Listen for the Sound of a Trumpet

Listen for the Sound of a Trumpet

 

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 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.”                                                                     I Thessalonians 4:16-17

             Every day the news shows us how close we are to approaching the ‘last days’ as we know them from the Bible.  The surrounding countries of Israel are pushing harder and faster to break into war and Armageddon is on the horizon.  We can ignore the signs, or we can realize the truth and warn others about what is coming.  The Bible tells us what we should be doing: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand.”   Joel 2:1 

            This type of ‘Trumpet’ is to warn people of a terrible time coming on this earth; a time that we have never had to deal with, nor are prepared for. It will be a time of war; a time of terror that should fill us with fear.  There is another kind of ‘Trumpet’ which calls people to gather together. When the trumpet sounds in the sanctuary, it is time for worship:  “Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp!”  [Psalm 150:3]  However, this ‘Trumpet’ sound in I Thessalonians is the Trumpet of God and warns us that he is coming for us.

            Yet, people are not seeing or hearing the warnings all around them.  They are doing exactly what the Bible says they will do in Matthew 24:37-39; “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” 

            Just recently, someone said to me, “It hasn’t happened in 2,000 years so why think about it now?  My answer is that of all the prophecies in the Bible, almost all have come to pass.  Time means nothing to God; if he says he’s going to do something he will do it.  I Corinthians 15:51-52 says this:  “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”  It really is a mystery that only God knows when and how it will happen, but it will happen when you don’t expect it.

            If you read your Bible, you have read about the ‘end times’ and the ‘Trumpet’ blowing.  Here is another warning, “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”   [Matthew 24:31]

            All these things are going to happen suddenly.  Some years ago we had a Women’s Conference with Lois Baker and Kay Rindahl.  Lois theme for that year was “Suddenlies”.  I have never forgotten that teaching.  It came to my mind recently because so many tragedies have happened suddenly to families and friends this past year. A woman jogging down the road from her home was shot and killed.  Did she ever think she would suddenly die that day?  A father with a wife and young children went to work that day; did he think a tree would fall on him and take his life?  A young woman went to bed that night and never woke up; did she ever think she would die that night? 

            These things are called ‘Suddenlies’ and that’s what is going to happen when God, the Father, tells Jesus, His Son, “Go bring my children home.”  Then God’s trumpet will sound and suddenly those who have been waiting and listening will rise in the air and be with Jesus for ever and ever.  Those who haven’t been waiting and watching will not be taken up with Jesus. They will be left behind.  Was it because they were having too much fun or too busy; maybe they just never thought about it at all and didn’t want a relationship with the Lord. 

            At this moment it’s not too late to change and no one can promise you will even have tomorrow. Ask the Lord to forgive you for all the sinful things in your life and for Jesus to come into your heart. Ask the Lord to take you with Him when he comes.  Live for Him and live forever!

 

 

 

I AM FREE!

I AM FREE!

 “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

John 8:36

             I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t long for more freedom.  Teenagers want freedom to make their own decisions more than anything else; older people hate being tied down by illness or disability and want to be free to move around better; even toddlers want to be free from someone hanging on to them so they can’t take off running and Moms and Dads would love to break loose from their jobs and responsibilities at times and be free to spend their time as they wish. 

            There are some who actually put aside their moral and physical responsibilities and go for the freedom by leaving their families and head out away from all they know.  The fact is that no matter how far you run, you can’t find the freedom and peace that you long for.  Some are filled with unhappiness and restlessness and want to escape, but it doesn’t help.
            There is an answer; you can have peace, joy and freedom, but it comes with a price.  The price is this: give yourself to God.   I have always been looking for an adventure and had many of them, but still was unfulfilled and not feeling free. Then I met Jesus and turned my life over to Him and through Him I found real freedom.  “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

            One of my favorite songs is called, “I Am Free”.  It really speaks to my heart.

