STAND!

Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"

One of the many wonderful things about our God is that He always finishes what HE starts. We know that this is something we should do, and some may try, but it is not something that we always do. But the Bible says that "he will." Not he might, not he’ll try, not when he gets around to it, but HE WILL. I love that! You cannot always depend upon the promises of people but you can always be sure that whatever God promises HE WILL DO! And, as his children, he has wants us to finish what we start too. In this first chapter of Philippians, Paul is encouraging the saints at Philippi to faithfully continue on in their work for Christ. As part of his encouragement he shares how joy has triumphed over suffering in his own life. Also, he tells them that he wants to come and see them personally, to tell them these things, but encourages them to faithfully carry on, even if he does not.

Philippians 1:27-28 "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God."

• STAND FAITHFUL Keep serving. Be a constant & consistent example to others.
• STAND FAST Keep strong in Christ. Stay close with your church brethren/family (fellow soldiers).
• STAND FIRM Keep steady in your testimony. Do not waver!
• STAND FEARLESS Keep soul-winning. Fight for the cause of Christ & win souls to him!
• STAND FIXED Keep settled and stable in the Word of God.

These are not traits that you are born with. These are traits that you have to set your mind upon and determine that you will not waver. And, you must trust the Lord to see you through no matter what. The trouble with most of us is that when the first breezes of a storm start to blow, we run. Some never stop running. Let me encourage you if I can. I am not a young girl, nor am I an elderly woman, but I have been through some storms in my lifetime. Some caught me off guard, while others I steered myself right into. There were times when I wondered where God was, but he was there. There were times when I thought I was all alone, but he was there. There were times when I thought I couldn’t take another step, and he was there. As I look back at these storms and see the damage that some of them did, I am ever so grateful to my Saviour for having been my constant stay. I cannot fathom where I would be today, were it not for the Lord. The wonderful news for you is, He wants to do that for all his children! God paid the ultimate price for us. How hard can it be to just stand? This brings to my mind the words of a song that has been a great encouragement to me..... "Stand, when you can’t go any farther, you just stand. For he knows your joy and sorrow and he’s the one who holds tomorrow, and he has you safely in his wondrous plan.......When all your strength is gone and you feel you can’t go on, he says, ‘you don’t have to walk, just stand’."

JAEL: Does the enemy of God feel safe in your tent?

JAEL - Judges 4 & 5 While attending a Ladies Retreat one year, there was an evangelist’s wife that had set up a book table. I scanned the books as I often do, and found a set of ladies devotional books that I have come to love. In one of the devotional books it discusses women who were only mentioned once in the Bible. After reading the book, I decided that my Sunday School lessons for the summer would have this theme, "If you could be known for one event, what one event would you be known for?" My Daddy taught me that you can learn something from everyone. It might a lesson on how to be, or a lesson on how not to be, but everyone can teach you something. Think about this. What if God decided to use you as an example to teach others, and He decided to record that example in his most precious Book? I wonder what kind of an example you would be? Would you be the one used for how TO be, or how NOT to be? For example, I will use King David. A tremendous man he was. The apple of God’s eye. In his youth he was known and a "lion slayer" & "giant killer" but in his adulthood he was known as "an adulterer." Sadly, though the death of Goliath was a great victory, it was all forgotten when he stole another man’s wife. The great thing about King David though was that he was not only a good repenter, he was a quick repenter. That is why he was able to continue to be the apple of God’s eye. Many people consider King David to be a great man, and perhaps he is their "hero of the faith" and there is nothing wrong with that. His quick and true repentance makes him a great example to us. I have a new "hero of the faith" and her name is JAEL. I absolutely love this woman’s story. I think it is because I can identify with it a little bit. You can read the story of Jael in Judges chapter four. Joshua has died by this time and the Israelites are continuing in their backslidden state and serving Baalim. (Judges 1:7) God sold them into the hands of their enemies to teach them a lesson. However, God continued to have mercy on them by providing them with judges that he would use to help deliver them. But each time a judge died they would return to their sinful ways and God would have to judge them again. (Like little children that cannot be trusted and must be continually supervised.) At this time, God has given them Deborah, a judge, and Barak. After reading this again and again, the thing I could not understand about the story was what was in this for Jael? Why did she kill Sisera? He was not after her. And why did Sisera pick THAT tent? I. Her Hospitality (Judges 4:18-20) " And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him." There was a "code of hospitality": 1.The guest was always invited in. 2. The guest was provided with food & drink. 3. The guest was protected by the host. 4. The guest never left empt handed. It would have been an outrage for her not to do all that she did for him. Hospitality means to receive or entertain strangers or guests without reward; to be kind and generous. In, Ro. 12:13 Paul instructs the believers to be "given to hospitality" and "distributing to the necessity of the saints." Hospitality can be a ministry all by itself. Jael made her guest feel welcome, secure and safe. II. Her Hostility (Judges 4:21) "Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died." It took me a while, and asking my pastor a lot of questions, to understand WHY she did this. What did Sisera ever do to her? The answer is in v. 11. "Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh." Now, understand that hostility is not a bad thing, as long as you hate what God hates and stay under HIS control. This was some "super-human" strength right here! I mean, it had to be one feld swoop with that hammer. I’m guessing it wasn’t a little tap,tap,tap right? The Kenites were related to the Israelites through Moses. So Jael’s husband, Heber, had turned his back on their family and made leagues with the enemy. Maybe Jael felt ashamed of her husband for doing that. Maybe he embarrassed her in front of her family. Jael couldn’t fix this because she was the wife. Where Heber went, Jael went. How often do we align ourselves with the enemy and drag innocent people along with us? Think about this. Heber is off fighting a war and has left his wife unprotected. She is not with her family or his. She is out here in a tent that is pitched so that the ENEMY will know where to find the Israelites! That means SHE is in a tent that is a signal for the ENEMY to know how to find her FAMILY!!!! I can’t speak for other Mom’s but one of the most dangerous places for ANYONE to be is in between me and my children, or any of my other family members for that matter. Then I asked, but why THIS tent? Sisera went to this tent because Heber lived there. Heber was his friend now, which meant Heber had lost his testimony. Sometimes, your enemies become your "friends" because you are no longer a conviction to them. Heber had severed himself from God’s people. (Judges 4:11) "God often brings ruin on His enemies when they are most elevated." III. Her Heroism. (Judges 4:9 & 5:24-27) " Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent." God already told Deborah that victory would come through a woman (4:9). So it was God that moved Jael to put that nail through Sisera’s temple. Now she could see her family again, and she was a hero! Wait! How do we know that she was free to see her family? Well, Judges 4:16 tells us that "there was not a man left." Heber died that day with the enemy that he has aligned himself with. How sad that Jael had to lose her husband due to his own sin. It is sad to think that we could lose our testimony and put innocent lives in danger. Jael was alone with the enemy because of her husband’s sin. I wonder how many lives we affect on a daily basis due to our sin? If you read on into chapter five you will find Sisera’s mother crying. Another person affected by Heber’s sin. Innocent people DO suffer due to our bad choices. Think about it. Does the enemy of God feel safe in YOUR tent? Jael had some good CHARACTER TRAITS that we can learn from: 1. Courage - to do what needs to be done. Take a stand! 2. Resourceful - use what you have to do the job. 3. Decisive - decide to right no matter what! (God will handle the rest.) 4. Hospitable - kind.....even to the enemy. 5. Hostile - hated what God hated.

