TODAY'S ENCOURAGING WORD
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
-- Romans 12:12
THE PERFECT PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST
If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood . . . what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
-- Hebrews 7:11
As good as the Levitical priest system was, it was imperfect and the priesthood would need to be changed. Jesus Christ became the perfect priest who would never change.
Hebrews 7 describes the old priesthood as mortal: "And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered allowed to continue by reason of death" (v. 23). There would no doubt be some breakdown of knowledge or interest on behalf of a person when his priest moved or died. Not so with the Lord Jesus Christ, "because he continueth ever" (v. 24), and because He is "the Son, who is consecrated for evermore" (v. 28). Therefore, we approach Him with confidence, knowing He "is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (v. 25).
The priesthood of men was also fallible. Daily they needed "to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's" (v. 27). A system of sinful men offering imperfect animals whose blood was incapable of washing away sins must have left some of the priests longing for something more assuring and fulfilling. Jesus ushered in a priesthood so perfect and infallible nothing would ever be the same. For Christ "needeth not daily" to offer sacrifices as Levitical priests did, "for this he did once, when he offered up himself" (v. 27). The one-time-only work of Christ was sufficient because of who offered it and what was offered: "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Hebrews 9:12).
PRAYER FOR THOSE WHOSE LOVED ONES ARE MISSING
Loving God, the hope and protector of all humankind; bless those whose loved ones are missing. The agony of not knowing whether someone is living or dead is a daily torture. The uncertainty of life’s future relationships hangs in limbo. Hope rides a roller coaster. Yet each day must be lived. Give unto your people the blessing of your grace that they may face each day with courage and hope. Guard their families from further danger and harm and hold them in the blessing of your love. Amen.
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God Bless You!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
July 30, 2009 Sharing God’s Word
TODAY'S ENCOURAGING WORD
The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
-- Psalm 9:9
FIVE COMMANDS
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
-- 1 Peter 1:13
In our text and the succeeding two verses, five commands are given to the believer striving to live a godly life. Let us look briefly at each one:
Gird up the loins of your mind: Using the long, flowing robes worn by most in Greek societies as a word picture, Peter commands us to gird up our minds, just as such a robe needed to be gathered up in preparation for strenuous activity. We need to discipline our minds for action.
Be sober: A drunken person has a disoriented mind, lacks self-control, and is not alert to his surroundings. We are commanded to maintain a calm and thoughtful state of mind, in full control of all our actions.
Hope to the end, or "patiently fix your hope": We must recognize that He is in control and patiently wait for Him. The focus of our expectation is His grace, which we presently experience, but which will be fully granted us at His return.
Not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance (v. 14): This phrase is translated "be not conformed" in Romans 12:2 and commands us not to adopt the world’s lifestyle and thought patterns, especially our "former lusts," which enslaved us before our conversion.
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy (v. 15): God is first and foremost a holy God, and we are called to "fashion" ourselves after Him. Complete holiness is out of our reach this side of glory, but it should be our goal.
All five are commands indeed, but commands three and five are in an emphatic position in the Greek, and these two hold the key to success in the others. Only by patiently fixing our hope on Him and His grace can we successfully strive for His holiness.
PRAYER; I HAVE ALL IN GOD
God of your goodness, give me yourself, for you are sufficient for me... If I were to ask anything less I should always be in want, for in you alone do I have all.
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God Bless You!
The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
-- Psalm 9:9
FIVE COMMANDS
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
-- 1 Peter 1:13
In our text and the succeeding two verses, five commands are given to the believer striving to live a godly life. Let us look briefly at each one:
Gird up the loins of your mind: Using the long, flowing robes worn by most in Greek societies as a word picture, Peter commands us to gird up our minds, just as such a robe needed to be gathered up in preparation for strenuous activity. We need to discipline our minds for action.
Be sober: A drunken person has a disoriented mind, lacks self-control, and is not alert to his surroundings. We are commanded to maintain a calm and thoughtful state of mind, in full control of all our actions.
Hope to the end, or "patiently fix your hope": We must recognize that He is in control and patiently wait for Him. The focus of our expectation is His grace, which we presently experience, but which will be fully granted us at His return.
Not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance (v. 14): This phrase is translated "be not conformed" in Romans 12:2 and commands us not to adopt the world’s lifestyle and thought patterns, especially our "former lusts," which enslaved us before our conversion.
