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Ecclesiastes 7:2 “It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.”

The reason that God’s word says it is better to be at a funeral then a party…is it’s a reminder of how fragile life is.

James 4:14 says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

I just came back from doing a funeral this morning for a man that went into the hospital for a simple operation – but complications set in that led to his death. This guy was not planning to die when he did.

But since life is like a vapor that appears for a little while and then passes away….it was his time to go.

Our lives are very fragile and we never know when it will be our time.

That is why it is so important for us to understand what life is all about.

What do I believe about life?

What are the important things in life?

What really matters when life comes to an end?

What do I believe about death – life after death?

What place has God in my life?

Do I believe that Jesus died on the cross FOR ME so that I may not fear death?

The Bible lays it out in a very simple way – love God and love others.

Dr. James Dobson said one time, “There are only three things that matter in life, The people you Love…

The people that Love you… And where you’re going when you die.”
I encourage you today…

Make sure Jesus is in the right place in your heart.
Keep short accounts with others.

Love God and Love others.

 Be Blessed,

Stan

This weekend is Mother’s Day. It is a time set aside to honor and show appreciation to the person that brought us into the world, nurtured us and cared for us – our mothers.

So often whether you are a mother or not, we forget how our lives can impact not only people currently around us, but also can impact future generations. One such person is Naomi, a mother whose story is found in the Old Testament; a story that is often overlooked.

Her family had to move to a foreign country because of a terrible famine. And while they were there, her sons married. But in time, her husband and sons died and she decided it was time to return to her home in Bethlehem.

Here is the cool thing… she was so dedicated to God, that her daughter-in-law, Ruth decided she wanted that life for herself as well. Ruth was so impressed by the dedication of Naomi’s life to God, she told Naomi, “Your people shall be my people and your God shall be my God.” From that day forward Ruth turned her back on the old life she used to live and embraced a new life she found in God.

Because of Naomi’s influence, Ruth influenced her family, and Ruth’s love for God was so powerful that her great grandson became one of the most influential men of the Old Testament – David, King of Israel.

Ultimately, Ruth is one of the few women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
All this took place because one woman, Naomi… built her life around her dedication to God.

Often we’re simply focused on the influence that we have right here and right now on our children, grandchildren, etc. But the life of a man or woman who give themselves totally to God can have a ripple that will impact generations to come.

I don’t know about you but I love me some “salty” food from time to time. But have you ever noticed when you eat salty food you usually end up getting really thirsty. In fact, just sitting here thinking about salt and water I had to stop and take a drink of some ice cold water. Even now while reading this your mouth is probably starting to water. Isn’t the body amazing how it works? By now you are probably starting to really want to pick up a really cold refreshing drink of water. Have you ever been sitting and watching a movie where the scene is in the desert and the guys lips are parched, cracked and broken from the heat of the desert. His face is swollen and burned from the elements. He even begins to hallucinate about seeing an “oasis” of water that he can drink. I usually have to take a sip of my diet coke during the movie at that time… and if there is no diet coke then my hubbie better be making a beeline out to the concession stand for me.

Salt is used in many different things such as a preservative in foods and other things as well as “enhancing” the taste of our food. However, too much salt and not enough water to compensate; and we can have some very uncomfortable bloating, swelling and inflammation within our bodies. I was told once that in order to alleviate the swelling and inflammation from having too much salty food you need to drink more water. Too me that was an oxymoron, because the last thing I wanted to add to my body was more fluid to be retained. But you have to actually over-compensate the water with the salt in order for the salt to be used where needed and the rest washed away.

I believe everything in our universe has checks and balances right down to the balancing of salt & water in our diet. Amazing isn’t it! God’s word tells us that as Christians we need to be the salt of the world and God will be the “Living Water”. In other words our lives should be lived in such a way as to make other people’s souls literally thirst for HIM, the Living Water. Maybe when people only get the saltiness from us and not reach out to the “Living Water” an imbalance can occur. We need to perhaps encourage them to drink more of the “Living Water” on their own rather than continuing to lick the salt block only. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could all be like that? Maybe there would be less bloated, swelling, inflamed lives out there that are stagnant – and more joyful, comforted, healed lives out there that are producing. So go ahead GRAB your SALT but take THE WATER along with you to help water the dry, thirsty, parched souls you encounter.

