A BREATHTAKING VIEW OF GRACE

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another."
                                                                                        John 1:16

There are in my life when I am breathkess. It may come when someone gives me a gift I never expected. At other times it comes from seeing an incredible painting or from reading a beautiful story. And , of course, there is always that moment when I see breathtaking view" of nature.
      I can feel that way spiritually at times. Consider the grace of God in Now that's breathtaking!
      I've grown to see grace on its own as parr and parcel of our incredible Lord. His grace saved me. His grace sustains my life. His grace showers rain and sun on the good and evil. His grace withholds judgement on nations. Inexplicable, His grace,. But I accept it and live on.
     But grace upon grace?! I'm floored. What can I say? His grace upon grace not only lets me live, His grace lets me serve, it lets me worship, it lets me take His name as my own, it called me by name, it grants me fullness of life as John says.
     His grace upon grace is too much for me. Sometimes I cry out for God to remove it because there is no way I deserve such grace. At that very moment His Spirit says, "Im glad you see your complete dependence on Me. Now, loosen your limbs. Clear your throat. I've got more work for you to do. And more grace."
      My breath restored, I live and move again until another day when He takes away my breath again.
Lord, You ate too good to me. I don't deserve even the simple pleasures of life, let alone Your bountiful grace. It's too much. But teach me how to move according to that grace. For by it You will be glorified and I shall rejoice.
                                                                           

MUCH BELOVED

At the begining of your supplication the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.
                                                                                   Daniel 9:23 

       For you are beloved." Could there be any words from God more welcome than these? Daniel was in exile in Babylon as a result of his nation's utter defeat by the Babylonians. He desperately wanted to make sense of his circumstances. So he did what he had done so many times before: he prayed. God immediately dispatched the angel Gabriel. Gabriel revealed that God had sent him to Daniel at the beginning of his supplication. God did not even wait for Daniel to finished his prayer: Why? Because God loved Daniel greatly. What a marvelous testimony! There had been times when Daniel's love for God had been put to the test, Now, when Daniel was in need, God was quick to respond in love to him.
       God wants to answer the prayer of those who hearts are completely His (2 Chron. 16:9). God can accurately orient you to the events of your day. Media, public opinion, and political leaders cannot tell you the truth of your circumstances. His answer may come immediately as it did in Daniel's case, or it may be delayed, but it will come (Dan.10:13). If it seems as though everything is crumbling around you, and you wonder why you do not see God's activity, take comfort in knowing that you are loved in heaven . If you are genuinely seeking God's answers, you can go to your Father confidently with your question. He will respond to you in love (Luke 11:5-13).

MUCH BELOVED

At the begining of your supplication the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.
                                                                                   Daniel 9:23 

       For you are beloved." Could there be any words from God more welcome than these? Daniel was in exile in Babylon as a result of his nation's utter defeat by the Babylonians. He desperately wanted to make sense of his circumstances. So he did what he had done so many times before: he prayed. God immediately dispatched the angel Gabriel. Gabriel revealed that God had sent him to Daniel at the beginning of his supplication. God did not even wait for Daniel to finished his prayer: Why? Because God loved Daniel greatly. What a marvelous testimony! There had been times when Daniel's love for God had been put to the test, Now, when Daniel was in need, God was quick to respond in love to him.
       God wants to answer the prayer of those who hearts are completely His (2 Chron. 16:9). God can accurately orient you to the events of your day. Media, public opinion, and political leaders cannot tell you the truth of your circumstances. His answer may come immediately as it did in Daniel's case, or it may be delayed, but it will come (Dan.10:13). If it seems as though everything is crumbling around you, and you wonder why you do not see God's activity, take comfort in knowing that you are loved in heaven . If you are genuinely seeking God's answers, you can go to your Father confidently with your question. He will respond to you in love (Luke 11:5-13).

RISKS AND REWARDS

By faith thr harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.
                                                                             Hebrews 11:31

Rahab took a great risk when she hid two Hebrew spies from the king of Jericho and his army. Yet her risk was not impulsive or foolish. She heard the stories if Israel's victories and the works if their God. She believed by faith that God would indeed destroy the city if Jericho. She knew in the her heart that her risk would result in a great reward.
      We know from Scripture that God honored Rahab's  risk. She and her household were the only ones spared drom destruction in Jericho. She began a new life, marrying a Jewish man, and eventually became a part if the genealogy if the Lord Jesus Christ.
     A one time in your life, you took a risk like Rahab. You made a covenant based on faith to save you from the destructionif sin. You made a decision, that some wiuldczll risky, to follow Jesus. Was the risk worth it? Yes! Unlike others risks in life, God always delivers on His promises. Thank God for the gift if your salvation!








