I am sorry that I am late getting the sermon posted today, but it has been a terrible morning. It's been raining all week, and my crawlspace under my house and my garage got water in them this morning. I dealt with that, and then my friend's motor blew out in his car. I had to help him with that.
I hope that everyone who reads the blog had a chance to read the book review that I posted on Wednesday. I plan to post a review of an animal book each Wednesday for the next few weeks.
I'd like to ask everyone to pray for the people in my area who have been affected by the flooding. Please pray that the rainfall in this area will stop for awhile. Also, please continue to pray for those who were affected by the tornadoes. This last week, one of the the little towns in Kansas where my uncle Allan once served as pastor was hit by a tornado. This little town of 150 people needs prayer.
In our last message, we focused on Jesus' teaching commonly referred to as the Golden Rule. We saw that we should treat others in the same way that we want to be treated. Our example in the way that we should act in every situation in life is the Lord Jesus.
Today, we turn our attention to Jesus' teaching about two gates and two ways. Jesus says in Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate for the gate is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it."
These verses contain some of the most controversial statements that Jesus made.
Jesus taught that the human race has a choice of paths to follow in this life. We can follow a narrow path that leads to life or a path that leads to death.
Everyone who is born is born on the road that leads to death and destruction. Every person is born a sinner. The only human being who never sinned was Jesus. All of the rest of us are sinners. All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. The gate that leads to the way of destruction is birth. We are born in sin.
The vast majority of people will continue on the road to destruction away from God and His will as a result of their own choice. According to Scripture, humanity is at enmity with God. As Isaiah says, "We have turned everyone to his own way."
Most people give little thought to God and His Word. People want to do their own thing, and they don't want to follow God. The Bible says that people live in darkness, and they do not want to be exposed to the light.
Thanks be to God, the Lord is loving and gracious. He did not want to leave the human race without help living their lives as they headed down the road to destruction. God sent His Son to this earth to live a holy and sinless life. Because Jesus was sinless, He could be the sacrifice for our sins. Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross. Jesus was buried. He then rose again from the dead overcoming death and Hell.
People now have the choice whether to continue on the path of sin and death or choosing a new path that leads to forgiveness, life and a relationship with the Father through His Son.
Jesus is the door. Jesus is the gate to the narrow path that leads to life. To enter into this path, a person needs to realize the he is a sinner. He must confess his sin and ask Jesus to forgive him. He must believe that Jesus was God and man and died for his sins. He must believe that Jesus rose bodily from the grave, and he must then accept Jesus as Savior and Lord.
If a person makes this choice by the grace of the Lord, that person is on the narrow path that leads to life. He is transported from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.
Now here's where the controversy comes in. Jesus said that He was the only way of salvation. No one can come to the Father except through Jesus. Jesus is the only way to eternal life.
Jesus said that only a few people would be willing to accept Him. Jesus said that most people will remain on the path that leads to destruction.
People don't like to hear that there is only one way. Many find it offensive. They want to say that Jesus is one path to God but not the only path. They want to believe that everyone is on a path to God whatever that path might be.
This is not the teaching of Scripture. This is not the teaching of Jesus.
If you want to be sure that you are on the path to eternal life, if you want forgiveness of sin, then you must give your life to Jesus Christ. No other religion or religious teacher has the power to redeem you from sin. There is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ.
Anyone can come to Jesus. You can receive Jesus today by asking Him to be your Savior and Lord. I hope that you will give your life to Jesus today.
For those of us who know Jesus as Lord and Savior, it is our responsibility to share the gospel with the world. As Jesus said, the fields are white unto harvest. Many need to hear about the life changing love of Jesus.
Next week, we will continue with the Sermon on the Mount. I will probably wrap up this series in the next two to three weeks. Then, Lord willing, I am going to do a brief series on Nahum. This Wednesday I will post another review. May God bless you. Amen.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Book Review
Today I am starting a series of book reviews on some animal books that I have read recently. This week, I am reviewing the book "Paw Prints In the Moonlight" written by Denis O'Connor.
