Need A Lift?

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and the work of Your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8).  “Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”  (Psalms 100:3).

Hey Gang:  A time for recollection!  Did you ever have a song suddenly surface in your heart and mind? One you had not heard for years?  That happened to me when I was out cutting wood some time ago.  It was what I would classify as a wow-er song designed to hit your hot button when the alligators are active. 

I mean it went straight to the control center of my heart. I confess there have been many days when I feel like Paul must have felt when he asked God to remove the thorn that was plaguing him.   I have been plagued with one of Satan’s vices called polymyalgia, which does not like heavy humidity and high temperatures, nor does it like physical labor.  So, when it is raining, or after a couple days of wood cutting, it lets me know where every muscle and tendon in my body is located.

And, as much as I hate to admit it, there are times when it begins to eat at me and bring the “why” buzzards out.  "Why, Lord, when doctors tell me polymyalgia is a two or three-year infirmity; why do I have I have to endure it for nearly twenty years?" And then it seeks greener pastures in someone else to bug.

  

When Sunday arrived, my body said, you really don’t want to take your aches and pains to church do you?   Satan’s voice can be very loud at times like that. But there is an old saying that fits nicely here, “You won’t feel any worse in church than you do at home and perhaps God will look down on you with favor and remove the thorn.” 

I do not believe slue- foot wanted me to hear that very special song that ministered to my soul that morning.  The Pastor brought a powerful message and the praise team topped it off with the song “THE POTTERS HAND”.  Perhaps you know this song.  If so, sing along as you read the words.  If not just take the words into your control center and bask in the glory of its words. 

 

“Beautiful Lord, wonderful Savior, I know for sure all of my days are held in your hand, Crafted into Your perfect plan.  You gently called me into Your presence, Guiding me by your Holy Spirit, Teach me dear Lord, to live all of my life through Your eyes I'm captured by Your Holy calling, Set me apart, I know You're calling me to Yourself, Lead me Lord, I pray.  Take me, mold me, use, me, fill me”.

So, Gang,  As you traverse through this day,  turn on the stereo systems God built into you at conception and sing along with me “Have Thine own way Lord, Have Thine own way.., Thou are the Potter and I am the clay… Mold me and make me After thy will…While I am waiting, Yielded and still…”’

Blessings,

Gramps   

PS Today Gramps is resting and healing after 5 weeks of treatment for Esophageal cancer. Some days are better than others.  Last Saturday he was back on his big tractor for about a half hour. (But I didn’t get a picture!)  We are  praying and continure believing for full recovery to continue serving the Lord here on earth. To God be the Glory!

Humility? You Gotta Be Kidding!

“You younger men, likewise be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with HUMILITY toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time” (1 Peter. 5:5-6).

Hey gang:  Well, the time for the politicians to fill the airways with all the wonderful things they have done and, if re-elected, will do in the future has passed.  I sense that, if the words “I” and “me” were expunged from their rhetoric, most would be dumb founded as to what to say. I do believe that, if a brave-hearted soul were to open a store in the Belt Way selling humility, they would soon find themselves in bankruptcy court.

In his book Humility, the Beauty of Holiness Andrew Murray defines humility as a place of entire dependence on God.  Pride is the loss of humility and is the root of every sin and evil”.  In other words, when we allow pride to take over the control mechanism of our heart we have chosen to “…go our own way”.  (Isa. 53).

Murray went on to say that, if a person wants to be like Christ, then humility will be their primary characteristic.  Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.   For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”  (Mathew 11:29-30).

In Matthew 5:5 Jesus gives us the opposite of pride: “Blessed are the gentle (meek), for they shall inherit the earth”.  I always thought piety would be the highest standard when measuring a Christ like person, but Jesus calls on His children to take on humility, as we place our total dependence on Him.

Now hear this, after researching the word humility, I find there is a needed ingredient to implementing humility -thankfulness.  I have learned that folks who tend to be pride-bitten and demand certain things, but humble people accept with gratitude what the Father has given.

So, my friends, as you traverse through this day, open your mouth and sing the little chorus, “If you want to be great in God’s kingdom to be a servant of all” and put it into action!

Blessings,

Gramps

Getting Serious! Part 1

 Gramps Bible

“I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith .” II Timothy 4:7

“His disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” Acts 11:26

God does not want careless, casual Christians in His service? He never has."

