Important Prayer Request

 The weather forecasters are predicting a bad ice storm for my area starting tomorrow night. Please pray that this does not materialize. Pray that there are not power outages. Thank you.

The Paths We Might Have Taken

 I've been thinking a lot about my friend Toby today. For those of you who don't know, Toby was a Welsh Corgi who was my friend from the time I was 16 until I was 28 years old. I believe that Jesus gave him to me to be my friend because both of us really needed each other at that time. 

When Toby came to live with me, I had just experienced some very hurtful things from the fundamentalist church my family attended and from the school operated by that church. I was also dealing with serious health problems, and I needed a friend. Toby's former owners were being mean to him, and they weren't taking care of his health problems.

Toby and I were great friends, and the years we were together were the best years of my life.

I've been thinking about some of the things I wish we'd done together, and I've been thinking about what we would do now if he was still alive.

I wanted to be a pastor of a church when I was a young man. I went to Bible college even though I felt as if I was already pulling away from the rigid fundamentalist religion of my parents. When I finished Bible college, our denomination said that I was too liberal, and my politics we're too leftist. They kicked me out. I thought about becoming a minister in a different denomination, and I also thought about starting an independent church. I was very tired of organized religion at that time, and I didn't do it. The mainline churches have always thought I'm too conservative, and the conservatives thought I was too liberal. I did become an ordained independent minister, and the Lord has allowed me to minister through writing, here on the blog, and I've worked in evangelism.

What does this have to do with Toby? I really wish that I would have gone with him and started a church in an area where we could have helped people facing a hard time. I really regret that we didn't do that together.

I also wish that we would have tried to hike on the Appalachian Trail together. Neither of us was ever in good shape, but it would have been fun to try.

We did many fun things during our years together. I miss him every day. I wish that he was still around after my parents passed away 11 years ago. I know that my life right now would be much better and very different. We would have traveled all over the US. We liked to travel and go places. We did take a lot of trips together, but if he was here right now, we'd find some way to see all the lower 48 states. We might have to stop and work a little to get some money, but we'd make it and have fun because we were together.

If Toby was here now, I wouldn't be as sad as I am now. When he was around, I always knew that someone cared about me. I think that Jesus brought him into my life so that I would know that I was loved for who I was.

I can't know for certain where our paths would have led, but we would be together, and that's all that really mattered.

I hope that you will really do the things that you want to do in this life. I let others discourage me, and I wish I hadn't. 

I know that Toby and I will be together again with Jesus one day. I am looking forward to it.

Verses For The Week

 Isaiah 11:9 -- "They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

Isaiah 12:2 -- "Behold God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation."

Weekend Sermon -- Christmas

 Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope that you are all having a wonderful holiday season. It is not often that the day for posting the sermon falls on Christmas day itself, but today is such a day.

For today's message, I want to focus on the gift of love that came to us at Christmas. The Bible makes it clear that everyone has sinned and come short of God's righteous standard. However, God did not give up on His creation, and He did not stop loving us. In Genesis 3:15, we have the first promise that God would provide a way of salvation.  Scripture records in many places the promise that the Messiah would come to redeem the world from sin.

On the first Christmas day over 2,000 years ago, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ,was born. Matthew's Gospel tells us that Jesus was God come to be with us. He had come to save us from our sins. 

We often don't think of it as a Christmas verse, but John 3:16 sums up what Christmas is all about. It states, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

God loved us. Jesus came as both God and man. He lived a holy and sinless life as our perfect example. He bore our sins in His body on the cross as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus rose bodily from the grave triumphant over death and hell.

Whoever sincerely comes to Jesus in repentance and faith will find forgiveness. Whosoever will may come and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Jesus will take away our sin, and He will impute to us His righteousness.

Christmas is about God's gift of love and salvation in Jesus Christ. If you have never turned to Jesus and accepted Him as the Lord of your life, I pray that you will do so today. Amen.

Prayer Requests

I started my new job this week, and it is going ok so far. I would ask you to pray that the winter storm predicted for my area next week will not be bad.

My nephew's wife is out of the hospital. Please continue to pray for her full recovery. Thank you for your prayers.

Continue to pray for peace. Pray for peace in Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and Ethiopia.

Pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that the vaccines will be distributed quickly and efficiently. Pray that those who are sick will soon recover.

Our prayer focus countries this week will be Madagascar and North Korea. Pray that many will come to faith in Jesus.

Next week, I will post a message on the New Year on Friday. I will try to post a review on Wednesday. I am reading more now, and I hope to regularly post reviews again in 2021, Lord willing. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all.

Verses For The Week

 Numbers 6:26 -- "The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace."

Matthew 5:9 -- "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."

Weekend Sermon -- Light Came Into The Darkness

 Welcome to the Weekend Sermon. I hope that everyone is well and having a good week. 

This week, I want to focus in on the Advent season and the meaning of Christmas. If you read the sermon regularly, you may recall that not long ago I posted a sermon about some of the ways the Lord has brought light into my life to drive away my personal times of darkness. As I mentioned in that message, the ultimate light in life is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Christmas is about the light of Jesus coming into the world to drive out the darkness. In John 3:19 Jesus says, "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." In John 8:12 Jesus tells us that He is the light of the world.

We have many different symbols at Christmas time to help us remember that Jesus is the light of the world. The lights appear on homes and shops. Christmas candles remind us that Jesus is the light. We also have the beautiful lights on Christmas trees, and the star on top the tree reminds us of the star that led the wise men to Jesus.

The world needs the light that Jesus brings. The world was trapped in the darkness of sin, but Jesus came to bring forgiveness and new life in Him. Many are still living in darkness, but Jesus will fill anyone who calls upon Him with the light of His mercy and love.

Jesus brings His light into the darkness of this world in other ways. By the example of His life, we know that we should care for the least of those among us. We know that love and goodness triumph over hate and greed. Jesus brings light through His resurrection. The darkness of death has no control over those filled with the light of Christ. The ultimate splendor of the light of Christ will be revealed at the Second Advent when Jesus comes in power and great glory.

One thing that those of us who are followers of Jesus need to remember is that Jesus had called us to shine our light in this world. We shine the light of Christ into the darkness when we tell others about Jesus. We shine the light when we work to make this world a better place.

During this Christmas season, let us remember that Jesus is the light, and He has called us to help shine the light for Him. Amen

Prayer Requests

I would like to thank the Lord for my new job. Please pray that all will go well. Please pray for my nephew's wife. She is in the hospital and not doing too well.

Thank the Lord that there is a coronavirus vaccine, and pray that this pandemic will soon end.

Pray for the people of Fiji. That nation was hit by a bad storm.

Continue to pray for peace. Let us focus our prayers this week on Yemen and Afghanistan.

For our prayer focus countries, let us pray that the message of Jesus will reach those in Guinea and Malaysia.

Next week, I will post a short message on Christmas Day. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will try to post something on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Some Christmas Memories

   I just wanted to repost this piece I wrote a few years ago. Merry Christmas everyone.

     The best Christmas memory I have from when I was a young boy didn't start out that well.  When I was young, I had extremely poor health.  Just before Christmas, I had been sick with a terrible bout of pneumonia.  The doctor's weren't even sure that I was going to make it to Christmas.
     That Christmas, the gift I wanted more than anything else was a Stretch Monster.  This was a type of action-figure that was filled with some type of solution that allowed it to stretch far out and then return to normal size.  They were very hard to find, and I kind of doubted that my folks would be able to get one.
     That year, my health improved just before Christmas Day.  Waiting for me under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning was a Stretch Monster.  I kept that thing for 25 years.  Eventually, it fell apart.
     My best Christmas memories in more recent years involved my friend Toby.  I remember one Christmas Eve that was very fun.  The two of us were together by ourselves because my parents had gone to a Christmas party with my Dad's children from his first marriage.
      For Christmas that year, I received a telescope that I'd wanted for a long time.  On Christmas Eve, I decided to assemble the telescope and go out for an observation session.  I'd loved astronomy for a long time, and I studied astronomy in college for a little while.
     As always, Toby had to be a part of whatever I was doing.  While I was trying to assemble the telescope and the mount, Toby kept crawling in and out of the boxes and pushing the packing materials all over the living room floor.
     I finally got the scope set up, and Toby and I went out to observe.  It was a clear and beautiful Christmas Eve night.  We stayed out for hours looking at the stars filled with awe and wonder at the creative power of the Lord.
     The last Christmas Eve that I spent with Toby was extra special.  Toby had been diagnosed with liver cancer the previous May.  He had surgery, but the oncologist had not expected him to live more than six weeks.  Toby was still going during Thanksgiving, but when December rolled around, he wasn't feeling well at all.
     I thought that the cancer was finally taking its toll, but Toby had a very bad lung infection.  It took about three full weeks of treatment, but by the grace of God, Toby pulled through.  Since he had been so sick, I chose to stay with him during Christmas Eve.
     I love listening to the BBC on radio, and they often have religious broadcasts on.  I tuned in on Christmas Eve because I knew that they were going to have a broadcast from a large cathedral in England.
     It was a beautiful service.  During the message, the dean of the cathedral spoke about remembering those who are important to you at Christmas time.  He invited everyone to lay their hand on someone they love and repeat a Christmas prayer of thankfulness.  I placed my hand on my friend Toby and thanked Jesus that Toby and I could spend another holiday season together.
     By the way, in spite of what the oncologist said, Toby lived for 13 months after his surgery.  It was one of the best years of my life.
     I hope that all of you who read this blog have some great Christmas memories.  I hope that this Christmas season is filled with peace and joy for you all.  Give God all the glory this Christmas for the gift of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verses For The Week

 I John 1:5b -- "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all."

