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness." I John 1:19. "As far as the east if from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." Psalms 103:12. We can KNOW that we can have our sins forgiven and that the Lord will NOT HOLD THEM OVER OUR HEADS! When our sins are forgiven, they are GONE FOREVER! If the Lord doesn't remember them, we don't need to either. Sure this is easier said than done, but we can keep our minds stayed on the truth of His forgiveness and that we are given a NEW OPPORTUNITY DAILY to start over and serve HIM! "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before." Phillipians 3:13. He has a "mulitude of mercies" for our "multitude of transgressions" Psalms 5:7 & 10. 

Secondly, the Lord FREELY PROVIDES for our daily needs! "Blessed be the Lord, who DAILY loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah." Psalms 68:19. The Lord doesn't give us blessings to ration and hope we will have "just enough" to make it through. No! He gives us A LOAD DAILY!! This is our Portion to meet our need, and keep us looking to Him everyday! Just as the Lord provided the physical need of food to the Israelites with fresh manna DAILY from heaven, He is STILL doing the same thing for us! No, we don't have a grocery basket from heaven dropped on our front door every morning, but the Lord is the one that gives us the means to be able to get our physical supplies, or either uses other people to help with providing our needs. He also gives us our spiritual food daily. He is our PORTION! Psalms 16:5 says, "The Lord IS THE PORTION of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot." "Maintaining our lot" speaks again of daily provision! Just as the Lord provided for the multitudes in the wilderness with the 5 loaves of bread and two fish, THE BREAD OF LIFE is still giving us our physical and spiritual daily bread! "Give us THIS DAY our daily bread." Luke 6:11. 

Lastly, the Lord is faithful to us daily by being the dearest FRIEND we can ever have! Just as Adam, Abraham, and Enoch walked with the Lord daily, so can we! We can feed on His Word, listen to that still small Voice that speaks to us through it, and talk with our High Priest! No matter how hard our day is, what the storm may be, or even if it seems He is no where to be found, HE IS STILL RIGHT THERE BESIDE us! "..I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5. "...there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24. Daily call upon Him for help. Walk with Him to know the way you need to go! "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: FOR THOU ART WITH ME; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Psalms 23:4. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalms 23:6. He is GOODNESS AND MERCY and will be there with us all the days of our life! What a blessing to be able to call the God of heaven our friend!

Great is thy faithfulness! Great are His mercies and compassions daily! Every morning He gives us a Fresh Start, Freely Provides, and is the dearest Friend we have ever had! "This is the DAY which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it!" Psalm 118:24. 

The Healing Touch

According to scientific studies, there is noted healing properties in the sense of touch. According to WebMD, there is a growing movement in the field of medicine in this study, and as a treatment to those who are suffering from chronic sickness or emotional stress. Certain hormornes and endorphines are released in the body that bring TEMPORARY relief and calming. BUT, if the people conducting these studies had looked to the Bible for answers, they would have known this a looong time ago! In Mark 5:21-43, the Bible gives us the account of a woman  that was healed by a touch of the GREAT PHYSICIAN!

