We don't have to wait for Kingdom blessings

  Greetings:
  This morning let us re-examined a Bible passage that most of us are familiar with.
  Jesus taught his disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV). It reads, “This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
  What does that mean when it says...”on earth as it is in heaven”? It means our kingdom - our blessings - are here for us today. We don't have to wait until we get to heaven.
  We can get a glimpse of God's will for humanity here on earth today by looking at what Jesus went about doing during his earthly ministry. Jesus only went about doing what He saw The Father doing.
  In Matthew 5:19 (NIV) we read: “Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
  What did Jesus go about doing in His earthly ministry? The Bible tells us that Jesus went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.
  Now Jesus could have just came down and died for our sins. Simple end of the story. But no, he also came to demonstrate what he really wanted to happen here on earth by healing, delivering, and carrying out the work of the Kingdom.
  It is the will of God for the sick to be healed, the lame to walk, and the demons cast out! Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and the fruit of satan's labor – sickness, disease, bondage, and all oppression.
  God wants us blessed in the here and now.
  Luke 17:21 (NIV) says, “Nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
  Read the words of Jesus in The Bible if we want to know the will of God for each if us today on the earth. God created mankind to be blessed, and His plan hasn't changed one bit today.
  Get plugged in to God's plan and see what happens.
  Be blessed.

Strive for unity

  Greetings:
  It is God's purpose for all believer's to attain a unity of faith.
  With many Christians there has been a tendency to confuse faith with doctrine.  Faith is not doctrine. Faith is obedience to the Lord. It is through faith that we are saved, and not by correct 'schooled' teaching.
  The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (NIV) “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the Word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.  For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
  This is the gospel"  principle on which we stand, and how we are saved - by which one becomes 'a believer', or, 'a Christian'.
  It is through believing the Scripture, and in the love of God, shown and commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ, and exercised in our love for each other as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, that Christians have "unity of the Spirit" .
  It is through this that we can "attain the unity of faith."
  Although differences of beliefs, doctrine, interpretation, and opinion may be held and expressed among believers, they should be expressed in love.
  What is the basis of Christian faith?
  Is it the church building, tradition, or doctrine?
  It is none of these.
  We believe in the one to whom the Bible bears witness. We believe in the one whom tradition hands down. We believe in the one whom The Church proclaims.
  It is Jesus Christ himself, who constitutes the spiritual power and unity of the kingdom, which is The Church. If we believe that, then we are true brothers and sisters in the family of God.
Be blessed.

Listen before acting

Greetings:
  Our God is so faithful, always present, good and there when we need Him.
  The trouble is we don't hear his voice because we have not devoted the necessary time in prayer to be able to hear him and recognize his voice when he does speak to us
  Then, when we don't hear him, we get frustrated, anxious and take things upon ourselves. We run too quickly, unproductive, confused, engulfed in just being busy and always pushing - ahead of God.
  We are commanded in Psalm 46:10 to "Be still and know I am God."
  This means we must spend that 'still' time listening to The Holy Spirit and getting our guidance and our spiritual marching orders.
  Our spirit can thrive in solitude, silence and the stillness of our prayer time, if we use it properly.
  Importantly, if we pray and hear no definitive direction, then we do nothing until we do hear that small still voice of the Holy Spirit. Nothing good can happen when we get out in front of God's timing and  His plan.
  Be blessed.

Choose your words wisely

Greetings:
The words we speak and write have a tremendous impact.
  It is important to remember that whatever words we utter or write should be chosen with care because people will hear them and read them and be influenced by them for good or evil.
The basic tool for the manipulation of truth is the manipulation of words. If one can control the meaning of words, one can control the people who see or hear those words.
Likewise, the basic tool for the preservation of the truth is the preservation of God's words. If one understands the original meaning of God's words, we can more easily recognize those who try to manipulate and control others through deception and the altering of the original definitions of words.
How many times have you said, “Oh, I wish I hadn't said that.”
Our words once spoken or written can not be retrieved or re-written.
Proverbs 12:18, tells us “...the tongue of the wise is health." As in the health of the body, a doctor can often assess our state of health by looking at our tongues.
The same is true in the spiritual realm.
James tells us in James 1:26 that the way a man uses his tongue is a test of his spiritual strength.
He also says that if a man can control his tongue he is a perfect man (James 3:2).
Therefore, we should be very careful about the words that we choose to speak or write.
Our words also reflect who we are.
Proverbs 12:18 says, “There are those who speak rashly, like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Can you think of some simple words that have big meanings?
How about..."thank you",  "I appreciate you", "you are amazing", "I forgive you", "good job", "bless you", "I'm sorry" and  "I love you"?
Let us learn from The Word of God what kind of words we need to be saying and writing to uplift those around us.
Be blessed.

