An Update

    Yesterday I posted that the Weekend Sermon would be posted on Friday this week. This morning, I was notified that my work schedule is changing. I will be working on Friday, so the Weekend Sermon will now be posted on Saturday. I don't like to keep changing, but my schedule at work is not the same from week to week, and it can change within the week. Thank you all for reading the blog each week.

Verses For the Week and an Update

    I am sorry that the verses for the week are delayed. We had a terrible blizzard where I live. The library was closed until today. At my house, we were without power for many hours. I am thankful to the Lord that it wasn't any worse than it was. Thank you for your prayers in this matter.
    Since I am late getting the verses up this week, I am not going to post a review tomorrow as planned. I am going to post the sermon on Friday. Thank you.

Here are the verses:

Psalm 34:19 -- "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all."

Proverbs 24:10 -- "If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength."

Weekend Sermon - Romans 15:14-33

    Thank you for taking the time to read the Weekend Sermon. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day holiday.
     I had a good holiday. I went out to dinner with by brother. I thought that I was going to have to work on Thanksgiving Day, but I didn't have to. I got a chance to relax.
     In prayer this week, let us all thank the Lord that the fires in California are being brought under control. Pray that those who are in need due to this disaster will receive the aid that they need.
     Please pray for my uncle. His wife passed away this week. Also please pray for one of my aunts as her husband passed away just a little while ago.
     I would like to ask for your prayers about a weather situation. Tomorrow, we are supposed to have snow and very high winds. Please pray that people are safe and that the wind does not cause any damages.
     Remember to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Pray for peace in Syria, Israel, Afghanistan, Libya and South Sudan. Wherever you know that there is war and violence, pray for peace.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for North Korea and Pakistan. Pray that people will hear the message of the love of Jesus. Pray for those who are Christians in these countries that they will be safe.
     Over the course of the last few weeks, we have been in a series of messages on the last few chapter of the book of Romans. Last week, we focused our attention on the first part of Romans 15. Today, I would like to finish up that chapter.
     In the final section of Romans 15, Paul writes about how the Lord allowed him to take the message of the Gospel to the gentiles. Paul was a faithful missionary who spread the message of the love of Jesus throughout the Roman world. Paul said that he had fully preached the Gospel so that people had an opportunity to hear the good news about what Jesus has done.
     Paul was faithful to his calling. He was willing to share the message about what Jesus had done for him in spite of the fact that he was beaten and imprisoned. He was often rejected and ridiculed. In spite of opposition, Paul continued to spread the Word of the Lord.
     While Paul was writing the letter to the Romans, he was hoping to have the chance to take the message of the Lord to the region of Spain. Paul wanted to go to places where others had not already preached the message of the redeeming love of Jesus Christ.
      This passage of Scripture has important lessons for us today. First of all, this passage shows us the we need to be those who are committed to sharing the love and salvation of Jesus with others. We may not be missionaries who travel around as Paul and his companions did. However, we all know people within our circle of influence who have not put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus. Those people are our mission field. We have a duty to the Lord to tell others that He loves them.
     During this holiday season, many of us will have the chance to visit with family members and friends that we don't see at other times of the year. This is our opportunity to share with them the life changing message of Jesus.
     Throughout the year, look for opportunities to share the message of Jesus with others. Always be sensitive to the inner voice of the Holy Spirit directing you to reach out to others who do not know Christ.
     Paul mentions in this passage that he didn't want to build on another person's foundation. Paul wanted to preach Christ where the people had not had the opportunity to hear the good news. There are many people in this world today who have not heard the message of the Gospel. There are many nations that have very few Christians.
     The prayer focus countries that I ask prayer for each week here on the blog are nations where there aren't that many Christians. I want people all over the world to have the chance to hear about how much Jesus loves them.
      In order to see that the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached around the world, we must all do our part. We must share the message with those that the Lord brings within our acquaintance. We need to keep praying for those who serve in proclaiming the Gospel around the world. If you have the means to do so, let us give to those who are working diligently to spread the love of Jesus in a hurting world.
     All of us who believe in Jesus have an obligation to obey the Great Commission. Let us be like Paul and go into the world to make a difference for Jesus Christ.
     Next week, I will be posting the sermon on Friday as I have to work on Saturday this week. We will begin studying Romans 16. On Monday, I will post the verses weather permitting. On Wednesday, I will be posting a book review. May God bless you all. Amen.

