Monthly Archives: February 2018

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PRAYER INTRUTIONS

by Brother Al

Philippians 4:8

How often has it happened to you?

You raced through your chores,

          or got up early,

          or simply shut the door,

          just so you could spend time with God.

It was important to you.

          You wanted to reach out and feel His presence.

          You longed for the peace of that presence.

          You had to plan and maybe fight for that time.

Now you were at last there.

But there was the threat of external intrusions, things like the telephone, kids, the doorbell, etc. “Mommy!!!” For these I have no solution to offer other than careful planning.

Maybe there were also internal intrusions, such as ideas, problems, circumstances that come to mind. A busy mind.

You wanted to focus on God, but your mind kept getting in the way. How you wished you could control that mind so you could pay attention to God.

Perhaps your ideal was described in Psalm 100. It was familiar to you. You had read it and considered it often. You had tried to make it your pattern.

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

“Make a joyful noise.

“Come with singing. “

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving.”

“Enter His courts with praise.”

“Be thankful unto Him.”

“Bless His name.”

Oh, if only you could!

But these thoughts keep intruding. You can’t clear your head of your problems. They won’t go away.

Here you are, on your knees, alone with God. You have thanked Him for His recent gifts. Now you want to praise Him for who He is and how He loves you. But your mind! It won’t behave itself. It is full of your needs, your problems. They flood in, one after the other. How can you take control of this unruly mind? How can you push aside these needs so you can talk to God?

Here is the secret: Don’t!

Instead, take each issue, one at a time, as it comes to your mind. Explain it to God, just as if He never heard of it before. Of course He has heard of it. He is well aware of it. But go ahead, explain it to Him anyway.

Go through all the details. Be careful to tell the whole truth too. Don’t suppress anything. If sin is involved, admit it. If there is fear, reveal it. Do not try to block out anything. Let your mind have the freedom to tell God your innermost thoughts about the matter. Even the ones you are ashamed of.

But, you may say, “I came to God to get help.” Yes, and this is how you can get it. You see, as you pour out your inner man, you will suddenly see new aspects, new factors.

Wisdom from God will seep into your understanding.

As you reveal, He will instruct.

This is not some psychological cleansing ploy. This is you carrying on a conversation with God. This is

  • You telling Him how you see your need, and

  • Him telling you how you SHOULD see your need.

This is opening the door to wisdom and revelation.

You may wonder, “What about Psalm 100?” This is part of it. “The Lord is good.” “His mercy is everlasting.” “His truth is for all generations.” His truth is for you.

How can you garner truth from God if you fail to tell Him what you are concerned about? How can He instruct you in the details if you don’t discuss the details with Him?

  • Explain yourself!

  • Enter into conversation about your needs.

  • Be ready to have your words changed as you speak them. Let God refashion them into true and righteous words.

  • Be ready to go away enlightened and refreshed.

AND—Be Alert for Prayer Nudges

They are the summons of the Holy Spirit to join in prayer.

The sudden remembrance of someone, a spiritual intrusion into one’s thought life, It is for a reason: Pray! It is the Holy Spirit asking you to join with Him.

The more often you respond, the more often He will call you.

The more often you ignore Him, the less often He will call.

Seek Him, Hear Him, Honor Him, Join Him,

02/18

Presented by Bro. Al Salay, Blessed Man Ministries Inc.

www.BlessedMan.net [email protected]

02/18

Presented by Bro. Al Salay, Blessed Man Ministries Inc.

www.BlessedMan.net [email protected]

Blogs, John Grant

DISCONNECT TO RECONNECT

By John Grant

Week Nine, 2018

DISCONNECT TO RECONNECT

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:2

Are you on digital overload… Internet, email, FaceBook, Twitter and the list goes on. Social media swallows more than a quarter of time spent online and a third of all internet usage is now happening via mobile, a new global report has found.

The average person has five social media accounts and spends around 1 hour and 40 minutes browsing these networks every day, accounting for 28 percent of the total time spent on the internet.

Have you thought about doing a digital fast? This includes cutting off all access to the Internet, television, email, cell phones and even radio for a day or a few days. This kind of fasting is very hard to do but it is exceedingly rewarding because all of a sudden, you have more time to read your Bible, play with your children, talk with your spouse, take a walk and contemplate just how good God is.

no phone

A Jewish organization called Reboot promotes a nonsectarian concept they call “digital Sabbath.” It’s a day of rest in which people disconnect from technology—particularly computers, iPads, and smartphones—so that they can reconnect with the real world.

