I heard an interesting sermon on the radio this week. The preacher was saying that if we were listening on the radio for spiritual uplifting and guidance, to be sure that we are also going to church. He commented that Scripture speaks of "hearing the word of God, and that that probably means 'first hand hearing.'
I agree with his comments that just listening to the radio, tv, dvd or audio tapes to get the Word of God is not sufficient. Yes we have the technology...but God seems to have meant for us to group together and hear the Word directly from the man of God.
Yes when Scripture was written there was no technology...and some will say, 'Well now we have the technology to hear the greatest preachers in the world on our own radio." True...I love Dr. Jeremiah and Dr. Stanley, but I think God means for me to actually go into a House of Worship and join with others to sing praises, give, and hear the message. (I am pretty sure that Dr. J and Dr. S. would say the same thing.)
For me ...I cannot "worship and praise" very effectively away from the House of God. Oh yes, occasionally I can...but I think when I am surrounded by other beievers, and when 'God shows up"....this is the way it is meant to be.
One reason for not attending worship... "I can't find a church", a common theme Believe me in the past six years I have moved around quite a bit and know the difficulty in some towns of finding a church 'I liked.' Yet deep in my spirit I knew that God did want me to join together with other Christians...to learn from them, to be blessed by them, and to be a blessing to them in return.
In one city in Nevada, after several month of searching and not finding 'what I liked,' I was drawn to a church where the pastor did preach a truthful sermon...but he was sure boring!!! I struggled NOT to go back, but finally gave in and joined...feeling that God wanted me there.
I decided to listen to the words of this man of God, and not to his delivery. He was a good, kind, sweet shephard to the people...but really not what I was used to hearing..the firebrands of the south...this man was soft in vocal tone and a bit disorganized...but his message did come through.
I was there for a year till I moved out of town. I know God wanted me there. I did hear messages from God. I was blessed by knowing the people, and I am sure I was a blessing to a few people.
Why actually walk into a church when you can listen on the radio or watch TV? I think God wants us to come together.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Random Thoughts....
I awakened this morning thinking about Scripture.
With the environment of the world today so anti-God we must know not only what we believe, but why we believe it. I asked myself, "Why do you believe what you read in Scripture?" There are many reasons that I believe my Bible, but this morning I focused on one.
I remember before I became a believer that I questioned the Bible and felt that it was just another book...like the Koran....like the Book of Mormon - written by one man with one agenda. Boy was I wrong!
I now know that the Bible is a collection of 66 books written by a variety of men, over a time span of thousands of years....yet with one common thread and theme. From Genesis to Revelation the theme is the Holiness of God, the sinfulness of mankind, the salvation offered by Jesus and that in the end...it would all end....and we would go on to eternity with God...or without God. A common thread that agrees over the thousands of years...that is amazing!
How could so many men, over so many years, write the same thing? That alone is worth believing that the book is true.
My dear father was not a believer (as far as I know). I remember a conversation I had with him several years before he died. I was a new Christian, and trying to share the gospel with him. He started his argument with the unreliability of the Bible. When I said, "It says in Scripture.." or "Because the Bible says..." he would laugh. He finally said..."that book was written by a bunch of Jews who just wanted the Jews to look good....Jesus was a Jew...they just wanted to make him look good."
The most wrong thing about what dad said was that the book made the Jews "look good." The only Jewish person that looks good in Scripture is Jesus! The rest of the Jews in the book are flawed and full of sin, like the rest of us...they hardly 'look good."
Unchurched people have no idea what the Bible is all about, or how we got the Bible. Most Christians do not know either.
Going back to my original thought this morning...how amazing our book is!!! Sixty six different books written over a time span of thousands of years, written by such a variety of men...with the very same theme...that is amazing. That to me is one of the most important proofs that the book we read, and the book on which I base my life, here and for eternity is the Holy Word of God, and true.
I doubt that you could find 66 books on any other one topic that would line up and agree like Scripture does. Law? Medicine? Cooking? Sewing? New Age Philosophy? Diet Books? What about even 66 books on the life of one person? ...see what I mean...
