Bless the Little Ones

       My nephew Joseph is special. He preached his first sermon at his fifth birthday party--yes--five years of age (which was caught on tape). After he and his friends had enjoyed a fun-filled day of pony rides, food and the breaking of a piñata, we all gathered excitedly in my sister's family room to hear him speak.

       "Joe" had been trained in the Word of God each of his five long years at that time, and he did nothing but reverberate what he had learned. It was amazing! I have watched the dvd (converted from VHS) many times, but each time I watch it, I get blessed all over again. 

       Children are entrusted to their parents' care when they enter the world. They come expecting to be nurtured and trained to become successful adults. Their undefiled hearts and minds are pure and unspotted by the world. 

       Our responsibility as the people of God is to teach them His ways and give Him a generation of Christian leaders who will go out and represent Him in the world. 

        Who has God entrusted to you? Children mean so much to Him that it should cause us to stop and think hard about how we treat them. Teach the children about Him. Love them and give them hope so they can live the abundant life found only through Jesus Christ.

Scripture Links:  Proverbs 22:6; Luke 18:16; Matthew 18:6 

To Receive Jesus as Lord ad Savior:(Sinner's Prayer) Dear God, I am a sinner. I need a savior. I need Jesus. I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose on the third day. I ask Jesus now to come into my heart and to become Lord over my life. Satan h; as no more power over me. I say with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. Father, help me to live for you, and thank you for saving me. John 3:16.

To Rededicate Your Life to the Lord (after falling away):Dear Heavenly Father: I confess to you that I have sinned. You said if I confess my sin you are faithful and just to forgive me and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I turn away from sin and turn to you, and I ask you to forgive me. I forgive myself also. Father, thank you for forgiving me, remembering my sin no more and allowing me to have right standing with you again. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

New Beginnings

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."---Maria Robinson
       Sometimes it's hard to close the door on the past. Hurts we have not been healed of bring fear and resentment. Songs remind us of certain people and places. 

       Staying connected to things that are over and done with can have a great effect on our futures. Through all the mistakes and poor choices I have made in life, the thing that motivates me to keep moving is the thought of waking up one day and finding myself in the same old place of misery! I simply cannot not bear the thought of that.
       As history tells it, warriors of an ancient African tribe would not wish their enemies to fall at the hand of the sword; neither would they wish them to die of sickness. The most damaging pronouncement they would make over their enemies was that they would remain the same.....that they would never grow or progress in life. That was what they believed would surely cause them to die.
       Many of us are dying on the inside, simply because we are not progressing.....because we are prisoners to our past.
       The 10 lepers in II Kings had a choice. They could have continued to sit at the gate of Samaria, or they could have gotten up and gone into the city where there was famine. If they went into the city they would have been captured by the Syrian army and would have either been killed or their lives would have been spared. They looked at their choices and decided to get up and do something, because they finally realized they would surely die if they stayed where they were.
        I encourage you to get up and do something today. What's the alternative? If we're going to be miserable, we might as well be miserable doing something, right? Funny thing....I've discovered that every time I get up and do something, my misery always goes away.
        Don't sit there until you die. God has created you for a purpose, a purpose you can fulfill like no one else. You are in the driver's seat...you get to start a new chapter in your life today, without anyone's permission. New beginnings...
Scripture Links: II Kings 7:2-4; Philippians 3:13-14

To Receive Jesus as Lord ad Savior:(Sinner's Prayer) Dear God, I am a sinner. I need a savior. I need Jesus. I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose on the third day. I ask Jesus now to come into my heart and to become Lord over my life. Satan has no more power over me. I say with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. Father, help me to live for you, and thank you for saving me. John 3:16.