 

Through You, the darkness flees
Through You, my heart screams
I am free, yes, I am free

I am free to run

                                                                     I am free to dance
                                                                     I am free to live for You
                                                                     I am free, yes I am free

            Since becoming a Christian I have had the most exciting adventures of my life.  I have done things and traveled to places I never dreamed were possible.  There is nothing that can compare with a life of walking with Jesus.

            This week we celebrate Independence Day (4^th of July).  In 1776 the United States received their freedom from the Kingdom of Great Britain, which is now called the UK, or United Kingdom.  We were a free country and we still are.  We are free to come and go as we please in the U.S.; we can go to church, read the books we want, carry a weapon for protection and so many other freedoms we take for granted.  However, the time will no doubt come when we can’t enjoy all the freedoms we have now.
            The book of Revelation tells us of a time coming when our freedom is over and we will be ruled by the Antichrist.  We won’t be able to buy or sell; go to a doctor or dentist, etc. unless we have the mark of (the beast).  We won’t be able to go to church, because there will be a one-world religion and that won’t include believing in God Almighty.  When that time comes and it seems freedom is lost, remember a Christian’s freedom cannot be taken away by any man.  Our freedom comes from following Jesus and he will provide for us.  We must have faith in God and never take the ‘mark’ or we will be cast into the Lake of Fire with Satan.
            As we celebrate America’s freedom on the 4^th of July, also give thanks to our God for the freedom he has given us.

I am free to run,

                                                                    I am free to dance,
                                                                    I am free to live for You,
                                                                    I am free, Yes, I am free.

 

 

A WASTED LIFE

A Wasted Life

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”                                                                                                          Matthew 6:19-21 

 

            Over the years I have often wondered if the things I have done counted for anything to the Lord.  Since I gave my heart to Jesus many years ago, I have been very active in ministry.  I played piano for church, taught Bible classes, directed choirs, produced a television program and had a radio program.  Wow!  It makes me tired when I think about it now. 

            If I gave myself points for each thing I’ve done, it might add up to a fairly high number, but when I stand before the Lord someday and ask him how many points I have, he might say zero!  You see, He doesn’t look at the things we have done – he looks at the heart.  I must admit that there were times I did things in self because I wanted to impress people. (Remember, pride can cause you to fall away.)  Then the Holy Spirit would whisper quietly in my mind and remind me without Jesus I am nothing.  I realized I had to put self away keep my eyes on him if I were to do anything for the Kingdom of God.

            My husband, Jerry and I used to travel a great deal and minister to different Christian groups.  One time we were speaking at a meeting in Indiana and we had an outline on what we were going to say.  We felt pretty good about it as we walked up to the podium.  A short time later we realized a couple of people were sleeping and the rest looked pretty bored.  We looked at each other and realized we were trying to do this by ourselves.  We folded up the paper and told the people we were changing our talk and letting God take over.  We began to minister from the heart and with God guiding us, people came forward and gave their hearts to Jesus.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6)  We are warned to not attempt to do things for God by figuring out what we should do, but trust God with our whole heart to lead us in the direction he wants us to go.  Then don’t try to take credit for any of it, but acknowledge that it was the Lord that gave it to you. 

There are times the Lord calls you to do something that you don’t want to do and you have a choice to make.  God gives his children gifts and he expects us to use them. In fact, in I Timothy 6:14 “Do not neglect the gift that is in you….”  God has a plan for you and lays it out before you.  What you do with it is up to you; the only thing that matters is where your heart is in this matter.

 The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”  This is when you will know if you have lived a wasted life or a life lived for Christ.  Praise God for being a merciful and forgiving Father who loves us.

If this teaching has touched your heart, stop right now and ask the Lord to forgive you for not using the gifts he has given you and for the times you did, but not with your heart.  I know I ask God to forgive me and help me to use my heart to minister in his power and not mine.  Who knows what lives will be changed because of your obedience? 

Don’t let it be said of you, “He, (or she) lived a wasted life.

