Facing Giants Every Day

“picture in advance” 1 Samuel 17:46 "This day the LORD will hand you over to me" David did it! He conquered the giant Goliath. “Ah, that was fine for David. But you don’t know the trouble I’ve seen.” True, you do not know mine, and I don't know yours...in fact, if I shared my 'Goliaths' with you, its fair to say, you couldn't handle mine....nor I yours....that's how it is! Every day, we all face impossible odds, 'Goliaths'...David’s victory over Goliath is a “picture in advance” of the victory Jesus won for us. Too often, I take on my 'Goliaths' in just my own strength, but God's Word says....Jesus has already won 'em! Help me Lord to remember...Jesus has already done it!   JESUS...You can trust Him!

Lord, help my unbelief

 Nothing restrains the Lord! Do we really believe it? Or does the title of J.B. Phillips’ book describe us: Your God is Too Small. We often feel that God is restrained in one way or another. In reality, the only thing that could be said to restrain God is our unbelief. 1 Samuel 14:6 "Perhaps the LORD will help us, for nothing can hinder the LORD" I confess...too often, I feel that God is just too small. God’s power is never restrained! I do the 'restraining'...in my unbelief. God’s power is never restrained, but His will may be restrained by our unbelief. He may choose not to act until we partner with Him in trust. Read 1 Samuel 14, and you see...God had a trusting partner in Jonathan! Am I willing to "partner with God?"....ooh, good question... Numbers or odds do not restrain God, but unbelief can...

"O Lord, give me a Romans 8:31 heart...If God be for us, who can be against us?"

It usually starts out subtly

"me, compromise?" Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge..." God hates evil. God's Word says, If I am to fellowship with God, I must also hate evil. But wait a minute...we've been taught, you know, the world says we're not to hate anything...the world says, we want to accept everybody. "Live and let live," Evil always is looking for you to compromise and to accept it. It usually starts out subtly...I remember growing up (some say, "you can remember that long ago!")...in my Lutheran grade school being introduced to the devil, red...long tail...pointed-ears, and a pitch fork! So, I was determined, I knew what to look-out for...the problem was, he never showed up like that...nope, he (the devil) is way smarter than that! The devil knew, and still knows today, people will shy away from him, if he shows himself in his true form...so he shows up looking very attractive...Romans 7:13 says, "Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation." Satan comes at me with all the world says is 'good', the so-called better things-of-life...It begins very subtly, even innocently...and because our appetites are insatiable....we always need more, it doesn't take us long we start making compromises...we rationalize..."I deserve it!" And pretty soon, we accept almost everything, anything...we've become a very tolerant society..."Lord, Help us!"

Trials guaranteed

"trials guranteed" 1 Peter 1:6 "even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while." Romans 8:35 "Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity?" Trials are 'a-fact-of-life' But God says None of the sufferings of this present time can ever separate us from His Love. No matter what the circumstance, we can be more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Hard lessons in this thing we call life...trials will always be upon us, oh sure sometimes trials ease up for a bit, but hang in there, they'll be back...in fact, some trials seem to never leave, and that's when I tend to question God..."Hey You say, you Love me? Are you ever going to bless me again?" That's my 'circumstances talking again..."Help me Lord, not to always look at my circumstances...Help me to look at You!"

The Lord's Day

"It's The Lord's Day"  Shout with joy to the LORD, O earth! Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. Psalm 100:1-5

"Somebody...shout ALL"

"it's tough, isn't it?" Romans 8:28 "God causes everything to work together" Oh so quickly, and far too often, I forget...God’s plan is perfect, and even when I can’t figure out what He is doing and it all seems so desperate, He still knows what He is doing. To say the least life is interesting, I want smooth sailing, but God knows, smooth sailing in my life means I'm trusting me, not God...God doesn't just work some things, but "All Things!" "LORD, Help me!"