Let us never forget

Greetings:
The memories of this day 17 years ago linger fresh in our minds. We can all remember  where we were that morning.
It still hurts.
The date Sept. 11, 2001 will forever stand out as a day to remember and reflect on our nation and its future.
On that day, 19 cowardly, heinous terrorists flew commercial planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and into a field in Pennsylvania.
The September 11 attacks resulted in 2,996 immediate deaths: 2,977 victims and the 19  hijackers, also perished.
These attacks on our nation produced horrific carnage, stunned the world and caused many to turn for consolation in spiritual faith and God's Holy Word.
This just wasn't an attack on the United States.  More than 90 countries lost citizens in the attacks on the World Trade Center alone.
In different degrees we all experienced a kind of emotional meltdown that day and for some time afterward.
The pain and grief of 9/11 has moderated some, but the memories remain.
We have had other attacks and threats by the cowardly Islamic terrorist ISIS. These are real  threats that we all need to take seriously. We need to be praying for God's protection and guidance on how to eradicate this human cancer.
We must not let something like 9/11 make us run from God's truth, when what we need is to run toward it all the more.
One part of that unwavering truth is that evil is real. We all saw the manifestation of evil that historic day.
Let us take comfort on this day from the words that Paul etched in Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God."
On this day let us remember the many innocent lives lost and the lessons learned that day. This nation was rocked on 9-11, but let it be remembered that the U.S.A. still stands strong. We are a blessed nation where freedom reigns and in God's holy name is where our trust remains.
Be blessed.

Always trust God

Greetings:
  The mysteries of the way God works are just that. They are a mystery to us, but a mystery worth looking into or investigating through studying his Holy Word.
  I wish I could understand why one person suffers and the next one doesn't.
  I wish I could understand why some people never seem to get sick and others are sick all the time.
  I wish I could understand why some prayers receive an immediate answers while the answers to others require much patience.
  For whatever his reasons, God has chosen to keep many things a mystery to us. I guess some things of God are simply on a 'need to know' basis.
  In Proverbs 3:5 (NIV), it says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
  I like the words of Proverbs 3:4-5 in the Living Bible, which reads: “If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself.”
  Until we know the answers, we need to keep looking, praying and asking for God's wisdom and discernment.
  We have to believe beyond our ability to understand how our problems can be solved. That is called trusting God.
  Be blessed.





 

Hope for our nations

Greetings:
If there is any hope for our nation and the other countries around the globe, it will be found in families turning back to God.
However, it does not end there.
I hear many Christians say America needs to return to God. I hear many Christians lament that America no longer gives God His rightful place in our government or in our schools. But what are we doing about it?
I am concerned for Christian families today because I see a disconnect between what we say and what we do. The evidence of what we really believe is revealed in what we do and don't do.
Do you recall those first tender moments after your new born child arrived?
Do you remember holding the small vulnerable frame for the baby against your proud chest?
Do you remember caressing the soft skin and breathing in the fresh scent of baby powder?
Fast-forward a few years. The baby powder smell is gone. And, under normal circumstances, our expectations have changed. We continue love the child without condition. But we want them to do more than just receive our love. We also want them to give theirs.
Like a helpless infant, we can do nothing to earn God’s favor. But that doesn’t mean we limit ourselves to passively basking in His tender, loving care. Like every good parent, God expects His children to grow up.
Growing up means doing something, taking responsibility and acting.
We act through prayer, by our voice and through the ballot box. It is our responsibility to know the candidates we elect to make our laws and enforce our laws at every governmental level - this includes on our local school boards and even our church boards.
Who we elect does matter and it is our job to ensure that  responsible individuals are placed in positions of leadership.
Be blessed.