Daily Word of God - Psalm 30:11-12

Psalm 30:11-12 New International Version (NIV)

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

Daily Word of God - Isaiah 55:6-7

Isaiah 55:6-7 New International Version (NIV)

6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

Daily Word of God - Luke 12:8-10

Luke 12:8-10 New International Version (NIV)

8 “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. 9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Daily Word of God - Proverbs 14:16

Proverbs 14:16 New International Version (NIV)

16 The wise fear the Lord and shun evil,
    but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.

Mid-Week Message - Precious In the Sight of the Lord

"So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, just as the Lord had said.  The Lord buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place."  Deuteronomy 34:5-6  (NLT)

Tuesday, November 6, 2007 is a day I will never forget.  I got a call from my mother that morning.  When I answered she said, "I can't wake your father."  I asked her if she had called for an ambulance.  She hadn't.  I instructed her to do so and headed as fast as I could to the duplex where they were living.  I arrived before EMS did and went into their living room where I found my father seated in his recliner.  I searched for a pulse.  When I did not find one, I got him onto the floor and began CPR.  When help arrived I was instructed to continue until their equipment was set up then they took over.  While they were working I began placing phone calls because I knew in my heart that my Daddy would never again open his eyes.

As the grief began to set in, I also started asking the Lord to reveal to me how He viewed the death of His earthly children.  Almost all of us have lost someone close to us.  We know the intense sadness of knowing we will not see them again during our time on this planet.  And we know that He endured watching the torturous death of His only Son.  I guess I just wanted to know that even though our lives continue as we transition to Heaven, that when a life ends on earth, it means something to Him.

Psalm 116:15 says, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His faithful servants."  I have read this verse many times during my Christian life.  However, during my time of grief and searching, it took on new significance.  

My father loved the Lord.  During the last years of his life especially, he spent much time in prayer.  After he retired, he had little time to enjoy himself because my mother's health declined and he took on a new role as caregiver.  He did it without complaint and out of love for her but he told me once that he wished he could just get in his van and drive away.  He was tired.  He had his own health problems to deal with as well and his strength was waning.  I believe with all of my heart that he was ready to be done with this life.  I asked him once what he was looking forward to most in Heaven and his answer was, "running barefoot."  As a boy he ran everywhere he went and was usually barefoot because his family was poor.  I found it very touching that, of all the possibilities he could choose, what he really desired was being able to run barefoot once again.  

I know that as he took his last breaths that morning he was not alone.  In today's verse we learn that  it was the Father Himself that buried Moses when he passed away.  It shows great tenderness along with presence and involvement.  Does Almighty God feel anything when a death occurs?  Oh yes.  Just as He is present with us as we live, so He is present with us as we leave our earthly bodies.  I believe my father was met with heavenly rejoicing and that he was able to feel the ground beneath his bare feet as he ran into the arms of our Savior.  

We grieve over what we see as a loss.  But dear ones, those who go to be present with the Creator experience greater joy than we can even imagine.  They are not sad, nor will they ever be again.  As much as I miss my Daddy and wish that I could see him again on this side of Heaven, I would never want him to leave where he is.  How could I ever ask him to re-enter a world of pain and trouble?  But one day, after I have entered the heavenly realms for myself, I will worship at the feet of Jesus along with my beloved earthly father.  God bless you.  

Daily Word of God - Romans 15:1-4

Romans 15:1-4 New International Version (NIV)

15 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”[a] 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

Footnotes:

1. Romans 15:3 Psalm 69:9

Daily Word of God - Jonah 2:1-10

Jonah 2 New International Version (NIV)

2 1 [a]From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said:

“In my distress I called to the Lord,
    and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
    and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the depths,
    into the very heart of the seas,
    and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
    swept over me.
4 I said, ‘I have been banished
    from your sight;
yet I will look again
    toward your holy temple.’
5 The engulfing waters threatened me,[b]
    the deep surrounded me;
    seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
    the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
    brought my life up from the pit.

7 “When my life was ebbing away,
    I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
    to your holy temple.

8 “Those who cling to worthless idols
    turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
    will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
    I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”

10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Footnotes:

1. Jonah 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1 is numbered 1:17, and 2:1-10 is numbered 2:2-11.
2. Jonah 2:5 Or waters were at my throat

Daily Word of God - Hebrews 12:28-29

Hebrews 12:28-29 New International Version (NIV)

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”[a]

Footnotes:

1. Hebrews 12:29 Deut. 4:24

Daily Word of God - Proverbs 17:3

Proverbs 17:3 New International Version (NIV)

3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
    but the Lord tests the heart.

Daily Word of God - Psalm 41:1-3

Psalm 41:1-3 New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 41[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;
    the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.
2 The Lord protects and preserves them—
    they are counted among the blessed in the land—
    he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.
3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed
    and restores them from their bed of illness.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 41:1 In Hebrew texts 41:1-13 is numbered 41:2-14.

Daily Word of God - Acts 8:20-23

Acts 8:20-23 New International Version (NIV)

20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

Sunday Praise & Worship Message - God Loves Us

In just a couple of weeks, families and friends will be gathering together to celebrate a day that we set aside to give thanks for all of the blessings we have received. That day, Thanksgiving, gives us an opportunity to reflect on those wonderful gifts that our Heavenly Father has given us and continues to give us.