TRAIN THEM FOR HIM

Mark 10:13-16 " And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them." As the mother of four, precious children I am so thankful that the Lord loves kids. I am thankful that he does not put an age limit on salvation or service. I am thankful that regardless of who we are or where we come from, that he will allow anyone, young or old, to be saved. I know that a child has to come to an age of understanding before they can be saved (we call it the "age of accountability") but that age is different for everyone. I have friends who were saved as young as the age of three. There are some who think that is impossible, and that no three year old could possibly trust Christ as Saviour and truly know what they are doing. Ah, but they can. I am thankful that God knows the heart and mind of us all, and he will save anyone who believes and trusts in him. As parents, we know our children. But NO ONE knows us, inside & out, like GOD knows us. God knows who understands and who doesn’t. God knows who believes and who doesn’t. I started praying for my children before they were ever born. I asked the Lord to help me to be the kind of mother who kept them in His house, and trained them right. I also asked him to touch their hearts and that they would be saved at a young age. I prayed this fervently because I wanted them to know Christ as Saviour before they got old enough to be hardened by this old sinful world. I am thankful that they have all made a profession of faith. Even now, I still pray that if they ever have a doubt that they would be brave enough to come to me or someone they trust and ask questions, to settle things in their hearts, so that they would not live a life of doubt and fear. After they were born again, I started asking the Lord to touch their hearts about their service for him. I have never asked the Lord to call my sons to be preachers, or my daughters to be preachers wives, but I have asked him to keep their hearts soft so that they will yield to whatever it is that GOD wants them to do. I hope and pray that they will want to be in the Lord's ministry someday. I hope to see them serving faithfully in their local, New Testament, King James Bible preaching, independent, fundamental, Baptist church someday. I do not know if that will happen but I hope and I pray for it everyday. I ask the Lord to give them a "servant’s heart." That is not where it ends though. I can’t just ask the Lord for that and then send my children out into the world with a "here’s hopin’!" attitude. No. I have to keep them in God’s house CONSTANTLY and CONSISTENTLY, as well as, LIVE AT HOME WHAT WE LIVE AT CHURCH. I also try to show them different ways that they can serve the Lord, now, while they are young. To many times we have the attitude that children cannot serve because they are to young. That is wrong. I know of about five thousand people that would have not had lunch one day had the Lord thought that a child was not allowed to help. (See John9:9-13) Now, I am not talking about being in an authoritative position, I am talking about helping (which is serving). Kids can do all kinds of things to help in God’s house. They can pick up trash, and take it out. They can vacuum, dust, help the older saints in and out of their cars, hold doors, pass out bulletins, the list goes on and on. They can also worship as good (and sometimes better) than most older people. I’ve heard nine-year-old bus kids pray the Holy Ghost right down in the middle of the congregation. I’ve heard junior church kids sing until you just knew the angels of heaven were standing there with them. I’ve even heard some teenage boys preach with such power that the altars were filled when they were done. Now, I don’t know how big your church is. Mine is,... I guess,... medium. We are not huge and we are not itty-bitty either. We do not have hundreds but when we gather, we gather to worship. We do not have tons of children, but we do have some. Some are bus kids, and some are the children of our members. But there are only a select few that are there faithfully. When I say faithfully, I mean, EVERY time the doors are open. EVERY TIME. No matter the weather, no matter the day of the week, no matter the time of the year, no matter the holiday, no matter the family reunion, no matter what...THEY ARE THERE. We certainly do not have so many that we can "spare a few". My children are part of that select few. So, when they are there, I give them jobs to do. The other faithful children have things that they do as well. We have a family that works together in the bus ministry. By family I mean, FAMILY...Dad, Mom, children, and they all work the route, and ride the route...TOGETHER. This is how it should be, families worshiping together, and working together. The Bible says, " Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6. There is no age limit here. God says to "train up". That means we are to start them out that way and never stop. If we do not train them, who will? The world would certainly love an opportunity to train them. The world would love to have your child serving them. Why not teach them to serve God instead, while they are young? If you are a parent that is trying to train your child to follow Christ, and to do right, keep it up. Do not let anyone discourage you from it. Do not let anyone discourage your child from it either! There will be people tell you that your child can't do this job or that job, but yet they do not want to do it. You hang in there! There will be people tell you that your children will hate you when they grow up for making them go. You hang in there! No matter what anyone tells you, working in the church, or around the church, or for the church, WILL NOT hurt your child. You keep them as close to it and in it as much as is humanly possible. The world will take every chance it gets to draw them away, so you take every chance you get to keep them in. DO NOT LET ANYONE DISCOURAGE YOUR SERVICE FOR CHRIST, OR YOUR CHILD’S. When the disciples rebuked people for bringing their children to Jesus, it displeased the Lord. (Mark 10:14). It may get hard sometimes. You may feel like you are not doing any good but let me quote an old saying, "only one life t'will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last." Train them for HIM. Matthew 18:1-7 " At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!"