  

MONEY TALK

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, not to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God.
                                                                            1 Timonthy 6:17
Marilyn and Steve had been married just a few years, and money was tight. But as she looked at their threadbare bedspace, she wanted ti replace it. So she decided she would buy a new one with credit card--hoping to somehow find the money to pay it off.
     Her devotional reading for the day suprised her when it pointed her to proverb 22:27. "If you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you" (NIV). Marilyn decided not to go into debt for new bedspread that day.
    Decisions about the way we spend our money are a personal matter between us and the Lord and can be difficult to make. But God hasn't left us without help. He tells us: "Honor the Lord with your possessions" (Proverb 3:9). and "You cannot serve both God and Money" (Matt. 6:24 NIV).
   With such truths in mind we look further in His word for help to use money wisely. We find this "Beware of covetousness" (Luke 12:15). Another says, "The borrower is servant to lender" (Prov.22:7). And in 1Timothy we read. be ready to give, willing to share" (6:18).
   Money is a big issue. God, who provides for all our needs, can show us how to use it to bring Him honor.
Lord , sometimes money and finances are overwhelming. It's hard to know what decisions to make, so please lead me and give the wisdom to use my finances in a way that pleases You.
         

THE CHANGING ECONOMY

Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew called Armageddon.
                                                                           REVELATION 16:16

THE BRITISH HISTORIAN Arnold Toynbee used to say, "What I have been trying to tell the West is that the world, the real world, is Asia." He saw it coming! I see it in my inbox! Masses if people today are emerging from poverty and forming a middle class with discretionary income, who can go into international investing, The Bible foretells this and relates it to the end of the world as we know it now.
     The Bible predicts that in the end times an anti-Christ, a powerful figure, will control the world markets. He will demand allegiance and exert such power over the world that without his seal or imprimatur--whether it is a chip embedded in the back of a hand or number on a forehead--you can neither buy nor sell.
     The economies of the world have become so intertwined, that when someone sneezeson wall Street in New York, orhers catch cold in Tokyo and Manila. What Scripture foretold has become economically possible.
     If the many prophecies contained in the Bible, written by men of God who had no vested interest in decieving people, have come to pass with astonishing accuracy and the Bible foretells a one-world government with currencies of the world interrelated, what is happening today cannot be ignored.
     You may be thinking, "Okey, how does this related to me? You may be worried but you have to remember that when you are God's child, no matter what the economic situation in our world is, He will provide for you.
     God is just as concerned about the little things (which may seem large) in your life as He is with the larger ones. No problem is beyond Jis grasp. Know that today's needs are as important to Him as theh are to you.

OBLIGATED TO BE LIKE US

"For this reason he had to be like his brothers on every wzy, in order that he might becomr a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sin of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are beinh tempted."
                                                                       HEBREW 2 :17-18

Jesus Christ was obligated to be like us
     That was cruel, don't you think? The Son of God was obligated to step into cumbersome time from endless eternity. Obligated to put on finite fresh and disrobe deathless radiance. Obligated to endure the play ground of Satan when He had the throne of God.
     What could have obligated Him to such a thing? God always had a reason Hebrew 2:17-17 tell us why.
     Why was He Obligated? So that He could be merciful and faithful and so that He could come to aid of those who are tempted.
     Christ fulfilled His obligation because it is incumbent upon every high priest to know why he is doing what he is doing. Reverently
speaking had Christ not been tempted in every way, I doubt that the Garden of Gethsemane would have had much of a chance of seeing Christ stick around. Why die for something when you know the nature of that for which you are dying? The Firsthand knowledge of the depth of our temptation kept Christ's face toward God so that He could utter "Not my will, but yours."
Lord, my flesh is weak and you know it well. I thank you that You know what it is to live in such flesh. And I thank You that this knowledge channels Your mercy toward me a sinner saved by grace.

THE CALL

"Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My People, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."
                                                                                    Exodus 3:10

After spending forty years in Midianite obscurity, Moses finally received God's commission to return to Egypt and deliver his people.
Responding to God's Call
What an oppurtunity for Moses! What a chance to start again and redeem himself as Gods servant. Isn't it encouraging to think that God keeps giving us opportunity even after we've made mistakes? Even after we've failed God and think that we've useless, He still returns to restore us and call us back into service.
When He does call us, though, we need to make sure we respond in the right way. Every time God calls, we have the option to respond in one of four ways. We can run ahead before we are sent. We can  retreat after we've failed. We can resist the calling. Or we can choose to remain available and respond obediently when the call comes.
      Only this fourth option is the right one. It's the response of a spiritually mature believer, and it's the one God is looking for from each of us. Which one will you choose when God calls your name?
       A nineteenth-century proverb declares, "The bird with a broken pinion [wing] Never soars as high again." Sad, isn't it? But is it true? Moses experience in Exodus 3:1-10, fortunately, shows this saying to be absolutely false-- at least in relation to God's children.
       Look at the list of people God mentions when He identifies Himself to Moses (6); Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If Moses knew truth about those guys, and he likely did, he must have felt it better about his own mistakes. After all, Abraham tried to jumpstart God's plan by conceiving a baby with Hagar when his wife Sarai seemingly couldn't do the job, Isaac also faltered, by lying about Rebekah in the same way Abraham once lied about Sarah. And Jacob saized his father's birthright and blessing without waiting for God's help. God doesn't shy away from people with broken wings; second chanced abound for the man or woman who wants to serve Him faithful

LOVING JUSTICE

He is the Rock His work is Perfect; for all His ways are justice."
                                                                         Deuteronomy 32:4

Do you ever find yourself emphasizing the loving and forgiving nature of God, especially when seeking to reach a friend who is "turn off" to Christianity? scripture like II Peter 3:9, "The Lord... is not willing that any should perish," and 1 John 4:8, "God is Love" shed light on gracious and accepting nature of God.
      However, if, in talking to your friend you only emphasize God's loving side, you run the risk of misrepresentating the power of His redemption of mankind. You see, God's love is counter-balance with His wrath. Yes, His wrath. God's wrath is not a popular concept these days, but it is real, and every person must reckon with it.
      The Scripture teach that God will judge the lost. A Holy God can do nothing else than to turn away unholy things. Thankfully, He has created a solution through the shef blood of His Son. When God draws all history to a close, His judgement will stand alongside His mercy and love. Remember to keep both in balance as you share the Gospel with those around you.

