A young boy had just gotten his driving permit. He asked his father who was a minister if they could discuss the use of the car. His father took him to his study and said to him, "I'll make a deal with you. You bring your grades up, study your bible a little and get your hair cut and we'll talk about it." After about a month the boy came back and again asked his father if they could discuss the use of the car. They again went to the father's study where his father said, "Son, I've been really proud of you. You have brought your grades up, you've studied your bible diligently, but you didn't get your hair cut." The young man waited a moment and replied, "You know Dad, I've been thinking about that. You know, Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, and even Jesus had long hair!", to which his father replied, "Yes, you're right, and they also WALKED everywhere they went!"
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Monday, July 15, 2019
When We Are Separated
When the darkness falls, we will be
separated from people, things, ideas, and old but comfortable surroundings that
give us security. There may be a torment of the soul, and pain in our body. For
the person who has no faith there is no future, only a dark tunnel that has no
light at the end. What a tragic future! What a terrible present! Without
Christ, without an abiding love of God through Christ springing up within us
when the separations of life come, there is a horrible ripping of the soul.
Even with Christ, when times of separation come we are in deep pain. Even
Christ wept at the tomb of a friend. So none of us is immune from the grief of
separation. Yet we can all be healed from this grief. Oftentimes we cannot do
anything about the separations here on earth. Separations come as surely as
night follows day. However, we have a way to deal with separations. When we
surrender our life and our soul to Christ, we can look up to heaven and look
within ourselves, both at the same time, and find the love of God pouring down
upon us. In Christ, with Christ, and because of Him, there is always a unity or
bond between us and Him. No matter what kind of separations we must undergo
here on earth, Christ comes to comfort us and console us if we open our life to
Him. We must not deny that separations hurt. We must express our sorrow,
especially to God. For when we are torn apart, it is always God who listens and
it is He who is always working to help us.
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Faith that Pleases God
(Hebrews 11:6)But without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Are there things that you believe just
because the right person says so? Are there people who believe things just
because you say they are true? How does that make you feel? How do you feel when you are not
trusted? How do you think others feel when you don’t
trust them? How about God, how much do you trust
Him? Do you ever give much thought to your
faith in Him actually pleasing Him? Does that motivate you to greater faith? Trust, or faith in a person, is
something most of us want but we have a difficult time giving it. Many people go to great lengths in their
efforts to please God yet fail to realize the key ingredient in doing so is
faith. When we seek to serve in a way that
pleases God, faith must be at the core of our service. We serve well when our faith believes
God will work through our acts of service to benefit those we
serve. It is our knowledge that God has changed
us that allows us to believe He can change others. As
you pray, ask God to increase your faith in Him and in His ability to use your
works of service. Pray that He would surround you with people who help you to
grow in faith.
Saturday, July 13, 2019
A Broken Spirit
Psalm 51:17---The sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Before God, we cannot be “together.”
Before God, we cannot be proud, or arrogant, or puffed up. Before God, we
cannot be selfish. Before God, we cannot be rude. Before God, all of who we are
is exposed. Before God, we will be humbled. Before God, we will fall down.
However, when we fall down before God He will most surely pick us up. God has a
reason for wanting us to be humble and contrite. For when we are humble and
contrite we are then able to listen to God’s wisdom and truth. When we are able
to listen to God in our humility we are then able to become more like the
person of love, caring, understanding, and compassion He wants us to be. On the
surface, a broken spirit appears to be a bad thing. However, with God, there is
power in His humility. The power of His humility is the power of God in our
hearts molding us and shaping us into His likeness.
Friday, July 12, 2019
Dealing With Grief Is Never Easy
2 Corinthians 1:3-5--- Blessed be God, even the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who
comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which
are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth
by Christ.
Grief rips away at the heart and can
turn a life teeming with meaning into an empty wasteland. When tears well up in
our eyes and grief fill our soul, what are we to do? In a time of grief, our
first instinct should always be to run to God. In God's arms, we find the
comfort and warmth of His love. In God's arms, we can find new meaning and new
purpose when the dark days of grief attack us. However, when we lead lives
apart from God in the present or when we think we do not need God in the
present, then when grief comes, God is hard to find. When we share all we are
and share all we have with God when the times are good, He most surely guides
and comforts us when times of grief overwhelm us. When you pour out your heart
and love for God today, no matter what grief might fall into your life
tomorrow, all the love you gave Him comes back one thousand fold when you need
Him the most.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
The Gift Of Hope
One of the heavenly gifts God pours
into our heart is the gift of hope. Circumstances might look hopeless here on
earth. However, there is hope in heaven. When we think about the hope of
heaven, we store hope away for ourselves. What we put on the shelf in heaven
appears in our heart here on earth. Notice what we store up in heaven is where
our heart is here on earth. When we think about our future, we do not always
see the best and brightest aspects of what will happen. When we are young, we
can seemingly almost see forever. When we grow older, there is, realistically,
more of our earthly life behind us than ahead of us. However, no matter what
age we are, what condition we are in, where we are, or how we are, there is for
our hope in heaven. There is for each of us hope for an eternal blissful
life in heaven lasting for eternity.
Monday, July 8, 2019
Control In Life
Much of life comes at us and we think
we have limited control. Sometimes our life seems to be out of control.
●A million refugees are driven out of
their homes.
●Six million Jews die in a Nazi death
machine.
●The doctor says, "I'm sorry,
there isn't anything we can do."
●Jobs are lost.
●Time slips away and we find out it
is too late to do or be whatever it was we wanted to do or be. However, maybe
life is not always what it seems. Maybe there is more going on around us and
through us than we can imagine. Jesus tells us there is more going on around us
than what we see, hear or touch. Jesus tells us there we have a storehouse in
heaven. What the storehouse contains is up to us. We control what we store
away. We cannot put things of earth in this warehouse in heaven, but we can put
the things of heaven there. Where your treasure is your heart is. Notice what
we store away goes before our heart. Jesus says we must be actively storing
away at all times.
Sunday, July 7, 2019
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