Dare To Be A Daniel

Friday, April 25, 2014

“But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials, that he might not defile himself.  Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials.”  (Dan. 1:8-9).

 Hey gang:  Notice the last line of this passage of Scripture: “Now God granted Daniel favor”.   Wow, you mean if we are obedient God will give us favor?”   In the past two months our lives have been lives of contrast.  We spent five weeks in Bartlesville, Oklahoma working in the mail room of Voice of Martyrs and presently we are at the African Missionary Retirement Home in Clermont, Florida. 

 Our main purpose for being at VOM was pure sweat and toil as we prepared hundreds of thousands of pieces of mail to go across this world telling all who are interested in learning more about the persecuted church.   Now get the picture, I am eighty years of age and my bride is seventy six.  Manuel labor is not the unusual forte of folks of that maturity level.  But, how many know that God will supply for all of our needs, if we put our faith and trust in Him and are obedient to His call.

 My prayer, prior to arrival at VOM was, ‘Lord you have called me to this ministry to help, I pray now you will fill my body with the energy and stamina to stay the course and complete the race.’  That has been my prayer in each of the past six years as we prepared to leave for Bartlesville, from our rocking chairs in Michigan. (Haha)  And He has honored that prayer magnificently.  We always return with more strength and stamina than we had when we left home.

 As I mentioned above, our lives have been one of contrast.  As you know we have had a horrendous winter in most of the country.  Have you noticed that the weather has been horrendous across the nation for the past several years? Do you think God may be giving His children a wakeup call?

 So, we did as Daniel did and “Made up our mind” that we would retreat to the sunny south for a time of rest and recuperation from Bartlesville, a place that was not all white but still very frigid. 

 We returned to an oasis from our past, the Christian Retreat Center at Bradenton, Florida, a place that was filled with many wonderful memories of the past.  It is a place we crawled into when we were exhausted during our years at Eagle Village.   Our Board president, Judge Holbrook, recognized the need for us to have an opportunity to just rest and be fed!  It was our privilege on one of those trips to baptize my Board President, his wife, Marjorie and David; one of the very high points of my life.

It was here sitting under the teachings of many wonderful and powerful teachers of God that I gained an understanding of Daniel’s commitment to not defile himself with the things of the world.   If I could make a challenge to every daddy that reads this message, it would be to set aside a week when they would take their family out of the busyness of the world and spend a week renewing their commitment to Christ as a family.  (Grace Adventures and other Christian Camps offer such an opportunity).

 Soooo my friends, when was the last time you got alone with God for more than two or three minutes between appointments?  I mean really get alone with Him.  A lesson that was very hard for me to learn, and I am still struggling with is, prayer is a two-way conversation; unless we give God an opportunity to speak to our hearts, we will never come to know the Lord in a personal way.  Once again, I would challenge you to get up fifteen minutes early and spend that time alone with the Lord.  Your day will go much better, I promise!

 Blessings,

 Gramps 

The Tomb

 Monday, April 21, 2014

 "That if the resurrection of Christ is not true, then we Christians are of all men most miserable" (1 Corinthians 15:19).  "Joseph brought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock, and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb" (Mark 16:46).

 Hey Gang:  I need to add one morning message to the Easter messages of the past several weeks. I don't apologize for that because I believe we should not celebrate Easter/Resurrection Day only one day a year, but each and every day.  The horrendous price Jesus paid for our redemption deserves your honoring Him every moment of every day.  What happened on that hill outside of Jerusalem that day, when they crucified our Lord, is the very essence of where we will spend eternity.

 I have mentioned before, we, my bride and I, have been to Israel several times and hope to return again next year. Yes, we do have favorite spots that tend to warm the cockles of our hearts.  There is no greater joy than standing on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Kidron Valley and seeing  Gethsemane on one side and the Eastern Gate on the other.   As I look beyond the Eastern Gate I allow my mind to dream a little and see the Temple begin to rise out of the dust- the Temple Mount and the Eastern Gate where Christ will enter when He returns to take back what is rightfully His.

 But there is another place that warms the cockles of my heart, the Garden Tomb best known as Gordon's Calvary.  There is a great deal of controversy between the various schools of thoughts as to whether this is the right place where they laid Jesus body or perhaps at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  Hey folks, we have stood inside both and excitedly report to you, they are both empty!

 Of all the miracles and acts of God in the Bible, the Virgin Birth and Resurrection have, through the centuries, been the most attacked and denied and vilified.     In recent years "creation" has been added to that list, but the Resurrection continues to take first place.  The Resurrection is the foundational doctrine of the New Testament.  It is the miracle on which all other miracles rise and fall. 

 The Resurrection makes Christianity the only major religion in the world with a living originator.  Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, etc, all had their originators and founders, but they are all long since very dead!   Only Christianity has a living founder!

 

 Sooo, my friends, we are a generation that tends to take things for granted and not get too serious about the deep meanings and implications of what Jesus really did for us that day on Calvary’s Hill.  It is recorded that when Jesus was hung on the cross, he was totally unrecognizable; the beatings that he endured were beyond description. I wonder what went through the minds of Caiaphas and the other members of the Sanhedrin that night. I have spent much time thinking about His suffering, sacrifice, passion, love and grace.  Thank you Jesus!!!

Blessings,

Gramps

Faith Demonstrated - Faith Reward

 Monday, April 28, 2014

And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; for she was saying to herself, "If I only touch His garment, I will get well."  But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, "take courage; your faith has made you well."  At once the woman was made well" (Matthew 9:20 - 22).