        

HABAKKUK

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savoir."
Habakkuk 3:17-18

The guy had it bad! Can you image being a farmer and waking up one morning to see your fig trees and vines bare, the olive orchared dead, the fields barren, and all the sheep and cattle gone? If I were the farmer surveying the scene of devastation, I might have a difficult time rejoicing in the Lord.
  But not Habakkuk. He knew that the time to trust God in triple measure was during those days when "everything bad happens at once!"
  Ever had a day when everything that could go wrong does go wrong? The alarm doesn't ring, the shower runs cold, a button pops, the sink plugs up, a light bulb blows outs , the dog escapes the yard, and the telephone goes dead (someone forgot to pay the bill!).You could handle the irksome problems individually, if they were spaced apart a bit. But your sanity unravels when irritations and inconveniences pile on at once.
  Habakkuk had such a day. What's worth noting is that he not only trusted God in the midst of topsy-turvy disappointments, but he determined to also put a smile on his face. So the question is not can you trust Him, but. . . will you?
  God my Savior, You tell me time and again to rejoice in You despite the daily headaches and heartaches. Sometimes it's so hard. But if today happens to see everything unraved at once, empower me not to give in to defeat. Help me to do what Habakkuk did May I trust You. . . with smile.

THE MEASURE OF LOVE

"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word."
                                                              2Thessalonians 2: 16-17
If  love could be measured, it would be measured by how much it gives. Would you like to know the extent to which you love your children, your spouse, your roomate, or your co-workers? Then ask yourself: How much do i give? To be honest, love that gives without limits doesn't even ask that question. Love like that doesn't even care to measure itself. It just joyfully gives without taking any notice of how much has been sacrifice.
     That's how God loves. And the measure of love of God is in what, or I should say, whom he gave. He gave His Son. His life. His only begotten. He gave everything, nothingheld back, every last ounce, all in all. He squandered His love extravagantly and unashamed on vile sinners.
     That's why God should be so easy to trust with you He never uses words of despair or defeat, hopelessness or frustration. His encouraging love never mentions fear or failure. Those aren't wirds of love. Not His love.When God encourages your heart, He speaks words of hope and victory, rest and peace, joy and triumph.
     Read today's verses again and you'll discover God's eternal encouragement. It's the measure of His love. If your heart needs to be strengthened today, let Him speak to you His loving words of hope and comfort.

Worship in Obedience

Oh come let us worship and bow down; Let us knnel before the Lord our Maker.?
                                                                                    Psalm 95:6

when we teach children obedience, we tell them that it is good for them. We expound on the rewards they will reap when they do as we wish they will be kept safe from dangers, they will learn new skills, and most of all, they will live a blessed and meaningful life. We teach our children to obey because their doing so will bring them joy!
      It's the same with our worship of God. You may not think of worship as a command to obey, but it is! In today's psalm, we hear the joyful command to come, sing shout, worship, bow and kneel. When the Scriptures tells us to worship, it is so we will be blessed in return.
      When we open our hearts to God, proclaiming His worth and thanking Him for his rich provision for us in Christ, it brings Him pleasure.
       In worship, we recognize that God is God, and we are not. We acknowledge that there is no one higher, no one more powerful, no one worthy of our esteem and praise than our Holy God. We need to learn to worship God in whole/hearted obedience. Through worship we can receive the amazing blessing with our Maker.

Taproots

The Almighty... blesses you with blessing of the heaven above [and] blessing of the deep that lies below.
 Genesis 49:25

    The art of raising miniature trees, known as bonsai, was developed by the Japanese. To create a miniature tree, the taproot is cut, forcing the tree to live on only the nourishment provided by the way reach a height of only twelve to eighteen ouuuuuzinches.
    The taproot of a tree is the part of the root system that goes deep into the soil. The tree lives, but it does deep into soil to absorb essential minerals and huge quantities of water sometimes several hundred quarts a day. Taproots grow deepest in dry, sandy areas where there is little rainfall. The root system of a tree not only nourishes the tree but provides stability, anchoring it securely into the ground so it can nit be blown over by strong winds. The root system is a good analogy for the Chtistian life. Richard J. Foster wrote, "Superficially is the curse of our age.... The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people."
    How do Christians grow deep in their spiritual life? In the same way a taproot grows deep in search of the nourishment that will cause it grow. In modern culture, Christians have to seek out spiritual food that will result in spiritual maturnity Regular times of prayer and Bible study, individual and corporate worship, serving others, and Christian fellowship are just some of the ways Christians can grow deep roots.
     What are the benefits of depth in our spiritual life? Like the trees...?
       *  we will be able to stand strong--"the righteous cannot be uprooted" (Proverb 12:3), and
      *   we will be fruitful--"the root of the righteous flourishes" (Proverb 12:12).
Seek the Lord daily, so you can grow deep in your faith and withstand the storms of life.

