Jean Stockdale...

There's A Fly in My Soup!

A Fly in the Ointment

In Eccessiastes Solomon wrote, Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor (Ecc. 10:1). That is, when dead flies are discovered floating in a vat of perfumed oil, the whole batch is ruined! Dead flies give, even a vat of concentrated perfumer’s oil, a bad smell! And it only takes one or two flies in the ointment to spoil the sweet fragrance of the perfume and most is worthless. 

Likewise, in the body of Christ, one or two malcontents can spoil the fellowship and stink up the place! In the midst of the sweet aroma of a united fellowship, striving to fulfill the purposes and plans of God, a fly can spoil the ointment! Division among believers spoils intimacy in fellowship, shakes the faith of new converts, damages the cause of Christ to the unbelieving world, and breaks the heart of God. At the church of Philippi, Paul was aware of a fly in the ointment. Epaphroditus brought word to Paul of the conflict between two women in the congregation, Euodia and Syntyche. Paul urged the two women to reconcile their differences and live in harmony in the Lord (Phil. 4:2). 

Can you imagine what it felt like to be one of these two women? In a letter that contained no rebukes, no correction of doctrinal error, or reprimand for moral failure, in a letter that consists of positive encouragement to press on in the Lord, in a letter intended to be read publicly to the congregation, can you imagine? Can you imagine hearing your name announced as one of the two flies in the ointment that was spoiling the fragrance of Christian harmony? Just how much was holding on to that grudge worth to those two women? We do not know the details of the disagreement but I don’t think it was worth what it cost them. Mercifully, the reference to Euodia and Syntyche was brief. Much was left unsaid causing me to fear that the details were well known to the congregation. Paul’s gentle plea for unity is immediately tied to joy. These two women had lost the joy of Jesus. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near! (Phil. 4:4-5). The joy of the Lord produces a gentle spirit. Joy. Gentleness. Fruits of the Holy Spirit. That is the testimony the Christian world should be known for, not bickering and in-fighting!

Until Jesus returns, may we be found faithfully serving Him - refusing to become a fly in the ointment of Christian unity within the body of Christ. Just something to think about! Blessings.

Linked to Spiritual Sunday.

The Secret

Shhhhhhhh!!! I've Got a Secret

The SECRET, the real SECRET to living the victorious Christian life is directly connected to studying the Word of God in order to renew the mind. 

• "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the wordof truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

Your unregenerate brain accompanies you after your conversion. You mind was trained in depravity and you take it, with all the sinful habit patterns in tact, into your new life in Christ. The mind is not automatically regenerated-THE HUMAN SPIRIT IS! The Holy Spirit take up residence in the quickened human spirit, but the soul remains trained by the habit patterns developed in your lost condition. It has the potential of being transformed progressively, but that comes through the study of the Word of God and the washing of the Word. When God's truth is then mixed with your obedience and dependence upon the Spirit of God, the life begins to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. Beloved, that is THE SECRET. Pass it on!

Linked to Spiritual Sunday.

How to Walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death

On Friday, January  we were stunned to get the news that Jason and Patti has suffered a miscarriage. This much anticipated baby was due in September. Patti was in for a routine visit. Jason was with her. They were checking to hear the heart beat. Nothing had indicated any problems and they were not prepared to hear the dire news that was about to stagger them under the weight of unspeakable grief.

A phone call from Jason alerted us of their loss. The veil of grief fell upon us and sent us to prayer for our darling children and a grandchild that was "absent from the body and present with the Lord." We drove to their home and sat with them in the consuming pain of loss and profound grief.

Such a divine mystery. God breathed life into the soul of this little one. He formed his/her inward parts and wove him/her in his mother's womb. He fearfully and wonderfully made this little child. He saw the unformed substance of the tiny baby and worte in His book all the days ordained for his/her life. The days were ordained and completed prior to birth.

A life created for the sole purpose of glorifying God without ever taking a breath. A child taken from the safety of his/her mother's womb straight into the presence of the Lord without traveling through the birth canal. Such a divine mystery. And yet, we trust in the sovereign will and ways of a holy God who knows what He is doing. Even when we cannot understand, even when we question His plan, even when we are stunned by His actions, we believe Him. And we trust Him. God knows what He is doing. We are resting in His mercy and grace.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou are with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou has anointed my mead with oil. My cup overflows " (Ps. 23:4-5). Indeed.