God Will Take You Up

Psalm 27:10, "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up." While driving my children to school yesterday, I was listening to the local news and traffic report. As the news was given I was appalled to hear the commentator report about a three year old girl that had been murdered by her own mother. I will admit that all the facts are not in yet, and that this whole matter is still under investigation but here is what I know so far. The little girl has been in and out of foster care since the day she was born for different things. The mother and her boyfriend had recently finished classes that had been court ordered so that they could regain custody of the child. It appeared that they had done everything necessary to get her back. Slowly the system eased her back into her mother’s care. First with supervised visits, then a weekend, and so on. On Thanksgiving, whomever was in charge of the child’s case allowed her to return home to live with her mother (and her mother’s boyfriend.) By Tuesday, the 27th , the child was found dead in her home. She was hanging by her t-shirt from a coat hook. Her under arms severely marked from the shirt that had tried to support her weight. After some investigation it was decided that she had been beaten (while hanging there) with a leather belt, suffered several blows to the chest with a fist, and finally, kicked in the head by a foot or boot. When asked why this was done to the child the response was, "she wet her pants." The mother and the boyfriend, who both participated in the beating, began to point fingers and blame each other. The Prosecutor is seeking life in prison without parole. Now, I am going to sound carnal...ready?...As a citizen, I do believe that life in prison is a good thing for these two. I believe that justice should be done. As a mother, I think they should be hung by their t-shirt in the town square and beaten with a leather belt, then punched in the chest, and finally, a blow to the head with someone’s boot! I know, I know, that is so mean and unforgiving and you can’t believe that anyone would say such a thing. I ask myself over and over how ANYONE could do such things to a defenseless child? When you hear this and read this your mind automatically tries to picture it. When I do that I get even more upset. Can you see it in your mind yet? Do you have children? Can you fathom this happening to them? Even worse, can you imagine YOU being the one to do it to them? I can’t. I sat there last night as I read the story again in the newspaper and wondered how anyone, whether related or not, could do these things to a little child. But worse than that, someone whom you trust. Someone who has said, "I love you." Someone who is supposed to love you and protect you from harm, not be the one to inflict it! Trust me, I know that this goes on every day, all over the world. Abuse, murder, lying, the destruction of lives, I know that sin is rampant. But still, I cannot fathom this! And I know, without a doubt, that the Lord took this child up. She is with him this day and will never suffer abuse ever again. Ps. 27:11 "Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies." I also remember a time in my life when I was going through a horrible trial. It was an emotional trial more so than physical. I was the innocent one this time. I was being emotionally beaten and bruised for no reason and when I tried to understand why this was happening to me, I couldn’t. Why would someone purposely inflict pain (whether physical or emotional) on another person for no reason at all? Why would they hurt my children too? Why would someone who is supposed to love you not care how their actions affect you? Why me? Why me? That is how we all are when we go through a trial. Then, a dear preacher friend of our family said this to me, "You do not want to comprehend this. If you could comprehend it, it would mean that you were capable of it." That was years ago and that statement still comes to my mind. When you think about it that way, then you are so thankful that you don’t understand. I found myself begging God to never let me understand, but just to trust him. I can’t tell you the countless times that I have prayed Ps. 27:11 back to God. I beg him to make things plain so that I will understand and do exactly what He wants me to. I fail him but still he leads me and delivers me. Ps. 27:12-14, "Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Without God, I would have most definitely "fainted." Without God I still could. Thank God, he took me up. As I sat there remembering this personal trial and also thinking about this poor little girl, I thought about my Saviour. I realized that I to am guilty of inflicting pain for no reason upon someone who loves me. Just as this mother and her boyfriend abused and tortured this innocent child, my dear Saviour endured all manor of pain and suffering for me. He too was innocent. He took physical and emotional abuse for me though he did not deserve it. He did it because he loves me. Though I find what this mother did to her child appalling, I am guilty of inflicting pain on my precious, holy Saviour. And though I think she deserves whatever punishment that she gets, my punishment has already been borne by my Lord. Isaiah 53:3-6 " He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." It is we who are guilty. It is we who deserve to die. Yet He died for us, knowing we would hurt him, deny him, refuse him, betray him, even murder him. Why? Why me? Why us? Because He loves me. Because He loves YOU. Think about this. Have you hurt your Saviour today? Have you caused him pain or shame today? God, who loved you and gave himself for you, have you tortured him today with your sin? Or maybe you don’t even know Him. Maybe you aren’t related to Him yet. Let Him adopt you today. Maybe you don’t think anyone loves you or cares about you. My Jesus does. Who else do you know that loves you so much that they would lay down their life for you and not care what you ever did, or were, or where you’d been? God loves you. Receive him as your Saviour, and let him take you up. John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

WISE, WILLING, & WOUND UP!

Exodus 35:1-2 "And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them. Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death." How many times have you entered the church house, whether it be Sunday AM or PM, Wednesday night, or a revival meeting, with a "ho-hum" attitude? Maybe it was because you were weary from your day, your week, your month, your year, or just life in general. Or perhaps it has become part of your schedule, a habit, or a ritual that you perform on a weekly basis. Or maybe you only go because you know if you don’t there will undoubtedly be someone who calls you to find out where you were. Whatever the reason, we have all had those times where we have allowed our service to the Lord to become "cold-natured." It is a time when we lack the willingness to do anything, regardless of the simplicity or even urgency of the task. I have even heard people say, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak," as an excuse for not doing something. Those words, found in Matt.26:41, are words of the Lord used to caution his disciples to "watch and pray" lest they enter into temptation, but we use them as a reason for not getting something done. Lets face it, we all have times where we let the daily grind cause us to lose siight of what the main goal in a Christians life is. What is that? TO GLORIFY GOD AND WIN LOST SOULS TO CHRIST. Exodus 35:4-5 " And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD;" The words "willing heart" struck me. The Lord commanded us to give to Him, and to serve Him but He wants it to be from a willing heart. IICor. 9;7 "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." The children of Israel were great at serving the Lord while things were going well, and then grumbling about him when things looked a little bleak or hard. (Not that we have any room to talk) But in this passage their example to us is amazing! Exodus 35:21-22 "And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted," You know, if your heart is right with the Lord, then your spirit is going be right too. A heart for God will easily give you a mind to work. And when everyone is willing to work, and their heart & spirit are in sync, then the possibilities are endless! And look at what happened to them. They got "stirred up!" Ever been in a church service or a revival, and the fire of God’s Word start to touch that cold heart? All of a sudden you find yourself "stirred up!" And that kind of fire is "catchy." And the next thing you know there are others around you who are getting stirred up too! Souls are being saved, hearts are being changed, lives are renewed and rededicated to Christ. A wise heart + a willing spirit = WOUND UP (stirred up) WORSHIP! When you read on into the next chapter (Exodus 36) the children of Israel are so "wound up" that they give so much that the sanctuary cannot contain it! WOW! That sounds so exciting! Can you picture it? They were giving EVERYTHING they had for the service of the Lord. Ex. 36:5-7, "And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much." I’ll bet most pastors cannot even imagine that. Can you imagine yourself, and the rest of your church family getting so excited about serving the Lord and doing his work that your pastor would have to ask you to stop because their was no more room??? What about this? I wonder how the next generation will serve the Lord if their actions are based solely upon what they see from us? Deut. 30:5-6, "And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live." Oh, that is what my heart longs for more than anything. To see my children love the Lord and serve the Lord with all their heart and soul. Guess we better put all our heart into it then, don’t you think?

WHO ARE YOUR FRIENDS?