 

Are You On A Wanted Poster?

Are You on a Wanted Poster?

 

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”  John 15:16

 

            I love this scripture that tells me God wants me; he chose me for a purpose.  He has always wanted me and he wanted you.  I only had to say “Yes”.  We are all on ‘Wanted Posters’ and God’s eyes are always looking for us.  It is another way that shows how God loves us and wants us to turn ourselves in and give our hearts to him.

 

            Once our heart belongs to him, we have a purpose to fulfill.  In 2 Peter 1:10-11, God shows us what to do.  “So, dear friends, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Doing this, you will never stumble or fall away.  And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”   This is our reward if we give ourselves to the Lord.

 

            If we choose not to answer God’s call, these are the results:  “I called you so often, but you didn't come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention.  You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered. So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you.”  (Proverbs 1:24-26)   This is nothing to ignore.  If you are struggling to answer the call of God, here are some answers to help you.

 

Like the title scripture, Jesus said, “Whatever you ask the Father in My name, he may give

You”.  How do we go about that?  Go to Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”  Here is the beginning – God Wants You!  He has such wonderful plans for you; things you have never heard of, or hoped for.

 

If you want to answer God’s call, you must understand this:  “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)  You see not only does God want you, but he wants to bless you with everything good thing.  Turn yourself over to God and look at this great reward waiting for you.

 

If you’ve ever made any mistakes in your life (didn’t we all?), God knows each one of them. There is only one thing you need to do and it is so simple.  Just ask God’s forgiveness and it’s done!  The Bible clearly tells us that “He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”  (Micah 7:19) That means he won’t ever remember those sins because they are covered over by the death of Jesus on the Cross at Calvary.  He already paid for your sins.

 

It seems like we tend to make things so difficult when they are really simple.  You may be on a wanted poster, but you have to respond to it by deciding if you die you want to go to Heaven or Hell.  God wants you, but do you want him; that’s the decision you have to make.  Your mother or dad can’t make it for you; your pastor can’t do it; being confirmed or baptized isn’t going to save you.  Get serious; who knows if you’ll still be here tomorrow.

 

Just remember, you’re on a Wanted Poster and you can’t hide from God.

DON'T FENCE ME IN

DON’T FENCE ME IN

 

Revelation 3:15-16

“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.”

 

       To put it in simple terms, it’s called, ‘sitting on the fence’.  I believe too many ‘Christians’ today are fence sitters.  They don’t want to make a full commitment to Jesus, because there are some things in the world they don’t want to give up.  They don’t want to be fenced in.  We are going to talk about some of the things in the Bible that you may need to change in your life if you want to get off the fence.

      One of those things is found in Colossians 3:8 “But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.”  Let’s start with dirty language.  You may go to church and tell people you are a Christian and believe in God, but remember Satan also believes in God and what is he doing about it?  What comes out of your mouth defines who you really serve.  These are the words Jesus spoke:  “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.”  Matthew 12:34-35                      
      Do you really want your children or grandchildren to speak the things you do?  The verse above clearly says how we should be talking and if you aren’t you are a fence sitter. 
      Fences were primarily built to keep some things from getting out and other things from getting in. Fences are made for protection.  This is why God wants to keep us safe by keeping us off the fence.  If we are teetering on top of the fence, we are neither hot nor cold for Him.  There is a chance we will turn cold and eventually fall into Hell.  Being fenced in is for protection, love, peace, direction, joy and self-control.  When we can’t make up our mind whom we will serve makes us lukewarm and God will spit us out of his mouth; meaning to cast us away from him.
      This isn’t a game folks; you can’t play games with God.  Either you are for God or you are against him; Jesus said in Matthew 12:30 “He who is not with me is against me”.  You may call yourself a Christian, but without that decision to serve God and him alone, you are not under God’s protection and care.
      A line in that old song, “Don’t Fence Me In” says “I can’t look at hobbles and I can’t stand fences” and another line says, “Send me off forever, but I ask you please, don’t fence me in.”  It might as well read as ‘Let me go God, to do my own thing and take away your protection and love because I don’t need it.’
     Another thing in Colossians 3:8 tells us we need to get rid of anger and rage.  “I’ll just pretend I’m a nice person and no one will ever know what I really feel about certain things.”  No!  God knows how you feel and he knows the anger inside of you.  What if you lose control someday and hurt someone, could you forgive yourself?  The answer to getting over anger is to give it to God and you do that by getting off the fence and giving your whole heart to Jesus.  Half-heartedness never gets the job done. 
     Behavior really sums up which side of the fence you are on.  When you act like a crude, dirty-minded low-life, irresponsible idiot, you probably are.  If you stop to think about it, God is watching you.  There is an old Christian song that goes like this: “His eye is on the sparrow and I know he’s watching me.”  He sees all the good in you and me as well as all the bad; I don’t want to disappoint him.  
     “Don’t Fence Me In” is a fun song but if you are planning a future in heaven someday, don’t tell God that. It’s either all or nothing with the Lord and being a lukewarm Christian isn’t acceptable to God.  Get off the fence and get going for Jesus.  You will never have regrets.                                    