Verses For the Week

     First of all, I want to wish everyone of my readers in the United States a Happy Thanksgiving. Remember, there will not be a review this week on Wednesday. The sermon will be posted on Saturday.

Here are the verses.

Psalm 9:1 -- "I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds."

I Chronicles 16:34 -- "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever."

I Thessalonians 5:18 -- "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Weekend Sermon -- Romans 15:1-13

     Thank you for taking the time to read the Weekend Sermon. I am thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to post this message. I hope that everyone is having a good week.
     The first thing that I want to mention today is the terrible situation happening in California. The fires are still burning out of control. Many have lost their lives. Please pray that the fires will be contained and extinguished. Pray for the safety of those combating the fires. Pray for those who have been displaced by the fires that they will receive the help that they need.
     This week I've been very busy at my job. I am thankful for the work. It has also been a good week in writing, and I am thankful to the Lord for that as well. I have been a little bit under the weather this week, so please pray that I will get to feeling better.
     This week, one of my Mom's brothers passed away. Please pray for the family during this hard time. I also learned this week that one of my aunts has cancer of the pancreas and is not expected to live much longer. Please be in prayer for her and her family.
     Continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Yemen needs prayer. The war in this country has caused both famine and disease. Pray that peace will come in this country as soon as possible. Continue to pray for peace in Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and South Sudan.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Comoros and Uzbekistan. Pray that many will hear about the love and forgiveness of Jesus.
     In last week's message, we studied a little about Romans 14. That chapter talks about how we should not cause another member of the faith to stumble. I focused on the verse in the chapter that talks about the fact that everyone will give an account to God for their own actions. We need to live our lives in such a way that we will be able to hear Jesus say that we have done what is right when we meet Him face to face.
     Today, we turn our attention to the first part of Romans 15. I would like to focus on the first three verses of the section for today that state, "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please Himself".
      The immediate context of this passage is the continuation of Paul's discussion in chapter 14 about those who are stronger in the faith not eating meat sacrificed to idols so as not to damage the faith of those who believed that eating this type of meat was wrong. However, I believe that Paul is going beyond this by including the wording in verse three about Christ not pleasing Himself.
      I believe that what Paul is getting at in these verses is that there are people in the faith and in this world who are stronger in some areas than others are. Some are weaker in some ways. Those who have strength in one area should help the weak.
      Let me give an example. Let's start with a spiritual example. Some people seem more able to deal with temptation than others. Those who are able to overcome have an obligation to help those who are struggling.
      Some people have a hard time with mental issues. Those of us that can need to help those who need our help dealing with the difficulties that they are facing.
      Some are in a better financial situation than others. Those who have the resources to help those who find themselves in difficult financial circumstances have an obligation to do so.
      As believers in Jesus, we are to follow His example. Jesus left all of the glories of Heaven to come to this earth in the form of humanity. He humbled Himself. He was tempted in every manner as we are, yet He was without sin. Jesus suffered and died on the cross. He did this so that we who are weak might be made strong through what He has accomplished on our behalf.
     While He was ministering on this earth, Jesus always took the time to help people. He healed everyone who came to Him. He went about doing as much good as He could possible do.
      We who are the followers of Jesus have the duty to serve others just as Jesus came to serve and not to be served. There are many in this world who are hurting and need our help. We have to help others directly and indirectly.
      We help people directly when we use the abilities and  resources that God has blessed us with to help people through the various types of difficulties that they are encountering. We help people indirectly when we advocate for policies in this world that promote social and economic justice.
     There are many in this world today who are kept in poverty because they are oppressed by governments and corporate powers that attempt to keep down those who have less power than they do. They oppress people by not paying a livable wage, and they oppress the world by destroying the environment that all of us depend on.
     As Christians, we have to be the voice for the weak against the power of the strong who seek to oppress others. We must advocate for justice and goodness in this world.
     When we see a need and we can help others in this world, we need to follow the example of the Lord Jesus who fed the hungry and brought healing to those who were hurting.  I urge everyone to help those who are weak and powerless. Help those who are going through a difficult time whether they are Christians or non-Christians. This is what Jesus would want us as His followers to do.
     Thanksgiving Day is coming up this week in my country. It is time when we are to be thankful for all of the blessings that God has provided. We all need to be grateful to God for our blessings. We need to realize but for the grace of God we all could be in desperate circumstances. Instead of berating others and blaming others for their problems, we need to be thankful for what we have and then reach out a helping hand to others in the name of Jesus.
     This world and the oppression that is in it will not change until Christians speak up for the oppressed. If those who name the name of Jesus would speak up for economic and environmental justice, I believe that the world could rapidly change. Many people would be delivered from poverty and oppression. The sick would get the medications and the treatments that they need. Climate change would be addressed, and hunger would be eliminated.
     The resolutions to these problems begins when Christians will follow the example of Jesus. When we follow Jesus and act as He did in this world, the world will change. Christians must never be on the side of the oppressors. Christians must stand for the principles of Jesus and make a difference for justice and good in this world.
     Next week, I will post the verses on Monday. I will not be posting a review on Wednesday. The library is closing early, and I don't get off work in time to make it to the library. I will post the sermon on Saturday, and we will continue in the book of Romans. May God bless you all. Amen.

