Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Update
I have been so busy with my job and working on writing that I haven't had much of a chance to read. I won't be posting a review this week, but I do believe that I will get back to posting more reviews next week. I am thankful that I've been getting writing work, and I am thankful that I've been getting a lot of hours over the holiday season at my other job. I will be posting the sermon on Friday.
Monday, December 10, 2018
Verses For the Week
Isaiah 12:6 -- "Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."
Proverbs 10:28 -- "The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing."
Proverbs 10:28 -- "The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing."
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Special Prayer Request
Yesterday, I read an article about how the Ebola virus is spreading in the the Congo. Please say a special prayer for the people in this region. Pray that those who are sick will recover. Pray that the virus will not spread any further. Pray for those who are on the front lines helping those who are infected with the virus. Thank you for your prayers on this matter.
Friday, December 7, 2018
Weekend Sermon -- Romans 16:17-27
Thank you for reading the Weekend Sermon this week. I thank the Lord for this opportunity, and I hope that all of you are having a very good week.
I've been working hard at my job, and writing has been going well. :Usually in the month of December, there are fewer writing jobs, but this month has been good to start out with.
Please be in prayer for my one of my aunts and for one of my uncles. They both lost their spouses recently, and it is very hard to deal with the death of a loved one during the holiday season.
Let us all be in prayer for those in Yemen. That country is in the midst of war, and disease, and famine is rampant. Please pray for an end to the violence, and pray that the aid that the people need will reach the nation.
There are many other places in the world that need peace at this time. Pray for peace in Syria, Israel, Afghanistan, Ukraine, South Sudan and Libya
During this holiday season, let us pray that people will be filled with kindness. Let each of us try to follow the words of the Lord Jesus and do unto others as we would have done unto us.
For our prayer focus countries this week, please pray for those who live in the nations of Azerbaijan and Mali. Pray that many will hear the message of the love of Jesus. Also, pray that many all over the world will hear the message of Jesus' love during this Christmas season.
Over the course of the last few weeks, we've been studying the last few chapters of the book of Romans. Today we will finish chapter 16, and that will be the end of our Romans series. Starting next week on the Weekend Sermon, we will be having some messages centered around the Christmas season.
In today's passage, I want to focus on two verses. The end of verse 19 states, "I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil." This verse reminds me of Philippians 4:8 where Paul gives the instruction that we are to think about those things that are lovely, honorable, just and true.
There are a lot of bad things out in the world that can draw our minds away from the values promoted by Jesus. Many of the movies and television programs that are currently available don't express Christian morals and values. I've found in my own life that if I spend time watching or reading those things which are not reflective of the values of Jesus, it causes me to be less like Jesus and more like the world and its values.
There are a lot of good things that we can put into our minds that are honoring to the Lord. We should all be reading the Bible on a daily basis, but I'm saying more than that. There are good movies and books that do promote what is good that we can be spending our time reading and viewing.
I've been trying in my life to read more animal and nature books. During the coming year, I want to read more non-fiction and fewer mysteries and such. I like to read about the beauty of God's creation, and that gives me peace in my heart. I like to listen to music that promotes peace and tranquility within my spirit.
I'm not trying to come down on people or tell people that this type of book or movie or television program is wrong. I'm just saying that I find that my life is more peaceful and happy when I focus on those things that reflect the values of Jesus and His creation. I want to focus more on those things in the weeks and months to come.
Now, there is a second verse that I want to focus on. Verse 20 states, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." What does this mean?
When humanity fell into sin and turned its back on the will of God, evil entered into the world. The Bible says that death passed upon all because all have sinned.
In Genesis 3, we read the record of the fall of humanity. In that chapter, God promised that one would be born who would crush the head of the serpent who was the symbol of Satan.
When Jesus was born into this world, this prophecy saw the beginning of its fulfillment. Jesus was the Lamb of God sent to take away the sin of the world. Jesus lived a holy and sinless life. Because of that, He could take our sins upon Himself on the cross. He could be our substitute. He took the punishment for sins upon Himself that we rightly deserved.
Because of sin, death had passed upon all people. However, Jesus dealt with the consequences of sin through His glorious resurrection. By rising from the grave, Jesus destroyed death, hell and the grave. Death has no power over the one who is in Christ.
Evil is still in the world. There is a lot of terrible stuff that goes on in this world. However, Satan and his evil will be destroyed once and for all when Jesus returns in power and great glory at His Second Coming. Then, all sin will be at an end. Wars will cease. Man's inhumanity to man will be over. Injustice will be at an end. All will be good and right. Peace and justice will rule the day. Love will triumph over the forces of hate.
