Are You Standing On The Solid Rock?

Friday, July 29, 2016

A good word for today!   2021

 “Do you not know?  Have you not heard?   The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired.  His understanding is inscrutable.  He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might he increases power” 

“Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength;  They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”  (Isaiah 40:28-31).

 Hey Gang, take it from this very senior citizen, the alligators are sneaking ever closer.  There are going to be days when your back is against the wall; days when you are sure the sky is no longer about to fall but is falling.  I have shared that on many occasions, in my 27 years of being the exalted ruler of a treatment program for children, I made bad decisions, and I never completed a day as I had planned it.

 But, if your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, you can be assured of the following: “Do not fear for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

 Wow, does that not get your thumper to thumping this morning? There are no words that one can add to God’s Word that would make sense, such as Isaiah’s words in the morning Scripture.  I don’t know about you, but I am ecstatic that God never becomes weary or tired, nor does He leave or forsake us even when we turn our backs on His leading and go our own way.

 If ever there was a time when we need a God whose understanding is inscrutable, it is today.  If there was ever a time when we need God’s strength and power, it is today. 

 The above verses have become a rock to my salvation, as I have moved into the Golden Years (Golden for the medical profession), along with many others.  I enjoy seeking those promises of God that are designed to be our refuge and strength.  Malachi gave us one of those verse when he wrote, “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall” (Mal. 4:2).  Can you say hallelujah to that?

I can certainly vouch for the fact that there are many times when I just do not feel like jumping like a calf. That is when it is time to make a decision, whether you will spend the day in the grumpies, or kick the “act of the will” into gear.  Satan hates the “act of the will” and will probably turn up the heat when you throw sand in his face.

 That is when we need to get out the old songs from yesteryear and sing them as unto the Lord.  I love, ‘Jesus Loves Me’, ‘This Little Light of Mine’, and ‘Lord Make Me a Sanctuary,’ but there is another that I find works every time to get my heart and mind back on the right path, the Isaiah 40:31 path. 

 It goes like this: I’ve got the joy joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart, I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down m my heart, down in my heart to stay.  The devil does not like it but it’s down in my heart, down in my heart to stay.  I have the wonderful love of my blessed redeemed deep down in the depth of my heart down in my heart to stay.

 What am I saying? “Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, sing with me, “They that wait for the Lord shall renew strength;  They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not grow weary, They will walk and not faint. (teach me Lord to wait” - the chorus continues)  Isaiah 40:28-31.  Bad day?  Sing to the Lord a new song!  

 Blessings, 

 Gramps

A Contrast of Spirits --Vastly Different Outcomes

 

Friday, July 7, 2017

A word for today!

“But Saul and His people spared Agag and the best of the sheep the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed” (2 Sam. 15:9).

 Hey Gang:  Many years ago, when we were going through rapid expansion at the Village, a period when the alligators were doing more than nipping at our heals and were up to our armpits, I was priviledged to attend The Shepherd’s Conference in Kansas City.  The Kansas City News published a headline announcing that three-thousand shepherds were in town attending the Conference: they added that they did not know there were 3000 shepherds left in the country.

 At the end of the Conference they  wrote about the difference in atmosphere from the week before - which was the Democratic Presidential Conference.

 I would dearly love to give you a blow-by-blow account of the three-day event, but will suffice to say, it was a life-changing experience - at a time when I was going through very deep waters.  I was so very blessed to sit under several outstanding teachers -but the one that really got inside my heart, soul and mind was Ern Baxter, then known throughout the world as being a ‘preacher’s- preacher’.  

 He titled his series: “The King and His Army” and presented three, hour and half, electrifying messages from the writings of Samuel.  At that time cassettes were the way to immortalize special messages.  I purchased the tapes and in the next several years literally wore them out.  There were very few days when I did to invite Ern Baxter’s teaching into my heart and mind.

