Category Archives: Blogs

Blogs, John Grant

LIFEQUAKES

Week Fourteen, 2021

Jesus answered them, “You are deceived, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God. Matthew 22:29

Just when everything seems to be going smoothly, life sometimes hits us in the head with a brick: cancer, a heart attack or other life-threatening illness; the loss of a loved one; a business failure or financial crisis; a physical disability, depression or another mental health challenge. Most of us have had our share of brick-like disruptions.

In his new book “Life is in the Transitions” best-selling author Bruce Feiler calls these big disruptions “lifequakes” —disruptions that change the very trajectory of our life.

Though lifequakes happen at every stage of life – typically every 10 years or so, according to Feiler – they are often most pronounced when they happen during the bonus years. That’s when new realities are more frequent, but our physical, financial and spiritual capacity to adapt is often more limited.

Still, for many, even debilitating lifequakes can inspire a new and uplifting trajectory. It also can seem comforting to think that God is controlling events when something horrible happens that is completely outside of our control. Some people find comfort in the idea that God meant for them to suffer in order to serve some greater purpose of his.

I remember the time Beverley and I met with the doctor to learn, totally unexpectedly, that my wife had cancer and had an even a less of a chance of experiencing her fiftieth birthday. That day began a long road of surgeries, chemo, radiation, etc.

It also started a strengthening of our marriage, spiritual renewal and experiencing friendship support almost beyond belief. Beverley won the battle, and we had a whopping big fiftieth birthday bash. It was an experience I would not wish upon my worst enemy, but looking back, it was a growing experience worth more than any amount of money I could receive. I attribute it to the power of God.

Our friends, Dana and Susan Hardee, were enjoying retirement when a lifequake came their way. Susan was diagnosed with a rare and lethal form of cancer and began, and still today continues very painful and physically damaging treatment. Yet, as many have watched how Dana and Susan are dealing with this, we have seen a trust in the power of God and a witness of faith to others. Please continue to pray for them.

We need to be prepared for life’s lifequakes, because in one form or strength they will come. When they do, we need to be prepared to see the power of God as He works through our lifequakes with us.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely. Roy T. Bennett

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Maybe God has delayed the answers to some of your prayers. Maybe you have waited so long you feel desperate. If that is where you are, it’s time to begin interceding before the Lord. As you do, God may astound you by the changes He brings in your attitudes as He shapes and moves you to that place of harmony with Him. Don’t be discouraged when God delays the answers to your prayers. Dan Shock

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Spring Decluttering is Better than Spring Cleaning. The Minimalist

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A man was hard of hearing but didn’t want to spend the money for hearing aids. So he put a plug in his ear with a wire that ran down to his shirt pocket. When asked if it worked, he said it didn’t increase the sound, but it made people talk louder.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Here’s to life and embracing each day with gratitude, passion, compassion, empathy, integrity, love, kindness, faith and purpose! Richard Gonzmart

Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

GOD WANTS US TO HAVE VICTORY OVER THE FLESH, AND THAT VICTORY COMES ONLY WHEN WE WALK AFTER AND LIVE AFTER THE SPIRIT. Dan Shock

What you need as a believer is not “new sight” of the angels, but a new “insight” into the heart of God. Ken Whitten

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Our prayer life is an indicator of our spiritual life. Kelly Knouse

Your life will be simplified when you choose inaction when no action is required and choose action when action is required.” —M.M. Ildan

If you’ve got time to worry, then you’ve got time to pray.

Blogs, Jeremy Stopford

“CHALLENGES OF AN EARLY MORNING”

“CHALLENGES OF AN EARLY MORNING” (Matthew 28:1-7)

An Easter Sunday Message by Semi-Retired Pastor Jeremy Stopford

Originally preached April 12, 1998 (really!)

Beaver Meadow (NY) Christian Church

OUR TEXT: Matthew 28:1-7

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn,

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.

2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.

3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.

4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid,

for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

How many of you are MORNING people? You know who you are – you just love to get up as early as possible. You function best in the early part of the day. You’re the kind that when all your friends are just getting with it, you say, “I’ve got 8 hours of work done already!”. Then there are the NIGHT people! Are you one of those? You are the kind that think nothing of staying up well past midnight, sleep for 8 hours (or longer), and then start all over again.

The story of the Savior’s Resurrection Day is a morning person type of story. Matthew initially looks at the resurrection through the eyes of two people. No doubt, THEY are morning people! (My 20th century guess is that all people of the first century were “morning people” – what else did they have to do?). They are identified as “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” (Matthew 28:1). We know a little about each one.

“Mary Magdalene”, or better, “Mary of Magdala” – a region in Israel – is set aside in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke as one “out of whom He had cast seven demons”. Who knows what horror her life “before Christ” was like!

But we DO know, according to Luke 8:2-3, that along with two ladies named “Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna” (and apparently many others) “provided for Him from their substance.” Whatever funds she had in her life now were under the Lordship of Christ! (ARE OURS? Hmmm.). John’s gospel gives a wonderful picture of the poignant meeting with the risen Lord and this Mary (John 20:11ff).

The second visitor to the tomb in Matthew’s account is a woman called “the other Mary”. The gospels of Mark and Luke describe her a little more fully as “the mother of James the less and of Joses”, disciples of the Lord Jesus.

Though little is known of these ladies, it is apparent that the Lord did a GREAT CHANGE in their lives – so great, they sought to be both at the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus and as well at His graveside even days later.

There are at least four brief lessons that every seeker or follower of the Lord Jesus should learn from the lives of these two women that first Easter morn.

