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Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Chosen To Trust/Glenda Harris
Have you ever just felt alone; there is no one for you even though your surrounding is full of people. I can’t tell you how often I’ve wanted to say, “What are we going to do”? I can’t say it because I have to be the Spiritual Leader of my environment…I have to be the one who says, “It WILL BE okay, the Lord will provide for us”!! Even though, I really do know for a FACT that God is our provider and will make a way of escape for us, it would be soothing, sometimes, to hear in my own surrounding in a different voice than mine. The undisputable WORD of God says in Psalms 37 verse 25, “I have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” and in I Cor. 10 verse 13 says: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (KJV) Psalm 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”
For the past twenty-seven years, I have been proclaiming trust in God. I have always had that leadership role, certainly not because I chose it, but because He placed me in it. The most difficult task is to proclaim faith during a time at a crossroad where I have found myself; do I trust Him or not. Finding myself in one of the lowest valley of education in trust that I’ve ever been in, I do trust Him. I have to continue to lead on the road of trust. I will not stop for I am “pressing toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” Philippians 3:14 (KJV)
The hardest thing to do is not to worry when everything is upside down and inside out. Pastor Joey preached straight to me a few weeks ago. The title of his message was “Upside down, Inside out and Right Side Up”. He said when everything is Upside down and Inside Out, you can live Right Side Up. I’m not perfect by any means and I am the first to tell you that I struggle in the area of worry. Since that message I have purposed in my heart to exercise Luke 12: I’ll give you an excerpt and you can read the rest for yourselves. 22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. 23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. I want to continue to grow in my walk with my Lord. So, I will continue to trust Him with whichever direction He leads me.
I’m astonished when I think about how God knew me well even before I was born. Even while we were still in our mother's womb, He loved and had plans for us. He chose me.Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5 KJV)The word sanctified means set apart. So, he not only formed me, knew me, but chose & set me apart and ordained me. Therefore, I know that my footsteps are ordered by Him (Ps. 37:23). Without hesitation, I tell you that I don’t always walk where He leads me and for that I’ve spent much time repenting. Therefore, I believe that is why I have found myself here in this place once more. I say once more, as I have been here before, just not to this degree. I truly believe if we endure a test and fail it, we will have to test again. This is how we grow and our faith is perfected.
I remember a trial that we were going through early in our Christian walk…a big test! I worked at Sears making minimum wage, which was $3.35 at that time. We were flat broke. All we had in our cabinets were dishes and crystal light pink lemonade drink mix for one quart and nothing in our refrigerator. We had enough gas to get to work on the rest of week only. One evening that week, a friend called and asked if we wanted to go church with her in Onedia. She said Bro. Joey and Sis. Vicky Burns were having a revival as they were trying to get their ministry started. She picked us up and we went to church in the old Onedia Store building. To the best of my memory, Oakley Foreman passed the offering plate that night. All I had to my name was $1.47 when the Lord spoke to me to give $1. I wrestled with the Lord that night, because we had nothing to eat and only crystal light to drink. I did give that dollar. I have to admit I didn’t give it without a little worry. The next day, I went to work at 8AM with $.47 in my change purse and my ½ quart of Crystal Light pink lemonade. Around 10:30 I started to get hungry. The chip-man always delivered chips to our office every week so we kept an ample supply of Little Toms bags. If you know anything about those bags, you know they were given the right name “Little” because there wasn’t a handful of chips in them. I bought a bag for $.35 that morning. You will not believe me, but I’m telling you the TRUTH…I ate on those chips ALL DAY!!! My boss even made the comment, “You’ve eat on them chips all day”. Yes, I did. And I believe I didn’t go hungry because I was obedient to the Lord and gave that dollar. I chose to trust Him then and I choose to TRUST HIM now.
I said all that to say I started this race proclaiming my trust and faith in the Lord, my God, my Savior, my Keeper, my Shield and Buckler and I will continue on doing so. I have a long way to go, but thank God I’ve come a long way. In the times that I feel desolate, I will trust all the more for I know I’m never alone. If I believe any of His word I have to believe that he’ll never leave nor forsake me (Heb. 13). So, I don’t have to ask the question, “What are we going to do?” I know what we are going to do -- Keep trust and faith in action!