"Lord, You know me far better than I know myself...You know my tendency to put my trust in me...You are constant, You are faithful...and You Alone are True! You've been trying All of my life to teach me...to teach me to Trust in You! Thank You for that! Forgive me for forgetting too often and looking for comfort, for assurance in all the wrong places...'Keep me Lord'... I beg You"

Mucho prayer needed

"How do I pray?" I've been reminded this morning of my need for prayer...and with that reminder, comes this realization...often times I pray soooo wrong! I view God as my personal "spiritual vending machine"! I make my selection, push the button, and hopefully get my request granted...forgive me Lord, YOU deserve so much more!

Romans 8:26 "For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray." Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God" Psalm 62:5 "I wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him." Psalm 143:8 "Let me hear of your unfailing love to me in the morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I have come to you in prayer."
‎2 Chronicles 7:14 " if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land."

Wanna go bye-bye?

Our dog Bromfield....loves goin' 'bye-bye! Just the mere mention of the word, sends his body "a-shakin-with-delight"....makes me think of my relationship with Jesus. Oh how I wish when Jesus asks me..."wanna go for a walk?"...that I would get half as excited as Bromie.

You need to be more tolerant

"Ooh, you're too narrow" Acts 4:12 "Salvation is found in no one else..." In a day when there is more pressure for us to become more liberal in our thinking, to be more tolerant... when we are accused of being narrow and bigoted...take heart, the Bible declares that, "neither is there salvation in any other." Jesus is the way, He said, "Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to eternal life" Matt 7:14
It's pretty much a 'given' theses days...if you choose to walk-like-Jesus, you're gonna be labelled a f-r-e-a-k! Worse yet?...a Jesus Freak!    Want the "easier way?", just blend in...be tolerant! But Jesus' words ring in my head...He said: "If a person is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, I, the Son of Man, will be ashamed of that person when I return in the glory of my Father with the holy angels." Whoa...if I choose to blend in, what am I really saying? I'm ashamed of Jesus? It isn’t easy to walk death row with Jesus. It means that we have to associate ourselves with someone who was despised and executed. But if we are ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of us. Yeah I think Jesus was a 'rebel'...and Jesus calls us to rebel against the established order of this world.
When I feel the urge this world has over me to just blend in, help me to remember..."Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." Psalm 84:10  "Help me Lord!"

Wednesday Prayer

"Wednesday prayer" Dear Father, help me to not shrink back in fear and doubt when You are conforming me. When everything looks like defeat and disaster, remind me to look to You. When I am hanging helpless in my circumstances, remind me of Your great faithfulness. Lord, I want to know You more, even now, help me to go through any means You choose, Amen.

There's a Better Day a Comin'

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‎1 John 3:1 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" That is just "Good News!" Be encouraged..."there's a Better day a Comin'!"

Always...a Heart Condition

Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things...Who can understand it?" God's talking about your heart and my heart. Scarey, isn't it? I can fool you...aw shoot, I can even fool myself...Socrates cried, "Man, know thyself." But who really does know himself? Vs. 10 says, "Thou, O Lord, searches the heart..." God knows my heart better than I know it...that's whats scarey...He knows over and above---me, everyone! I can't fool God, and yet, I feel like I try...stupid man, will I ever learn? 

"Search me O Lord, try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be some way of wickedness in me, lead me"

Why, Lord?

"really, would we?" Judges 6:13 "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?" Gideon gets to do, what we've all said we've wanted to do--ask God "Why?"

I've probably said it a million times...."Why Lord?"... "when I get to heaven Lord, I've got so many questions for You!"....Really, ya think so? Uh, I can only imagine!" Cause I think once we see Our Savior "face-to-face", there won't be any questions! Like the song goes...."Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel...will I dance for You Jesus, or in Awe of You be still...will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall, will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all?"...."I can only imagine"

Compromises

"compromises?" Judges 1 God tells His Children, "drive out the inhabitants completely"...Our God knows the "draw" that sin has in our lives...He knew it then, with "His children of Israel", He still knows today! God knew they needed to 'purge' it (sin, detestable practices)  from the land, get it out of their site...These Israelites didn't say "let's forsake God" they simply decided that they would be satisfied with less. Essentially, thats our question too: "what will we be satisfied with in our Christian life?" God knows our tendencies towards "settling for less", the "draw" of sin...oh yeah, I may pray, and I think, "Ok God, I've waited long enough...you're not moving quite fast enough for me, I should probably just handle this myself"... Often God moves slower than I think He should, so I compromise, I settle...The problem with that way of thinking is, that once we satisfy ourselves with less than God's best for us, we will never be what God wants us to be. God has always had a plan...a way...a path for us to travel on...He knows whats Best and He wants that for me!
"Lord, Help me!"