First, we have the need to remember the day and still walk by faith! In the gospel of Matthew we have met these two Christ followers before. Do you remember when? Go back to 27:56 where these two were among those who beheld the events of the cross “afar off”.

And after the Savior died, they also sat “over against the sepulcher (27:61). They knew exactly where the Savior’s tomb was. They would remember that day. WHAT DAY? What day of the week was it? Well, we do know that the Savior rose “on the first day of the week” (28:1). That would be on the Jewish – and our – calendar as SUNDAY.

And we do know that He said He would be in the tomb “three days and three nights”, according to the prophecy of Jonah (Matthew 12:40). So on what day of the week did the Savior die? Our problem is that we look at this through Western civilization eyes and not through Jewish eyes.

Fortunately for us, we can understand time through the words of Jonathan, Saul’s son. Look at a blurb from 1 Samuel 20:12: “When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day…”. So Jonathan saw time through today (Day #1), tomorrow (Day #2) and the third day (Day #3).

Through that visual, the day of the week that the Savior died was…FRIDAY! The Lord loves to challenge His followers through the use of the expression “the day” or “this day”. “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). “Sufficient unto the day is its own evil” (Matthew 6:34). “I must work His works while it is day”. (John 9:4). “Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). And the favorite of many, “This is the day that the Lord has made” (Ps. 118:24). Remember the day – and walk by faith!

Second, we need to be available to see the holy among the ordinary (re-read Matthew 28:2-5). Do you have any idea how often angels appear in Scripture? An amazing 283 times! Angels surrounded our Savior – we see them in Scripture at His birth, at the time of His temptation; throughout His earthly ministry; at His death; and now at His resurrection. These girls were in on a majestic viewing, weren’t they? That reminds me of the new pastor’s visit upon a younger woman of the church. He knocked on her front door. She was expecting one of her suitors and so shouted out to him, “Is that you, ANGEL?” The quick pastor responded, “No ma’am. But I’m from the same department!” And yet, Hebrews 13:2 challenges us: “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” The ladies saw the holy – the angel – among the ordinary – a tomb. And so must we on a daily basis! We must have our spiritual eyes OPEN to the hand of the personal, loving God on each day! Have you put to practice the words of Psalm 119:62? “At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, because of Your righteous judgments.” Wake up in the middle of the night and can’t sleep? You should review the day you’ve just gone through. When did the Lord show Himself in real ways, yet you simply took those ways for granted? You pray for safety on the roads before leaving the house? Do you ever THANK HIM for giving you that safety once the trip is over? We need to see the holy among the ordinary!

Third, we need to cast aside earthly fear that we may see only Jesus (Matthew 28:6). Read that passage really slowly. Besides these two, there are the guards – ROMAN guards. They are there guarding an “empty tomb”. They were to FEAR no one! Yet when the angel appeared, “the guards shook for FEAR of him, and became like dead men.” But what about the girls? The angel brings comfort by saying those royal words of heaven, “FEAR NOT”. I looked it up – do YOU have any idea how many times the expression “FEAR NOT”appears in Scripture? An unbelievable 67 TIMES! Yet you and I live in a world filled with what? FEAR! What – or better WHO – is the Answer to the fear of man? The Lord Jesus! Just as these ladies found at the empty tomb the promise of eternal hope is through the Risen Savior, even so should we. And if we have, we should be like the woman at the well (John 4). When she met Jesus, she wanted to tell EVERYONE about Jesus! We need to cast aside earthly fear that we may see only Jesus!

Finally, we need to be obedient to simple tasks that higher purposes may be realized (Matthew 28:6-7). The angel’s words were simple: He’s not here…He is risen (as He said)…Come (see for yourselves)…Go (quickly!) and tell! Did the angel say “walk 1000 miles and tell everyone you see along the way that Jesus is risen?”. No, he began with a simple task: see for yourselves that what Jesus said would happen HAS happened! As the Apostle Paul would later define the gospel, in 1 Cor. 15:1-4, Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose again the third day JUST AS HE SAID. That is the gospel, the GOOD NEWS! The angel’s simple task was to begin with those with whom they were familiar – the one’s hurting because of life. The disciples – all of whom had fled at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion – were fearful men. But now, but NOW they would soon be not only in the presence of these first eyewitnesses. They would be in the presence of their risen Savior! Yes, God through this angel gave them a simple task. The resurrected Savior gave them the power to share. And Who gets the glory? HE DOES!

Remember the day – and walk by faith!

Be available to see the holy – among the ordinary!

Cast aside earthly fear – and see Jesus!

Be obedient to your simple assignments – and see the higher purposes!

And Jesus gets the glory!

Blogs, John Grant

“THE CROSS”

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).

I am reading a book written by Darek Prince entitled Bought With Blood. I highly recommend it. The Cross is the significance of the divine exchange where forgiveness of my sins was exchanged for the blood of Christ. It is the very significance of the Christian faith and without it there is nothing to faith at all. There is no health of the soul, no hope of eternal life, save in the cross.

What God has done is complete, perfect, final. Never will it have to be changed or modified. But our appropriation of it is progressive. It is important to see this especially as we continue to emphasize the perfection of the work.

The real source of strength and wisdom for the Christian lies in the cross. Without the cross we can have good morality, a host of good intention and a lot of nice sermons, but we will have no significant results.

The fact that a man died and rose from the dead and is still alive today is the most important single event in human history. Nothing else can compare with it. When we refer to the cross, we are talking about the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity.

