Category: <span>Personal God</span>

  In 1976 I got saved. I was not seeking it, I was not looking for it. I don’t remember making a decision per se. No, He found me and the message He brought was irresistible. I was so ready, I was so lost. I just had never allowed myself to see the full extent of my empty, lonely, wretched state. He put a light on it and the need became apparent, then the glorious remedy appeared. I received Him so gladly. Today I revisit the day of my salvation. It happened on day-shift at the mill, a sunny day. Men fished off the sea wall; myself and others started in on bag lunches.  A blond haired man, about my age, approached me. He creatively shared with me how Jesus had walked on the water, how Peter (in the Bible), had done so also, and maybe we can do this…

  Like a River dam or lock, We must manage the flow of grace. This includes That flow coming into our house, and then the flow going out. This is our stewardship . This is spoken of in 1 Peter 4:10  “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I must first learn how to receive grace, but not in vain. Grace “received” is accepting something which I do not deserve. Can you do it? `Pride can inhibit this action. Many, many speakers, leaders, church members, choir singers, administrators or faculty cannot receive grace. Unsaved folks balk at grace often. The reason?  Grace is based never on the receiver, but rests in the open hand of the Giver, God Himself. It all depends on the vicarious atonement of Christ. Precious people look inward and discover…

Accede, Accept, Access. “Come to, receive, come in — for coming, for taking, for entering.” The words of my Title are from Latin derivation, but have great significance to us believers. They mean: We come, we believe, we gain entrance. Jesus cried out, “come,” and we came — then we received Him — then we were given power to become sons of God with access to Father. To come required a drawing of invitation. To receive required a removal of obstacles and a cleansing. To enter requires continuance in our purified state. Friends, we are accepted in the beloved — we have touched power and grace — we have access to the Father in heaven! When we consider the above with a view to a gathering of souls, we discover “Unity, Peace, and Oneness.” For these we must endeavor — to keep the unity of the Spirit… a unity produced…

  Do I belong? Do you belong? This question must be answered daily, since daily we  may doubt it. The question of being acceptable, measuring up, meeting the criteria; haunts us — but why? For me, the inquiry can lapse into an obsession —  one which draws me back to the days when I asked the same question — but looked for answers in another way and place. You too? Indeed, we relied on mirrors, facial cremes, designer clothing, hair gel and so much more. Then, We may have entered a segment of time where we shirked the caring — it was too much — too hard — much too time-consuming. Indeed, the self-consciousness cramped us and slowed us down. It made us feel like fish out of water, unable to focus on the task at hand, or have just plain hypocritical, phony, disingenuous feelings. We wanted to be real.…

  Matthew 9 teaches the Words of Jesus, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go you and learn what that means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Repentance is a gift from God: The Psalmist cries, “Turn Thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.”  Psalm 25:16 The people cry,”Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” Psalm 80:3 David cries, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 Ezra cries, “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.” Psalm 119:37 Who restored Adam and Eve after their sin? God restored them — God took away their fig leaves and then God killed…

Joshua would be 40 years old on April 10 if he had survived his bout with cancer. 14 years have past since his untimely passing. We remember him today. I have thought of Josh much this past 14 years, but I am okay. God has allowed my imperfect life to continue and has paid me back with many blessings of the spiritual  and physical sort. I have enjoyed the friendship of God’s Spirit, of Jesus, and the Father. I have been allowed to simply be myself, to speak transparently, to have a ministry with the broken hearted. I have felt God’s loving comfort for grievers; I have identified with their pain. These things we have learned from Joshua’s life and dying: The events of life, thrills or tragedy, are not mere speed-bumps to recover from, but are doorways which open to new worlds. Many hidden gifts and desires opened for…

  “Feeling the stress of a fallen world is part of existence. We might call this the’blues.’ Romans 8:23 teaches, ‘we groan.’” “The blues are common to the lot of a fallen human race.” “… Expectation of a carefree life or constant euphoria and excitement are neither scriptural nor true to experience.” Steven Waterhouse “The fact that you have become a Christian does not mean that you cease to have to live with yourself — You will have to live with yourself as long as you are alive. ” Martin Lloyd Jones Depression is related to 1. Little interest or pleasure in doing things, 2. Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless, 3. Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much, 4. Feeling tired or having little energy, 5. Poor appetite or overeating, 6. …you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down, 7. Trouble concentrating on things, 8. Moving or speaking so slowly,…

Galatians 5:7 could be read this way , “Who has been breaking up the road you were traveling so well, and who has stopped you from advancing?” The devil likes to stop the Christian in his tracks — creating an attitude of uncertainty about the path in which God is leading… He also aims to impede their relationship and fellowship with God.  Methods include: Mental strain — The devil induces believers to toil in their thoughts — Unexplained tiredness and a lack of emotional control — Details cause tension — The person often complains about being overworked –He feels too drained to pray or to study. …an attitude of carelessness —  Results in a contempt For discipline and leadership — a lackadaisical disposition. Anxiety Nervousness materialism. all taken from Dr. Carl H. Stevens Sometimes our faith-practices don’t seem to work out as usual. Is God pulling the plug on this…

“God just doesn’t throw a life preserver to a drowning person. He goes to the bottom of the sea and he pulls a corpse from the bottom of the sea, takes him up on the bank and breathes into him the breath of life and makes him alive.” R.C. Sproul “Men will never worship God with a sincere heart, or be roused to fear and obey him with sufficient zeal, until they properly understand how indebted they are to his mercy.”  John Calvin “We shall never be clothed with the righteousness of Christ, except we first know assuredly that we have no righteousness of our own.”  John Calvin “You contribute nothing to your Salvation except the sin that made it necessary.”   Jonathan Edwards “The ultimate test of our spirituality, Is the measure of our amazement at the grace of God.” Martin Lloyd Jones “Faith, repentance and holiness are no less…

Son

  “And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said,” “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!” 2 Samuel 18:33 A father loves his son most powerfully.  King David weeps for his son even though this son had conspired to kill him. A grown man remarked: “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”memesbams We may not believe in ourselves — but our father may. In us? Our heavenly Father believes in what His nature can produce in us — in spite of our disbelief! He’s the Father of fathers. He is Love above love. Romans 8:14 teaches: “For those who are led by God’s Spirit are, all of them, God’s sons.” …