The digital Sabbath is not a punishment but rather a means through which one can lay aside the world’s cares (at least the ones communicated to us via digital technology). This is akin to the ancient Christian habit of ritual fasting, which is still observed with relative strictness by many Christians. Many faithful Christians observe Lent—the forty-day period before Holy Week—by abstaining from meat, fish, dairy, and other foods. They must also increase their prayer, repentance, and worship.

This fasting teaches us to rid ourselves of accumulated distractions that keep our eyes from seeing our faith clearly. How about you (and me)? Are we up to a digital fast in order to see our real world. Have you thought about how much you could grow spiritually if you spent as much time in the Word and we do on social media? Let’s give it a try.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Advice from Dr. Irwin Lutzer on praying for prodigals:

These five steps can change your life and relationships with those whom you love have drifted away. It is not uncommon for children to be brought up in a Christian home and church and later, sometimes even in adulthood drift away and sink in sin. You want so badly for them to return to the fold and here are his suggested five steps:

1. Pray for God to change you more than you pray for God to change the prodigal. It is easier to repent from sin than it is from unrighteousness.

2. Surrender that person to God and let Him deal with it. Don’t just rely on your own strength.

3. Pray for God to change that person’s heart. He can and you can’t.

4. Let sin run its course. So often we want to intrude to cause deeper harm from being experienced, but God can use tragedy and difficulties in marvelous ways.

5. Always welcome them home. Only God can bring them home, but you can welcome them back. Hold no grudges. Demand no repayment. Just welcome them back with unconditional love.

–o–

PEW FOUNDATION STUDY:

The share of U.S. adults who say they believe in God, while still remarkably high by comparison with other advanced industrial countries, has declined modestly, from approximately 92% to 89%, since Pew Research Center conducted its first Landscape Study in 2007.

The share of Americans who say they are “absolutely certain” God exists has dropped more sharply, from 71% in 2007 to 63% in 2014. And the percentages who say they pray every day, attend religious services regularly and consider religion to be very important in their lives also have ticked down by small but statistically significant margins.

The falloff in traditional religious beliefs and practices coincides with changes in the religious composition of the U.S. public. A growing share of Americans are religiously unaffiliated, including some who self-identify as atheists or agnostics as well as many who describe their religion as “nothing in particular.” Altogether, the religiously unaffiliated (also called the “nones”) now account for 23% of the adult population, up from 16% in 2007.

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

With a rooster or without a rooster, God will still make the dawn.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. Winston Churchill

He who laughs last may laugh best, but those who can laugh together know the joy of brotherhood. Dwight Short

You don’t get to choose the life you have, but you do get to choose who you are going to be in it. —Unknown wise person

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com and Thoughts-About-God.com. You can subscribe directly to those on their respective websites.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2017

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618
Blogs

“NEVERTHELESS” (Exodus 16:26-28)

First Baptist Church

9 West Main St. Earlville, NY 13332

Inviting and Accepting

Rev. Jeremy B. Stopford, Pastor

“NEVERTHELESS” (Exodus 16:26-28)

February 18, 2018

TODAY’S SPECIAL

A “Memorial Funny”

An elderly woman died last month. Having never married, she requested no male pallbearers.

In her handwritten instructions for her memorial service, she wrote, “They wouldn’t take me out while I was alive, I don’t want them to take me out when I’m dead.”

INTRODUCTION

If you have been reading your Bible for any length of time, or even if you are just starting to develop a habit in the Scriptures, there is a word that you may have come across and paid little attention to. The word is the subject of today’s message. “Nevertheless”. God places this word at timely moments. In fact, in the NIV He purposely puts in there 40 times (27 in OT, 13 in NT). In the Old King James, it Is there 97 times; and in my New King James, some 118 well-placed transcriptions of the Hebrew and Greek languages are found. It is an important word. Let’s find out the pattern of its use.

