GOD LIGHT?

Isa 60:1-3
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn. NIV-
** Our first step? ARISE & SHINE. Now why would we be asked to arise and shine if He hadn’t put something in us that was brilliant? Obviously our very being is about shining out into the darkness to show people the way. Have you ever been out in the very dark and not have a light with you? Once I was at a men’s retreat and I had to go home a day early to preach the next morning so I had to walk thru the woods to try and find my car among many many other cars. I never felt so hopeless in my life. I was even walking on a dirt road and still kept walking off the road and running into trees and bushes. Finally, someone came walking up the road with a flash light. I we too have a light, and there are multitudes of people out there walking in the darkness trying to find their way. This verse reminds me to grab the light God has given me and start walking up and down the road looking for those who are lost in the dark.

WHY CHRISTIANS DIE BEFORE THEIR TIME....

Isa 57:1-2
57:1 The righteous pass away; the godly often die before their time. And no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. 2 For the godly who die will rest in peace. NLT
** So, hummmm…. I don’t think I’ve ever read this verse and saw this like this before. Wow, this opens up a whole “can of worms” with the church in general. This would go back to what I preached this past Sunday about perfect will and permissive will. I’m thinking out loud…. If we walk in God’s perfect will, He knows that when evil comes we will make the right decisions and make it thru the evil times….. but if we walk in God’s permissive will, He knows that when evil comes we will not be able to overcome so He takes us home????? I guess it’s not about how long you live here on this earth, but where you spend eternity and also about the quality of life spent here….. I mean, I know that God wants us all to live long lives here on earth. But if we keep making wrong decisions even though He warns us and sends people around us to help us make right decisions, there has to be some evil in this life that with us NOT walking in His perfect will we will not be able to overcome, so He allows us to die early….. because 1 Cor. 10:13 says that anything that we are tempted with, we are able to overcome and that God will NOT let us be tempted more than we are able but with the temptation make a way for us to escape. FEED BACK…. I NEED FEED BACK!!!!!!

WHO'S FAULT IS IT?

Isa 50:1-3
50:1 The LORD asks, "Did I sell you as slaves to my creditors? Is that why you are not here? Is your mother gone because I divorced her and sent her away? No, you went away as captives because of your sins. And your mother, too, was taken because of your sins. 2 Was I too weak to save you? Is that why the house is silent and empty when I come home? Is it because I have no power to rescue? No, that is not the reason! For I can speak to the sea and make it dry! I can turn rivers into deserts covered with dying fish. 3 I am the one who sends darkness out across the skies, bringing it to a state of mourning." NLT** All the trouble and all the pain that we go thru in life and it seems everyone wants to blame someone else for their hurt etc. So where do they end up? Blaming God! It’s always easy to blame someone who it seems like will not defend themselves. But God will defend Himself. He will not just sit back and let people blame Him for their problems without responding in one way or another. Of course this blame game started with the first two people on the earth. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent….. and now, we blame God. God responds to His own question by saying, “You went away as captives BECAUSE OF YOUR SINS.” So when all these people in the world come to you and cry and whine about why God would allow all this evil to exist, remind them that it’s not God’s fault, it’s ours and there is only one way to change it…. REPENT….

THURSDAY AND FRIDAY

7-24-08 – WHO IS LIKE GOD?

Isa 40:18-20
18 To whom, then, can we compare God? What image might we find to resemble him? 19 Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold, overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains? 20 Or is a poor person's wooden idol better? Can God be compared to an idol that must be placed on a stand so it won't fall down? NLT
** Get real! Bill Gates is poor, Albert Einstein is stupid, the Strongest person in the world is weak, Mother Theresa is selfish compared to my God in heaven! To even try to compare is like trying to move Mount Everest tea spoon by tea spoon to a new location! No one, no body can even begin to compare how great and awesome the Lord God Jehovah is. And yet, He came down to this earth and walked among us and showed us but a glimps of His greatness and goodness. His name? Jesus Christ! He is the exact representation of the great God Jehovah. Words can’t express nor do I have enough time to even start talking about God and who He is. People often times ask me things about God like why He would do this or when will He do that, etc. I DON’T KNOW…. As close and I feel I am to God, I don’t even know anything about Him. He’s so great my little pea brain can’t even fathom the greatness of God. To even try to explain Him would show how little and stupid I am because there is not a earthly word available that explains God. In all of this He chooses YOU! Yes you. To come and live in you and give you His presence and allows you to commune with Him…. HE IS AWESOME!