Denis O'Connor was a teacher living in Northumberland, England when one evening he saw an injured cat. He tracked the injured cat through the snow and found that she was staying in an old barn with her recently born kittens. The author rushed the cat and kittens to the vet, but the author was only able to rescue one of the kittens.
The book tells about how Mr. O'Connor cared for the kitten who he named Toby Jug. The book covers the first year that these two spent together living in their home at Owl Cottage. One of the best parts of the book details the outdoor adventure the two went on in the Cheviot Hills.
I highly recommend "Paw Prints In the Moonlight". This is one of the best cat books that I've read in a long time. These two really had a great relationship.
Denis O'Connor was a teacher living in Northumberland, England when one evening he saw an injured cat. He tracked the injured cat through the snow and found that she was staying in an old barn with her recently born kittens. The author rushed the cat and kittens to the vet, but the author was only able to rescue one of the kittens.
The book tells about how Mr. O'Connor cared for the kitten who he named Toby Jug. The book covers the first year that these two spent together living in their home at Owl Cottage. One of the best parts of the book details the outdoor adventure the two went on in the Cheviot Hills.
I highly recommend "Paw Prints In the Moonlight". This is one of the best cat books that I've read in a long time. These two really had a great relationship.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Weekend Sermon
Matthew 7:12
Welcome to another posting of the Weekend Sermon. I want to wish everyone who lives in the United States a happy Memorial Day Weekend. I would also like to thank the many people who gave their lives in defense of freedom.
I also want to give thanks to the Lord for meeting my needs this month. Each month it seems like there isn't going to be an answer. However, the Lord has provided. I am once again truly grateful.
Before we get into the sermon, I would ask those who read this blog to pray for the people of Oklahoma who suffered such great loss in the tornadoes. Let us pray for those who mourn, and pray that God will help the people to recover and that He will graciously meet their needs.
In last week's message, I emphasized the inportance of perserverance in prayer. When things look bad, we need to keep praying and asking the Lord to intervene on our behalf. The Lord wants to give us good things. We should always give thanks to the Lord for the wonderful things that He has done for us. Everything that is good comes from the Lord.
Today, I will focus on just one verse from Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says in Matthew 7:12, "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
If people will follow the teaching that Jesus sets forth in this single verse, the world will be a much better place to live in. However, those who are not followers of Jesus cannot be expected to folow the commandments of the Lord. It is the duty of those who have place their lives under the Lordship of Jesus Christ to live up to the commandments that Jesus has given to His followers. The problem is that Christians don't follow the command in this verse very well. That leads to Christianity having a bad name.
The teaching is simple yet powerful. We should treat people the way we want to be treated. This extends to every area of our lives.
In general everyday life, if we want to be treated with courtesy and respect, we should treat those who we meet during the day with courtesy and respect. If we don't want people to be angry and mean towards us, then we shouldn't be angry and mean towards others. If we want to be treated fairly, we should treat others fairly.
This command applies in the home. If we want others to show love to us, we should also show love to them. If we want others to share with us, we should share what God has given to us with others.
In other words, we should follow the example of Jesus in all aspects of our behavior. If we make it our purpose to follow Jesus and pattern our life and actions after His life and actions then we will always treat other people the way that we want to be treated.
Jesus is our ultimate example. He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. Jesus said that we would fulfill the Law and the Prophets by living up to the teaching of this verse. Jesus said the same things about the Great Commandment and the one like unto it. Jesus said that if we love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbor as ourself, we will fulfill the requirements of the Law.
A heart filled with the love of Jesus that pours out of us toward others in this world is what will allow us to fulfill the Golden Rule. We can only treat others the way that we want to be treated when the love of Jesus fills our hearts, and our lives are under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
There is one other thing that I would like to mention about Matthew 7:12. We aren't to treat others the way that they treat us. Some people will treat us in a mean way in this life. They will say things to hurt us and be generally unloving. This isn't an excuse for us to treat those who treat us badly in the same way.
