Worship

We should be lifting up holy hands. Worship like love is a list of actions that lead to the feeling that we are looking for. Search your Bible for other actions that are a part of worship.

Ne 8:6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
Ps 28:2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.
Ps 63:4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
Ps 119:48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.
Ps 134:2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.
Ps 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
La 2:19 Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.
La 3:41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
1Ti 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

Things That We Don’t Have To Learn…

Many things in the Bible including getting saved are our responsibility to learn and do. Getting saved is so very important and yet we are left to make sure that we get it from the Bible ourselves or from someone else. There are some things though that God just gives us. I am not talking about the world we live on and all of its amenities, but rather these that are to follow.
So many are struggling to learn wisdom and often learn wisdom that is not from God. Wisdom makes us look important but only God’s wisdom is important. James says in chapter 1 Verse 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. More time asking and less time searching will help us end up with God’s wisdom and less of our own and the world’s wisdom.

This parable is not about who is saved but who is fruitful. Discussing who is saved here is a waste of time and keeps us from the intent, which is to be fruitful.
Matt 13: 18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Please note the words becometh unfruitful in verse 22. These people were fruitful first and then became unfruitful. The fruit of a Christian is another Christian and the fruit of the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit in us, therefore don’t confuse bearing fruit with the Holy Spirit bearing fruit in us if we are willing.
What other things does the Bible say that God will give us if we ask? Study and then send me a comment.

Old People

When I was a kid my dad used to take me to visit old people. Sometimes they would get cookies and be ever so glad to see us. I remember one old lady that would make coffee for dad and herself but she had some very little cups and would put some in one for me and I had my own coffee and the cookies were always so good. She was constantly so glad to see us, and would tell us so. “Oh you are such a wonderful boy” she would say.

Other older people would just sit there and complain that no one would care for them. One even said why doesn’t anyone ever visit me. I wondered why she didn’t recognize that we were. Complain and complain, they would have nothing good to say. It seemed that most of the people that we visited only had a pile of complaints to pour on us.

We would always feel like we should visit the complainers because they made us feel guilty about not visiting enough, but guess who we wanted to visit…

My dad said that I should decide what kind of old person that I wanted to be and start working at it right now. I am so glad that I did.

Filled With the Spirit

Gal. 5: 22-25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Let me explain… this passage is not teaching us how to be filled with the Spirit it is teaching us how to recognize if we are filled with the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit isn't something that we learn. It is the evidence that we are filled with the Spirit.

"The fruit of the Spirit begins with love...Joy is love exulting; peace is love in repose; longsuffering is love on trial; gentleness is love in society; goodness is love in action; faith is love on the battlefield; meekness is love at school; and temperance is love in training." (D.L. Moody)

My wording wasn’t as good as his.

Many think that these things are the fruit of the Christian but the passage clearly says “fruit of the Spirit:.

The fruit of a cow is a cow, the fruit of an apple is an apple, the fruit of a person is another person and the fruit of a Christian is another Christian and the fruit of God comes from God.

Your Personal Value

You are only as valuable as you are valuable to someone else. Your friends are only as valuable to you as what you can forgive; therefore you are only as valuable as what you can forgive.

Picture a friendship, any really good friendship… how glad are you that this friendship exists… answer to yourself…

Some day this person that you are friends with WILL do something that you don’t like. If you can forgive it the friendship will survive the difficulty. It is for this reason that we are able to find out the value of the friendship in question.

We are God’s friends and there is nothing that He can’t or won’t forgive therefore we have a relationship with God that will last, unless we are foolish enough to get annoyed with God and pull away from Him. We would have to lack good judgment to be mad at a God that is perfect because then we are the problem.

The sad thing is that kids grow up moving from one friend to the next and then to the next and then to the next because all friends offend sooner or later, and then when they are married they do the same, move on to another. That is how we get such a high divorce rate.

Guess what, you will offend too. No matter how hard I have tried to be perfect for Linda I have failed at times, therefore our relationship is more dependent on her willingness to forgive than my lack of ability to be perfect when she feels offended. Remember Ps. 119:165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. Don’t get offended!!!

What Kind of Person do You Want to Be!!!

Don’t be cruel or nasty because you will get good at it and then you will be a cruel, nasty person.

Some places that seem to generate these actions, unions, marriage, children, a friend that hurt you…

Walking With God

I have often heard a Christian say that he or she will stay with God always. It has rarely worked out that way. I prefer to hear a Christian say that they are praying earnestly that God will show them the way that keeps them on track.