The Bible says that Satan and all those who remain his followers will be cast in the lake of fire. Evil will be destroyed.
Until that day comes, those of us who are followers of Jesus have a job to do. We are to take the message of Jesus' love to those who don't know about it. We are to tell others that Jesus lived, died, rose again and is coming again. We are also to strive to make this world a better place. We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and help those who are oppressed. We are to stand for justice and goodness. We are to follow the example given to us by the Lord Jesus until that day when He returns and all things are made right and all things are restored to their original state.
I hope that you have come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. The Bible says that whoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. You can repent of your sins and ask Jesus to be your Savior and Lord this very day.
Next week, our Christmas messages begin. On Monday, I will post the verses for the week. On Wednesday, there may be a review, but I am not sure yet. I will post the Weekend Sermon on Friday next week. May God bless you all. Amen.
I've been working hard at my job, and writing has been going well. :Usually in the month of December, there are fewer writing jobs, but this month has been good to start out with.
Please be in prayer for my one of my aunts and for one of my uncles. They both lost their spouses recently, and it is very hard to deal with the death of a loved one during the holiday season.
Let us all be in prayer for those in Yemen. That country is in the midst of war, and disease, and famine is rampant. Please pray for an end to the violence, and pray that the aid that the people need will reach the nation.
There are many other places in the world that need peace at this time. Pray for peace in Syria, Israel, Afghanistan, Ukraine, South Sudan and Libya
During this holiday season, let us pray that people will be filled with kindness. Let each of us try to follow the words of the Lord Jesus and do unto others as we would have done unto us.
For our prayer focus countries this week, please pray for those who live in the nations of Azerbaijan and Mali. Pray that many will hear the message of the love of Jesus. Also, pray that many all over the world will hear the message of Jesus' love during this Christmas season.
Over the course of the last few weeks, we've been studying the last few chapters of the book of Romans. Today we will finish chapter 16, and that will be the end of our Romans series. Starting next week on the Weekend Sermon, we will be having some messages centered around the Christmas season.
In today's passage, I want to focus on two verses. The end of verse 19 states, "I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil." This verse reminds me of Philippians 4:8 where Paul gives the instruction that we are to think about those things that are lovely, honorable, just and true.
There are a lot of bad things out in the world that can draw our minds away from the values promoted by Jesus. Many of the movies and television programs that are currently available don't express Christian morals and values. I've found in my own life that if I spend time watching or reading those things which are not reflective of the values of Jesus, it causes me to be less like Jesus and more like the world and its values.
There are a lot of good things that we can put into our minds that are honoring to the Lord. We should all be reading the Bible on a daily basis, but I'm saying more than that. There are good movies and books that do promote what is good that we can be spending our time reading and viewing.
I've been trying in my life to read more animal and nature books. During the coming year, I want to read more non-fiction and fewer mysteries and such. I like to read about the beauty of God's creation, and that gives me peace in my heart. I like to listen to music that promotes peace and tranquility within my spirit.
I'm not trying to come down on people or tell people that this type of book or movie or television program is wrong. I'm just saying that I find that my life is more peaceful and happy when I focus on those things that reflect the values of Jesus and His creation. I want to focus more on those things in the weeks and months to come.
Now, there is a second verse that I want to focus on. Verse 20 states, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." What does this mean?
When humanity fell into sin and turned its back on the will of God, evil entered into the world. The Bible says that death passed upon all because all have sinned.
In Genesis 3, we read the record of the fall of humanity. In that chapter, God promised that one would be born who would crush the head of the serpent who was the symbol of Satan.
When Jesus was born into this world, this prophecy saw the beginning of its fulfillment. Jesus was the Lamb of God sent to take away the sin of the world. Jesus lived a holy and sinless life. Because of that, He could take our sins upon Himself on the cross. He could be our substitute. He took the punishment for sins upon Himself that we rightly deserved.
Because of sin, death had passed upon all people. However, Jesus dealt with the consequences of sin through His glorious resurrection. By rising from the grave, Jesus destroyed death, hell and the grave. Death has no power over the one who is in Christ.
Evil is still in the world. There is a lot of terrible stuff that goes on in this world. However, Satan and his evil will be destroyed once and for all when Jesus returns in power and great glory at His Second Coming. Then, all sin will be at an end. Wars will cease. Man's inhumanity to man will be over. Injustice will be at an end. All will be good and right. Peace and justice will rule the day. Love will triumph over the forces of hate.
The Bible says that Satan and all those who remain his followers will be cast in the lake of fire. Evil will be destroyed.