Blessing To You All

I cannot get away from My Utmost for His Highest devotional book….it has been a great source of strength and encouragement over the years in my life. If you don’t have a copy I would encourage you to pick one up or check it out on the link at the bottom of this blog but here is today’s reading I wanted to pass on to you…

“Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?” Luke 24:26
Our Lord’s Cross is the gateway into His life: His Resurrection means that He has power now to convey His life to me. When I am born again from above, I receive from the Risen Lord His very life.
Our Lord’s Resurrection destiny is to bring “many sons unto glory.” The fulfilling of His destiny gives Him the right to make us sons and daughters of God. We are never in the relationship to God that the Son of God is in; but we are brought by the Son into the relation of sonship. When Our Lord rose from the dead, He rose to an absolutely new life, to a life He did not live before He was incarnate. He rose to a life that had never been before; and His resurrection means for us that we are raised to His risen life, not to our old life. One day we shall have a body like unto His glorious body, but we can know now the efficacy of His resurrection and walk in newness of life. “I would know Him in the power of His resurrection.”
As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him.” “Holy Spirit” is the experimental name for Eternal Life working in human beings here and now. The Holy Spirit is the Deity in proceeding power Who applies the Atonement to our experience. Thank God it is gloriously and majestically true that the Holy Ghost can work in us the very nature of Jesus if we will obey Him.

http://www.myutmost.org/04/0407.html

This past weekend at our Easter services we had an individual give his testimony of coming out of a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol addiction…and a statement he made has stuck with me – he said ….”Make no mistake I would never trade my new life in Christ for my old life” he experienced the real deal and if you haven’t, you can experience the real deal by surrendering your life to Christ.

Be Blessed,
Stan

“When God Ran”, I love that old song! It tells a little different story than what the title would presume. It talks about God running straight for us, taking us in His arms holding our heads to His chest proclaiming how happy He is that we came home to Him and offers us forgiveness.

Someone asked the other day if God actually walks away from us or “takes a break from us”… my response was; No ~ the bible has many verses on the subject~ such as “I will never leave you nor forsake you” , “I am with you always, yea even til the end of the earth”. He tells us He will be with us in the bad times as well as the good times. I know as a parent and even as a grandparent the love that I have for my kids and grandkids is so strong that I would never abandon them in their time of need. How much greater love does the “Father” have for us that He laid down His life for us. I have a hard time believing that a love so great would walk away from us even in the good time. When my kids or grandkids are having a great time doing something, I WANT to be there. I don’t see it as a time to walk away and just let them celebrate on their own. Just like when my kids are going through a hard time, I want to be there for them as well; not just ignore their pain and leave them stranded until times are happy and good again.

I think that sometimes we may not feel God’s presence or we don’t get the answers we want or perhaps no answers at all and we feel like God has deserted us or walked away from us. Perhaps we can’t feel His presence because we’ve been too busy, noisy, or preoccupied with our lives that we haven’t focused enough on Him to feel His presence or to hear His answers. Maybe, just maybe it’s US doing the walking away from or deserting and not HIM. Could it be that He is actually standing there waiting for us to turn around and run back to Him so that He can run to us. What an amazing thought!!!!

One sure fire way to know ~ turn towards God and start running with all your might towards Him and see what happens. He won’t let you down, He is standing there ready with his arms opened wide just for YOU!!!
One other old song that is appropriate for closing this thought is, “Soul be still, my… soul be still and know that… HE… is GOD!!!!!

