Patience Like a Cat

Patience Like a Cat

 

“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us:

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

                                                                                                                          Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

Our cat, Gray-C is the greatest example of patience I have ever seen.  Every morning she lies in front of our slider and watches the birds that feed off our deck and the squirrels that slowly wander up. She crouches down with only her eyes showing above the bottom of the slider.  Nothing moves on her body; you can barely see her breathe.  She can stay there for a very long time waiting for a squirrel or bird to come close enough to pounce on.  Then she jumps against the glass like she caught her prey.  Of course the squirrel just stands there looking at the cat and the game starts all over again.

You talk about patience; the next morning there is Gray-C again, flattened out in front of the slider.  She does this over and over, not catching anything, but always patiently waiting.  Day after day she man’s her post and is always expecting.

This is what the Lord wants us to be like.  Day by day we should always be expecting the Lord’s return and be patiently waiting.  Not only that, but we need patience in our ordinary lives. When we pray asking God for help in situations, we should wait for his answer and not lose patience and decide we should take care of it ourselves. 

Why is it so hard to be patient with God?  He has promised to be with us; never leave us or forsake us and he never promises what he can’t come through with.  Galatians 5 tells us that God produces patience in us, but whether or not we use it is our choice.

Do you use patience when a traffic light seems to take too long to change?   How about when one of your kids comes home with a dent in your car; does your patience keep you calm until you know what really happened?  There are so many times in each day that your patience will be tested. 

Are you sick of snow, cold and blowing wind?  Be patient; eventually spring will come and warmer weather will return with flowers blooming.  God is the one who created our seasons and they never fail. 

When I think about the patience God has for me and has had all my life, I am so amazed.  How many times in my early years that I went out on my own and made a mess of my life, yet He was patiently waiting for me to turn it around.  Where would I be today if not for the love and patience of God?

Think again about the cat that begins each day patiently waiting and expecting.  Learn a lesson from her and never give up, because one of these days, Jesus really will come back for us. 

Patience has a great outcome as we find in Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

 

I NEED A NEW HEART

I Need a New Heart

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 (KJV)

Have you ever noticed as time goes by, our thoughts; desires and relationship with God, change?  When I was first saved, I was so zealous I ate, breathed and slept Jesus.  I could have prayed for hours on end and everyone I met had to hear about Jesus and how he saved me.  I carried a ‘big’ Bible with me wherever I went and scared my friends and family to death. 

As time went on I calmed down a lot and learned how to reign in my enthusiasm so I could talk to people before they ran away.  I was still very tight with the Lord and always listening for him to speak to me and he did many times.  He gave me stories to write and put people in front of me who needed to hear the Word.  He still does that, but with far more wisdom than when I blunder into things without him. 

Every so often I sit back and take a look at myself and realize I need a new heart and a right spirit within myself.  Many know this verse by memory, but if this is where you stop, you haven’t learned anything.  It has taken many years to get to this place in my life – but the truth is I’ve got a long way to go yet.  Once again, my prayer is, “Lord, I need a new heart; this one is getting blocked up with things of the world.” 

“Renew a right [steadfast] spirit within me.”  Christians can take on different spirits and I’m not talking about demonic or evil spirits; I’m talking about attitudes and actions.  There are mean-spirited people, people with bitter spirits and those with a spirit of depression. There are many different spirits one can take on such as a spirit without hope. As Christians we should have a steadfast spirit; a spirit of Christ and a faith that doesn’t waiver.  A person who trusts God for everything and does not take their eyes off Jesus is one who has a ‘right’ spirit filled with love and hope.

“Do not cast me away from your presence.”  When we have sinned, and we all do every day, we often feel separated from God.  God doesn’t move away from us; we move away from him.  All we need to do is ask him to forgive us and it is done because of his great love for us.

