Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The End of A Relationship
The people of Israel were set to leave Egypt. (Ex 13:17-22) They were marching out on God's terms. God led them around a possible confrontation with the Philistines (I Cor 10:13) because he knew the people of Israel would flee back to Egypt for protection if faced with war. They needed to learn that Egypt was not their protection but God was their protector. He led them to the Red Sea which looked to be a dead end and possible recapture by Egypt. The parting of the Red Sea was really the division of a relationship. God wanted to end the relationship between Israel and Egypt permanently. He knew they needed to leave their old life behind. Can we see a message for us here? When we accept Christ as our Savior we need to leave our old life behind which means we need to sever some relationships to do that. We need to practice this in our lives daily as our faith to solely depend on God grows. There will always be times in our christian life that we need to lay aside things that are preventing us from moving forward for the Lord. (Heb 12:1-2)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
About Us
We all have visited websites and seen the tab that says "About us". We expect to be able to find quick info on the owners of the website and some background or their vision for the site. The more I thought about this little phrase "About us". I began thinking about our society today and how we can make everything "about us". It is so easy to wake up in the morning and climb out of bed and immediately think about our day and what WE want to accomplish for the day. I have to remind myself that it is never about what I want to accomplish today or even tomorrow. It is about what God wants to accomplish through us. If it is always about us we can never know if what we are doing for the Lord is really just that or what we want to do on behath of the Lord. It should never be about what we want to do for him but what he wants to do through and in us. We need to be sensitive to God's voice and direction. It is not always about right or wrong but what's best! God knows best (Jer 29:11)! Many times we don't (Prov 21:2).
Monday, May 31, 2010
The cost of Freedom
I was thinking while sitting in church yesterday as we watched video about veterans. The cost of the lives lost over the last century. You begin to realize that most of the lives lost were very young lives. It leads me to think not just of lost lives but lost potential too. What would these young people have accomplished in their lifetime?
The loss of life and potential is enough but then I began to think of the fact these young people could have possibly given their soul too (Matt 16:26). We can begin now praying earnestly that the young men and women serving around the world will find Christ. We need to convey to these young people that we admire their service to our country but we need to make sure they don't have to give their soul. I know that our government does all they can to prepare these young people physically and mentally to go to war. I just wish that there is some way we could prepare them spiritually too.
The loss of life and potential is enough but then I began to think of the fact these young people could have possibly given their soul too (Matt 16:26). We can begin now praying earnestly that the young men and women serving around the world will find Christ. We need to convey to these young people that we admire their service to our country but we need to make sure they don't have to give their soul. I know that our government does all they can to prepare these young people physically and mentally to go to war. I just wish that there is some way we could prepare them spiritually too.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Live Like you are Dying
"I was in my early forties with a lot of life before me
when a moment came that stopped me on a dime
and I spent most of the next days looking at the x-rays,
talking about the options and talking about sweet times.
I asked him when it sank in that this might really be the real end
how’s it hit you when you get that kinda news man what’d you do
I was finally the husband that most the time I wasn’t
and I became a friend a friend would like to have
and all the sudden going fishin wasn’t such an imposition
and I went three times that year I lost my dad
well I finally read the good book and I took a good long hard look
at what I’d do if I could do it all again
Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about
what would you do with it
what did you do with it
what did I do with it
what would I do with it?
I went sky diving
I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named fumanchu
and I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter
and I gave forgiveness I’d been denying
and he said someday I hope you get the chance
to live like you were dying".
By Tim McGraw
I was driving down the road the other day and this song came on. I can’t say I am a country music fan but it made me think of God’s Word. God’s Word tells us to die to self daily. The key line in the song above is found in the chorus. “Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying…… We have that chance by dying daily to self as God asks of us in his word. I understand what the song says from an earthly perspective. I certainly don’t discount being a better husband or friend. I just think as Christians we need to have an eternal vision (Matt 6:19-21). Hopefully we learn this early on and have the chance to live our life as a testimony to Christ (Phil 1:21). In this song above he describes this exciting new life he found because he faced death and it made him appreciate life. I say we should live our lives excited about what God can do through us because other people are watching and we should want people to have a chance to know the exciting new life in Christ (II Cor 5:17) that we have found. Simply said we do have a chance to live like we are dying!
when a moment came that stopped me on a dime
and I spent most of the next days looking at the x-rays,
talking about the options and talking about sweet times.