We are not reading books that have had a manufactured date on them to make history come out a certain way. We do have proof of the age of many of the books. No we do not have the original writings by the original authors, but we have scrolls (copies) that date back thousands of years that match up almost word for word with the Bible we carry to church each Sunday. AMAZING!!!
These "Bible" scrolls are much earlier than the Koran or the Book of Morman - which goes back to my original thought...our Bible is not the idea of one man, not the commands of one man....many men over many years, directed by God said the same thing over and over and over. We do not have just one mans thoughts, but many men over many years... again to me this is great proof that our Bible is authentic.
I just mentioned another reason I believe our Scripture is true. Over and over in Scripture is says..."this is the Word of God," or "God said." This is the Word of God....I better quit now and close down the computer ....and get into my copy of the Word of God.
If I believe it is the Word of God....I need to turn off this computer and get into the Word of God...
ANOTHER RANDOM THOUGHT
Just heard another great sermon on the car radio....by a preacher here in Knoxville. His theme was..."What is the story of your life?"
If you were to write a story of your life...not with labels such as "I was a Christian..etc.." but with a summary of the actions in your life....what would it say?
The preacher started with that thought..then quickly went into....what would your story say about how you served God with your life? How did your life fit into the plan of God, and the advancement of His Kingdom?
He ended with...it is not too late to change the them of your summary. Today we can make our actions count toward "God's Plan"...today we can make adjustments to 'our story' from here on in....to serve our LORD and be part of the completion of His plan.
Wow!!! What a thought.
With the environment of the world today so anti-God we must know not only what we believe, but why we believe it. I asked myself, "Why do you believe what you read in Scripture?" There are many reasons that I believe my Bible, but this morning I focused on one.
I remember before I became a believer that I questioned the Bible and felt that it was just another book...like the Koran....like the Book of Mormon - written by one man with one agenda. Boy was I wrong!
I now know that the Bible is a collection of 66 books written by a variety of men, over a time span of thousands of years....yet with one common thread and theme. From Genesis to Revelation the theme is the Holiness of God, the sinfulness of mankind, the salvation offered by Jesus and that in the end...it would all end....and we would go on to eternity with God...or without God. A common thread that agrees over the thousands of years...that is amazing!
How could so many men, over so many years, write the same thing? That alone is worth believing that the book is true.
My dear father was not a believer (as far as I know). I remember a conversation I had with him several years before he died. I was a new Christian, and trying to share the gospel with him. He started his argument with the unreliability of the Bible. When I said, "It says in Scripture.." or "Because the Bible says..." he would laugh. He finally said..."that book was written by a bunch of Jews who just wanted the Jews to look good....Jesus was a Jew...they just wanted to make him look good."
The most wrong thing about what dad said was that the book made the Jews "look good." The only Jewish person that looks good in Scripture is Jesus! The rest of the Jews in the book are flawed and full of sin, like the rest of us...they hardly 'look good."
Unchurched people have no idea what the Bible is all about, or how we got the Bible. Most Christians do not know either.
Going back to my original thought this morning...how amazing our book is!!! Sixty six different books written over a time span of thousands of years, written by such a variety of men...with the very same theme...that is amazing. That to me is one of the most important proofs that the book we read, and the book on which I base my life, here and for eternity is the Holy Word of God, and true.
I doubt that you could find 66 books on any other one topic that would line up and agree like Scripture does. Law? Medicine? Cooking? Sewing? New Age Philosophy? Diet Books? What about even 66 books on the life of one person? ...see what I mean...
We are not reading books that have had a manufactured date on them to make history come out a certain way. We do have proof of the age of many of the books. No we do not have the original writings by the original authors, but we have scrolls (copies) that date back thousands of years that match up almost word for word with the Bible we carry to church each Sunday. AMAZING!!!
These "Bible" scrolls are much earlier than the Koran or the Book of Morman - which goes back to my original thought...our Bible is not the idea of one man, not the commands of one man....many men over many years, directed by God said the same thing over and over and over. We do not have just one mans thoughts, but many men over many years... again to me this is great proof that our Bible is authentic.
I just mentioned another reason I believe our Scripture is true. Over and over in Scripture is says..."this is the Word of God," or "God said." This is the Word of God....I better quit now and close down the computer ....and get into my copy of the Word of God.