May your running be full of pure JOY as you run after HIM… God Bless

We all have any number of visions and ideals when we are young, but sooner or later we find that we have no power to make them real. We cannot do the things we long to do, and we are apt to settle down to the visions and ideals as dead, and God has to come and say – “Arise from the dead.”

When the inspiration of God does come, it comes with such miraculous power that we are able to arise from the dead and do the impossible thing. The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative is that the life comes after we do the “bucking up.” God does not give us overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome. When the inspiration of God comes, and He says – “Arise from the dead,” we have to get up; God does not lift us up. Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand – “Stretch forth thy hand,” and as soon as the man did so, his hand was healed, but he had to take the initiative. If we will do the overcoming, we shall find we are inspired of God because He gives life immediately.
From my Upmost for His Highest…Oswald Chambers

Remember God has a plan and a purpose for you…but as Proverbs reminds us…It comes with much effort.

Don’t give up and be Blessed!
Stan

In my early walk with God I had to overcome… a sense of not measuring up…or not having what it takes to be used by God.
I should be thankful to be able to go to heaven and leave it at that. (Kind of like…don’t push your luck!)

What I have had to learn is it is not what I can do with my life… but what God can do with my life… as I surrender to Him…as I begin to allow Him to work through me.

This story I found illustrates this point…
Fritz Kreisler was a well-known violinist and it was advertised once that he was going to play a concert in New York City on a priceless Stradivarius violin worth over half a million dollars. The concert hall was packed. Fritz Kreisler came out and wowed the audience with his violin virtuoso. The high notes seemed as if the angels were singing and brought tears to the eyes of strong men. When he finished, the crowd stood to their feet in spontaneous applause. To their horror Fritz Kreisler took that violin, smashed it on the stage, stomped it into splinters and then walked off. They were stunned to silence. Then the concertmaster came out and said to the crowd, “Fritz Kreisler has asked me to convey to you that he just performed this concert on a fifty dollar fiddle he bought at a pawn shop this afternoon. He wanted to show you that it is not the instrument, it is any instrument in the hand of the master.”

It’s not your life… and it’s not your will for your life… it is what God can do with your life when you place yourself in his hands.

1 Corinthians 1:27-31, But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Be Blessed,
Stan

In my devotion this morning I read Proverbs 16.

This passage is a great reminder that not only is God in control… but the need for us to slow down and seek God’s direction and will for our life.

Proverbs16:1-9 To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue.
All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
The LORD works out everything for his own ends—
even the wicked for a day of disaster.
The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.
When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.
Better a little with righteousness
than much gain with injustice.
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

When we run ahead of God… and not take the time to seek God… it can cause some problems and setbacks for us in life.

I came across a story that illustrated this very point …

A young man who approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. “That depends,” replied the foreman. “Let’s see you fell this tree.” The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, “Start Monday!” Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by, and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, “You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today.”

Startled, he replied, “I thought you paid on Friday.”

“Normally we do,” answered the foreman, “but we’re letting you go today because you’ve fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you’ve dropped from first place on Monday to last on Wednesday.”

“But I’m a hard worker,” the young man objected. “I arrive first, leave last, and even have worked through my coffee breaks!”

The foreman, sensing the boy’s integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, “Have you been sharpening your ax?” The young man replied, “I’ve been working too hard to take the time.”

Sometimes we are so busy working that we forget to sharpen our ax…

That is, we forget to seek the Lord’s will and direction for our lives. Again it causes problems and leads to burnout.

We need to pause daily to seek the Lord’s plans for our lives. We need to sharpen the ax daily so to speak.

A pastor and author by the name of Warren Weirsbe said this about Hudson Taylor who was the first missionary that brought the gospel to China….”He had definite convictions about how God’s work should be done. We can make our best plans and try to carry them out in our own strength. Or we can make careful plans and ask God to bless them. Yet another way of working is to begin with God; to ask His plans, and to offer ourselves to Him to carry out His purposes.”

