Living4Jesus

It has been a long time since I have been on here.  On May 22, 2011 my husband and I went through a devastating tornado.  It is one thing to see this kind of devastion on television, but living through it is very different!  As we stood underneath the staircase that evening all I could say was IN THE NAME OF JESUS!  With the walls breathing as if they were cardboard I clung to my husband knowing for sure that we were going to die.  I wasn't afraid to die, but I wanted to live!  As we jumped out of the back window a few minutes later the rescurer told me to be careful and do not step on any live wires lying on the ground.  It was rainy and cold.  I remember a woman coming over to me and putting her jacket on me and then she was off to help someone else.  We made our way to the street.  I looked at the afermath and everything was gone....gone!  How does it feel to be sitting in the street without nothing?  I can only say that God got my attention that He hadn't had in a long time!  The night before I had been complaining about our apartment and how bored I was that we had been in the same place for twelve years!  Someone took us to one of the shelters where a nurse treated me.  My husband escaped wth some cuts on his arm.  As I sat there waiting for our daughter to come and get us, I promised God that I would never complain again!  God is so loving and so patient and understanding....I found myself complaining about something really small a few days later!  There has been a change in me now for I am so aware of this thing about complaining. 

God met each need we had from the beginning to the end of those following weeks when we did not know where we would go from our daughters house.  He is still meeting those needs today as we are in a new place and a new awareness of just how temporary this life really is!  God has a plan for mankind and we are apart of it!  May we always think on things eternal!

It Is His!

Did you know that there were over 70 billion dollars made last year on lottery ticket sales?  Many Christians play the lottery, but is there any scripture commanding a child of God not to gamble?   The old casinos that began in the 1920's were located in Las Vegas.  Are lottery tickets the same thing?  A born again Christian may feel it is wrong to attend Casinos, where as buying a lottery ticket at the grocery store is done in private.  Where is the scripture to back up those of us who believe that lottery tickets and casinos are evil?  In Matthew 27:35 it says, "They crucified Him and devided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots". 

There is no commandment "Thou shalt not gamble", but it is a thing associated with evil.  What we do with our money is a "conscience" matter.  Money was in God's plan before the foundations of the world was laid!  It is not man's invention.  EVERYTHING in this world belongs to the Lord.  Yes, even our money that we earn honestly through hard work.  When we consider even our money belongs to Him, what then shall we do?  He has put it in our hand, do we have the right to use it for evil?  God forbid!

Being a good steward of our money will bring us blessings from the Lord who is over all things!  Before we buy, do we stop and think "will this honor God?".  Years ago when we began to think about money, this thought sobered us up to giving serious thought to spending His money!  We all make mistakes and we have made our share, but we are growing in the great reward of being a good steward!  It is His money!

Misunderstandings

This is a picture of me when I was young...not!  Years ago a very special friend of mine gave to me the wonderful knowledge of 'misunderstndings'.  This is what happens when we speak something to a person and later they deny that we ever spoke it.  Since I have experienced this on so many occasions, I wondered if misundertandings could be a parasite in the Church leading to strife?

How frustrating to know you are right and you cannot convince the other person that they are wrong!  We know beyond the shadow of a doubt that we are right and the other person just will not take the admonishing given them!  Our sinful nature cries out for justice!  In the end of the matter we will either forgive that person or treat them with indiffernce all of their days.  Would it not be better to suffer the misunderstanding and forgive?  In our infantile thinking we must set it right!   We do not like to be wronged!

When Jesus hung on the Cross, the mockings of the crowd were hideous and nearing the end He said, (knowing He was the Son of God) "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do"!  Luke 23:34.  Is it not enough to know that we did say it and be satisfied?  The flesh cries out to be justified, but the Holy Spirit is confident in the knowing of a matter!

Now, did you hear me say that the picture was of me when I was young?   

WWYD?

We love cute pictures, good food, time with family and friends.  As I was writing a letter to my daughter I enclosed a picture of her when she was fifteen years old.  Since she is forty-three now I began to think about the time that had passed so quickly!  A thougt entered into my mind, a very sobering thought!  What would we do if tomorrow was the end of time?