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy (v. 15): God is first and foremost a holy God, and we are called to "fashion" ourselves after Him. Complete holiness is out of our reach this side of glory, but it should be our goal.
All five are commands indeed, but commands three and five are in an emphatic position in the Greek, and these two hold the key to success in the others. Only by patiently fixing our hope on Him and His grace can we successfully strive for His holiness.
PRAYER; I HAVE ALL IN GOD
God of your goodness, give me yourself, for you are sufficient for me... If I were to ask anything less I should always be in want, for in you alone do I have all.
Forward to your family and friends!
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God Bless You!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
July 29, 2009 Sharing God’s Word
TODAY'S ENCOURAGING WORD
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
-- John 16:33
OUR LISTENING GOD
O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
-- Psalm 65:2
There come times in each life when loneliness overshadows like a cloud and no one is there to listen and provide counsel. Or perhaps there is some problem so personal and intimate that it seems unfitting or too embarrassing to share with anyone else.
But God will listen! No need is so small, no place too remote, no burden too heavy, that He who is the "God of all grace" and "the God of all comfort" (1 Peter 5:10; 2 Corinthians 1:3) will not listen and care. "The LORD will hear when I call unto him" (Psalm 4:3).
Young people sometimes complain that their parents won't listen to them; wives may say their husbands don't listen; sometimes it seems that no one will listen to our questions or ideas about anything. But "the LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth" (Psalm 145:18). Therefore, "pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah" (Psalm 62:8).
But how can He listen? After all, God is far away upon His throne. The risen Savior ascended far above all heavens, to sit down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. How can the Father hear when we whisper a prayer in our hearts that no human could hear?
God is indeed up there, but He is also right here! Jesus said: "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" (John 16:7). Our God is a tri-une God, and He can be both in heaven and in our room, and even, as the Holy Spirit, within our very hearts. Of course, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Psalm 66:18). But for those who confess and forsake their sins, "his ears are open unto their prayers" (1 Peter 3:12).
PRAYER TO DO GOOD
Guard me, O Lord, from brooding over the sin I have committed: let not my thoughts sink into the mire of my wrongdoing, but free them to offer Thee the pearl of good deeds.
If I have done much evil, grant that I may balance it by doing much good. Help me to hurry over the prayer "For my sin," and to meditate with joy and thankfulness, on the prayer "Thou, O Lord, shall reign."
Forward to your family and friends!
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God Bless You!
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
-- John 16:33
OUR LISTENING GOD
O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
-- Psalm 65:2
There come times in each life when loneliness overshadows like a cloud and no one is there to listen and provide counsel. Or perhaps there is some problem so personal and intimate that it seems unfitting or too embarrassing to share with anyone else.
But God will listen! No need is so small, no place too remote, no burden too heavy, that He who is the "God of all grace" and "the God of all comfort" (1 Peter 5:10; 2 Corinthians 1:3) will not listen and care. "The LORD will hear when I call unto him" (Psalm 4:3).
Young people sometimes complain that their parents won't listen to them; wives may say their husbands don't listen; sometimes it seems that no one will listen to our questions or ideas about anything. But "the LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth" (Psalm 145:18). Therefore, "pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah" (Psalm 62:8).
But how can He listen? After all, God is far away upon His throne. The risen Savior ascended far above all heavens, to sit down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. How can the Father hear when we whisper a prayer in our hearts that no human could hear?
God is indeed up there, but He is also right here! Jesus said: "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" (John 16:7). Our God is a tri-une God, and He can be both in heaven and in our room, and even, as the Holy Spirit, within our very hearts. Of course, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Psalm 66:18). But for those who confess and forsake their sins, "his ears are open unto their prayers" (1 Peter 3:12).
PRAYER TO DO GOOD
Guard me, O Lord, from brooding over the sin I have committed: let not my thoughts sink into the mire of my wrongdoing, but free them to offer Thee the pearl of good deeds.
If I have done much evil, grant that I may balance it by doing much good. Help me to hurry over the prayer "For my sin," and to meditate with joy and thankfulness, on the prayer "Thou, O Lord, shall reign."
Forward to your family and friends!
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God Bless You!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
July 28, 2009 Sharing God’s Word
TODAY'S ENCOURAGING WORD
The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.
-- Nahum 1:7
WONDERFUL WORDS OF LIFE
Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.