“And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”  At times in our life we don’t feel very spiritual.  Our prayers don’t seem to go any higher than the ceiling and we aren’t hearing from God.  We may feel like the Holy Spirit is not leading us anywhere.  God will never take the Holy Spirit from us unless we totally turn away from him and deny the Holy Spirit. "But he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”  Mark 3:29

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”  Remember when you were first saved?  I do; I had a peace and a joy that I had never had before.  That joy just bubbled up in me and I couldn’t quit smiling.  Over time, trials and troubles can become overwhelming and little by little the joy seems to trickle out of us and we come to a dead spot.  This is when we pray and ask God to restore our joy and for God’s Spirit to lift us up.  It will happen if you are serious.  Even now, when I pray to God to restore the joy of my salvation to me, I feel tears in my eyes and the joy brings a smile to my face.  When I recall this joy, I know I am being restored.  It is God’s Spirit who carries me through.

“Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.”   This verse is so important that if you don’t get it, you’ve missed the whole message.  This should be the goal of every Christian and that is to teach others about Jesus and lead them to salvation.  In order to do this, we need to be prepared and these scriptures direct us.  THEN – you will be ready to teach others and they will be saved.

Think of these scriptures and pray about them.  God wants to use you in wonderful ways, but let him give you a new heart first.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.

Psalm 51:10-13

 

 

 

WHY GO TO CHURCH?

Why Go To Church?

 

“Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
 another,  and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”   Heb. 10:25

            “Why go to church?” is a common statement among those who claim to be a Christian but do not attend.  Then begin the excuses such as; church lasts too long; I don’t like the music; I don’t like the Pastor’s style; why do they always talk about money? Perhaps you don’t like to be involved, or you are too busy. A big excuse is, “They are all hypocrites; they aren’t as spiritual on week days.”

            Whoa, just a minute; I thought Jesus was the only ‘perfect one’.  I never did see a perfect church; neither did Jesus, who described 7 churches in Revelation 2:1-22.  These represent the various churches of today.  I especially relate to verse 15-16 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

            Let’s address some of these issues in depth:

1 – Church lasts too long:  This is a newer excuse than most.  Old Testament: Sabbath (which is our Sunday) was generally all day and they would stand for all those hours just to listen to the Word of God and worship the Lord.  New Testament: When the Apostle Paul preached, he preached so long that one man fell out the open window and was killed.  However, Paul prayed and brought him back to life.  Jesus, himself sometimes preached all day and again the next day. Some of the greatest evangelists of earlier centuries preached hours and hours and drew amazing crowds.  It has only been in the last 100-150 years that people set the Sunday service at 1-hour.  No wonder the Holy Spirit does not show up for these services.

2 – Why do they talk about money all the time?  You need money to run a church; heat, lights, water, upkeep, cleaning, equipment for music; I could go on and on about the cost of running a church If you only make $300 a week and give $30 to the Lord, you will be blessed. (Malachi 3:8-10)  Maybe you think the Pastors get too much money.  Think again; their phones ring day and night and middle of the night.  They go when they are called.  They don’t just preach Sunday and do nothing the rest of the week.  Our Senior Pastor never takes a day off; he’ll travel any distant to be with those who need him.  He is constantly being called by people who no longer attend our church, but he goes when called. He never gets to eat at a regular time, because he never knows when he will be home.  He gives his all.  Our part-time Associate Pastor spends hours at home working on the administrative part of the church.  He does the behind the scene work that no one knows about. Both pastors roll up their sleeves and do a lot of physical work needed to keep up the church.  They unplug toilets and clean floors; they repair things that are broken or cut wood for the wood burner and uncountable other things so you can be comfortable when you come to church. 

3 – You don’t come because everyone is a hypocrite.  Yes, there may be some who are, but I have heard it said that if you find a perfect church, don’t go there because it won’t be perfect then.  We are all different and even if we are saved by the blood of Christ, we are all working out our salvation with fear and trembling.  (Philippians 2:12)  We all have personality flaws and it takes a lifetime to try to become more life Jesus and will never make it until we reach heaven.  God is looking for those who give their best to serve him.  We are all sinners saved by grace.

Having a relationship with God is what should bring you to church and the desire to worship him.  If our mind was on Him and not who does this or that wrong, you would be attending church for the right reason.  If don’t come because of the hypocrites, then you are probably a greater hypocrite.  Think about that!  Worshiping is an encounter with God and hopefully changes our walk with him.