John 8:12a -- "I am the light of the world."

Weekend Sermon -- Christian Characteristics -- Mercy

 I want to start today by saying thanks be to God, I now have a new job. Thank you all for your prayers. I also want to thank the Lord for the opportunity to post this message.

This will be the final sermon in our current series. Starting next week, Lord willing, we will begin a couple of sermons dealing with Christmas. I have a new series that we will begin after the first of the year. 

Today, we will focus on the characteristic of mercy. Mercy is part of who God is. He has shown His mercy upon us by redeeming us from our sins. Because He is merciful, God expects us to be merciful as well. In fact, God tells us in Hosea 6:6 that He desires mercy more than sacrifice. In addition to this, the Lord Jesus tells us in the Beatitudes that the merciful will be blessed for they will receive mercy. 

I believe that there are at least two aspects to mercy. First of all, we have mercy on someone who is indebted to us in some way. For instance, someone may owe us a lot of money. We can show mercy by forgiving a debt or modifing the loan terms to make it easier for someone to pray. 

Another aspect of mercy is compassion. When people are hurting, we extend mercy by helping them in their time of difficulty. Some hospitals have mercy in their names. This is to signify that they are reaching out to assist those who are sick.

One major way that we can show mercy to others is by aiding refugees. These people are fleeing wars and incredible poverty. They need us to extend a helping hand to them in the name of Jesus.

We can also show mercy by helping those who are struggling with loneliness and depression. We can listen and help so that others can have a better life.

One of the greatest ways that we can be merciful is to tell others about the love of Jesus. We can explain to them how much Jesus loves them, and how they can be delivered from their sins. Amen.

Prayer Requests

Let us thank the Lord that a vaccine for coronavirus is now available. Let us pray that the vaccine can quickly reach people around the world. Pray that the pandemic will end, and pray that the sick will quickly recover.

Please continue to pray for peace on Earth. Let us focus our prayers on Libya, Yemen and Syria this week.

For our prayer focus countries, let us pray for Nepal and Mauritania.

Next week, the sermon will deal with Christmas. I will post the verses on Monday, and I hope to post something on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Something I Want To Share

I intended to post a movie review today, but I have something else I need to share. As many of you know, I work as a writer, and I also have another job to help make ends meet. The job that I have been working at over the last few months has been a nightmare. I am so depressed that I have to get out of this job as soon as possible. 

Tomorrow, I have a chance at two jobs. Please pray that one of these will come through. Pray that God's will will be done in this matter. 

The problem with my current job isn't the work. I don't mind working hard. A couple of employees and a manager are constantly harassing me, and upper management doesn't want to do anything about it.

In another matter, I have been considering selling my house for awhile. I need the Lord's wisdom on what to do about this. The house I am living in isn't in very good shape. This may be the right time to sell. Please pray for God's will in this matter.

Thank you for your prayers. Lord willing, we will finish our current sermon series on Friday.

Verses For The Week

 Matthew 5:7 -- "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."

Matthew 6:14 -- "For if you forgive men their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you."

Weekend Sermon - Christian Characteristics - Forgiveness

 Thank you Lord for the opportunity to post this message. Thank you who are reading this for taking the time to do so. 

For today's message, we are continuing are current series on Christian characteristics. ForgivenesF is our characteristics today, and I think that this may very well be the hardest area of the Christian life to live out in imitation of Christ.

The Lord demands that those who follow Him be those who forgive others. Jesus said that if we are not willing to forgive others for the wrongs done unto us, we will not be forgiven by God. The Lord's Prayer states, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us." 

On one occassion, Peter asked Jesus if he should forgive someone who sinned against him seven times. Jesus stunned Peter by saying not just seven times, but seventy times seven times. In other words, we should forgive on an unlimited basis.

Jesus told an important parable on the subject of forgiveness. He said that a man had a servant who owed him a great amount. The servant begged to be forgiven of the debt, and the master did forgive it. Later, the servant was asked by a fellow servant to forgive a small debt. The servant who had been forgiven did not forgive his fellow servant. This angered the master who withdrew his forgiveness.

We must forgive because we have been forgiven of so much. We have all sinned against a Holy God, and we can do nothing to earn forgiveness. Because He loves us, God sent His Son to redeem us and provide the way of forgiveness through His death and resurrection. When we truly realize what we have been forgiven of, how can we not forgive others.

I know that it is hard to forgive someone that really hurts us. We can only do it through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus is our example of forgiveness. He forgave Peter for denying Him three times. Jesus even asked the Father to forgive those who were mocking Him while He was on the cross bearing the sins of this world.

If you are having trouble forgiving someone, ask the Lord to give you the grace and strength to follow the example of Jesus. Amen

Prayer Requests

Please pray that I will be able to find a better job.

Let us thank the Lord that a coronavirus vaccine is on the way. Let us pray that those who are sick will get well soon. 

Continue praying for peace. Libya, Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Syria need our prayers.

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Western Sahara and Sri Lanka. Pray that many will hear about the love of Jesus.

Next week, we will conclude our current series. I will post the verses on Monday and a review on Wednesday. May God bless you.

Movie Review

 I watched a dog movie last week that I have mixed feelings about. "The Great Alaskan Race" tells the story of Togo the dog and Leonard Seppala his owner. When Nome, Alaska faced a diphtheria outbreak, the town had to bring in a vaccine by dog sled team relay. Togo and Seppala went much farther than the others, but Balto received the most accolades since his team was the one that brought the vaccine into Nome.

This movie had a lot of historical inaccuracies. It is an interesting movie, but for those who want to know the truth about the serum run in Alaska, I highly recommend that you read a book called "The Cruelest Miles". 

As for this film, dog lovers might enjoy it, but there are better dog movies available.

Verses For The Week

 I Corinthians 13:13 -- "And now these three remain; faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Psalm 119:114 -- "You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word."

A Word On Sunday

 I am posting today because I feel as if I really need to communicate something. One of the reasons that I began this blog almost a decade ago is that I wanted to tell people that Jesus loves and cares about them. 

There are still many people in this world who don't realize that Jesus loved the world so much that He was willing to leave Heaven and come to this Earth in human form. He showed us how to live by living a life without sin. He was the Lamb of God who bore our sins in His body on the cross. Love kept Him on the cross even as people mocked and ridiculed Him. He died because of His great love for us. He wanted us to be free from sin, death, hell and the grave.

Jesus loves everyone, and He invites everyone to come to Him and receive new life.

I don't know all those who read the blog. I hope that you have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. If you have not, put your trust in the loving Lord Jesus today.

If you have come to know Jesus through reading the blog over the years, I hope that you will post a comment. I don't always see the comments due to some glitch in the blog, but please try if you can. May God bless you.

Weekend Sermon -- Christian Characteristics -- Love

 Welcome to the sermon. I hope that everyone had a happy Thanksgiving Day. I am thankful for this blog.

This week, we will continue our series on the characteristics that should be present in the life of a Christian who is growing in the Lord. The characteristic that we will explore more about is love.

Love is what God is all about. In fact, I John 4:8 tells us that God is love. God loves all that He has created. He loved the world so much that He sent His Son the Lord Jesus into this world to provide the way to forgiveness of sins and eternal life in the Father's house.

Jesus is our example of what it means to live a life of love just as He is our example in all of our existence. Jesus' love led Him to stay on the cross in spite of the pain and shame. He suffered for us because of His great love for us. Jesus even loved and forgave His persecutors by asking the Father to forgive them. 

In order to imitate and obey Jesus, love must be a characteristic of our lives. Jesus gave the commandment that we are to love one another. 

