Thanks-Giving

Thanks-Giving

“But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving;

 I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”  (Jonah 2:9)

    Like everyone else, I’ve been thinking about Thanksgiving Day approaching.  Most years we set around the table and say what each of us is thankful for.  Typical thanks are for family, friends, loved ones, etc.  However this year I really have searched deeper into my heart on what Thanksgiving really means. 

What I found was amazing.  Almost everything I found about thanksgiving involved the last half of the word and that is Giving.  It includes sacrifice and generosity to God and to others.  The above scripture says it well; Jonah sacrificed to God with thanksgiving. 
 
We see in Psalm 50:14 that we should “Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.”

What this means is to give God thanksgiving and then give Him sacrifices and tithes.  This is called a ‘thank-offering sacrifice’ as is written in Leviticus 7:12.

We are told all through the Bible that God wants us to prosper. Why does he want us to prosper? So we can give and help others.  Now you may be thinking that God hasn’t prospered you and you don’t understand it.  Perhaps it’s because of the way we handle things.  This is how it works: first you give God thanksgiving, then you give from what you have and after that God will begin to prosper you.

2^nd Corinthians 9:11 explains it further, “Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.” How great is this?  When we give to others then they can also praise God with thanksgiving.

This is a true story.  A young couple and their two children who lived nearby our church were very poor and didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, came to our Food Pantry.  Soon they began attending church and gave their hearts to the Lord.  They had almost no money, but began receiving food stamps.  Out of their love of God, they began tithing from their food stamps.  They brought a portion and gave it back to the food pantry.  The father found a job and soon moved his family into a decent home and had a car given to them.  They prospered and continued to offer thanksgiving to God. 

After some time they chose to do other things and quit giving to God; not only their tithes, but their time and talents.  Within a very short time they lost their home, jobs, and car. It wasn’t long and they were back where they started.

I’m not saying God punished them by taking things away; they did that to themselves.  However, there is a plan that God shows to us in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.”  

He also shows us that when we give him praise and thanksgiving, we can ask him for what we need.  Look at this in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Thanksgiving flows back and forth to God and from God.  So on this time that we celebrate with family and friends, let us “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving” Psalm 147:7

Let us “Give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20  

Don't Eat Yellow Snow

Don’t Eat Yellow Snow

“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”  Psalm 51:7 (NLT)

It never failed for my mother to caution me to never eat yellow snow.  The way she said it put fear in my heart than I would probably die if I ate yellow snow.  I don’t think she ever told me why, but I knew it was really bad!  So I never did eat it, thankfully.  I also never ate snow with little black things in it, which was soot from the coal furnaces.  However, white snow was clean and pure in those days and we all enjoyed it.

 
Sin reminds me of something I shouldn’t consume because it might kill me; like yellow snow.  The Bible tells us that “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 6:23] What does this have to do with snow?  The above scripture explains it all; if we ask God to forgive us, he does it immediately and purifies us by washing us clean and here’s the big TRUTH – He makes us “whiter than snow!”

Sin is dirty in the eyes of God and the only way to get rid of it is to ask God to forgive us and purify us.  You may think that God doesn’t hear your prayers because of the life you lived; not true. God is always waiting to hear from you.  In fact, in Isaiah 1:18 he calls you to him, “Come now, and let us reason together," Says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” 

How does God wash our sins away?  We are washed clean by the blood Jesus shed for us on the cross.  There is no other way; bleach will not take out the black sin of our life, not any kind of soap or detergent only the blood of Jesus can remove sin.  1 John 1:7 explains it simply, “…the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”  Now, if you have asked God, the Father to forgive you of your past sins and the Blood of Jesus Christ has washed you spiritually and made you white as snow, there is no way God can see your sin any longer.  In fact He says in Psalm 103:12, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”  And in Micah 7:19, “He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

Our past has been washed away and we are clean; we are forgiven and God has forgotten our sins, so what is holding you back from serving God with your whole heart?  If you are a parent you probably understand this better than many because if your child has done something wrong, you may have let them know they were naughty, but you still loved them and taught them right from wrong, and your love washed it all away and you didn’t keep bringing it up. 