When others treat us poorly, we are still as Jesus' followers to treat others with love. Jesus showed us this when He was even willing to forgive those who nailed Him to a cross.
If Christ's followers are people of genuine love, it will revolutionize the world because the Bible says that the world will know that we are Christians by our love. If Christians will love others in imitation of the Savior, many people would come into a relationship with the Father through His Son Jesus Christ.
Let us all strive to be like Jesus.
Next week we will continue in our study of the Sermon on the Mount beginning with Matthew 7:13. This is another controversial section of the Sermon on the Mount.
Last Wednesday was the final post on my book about my friend Toby. I hope that you all had a chance to read all of the chapters that I posted. I could not post two chapters because they were published in other publications.
I don't know what I am going to post on Wednesdays, but I am leaning to posting some book reviews of dog, cat and animal books that I've read recently.
I've decided that when the Sermon on the Mount series is finished that I am going to do a short series on the Old Testamant book of Nahum. May God bless you. Amen.
Welcome to another posting of the Weekend Sermon. I want to wish everyone who lives in the United States a happy Memorial Day Weekend. I would also like to thank the many people who gave their lives in defense of freedom.
I also want to give thanks to the Lord for meeting my needs this month. Each month it seems like there isn't going to be an answer. However, the Lord has provided. I am once again truly grateful.
Before we get into the sermon, I would ask those who read this blog to pray for the people of Oklahoma who suffered such great loss in the tornadoes. Let us pray for those who mourn, and pray that God will help the people to recover and that He will graciously meet their needs.
In last week's message, I emphasized the inportance of perserverance in prayer. When things look bad, we need to keep praying and asking the Lord to intervene on our behalf. The Lord wants to give us good things. We should always give thanks to the Lord for the wonderful things that He has done for us. Everything that is good comes from the Lord.
Today, I will focus on just one verse from Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says in Matthew 7:12, "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
If people will follow the teaching that Jesus sets forth in this single verse, the world will be a much better place to live in. However, those who are not followers of Jesus cannot be expected to folow the commandments of the Lord. It is the duty of those who have place their lives under the Lordship of Jesus Christ to live up to the commandments that Jesus has given to His followers. The problem is that Christians don't follow the command in this verse very well. That leads to Christianity having a bad name.
The teaching is simple yet powerful. We should treat people the way we want to be treated. This extends to every area of our lives.
In general everyday life, if we want to be treated with courtesy and respect, we should treat those who we meet during the day with courtesy and respect. If we don't want people to be angry and mean towards us, then we shouldn't be angry and mean towards others. If we want to be treated fairly, we should treat others fairly.
This command applies in the home. If we want others to show love to us, we should also show love to them. If we want others to share with us, we should share what God has given to us with others.
In other words, we should follow the example of Jesus in all aspects of our behavior. If we make it our purpose to follow Jesus and pattern our life and actions after His life and actions then we will always treat other people the way that we want to be treated.
Jesus is our ultimate example. He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. Jesus said that we would fulfill the Law and the Prophets by living up to the teaching of this verse. Jesus said the same things about the Great Commandment and the one like unto it. Jesus said that if we love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbor as ourself, we will fulfill the requirements of the Law.
A heart filled with the love of Jesus that pours out of us toward others in this world is what will allow us to fulfill the Golden Rule. We can only treat others the way that we want to be treated when the love of Jesus fills our hearts, and our lives are under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
There is one other thing that I would like to mention about Matthew 7:12. We aren't to treat others the way that they treat us. Some people will treat us in a mean way in this life. They will say things to hurt us and be generally unloving. This isn't an excuse for us to treat those who treat us badly in the same way.