Eph. 5:15-17 “Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

The Bible also says That God orders the steps of the righteous… but we need to take time to hear the orders …

Be Blessed
Stan

I ran across a very moving story that John Trent, the President of StrongFamilies.com and the Center for Strong Families shared in an article.

A true story that  illustrates in a very real way, the power of our words. The Bible says that the power of life and death are found in the tongue.

Mary had grown up knowing that she was different from the other kids, and she hated it. She was born with a cleft palate and had to bear the jokes and stares of cruel children who teased her non-stop about her misshaped lip, crooked nose, and garbled speech. With all the teasing, Mary grew up hating the fact that she was “different”. She was convinced that no one, outside her family, could ever love her … until she entered Mrs. Leonard’s class.

Mrs. Leonard had a warm smile, a round face, and shiny brown hair. While everyone in her class liked her, Mary came to love Mrs. Leonard. In the 1950′s, it was common for teachers to give their children an annual hearing test. However, in Mary’s case, in addition to her cleft palate, she was barely able to hear out of one ear. Determined not to let the other children have another “difference” to point out, she would cheat on the test each year. The “whisper test” was given by having a child walk to the classroom door, turn sideways, close one ear with a finger, and then repeat something, which the teacher whispered. Mary turned her bad ear towards her teacher and pretended to cover her good ear. She knew that teachers would often say things like, “The sky is blue,” or “What color are your shoes?” But not on that day. Surely, God put seven words in Mrs. Leonard’s mouth that changed Mary’s life forever. When the “Whisper test” came, Mary heard the words: “I wish you were my little girl.”

That was a God moment for Mary… It was the turning point in her life …to know she was loved and valued…  Those 7 words began to change her life.

God wants to change our life as well.

But many times because of sins we committed and poor choices we have made… often times we feel like we can’t have a relationship with God…

That God no longer loves us or He has given up on us. But nothing can be farther from the truth.

To those who are crippled by sin or enslaved to things you know are not pleasing to God…
He says, “I wish you were my son” or “I wish you were my daughter.”

Remember what the book of James tells us draw close to God and He will draw close to you.

Isaiah 43:4 “You are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you… ”

Be Blessed,
Stan

The question that we are going to focus on this week is why is it important to attend church?

Some people say…I’m not interested in being a part of organized religion…I’m just into God ….What’s wrong with that?

Why is church so important?

First off the Bible says we need each other.

I Cor. 12:20-21 says, “Yes, there are many parts but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, I don’t need you. The head can’t say to the feet, I don’t need you.”

I need you as much as you need me.

To say, “I don’t need the church”, well that’s pretty egotistic because what I’m saying is…
“I don’t need you. I can just do it on my own.”

And that is so far from the truth. God has wired us to need each other.
I Cor. 12:26 says, If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

The Bible also tells us that the Church is Jesus’ bride…

When we tell God… Hey… I like you…I like your son Jesus…but I don’t like your church that is like telling a husband that you like them but you are not fond of his wife….that is not going to go over very well…there might be a little tension in the air…a little disconnect.

Another reason to be involved in church, is because Jesus said, “The gates of hell would not prevail against the church.”

There is power in numbers….

We have an enemy of our souls that wants to cause us to crash and burn.

You know with the technology we have today ….
You could sit at home and listen or watch some of the greatest teaching around….

But that is not church that’s not being the body of Christ.

That person on T.V. or on the podcast doesn’t even know your name they aren’t going to visit you when you are in the hospital….
They are not there when you feel like giving up.

The church is about relationships.

When you lose somebody, when there’s an illness in your family, when you lose your job or whatever, Satan uses those opportunities to plant thoughts in your mind about God that are not true – that is when hell can prevail. That is when you need the church to come along side you and help you prevail over the situation.

Hebrews 10:24 says, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works and let us not neglect our meeting together as some people do but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.”

The Church is the hope of the world…. committing yourself to the local church is the only way that you’ll grow into the image of Christ.

The next four weeks I will be on vacation and will not be blogging, but I will be back the week of June 15.

Be Blessed,
Stan