That’s how our heavenly Father is and when he looks at us, we are white as snow.  Many years ago we used to sing this song that explains how God sees you:

I am covered over with the robe of righteousness that Jesus gives to me,  

I am covered over with the precious blood of Jesus and he lives in me.      

What a joy it is to know, my Heavenly Father loves me so, He gives to me my Jesus.  

When he looks at me, he sees not what I used to be, but he sees Jesus.   

                                                           

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                          

His Grace is Sufficient

His Grace is Sufficient

2 Corinthians 12:9
 “He said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”

 I was reading a book the other day that had this scripture in it that said, “My grace is sufficient.”  Almost everyone has either read or quoted this many times and I wondered if I could find a study about it.  Most things I read were quite simple; “God’s grace is enough.”  It couldn’t get any plainer than that, but I felt there was much more to it and much deeper so I went to the Source – the Word!

I found that Mercy and Grace go hand in hand. His grace shows up when we can’t do something for ourselves; when we are weak in an area of our lives.  Grace comes when we let God take over. There are many Bible passages that show the weakness of mankind and the power of God’s grace to overcome that weakness.  Why does grace appear?  It’s because of God’s mercy which if given because of his compassion, kindness and love.

I think of Moses when he met God at the burning bush and God told him to go to Egypt and speak to the Pharaoh.  Moses argued with God and said he could not speak well and God told him that he would put the words in his mouth. God was angry with Moses, but in his mercy and grace, forgave him and provided for him.     [Exodus 4:10-12] When Moses was weak, then God’s power could work in him and looked what happened in Egypt.

There are times in all our lives that we feel weak and helpless; that is when God is able to work in us and through us.  I like the way the Living Bible reads in I Corinthians 12:9, “My power works best in weakness”. If you look back over time since you have been saved, you will find countless times that God’s mercy and grace were at work in your life. 

Grace is not a ‘corporate’ thing, but is a personal sign of love between you and God Almighty.  As a person I am not all-sufficient; every day I ask God to help me with issues I cannot control.  Here are a few things you may daily have to face.

1.      Lack of financial provision

2.      Conflict with family, friends or others

3.      When people have failed you

4.      When you have a need

5.      When you are weak in body or in spirit

6.      Uncertainty in the direction you need to go

7.      When you don’t want to surrender to God’s way

8.      When fear overtakes you

9.      When you are discontented

10.  When you feel trapped in a situation

I could go on and on about the need for God’s Grace and Mercy.  There is an old hymn that is titled. “I Need Thee Every Hour”; this is my heart’s cry.  God is there for you and in spite of your failures, he is waiting to fill you with his grace.  We tend to take credit for many things we may accomplish, but the truth is without His grace we are nothing.

God is truly all we need; His grace is sufficient.  The Lord told Paul, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” [2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT]) Any successes I have accomplished are because of God’s grace and I praise God for His mercy.  Give it all to God and sit back and watch His grace at work.

 

 

 

 

 

The Blessing of Adoption

The Blessing of Adoption

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.  Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 (NLT)

  When we are ‘born again’ we become sons and daughters of God and ‘joint heirs’ with Jesus Christ, God’s Son.  How does that work?  ‘Born again’ means that when we ask Jesus into our hearts we become a new person.  Our desires change; our attitudes change and love becomes stronger than hate and bitterness in our lives.   
                                                                                                                                                              We are no longer ‘slaves to sin’.  Slaves to sin run to every evil thing they can think of and at the same time fear what would happen to them if they were to die.  However, when we receive Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell inside your heart and your mind; God now calls us ‘His children’.  We have been adopted into the family of God.  The Jewish people are God’s special people that He considers his own children and in the Bible are referred to as ‘the olive tree.  Now we are grafted into the branch to become one with all his children.  Not all the Jewish people chose to follow God and were like branches broken off the tree.  “Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ.”  Romans 11:19-20 (NLT)