7-25-08 – STUPID IDOLS

Isa 44:18-20
18 Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think. 19 The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, "Why, it's just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a chunk of wood?" 20 The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He is trusting something that can give him no help at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, "Is this thing, this idol that I'm holding in my hand, a lie?"
NLT ** Ok, so now that you put it that way…… STUPID! It can’t be more plain than this. Except that today their gods are made of plastic and metal like TVs, cars, boats etc. So what shall we do? Serve the TRUE and living God. He is REAL and able to communicate with us and bless us with all His blessings.

WORKS = LIFE

Isa 38:2-6
2 When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 "Remember, O LORD, how I have always tried to be faithful to you and do what is pleasing in your sight." Then he broke down and wept bitterly. 4 Then this message came to Isaiah from the LORD: 5 "Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life, 6 and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city. NLT
** “I have always tried to be faithful to you and do what is pleasing in your sight.” God honors those who are trying to be faithful. We know that we are flesh and flesh is always failing. And yet God looks beyond our flesh and sees our heart. Our flesh might fail but if our heart stays faithful to God, He will always honor us when we call out to Him. I also liked the poem that Hezekiah wrote after he was healed by God:
Isa 38:9-20
9 When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote this poem about his experience: 10 I said, "In the prime of my life, must I now enter the place of the dead? Am I to be robbed of my normal years?" 11 I said, "Never again will I see the LORD GOD while still in the land of the living. Never again will I see my friends or laugh with those who live in this world. 12 My life has been blown away like a shepherd's tent in a storm. It has been cut short, as when a weaver cuts cloth from a loom. Suddenly, my life was over. 13 I waited patiently all night, but I was torn apart as though by lions. Suddenly, my life was over. 14 Delirious, I chattered like a swallow or a crane, and then I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew tired of looking to heaven for help. I am in trouble, Lord. Help me!" 15 But what could I say? For he himself had sent this sickness. Now I will walk humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt. 16 Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You have restored my health and have allowed me to live! 17 Yes, it was good for me to suffer this anguish, for you have rescued me from death and have forgiven all my sins. 18 For the dead cannot praise you; they cannot raise their voices in praise. Those who go down to destruction can no longer hope in your faithfulness. 19 Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation can make known your faithfulness to the next. 20 Think of it — the LORD has healed me! I will sing his praises with instruments every day of my life in the Temple of the LORD. NLT

JUST FOR FUN

The owner of a drug store walks in to find a guy leaning heavily against a wall. The owner asks the clerk "What's with that guy over there by the wall?"

The clerk replies, "Well, he came in here this morning to get something for his cough. I couldn't find the cough syrup, so I gave him an entire bottle of laxative."

The owner screams, "You idiot! You can't treat a cough with a bottle of laxatives!"
The clerk calmly replies, "Of course you can! Look at him; he's afraid to cough!"

LIFE IS SHORT

1 Peter 1:24-25
24 As the prophet says, "People are like grass that dies away; their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall away. 25 But the word of the Lord will last forever." And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. NLT** How quickly life passes by. Ok, Ok, I know what you’re thinking….. I thought the same thing many many years ago when the “older” people would say…. “It seems like yesterday when….” And now I’m getting older and I can truly say….”It seems like yesterday when….” Life seems so short and especially now that I’m 50 and all the people I used to watch on the TV when I was a kid are now dying off. Soon I will be that generation if the Lord does not come back, that will be passing on. I don’t want to seem morbid or anything like that but it is going to happen and I want to leave something with those I’ve lived with before I go. We can ignore death and before long we will die and leave nothing for those who’s lives we impacted, OR we can be aware that life is but a vapor and we must prepare to leave a great legacy to our children, friends and people who God places in our paths.