Do Good Anyway

1. People are unreasonable, illogical, and; self-centered
LOVE THEM ANYWAY

2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
DO GOOD ANYWAY

3. If you are successful, you will win false friends and; true enemies.
SUCCEED ANYWAY

4. The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow.
DO GOOD ANYWAY

5. Honesty and; frankness make you vulnerable.
BE HONEST and; FRANK ANYWAY

6. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
BUILD ANYWAY

7. People really need help but may attack you if you help them.
HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY.

8. Give the world the best you have and; you'll get kicked in the teeth.
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU HAVE ANYWAY.

Love

Real love isn’t a feeling but rather an action that often leads to a feeling.  Love is a gift, not something that you find.  We sure don’t see as much loyalty in relationships between people as we do from God; he is loyal to us even when we are not what we should be.  The three types of relationships are, -what I want, -what we can share, -what I can give.  Guess which one is from God.

Love is something that I do, not something that I have and is described for us in I Cor. 13:4-7
Here is a good exercise. Put I Cor. 13:4-7 into your own words and then read it daily for a month, then once a week after that, then once a month for the rest of the year.

I put it this way.
4. Love keeps on being kind after suffering for a long time. Love doesn't envy. Love isn't boastful or proud.
5. Love isn't rude or selfish. Love doesn't get provoked. Love doesn't seek fault but qualities in others.
6. Love isn't happy about injustice but rejoices when good prevails.
7. Love carries burdens willingly, sees the good in people, hopes for the best in people, and puts up with all difficulties.
8. God's love never stops once it starts

Please don't just agree with my wording but do your own.

Don't claim to love someone unless you are doing these things. Don't say that I just don't love him or her any more. Rather say... I just won't love him or her any more!!!

The Christian

There are only two questions for any real Christian.
1. Is there a God?
2. Do I believe?

The more I don't like someone the more likely I am to say something nice to them!!! It’s easy to say something nice to a friend. So I guess we should be nice to everyone.

Oh ya; God said love your brother, neighbour, and enemy!!! Guess that means everyone eh!!!

Negative Humour


Negative humour is like a firearm. It can do a lot of good if it is used with the utmost caution and only for a helpful purpose. For instance I heard of a mayor in the U.S. who went out for his morning run and was attacked by two pit bull dogs. He tried to climb a tree to get away from them but could only get part way up. The dogs could still get at his legs, he was bleeding profusely, on the verge of passing out and would most certainly have been killed if he fell out of the tree. An old farmer heard some screaming from far away and said to his wife that he was going to check it out. When he arrived on the scene he simply reached under the seat of his old pickup truck, pulled out his 45 and shot the dogs saving the life of the man in the tree. The doctor said that he almost died from blood loss. Police and soldiers use guns to protect us. What ever you think of guns I still think that they have some useful purposes but are also often used for horrible acts, just like negative humour is sometimes. What ever you think of negative humour I have used it very successfully on many occasions. Some people say that negative humour and guns are always wrong. This is sad because both have legitimate and valuable purposes, but must, as I just said, be used with the utmost caution.

In all forms of humour, we can tell that we are being helpful if the recipient finds it funny. One look at the target makes it abundantly clear whether or not he or she is enjoying the moment.

Humour is often used for very selfish reasons, for instance to make everyone else in the room think that you are a funny person, but this is often at the expense of someone who is really hurting or even worse yet, who you are hurting. This doesn’t make you a funny person but rather a cruel one.

I have had many friends who exchanged negative humour with me and we both enjoyed it. It made us feel bonded. I have also had many people use negative humour and I knew that I was just being used for selfish reasons, it hurts.

IF THE RECIPIENT IS NOT LAUGHING IT IS NOT FUNNY BUT CRUEL.

Back in my partying days I got invited to almost every party because I had the ability to make people laugh. People love to laugh. When I was a pastor I was good at making the congregation laugh during a sermon. The folks loved it. Like guns though we have to learn to use it wisely.

If you are going to use humour well with all types of people it will take a lot of practice. Practice is not performance. Practice by definition includes error. When you realize that you got it wrong, as we all will sometimes, apologize quickly and tell the person how much they mean to you. Make sure that you are feeling real concern for the person when you apologize, as it increases the effectiveness of your apology. It takes humility but it is well worth it. Why not make them feel like they are important to you.

I have used negative humour a lot and created many an enjoyable moment. Other times I have had to apologize and with real heart. People noticing negative humour and wanting to be funny too have often used it unwisely and since others laughed they thought that it was good. Sadly they often didn’t notice or care that the target person wasn’t laughing.