When others treat us poorly, we are still as Jesus' followers to treat others with love. Jesus showed us this when He was even willing to forgive those who nailed Him to a cross.
If Christ's followers are people of genuine love, it will revolutionize the world because the Bible says that the world will know that we are Christians by our love. If Christians will love others in imitation of the Savior, many people would come into a relationship with the Father through His Son Jesus Christ.
Let us all strive to be like Jesus.
Next week we will continue in our study of the Sermon on the Mount beginning with Matthew 7:13. This is another controversial section of the Sermon on the Mount.
Last Wednesday was the final post on my book about my friend Toby. I hope that you all had a chance to read all of the chapters that I posted. I could not post two chapters because they were published in other publications.
I don't know what I am going to post on Wednesdays, but I am leaning to posting some book reviews of dog, cat and animal books that I've read recently.
I've decided that when the Sermon on the Mount series is finished that I am going to do a short series on the Old Testamant book of Nahum. May God bless you. Amen.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Toby Book
Here is the final chapter in my book about Toby.
Chapter 16
After I graduated from college, Toby and I began what for us would be an event filled eighteen months. The summer after I graduated, Toby and I went out to Saint Louis for vacation. It wasn't a very long trip, but we had a lot of fun. We visited the Winston Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri on our way home. We got to walk around sections of the old Berlin Wall that are on display outside the museum. That summer was a time of just relaxing and enjoying the days. Dad and I did quite a bit of fishing, and sometimes Toby came along with us. Once when we were out together, we saw a huge flock of wild turkeys.
That fall, I decided to go to graduate school and get my master's degree is history. It was over an hours drive to get to the college, and I didn't like the professors at all. I was doing fine, and it was just about the end of the semester. I knew that I wasn't going to go back after Christmas. However, I had to quit before the end of the semester because I was injured in a car accident. An almost 90 year old woman hit my car and another car. She totaled the other driver's Mercedes Benz. She was not hurt in the accident.
I recovered pretty quickly. While I was still going to graduate school, I'd been spending my free time working on writing. I'd written a few poems and sent them in for publication. I was quite surprised when a few of these initial efforts were actually published in some small journals. I decided that I was going to give writing a try for at least a little while.
Being at home and working on my writing during the day was just like being back in home school again. It was great. Toby never left my side when I was working on my writing. When I was at my desk working on the computer, he would lay at the foot of the bed. We had fun setting up that computer together. As I was trying to get everything out of the box, Toby kept pushing boxes and bags around the room with his nose.
In order to improve as a writer, I enrolled in an off campus writing program with the University of Wisconsin. With writing, investing and studying I stayed very busy. But I was never too busy for my old friend. Toby was getting old. That year when I started writing, he turned twelve. Our walks became shorter. I really had to make sure that he stayed cool, because Toby never could stand much heat, and that became more pronounced as he got older. We still played hide and seek. Toby actually would chase the ball a little as he got older, but he never was much of a ball dog.
Our favorite activity was sitting out on the patio and having dinner together. I used to like to cook steaks out on the grill. It was always nice having a family meal together. We'd sit out on the patio just about every night until the mosquitoes started in.
About two days after Toby's twelfth birthday, our time of joy came to an abrupt end. Toby became extremely sick. For the past year, he had been in what for Toby was good health. But, one afternoon he just started vomiting uncontrollably. I called our regular veterinarian, but he was out of town, and he didn't have anyone handling emergencies. I called my back up vet, and he was out of town as well. I decided to call the vet in a town north of us, and they had an appointment available right away. She examined Toby, but she really didn't know what was wrong with him. She gave him some medicine to see if he would improve. Toby did improve a little, but he still wasn't right.
I got Toby an appointment with our regular vet as soon as he was back. He discovered Toby's problem right away. Toby had a large tumor in his abdomen.
My vet got Toby an appointment that same day with a cancer specialist. I feared the worst. The cancer specialist ran some scans, and he seemed optimistic. He felt that Toby's tumor was operable, and we scheduled the surgery for the next morning.
