Thank You for the Journey !

Lord I thank you for the beginning of my journey.  You thought of me before You laid the foundations of the earth.  You used my father and mother as living vessels to create the one and only me.  Lord I thank You that this journey has brought me to You to receive my salvation, and many deliverences.  Lord, I'm so glad that I am on a Jesus journey because there is no way I could make it without You (the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit)!  Lord I thank You even when my journey gets a little rough because I know that no matter how bad it gets, adversity builds character, and more importantly You are still in charge and in control of every area of my life.  Lord I thank You most of all for the journey ahead of me.  You know that I'm not happy with the way some things are right now, but because I can count on You, Father, I know that this journey can change in the twinkling of an eye, and that the best is yet to come.  Amen

An Oldie but Goody!

Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that he will make all things right 
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr

Harvest!

My wife and I really enjoyed this song yesterday at church as the older brother, with a style reminiscent of gospel singers of the past, lead the song. A good song like this makes me think and apply it to myself. Where is my faith? Do I have that kind of faith?

But let's just look at the words in the chorus of the song written by Minister John P Kee.

Oh lord I've come to receive my blessing,
Patiently awaiting for the harvest is nigh.
I got that Hebrews 11:1,
faith to know my blessing shall come; 
it's mine, all mine, 
it's harvest time.

Now, let's look at a very familiar verse Hebrews 11:1 (King James)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Now let's look at the Message version:

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.

We know all our blessings come from the Lord, which He bestows upon us on a daily basis. No matter what your situation, do you have that Hebrews 11:1 faith to know that God, not you, can handle it? Patiently wait for harvest time! 

It's Yours!

He Rose!

Easter Sunday evokes memories of baskets filled with different candies and colored eggs that my parents and I put together on the Saturday before.  I couldn't wait to get at it. All those jelly beans, except the black, licorice ones that Dad got by default, were my favorite to eat.  New clothes to wear to a family member's house for a day of fun and Easter dinner.  Easter was annual and we did the same things, the same way each year.

Easter was about the bunny and egg hunts for me, and I 'm sure millions of other children. It was fun, and we like fun.  Wow, what memories.

Memories are about remembering, so let's remember what Easter really means.  Jesus, after fulfilling the greatest, most selfless act in history by dying on the cross, rose from the grave with all power.  He had been crucified for no reason other than to save us and allow humanity to live.  He was the offering God received for the redemption of a stained people!

So before the candies and eggs, make sure your children know what Easter really means.  Before that Easter ham with all the sides, remember what happened over two thousand years ago and give thanks to the One that made it all possible.

After the Storm

The storms of life are always raging.  Some are more obvious than others.  But there was no mistaking the storms (tornadoes and twisters) that raged through sections of Texas recently.  But I choose to remember all that  I've heard and seen after the storm.  So many volunteers, there is not enough for all of them to do.  I don't think I've ever heard this about any other state in the aftermath of devastation.  It makes me Godly proud to be a Texan.

Whether we were personally affected or not, we should all take to heart what has happened here, and our lives should never be the same again.  We must all emerge from the ashes a little more humble; a little wiser; a little more focused; a little more loving and kind, and a whole lot more grateful to the one and only true living God.

People suffered great loss, but praise be to God, no life was lost.  That in itself is a miracle!

Love is a Function, Not A Feeling (Let Your Actions Reflect This)

Don't just say you love me, but show me you love me.  Let your actions match your words at all times.

When a person ask another person how do you feel or what do you need, these are selfless questions of concern.  The questions from the other person are focused on you and your well being.

When a person ask another person what are you doing or where are you going, these can be selfish questions of control .  The questions from the other person are focused on them and their agenda.

What are we talking about here?  Compassion, consideration, unconditional love.  Doing things for the right reasons, not the wrong reasons.  The scripture says who the Son sets free is free indeed.  We need to stop trying to keep each other in bondage by creating emotional blackmail based on our statements and actions.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.  Le me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom God.  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  There is no law against these things!  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.  Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.  Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. (Amen) (Galatians 5:19-26/NLT)

TRUTH

You can't just know the truth, you have to practice it!