Until that day comes, those of us who are followers of Jesus have a job to do. We are to take the message of Jesus' love to those who don't know about it. We are to tell others that Jesus lived, died, rose again and is coming again. We are also to strive to make this world a better place. We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and help those who are oppressed. We are to stand for justice and goodness. We are to follow the example given to us by the Lord Jesus until that day when He returns and all things are made right and all things are restored to their original state.
I hope that you have come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. The Bible says that whoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. You can repent of your sins and ask Jesus to be your Savior and Lord this very day.
Next week, our Christmas messages begin. On Monday, I will post the verses for the week. On Wednesday, there may be a review, but I am not sure yet. I will post the Weekend Sermon on Friday next week. May God bless you all. Amen.
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Book Review -- Burning Ridge
The book that I want to review today is entitled "Burning Ridge: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery" written by Margaret Mizushima. This is the fourth book in this series, and I've reviewed the other three books in the series here on the blog.
Of the four books in the series, this is the book that I like the best. The action moves along very well. In this book, it didn't seem as if veterinarian Cole Walker was unnaturally in the action just to advance the relationship between him and the main character Mattie Cobb.
Robo the police dog sees a lot of action in this book. Mattie will find out a lot about her family, and she will make some new friends. The mystery part of the book is interesting because it keeps you guessing until the end about who the culprit is.
If you like police mysteries and books with police dogs, this is a book that you will really enjoy. While this book can be read on its own, readers will get more out of the book if they read all the books in the series. All of the books are good, and I think that the series is improving with each book. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
Of the four books in the series, this is the book that I like the best. The action moves along very well. In this book, it didn't seem as if veterinarian Cole Walker was unnaturally in the action just to advance the relationship between him and the main character Mattie Cobb.
Robo the police dog sees a lot of action in this book. Mattie will find out a lot about her family, and she will make some new friends. The mystery part of the book is interesting because it keeps you guessing until the end about who the culprit is.
If you like police mysteries and books with police dogs, this is a book that you will really enjoy. While this book can be read on its own, readers will get more out of the book if they read all the books in the series. All of the books are good, and I think that the series is improving with each book. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
Monday, December 3, 2018
Verses For the Week
Psalm 94:14 -- "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy."
John 14:27 -- "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
John 14:27 -- "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Weekend Sermon -- Romans 16:1-16
Welcome to this week's edition of the Weekend Sermon. I am glad to be able to post this message as it has been quite a difficult week. I hope that all of you are doing well.
This week, we had a terrible blizzard where I live. I lost power for 15 hours, and it got very cold in the house. Thankfully, the power was restored. It could have been a lot worse. Everything has been going well in my job and in writing. I am thankful to the Lord for this.
This week, there was an earthquake in Alaska. Pray for those in that state. Also, please continue to pray for those who are dealing with the fires in the state of California.
I just learned before starting this sermon that former President George H.W. Bush has passed away. Please pray for his family during this difficult time.
Continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world this week. Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and Libya continue to need our prayers for peace.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Nepal and Bhutan. Pray that many will hear the message that Jesus loves them.
Today, we will begin our study of Romans 16. I will have two messages on this chapter. After that, I will post holiday season messages.
The first part of Romans 16 has one major theme, but there is a major controversy in the chapter. Let's deal with this. First of all, Paul begins the chapter by commending Phoebe who is a deacon. He asks that Roman Christians provide her with whatever help she might need. Paul states that she was of benefit to many people including him.
In the church that I was brought up in as a boy, women were not allowed to have any positions of authority in the church. They were not and are not allowed to be ministers. They are not allowed to be deacons. They are not allowed to teach boys in Sunday school after the boys are 12 years old.
In my old church, this verse was interpreted as meaning that Phoebe was simply someone who helped Paul. My church denied that she had any official role as a church leader.
I believe that Phoebe was a deacon in the church in an official manner. In the book of Acts, deacons were established by the Apostles to aid in helping people in the church with their physical needs. Specifically, the deacons helped to distribute aid to widows and those who needed assistance in order to make it in life.
The Bible is clear that the first deacons had a teaching and ministering role. Stephen and Philip were both deacons who proclaimed the Word of the Lord.
Romans 16 also mentions Aquila and Priscilla. Paul calls them his co-workers in Christ Jesus. The book of Acts says that both of them taught Apollos who was a popular teacher in the church. It seems to me that they were a husband and wife ministry team.
In verse 7, Paul mentions that Junia was outstanding among the apostles. Some argue that this verse shows that there was a woman apostle.