  The difference in the power of human touch and the Lord's touch,  is that human touch is temporary, and His is PERMANENT!!! Human touch is fleshly, and His touch is Spiritual! The Lord's touch brings complete healing and CURE that is eternal! (II Corinthians 4:18).  The Lord had just crossed the Sea of Galilee and as soon as He was off of the boat, a crowd of people began to throng Him. He had people everywhere running to Him, wanting to see and touch Him. But, there was one woman that truly touched Him. This woman had been sick with a disease, an "issue of blood" (vs. 25) for 12 years. She had suffered many things of many doctors, and had spent her "all her living" (Luke 8:43) upon them, trying to get healed of it. The phrase "all her living" not only implies that she spent all that she had monetarily, but all of her effort and strength that she had left was spent DAILY trying to be healed. No doubt she spent every hour of every day thinking of it: planning, staying on schedule with medicines; yet it was ALL IN VAIN!!! Above all of her labors, there was the constant pain to remind her that it was NOT WORKING OR HELPING!! The Bible said that she even grew WORSE despite her efforts. Are we not the same before we come to Jesus? We know there is something wrong with us, but no matter how hard we try to 'BETTER' ourselves, we seem to continually get worse. Luke 11:26-28 tells us that self improvement or reformation does nothing but make us worse off. The end result of such efforts leaves us in a state that makes us even more sick than we were before, vs 28. In God's eyes, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;" Isaiah  64:6. She knew she was getting worse everyday, and she was at her wit's end. She had done all she knew to do, and was desperate, just as described in Psalms 107:27, "They reel to and fro,  and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end." BUT, she had heard that Jesus was there and she believed from what she had heard that He was the only One that could heal her, vs 27 & 28. She came to Him. "I stretch forth my hands unto thee; my soul THIRSTETH after thee..." Psalm 143:6.  She reached forth to touch the Lord's garments, and she was IMMEDIATELY HEALED OF THAT PLAGUE! Her blood disease was healed by the Power in the Blood of the Lamb of God!!Jesus still calls for us to "COME unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28.

Then, the woman CONFESSED what this touch had done!! Jesus IMMEDIATELY knew that someone had touched, or reached out to HIM in FAITH. This was the difference in the touch of this woman and the touch from the crowd thronging Him.The touch from the crowd was not "mixed with faith" Hebrews 4:2. Jesus asked the question "Who touched my clothes??" vs. 30.  Jesus knows when healing power, and virtue, go out of HIM because HE is the ONE that sends it! Did He have to ask who touched Him and what had just happened???? NO!!! He knew! He wanted this woman that had touched Him, reaching out to God in secret, to CONFESS publicly what had just happened! We are to do the same! We are to tell the world what Jesus has done for us in salvation and thereafter! "That if thou shalt CONFESS with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe int thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thous shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth CONFESSION is made unto salvation." Romans 10: 9 & 10. Knowing what was done in her, the woman " told him all the truth," vs 33. She confessed before that whole crowd why she came, what she had just done in touching Him in faith, and what HE HAD DONE!! Boldly stand and tell others of your salvation and what Jesus has done for you!!! She came in faith because she had heard of what Jesus had done for others. "Faith cometh by hearing," Romans 10:17. We will never know who the Lord will draw unto Himself because of our testifying of what He has done for us!!!

After she confessed what He had done, the Lord gave her COMFORT from this touch! "Daughter, be of good COMFORT; thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace." Luke 8:40. The Lord wanted to give His new daughter the COMFORT of ASSURANCE that she was now His child."But as many as receive Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12. He wanted her to be comforted in knowing that she was COMPLETELY whole. He wanted to comfort her in letting her know that she would now have peace!! Only He can bring this COMFORT through a touch because HE IS THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT!!! "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT! Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." II Corinthians 1:3 &4. Now that's a LOT of COMFORT right there! The Lord wants us to be completely encompassed with HIS COMFORT just as a mother comforts her weary child!! "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you;" Isaiah 66:13.

A touch of faith will bring CURE, CONFESSION, AND COMFORT!! ONLY our Great Physician can give this to us! Are you sin sick? Reach out your hand in faith to Him! He is there right beside you, waiting for you to come to Him, just as the father stood waiting on the Prodigal son to come to Him! Have you already received the Cure from the Saviour, but haven't CONFESSED HIM publicly? Speak it today! Tell someone what Jesus has done for you so that they can be cured also! Are you weary today? Have you been fighting long physical or spiritual battles? Reach out to our God of all Comfort for that reassurance today!  "But it is a good thing for me to DRAW NEAR to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works." Psalms 73:28

Good Spiritual Housekeeping!!

We recently had a Ladies Day at our church, and the theme was Good Housekeeping. We used cleaning and beauty product names that we all use daily, to remind us of how we need to keep Good Spiritual Housekeeping! These are some of the product names, listed first,  and then a verse from Scripture to help us remember how we can have a good, clean Spirit for the Lord inside. You won't look at these products in the same way the next time you use them! :) Hope this list is a blessing!

