I would like to ask everyone to pray for those who were injured in El Paso and Dayton. Pray for those who are in sorrow because they have lost someone they love. Pray that action will be taken so that this will not happen again.
Psalm 56:3 -- "When I am afraid, I put my trust in You."
Romans 12:21 -- "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Monday, August 5, 2019
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Weekend Sermon -- Matthew 9:37-38
Welcome and thank you for taking the time to read the Weekend Sermon this week. I hope that everyone has had a good week.
Today, I would like us to focus our attention on the words of Jesus found in Matthew 9:37-38. In this passage Jesus states, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Jesus said these words after He looked with compassion on the multitudes that were following Him. Jesus said that they were like sheep without a shepherd.
In Jesus' day, there were people who were looking for answers to the spiritual questions and emptiness that they were facing in life. They were coming to hear the words and teachings of Jesus because He taught with authority. He had compassion on people, and He said that anyone could come to Him. He said that He would not cast anyone out.
Jesus told His disciples that many people needed to hear a message of hope and forgiveness. However, the workers to tell the message to the people were few. There was a great need, but there were few people to meet the need. Jesus told His disciples to pray that more would come and go into the fields.
These words of Jesus have a great message for us today. We live in the same type of situation as in Jesus' day. There is an entire world of people who need answers to the spiritual need in their lives. They lack hope. They feel a sense of guilt, and they need deliverance. There is an entire world of people who do not know that Jesus has come to seek and save those who are lost.
In this world today, about 30 percent of the people claim to be some type of Christian. That means that at least 70 percent of the people living in the world today have not come to Jesus and received His love, mercy and forgiveness. Truly the fields are ready for harvest.
What this means is that there is a great need for those who are believers in the Lord Jesus to tell others about the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. People need to hear those of us who believe tell them about how Jesus can make a difference in their lives.
The Lord told the disciples to pray that there would be workers in the harvest field. Jesus expected His disciples to be part of that answer to prayer. He gave His followers the Great Commission before He ascended into Heaven. Jesus told His followers to go into all the world and preach the Gospel.
Jesus expects us to carry out and obey the Great Commission today. We have the duty to tell others about Jesus. Each one of us, I'm sure, knows someone who is without Christ. We need to use the opportunities that the Lord Jesus gives us to tell others about Him.
This week, I urge you to find some opportunity to tell others about what Jesus means to you. If you have a friend or a family member who is not a believer in Jesus. Take the time to share with them who Jesus is and what He has come to do.
There may be some people who feel as if the Lord is calling them to become a pastor, teacher, evangelist or missionary in full-time Christian work. If you feel that the Lord is calling you, heed the call and serve the Lord to the best of your ability.
If you have the means, try to support missionary organizations who are trying to spread the message of Jesus around the world. You can make a great difference for people in this world. Amen
Prayer Requests And Other Matters:
This has been a great week for me in my writing work, and I want to thank the Lord for His blessings. I would also like to thank the Lord that the rains were not bad in my area. Thank you for your prayers regarding this matter.
I would ask that you pray for those who live just west of where I live. They had a tremendous amount of rain and flooding. Please pray that they will be able to recover quickly.
As we go to prayer this week, please be in prayer regarding the Ebola outbreak in Congo. Please pray that those who are sick will recover. Pray that this will end quickly.
Let us be in prayer for peace in this world. Pray for peace in Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen. I heard this week that there is some peace in Sudan and South Sudan. I pray that this will hold and thank the Lord that things might be improving.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. Pray that many will hear the message of the love of Jesus.
Next week, I will be posting the sermon on Saturday. I will post the verses on Monday, and I hope to have a review to post on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
Today, I would like us to focus our attention on the words of Jesus found in Matthew 9:37-38. In this passage Jesus states, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Jesus said these words after He looked with compassion on the multitudes that were following Him. Jesus said that they were like sheep without a shepherd.
In Jesus' day, there were people who were looking for answers to the spiritual questions and emptiness that they were facing in life. They were coming to hear the words and teachings of Jesus because He taught with authority. He had compassion on people, and He said that anyone could come to Him. He said that He would not cast anyone out.
Jesus told His disciples that many people needed to hear a message of hope and forgiveness. However, the workers to tell the message to the people were few. There was a great need, but there were few people to meet the need. Jesus told His disciples to pray that more would come and go into the fields.
These words of Jesus have a great message for us today. We live in the same type of situation as in Jesus' day. There is an entire world of people who need answers to the spiritual need in their lives. They lack hope. They feel a sense of guilt, and they need deliverance. There is an entire world of people who do not know that Jesus has come to seek and save those who are lost.
