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March 12, 2020

“Why Are You Asking Me For A Drink”?

9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”  – John 4:9 NLT

John 4:1-9 NLT

Jesus didn’t need this woman or anyone else to draw the water for Him. He needed a point of contact with her, so He asked her for water. She, being a Samaritan was definitely surprised that a Jewish stranger would speak to her at all. But Jesus knows how to reach each one of us. Although she was totally unaware of it at the time, Jesus had a plan for her. He “needed” her to evangelize a whole town. Isn’t it strange that His disciples were already in town, why couldn’t they evangelize the town? Because Jesus had a plan for this woman to be His witness for this town. When God calls us to witness to someone, do we ask “why”? There are hundreds of churches with pastors and teachers, why can’t they do the witnessing? Because God loves us and He has a plan for each of us to be a part of His work here on earth. Jesus doesn’t “need” us any more than He needed this woman, but His plan includes each of us. Don’t cripple the Church body by refusing to do your part.

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

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June 10, 2019

“My Soul Thirsts For You”

1 O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
    my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
    where there is no water.    — Psalm 63:1 NLT

Psalm 63:1-8 NLT

We all have had those days when it seemed that nothing we did would satisfy us. All day long, we wanted something. Food and drink did not satisfy us. All of our activity left us empty and drained. Kind words from family, friends and co-workers just didn’t hit the spot. All day, it was just that feeling that something is missing. As the Psalmist said, “O, my soul, why are you disquieted within me?” All of the usual forms of recreation and relaxation just left us feeling less satisfied. Then we hear that small, still voice saying, “Come unto me”. Drink from the well that never runs dry. Wade into the fountain that flows from the throne of God and be satisfied. Focus on the throne and as you focus on Jesus, your mind starts to settle peacefully and you can feel all your tensions disappear as Jesus holds you and you are filled with His peace. Spend time with Jesus and meditate on His Word. Your Spirit desires it more than anything this world can offer.

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

Post 06-10-2019

May 24, 2019

“O God, You Are My God”

1 O God, you are my God;    I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water. — Psalm 63:1

Psalm 63:1-6 NLT

Do we really believe that Jesus is available all the time? Do we really believe that He wants the absolute best for us all the time? Do we really believe that He is interested in our present welfare? Or do we believe that He is only interested in our eternity? Do we really believe that He loves us so much that He is interceding for us right now? Do we really believe that the King of Kings is praying for us this very moment?  Do we really believe that “if He gave us His Son, He will freely give us ALL things?  Do we really believe “that all things are possible to him who believes”? Do we really believe that we need to “hide God’s Word in our heart”?  Do we really believe that God’s Holy Spirit is a person and can be grieved?  Do we really believe that Jesus is God? Do we really believe that God’s Holy Spirit is God?  Do we really believe that God’s Holy Spirit searches our hearts and prays for us?  Do we really believe that God’s Spirit knows our hearts and the heart of God and that He is able to communicate our deepest desires to God and put God’s answers in our heart?  Does our lifestyle and daily walk reflect that we really believe  that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, immutable word of God?  Do we constantly lean on Jesus or is He just our safety net?  Is He our constant friend or is He our EMT?  Is He first in our lives or just mixed in somewhere down the list?  Is a day without spending time with Him and in His word dark and gloomy?  Does our soul hunger and thirst after Him and His word just as much as our body hungers and thirsts after food and drink?

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

Post 05-24-2019

September 19, 2017

“River Run Deep”

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 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” – John 7:38 NLT
 
Living Water –

 

Jesus tells the crowd the same thing He had told the Samaritan woman at the well. There is water which we can drink and never be thirsty again. This water is the living water which is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. The One that takes up His abode in us, so that we are always being filled and refilled, so that we could never be thirsty. Just as the woman at the well had accepted this message, so did some of the crowd here in Jerusalem. They said “this man surely is the prophet”. But others said He can’t be, the Messiah will not come from Galilee. There will always be people who refuse to believe regardless of the signs or the situation. But, instead of being puzzled as to why they don’t believe, we should remember our own history before we accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit—Titus ​3​:3-5 (NLT)
Because we have been redeemed by God’s grace and mercy, we should remember to always be thankful and pray that others will accept this free gift of God’s mercy and grace. That is the work that God has given us to do as laborers in His harvest.


