Archive for the ‘challenge’ Category

God is Good

April 12, 2016

God is good all the time is an expression that is heard many times by Christians. Do we just say things that are popular or do we really mean what we say?

A personal note today. Can we say God is good when admitted to the hospital for the 4th time in six months, when a wound will not heal and the body is weak? Tom Curtis is in the hospital again and his exact quote, “God brings me closer and He brings sunshine into my day. It gives me time to pray for others.”

May we as Christians realize that God IS good and will not give us more than we can handle. Tom will also use this time to witness to nurses and caregivers as this is where his heart is.

Psalms 73:1 Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

Stressed?

April 9, 2016

Stressed? We live in a world where situations bring on stress all around us. Maybe it is at the workplace,  sick children, car problems, a spouse or sibling with a severe disease or worry over the unrest in the world. All we have to do is listen to the news to hear the conditions that would cause stress.

Maybe it is a good thing that is causing your stress, graduation, wedding, new baby or an upcoming family reunion.

There is an answer that comes from the greatest source, the Bible: 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

What Would You Do?

April 7, 2016

What would you do differently if you knew Jesus was coming today?

Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Judge Not

April 5, 2016

“Before you judge someone else, stop and think about all that God has forgiven you for.”

Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Pastors Need Prayer

April 3, 2016

“Don’t put your Pastor on a pedestal where he can be knocked off, put him on your prayer list where he can be lifted up.”

Today most of us will be going to church to worship our Savior, and the Pastor has the responsibility to feed his flock, preach to the unsaved and lift up the broken-hearted. He needs your prayers. Pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit on your Pastor today. Put your Pastor’s name at the end of the following verse:

Romans 15:30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;

Easter Celebrations 

March 26, 2016

Today many children will be looking forward to tomorrow when they will celebrate Easter with egg hunts, baskets filled with candy, the Easter bunny and maybe a day that  they will be with family and friends. Something is missing.

The most important reason why all these things are in their lives: the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The focus should be on Him. Make sure that the true meaning does not get lost in all the preparations and plans.

My favorite memory of Easter is my grandmother taking me to a sunrise service outside looking over a beautiful view from on top of a hill. Then we would go to breakfast and on to church where the hymns about Jesus would be sung and the resurrection story would be told.

We serve a risen Savior, let us make sure He is first in our celebration on Easter Sunday.

Matthew 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

John Adams Quote

March 25, 2016

 “Without religion this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company, I mean Hell.”

JOHN ADAMS, letter to Thomas Jefferson, Apr. 19, 1817

Quote by John Adams 2nd President of the United States of America. He may not have been a born again Christian but he did honor God as did most of the founding Fathers. He believed in freedom “of” religion not freedom “from” religion. We need to get back to honoring God in our country once again.

1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

10 Blessings

March 19, 2016

God gives His children many blessings. The challenge for you today is to stop and name ten blessings the Lord has given you. It would be a good idea to do that daily. Sometimes we as Christians can be negative. Let’s look at the positive every day and our negativity will disappear.

My ten blessings for today are as follows:

1. Salvation (He took me out of the mire and placed me on solid ground)

2. The Bible (my guidebook for living)

3. Prayer (He hears and answers)

4. My spouse (my friend, companion, helper, lover)

5. Children (sons and daughters who love me and are there in times of joy and sorrow)

6. Grandchildren (the little ones make me smile and the older ones give me joy as they serve the Lord)

7. Great grandchildren (it is a blessing to see them born and watch them grow)

8. The promise of Heaven (many of my loved ones have gone on but I will see them again, glad reunion)

9. Friends (people who love me and stick by me through whatever happens, most of all they pray for me)

10. SOS Events ministry (many opportunities to see people come to Christ and a way I can serve the Lord)

These are only 10 of the many blessings God has given me. How about you?

Psalms 3:8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

Primary Day

March 15, 2016

Today in the USA is important in the area of politics because in several key states it is primary day.  This is the day when registered voters go and vote for who they want to be their candidate for the next President. 

There has been great controversy this election and unrest with the American people. The whole world watches as our Country is deteriorating before our eyes in the press, on radio and television. There is hope for unity in America and though it is every citizen’s privilege and duty to vote that is not the answer for peace. 

The answer is in the Bible in 2 Chronicles 7:14:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

 

Who Has Power?

March 11, 2016

The last reason Christians do no win souls according to an article by Lifeway.

We’ve forgotten our source of power.Lastly, we don’t evangelize because we’ve mistakenly put ourselves at the center of evangelism. For many of us, our fears, our frustrations, our inability to talk about Jesus stems from a man-centered view of salvation. We really think it is us, our ingenuity, our power, our technique that delivers a soul from death to life. But salvation is not work we accomplish, but a work of the Holy Spirit. It is God who “quickens” the dead heart (Ephesians 2:1). It is the work of the Father to draw people to his son (John 8:44).

This means that in obeying the Great Commission, we can’t fail. Our job is not to do the saving, but do the sharing. Our job is to simply be faithful in declaring the word to those who haven’t heard. We are the ones God is using to share his message with the world. There are no others. (Romans 10:14). But we can rest in God’s sovereignty, motivated by the knowledge that if we share the news, people will repent and put their faith in Christ.
If Jesus is real in us, if Jesus is real in the people we lead, sharing Christ will be a natural outflow that will burst forward into our friendships, our neighbors, and our coworkers. The mission of God won’t be something we do on Sundays, but will be a way of life.

Acts 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.