In this world today, about 30 percent of the people claim to be some type of Christian. That means that at least 70 percent of the people living in the world today have not come to Jesus and received His love, mercy and forgiveness. Truly the fields are ready for harvest.
What this means is that there is a great need for those who are believers in the Lord Jesus to tell others about the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. People need to hear those of us who believe tell them about how Jesus can make a difference in their lives.
The Lord told the disciples to pray that there would be workers in the harvest field. Jesus expected His disciples to be part of that answer to prayer. He gave His followers the Great Commission before He ascended into Heaven. Jesus told His followers to go into all the world and preach the Gospel.
Jesus expects us to carry out and obey the Great Commission today. We have the duty to tell others about Jesus. Each one of us, I'm sure, knows someone who is without Christ. We need to use the opportunities that the Lord Jesus gives us to tell others about Him.
This week, I urge you to find some opportunity to tell others about what Jesus means to you. If you have a friend or a family member who is not a believer in Jesus. Take the time to share with them who Jesus is and what He has come to do.
There may be some people who feel as if the Lord is calling them to become a pastor, teacher, evangelist or missionary in full-time Christian work. If you feel that the Lord is calling you, heed the call and serve the Lord to the best of your ability.
If you have the means, try to support missionary organizations who are trying to spread the message of Jesus around the world. You can make a great difference for people in this world. Amen
Prayer Requests And Other Matters:
This has been a great week for me in my writing work, and I want to thank the Lord for His blessings. I would also like to thank the Lord that the rains were not bad in my area. Thank you for your prayers regarding this matter.
I would ask that you pray for those who live just west of where I live. They had a tremendous amount of rain and flooding. Please pray that they will be able to recover quickly.
As we go to prayer this week, please be in prayer regarding the Ebola outbreak in Congo. Please pray that those who are sick will recover. Pray that this will end quickly.
Let us be in prayer for peace in this world. Pray for peace in Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen. I heard this week that there is some peace in Sudan and South Sudan. I pray that this will hold and thank the Lord that things might be improving.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. Pray that many will hear the message of the love of Jesus.
Next week, I will be posting the sermon on Saturday. I will post the verses on Monday, and I hope to have a review to post on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Prayer Request
I would like to ask for prayer about the heavy rains again. One county over from where I live had eight inches of rain last night. There is supposed to be heavy rains for the next two days. Please pray that these rains are not as bad as predicted. No one needs all of this rain around where I live. Thank you.
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Poem And Prayer Request
I have something that I would like you to pray about. For the next two days, the forecast is for up to eight inches of rain. This will cause bad flooding in my area if it materializes. Please pray that we do not get that much rain. Thank you.
Dream Dog
The old dog still visits
skirting the edges of dreams.
A flash of brown here.
Flickers of white there.
Vanished in illusion’s smoke.
Sunshine in my mind
finds him resting a moment.
Wind rustles his hair
along with the fallen leaves.
Frequent nightmares batter.
Gnashing teeth
keep foes at bay.
He rushes off again
as morning’s light
ushers in the day.
Monday, July 29, 2019
Verses For The Week
Isaiah 1:17 -- "Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."
Micah 6:8 -- "He has told you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."
Proverbs 22:16 -- "He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself or who gives to the rich will only come to poverty."
Micah 6:8 -- "He has told you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."
Proverbs 22:16 -- "He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself or who gives to the rich will only come to poverty."
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Weekend Sermon -- Luke:15:8-10 -- Parable Of The Lost Coin
Welcome to this week's posting of the Weekend Sermon. I am going to be doing something different with the posting of the sermon starting this week. If you've read the sermon before, you will know that I usually started with prayer requests and some other things. Starting this week, I am going to start with the actual sermon. The prayer requests and other matters for the week will be at the end. If you've read the sermon in the past, and you don't like the new way that I'm doing things, please let me know with a comment. Thank you.
A few months ago, we completed a series here on the blog about the parables of Jesus. When we went through that series, I did not post a message about the Parable Of The Lost Coin found in Luke 15:8-10. I would like us to focus our attention on that parable today.
Before we get into the parable, when need to look at the context in which Jesus told the parable. Luke 15:1-2 tells us that the religious leaders were gathered around Jesus and criticizing Him because they said that Jesus welcomed sinners and ate with them. In response to this criticism, Jesus told three different parables. The first one that Jesus told was about a man who lost one out of one hundred sheep. He leaves 99 sheep in the fold, and then he goes out and searches diligently for the lost sheep until he finds it. When the sheep is found, the man's friends and neighbors rejoice with him.