I really started to pray that night. I was so nervous. I was just about a basket case. I don't think I slept a wink which just kept Toby up, and he needed his rest. I took him into the surgeons that morning. The way that Toby looked at me when I handed his leash to the surgeon is a look I will never forget. His eyes looked at me like I was abandoning him and he couldn't understand why. It was horrible. I felt horrible. I prayed all morning and into the afternoon. Finally, I got a call from the surgeon. The tumor was malignant, but he thought that he got it all out.
Toby was supposed to stay at the hospital for three days after the surgery, but they called me the next afternoon and wanted me to take him home. They said that he was sad and depressed and they didn't think that he could stand being without me anymore. He was also trying to bite everyone who was trying to help him. He wanted his friend and was tired of everyone else.
When I came to pick him up Toby was so relieved. He let out a great big sigh of happiness.
The next day I received the bad news. Toby's cancer was so malignant that it had metastasized. They only gave Toby 6 weeks to live even with chemotherapy.
I decided to pray and ask Jesus to help Toby. I would not have any chemo for him. What would be would be.
Six weeks came, and Toby was acting like he was in the prime of life. He was jumping around and acting like a young pup again. I kept writing and getting things published. Every day Toby and I would play and just try to enjoy being together because each day that we could be together was a gift from Jesus.
Each month I took Toby into the vet's for a check, and he got a clean bill of health. His stomach improved and he wasn't really having many health problems. He just kept on going.
We had a great Thanksgiving and Christmas. The two of us ate so much at Thanksgiving we had to lay down the rest of the day for fear that we might explode. Christmas at the house was always a fun time. Toby liked to push the branches over to me while I put the tree up. His favorite part of Christmas was playing in the wrapping paper.
We celebrated Toby's 13th birthday. He was still going strong. I was still giving the glory to God. But nothing lasts forever. Toward the beginning of June, Toby went down hill fast. His lungs started filling up with fluid and all of his blood tests were terrible. This time I knew it was the end.
Toby died on June 5. He lived 13 and a half months after his surgery.
Toby was the best friend that I have ever had. He came to me at one of the lowest points in my life, and he made me fell like someone loved me for who I was and not for what they wanted me to be. Toby has been gone for several years and I still miss him every single day. I know that he is in Heaven with my Mom and Dad. I look forward to a family reunion some day. I am thankful to Jesus that I found Toby on that cold day in January all those years ago. I love you Toby.
Chapter 16
After I graduated from college, Toby and I began what for us would be an event filled eighteen months. The summer after I graduated, Toby and I went out to Saint Louis for vacation. It wasn't a very long trip, but we had a lot of fun. We visited the Winston Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri on our way home. We got to walk around sections of the old Berlin Wall that are on display outside the museum. That summer was a time of just relaxing and enjoying the days. Dad and I did quite a bit of fishing, and sometimes Toby came along with us. Once when we were out together, we saw a huge flock of wild turkeys.
That fall, I decided to go to graduate school and get my master's degree is history. It was over an hours drive to get to the college, and I didn't like the professors at all. I was doing fine, and it was just about the end of the semester. I knew that I wasn't going to go back after Christmas. However, I had to quit before the end of the semester because I was injured in a car accident. An almost 90 year old woman hit my car and another car. She totaled the other driver's Mercedes Benz. She was not hurt in the accident.
I recovered pretty quickly. While I was still going to graduate school, I'd been spending my free time working on writing. I'd written a few poems and sent them in for publication. I was quite surprised when a few of these initial efforts were actually published in some small journals. I decided that I was going to give writing a try for at least a little while.
Being at home and working on my writing during the day was just like being back in home school again. It was great. Toby never left my side when I was working on my writing. When I was at my desk working on the computer, he would lay at the foot of the bed. We had fun setting up that computer together. As I was trying to get everything out of the box, Toby kept pushing boxes and bags around the room with his nose.