The glory of the cross was not about a wooden beam, or glittering symbol, but about the One who was nailed to it. Jesus Christ. The Lamb of God. The Son of God. Our Lord. Our Savior. And Redeemer. Jesus was forsaken that we might be forgiven. He was wounded that we might be healed. He was humiliated that we might be glorified. He was killed that we might live. He was sacrificed that we might be saved.

While the cross in Jesus’ days symbolized weakness, shame, and humiliation, it became the symbol of strength, liberty, and power. The blood of the cross became the divine agent demonstrating God’s power to cleanse sinners.

We should see the purpose of the cross. To Paul, as it should be to all of us, the cross was personal. It signifies the breaking down of barriers that separate people. It represents a new creation. It symbolizes our redemption, justification, and salvation from sin.

It is the focus of what we as Christians are and ought to be. It is not an adornment to be hung on a wall or worn around our neck. It is the focus of the resurrection power of the risen Christ.

What is the cross to you?

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

A Baptist minister named John Harper was on board the Titanic when it sank in the Atlantic Ocean in April 1912. He had a seat on a lifeboat alongside his sister and six-year-old daughter, but gave it up so he could stay on the sinking ship to preach to its doomed passengers. He even gave his life jacket to another passenger, who miraculously survived the disaster.

Rev. Harper continued sharing the gospel on the ship as it sank and then with those in the freezing water before he died. His daughter, Annie Jessie, went on to become the longest-living Scottish Titanic survivor.

Before the Titanic set sail, Pastor Harper wrote a letter to another clergyman, dated April 11, 1912. He thanked his fellow minister for his kindness when they had been together recently and closed his note, “The warriors are with me here and are doing well so far on the journey. With kindest love, your loving auld Pastor, John Harper.”

The letter recently sold at auction for more than $55,000. Its author’s sacrificial service after he wrote it was beyond price. —Jim Denison

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Planned Parenthood Annual Report shows it killed 354,000 babies in abortions, more than ever before.

Before He formed us, He knew us in the womb. He has had a hand in our life before we even knew Him. He has led and guided before we even knew to ask. His grace has been given even before we knew we needed it.

Think about it.

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Hungry? …… There are 4,297 restaurants in Tampa.

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78% of people live from paycheck to paycheck and only 47% of people pay off their credit card balance each month.

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A ten-year-old leukemia patient has designed a sweatshirt to raise money for families impacted by pediatric cancer. Her design includes the words, “Be strong and courageous,” taken from Joshua 1:9.

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The percentage of North Korean citizens who are exposed to the Bible is steadily increasing each year despite extreme persecution. The YouVersion Bible app is now available in fifteen hundred languages.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Men give me credit for some genius. All the genius I have lies in this; when I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. …Then the effort that I have made is what people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought. —ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Many have been around Jesus and may regularly attend church and read their Bible, but have not had a transformation with Jesus. —Ken Whitten

Anything lavished on Jesus is not wasted. —Ken Whitten

If you want to score a home run, you have to swing like you want one. —Bruce Ariens

Do small things with great love. —Mother Teresa

TO GOD, THE PRAYERS OF HIS PEOPLE ARE A PLEASANT ODOR. —Dan Shock

If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way. —Napoleon Hill

Our deeper problems are theological, not political.

A quote from philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, “Faith sees best in the dark.”

That which is prefaced by prayer, needs to be punctuated by practice.

A goal is a dream with a deadline. —Napoleon Hill

What is the one thing that we can do that is different from the world? We can pray. —Chris Dotson

Do you view prayer as transactional or transformational? —Kelly Knouse

Blogs

“WHO IS THE SON OF DAVID?”

“WHO IS THE SON OF DAVID?” (Matthew 22:35-46)

Semi-Retired Pastor Jeremy Stopford

Palm Sunday Message

Originally preached March 24, 2001, Beaver Meadow (NY) Christian Church

Questions. Life is full of questions – isn’t it?????

Sometimes questions are for discovery, like “where was I born?”, or, “how many grandparents do I have that are still alive?”, or even yet, “how did you decide on what college to attend?”

Sometimes questions are for spiritual discovery, like “is there really a personal God, or is He like the ‘fairy god-mother’ who shows up only when you lose a tooth?”. Well, that’s a start. But then the questions progress: “is God personal?” “How do you know He exists?” “How do you know He cares for you? For ME?”

“Did Jesus REALLY die on a cross? So WHY is that important to ME?”. And best, perhaps: “Is there any evidence in the Bible that there are people like me who are searching for the truth about Jesus?”.

Believe it or not, that question is answered in the chapters surrounding the Sunday that we now call “Palm Sunday”, the day our Savior entered into Jerusalem offering Himself to the people of Israel as their chosen and promised King.

The Savior entered riding on a donkey which had never had a human ride on it before! I’ve seen movies – or shows like Bonanza – where a horse is broken in. The donkey Jesus rode never had been “broken”, but our Savior, the Lord of all, could ride an unbroken donkey with ease. And what did the people shout to Him? “HOSANNA! – Jehovah Saves!”. There was great joy that day, except for among the chief priests and scribes (Matthew 21:15) who in their critical way jeeringly asked, “Do you hear what they’re saying?” (v. 16). The Lord Jesus immediately took them to their own Scriptures, Psalm 8:2, in which the psalmist records that God had given children a gift to perfect praise! The children knew, they KNEW, that they were offering eternal praise to the eternal Son of David Who was right before them all in the flesh!