The third parable in this series of three is the familiar parable of the prodigal son. We are focusing on the second parable of the three. In our parable today, Jesus says that there was a woman who had ten silver coins. She lost one of them. She got out a lamp and swept the room with the light searching diligently for the coin until she found it. When she found her coin, she called her friends and neighbors together to celebrate with her. Jesus said that the angels in Heaven rejoice when one sinner comes to repentance.
I can really understand how the woman in this parable felt. Not too long ago, I placed some money I had in a hiding place so that if a person broke into the house, they would have a hard time finding it. The problem was, when I went to get the money, I couldn't remember where I put it. I had to search all over the house until I found it. When I did, I told my friend how happy I was, and we were happy together.
Here's what I think that Jesus is saying in our parable today. There are many people in this world who are lost. That means that they don't know that Jesus has come into the world to save them from their sins. They have never given their lives over to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
These are the people that Jesus came into this world to redeem. The religious leaders of Jesus' day were critical of Him because He associated with those they called sinners. But Jesus came into this world to seek and to save those who were lost. It is God's will that not one person should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Just as the woman took the time to search diligently for the coin, the Lord Jesus comes to us and searches for all of those who are lost. Just as the coin was of great value to the woman in the parable, we are all of great value to Jesus. He loves everyone. He gave His life out of love so that anyone who believes in Him can have eternal life and forgiveness of sins.
Often times, we are like the religious leaders who were critical of Jesus. We don't think that God cares about certain types of sinners or about certain groups of people. We want to be comfortable in our own churches and forget about the fact that there is a whole world of people who need to know that Jesus loves them.
I don't believe that the Lord Jesus ever gives up on anyone. He continues to search and to seek for those who are lost. He wants those of us who are His followers to go into the world and be obedient to His Great Commission. Jesus told us to go into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. We are to go into the highways and byways and compel them to come in the Bible says.
Jesus said that when one person comes to faith in Him, there is great rejoicing in Heaven. It is my hope that there is a lot of rejoicing in Heaven today as people come to realize how much Jesus loves them and wants them to come to Him and receive forgiveness and a new life.
Maybe you have never surrendered your life to Jesus. I hope that you will stop hiding from the seeking Lord. I hope that you will turn to Him, and let Him forgive you of your sins. I hope that you will invite Jesus to be the Lord of your life. Amen
Prayer Requests And Other Matters
This week was a good week in my writing work, and I wanted to thank the Lord for all the work that He allowed to come my way. I am going to be looking for a new part-time job, so please pray for me in this matter. Thank you for your prayers.
As we go to prayer this week, remembered to pray regarding the situation with the immigrants at the border between the US and Mexico. Pray that children will not be separated from their parents, and that all people will be treated with dignity and respect.
Let us not forget about the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Pray that they will receive all of the help and aid that they need.
Please remember to pray for those who are dealing with storm damage. There are still people west of where I live who are recovering from tornado damage.
Let us all pray for those in Congo dealing with the Ebola outbreak. Pray that those who are sick will recover, and pray that this outbreak will end.
Pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Pray for peace in Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan.
Please pray for those in Venezuela who are facing hardship. Pray that there will be a peaceful resolution to the problems in that country.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in Djibouti and Albania. Pray that many will hear about the love, mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus.
Thank you for reading the sermon and prayer requests this week. Next week, I will once again post the sermon on Saturday. I will post the verses on Monday. There will be a review or a poem posted on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
A few months ago, we completed a series here on the blog about the parables of Jesus. When we went through that series, I did not post a message about the Parable Of The Lost Coin found in Luke 15:8-10. I would like us to focus our attention on that parable today.
Before we get into the parable, when need to look at the context in which Jesus told the parable. Luke 15:1-2 tells us that the religious leaders were gathered around Jesus and criticizing Him because they said that Jesus welcomed sinners and ate with them. In response to this criticism, Jesus told three different parables. The first one that Jesus told was about a man who lost one out of one hundred sheep. He leaves 99 sheep in the fold, and then he goes out and searches diligently for the lost sheep until he finds it. When the sheep is found, the man's friends and neighbors rejoice with him.
The third parable in this series of three is the familiar parable of the prodigal son. We are focusing on the second parable of the three. In our parable today, Jesus says that there was a woman who had ten silver coins. She lost one of them. She got out a lamp and swept the room with the light searching diligently for the coin until she found it. When she found her coin, she called her friends and neighbors together to celebrate with her. Jesus said that the angels in Heaven rejoice when one sinner comes to repentance.