If I believe it is the Word of God....I need to turn off this computer and get into the Word of God...
ANOTHER RANDOM THOUGHT
Just heard another great sermon on the car radio....by a preacher here in Knoxville. His theme was..."What is the story of your life?"
If you were to write a story of your life...not with labels such as "I was a Christian..etc.." but with a summary of the actions in your life....what would it say?
The preacher started with that thought..then quickly went into....what would your story say about how you served God with your life? How did your life fit into the plan of God, and the advancement of His Kingdom?
He ended with...it is not too late to change the them of your summary. Today we can make our actions count toward "God's Plan"...today we can make adjustments to 'our story' from here on in....to serve our LORD and be part of the completion of His plan.
Wow!!! What a thought.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Random Thoughts....Caring for Our Temple
Over the past year I have seen a recurring theme among my Christian friends and am mulling it over. If we say, and believe, that our bodies are the Temple of God, why do we not take better care of them?
Ya Ya I know. I too do not take care of my body by the things I eat and the extra weight I carry. That is pretty common, not right, but common.
What I have been seeing over the past year is Christians ignoring major physical problems – not going to the doctor for treatment, or refusing treatment when recommended by a health professional. We do have ‘choice,’ but we also have a responsibility to care for the bodies God has given us.
If we believe that our body is the Temple of God should we not keep it repaired? We are stewards of all He has given us...our bodies too. If the roof of our church or home was falling down and in need of repair we probably would take care of it…what about God’s temple, our bodies?
One friend of mine has had a major orthopedic problem for over a year and has refused to let the surgeons correct it. Now it has reached the point that other symptoms are evident, caused by the first condition, and she probably will need treatment on another area of her body. Over the year she has missed out on several events, numerous church services, and a lot of fun….because of her problem.
Two friends of mine have had cardiac problems. Fear has caused them to both delay treatment. One has been treated and is doing fine. The other is now finally scheduling surgery…she could have dropped over at any time with a stroke all these years because she would not take care of herself.
One friend had a serious bladder situation (in fact she said it felt like her bladder was going to fall out of her body…) and waited over 12 hours to begin taking prescribed antibiotics. Twelve hours is a looooong time when you are a senior adult with an infection.
Another friend had a serious, serious gyn problem and ignored it for several days. Only after my nagging her, and scaring her with all the possibilities of what might be wrong did she finally see her physician.
I may be sensitive to this issue of ignoring physical symptoms for two reasons, one is that I am a retired nurse and have seen it all…and……my niece ignored a breast mass for a year, and when she finally went to the doctor it was Stage 4 breast cancer. She died last month. I often wonder if the outcome might have been different if she had taken care of it right away.
A year of seeing my friends with these ailments has made me sort of sick-to-my-stomach at their neglect for their own bodies.
But getting back to basics. If we believe that God, the Holy Spirit lives in us, and we are the temple of God….shouldn’t we take better care of ourselves? (I am speaking to myself too).
Yes our Lord does perform miracles...but I am pretty sure He wants us to take care of ourselves too!
Ya Ya I know. I too do not take care of my body by the things I eat and the extra weight I carry. That is pretty common, not right, but common.
What I have been seeing over the past year is Christians ignoring major physical problems – not going to the doctor for treatment, or refusing treatment when recommended by a health professional. We do have ‘choice,’ but we also have a responsibility to care for the bodies God has given us.
If we believe that our body is the Temple of God should we not keep it repaired? We are stewards of all He has given us...our bodies too. If the roof of our church or home was falling down and in need of repair we probably would take care of it…what about God’s temple, our bodies?
One friend of mine has had a major orthopedic problem for over a year and has refused to let the surgeons correct it. Now it has reached the point that other symptoms are evident, caused by the first condition, and she probably will need treatment on another area of her body. Over the year she has missed out on several events, numerous church services, and a lot of fun….because of her problem.
Two friends of mine have had cardiac problems. Fear has caused them to both delay treatment. One has been treated and is doing fine. The other is now finally scheduling surgery…she could have dropped over at any time with a stroke all these years because she would not take care of herself.
One friend had a serious bladder situation (in fact she said it felt like her bladder was going to fall out of her body…) and waited over 12 hours to begin taking prescribed antibiotics. Twelve hours is a looooong time when you are a senior adult with an infection.