.





   

"A CITY of REFUGE"

There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High
                                                                                     Psalm 46:4

One of the main themes in David's psalm is God as the refuge of church. The hooe of God's people was that  His presence was with them. They  had this hope during their Exodus From Egypt, and it sustained them during the Babylonian exile. Isaiah have turned iften to this point ad the prophet has reminded the people that though nations might fall around them, though the gates might break and the walls crumble, God would be their refuge. While pagan nations put their trust in bulwarks and armies, the people of Israel were to put their trust in God alone.
     Psalm 46 speaks if this theme with beautiful imagery: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the esrth be removed, and though the mountain be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. There is a river whose streams shall lake glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the most High. God is in the midst if her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us ; the God of Jacob is our refuge,"
     The gentleness of the river is contrasted here with the roar of the sea. For the Jewish people, the ocean was a terrible thing. Huge monsters were said to rise from its depths. Great gusts of wind would blow in from the sea across the desert region, bringing devastation to crops. and because the Jews never had a port, other nations that had seafaring trade became powerful and rose up against them. In contrast to the ocean, the Jordan River was a source of delight. It ran through the country, providing food and water. David used this geograhic situation to depict the comfort we have in God.?Though the sea troubles if this world rages about us , the river God Himself provides for us and protects us He is lije the Jordan River that brought food and water to the Jews. He is our strength, our refuge, and our provider. Because if Him, we are made glad. Because of Him, we will never be moved. Though the nyiins rage like the ocean, the Lord will protect His Holy City. Let us then be still and know that He is God, our refuge and our strength.

"SLACK TIDE"

He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."

                                                                                       Mark 6:31

I find it fascinating to consider the pull of the moon on our great oceans, which creates high and low tides. At the changing of the tide, there is a brief period of time called "slack tide" when the water is neither high nor low. According to scientists, this is when the water is "unstressed." It is a quiet pause before the surging of tidal flow begins again.

      Sometimes in our busy schedules we may feel pulled in different directions by competing responsibilities. In Jesus' ministry, we see how He understood the demands made on His followers and the need for rest. Returning from a traveling ministry in teams of two,  the Twelve reported the wonderful things that God had done through them (Mark 6;7-13,30). But Jesus responded: "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves' (vv.32-32).

      What responsibilities are pulling on you today? It is certainly acceptable to plan some rest and relaxation time to rejuvenate your body and soul for more fruitful service to others. Jesus advised it, and we all need it. He will meet you there

       My Shepherd is the Lord Who knows my needs, and I am blessed; By quiet streams, in pastures green, He leads and makes le rest.

"THE SPIRIT, NOT THE FLESH"

Wherefore ( as the Holy Ghost saith). TO DAY IF YE  WILL  HEAR  HIS VOICE, HARDENED NOT YOUR HEART, AS IN THE PROVOCATION, IN THE DAYS OF TEMPTATION, IN THE WILDERNESS:

 HEBREWS 3 : 7 - 8

     Men try to lift themselves, but there is no inspiration in that. But when you are lifted by the Spirit, when you are taken on with God, things all come into perfection harmony, and you go forth right on to victory.
     To be lifted by the Spirit is our objective. If we are lifted by the beauty of the singing, the special effects and lighting, the grandeur of the choir, the enthusiasm of the preacher, but not by the Spirit of God, we have missed it. "Men try to lift themselves, but there is no inspiration in that."
     We can leave a meeting inspired, having been pumped up in our souls (our minds and emotions). Unfortunately, if this is all that has happened, the next day there will be no change in our lives.
     However, if we are lifted by the Spirit, the inspiration will last, and real spiritual growth will occur. How many people leave church service, elevated and enterained, but the rest of the week live in defeat, not victory?
    The true test, the "litmus paper." of your church attendance, is this first, does it produce fruit in your life; and second, is it taking you on with God and into victory?
     If you answered in the negative to these question, you have two alternatives to consider: either something is wrong with you, and you need to repent and surrender to the Holy Spirit, or something is wrong with the church you are attending, and you need to go where the Spirit of God is moving. Either way, you need to get on your knees, Pray, and seek God earnestly and honestly until you know which it is Otherwise, you are living in Spiritual death!
But I do mean pray! Don't go church-hopping, as so many people are prone to do, when the changes are needed within you and not in the church. Equally, do not stay in a spiritual mausoleum," or even a vibrantly exciting yet "soulish" church, if God shows you that it is hindering your growth.
     "Men try to lift themselves, but there is no inspiration in that." He wouldn't tolerate preacher vaunting their own personalities and not the person of the Holy Spirit, or pumping things up by their own abilities or natural charisma. In fact he dealt severely with those who did so, even on the platform in major conventions.
     May God keep us ministers from falling into, or continuing in, this trap. Preacher, "today, if  you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 3:7-8). I know this is an easy trap to fall prey to, for we have done it often.
     Too many showman exist in the church today, don't be another one. A gifted can easily elicit a good response from congregation or take a sizeable offering. But for God to really move and produce lasting changes in lives,  the minister and those ministered to must pay the price and be lifted by the Spirit."