Heb. 10:25 tells to “not neglect meeting together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”  Why is that?  We need each other and we are all a part of the body of Christ.  Our moral standards are so low today that we can’t afford to fall to that level if we want to hold our family together. Our children, from very young on, need to go to classes to hear the stories of the Bible.  Actually, how many of you can say the Ten Commandments, let alone live by them?  You see how other people around you live and do the same thing without feeling guilty.  This is why we need to be in church and build your relationship with God.  He gave us a conscience to help us live better and closer to Him.  Do you want your children to grow up to be like the person you are today? 

 

Go to church for you and your family and for God; not for anyone else.

YOUR SEASON OF LIFE

Your Season of Life

 “To everything there is a season; a time for every purpose under heaven.”  Ecclesiastes. 3:1

            We have just come through what we call ‘The Holiday Season’ and now begin the season of a new year.  If you read verses 1-8, you get the picture that God wants us to see.  Just as there are seasons for the earth, so there are seasons of our life.

            It would be foolishness in the middle of winter to go out and plant the fields.  If someone dear to you has passed away, you would not laugh about it; of course not.  That is the time to weep for your loss; there will be a time where you will be able to laugh again – but not now! 

            Perhaps at this season of our life, God wants us to stop and take a look at this new year that is spread out before us.  What is it you would like to do differently than you have done in the past?  Perhaps you need to move into a new season; one you have never been in before.  This scripture tells us there is a time to live and a time to die; a time to lose and a time to win and a time to keep silent and a time to speak.

            God is in charge of all the seasons in our lives, but we don’t always follow directions.  This scripture tells us there is a time to be silent and a time to speak.  How often do we speak when we should remain silent? How often do we say things out of line or gossip, or try to find out things about people, when we should not speak, but not even listen.  If someone is ripping another person apart, perhaps then we should speak up and tell them this conversation is not what God would appreciate.

            I have to think about the fact that my season of life right now is in the form of ‘later years’.  I look at this in verse 4; “a time to mourn and a time to dance”.  I have to tell you that I would rather dance than mourn about the fact that it hurts to walk, or get up or sit down.  I would rather dance than go through multiple surgeries.  I would rather dance than depend on a walker.

            Verse 2 tells us there is “a time to be born and a time to die.”  In other words, God established a season of life for every individual and He knows the number of our years.  It is what we do with these years that count.  Age has nothing to do with following what God has called you to do. The Bible tells us in Psalm 92:14, “They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing.”  This is a season in which you can still proclaim the Word of God; still share your testimony and pray. “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.”  James 5:16

            What is your season of life?  Is it “a time to gain, and a time to lose”, or is it “a time to keep, and a time to throw away?”   If you are in your thirties you are probably concerned about finances, reaching toward goals and raising families.  That is natural at those ages, but as families grow, other things begin to overtake your life.  Don’t let your faith drop down to 5^th place instead of 1^st place.  This is when you could lose it all.   This is a time to keep; to hold on to your families, as well as your friends, while you can.  Time goes by so swiftly, make wonderful the memories now; don’t throw this season away.

            You may be in your teens or early twenties; this is “A time to embrace, or a time to refrain from embracing”.  This is a season for decisions that will affect your entire life.  You may make a decision to go out on your own; to chose a life style opposite from how you lived growing up.  It may be a decision to follow Christ, or to ignore anything spiritual.  In other words, you will embrace a life style or refrain from one that will be harmful to you.  This is your season right now and the rest of your life will be changed for the good or the bad.       

            Again I ask, what is your season of life?  What are you going to do with it?  It is important to recognize that this is the time for you to make decisions – not resolutions.  Your decision will affect not only you, but all of those you love.

 

             

PURIFICATION

Purification

 “Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.” Luke 2:22

            Jesus was born and according to the Jewish laws, any woman who gave birth to a male child had to wait 40 days before she was accepted as ‘clean’.  Then the parents would go to the temple and present their child to the Lord and give an offering of 2 turtle doves or 2 young pigeons.  This is what Joseph and Mary did as they were devout Jews.