Another friend had a serious, serious gyn problem and ignored it for several days. Only after my nagging her, and scaring her with all the possibilities of what might be wrong did she finally see her physician.
I may be sensitive to this issue of ignoring physical symptoms for two reasons, one is that I am a retired nurse and have seen it all…and……my niece ignored a breast mass for a year, and when she finally went to the doctor it was Stage 4 breast cancer. She died last month. I often wonder if the outcome might have been different if she had taken care of it right away.
A year of seeing my friends with these ailments has made me sort of sick-to-my-stomach at their neglect for their own bodies.
But getting back to basics. If we believe that God, the Holy Spirit lives in us, and we are the temple of God….shouldn’t we take better care of ourselves? (I am speaking to myself too).
Yes our Lord does perform miracles...but I am pretty sure He wants us to take care of ourselves too!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
A New Focus for our Prayers
Much of our daily life is all about, ‘What’s in it for me?” Really. We do need to focus on our own needs to live, eat, work, and deal with life. Even as Christians we really do have to think about our own needs most of the time.
But what about our Christian life? Are there hidden aspects of our life that focus on us, and our needs? Maybe things we never thought about as being “man centered’ and not “God centered?”
In my life I have had these thoughts lately. What about in my prayer life? Is it all about me? Is it all about human need, and not about more spiritual things?
Before you read any further….stop and think…how do you pray? How do you pray when you are concerned about someone needing salvation?...... Think about it for a moment. How do you pray for that person’s salvation?
Some sample prayers might be…
“Oh God save Edgar, Don’t let him go to hell. Call him to Yourself.”
What about our prayers for strangers…yes you should pray for strangers….lets see, I have prayed… “Oh God let that man over there with the green-dyed hair, tattoos and ten body piercing be saved. He needs Jesus too. He should not spend eternity in hell.”
What about how we pray for our church… “Oh God send more people to our church. Fill the pews. Let many people hear our wonderful pastor give the gospel message so clearly and powerfully so they can be saved.”
These are wonderful prayers. We should prayer for our loved ones, strangers and our church. These are typical prayers. There is nothing wrong with these prayers. But…..its all about the human need. Lately I have been convicted in my own life that maybe I have the wrong focus….
Maybe the focus of our prayer needs to be toward what’s in it for God, not what’s in it for man. It really is all about God, and not about us. (Now what does that mean?). When Jesus gave us the model prayer it started out all about God….Hallowed be thy name, Thy will be done…for Thine is the kingdom the power and the glory….
Perhaps our prayers should be something like…
“Oh God call Edgar to Yourself so that he will be saved and he will worship You. You are worthy of our worship.”
“Oh God call that man with the green hair to Yourself. You are worthy to be worshipped.”
“Oh God bring people into our church to be saved to worship You.”
I must remind myself, Jeanne, it is not about us, it is about God. It is all about God being worthy of our worship. Yes He will save us and take us with Him to eternity. Yes people will escape hell…but its more about how worthy God is than our need. It’s all about God and not about us.
Until we come to the saving knowledge of God, until we are saved, we cannot really worship the ONE who is worthy of worship. He desires our worship. That is why He made us.
So my prayers might be focused … “Oh God, please call my unsaved family to You. You are worthy of worship. They need to worship You. Save them so they can bend their knee and worship You.”
Its not about us, it’s about Him. Its not about what’s in it for us as humans(saving us from an eternity separated from Him,) its about what’s in it for Him – our worship!
But what about our Christian life? Are there hidden aspects of our life that focus on us, and our needs? Maybe things we never thought about as being “man centered’ and not “God centered?”
In my life I have had these thoughts lately. What about in my prayer life? Is it all about me? Is it all about human need, and not about more spiritual things?
Before you read any further….stop and think…how do you pray? How do you pray when you are concerned about someone needing salvation?...... Think about it for a moment. How do you pray for that person’s salvation?
Some sample prayers might be…
“Oh God save Edgar, Don’t let him go to hell. Call him to Yourself.”