Who ya gonna serve?

"you can't be neutral?" Joshua 24:15 "choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua knew...each man chooses, not if you will serve or not, but who you will serve. We all serve somebody! We all have 'passions', a guiding principle, a philosophy...there are many different gods that a man can worship..."who ya gonna serve?"
It's no different today, in fact, lots of us feel it's gotten worse! So many god's available to serve....so many different "paths to god" (supposedly)..."Shoot man, if you're not happy with any of the churches around, wait five minutes....another one will pop up!"   But you must choose which god you are going to serve, the true and the living God, or one the gods that everybody else worships?

"As for me and my house?...We will serve The Lord!"

Rain Day

Ahh, another "rain day" yesterday! "Thank You Lord...You gave me another opportunity to study, and I got a 93% on Module 5....Thank You Lord!....and for "Date Night" too...my bride and I enjoyed each other, I Praise You Lord, for my bride!"

Got Hardship?

"hardship?" Hebrews 12:5 "And have you entirely forgotten?" God’s correction is never to punish us, never to make us pay for our sins. That was done once and for all at the cross. How much of the difficulty in our Christian life can be traced back to those three words: you have forgotten! Maybe not in our minds, but we have forgotten it with our hearts - and we must remember it again! How quickly I forget..."the Goodness of my Lord?" God doesn't 'react' like I do...or would, thankfully! His ways are Love motivated...He wants the Best for me...I usually forget that, and usually grumble and complain...."Lord, thank You, that You never tire of trying to "learn me"...Please Keep me in Your Ways....Your Ways are Good!"

Good Results

"Thank You Lord"....for "good results"! After studying all last week for these two quizzes, I was to take yesterday..."You Lord, gave me 100%'s on both!"....and even on my "homework" as well! And for that, I am grateful!
"Thank You Lord!"

When the world feels cold

"when the world feels cold" John 14:27 "I'm telling you these things...The Friend, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send at My request, He will remind you of all the things I have told you...I'm leaving you well and whole...that's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you are used to being left--abandoned...So don't be upset. Don't be distraught" 
I hardly ever read from "The Message" translation...but last night before going to bed, I read this, my daughter elyza gave me this little "gem" of a book..."Promises", it's a continuation of the series..."Be a Jesus Freak", which she knows I love! "Thank you Boo-Boo"!
This morning I awoke and got on the computer like I always do..."facebook", and I read of  A "sister-in-the-Lord's" earthly father's "going Home"...It's never easy losing a loved-one, but it's far easier, when you know they've gone home to be in Heaven!
"Thank You Lord, please bring comfort to Shelley Koozer, and her family, at this time!"

Back to the Grind

Oh, how I enjoyed last week...no "classes", kind of a, just routine work-week? I mean, well I did have 'mucho' studying to do, but no extra---like going to class 3 days outta the week...."Thank You Lord!" But today starts the "craziness" again Lord...."O help me Lord...help me, strengthen me for these next months to come...help me persevere, help me "finish well"....please Lord?"

Being True, to yoursel?

"true to yourself?" 1 Timothy 4:16 "Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right, and God will save you and those who hear you." I read this morning...that the iniquity of the world will abound, the love of many is going to wax cold. Are you one....am I one...one of those in which the love is waxing cold? Physically fit but spiritually bankrupt? "O God, may that not be our case."

There is a story told of a man who was lost in a blizzard. And as he was just blindly walking through the snow, blinded by the blizzard, he was becoming tired and weary until he just stumbled and fell and he just felt, I'll lie here for a little while. I just don't have the strength to go on. But as he was lying there, he came to the realization that what caused him to stumble was a body that was lying there being buried in the snow. And so realizing that there was another person there, he picked him up, felt that the pulse was still there, picked him up and started trudging through the snow, carrying now this other person with a superhuman effort and within fifteen feet, he came to the door of a cabin where he was saved. But he came to a very interesting discovery. And that is, in saving this other person, he in reality saved himself.
Not to sound "superhuman"...but perhaps Dear Lord, You may use me? Use me to bring Glory to Your Name? In my weakness, You Are Strong? If so Dear Lord, may You receive all the Glory!

