Friday, July 9, 2010

Thank You

Thank You Father God for...


Love, peace, joy, comfort, calmness in my soul, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, strength, energy, every breath I breathe.


Grace, mercy, patience, kindness, truth, deliverance, faith, hope and charity.


Clothes, food, house, gas, electricity, water, lights, microwave ovens, cars, TV, radio, computer, Internet, satellites, cable, shoes, socks, and art.


Clouds, rain, lightning, thunder, snow, wind, sun, moon, stars, heat, cold, birds, trees, cats, dogs, flowers, fruits and vegetables.


Most of all, thank You for sending Your only begotten Son, Jesus, the Christ, to die on an old rugged cross, to pay the debt for my nasty, ugly sins, that I could never pay.


Some of this list may sound a little silly, but the point is, we have God to thank for EVERYTHING. We take SO MUCH for granted, that we don't appreciate what God has done for us.

God is good, all the time.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Who Are We?

Second only to knowing who God is, is knowing who we are, and, who we are not. 

We are fallen, sinful beings.  We are imperfect.  We are weak.  We are sinners, saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.  We are most unworthy.

We are NOT able to make right decisions on our own.  We are NOT the ones with all the answers.  We are NOT able to save ourselves.

We are NOT God.

Only God is God.

We ARE loved.  Amen.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

God Is Not...

When I first got saved, I was led to believe that God expected us Christians to behave a certain way.  So, I conformed to this way of thinking.  I dressed like everybody else, and listened to the same music as everybody else.  I thought this was the way it was done.  After a few years, God started putting people in my life that showed me a different point of view.   I have written down a few of my thoughts about what God has shown me about Himself.


God is not about a man in a fine dress shirt and tie, and nicely ironed slacks, and black shiny shoes.  Nor is He about short hair, and a clean-shaven face.


God is not about the King James Version, the New International Version, the New American Standard Bible, the Good News Bible, or The Message Bible.


He is not about hymnals, or sound systems, or projectors and screens.  God is not about old-fashioned hymns, or contemporary Praise and Worship music.  He's not about choirs, or instruments, or perfect-pitch voices, either.


God is not Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Pentecostal, or any of their divisions.


God will not be confined in our man-made boxes, so that we can let Him out when we need something.


What God is about, is Salvation, Unity, Kindness, Helping one another, Taking the Gospel to ALL the world, Teaching, and making Disciples of the lost. 


God will meet you where you are.  Paul said, "To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.  And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.


Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-39, "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.


God IS Love.  Amen.