Our days are filled with the routine of life, but I would like for you to pause and look at your right hand for about thirty seconds.  while you are looking would you think about the God who created you, Jesus Christ?  Thank you.  Doing this will put our focus on the Creator.  If I knew that tomorrow was the very last day of time, how would I do things today?   It is a very hard thing to think about...some would even say "Not today!  Johnny will be going to Church camp next week!"  Each of us could think of why not.

Is the coming of Jesus real to us?  We are commanded to watch and pray for that event...Luke 21:36 says, "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of God".  It is my wish that you will do the practice of examining your right hand from time to time...and pray to the One who created our marvelous body!  The end of time may be tomorrow, may we be prepared if it is!

Grapes of Wrath

In the movie, "Grapes of Wrath", we see the "preacher" who really represents what the movie is all about.  Behind his character is the agenda that there are not many souls, but one big soul.   There are so many voices in the world today through movies and media that it is very easy for someone to be deceived. 

The Grapes of Wrath was a long time favorite of mine until the Holy Spirit gave me discernment about the evil agenda behind it.  Did you know that you have discernment, but we are commanded in scripture to ask for understanding?  Proverbs 4:7.   In the Greek "understanding" means, "a call for help".  Many Christian women watch the Oprah Winfrey show...she has been dubbed as the greatest talk show host in the history of the like.  If you are really born again by the Spirit of God you will have the discernment to know that she represents evil of the worst kind!  She believes that there are many roads to heaven...John 14:6 says, "I (Jesus) am the way, the truth, and the life and no man comes to the Father except through me".  Some of these women claim to be Christians; only God knows the heart, but we can see that many have been deceived by her!  

Oh, how precious and powerful is the Holy Spirit!  Wisdom, discernment, and understanding all go together.  Today in this world of deception we need to cry out for all three!  May the Lord Jesus Christ give you understanding as you seek its' importance in your walk with the Lord, so you will not be deceived by anything in this world that shows its' ugly head against the truth of the Gospel! 

Free Will or Chosen?

Matthew 10:29 says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will".  If the Father has a day appointed for our death, why is it so difficult to know that He has appointed a day for our salvation in this world?  This is a hard saying for some and they will not accept it.  They will cry out, "Why would a God of love appoint some for heaven and some to hell"? 

This has been debated by scholars for centuries, so I thought I would throw in my two cents worth of thought on it.  I would rather expand on the great passion of Christ that drove Him to the Cross!  Did he die for 'some' or all?  In John 3:16 we see that it is His desire that none perish, but does this mean that He died for all to come to Him?  Yes, out of His great love! 

Can we choose Him?  No, because He loved us first...John 4:19.  You might say what has that to do with making a choice?  How can we love Him, if we are not saved?  The two must coincide with one another.  I might add dear friend, that today might be the day of your salvation so I would plead for you to hear Jesus say, "Come, follow me".

The Great Fantasy

As a child I dreamed of being a great dancer, like Ginger Rogers.  I loved the idea of being on stage and having the spot-light on me.  My father had been in Vaudeville for about twenty years, so I had a great love for show business!  No one can deny their desire to be the center of attention...we long for it when we are young and some even when they are old.

Until we have been born again by the Spirit of God, we cannot escape the illusion of that moment when we stand on stage and all look at us in awe.  This fantasy manifests itself in different ways.  As we get older we may cling to it by wanting to be the most popular girl in school...you fill in the blank.  When we are all grown up we see the fantasy fading into reality and like a balloon that is gripped so tightly it flees from your hand and it is gone forever.

When we enter the realm of reality by being born again we find not the fantasy, but a wonderful world of knowledge.  We learn the love of God tells us that we are in His spot-light and we have His attention forever and a day! 

Are you living with a fantasy?  Cast it off dear friend and enter into God's world where there are pleasures forever more!  Psalms 16:11.  God does not clone, so that means He made only one of you!  We are a dear child in His sight and He wants to be with us.  Life is our stage and He is our audience and someday we will hear Him say, "Well done" and that is all the applause we will ever want or need!