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

Post 09-19-2017

September 9, 2017

True Food and True Drink

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55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  –John 6:55 NLT


Earthly food sustains the natural, fleshly body. Just as earthly food rots away, so does the fleshly body grow old and die, But if we partake of the living bread that came down from heaven and drink the blood of Jesus, we will have eternal life. Jesus is, of course, not talking about cannabilism. He is talking about us hearing and accepting His Word, which is the Bread of Heaven and receiving the Holy Spirit, which is the well that will never run dry. This is why we can say that we have Jesus abiding in us. Jesus lives because the Father who sent Him to us lives. He is the Creator of everything and breathed His life into us at our Creation. The fleshly tents we live in now will die and decay, but we, who have accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord, will live forever. As the Holy Spirit, Jesus lives in us and we are in Christ Jesus by His doing​.​

30 But​ ​by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption—1 Cor. 1:30 (NASB)


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

Post 09-09-2017

September 18, 2016

No Worries

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33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.  — Matt. 6:33 NLT
Matt. 6:25 -33 NLT
God gave us time in 24 hour blocks so that our finite minds could comprehend it. He isn’t bound by those restraints. It is always the PRESENT (NOW) to Him. He sees time as an eternity having no beginning and no end. He has forgotten all about your PAST sins (they are cast as far away as the East is from the West) and only He knows whether we have an earthly tomorrow (FUTURE) or not. God comes to us right where we are right now. So, wherever you are and whatever situation you have found yourself in, just look up and you will see the hand of Jesus reaching down to pull you up out of the pit and set your feet on the Solid Rock. Trust Jesus to be your Savior, your Provider, and your Fortress.  God is our Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider. He is absolutely all we need.
 
19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

— Phil, 4:19 NLT
Post 09-18-2016
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

 

 

November 7, 2014

Why?

God is waiting to show you the Way.

God is waiting to show you the Way.

1 Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). 3 So he left Judea and returned to Galilee. 4 He had to go through Samaria on the way. 5 Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.”8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. 9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”—John 4:1-9 (NLT)
​Jesus​ didn’t need this woman or anyone else to draw the water for Him. He needed a point of contact with her, so He asked her for water. She, being a Samaritan was definitely surprised that a Jewish stranger would speak to her at all. But Jesus knows how to reach each one of us. Although she was totally unaware of it at the time, Jesus had a plan for her. He “needed” her to evangelize a whole town. Isn’t it strange that His disciples were already in town, why couldn’t they evangelize the town? Because Jesus had a plan for this woman to be His witness for this town. When God calls us to witness to someone, do we ask “why”? There are hundreds of churches with pastors and teachers, why can’t they do the witnessing? Because God loves us and He has a plan for each of us to be a part of His work here on earth. Jesus doesn’t “need” us anymore than He needed this woman, but His plan includes each of us. Don’t cripple the Church body by refusing to do your part.
Post 11-07-14

June 12, 2014

Caring for Jesus by Caring for Others

God is waiting to show you the way.

God is waiting to show you the way.

1 Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. 2 Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters. 3 Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. 4 But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God. 5 Now a true widow, a woman who is truly alone in this world, has placed her hope in God. She prays night and day, asking God for his help.–1 Timothy 5:1-5 (NLT)
If we all followed these instructions, our world would be a much better and happier place. We need to treat everyone with respect and love, particularly those that are older and/or less fortunate than we are. If each of us practiced this and handed down a tradition of helping to our children, God would be much more pleased with our lifestyles. Jesus said that not feeding the hungry, not clothing the naked, not giving drink to the thirsty, not visiting the sick and in prison, was the same as not doing it for Him.
45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’–Mathew 25:45 (NLT)
​The only way​ ​that we can show love and kindness to Jesus is to show love and kindness to those around us. ​
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April 3, 2014

Don’t Live as Fools Live

God is waiting to show you the way.

God is waiting to show you the way.

15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.–Ephesians 5:15-20 (NLT)
​In Psalm 53, the Psalmist says that the fool says that there is no God. We, as believers can know for sure that there is a God and that He loves us very much. We need to live a lifestyle that reflects our belief that God is real and that Jesus is alive. We must be very careful in our actions and words. The words that we speak can be live giving or destructive. That is our choice. So, our words and speech should not be a knee-jerk reaction to a situation. Our words should be wrapped in love. We can only live this lifestyle, if we are filled with God’s Holy Spirit. Focusing on and meditating in God’s word will cause us to be joyful and our hearts will naturally sing praises to the Lord. We must be careful not to take our blessings for granted. We should always have an “attitude of gratitude”. Always giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Drink deeply of God’s Word, walk wisely and speak with wisdom.
Post 04-03-14