First of all, I do not have a problem with women being ministers in the church. Women were the first ones that Jesus entrusted to proclaim the message of His resurrection. Some are going to disagree with me on this. However, I have known several women who are outstanding teachers and pastors. Many women serve the Lord in outstanding ways.
About the controversy as to whether or not Junia was a female apostle. I really don't think that this is what Paul is saying in this verse. I believe he is pointing out that Junia was considered great by the apostles for her work in the ministry.
Now, what is the main lesson of Romans 16:1-16. The main message is that there are many people who are working together to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the world. Paul knew that his success in spreading the message of Jesus was due in large part to the fact that there were many people who assisted him. Paul knew that there were many committed Christians who were calling on others to be reconciled to God.
Each one of us has a part in spreading the message of Jesus' love and forgiveness to this hurting and lost world. We all must work together as members of the body of Christ to bring others to Jesus. We need to work together against injustice, and we need to work together to make this world a better place.
Each of us has been gifted by God to help the entire body of Christ. Let us use the gifts given to us by the Lord to enrich the body of Christ and perform the Lord's work in this world.
Next week, we will finish Romans 16 and our series in the book of Romans. I plan on posting the sermon on Friday next week. I will post the verses on Monday, and I plan to post a book review of a dog book on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
This week, we had a terrible blizzard where I live. I lost power for 15 hours, and it got very cold in the house. Thankfully, the power was restored. It could have been a lot worse. Everything has been going well in my job and in writing. I am thankful to the Lord for this.
This week, there was an earthquake in Alaska. Pray for those in that state. Also, please continue to pray for those who are dealing with the fires in the state of California.
I just learned before starting this sermon that former President George H.W. Bush has passed away. Please pray for his family during this difficult time.
Continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world this week. Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and Libya continue to need our prayers for peace.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Nepal and Bhutan. Pray that many will hear the message that Jesus loves them.
Today, we will begin our study of Romans 16. I will have two messages on this chapter. After that, I will post holiday season messages.
The first part of Romans 16 has one major theme, but there is a major controversy in the chapter. Let's deal with this. First of all, Paul begins the chapter by commending Phoebe who is a deacon. He asks that Roman Christians provide her with whatever help she might need. Paul states that she was of benefit to many people including him.
In the church that I was brought up in as a boy, women were not allowed to have any positions of authority in the church. They were not and are not allowed to be ministers. They are not allowed to be deacons. They are not allowed to teach boys in Sunday school after the boys are 12 years old.
In my old church, this verse was interpreted as meaning that Phoebe was simply someone who helped Paul. My church denied that she had any official role as a church leader.
I believe that Phoebe was a deacon in the church in an official manner. In the book of Acts, deacons were established by the Apostles to aid in helping people in the church with their physical needs. Specifically, the deacons helped to distribute aid to widows and those who needed assistance in order to make it in life.
The Bible is clear that the first deacons had a teaching and ministering role. Stephen and Philip were both deacons who proclaimed the Word of the Lord.
Romans 16 also mentions Aquila and Priscilla. Paul calls them his co-workers in Christ Jesus. The book of Acts says that both of them taught Apollos who was a popular teacher in the church. It seems to me that they were a husband and wife ministry team.
In verse 7, Paul mentions that Junia was outstanding among the apostles. Some argue that this verse shows that there was a woman apostle.
First of all, I do not have a problem with women being ministers in the church. Women were the first ones that Jesus entrusted to proclaim the message of His resurrection. Some are going to disagree with me on this. However, I have known several women who are outstanding teachers and pastors. Many women serve the Lord in outstanding ways.
About the controversy as to whether or not Junia was a female apostle. I really don't think that this is what Paul is saying in this verse. I believe he is pointing out that Junia was considered great by the apostles for her work in the ministry.
Now, what is the main lesson of Romans 16:1-16. The main message is that there are many people who are working together to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the world. Paul knew that his success in spreading the message of Jesus was due in large part to the fact that there were many people who assisted him. Paul knew that there were many committed Christians who were calling on others to be reconciled to God.
Each one of us has a part in spreading the message of Jesus' love and forgiveness to this hurting and lost world. We all must work together as members of the body of Christ to bring others to Jesus. We need to work together against injustice, and we need to work together to make this world a better place.
Each of us has been gifted by God to help the entire body of Christ. Let us use the gifts given to us by the Lord to enrich the body of Christ and perform the Lord's work in this world.
Next week, we will finish Romans 16 and our series in the book of Romans. I plan on posting the sermon on Friday next week. I will post the verses on Monday, and I plan to post a book review of a dog book on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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