In an account from an earlier incident (John 7:40-42), there was division among the people as to Who this Man is. Listen to their intense confusion:

“Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the

Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.”

But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee?

Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”

So there was a division among the people because of Him.”

So just Who is this One Who presented Himself to the people of Israel – as the Son of David AND as the Jehovah Who saves – that first Palm Sunday?

First of all, He is the Son of David, a truth which the Pharisees knew about the Messiah. Let’s look at Matthew 22:41-42:

“While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do

you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”

They said to Him, “The Son of David.”

The Pharisees had a plethora of knowledge available to them in their well-studied Old Testament scriptures.

In 2 Samuel 7:16, David is told about One Who will be from his line:

“And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your

throne shall be established forever.”

Of course, David was amazed by that truth. What leader or worker even in today’s generation would not bask in the truth that his work, his position will continue days on end? But in David’s case, the revealed truth is that the Messiah would be in his line. The Messiah would be called the “Son of David” – even though He would come to this world centuries after David!

And let us not forget another Scripture the Pharisees knew, Isaiah 9:6-7:

“For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

From that time forward, even forever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

But what they DIDN’T know would later be revealed – NOT to the Pharisees! – but to a young virgin named Mary in Luke 1 (see vs. 30-35):

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His

name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord

God will give Him the throne of His father David.

And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no

end.” (vs. 30-33)

Jesus is the Son of David!

But secondly, He is also David’s God!

This Biblical truth was not acknowledged by the Pharisees. Neither is it by today’s cults. Thus the truth that the Son of David is also God the Son – the God of David – is a separator from those who follow truth and those who follow (and spread!) heresy.

Listen carefully – perhaps even read out loud – the verses which follow our Matthew 22:41-42 passage:

“He [Jesus] said to them [the Pharisees], “How then does David in the Spirit call Him

‘Lord,’ saying:

  ‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand,

Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’?

  If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?”.” Matthew 22:43-45.

The Savior was quoting from a Messianic passage, Psalm 110:1, one with which the Pharisees would be quite familiar. You might say, “Pastor, I’m sure you are going to recite the Hebrew from Psalm 110. But I don’t know any Hebrew – apart from the man who runs the deli down the street.” To that person I would encourage to become familiar with the “Names of God Bible”. It was written for people just like me. [you can find it online at “biblegateway.com“]. From the “Names of God Bible”, we find that Psalm 110:1 is transcribed from the Hebrew:

“YHWH said to my Adonai, ‘Sit at My right hand…”

In other words, the Lord is addressing His Son as “God”! And when the Savior was quoting this before the Pharisees, He was taking familiar Scripture and making practical application:

Jesus is David’s (promised, in generations later) Son

Jesus is David’s (immediate!) God!

I encourage you to read Psalm 110 often! The passage is quoted often throughout the Scriptures!

All our eternity hinges on this truth. The Pharisees had not put this truth together as being fulfilled right before their eyes, right in their immediate presence! As the Pharisees didn’t understand this, neither do our cults. IF a cult or religious group can water down this doctrine, the whole world will follow them – and be eternally lost. Thus Satan will have the victory.

BUT if the Bible declares the Deity of Christ, and all of eternity hinges on this truth, and I YIELD TO THIS TRUTH, then the Lord has the victory.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans:

“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is,

the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord

Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be

saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth

confession is made unto salvation.” [Romans 10:8-10]

How do you respond to the truth that the Lord Jesus is both the Son of David and is God the Son?

How did the Pharisees respond to this truth?

Let’s read Matthew 22:46. Immediately following the humble entrance on a donkey, the exclamation of the crowd, the revelation of the Son of David and the Son of God, it is recorded thus:

“And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare

question Him anymore.”

The Adonai becomes a Man that He might die for man’s sin.

The Overcomer of death by His resurrection is now at the Father’s right hand…

And He is my Lord. Worship Him!

Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious,

See the “Man of Sorrows” now

From the fight return victorious:

Every knee to Him shall bow!

Crown Him! Crown Him!

Crowns become the Victor’s brow.

Hark! those burst of acclamation;

Hark! those loud triumphant chords;

Jesus takes the highest station:

Oh what joy the sight affords!

Crown Him! Crown Him!

“King of kings, and Lord of lords!”

– – – Thomas Kelly (1809)

Blogs, Frank Becker

“Decision Time…”

By Frank Becker

“

When the artist’s two little boys first saw this painting, they ran from the room in stark terror. When a Bible college professor saw it, he was offended because the man seen kneeling in the grass was naked. When the artist’s wife saw the painting, she understood that these men had made their decisions. One was clothed in the righteousness of Christ alone, and the other had chosen the path of death.

But look deeper. Those are YOUR hands grasping the maw of the earth, holding on for just a moment longer before you go the way of all flesh. YOU are the person gazing upon this scene, and YOU have little time to choose your eternal destiny.

You may continue to seek the elusive treasures of this world, and lust after the things of this life, OR you may receive the gift of eternal life that God has provided through the sacrifice Christ made on your behalf.

Time is running out!

“The day of the LORD is near,” and you are in the valley of decision!

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” (Joel 5:14).

Blogs, John Grant

“HE GAVE HIS LIFE”

Week Twelve, 2021

He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone (1 Timothy 2:6).

It was just after midnight when he finished his time on duty and he headed for home to his wife and three children. He was driving his marked patrol car north on the Interstate, probably listening to some of his favorite off duty music. Suddenly, there appeared a southbound vehicle in the northbound lane, weaving and according to witnesses traveling at a speed in excess of a hundred miles per hour, alcohol probably being a factor.