PRAYER

THE PATTERN OF “NEVERTHELESS”:

#1. A DOCTRINE (v. 26)

* This is a Biblical principle that the Lord is desiring for those who call Him Father and Lord. This is not a man-made teaching; rather it is a God directed pattern upon which God desires His child to govern his or her life. * Any and all doctrines are designed for the good of God’s people. They are not a hardship; rather, they encourage one simple word: trust! Trust that the Lord is ALWAYS true to His Word! * In v. 26, the doctrine is the law of the sabbath as regarding working and food. We are introduced in verses 1-26 to God’s provision for the people of Israel while they are wandering between Egypt and the promised land of Israel. * Note what we glean from these first 25 verses:

A. The timing (v. 1) is 45 or so days after leaving Egypt. The people are grumbling (v. 2) because they have no food.

B. What is the difference between v. 3 and v. 26? In verse 26, they are wandering in the wilderness. In their reflections in v. 3, they are…SLAVES! They are not free. They are not working for a living – they are working for the State of Egypt and for the Pharaoh’s pleasure. But by v. 26, they were once again reasoning that it might have been a good thing to be a slave!

C. In v. 4 we are introduced to God’s provision, “bread from heaven.” Do you remember the conversation in John 6? The people of Jesus’ day were harping that they were already God’s people, they were followers of Moses, and how that MOSES had provided them bread in the wilderness. Do you remember Jesus’ response? (1) My Father provided that bread; and (2) I am the Bread of Life. We know from the NT description that Exodus 16 is a test to show that the provision of manna is an earthly picture of the big picture of the Father’s provision of His own Son! And we are today invited to TRUST Him! Do we? And where can we show we trust Him? His Word! Deut. 8:3 quoted in the NT!

D. In v.16 we learn the weight of the provision: the people are to collect an “omer” per each person in the household. Most footnotes show than an “omer” weighs about 3 pounds. You have an household of 5 people, you collect 15 omers of manna; 3 people? 9 omers. And everyone was completely filled – IF they did what God directed. Look at v. 18 – God’s provision brought contentment!

E. And on the 6th day (v. 23), they were to gather double as much. This is so they could enjoy a sabbath rest. The 6th day was a purposeful season of work – they were not to do on the sabbath what they could have done the day before.

ILLUSTRATION

I remember my first pastor and what his family did on SATURDAY. The pastor would gas up the vehicle so he wouldn’t have to do that on Sunday. His wife would do all the shopping so that there would be no need to shop on Sunday. IN FACT, as late as the 70’s most stores were closed on Sundays! Gas stations seemed to be always open. In just a short time, times changed. WHY? Because part of the mindset is that if we work more, we have more. (that’s being simplistic – I know there are exceptions. BUT ask some of the older folk in our congregation – and you will find that many of the wives DID not work, because they were content with the provision the husband made – and they lived accordingly!

* This was a good doctrine – a test by the loving Heavenly Father. He would faithfully provide. And He wanted His people to trust, and in their trust, obey.

#2. A DECISION (v. 27a)

* This is the place of the crossroads – a place where two roads meet and one must decide which road to travel

* We are introduced to the key word, “nevertheless”. The word SHOULD NOT be there. The verse SHOULD say, “and the people willingly trusted the Lord and obeyed Him.”

* Our key word is a decision word. It is the word at the crossroads which says, “God is testing me. He is giving me a choice, to trust or to go my way. There is something in me which does not understand His test. Perhaps I should test the waters before fully trusting Him.”

* OK, perhaps we’re being too harsh on the Israelites. So then, put yourselves in their shoes and be honest. God says, “I will provide all your needs. You say, “I NEED A 75 INCH FLAT SCREEN TV LIKE MY NEIGHBOR HAS.” So you go and put the TV on credit – and can’t pay it off for 10 years. In the meanwhile, a kid puts a shoe through the TV, the very item you thought you must have. You are stuck, because…you didn’t trust at the crossroads.

SO THE DECISION LEADS TO…

#3. A DISOBEDIENCE (v. 27b)

* “Some” – it is fortunately only “some” – but it is ALWAYS “some” who fail to respond in faith to the test.

* What did they do? They went out on the Sabbath to gather bread. The bread wasn’t there. God said it wouldn’t be there. So then why did they go looking for it?

* There is an old adage, surely not original with me: partial obedience is absolute disobedience. These people went through the rituals of faith, but not the trust.

* Did you catch that? And could that ever be you? How easy it is to go through faith’s “rituals”: to be in church, to serve in various places, but for what? To get God’s brownie points? OR because you love and trust the Lord? These few Israelites were disobedient.