"THE ELUSIVE GRACE"

"For I SAY, through the grace given unto me, to every man that  is among you, not think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
                                                                           ROMANS 12 : 3

It is nearly impossible for a modern-day pastor to fulfill all that is required in the apostle Paul's admonition to believers not to think of themselves more highly than they ought to be that was the verse say.. the drive for success and the covetousness in the quest for number leave room, if any, for genuine himility.
    Humility is an elusive grace. It ought to be highly desired and pursued. But the manifestation of true humility turns off many modern professors of Christianity. How can this be?
    Many mordern Christian thinkers believe humility to be elusive due to faulty notions. They think it is the sort of grace that once you realize you have it, you don't. That is not the case. For example, Moses continually and fervently mediated for the nation before God, but he considered his personal reputation and achievement to be nothing, God's glory and agenda were everything to him. There are times when God does the humbling. In Isaiah, we see God using a "hired razor" (Isa. 7:20) to humble His people as they were carried into captivity. God humilated them. He made them of no reputation. He brought them low so that they would look to heaven for his deliverance. But God was not done with Israel or Judah.
    Throughout the first 28 chapter of Isaiah, the reader meets a contrast between the way of the proud and the way of the humble. Those who were to be a testimony to the nation were too proud in their sin. They thought all was well. But the living God knew how things really were. God's humbling of his people has a purging effect.
    All too often those who profess to be God's people don't desire God's work of humbling because they are looking for exaltation in its place. Men do not naturally esteem  themselves lowly in order for God or others to be lifted up. How many times have people praised a message that ought to have melted them away? Humility as a grace and humilation
as the work of God are outside of the understanding and expectation of God's people today.
    There is another misunderstanding of humilty that has caused the propagation of the Gospel to be softened. The most subtle form of this practicpal heresy says, "Doctrine divides while love united." A person who asserts the ancient and proven dogmas of scripture is often looked at as sole fossilized dinosaur called the arrogantosaurus. Humility before God and man makes a meek man a powerful tool for good in God's arsenal.
Christian are to be humbled by the teaching of Scripture. They are to willingly place themselve under the authority of God's truth. This means forgoing their truly arrogant "right" to believer what they want. Believers must love God with all of  their minds. This includes submission to Him as the giver of truth. Being humble before God and man does not mean that must assert boldly the claims of the truth. It is not arrogant in and of itself to speak of absolute truths.
Humility remain the elusive grace. The question to stir our souls if not, "What Would Jesus do? and how can I follow His example? Seek God's humbling grace before your humilation in chastisement or at the end of time. At that point, all men will surely bow the knee before King Jesus, the humble sovereign 

"OPEN STORY"

"Hope deferred maketh the sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life."
                                                                                Proverb 13:12

"Smith, watch me when I'm Preaching. I get so near to heaven when I'm preaching that some day I'll be off." He thought back on these words that that his dear Polly had once spoken. "Well," he mused, "she certainly must have preached tonight."
It was New Year's Day, 1913. The local doctor and a policeman had met him just as he was stepping out the front door, on his way to Glasgow to minister at some meetings However, the look on the two men's faces as they met him told him that something was wrong.
"Polly's". dead, smith. She fell dead at the mission door." Just a few hour before, he had bid her well as she was leaving to go preach there. How he loved his Polly. She was everything in the world to him. In the natural he was devastated, but deep down inside, he knew that she was where she wanted to be. He began to speak in tongues and praise the Lord, laughing in the Spirit.
Soon the house was filled with people. Her body had been brought to the house. They took her up to her room and laid her lifeless form on the bed.
"She's dead, and we can do no more." the man of God just smiled. He knew differently. Asking everyone to please leave the room, he closed the door when tge last one had left. He turned around and walked over to her bed. He knew that she with her beloved Lord as she had so longed to be, but standing before her now, he couldn't bear the separation.
"In the name of Jesus, death give her up." Polly's eyes opened and looked straight into his. "Polly, I need you." "Smith, the Lord wants me." An incredible struggle was going on inside him now. Oh, how much he wanted her with him. How could he go on without her? He had thought that they would have so many more years together.? That still, small voice came the voice he knew so well, the only one he loved more than hers. "She's mine. Her work is done." With tears streaming down his face, he yielded to the Lord. "My darling, if the Lord want you, I will not hold you." She smiled as he kissed her cheek tenderly. Then he simply said, "Good-bye for the present." Her eyes closed, and she was gone, "Yes Lord." He had obeyed. He turned and walked out of the roomm. It was the hardest thing he had ever done.