In order to improve as a writer, I enrolled in an off campus writing program with the University of Wisconsin. With writing, investing and studying I stayed very busy. But I was never too busy for my old friend. Toby was getting old. That year when I started writing, he turned twelve. Our walks became shorter. I really had to make sure that he stayed cool, because Toby never could stand much heat, and that became more pronounced as he got older. We still played hide and seek. Toby actually would chase the ball a little as he got older, but he never was much of a ball dog.
Our favorite activity was sitting out on the patio and having dinner together. I used to like to cook steaks out on the grill. It was always nice having a family meal together. We'd sit out on the patio just about every night until the mosquitoes started in.
About two days after Toby's twelfth birthday, our time of joy came to an abrupt end. Toby became extremely sick. For the past year, he had been in what for Toby was good health. But, one afternoon he just started vomiting uncontrollably. I called our regular veterinarian, but he was out of town, and he didn't have anyone handling emergencies. I called my back up vet, and he was out of town as well. I decided to call the vet in a town north of us, and they had an appointment available right away. She examined Toby, but she really didn't know what was wrong with him. She gave him some medicine to see if he would improve. Toby did improve a little, but he still wasn't right.
I got Toby an appointment with our regular vet as soon as he was back. He discovered Toby's problem right away. Toby had a large tumor in his abdomen.
My vet got Toby an appointment that same day with a cancer specialist. I feared the worst. The cancer specialist ran some scans, and he seemed optimistic. He felt that Toby's tumor was operable, and we scheduled the surgery for the next morning.
I really started to pray that night. I was so nervous. I was just about a basket case. I don't think I slept a wink which just kept Toby up, and he needed his rest. I took him into the surgeons that morning. The way that Toby looked at me when I handed his leash to the surgeon is a look I will never forget. His eyes looked at me like I was abandoning him and he couldn't understand why. It was horrible. I felt horrible. I prayed all morning and into the afternoon. Finally, I got a call from the surgeon. The tumor was malignant, but he thought that he got it all out.
Toby was supposed to stay at the hospital for three days after the surgery, but they called me the next afternoon and wanted me to take him home. They said that he was sad and depressed and they didn't think that he could stand being without me anymore. He was also trying to bite everyone who was trying to help him. He wanted his friend and was tired of everyone else.
When I came to pick him up Toby was so relieved. He let out a great big sigh of happiness.
The next day I received the bad news. Toby's cancer was so malignant that it had metastasized. They only gave Toby 6 weeks to live even with chemotherapy.
I decided to pray and ask Jesus to help Toby. I would not have any chemo for him. What would be would be.
Six weeks came, and Toby was acting like he was in the prime of life. He was jumping around and acting like a young pup again. I kept writing and getting things published. Every day Toby and I would play and just try to enjoy being together because each day that we could be together was a gift from Jesus.
Each month I took Toby into the vet's for a check, and he got a clean bill of health. His stomach improved and he wasn't really having many health problems. He just kept on going.
We had a great Thanksgiving and Christmas. The two of us ate so much at Thanksgiving we had to lay down the rest of the day for fear that we might explode. Christmas at the house was always a fun time. Toby liked to push the branches over to me while I put the tree up. His favorite part of Christmas was playing in the wrapping paper.
We celebrated Toby's 13th birthday. He was still going strong. I was still giving the glory to God. But nothing lasts forever. Toward the beginning of June, Toby went down hill fast. His lungs started filling up with fluid and all of his blood tests were terrible. This time I knew it was the end.
Toby died on June 5. He lived 13 and a half months after his surgery.
Toby was the best friend that I have ever had. He came to me at one of the lowest points in my life, and he made me fell like someone loved me for who I was and not for what they wanted me to be. Toby has been gone for several years and I still miss him every single day. I know that he is in Heaven with my Mom and Dad. I look forward to a family reunion some day. I am thankful to Jesus that I found Toby on that cold day in January all those years ago. I love you Toby.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Weekend Sermon
I'm sorry I was delayed by one day in posting the Weekend Sermon. I have not been feeling well the last couple of days. I was mowing the lawn on Thursday, and I got too hot and almost passed out. I am feeling better now.