-- Psalm 119:129
Modern liberals may ridicule Bible-believing Christians as bibliolaters, but the fact is that it is not possible to place the Bible on too high a pedestal. "Thy testimonies are wonderful," the psalmist says, for "his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor" (Isaiah 9:6), whose testimonies they are.
Consider just how wonderful are the Scriptures. They were written in the heart of God even before the creation. "For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven" (Psalm 119:89). Then, "at sundry times and in divers manners," this eternal Word of God was conveyed to men, as God "spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets" (Hebrews 1:1). Finally, it was complete, and the last of the prophets concluded it with an all-embracing warning: "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life" (Revelation 22:18-19). Crit ics who tamper with the words of the Bible are on dangerous ground, the psalmist said: "Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever" (Psalm 119:160). Jesus said: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35).
Eternal in the past; inviolable in the present; forever in the future! All we shall ever need for our guidance is to be found in God's wonderful testimonies: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable. . . . That the man of God may be perfect" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
It is not possible to have too high a view of Scripture, "for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name" (Psalm 138:2).
PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO MOURN
Almighty God, Father of all mercies and giver of all comfort: Deal graciously, we pray thee, with those who mourn, that casting every care on thee, they may know the consolation of thy love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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God Bless You!
The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.
-- Nahum 1:7
WONDERFUL WORDS OF LIFE
Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.
-- Psalm 119:129
Modern liberals may ridicule Bible-believing Christians as bibliolaters, but the fact is that it is not possible to place the Bible on too high a pedestal. "Thy testimonies are wonderful," the psalmist says, for "his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor" (Isaiah 9:6), whose testimonies they are.
Consider just how wonderful are the Scriptures. They were written in the heart of God even before the creation. "For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven" (Psalm 119:89). Then, "at sundry times and in divers manners," this eternal Word of God was conveyed to men, as God "spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets" (Hebrews 1:1). Finally, it was complete, and the last of the prophets concluded it with an all-embracing warning: "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life" (Revelation 22:18-19). Crit ics who tamper with the words of the Bible are on dangerous ground, the psalmist said: "Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever" (Psalm 119:160). Jesus said: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35).
Eternal in the past; inviolable in the present; forever in the future! All we shall ever need for our guidance is to be found in God's wonderful testimonies: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable. . . . That the man of God may be perfect" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
It is not possible to have too high a view of Scripture, "for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name" (Psalm 138:2).
PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO MOURN
Almighty God, Father of all mercies and giver of all comfort: Deal graciously, we pray thee, with those who mourn, that casting every care on thee, they may know the consolation of thy love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Forward to your family and friends!
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God Bless You!
Monday, July 27, 2009
I Wrestle
I WRESTLE
I wrestle.
Not simply with my opponent.
I wrestle with demons of doubt.
With my past failures.
With my exhaustion.
With my inj uries.
With my anonymity.
With that unrelenting voice that tells me to stop
But, I am a wrestler.
And one thing will always be certain.
I WILL BE VICTORIOUS!!!
I wrestle.
Not simply with my opponent.
I wrestle with demons of doubt.
With my past failures.
With my exhaustion.
With my inj uries.
With my anonymity.
With that unrelenting voice that tells me to stop
But, I am a wrestler.
And one thing will always be certain.
I WILL BE VICTORIOUS!!!
FOCUS
Do you focus on winning or losing?
Or do you focus on what you've been working on?
We're not working on fear.
We're working on being aggressive.
Control the offense.
Control the offense.
Control the offense.
Get him tired
Get physical.
Put the pressure on him.
Explode!!!!
Come up to your feet!
What's your game plan?
Get him down
Focus
You're doing a great job.
Stay Focused.
Stay Positive.
You deserve to win.
DISCIPLINE
Nothing replaces hard work.
Every day
It is the guys that never quit that succeed.
You've got to hustle... stay conditioned... stay tough.
WEAR HIM OUT!!!
That's discipline
More reps...
More Miles. . .
More drills. . .
Never quit
Keep your edge.
Keep the pressure on.
AND CONTROL THE GAME PLAN . . . NOW
ACCOUNTABILITY
This is up to me
It's my weight class.
My opponent.
My battle.
I know what is expected of me.
My best
Because behind me... is my team.
Giving our best is what we do.
Focus.
Commitment
Discipline.
They have it.
They know I have it.
Now they want to see me put it to work.
COMMITMENT
KEEP MOVING
Get away.
Defend hard.
GET TO MY FEET!!!