The Bible tells us that we are to love our brothers and sisters in the faith. Jesus also told us that we are to love our enemies as well. 

One thing that is true of God's love is that it seeks what is best for the other. As followers of the Lord, we must seek to do that which is best for those whom we know. One of the most loving things that we can ever do for another person is to share with them the truth about Jesus and His love and forgiveness.

One of the great chapters in the Bible that tells us what love is all about is I Corinthians 13. This chapter tells us that love is kind. It leads us to be patient people who forgive others. It leads us help others to reach their full potential. When we love, we work for the good of this world. We work to help people in the hard times of their lives.

Love is what Jesus is all about. He gave His life out of love. He is not willing that any should perish. Jesus invites everyone to come unto Him, and that includes you. If you have never accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, I hope that you will do that today. Experiencing the love of Jesus will lead you to love others. Amen.

Prayer Requests

Please continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that the sick will quickly recover.

Pray for those recovering from storm damage in Central America, and in other parts of the world.

Peace is needed around the world. Pray for peace in Ethiopia, Syria, Libya and Yemen.

Our prayer focus countries this week are Bangladesh and Benin.

Next week, we will continue with our current sermon series. I will post the verses on Monday and a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Happy Thanksgiving and a Review

 Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, so I would like to wish all of my readers in the United States a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have a great day.

I have a different kind of book review today. The book for this week is "Who Killed The Fonz?" by James Boice. I am a big fan of the American TV  show Happy Days, so when I saw this book at the library, I knew I had to read it. 

This book is set 20 years after the end of the TV program. Richie is a screenwriter in Hollywood who is currently down on his luck. He gets word that his old friend Fonzie has died in a motorcycle crash. Richie goes back to Milwaukee for the funeral and discovers that Fonzie's death wasn't an accident at all. Along with his old friends Ralph and Potsie, Richie attempts to find out who killed the Fonz.

If you are a fan of Happy Days, you will enjoy reading this story about what the author imagines happened to the characters down through the years. This isn't the outcome I imagined for the characters, but it is interesting nonetheless. 

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 100:4 -- "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him, and praise His name."

I Corinthians 15:57 -- "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Weekend Sermon -- Christian Characteristics -- Thankfulness

 This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Today, we will continue our current series of messages dealing with Christian characteristics. Today, we will talk about thankfulness, and that works out well since the Thanksgiving holiday is this week in the US.

The Bible tells us that God's people are to be a thankful people. I Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to give thanks in all things. Psalm 107:1 says, "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good." Thankfulness should be in our hearts since we serve a God who is good, kind and wonderful.

As I've mentioned here on the blog many times, we always need to look to Jesus, because He is our example in all things. Jesus gave thanks. One place we see this is during the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. Before Jesus distributed the bread and the fish, He gave thanks for the food that they were all about to eat.

It is easy for a Christian to be thankful, because we have so much to be thankful for. II Corinthians 9:15 says, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift." That gift is the Lord Jesus. Jesus died for us so that we could have forgiveness of sins and atonement with the Father. We can have a relationship with the ruler of the universe, and that is an awesome thing to be thankful for.

James 1:17 let's us know that every good and perfect gift comes from above. Everything we have in this life that is good comes from God. He has given us our food, clothes and treasured relationships. I know that I have much to be thankful for. The Lord wants us to tell Him that we are thankful for all that He has done for us. Amen.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

Please pray that the storms predicted for my area will not produce too much rain. Also, please pray that I can quickly find a new part-time job.

Central America has experienced some bad storms recently. Pray that the people will receive the aid that they need.

Continue to pray for peace in Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia, Libya and Afghanistan.

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Bosnia and Maldives.

Next week, we will continue our sermon series. I will post the verses on Monday and a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Good Wildlife Conservation Books

 Alan Rabinowitz was an expert on big cats with a special expertise in Jaguar conservation. He worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society for many years before leading Panthera which is an organization committed to big cat conservation around the world.

Mr. Rabinowitz wrote several very good books. Three that I would like to recommend are "Chasing the Dragon's Tail", "Beyond the Last Village", and "An Indomitable Beast." All three of these are very well done and informative. They give a lot of good information about wildlife conservation and saving big cats like tigers and jaguars.

Verses For The Week

 Matthew 5:3 -- "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 7:18 -- "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit."

Weekend Sermon -- Christian Characteristics -- Good Works

 Welcome to the Weekend Sermon. Thank you for reading the sermon this week, and I thank the Lord for this opportunity.

Over the course of the last few messages, we've been examining some of the characteristics that should be part of the growing Christian's life.

Today, we look at good works. Before we get too deep into the message, I want to clearly state that no one is offered salvation and forgiveness by the Lord based on the performance of good deeds. Ephesians chapter 2 makes it clear that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works. This same chapter also tells us that we are saved unto good works.

James tells us something similar in his epistle. He tells us that, "faith without works is dead." What James is trying to tell us is that a person who has a true possession of faith and not an empty profession of faith will be living a life filled with doing good in the world for the honor and glory of the Lord. 

We always need to look at what Jesus has to say on a subject. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus says, "Let your light shine before men so that they see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." In other words, Jesus is telling us that when we do good deeds in the world, they help point others toward the God who we worship. 

This is exactly what Jesus did while He was ministering here on Earth. Acts 10:38 tells us that Jesus went around doing good and freeing those who were opressed by the devil. 

So, what kind of good works should we be doing? Jesus tells us this in Matthew 25. He tells us to do good to those who are the least among us. That means feeding the hungry, providing clothing, visiting sick people and those who are in prison. 

There are many ways that we can do good in this world. There are many hurting people who need us to care about them. This planet and its creatures need someone to care and help. The world needs the help of Christians who will seek the path of peace with justice. 

Another way that we can do good in the world is to tell others about the love of Jesus. This will make a radical difference in the lives of those who turn their lives over to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

This week, let each of us find some way to do what is right and good in this world in the name of Jesus and for His glory. Amen

Prayer Requests

Things have been better at my job this week, and I would like to thank the Lord for this.

Please keep praying for the end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that those who are sick will recover.

Pray for those who need aid following storm damage in Central America, the US, and the Philippines.

Pray for peace in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Laos and Mali.

Next week, we will continue with our series on Friday. I will post a review on Wednesday and the verses on Monday. May God bless you all.

Poem

 The poem this week was written by me and published in the Summer 2000 edition of Writer's Exchange 

Gondolas floating

on calm Venetian canals-

Pigeons passing over.

Verses For The Week

 Luke 19:10 -- "For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which is lost."

I John 5:3 -- "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome."

Weekend Sermon -- Christian Characteristics -- Humility

 Thank you for reading the sermon this week. I thank the Lord that I can post it.

We have been studying what characteristics are to be evident in the life of a believer who is growing in the Lord. So far, we've discussed the characteristics of kindness and joy. Today, we will focus on humility.

Humility is the opposite of pride. According to many Scriptures, pride leads to a fall. James 4:6 tells us that "God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble." Pride caused the devil to rebel against God and to be cast out of heaven.  

First of all, we need to know that the Lord calls us to be humble. Micah 6:8 tells us that we are to walk humbly with our God." I Peter 5:6 tells us to humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God.

Humility involves us having the right attitude about ourselves. This is illustrated in Jesus' parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee took pride in his good works. The tax collector realized that he was a sinner who needed the mercy of the Lord. 

When we are humble, we don't go around telling everyone how great we are. We realize that we rely on the Lord for all we are and for all we have. 

If you really want to know what humility in action looks like, look to Jesus. Jesus said that He was humble in heart, and His actions demonstrated that. For one thing, Jesus demonstrated His humility when He left the glory of Heaven and took upon Himself the form of a servant. You can learn more about this by reading Philippians chapter 2. Jesus became obedient unto death even death on a cross.  

While on Earth, Jesus demonstrated His humility during the Last Supper in the Upper Room. As the teacher and Rabbi, the disciples should have washed His feet, but Jesus washed His disciples feet showing them that to be great in God's kingdom means being the servant of all.

When we act like Jesus in this world, we serve and help others. We put the needs of others above our own needs. We realize that without Him, we can do nothing. Let each of us set aside boasting and imitate the humble heart of Jesus. Amen.

Prayer Requests And Other Matters.

The number of coronavirus cases is greatly increasing. Please pray that this pandemic will end. Pray that the sick will recover. 

Pray for those dealing with the storm damage in Central America and the Philippines.

I would ask that you pray that I could find a better job. Also pray that more writing work will come in.

Continue to pray for peace in Syria and Yemen.

For our prayer focus countries this week, let's pray for Albania and Algeria.