I hope that everyone has a very good week. I would like to ask everyone to pray for those who were hurt by the tornadoes in Texas this past week. Living here in the Midwest, I always dread tornado season. We are supposed to have a bad severe weather outbreak here on Sunday night and maybe Monday. I am praying that the whole thing fizzles out.
In last week's message, we finished our discussion about what Jesus meant and what He did not mean when He said, "Judge not, that you be not judged." We then moved on to focus briefly on perseverance in the Christian faith. We need to keep going for Jesus even in the hardship of life. Jesus is with us and will help us on our journey of life and faith if we put all of our faith and trust in Him.
Now, let us continue with the words Jesus set out in Matthew 7:7 when He said, "Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you."
In this verse, Jesus is encouraging His followers to be people of prayer. Prayer is a vital element in our walk with the Lord Jesus. It s the way we communicate with the Lord and it is one of the ways Jesus uses to communicate with us.
Jesus is also telling us in this verse that we should always pray and not lose heart when things don't look like they are going our way.
I wrote several sermons on Jesus' teachings on prayer a few months ago. If anyone wants to know about his subject in more detail, you can look up the blog titles with Jesus teachings on prayer in them. I think that I did six or seven messages on this subject.
One of the messages concerned the idea of perseverance in prayer based on Matthew 18. We should keep praying and asking the Lord to help us and intervene on our behalf even if all seems lost.
I really know in my heart what Jesus is speaking about here. I've prayed for a long time for the Lord to help me out of my financial difficulties. Right now, things are looking about as bleak as they ever have. However, I am not giving up. I am going to keep praying for deliverance because I know that Jesus loves me. Our Father in Heaven want to give good things to us.
Jesus speaks about this in Matthew 7: 8-11. Jesus points out that when a son asks his father for a piece of bread, the father doesn't give the kid a stone. If the child asks for a fish to eat , the father doesn't give the child a snake. As Jesus says in verse 11, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in Heaven give what is good to those who ask Him?"
God our Father is better than mere mortals. If we give good things to our children who ask us, how much more will the Father in Heaven respond when we ask Him for good things.
I am believing in good things from the Lord. I want to keep believing and not give up. And that is what I am going to do in the coming days. I know that as I've said, God's ways aren't our ways. Sometimes, the answers to or prayers won't come until we are with the Lord. That is the ultimate gift the Father can give to us His children. Nevertheless, whatever God's will is for my life, I must continue to pray, ask and believe, always try to do my best to serve Jesus, live a holy life and spread the message of Jesus' love.
If you are facing a problem in your life, do not give up. Keep believing in the Lord. Keep putting your faith in His supreme goodness to work out everything in your life according to his gracious will.
I've mentioned this before, but on the occasion of this teaching it is appropriate to mention again. I've seen some real answers to prayer that were a long time coming.
When I was about thirty-two years old, I developed a skin condition called vitiligo. Nothing that the doctors did helped whatsoever. I prayed for 18 months asking the Lord to heal me. Nothing happened for the longest time. I kept praying, and about six months later, I was completely healed.
When Toby was with me, he had a very bad chronic skin problem caused by the medicine he had to take everyday for his colon. I prayed for three years before God healed Toby. After the Lord healed him, Toby never had this problem again.
In a church I used to speak at, we often prayed for peace in war torn places in the world. For some places, it took years of praying for peace to come.
What I am trying to say is keep praying, and don't give up. The answer to your need in life may be just around the corner. Just remember that everything that is good comes from on loving Heavenly Father who gave His Son the Lord Jesus to die for us, rise again for us, and one day Jesus will come again for us.