 Grafting is a process that is very powerful; tissues from one plant are inserted into those of another so that the two sets of tissues may join together.  That way both parts receive strength from the root to live and to grow. The root of the tree is symbolic for Jesus, Son of God.  In Romans 15:12, God tells us who this root is: "There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope."
                                                                                                                                                                          Now that we have been adopted and grafted in, we are actually God’s real children.  This has opened up the privilege for us to call God “Daddy”.  Where it says in the key scripture that now we can call him “Abba”, we find that in Old Testament times the word Abba was written in Aramaic and was the same as the word “Daddy”.  How often, as a child, did you call on your father, calling him ‘Daddy’?  There was a special relationship there and the same is true with God, the Father.  

 What a blessing to be able to go directly into the throne room of God and experience the intimacy of calling him ‘Daddy’?  The God that created this entire world and the uncountable stars in heaven is my ‘Daddy’; I stand in awe and wonder at such a blessing and this is just the beginning of blessings when you are a child of God.  
                                                                                                                                                                       Now we know that Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords is the son of God the Father.  If we are the sons and daughters of God, we are also brothers and sisters of Jesus and are called “Joint heirs with Jesus Christ.” Romans 8:17: “And if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.”   We have inherited everything that Jesus has; the earth and the fullness within it. “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.”   2 Timothy 2:12

 Perhaps you have been poor in your life and never had much of anything, well just wait, my friend for someday you will inherit the riches of heaven and earth.  Perhaps you have lived a life lacking nothing; when you realize you will inherit the riches of heaven, you will realize, in comparison, you were really poor and needy.  The richest thing you can ever have in this life and in eternity, is the love of a heavenly Father who gave his only Son, at that time, to die a horrible death on the cross so you might have the blessings of adoption.  Those blessings are too numerous to count, but someday you will enjoy them fully.

 Give praise to God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Son, for the privilege of living for Him today and forever.  Amen!

 

 

 

Celebrating Halloween

“Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity;

and do not let me eat of their delicacies.”  Psalm 141:4 (NKJV)
 

     The word Hallow means to “make or set apart as holy” and to respect or honor greatly; revere.  Jesus himself told the disciples that an example of prayer is what we call “The Lord’s Prayer”. In this prayer he used these words; “hallowed be thy name.”  It is obvious that the word ‘Hallow’ is directly linked to God [our Father which is in heaven].  How did this word change to Halloween and how we celebrate it today?

      Originally this celebration was an unholy ritual used by the Roman’s and the Celtic Druids [you can look this up anywhere on the internet]. During the Middle Ages (about 600 years ago), the Roman Catholic Church at that time, decided to make the change-over from pagan religion to Christianity a bit easier, and therefore allowed the new converts to maintain some of their pagan feasts. It was agreed, however, that from now on they were to be celebrated as "Christian" feasts. So instead of praying to their heathen gods, they would now pray to the saints and remember their deaths.  For this reason the church decided to call November 1 the "Day of All Saints".  

     The name, Halloween, comes from the Catholic, ‘All Hallows Eve’. In 1745 this name evolved into Halloween because the Scots used the word ‘een’ for eve; thus the name Halloween and has been called that through the years.  As time went on it became more and more a secular celebration.  In the seventeen hundreds it was not at all ‘spooky’, but was celebrated by lighting candles and placing them on the graves.  There were many more practices over the centuries, such as believing souls of the dead returned to their homes and so they had parties for the souls, followed by eating and drinking and building bonfires.

     As we know, Halloween is definitely not celebrated as a Holy Day, or Eve.  It tends to be directed toward things of evil which is against Christian beliefs, because of the comparison of a Hallowed God, the Father, and the Hallow of evil practices by cults.  The practice of dressing up with masks and trick or treating only began in 1927 in Canada and eventually spread to the U.S.  Where did the tradition of carving pumpkins come from? Centuries ago, people carved out turnips and put a candle in them to light the way as they went from house to house celebrating.  Some would carve faces on the turnips or paint things on them.  Thus in the nineteen hundreds, in America, people began carving pumpkins and putting a candle in them.