What about our prayers for strangers…yes you should pray for strangers….lets see, I have prayed… “Oh God let that man over there with the green-dyed hair, tattoos and ten body piercing be saved. He needs Jesus too. He should not spend eternity in hell.”
What about how we pray for our church… “Oh God send more people to our church. Fill the pews. Let many people hear our wonderful pastor give the gospel message so clearly and powerfully so they can be saved.”
These are wonderful prayers. We should prayer for our loved ones, strangers and our church. These are typical prayers. There is nothing wrong with these prayers. But…..its all about the human need. Lately I have been convicted in my own life that maybe I have the wrong focus….
Maybe the focus of our prayer needs to be toward what’s in it for God, not what’s in it for man. It really is all about God, and not about us. (Now what does that mean?). When Jesus gave us the model prayer it started out all about God….Hallowed be thy name, Thy will be done…for Thine is the kingdom the power and the glory….
Perhaps our prayers should be something like…
“Oh God call Edgar to Yourself so that he will be saved and he will worship You. You are worthy of our worship.”
“Oh God call that man with the green hair to Yourself. You are worthy to be worshipped.”
“Oh God bring people into our church to be saved to worship You.”
I must remind myself, Jeanne, it is not about us, it is about God. It is all about God being worthy of our worship. Yes He will save us and take us with Him to eternity. Yes people will escape hell…but its more about how worthy God is than our need. It’s all about God and not about us.
Until we come to the saving knowledge of God, until we are saved, we cannot really worship the ONE who is worthy of worship. He desires our worship. That is why He made us.
So my prayers might be focused … “Oh God, please call my unsaved family to You. You are worthy of worship. They need to worship You. Save them so they can bend their knee and worship You.”
Its not about us, it’s about Him. Its not about what’s in it for us as humans(saving us from an eternity separated from Him,) its about what’s in it for Him – our worship!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Random Thoughts - “Everyone Ain’t Got Here Yet!!”
I was standing in a long line at WalMart today, people around me were complaining of the busy morning and so few cash registers opened. Someone up front must have complained that a few more aisles needed to be open because the cashier at the ‘end’ of my line said in a loud voice say…”Everyone ain’t got here yet!”
Hearing her say that so loudly sort of startled me. Those words began to go round-and-round in my brain for some reason. Was it just the bad grammar? Was it just the forcefulness of her attitude? Or was it the words themselves telling me a message?
Everyone ain’t got here yet! Now the grammar is not the best(!), but could I imagine God saying those words…and why would He say them? I began to think.
So many of us are speaking of these days possibly being the ‘end times.’ We speak of the rapture. One of my favorite sayings (which most of my friends reading this will know as they read this) is.. “Come back Jesus and get us out of this mess!!”
Scripture says no one knows the exact day or time Jesus will return. Scripture says many scoff at the idea of His returning. I am one of those who know that Jesus is coming back…and I hope He is coming back very soon. But why not right now Lord? When will it be time? Isn’t the world in a mess as never before - and it is time to come and get Your children?
Everyone ain’t got here yet Jeanne!
God knows the exact moment in time of the return of our Lord and Savior. Perhaps He is just waiting for that ‘last one’ to die a natural death before the rapture.
Now when I get anxious to ‘go home’ and ask “When are You coming back for us Lord,” I will remember the words of that cashier at Walmart today. Maybe the answer is:
“Everyone ain’t got here yet Jeanne!
Important Question: Will you come to Jesus today?
Come back Jesus and get us out of this mess!!
Hearing her say that so loudly sort of startled me. Those words began to go round-and-round in my brain for some reason. Was it just the bad grammar? Was it just the forcefulness of her attitude? Or was it the words themselves telling me a message?
Everyone ain’t got here yet! Now the grammar is not the best(!), but could I imagine God saying those words…and why would He say them? I began to think.
So many of us are speaking of these days possibly being the ‘end times.’ We speak of the rapture. One of my favorite sayings (which most of my friends reading this will know as they read this) is.. “Come back Jesus and get us out of this mess!!”
Scripture says no one knows the exact day or time Jesus will return. Scripture says many scoff at the idea of His returning. I am one of those who know that Jesus is coming back…and I hope He is coming back very soon. But why not right now Lord? When will it be time? Isn’t the world in a mess as never before - and it is time to come and get Your children?