Book Review -- The Cat Rules and a Program Recommendation

    The book that I am reviewing today is "The Cat Rules" written by William J. Thomas. A few years ago, I reviewed his book "The Dog Rules" here on the blog as well. "The Cat Rules" tells the story of Mr. Thomas' cat Wedgie.
     The author was at a place in his life where he didn't have a dog or a cat, and he didn't want to get another pet because he didn't want to go through the pain of losing an animal friend again. However, he went to look at a cat, and he brought the cat home. He couldn't resist.
     The book relates many of the humorous events in the life of Wedgie and William Thomas. Wedgie had the habit of ripping up the screens to get out of the house. The men at the hardware store kept up a good business selling new screens to the author.
     One of my favorite parts of the book was the chapter where the author relates how Wedgie came out to play hockey on the frozen lake with the author and several of the neighbor boys. Wedgie had his own way of playing the game.
     I definitely recommend "The Cat Rules". It is a fun book to read. I obtained this book through inter-library loan, and it was hard to get.  It is worth the effort to get the book and read it especially if you are a cat lover.
     On another note. Over the past three weeks, Nature on PBS has been running a series on wild cats of the world. This was a great series with stunning footage and excellent narration by F. Murray Abraham. For a limited time, you can watch the series at the Nature website, and I would recommend that you do that.

Verses For the Week

    The verses for the week were delayed due to the library being closed for Veteran's Day. I also had to work most of today. Here are the verses for the week.

Psalm 9:10 -- "Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."

John 14:1 -- "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me."