I asked him when it sank in that this might really be the real end
how’s it hit you when you get that kinda news man what’d you do
I was finally the husband that most the time I wasn’t
and I became a friend a friend would like to have
and all the sudden going fishin wasn’t such an imposition
and I went three times that year I lost my dad
well I finally read the good book and I took a good long hard look
at what I’d do if I could do it all again
Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about
what would you do with it
what did you do with it
what did I do with it
what would I do with it?
I went sky diving
I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named fumanchu
and I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter
and I gave forgiveness I’d been denying
and he said someday I hope you get the chance
to live like you were dying".
By Tim McGraw
I was driving down the road the other day and this song came on. I can’t say I am a country music fan but it made me think of God’s Word. God’s Word tells us to die to self daily. The key line in the song above is found in the chorus. “Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying…… We have that chance by dying daily to self as God asks of us in his word. I understand what the song says from an earthly perspective. I certainly don’t discount being a better husband or friend. I just think as Christians we need to have an eternal vision (Matt 6:19-21). Hopefully we learn this early on and have the chance to live our life as a testimony to Christ (Phil 1:21). In this song above he describes this exciting new life he found because he faced death and it made him appreciate life. I say we should live our lives excited about what God can do through us because other people are watching and we should want people to have a chance to know the exciting new life in Christ (II Cor 5:17) that we have found. Simply said we do have a chance to live like we are dying!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
God's Math
This is old article that I wrote for a Christian Newsletter. So this actually took place the summer of 2008.
Phil 4:19
This article started almost seven months ago when our church announced that there would be another Father/Son Rafting Trip this summer. They made this same trip the summer of 2007 and the Father's had a great time bonding with their sons. All of my kids are grown, gone and doing their thing. So I decided to volunteer to take a boy that didn’t have a dad. Well many months went by and the Dad that was heading up the trip said no one had come forward yet. Then things suddenly changed!
It was two weeks before the trip and I get a call on a Thursday afternoon informing me that a seven year old boy had come forward. I was also informed at the same time that I needed to bring $149 to church Sunday to cover both me and the boy. I hung up the phone and immediately said to my wife well this will be interesting I have to come up with $149 in three days and the Lord is going to have to work fast.
Two hours later I am working in my office and my wife walks in and tells me that she was just in the laundry room and the sump pump was broke and not pumping any water. I went down and sure enough it was done and I needed a new sump pump. I am now thinking ok Lord I need money for trip and sump pump. Yep it is getting more interesting by the moment. I wake up early Friday morning and go to Home Depot. I buy a sump pump and new hose and the total is $102.99. This means that with the $149 + $102.99=$251.99.
I guess I should stop and explain that my wife graduated from college about a year and half ago and then had knee replacement surgery and is currently looking for work. So my paychecks are all we have coming in. We are going paycheck to paycheck. Just about every dime is earmarked for bills. So I knew when I went on Friday June 27th to spend the $102.99 that I was spending money from a paycheck that was going to be deposited on Monday June 30th. I was actually spending money that was earmarked for other bills that needed to be paid. Just keep that in mind as I continue with the story.
I rushed home to install the sump pump and get back to my real job which is not plumbing. I was done by 9:00am and in my office working when I receive an email from my insurance company telling me that they made changes to my policy. I picked up the phone and asked what changes were made. The lady explained that back in February when they did the automatic renewal they dropped my discount for having Homeowners and Car on same policy. They were automatically withdrawing my payment on the 7th of every month. I said ok how much is the credit. She said it was $252. Well you see where I am going with this. I found out later when all the paperwork was sent to me that the actual credit was $251.27 so at first I thought Lord you send a penny extra then to found out I was $.72 short. No big deal! Well come to find out about a week later they sent me a check for $175.00 more on top of the credit. I called and found out that the credit was for the car insurance and the check was for the home insurance that was already paid.