Officer Jesse Madsen, responding instinctively as a trained combat Marine veteran and decorated police officer veered into the oncoming vehicle colliding head on. Both vehicles were instantly reduced to twisted metal and both drivers perished on impact.

Officer Madsen did what he did in order to protect the lives of others on the road. Seven times he had been decorated for saving one or more lives and on this eighth time he had to give his own life in order to save the lives of others. Madsen appeared to intentionally veer into the other car’s path to save those of the community to whom he was sworn to protect. He did not refuse to give his life, but did so voluntarily for others.

His chief called him “an American hero.” Others in the community poured out their hearts to his family. His funeral held at my home church drew several thousand law enforcement officers from all over the country who came to say farewell and to pay their respects to a true American hero, who did not refuse to give his life to save the lives of others.

During this Easter season, may we all pause and thank God that Jesus Christ did not refuse to go to the cross, but gave His life for us. Why did He not escape? The reason is because He knew God had sent Him into the world for one reason: To become the complete and final sacrifice for our sins. This could only be accomplished if He endured the judgment and death we all deserve for our sins — and this is exactly what happened when He went to the cross. He died in my place, your place. He gave his life that we might be forgiven of our sins.

He died that we might live, just like Officer Madsen gave his life that others might live.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

There’s a pretty common phrase thrown around in personal development circles. It goes like this, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” It’s an important principle actually. I don’t disagree with it all that much.

When we spend time with people who are driven and focused, we begin to take on that lifestyle. When we spend time with people who have a passion for a particular hobby, we become interested in it too. When our closest friends all hold a specific political viewpoint or worldview, we begin to see it as important as well.

The people we spend time with affect us in significant ways. They shape our worldview, our self-esteem, our attitude, and our pursuits. And they influence how we spend our money, our time, and our energy.

For that reason, I don’t want friends impressed by fancy stuff. If you need nice things to impress your friends, you have the wrong friends. The Minimalist

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Worldwide government opposition to religious liberty seems to be escalating. Pew Research Center reports the highest level of global government restrictions on religion in a decade. Since 2007, when Pew began its survey, the median level of government restrictions has risen 65 percent and the level for social hostilities has doubled.

This issue came home for American Christians recently when Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito stated during a keynote address to the Federalist Society: “It pains me to say this, but in certain quarters, religious liberty is fast becoming a disfavored right.”

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We are called to…

… Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength

… Love Your neighbor as yourself

… Take up your cross and follow Him

… Go therefore and make disciples, teaching and baptizing them

… Love as you have been loved

… Forgive as you have been forgiven

… Do the work of Him who has sent you as long as it is day. For night is coming when no one can work

— o —

For the first time, life expectancy in America has decreased one full year.

— o —

Black Americans attend church more regularly than Americans overall.

— o —

Almost 40 percent of borrowers with student loan debt didn’t finish their degree.

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Sin will always take you further than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you wanted to pay. Jim Denison

IF YOU WANT A POWERFUL SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE, GO TO THE BEACH AND PICK UP A HANDFUL OF SAND. EVERY GRAIN OF SAND REPRESENTS GOD’S THOUGHTS CONCERNING YOU. Dan Shock

We need to stop dating the church and marry the church. Ken Whitten

You will never be successful if you live your life or career as a negative person. Unless of course you’re talking about your Covid-19 test!

One-time Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz said, “Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.”

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

We can’t learn from the problems of our past if we refuse to shine a light on them and acknowledge them. Dineen Wasylik

It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed. NAPOLEAN HILL

It is often convenient to not be committed. Ken Whitten

Focus on the hope of tomorrow and not on the problems of today. Chris Dotson

***

Blogs, Jeremy Stopford

“Blessed are the peacemakers”

Beatitude #7: “Blessed are the peacemakers”

“SERMON ON THE MOUNT – AND BEYOND !!!”

Jeremy Stopford, Semi-Retired Pastor

“Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.” (Matt. 5:9).

We have come to the 7th of the 8 beatitudes of our Savior’s “Sermon on the Mount” {SOTM!) found in its entirety in Matthew 5-7.

“Blessed”. Do you remember what “BLESSED” means? The Latin word for “blessed” is properly translated… “BEATITUDE”. AND the Greek word for “blessed” is “makarios”. “Makarios” is…GOD’S HAPPINESS, HIS JOY! It is GOD’S kind of “happiness” which is not dependent upon “happenings”. It is dependent upon…GOD HIMSELF!

So in this beatitude, the blessing is for the “peacemakers”. Do you remember one of the Old Testament titles for the soon coming Messiah? Remember carefully as you read these verses:

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, PRINCE OF PEACE.

Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

From that time forward, even forever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. [Isaiah 9:6-7]

The Messiah, the Lord Jesus, is the One Who is the ultimate Peacemaker! He is the One Who can make peace between countries and even between peoples. But most importantly, because of the cross, He can make peace between God and me!

Jesus paid the price of peace! Listen to Isaiah 54:10,13 where the prophet Isaiah is looking forward to the day when the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, will be orchestrating peace because of the price He paid:

For the mountains shall depart

And the hills be removed,

But My kindness shall not depart from you,

Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”

Says the Lord, who has mercy on you. [v. 10]

All your children shall be taught by the Lord,

And great shall be the peace of your children. [v. 13]

So our Savior is the Author of peace, which is effected when His death on the cross is applied to the sinner who trusts that that death and shed blood was indeed done in his, the sinner’s place!

Have YOU trusted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, your peace?