This is a good follow up to our Pastor’s Summer series: Are You an 80/20 Christ-follower?  It is becoming more and more important to Identify ourselves as Christ- followers.  There are ‘Believers’ in many things and the word Christian is loosely used and mis-understood. This is a bit lengthy, but worth the read!

Several years ago, I (Anne Graham Lotz)-was interviewed by a leading Christian publication following a speaking engagement.   The journalist was fascinated, not just, by the message I had given, but by the way I had given it. He indicated that none of the popular Bible teachers and speakers had such a confrontational, in-your-face presentation. Instead, he said, the trend was going more to suggestive, thoughtful delivery. He said the best speakers were getting away from the authoritative and confrontational style of preaching. Then he asked me why I spoke in the style that I did.

My response to the journalist was that I never pre-plan how I deliver a message. After prayerfully preparing it, I simply release it. But as I have reflected on his question, I know the way the message is "released" comes from my heart and the deep, inner conviction of truth that is there through the Holy Spirit. It also comes from the very serious way I take my service to Christ.

I am convinced that the time to serve Christ is now! The words of Jesus in John 9:4 are haunting, "As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work? Time is running out. The night is coming. It's time to get serious about our service to Christ.

Read 2 Timothy 4

1. GET SERIOUS ABOUT THE CHARGE (2 TIMOTHY 4:-5)

• Give the three descriptive phrases in 2 Timothy 4:1 that set up the charge. Match each phrase with one of the following verses: John 14:17-18, 20,23; 1 Corinthians 3:1215, 16; 2 Peter 3:1€42; Matthew 24:42,44-46.

• Describe the seriousness implied by each phrase and apply each to your own situation.

A. BE PREPARED

What are some ways to be prepared, according to 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 and 2 Timothy 2:15? 2:21? Titus 3:1? 1 Peter 3:15? Ephesians 5:15-17?  • What do you think the Apostle Paul meant when he instructed Timothy to "be prepared in sea and out of season?"   How prepared are you?

B. BE PATIENT

• From 2 Timothy 4:2-3, why, do you think patience is required of those who are serious about their service?   Why is this same patience necessary for the sower in the parable of Matthew 13:1-9,1.8-23?

• How does James 5:7-8 emphasize this kind of patience?

• In what way has your patience in service been tried?

SOO, dear ‘young people in the Lord’, I pray you will choose-to follow this challenge from Paul the Apostle and Anne, and be blessed.Much more to follow!!

Blessings,

Gramps

Do You Judge Folks by What You See?

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”  (I Sam. 16:7).

Hey Gang:  He was wearing a tank-top-tee shirt, bib overalls, a bandana around his head, sandals and had a beard half-way down his chest when he showed up for his job interview.  By corporation standards he would not have qualified for janitor.  But he also had something else on that day that got my immediate attention - a smile that went from ear to ear.  I learned within minutes that he was a “people person” and would fit the bill to-a-‘T” for the position he was applying for.

In my tenure in working with children that have made some very bad decisions and brought them to my doorstep, I have learned not to depend on the written records to determine what was inside the head and heart of the child. 

Some with records as-long-as your arm were hurting deep inside from the frustration they were feeling because they had so much to offer and could not a find a positive way to demonstrate what was truly inside of them.  And then there were the others who had tremendous ability and potential who failed to get up in the morning, who thought the world owed them a living and they would collect it in any manner possible, no matter who it affected.

There is the story of the woman in the Bible who, for eighteen years, suffered under the burden of her infirmity. Probably curvature of the spine that had twisted her gnarled frame.  Bent over by the disease, she couldn’t see the smiles on the faces of the passersby.  She only heard their scorn.  Christ called her a “daughter of Abraham”.  We might call her a daughter of despair. 

Luke tells us, in Chapter 13:10-11, demonic power had dealt a crippling blow to her life.  Agents of the one who came to ‘steal, kill, and destroy’ had laughed with glee as they drew the gray curtain of depression over her countenance, BUT, they hadn’t counted on Jesus being at the Temple that day! 

“When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness” (v.12).  Jesus saw something in this woman that no one else had seen and touched her. 