GONE FISHING

Gone Fishing

   “Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 (NKJV)

            Have you ever noticed when people talk about fishing they think in terms of men (fishermen)?  That is not always true.  Personally, I love to fish and plan on doing that this summer.  I like nothing better than to be out on the lake in my son’s pontoon boat with a fish pole in my hand.  It’s so calming and peaceful.  

I remember how my father took me fishing for bullheads one night.  It was dark and we were sitting in the boat in a cove off McLaren Lake when suddenly my dad pulled in a big bullhead.  I don’t know how many of you have seen a live bullhead, but they are ugly and have little horns coming out both sides of their head; they try to sting you while taking them off the hook. In the dark of the night with only a flashlight or lantern, they were terrifying to me as a child.  I caught some too, but I sure didn’t touch them.  When we finally got back to the dock my dad got out of the boat, and then shined his light down so I could climb out, but as he held the light it shone down in the water by the boat. There, in the water was a huge black water snake.  I screamed and wouldn’t come out of the boat; it took a long time to convince me it wouldn’t come after me.  That was my first and last fishing in the dark for bullheads.  I must say the reward is eating them as they are delicious.

The Bible talks about fishing and many of Jesus disciples were fishermen and that was how they made a living.  Then Jesus came along and called them to follow him and they dropped their nets and went with him.  I don’t know what they expected they would do while they walked with him, but Jesus told them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  This was new to these rough, uneducated fishermen and when they had to put into practice what Jesus told them to do, I can imagine they were just as terrified as I was when I fished for bullheads in the dark.

‘Fishing for men’ is rather an analogy of ‘fishing in the dark’ in that you don’t know the person you are trying to tell about Jesus.  It can be a frightening experience for some people who have never witnessed before.  These people could turn on you with viciousness and you might even get hurt.  Yet, they may hear and believe what you are telling them and receive Jesus as their Savior.  There is no greater joy than to lead someone to the Lord. 

Most of the time, God will direct you to certain people who are open to hearing what you have to say to them.  I have found the best way to witness is to simply share what God has done in your life.  That should not be difficult; He provides your needs daily.  If you love the Lord it will be something you want to do.  Even if you have anxious times, don’t let it stop you.  The best job in this world is being a ‘fisher of men’.

Remembering Memorial Day

Remembering Memorial Day

Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war

                               break out against me, even then will I be confident.  Ps. 27:3

            There have been wars since almost the beginning of time and shall be until the end (Dan. 9:26).  However, most of you have never experienced a World War.  Some fought bravely and many died in Korea, or in Vietnam, but as bad as it was, the whole world was not at war since World War II.  Many people today do not even know what Patriotism is.  They do not understand why eyes fill with tears when saluting the American flag, or why tears flow while listening to the song, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty.”