Have you ever heard the story of Peter Bilhorn? He was born in Mendota, Illinois in 1865 (and lived until 1936). Since his father died when Peter was about 8, Peter quit school and did all he could to support his mother. When he was 15, the family moved to Chicago so he could be near where his voice could be used as an attraction in concert halls.

But then at age 20 an amazing thing happened – he was converted to saving faith in the Lord Jesus! Over the remaining years of his life, he would be used to write songs or their music on behalf of such evangelists as Dwight L. Moody (founder of Moody Bible Institute, as well as a worldwide evangelist).

Peter Bilhorn was asked by a friend to write the words for a song. He asked the friend what the theme should be, and she replied “any sweet piece.” Years later, the music for a song came to him, but he didn’t have the words for it. Shortly afterwards, while he was riding on a train to Iowa, the train came to a sudden stop. A dead body had been found on the train tracks. As the body was carried away, it left behind a pool of blood.

A friend, Major Whittle, suggested to Peter, “Do you know that is all Jesus Christ left on this earth? His body rose for our justification, but His blood was left to atone for our sins.” Peter replied back, “Yes, that is what gives me sweet peace.” Here comes the song, “Sweet Peace, the Gift of God’s Love”:

There comes to my heart one sweet strain,

A glad and joyous refrain,

I sing it again and again,

Sweet peace the gift of God’s love.

Through Christ on the cross peace was made,

My debt by His death was all paid,

No other foundation is laid,

For peace, the gift of God’s love.

When Jesus as Lord I had crowned

My heart with this peace did abound

In Him the rich blessings, I found

Sweet peace the gift of God’s love.

Our Savior offers His PEACE to every sinner. And all who come to Him through the shed blood of Calvary’s cross will immediately have that sweet peace.

When we have that SWEET PEACE then we are called the “children of God”. Hmm…that sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Even the Apostle John records, in John 1:12-13:

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

We who have found that peace with God are called “children of God”, or better, “sons of God.” !!!

The early disciples were to make a difference in the world in which they lived. Perhaps in their limited “worldview”, they were thinking mainly Jerusalem, or even Galilee. But you and I can look back and see that in the BIG picture, when the Apostle John wrote in John 3:16 that “God so loved the WORLD”, He was talking about a picture well beyond the first disciples’ comfort zone!

But what are WE to do with that SWEET PEACE?

There are at least 3 pre-requisites to our being a peacemaker for Jesus:

#1—be at peace with God

#2—be at peace with yourself

#3—be committed to bringing others to Christ and showing them the Prince of peace.

Be at peace with God – IF/SINCE your have come to know the Lord Jesus as your Savior/your Peace, you have Peace with God! Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…”. This is a present position! It is not some future “hope so” but rather a present “KNOW SO”! We have peace with God.

But further, we are to be at peace with ourselves. That means that we have “nothing between our soul and the Savior”, as the old song says.

And then? We are to be committed to bring others to Christ, the Prince of Peace! We are to show our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, enemies, strangers, EVERYBODY – what Jesus has done for us, and for THEM! We are to have the Lord Jesus’ view of people. We are to look at people through His eyes. We are to be instruments of reconciliation between the sinner and the Savior, pointing the sinner to the cross and His available redemption in Him.

And when we do that, do you know what we’ll be? Yep! We’ll be…PEACEMAKERS! Because being a peacemaker is what God’s children are and do!

“Blessed are the peacemakers,

For they shall be called sons of God..”

Blogs

“DO IT AGAIN!”

Note on “Do It Again:”

A quote from Planned Parenthood contained in this article was not preceded with a disclaimer, and may perhaps lead some to believe that Dr. Grant is in accord with it. Nothing could be further from the truth! Dr. Grant wrote a book, “The Issue Is Life,” which reveals his abhorrence of abortion.

Week Eleven, 2021

You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you. —2 Chronicles 20:17

It was a tough time for Judah. The Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord. All of Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. Jehoshaphat’s prayer sought God’s help and God told them to stand fast and He would protect them. He did.

It was not a onetime occurrence. In some form or another it was repeated many times in the Bible. He did it again and again and still does today.

▪ Remember Joseph? He rescued him from the pit. He can do the same for us. Do it again, Lord.

▪ Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? He protected their children from the angel of death. We have children, too, Lord. Do it again.

▪ And Sarah? Remember her prayers? He heard them.

▪ Joshua? Remember his fears? He inspired him.

▪ The women at the tomb? He resurrected their hope.

▪ The doubts of Thomas? He took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

▪ He changed Daniel from a captive into a king’s counselor.

▪ You took Peter the fisherman and made him Peter an apostle.

▪ Because of God, David went from leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again, Lord, for we need counselors today.

God does not waver and we should not waver either. After three days in a dark hole, He rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

PRIORITIES: Dr. David Jeremiah, in his book Forward, suggests one of the reasons why we flounder in moving forward is a failure to diminish our distractions. And our distractions are often created by a failure to choose what is best. “Understanding that not all things are equally important is an essential part of the forward life,” Jeremiah writes. This, of course, calls for us to set our priorities in order to stay focused and “accomplish what really matters.”

— o —

“I think abortion is health care. And so, if the first thing they think about is health care when they think about Planned Parenthood, I think that’s fine. Planned Parenthood proudly serves all forms of sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion, and I think when we try to exclude it, we’re excluding a critical part of and a critical option for health care.” Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood

— o —

Said by Yogi:

▪ You can observe a lot by watching.

▪ Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical.

▪ The future ain’t what it used to be.