To Rededicate Your Life to the Lord (after falling away):Dear Heavenly Father: I confess to you that I have sinned. You said if I confess my sin you are faithful and just to forgive me and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I turn away from sin and turn to you, and I ask you to forgive me. I forgive myself also. Father, thank you for forgiving me, remembering my sin no more and allowing me to have right standing with you again. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Don't Make Permanent Decisions With Temporary People

          A few of years ago I encouraged a group of high school graduates to watch their associations when they got to college. "Don't make permanent decisions with temporary people," I said.
       A "temporary" friend can be a one:
       1)  who may have a good heart but does not know enough
             about the Word of God to know how to behave;
       2)  who makes most of their decisions for personal gain and
             does not understand the importance of giving;
       3)  who does not have a history of demonstrated loyalty;
       4)  whose friendship is based only on your status or what you
            can do for them
       Temporary friends come in many forms. Some can "front" for a while, and a little time may pass before their true nature surfaces.  Others will own up to who they are, but if we become emotionally involved with them in one way or another we may simply ignore what they are saying.
      Several years ago someone who was trying to tell me who he was said to me, "Believe what I say."  Because I had my head in the clouds and wanted him to be someone he did not represent at that time, I ignored what was in front of me.
       Unfortunately, if we don't wake up, our involvement with temporary people can cause us to make life-altering decisions. God tells us think about the paths we place our feet on and consider the ways we are going. 
       His wisdom will always tell us what to do, where to go and who to go with. His ways are ways of peace. God is the most permanent, consistent person we will ever know, so if we will listen to Him today, He can certainly help us avoid the pitfalls of life.
 Scripture Links:  Proverbs 4:26; Haggai 1:7; Proverbs 4:7; Proverbs 3:16-18

To Receive Jesus as Lord ad Savior:(Sinner's Prayer) Dear God, I am a sinner. I need a savior. I need Jesus. I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose on the third day. I ask Jesus now to come into my heart and to become Lord over my life. Satan h; as no more power over me. I say with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. Father, help me to live for you, and thank you for saving me. John 3:16.

To Rededicate Your Life to the Lord (after falling away):Dear Heavenly Father: I confess to you that I have sinned. You said if I confess my sin you are faithful and just to forgive me and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I turn away from sin and turn to you, and I ask you to forgive me. I forgive myself also. Father, thank you for forgiving me, remembering my sin no more and allowing me to have right standing with you again. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Intelligent Design

       I bought the most beautiful chrysanthemum the other day for my desk at work. As I stared at the intricately-designed flowers, I did not hesitate to acknowledge it had to have an Intelligent Designer. Things this beautiful don't just evolve.

       Hmmm....I wonder how the ocean's tide knows exactly how far to come ashore in the mornings and in the evenings. And, how do you suppose the leaves on the red maple tree in the school yard know when its fall? It's funny---each year about the same time, these leaves turn to a stunning mixture of fire red, orange and brown colors, without a command or without being fed anything different. 
       And did salmon get some type or orientation to know they are supposed to feed and grow primarily in salt water, but then return to their native fresh water to spawn? 
        A "big bang" (by explosion or heat expansion, pick one) doesn't bring new and continuous life to everything around us, so it doesn't take much to see we do, indeed, have a Creator who is the Ultimate Designer-----and He didn't even have to go to school for it!   

Scripture Links:  Colossians 1:16; Genesis 1:1; Revelation 4:11

To Receive Jesus as Lord ad Savior:(Sinner's Prayer) Dear God, I am a sinner. I need a savior. I need Jesus. I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose on the third day. I ask Jesus now to come into my heart and to become Lord over my life. Satan h; as no more power over me. I say with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. Father, help me to live for you, and thank you for saving me. John 3:16.

To Rededicate Your Life to the Lord (after falling away):Dear Heavenly Father: I confess to you that I have sinned. You said if I confess my sin you are faithful and just to forgive me and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I turn away from sin and turn to you, and I ask you to forgive me. I forgive myself also. Father, thank you for forgiving me, remembering my sin no more and allowing me to have right standing with you again. In Jesus' name, AMEN.