GOD ON OUR SIDE

2 Chron 32:7-8
7 "Be strong and courageous! Don't be afraid of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! 8 He may have a great army, but they are just men. We have the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!" These words greatly encouraged the people.
NLT ** And so too we have the same God that helped them and is with us too! How great it is to be able to read about our God in action and see that He is ABLE to do great and mighty things. He loves us, and wants to fight for us today. But just as king after king in the old testament turned away from this living God, we too try to find hope in ourselves instead of Him. When will we realize that we can do nothing great on our own and need the great LORD God, the same God we read about here. THEN great things can happen, not because we are great, but because He is great thru and in us. I want to turn everything over to God. I need Him every moment of every day for help and protection from all that wars against me and my family.

WHO TO FOLLOW

Heb 13:7
7 Remember your leaders who first taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and trust the Lord as they do. NLT
** Remember? Think of people who can lead you in a righteous life and then follow them. And how can you tell who those people are? “Think of all the good that has come from their lives.” If the person you are following, does not have good things coming from their lives then stop following them…. This is an amazing thing, as I watch young people (and old too) running back and forth trying to be someone their not. The thing about it is the person they are following does not have anything good at all coming from their lives. Why? I don’t know! It seems that our youth of today are running after people with worthless lives and drastically avoiding those who have good upright lives. I know I need to pray more for our youth of today and I’m talking about our CHRISTIAN youth! God help your young people wake up and see the real truth of those who they are following and turn to you for their direction. Please place good solid believers in their paths so they can have someone to follow and be blessed.

I BELIEVE

Isa 7:9
You do not believe me? If you want me to protect you, learn to believe what I say." NLT
** This is so true for today. God is telling each and every one of us…. “If you want me to protects you, learn to believe what I say.” And yet more and more CHRISTIANS make excuses about how they don’t believe the bible to be completely true….. AND….. they continue to go unprotected. God’s desire is to protect and bless His people but He has different laws that come into play that He set up for our benefit and our increase. I truly believe the word of God is true and available to us today for instruction, rebuke, training and for blessing. Lord, I believe You, thank You for Your protection for me and my family.

HANGING WITH WHO?

Jude 12
12 When these people join you in fellowship meals celebrating the love of the Lord, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are shameless in the way they care only about themselves…. Jude 23 There are still others to whom you need to show mercy, but be careful that you aren't contaminated by their sins. NLT
** Who are we joining ourselves to? Are they ones who compliment the Christ in us? Or do they constantly try to draw us away from the truth of Jesus Christ and all that we stand for? We can be a witness to others as the Lord directs, however we must be very careful that we remain strong in what we believe so we will not be led away by their sins. If you are weak in your flesh, always show mercy to the sinner in pairs. Be careful not to wander around alone so it would be easy to distract you from the truth and to be persuaded to follow sin.

I'M FORGIVEN

Isa 1:18
18 "Come now, let us argue this out," says the LORD. "No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool. NLT
** No matter what I’ve done, He is there to forgive me! What an awesome God I serve, “who forgives ALL my sins and heals ALL my diseases.” I think the major downfall for most Christians is that they live in condemnation. Christians sin, they ask forgiveness, God forgives them, and then they sit around feeling bad because of their sin. Thank God for Romans 8:1 “there is therefore now NO condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” This does not give me a license to sin, but it does give me the right to keep moving on even when I mess up and fall. Have you sinned? Ask God to forgive you and then get up, dust yourself up, and keep moving forward.