When we as beleivers are able to walk through difficulties, suffering, or sorrow and we do it with grace - as unto Jesus - He prepares a table, a symbol of fellowship in the Bible, before our enemies. We sit at His banqueting table and we feast on His presence, consuming the Bread of Life and drinking fully from His Living Water. We dine of the deliciies of the divine life of Christ! And when we do, I believe that we stop the mouths of Satan and his minions as they are forced to watch us walk through the valley of the shadow of death in victory - in the name of Jesus.

Our pain is deep. Our grief is real. Our God is BIG.

Linked to Spiritual Sundays.

God's Remedy for Man's Ruin

In the Garden, Adam and Eve gave away the entire estate of mankind because Satan deceived them and enticed them to indulge the desires of the flesh. He cast doubt on God's revealed revelation to them. Satan taunted the woman while Adam stood by and gave up his position as spiritual leader, protector and provider of the home.  And the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes. The tree was desirable to make one wise. Deluded. Deceived. Disobedient. Eve took and she ate and she gave to her husband with her. He ate also. Sin entered. Man's ruin was wrought. All of mankind was plunged into the domain of darkness by the sin of one man. It could only be regained by a Man. But not only man; only a sinless perfect Man could pay sin's debt. It would take the substitutionary death of one Man-the sinless Son of God. 

Sin-Man's Ruin. The Cross-God's Remedy. 

Hallelujah for the Cross!

Linked to Spiritual Sundays.

Do You Love Me - Really Love Me?

 Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love Me?"

Jesus asks the same of you and me today. "Do you love Me?" Not, do you love what I can do for you, but do you love Me for who I am. Beloved bloggy friends, I love God's Word. I mean I really love it. I love to read it, study it, teach it, hear it preached, and sing about it. I love God's Word. 

I dearly love God's Word. I believe the study of the Scriptures and close attention to the obedience of it changes lives. I believe it has changed me, continues to change me, and works to conform me into the image of Christ. 

So as we start a new year the question remains. Jesus asks, "Do you love Me?" In John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word." Devotion to the Lord Jesus and His Word produces the discipline required to walk in obedience.

If the answer is "yes", beloved bloggy mommies, you are constrained to love His Word too. To read it. To memorize it. To obey it. To fall in love with it. Jesus asks, "Do you love Me?"

Linked to Spiritual Sunday.

Bite Your Tongue!

 Bite your tongue! 

If you belong to Him, your words should reflect it. Nothing in your speech or your actions should deny His presence in your life. If you have identified with Him, you have given the whole world the right to look at you and see what Jesus is like! Wow. And any time anything slips out of your mouth or creeps into your life that is less than...well, sister, less than Christ-like, you are telling a lie about Jesus. You are misrepresenting your Lord. Those are fighting words! I realize that. 

A short time ago I wrote a Bible study on the book of James. James is a great book of the Bible. To refresh you memory, James was the half-brother of Jesus according to the flesh. James was the firstborn of Joseph and Mary. Jesus, of course, was the Only Begotten Son of the Father, born through the borrowed womb of a young virgin named Mary. 

Joseph kept Mary as a virgin until the baby Jesus was born. After the virgin birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph went on to have children. James was probably the first child born from the union of Joseph and Mary. James was born into this unique blended family! 

James grew up with Jesus in the house. Can you believe it? What must that have been like, I wonder. Yet, throughout his letter James never mentions his earthly relationship with the Lord. He refers to himself as the bond slave of Jesus Christ the Lord. Wow! That tells me that only James' heavenly relationship with Jesus Christ was of any worth or value to him, not the unique earthly one. The heavenly relationship is available to any who believes by faith; the earthly one was only possible for a few in the city of Nazareth. All that really matters then is this-do you believe in Jesus? Has there been a time when you received Him into your heart and life? If so, act like it. That is what James wrote. "If anyone things himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless."  So . . . bite your tongue. If you belong to Jesus, bite your tongue. You no longer have the right to say or do whatever you want to. You belong to Him now. You represent Him now. You're an ambassador of Christ. Act like it. Talk like it. Live like it. Love like it. It is time for the blood-bought church of Jesus Christ to stop misrepresenting Him to this lost world and live out the reality of Christ through God's internal control (the indwelling Holy Spirit) and God's external control (God's Word). 