Hey Gang:  As a little squeezer, our Sunday School used to have contest memorizing Bible verses and the winner would get a prize.  Being a lazy type I always looked for the short verses like "Jesus saves", "Jesus Wept" and "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God". But I readily admit I did not have a clue what ‘faith’ was.  In my tenure in the church the word ‘faith’ was used quite frequently but I do not recall anyone sitting me down and saying, “This is what faith is all about” and it is a very essential ingredient in your walk with the Lord.

And then one day, as I was doing a word study on the word faith, a brilliant thought crossed my dome of intellect, "Faith is an action word".   As I read and reread all the accounts where Jesus did miraculous healings, in each miracle faith rewarded was preceded with faith demonstrated!    In other words, I learned that faith was an action word.  In all the faith healings performed by Jesus there was a prerequisite - they had to believe with all their heart that Jesus could do what they were asking Him to do.

Do you remember the story of the paralytic? Due to the huge crowd that surrounded Jesus, the four men who carried him could not get close to Jesus.  Time to pack it in and wait for another day, right?  Wrong! They were determined that they would get their friend into the hands of the healer, so they went up on the roof, cut a hole in the thatching and let down the paralytic down into Jesus’ presence.    Seeing their faith, Jesus responded: "Your sins are forgiven, take up your pallet and go home".  (Mark 2:3-5).

How about the blind man who was sitting by the road when he heard commotion and learned that Jesus was passing by.  His response,” Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me".  He was told to keep quiet, to which he cried all the more!  Jesus said, bring him to me. Jesus then asked the man what he wanted Him to do.  The man responded, “I want to be able to see.” Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight, your faith has made you well" (Lu. 18:35-43).

 And then there was the woman who had suffered with a hemorrhage for twelve years.  She believed, if she could touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, she could be healed.  Weakened from the loss of blood for so many years she had something that many of us lack - determination.  She would not be stopped!  And Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, your faith has made you well." (Matt. 9:20-22).

 Sooooo, My friends, these are but three of the awesome miracles that Jesus performed; each one was based on the faith demonstrated - faith rewarded formula.    I challenge you to do a word study on the word faith and see the many times that Jesus touched -the lepers, the blind, the paralytics and even the dead and said, "By your faith or the faith of someone who loves you dearly, you are healed".  It is a faith building exercise for truly "Faith does come by hearing" and reading of the many wonderful examples He gives, "and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17).

Blessings,

Gramps

Just Like the Days of No

 Wednesday, April 30, 2014

"For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah, For as in those day before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark and they did not understand until, the flood came and took them all away, so will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew 24:37-39).

 Hey Gang:  I tuned into what was supposed to be a discussion about the controversial movie "Noah", but it sounded more like an argument than a discussion.  I am always amazed that the movie moguls feel a need to improvise and improve on the miracles of the Word of God.  I mean, how can one improve on the parting of the Sea to allow the Israeli children to walk on dry land and escape Pharaoh's charioteers?  Or the creation story or the flood, or the etc. etc. etc.

 After hearing the various critical analysis and the many religious guru's, I sensed my time would be better spent reading the Biblical account of the event to see what really happened.  I do believe Moses had a better handle on the whole affair than the people involved in the ‘so called’ up dated and modern version of what happened at that time. 

 The critical analysis of the movie, on the part of the religious community, certainly got a lot of people’s attention.  Might I add a "praise the Lord" for that! Now ,before you tar and feather me for such a brash statement, let me add a thought or two for your consideration.  In my life-time I have believed that God has given me the gift of "seed planting".  I cannot boast of a green thumb, as most plants that I have touched soon fade away, but the Word into hearts, I pray has different results. 

 I have also been a seeker of ‘how do we penetrate the ‘domes of intellect’ of those folks who have never been blessed to have someone cross their paths with the Word and joy of having a relationship with Father God.    In other words, how does one connect the wondrous things God has done, and continues to do before our very eyes, when we have no connecting lines to Abba Father?

 When asked about the Noah film one young man made the following comment: "I went to see the film and enjoyed it, not so much for the content but for the photography and the neat things they did to project the floods and such." 

Okay, I can buy that.  But his next statement was the one that made me put down my book and pay attention.  He said, “After hearing all the controversy, I went into the closet and dug out the Bible my mother gave me when I was a little squeezer and read the story for myself.  And then I read it again and a third time.  But I did not stop there, I wanted to find out the context of the story and why ‘if there is a God’ (the seed is planted), He would see the need to wipe out most of His creation?

 I wonder how many people went to see Noah because of the media hype and did not have a clue what they were going to see, but came away with a’ seed planted’ in their minds and hearts to seek a deeper understanding of what was presented in the movie.  Mistakes, yes, but if it did indeed impact others, like it did with the young man, make them dig out that dusty Bible and get the truth - should we not be thankful? Keep in mind that God can take anything and turn it to good.

 Soooo, let me share with you a small piece of what I believe is my mission that God has challenged me too for my remaining years.  I have been researching the descriptions of hell and heaven to use in a future morning message.  Why? Because most people stop reading when they read the encyclopedia definition of hell, which in my opinion, has glorified hell.

 Revelation 20:14 gives us a much better understanding that should light a fire under every believer to prevent even their enemies from not accepting Christ as Savior.  Notice the words, "…then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire"  (Revelation. 20:14-15).

 Now hear this old man -is it not time to look at the things that unite us under that banner of Christ? Is our love relationship not strong enough that we can tackle our differences?  The one thing that frightens me the most is that I will miss the opportunity to break the bondage that Satan has over a soul and lead him or her to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

 Blessings,

 Gramps 

This one rang my bell this morning.  I am teaching on End Times and plan to go with a group to the ARK model in September!