Bottom line God never wakes up one day and is taken by surprise or says I never saw that coming. God’s economy is not ours. I still have the Home Depot receipt in my wallet to remind me of what God does each & every day for us. He prepares a way even as we make our way to the point where the need arises. How thankful I am that his riches are limitless and he is not making promises he does not have the ability to provide.
Phil 4:19
This article started almost seven months ago when our church announced that there would be another Father/Son Rafting Trip this summer. They made this same trip the summer of 2007 and the Father's had a great time bonding with their sons. All of my kids are grown, gone and doing their thing. So I decided to volunteer to take a boy that didn’t have a dad. Well many months went by and the Dad that was heading up the trip said no one had come forward yet. Then things suddenly changed!
It was two weeks before the trip and I get a call on a Thursday afternoon informing me that a seven year old boy had come forward. I was also informed at the same time that I needed to bring $149 to church Sunday to cover both me and the boy. I hung up the phone and immediately said to my wife well this will be interesting I have to come up with $149 in three days and the Lord is going to have to work fast.
Two hours later I am working in my office and my wife walks in and tells me that she was just in the laundry room and the sump pump was broke and not pumping any water. I went down and sure enough it was done and I needed a new sump pump. I am now thinking ok Lord I need money for trip and sump pump. Yep it is getting more interesting by the moment. I wake up early Friday morning and go to Home Depot. I buy a sump pump and new hose and the total is $102.99. This means that with the $149 + $102.99=$251.99.
I guess I should stop and explain that my wife graduated from college about a year and half ago and then had knee replacement surgery and is currently looking for work. So my paychecks are all we have coming in. We are going paycheck to paycheck. Just about every dime is earmarked for bills. So I knew when I went on Friday June 27th to spend the $102.99 that I was spending money from a paycheck that was going to be deposited on Monday June 30th. I was actually spending money that was earmarked for other bills that needed to be paid. Just keep that in mind as I continue with the story.
I rushed home to install the sump pump and get back to my real job which is not plumbing. I was done by 9:00am and in my office working when I receive an email from my insurance company telling me that they made changes to my policy. I picked up the phone and asked what changes were made. The lady explained that back in February when they did the automatic renewal they dropped my discount for having Homeowners and Car on same policy. They were automatically withdrawing my payment on the 7th of every month. I said ok how much is the credit. She said it was $252. Well you see where I am going with this. I found out later when all the paperwork was sent to me that the actual credit was $251.27 so at first I thought Lord you send a penny extra then to found out I was $.72 short. No big deal! Well come to find out about a week later they sent me a check for $175.00 more on top of the credit. I called and found out that the credit was for the car insurance and the check was for the home insurance that was already paid.
Bottom line God never wakes up one day and is taken by surprise or says I never saw that coming. God’s economy is not ours. I still have the Home Depot receipt in my wallet to remind me of what God does each & every day for us. He prepares a way even as we make our way to the point where the need arises. How thankful I am that his riches are limitless and he is not making promises he does not have the ability to provide.
Haiti and the Wilderness
I was recently asked to bring the devotional at the Fellowship of Christian Lumbermen meeting at the IHLA Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana. About two weeks before the meeting Haiti had their major earthquake and the devastation was unbelievable. I could not get this earthquake off my mind and the Lord had not given me a message until two days before the meeting he clearly spoke to me.
Haiti
200,000 dead
600,000 homeless
2,000,000 in need of food and water
The US sent millions of dollars, thousands of people & every type of equipment man has created that could help in the rescue operation. We all began to hear that the devastation was worse than expected. The greatest nation and military on earth could not help fast enough to save many lives. They are still struggling today to get food and water to the survivors. We see how limited man's power can be in time of crisis.
Now let's take a look at a Biblical crisis that helps to show what God can do when we ALLOW his involvement. We can read in Exodus 12:37-42 about Israel leaving Egypt.
