God Is Calling....."Where are You?"

 “Where are You?” Turn to Psalms127:1, it 

reads, “Unless the Lord builds a house, its 

builder’s labor over it in vain; unless the Lord

  watches over a city, the watchman stays alert 

in vain.” The Hebrew word, “shav” is used in 

“the Psalms to state that all activities such as 

laboring, guarding, rising early and toiling for food were useless without God’s assistance.” 

(Hebrew Dictionary) To have a strong family its foundation must be in Christ. We must take time 

for our loved ones. If we what our household to be blessed they must be Christ Centered   Bible 

history tells us Solomon was selected to build the Temple and he knew that building was not an

easy task. Building a marriage and family is the hardest task I can think of. We want to have time

 for family but time slips away.” How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. 

 \December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flown. How did it get so late so 

soon?” (Dr. Seuss) Think about that statement. Many of you are watching your children and 

grandchildren graduate this year. “How did it get so late so ]soon?.” That time with the kids will 

never come again. Make time in your busy schedule for your family. I heard a quote months ago 

and the truth of it touched my very soul. “A Christian home is never defined by what the children

  are doing…it is defined by what the parents are doing.” a Christian home is never defined by 

what the children are doing. Your child could read the Bible every day, listen only to Christian 

music, watch only Christian videos, read every missionary biography in the library, know a zillion

memory verses, have only Christian friends, and never miss Sunday School or Bible Study, and 

yet still not live in a Christian home”. Your child could read the Bible miss Sunday School or Bible 

Club, and yet still not live in a Christian home.” (Patrick and Ruth Schwenk)

            God said, “It is not good that man should be alone.” He performed the first marriage: Adam and Eve, the “first family” a man and woman.  Despite their sin their Creator sought them out because he loved them. He said, “Adam where are you?” God calls to us “Where Are You.” God wants to transform your family. “Where are you?” When the people of Israel were about to enter the Promised Land, Moses charged them as parents, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7a). In essence, Moses was saying, “You cannot impress upon your children’s hearts truth that is not first impressed upon your own heart.” Seek out God for your family. You might need a loving pastor or I invite you to email me. If you are unchurched, bring your family back to Christ. If you are parents that have not had a salvation experience please call. I would be humbled to assist you in coming to Christ.

            There are America’s making concerted effort to destroy family life and totally destroy biblical foundation. Our society in general is mocking morality and belittling the institution of marriage. God has given us the Bible, His inspired Word and it contains principles, precepts and promises which if followed will provide a strong family foundation. But, despite all our worries and frustrations we can trust that our Sovereign God is in control. 

STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN

If you are a Baby Boomer like me you can remember our teachers and parents reminding us at railroad crossing we were to Stop, Look and Listen. (This was before the blinking red lights and road barriers)

This month is the anniversary of my father's death. I have come to realize that he left me more than I have ever known. James Turner and his father Willie Turner had a gift. They had a gift of Stopping, Looking and Listening to people. I must also say they had the gift of sharing. They loved to share in the lives of others and because of the love that people sensed from them, they would open up to them. Without pride I humbly share that they left me that gift.

 Psalms 61:5-8

^"5 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. ⁶ He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.⁷ On God my salvation and my glory rest;The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.⁸ Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah." (NASV)

We hurry so fast through life. In that rush we pass by hurting people. We go to church and give a warm hand shake to others. Not knowing that person is falling apart inside. We must stop and give the Holy Spirit time to work. How many times have I rushed by a stranger that the Holy Spirit could have used me right at that moment.

Recently, I came in contact with an elderly woman. As she pusher her walker toward her car, I offered to open her door and place her walker in the back seat. It was then that the Holy Spirit would place me right where He wanted me. She shared, "I just lost my husband four months ago and I just had to go to the grave and let him go. I was sitting at home weeping and missing him." Enter the Holy Spirit. I was lead to tell her of my fathers death and how my mother experienced the same thing. How I too had lost a wife to cancer. The Holy Spirit spoke to her of how she can say, goodbye but at the same time remember and celebrate the lives they had together.

Each day we should be finely tuned into the Holy Spirit. Luke writes, "¹² For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said.” Luke 12:12. So trust in God. He will give you the words to say to a total stranger and those words will be those of the Holy Spirit. Stop, Look and Listen to your heart it is the Holy Spirit longing to speak through you to say exactly what that hurting person needs to hear. Amen.

Mother's God's Gift

A mother is the Bible’s most honored woman. The word “mother” or “mother’s” appears in the Word of God, 356 times and mother-in-law appears 11 times. A mother’s influence is stressed in Ezekiel 16:44 “As is the mother is, so is the daughter.”