THE DESERT: SCHOOL OF SELF-DISCOVERY

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
                                                                                   Exodus 3:1

Moses wiped the sweat from his eyebrow and squinted into the distance. With the sun already setting behind Mount Horeb, faraway objects became nebulous in the purple haze of dusk. He couldn't tell if he was looking at a faraway caravan kicking up a cloud or just a rock jutting from the sand. So in the Dessert, there is a School of self-Discovery those who read this they are like Moses they wiped the sweat from his eyebrow.
      "You better get going," he said to the Egyptian trader, who had stopped to sell his goods and to talk, it seemed, until his lips were chapped. "It looks  like another caravan's making its way to the coast."
        "Very well," the trader said. "You don't want to buy anything: I fully understand. But what if I offered a simple exchange?"
        "No, I'm not interested," Moses was beginningto wonder if this trader was dense or if he was ignoring the hints for some other reason.
        "A question, then"
         Here it came. Moses knew there had to be something else.
        "You are Midianite, and yet your name it's Egyptian. I'm old, so I remember that an Egyptian prince by that same name disappeared many years ago. The young men don't know, In fact, they don't know anything these days. The school have gone down so much since I was young. As acmatter of fact, when I was twelve. . . "
         "No," Moses interrupted.
         "No, what? the trader asked.
         "No, I'm not named after the prince of Egypt, nor am I related to him."
         "No, I image you wouldn't be. After all, a pharaoh would never allow a relative of his to work as  a lowly shepherd in Midian."
The trader spurred his camel into motion and  headed down the trail toward the Sinai region.
         Moses thought about what the trader had said. "A shepherd," he whidpered to himself. "What an existence. And I could be leading a nation."
The trader was right. In the world's eyes, Moses was a fool, and maybe even he felt like one. He had learned many skills and discipline in Egypt, and apparently he was throwing all that training away on a flock of sheep. But Moses' upbringing in Egypt was only half of what he needed to fulfill God's calling. His character still needed refining. So God sent him to graduate school in the desert.
 There he learned to lead and nurture a stinky herd of sheep and goats. But God still had a plan for him about leading an ungrateful and fickle people to their Promised Land. "
God's Use of the Desert. Before we join Moses in his desert, let's bring the heat a little closer to home. Have you ever felt set aside, unproductive, helpless in the backlash of painful circumstances? You may very wellbe going through a desert How can you survive? The book of Feiteronomy present two important truths about the deserr that we need to understand for the experience to make us rather than break us.

IsYour Mind in Tune with GOD

So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly reward. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
   
                                                                   HEBREWS 10:35-36

WHEN PAUL WROTE to the Romans, he stressed the fact that your mind has to be renewed on a daily basis. You rat and bathe every day, right? So what do you do on a daily basis to ensure that your mind is in tune with God's purpose and plan for your life?
     For centuries men and women have faced that issue. How do you survive in a world that seeks to force you into conformity with its thinking? Simply put, "How do you connect with God on a regular basis?" David, when he was fleeing from saul, cried out, "O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You. . . " (Psalm 63:1NKJV).
     What did David do to seek the Lord First, he took time to mediate and wait upon the Lord. Then David reflected upon His promises. He often qouted Scripture back to God. He knew much of the Law given by Moses. and he knew how God spoke through the prophets and revealed His will
 regarding the decision of life their consequences
     In the same way, take time on a daily basis to teflesh your mind and spirit by opening your heart to what God wants. keep a notebook right nect to your Bible and revord what you pray about, then as God responds, jot down a gew thoughts about the way He answered.
     Paul told Christians at Rome that God's will is good. You can't separate the will of the Father from His nature and Character. Paul also dzid that the more we understand God's will as our minds are renewed, the more we understand God's as out minds are renewed. the more we recognize that it is acceptable. Finally, he says God's will is complete or whole something that we can only appreciate in retrospect.

"HIS PURPOSE"

. . . Then you will be abe to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
                                                                          ROMANS 12 : 2

ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL CASES for the authority of Christianity is the way it transforms the lives of people into something better, something different, something more Christ-like than the individual was before an encounter with the cross of Jesus Christ.
       God has a will for those who brought into His family His will is better than yours because He knows the end from the beginning, and because of His love for you. His will cannot be separated from His person. You may sometimes think that His delights in making the fun from your life but on the contrary, He knows how you can find fulfillment and happiness. Before you become serious about finding God's purpose and will for your life, you must answer this "Is God a tyrant or is He a loving Father whose counsel, although contrary to our culture and the accepted behavior of our day, is best for my life?!
       Paul testified that God's will is good, and the word he used mean "with substance and integrity." Jim Elliot, one of the five men who were martyred when they attempted to reach the Waodamis in Ecuador, wrote these words in his diary: "I have found that the most extravagant dreams of boyhood have not surpassed the great experience of bring in the will of God, and I believe nothing could be better."
      God's will is acceptable and whole or complete, satys Paul, Bringing your conscience into submission to His will requires that you become a living sacrifice that is offered at the beginning of every day as you say, "Lord, I'm Yours Use me. Guide me Work through me to accomplish what you want." 

"HEART LIFTED UP"

As long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.                                                        2Chronicles 26:5

It tragic to witness someone starting out well in life and then finishing poorly. That's the life story of Uzziah. He had been appointed king at the tender age of 16. Despite being so young, we read that "he did what was right in the sight of the Lord... He sought God in the days of Zechariah , who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper read. 

(2Chronicles 26:4-5). 