Where to Find Your Spiritual Housekeeping:

Joy : “..For the JOY of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

All: “I can do ALL things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13

Cheer: “..Be of good CHEER; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Gain: “But godliness with contentment is great GAIN.” I Timothy 6:6

Dove: “..Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as DOVES.”

Matt. 10:16

Glad: “…I will be GLAD in the Lord.” Psalms 104:34

Behold: “BEHOLD what manner of love that the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God…” I John 3:1

Shout: “Clap your hands, all ye people; SHOUT unto God with the voice of triumph.” Psalms 47:1

Purpose: “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own PURPOSE…”

II Tim. 1:9

Favour: “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck;write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find FAVOUR and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” Prov. 3: 3&4

United We Stand

Today as a nation we pause to remember all of those that have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Memorial day IS the honoring of sacrifice and of standing together for a common cause~ our liberty. These men and women stood together in a effort of unity to defend, protect, and provide for our nation and our families here in  ONE nation, that USED TO BE UNDER GOD,  indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I started thinking about this and how the Lord has blessed our nation as a whole. Our past PROVES we have been blessed whenever God was worshipped, exalted, and depended upon to FOUND this nation. We have since fallen away from this. Our nation has become weakened to an anemic state spiritually. Sadly, it is not just our nation  collectively speaking, but the church as a whole as well. Divided by conflicts, strife, and worldliness, we have become weak and are not standing as we should. There is a price that is being paid for this. 

Ephesians 4:4 says of the church that “There is ONE BODY..”.
As a church, we HAVE TO STAND TOGETHER as ONE BODY! Our forefathers KNEW this face to “be self-evident.” “ A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Mark 3:25. Several years back when my son was little, I was feeding him breakfast one morning. I had cooked him some eggs and was sitting down to cut them up. They had just come off of the pan and were “smoking hot.” I noticed within just a few minutes, after being divided, that they had cooled off considerably, and were now almost cold! I was amazed at how fast they had gone from being so hot, to now being cold! The Lord spoke to me through this. As a church we cannot be on fire for the Lord as long as we are divided! We will become COLD AND INDIFFERENT! We have to stay, or stand together as a whole, in unity as ONE BODY,  in order for there to be retention of heat! Just as soldiers fought fervently for the physical liberty of our nation as a whole, how much MORE should we stand as a whole for the eternal SPIRITUAL LIBERTY of people’s souls?

Ephesians 4:4 then goes on to say that there is “ONE SPIRIT.” This we know is the Holy Spirit. If we are all following a different way or spirit, it IS NOT OF GOD! Soldier have ONE LEADER they follow; if not there is confusion on orders. “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” I Corinthians 14:33. If there is not unity, there is someone or something that is NOT OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD! God will not lead us to EVER do anything that is against HIS OWN WORD! He cannot deny HIMSELF! (II Timothy 2:13.) We are to TRY THE SPIRITS ! “Beloved, believe NOT every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone our into the world. Hereby know ye the Sprit of God; Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is NOT OF GOD… hereby know we the spirit of error.” I John 4:2-6. The Bible tells us that we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices! He knows that the only way he can divide the church is from the inside! May we strive through the help of God to not let the devil get an advantage of us. “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every EVIL WORK.” James 3:16. We need to “WATCH YE, stand fast in the FAITH, quit you like men, be strong.” I Corinthians 16:13.

Lastly, just as our soldiers fought for ONE HOPE of liberty from victory, we CAN STAND UNITED for ONE HOPE FROM victory! The end of Ephesians 4:4 says, “ye are called in ONE HOPE of your calling.”  He IS OUR HOPE! (I Timothy 1:1)The Lord has called us to defend the faith and rescue the perishing. We cannot do so without hope! He has ALREADY WON the victory on Calvary. We stand on this hope and fight from it, NOT FOR IT! The gates of hell cannot stand against the advancement of the church, Matthew 16:18. As a whole, the church has to stand until THE BLESSED HOPE, the Second Coming of the Lord takes place!