AND THAT DISOBEDIENCE ENDS UP WITH:

#4. A DISAPPOINTMENT (v. 28)

* Read v. 28 with a hankie in your hand – not for you, but for God’s tears. Can you hear His tears in His words, “How long will you refuse to keep (obey)…?”

* How long? That means that this disobedience is ongoing until the heart goes back to where it began – with the doctrine, the principles of God’s Word that a loving Heavenly Father is encouraging His children to follow and obey.

CONCLUSION

So let’s wrap this up. We began with a doctrine, a principle of God’s heart. God loves to instruct. Yet His instructions are also a test to obedience. And the heart at the crossroads hungers to satisfy both directions of the test.

And God wisely introduces that crossroads with the word “nevertheless.” Look for it throughout the Scriptures.

Some choose to disobey. It is easy to go through the motions of faith; some choose to say “no” to God and feel no remorse while at the same time hurt the cause of Christ that He has called His church to fulfill.

And finally, there is one aspect we often ignore: God’s tears of disappointment. His “how long”.

This week, maybe even today, God will test each of us with the choice to follow and obey His doctrines, His principles of true living in Christ. May that test raise the Heavenly Red Flags of Decision, Disobedience, and Disappointment BEFORE we get to the crossroads and regret the decision we make.

OH may “nevertheless” not be a part of our walk with Jesus this week!

Close in prayer

Blogs, John Grant

Get out the word out

Week Eight, 2018

GET OUT THE WORD OUT

By John Grant

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. – Matthew 28:19-20

The annual Super Bowl is one of the most watched events each year. Millions view it. What drives it is not the people purchasing tickets to sit in the stadium, but the advertisers who pay vast sums of money to reach the viewing public.

This year, advertisers paid up to five million dollars for a thirty second ad and that doesn’t even cover the cost of production. It takes the sale of a lot of razor blades or whatever product being advertised to cover the cost. At no other time during the year does any business obtain that extensive amount of viewership. Super Bowl Sunday has power! Power to draw viewers; power to capture attention; power to make consumers sit up and watch commercials.

Why do they do it? They do it because it works. Advertising has been defined as the most powerful, persuasive, and manipulative tool that firms have to control consumers all over the world. It is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service.

Its impacts created on the society throughout the years has been amazing, especially in this technology age. Influencing people’s habits, creating false needs and distorting the values and priorities of our society, advertising has become a poisonious snake ready to hunt its prey. However, on the other hand, advertising has had a positive effect as a help of the economy and society. The point is that it is a powerful tool to influence the public.

Jesus told His disciples to advertise and go to all nations to share His Word. Have you ever thought of the advertising power the Christian church has? There are 2.3 billion Christians on planet earth. That’s one of every three. What if each one led someone to the Lord, one on one.

Frank Laubach was a distinguished minister, a graduate of two ivy league schools came up with the “Each One Teach One literacy program and with that, he taught much of Africa to read and write. It has been used to teach about 60 million people to read in their own language. An estimated 2.7 million people worldwide were learning to read through Laubach-affiliated programs.

He also used it to teach people all over the world to love Jesus. Why did he do it? He did it because it works.

I was privileged to meet this wonderful man shortly before his death and was spellbound as I heard him say how easy it is to teach and influence people one on one. Who is your “one” for Jesus?

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Ken Whitten on Following God:

Jesus is worthy of total abandonment and supreme adoration, because when you meet Jesus, everything changes. Followers often don’t know how, but they know who. He must have total dominion of our lives. It involves leaving comfort for discomfort and leaving cover for uncover. We must give Jesus free direction in our lives. The process moves from abandonment to adherence.

–o–

Words Do Have Meaning!

In the book, Champions For Life, Bill Glass related how a negative remark his mother made to him as a child stayed with him for the rest of his life. It was not his mother’s intent to hurt him, but she forgot the incredible power and the long term influence our words can have. Does this mean that we have to be so careful with what we say that we have to tiptoe around every subject for fear of offense? Perhaps we should, or at least understand the power of our tongue and our words as we are warned in James 1:26. If we do not bridle our tongue, it can lead to both vanity and hubris which causes us to forget that everybody is somebody. Dwight Short

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Our fear of what could happen is often worse than what does happen. Nehemiah 3-4

President Abe Lincoln: “Have malice toward none and charity for all”. This is an excellent way to build respect.