I can really understand how the woman in this parable felt. Not too long ago, I placed some money I had in a hiding place so that if a person broke into the house, they would have a hard time finding it. The problem was, when I went to get the money, I couldn't remember where I put it. I had to search all over the house until I found it. When I did, I told my friend how happy I was, and we were happy together.
Here's what I think that Jesus is saying in our parable today. There are many people in this world who are lost. That means that they don't know that Jesus has come into the world to save them from their sins. They have never given their lives over to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
These are the people that Jesus came into this world to redeem. The religious leaders of Jesus' day were critical of Him because He associated with those they called sinners. But Jesus came into this world to seek and to save those who were lost. It is God's will that not one person should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Just as the woman took the time to search diligently for the coin, the Lord Jesus comes to us and searches for all of those who are lost. Just as the coin was of great value to the woman in the parable, we are all of great value to Jesus. He loves everyone. He gave His life out of love so that anyone who believes in Him can have eternal life and forgiveness of sins.
Often times, we are like the religious leaders who were critical of Jesus. We don't think that God cares about certain types of sinners or about certain groups of people. We want to be comfortable in our own churches and forget about the fact that there is a whole world of people who need to know that Jesus loves them.
I don't believe that the Lord Jesus ever gives up on anyone. He continues to search and to seek for those who are lost. He wants those of us who are His followers to go into the world and be obedient to His Great Commission. Jesus told us to go into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. We are to go into the highways and byways and compel them to come in the Bible says.
Jesus said that when one person comes to faith in Him, there is great rejoicing in Heaven. It is my hope that there is a lot of rejoicing in Heaven today as people come to realize how much Jesus loves them and wants them to come to Him and receive forgiveness and a new life.
Maybe you have never surrendered your life to Jesus. I hope that you will stop hiding from the seeking Lord. I hope that you will turn to Him, and let Him forgive you of your sins. I hope that you will invite Jesus to be the Lord of your life. Amen
Prayer Requests And Other Matters
This week was a good week in my writing work, and I wanted to thank the Lord for all the work that He allowed to come my way. I am going to be looking for a new part-time job, so please pray for me in this matter. Thank you for your prayers.
As we go to prayer this week, remembered to pray regarding the situation with the immigrants at the border between the US and Mexico. Pray that children will not be separated from their parents, and that all people will be treated with dignity and respect.
Let us not forget about the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Pray that they will receive all of the help and aid that they need.
Please remember to pray for those who are dealing with storm damage. There are still people west of where I live who are recovering from tornado damage.
Let us all pray for those in Congo dealing with the Ebola outbreak. Pray that those who are sick will recover, and pray that this outbreak will end.
Pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Pray for peace in Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan.
Please pray for those in Venezuela who are facing hardship. Pray that there will be a peaceful resolution to the problems in that country.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in Djibouti and Albania. Pray that many will hear about the love, mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus.
Thank you for reading the sermon and prayer requests this week. Next week, I will once again post the sermon on Saturday. I will post the verses on Monday. There will be a review or a poem posted on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Review -- The Story of China
Over the course of the last few days, I've been watching an interesting program on DVD. "The Story of China" is a six-part documentary written and presented by Michael Wood. Michael Wood is an historian whose programs I've recommended here on the blog in the past. His programs are always interesting and educational. What I like most about Michael Wood's programs is that he is always excited about the subject he is presenting. His enthusiasm for the topic makes the viewer enthused, and this leads the viewer to want to know more about the subject.
In "The Story of China", Michael Wood takes the viewer from the earliest days of the Chinese state up to more modern Chinese history. I really enjoyed all of the information provided about Confucianism and its impact on how the state was governed. The viewer is taken through each of the Chinese dynasties, and the lives and influence of the major emperors is discussed.
I heartily recommend that you view "The Story of China". If you don't know much about Chinese history, it will serve as an excellent overview.
Here are some other programs from Michael Wood that I would recommend:
"In The Footsteps of Alexander the Great"
"The Story of India"
"Gilbert White the Nature Man"
"In Search of the Trojan War"
"In Search of Shakespeare"
In "The Story of China", Michael Wood takes the viewer from the earliest days of the Chinese state up to more modern Chinese history. I really enjoyed all of the information provided about Confucianism and its impact on how the state was governed. The viewer is taken through each of the Chinese dynasties, and the lives and influence of the major emperors is discussed.
I heartily recommend that you view "The Story of China". If you don't know much about Chinese history, it will serve as an excellent overview.
Here are some other programs from Michael Wood that I would recommend:
"In The Footsteps of Alexander the Great"
"The Story of India"
"Gilbert White the Nature Man"
"In Search of the Trojan War"
"In Search of Shakespeare"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)