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Archive for the ‘Reflections’ Category

Quote – Billy Graham

16 Oct

Only those who want everything done for them are bored.
Billy Graham

Have you ever heard anyone say this? 

This individual is not looking around to see what they can do for God or anybody else.  They are looking for someone or something to entertain them.

Children are notorious for this quote.  Makes sense as most children have the attitude that life revolves around me or worse there’s no guardian around to pay attention to them and off to trouble they go.

Produce fruit for the Lord.  This requires study and reaching out to the others.  This will keep you as busy as you want to be.

 

He Who Dies With The Most Toys…..

15 Oct

STILL DIES!

An oldie, but a goody.  Still very appropriate for this generation. 

You will take NOTHING with you accept what you have or haven’t done for the Lord.

 

He’s Strongest In Our Weakness

11 Oct

2 Corinthians 12:9 – 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Paul lets us know that when we are strong and macho in ourselves, Christ has a hard time working with that.

Why?  Because we’re dealing with a problem of humility, selfishness, and a me, not He attitude.

We have pride as humans.  I got this Lord.  I’ve got this all handled and figured out.  I don’t have to bother you with this because I am the Man (or Woman if you’re female)!

God didn’t make you to act alone for yourself and by yourself.  He wants to be hooked into you as your Father.  Jesus realizes that without Him, you’re a mess.  In this case He didn’t want Paul to become conceited.

So with that how can we be of service best to the Kingdom of God?

In weakness!

We need to die to ourselves, our wants, our desires.  If they’re ours instead of the Lords, the ideas are nothing but sin and temporary dead ends anyway.

His power is perfect in our weakness.  Wow can I vouch for that.  Not only what I have experienced in my own life, but what I see in others.  Oh yeah, be observant.  It can save you a lot of heartache and save you a lot of time on not having to make the same mistakes.

How does someone end up as a missionary and trying to reach people while living in harsh conditions to where most people wouldn’t even think of attending?  Their love for the Lord.  The pushing aside of their lives because of their love for Jesus and because they want others to know Him also.

We got it backwards in life.  We think the guy who makes millions and dares to be rich should be admired and the guy who chooses to live in a third world country and forgo the American Dream has a screw loose.  You think God looks at it that way?

When we die, is anything else but what God thinks or cares about going to matter?

Today we need to submit, so He can become strong in our lives!

That requires us to do what He wants and not what we want.

 

Quote – C. S. Lewis

09 Oct

You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.
C. S. Lewis

You’re not a body!  You live forever! 

We are eternal beings and will be spending it somewhere.

This life is short and if you read the Bible, which is God’s Word, you realize we need to die to ourselves and seek Him.

One mega short earthly lifetime serving oneself will be the biggest mistake many will make for eternity.

 

Persecution Is All Around The World And Soon Will Be Strong Here

08 Oct

Many nations already outlaw Christianity.  In China communism and Christianity don’t mix.  Many Islamic Countries don’t allow it in their borders.  America is becoming tolerant of almost every other religion besides Christianity. 

Panic? 

We don’t need to panic, we need to put our faith where it is supposed to be all the time and that is in God.  

 Matthew 5:10-12 – 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  11“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Beatitudes end with these three scriptures. 

You can be persecuted for a lot of things in life.  None of them besides your love for Jesus and the true God will lead to a blessing. 

Don’t underestimate the word blessing.  Jesus says “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven,” 

Your love for Jesus and the Father does not go unnoticed ever.  If it wasn’t worth saying, Jesus wouldn’t have emphasized it. 

John 15:20 – Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 

Prepare for that day so you can be strong, and when discouraged realize that the One truly in charge is always looking over you.  How much greater if the reason He has to take extra care of you is because you’re standing up for the Kingdom of Heaven and the Glorious King, Jesus Christ Himself!

 

Quote – D L Moody

02 Oct

We can stand affliction better than we can prosperity, for in prosperity we forget God.
Dwight L. Moody

One of the most asked questions from non-believers as well as some believers:

Why do bad things happen to good people? 

First of all no one is good.

Romans 3:10-12 – 10As it is written:  “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.  12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Luke 18:19 –  19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

Not only is no one good, but just as DL Moody quoted, people tend to seek God when they have been brought to their knees.

People are confused.  God didn’t create us to be individuals with no need for Him.  He created us for relationship, to worship Him, and to love Him.  ALL THE TIME!