  Uzziah's fame spread and his army grew stronger (v.8). He had 2,600 chief officers and 397,500 soldiers who helped him defeat his enemies (vv.12-13). Sadly, we then read, "When he was strong in his heart was lifted up, to his destruction (v.16). Uzziah had failed to remember the one who had given him success and those who had godly counsel. He sinned against the Lord when he burned incense in the temple, and God struck him with leprosy (vv.16-19). He remained "a leper until the day of his death" (v.21).
  To finish well, we need to avoid having a heart that is "lifted up." Lets remained ourselves often of the warning in Proverb 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. And let's keep seeking the Lord, obeying Him, and thanking Him for all He has done.

"THE STORIES"

What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost, until he find it?"
                                                                                 LUKE 15 :4

The first story is the lost sheep (vv.3-7); the second, of the lost coin (vv 8-10); and the third, of the lost son (vv 11-32). Let's examine the first two stories now and save the last one nextime.
   The Lost Sheep. For this story, Jesus invites us into the craggy hillsides and steep valleys that carve out the landcape of Palestine. This is the wild domain of the shepherd, who must always be watching for straying sheep. Jesus begins, so lets us read again (v.4).
Outside the shepherds protection and the security of the flock, the lost sheep will certainly die. Lost animals will find it easy prey and quickly tear it to pieces. So he must hurry. He track the frightened sheep through thick brambles and up rocky embankments. His pursuit is relentless. Finally, he hears tha faint, woeful bleating of his lamb, still alive but wounded and half-starved. The shepherd rushes to its side and, with a swing of his strong arms, he hoists the animal and "lays it on his shoulders" (v.5). Then all the way home, he scolds the sheep, right? "Look at the troubles you caused. How many timed have I told you not wander?. ." No ways!
     "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!" (v.6).
This parables is not really about lost sheep, is it? It's about lost people. With masterful skill, Jesus draws both a comforming lesson for the crowd and a convicting one of Pharisees.

      "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous person who need no repentance." (v.7)
What sets off the fireworks in heaven? Ninety-nine legalists completing the ninety-ninth requirement on their Sabbath checklist? Yawn. One prostitute weeping at the feet of Jesus or one dying criminal gasping, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom" (23:42)--that's what lights the sky in heaven.
       The Lost Coin. In the next verse, Jesus brings us back to earth for another story.? This time, He takes us into an ordinary first century home.
        "Or what woman , if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she find it?" (15:8)
She still has nine other coins, so why does she worry about this one? Because the coin is valuable; it is drachma, worth about one day's wages.
Her mind spins, Where could that be? She tries every method she can think of to find the precious item. She lights an oil lamp. She sweeps the dirt floor, starting in the far corner and slowly working her way through the room. She searches through pockets and fishes behind furniture. She gets on her hands and knees and scours every inch of that house. Finally. . . "There it is!
        "And when she found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, sayin, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!' In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner who repents." (vv9-10)
Remember who Jesus is addressing: "the tax-gatherers and sinners" who came to listen to Him (15:1). They are the lost sheep that Christ seeks and rescues. They are the previous coins whom He finds by turning the house inside out. And they are the children of the earth whose repentance causes the angels to ring the bells of heaven and fill God's creation with enough laughter to send the stars shooting into space.

THE AGENT: GOD

And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. . .  Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are tisen with hom through the faith of the operation of Hod, who hath raised hil ftom the dead, And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him . . . 
                                                                      COLOSSIANS 2:10 

Notice the expression "through the faith of the operation of God," Jesus was quickened (made alive) by faith of the operation of God and we were made alive at the same time. It was God who raised Jesus from the dead. It was God gave Jesus a Name above every name. It was God who blotted out "the handwriting of ordinances" against us, took it out of the way, and nailed it to His Cross (Col.2:14). It was God who stripped the powers of darkness of their authority and handed it to the Son (Cok.2:15). And it was God who quickened us together with Him."
      In the mind of God, legally speaking, it was when Jesus was quickened and made alive, that we were recreated. "For wevare his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. . . "(Eph.2:10). This fact of out recreation becomes a vital reality in our lives when we were individually born again (made new creation). Raised with Christ Quickened with Him! Seated with Him! (Eph.2:4-6).

"Praised Him and Lifted Up"

Enter into His gate with thankgiving, ang into His gate with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless Hs name.
Psalm 100:4 

    When you are invited to someone's home for a dinner party, do you customarily bring a gift? It's nice to say "Thank you" in advance, and to express gratitude for the celebration you will enjoy. thought to the planning, purchasing and work your host has gone to in order to enterain you. You want your offering  show your appreciation for these things.
    What gift do you hold in your hands when you enter the doors of your church today? Do you come with a thankful heart prepared to praise God to all He had done?
   This week, before you worship, take time to consider all God had done for you in Christ--He died for you. He forgave you. He gave you a home. He gave you guidance of the Holy Spirit and word, and He has blessed you with Christian friend to encourage you. Wow! That's something to celebrate!
    Worship is the response of a heart that is excited about the God we serve. Come to your church worship service ready to celebrate the blessing you have in Christ. Lift your heart in praise to God for every detail of your life, and let yout praises overflow to Him. Your the head and not a tail Praised Him and lifted up!      