"O Lord, be with us this day, this week...guide us in our 'paths' for Your Name's sake...make us strong, as the 'things-of-life' drain us, make us a witness to the world around...an example of what the believer ought to be bringing glory unto You God through our commitment to Jesus Christ."
God help you in these last days to stand strong. Stand firm.

A Very Blessed Man

"I am so blessed" Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." "I Thank You Lord for my Family...they totally 'spoiled' me yesterday...Far better than I deserve!" My bride made me a new pillow, and embroidered on it ""grow old along with me...the best is yet to be", (Thank you my Love, and yes I'll grow old with you)...A.  David & Reece got me the "Superman" collection...we have been wanting this forever--it seems, and those two 'turkeys' got it for me! Elyza made me this scrap book, like she's so good at doing....inside is pictures, poems, scripture...I cried like a baby! Maddie had a photo-album made for me...simply awesome, Pete...again, I cried like a Baby!  Oh yeah, and they all took me out to eat at Chili's, "yeah, buddy, did we put the feed-bag on!"   And than home for cake and ice cream...

"Thank You Lord!"...I am truly the most blessed man, in the world!"

Spring Forward

Last night, I was supposed to remember to set our clocks an hour ahead....."Spring Forward"! But as is usually the case, I forgotted....what with all of our celebrating my 50th B-day and all, got carried away in the moment. But Thankfully, when I went to get on the computer---it automatically changes....so "we're good!"

"That's a good-lookin-head"

"That's a good-lookin-head"    As we grow older, at least us guys that is...our heads start showin' our age! "I love bald heads!" I often say: "The Lord only made a few perfect heads....the rest...He put hair on!"  "Thank You Lord, for bald heads!"

50 Today

"Reflections at 50"..."1/2 of a hundred" that's quite an accomplishment! At least I think so! To me, it's a milestone...a bench-mark, "I've lived 50 years, I'm half-a-hundred!" You see, my momma died at age 39. but I've made it 50 years now, every year I do this, I say this..."my momma only made it to 39, but I'm___." Yeah, yeah, I've been thru alot...momma died when I was just 16....dad was an alcoholic...family got split-up...had an uncle who beat me...yeah, yeah, move on! "There's alot of sadness in the world!"
I think, right now anyways...the thing I "camp-on", the thing I seem to dwell on the most, with this birthday is..."my frame", my body, my physical condition...."how I feel"
God's Word says: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. " Ps. 139:14 It also says..."Though outwardly we are wasting away" 2 Cor 4:16 Most days I confess, I don't "feel" fearfully & wonderfully made...I can definitely relate to the "outwardly wasting away"...My body does this great job of reminding me, I am getting older! I envy others who can still do "things"....things like run, or move quickly, or jump around on ladders and roofs...I used to be able to do such "things", and quite well if I may be so bold to say....alas, I took them for granted, I was invincible...or at least I thought so, my bride reminded me of this again yesterday! "If someone would have told you, some 30 years ago, your body is going to 'pay-you-back-for-this'...you would have laughed at them!" So true, she's right! I knew 1 gear, one speed..."full-throttle"..."full-speed-ahead"..."all-out"..."I'm givin' er all she's got captain"..."hell-bent-in-a-fury". That was all I knew man, go, go, go.  The old saying..."hind sight's 50-50"....ya can't go back, and even if you could, would you do it any different? Probably not...okay for sure, I wouldn't!  Yet, throughout all this "i-n-t-r-o--s-p-e-c-t-i-o-n", gosh, I love that word...."i-n-t-r-o--s-p-e-c-t-i-o-n", one thing I am so Thankful for....My Lord! Yes, GOD...Jesus Christ! Throughout all my "trials" of this life, I can see the hand of my God in my life...He's always been there, thru it all...even in the times when I went my own way, when I disregarded His Way, and thought my way was right, was better...He never left me, never abandoned me...even though He should have, He didn't....and He has even blessed me! I often say, "Iam the most blessed man in the world!" And I believe that!
Lord, You have taught me to say..."Thank You! Thank You for creating me, Thank You that You are my God!" "Therefore we do not lose heart, inwardly we are being renewed day by day"