 I talked with an old-salt, several days ago, and mentioned that I had been reviewing notes, that I have compiled over the years from the Old Covenant. He said, “Oh, that’s all past, I only read the New Testament.”  I kind-of-felt like he was basking on the whip cream and cherry and was neglecting the ice cream and chocolate syrup.  You see, I believe, if Jesus and His intimate twelve quoted from the Old Covenant, that is reason enough that I should find about what is in it. 

 I would dearly love to go down that track this morning, but I feel a tug saying, “Get back on the subject, Hainley.” In his three sessions, Baxter laid out a clear picture of how America is following the same track that Israel followed. The people grumbled to Samuel and demanded a king to rule them and not a prophet, ”JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE”. 

 Well, God answered, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them” (1 Sam. 8:7). (Does that ring a bell in 2021?)  “BUT”-   be careful of the in’s, and’s and but’s, they tend to sometimes come back to haunt you.   Samuel warned:  He (king) will take and he will take and he will take and then he will take some more” (I. Sam. 8:10-17).  Does that sound familiar?  

 Saul had it all – he was chosen by God to be His king- but became increasingly rebellious toward the Lord.  If I were to make a listing of Saul’s rebellious acts toward God, I would place his refusal to do as Lord instructed him to do. In 1 Sam 15:7.  Saul received this instruction from Samuel: “Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey”.  

 We read in verse 9 Saul’s response to his marching orders from God through Samuel, “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless they utterly destroyed!”

  He made a bad decision to go his own way!  “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has departed from you and has become your adversary?  The Lord has done accordingly as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David.  As you did not obey the Lord and did not execute, His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord had done this things to you this day” (1Sam 28:16-18). 

 But Saul chose not to do it God’s way.  Note: the result of this rebellious act on Saul’s part- Saul was killed by the hand of an Amalekite (2 Sam 1:8).

 In this story of Saul and David’s kingship, is there a story tucked away for us and for this day?  Yes, I believe there is.  Note these words in I Sam 15:26: “The Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel”.  In I Samuel 16:12 we read of David’s anointing as king. 

 Question?  Do you have two kings in your life, today?  If so, which one ae you serving?

 Blessings,

 Gramps

Jesus Said, "Be Careful

 

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

"And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you.  For many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ, and will mislead many" (Matt. 24:4-5).

Hey Gang,  Did you know there are three great blasphemies that are gaining strength each day in our world?  The first is 'Replacement Theology', which means the Jews and Jerusalem and Israel are no longer the “apple of God’s eye”, but they have been replaced by the Church. 

The second: ‘there are many roads to God and it really does not matter which one you choose.’ And the third is, ‘As long as you believe, it really does not matter what kind of life you live.’

To believe in Replacement Theology one has to ignore the many verses in the Bible that clearly state that Israel has, and will continue to be God’s chosen land and chosen people.  Micah puts it this way, “In that day, declares the Lord, I will assemble the lame, and gather the outcasts, even those whom I have afflicted.  I will make the lame a remnant and the outcast a strong nation, and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on and forever.” (2:6-7).

To believe there are many roads to the Father you must ignore Jesus’ words, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by Me” (John 14:6).

Perhaps the third blasphemy being taught is the most dangerous- to believe, without understanding that we will be judged by the fruits of our life, is indeed dangerous grounds.  When we stand before The Father He will ask us one very simple question, “What did you do with My Son Jesus?  In one of the many polls that ask the question ‘Are you a born again believer in Jesus Christ as Lord?’ The ‘yes’ votes usually fall within the sixty to seventy percent  range. 

Susan was walking down the street with her daddy when she asked, ”‘Daddy, didn't you pray for rain?"  "Yes, my darling daughter, I did indeed pray for rain".  Then she asked, “Where is your umbrella and raincoat?”    Pastor Wilkerson once made the comment: “Many people pray, not believing".    The reporter asked the Pastor, “How can you believe when your child was killed? The Pastor responded, “By going back before the accident and remembering all that God has done for me.”

Soooo, Our Youth pastor challenged his flock to zero in on the little things the God is doing in your life, as they were beginning their yearly mission project.  They were amazed!  You, too, can be amazed today by being aware of all the things the God is doing all around you. Just look!