Glenda Harris
Friday, July 20, 2012
What We Say Matters. Christian Phrases to Use With Caution
We as Christians have built up a collection of pet phrases and familiar jargon. Some of this Christianspeak is okay. Some of these Christian phrases, however, either lack meaning or have questionable meaning. Here are a few Christian phrases to use with caution.
“Hate the sin. Love the sinner.”
Often, this phrase is an excuse to hate the sinner, too. The Bible commands us to love our neighbor, which, quite expansively, includes everyone. The problem, of course, is that we’re supposed to hate sin. How do we handle sinners, then — people who we’re supposed to love but are actively sinning. The line between hating sin and loving sinners becomes blurred to an ambiguous point where the sinner gets a little bit of the hate, too. If and when you use this phrase, take some time to emphasize loving the sinner, because all too often, it seems to be neglected.
“God helps those who help themselves.”
This phrase so oblique that it’s actual meaning is obscured. What does this mean? When examined, it makes little sense theologically. If God helping me is dependent upon me helping myself, then whatever happened to grace…and salvation for that matter? Whatever happened to sovereignty? What ever happened to God — this Deity whose blessings I can somehow control with my own self-help? By all means, encourage people to work hard and take care of themselves and their families, but choose a different and more accurate phrase to encapsulate your exhortations.
“I’m praying for you.”
“I’m praying for you,” has, sadly, become one of the most-repeated lies that Christians tell each other. Are you truly praying for the person to whom you just spoke those words? Unfortunately, “I’m praying for you” is sort of like saying “Well, see ya later!” It’s more of a Christian “goodbye” than a heartfelt pledge to pray for the other individual. By all means, continue using this phrase, and by all means, follow up with genuine heartfelt prayer for that other person.
“Just pray the prayer.”
Explaining salvation in simple terms is appropriate. Paring it down to “just pray the prayer,” however, is risky. Pray what prayer? Pray to whom? Salvation is by grace, not by means of a formulaic prayer. The Bible does not tell us of a single prayer that automatically ushers in salvation. When we depend upon a prayer for salvation, we are clinging to a false hope. Pray, yes, but pray to God in sincerity and humility.
“God is judging you.”
It is true that God is a judge, and that he judges other people. Be that as it may, it is not up to us to determine how he’s doing it, and who is receiving such judgment. An individual’s illness, injury, or unpleasant circumstances may or may not be divine judgment. You are advised not to tell someone, “God is judging you.” Frankly, you just don’t know.
“God said it. I believe it. That settles it.”
The fact that God said it settles it. Your believing it has nothing to do with it being settled or unsettled. This three-sentence declaration sounds bold and audacious, but it smacks of too much self-confidence. If our own belief system is the arbiter of all disputes, no wonder we’ve become odious for our arrogance. If you choose to say this, move the middle sentence to the end. “God said it. That settles it. I believe it.” There, that’s more accurate.
There are other Christian pet phrases that should probably be culled from our repertoire. What we say matters. Our words have meaning. In a day of bumper sticker reductionism, we should take care that the meaning and content of our words is accurate and God-honoring.
Article From Cross leadership/Broadcast Ministry of Sharefaith blog.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The Aggravating Sin of Apathy
Apathy is probably a universal Christian experience, and it is stunting the growth of millions. Apathy is aggravating, because you sometimes see it in yourself and loathe it. However, you feel powerless to do anything precisely because you are apathetic. What is this condition of spiritual apathy, and how do we handle it?
The Causes of Apathy
- Material prosperity. One reason why apathy sets in is because of material affluence. Affluence is not merely a material phenomenon; it affects the spirit, too. As we amass creature comforts, there can be a corresponding sag in the spirit — a comfortable, situated, and uninspired sort of spiritual complacency. This is apathy. Living as we are in a world brimming with material prosperity, it can affect any one of us.
- Trials. On the contrasting side, apathy can set in when we face hard times. For example, perhaps you are facing a difficult situation with coworkers. Every day, you hear taunts from your officemates, ridiculing your God-believing, faith-holding, Bible-reading lifestyle. You are mocked because you refuse to sleep around, get drunk, cuss like a comedian, or view porn. You are scoffed. After a while, your spiritual resolves goes slack. You think to yourself, “is it really worth it?” After a while, your spiritual walk becomes a slow, tired swagger. Eventually, you slide right into the stultifying slog of apathy. It happens with other types of trials — perhaps an extended illness of a family member, or a disease that ends in death. Things like this try our faith, they drain our hope, they sink our spirits. We become apathetic.