Big Shoes to fill

"big shoes to fill?" Joshua 1:5 "as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you." After all those years, watching this 'Mighty Man of God' Moses...don't you think Joshua may have been a little nervous? Is victory assured?...not because Joshua is a great leader, but because God is a great God, He says... I will be with you. Joshua 3:17...and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan. How did it happen? What was the key to this amazing miracle? This miracle obviously connects with the miracle the nation knew some 40 years earlier: the passing through the Red Sea. God brought them out of Egypt’s bondage with a miracle, and He brought them in to the Promised Land with a miracle. To face such impossible challenges in our lives, we must look unto Jesus, our Joshua. He always leads us...'nuff said David? Even today? Even when it "looks like there's just no way? Even when you feel like you've got big shoes to fill?  "God knows...just call on Him, He'll be with you!"

"Just make sure you tell him...this is not a date!"

This week mark's a special day...."March 7th"...24 years ago my bride and I met! Ah, I remember it well, called some friends on a Saturday, late afternoon...and asked; "what you's two doing tonite?"...they were going out for a night of dancing and drinking...with a friend of theirs, Brenda Clark..."can I tag along?"   "Just a minute, let me ask Brenda if it would be alright?"   She said, "sure!" Later that night, I found out, she had also said...."just make sure you tell him...this is not a date!"  Hah, it's been 24 years now baby...how's that for: "it's not a date?"

I Love You, my Beejie!"

A day at home, means study, study, study

Yesterday, Wednesday...was a "rain-day" in our world of hanging vinyl siding...so this meant, study-study-study, for me! Math, mucho math....converting fractions to decimals, and than writing out those decimals in 'word form'....."yeah buddy"! And than learning all those names on the Lathe and Mill....17 on Lathe, 15 on Mill...and don't forget Module 3, more studying on Blue Print Reading....my head is still spinning....All's I can say is...."Lord, Help me! Help me Lord to remember....by the yard---it's hard, but by the inch---it's a sinch!"

A Thursday Prayer

"A Thursday prayer"..."Father in heaven...I ask You again this day. please show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow. For You Alone are God, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you. I know I constantly seek out the things of this world to satisfy me...and yet those things never satisfy...yet You O Lord remain constant, never changing...why do I despair, why do I keep looking to other things, other gods?....Forgive me? Thank You for not dealing with me as I deserve....And now as I grow a little older, feeling those affects on my frame, strengthen me this day, I pray...Keep me in Your Grip, ever mindful...that You Know"

God Knew then...He Knows now

Deut. 31:16-17 And the LORD said to Moses: "You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. On that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and difficulties will come upon them, and on that day they will ask, 'Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not with us?"

Now God is telling Moses, flat, "Moses, these people are going to go in and they are going to mess up. They are going to start whoring after the gods of the land. They are going to forsake Me. They are going to start following these other gods." How discouraging it must be to have foreknowledge.

Often, God and even Moses...called Israel...a "stiff-necked" clan...and what about us? What about me? I too, am stiff-necked! I've "messed-up" so many times...and undoubtedly, will continue to...Yet God never leaves me nor forsakes me! "Thank You Lord for that...Thank You for "longsuffering" over the likes of me!"

I pray Lord, you never tire of me...Keep me in Your Grip!

You mean...I can't do it?