 Blessings,

Gramps

FIREWORKS!!!

 

Hey Gang, Today’s devotional from my Mornings With Jesus is very appropriate especially for us in the USA  today July 4 -  but includes all  who enjoy fireworks:

 (Jesus) “who purchased out freedom and forgave our sin.” Colossians 1:14 (NLT)

 The annual FIREWORKs DISPLAY was rained out.  So much for the Independence Day.  All that money  Firefighters Auxiliary paid for the planned fireworks -- wasted. Now there was nothing to see but storm clouds, and sheets of rain.

 Families packed up picnic baskets and lawn chairs and high-tailed it for their vehicles, scanning weather channels to see if the storm and winds would pass so they could resume celebrating America’s freedom.  

 It is possible that the thunder and lightning, the rain and misery, the country’s independence came at a high price.  Lives were upended. Courage was tested. Battles were won and lost. We have made Independence Day a celebration of excess with lavish displays in the sky and fun.  It’s so easy to forget the price paid when a party is on our minds.

 What about our soul’s freedom?  We say we are conscious of the price Jesus paid to set us free.  But do we celebrate only with flashy experiences and flashy stories about how Jesus freed a parking space for us just when we needed it? Or do we give the honor and reverence He deserves for what it cost Jesus emotionally, physically, and spiritually to win our freedom?  Do we pause to imagine the moment when midday turn into the blackest night, when the air chilled as if all warmth had been sucked from earth’s atmosphere, when tremors unlike any a human has known coursed Christ’s dying form? Do we ponder the torment of both body and soul that the King of glory endured so we could live free?

 Fireworks? Or sober silence? Jesus our hearts explode with gratitude!                         -Cynthia Ruchti

Blessings,

Gma J

 

 

 

 

 

The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

 

Friday, July 4, 2014

Flag from  Fort 1812.  US Smithsonian Institute

 Jesus said, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:31-32).

 Hey Gang:  Okay I admit it, when it comes to the Stars and Stripes I am a pure and unadulterated softie.  I was never much of a racing fan until I happened to turn on a Nascar Race and was introduced to their respect for our nation, our flag and our military.  I have never been more proud than when I served my country as an airmen in the United States Air Force. 

 One of the favorite books of the bride-of-my-youth is titled Amazing Grace.  It is 366 inspiring stories from the hearts of sincere believers who have penned their relationship with Father God in ‘Psalms, hymns, prayers and love’.  In our many contacts with people who are struggling with the complexities of this life, we have suggested they carry a music truth with them throughout the day and let God speak to their hearts through the soothing voice of God through music.

 In the book Amazing Grace is the story of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ and how it came into being.  I am sure all of you know the history of its development but take a moment and review it.  This song came into being during the War of 1812 when its author, Francis Scott Key, was on the deck of a truce ship nervously pacing back and forth on its deck while the British attacked the harbor of Baltimore.

 He had been sent there as an advocate of peace to plead for the release of a physician, who had been taken captive.  The night was frightful; the bombardment continued.  Then the firing suddenly stopped, just before morning. Key was fearful of the outcome, but as he looked hesitantly across the water, he saw the American flag still triumphantly flying with the assurance of our nation's freedom.

Although the words, written on the back of an envelope, and music later added, which happened to be an old hunting song, the ‘Star Spangle Banner’ did not become our National Anthem until an act of Congress officially adopted it on March 3, 1931. 

 As I read and reread the words of our National Anthem, a question surfaced in my mind:  In this day, when everything -in our once proud nation was looked upon by the world as being the "Land of the free and home of the brave, will the flag continue to be seen triumphantly flying with the assurance of our nation's freedom"?   

 ooo, my young friends, how about you.  When you see the Stars and Stripes or hear the National Anthem, do you stop and bow your head in respect for all who have given their lives to give us the freedoms that we enjoy?  As we celebrate the day our US Constitution was adopted by the Continental Congress and became the law of our land, we need to pray that God will protect it- for surely it is under attack from many sides today.

Korea

Blessings,

 Gramps