Next week, I will post another sermon in our series on Friday, Lord willing. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will post something on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.

Poem

 This poem was published in vol 8 issue 4 of Potpourri.

Sagging and fallen

ravaged by passing of time

the old willow weeps

Verses For The Week

 Mark 1:14-15 -- "After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 'The time has come,' He said, '''the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.'"

Romans 6:8 -- "If we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him."

Weekend Sermon -- Christian Characteristics -- Part 2

 Thank God, it is time for another posting of the Weekend Sermon. I hope that everyone is having a very good week.

There are two places in the New Testament where you can find a list of of the characteristics that are supposed to be in evidence in the life of a believer in Jesus.

One place you will find this list is in Galatians 5 where Paul contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. The other list of Christian Characteristics can be is found in II Peter chapter 1. Both of these lists tell us that kindness is a characteristic of a fruitful Christian life.

One of my favorite verses is Ephesians 4:32 that tells us to be kind to one another. I have said before that if people would follow this teaching, along with Jesus' words to do unto others as we would have done to us, the world would be a much better place to live in.

Kindness involves treating others with dignity and with respect. Being kind means speaking words that heal and not words that hurt. Showing kindness means helping others with their problems so that they can have a better life. We show kindness when we do good for the least of those among us. When we act like Jesus in this hurting world, we are acting in a kind manner.

I am sad to say that many Christians are not acting in a kind way to those with whom they disagree. So many Christians speak hatefully and act so mean that it is no surprise to me that many don't want to have anything to do with the church and Christianity.

Why is kindness so important to the Lord? Because the Lord is kind and has shown kindness to us. The kindness of God is most clearly evident in the incarnation of Jesus. Jesus came into this world so that we might have forgiveness of sins and a relationship with the Father in Heaven. 

This week, try your best to act in a kind manner toward your family, friends and associates. Do and say those things that will make them happy. Speak encouraging words. Let people feel that they are loved by your kind actions. Amen.

Prayer Requests And Other Matters

I want to thank the Lord for helping me at work this week and for allowing me to get the pay I had coming.

Please pray for those affected by the storms in the US South. Louisiana has gone through three hurricanes this year! Pray that the people will get the help that they need to recover.

Pray for peace on Earth. Pray for peace in Syria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and Yemen.

For our prayer focus countries, pray for Ghana and Qatar.

For blog readers in the US. Pray that God will guide your decision while voting on Tuesday. When voting, think about which candidate will be mostly likely to help the least of those among us.

Next week, I will post the sermon on Friday and the verses on Monday. I may post something on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Update

 I have not been feeling well, and I was not able to post yesterday. However, I do still hope to post the sermon on Friday.

Verses For The Week

 John 1:1 -- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

John 3:16 -- "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but shall have everlasting life."

Weekend Sermon -- Christian Characteristics -- Joy

 I thank God for the privilege of posting the sermon today. Thank you for taking the time to read it. 

Starting today, I will be delivering a series of messages on what I am calling Christian characteristics. These are qualities that are to be part of a believer's life as he or she grows in a relationship with Jesus. Today, we will start out by focusing on the characteristic of joy.

Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit that we find listed in Galatians chapter 5. It is produced in our lives when we are growing in the Lord.

One thing that I need to emphasize right away is that joy and happiness are not the same thing. Happiness is based upon our circumstances. Often we are happy when we feel good and have what we want in life. We are sad when we have poor health or when something bad happens to us or to those we care about.

On the other hand, joy is given to the Christian by the Lord Jesus. Jesus tells us in John 16:22 that we have joy within us that this world cannot take away.

What is this joy? According to I Peter, we have joy that is unspeakable because we have been forgiven of our sins and redeemed by the sacrifical death of Jesus on the cross. We have joy because we have a relationship with God the Father through His Son the Lord Jesus. Because we are in Christ, we will dwell in His presence for all eternity.

I John puts it another way. We have joy because now we walk in the light of life. Jesus has taken us from the realm of darkness and made us citizens of the kingdom of heaven. 

Now the question arises, how do we maintain our joy in the Lord even during difficult times? John 15 tells us the answer. We abide in the vine who is Christ. When we abide in Christ, His life flows in and through us filling us with the power of the Holy Spirit. 

We abide in Christ by communicating with Him in prayer and meditation. We abide in Him by learning more about Him. We abide in Christ by imitating Jesus, and by doing what He would have us to do in this world.

One other way that we can maintain our joy in the Lord is by telling others about Him. When the disciples that Jesus sent out to minister returned to Him, Luke 10 tells us that they were filled with joy because they performed the Lord's work in this world.

May the joy of the Lord fill our hearts this day. Amen.

Prayer Requests And Other Matters

I would ask that you pray that the money from my job will come in this week. Please pray that we will not have a bad ice storm next week.

Continue to pray that the fires in the Western US will be extinguished. Some of the fires are under control, so we thank the Lord for this.

Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that the sick will recover.

Pray for peace in Syria and Yemen.

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Chad and Taiwan.

Next week we will continue with our sermon series, and I will post the message on Friday. I will post the verses on Monday. I will try to post something on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Book Review

 A few months ago, I reviewed a book entitled "The Rise Of Wolf 8". It was one of the best animal books that I have ever read. At that time, I told you that the author planned to release additional books dealing with the wolves he studied in Yellowstone National Park. Rick McIntyre's second book in the series has now been released. It is called "The Reign Of Wolf 21."

As in the previous work, the author does an excellent job of detailing wolf behavior. He brings Wolf 21 alive in such a way that you the reader feel as if you are with the author observing first-hand.

What I enjoy most about this author's books is that he treats the wolves as individuals with their own unique characteristics. We get a glimpse of their feelings and emotions.

In the this book, you will read the story of a remarkable wolf. I highly recommend this book. Thank you Rick McIntyre for letting us know about Wolf 21.

Verses For The Week

 John 3:19-21 -- "And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed, but he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

Weekend Sermon -- We Are One In Him

 I thank God for another opportunity to post the sermon. I am glad you've taken the time to read it.

Today, the sermon won't be very long. I believe that the Lord Jesus has placed something in my heart that I am supposed to share. 

There is a lot of discussion over the issue of racism in my country. I want to state unequivocally that there is no place for racism among those who claim to follow Jesus as Lord. Racism is a sin.

The Bible makes it very clear that all people who come to faith in Jesus are a part of the family of God. In Galatians 3:28 we read, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

We are one in Jesus no matter our race, sex, ethnicity or socio-economic class. There is no distinction in Jesus, and we must not discriminate between the members of God's family. 

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is found in Revelation 7:9-17. It is a picture of people worshipping around the throne room in heaven. In the great multitude of people are those from every race and people group from around the world. They are all united in praise of the Lamb upon His throne.

As Christians, our identity is in Christ. He is Lord. We are to follow Him. We are not to divide ourselves along any racial lines. We are to be one and unified in Jesus. 

That is what I have to say, and I hope that those who call themselves Christians will take these words seriously. Amen.

Prayer Requests

Please pray that the strong winds predicted for my area tomorrow will not cause any damage.

Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that the sick will recover, and pray that a vaccine will be available soon.

Pray that the fires in the US West will be brought under control. 

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Suriname and Saudi Arabia.

Continue to pray for peace in the world. Let us concentrate our prayers on Yemen this week.

Next week, we will begin a new series on Christian characteristics. I will post the message on Friday with the verses being posted on Monday and a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Poem

 Today I am posting a poem instead of a review. This is a poem I wrote that was published in the Spring 2000 edition of Writer's Exchange.

Shifting sands of time

move us closer to our end -

the sea ebbs and flows.

Verses For The Week

 Matthew 13:15 -- "Beware and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."

Matthew 13:33-34 -- "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves purses and which will not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, and no more destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Weekend Sermon -- Light In Darkness

Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon. I would also like to thank the Lord for the opportunity to post this message.

I know that we have studied a lot in the Psalms this year, but a verse in Psalm 112 has started me thinking about some things in my life history. Psalm 112:4 states, "Light arises in the darkness for the upright." Let's examine this for a few minutes today. 

How does the Lord cause light to arise in darkness. First of all, I think of the fact that Jesus is the light of the world whose light drives out the darkness of sin from the lives of those who accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. Those who trust in Jesus no longer walk in darkness; we now walk in His glorious light.

I also believe that the Lord brings light to us when we are facing dark times and times of depression in our lives. These gifts of light from the Lord help us to make it through as we try to follow and serve Him in this world. 

I have faced some times of darkness and depression in my life. In these times, the Lord has provided the light I needed to keep going.