So, as you walk through this day, tune your antenna to those around you who might not look so good on the outside and needs a touch from the Lord.  You may be the one who sets them free from the bondage that holds them captive to seek higher ground.

Blessings,

Gramps

Where Are Your Roots Anchored?

Hey Gang:  The past year has been very hard on our beautiful majestic pine trees.   When we first arrived on this property, we were truly blessed with seven great-grand- daddy pines and a dozen or so grands.  But we have learned that very old trees are much like very old people, they do tend to weaken and one day can stand the winds no more and succumb to their pressures.   

    

Several years ago, on arrival home from a Conference in the south land, we found the first victim of old age and wind.  It was on its side with roots sticking up toward the sky.  The first thing I noticed about the tree was the root system.  I was amazed that the roots seemed very inadequate to support a tree of this magnitude. 

From all outward appearances this magnificent tree survived in- spite-of its very limited root system.   I have mowed around it for nearly 20 years and each time enjoyed the majesty and beauty of this massive creation of God, but never realized the power that God had placed in this meager root system. 

As I walked around the cadaver, God seemed to speak to me and remind that many Christians are like that tree -they look wonderful on the outside but when the rubber-hits-the-road their root system cannot stand against the winds of wilderness experiences.

Paul had something to say about roots:  “That God would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in love” (Eph. 3:16).

He added “Having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him, and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and I, overflowing with gratitude,” in his letter to the Colossians. (Col. 2:7).

Paul goes on to tell why it is essential that we establish roots grounded on the word of God: “See, to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ” (Col. 2:8).

It is interesting that when training a Treasury Agent to recognize a counterfeit bill they do not show them counterfeit bills, but the real Mc Coy. Perhaps they learned that method of recognizing the real from the phony from the Bible.  Never, in the history of mankind, has being grounded in the Word of God been, not only important- but an essential ingredient in recognizing the pure Word from the interpretations of men, who think they know better - what God said and meant than God himself! 

So, my friends, I keep pounding the need to be in the Word and in your prayer closet, for within that Word are the prophecies.  Many have come true in my life-time and many are in the process of being fulfilled, and others still those down the road that will end the chaos of this world and establish God’s perfect kingdom on earth for all eternity.  Remember Jesus’ Words;  “Do Not Be Deceived!”  Matthew 24.

Blessings,

Gramps

When is a Catharsis a Miracle in the Making with a Blessing Attached?

 

“But as for me, I will, watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation.  My God will hear me.  Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy.  Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me” (Micah 7:7-8).

Hey Gang,  Do you know there are times when a potential catharsis turns into a miracle?  Well, let me share an experience that took place right here in the basement of my house- that I believe qualifies for a big fat “YES”.  We had been in Chicago for two days.   So, the following day was chore day and one of the chores consisted of filling the water jars in the basement.

No big deal!  I have connected a hose to the inlet off the well which allows me to fill the jugs.  Why do I do that? So, that we have drinking, coffee and cooking water that by passes the water softener.  And why by-pass the water softener?  To eliminate the salt from our diet.

I have done it hundreds of times, since moving into this house eighteen years ago, but this time was very, very different.   I turned the valve and immediately was soaked from head to foot.  Within moments I was kneeling in two inches of water and the three-and-a-half horse-power pump in the well was doing a magnificent job of soaking everything within ten feet. 

Fortunately, I did not lose it completely and run for help but kept very calm, reached up and pulled the switch killing the pump.  Problem solve, right?  Wrong, the pump fills a pressurized holding tank that continued to spew force a gusher of water.    But once again, maybe out of character for me in times of crisis, I kept my calm and picked up the facet and placed it back in the connector from which it had come and applied all the pressure I could muster from my body.  

And at the same moment yelled at the top of my lungs, “Jean, quick!”  A clamp solved the immediate problem.  Jean then said, “Shall I call Gary?”  Now Gary is a neighbor, but he is far more than a neighbor – he is a Godly servant who continually bails out me and others.  Within the hour Gary had come. The faucet was replaced and, with the help pf his power washer, we made short order of the water on the floor and came away with a much cleaner floor.  

 

Now for the miracle – as I mentioned - we just arrived home from Chicago after two-day visit to family.  If the faucet would have broken while we were gone, we would have arrived home to three foot of water in the basement. For those of you who have visited our basement, can you get a mental image of what the Christmas displays in our basement would have looked like under water.  Hey, pass the snorkel.