Whenever you make a commitment to the Lord, the enemy will vigorously oppose your every attempt to spirituality advance. —Ken Whitten

You don’t get to choose the life you have, but you do get to choose who you are going to be in it. —Unknown wise person

How will young people learn to love the Lord if they don’t see that love being modeled for them? —Dwight Short

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com and Thoughts-About-God.com. You can subscribe directly to those on their respective websites.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2017

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618
Blogs

“Who is like you?

A message from the Pastor

First Baptist Church

9 West Main St. Earlville, NY 13332

Inviting and Accepting

Rev. Jeremy B. Stopford, Pastor

“Who Is Like You?”

(Exodus 15:11-13)

February 11, 2018

TODAY’S SPECIAL

“A Wedding Funny”

Little Emily was at her first wedding and gaped at the entire ceremony. When it was over, she asked her mother, “Why did the lady change her mind?”

Her mother asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, she went down the aisle with one man and came back with another one.”

INTRODUCTION

How are you doing on your Bible reading this year? I’ve shared with you that I am reading 3 chapters a day and 5 on Sunday. During this past week’s reading, my heart wondered about the phrase read in our text. It is a wonderful phrase – not used much, but with deep insights into God and ourselves. PRAYER

#1. THE WORLD HAS NO SONG (Exodus 15:11-13)

A. What gods? (v. 11a). Turn back a few pages to Ex. 7, beginning with v. 14. The descriptions are great. What was the purpose of the plagues? Simply to prove that the God of the Israelites is greater than Pharaoh? NO! Look again at the plagues:

* Blood (7:14ff) – against the Nile, worshipped by the Egyptians

* Frogs (showing God’s majestic sweep of power)

* Gnats (distinguishing trust in the true God vs. trust in the occult magicians) * Flies and Livestock (distinguishing Egypt from Israel)

* Boils (key word: dust – God’s tool of creation)

* Hail (see 9:19 – a call to trust God’s Word)

* Locusts (a test of Pharaoh’s hard-heartedness vs. the reason of his officials-v. 7 and 20)

* Darkness (JESUS is the light of the world, and the rest of the world is in darkness (vs. 22ff – how long? THREE DAYS – symbolic of Jesus’ time in the tomb)

* The firstborn (ch. 11 and 12 – symbolic of God’s ownership, and of His one day giving His firstborn – one and only Son). THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE GOD!

B. Mighty in battle (v. 11b, 12) and marvelous in leading (v. 13). The psalmist Asaph (Ps. 73:23-24) contemplating these same issues broke out in song “Whom have I in heaven but Thee! And there is NONE upon I that I desire beside Thee!”

Scripture’s first use of the phrase “who is like you” shows us a mighty truth: There is no comparison: THE WORLD HAS NO SONG!

#2. GOD’S PEOPLE HAVE A SONG! (Psalm 89:8)

A. We could have looked at two other passages in the Psalms:

(1) Psalm 35:10 (David speaking): “My whole being will exclaim,“Who is like you, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.” Our great God is a helper to the helpless. He DOESN’T help those who help themselves! Rather, He helps those who have no help! Ponder that one the next time you don’t know where to turn, what direction to go. Who is like God Who helps the helpless?

(2) Psalm 71:19 (the verse following our church’s “Verse for 2018”, v. 18): “Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. Who is like you, God?” The unnamed psalmist could only burst out in uncontrolled praise when he pondered the uniqueness of our God! Verse 7 says, “I have become a sign to many; you are my strong refuge.” How can we possibly know how many people are looking to us for encouragement at any given moment?

ILLUSTRATION: there was a fellow classmate in Bible school named Charlie. While we were in our late teens and early twenties, Charlie in his late 50’s felt led of the Lord to come to Bible School. He ultimately graduated from my class and later pastored in the “North Country” of New York State. But Charlie had one distinguishing trait: he was a prayer warrior. OH, we knew how to pray. But we knew that when Charlie prayed, God heard and God answered! He was a sign to us that God was his strong refuge! We believed it – and he lived it! And because Charlie lived it, when after graduation we all went our separate ways, we, too, knew: who is like God, our strong refuge!

B. Psalm 89:1 teaches a song: The old KJV vs. one says these words which have been put into a wonderful chorus: “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations.”