When I was younger, my family attended a very fundamentalist church. I also went to the school operated by this church. There were many negative and hateful things that happened to me at this church and school. At one point, I thought about not being a Christian anymore. At this point of darkness, the Lord brought some light into my life. I started watching a minister named Lloyd Ogilvie on his program from his Presbyterian Church in California. He would go on to become the chaplain of the US Senate.  He was a whole different type of preacher than I had heard in fundamentalist circles. He always preached about how much God loves us. Listening to his messages helped me to keep going in the Christian faith.

The Lord has brought the light of music into my life. One day, I turned on the public radio station in my area. I heard a jazz program, and it changed my life. I listen to jazz everyday, and it helps me get through the darkest days. I don't know what I would do without jazz in my life.

When I was at one of the darkest times of my life, the Lord brought me the light of a great friend. I was so depressed at one point in my life that I didn't want to go on anymore. That is when the Lord brought my friend Toby into my life. It was only by the grace of the Lord Jesus that we found each other. Toby helped me to know what it means to be loved unconditionally. Because the Lord brought Toby my way, I am still here today.

I don't know what hard time you are going through today. I do know that the Lord offers the light of His love to assist us. I believe that He will send light into your darkness in a number of different ways. Hang on and trust in God. Look for light in the darkness, and be a point of light for others. Amen

Prayer Requests And Other Matters

Please pray for those in Louisiana who are in the path of the hurricane. Pray for safety and the help people need.

Please continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that those who are sick will recover. 

I would ask that you pray that the money from my job will come in this week.

Continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas if the world. Pray for Syria, Yemen, Libya and Afghanistan. Pray for peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Japan and Nepal.

Next week, I will post the sermon on Friday and the verses on Monday. I will post a review or poem on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Movie Reviews

 Today, I would like to tell you about a few of the films I've watched lately. We will start with "The Art of Racing in the Rain". I really wanted to like this movie because I enjoyed the book. I feel that the movie is not much like the book in the story, and the entire feel of the film is much different than the book. I think Kevin Costner is a good actor, but I didn't like him as the voice of Enzo.

I watched a film called "First Man" a couple of nights ago. It is the story of how Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the moon. This movie I found to be extremely boring. There was no suspense whatsoever. I know we already know what happened, but a director has the ability to draw you into a story and make a well-known event exciting.

The makers of "7 Days in Entebbe" succeeded where "First Man" does not. This film brings the story to life. Even though I knew the historical outcome, I was on the edge of my seat to see how the hostages were freed.

I hope you see some good filns on TV or DVD this week.

Verses For The Week

 Luke 19:10 -- "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Hebrews 13:1 -- "Let love of the brethren continue."

Weekend Sermon -- Zephaniah Part 2

 It is once again time for the sermon. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider it.

Last week, we began a short study on the Old Testament book of Zephaniah. We learned that Zephaniah ministered during the latter part of the history of the Kingdom of Judah.  He told the people to turn away from idols and back to God, or God would send judgment. During the reign of Josiah, there was an attempt under this good king's leadership to bring about revival. It did not really take hold in the people's hearts. As soon as Josiah died, the people went right back to worshipping idols.

Shortly after the death of Josiah, God had had enough of the sinfulness of those in the land. The Babylonians invaded, destroyed the Temple and took people captive. This isn't the end of the story, and it isn't the end of Zephaniah's message.

In the final section of the book, Zephaniah gave a prophecy with a double fulfillment.

After a time, the Lord would bring a faithful remnant of His people back into the Land of Promise. Under the leadership of Nehemiah, the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. The prophet Haggai, encouraged the people to rebuild the Temple.

However, Zephaniah had a deeper message. He said that a day would come when the Lord would reign over His people from within their midst. This was a prophesy concerning the reign of the Messiah upon the earth.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we believe that He is the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. Jesus fulfilled multiple Old Testament prophecies during His earthly life and ministry. Because these prophecies were fulfilled, we can have completed confidence in the fact that Jesus will come again just as He said fulfilling the rest of what the Scriptures say about Him.

When Jesus returns in His glorious second coming, He will reign over the world from the New Jerusalem. His reign will have no end, and sin will be no more. There will be perfect peace and harmony, and He will wipe away every tear from every eye.

Whenever you begin to feel discouraged,

 take heart that Jesus is the soon coming King. All will be well very soon. Praise be to God.

Prayer Requests and Other Matters

I have been having a lot of trouble with arthritis. Please pray that this will feel better soon.

Please pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray that those who are sick will make a speedy recovery.

Pray that the fires in the Western US will be contained and brought under  control.

Pray for peace in the situations between Greece and Turkey and Azerbaijan and Armenia. Syria and Yemen continue to need our prayers.

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Turkmenistan and Tunisia. Pray that many will hear about the love of Jesus.

Next week, I will once again post the sermon on Friday. The verses will be posted on Monday. I will try to post something on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Poem

 Namib

Water streams to shores of desolation

scattering bones on sun-seared sands.

Mirage mountains shimmer in heat.

An emerald oasis stands out with life.

Worn, gray bathers frolic in the waters;

mothers and calves shower in coolness

as evening overtakes the heat of day.

Verses For The Week

 John 15:17 -- "This I command you that you love one another."

II John 6a-- "And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments."

Weekend Sermon -- Zephaniah Part One

 Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon this week. I am thankful for the opportunity the Lord has provided to post this message.

As I mentioned last week, we are starting a short series on the Old Testament book of Zephaniah. Zephaniah is one of the Minor Prophets. They are distinguished from the major Prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah due to the brevity of most Minor Prophet's writings. Their message was not minor in any way. 

I have always enjoyed studying the Minor Prophets. In Bible college, I had the opportunity to to study the Minor Prophets for two full semesters.

Let's start with a little background on Zephaniah. He was a descendent of King Hezekiah making him a member of the royal family.

Hezekiah was a good King who followed the Lord and led his people to follow the Law of Moses. Unfortunately, when Hezekiah died, his heirs on the throne rejected the True and Living God and worshipped the false gods of the neighboring nations. 

Eventually, Josiah ascended to the throne, and this is when Zephaniah's ministry began. 

Zephaniah received a word from the Lord that judgment was coming on the Kingdom of Judah. The people and leaders had rejected God for decades. The Lord was patient, but He was no longer willing to overlook the people's sinful ways. 

God also told Zephaniah to pronounce a word of judgment on the surrounding nations due to their idolatry.

Shortly after Zephaniah's message from the Lord, Josiah turned to the Lord. He restored worship in the Temple, and he tried to lead the people back to God. While Josiah reigned, the people nominally served God, but they also tried to hang on to pagan ideas. When Josiah died, the Kings and people abandoned God. You can read more about this in the book of Jeremiah.

A few years after Josiah's death, Babylon conquered Judah. The Temple was destroyed, and many were taken into captivity.

So, what can we learn from the first part of the book of Zephaniah? First of all, we can see that a person can remain a servant of the Lord even when his family and fellow countrymen are abandoning God. Zephaniah's relatives ruled abominably, but Zephaniah remained faithful becoming a prophet of the Lord. 

We live in a world where it can often be difficult to honor God and His ways. However, those of us who are in Christ have the Holy Spirit indwelling us and providing His power to live a holy and overcoming life. We must immerse ourselves in the Word and be diligent in prayer in order to do what the Lord expects of us.

I also want to point out the patience of the Lord and His willingness to forgive. The Lord sent many messages through the Prophets to His people. He waited many years before bringing judgment giving people ample opportunity to turn back to Him. Even now the Lord is patient. One reason that the Lord delays His coming is that He is not willing that any should perish but that all might come to repentance. The Lord is always ready to forgive when we call upon His name. Amen.

Prayer Requests And Other Matters

Please keep praying for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Pray that the fires in the Western US will be brought under control. 

Please pray that those experiencing damage from storms will receive the aid that they need to recover.

We need to keep praying for peace in Syria and Afghanistan.

For our prayer focus countries, let's be pray for Jordan and Vietnam.

Please pray that the payment that I am expecting this week will come in with no problem.

Next week I will post the verses on Monday and the review on Wednesday. We will continue in Zephaniah on Friday. May God bless you all.

Two Recommendations

 Today, I would like to recommend a book and a DVD. The book that I would like to recommend is "Celtic Spirituality". This is a collection of writings from Ireland and Wales. There are devotional texts, sermons and stories about various saints. I found this to be a very interesting work.

I would also like to recommend a DVD I recently watched called "Valkyrie" starting Tom Cruise. This film is based on the true story of members of the German military who attempted to remove the Nazis from power. It was well acted and interesting.

Verses For The Week

 Matthew 13:20-21 -- "And again He said, To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of meal, until it was all leavened."

