Verses For The Week

 Psalm 119:49 -- "Remember Your word to Your servant, in which You have made me hope."

Proverbs 23:18 -- "Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off."

Weekend Sermon -- "Philippians 4:5-7"

      Thank you for reading the message this week. I've noticed that the blog readership has been down the last few posts. I hope that you are not getting tired of going through Philippians. I have a couple more sermons on this book before we are finished, and then we are moving on to something else. I do pray for you all every day, and I hope that you are all doing well. 

     Last week, we ended the message discussing Paul's admonition to the people to be glad in the Lord. We can always be glad knowing that Jesus has redeemed us from our sins. We can be glad knowing that one day we will be with Him forever and forever. Thanks be to God. 

     Today, I want us to focus first on verse 5 that states, "Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here." We always need to be gentle and kind to everyone that we meet. I believe that one of the aspects or behaviors of being a Christian that draws many people to want to know more about Jesus is when we who are His followers act in a gentle and kind manner. When we are bombastic and hurtful, that is a turnoff to others. It makes them not want to know more about the Lord Jesus. 

     We need to be gentle with each other and help one another. It really doesn't help to get down on people and have a condemning nature. It is always better to speak words that heal and not words that hurt. 

     One of the reasons that we should be gentle and kind and good witnesses of the love of Jesus is because the Lord will soon be here. Jesus could come back at any moment. We all who call Him Lord want Him to find us behaving in the manner that He did when He returns in power and great glory. 

     In verse 6, Paul tells us not to worry, but to offer up everything to the Lord in prayer. It is hard for me not to worry. I need to confess that I am someone who worries about things. I do try to get a handle on it, and the only thing that does any good is to put things in the hands of the Lord in prayer. There are many things in my life that are completely beyond my control. I have to pray that the Lord will work and move in my life for His honor and His glory. 

     When we have circumstances in our lives that bring worries and struggles, that is when we need to pray the most. The Lord is the one who has the power to do all that we can ask or imagine. 

     Finally, Paul tells us that when we pray and give things over to the Lord, we can have peace that no one can understand. That peace comes from the abiding presence of the Lord Jesus working in our lives. It comes from knowing that whatever we go through, Jesus will never leave us and He will not forsake us. No matter what happens here, we can have peace knowing that Jesus has prepared a place for us where we can be with Him forever and forever.

     Let us all do good to one another and care about one another. Let us pray for God's will to be done in our lives. And let us live in the peace that only Jesus can bring. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I am working on a couple of book projects. Please pray for me as I work to get these done.

     Please pray for those dealing with fires in Canada, the US and Spain. Pray that the fires will be brought under control. 

     Pray for those who in Afghanistan affected by the earthquake. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need. 

     Let us pray for peace. Pray for Ukraine. Continue to pray for peace in Israel and Gaza. Pray for the release of the hostages and pray that people will get the food aid that they need. Remember to also keep praying for peace in Sudan and pray for aid to come to Sudanese refugees. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Guinea and Comoros. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue in Philippians. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all. 

Toby -- The Story of My Friend -- Chapter One

 I have decided to repost the book I wrote about my friend Toby. It has been seven years since I posted it here on the blog, so it is definitely time that I do it again. I will post one chapter a week until I have posted them all. Here is the intro and chapter one. 

Toby --The Story of My Friend

Introduction

     I have known some interesting dogs in my life.  A few stand out vividly in my memory.  My Mother's collies were exceptionally beautiful.  She wanted a collie dog like Lassie since the time she was a little girl.  Her dream came true.  Blazer was a fantastic collie.  He was so magnificent that he won a collie specialty dog show.
     One crazy dog we had was Buster the English bulldog.  He was so wild when he was a puppy that he chewed a hole in the kitchen wall.
     My Father's favorite dog was Abraham the Rottweiler.  We bought him from a Jewish man who had a litter of three male puppies who he named Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Some people think that all Rottweilers are nasty, but Abraham was the sweetest dog one could ever meet.
     This book tells the story of the best dog that I have ever known.  His name was Toby, and, as far as I'm concerned, he was the greatest dog that ever lived.  He was a red and white Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  Before Toby came into my life, I didn't really care much for the corgi breeds.  I thought that they looked silly with their short legs and long bodies.  After having been with my friend, that old opinion has changed dramatically.
     Toby came into my life when I needed a friend.  I needed someone to be there for me in a non-judgmental way.  The two of us shared most of the important events in my early life during the almost twelve years that we were together.  A corgi runs through most of my memorable experiences.
     In the chapters that follow, I will recount many of the special times that Toby and I shared together.  I hope that as you read about our special relationship that you will think back with fondness about the special animal that blessed your life.