"You are right now, or soon will be, what your friends are." This is a quote from a preacher I heard at a youth rally, years ago. It has been embedded in my mind ever since. I was not a teenager at that rally, I was a grown woman, working with teenagers. However, it struck me that even as adults we need to be careful who our friends are. After all, our closest friends do seem to have the greatest impact on us, regardless of our age. The quote came back to my mind recently when I was having devotions. In my devotions, I read a Psalm every day. This particular day it was Psalm 26, "A Psalm of David. Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide. Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evildoers; and will not sit with the wicked. I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works." I have read this chapter many times before, but when I got to the end of verse 7, I just stopped. This phrase, "That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works." Made me go back and re-read the verses before it. Whomever you are friends with, or associated with, or hang out with, or however you say it, make a difference in your life. Some of those choices you make while with those friends may even affect you for the rest of your life. I caution my children all the time that they think things through carefully. Sometimes, we make life altering decisions on a mere whim. Why do we do that? And when we make these decisions they are most often irreversible, and the results are most times heartbreaking. But once they are made, you can't go back. You have to live with the consequences. And friends, especially close ones, are often part of those choices. I Corinthians 15:33 says, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." Bad company can corrupt the morals of a righteous person. And II Corinthians 6 :14-18 says, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." Though we are in this world, to be a witness for Christ, we are not to be "of" this world. What business does a Christian have "hanging-out" with lost folks? What if you or I were the only testimony for Christ that our friends will ever see? Would they be won by our choices? Or have they already affected us and our worship? Those with whom you fellowship will have an affect on your worship of Christ, now AND in the future. These people are described in Psalm 26 as vain persons, evil doers, dissemblers, and the wicked. We are not supposed to associate with these folks because it will eventually affect how we voice our thanksgiving and publish the Lord's wondrous works. Look at Proverbs 13:20..."He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." How do you know if someone is a fool or a wise man? Well, Proverbs describes what a wise man or son is, over and over. It says he will hear his father's instruction and will not forsake the law of his mother. It says that a wise woman buildeth her house. It says a wise person is discreet and chaste. The list goes on and on. But how do you know who a fool is? Well, the easy answer would be someone who is the opposite of all those things. Remember this, a fool is not someone born with difficulty comprehending or reasoning. A fool is someone who is what he is by his own choice. Now back to Ps. 26:7. It speaks of a thankful heart, a voice of thanksgiving, or one who can boast of all the Lord's wondrous works. This comes so much easier to those who have made right choices. It is so much easier to be thankful for what you haven't done. It is a better testimony too. I say that because you can share your testimony without having to be ashamed of all the wicked choices you've made. Of course anyone can share their testimony but we also know that in order for it have a great spiritual impact, it is better if it is a pure one. Philippians 2:15 is a verse that was instilled in me from the age of seven and it has never left me. You might even say, it haunts me sometimes. :-) It says, "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;" So no matter how old you are you must remember that our goal is to be a light in this world. Do your friends see your light? Do they even know you have one? Do they have your character, or have you adopted theirs? The Bible says, "Iron sharpeneth iron" so we need to be careful to choose the right friends so that they can "sharpen" us, and we in turn can "sharpen" them.

IMITATORS & COPY-CATS

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery." This is an old saying I used to here when I was a child. However, if you have ever been the victim of the "copy-cat" game, you might not agree with the above statement. Did you ever play the "copy-cat" game when you were younger? This is the game where a person just randomly walks up and starts to repeat everything you say, word for word, or copy your actions, or both. Usually, younger siblings like to play this with their older siblings. I say, usually, because I know that older siblings know how to torment too. (Ask my older brother) However, in this game the younger ones find it funny and the older ones find it annoying. It can be a never ending game if the younger one refuses to tire of it. The game typically will go something like this... "Mom, he’s copy-catting me," says the older sibling. "Mom, he’s copy-catting me," says the younger one. "You better leave me alone," says the older sibling. "You better leave me alone," says the younger one. "MOM! Would you please tell him to stop!" says the older sibling. "MOM! Would you please tell him to stop!" repeats the younger one. "I’m telling you, you better leave me ALONE!" says the older sibling. (Younger one now grinning) "I’m telling you, you better leave me ALONE!"repeats the younger one. "MOM! WILL YOU PLEASE MAKE HIM QUIT IT!" cries the older sibling. (There is usually a little giggling about this time by the younger one) "MOM! WILL YOU PLEASE MAKE HIM QUIT IT!" repeats the younger. (Are you weary of this game too?) At some point the older one either pounces on the younger one, or you will hear a calm reply from Mom who says, "Alright. That’s enough, stop tormenting your brother or sister." Now that I am grown and have children of my own, I try to find unique ways to end this game. For instance, I might say to the older one, "You know, you should be complimented that he or she loves you so much that they want to be just like you." This will sometimes detour the one doing the copy-catting because they immediately get defensive. "No way! I don’t want to be like them, I was just having a little fun." Which (if you know the rules of "copy-catting") ends the game. But there have been times when I have said, "Then you best be careful what you do while they’re "copy-catting" you, so that you do not teach them some bad habit." In life, we are all "copy-cats" or imitators. Unless you are the original designer of something, then the only way you can wear it, cook it, look like it, or whatever it may be, is to copy what someone else has already thought up. I know women who hate to tell you their recipe for something because they don’t want anyone to be able to copy it. Or they will tell you all but one ingredient so that it is similar but not exactly the same. Why? Well, because that is their "specialty" and they like that they are known for it. I also know people who do not like to tell you wear they bought that new outfit because they don’t want anyone to have the same clothes as they do, or perhaps buy it and look better in it. The fact is that when we see something that we think looks good, we tend to want to have it too. I even know people who get on this blog and like what they see or read so much that they try to imitate it in their own blogs. I love that! I think it is cool that someone would get on my blog and take my ideas and use them on theirs. But, there may be folks out their who do not like to be "copy-catted." Do you know what the definition of Christian is? CHRIST LIKE. You will never BE Christ, but as Christians we are to strive to be "like" Him. Basically, you "copy-cat" Him. I guess I better say here that it is supposed to be from the heart, not just for appearance. Titus 2 is FULL of God’s instructions on how the aged men are to teach the younger ones, and the same instruction is given to the aged women for teaching the younger women. I Peter 4:4 says, "Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:" You will come across some who will think you strange for being "Christ-like". They may mock you for your stand or your standards. They may scorn you for your beliefs. It is possible that you will suffer some for trying to be "Christ-like." I Peter 4:16 says, "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." On the other hand, there will be some who will see that you are different and they want what you have. They want to know peace, like you have. They want to know happiness, like you have. They want to know joy, like you have. All of these things that can only be found in Christ. And they will watch you and perhaps "copy-cat" you a little because they don’t know any other thing to do. Remember this, "Your walk talks, and your talk talks, but your walk talks, more than your talk talks." Be careful that you are not just a talker. Maybe you feel like someone is "copy-catting" you today. It may be your walk, your talk, your dress, or your actions. Whatever the case may be, you better take heed. When someone "copy-cats" you, it is because they see something in you that is absent from their own life. It is, in fact, a compliment.