Just thought you might like to know! Blessings.

Linked to Spiritual Sundays. 

Sunday Selections

 At a sweet gathering of moms recently, the conversation quickly turned (imagine that!) to talking about mothering-my favorite topic. One of the moms made the comment that she did not want to bring up the Bible and use it just when her child did something wrong. Good point!! We don't want to use the Bible as a club. We don't want to use it just as a weapon in our arsenal of discipline. It is so much more. 

The Bible is an instruction book for living, an love letter from God to His beloved, a warning, a standard of holiness, a divine revelation, a mirror, a stronghold, a refuge, a hiding place. It is so much more than we can ever comprehend. The in-depth study of it is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). 

To be casual in our approcah or carless in or attitude towards God's Word is unthinkable in light God's gift to us. John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 

Blessings as you walk with the Lord Jesus Christ this week. For more Spiritual Sunday posts and inspiration click here. 

Sunday Selections

In 2 Timothy 2:3 Paul wrote, "Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." Suffer hardship. Are you kidding? 

Most believers  have bought into the idea that if we are just good enough, just godly enough, faithful in our quiet time, diligent in our good works, kind enough and gentle enough, if we just love enough that God will be so pleased with us that He will reward us with a life of ease. We refuse to accept the fact that suffering could be possibly be a part of God's plan. 

We are His sheep. Surely we are His favorite sheep. Surely He will keep us from ever having to suffer any serious inconveniences in this life. Surely He will ordain that we never have to suffer. Suffering does not fit into our concept of 21st century Christianity. Yet, Paul said, "Suffer hardship with me."  Paul, who was the greatest Christian who ever lived, equated suffering with the Christian experience. Not only did he want us to expect to suffer for the cause of Christ, he wanted us to suffer well. To do it like a true solider of the Cross! 

How is it then, that we have bought into the idea that we will never be called upon to suffer for Christ? Even worse, how is it that we are pretty sure that if suffering befalls you, it is your fault? We assume (incorrectly) unconfessed sin or carnality must be at the root of all suffering. Truthfully, isn't that what we think? Consequently, we tend to fall apart when life gets hard and the winds of suffering blow our way. We weren't expecting that! We thought it would be "all good" if we just loved God. Yet, Paul was convinced otherwise and urged us to be a good solider of the Cross and suffer well for the cause of Christ.

Paul, who paid for his testimony for Christ with his own life, accepted both the unmerited blessings and the undeserved suffering of this life in order to live "to the praise of the glory of His grace" (Eph.1:14). Just how deep is your faith? Are you willing to suffer well for the cause of Christ? Are you willing to serve the Lord even when life is very hard? Are you committed to walking by faith through the valleys as well as the mountaintop experiences? 

Suffering reveals the reality of faith. Suffering well reveals the depth of the reality of faith. Think about it.

For more Spiritual Sunday posts and inspiration click here. Blessings as you walk with the Lord Jesus Christ this week.

I Once Was Blind

Spiritual Sunday

On my recent trip to Atlanta, Ga. I traveled through their enormous airport. Air travel is not without its aggravation these days, and it seems to have put most passengers into a very bad mood. After landing in Atlanta, I headed to the baggage claim via the subway train that connects the terminals. As I stepped onto the tile floor of the subterranean train station, the sound of a tapping cane immediately caught my attention. Up ahead, was a dear lady who was obviously visually impaired. I marveled at her courage to travel through the Atlanta airport without the advantage of sight. 

As a sighted person, I am always a bit nervous as I try to transverse the vast complex. I also noticed that her tennis shoe had come untied. Since we were approaching the escalator, I know her loose lace could possible be dangerous for her. I quietly slipped up beside her  and began to speak to her in a gentle tone as as not to frighten her. I offered my assistance, which she graciously accepted. She stopped and I bend down and tied her shoelaces, giving her the lay of the land as I did. She took my arm and we walked towards the escalator.

Within minutes of meeting each of us had identified ourselves as believers and soon we were chatting like old friends. As we approached the baggage claim area, I stopped to read the signs that indicated the particular carousel for each airline carrier.  An airport employee offered to help and asked which airlines we were flying. I paused to let her respond. As my newfound friend responded, the employee, having taken note of her cane and obvious limitations, casually pointed in the appropriate direction. Now did I mention, the lady was blind! Pointing does very little good for an unsighted person! The woman needed more help than a sign or a point in the right direction. She needed someone to take her by the arm and show her the way!