Final note… If you are ever going to get really good at communicating with people about hard or important issues make sure that you are feeling what you want them to feel and pay very close attention to their expressions so that you know how they are receiving it.

Watersheds of the Christian Life

Watersheds of the Christian Life

The term 'watershed' indicates a parting point where a division or change of direction occurs. In North America, the geographical watershed is the high point of land where the water on one side flows towards the Pacific Ocean while water a foot away is flowing to the Atlantic Ocean.

This term can be applied in Christianity to denote the areas where when standing or moving on one side of the line we will have gravity or inertia pulling us in the right direction, whereas if standing or moving on the other side we will be constantly pulled in the wrong direction. The idea is to get on the side where gravity can help us be better Christians; the side where if we trip and fall we'll be rolling in the right direction. I’d rather be in the ditch on the right road than on the highway going the wrong way. Often the line is so narrow that even the individual doesn’t know that they are on the wrong side until the flow has gone a long way. Then it’s hard to get back.

In II Cor. 5, Paul, knowing the terror of the Lord, reminds us that if our lives are moving in the wrong direction toward a life goal of self service, we will be judged. But in I Cor. 3, he assures us that when we are serving God our deeds are tested by the fire instead. The bad deeds are burned up and gone (We don't even have to carry out our own garbage!) while the good deeds are purified by the fire. This testing is not for everyone, though; it is only for those whose life purpose is set apart for God's service. How much better it is to be in the crowd where our deeds get purified instead of among those who must be judged.

Many people will spend a whole life in seeming service to God, going to church and abstaining from sin only to encounter God at the end of their life telling them “why wouldn’t you ever serve me” or to “be gone for I never knew you”. Some were not even saved. Many Christians will stand before God one day only to discover that there is nothing to be tried in the fire because they lived their lives on the wrong side of the watershed, in service to themselves, going to church and maybe even being on a board of the church, but not serving God.

Why shouldn't we get as much as we can for free? We need all the help that's available don’t we! If we get on the right side of the watershed at least we are leaning in the right direction. Sadly, many Christians think that serving God is a difficult labour but Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easy and my burden is light". Serving God isn't meant to be a difficult task.

When studying the Bible we need to become 'book people' instead of 'verse people' so we can understand these things in context.

Just as God asks us to love our enemies for our own sake, so God asks us to take his yoke upon us for our own sake. He doesn't want to enslave us but to free us from the other heavy yokes with which we burden ourselves. He knows we can only wear one yoke at a time so he wants us to wear the 'easy one'.

This is the way to turn on the light instead of trying to carry out the darkness. Likewise, we can't sweep out our house and leave it empty; it needs to be filled with God's light.

Lk 11: 23-26 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

God doesn't need servants, he just worries about us breaking our backs under the heavy loads we try to carry without him. The safest place in Christianity is serving God.

The watershed is the place where we decide if we want to spend our lives serving God, or where we set our goals toward making our own life turn out right by serving ourselves.

The funny thing is that if we were really interested in making our lives turn out right we would be wise to get on the other side. Jesus tells us that the way to gain our life is by losing it. The devil wants to worry us with the idea that we can't have as much fun serving God or that we can't be givers without losing out. However, we know that there is no real, valuable life outside God's will and we certainly can never out give God.

God makes it as easy for us as possible; if we want to serve God, we are serving him! When we want to sin but are unable to accomplish it, God still sees it as sin.

Mt 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

This was sin even though the sin hadn’t been consummated. Conversely, if we want to serve God but don’t get it done it is still seen as righteousness even though it hadn’t been consummated. You can’t have one without the other.

There are two halves to sin and this is often confusing for many people. Sin is only the willingness to disobey God nothing else. Here on earth there are results to sin that we recognize so we tend to think the action is the sin because it causes the results. If we intend to kill someone God sees the sin but if we don't actually commit the crime we don't live in the consequences here on earth but before God, we've sinned as soon as we've made the decision, but as far as the results are concerned we've only sinned after the act has been completed. We only go to jail for killing, not for wanting to.

The watershed, then, is wanting to serve God. This desire, in God's eyes, is serving him.

The results of righteousness, however, can only occur after the action of righteousness, not after the decision, even as the results of sin happen after the action of the sin, not the commission of the sin. If the decision to serve God has been made, you have righteousness in God's eyes, and this is counted as Christian service. But the action of your Christian service and the results of your Christian service have not yet occurred. For example, if two people decide to tithe God sees the decisions and counts them as righteousness. One person spends his money foolishly and no longer has the tithe to offer and one person has enough character to get his money into the church. God saw both of their decisions and saw right in both, but only one of them will have God’s blessing on his finances.