IS THE GRASS REALLY GREENER?

I have heard the story of Abraham and Lot many times in my life. I heard it in Sunday School when I was a child and I still hear it preached about in church today. One of the things I love about reading God's Word is that no matter how many times you've read it, or heard something taught, you can learn something or see something new every time. I was reading in Genesis 13 this week and I got to the part where Abram and Lot's herdsman are arguing (v.7-9). You may know the story of how they decide that it is best to part company and Abram gives Lot his choice of which direction to go. Basically, Abram tells Lot that whatever direction he chooses, then Abram will go the other way. When you get to verse ten it says, "And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar." When I read this verse an old phrase popped in to my head... "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." As humans, we tend to look at others and think that they have it way better than we do. Or we might look at what others have and think that if we follow in their footsteps then we will have that too. The phrase that stuck out to me this time though was, "like the land of Egypt." In the Bible, Egypt is always a picture of the world. I wonder what Lot saw in Egypt that affected his thinking? Back in Genesis 12, you'll remember, the family sojourns in Egypt for a while to escape a famine and Lot was with them. He must have liked whatever he saw because this land that he was looking at in Genesis 13:10 reminds him of it. So, he chooses it. He goes a step farther in pitching his tent toward Sodom. A decision we all know has affected his family for generation after generation. The Bible says that "the men of Sodom were wicked AND sinners before the LORD exceedingly." When you get to chapter 19, the LORD has had enough of Sodom & Gomorrah and sends angels to tell Lot to get out of there because he is ready to destroy it. I don't know the span of time between chapter 10 and chapter 19 but however long or short, Lot was a full-fledged resident of Sodom by that time. He's no longer living in a tent that is pitched toward Sodom, he is in the gate. Sadly, Lot had forgotten all the blessings that he was given while growing up. He had forgotten all the faith that he was taught by his Uncle Abram. In chapter 19, these angels have to rescue Lot several times. They pulled him in. (v.10) They persisted in telling him to get out. (v.12) They pushed. (v.15) They picked him up and put him out. (v.16) It would seem that Lot had gotten a bit to attached to the lifestyle of Sodom. So much that even his own family would not listen to him (v.14) They got so weary of trying to tell him that he needed to get out of there that they finally picked him up and carried him out of the place. Sadly, he did not leave with as many as he came in with. In fact, even though they came out of Sodom, they still had Sodom "in" them. By the end of chapter 19 he has lost all his children, his wife, and has two daughter left that are pregnant BY HIM!  We best be careful the place we take our children to, or the things we allow them to get involved in, or see or hear, or taste, or touch, or smell. It may be that Egypt stayed in Lot's heart, and then Sodom was instilled in his children. You never come out of sin smelling or looking like you did when you went in. As my father-in-law, Dr. Larry Groves, always says..."It's a lot easier to take your family into Sodom, than it is to get them out." Was the grass really greener for Lot by the time it was all said and done?

A FENCE OR AN AMBULANCE

‘Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed, Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant; But over its terrible edge there had slipped A duke and full many a peasant. So the people said something would have to be done, But their projects did not at all tally; Some said, "Put a fence around the edge of the cliff," Some, "An ambulance down in the valley." But the cry for the ambulance carried the day, For it spread through the neighboring city; A fence may be useful or not, it is true, But each heart became brimful of pity For those who slipped over that dangerous cliff; And the dwellers in highway and alley Gave pounds or gave pence, not to put up a fence, But an ambulance down in the valley. "For the cliff is all right, if you’re careful," they said, "And, if folks even slip and are dropping, It isn’t the slipping that hurts them so much, As the shock down below when they’re stopping." So day after day, as these mishaps occurred, Quick forth would those rescuers sally To pick up the victims who fell off the cliff With their ambulance down in the valley. Then an old sage remarked: "It’s a marvel to me That people give far more attention To repairing results than to stopping the cause, When they’d much better aim at prevention. Let us stop at its source all this mischief," cried he, "Come, neighbors and friends, let us rally; If the cliff we will fence we might almost dispense With the ambulance down in the valley." ... Better guide well the young than reclaim them when old, For the voice of true wisdom is calling, "To rescue the fallen is good, but ‘tis best To prevent other people from falling." Better close up the source of temptation and crime Than deliver from dungeon or galley; Better put a strong fence round the top of the cliff Than an ambulance down in the valley. By; Joseph Malins Proverbs 4: 10-15 (10) Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. (11) I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. (12) When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. (13) Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. (14) Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. (15) Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. (16) For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. (17) For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. (18) But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. (19) The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. (20) My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. (21) Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. (22) For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. (23) Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (24) Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. (25) Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. (26) Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. (27) Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

Press Toward The Mark

(Phil 3:13-14) "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

As a mom, I know that every child is different. Even though your children may have physical similarities, every child has their own unique personality. I have four children, and they have four distinct personalities. What may come easy to one child, does not come easy to another. For instance, I have one child that school just comes easy to. To them, school is just a place they are made to go until summer comes. Tests are of little concern to them because they always make A's regardless of how much they study. They listen in class, they remember what they hear, they take the test,......so what's the big deal? On the other hand, I have one that hates school. They work hard, study twice as long, and barely get a B. And then, just every so often an A comes along. It seems that they try harder but the grade is never what they hoped for.

Recently, my youngest was getting ready for a test. His Grammy knew he had been working hard. For added incentive, she told him that if he brought an A home on ANY test, she would bring his lunch to school from the fast-food restaurant of his choice. The next day we were driving to school when my oldest daughter asked if she might be able to get the same deal from me. I said, "No." She asked me why, and I explained that she was older and quite capable of making good grades if she applied herself. Plus, she was not the one in need of this particular kind of encouragement right now. I thought I was waxing philosophical when I said, "The grade is its own reward.You should study hard and listen in class. When you pass, you should have a sense of pride that you earned the grade through your hard work." My daughter responded, "Well, doesn't that just mean I'm not a prideful person? And isn't that a good thing?" I laughed so hard I couldn't answer her.

As Christians, our goal is to strive to be like Christ. We have to "press toward the mark". To some, it may come easy. While others may struggle daily to get there. Sometimes we watch other people and wonder why it all comes so easy for them and why we have to work so hard at it. Christians are not supposed to meander through life doing as little as possible to get by. We are supposed to work hard!