▪ A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.

▪ Always go to other people’s funeral, otherwise they won’t come to yours.

▪ Nobody ever goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.

▪ If you arrive at a fork in the road, take it.

— o —

Moral Therapeutic Deism – worshipping a creator God who blesses people who are good, nice, and fair and helps believers be happy and feel good about themselves

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

God is not always interested in resolving our situation, but He is always interested in restoring our faith. Ken Whitten

If you want to score a home run, you have to swing like you want one. Bruce Arians

Do small things with great love. Mother Teresa

Every post is honorable in which a man can serve his country. GEORGE WASHINGTON

Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting. NAPOLEON HILL

My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me. HENRY FORD

WHAT AN AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY IT IS TO REPRESENT GOD TO OTHER PEOPLE. Dan Shock

Do not judge by appearances; a rich heart may be under a poor coat.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24

The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. CONFUCIUS

GOD USES TRIALS TO SHOW US OUR HEARTS, THAT WE MIGHT BE CLEANSED AND THEN BROUGHT INTO THE LAND OF BLESSING — PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY. Dan Shock

Blogs, Jeremy Stopford

“Blessed are the pure in heart”

Beatitude #6: “Blessed are the pure in heart”

“SERMON ON THE MOUNT – AND BEYOND !!!”

By Jeremy Stopford, Semi-Retired Pastor

“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” (Matt. 5:8)

We have come to the 6th of the beatitudes of our Savior’s “Sermon on the Mount” {SOTM!) found in its entirety in Matthew 5-7.

“Blessed”. Do you remember what this means? By way of review, our English word “happy” begins with 3 letters – “hap” – which show that our emotions are based upon …happenstance or better, circumstances, The Latin word for “blessed” is properly translated…you bet, “BEATITUDE”. But the Greek word for “blessed” is “makarios”. You are now Greek scholars, right? “Makarios” is…GOD’S HAPPINESS, HIS JOY! It is GOD’S kind of “happiness” which is not dependent upon “happenings”. It is dependent upon…GOD HIMSELF! Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) which is a God-thing, created by Him for His purpose.

In today’s lesson, we are told that the blessed here are the “PURE IN HEART”.

(And did you remember: Dr. Becker’s 81st birthday was on Monday, March 8)

“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”

So how do we illustrate this truth? Permit me a feeble attempt! The date was July 8, 1968, almost 53 years ago! A small group of about 30 of us high school students – along with several teachers and their spouses – spent the summer of 1968 touring France, Germany, and Spain, spending 6 weeks of our 8 week travel in a chalet in Switzerland. Studying, of course. I took one year of Spanish in those 6 weeks, and finishing the summer for a week in Madrid made for a wonderful opportunity to practice what I learned! One of our side trips while in Switzerland was to “Les Diablerets”, quickly and easily translated “the devils”. From the ground looking up, it simply looked like one of those New Hampshire mountains – only maybe a little higher. Well, maybe A LOT higher! It was 65 degrees at the base. A beautiful Swiss day! We all rode in “gondolas” (cable cars) up the side of the mountain. Straight up, mind you. At the top were two glaciers, and within seconds we were all…having a snowball fight! 20 degrees and a blizzard! Then minutes later, a biting wind blew the blizzard past, and then, and THEN…you could see forever – most of Europe the guide related – from the top of what once was the scene of a tremendous struggle!

So how do we apply this simple (simplistic?) illustration? Let’s work our way through this. The “BLESSED” were all of us finding a newfound joy in the journey. The “PURE IN HEART” was the fruit of being without the storms (and without the threat of being hit squarely between the eyes by a fast sailing snowball!). And those who “SEE GOD”? They are the ones who reach the goal – the experience of seeing the purpose of the journey up the mountain to the glacier. We made it through the trials, through the VERY harrowing gondola trip up the side of the mountain. We made it through the storm of the sudden blizzard. We even made it through the snowball “battle”! And then? As the song says, we could “see forever”. We could see the handiwork of God. Even though it would be another 3 years before I would come to the Savior by faith, that experience was HUGE in my visualizing the magnitude of the God of creation. And, according to Romans 1:20, “ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…”. I was without excuse. God’s display on top of that mountain showed me His hand. His presence. Wow!

So let’s make some evaluations. “BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART”. For the Jew, it was part of the Scriptures to use a bodily part like the heart to display an attribute. For example, the “heart”, as one of my college professors wisely noted, “may be understood here as “the interior life of the personality.” Jesus used this same thought again in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your HEART will be also.” The heart, the seat of the emotions, as it were, can be either “PURE” or “IMPURE”. Do you remember what the Lord Jesus said to the Pharisees in Matthew 12:34-35? He was NOT very kind to those whose foundation was tradition and their own made up laws (613 of them in addition to the Jewish Scriptures!). Jesus said to them,

Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the HEART the mouth speaks.

A good man out of the good treasure of his HEART brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

And again in Matthew 15:19:

“For out of the HEART proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”

Thus, the born again Christian who is “PURE IN HEART” is one who realizes the above battles for that purity. How does the one who is “PURE IN HEART” access that hope, that goal for his walk with the Lord? The Bible says in Romans 10:17, “so then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”! The battle between purity and impurity – between light and darkness of the heart – demands a heart that is transformed daily into the holy image of the Lord Jesus! And HOW am I to do that?