I can do this.
I am in control.
I'm focused.
I'm positive.
I am tough.
I am committed to this moment. . . .
To this move...
To this match.
I am the best I can possibly be.
No one has more determination.
No one has more moves.
No one has worked harder.
NO ONE CAN BEAT MY COMMITMENT TO THIS SPORT...
TO THIS MOMENT.
I AM PREPARED TO WIN.
Bible Verses for Children
Luke 18:16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
1 Corinthians 1:3-4 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
2 Corinthaians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
MAKE THE WORDS OF THE FOLLOWING SONG, YOUR PRAYER:
“In to my heart,
Into my heart,
Come into my heart
Lord Jesus
Come in today,
Come in to stay,
Come into my heart
Lord Jesus.”
Amen
NOW YOU CAN SING AND REALLY MEAN:
“Jesus loves me, this I know; for the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong.”
Psalm 2:10-12 10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Ephesians 6:1-2 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
Psalms 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
CONTINUE READING YOUR BIBLE! It’s truths are true today and forever.
Courtesy of www.sowersofseed.com
Romans Chapter 6 Verse 23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
On the Mat - Rummy Meets His Match
The New Yorker - by Ben McGrath April 14, 2003
Every March, on the occasion of the N.C.A.A. wrestling championships, serious matmen abandon their desks and their wives for a few days and gather to reminisce about rapid weight loss and sweaty entanglements on the plastic-covered horsehair. At this year’s tournament, in Kansas City, the sport’s elder statesmen had a particular lanky old grappler on their minds: Don Rumsfeld. Fifty years earlier, as a Princeton undergraduate, Rumsfeld, who is now, of course, the Secretary of Defense, fought a match that is legendary among wrestlers not so much for what it augured about a career in public service or a style of conducting Pentagon briefings as for what it said about the man as a wrestler.
“It was in 1953, the Eastern Intercollegiates, at Princeton, and the weight class was a hundred and fifty-seven pounds,” Phil Harvey, a Class of ’55 wrestler for Cornell, recalled. “Everybody assumed that in the finals our Ken Hunt, who had had an undefeated season for Cornell, would meet a kid from Syracuse named Ed Rooney. But in the semis, lo and behold, Don Rumsfeld knocked Rooney out of the tournament. It was a huge upset.”
Among his Princeton teammates, Rumsfeld had earned a reputation for quick takedowns. He was an avid practitioner of the fireman’s carry. (“You actually picked the man up off the mat, like a fireman carrying somebody out of a house,” Harvey said. “And then there was this spinning motion you’d do, where you’d chuck him over your head and bring him down to the mat.”) But, amid the tougher competition at the Easterns, Rumsfeld stood out for his superior conditioning and his fierce determination; he was relentless, a bulldog.
Ed Rooney was what is known as a leg wrestler, attempting to tie his opponents up below the waist and then overpower them. At Dillon Gym that day, Rumsfeld, cheered on by his friends from the Cap & Gown eating club, shrewdly kept his distance. Ed Rooney has since died, but his son, Jim, who made the pilgrimage to Kansas City in his stead, recalled, “My father fell behind in that match and was trying to catch up. And basically he spent the last three minutes chasing Don Rumsfeld all over the mat.”
Final score: Rumsfeld 6, Rooney 4.
The championship bout took place later that night, with Rumsfeld, in his orange-and-black togs, squaring off against Ken Hunt. “I’d sort of forgotten about it until Rooney’s son contacted me,” Hunt said the other day, from his home, in North Carolina. “The gym was packed—people were right down on the mats, almost like the kids at Duke basketball games. It was quite a jovial get-together. But Don was quite serious. Even in those days, gosh, he was a very intense guy.”
Hunt said that, in contrast to Rooney, who was aggressive from the start, he liked to “try to get other wrestlers to make a move first, and I’d react, and just count on my speed to win.” The strategy seemed to work well against Rumsfeld. “He would go in for this so-called takedown, and see that he couldn’t get it, and as he backed off, that’s when I would go in and take him down with an ankle pickup,” Hunt said. “I took him down three times with that, and that was six points right off the bat.” (“Rumsfeld was the kind of wrestler, you knew what he was going to do and he’d do it anyhow,” Don Dickason, a Cornell teammate of Hunt’s, said.)
Still, Rumsfeld wouldn’t give up. “Kenny was an amazingly slick wrestler, just as smooth as can be,” Harvey said, “but Rumsfeld was obviously in much better condition.”