Weekend Sermon -- I Desire Mercy

 Welcome to this week's posting of the sermon. I am thankful to the Lord for this opportunity, and I am glad you have decided to read the sermon.

Today, we will be focusing on a statement by Jesus found in Matthew 9:13. This verse states, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." This statement is also found in Hosea 6:6.

Let us look at the context of Jesus' words. Earlier in the day, Jesus saw Matthew at his both collecting taxes. Jesus asked Matthew to follow Him, and Matthew responded immediately. That night, Matthew held a banquet so that his friends could meet Jesus. Many of these were tax collectors and other people that the religious leaders considered to be sinners. They were highly critical of Jesus for eating with sinners. 

Jesus told them that He had come to call sinners and not the righteous. He also told them the words in our verse for our message today. 

What do these words of Jesus mean for us? There are two points that I want to make. First of all, I believe that Jesus is saying to us that we must not be so concerned about our church rituals and beliefs that we don't do any good in the world. Many go to church every Sunday, but they have never taken the opportunity to tell others that Jesus has come to seek and to save that which is lost. There isn't an effort to fulfill the Great Commission to go into the world and preach the Gospel. Many also don't want to reach out to those they consider to be great sinners. Jesus is calling us to go to everyone and spread the message of His love.

By this statement, I also believe that Jesus is calling on us to have compassion on those who are in need. Many that were rejected by the religious leaders of Jesus' day were the poor and the sick. Jesus calls us to reach out and help the hurting in His name. Remember, Jesus said that when we help the least among us, we have done it as unto Him.

Being a Christian is more than rituals. It involves following Jesus as Lord, and doing what He would have us do in this world. Amen.

Prayer Requests And Other Matters

In prayer this week, please pray that the fires in the Western US will be extinguished. Pray that those in the fire areas will stay safe.

Pray that those were affected by the hurricane in the Southeast US will receive the aid and help that they need. 

Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

Please pray that things will start to go better with my job, and pray that I will have more time for writing.

Continue to pray for peace. Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen really need our prayers. 

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in Eritrea and Bhutan.

Next week, we will begin a short series on the book of Zephaniah. I will post the sermon on Friday. I will post the verses on Monday, and there will be a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Book Review

The book that I am reviewing this week is "A Little History Of Philosophy" written by Nigel Warburton. If you don't know much about philosophy and philosophers, this book is one that will provide you with a great introduction.

In this book, the author uses short chapters that provide information about the lives of important philosophers and the major contributions they made to the world of ideas. The author does not use complex philosophical language, and he makes sure that each philosopher's ideas are presented in a fair manner.

I definitely recommend this book to all those who are interested in philosophy. If you're not, you should be. Those who are new to the subject will find this work most beneficial.

Verses For The Week

Matthew 7:1-2 -- Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you."

Weekend Sermon -- Confessing Christ Before The World

 We have finished our study in the Psalms, so now it's the time to get back to the weekend sermon. Thank you for taking the time to read this message.

Today, I want us to focus on the words of Jesus found in Matthew 10:32-33 that state, "Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before my Father in heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven. I would like to focus on what it means to confess Christ before the world.

To confess Jesus as Lord means that we acknowledge Him. We claim Him as our Savior and King. I believe that the first way that we do this is at our baptism. After we have turned to Jesus and received His forgiveness, we are to be baptized. At baptism, we are confessing to the world that we are leaving our past life of sin behind, and we are embracing Christ and His way. We are leaving the way of the world to follow the way of the cross.

We also confess Jesus to the world through our behaviors and actions. One of the signs that we follow Jesus is that we follow the golden rule that He established. We should do unto others as we would have done to us. We also acknowledge our Lord when when we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and when we love our neighbor as ourself.

One other way that we confess Christ that I would like to point out is that we confess Jesus as our Lord when we obey the Great Commission and tell others about Him. This shows to the world that we are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen

Prayer Requests and Other Matters

Please be in prayer in regard to the terrible fires in the western part of the United States. Pray that these fires can be extinguished, and pray for the safety of the firefighters. Pray that those in the path of the fire will be safe.

Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

Pray for peace in Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan.

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Thailand and Bosnia.

Please pray that things will go well at my work this week, and pray that the paycheck will come in OK.

Next week, we will have the sermon on Friday. In a couple of weeks, I hope to start a sermon series on Christian characteristics. On Monday, I will post the verses. I hope to have a review for Wednesday. May God bless you all.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 30

Psalm 150

All good things must come to an end they say. This is our 30th Psalm on the 30th day. I've really enjoyed sharing this study with you. I hope that you have enjoyed and benefitted from reading along each day.

Psalm 150 really speaks to me because it is about praising the Lord with all types of musical instruments. Music is one of the most important things in my life. I can't remember a day in the last many years when music hasn't been part of the day.

I have been privileged to have the opportunity to learn to play the trumpet and the tin whistle. I have been able to use these instruments to play music that is honoring to God.

If you are a musician, try to spend some time each day using your instrument in the praise of the Lord. You may want to use your musical ability in your place of worship. It is important to use our talents and abilities for the glory of God.

A Note:
Now that the study has ended, our blog schedule will start to get back to normal. This week, the only post will be the Weekend Sermon on Friday. The following week, we will have the verses on Monday with a review on Wednesday. Thank you for taking the time to read 30 Days 30 Psalms. May God bless you all.

30 Days 30 Psalm -- Day 29

Psalm 148

This is a Psalm of praise. It calls upon all of the created order to praise the Lord who is the Almighty Creator and sustainer of the entire universe.

We don't often think about the other members of the created order praising God. But this Psalm even calls on inanimate objects to bring forth praise. If you remember the events of Palm Sunday, Jesus told the religious leaders that the very rocks would cry out in praise of Him if the people were silent.

When it comes to sentient creatures, it is my belief that they are in tune with God in a way that is beyond our current ability to understand. It doesn't surprise me one bit that the Psalmist calls upon the great sea creatures and smaller creatures to praise God.

Saint Francis of Assisi was one of the people on this Earth who followed the Lord Jesus very closely. St. Francis would often preach sermons to the birds calling upon them to sing praises to God. He knew that animals are important to God. God will make things right with the animal kingdom some day. John Wesley preached a sermon about this topic.

There are a couple of other instances in the Bible of all of creation praising God. One of these is found in Philippians 2. This wonderful passage about Jesus says that there is a day coming when every creature will declare that Jesus Christ is Lord.

As creatures made in the image of God, we were made to worship. We must praise and worship the Lord with all that is within us.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 28

Psalm 136

His love endures forever is a phrase repeated over and over again in this Psalm. When reading Psalms, you always need to keep in mind that these are poems. It doesn't come across that way so much in English translation, but I feel that Psalm 136 has the most poetic feel in English translation.

Poetry often makes use of repetition to bring the point home. The poet is using repetition to express what God has done for His people, due to the fact of His unwavering love. There are many ways that the Lord demonstrates His love.

We can see evidence of God's love in creation. God created everything that exists in the universe. Out if His love, He allows us to enjoy this Earth as long as we don't misuse it.

God also demonstrates His enduring love by delivering His people from bondage. God promised Abraham that He would make his descendants into a mighty nation. God saw the suffering of His people in slavery, and He brought them out into the promised land.

Another way that God expresses His love is by suppling our needs. Verse 25 tells us that the Lord gives food to every creature. James tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord.

Every day, let us thank the Lord for His goodness to us. He has shown us His love on the cross. Let us show our love to the Lord by devoting our lives to His service.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 27

Psalm 133

This Psalm speaks to us of the imperative of brotherly unity. This is a subject near and dear to the heart of the Lord Jesus. It was part of the focus of Jesus' prayer recorded for us in John 17.

Psalm 113 tells us that it is good and pleasant for brothers to dwell together in unity. This is true on both the temporal and the spiritual levels.

In the area of family relationships, a family relationship works the best, and causes the least amount of anxiety, when family members are in harmony with one another. This is also true in business relationships and in relationships between friends.

Where there is disunity, you have strife and chaos. This is evidenced in the relationship between Esau and Jacob. They were eventually reconciled, but their descendents became bitter enemies.

Were disharmony and a lack of unity causes real problems is in the church. I believe that this hurts the heart of Jesus. If you look at an encyclopedia of religions, you will see that there are hundreds of different church bodies and organizations. The vast majority of these came about when Christians disagreed with one another.

When the world sees a lack of love and unity in the church, it causes many to not want to be a part of it. It can cause people to not want to come to Jesus.