I could not help but think of the blind man's response after Jesus restored his sight, "I once was blind but now I see." God did much more for us then simply point to heaven. He did more than pronounce judgment on mankind after Adam and Eve sinned. He actually clothed Himself in humanity and came unto His own. John 1:14 says, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

I once was dead in my trespasses and sin. I once walked according to the prince of the power of the air. I once indulged the desires of the flesh and of the mind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 

I once was blind, but now I see!

For more inspiration click here and read more Spiritual Sundays.

Sunday Selections

"In Him, you also after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having als beelieved, you were sealed in HIm with the Holy Spirit of prmise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory." 

Ephesians 1:13-14 

When our older son, Jason, prepared to ask the great love of his life, Patti Straznicky, to become his bride, he asked Craig and I to go with him to pick out the engagement ring. My husband and I arrived at the jewelers ahead of Jason. In my typical fashion, I was armed with tissues (this was a very emotional event for me personally) and my camera. I knew I would never forget the depth and breadth of the reeling emotions I was feeling as I prepared to launch this child into a new and exciting phase in his life. I wanted to capture this momentous occasion on film. 

When Jason arrived, Craig and I watched as the jeweler pulled out cases of engagement ring settings and stones. As my son gently fingered each delicate setting, I had to take a deep breath to avoid caving under the waves of emotions that were welling up and threatening to overwhelm me. After making his selection, Jason made elaborate plans to propose to his darling bride-to-be. 

When Jason gave Patti an engagement ring, it was a promise of a future event. The engagement ring did not make them married, but it did promise his intention to take her as his lawfully wedded wife in the near future. At the moment of conversion, having also believed, we were placed in Christ. We become part of the body of Christ. It is an unfathomable truth for our pitiful finite minds, but it is nonetheless true of us as believers. We are in Him and He now resides in us in the person of the Holy Spirit of God. At conversion, we were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise. When we believed on Jesus and invited Him into our lives, He gave us as His seal of authenticity, the indwelling Holy Spirit. In Bible days, hot wax was applied to important documents and imprinted with a signet ring indicating ownership. In the same way, God stamped His approval on our conversion experience by giving us the Holy Spirit of promise as His seal of authenticity and ownership. 

The Holy Spirit is also given to us at the moment of conversion as a pledge of our inheritance. In the original language, the word pledge meant “a down payment or earnest money.” It also came to mean “an engagement ring.” That is, the Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance of the glory that is to come. He is our earnest money—God’s down payment on our future and full redemption. The Holy Spirit is also our engagement ring to our Heavenly Bridegroom. We are not only in a legal relationship with the Father, but also a love relationship. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the believer’s unmistakable evidence of God’s favor. It is proof of our salvation and the guarantee of eternal glory.

May God bless and keep you this week. For more Spiritual Sunday post click here. Blessings.

Sunday Selections

In Ephesians 1:3, Paul wrote, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. 

 In Christ we are blessed with immeasurable gifts of grace. Peace. The joy of the Lord. Love. Hope. Faith. Eternal security. Courage. Strength in the inner man. Resurrection power. Lovingkindess. Mercy. Forgiveness. Redemption. The indwelling Holy Spirit. The mind of Christ. Just to name a few. 

God has blessed us in the heavenly places in Christ. What has God blessed you with?

Click here and read some more Spiritual Sunday.

We are hosting an on-line Bible study. We would love to have you join us for our on-line  study on the book of Ephesians called "High Stepping in Heavenly Places" by clicking here.

A Divine Appointment

The walk of faith is hard to describe because "we walk by faith and not sight". Faith does not negate our physical senses, it overrides them. It involves operating in the spirit realm of knowing Jesus Christ. Ephesians says God has seated us in Christ in the heavenly places. Living in heavenly places while walking in this world requires faith walking. I am quite committed to the faith. Nothing is more dear to me than the Lord Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for "so great a salvation." 

I am serious about this matter of walking by faith. But I just love it when God interrupts my "normal" daily walk with Him, and shakes up my slightly contrived expectations of a life consumed by Him. And that is what happened on Friday morning. 