Likewise, if two people decide to murder and one repents or is somehow prevented, but the other is able to accomplish it, only one goes to jail because the results of the action are dependant on the commission of the action not the decision. Righteousness or unrighteousness depends upon our decision. Results depend on action. So decide! And if you don't get around to doing it, decide again the next day. And decide again the day after that. And again and again! The devil will try to tell us that God is tired of our phony decisions. No he's not! God's so impressed that we keep wanting to serve him. He looks for everything that's good in us and he can see that at least we haven't changed our minds from wanting to serve him. Heb 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love,

So the watershed, spiritually, is the point where we want to serve God as opposed to wanting to serve ourselves.

The issue that changes my life here on earth is whether or not I actually get the service done. Lots of people have wanted to serve God with a real desire; however, some of those people are in jail or the penitentiary, or the psychiatric ward. Some are dead or have committed suicide, or messed up in other ways. God will still have some rewards for them if they really wanted to serve him, perhaps more than some deacon who spent all his life in the church but never really tried to serve God.

Spiritually, the watershed is the decision to serve God. Practically, the watershed is serving God.

Get on the side where you can fall into the will of God; the side where, if you stumble you'll roll in the right direction--closer to God. God doesn't measure how good we are but how much our desire is toward right things, because he knows the great value of a heart that wants to do right.

Functionally, the watershed is the ability to inspire ourselves. This causes us to actually carry out our decisions. The victorious servant isn't strong but inspired. The bible tells us that David inspired himself and Nehemiah counseled himself. Inspiration is the ability to get excited about the thing that you don't want to do. Inspiration, not strength, is what drives us to put our determinations into practice. Learn to get inspired. Those who can keep themselves inspired are real leaders. We need to keep ourselves inspired about the goodness of God. We need to keep ourselves inspired about the goodness of others. We need to keep ourselves inspired about wanting to serve God.

Let's live on the right side of the watershed so that when we trip and fall our profitless deeds get burned up as wood, hay and stubble. At least while we're down we may do something right and God will notice.

He wants his yoke on us because he knows the Christian life is more fulfilling inside his will.

The first step is wanting to serve God and the second step is keeping ourselves inspired. Being inspired causes us to do the thing that we are inspired about, so let's learn how to inspire ourselves, and others, to know and practice the will of God. Let's get alive with the love of God!

Every true Christian hungers for two things after the love of God, not only these two but primarily these two. He or she wants to experience the great power of God in their lives and secondly to help some soul to come to Christ and watch them grow as Christians. When these things are not present we start looking elsewhere for some kind of satisfaction.

Rom. 12:1&2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Loving God, So That We Can Walk With God

We love Him because He first loved us.

God loved us before we knew to love Him. If we soak in his love then it can really affect us. It’s the difference between looking at a tub of water and having a wonderful hot bath.

Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. :5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

In Rev 2:4 he tells us to repent and in Rom 2:4 he tells us how.

Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Matt. 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
If ye love me keep my commandments

The only difference between a person who messes up and; a messed up person is how long it takes to get up... and back into the presence of God.

Keep the garbage &; questions cleaned up.

Love keeps on being kind after suffering for a long time. Love doesn't envy. Love isn't boastful or proud. Love isn't rude or selfish. Love doesn't get provoked. Love doesn't seek fault but qualities in others. Love isn't happy about injustice but rejoices when good prevails. Love carries burdens willingly, sees the good in people, hopes for the best in people, and puts up with all difficulties. God's love never stops once it starts.

I love to put God’s word into my own words, not to improve it but to make me think about what he is saying.

Walking With God

The Unknown God Acts 17:23

Ac 17:23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship,

In this passage, ignorantly doesn't mean in bad taste. It means without knowledge. Do we really know God?

It is my hope not to be a teacher but rather a person who initiates thought. It is so easy to just go to church and never really grow by eating the “meat of the word”. Paralyzed people sometimes need to be fed meat but healthy people eat it themselves. Please don’t look for someone to feed you the meat of the word but rather dig in and enjoy a great meal from the Word of God. However let us not avoid the teachers that God has given to us. A good teacher helps us to find the meat, he doesn’t force feed it.

It is good to think for ourselves but it is safe to compare those thoughts with those of other dedicated Christians. We need a multitude of counselors.

Pr 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
Pr 15:22 Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.
Pr 24:6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety. (Our war is against the devil who is trying to destroy us.)

Even the best minds can wander off into the wilderness. Only those with pride problems think that they don’t need other people.

Please learn to walk with God… God wants to help all of us learn…