May the church of the Lord stand united as ONE BODY, IN ONE SPIRIT, AND ONE HOPE! May we “endure hardness as a good soldier,” II Timothy 2:3.  “For it is GOD WHICH WORKETH IN YOU both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputing; that ye may be blameless, the sons of God, without rebuke, IN THE MIDST OF A CROOKED AND PERVERSE NATION, among whom ye shine as light in the world.” Phillipians 2:13-15. God give us the help we need to be “United as ONE”, for divided as a church, we will fail to bring THY LIBERTY to our nation once again!

"Ruthless" Attitude Poem

"Ruthless" Attitude 

An attitude that is “Ruthless”, free from sin and self to be, 

Living for God and others, 

Lord, help them THY goodness to see.

Nothing for Salvation could I have worked or done.

It is thy Mercy and Grace, and ONLY THINE ALONE!

Following Thee wherever Thou may lead, 

Trusting Thy Word as promised, To meet my every need.

Serving Thee humbly day by day, helping point others to Thy Holy Truth and Way!

Never myself to lift up in pride, or to seek attention, in Thee I WILL HIDE!

Considering others along the way, Stedfastly determined in thy Will I will stay!

Coming to Thee with each supplication and care, Knowing from Thy Word, You will ALWAYS be there!

Resting in Thee as You work from Thy throne, Until You take me to my heavenly home!

My Kinsman Redeemer, that purchased me in love,

Help me to be like Thee with Power, Grace, and Mercy from above!

~Marcie Hudgins

"Ruthless Attitude" Part 2

This lady of God had “Ruthless“ Consideration of others.  To be selfless in service, we HAVE TO THINK OF OTHERS FIRST! Ruth had every right according to this world’s eyes to be focused on only her needs. She seemed to have to fend for herself. But, she was trusting in her Lord to supply each and everyone. Putting her trust in the LORD first to supply them and leaving her concerns there, she then turned her attention toward the needs of others.  The Lord used  Boaz to provide for Ruth’s needs. He  had called her to eat at his table at mealtime, Ch.2:14. She was comforted, spoken friendly to, and PERSONALLY fed until she could eat no more!!( 2:13&14. But, even in this great blessing, Ruth did not forget the need of her Mother-in-law. She wanted to share the blessings of God with her. Verse 18 tells us that Ruth “..gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed.” She had enough and to spare from the blessing of the Lord, and gave her abundance to Naomi. Is that not what we are supposed to do? Our abundance should supply someone else’s lack. II Corinthians 8:14 says “but by an equality that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, ..).  Ruth could have “pigged out” on the buffet without a second thought of Naomi!  But she chose not to. She gave from a heart of love.What do we do with our blessings? Do we stingily hold on to them, hoarding them, or let the over flow go to others?   I John 3:17 says “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” The Lord provided enough to meet Ruth’s needs AND SOMEONE ELSE’S!  We can ALL BE“sufficed”. God’s supply pantry is NEVER EMPTY! Someone else’s lack MAY be because of our sin of indifference or inconsideration. Physical or spiritual! May the Lord help us to always consider the needs of others. “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men,  especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10.