"Can I do it? Nope" Deut. 30:14 "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it." This is not intended to mean that the Mosaic Law could be perfectly kept, and that a person could be sufficiently obedient to the Mosaic Law to earn a righteous standing before God.
God never expected Israel to perfectly obey the law and find righteousness through law-obedience. God, even then, was "pointing towards" something....God expected an Israelite to trust in the atonement made by sacrifice to make him righteous, and to understand that this sacrifice pointed towards a perfect sacrifice God would one day make through the Messiah. In this, a godly Israelite, in the Old Covenant, trusted in the work of Jesus the Messiah to save him even before the time of Jesus.
God knew, no Israelite, nor any of us, could "keep" the Law, and earn a righteous standing before God. That is why He provided for the sacrifice - the punishment of a perfect, innocent victim in the place of the sinner. That "perfect" sacrifice...Jesus! ...So, we can't do it ourselves, but "all because of Jesus Christ", we can do it, "in Him".....

"We can trust in Him!"............"Thank You Jesus"

Spring Break

After one full week of "classes", I'm already on Spring Break! Yipeeee! No "in class" stuff this week, but I have plenty of "homework", and "modules" that must be done....

"O Lord, help me this week to stay "steady" on my studies...please Lord, Keep me diligent, to the end"

But, Why?

"Why?" Deut. 29:29 "There are secret things that belong to the LORD our God" Clear back to when I was little, I can remember my Dad saying..."God moves in mysterious ways"...God never declares everything to man: There are secrets God has, and will always have. He has the right to have secrets, because He is God. God is way bigger, and way smarter than us, always has been, always will be. "He's gotta plan"...and not only that...Only He can be trusted by us!    Why is that so hard?  I think, for me at least, it's because I keep comparing 'trusting Him' to how people I've trusted over the years---have too often failed me....STOP comparing God to people....over and over again, God tells us, in His Word...I AM GOD, I'm not people!
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)           "We can Trust Him"

"Thank You Lord! Help me this day to remember, to Trust in You!"

The Lies of the Evil One

Yesterday, Sunday....Pastor Rob "hit one outta the Park"....An Awesome message on "When Jesus is on your side, you really don't have to worry"....Thanks Pastor Rob, that was just "Good Word"! "God never leaves nor forsakes us"....so true, it's me who leaves, it's me who listens to the "lies" of the evil one! All satan wants to do, and has tried to do for so many years, is try to get us to doubt God's Word...if he can do that...we take care of the rest...we panic, we plot and scheme, we try to make things happen, instead of simply trusting in God, and waiting on Him...God said "Never"..."I will never leave you nor forsake you." and when God says it, it's the Truth, cause...Numbers 23:19 says..."God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?"  and Hebrews 6:18 "God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged."
"O Lord...when satan tempts to despair, Keep me in Your Grip, I pray today!"

"Thanks Pastor Rob, may God Bless You!"

Contentment

"when & where does real contentment come?" It never ceases to amaze me, how often I strive to find my contentment and security in the "things" of this world. "If I could only get this...or if I only had that?"..."things" far less reliable and secure than God Himself! Hebrews 13:5 "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
Someone asked millionaire Bernard Baruch, "How much money does it take for a rich man to be satisfied?" Baruch answered, "Just a million more than he has."
How often I "cry-out" to God and say..."Help my unbelief", I've read His promises over and over...I've sat and listened to countless sermons...."good Word" of God's Goodness, I've seen His Mighty Provision in my life--too many times to even mention...and yet how many times I forget, I grumble, I panic... Romans 8:31 says "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Oh I love that! I've got so much. I've got Jesus. Why can't I be content with what I have. It's been said so many times...If you've got the Lord, you've got everything. He is everything. He is our resource. He is all that we need. For He said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Again this day...I must pray..."Help me Lord!...Thank You Lord for Your promises, cause me this day Lord to look only to You"

There will be a day

‎"I try to hold onto this world with everything I have...But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that tries to grab...The many trials that seem to never end, His Word declares this truth, that we will enter in this rest with w...onders anew...But I hold onto this Hope and The Promise that He brings...There will be a place with no more suffering...There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears...There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face...But until that day...we'll hold onto You always" Jeremy Camp

 

"gently and lovingly" Isaiah 25:8 "The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces"...How much more glorious could the tender mercy of God be? And then Revelation chapter 22, again, "And God shall wipe away all tears." I like that. God spoke it. You know it's going to be. Praise Him for it!