Also, there are times when the Lord blesses someone, and we may find ourselves asking why He can't do the same thing for us. It is not that the Lord can't do the same for all of us, it is not that He can't give us what we want, it's just that His will for you is not the same as His will for me. There are lessons I have to learn one way, and you have to learn them another. He equips each of His children with the tools and/or skills necessary to complete their test. Our job is to use them, to the best of our ability in order to "press toward the mark." I want an A+!!! I probably won't get it because I am a dirty, rotten sinner who makes mistakes all the time, BUT I am going to do my best to achieve it anyway. In the end, I get to go to heaven, and that is the ultimate reward! Here on earth, it may not look like I have much to some, but the Lord has been ever so good to this little sinner girl and I thank Him for it. I owe it to Him to run the race to best of my ability. If we trust Him, he will take care of our needs. I love that I can take my empty cup to Him every day and He will fill it until it overflows with more than I deserve to have. Now, my cup may look like a "tea cup" to you, while someone else may have one of those "bubba chug" things but when God fills the cup, it doesn't matter what size it is, it is still FULL.

(Lamentations 3:22-24) "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is they faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him."

INSTRUCTION OF WISDOM

I love to study the meanings of words. I like to know exactly what I am saying and what is being said to me. Unfortunately, most words are not used today as they were originally used because we have allowed their meanings to change. That's why I like the Websters 1828 Dictionary because it shows the original meanings of words. It's actually kind of sad that even the dictionaries of today have changed the meanings to match how we use the words rather than the other way around. It is man's way though. Since the beginning of time we have taken words and twisted them to mean what we want them to mean, rather than how they were originally intended. We even do it to God's Word, don't we? Just like the dictionary was intended to teach us so we'd know the meaning of our own language, and impart knowledge, God's Word is to teach us the way HE wants us to live. Both were meant to teach, train and instruct us in life. Both are used for knowledge, wisdom, and instruction. After we kids had passed first grade, just about any time we asked Mom how to spell a word she'd say, "Look it up." She wanted us to sound it out and get a dictionary and look for it, and then also read what it meant. That way we learned how to spell it AND how to use it in every day speech. INSTRUCT: To teach; to inform the mind; to educate; to impart knowledge to one who was destitute of it. To direct; to persuade or admonish. To form; to prepare. The word instruction is used 26 times in book of Proverbs alone. It is always used when talking of discipline with love, but also shows a sternness with that love. It is used with words like "chastisement" and "reproof." Of course the source of ALL wisdom and instruction is God. Proverbs 2:6 "For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." The Lord has, thankfully, given us many resources for instruction: God - We cannot acquire the simplest skill without Him allowing it. His Word - He reveals his wisdom and shows us how to live. His Son - He came to show us grace and mercy. Parents - Most parents are a child's main source of wisdom. Teachers/ Counselors - People who use the experiences that God had brought them through to help us discern things or make wise choices. If a person is truly wise they will listen and willingly accept instruction, whether it be verbal or physical. Then they will apply it to their lives. Only a fool would refuse Godly counsel and choose to follow his own way. Proverbs 12:15 "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise." God's child should be appreciative of Godly counsel and instruction. Our responses should be: To accept instruction. To apply instruction A person accepts instruction from God, parents, or wise teachers will reap the benefits of a righteous life. Someone who desires to do right, who desires to receive instruction is definitely going to obtain favour with the Lord and thereby with man. God protects those who willingly submit to His authority and to the authorities placed in their lives. This also brings a person honor. Honor is not something that is just handed out, it is something that is earned. It is a respect that is given to someone as a result of living according to God's Word. So the results are: Spiritual rewards Blessings Honor On the other hand, a fool refuses to heed instruction and is followed by destruction and shame. He truly hates himself. Proverbs 15:32 "He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding." The person that refuses to listen to wise counsel will reap the results of their own foolish choices. (Proverbs 1:24-28) A life lived that way will only lead to spiritual destruction and maybe even physical death. If we will just read God's Word and apply it to our lives we have success in a godly way and live life to the fullest potential that God intended.

HOW DID I GET HERE?

Have you ever been awakened from a deep sleep and been disoriented? Have you ever left a place, and driven somewhere and been so lost in thought that when you arrived at your destination you don't remember driving there or passing familiar landmarks on the way? Have you ever been forced to go somewhere that you really didn't want to go? Have you ever been out driving and someone pull out in front of you and then slam on their breaks? Have you ever been following someone (because you have never been to where you're going) and they leave you behind and you are just lost? Have you ever ridden in car with someone who "thinks" they know the way and then after your lost they refuse to stop and ask for directions because they are just sure if they keep going they will find it? Ps. 17:5 "Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not." Ps. 37:23 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way." Ps. 37:30-32 "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him." In life there are many twists and turns. There are mountain top times, and there are deep valley moments. All of which are things that the Lord can use to mold us and make us into what HE wants us to be. Everyone LOVES those times when you are on the mountain top because the sun is shining bright, you can feel the sun on your face, and you can see the sky for miles, and the view is breath-taking. But we all go through valleys too. Most people don't enjoy those times. The warmth of sun is shaded by the depth of the valley, and it can be cold and dark, and lonesome. Ever go through a valley and wonder "How'd I get here?" There are different ways to end up in a valley. SLIP means to err, to fall into error. Unintentional error or fault. SLIDE means to pass in silent unobserved progression or an easy, smooth, interrupted course. STEP means to walk or advance into a place; progression; act of advancing. STUMBLE means to trip; to err. To obstruct in progress; to puzzle; to perplex.

There are times when we are innocently walking along and we slip and fall. Maybe we didn't see something in our path, maybe we weren't watching where we were going, whatever the case, we slipped, unintentionally. And there we are lost in a valley that we didn't see coming.

There are times when we slide by in life, doing as little as possible so that no one ever expects to much from us. When we slide, we do it slowly and quietly so that no one really notices that we're not around, and then the sin we get into seems to be normal. And we find ourselves to have slid so far from God that we can't hear Him trying to call us back to Him.

There are times when we see the danger up ahead. We know there is a dropping off point. There are warning signs that would detour us from the danger zone, but we press on. We step right into the path that we knew we should not have taken. And we are in a place that only God can get us out of. And we find ourselves begging for the help of God, whom we never consulted before stepping in this path.

There are also times when we are walking the right path, and we are looking ahead, trying to avoid the danger zones. We are careful when we walk so that we do not slip. We are cautious when we see a slippery place so that we do not slide. We take purposeful steps so as to follow those who have gone before us and left us a good path to follow. Then,... suddenly,... without warning, the person in front of you, the one whom you were watching so carefully, the one whose footsteps you were trying to follow in.....stumbles and falls. You try to catch yourself, you try to hang on to whatever you can but it is to late, and there you are, on your face in a valley you didn't even know was coming.