And verse 8 echoes the same heart: “Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.”

The psalmist had a song – and he knew that not only was God mighty, but God was not a God Who is a far off! His faithfulness is on display every day!

And God’s faithfulness could be considered the theme of Psalm 89. Look at verses 2, 5, 14, 33, and 49. In addition to the two we’ve looked at, the psalmist could not stop singing about God’s faithfulness.

So when was the last time you thought on God’s faithfulness?

HAS GOD GIVEN YOU A SONG?

CONCLUSION

We have learned today that the Scriptures remind us of two great truths: the world has no song that has any eternal value; and the Christian has a song which reaches to heaven rejoicing in the faithfulness of the living and most personal God.

But there is one more verse that we must close with.

Deuteronomy 33:29 says “Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights.”

Near the end of his life, Moses could look back and exclaim that not only was God unique; God’s people were unique, too. That’s how God looked at Israel. That’s how God looks at you and me. He has made an eternal investment by purchasing us with the blood of His Son at Calvary. He sees us as unique, one of a kind. “Who is like you?” God says of us!

He asks of us, “if I see that in a world that is lost and without hope, you are my eternal investment, will you do this for me: have no other gods before Me. Then repeat daily, “WHO IS LIKE YOU?” – when you think of the only living God!”

Perhaps you can’t carry a tune in the shower! But God has given each of us a new song – He is faithful. There is none like Him!

Sing out your song this week loud and clear!

Prayer

Blogs

Just Beneath the Surface

Week Seven, 2018

JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE

By John Grant

Do ye look on things according to the outward appearance? If any man trust himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s. – 2 Corr. 2:7

While riding down river through the Amazon Jungle, noticed how murky the water. It was so murky that one could not see a hand below the surface. I didn’t even try because I have heard what creatures swim in those rivers just below the surface.

I thought about how that relates to sin, which often lurks just out of sight and just below the surface of our everyday lives. Often is subtle and the sin is small. Why would I not want to stick a finger below the water just to see what it is like? Look at Lot. He started with small sins which grew and grew and then he failed.

The reason Lot failed is illustrated by an event that happened on June 5, 1976. On that day, under clear skies, without warning, the massive Teton Dam in southeastern Idaho collapsed, sending a torrent of water surging into the Snake River basin. There was extensive property damage and loss of life. It seemed to happen so quickly. Some workers on the dam barely had time to run for their lives.

But it really didn’t happen suddenly. Beneath the water line, a hidden fault had been gradually weakening the entire structure. It started with just a tiny bit of erosion. But by the time it was detected, it was too late. No one had seen the little flaw; no one got hurt by it. But everyone saw the big collapse, and many were hurt.

That’s what happened to Lot. He allowed little sins in his life to go unchecked. They weren’t major, shocking kinds of sins–just “little” sins. But they were steadily eroding his moral character, until finally the sordid incident recorded here burst the dam.

Keep your hands out of the murky water, for you never know what sins are lurking there to hook you into a life or progressive sin.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Obituary:

Joe’s wife passed away and he wanted to keep the obituary as short as possible, so he penned “Sally Smith died.” When the funeral home told him that the minimum wordage was six words, he added “Car for sale.”

Jesus is Lord. And that changes everything.

–o–

During the course of administration, and in order to disturb it, the artillery of the press has been leveled against us, charged with whatsoever its licentiousness could devise or dare. These abuses of an institution so important to freedom and science are deeply to be regretted, inasmuch as they tend to lessen its usefulness and to sap its safety.” —Thomas Jefferson (1805)

–o–

In grammar school they taught me that a frog turning into a prince was a fairy tale. In the university they taught me that a frog turning into a prince was a fact. —Ron Carlson

–o–

C. S. Lewis wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” Focus on those you serve and witness the new found value.

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Lord God, I praise You today for burdens lifted, sins forgiven and hope restored.

Pain can be used for good. It causes us to pause and ponder what’s really important. Mark Merrill

In what appears to be his last tweet, on Dec. 1, 2017, R C Sproul wrote about his belief in eternity: “When God writes our names in the ‘Lamb’s Book of Life,’ he doesn’t do it with an eraser handy. He does it for eternity.”

Lord Jesus, what a thrill it is to know You call me friend! It is a bigger thrill to know that You will never unfriend me!