Chapter 1

     When I was growing up, I was ill much of the time.  I had a condition known as hypogammaglobulinemia that left my immune system very weak.  I was especially susceptible to respiratory illness such as bronchitis and pneumonia.
     Because of my illnesses, a lot of the kids at my school didn't want to have too much to do with me.  I always had good dog friends though.
     Early in 1985 when I was 16, I found myself with no dogs to call my friends.  Furthermore, I was also facing some very hurtful issues at an extremely legalistic and cultic church my parents attended.  I was right in the pressure cooker since I also attended the school operated by this same church.  Each day, I was subjected to a stifling and rigid environment.  My spirit was crushed, and a great weight of depression descended upon me.
     It is like being in hell to every day walk on eggshells in fear of violating the tiniest rule and then facing punishment and humiliation.  For instance, I once received detention for wearing a white shirt to school on the wrong day.  White shirts were only to be worn on Tuesday and Thursday.  Red shirts had to be worn on the other days.
     Students were constantly warned not to be worldly.  No music was allowed except Christian music, and that did not include contemporary, Christian music.  Television was an instrument of the devil.  If you mentioned a television show you may have watched it was an automatic two day detention.
     Instead of Christmas being a time of joy, it was a time of sadness.  Christmas trees were idols, and Santa Claus was a false god.
     Someone in my physical condition faced even greater condemnation since sickness was seen as a punishment from God.  If you were sick, obviously there was great sin in your life, and God was punishing you in order to bring you to repentance.
     Throughout these years, I lived in fear, and I never felt any unconditional love.  From what I knew, love was based on performance.  Be good, get good grades, follow the rules and you were loved.  Step out of line, and the hammer falls.
     Bad health and crazy religion were getting too much for me.  I say this with all candor,  I doubt that I'd be writing today if on a Sunday in January of 1985 I hadn't read an advertisement in the Kansas City Star that changed my life forever.
     Sunday, after church, I decided to read the dogs for sale section in the paper.  My attention snapped to full focus when I saw one advertisement in particular that read:

            Corgi for sale--1 1/2 year old male.  Housebroken.  $150

     This was great.  An adult dog who was smaller and already house trained.  From the phone number listed in the ad, I knew that he wasn't very far away.
     I found myself in some difficulty, however, when it came to convincing my parents that going to look at this dog was a good idea.  Neither of my parents wanted a dog.  They didn't like corgis either.
     After about an hour of persuasion, as I dreaded every moment that my new dog might be heading to another home, I finally convinced my Mom to at least let me call and get some more information.
     The lady who placed the ad said that this dog had been purchased as a show dog, but his feet were too small according to the breed standard.  Also, the dog was primarily her son's dog, and since he'd gone off to college, she was selling the dog.  By the way, she said the dog's name was Toby.  I was sold right then.  I always liked that name for a dog.
     We made arrangements to go look at Toby that same afternoon.  My Dad wasn't excited about getting out in the January cold, but he came along with us to the home of Toby.
     The house was in a very, rural area, and the roads were icy and not well plowed.  The drive leading up to the house was treacherous, and I remember the car sliding.
     As we got out of the car, we were greeted by a great chorus of barking.  All along the back of the house were rows of kennels housing various dogs.  Near the house, a small, red and white dog came bounding toward me barking.  A yell from the house turned the corgi around in his tracks.  We followed him inside.
     After the customary greetings, Toby's owner showed me some of the ribbons he'd won at puppy shows.  She said that Toby loved hanging out with teenage boys, and that one of Toby's favorite activities was herding the neighbor's cows.  All this time, Toby was hiding under the sofa.
     Finally, we coaxed him out of hiding.  If you can love a dog at first sight, I loved Toby.  He had short legs with white on each paw and a solid white chest.
     When my folks said that I could have him, I was thrilled.  Toby's soon to be former owner was thrilled too.  She said that two other families had been there before us, but both passed Toby up.  Their loss.  He was mine now.
     As I look back, I realize that it was grace that brought Toby and me together.  Others had come to see him before me.  Either of those families could have seen Toby's great character, and I've have never known about him.  What caused me to look through the paper for dogs that afternoon?  What made me even consider a corgi, a breed I'd never been particularly fond of?  I believe it was all God's grace.  He knew that we needed each other more than either of us knew at the time.