No matter which type of valley you find yourself in, God is your only way out. You may have sinned unintentionally. You may have allowed yourself to slowly drift away from Him. You may have willfully chosen it. Or someone may have stumbled in front of you and put you there. No matter. Only God can get you out. Sometimes He has to lead us out through the darkness, and sometimes He just reaches down and takes you right out of there. Either way, He is your only way out. Doesn't matter how you got there. Doesn't matter who's fault it is. All that matters is that you look to the One who can get you out.

Ps. 73:22-28 "So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works."

"JUST LIKE MY HEAVENLY FATHER"

Matthew 18:1-7 "At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! My father is Pastor Charles W. Savage, II. He was born and raised in Ohio. He is number nine of twelve children. He received Christ as his Saviour when he was sixteen years old. He spent four years in the army and eight in the army reserves. He drifted from the Lord while he was in the army but, thankfully, when he was twenty-six years old someone from the local, independent Baptist church was out going door-to-door, and they found him. He gave his life back over to the Lord before I was ever born and our family has never known a time when we were not serving the Lord faithfully in a local church. He surrendered to preach, went to Bible college, and worked himself almost to death trying to take care of his family. He worked in a church for ten years as....Associate pastor, song leader, bus driver, choir director, Sunday-school teacher, head of men's soul-winning group, janitor and lawn mower. The church also had a christian school so he worked there too as...principal, teacher of grades 7 - 12, basketball coach (whenever we didn't have one), P.E. teacher, and janitor. On any day or night he had free, he was building a house for the pastor on the property the church had purchased for him. Then he moved us to a place where he started his own church. And he still does whatever needs to be done for the Lord's ministry. MY DAD IS "SUPER-DAD!" (Now, he doesn't brag on himself. He would never try to take any glory for the way the Lord used him. But, I need to use him for an example in this, K?) I can write his whole life story here if I wanted to. Know why? Because there is nothing in it for me to be ashamed of. Don't get me wrong now,...Mother was there too. She worked hard, right a long beside him, every step of the way. She seldom got (or gets) the credit she deserved. I believe that God will hand her a special crown with Daddy's name etched in it, and he'll wink at mom so she knows that HE knows all the stuff she did. She is AWESOME! But back to my father...... The Lord took this little child and set him in the midst of them, and said, "And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." My Daddy was just like that. If you didn't receive one of his kids, you didn't receive him. Basically, "you mess with me, you mess with the whole family." He taught us to be proud of who we were in his words, as much as in his actions. He taught me to ride a bike and swim. He ran off pesky boys, and "well-meaning" church people. He protected me and my siblings from every harm or hurt he could. And with little more than you could feed two people on, he always made sure there was food on the table, a roof over our heads, and clothes on our back. In short...He loved (and still loves) us. I haven't always been the best daughter but God gave me the BEST Dad! I am not ashamed for anyone to know that Charles Savage is my father. I am proud to be his daughter. Even better than that, HE tells people that he is proud to be my dad! He identifies himself as my father, and I identify myself as his daughter. He has never done anything to make me ashamed to be called his child. He has never (like in the verses above) brought "offences" to me. JUST LIKE my Heavenly Father, my Daddy loves me. JUST LIKE my Heavenly Father, my Daddy chastised me. JUST LIKE my Heavenly Father, my Daddy hated when we sinned. JUST LIKE my Heavenly Father, my Daddy never left me nor forsook me. Our Heavenly Father wants to be identified with us too. Isn't that amazing? Why would He want to be identified as our Father? He who has never known any sin wants to be known as our Father! We are so blessed to have a Heavenly Father that wants to be identified with us. I am more than glad to claim Him as my Heavenly Father and so very thankful that he claims me as his child. (And if you mess wit me, my father beat you up!):-)

BLOW YOUR TRUMPET!

EZEKIEL 33 This is an awesome passage of scripture! In verse one God is letting them know that he is going to bring the sword upon the land ...."When I bring the sword upon the land..." and he is even gracious (as He always is) to give them a way out. Aren't you thankful that God always provides us with the way to do right, and all we have to do is follow? He tells them to pick a man and set him as a watchman. Now this guys job is pretty self-explanatory, if you read the passage. Basically, if he sees any danger he is to blow the trumpet. Verses 4 - 6 go on to tell us that if the people hear the trumpet and heed not the warning, then their blood is on their own head. BUT, if the watchman sees the danger and doesn't sound the warning, then the people's blood is upon his head. Sounds pretty fair doesn't it? I mean if he doesn't sound the warning and I die, then it's not my fault. YEAH! It's his fault. ........WAIT! If he doesn't sound the warning, it's his fault, sure, but..........I'M DEAD! ...WAIT! I don't want to die if he doesn't do his job!!!!! Exactly. Today we live in a world where no one wants to be the "bad guy." Nobody wants to tell anybody when they have done something wrong because they don't want to offend anyone. We hear things like, "What about their self-esteem?" or "What if they get mad at me?" If we stick to that thinking then everyone does "that which is right in their own eyes." That is not Christian thinking. Proverbs 12:15 says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise." What if the car that is heading toward your child, who is playing in the street, NEVER blows his horn? What if your child was in the cross walk and following all the traffic safety rules but still got hit? And what if the driver who has just struck your child with their car says, "Well, I didn't want to upset them, or hurt their ears with the sound of my horn." Are you telling me you'd not be upset? How much more then ought we as Christians to sound the warning for the world. God is LOVE! Yes. God DIED for you! Yes. But what about what happens if they don't listen? Are we not to tell them that God will cast them in the lake of fire because it might considered "negative"? Are we not to warn our children that there are things that God HATES (Pro.6:16-19) so that they will stay away from that thing? We also live in an age where no one takes responsibility for their own actions. It is NEVER our fault, it is always someone else's fault. We are NEVER wrong, the other person ALWAYS is. In this passage it states that the children of Israel tried to say that God's way was "not equal" (v.17). Wow, how bold? Yet we do the same thing every day. We either do not sound the warning so we can be every body's friend, or we ignore it because we enjoy what we're doing. Or, we will twist the Scripture to mean what we want it to mean, so we can do what we want to do. God expects more of "His own" than that. That's why he says, "The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it." (Ez.33:12-13) God expects his children to be like Him. That is why our punishment is greater than the punishment of those who are not his. "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." (Jms.4:17) I mean, aren't we as parents the same way with our kids? We expect more from them than someone else's kids, because they are ours.They belong to us. We taught them, and they should know better. We have a choice though. We can stand on our sword (v.26) or we can pick it up and fight! We can silence our horn, or we can blow it with all our might! I don't know about other Mom's but I sure want that car to honk it's horn REAL LOUD so my child has a chance to escape an injury that could affect the rest of their life. I also want to do my best to teach them to stay out of harm's way so that they see danger before they are in the middle of it. I also expect their pastor, their grand-parents, their Sunday school teachers, and any other Godly influence in their lives to "blow the horn" and "sound the warning" when danger is approaching. Sound it loud! Sound it often! Even if my children refuse to listen, keep sounding it until they do. To my children: I love you with all the love a person can possess. I promise to do my best to give you EVERY opportunity to do the right thing. If you choose to go against the Word of God, and make sinful wicked choices, you will do it WITHOUT my help, without my support, and without my encouragement. You can listen and live or you can choose "to not to."