            An elderly man named Simeon was at the temple that day.  He was a righteous man and lived his life expecting the promised Redeemer was coming any day.  When the Baby Jesus was brought there, God immediately showed Simeon who this child was and he took the baby in his arms and began praising God for the Messiah had come.  God had allowed this man to see Him before he died.  Thousands of babies and been brought to the temple over the years, but this Child was the only one sent by God to be a light unto the whole world.

            This might seem pretty strict compared to the same event today.  Purification isn’t even a common word; actually it’s only used when talking about a purifying water system.  What does purification mean?  According to numerous polls it doesn’t mean much to the average person today. Yet, it is one of the most important words for Christians.   (Numbers 19:9)

            Without purification you will not enter heaven!  I could go into those who practice sin, but I don’t want to repeat what Phil said on Duck Dynasty.  However, he did quote scripture from the Bible which is the Word of God. What do you need to do to be purified to enter heaven?         “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.”   (I John 1:7)  This is called The Purification Process.  You see, it is the ‘Blood of Jesus’ that purifies us.  Without repentance for the sin in your life, one is denying Jesus and therefore you cannot be washed clean (purified) by the cleansing of his blood.

            Yes, Jesus died on the cross for you and for me, but that doesn’t mean your home safe. (James 4:8)  I think about the woman caught in adultery and the people wanted Jesus to condemn her, but he told her she was forgiven and to go and sin no more.  No matter what the sin might be, God wants you to be forgiven, but the key in this story is to ‘go and sin no more’.

James 4:8 tells us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”  We must be purified in order to be close to God.  Some think because they believe in God, they will have eternal life.  Did you know that Satan and his demons also believe that Jesus is the Son of God.  We already know they are going to end up in the Lake of Fire at the end of time, because it is recorded in the Bible.

            You will find that the word ‘pure’ is written 102 times in the Bible and numerous times the word purified and all refer to the repentance and purification of our soul. 

            Today, as we begin a new year, let us be ‘expecting’ Jesus to return for those who are purified and will take them home with him.  Don’t be deceived by those around you who think you can feed your lusts and still be saved.  Turn to him for forgiveness and the blood he shed on the cross will wash you clean.

            May this New Year bring you power, love and a sound mind.  (2 Timothy 1:7)

 

 

Go and sin no more!

 

 

O HOLY NIGHT

O Holy Night

 “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths

 and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Luke 2:7

            The air was cold that night and the group of shepherds huddled together by the fire trying to keep warm.  It was an ordinary night in the hills outside of Bethlehem.   They talked about their families and the fear they held for King Herod. 

            In Bethlehem, the inn keeper was still grumbling about all the people he had to deal with.  He was happy to have so many staying with him, but now it was full and he had to turn away several.  The young couple stayed on his mind.  The woman looked so tired and it was obvious she was about to deliver a child.  Out of the goodness of his heart, he let them stay in the stable, but what a terrible place to give birth to a child.

            In the stable, Joseph piled clean straw as far from the animals as he could.  He then took off his cloak and laid it over the mound of straw.  Mary quickly lay down and Joseph covered her with her cloak.  He could see the tears in her eyes; tears of fear.  She was young and inexperienced; wishing her mother could be there.  She would know what to do.

            This is the way it was that first Christmas; everything was set in place for the greatest event in history.  The angels were gathered together in anticipation of what was about to take place. One angel was surrounded by a great light that shone all around them.  Joy was on the face of each angel as they sang praises to the Almighty One.

            Back in Bethlehem, out of the stillness of the night a baby’s cry rang out.  It woke the innkeeper from a restless sleep who smiled sleepily and fell into a peaceful sleep.  Other people in the inn woke up to a bright light shining in their faces only to look out at the brightest star in the sky they had ever seen.