Ruth was “Ruthless“ in her Supplication: Naomi saw Ruth’s need in return. She knew she needed a husband, being a young woman. 3:1. “Shall I not seek rest for thee?’ She told her Boaz was a near kinsman, and instructed her in how she needed to approach him concerning this.  Older saints NEED to instruct the younger in the things of the Lord.  Instruction in prayers, seeking God’s face, and what to do in time of need. Naomi did this for Ruth. Ruth instructed her in the way of approaching Boaz about redeeming her,  Chapter 3:3-5.  She told her to anoint herself, and  put on raiment. In essence, she was to ”Clean up” from work in the world. Here again, Boaz is a type of Christ. We need to be “clean” spiritually when coming to the Lord. We have to first confess sin to have a clean heart when entreating the Lord. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” Psalm 66:18. We need to come discreetly and humbly, in our prayer closet, without anyone else knowing, not blowing a trumpet as the Pharisees did. (Matt. 6:5 &6) She obeyed Naomi’s command vs. 6. She could have refused and said, “I want a young, good looking man!” I don’t want him! But, she wanted what THE LORD WANTED FOR HER!  She died to self, becoming “Ruthless”.  But, God’s Will became her desire. Vs.9 “I am Ruth thine handmaiden.. “ she had seen the kindness of Boaz and his favor and she had given herself  and heart to Him! She said I am thine! Oh that we would do the same in God’s choice for our life, and in giving our hearts to Him! She confessed he was her kinsman. Kinsman simply means, “redeemer!” She brought her supplication to the only one that could help her and that loved her~_Her REDEEMER! In saying this she confessed he was the only one for her. Boaz had loved Ruth from the start-Ch 2 5-12. Now, she “loved him because he first loved us! “ I John 4:19. Bring your supplications to the One who can supply them. Boaz KNEW SHE HAD A NEED FROM THE START! He has been waiting in love to work in HIS TIME to supply the need! Matthew 6:8 says, “..for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of , BEFORE ye ask Him.”  He knew who she was, that he was her kinsman, and that lawfully SHE NEEDED REDEEMING, which was her need.  He sent her away with a little piece of what was to come vs. 14, 15 & 17., in assurance that He would meet her need.  The Lord will send us away from prayer in ASSURANCE too, by giving us peace that passes all understanding, that He will meet the supplication and need as Boaz was going to Ruth’s!

Then, Ruth had a “Ruthless“ Vacation!  Ruth returned to Naomi in the morning. Naomi asked “Who art thou my daughter?” Wanting to know what Boaz had told her. She told Naomi  the blessing he had sent with her. Naomi let her know this was a promise that He was at work! He had supplied what the two women would need until His work was done to supply the bigger need at hand! All of the work Ruth was supposed to do was finished. He waited for her “working” to be done, so she could fully depend on him. When she finally stopped “working” and came to him, THEN he gave assurance and began to do what ONLY he could do!”Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him” Psalm 37:7. She had obeyed and now was to REST, OR TAKE A VACATION, until the Lord moved. She left the burden with Boaz and rested in his provision! Leave your burden with Jesus! Stop trying to “work” it all out by yourself. Even if it is in good intentions!  Let Him bear the load we cannot! Rest in His love, waiting to see how the matter will fall into His plan. Rest in the assurance He provides us in our heart from His word, and promise in prayer! Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call unto me, AND I WILL ANSWER THEE, and shew thee GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS, which thou knowest not!” He is at work! He wants us to rest! Only HE CAN WORK ALL THINGS FOR OUR GOOD!