The Bible says that they will know we are Christians by our love for one another. When people see love and unity in the Church, they are drawn to the Savior.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 26

Psalm 130

This Psalm holds many good memories for me. When I was in college, I was a member of the college choir. I went to a Christian college, so we often sang religious music as part of our repetoire. One of the pieces we performed was a musical setting of Psalm 130 composed by John Rutter. It led to a life-long appreciation of Rutter's work. I highly recommend his music to you.

This Psalm has a great message. It begins with, "Out of the depths have I called unto thee O Lord." No matter how far down we get in life, we can call on the Lord knowing that He will hear us. Even when we have turned from God for many years, when we call Him, He will come to us.

Verses 3 and 4 are among my favorite in the Bible. They tell us that the Lord is not extreme in keeping track of our sins. Instead, He forgives and is merciful.

God is not up in Heaven looking down and just waiting for us to do something wrong so He can punish us. This was the way that God was presented in the church of my youth. It is a distored picture of God that can hinder our relationship with Him.

God loves us. He is merciful and forgiving. That shouldn't make us want to sin more. Knowing how much Good loves us should cause us to do more of what pleases Him, and stop doing what displeases Him.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 25

Psalm 118

This Psalm has many interesting things for us to discuss, so let's get started. This Psalm starts out by telling us that we should give thanks to God because His love endures forever. This is something to be thankful for everyday.

Because we know that we are loved with an everlasting love, we need not fear that something we do will cause the Lord to withhold His love from us. This should always motivate us to love and serve the Lord to the best of our ability.

Verse 8 tells us that it is better to trust in God than to trust in man. No human being no matter how important or powerful can help us as the Lord can.

When we are facing difficult circumstances in life, we need to take our problem to the Lord first. He is the one who spoke and brought the universe into existence. He certainly has enough power to help us when we are in need.

This Psalm tells us that the stone that the builders rejected has become the capstone. This is a Messianic prophecy. Jesus uses this verse to describe His earthly ministry. He was rejected when He came the first time. When He comes again, He will rule over all. Jesus is the cornerstone of His church.


Verse 24 tells us that the Lord has made this day, and we should rejoice in it. When you suffer with depression like I do, this isn't always easy. Sometimes, days don't seem to have much in them to rejoice about. On these days, we need to remember that we are loved by God. We can always rejoice that we have been redeemed. The Lord is always watching over us.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 24

Psalm 117

Psalm 117 holds the distinction of being the shortest chapter in the entire Bible. If you want to impress someone, tell them that you have memorized an entire Psalm, and then recite Psalm 117. They can't say you weren't telling them the truth.

While it may be short, this Psalm has important things to teach us. It tells us that God's love for us is great. As Christians, we know that God showed His love for us most clearly when He sent His Son to this Earth to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

God demonstrates His love for us in a multitude of other ways. God has provided a beautiful world for us to live in. Our needs are provided by the Lord. God shows His love by giving us things that make us happy.

This Psalm tells us the the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. He will never leave us or forsake us. The Lord has promised that those who love Him will be with Him for all eternity. We can see in the Bible how God faithfully kept His promises to Abraham, David and Israel. He will also be faithful to honor all the promises that He has made to those who believe in Him. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 23

Psalm 115

The first words of Psalm 115 are, "Not to us O Lord, but to thy name be glory." These words have often been used in musical settings. The one that comes most readily to my mind is when the Latin translation of this text was put to music in the Kenneth Branaugh version of Henry V. It was heard in the film after the events at the Battle of Agincourt.

This verse tells us that we are not to seek glory or fame for ourselves. All glory and honor belongs to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who is the True and Living God. All glory goes to Him because of His love and faithfulness. God loves His people. He sustained the people of Israel through good times and bad. He loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross to save us from our sins. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is our Father, and we are His children.

Verse 3 tells us that our God is in the heavens and does whatever He pleases. He is all knowing and all powerful. His will for the universe will be accomplished no matter how much the powers of evil try to stop it.

In contrast, all of the other so called gods are just idols. They are statues and figures made by people. They have absolutely no power. Those who follow after other gods will separated eternally from the one True and Living God.

Psalm 115 tells us that the Lord will bless those who fear Him. God is no respector of persons. He will assist both small and great as long as that person honors Him. You may think that you are insignificant. You are important and highly valued by the King of the Universe.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 22

Psalm 113

Before we get into what Psalm 113 has to teach us, there are some other interesting things for us to know about this Psalm. Psalm 113 is a Psalm that is often read during the time of Passover. When Jesus and His disciples were in the Upper Room when they shared the Last Supper together, they more than likely recited this Psalm at some point in the evening.

Psalm 113 is a poem that has a specific structure. Each line begins with one of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet from the beginning of the alphabet to the end. As a poet, I find this very interesting. I think that it is much more difficult to compose a poem using a set form than it is composing in a completely free form style.

The final portion of Psalm 113 tells us that the name of the Lord should be praised from the rising to the setting of the sun. Our God is great. We have so much to thank and praise Him for. If we praised God every waking moment of our lives, we could not praise Him enough.

Two things tell the greatness of God. Our God is so great that He cares about the needs of His creation.

The Lord cares about those who are poor and needy. These are the ones that many people do not care about. God cares, and He has directed those who follow Him to care for the least of these.

Ultimately, all those who have suffered in this life will he made whole and receive justice.

Great is the Lord. May the Lord be praised both now and forevermore.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 21

Psalm 110

Psalm 110 is a Messianic Psalm of great importance. This Psalm tells us of the divinity of the Messiah Jesus Christ. It also tells us that Jesus is a priest forever in the order of Melchizadek. This point is also made in the book of Hebrews. The future rule and reign of the Messiah is also discussed in this Psalm. You will also find that Jesus discusses this Psalm in Matthew 22.

Verse one is the verse that Jesus used in His dispute with the Pharisees. It says, "The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet. Jesus asked how the Messiah can be David's son when David calls Him Lord? The reason is that the Messiah is divine. He is the Lord of Glory and the son of David in the flesh. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant that promised that a descendant of David would forever rule on David's throne. This Psalm, and Jesus' use of this Psalm, make His divinity very clear.

Jesus is a priest forever after the order of Melchizadek. Jesus is the mediator of a new and better covenant. The Levitical Aaronic priesthood was part of the old covenant. It was part of the law. The priests had to come continually to make offerings for sin. They could only cover sin. These sacrifices could not wash sins away.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Through His once for all sacrificial death on the cross, Jesus has dealt with sin once and for all.

Psalm 110 tells us that the Messiah will come to judge the nations. Jesus will judge based on what He taught in Matthew 25. Jesus said that the nations would be judged on the basis of how they treated the least among them. Jesus is judge. Jesus is our great high priest. Jesus is King. Jesus is Lord.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 20

Psalm 103

This Psalm is just packed with interesting things for us to explore. I would like to focus on three items from Psalm 103.

The first theme I want to focus on is found in verse 6 that states, "The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the opressed." The Old Testament is especially clear that God will not tolerate injustice against those who are poor weak or vulnerable. He will bring action. Most often that occurs when Godly people are moved by the Holy Spirit to take action on behalf of others. In my country, we've seen that the Civil Rights Movement and efforts to help  the opressed have been led by Christians.

Verse 12 is one of my favorite verses in the Psalms. It is often used after the corporate prayer of confession in many churches when the assurance of pardon is given. This verse says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."

When we confess our sins and come to faith and trust in Jesus, He forgives all of our sins. Our slate is wiped clean, so to speak.

When our sins are removed from us by the Lord, He remembers them against us no more. He won't bring them back up and remind us of our past faillings. We can rest in the knowledge of His forgiveness. He wants us to make move forward and do good deeds that are pleasing to Him.

The final theme that I want to explore is found in verses 15 and 16. These verses speak to us of the fact that life is brief. They remind me that I need to do all that I can while I am able to serve the Lord and try to make the world a better place.

We can't put things off until tomorrow. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Make sure that today you let those you love know how much you care about them. Follow your dreams before it is too late. If you've not acceptee Jesus as Lord and Savior, today is the day of salvation.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 19

Psalm 100

Psalm 100 is a very familiar Psalm. I would say that it is one of the top five most familiar Psalms. When I was in grade school, this was one of the Psalms we learned in Bible memorization class. Psalm 100 is a popular Psalm utilized in services during the Thanksgiving Day period in my country the United States. It is a Psalm that remindes us to praise the Lord and always be thankful for the abundant blessings that God has given us.

There is one particular verse that I want us to focus on today. Verse five states, "His faithfulness continues through all generations."

The Lord has shown Himself to be faithful to His chosen people down through the centuries. God called Abraham out of Ur and told him that he would make from him a great nation. The Lord said that through Abraham's seed, all the nations of the world would be blessed.