Lord God, I praise You that Your love for me is based on Your character, not on my performance. How great You are!

Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you. Walt Whitman

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Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com and Thoughts-About-God.com. You can subscribe directly to those on their respective websites.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2017

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618
Blogs, Uncategorized

“WHAT IS A SERVANT OF GOD?”

“WHAT IS A SERVANT OF GOD?”

Acts 6:1-7
Rev. Jeremy B. Stopford, Pastor

TODAY’S SPECIAL: “A Super Bowl Funny”

A woman had 50 yard line tickets for the Super Bowl. As she sat down, a man came along and asked  her if anyone is sitting in the seat next to her. “No,” she said, “the seat is empty.”
“This is incredible,” said the man. “Who in their  right mind would have a seat like this for the Super Bowl, the biggest sporting event in the world, and not use it?”
Somberly, the woman  says, “Well… the seat actually belongs to me. I was supposed to come here with my husband, but he passed away. This is the first Super Bowl we have not been to together since we got married in 1967.”
“Oh I’m sorry to hear that, that’s terrible. But couldn’t you find someone else – a friend  or relative, or even a neighbor to take the seat?”
The woman shakes her head, “No, they’re all at the funeral.”

INTRODUCTION

This is an interesting question: “what is a servant of God?” And perhaps an understandable follow-up, “where does a servant of God come from?” In our text in Acts 6, the newly-formed, Spirit anointed church is at a crossroads. It has a problem, and the leadership needs help. PRAYER

A. TRUE SERVANTS ARE THE PEOPLE! (vs. 1-3a)

1. The first church recognized the work of ministry – these verses showed servants coming from..the people!
2. This is the pattern of Ephesians 4:11-13 – leadership training the people to do the work of the ministry
3. Illus. Rev. Dr. Ken Beres passed away this week. Almost 7 years ago on his Facebook page he wrote, “Hello, everyone… I am a member of the clergy who just happens to be a die-hard Moxie aficionado… Earlier this week I celebrated communion with a can of Moxie and graham crackers… Y’all should try it sometime!” I think I would have liked him! When interviewed 9 years ago about receiving his doctorate at age 49, he said these wise words: “One of the things that I focus on is the value of mentoring in ministry and in leadership of the church. I try to instill in the people of my congregation that they’re each in ministry, that ministry isn’t limited to the guy who stands in the pulpit and wears the big robe and preaches the big sermon. Ministry is also the person who takes a home cooked meal to their neighbor or who helps their neighbor by shoveling out their walkway.” Spot on!

B. TRUE SERVANTS GROW IN CHARACTER (v. 3b)

1. Note that there are only – get this – TWO qualifications for a true servant of the Lord: “full of the Spirit and wisdom”
2. Why just two? There are other passages on the qualifications of deacons. But the key word here is servant. It might not be a position in the church (although it might be an office). Rather, a servant is a person of godly character ministering with the gifts God has given him or her, and where God has wisely planted him or her.
3. “Full of the Spirit” – a complete reliance on the operation of the Spirit of God to do the work which God has designed for you to do. We could go into an extended study in the Spirit of God – and maybe some day we will. But for now it is sufficient to know that God’s Spirit is operating in you. And all He desires is your…SURRENDER to Him. Daily. Moment by moment.

ILLUSTRATION:

I was asked to officiate a “Celebration of Life” service yesterday. Before Friday, I didn’t even know that the deceased was one of my neighbors, although I’ve known him by his nickname for years. The Spirit of God is allowed to orchestrate the details of our lives for the glory of the Lord Jesus, even at a moment’s notice. Can we yield to such a wise Holy Spirit?
4. “Full of wisdom” Notice the Word doesn’t say full of “SMARTS”. True wisdom comes from a daily stillness, quietness before the Word of God. PERIOD. There is no other source of true wisdom. NONE! To be an effective leader, you must be one who is walking daily with the Lord.

C. TRUE SERVANTS ARE BLESSED TO SEE OTHERS SERVE (v. 5)

Just a quick note on what is said in verse 4. There is no doubt from what we read in the gospels and through the rest of the book of Acts: the original disciples served with MORE than just “prayer and the ministry of the word.” But that was the core of their accountability. And the follow up is that those who weren’t ministering as such were blessed by God and happy to be used where the Lord had wisely put them.
God’s work has no “favorites” nor “levels of accomplishment”. There is only ONE standard for God’s work. Do you know what it is? 1 Cor. 4:1-2: “So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove… FAITHFUL.”
Faithfulness is the only standard. Day in, day out, plug along. God’s servants – regardless where God places them – must be FAITHFUL!