Lastly, there was her “Ruthless” Redemption!  Ruth was not left without help or hope! She was in debt to creditors and those in possession of her late husband’s land and property, thus needing to be redeemed according to law. She could not redeem herself. She had come to the one that could do so though!  Boaz first had to confront a ‘NEARER” KINSMAN than he. This kinsman by right, or the first in line, had no THOUGHT to redeem Ruth. He was only concerned with the advantage of gain, and self promotion. This is exactly way Boaz set him up the way he did. He propositioned him appealing to his pride. By law he was not REQUIRED to marry Ruth because he wasn’t her bro in law. BUT, if he wanted the right to the Land for his gain, HE WOULD HAVE TO MARRY HER! This nearer kinsman was only concerned with self gain. He wanted this great opportunity for self advancement until he found out that she was a Gentile! He could not redeem her to “mar” his own inheritance, Ch4:6. This man was claiming the law of rules for his righteousness and holiness, INSTEAD of receiving the law of God‘s love! “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, having not submitted themselves unto the righteousness Of God.” Romans 10:3. He confessed Himself in vs. 6 unable to redeem the debt “for I cannot redeem it, lest I mar mine own inheritance.” Romans 3:21 says the same thing. Self righteousness ALWAYS strives for keeping self pure and holy in their own eyes-does not see the need to help others OR see themselves IN need of help oF a Saviour. Is this not what the young rich man did when He confronted Jesus about eternal life? He proclaimed his own goodness in keeping the law, UNTIL Jesus hit him at the heart of the matter! When he told him to go sell ALL that he owned and give to the poor-it flat out GRIEVED this man! Romans 13:18 says that”love IS THE FULFILLING OF THE LAW!” “For God soooo loved the World, that HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON…” John 3:16.  Boaz had openly showed that the first kinsman, the law, could not redeem Ruth because of his own interest of self holiness and goodness, but most of all HE DID NOT LOVE HER! BOAZ DID!  The Law COULD NOT SAVE, BUT A LOVING REDEEMER DID! “BUT BEFORE FAITH came, we were kept under the law, shup up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified BY FAITH. BUT AFTER THAT FAITH IS COME, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A SCHOOLMASTER.“ Galatians 6:23-25.This is exactly why he set the other kinsman up this way, to make it an open show of what was as plain as the nose on his face! Colossians 2:14-17tells us that Jesus did the same thing! Boaz loved Ruth first, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. “WE love him because He FIRST LOVED US!” I John 4:19. He gave up the throne of Glory for a while, came to this filthy earth, to save sinners. Not Jews only, but Gentiles as well! “BUT …The Gospel of Christ…is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and ALSO TO THE GREEK!” Romans 1:16.  Jesus, our Boaz, did what the law, good works, and false religion could not do! He saved us and brought us to Himself, making us His own! Just as Boaz went and paid the price for Ruth, so has Jesus for us! I find it interesting that the other man’s name is not even recorded. He wanted so bad to be recognized for his holiness, that the Lord didn’t even think it was worth honoring him to record his name. BUT, praise God he not only recorded Ruth’s name as a righteous person, writing it in the Lamb’s Book of life, but he put her into the bloodline of Christ! Only Christ could do this! He has done the same for us! Boaz then took Ruth to be with him. One day  our kinsman redeemer will take us, His Bride, to be with Him forever. Our redemption is an actual event to take place , not a fairy tale love story! Someday our “Prince of Peace’” is coming. Just as Boaz, he has already given us the promise! Luke 21:28 Our Redemption draweth nigh.

Until that day comes, may the Lord help us to have a Ruthless Salvation, Relocation, Vocation, Recognition, Consideration, Supplication, and best of all Redemption!

"Ruthless Attitude!" Part 1

When we think of the word "Ruthless", we think of someone that is evil, selfish, and lacking mercy. If I could, I would like to use this, as a play on words, to describe a famous lady in the Bible~Ruth. The name "Ruth" itself means, kind, beautiful, and friend, or friend of God. She lived  her life true to her name's meaning. How then can this lady be described as "Ruthless?"  She lived a life for the Lord that was full of kindness and mercy to others, and completely SELFLESS. Since she was selfless, she was 'Ruth' -less!(Get it?) This woman was a great example to us from God's Word of how we should live a selfless life, and have a selfless, or "Ruthless Attitude."

First of all Ruth had a "Ruthless Salvation."She was from the pagan country Moab, and married into a Hebrew family that worshiped the only true God, Jehovah.She saw something different about this family.When Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, after the death of her husband and two sons, Ruth had a decision to make. She saw that He was the only ONE that could save her. ( Ruth 1; 7&8) She had a choice to make. Would she turn her life over to the God of Israel, cling to her Mother-in-law and follow her to a new land? This was Ruth's time of decision (vs8). Would she accept the Lord as her God now, as her Saviour, and  go, or return to her old life as she knew it? (vs. 14&15). She had to decide THEN! The Lord says, ”TODAY is the day of salvation” II Corth. 6:2.We are not promised tomorrow, just as Ruth was not.  Her only chance to be saved, leave her old life,  and start living a new life was then at that moment! How about you friend? Have you come to that point in your life? If you never have, NOW IS THE TIME! This could be your last chance on this side of eternity to accept the Lord Jesus as your Saviour! Just as Ruth could not save herself from Moab, we cannot save ourselves from Hell! Jesus is the ONLY ONE that can bring us out, cleanse us from our sin, and put us in His Family to serve Him! Please call on Him while He is near! Ask Him alone to forgive you of your sin! Will He? Yes!!! "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED!" Romans 10:13.Ruth chose to go with God. Chapter 1:16 &17 says she told Naomi, "thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God...the Lord do so to me and more also, if ought but death part me and thee.” She called Him LORD and showed she had accepted Him to save her and now serve Him with her life. Her salvation was free from self. WE can NEVER be selfless, or have this attitude, without the Holy Spirit living in us. We must first have Christ as our Lord and Saviour to do so.