     Is there anything wrong in our children dressing up in costumes and going out to gather up candy?  Probably not in itself, because most of these children are not thinking they are doing anything evil; they are just having fun.  Knowing the history of Halloween, it is up to parents to decipher the pros and cons for their children.  The Bible says we should train up our children in the ways of the Lord.  If you feel this does not oppose the Word of God, you will probably let your children Trick or Treat. 

     We have alternatives to celebrating Halloween such as Harvest Parties, family get-togethers or school activities.  Kids can dress up like cartoon characters, Bible characters or animals, but dressing up like something dead or evil should not be something you should select for your children.   Some of these things must be so offensive to our heavenly Father, like pregnant angels, or pregnant nuns; cute little devils or ghosts.  How about zombies?  They might sound funny to some, but are against the Word of God.

     “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” [Hebrews 9:27]  People are not going to wander around half dead and half alive.  The Devil isn’t cute!  God’s heavenly creation – angels are not going to be pregnant for they are neither male nor female.  Let’s be real; there is nothing funny about evil! 

     A word of advice, when you are out trick or treating on Halloween and you get a creepy feeling that someone or something may be watching you or following you, you are probably right.  Just remember these spirits are not from God, so where do you think they came from?



Battle of Armageddon

The Battle of Armageddon

“And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon.”                                                                                                   Revelation 16:16 (NLT)

            As we have read the last couple of weeks, there is a great war yet to come and most call it ‘Armageddon’, but that is only to explain where it will take place.  This war could also be called ‘World War III’, which will come after a series of smaller wars.  To know when this final war comes, we need to go back to some Bible prophesies.

           Following the war of ‘God and Magog’ that we read about last week, the Antichrist will rise in power and a 7-year peace treaty will be signed with Israel.  This will be the beginning of the seven year Tribulation.  Daniel 9:27 describes what this treaty is about.  “The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings.”  He is showing that a new Temple will be built in Jerusalem and the Antichrist will enter in and proclaim himself to be God. Then begins the last half of Tribulation and the ‘Wrath of God’ will fall on the world. (Read: Matthew 24:15-21)
            Jesus tells us when this will take place and this is what he said, “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”.   Matthew 24:29-30 (NLT)
            Then all of the nations and peoples will gather together in a valley east of Mount Megiddo.  The book of Revelation 16:16 tells us that this place, in Hebrew, is called Armageddon.  That is why it’s called the Battle of Armageddon, but in reality it is a war that ends all wars.  The battle begins and Jesus returns to fight this great battle.  “He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.”  Revelation 19:13-14 (NKJV).
            The battle ends in one day and this clearly explains how it ends. “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Revelation 19:20 (NKJV) This will usher in the Millennium where Christ will rule and reign for 1000 years.
            Now this is really a very short description of the great final war; many things will happen during the 7-year period leading up to it.  The antichrist has yet to appear and the 7-year treaty for Israel hasn’t happened yet.  Two great witnesses will arrive in Jerusalem and will prophesy in the streets for 3 ½ years.  The enemy is powerless to kill them until God says it’s enough.  Then they will be killed and lay dead in the street for 3 ½ days while the enemy parties.  Suddenly, God sends breath back into their bodies and they stand up.  Terror strikes the world and then God calls to them, “Come on up” and they rise up into the heavens like Jesus did in Acts 1:9.   
            After this the Wrath of God begins to fall on this world as we read about in Matthew 24:29.  “Immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will turn dark, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the universe will be shaken.”  The earth will not be as we know it today and we can only pray that God will deliver us from the wrath to come.  (See 1 Thessalonians 1:10)
                Whenever all these things happen, it is important to turn your life over to God Almighty.  You may be a great person, full of wisdom and knowledge, talented and doing things for the church, but if you haven’t given your life to Jesus, it really doesn’t count in the end.  You’ve heard the phrase, ‘sold out to Jesus’?  It may not say it that way in the Bible, but over and over again it says to follow Jesus.  Let your life stand for something; make God number one in your life and everything else will fall into place.  Just talk to God like you would talk to someone very close to you.  I promise He will hear and answer you.  Only God can save you from what is coming sooner or later, but it will come because He said it.  Amen.