 

Faith Is Putting Belief Into Motion

27 Sep

Galatians 3:6 – 6Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

If Abraham had heard God’s voice and said, “Yes I believe that is God”, and left it at that, would it have been considered righteousness?

If Noah heard God tell him to build an ark and he acknowledged it, but built no ark, would that have shown faith?

No.

Faith is putting your belief into action.  This is what the Lord blesses. 

When Paul was thrown into prison, he had faith that the Lord was with Him and still in charge.

When Joseph was thrown into prison, he had faith that God was in charge.

When Stephen was about to be stoned, he knew that the Lord was in charge.

Faith is putting your belief into action. 

Belief with no action reveals little to no faith.

 

Quote –Billy Graham

26 Sep

If we had more hell in the pulpit, we would have less hell in the pew.
Billy Graham

Amazing quote and definitely true.  This country for the last fifty years has preached that all you need is grace and then go on your merry way and do whatever you want from there.

However, that has led to what seems to be a popular last day spirit in the church.  

Revelation 3:15-18 – 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

The church of Laodicea does have a message for those who wish to break out of this rut.

Revelation 3:19-21 –19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Be an overcomer and choose the side of God, because being vomited out of His mouth isn’t where you want to be.

Side note here:  He’s talking to the Church, not to unbelievers in the above-referenced scriptures.

 

God Limits Man To 120 Years

22 Sep

Genesis 6:3 – 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

Why all the sudden only 120 years? 

I believe there are at least two easy answers to this question.

The first one being that 120 years or less is long enough for a man to be evil.

Genesis 6:5-7 – 5 The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”

Why was man so evil back then?  One it appears that not only was man a sinner, but the supernatural got involved also.

Genesis 6:4 – 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

Chuck Missler does a great study of the Nephilim.  They appeared to have somehow bread with the daughters of Eve and created an offspring of human.  It is believed that these are the Giants we read about in other books of the Bible.  Goliath was the most famous of them all, because of his battle with David.  They were men of great strength and heroes among other men. 

They were clearly evil though as they mention them only one verse before how wicked man had become on earth.  That’s why it makes sense that the Son’s of God spoken of here were fallen angels.    

Hitler in my book lived long enough.  Stalin lived long enough.  Could you imagine if these men lived longer?

Which brings us to the second thing I believe is an easy reason.  It benefits man to face mortality at an earlier age.

The longer you have to face the mortality question, the longer you can put it off.  Man is still bad about this even at a life expectancy of 75 years.  It must have been really hard for Noah to witness to people back when they lived to be 900 that they needed God when they didn’t have Him.  Holy Spirit wasn’t there the same way we have Him now, and some of them were offspring from fallen angels or fallen creatures that weren’t from earth that came from the Heavens.

Man only has up to 120 years.  Spiritually that is a good thing.  With that knowledge and how quickly 75 years comes to us, you would think that more humans would be inquisitive. 

Why aren’t they?  It’s spiritual, we are spiritual beings.

Stop thinking with the flesh and start thinking with the spirit.  Now make it the Holy Spirit!

 

Love Is Not Only A Feeling

21 Sep

Why are we swamped with so many divorces and relationship problems?

The main problem is our selfish nature.

It’s about me.

My needs aren’t being met.  My feelings are hurt.  Me, My, Me Oh My!

How many times have we heard marriage is 50/50?

It’s not!  If you think it is you’ll always feel like you’re being short changed on your 50 percent.

It needs to be 100/100.

How many relationships or marriages fail when both people care more about the other ones needs more than their own?  That deserves another question mark.   ?

Satan has a wonderful time reminding us that we are being short changed.  He sits back with his demons and constantly reminds us about what we are upset about.  What that person either did or didn’t do to me. 

Satan tells us he’s got a great idea.  You really don’t have any feelings for that person anymore anyway.  You should just leave them and start fresh.  You remember how you felt when you first met them.  That’s what you want.

I’ve got news for you, that’s called infatuation.  By the way it still exists when both work hard on the marriage.

Love is commitment.  Love is a choice.  Love is unselfish.  Yep here we go into those scriptures.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Jesus loved us enough to give it all on this earth.  Here is what He has to say in John.

John 15:12-14 – 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command.

Give 100 percent when you love.  Many times it is addicting and will come back.  If it doesn’t appear to be then pray constantly.  Also never be afraid to share words of love, in a loving way to one who seems they could use more of it.  There’s a spiritual battle out there and love is one of the strongest weapons.