Secondly, she had a “Ruthless” Relocation. Ruth was “steadfastly minded” to GO WITH NAOMI! 1:18. She was trusting God with her life and died to ‘SELF’ that day. Gal 2:20 says, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Her salvation put her on a new road of life with a new destination. She hadn’t passed this way before (Ruth 2:11)-it was all new to her. She had a new family, new way of living ,and a new country to call home.She was willing to leave all she had know to serve her new Saviour. How about us? Are we willing to do the same? Ruth had just been saved only a few minutes and was willing to go to another country. Some Christians have been saved for YEARS and have not been willing to go across the street to tell someone about the Lord! Through the eyes of faith Ruth was willing to relocate and go Matt. 16:24 “… if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” . Do we have a “whither thou goest, I WILL GO” Attitude? Ruth 1:16?

Now, she had a “Ruthless” Vocation. Ruth 2: 2&3 tells us Ruth was ready to go and work! She didn’t wait on others to do what needed to be done. She saw the need, then she requested permission TO WORK, and went to it! We need to ask the Lord what HE wants us to do! WE need to have a willingness to work!- If you have a desire to work for the Lord He WILL GIVE YOU A JOB TO DO!! Where God guides He provides! Ruth 2: 5-7. Ruth headed to the barley fields to start reaping grain for their need of food. She was determined to take care of her mother-in-law. She had been working since early morning. She didn’t want to miss a thing, and was steadfast in work. Verse 17 of chapter 2 says she beat out an ephah of barley (35 lbs). Ruth worked hard!  Eccel. 9:10 says,:Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do,do it with thy might."  You will get out what you put in! How about us in our work for the Lord, and getting what we need FROM HIM for our strength of spiritual food, as she selflessly reaped their physical food? What about our time in prayer? Bible reading? Witnessing? The Mercy drops are usually OUR FAULT, NOT THE LORD’S! We will reap what we sow! Just as Boaz blessed Ruth, so will the Lord for us!  Vs 7-10 says the Lord gave her Provision, in preference vs. 8, protectionvs9, and provision vs. 16. Boaz instructed his reapers to drop  "handfuls of purpose for her.." 2:16. The Lord will PURPOSELY PROVIDE in our work for Him and our personal needs, not withholding a thing! WE HAVE TO BE THE ONES TO WORK AND REAP!

She had  “Ruthless” Recognition:   Ruth didn't  draw attention to herself & what she was doing. Boaz recognized her and rewarded her for the work AND the  reason for doing so, vs. 11-16.When we have a Godly Testimony,others will see the Lord on us. They see when it is Him that is being uplifted and not our self. This brings blessings from the Lord. Here, Boaz is a type of Christ. He gave her honor and reward, Ch.2:12. He saw her labor and commanded her to, as we say, “stay by the stuff” vs.21&22. This was her place of service. We have a certain place the Lord wants us to work as well. We are to stay THERE until the Lord moves us elsewere. We need to work for the right reason while we are there~Work for the Lord-not the reward!  He knows why we serve Him, whether it is for self, or for Him! Heb. 4:12 says that His Word is"a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Let the Lord be the One to bring honor and recognition to your work for Him!

 Ruth was Selfless in her Salvation, Relocation, Vocation, and Recognition. We have to be Selfless in ALL of our work for the Lord as well. Tomorrow, part two of "Ruthless Attitude" will be posted. Praying you have a great "Ruthless" Day for the Lord!!!!