 

It's sunday, "The Lord's Day"....Let us come before You, Lord....and worship You...

Nasty cold--Update

Well, its Saturday...and after basically taking Friday off yesterday...and doing nothing much more than snoozing and resting...I must tell you, "Thank You Lord...I think I'm feeling better!" I really feel a noticeable change---to the better! I was really starting to wonder...? How long was this nasty cold going to last? But thankfully, I feel better! "Thank You Lord!"

Walkin' the Talk?

"how I live says alot" Matthew 16: 15 “But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?” This is the question isn't it?...Talking is one thing, ahhh, but walkin' it? We answer this question every day by what we believe and do. If we really believe Jesus is who He says He is, it will affect the way that we live. Real Faith...what's that? If we want to know what "real faith" is, we must go to "the cutter"....ah James, "the cutter" as I like to call him...he lays it all out for us, no punches, just the "gut-wrenchin" Truth....James 2:17 says: "So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all--it is dead and useless."  A living faith is simply real faith. If we really believe something, we will follow through and act upon it. James goes even deeper...vs. 19-20 "Do you still think it's enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror! Fool! When will you ever learn that faith that does not result in good deeds is useless?" See what I mean? Ahh "the Cutter"....The appeal of James is clear and logical. We can’t “see” someone’s faith, but we can see their works. You can’t see faith without works, but you can demonstrate the reality of faith by works. To just say you have faith doesn't cut it. Saying it isn't enough. Every day, anyone who comes "in contact" with me is not only "seeing" my faith, but they are "judging" my faith...Do my words match my actions? Just saying it doesn't make it so. "Oh, I have all the faith in the world." Baloney! Nobody has all the faith in the world. If I believe certain things to be so, then my life is going to be lived accordingly. My life testifies of my faith or my beliefs. That's it...is my life a "living testimony" to Jesus Christ? Do I "walk-the-talk"? Is there "evidence"? Is there some proof? Talk is cheap! Just to say that you have faith and not have any works that correspond is totally wrong. You've deceived yourself. You aren't really walking in faith. If you are truly walking in faith, your works are going to be manifesting that truth.
So, James goes on and asks... "what does it profit if a man says he has faith, and he doesn't have works? can that kind of faith save him?" No, it can't. 
Now a lot of people made mistakes; going forward and saying the sinner's prayer and then going away and living the same kind of life doing the same kind of thing. They say, "Oh yeah, I was saved. I went forward and I said the sinner's prayer." No, no, the sinner's prayer isn't going to save you. It is a living faith in Jesus Christ that brings about actual changes in your life and the proof is in the works; the proof of your faith. Your works have to be in accordance, in harmony with what you are declaring to be true.

"Help me Lord...to walk like Jesus did..." "WLJD"

Laughter is Good

"laughter is good for the soul" At our house, we really enjoy laughing..,whether its over a movie scene, or something off the internet, or just at our own "lives", we love a good ole belly laugh! Proverbs 17: 22 says: "A cheerful heart is good medicine"...As Christians, it may be tough at times, but we should have a "cheerful heart" quite often....because of Jesus Christ! Jesus is the absolute-Best-Medicine, Ever! And I think we'd all agree...Our world is desperately in need of more medicine. "Happy Friday to All"..........."be a light"

Passed the Quiz

"Thanks Lord, got me thru the quiz!" Not really sure what's goin' on there......teacher didn't grade it, he asked us to shout out our answers...and one of my answers, which came from the hand-outs, teacher questioned, so.....I couldn't claim I'd gotten a 100%, but everybody else did.....hmmmmmmm, go figure!
But anyhow...."Thanks Lord!"

After 30 Years...What were You Thinking?

Having never done anything other than "working-for-a-living"...I'm finding this going to school bit...quite overwhelming! 3 days a week of classes, which is almost all machining, and having 24 modules to go thru on the computer (on my own) and now I've been studying for this Safety quiz....I must tell you, I have to fight the urge to say..."Are you kidding me? What were you thinking?"

"O Lord, I need Your Help!"