Weekend Sermon -- Romans 14

     Thank you for reading this new edition of the Weekend Sermon. As always, it is good to be able to post the sermon, and I thank the Lord for this opportunity. I hope that everyone is having a good week.
     We had our first snow of the season where I live last night. Tonight, we are going to have record cold temperatures. Winter has arrived early. I've been busy working this week, and I thank the Lord for the work that He has provided for me to do.
     In prayer this week, please pray for those who are in California under the threat of the wildfires. Please pray that all will be safe and that these fires will be extinguished soon.
     Continue to pray for those who are recovering from the natural disasters that have caused do much damage. Pray for those in Florida, Texas and Indonesia.
     There has been another terrible shooting here in the US this week. Many were killed, and many others were injured. Pray for those who mourn, and pray for the recovery of those who were injured.
     Let us continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Pray for peace in Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Libya.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us all pray for those in the nations of Turkey and Maldives. Pray that many will hear the message of the love of Jesus.
     As you know, we have been in a series of messages on the last few chapters in the book of Romans. Last week, we finished chapter 13 by looking at how we are to overcome evil with good. Today, we will continue our series in Romans by examining the overall theme of Romans 14.
     In Romans 14, Paul is dealing specifically with the concept of the strong not being a stumbling block to those who might be weaker in the faith. In Paul's day, some would not eat meat at all because they did not want to run the risk that meat that they were eating might have been sacrificed to idols. Some didn't have a problem with eating meat at all. Paul said that neither group should judge the other. It was up to the Lord to judge each of His own servants.
     The overall point that Paul is trying to get at in this passage is that if you know that something that you are doing might cause another believer in Jesus to stumble in their faith, you should refrain from that practice.  In a modern context, I think of drinking alcoholic beverages. Some Christians don't see anything wrong with drinking in what they term a responsible manner. Other believers think that drinking is a major sin. They would be highly offended if someone came to their church and advocated drinking. In this instance, it would be better for the drinker to refrain from drinking than to cause a non-drinker to stumble.
      The main verse that I want to focus on from Romans 14 is verse 12 which states, "each of us will give an account of ourselves to God".  In my opinion, this is a very powerful verse. It speaks to me about the fact that one day I will face the Lord of the universe, and He will ask me about the decisions that I have made in this life.
      In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus urged us to lay up treasures in Heaven and not lay up treasures on earth. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus demonstrated for us the way that we should live in this world.
      When we stand before Jesus when we die, I believe that we will have to give an account in some way as to how faithfully we followed Jesus. Did we obey the commandments that He set down for His followers? Did we do unto the least of those among us as to the Lord? Did we love God and love our neighbor? Did we try to live out the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount? Did we obey the Great Commission?
     I believe that when I see Jesus face to face one day, I will have to give an account for how I lived my life. My life is not my own, it belongs to the Lord. He wants me to do what He has called me to do.
     Most days, I try to think about how I am doing in living a life that is pleasing to the Lord. This has both positive and negative aspects. For instance, I want to make sure that I am removing any sinful behaviors from my life so that I am living a life of holiness that is pleasing to the Lord. I also want to in a positive way live a life of service in advancing the Kingdom of Heaven and making this world a better place.
     In the Parable of the Talents, the Lord told about three servants that the master left with different amounts of money. Each servant was given an amount in keeping with that servants ability. The master went on a journey, and he asked each servant to use the money and make a gain while he was away.
     Jesus has gone to Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father until the time of His glorious Second Coming. When He returns, or when we meet Him at our death, He will ask us to give an account of what we did with the talents and the resources that He placed in our hands.
     The Bible says that the Lord is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Those who are faithful in serving the Lord Jesus will receive a reward from the Lord in the world that is to come.
     I believe that most of you are like me. When you see Jesus face to face, you want to hear Jesus say that words, well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord.
     Let us all live our lives in such a way that we are doing as much as we can do to serve the Lord. Let us remember that we are responsible for obeying the Lord and for serving Him in this world.
     Next week, we will continue with our series in Romans. The Weekend Sermon will once again be posted on Saturday next week as I will have Saturday off from work. I will post the verses on Monday. I will have a book review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.

Book Review

    Today we will have just a short review as I am not feeling well. "The Yorkshire Vet Through the Seasons" is the second book written by Julian Norton. I wrote about his first book last week. This second book details many of the cases that Julian has worked on. There are many interesting stories in this book about animals and the people that care for them. I would recommend this book just as much as Julian Norton's first book.

Verses For the Week

Psalm 6:2 -- "Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony."

