deserve

April 29, 2019

“Do Not Withhold Good”

27  Do not withhold good from those who deserve it  when it’s in your power to help them. 28  If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say,  “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” — Proverbs 3:27, 28 NLT

Have you ever had this happen to you?  You are in a public place and you see someone and suddenly you have this strange notion that you should speak to them.  You don’t know this person, you may or may not have seen them somewhere before.  You think about speaking but you turn and walk away.  But minutes later, you come face to face with this same person and you feel that nudge to speak to them.  Looking at them, you can discern no particular need, but the urge to speak to them lingers.  No, I just don’t have time to engage anyone in conversation right now or he/she probably doesn’t have time or doesn’t want to be bothered is what we think.  So, we turn and we walk away.  If this should happen to you today or at anytime in the future, let me encourage you to just stop and simply say “Hello, how are you doing today?” and follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit from that point on.  You might well be surprised at the blessing both of you will receive from that simple start.  We have to understand that the command to “go and make disciples” is a constant command and Jesus would not have told us to “go and make” if He wasn’t going to give each of us an opportunity to do just that.  Going and making disciples starts with our next encounter with any person.   Just follow the example of Jesus who “went about doing good”.

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

Post 04-29-2019

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April 10, 2019

Just Me and the Holy Spirit

4  You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!    I sing for joy because of what you have done.— Psalm 92:4 NLT

 Psalm 92:1-8 NLT

Accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior is not an act based on emotions, It is based on faith and the knowledge of God’s grace and mercy.   But the result of that decision can bring an emotional release.  We don’t have to cry or jump for joy at that moment but sooner or later, we should feel the joy that salvation brings. There could be tears of sorrow and tears of joy. Sorrow because we realize how we have shared in the persecution of our Savior and joy because we realize that He loved us enough to die for us even while we were sinners. As we learn more about God’s plan of salvation and how He draws us to Him, there should be times that the joy causes us to overflow.  As we mature in our walk with Him, our desire to spend time with Him alone should grow deeper.  There is joy in group worship and we need to be a part of that.  But to really get to know and love our Lord and Savior, it takes time alone with Him,  It is in those special times alone with Him that you can really access the joy and peace that He promised each of us.  When we really love someone, we want to spend time alone with them.  We long for those private moments when we are totally centered on each other and nothing interrupts.   Doesn’t Jesus, the great lover of our souls, deserve a few moments like that with us every day?

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

Post 04-10 2019

August 24, 2017

His Name Is Jesus

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12 “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded.  ​- John 8:5-12 NLT

This amazing story gets even more amazing. Notice that this man doesn’t even know who Jesus is, he doesn’t ask Jesus to heal him, and there is no mention of faith at all. This is a real oddity, a completely different perspective from the time that Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has made you whole.” Why did Jesus choose to heal this man in this way? This is a great demonstration of God’s mercy and grace. God sent Jesus to find this man, just as He sends the Holy Spirit to find us today. This man didn’t deserve to be healed any more or less than we deserve to be saved today. Yet, God, because of His great love for us, healed and saved this man, just as He saves and heals us today. Jesus is telling us the same thing that he told this man, “stop sinning”. Our response should be the same as this man that Jesus healed, we should go and tell others how we were saved, The message is simple, yet powerful! “It was Jesus.”. The Name above all names! The Name that requires a decision every time it is spoken. “What will you do with Jesus”?


“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” -Anonymous

Post 08-24-2017

February 28, 2017

Give Thanks Daily

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3 We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. — Colossians 1:3 NLT
Colossians 1:3-9 NLT
We should always have an attitude of gratitude. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father above. (James 1:17) This starts with the Good News (salvation) and continues as long as we are in the flesh. We have a hope laid up for us in heaven and the blood of Jesus assures us of that inheritance. We can talk about God or gods and we may not get much reaction. But, when we mention the name of Jesus, there is always a reaction of some sort. The name itself calls for acceptance or denial. The name of Jesus always produces results one way or the other. With acceptance comes salvation and understanding of the love and kindness of God. So thank God continuously for his goodness and mercy toward us. If He did nothing more than save us, that is far more than we deserve. Jesus does not treat us as we deserve, but shows us mercy every day.
 
Psalm 103:8-11 NLT

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” -Anonymous

POst

September 1, 2016

Talk to Me!

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27  Do not withhold good from those who deserve it  when it’s in your power to help them.
28  If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say,  “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” — Proverbs 3:27, 28 NLT

Have you ever had this happen to you?  You are in a public place and you see someone and suddenly you have this strange notion that you should speak to them.  You don’t know this person, you may or may not have seen them somewhere before.  You think about speaking but you turn and walk away.  But minutes later, you come face to face with this same person and you feel that nudge to speak to them.  Looking at them, you can discern no particular need, but the urge to speak to them lingers.  No, I just don’t have time to engage anyone in conversation right now or he/she probably doesn’t have time or doesn’t want to be bothered is what we think.  So, we turn and we walk away.  If this should happen to you today or at anytime in the future, let me encourage you to just stop and simply say “Hello, how are you doing today?” and follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit from that point on.  You might well be surprised at the blessing both of you will receive from that simple start.  We have to understand that the command to “go and make disciples” is a constant command and Jesus would not have told us to “go and make” if He wasn’t going to give each of us an opportunity to do just that.  Going and making disciples starts with our next encounter with any person.   Just follow the example of Jesus who “went about doing good”.

Post 09-01-2016
August 16, 2016

This Is The Lord’s Doing

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8 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. — Psalm 107:8 NLT
 
Psalm 107:1-9 NLT
 

When something really good happens to us do we take the credit for that event or do we give the glory to God?  Do we say “look what I have done” or do we say “look what the Lord has done for me”?   When He chose us, called us and redeemed us, did we tell everyone we knew? The Psalmist encourages us to “tell others” just as Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples.  After a bout with satan, when we are feeling all alone and distressed, who came to rescue us?  Did we take the time to thank Him or was it “just another day at the office”?  When we are hungry and thirsty and we receive food and drink, do we stop to thank Him before we eat or do we act like this is something that we deserve?  We are all pretty good at asking God to watch over those we know who are about to leave on a trip or are presently traveling. But when we or they return safely from the trip, do we gather around and thank God for the safe return?  Does our lifestyle reflect an “attitude of gratitude” or is it more like “I’ve worked hard and I deserve this ___________” (fill in the blank).  We need to heed the reminder found in James 5:17, “every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father above”.   Let us be careful to always give Him praise for His goodness toward us.

08-18-2016

 

 

December 15, 2013

The Lord is Merciful

God is waiting to show you the way.

God is waiting to show you the way.


8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us Psalm 103:8-12 (NRSV)
​Each morning when we get up, we should take time to thank God for His mercies and faithfulness. The fact that God does not deal with us as we deserve because of our sins is reason enough to spend each day rejoicing and giving Him praise.​ We deserve death and an eternity in hell, but God has chosen to forgive us, redeem us and bless us. Spend today giving God the glory, blessing, power, and honor that He so richly deserves and when the evening comes, you will discover that you have had a joyful day. Focus on Jesus and your day will be a blessing to you and to those around you.​ Every day, from now until Christmas, practice showing mercy to those you meet and pray that it becomes a year round habit. We can have that “Christmas feeling” year round, if we meditate on the love of Jesus, store it in our hearts and release a little bit of it everyday.
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