600,000 on foot that were men
3,500,000 in need of food and water
I shared with one of the FCL board members my thoughts. He immediately said I have a great one page sheet with details of what it would take to care for Israel in the wilderness. I was traveling at the time so he did not get it to me till after the meeting but the facts were quite telling (See Below). My message is basically get God involved and you will see results! Lasting results that can change your future, your children's future, and even a nation. The greatest nation on earth is struggling to help but let's be encouraged that God does not just make promises but be encouraged he has the ability to fulfill those promises. Don't read God's Word with doubt! Read it today with confidence not based on false promises but fulfilled ones.
Now take a look at the article sent to me the week after the FCL meeting:
How Big is Your God?
What would have happened had Moses tried to figure out what was needed to accomplish God's commands? One of the biggest arithmetical mircles in the world was required in the desert. Moses led the people of Israel to the desert. Now what was he going to do with them? They had to be fed, and feeding 3 1/2 million people required a lot of food. According to the US Army's Quartermaster General, Moses needed 1500 tons of food a day, filling two freight trains each a mile long. Besides, you must remember, they were out in the desert, and needed firewood to use for cooking the food. This would take 4,000 tons of wood and few more freight trains each a mile long-just for one day! And they were 40 years in tansit? Oh, yes, they needed water!!! If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000,000 gallons each day-enough water to fill a freight train 1,800 miles long. And another thing! They had to get across the Red Sea in one night. Now if they went on a narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long and require 35 days and nights to get through. So to get over in one night there had to be space in the Red Sea three miles wide so they could walk 5,000 abreast. Think about this; every time they camped at the end of the day, a campground the size of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square miles. Do you think Moses believed in God. He had faith that God would take care of everything. Let us take courage, we have the same God!
From "Christ For The Nation" April 1993
Haiti
200,000 dead
600,000 homeless
2,000,000 in need of food and water
The US sent millions of dollars, thousands of people & every type of equipment man has created that could help in the rescue operation. We all began to hear that the devastation was worse than expected. The greatest nation and military on earth could not help fast enough to save many lives. They are still struggling today to get food and water to the survivors. We see how limited man's power can be in time of crisis.
Now let's take a look at a Biblical crisis that helps to show what God can do when we ALLOW his involvement. We can read in Exodus 12:37-42 about Israel leaving Egypt.
600,000 on foot that were men
3,500,000 in need of food and water
I shared with one of the FCL board members my thoughts. He immediately said I have a great one page sheet with details of what it would take to care for Israel in the wilderness. I was traveling at the time so he did not get it to me till after the meeting but the facts were quite telling (See Below). My message is basically get God involved and you will see results! Lasting results that can change your future, your children's future, and even a nation. The greatest nation on earth is struggling to help but let's be encouraged that God does not just make promises but be encouraged he has the ability to fulfill those promises. Don't read God's Word with doubt! Read it today with confidence not based on false promises but fulfilled ones.
Now take a look at the article sent to me the week after the FCL meeting:
How Big is Your God?
What would have happened had Moses tried to figure out what was needed to accomplish God's commands? One of the biggest arithmetical mircles in the world was required in the desert. Moses led the people of Israel to the desert. Now what was he going to do with them? They had to be fed, and feeding 3 1/2 million people required a lot of food. According to the US Army's Quartermaster General, Moses needed 1500 tons of food a day, filling two freight trains each a mile long. Besides, you must remember, they were out in the desert, and needed firewood to use for cooking the food. This would take 4,000 tons of wood and few more freight trains each a mile long-just for one day! And they were 40 years in tansit? Oh, yes, they needed water!!! If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000,000 gallons each day-enough water to fill a freight train 1,800 miles long. And another thing! They had to get across the Red Sea in one night. Now if they went on a narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long and require 35 days and nights to get through. So to get over in one night there had to be space in the Red Sea three miles wide so they could walk 5,000 abreast. Think about this; every time they camped at the end of the day, a campground the size of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square miles. Do you think Moses believed in God. He had faith that God would take care of everything. Let us take courage, we have the same God!
From "Christ For The Nation" April 1993
Just an update!!!
I thought I would just drop a note and let everyone know I am still around. I have taken some time away to work on a major project that I hope to introduce to my readers in the near future. I hope you will be checking back for new articles. I have decided to start back up again.
God Bless
God Bless
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