Since 2006 when I launched a ministry, I have worked full-time in my ministry. My dear friend, Renae, works with me 4 days a week and takes off Friday.  I suspect she needs Friday to recover from the craziness that is me! Crazy I tell you. Crazy. Seriously. Seriously crazy life. 

Anyhoo, especially if I am writing a Bible study, I work on Friday but at a bit slower pace than when Ray is here working. I usually start the day a bit later and if a nap happens, well it happens. On this past Friday morning  I was sitting in my den working on my laptop. Ray called and said she had something funny to tell me. 

Now I am going to be intentionally sketchy about the details here because I have no need to assign blame for this situation, but can I just say this was not my fault. And trust me, it so often is. But this time it was not. And it was not Renae's, just so you know. But through a tangle of miscommunications and an innocent mistake, I was booked to speak in Jemison, Al. (outside Birmingham) on Saturday morning. The only problem is - I didn't know it!! Renae and I had a good laugh. That is what faith waiting is all about.

Standing in the wings of my faith walking, God was waiting to break in and redirect my day!  In fact, my whole weekend. "I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11). Yes, indeed. Within a few hours, I had packed a bag, gathered Mr. Stockdale, arranged for the dogs and cat to be fed, and jumped in the car headed for a city south of Birmingham!

I just love it when God does that. I knew that something very special was awaiting me in Alabama. God had gone to great efforts to see to it that I was there. To speak a Word over these ladies. To share Christ. To point them to Jesus. It was a divine appointment. One that I almost missed. And frankly, I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

I would have missed meeting this sister in the Lord, Judy Felkins.

And these sweet ladies:

And seeing this:

And look at these napkin ring holders. They are old watches with stretch bands. Too cute. Seriously too cute. 

And you got to love this tablescape:

Can you see the footprints in the sand? She made them with her fist! Who would have wanted to miss that. Or a whole lot of this:

And some other table tops that will show up in later posts. But seriously. Who would want to have missed that? A divine appointment. Seriously divine.

How many divine appointments do you suppose we miss because we are spiritually dull. Or worse, we have put God in a box - confident we have figured Him out. Don't you just love it when God breaks in and shakes up our careful contrived concept of who He is and who He works! I do!

So to all my divine appointments now and in the future, and to all you sweet ladies who gathered at Jemison First Baptist Church for brunch and Bible study, God bless you. And . . . keep up the faith walking. And watching for divine appointments.

Sunday Selections

Life is hard. Face it. It never gets easy. Nothing about it is easy. Relationships. Finances. Communication. Balancing the demands of life. Relaxing long enough to enjoy life. Keeping the plates spinning. Discerning the difference between the urgent and the important. And so on. So on. And on and on. You get the idea. 

The Lord does not deny that life is not without its challenges. He simply reminds us to lose our lives in Him and He will take care of the rest. How utterly simply. How often overlooked.

Jesus said, "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life ? And why are you worried about clothing ? Observe how the lilies of the field grow ; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith ! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will wear for clothing?' "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things ; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  So do not worry about tomorrow ; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:-25-34).

Sunday blessings for today and all week long.

Sunday Selections

I have found one of the most effective ways to study the Bible is through repetitive reading. Instead of hop-scotching all over the pages of God's Word, settle in on a passage and read and reread and reread and reread until you are beginning to unravel the subtle mystery and meaning of God's holy written revelation by the power of the Holy Spirit. I spent over 6 months reading Psalm 27 every day. The act of repetitive reading caused me to memorize the psalm without even trying and the meaning of David's fearless trust in the Lord went from words on a page to life-defining truth in my life.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall i fear? THe Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?. . . I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27:1; 13-14).

That is my Sunday Selection. What is yours?

Sunday Selections

The older I get, the more I want to not only run well - I also want to finish strong. Because of my heart's desire, I am continually re-evaluating my life. I want to narrow my focus so the activities I pursue propel me forward in my walk with the Lord. I dare not allow distractions to pull me away from this holy pursuit. 

Many of the enemy's assaults come in the form of distractions. Satan is described in the Scriptures as a liar and the father of lies. One of his techniques is to use deception to distract us. These detours rob us of emotional energy, steal our joy, disturb our spirit, consume our thoughts, and our upset our spiritual equilibrium. I am determined to try to spot these detours of the enemy, cast down the "vain imaginations" he lobs at my mind, and to follow Jesus Christ with a holy passion. My life verse is For I determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). May we be found faithful 'til He comes! Blessings!