The point of the story: “God makes all things work to His good – if we are locked into His power supply”.  So, the next time it appears that you have a real live catharsis building, ask God how He is going to handle it. Then calmly respond to His leading.  It works so much better than throwing a fit and causing even greater damage.

So, my friends, make sure you check the water faucet in the basement, if you are going away for a spell, and make sure you are on good terms with your neighbor- in case you hit a catharsis that God wants to turn into a miracle.

Blessings,

Gramps

When You Least Expect It, Be Ready to Be A Seed Planter for Jesus!

 “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” (Matt. 25:40). 

 

Hey Gang, I have been doing some house cleaning of the archives and ran across one of my very favorite stories that I used many times when on the mashed potatoes, peas and sliced roast beef circuit telling about Eagle Village.  Perhaps it will ring a bell with some of you who have been a steady reader of Gramps Morning Thoughts.  I went back five years in the archives and did not find it so perhaps it will be new to all this time around. 

It is the story of a saintly cobbler who learned he was to receive a visit from the Lord.  Though poorer than a church mouse, he determined to entertain the Lord with the best hospitality he could muster.  He went to the local baker’s shop and bought a loaf of his finest bread; then he went down the street to the wood shop and bought a log to heat his shop; finally, he took one of his finest pair of shoes and polished them to a high shine, so that he could see his image when looking at them.

As he awaited the King of kings to arrive at his shop, a starving child arrived at his door.  There was no way he could not break out the fine bread and give it to the starving child. Shortly thereafter, came another knock to his door; there stood a little old- hunched-back lady who was shivering in the cold.

Without hesitation, he took the fragrant log that he had purchased to warm the shop for the coming of the Lord of lords and warmed the shop for that very needy guest.  But he still had the hand-made gift - a pair of fine shoes for the Lord. Suddenly, yet another knock came to his door.

There, in the cold, stood a young lad whose feet were bruised and bleeding- for he had no shoes.    Once again without hesitation he unwrapped the that very special gift that he had prepared with his own hands and placed them on the feet of the lad.

As the day came to an end, the cobbler was deeply disappointed that the Lord had not yet visited him.  He cried out, Lord why have you not come?”  But Jesus responded, “I did come – three times.  I was the hungry and you fed Me; I was cold and freezing, and you warmed Me; and I came with bruised and bleeding feet and you placed your very special shoes on My feet.

So, keep in mind when you stand before the Lord to give an account of your works- will you hear Him say, “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34).

Blessings,

Gramps

Do You Do Anything That Is Strange?

“Because of her joy, she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate” (Acts. 12:5).

Now, that is a loaded question!  Show me someone that has never done anything strange and I will show you a person who has lived their life in a box.  But, then again, would that not be strange? 

When we chose to leave California and good jobs, and home and excellent chances for climbing the corporate ladder, to become an unemployed director of a non-existent boy’s home, most folks thought we were strange.  You’re going to do what? Was a common question.  Even some of our families thought we were a wee-bit unattached.

But, as I read the Word, I find that there are many examples of people who do very strange things, like talk to donkeys!  In the Scripture we find Peter had been set free from prison by an angel of the Lord and went to the house of Mary, where many of the followers of Jesus were praying for that precise thing to happen.

James had been executed and Herod was planning to add Peter to the ‘dearly departed’ the next morning.  One might think that he (Peter) would be on his knees pleading with God to intervene on his behalf but, strange as it may seem, he was sleeping.  He was not mentioned in the Hebrew’s Hall of Faith - but he certainly qualified for membership!

The church was praying for him and God was at work on the other side of the city dispatching an angel to set Peter free.   When Peter arrived at the gate of Mary’s house and rang the door- bell Rhonda came to answer and, in her excitement, left Peter standing at the gate and went to tell the others.  Now, that folks, is strange!

So, let’s look beyond the strangeness to the source of the power of this story.  Have you ever felt like your prayers were like bricks that fall to the ground as soon as they are uttered? If so, perhaps you need someone to agree with you in prayer.  Jesus did say, “If two or you agree about anything (According to God’s will)…it will be done for you by My Father in heaven” (Matt. 18:19). Ecclesiastes tells us a strand of three (you, your prayer partner and the Holy Spirit) cannot be broken.