“I think I was ahead eight-zip or eight-two,” Hunt said. “And then I began to run out of gas. I had the feeling that he could taste blood, you know, if he could get me real tired—and I was getting tired.”
In the third period (there are three to a match), Rumsfeld began “reversing” Hunt. “He exploited every possible tool,” Hunt said. “I think we rolled into the spectators at one point.”
“It was just a thing of beauty, where there’d be a move and a countermove and a countermove,” Dickason said. “In a way, it didn’t matter who got the final points. It was just that both guys were so good.”
“I frankly don’t remember the end of it,” Hunt said. “One of my best friends from high school was at the edge of the mat there, and I remember him saying, ‘One more minute!’ Don may have gotten one takedown toward the end—gosh, I don’t remember. He had sheer will and determination.”
Final score: Hunt 9, Rumsfeld 5.
Hunt never wrestled again.
Roger Olesen, who has been called the Boswell of wrestling, has had occasion to think a lot about Rumsfeld recently, because he has just co-written a book about the 1953 wrestling season, called “The Turning Point.” (The preface begins, “Wrestling is not, as some contend, like life. Wrestling is life—reduced to its essence.”)
“They’ve always built Rumsfeld up as being a great wrestler,” Olesen said. “But he wasn’t. Rumsfeld, I think, was just a plugger. He would keep coming after you even when the final verdict was no longer in doubt.”
July 27, 2009 Sharing God’s Word
TODAY'S ENCOURAGING WORD
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
-- 1 Peter 5:7
GROWTH IN CHRIST
And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more.
-- 1 Thessalonians 4:10
It is not enough merely to be saved; the babe in Christ should grow into Christian maturity. "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). The babe will grow on milk for a time, but soon he needs more. "For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Hebrews 5:13-14).
Nor is it enough just to grow in knowledge of God’s Word, though this is vital. In our text, Paul was commending the Thessalonians for the evidence of Christian love in their lives. But then he urged them to "increase more and more." "I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment" (Philippians 1:9).
Like the Thessalonians, our faith also needs to grow. "Your faith groweth exceedingly," Paul wrote (2 Thessalonians 1:3). The apostles "said unto the Lord, Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5), and this could well be our prayer, too.
We ought also to be growing in grace. The very last word of the apostle Peter, before his martyrdom, was this: "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). One measure of grace is the grace of giving and, as Paul urged the Corinthians, "see that ye abound in this grace also" (2 Corinthians 8:7).
Unlike our physical life, we ought never to stop growing in our spiritual life. Our measure cannot be less than that of "a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we . . . may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ" (Ephesians 4:13-15).
PRAYER; WEATHERING THE STORM
Father God, Today I am afraid. I look around me at this world that is changing so fast and I feel lost like a small boat in the midst of a storm. I am not built to weather the battering waves or the howling wind. So I wait now in your presence. You spoke the oceans and the four winds into being. You threw the stars in the sky and separated the sea from dry land. You took the hand of Peter who was sinking into the depths of the water and walked him to safety. I choose now to fix my eyes on you and not on the storm. I settle my heart on your love and not on the current that threatens to pull me under. Thank you that you are my firm anchor even through the darkest night, Amen
Forward to your family and friends!
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God Bless You!
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
-- 1 Peter 5:7
GROWTH IN CHRIST
And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more.
-- 1 Thessalonians 4:10
It is not enough merely to be saved; the babe in Christ should grow into Christian maturity. "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). The babe will grow on milk for a time, but soon he needs more. "For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Hebrews 5:13-14).
Nor is it enough just to grow in knowledge of God’s Word, though this is vital. In our text, Paul was commending the Thessalonians for the evidence of Christian love in their lives. But then he urged them to "increase more and more." "I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment" (Philippians 1:9).
Like the Thessalonians, our faith also needs to grow. "Your faith groweth exceedingly," Paul wrote (2 Thessalonians 1:3). The apostles "said unto the Lord, Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5), and this could well be our prayer, too.
We ought also to be growing in grace. The very last word of the apostle Peter, before his martyrdom, was this: "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). One measure of grace is the grace of giving and, as Paul urged the Corinthians, "see that ye abound in this grace also" (2 Corinthians 8:7).
Unlike our physical life, we ought never to stop growing in our spiritual life. Our measure cannot be less than that of "a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we . . . may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ" (Ephesians 4:13-15).
