TODAY'S ENCOURAGING WORD
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God.
-- Psalm 146:5
CREATOR OF WIND AND CALM
But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
-- Matthew 8:27
Waves large enough to cover a ship on a small lake in a short time could only have been generated by a tremendously powerful wind, and such a wind would require a mighty complex of forces in the atmosphere, triggered by the sun itself. Furthermore, even when the wind dies down, the waves will continue for a time. But suddenly both ceased at once, and "there was a great calm" (v. 26). No known natural force could have produced such a phenomenon, yet there it was.
A man had simply spoken a word: "Peace, be still" (Mark 4:39). How could He control the sea? "The sea is his, and he made it" (Psalm 95:5)—that is how! And what about the stormy wind? God Himself "bringeth the wind out of his treasuries" (Psalm 135:7), even when need be, the "stormy wind fulfilling his word" (148:8).
God can use the storms of life to cause us to call on Him for deliverance. "For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. . . . Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still" (Psalm 107:25, 28-29).
What manner of man can do such things? Only the God/Man, Jesus Christ. He is the omnipotent, living Word, the "Creator of the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 40:28). It is He by whom "were all things created," and it therefore follows that "by him all things consist" (Colossians 1:16-17). "For in him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
If this eternal Word (who was "made flesh" and was now sleeping in a small boat on the Sea of Galilee) could speak the mighty cosmos into being, it is no great thing for Him to speak peace to a stormy sea or to bring rest to His loved ones in their times of turmoil and fear.
PRAYER; I CANNOT DO THIS ALONE
O God, early in the morning I cry to you. Help me to pray And to concentrate my thoughts on you: I cannot do this alone. In me there is darkness, But with you there is light; I am lonely, but you do not leave me; I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help; I am restless, but with you there is peace. In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience; I do not understand your ways, But you know the way for me… Restore me to liberty, And enable me to live now That I may answer before you and before me. Lord, whatever this day may bring, Your name be praised.
Forward to your family and friends!
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God Bless You!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Owens and Witten Cowboy Days...
I now present the short play: "Terrell Owens and Jason Witten's Next Confrontation"
(Scene: the locker room)
Owens (to Witten): "You are a doo-doo head."
Witten: "I am rubber, you are glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you."
Owens: "Nuh-uh. Take that back, smellyface."
Witten: "OK. I will. Because, when you think about it, if something bounced off me, it probably also would bounce off you because you have terrible hands."
Owens (tearing up): "That's my hands, man."
(End scene)
COURTESY OF ESPN… GO COWBABIES!!!
(Scene: the locker room)
Owens (to Witten): "You are a doo-doo head."
Witten: "I am rubber, you are glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you."
Owens: "Nuh-uh. Take that back, smellyface."
Witten: "OK. I will. Because, when you think about it, if something bounced off me, it probably also would bounce off you because you have terrible hands."
Owens (tearing up): "That's my hands, man."
(End scene)
COURTESY OF ESPN… GO COWBABIES!!!
September 1, 2009 Sharing God’s Word
TODAY'S ENCOURAGING WORD
God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.
-- 2 Corinthians 1:3
GOD’S MOTHER HEART
How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings.
-- Matthew 23:37
The dominant gender used in the Scriptures to describe God is male. That certainly should not come as a surprise to anyone with a passing knowledge of God's Word. However, there are a few references (such as our text above) that imply His "mother heart" as well.
Even that should not be too much of a surprise. The Creator of male and female (Genesis 1:27) caused both to bear His image, and both share the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) after they have been born again. Obviously, the "Cause" of the female being--especially one specifically designed to "mother" humanity--would possess a mother's heart.
It is interesting to note that Wisdom is personified as female in the first four chapters of Proverbs. Wisdom has its source in the Creator, and the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are specifically said to be hidden in Christ Jesus (Colossians 2:3). These indirect hints would easily tie into Christ's statement that He yearned for Jerusalem like a hen for her chickens.
Then, there is the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. Some have suggested that this ideal person is none other than the representative of what Christ would be like if He were to take human form as a woman. That may or may not be, but the "virtue" of this lady is surely not normal! If nothing else, we can acknowledge that this beautiful woman "excellest them all" (Proverbs 31:29) and is a magnificent reflection of the mother and wife whose "price is far above rubies."
As we honor our earthly mothers this special day, may we also give thanks to the Creator who made the unique female nature that reflects the complete and pure love of God for His children (1 John 4:19).
PRAYER; THE SINNER’S PRAYER
Try me, O God, and search the ground of my heart: prove me and examine my thoughts. Look well if there be any wickedness in me, any root of bitterness yet undiscovered; and lead me in the way everlasting. Show me the true state of my soul. Bring me out from every false refuge. Strip off every deceitful covering, every covering that is not of Thy Spirit. Forbid that the anchor of my hope should be cast, or the house of my dependence built, on any but Christ, the Rock of Ages. Forbid that I should rest short of that repentance which is Thy gift, and is connected with life eternal: and forbid, O forbid, that I should sit down without aspiring to that conformity unto Thee in righteousness and true holiness, abstracted from which repentance is false and faith is dead.
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!
God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.
-- 2 Corinthians 1:3
GOD’S MOTHER HEART
How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings.
-- Matthew 23:37
The dominant gender used in the Scriptures to describe God is male. That certainly should not come as a surprise to anyone with a passing knowledge of God's Word. However, there are a few references (such as our text above) that imply His "mother heart" as well.
Even that should not be too much of a surprise. The Creator of male and female (Genesis 1:27) caused both to bear His image, and both share the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) after they have been born again. Obviously, the "Cause" of the female being--especially one specifically designed to "mother" humanity--would possess a mother's heart.
It is interesting to note that Wisdom is personified as female in the first four chapters of Proverbs. Wisdom has its source in the Creator, and the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are specifically said to be hidden in Christ Jesus (Colossians 2:3). These indirect hints would easily tie into Christ's statement that He yearned for Jerusalem like a hen for her chickens.
Then, there is the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. Some have suggested that this ideal person is none other than the representative of what Christ would be like if He were to take human form as a woman. That may or may not be, but the "virtue" of this lady is surely not normal! If nothing else, we can acknowledge that this beautiful woman "excellest them all" (Proverbs 31:29) and is a magnificent reflection of the mother and wife whose "price is far above rubies."
As we honor our earthly mothers this special day, may we also give thanks to the Creator who made the unique female nature that reflects the complete and pure love of God for His children (1 John 4:19).
PRAYER; THE SINNER’S PRAYER
Try me, O God, and search the ground of my heart: prove me and examine my thoughts. Look well if there be any wickedness in me, any root of bitterness yet undiscovered; and lead me in the way everlasting. Show me the true state of my soul. Bring me out from every false refuge. Strip off every deceitful covering, every covering that is not of Thy Spirit. Forbid that the anchor of my hope should be cast, or the house of my dependence built, on any but Christ, the Rock of Ages. Forbid that I should rest short of that repentance which is Thy gift, and is connected with life eternal: and forbid, O forbid, that I should sit down without aspiring to that conformity unto Thee in righteousness and true holiness, abstracted from which repentance is false and faith is dead.
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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