Despite the cultural differences and passage of time, the principles that the mothers of the Bible set continue to be meaningful today. The stories are a rich tapestry of life, love, labor, and loyalty. Today’s mother need the timeless wisdom found in the Bible.  In our society mother’s take on many roles. The mother of our day is the soccer mom, the financial planner, a wife friend and lover. She has the ability to navigate through an array of issues that only a mother would understand. The Bible is filled with stories of Mother’s, stories of faith, inspiration and strength. Let’s take a moment and look at a few Mothers of the Bible.

Eve - Probably the most famous mother of all is sometimes seen as the woman that got tricked by a serpent. But there are things that the today’s mother can learn from her. In our society a mother might be in charge of financial matters. Today’s mother can learn the importance of being aware of the enemy. She should always be alert for her children’s safety as well as own.

A mother should never doubt or question God’s character or His Word. She must be discerning and filter life’s challenges through the Scriptures. Satan is always standing ready to overwhelm her. Satan came to Eve when she was alone and vulnerable; From Eve a mother can learn the importance of Church fellowship and the importance of keeping godly women close for support. Proverbs speaks of the mother’s wisdom “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”

Mary – Mary watched her Son die on the cross, a pain so intense I am sure she felt as though the nails were piercing her heart as surely as they were piercing Christ’s hands and feet. Mary grieved, but she kept on living. Mary stands as an example of faith, strength and love for Mothers today. Perhaps you’re a mother who has lost a child. Maybe you’re the mother that is waiting for that phone call from that prodigal child who left months ago. No matter your situation you have the promises of Christ. Promises of love and guidance. Paul writes, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Zarephath Widow – A widow of Zarephath struggled every day as many mothers do. Economic hardship keeps many moms stressed and worried about keeping food on the table as well as dealing with family issues. The widow in Zarephath was asked by God to take the little bit that she had and give it to someone else. (1 Kings Chapter 17) She trusted God and was blessed for her faith. I close today with a prayer for each mother.

Father,

We thank you for our mothers and it is our prayer that you would send your Holy Spirit to love each one with your love. Lord our mothers have comforted us, protected us and given their unconditional love to us. We lift our prayer to you and ask that you would provide each mother her individual needs and bless her in a mighty way as they have blessed us and we pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Misunderstanding God's Word - Part 1 of Four 

We as Christians should take God's Word into our hearts daily so we can call upon scriptures in times of stress and temptation just as Jesus did in the wilderness when Satan tempted Him. But, there are times we twist and shape scriptures incorrectly to meet our need at the time.

 “Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 MSG) The Holy Scriptures are God’s Divine Revelation to us but it can be dangerous when used incorrectly. Over the next three columns we are going to explore some favorite scriptures that we have heard preached, taught and quoted for years but interpreted  (maybe not on purpose) to fit our topic or occasion.

I would like to begin this series of columns by stating that I believe that the Bible was written by nearly 40 authors, divinely inspired over a period of 1500 years. The Bible is consistent and does not contradict itself. The Bible has stood the test over the years by many who would attack it’s truthfulness and integrity but the Holy Word has stood the test.

 So let’s get started on our quest of Biblical interpretation and as we do let’s consider that when we fall into the temptation to misuse or manipulate God’s Word we run the risk of leading others astray.

How many times have you heard, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20 ESV) This Scripture has been used to open a Bible studies, Prayer Meetings and I’ll confess I used it once in topical sermon. In each case the verse was taken out of context to fit the situation. “Where two or more are are gathered, Jesus says He’ll be there. It’s a great promise. But let’s be fair anytime you sit down to your quite, worship, have fellowship or any Christian gathering we can rest assured the spiritual presence will be there. In Matthew 28:20 the promise even extends to “the end of the age”

If we go back into Matthew Chapter 18 we see a specific tone to these words. Jesus wasn’t talking about a prayer meeting or a Bible study. The topic was Church Discipline. Jesus was teaching his disciples and those who followed him how to handle sin and conflict. This discourse immediately follows the parable of the lost sheep which addresses how we should restore someone who has gone astray. Then uses the parable of the unmerciful servant who would not forgive a debt after he had been forgiven a debt He could not pay. Jesus paints a beautiful picture of how we should address those who have gone astray (discipline) and forgive (grace) those who have wronged us.

So here is an example of Christ teaching of how we should not ignore interpersonal sin and conflict and in contrast be committed to developing and maintaining healthy, wholesome (fully reconciled) relationships. Interesting, all this time I thought Jesus was talking about a prayer meeting. Maybe you did too. Join me next week as we explore how Christians should discipline their brother and sisters. In addition, we us m Blog as a Discussion Board during this series. God bless and remember, “Nothing that happens to you is a surprise to God.”