Sunday Selections

The scourge of the Christian community is a casual attitude toward God and His Word. We can become complacent, gospel-saturated and satisfied. This leads to spiritual dullness. We slow to hear the gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit and reluctant to obey. In the Book of James, the writer exhorts us to a belief that behaves. Don't be merely a hearer of the Word-someone who shows up at church to hear a sermon with no intention of incorporating the TRUTH of the message into practical application. Be a doer of the Word. That is one who lives according to the external control of the Word of God and the internal control of the Spirit of God. 

James 1:23-25 says, For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. 

Precious Christian, the time is now. We must become doers of the Word. We must insist upon a belief that behaves! Blessings.

Sunday Selections

I don't know about you, but I have never seen such anything like this. We are living in a most unusual time. Everything seems to be coming apart at the seams. Everyday the news is filled with more and more bad news. Tragedy and terror scream at us from the headlines. Many institutions we have "banked on" have failed. Businesses we assumed would last forever have crumbled. Investments have evaporated. Retirements have disappeared. Loans have failed. Unemployment is escalating rapidly.  Crime is on the increase. Morality may be at an all-time low. Hope, for many, is fading. The future is, at best, uncertain. Foreclosures. Bankruptcies. Failures. The world-as we know it-seems to have gone mad. Completely mad, I tell you. Lately I have found myself oddly unsettled. Uneasy. Edgy. A bit anxious. 

And then I read this . . . 

Isaiah 28:16, "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed." 

He or she who believes in Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone, will NOT be disturbed. I have decided to follow Jesus. I will NOT be disturbed. Blessings for a glorious week ahead.

Sunday Selections

One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 91. Much like a faithful friend, this psalm has grown sweeter with time. I have it tucked in my heart to encourage and comfort me when life gets tough (which if often, isn't it?) 

We build strongholds of anger, fear, unbelief, etc. You fill in the black with your stronghold. Relying on sinful habit patterns of the past, we continue to run to these strong towers when life gets hard IF we have not renewed our mind with the Word of God and surrendered our soul to the Spirit of God. When we renew the mind with the Truth of the Word, we are able to replace the lies of the old life with the TRUTH of God's Word. By surrendering our will to the Spirit of God, we are able to walk in the truth. THEN when life gets hard, we learn run to the stronghold of the Lord, our refuge, our very present Help in times of trouble.

Psalm 91:1 says, He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!"

The Lord is our stronghold. Blessings.

Sunday Selections

Bread of life. Feed us 'til we want no more.  Philippians 2:25 Paul wrote of the character of Ephaproditus. Paul referred to him as a brother, a fellow worker, and a fellow solider. The church at Philippi had sent Epaphroditus with a financial gift to aid the beloved apostle who was under house arrest for preaching the gospel. Paul considered the man to be a true brother in the family of God. When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are placed into the body of Christ AND the family of God. Brothers and sisters in Christ. Heirs of God. Joint-heirs with Jesus. Redeemed. Reconciled. Ransomed. Access granted to the throne of God.  Privileged. Protected by the power of God. Indwelt by the Spirit of God. Pilgrims. Many are the benefits of so great a salvation.

Salvation is a free gift offered by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. However, the Christian life requires us to work to develop the disciplines of faith. Ephaphroditus was a worker. We are to work faithfully. Study diligently. Aggressively pursue the things of the Lord to develop personal holiness and practical righteousness.

Ephaproditus was a worker in the kingdom of God and a warrior in the army of God. He worked faithfully. He warred fearlessly. If we are going to be used of the Lord, we must adopt the same single-minded determination to work for the kingdom and to war in spiritual warfare to glorify Jesus Christ. Work faithfully. War fearlessly. Blessings.

Sunday Selections

In Philippians 1:27 Paul wrote, "Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm." Christ died to redeem His lost creation. He rose again, and having finished His work on the cross, sat down at the right hand of the Father. Because of what Christ has done for us, is it so much for Him to ask me to live for Him? Is this not our reasonable sacrifice of service? 

Christ died for us. Now, in the person of the Holy Spirit, He lives in us. He desires to live His life through us. It is Christ in us, the hope of glory. Blessings.