CONCLUSION (v. 7)

The conclusion comes appropriately in verse 7. There was a widespread influence of the church, and the number of those who served increased as well. Yes, the numbers increased. That will come when the principle is met: “whatever you so, you will reap”. If we sow much, we will reap much. And God gives the increase! Wow.
So, are you a child of the King? IF SO, God has called you to be a servant of God! He desires your SURRENDER to the operation of the Spirit of God in your life. And He desires your daily walk with the Lord. That’s it!

Prayer

May the Lord give grace where He has wisely planted each of us in our exciting ministry here in Earlville.

Uncategorized

Comebacks from Setbacks

Week Six, 2018

COMEBACKS FROM SETBACKS

The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? – Psalm 27:1

Every day we face obstacles and necessities, and we spend much of our time doing things that we must do, often things we would rather not do, again as often not doing things we wish to do. Yet we must try to do them in some way that is right, according to some standard of right that is both outside and above the details of our lives but also implicit in those details.

No matter how hard we try, sometimes we will make mistakes, big mistakes and little mistakes, all of which set us back. Sometimes we are the victim of things and events beyond our control that set us back. Our enemy will come against us simply because of our faith in the Lord. It is discouraging enough to face trouble because of a mistake you made, but what about the times when a storm hits you for no apparent reason?

The question is how we can turn those setbacks into comebacks. The Bible is full of people who had setbacks and made them into comebacks.

Consider Joseph. Through no sin or fault of his own, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and endured years of false imprisonment. At all times, Joseph maintained his integrity and his faith in God. Even while he was subjected to such injustice, God was preparing him for a great future.

Eventually, God caused Joseph to rise to prominence as the most powerful official in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. From this position, Joseph was instrumental in preserving the people of Egypt and the surrounding region, including his own family, through a time of great famine. When Joseph had the opportunity to take revenge on his brothers, he chose forgiveness and mercy instead, understanding that all that had happened to him was God’s way of preparing him for his destiny. If Joseph made a comeback, you can too.

Job represents what is certainly one of the greatest comeback stories in all of Scripture. Job lost everything. In one day he lost his wealth, his health, and his family. All he had left was his faith in God, and that proved to be enough. God had allowed Satan to test Job’s faith and integrity to the very limit, and Job passed the test. What the devil meant for Job’s destruction, God turned to Job’s good.

Struggles come in all shapes and sizes – fears, addictions, persecution, and worries can all seem to take over our thoughts. God tells us that we will face trials, but that we should not lose hope! Be encouraged, God has called you an overcomer!

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Willie Taggart Lives His Dream:

Before making one of the most agonizing decisions of his 41-year-old existence, Willie Taggart sought lots of advice about leaving Oregon and going to FSU, but the most profound advice came from the oldest of his three kids. Will, a lanky 16-year-old who bears a stunning resemblance to his dad, approached Taggart and wife Taneshia as they were sitting on the sofa contemplating a move to Florida State after less than one calendar year in Eugene, Ore.

“Out of nowhere — I didn’t expect this — he said, ‘Dad, I know you’re struggling with this decision, and I know this is your dream job. You always tell me to chase my dreams and don’t let anyone get in the way of ’em. I don’t think it’s right for me or anyone else to stop you from chasing your dreams.’ And he said, ‘I don’t wanna leave, dad, but if you’re gonna chase your dream, I’m gonna ride with you.’ “

With that, Taggart said, he and Taneshia broke down.

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US life expectancy declines for a second straight year– “…more evidence of the toll the nation’s opioid crisis is exacting on younger and middle-aged Americans, experts said.”

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Reflecting on the past is healthy, but dwelling on it keeps you stuck in the past. Stay positive with a focus on the future. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is a mystery and that is why today is called “the present.”

A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another’s.

Interruptions don’t produce character, they reveal it. Ken Whitten

The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say no to almost everything. Warren Buffett

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Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com and Thoughts-About-God.com. You can subscribe directly to those on their respective websites.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2017.

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618

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