Next week, Lord willing, we will focus on the golden rule. I will post another chapter of the book about Toby on Wednesday. May God bless you . Amen.
I hope that everyone has a very good week. I would like to ask everyone to pray for those who were hurt by the tornadoes in Texas this past week. Living here in the Midwest, I always dread tornado season. We are supposed to have a bad severe weather outbreak here on Sunday night and maybe Monday. I am praying that the whole thing fizzles out.
In last week's message, we finished our discussion about what Jesus meant and what He did not mean when He said, "Judge not, that you be not judged." We then moved on to focus briefly on perseverance in the Christian faith. We need to keep going for Jesus even in the hardship of life. Jesus is with us and will help us on our journey of life and faith if we put all of our faith and trust in Him.
Now, let us continue with the words Jesus set out in Matthew 7:7 when He said, "Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you."
In this verse, Jesus is encouraging His followers to be people of prayer. Prayer is a vital element in our walk with the Lord Jesus. It s the way we communicate with the Lord and it is one of the ways Jesus uses to communicate with us.
Jesus is also telling us in this verse that we should always pray and not lose heart when things don't look like they are going our way.
I wrote several sermons on Jesus' teachings on prayer a few months ago. If anyone wants to know about his subject in more detail, you can look up the blog titles with Jesus teachings on prayer in them. I think that I did six or seven messages on this subject.
One of the messages concerned the idea of perseverance in prayer based on Matthew 18. We should keep praying and asking the Lord to help us and intervene on our behalf even if all seems lost.
I really know in my heart what Jesus is speaking about here. I've prayed for a long time for the Lord to help me out of my financial difficulties. Right now, things are looking about as bleak as they ever have. However, I am not giving up. I am going to keep praying for deliverance because I know that Jesus loves me. Our Father in Heaven want to give good things to us.
Jesus speaks about this in Matthew 7: 8-11. Jesus points out that when a son asks his father for a piece of bread, the father doesn't give the kid a stone. If the child asks for a fish to eat , the father doesn't give the child a snake. As Jesus says in verse 11, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in Heaven give what is good to those who ask Him?"
God our Father is better than mere mortals. If we give good things to our children who ask us, how much more will the Father in Heaven respond when we ask Him for good things.
I am believing in good things from the Lord. I want to keep believing and not give up. And that is what I am going to do in the coming days. I know that as I've said, God's ways aren't our ways. Sometimes, the answers to or prayers won't come until we are with the Lord. That is the ultimate gift the Father can give to us His children. Nevertheless, whatever God's will is for my life, I must continue to pray, ask and believe, always try to do my best to serve Jesus, live a holy life and spread the message of Jesus' love.
If you are facing a problem in your life, do not give up. Keep believing in the Lord. Keep putting your faith in His supreme goodness to work out everything in your life according to his gracious will.
I've mentioned this before, but on the occasion of this teaching it is appropriate to mention again. I've seen some real answers to prayer that were a long time coming.
When I was about thirty-two years old, I developed a skin condition called vitiligo. Nothing that the doctors did helped whatsoever. I prayed for 18 months asking the Lord to heal me. Nothing happened for the longest time. I kept praying, and about six months later, I was completely healed.
When Toby was with me, he had a very bad chronic skin problem caused by the medicine he had to take everyday for his colon. I prayed for three years before God healed Toby. After the Lord healed him, Toby never had this problem again.
In a church I used to speak at, we often prayed for peace in war torn places in the world. For some places, it took years of praying for peace to come.
What I am trying to say is keep praying, and don't give up. The answer to your need in life may be just around the corner. Just remember that everything that is good comes from on loving Heavenly Father who gave His Son the Lord Jesus to die for us, rise again for us, and one day Jesus will come again for us.
Next week, Lord willing, we will focus on the golden rule. I will post another chapter of the book about Toby on Wednesday. May God bless you . Amen.
Friday, May 17, 2013
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