Everyone ain’t got here yet Jeanne!
God knows the exact moment in time of the return of our Lord and Savior. Perhaps He is just waiting for that ‘last one’ to die a natural death before the rapture.
Now when I get anxious to ‘go home’ and ask “When are You coming back for us Lord,” I will remember the words of that cashier at Walmart today. Maybe the answer is:
“Everyone ain’t got here yet Jeanne!
Important Question: Will you come to Jesus today?
Come back Jesus and get us out of this mess!!
Random Thoughts - One Verse Explains So Much
One verse in the Bible has been on my mind this week - one most of us have heard, or said... "the love of money is the root of all evil."
I began to think of it in context of the book of the Revelation. We are studying it at Fairview, and the Pastor mentioned that as we read Revelation, in many of the chapters we see the emphesis on the economy. The end chapters speak of how the merchants and kings grieve when Babylon has fallen because of their riches. Babylon may indicate an economic system in the end times. Money and wealth the focus over spiritual things. It seems like that day is coming.
As I look around me, and at my own life, I can see how things and money seem to be a big focus...and how easily we could all begin to 'worship' materialism! "The love of money is the root of all evil" begins to make more sense in view of the 'end times'
I also see this verse and how the love of money and things is overtaking our lives in the way we VOTE. Many of us vote for the person that will best take care of us. The person that will give us more. The person that will keep us rich or make us even more wealthy.
We don't vote for people that will lead this country back to our Christian roots. Good, solid, pure hearted Christians vote with our wallets.....the love of money is the root of all evil. What evil?
Just look around at what our politicians are doing...and we voted for them so that we can keep our money. Because of our love for money...more abortion...a country that condones homosexuality....a country that won't pray or permit Bible reading in school....etc... all because we voted for people on the local and national level who will keep our wallets full. These same people are the ones who seem to lead us away from Christian living.
I had someone tell me today that she would NEVER vote again in any election because she had been duped into voting for someone who was not what she thought. She had even changed 'parties' for the first time in her life, in hopes of a brighter future for this country. When I asked her why she had voted for this person, she said, "I needed to know that my house taxes would stay low. I was tryinig to protect my property." Now she is says she is so discouraged she won't vote again.
"The love of money is the root of all evil" may be one of the most important verses in Scripture. I am going to watch my own actions and attidudes very closely. None of us is immune from letting money rule our lives.
Yes....'the love of money may be the root of all evil."
I began to think of it in context of the book of the Revelation. We are studying it at Fairview, and the Pastor mentioned that as we read Revelation, in many of the chapters we see the emphesis on the economy. The end chapters speak of how the merchants and kings grieve when Babylon has fallen because of their riches. Babylon may indicate an economic system in the end times. Money and wealth the focus over spiritual things. It seems like that day is coming.
As I look around me, and at my own life, I can see how things and money seem to be a big focus...and how easily we could all begin to 'worship' materialism! "The love of money is the root of all evil" begins to make more sense in view of the 'end times'
I also see this verse and how the love of money and things is overtaking our lives in the way we VOTE. Many of us vote for the person that will best take care of us. The person that will give us more. The person that will keep us rich or make us even more wealthy.
We don't vote for people that will lead this country back to our Christian roots. Good, solid, pure hearted Christians vote with our wallets.....the love of money is the root of all evil. What evil?
Just look around at what our politicians are doing...and we voted for them so that we can keep our money. Because of our love for money...more abortion...a country that condones homosexuality....a country that won't pray or permit Bible reading in school....etc... all because we voted for people on the local and national level who will keep our wallets full. These same people are the ones who seem to lead us away from Christian living.
I had someone tell me today that she would NEVER vote again in any election because she had been duped into voting for someone who was not what she thought. She had even changed 'parties' for the first time in her life, in hopes of a brighter future for this country. When I asked her why she had voted for this person, she said, "I needed to know that my house taxes would stay low. I was tryinig to protect my property." Now she is says she is so discouraged she won't vote again.
"The love of money is the root of all evil" may be one of the most important verses in Scripture. I am going to watch my own actions and attidudes very closely. None of us is immune from letting money rule our lives.
Yes....'the love of money may be the root of all evil."
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