PRAYER; WEATHERING THE STORM
Father God, Today I am afraid. I look around me at this world that is changing so fast and I feel lost like a small boat in the midst of a storm. I am not built to weather the battering waves or the howling wind. So I wait now in your presence. You spoke the oceans and the four winds into being. You threw the stars in the sky and separated the sea from dry land. You took the hand of Peter who was sinking into the depths of the water and walked him to safety. I choose now to fix my eyes on you and not on the storm. I settle my heart on your love and not on the current that threatens to pull me under. Thank you that you are my firm anchor even through the darkest night, Amen
Forward to your family and friends!
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God Bless You!
Friday, July 24, 2009
July 24, 2009 Sharing God’s Word
TODAY'S ENCOURAGING WORD
For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
-- 2 Corinthians 4:17
THOSE THEES AND THOUS
And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
-- Exodus 4:15
These words of God, spoken to Moses concerning the mission he and his brother Aaron were to undertake at Pharaoh's palace, are one of numerous examples in Scripture where the King James translation uses several different forms of the second-person pronoun. In this one verse, we see the words "thou," "thy," "you," and "ye," all fulfilling this function. Most modern translations would translate this sentence: "You shall speak to him . . . and I will be with your mouth . . . and will teach you what you shall do." Why would the King James translators use four different forms of the pronoun when only "you" and "your" are used in modern versions?
The fact is that the Elizabethan-age English was able to make much finer distinctions than modern English. That is, "thou," "thee," "thy," and "thine" were used for the second person singular, where as "ye," "you," "your," and "yours" were the corresponding words for the plural. Different words also were used for subject, object, and possessive modifier, as is still true for first and third-person pronouns.
In our text, God was telling Moses that he (Moses) was to speak to Aaron, and that He (God) would then teach both of them, not just Moses, what they were to do. This distinction is clear in the King James English, but not in modern English. This is one of numerous examples where such fine points in the King James language are lost in modern translations. In the Lord's Prayer, for example, "yours is the kingdom" could suggest that many will possess the kingdom, where "thine is the kingdom" clearly recognizes one God alone. Clear words are important for clear meanings, and Jesus said, "My words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35).
PRAYER FOR A SUMMER DAY
Long warm days...
The pace of life slows...
A time for picnics and rest in the shade...
Lord,
help me to rest a while in the cooling shade of your presence.
Slow down my restless heart and fill me with gentle compassion for all your people.
Amen.
Forward to your family and friends!
Want to be added to list or removed from list? Email ceptxj@gmail.com and indicate to be added or removed.
God Bless You!
For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
-- 2 Corinthians 4:17
THOSE THEES AND THOUS
And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
-- Exodus 4:15
These words of God, spoken to Moses concerning the mission he and his brother Aaron were to undertake at Pharaoh's palace, are one of numerous examples in Scripture where the King James translation uses several different forms of the second-person pronoun. In this one verse, we see the words "thou," "thy," "you," and "ye," all fulfilling this function. Most modern translations would translate this sentence: "You shall speak to him . . . and I will be with your mouth . . . and will teach you what you shall do." Why would the King James translators use four different forms of the pronoun when only "you" and "your" are used in modern versions?
The fact is that the Elizabethan-age English was able to make much finer distinctions than modern English. That is, "thou," "thee," "thy," and "thine" were used for the second person singular, where as "ye," "you," "your," and "yours" were the corresponding words for the plural. Different words also were used for subject, object, and possessive modifier, as is still true for first and third-person pronouns.
In our text, God was telling Moses that he (Moses) was to speak to Aaron, and that He (God) would then teach both of them, not just Moses, what they were to do. This distinction is clear in the King James English, but not in modern English. This is one of numerous examples where such fine points in the King James language are lost in modern translations. In the Lord's Prayer, for example, "yours is the kingdom" could suggest that many will possess the kingdom, where "thine is the kingdom" clearly recognizes one God alone. Clear words are important for clear meanings, and Jesus said, "My words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35).
PRAYER FOR A SUMMER DAY
Long warm days...
The pace of life slows...
A time for picnics and rest in the shade...
Lord,
help me to rest a while in the cooling shade of your presence.
Slow down my restless heart and fill me with gentle compassion for all your people.
Amen.
Forward to your family and friends!
Want to be added to list or removed from list? Email ceptxj@gmail.com and indicate to be added or removed.
God Bless You!
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