Mark 2:27 -- " It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Weekend Sermon -- Romans 13:8-10

     Welcome to a new edition of the Weekend Sermon. It is good to be able to post the sermon today, and I am thankful to the Lord for this continuing opportunity. I hope that everyone is doing well.
     This week was very busy at work. I have a very full schedule next week as well. I thank the Lord for providing work, and I thank him for the opportunities that He has given to me to work as a writer.
     I do have one thing that I would like everyone to pray about. They are calling for more heavy rain in my area over the course of the next few days. As I mentioned before, earlier this month, we had flooding in my area. My house did have a few issues. Please pray that this new rain will not be heavy, and that there will not be any flooding. Thank you.
     Please continue to pray for those harmed by natural disasters around the world. Those in Central Texas, the US Southeast and Indonesia need our continuing prayers.
     The nation of Yemen needs our prayers in a special way. I saw a report on the news the other night about the extensive famine that is occurring in that nation. Yemen is war torn and experiencing many troubles. Please pray for peace, and pray that the needs of the people will be met.
     Continue to pray for peace in this world. Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and South Sudan need our prayers.
     For those who live in the US, Tuesday is election day. Please be in prayer. Ask the Lord to show you His will before voting.
     Please pray for the protection of endangered species. Please pray that the nations and people of the world will act to preserve that which God has made.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, please pray for those in Bangladesh and Tajikistan. Pray that many will hear of the grace and love of Jesus.
     As you are aware, we have been studying the last few chapters of the book of Romans for the past few weeks. Last week, we looked at what is often a misunderstood and controversial passage in the first part of Romans chapter 13. Today, we will continue to look at chapter 13 focusing on verses 8 through 10. These verses instruct us to follow the law of love.
     In verse 8, the Apostle Paul tells us to owe nothing to anyone except to love one another. Love is the fulfillment of the law.
     Believe it or not, this verse can sometimes be controversial. Some believe that this verse means that a Christian should never have any type of debt. Some take this verse so far as to say that no Christian should have a mortgage on their home or a car loan. In this interpretation, a Christian should only purchase something when they can purchase it in full.
     I believe that we should not get into debt if we can help it. Getting into debt gets you into a lot of problems. I can tell you this from first hand experience. However, most people wouldn't be able to buy a house if they couldn't purchase it over time. I think that Paul is making a bigger point here.
    Paul is telling us that in order to fulfill all of the law, we have to be those who love God and love our neighbors. This is similar to what Jesus said.
     At one time during His earthly ministry, Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment. Jesus said to love God with all ones heart, mind, soul and strength was the greatest commandment. He went on to tell us that we should also love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus said that all of the law and the prophets is summed up in these two commandments.
     Paul looks at some of the Ten Commandments and shows us that they are fulfilled by loving one's neighbor. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you won't commit adultery, theft or murder. You won't covet your neighbor's possessions. We could also say that if we love the Lord with all that is within us, we will not take the Lord's name in vain and we will not place any other gods before the True and Living God. Paul will say again, love is the fulfillment of the law.
     As followers of Jesus, we have the obligation to love the world just as He loved the world. If we act out of love in the way that Jesus acted out of love, we will not have to worry about obeying the law or violating the teachings and the commandments of the Lord Jesus.
      Now, what does it look like to love God with all that we have within us and to love our neighbor as ourselves. As far as I understand it, to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength means to love the Lord completely and fully. Everything that we do in life should be centered around honoring and pleasing the Lord. If we love Him, we will serve Him. We will follow the path that He has set out before us. We will do what He wills and not what we will. Even if it costs us all that we have, we will remain faithful to Him because we love Him.
     Loving one's neighbor means to seek that which is best for the other person. I believe that love for one's neighbor starts by following the Golden Rule set forth by Jesus. Jesus taught us that we should treat others the way that we would like to be treated. Do unto others as you would have done to you. If we start with this, we are showing love for our neighbors.
     Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to demonstrate what it means to show love to others. In that parable, the Good Samaritan went out of his way to help someone that needed his assistance. In the same way, we show love for others when we see a need and we seek to meet that need in the life of the other person.
    We show love for our neighbors when we feed the hungry and clothe the naked. We show love for our neighbors when we help those who need assistance with the necessities of life. I also believe that we show love for our neighbors when we work to make this planet a better place to live. We show love by doing that which preserves the land, the air and the water.
     There is a lot of need in this world both physical and spiritual. We when act in love as Jesus did, we help others to know about Jesus and His love, and we help to make this world a better place for the honor and glory of the Lord.
     Next week, the schedule on the blog will be a little different. I will post the sermon on Friday next week as I have to work on Saturday. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will post a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.