War of Gog and Magog

The War of Gog and Magog

“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries,

                  and bring you into your own land.”       Ezekiel 36:24

 

 This is part 2 of 3 parts concerning present wars and wars to come.  This is a prophecy given in the time of Ezekiel and was fulfilled in 1948 when Israel became a nation once again.  Then in Ezekiel 38:11, we read about Israel being a peaceful people who live in cities that have no walls or gates.  This is how Israel is at this present time in history and we know that the surrounding nations want to destroy Israel.  It is also prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39 that those nations will gather to cause war, which in the Bible is called the Battle of God and Magog. Now let’s see what is beginning to fulfill this prophecy.

Let me make clear that this battle, or war, is not the same as the Battle of Armageddon, which we will discuss next week.  The Bible names nations at that time, but today we know them as Iran, Libya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Turkey and other Muslim nations which are known as Magog.  Islam will call this ‘jihad’ and consider it a religious war against Jews and Christians.  Many believe that Russia will lead this invasion.  Why Russia?  They have long wanted the water port and the oil wells on the Arabian Peninsula so they can once again become a ‘super power’.

Russia is busy arming several of these countries of which most, or all, hate Jews and Christians. So they will be involved in some way. How will the United States fit into this?  Seeing how they are reacting at this time to ISIS, it’s hard to tell.  However, looking at Matthew 24:16-20, Jesus said that when the Anti-Christ is in Jerusalem and in the temple telling that he is God, the people should get out of the city and into the mountains. How will they get there?  Revelation 12:14 may be the answer to the U.S. being involved. “But the woman was given two wings of a “great eagle” that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.”  In earlier blogs I have explained why the U.S. is considered the eagle in Daniel 7:4. If this is correct, then it is possible that the U.S. helps the Israelis escape to the mountains.  It appears the mountain referred to Petra in Jordan, south of the Dead Sea.  It is amazing in that there is only one entrance to this historic city where the huge buildings were carved out of the rock.  It was once used as a place of safety and according to theologians will be used again as a place of safety in the end days.

On a day yet to come, this group will come together and descend on the mountains of Israel.  When they come in to Israel, we are told what will happen to them in Ezekiel 39:2-6; God will cause a great earthquake to kill them.  “You and your army and your allies will all die on the mountains. I will feed you to the vultures and wild animals. You will fall in the open fields, for I have spoken, says the Sovereign LORD.”  In verse 12 it says that it will take 7 months to bury the bodies and cleanse the land. Also, Israel will take all the weapons and arms that are left.  Ezekiel also talks about this being a 7-year period of clean-up.  The only 7-year period mentioned in the Bible is the 7-year Tribulation, so in all probability this Battle of Gog and Magog will take place between now and the beginning of Tribulation.  The Battle of Armageddon will take place at the end of the Tribulation.

            Somewhere in this timeframe, the Anti-Christ will put together a 7-year peace treaty between Israel and her Muslim neighbors.  This treaty will give Israel the right to build a temple beside the Mosque on the temple mount, and they will once again begin to offer live sacrifices.  Israel as a whole will accept the Anti-Christ until he desecrates the temple and names himself ‘God’. Then they will see the horrors of the Wrath of God.  [Read of this in Revelation]

            If we are still on this earth and if the Rapture has not come, there is no need to worry. At this point in time, 1 Thessalonians 1:10 tells us “to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”   No one knows for a certainty when the Rapture will occur, but we know it will be before the wrath of God falls on this earth.  Don’t be left behind; ask God to forgive you of your sins and to live in your heart.  Then when the Rapture comes, you will go with Jesus to live in heaven forever more. 

            Trust God and believe his Word for it is always true. [Thessalonians 4:17-18] “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.