I FORGOT BUT GOD FORGAVE

"I forgot." I cannot tell you how many times I hear that phrase in a day. It is perhaps one of the most common phrases used as an excuse for something you should have done and didn't. There is no telling how many times I said it to my own parents. And now, I hear it from my children. "Why didn't you clean your room?"..."I forgot!" or "Why didn't you take out the trash?" ... "I forgot!" Even as an adult, I use the phrase often. "Mom, did you get me the notebook paper I need for school?" "No, I forgot." I could go on and on, but I won't. In a spiritual sense we say the same thing to God just about as often. I mean, don't you think He asks too? "Why weren't you in church when my Word specifically says that you are not to forsake the assembling.....?" "Oops, sorry Lord, I forgot." or "Why did you say that when you know my Word specifically says not to let corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth?" "Sorry again Lord, I forgot." Again, I could go on and on, but I won't. We have a tendency to think that God is forgetful, like we are. We take verses in His own Word and twist them out of context, in order to do what we want to. For instance, we will do something we know we are not supposed to (sometimes even when we know we shouldn't) and we will do them anyway. Then, we will say, "Well, I asked God to forgive me and he doesn't hold it against me anymore." You know what? I wish that were true. I mean, the thing that IS true, is that before I knew Him as my Father, I was a dirty sinner on my way to hell, and when I accepted Him as my Saviour, he took me, knowing what I was (and would be) and forgave me of those sins. He buried them "in the deepest part of the sea" (Ps.103:12), or "as far as the east is from the west." (Micah 7:19) At least those are the parts we like to remember anyway. But He still loves me, and He still claims me as His own, even now that I am a saved, rotten sinner! BUT, His Word says something we tend to over look. II Cor. 5:10 says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." Now if I understand this correctly, we will stand before Christ and be judged for the things we've done "in the body". Well, I don't know about you, but I certainly am still in my body. So, even though Christ forgave and continues to forgive me of all my sin, He is STILL going to hold me accountable for what I have done since I became HIS. And thankfully, He is still going to let me live in His Heaven, even though I don't deserve it. I may not have as many rewards as I had before I did those things "in the body" that I knew I shouldn't do and did anyway, but I still get to go to heaven because I am HIS child. PRAISE THE LORD and THANK YOU JESUS!!! So, next time you start to tell someone that they should forget all your sins, like God does, you need to remember two things: 1. We will never be like God or as good as God, until we get to heaven. We can "...press toward the mark...." but we will never attain the perfection of God. 2. God does forgive but we are still held accountable for what we've done. Our God is not mindless. He doesn't lose his mind just because we do. We have to stop putting Him on our level. HE IS NOT ON OUR LEVEL. He is WAY HIGHER than we could ever hope to be. II Corinthians 5:14-15 says"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again." Praise the Lord for His forgiveness and move on with your life. But, don't expect that you can "live unto yourself" and not be held accountable. Before I close, let me give you one example. If the church treasurer steals all the churches money, and spends it, BUT he comes back and asks for forgiveness, do you forgive him? The answer is YES! Do you let him go back to being the treasurer? NOPE! Are you then holding his sin over his head? I don't think so. I mean, I trust the Lord to keep my children safe but I don't let them play on 465 in rush hour traffic either. God gave us (well, most anyway) common sense. Let's use it!

PROVERBS

PROVERB: A short sentence often repeated, expressing a well known truth or common fact, ascertained by experience or observation; a maxim of wisdom. One of the things my children enjoy the most about eating chinese food is the fortune cookie that we get at the end of the meal. They each take one and open it quickly to see what the little piece of paper inside will say. Then they try to decide if what they got really fits them. They say things like, "Oh, that sounds just like so-n-so" or "Man! I wish I'd gotten the one she got." (That usually happens when the paper says that fame & fortune are on their way). It is always fun to see what each person gets. However, there really are people in this world that live their life by these "sayings", which are referred to as chinese proverbs. There are even some who live by, what we call, old wives tales. You know,..."a stitch in time saves nine" and "A watch pot never boils" ... things like that. Though some of these have great meanings, and may even provide a little wisdom, it is still earthly. It is man-made. For the past few summers now, I have made it a rule with my children that no one gets to eat, play, swim, watch TV, or whatever else there is until they read the Proverb for the day and quote the memory verse that I have chosen from the chapter. Of course, the Proverb I'm referring to is a book of the Bible, located between Psalms & Song of Solomon. You might wonder why I'd do that. Well, let me explain... Real wisdom, Godly wisdom comes from the Word of God (KJV). I want my children to be wise. Wisodm will give them "the skill needed to deal with certain situations and the ability to discern between what matters and what doesn't." This is what Solomon was asking for when he asked God for wisdom. God rewarded his request by giving him a knowledge that far exceeded anyone else around. Because of this wisdom, people would travel for miles to seek his counsel. I am so thankful that God inspired him to pass some of his wisdom on to us through his Holy Word. The beginning of all wisdom is..."the fear of the LORD" (Prov. 1:7). This is not a fear that causes us to live in terror, but a fear that is reverent. A fear that causes us to live a life that is holy and righteous because that is what our GOD is. In order to be wise, we have to begin with a right relationship with the Lord. Lost people can have skill, and smarts, and be clever, but this wisdom that is in Proverbs can only be achieved by those who belong to God and have the right kind of relationship with him. When we reject wisdom and instruction, and refuse to fear the Lord, we are foolish. Someone who would ignore wisdom is just stupid. The Bible calls them a "fool". When you lead a life that is absent of God's wisdom and instruction you will never have any peace. When you purposely refuse to heed God's Word you have no one to blame but yourself when the consequences come. (Gal.6:7) There is a day of reckoning coming. When you stand before God and remember wisdom's call to righteousness (Prov.1:24) you will wish you had heeded God's Word. Prov. 1:24-33 "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them."