Thanksgiving Day and the days leading up to that day are steeped in tradition. Families will be invited to attend plays put on by their children re-enacting the first Thanksgiving celebrated by those who came to America seeking religious freedom. Children will dress up like Pilgrims and Native Americans and come together to enjoy a feast celebrating the bountiful harvest that God had provided. Children will make funny little paper turkeys by tracing their hands on brown construction paper. Each will be unique like the little hand that was its model. Each will be decorated and proudly displayed on refrigerators.

Upon that glorious day, people will be roasting turkeys and cooking pumpkin pies, green bean casseroles, stuffing and all sorts of other goodies. After the meal, many will gather around the television to watch football games. Many will begin preparations for the sales on Black Friday which is the official kickoff for the Christmas season shopping.

From growing up in a small home in Texas, the memories and traditions of Thanksgiving Day and the days before it flood my mind and heart. But, as the years have worn on, I have seen the day change. We sometimes forget the first feast and its true meaning. We have turned the day of reflection and giving thanks into a day of gorging on food and buying. More and more retail stores open earlier and earlier so that they can capitalize on the buying frenzy. There will be stories of people trampling and fighting others in order to purchase a video game or yet another cheap television for another room in the house.

The memories and traditions that we used to share have become socially unacceptable and have led us away from unity as a people that shared everything when things were bad. We have given up our desire to be thankful for what we have and replaced it with lists of things we want and desire. What happened to the true reason of that special day?

We seem more like spoiled children rather than people who should be thankful for the blessings that we have received. We have forgotten the sacrifices of those who have struggled to provide for their posterity and the generations to follow a land of milk and honey. The acts of those people have been relegated to the backwater of history and, in some cases, denied as being politically incorrect.

One tradition that my family still follows to this day is the remembrance of the five kernels of corn. Although there is no historical basis for this tradition, it is still a wonderful way to teach our children about the true nature of Thanksgiving Day. We are to be thankful for everything and to remember the struggles of those who came before us to seek the freedom to worship. 

According to tradition, the Pilgrims had to ration their food. Each received a meager daily ration of five small kernels of corn to eat. Each was thankful for those small kernels. With the help of their new friends, the Native Americans, the Pilgrims were able to harvest a crop and have more than enough food. They shared their bounty with their new friends and thanked God not only for their new friends but also for His blessings and His love. 

During the course of the feast, tradition or myth tells us that five kernels of corn were placed on their plates to remind them of their struggles, love for one another and, most importantly, their love for God. Each kernel was given a meaning.

The first kernel reminded them that God loved them so very much. It was only through His love and watchful presence that they were able to live through the long voyage and harsh winter. No matter how hard they struggled, God was there to love them and see them through the darkest of times.

In the book and prophecies of Nahum, the prophet, in chapter one, writes, “The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.”

The Lord is good to those who seek Him and He remains close to those who place their trust in Him. Nahum also reminds us that God will destroy those who scheme against Him. We can either trust and obey Him or we can suffer the consequences of our disobedience.

The psalmist writes, in chapter twenty-three, “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”

Everything we receive comes from God and out of His love for us. Even when we have become disobedient, ungrateful children, God still loves us and provides a way back to Him. When we decided that we didn’t need God, He still remained there ready to receive us back like the one lost sheep that strayed from the fold. 

It is not enough to just be thankful for a single day and then go about our daily lives. We should be thankful that God loves us each day of our lives. We may struggle and have to make sacrifices, but God is there to show us the way out of that valley of darkness. He will never forsake us or leave us. 

When I feel overwhelmed by life and feel beaten down, I remember the words of the apostle Paul. Paul, writes in his second letter to those in Corinth, “Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

As my family and I look at the first kernel and remember that God loves us, I know that His grace is sufficient and that it is only through my weakness and reliance upon His strength that I can make it through the valley of darkness. It is only through His love and bounty that I know my cup will overflow and that I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

These simple, yet powerful, words guide my steps daily. I am thankful for each beat of my heart, breath that I take and for those that God has brought into my life. It is hard to believe that one simple yellow kernel of corn can teach us a valuable lesson. 

There is another small seed that also teaches us a lesson. Jesus, in chapter seventeen of the Gospel of Matthew, tells his disciples this after they were unsuccessful in driving a demon out of a small boy, “You don’t have enough faith. I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Let both seeds teach us the lessons of God’s love for us and about our faith. Do not allow this season of thanksgiving to be just another holiday. Start with this one seed and allow it to grow in your heart. As it grows and yields its harvest, you can rest assured that you can stand firm in His grace.    

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Daily Word of God - Proverbs 16:6

Proverbs 16:6 New International Version (NIV)

6 Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
    through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.

Hope You Remembered to Change Your Clocks

We are back on standard time. You get an extra hour of sleep.

Daily Word of God - 1 John 2:1-2

1 John 2:1-2 New International Version (NIV)

2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Daily Word of God - 1 Peter 1:3-5

1 Peter 1:3-5 New International Version (NIV)

Praise to God for a Living Hope

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Daily Word of God - Romans 15:5-6

Romans 15:5-6 New International Version (NIV)

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Daily Word of God - Ephesians 5:1-2

Ephesians 5:1-2 New International Version (NIV)

5 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.