The Apostles Paul and Peter are quite helpful here. First Paul:

“Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a PURE HEART.” [2 Timothy 2:22]

And Peter:

“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a PURE HEART, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever…” [1 Peter 1:22-23]

“BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART”! Flee youthful lusts. Pursue holiness. Love one another because you’ve been born again by the living Word of God. It wasn’t until the Lord brought us through the (snow) storm that He surprised us young ones. He was there with us through the storm, even though we may not have appreciated that at the time! And then?

“FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD”.

To “see God” is a two-fold experience for every man, woman, boy, and girl who has come to know the Lord Jesus as Savior. First of all, we can SEE GOD now!!! How? Listen to Philippians 4:4-5:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.”

What does it mean when Paul says that the Lord is “AT HAND”? Well, we’ve done this lesson far enough to know, don’t we? It means that we SEE GOD…NOW! We know His presence, His blessings regardless of the…HAPPENSTANCES that the world may have to offer. We are BLESSED…MAKARIOS…ENJOYING GOD’S JOY.

But there is another guideline. We can see God NOW only under one MAJOR condition, as the writer of Hebrews relays in Hebrews 12:14:

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which NO ONE WILL SEE the Lord…”

Peace with all people. Holiness before God and in the world. Rejoicing in the Lord. He is “AT HAND”!

But we are ASSURED to SEE THE LORD when we GO HOME TO BE WITH HIM!

In the midst of Job’s trials, sufferings, and tremendous LACK of comfort by those who were supposedly his closest friends, he utters some of the most classic words of the entire Old Testament, in Job 19:25-27:

“For I know that my Redeemer lives,

And He shall stand at last on the earth;

  And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,

That in my flesh I SHALL SEE GOD,

Whom I shall see for myself,

And my eyes shall behold, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me!”

Do I hear an “AMEN”?

We will close with 1 John 3:1-3, where the Apostle John expressed Job-like hope:

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for WE SHALL SEE HIM as He is.

And everyone who has this hope in Him PURIFIES HIMSELF, just as He is pure.

Now “Les Diablerets” is not for the faint of heart. Neither is life, for that matter. But our Savior invites us into His presence, to SEE HIM NOW. He invites us to His purity. He invites us to see Him every day – through the storms, in the valley, and occasionally from the mountaintop. And one day we will SEE HIM AS HE IS. Are you excited? Are you striving to be one of the “PURE IN HEART”?

“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” (Matt. 5:8)

Blogs, John Grant

FORGIVENESS

Week Ten, 2021

And forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12

Throughout the Bible, debt forgiveness is not to be taken lightly. In Deuteronomy it calls for debt forgiveness every seven years. In Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus goes deeper and tells us to forgive those who have come against us. Forgiving a monetary debt is difficult, but forgiving others for their transgressions against us is even more difficult.

Someone steals from us, beats us, cheats on us, harms those we love and profits at our loss are hard to forgive. The list goes on.

Can you forgive that which you cannot forget? Can you move on after someone sins or has an ought against you? Can you make peace with painful memories and create a life that is beautiful again? Can you forgive what you cannot forgive?

You deserve to stop suffering because of what other people have done to you.

Have you ever felt stuck in a cycle of unresolved pain, playing offenses over and over in your mind? You know you can’t go on like this, but you don’t know what to do next. Forgiveness deals with the past while it heals the presence and puts joy in the future. We have to let go of bound-up resentment and overcome the resistance to forgiving people who aren’t willing to make things right or ask you for your forgiveness.

The Bible records many stories about “forgiving”. The Lord Jesus also taught us like this: when we forgive men when they sin against us, our heavenly father will also forgive us.

Jesus taught Peter to forgive seventy-seven times. Joseph forgave his brothers who sold him. Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery. Jesus prayed for the people who hurt him. Stephen cried out to the Lord for those who stoned him before death. King David forgave Saul who wanted to kill him. Paul asked Philemon to forgive Onesimus.

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: “Today my best friend slapped me in the face.” They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: Today my best friend saved my life.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?” The other friend replied “When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”

Who can you forgive today?

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

62 Million Babies Have Been Aborted in the U.S. in the 48 Years since Roe v. Wade: How did Abortion become thinkable in American culture? Abortion is the central sacrament of the political left.

— o —

A surge in the number of U.S. residents who have died of a drug overdose — 81,230 in the 12 months ending in May — set a record for the most such deaths in a one-year span, according to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drug overdose deaths jumped by 18 percent from the previous year, with increases recorded in 46 states.

— o —

The Washington National Cathedral recently came under fire for inviting evangelical pastor and author Max Lucado to speak. The reason: his biblical views on marriage.

— o —

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. Calvin Coolidge

— o —

Religious Books Seized and Burned in Communist China,

Believers Given Jail Terms

— o —

When deciding to make a financial purchase or not, the most common filter we use is, “Can I afford it?” Is there enough money in the bank (or room on the credit card) to cover this purchase? If so, we can buy it. From the home we live in, the car we drive, the vacations we take, the technology we upgrade, the clothes we wear, and everything in-between, most of us simply ask, “Can I afford it? What if we stopped to see how the Bible would advise us? If we did would our spending decrease? Fill your life with stories to tell, not stuff to show. The Minimalist

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

If being a Christian is a criminal offense, is there enough evidence to place you in jail or just enough for you to receive a warning ticket for acting like one?

Did you ever wonder what worship might look like if we began singing songs to God instead of just singing about God?

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues. Cicero

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another (John 13:34).

When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure”. -Peter Marshall

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SECRET SIN. Dan Shock

Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all. Alexander the Great

A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large. Henry Ford

Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger men. John F. Kennedy

When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. Abraham Lincoln