Month: May 2017

Joyful, Joyful  

Joyful, Joyful  

Addendum: Let me apologize before you start reading today. My dog Jack decided to “HELP” write….. so any typos or weird, random letters are, of course mine. 😉

Life today is not easy. As Christians, we are bombarded on every side with temptation; beautifully and seductively presented through every way possible. Our humanity causes us to stumble and to often, we succumb to the temptations. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica to encourage them as new believers. As I continually rediscover scriptures, not only were they written to the early church, but they seem to be increasingly relevant 2000 years later. I guess truth remains truth, no matter how much time passes.

  “ALWAYS be joyful. NEVER stop praying. Be thankful in ALL circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16‭-‬18 

Is Paul kidding? “ALWAYS be Joyful…?” In the middle of tragedy, when death hits home, when we deal with financial disasters? Personally, I haven’t quite figured that out, but I’m working on it – with God’s help. There’s a certain peace that is evident when a Christian who is secure in their faith deals with tragedy. Oh, we can be overcome by grief, even anger, for the moment, but that strength from God shines through. When we know without a doubt – without a doubt! – that this is all temporary and we know what a glorious future we have, it becomes a little easier to let the Joy of Jesus glow in us. I’m a work in progress….

The second verse shows us how to attain that spirit of joy Paul is talking about. If we skip verse 17, and instead focus on 16 and 18, it would be, it IS, impossible to achieve that joy and thankfulness he is speaking of. It is only through prayer; constant, unrelenting prayer, that we can be joyful and thankful through the junk the world throws at us. When you see people that you know are Christians going through hell on earth, and you see unbelievers living life unscathed, there is a distinct reason. The enemy, Satan, wants us to blame God for the pain and suffering so that we will turn away from God. 

Satan hates God and everything He created, because he is jealous and wants to have it all for himself. Take heart, SATAN WILL BE DEFEATED. I know this because I have read the back of the book! As a Christian, I can read the Revelation of John without any qualms or trepidation. I know that I have target on my back placed there by the enemy. He may overwhelm me with problems in this world (physically, emotionally, financially…) but he will lose in the end. Hallelujah!

  “…. Then the devil*, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. And I saw a great White Throne and the One sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from His Presence, but they found no place to hide. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:10-11‭, ‬14‭-‬15 

* …. the devil: aka Lucifer, angel of light; Satan, the enemy, father of lies, and so on. The most beautiful angel, who became and remains the most hideous of all creation. How incredibly sad.

These verses are so encouraging to me! Are you secure in the knowledge that your name is written in the Book of Life? Now is the PERFECT time to make sure…

  “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved ….. ” – Acts 16:31a

  “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His ONE and ONLY Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have Eternal Life.  God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to SAVE the world through Him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s One and Only Son.” – John 3:16‭-‬18 

Joyful, Joyful, we Adore Him!


(All scriptures quoted from  http://bible.com/NLT)

He is Faithful 

We need to be teaching this in school – no matter what a person chooses to believe, these verses hold truth for every person. 

  “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.  And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?  And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?” – Luke 16:10‭-‬12 NLT
To put it bluntly:

If you say you will do a thing, DO IT. No promises or swearing to it are necessary. Be faithful to your word. It seems to me that everything else stems from that. If your word is good, then you will be honest, and others will trust you with their friendship, their things, even their lives.

God is faithful to us, all of the time. Why can’t we follow that example?

Looking at the news, it seems that every newscast includes a child molester, people being robbed, and disrespectful treatment of those in authority. I mean, an EMT was shot while treating an injured person…. here’s a person caring for someone who is hurting, and some jerk takes a shot at them? Jesus, please come back soon! How much worse is the world going to get before we are rescued?? Jude and the Apostles warned us:

  “…. They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires.” – Jude 1:18 NLT

If this statement to the church was true just years after Jesus lived among us here on earth, it is exponentially true now! I am guilty – oh, so guilty – of putting my human desires over God’s. I am so unworthy to be called a child of the King, yet He has welcomed me into His arms and He comforts me. I am secure in my salvation, but I am still human and susceptible to the lures the enemy puts in front of me. This is our job today as followers of Christ, to support and build up each other, being careful not to fall into temptation ourselves. 

  “But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the Power of the Holy Spirit,  and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will bring you Eternal Life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s Love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.” – Jude 1:20‭-‬23 NLT

GOD IS FAITHFUL. 

  “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” – 1 John 1:9 NLT

This is my prayer today and every day:

  “Now ALL GLORY to GOD, Who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His Glorious Presence without a single fault. All glory to Him Who ALONE is GOD, our Savior through Jesus Christ our LORD. All Glory, Majesty, Power, and Authority are His before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.” – Jude 1:24‭-‬25 NLT

AMEN. 

(All scriptures quoted from  http://bible.com)

Blessed are…

Everyone has heard the Beatitudes. “Blessed are….. ” The New Living Translation makes them easier for us to understand, I think, and pay special attention to verse 16b:

  “(3) God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. (4) God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (5) God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. (6) God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. (7) God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (8) God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. (9) God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. (10) God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  ….(16) In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” – Matthew 5:3‭-‬10‭, ‬16 NLT

It is obvious to me that God intends for us to remain humble – to do whatever good we are able, whether it is through time or money order prayer – and above all else, to glorify Him. The praise and Honor of this world need to be shrugged off of ourselves, and all of the glory pointed to our Lord. I just got a shirt that has a graphic saying “I Stand for the Flag and I Kneel for the Cross.” For those of us who are fortunate enough to live in these United States, this is so apt. All Glory to God, and with heartfelt thanks to our armed forces for keeping a country where we can worship as we please!

That privilege extends to responsibility. As Luke says “…. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” – Luke 12:48b NLT

I may be struggling financially, but I am indeed greatly blessed. That puts me squarely into the “someone has been given much” category.  Where do you fit in? 

(All scriptures quoted from http://bible.com)