            The word, ‘Patriotism’, means “devotion to ones country”.  Yet, how little respect many Americans have for the United States and how little for the ‘red, white and blue’.  Those without respect for country and flag are trampling on the graves of the hundreds of thousands who fought and died for love of country.  If only we could see what America would have been like if it weren’t for those brave men.

            Let me tell you of one such man.  He was young – just turned eighteen when war with Japan broke loose.  He lied his age to get in the military and joined the army to see the world, but not in the way he experienced it.  After basic training, he was stationed at Hawaii, a paradise for a small town boy.  He left home with the fear of God in his heart, but the world quickly drew him into its snare.  He partied in paradise completely oblivious to the fact that paradise was about to be turned into Hell.  He had a 3-day pass and headed away from Scoffield Barracks early in the morning, on his motorcycle, along with some of his buddies.

            Suddenly the sky was filled with planes, bombs dropping everywhere and fighter planes riddling everything that moved with the staccato of thousands of rounds of ammunition.  The boys turned around their motorcycles and headed back to camp.  The young man grabbed an anti aircraft gun of a soldier who had fallen and he began shooting, not knowing or caring who the enemy was.

            That day, the news read like this:

“Early in the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese submarines and carrier-based planes attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. Nearby military airfields were also attacked by the Japanese planes. Eight American battleships and 13 other naval vessels were sunk or badly damaged, almost 200 American aircraft were destroyed, and approximately 3000 naval and military personnel were killed or wounded. The attack marked the entrance of Japan into World War II on the side of Germany and Italy, and the entrance of the United States on the Allied side.”   On December 11, 1941, Germany also declared war on the United States.  The entire world was then at war.        

            When the young man went back to his barracks, it had almost been destroyed.  The water pipes were broken and many soldiers were killed as they slept in their bunks, which left the floor awash with bloody water.  His bunk, an upper one, was riddled with bullet holes, which went through killing the soldier beneath.  Truly, it was by the grace of God, he was spared.

From there he was shipped out to the island of New Guinea where he fought the Japanese for the next four years.  He was gone from his home five years to the day, when he returned. It wasn’t until he was in his sixties that the U.S. government honored him for his heroism at Pearl Harbor.  He received medals and a flag from the state capitol.  He was extremely proud of his service to his country.  He belonged to an elite group called, “Pearl Harbor Survivors”.

The horrors of the things he experienced were to remain with him the rest of his life. Over the years, he tried to drown the memories out with alcohol.  He spoke often of being a loner, who would take his camper out to isolated spots where he would just sit by a camp fire and think.  In his later years, he dried out and became a pleasanter person, but his life style of alcohol and cigarettes dissipated his body and at seventy-two, he passed from this world.  How do I know all this about the young man?  He was my brother.

War does horrible things to people.  Some are affected more than others, but no one is ever the same.  My brother was much older than I was, but as a child, I too was touched by the war.  I grieved for the brother that carried me on his shoulders, or played horsy so I could ride on his back.  I lost him when he left for the service and that loving, caring brother never returned.  He would forever be a stranger to me.

            As we remember the brave on Memorial Day, let us take a spiritual look at fighting in the service – the service of the King.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”           Eph. 5:10-13

            The same spiritual enemy, who worked through the World Wars, is still warring against us.  He wants to defeat us and drive us into a hopeless lifestyle.  He won’t give up, but the good news is, God has provided for us, so we can stand against him.  We don’t have to turn to the things of the world.  We don’t have to be blind, wretched and naked.  Not when we can put on the whole armor of God.  Verse 18 says, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”

             Today let us remember those who gave their lives for our country. Also, there are multitudes of unsung Christian heroes and martyrs who have paved the way for us.  Let us hold their service dear to our hearts and be proud to be a part of the Kingdom of God, which is the true “Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave”.