A Safety Quiz & A Nasty Cold

Today marks our first "in-class" quiz...on Safety! Oh and I still have this nasty cold...just when you think you might be getting better?...it kicks you in your butt the entire day!
"Help me this day Lord...not only with my Safety quiz, but help me physically, with this nasty cold...please?"

People know

"what do I treasure?" Deut. 11:18 says: "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds" God called Israel to not only read the Word of God and to know the Word of God, but to treasure it..."Ya mean it's not enough that I just read it Lord...I've also got to live it--love it, and treasure it?"

So many mornings I catch myself...hurrying thru my reading...so I can tell myself: "I read God's Word today!" Now don't get me wrong, reading God's Word is vital to me...in fact, honestly, I must have it! But this morning I'm reminded of a most sobering fact: "God desires I Love His Word"...to actually treasure it! I can say, over the years, at different times....I have had 'flashes' of a deep-deep desire, a hungerin' for His Word...times when I just couldn't get enough...times when I'd look it up in 3 or 4 different translations, study different commentaries, I'd write notes, and take notes etc. etc...a real hungerin'...ya know, kind of like maybe what God would like. But lately? Well like I said, I read...but do I hunger? Do I treasure? Not like God wants, I'm sure...

"O Lord...You deserve my 'all-in-all'...You should have, and should be, my true love"

Got Wisdom?

"Got beauty...got skill...got wisdom?" Deut. 10:21 "He is your praise; he is your God." Our God is most worthy to be praised...This is true in two senses. First, He is the object of our praise; second, He is also the One who makes us praiseworthy...
Any wisdom, beauty, or skill we show is not to our praise - but He is your praise.
I'm quite sure, since man first "started learning" things...it has long been a battle for one to get "PRETTY-FULL-OF-ONE'S SELF"...and what I mean simply is "knowledge tends to puff us up"! God does not want us "puffed up", He wants us "edifying"...or "edify" (to instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually; uplift:) The difference between puffs up and edifies is striking; it is the difference between a bubble and a building. Some Christians grow, others just swell! But when we strive to remember, who its from, and who its about...who indeed makes us ourselves praiseworthy....and not simply remembering, but giving Him the Praise....that's when we glorify God!

"Come on now....Praise Him!" "Thank You Lord!"

Mind over Matter?

It's now March! Big deal right?...But 2011's March, marks my 50th Birthday! That's right folks, David Anweiler hits "half-a-hundred" this year! WOW "half-a-hundred", and to me, that is a big deal...."Thank You Lord!" So why "mind-over-matter"? Well, unfortunately, the old body ain't what he used to be...he hurts, and often reminds me..."you just don't 'got it' anymore....but in my mind, I still do...but obviously, that don't matter...so "if you don't mind, it don't matter"! But it does...my boss Gary, keeps asking me "what would it take, $$$, to keep you?" I'm flattered, and not only that, there are many aspects of his job I really like...like building things, improving things, being outside...just to name a few...then there's his company (and by this I mean, who he is, not just G & R Siding)...his beliefs, his convictions, his love, his compassion for me! So much of this weighs heavily on my mind...but my body can't seem to take it?

"O Lord, Thank You for Gary Richard! And for his love and compassion for me...I know Lord, You put that in him! Help us to come to mutual understanding together...help us all to glorify You, Lord, in our work this day!"

I Am Not My Own

"remembering, who's you are" 1 Cor. 6:20 "for God bought you with a high price" Reading this morning that your brain in one day makes more connections than all of the telephone systems in the entire world. No wonder you're tired at night. With all those "connections", it's critical for us to "remember who's we are!" Jesus Christ redeemed me. He paid the price...I don't belong to me!

It's far too easy at times, to think, "I am my own man! I mean, gosh Lord You made me this way, You know exactly the talents, the desires I have....cause You formed me! And if You formed me, don't You want me to be who You made me to be?" But... I belong not to me. He didn't redeem me so that I could be my own man. He redeemed me so that I would belong to Him. I've been bought with a price; I am not my own to do with as I please. My life now belongs to Him to do as He pleases....

therefore we are to glorify God both in our bodies, and our spirits, which are his (1Cr 6:20).

"O Lord, help me this day...to glorify YOU!"