Even when the people of Israel turned their backs on God and followed after idols, God continued to watch over His people. He would preserve His people as a nation clear till this day.

The Lord has also been faithful to His church. Two thousand years after the time of Christ on Earth, the church is still preaching the message of Jesus' atoning death on the cross and His bodily resurrection from the dead.

The Lord is faithful to us. Jesus said that He will never leave us nor forsake us. One day, He will take us home to be with Him forever. No matter what happens to us during the course of this life Jesus will always keep us in His love.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 18

Psalm 96

Two important themes are found in our Psalm today. The first theme deals with singing a new song of praise to the Lord. The second theme deals with the return of the Lord.

The first verse of this Psalm tells us to sing a new song of praise to the Lord. This means at least two things to me. We should praise the Lord, for He is worthy of praise. We should continually praise the Lord for who He is and for what He has done. The Lord is the King of Glory. All of the other so called gods are merely idols. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob rules over all.

We should attempt to come up with new songs of praise to sing to the Lord. It is fun to try to come up with tunes and lyrics that praise the Lord. You can make up your own songs to the Lord. You don't have to present them to the world, they can be just between you and God. Sing songs that let Him know how much He means to you.

Now, the second major theme deals with the Lord's coming. When He comes, all of creation will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.

This world is in desperate need of the return of Jesus. I am so distraught when I see over and over again how the strong oppress the weak and the rich exploit and oppress the poor. So many don't treat their workers right or pay them a living wage. The poor are denied access to the healthcare they need by powerful corporations and their political allies.

All of this is coming to an end. The Lord will come and bring about justice. Jesus' mother summed it up in Luke 1 in her Magnificat. She said that her son would bring down rulers from their thrones, but He would lift up the humble. He will fill the hungry with good things, and send the rich away empty. Come quickly Lord Jesus.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 17

Psalm 84

This Psalm expresses the author's joy at being able to be in the house of the Lord. The belief is that he was responsible for music that was sung and performed in the Temple. Whoever wrote this Psalm was very glad for the opportunity to go to a place set aside for the glory and honor of God.

The writer also expresses joy at the beauty of the Temple. Even the sparrows could find a dwelling place in God's house.

From what I read in the Bible, the Temple built by Solomon was a thing of beauty. Its design included gold and silver along with the cedars of Lebanon.

I've been in some beautiful churches in my life. One church I found particularly beautiful was the church at Boy's Town near Omaha, Nebraska. The Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City is another beautiful church that I was in when I went to listen to a concert of Bach's music.

It fills our hearts with wonder and joy when we can go into a nice place and experience communion with the Lord. Being in a serene setting lets us understand something of the majesty and grandeur of our God.

God does not dwell in buildings. He is too powerful to be contained within them. His glory is throughout the whole universe. In my opinion, this world is a cathedral ringing out the praise of the Creator.

The writer of Psalm 84 ends with the thought that the Lord grants His favor and goodness on those who trust in Him and walk in His ways. This will have ultimate fulfillment when we are with the Lord and we see Jesus face to face. All will be well on that day. We will see the glorious beauty of Heaven.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 16

Psalm 74

Psalm 74 was written by a man named Asaph. Asaph wrote the second highest number of Psalms next to David as far as we know. Several Psalms are not attributed to a specific author.

I have a special affinity in my heart for Asaph. He really believed in God. However, he had a hard time understanding why God allowed certain things to happen. He had questions, but he always maintained his faith in the Almighty.

In this Psalm, Asaph is writing about the enemies of the people of Israel. Apparently, these enemies had invaded and caused destruction. They had even caused damage to the house of the Lord.

Asaph wanted to know how long God was going to allow this to continue. He wanted to know when God was going to come and drive out Israel's foes.

Asaph recognizes that God has the power to do anything. He is the Creator and sustainer of the entire universe. He could easily defend His people from their enemies.

In my life, there have been a lot of times when bad things have happened. I didn't really understand why the Lord was allowing all of this to happen. For instance, my Mom had a bad stroke when she was in her mid 70s. It caused her to experience a great deal of difficulty. On top of that, she suffered from Alzheimer's. I prayed for years that she would get better, but she never did. The Lord did answer important prayers. He healed me of vitiligo, and he healed my friend Toby. I know God had the power to help my mom. Like, Asaph, I wondered why He did not act.

It is during these times when we must have faith in the Lord. We must have faith in His plans and purposes even though we don't always understand them. Knowing that Jesus is loving, merciful and good helps us to know that He is looking out for us.

Ultimately, all will be well. God will align all things with His perfect will. We must continue to persevere in prayer as we wait on the Lord and His ultimate restoration of all things.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 15

Psalm 51

As I have mentioned before, the Bible says that David was a man after God's own heart. But he really made some tragic errors in his life. The worst was when he decided to have an adulterous affair with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. She became pregnant with David's child, so David devised a plan to have Uriah killed during the course of a battle. David then took Bathsheba as his wife.

David thought he had gotten away with the whole business. Then Nathan the prophet showed up. He confronted David with his sin, and he informed David of the consequences. Psalm 51 was composed as a penitential Psalm expressing David's sorrow for his sin and his desire to be right once again in his relationship with God. This Psalm tells us how we are to approach sin and repentance.

First of all, David makes a plea for God's mercy. David asks for his transgressions to be blotted out.

David acknowledged that he had done wrong. He in no way tried to justify his actions. That is how we should approach sin in our lives. We must admit to the Lord that we have done wrong. We must take responsibility for our actions.

David asked the Lord to create within him a clean heart. He wanted renewal of his spirit. David wanted to live a better life in the future. He did not have the idea in mind that he would receive God's forgiveness and go right back and do the same thing over again. He wanted sin rooted out of his life in order that he might have a close relationship with the Lord.

Sin separates us from God. When we sin, we need to confess it right away. I John tells us that if we confess our sins, God will forgive us and cleanse us from our sins and unrighteousness. Thanks be to God that we are eternally forgiven through Jesus' death on the cross.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 14

Psalm 50

There are many points that we could consider in Psalm 50 today. First of all, this Psalm teaches us that God is the final judge of all things. At the end of the age, both the righteous and the wicked will be judged.

In the New Testament, Jesus told us that all judgment had been given over to the Son by the Father. Jesus is the final judge. The Apostles' Creed states that Jesus will come to judge both the living and the dead when He comes again. Those who die before the coming of the Lord have their eternal destiny decided at death. Scripture tells us that we are all appointed to die, and after this the judgment.

Those who are in Christ will have a judgment based on service for the Lord. It is not a judgment to see if someone has done enough good to get into heaven. We are saved by grace through faith and not by works. We are reedemed by what Jesus did for us through His death and resurrection. The believer's judgment determines the rewards and crowns we will receive from Jesus. The Lord is a rewarder of those in who diligently seek Him. Some will have a lot of treasure laid up in heaven. Unfortunately, others will have little. Jesus will let us know if we have done what He has told us to do.

Those who do not follow Jesus Christ will face a different judgment. Those who do not accept the Lordship of Jesus will be cast from His presence.

When Jesus returns, He will judge what is right. Every injustice will be made right in some way by the Lord. The Lord will rule with equity.

Psalm 50 also lets us know that all animals belong to the Lord. He is their Creator and sustainer. We do not have the right to do whatever we want to them. The Lord made us stewards of the earth. We are to tend and care for all that God has made. It is unfortunate that so many Christians do not respect the lives of animals and do not show proper regard for what God has made. I believe that the Lord will have a lot to say about this when He returns. Will He say that we were the type of stewards He called us to be? The verdict for humanity on this point is not looking good right now.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 13

Psalm 46

As with some of the previous Psalms, there are two points that I want to emphasize in our study today. The first part of the Psalm states, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea."

As I am writing this piece, the world is in the grip of a coronavirus pandemic. In my country, over 170,000 people have died. No one knows for sure how things are going to work out. Children in some areas are starting back to school, and this is causing great anxiety for many.

In times of trouble and uncertainty, this Psalm provides great comfort. No matter what tragedy or hardship may beset us, we can take refuge in the God who created the heavens and the earth. Even if things get so bad the mountains crumble, God is with us. Ultimately, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. We know that to be in Christ means that we are secure forever in Him even when we die. We have nothing to fear.

I would also like us to take a look at what verse 10 has to teach us. This verse says, "Be still and know that I am God." This verse reminds me that my relationship with the Lord isn't all about me talking during times of prayer. I also need to be quiet and listen for the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart. I need to clear my mind and focus on the majestic power of God. I need to experience His peace and the light of His love. We feel His peace when we are still and wait before Him.