Out on the hillside, the shepherds had just settled down by the fire when an angel appeared to them.  The Glory of God was all around them and they were so afraid they covered their faces with their arms and were ready to run when the angel called out, “Don’t be afraid.  I came to bring you the best news you ever heard.  A baby was just born in a stable in Bethlehem, who is Jesus Christ, Savior of the world.”

As the shepherds stood there, their mouths open in shock, the whole sky was suddenly filled with angels and they were all singing and glorifying God.  They sang about the earth being filled with peace and love for each other.  Just as quickly as they came – they left and the sky was dark except for a brilliant star shining down over Bethlehem.  Forgotten were the sheep as they shepherds hurriedly walked down the path towards Bethlehem.

In the stable, Mary held her newborn baby close to her breast. She had brought swaddling cloths to wrap her baby in.  Joseph had taken a small manger, filled it with fresh hay, covered it up with soft cloth and set it beside Mary for a cradle.  They had settled down when they heard voices outside the stable.  Joseph rose quickly and peered out the entrance.  There stood a group of shepherds; their faces filled with wonder as they told Joseph about the angels and their message.

Joseph went back inside and spoke to Mary who nodded and laid the baby in the manger.  Then he went back and asked the shepherds to enter.  When they looked in the manger and saw the baby, they all knelt down on the stable floor and worshipped the Child. Tears ran slowly down Mary’s face and Joseph looked on in wondered. They both realized, in that holy moment, that this child was truly the Son of God.  They were amazed that God had chosen them to be the parents of their Savior and they also worshipped the Lord. 

“Joy to the world, the Lord has come; let earth receive her King.”

 

 

                                              Have you received the King?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Gift of Christmas

The Gift of Christmas

 

“This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” NLT

 As a child, I knew only one thing about Christmas – Santa Claus!  Of course I knew the story about Baby Jesus born in a stable, but didn’t connect the two together.  It took a few more years for me to realize that the word, ‘Christmas’ was used to celebrate the event of the birth of Jesus, because it shows us the ‘Christ’ in Christmas.  Several years went by; years of joy and years of unhappiness.  There was always a yearning in my heart for something more in life and didn’t know what it was until the day he let me see what was missing; it was Jesus Christ.

He introduced himself to me 34 years ago and I would never be the same.  He took my sins and cast them in the depth of the sea, never to be remembered again.  I was forgiven of all the sinful things I did, or thought; I became a new person.  As time goes on I find myself being blessed over and over again.  I am so grateful that God sent His son to bring me out of darkness into His light.

You cannot experience Christmas for what it is, if you don’t know the Christ in Christmas.  Christmas morning, your heart should be full of joy and thankfulness for the gift of eternal life that he is offering.  Ask Jesus to be Lord of your life and he will stand by you in all circumstances.

Looking back, I can remember several special gifts I received at Christmas. The first one was my favorite doll, Ginger; white ice skates, my first skis, a stack of Nancy Drew books and my first lipstick.  I was very excited over all these gifts, but the greatest gift I ever received was Jesus.  When God gave his son, He gave the ultimate gift; his Son! We should really get very excited over this.

Let’s look deeper into this gift.  Why is it so great?

 Number 1: He promises that you will spend eternity in heaven while the alternative is eternity in hell.

 Number 2: We can live with abundant joy.

 Number 3: We can find peace and contentment.

 Number 4: We will never go without our needs being met.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.  When we accept the gift he has for us, all these good things will be given to us.  We read in the Bible about Joseph and Mary, who traveled to Bethlehem where Jesus was born.  The shepherds came and worshiped the Baby and the wise men came from a great distance to pay homage to the Child.  They fell on their knees before Him because they knew and understood who he was. 

That Christmas morning changed the entire world, whether others believe it or not.  It began with a tiny baby and will someday end with the King of Kings.  The Gift continues to give as it is passed on over the centuries.  The Gift is eternal! 

Won’t you think about this and when we accept the Gift; we must pass it on to others.  What other gift would last forever and ever?  What other gift would cost you nothing and yet be more valuable than any other thing this world has to offer?

 

Thank you, God, for giving me the Gift, your Son, Jesus the Christ.  He will be mine forever and I will also share Him with others.  Amen!