"Though breaker"

"And just as you want men to do to you also do to them likewise"
                                                                                         Luke 6:31

People, like trees, must grow or die. There's no standing still. A tree dies when its roots become blocked. A Human being becomes mentally and spiritually dead when he experiences hardening of the attitudes."
overheard in a classroom:
Teacher: Johnny,
it's time to go home. But your picture isn't
pasted, your table is very messy, your puzzles is
half finished, and your haven't learned your memory verse why?
Johnny: "Well, you made me sit down and be
still and you kept telling me to be quite and listen.
 Then you teached and teached and teached and teached.
I guess I just didn't have time to learn."
Action may not always bring about learning, but there is no learning without action.

"WHAT TO TELL NERO"

"I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning [Paul]. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa"
                                                 Acts 25:26a

Fetus fully intends to honor his commitment to send Paul to Nero. But he has a problem. Paul's appeal places the governor in the unenviable position of having to justify sending Paul to Nero without specific charges," Dr. Simon Kistemaker notes in his Acts commentary. "Nero and his official would not take kindly to a governor who showed incompetence in judging trivial matters... [But Fetus] was unable to formulate a charge against Paul because the accusations of Jews pertained to religious matters that had nothing to fo with Romans law."
     At this point, King Herod Agrippa II and his sister Bernice come to visit Fetus and welcome him to his new post. Agreat-grandson of Herod the Great and son of Herod Agrippa I (see Acts 12), he ruled the northern half of Palestine. Kistemaker notes that Agrippa"was known as an expert in Jewish customs and conflicts (26:3), and he was well versed in the Hebrew Scriptures." During tjis visit, a friendship grown up between Agrippa and Fetus, and the governor sees an oppurtunity to get advice in Paul's case from a Roman official who understand the Jews motives. He therefore relates what he knows to the king, noting that the Jews had demanded that he find Paul guilty, something Roman law did not permit him to do without granting Paul a trial. In Fetus' view, the Jews case against Paul comes down to "'some question against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive."'
     Intrigued, Agrippa asks to hear Paul. Thus, on the following day, the royals, along with military and civic leaders, enter Fetus' audience chamber, where Fetus honors Agrippa by yielding the judge's seat, allowing him to speak and rise first (26:1,30). Though this is not a firmal hearing ir trials, Fetus calls it an "'examination"' (v.26), noting that he has "'nothing certain to write to my lord concerning [Paul]"' and appealing for assistance in formulating charges against him. As he himself notes, "'it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him."' This is a understatement, for Nero does not trifle with matters his underlines should handle. With the word unreasonable, says, Kistemaker says, "the governor means to say that no one in his right mind would do such a thing."

"REASONABLE SERVICE"

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world.....
                                                                                Romans 12:2

WHEN PAUL WROTE to the Romans, he spoke of sacrifice--- something that both Jews and Gentiles understand clearly through the reader were already familiar with sacrifices, Paul inttoduces a new and radical idea: Present our bodies as living sacrifices.
      Your body--not a dead hunk of meat purchased in the market is what he says should be given to God. Surprisingly, the Bible say a great deal the human body. But what does it mean to present your body as a living sacrifice?
The problem with living sacrifice is that they keep crawling off the altar, so whatever offering you make has to be done every day. Daily you must yield control of your life to Him who has redeemed you-- control over what your eye beholds, what you think about, what your hands touch, where your feet take you.
     God made all the parts of your body, and He pronounced them good. Our reasonable response to what God has done, according to Paul, is an act of will. Your body is God's gift to you, and giving it back to Him is the highest firm of worship and the greatest possible sacrifice. Why is this difficult for us?
    Sacrifice placed on altars were consumed by fire. Living sacrifices, in the same ways, sometimes feel the consuming fire that purifies abd conforms them to His image. Sadly, some of these living sacrifice prefers to crawl backs into their caves of darkness and lust.
    Does God ask too much? Or do we simply give too little? God's great mercies deserve our reasonable service.
                           

"A Mysteious Equation"

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
                                                                                    Romans 5:8

Professors John Nash Princeton University ia a math genius who has spent his life in the abstract world of numbers, equations and delusions. Nash suffers from schizonphrenia. a mental illness that can result in bizarre behavior and broken relationships. With medical help and the love of his wife, he learned to live with his illness and later won the Nobel Prize.
     In the movie version of his life, Nash said: "I've always believed in numbers and the equations and logics that lead to reason.... My quest has taken me through the physical, the metaphysical, the delusional, and back. And I've made the most important discovery of my life. It!'s only in the mysterious equations of love that any logical reason can be framed."
   In Collossians 1, we read of "the mysterious equation of love" at its deepest level God's love for us in Christ. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and out of love He has created us and sustains us (vv.16-17). He has also provide deliverance from the powers of darkness (v.13) and the forgiveness of our sin (v.14). No wonder Paul said that such love "passes knowledge" (Equations 3:19). It takes us beyond logic into the very heart of who God is (John 4:16).
     We are to live and show that love always
 How do we experience the love of Christ? (John 15:10). 
what is the evidence if God's love in our lives? (1 John 4:16-21). How can you show God's love today?