- Coasting. Often, it’s just the hurried, frenzied, and unstopping pace of life that gradually elbows out spiritual vigor and attention. Even in ministry positions, we can become so caught up in the activity of ministry that we neglect the condition of our own soul. We have less concern about our own spiritual life, and more concerns about managing the world around us. These are the conditions of apathy.
The Cure to Apathy
What is the solution to such apathy? Is there any way out of the tired hole of Christian unconcern? Gratefully, there is.
- Come to a point of absolute assurance as a believer, and live out your reality in Christ. Scripture warns Christians to make sure that they are indeed in the faith. Apathy may be a sign of no faith at all. If you are a believer, than you must live as one. Growing as a Christian is a process, a progressive journey. Generally speaking, Christians don’t start their Christian life with a great deal of spiritual maturity. Maturity grows over time. There are ups and downs along the way, but the general trajectory is more like Christ, not less like Christ. This is called progressive sanctification. God’s will is that we become sanctified (Thessalonians 4:3). If this is God’s will, it will surely come to pass.
- Intentionally listen to God. In order to shake off the sin of apathy, you can’t wait for some holy zap. You must, by God’s grace, deliberately overcome the apathy. Listen to God, not in a mode of passive receptivity, but by actively seeking and meditating upon his word.
- Fight sin. Often, the life of the apathetic is a life that is gripped by a damaging sin habit. When Paul wrote the Thessalonians, he said in effect, “There’s good news. It’s God’s will that you grow as Christians. But you don’t just sit around waiting for this to happen. You get busy and fight sin — flee immorality, control your passions, don’t sin against your brother” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6). Sanctification allows us to be moved by God in desperate combat against sin. Be warned: you’re going to have to fight.
No believer can stay apathetic. Either you are a believer who will grow, or you are an unbeliever who should stop clinging to the false hope of a nonexistent relationship with Jesus. Growing is not an issue of becoming perfect. The Christian life has its ups. It has its downs. But it has the goal of continually moving towards more and more Christlikeness.
Copied from Sharefaith Newsletter.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social
Our WINGS meeting will be on Tuesday, July 17, at 7:00 PM, at the church. I'd like for each lady to bring one ice cream topping, like: chopped nuts, cherries, crushed candy, gummy bears, sprinkles, M&M's, red hots, syrups (chocolate, caramel, etc.), whipped topping, or whatever unique topping comes to mind.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
With God I Can
I don’t consider myself a writer. I have no passion to write. Not only that, my vocabulary and grammar aren’t my strongest points either! Then why am I here? I find myself asking this over and over. Sometimes I sit down and become annoyed when I can't find something on a subject I really feel led to share something about. I want it to come right then and there, that very instant and when it doesn't I get frustrated. I then become lazy on this blogging platform and have come to realize that is when I need to step back get away from the computer and get I out of the way. That's it! I is the whole problem, I This, I That.....
We must realize that we just need to wait on Him for guidance. However, sometimes when something does come it is out of our comfort zone. We dislike it and know it’s our pride. But we must do it. We need to be obedient, we need to be faithful. We don’t like to be tested. We don’t like being uncomfortable. And it hurts when God humbles us because of our pride.
Perhaps, God has called you to do something and you haven’t. Fear? Pride? Discomfort? Don’t know where to start? Did you ask God for guidance?
Remember God is our number one influence. He has the first and final say in everything… not our critics. Do it for Him and let it glorify Him even if it’s a bit uncomfortable.
God did not call us to be successful, He called us to be faithful.
We must realize that we just need to wait on Him for guidance. However, sometimes when something does come it is out of our comfort zone. We dislike it and know it’s our pride. But we must do it. We need to be obedient, we need to be faithful. We don’t like to be tested. We don’t like being uncomfortable. And it hurts when God humbles us because of our pride.
Perhaps, God has called you to do something and you haven’t. Fear? Pride? Discomfort? Don’t know where to start? Did you ask God for guidance?
Remember God is our number one influence. He has the first and final say in everything… not our critics. Do it for Him and let it glorify Him even if it’s a bit uncomfortable.
God did not call us to be successful, He called us to be faithful.
Friday, July 6, 2012
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