Blessings,

Gramps

Oh, Yes, God Has Prepared A Better Tomorrow!

Recently,  the Scripture for the day was Luke 6:38   “Give, and it will be given to you.  They will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over.  For by your standard of measure it will, be measured to you in return.”

Do you remember Mr. Diggs from July 16?  As I mentioned from world standards he was a total flop.  I mean he did not rise to the top of the corporate ladder.  In all prob- ability he did not even move beyond the kinder-garden level of the corporate ladder.  By world standard he was a nothing burger.

But what he did have was many stars in his crown for the kick- ball crowd who sat under his counsel and teaching those many days when He shared that Abba Daddy loved them with an unconditional love.

I was sitting on the patio several days ago and happened to look up and the sky was fabulous.  There were multitudes of beautifully formed clouds, each one unique in size and color and Paul’s words popped into my mind: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I did not know, God knows – such a man was caught up to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2).

Is that not a fabulous verse?  As I laid there with my head back looking into the heavens I wondered, if God suddenly rolled back that sky, what would I see?  John says, “One day we will see a new heaven and a new earth, and a holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband”, having the glory of God, Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear and jasper”. (Rev. 21:2) .  Does that get your ticker to ticking faster? 

Sooo, my young warriors, when the rubber-hits-the-road today, and it will probably hit- the-road, if you are waking with Jesus as your Lord for Satan does have sufficient darts to make our lives a challenge, take a moment and walk outside and look to the heavens and remember, God has already prepared the New Heaven and Earth, one that will be free from the bondages of the evil one!”

Blessings,

Gramps

Ready Or Not He Will Come!

                         America Bless God

   

“Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exults himself above every-so-called gods or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (1 Thess. 2:3-4).

Hey Gang:  Did you know that as the age of the Gentiles winds down, which it is rapidly doing, we will need to make sure our armor is in place and we have the Lord’s sword (The Holy Writ) in our hearts.  We have the fabulous assurance that the God of heaven “will never desert us, nor will He ever forsake us” (Heb. 13:5b).  That we can take to the bank! 

The writer of Hebrews gave us a description of the last days when he wrote: “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.”  This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.  Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:26b-29). 

I do believe most folks would agree that our world, and all that is in it, is being shaken.  But those who have their name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life have the assurance that our houses/lives are built on the Rock, which is Christ, and will stand fast even during the most violent of storms.

I have often wondered what happens to a person who runs for office between that time when he or she is elected and his or her first day in office.  In most cases that person has promised all that he or she is going to do for their constituents, but soon finds out a freshman legislator does what he or she is told by the seasoned veterans of the government wars.   It seems to me, based on the rapid deterioration of our nation, that the only laws that are passed are not laws that benefit the majority of the people of the land, unless that new law happens to be an additional perk for the person voting for it. 

I have heard it said, and tend to agree, that until the folks who make the laws have to walk in the shoes of those who are impacted by that new law, their time will be invested in assuring that the next election will continue their reign of accumulating wealth.  I have also heard it said, that the major problem found in the Belt Way is a lack of wisdom.  The things that gain attention are those things that are important to the power brokers.  

 As the Bible has been closed and not used in the halls of Congress, it seems the wisdom level has gone down.   But does the Congress not begin its day with prayer? Yes, but to a minority group only.  The members assemble after the prayer is completed.

In an article written by an esteemed and respected writer, he said the beginning of the downfall of our nation began the day we moved from the gold standard to printed money and the first law permitting the government to borrow money.  He was loudly booed by the folks responsible for driving our nation to the very edge of bankruptcy.  Their cry ‘we did it for the people”.

The Psalmist wrote: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever” (Psalm 111:10).  Do you think this might mean there are a barn’s full of folks who call themselves protectors of the commonwealth but have either lost their first love and never have had a meeting with the God of the Universe?   This you can take to the bank, also, they will, one day have a face to face with God Almighty and give an account of every decision they have made.    

A question for you to ponder.  Should we be upset with the powers who have brought this once tremendous nation to the edge of becoming another piece of history in the long line of other nations that have turned their backs on God? Or with the church that remains strangely quiet?.

Blessings,

Gramps who is fearful for the world I am leaving my grands and great grands. This is not the America I knew growing up.