Prayer Request

      Would you please pray that the storms predicted for my area tonight will not be bad. Thank you. I have started to feel better, so thank you for your prayers in that matter. 

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 23:6 -- "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Luke 6:36 -- "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."

The Weekend Sermon -- "Philippians 4:1-4"

     I want to thank the Lord Jesus for the opportunity to write the messages here on the blog each week. When I started doing this over a decade ago, I didn't know what to expect or how long it would last. I just decided to write things down, and then the Lord could lead people to read it if He so desired. I do want to thank all of you who keep reading the messages each week. 

     We have come to chapter four in our series going chapter by chapter and verse by verse through the book of Philippians. We finished chapter three last week focusing on the fact that one day, Jesus will return. When He does, we will receive a glorified body like unto His glorified body. I am not sure what that will all entail, but I do know that we can trust and have confidence in all that the Lord Jesus does. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

     Now, as we start chapter four, Paul states that it is his desire to come and see the people in the church at Philippi once again. It is his hope and prayer that they will keep on being faithful to the Lord. 

     Our goal in life as believers in Jesus is keep on being faithful to the Lord. We are all going to go through ups and downs in life. We will have struggles and times when it is not always easy to do what the Lord has asked us to do. However, as we are enabled by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, we keep pressing on. We keep doing what Jesus would have us to do. We hold fast to Him and to His word and example. 

     Paul then moves on to urge two members of the church to end their quarrelling. Euodia and Syntyche were two women who had helped Paul and Clement when they were working to establish the church in Philippi. They helped to spread the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By quarrelling with each other, they had the potential to cause divisions in the church and to be a cause of those outside of the church to not want to have anything to do with the message of Jesus that they were trying proclaim. 

     As believers, we have to make sure that we maintain a good testimony. Nothing will turn people away from wanting to hear more about Jesus than if they see those who claim to have Jesus as Lord doing the opposite of what Jesus taught and commanded His followers to do. 

     In verse four, Paul urges all to always be glad because of the Lord. That doesn't mean that we are always happy about everything that happens to us in life. What it means is that we are glad knowing that we have Jesus as our Savior, Lord, Guide and Friend. We are glad because we know that He has forgiven us and cleansed us of our sins. We our glad knowing that He has prepared a place for us, and that when we die we will go to be with Him forever. We can be glad in the knowledge that Jesus is with us always, and He will never leave us nor forsake us. 

     We can always rejoice in the Lord. And when we are glad in Him, it lets others see what a difference Jesus can make in a person's life. It is a great witness of our faith in Jesus when we are joyful in Him. So let us all love the Lord and love one another. Let us praise the Lord and be glad in what He has done for us. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I am having a lot of trouble with my stomach. Please pray about this. I do want to thank the Lord that I haven't had trouble with arthritis for a long time now. 

     Please pray that the wildfires in Canada, the US and in Spain will be brought under control

     Continue to pray for peace in Ukraine. Pray for peace in Israel and Gaza, and pray for the release of the hostages. Sudan also needs our prayers for peace. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Uzbekistan and Djibouti. Pray that many will come to know about the love and forgiveness of Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue in Philippians. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

 Isaiah 10:1-2 -- "Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey, and robbing the fatherless."

Proverbs 31:8-9 -- "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute, speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor and needy."