Excited or Depressed? YOUR CHOICE!

 Tuesday, September 30, 2014

"But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28)  "Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night" (Luke 18:7)

Hey Gang, Are you excited about what God is doing in our world today? or does your blood pressure sky each time you turn on the news?  Do you agree with the old country preacher who shouted from the pulpit, “something's fixing to happen, something's fixing to happen and I am fixing to be part of it?” 

Do you have it firmly tucked away in the recesses of your heart and mind that in the no-too-distant future Jesus will appear suddenly in the air, without warning, to rapture His church and take those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, to the Father's house.        

Notice Malachi's words, "For Behold, the day is coming burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant and every evil doer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the Lord of hosts.  So that it will leave them neither root nor branch.  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 like calves from the stall."  That skipping like a calf, at my tender age of 80, kindles a fire deep in my gizzard.

Does that get your blood to boiling?  Noooo, well read on: "You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says the Lord of Hosts" 

When you read of a sadistic acts of violence that has become very common in our news media's do you not get a wee bit excited when you Malachi's words that "They will one day soon be ashes under the soles of your feet?” 2014 vs 2024!

I challenge you to read the entire book of Habakkuk, all three chapters, four pages; it would take about as long as twitting a message.  Notice he begins by crying out to God, "How long, O Lord, will I call for help and You will not hear."  I believe this has become a common plea as our world gets more violent and that violence gets closer to home.  

He goes on, "Violence, iniquity, wickedness, destruction are before me.  The Law is ignored, justice in not upheld, the wicked surround the righteous, justice is perverted" (verses. 2-4).  Does that not sound like today, like the days of Noah?   God's response, "Look among the nations!  Observe! Be astonished!  Wonder!  Because I am doing something in your days-you would not believe if you were told!”   (verse. 5b)

Choice time!  You can put your faith in the things of this world which is like building your house on the sand or you can follow Habakkuk's example when he said, "Yet I will exult the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.  The Lord God is my strength.  And He has made my feet like hinds' feet, And makes me walk in high places"  (verses. 3:18-19).

Soooo my friends, Malachi closes the Old Covenant with a promise that is the desire of my heart: "He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers".  (Malachi 4:6)  How I look forward to that day when all the daddies of the world will go home to their children.   My young friends, are you ready to go skipping like a calf this morning?  I ask you again are you excited this morning of what God is doing and going to do?  

Blessings,  Gramps

Check Out the 'Therefore'!

Friday, August 22, 2014

  "Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified."                         (I Corinthians . 9:26-27).

 Hey Gang:  I have probably made this statement somewhere along the line, in one of the previous morning thoughts, but it bears repeating:  "I love the little words of the Bible, the if's, but's, therefores. etc.  In many cases they are trigger words to a powerful truth.  This is especially true when we study the covenants of the Bible.  There is a vast difference between a ‘conditional’ and a ‘non-conditional’ covenant and it is determined with the tiny word "if".     

 As I thought about the message I sent to you recently, the Lord seemed to be tugging at my shirt tail to follow it up on how to implement the instructions of Colossians three.  Again, we turn to the words of Paul, but this time in his letter to the Roman Church (chapter 12).  Here we find that trigger word ‘therefore’, so as Pastor Mumford would say, "Let’s take a minute and find out why it is “therefore!”

 Paul begins by telling us how to be successful in our walk with the Lord: “Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies (meaning your whole self – physically, mentally and spiritually) a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (v.1).  Stop!  Read those words again.  Note that Paul is saying to walk with the Lord you must be willing to sacrifice your all in all, holding nothing back. 

 One thing we know about Paul is that he never gives us instructions with giving us the practical application of the principal he is sharing.  Now, for practical application; “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Colossians 3:2).

 I recently talked with a young man who was up to his armpits with alligators.  His marriage was not going well, he had been laid off from his job, house payment due, car payment due, etc. etc.  In the course of the conversation he made this statement, "Is it enough to make one seek religion?" I suggested maybe that was the problem, what he really needed was not religion, but Jesus as Lord of his life. 

 His problem? He was conformed to this world and not willing to present his body and mind as a holy sacrifice, acceptable to God.  He was willing to give up the mundane things, but not willing to be transformed by the renewing of his mind.  That is kind of like finding out you have several cancerous tumors in your body and telling the surgeon, take this one and that one but leave the others alone.      

 Sooooo, my young friends, notice the key to implementing this principle: “... present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God”.  Think about that!  He will accept nothing less.  What price are you willing to pay?  Are you ready to sacrifice your all?  Remember the price that Jesus paid for your salvation – He paid it all!

Blessings,

Gramps

Peter's Grievous Mistake

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat: but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:31-32).

 Hey Gang: Have you ever felt like Satan was trying to "sift your life like wheat?"  I know that feeling.  But, Jesus said, "I have prayed for you!"  Wow, the Son of God, who died to take the sins of the world away and free us from the bondage of our iniquities, sits at the right hand of the Father and prays for you and me.  Can you say, "Thank you Jesus?"  His prayed that - "our faith will not fail" and when we do fail in our walk with Him, "we will turn around and strengthen the brethren".   

 I can remember, as a boy, my grandmother making apple dumplings for the family.  Wow, do I like apple dumplings.  She always sifted the flour, I thought to remove the impurities, but I suspect it was to spread the flour evenly over the dough.  I have since learned that to sift means to separate.  I believe God seeks to separate us from our sins. 

 Remember the story of the silversmith? He takes the impure ore and places it on the fire until it melts, and the impurities rise to the top.  When is it pure?  When he can see his face in the silver.  When are we pure? When we are molded into the image of His Son, Father can see his reflection in us.

  James talks about growing stronger in the Lord through our experiences in alligator alley.  This is also the story of the growth of the church.  Without ‘sifting’, even suffering, we can become very weak and lazy.    It is the sifting experiences that prepare us for the "go" command given by Jesus (Matthew 28:19).

 The disciples had been with Jesus for nearly three years and had sufficient knowledge to do as Christ had prepared them to do but, that knowledge had to be transferred from head knowledge to action.  Jesus’’ trial, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension back to the Father, moved them from the gawking stage to the action mode.   If there had been no sand- paper experiences, the disciples may have remained in Jerusalem and the gospel would have died on the vine. 

 Satan's plan from day one is to divide and conquer.  Many like to think that Satan is one smart dude.  But his true purpose is to destroy the Jews and church, so that Jesus has no place and no family to return to. 

 Think about that for a moment.  If you were trying to reduce the number and every place where you persecuted the believers the church grew by leaps and bounds, would you not stop persecuting- the source of growth?   I, therefore, nominate Satan for the "dunce chair" in the moron's club.  

 Sooooo, the major point that Jesus is making in these verses: Yes, Satan does place a bull’s eye on the back of every believer and continually waits for those times when our armor is not spit-polished, hanging in a closet and not affixed to our mortal bodies.  When God asked Satan where he had been, Satan remarked: "roaming about the earth" (Job 1). 

 I suspect, as the prophetic clock continues to count down to the coming of Jesus, Satan is roaming with a great deal more intensity seeking whom he may devourer (I Peter 5:8).  But look up for your "redemption is also drawing neigh" (Luke 21:29) and remember: "Jesus is praying for you" (I John 17:20).

 Blessings,  

Gramps