I Give Thee Humble Thanks...

For all the gifts that Thou dost send,
For every kind and loyal friend,
For prompt supply of all my need,
For all that's good in word or deed,
For gift of health along life's way,
For strength to work from day to day,
I give Thee humble thanks.
For ready hands to help and cheer,
For listening ears Thy voice to hear,
For yielded tongue Thy love to talk,
For willing feet Thy paths to walk,
For open eyes Thy Word to read,
For loving heart Thy will to heed,
I give Thee humble thanks.
For Christ who came from Heaven above,
For the Cross and His redeeming love,
For His mighty power to seek and save,
For His glorious triumph o'ver the grave,
For the lovely mansions in the sky,
For His blessed coming by-and-by,
I give Thee humble thanks.
-Clifford Lewis

The Sudden Collapse of This Present World System...

All of the world, and most of the professing church, is
totally oblivious concerning what is about to take place
on a global scale. Those who refuse to learn from history
or do not have spiritual vision to examine Biblical
prophecy lack real discernment. Long ago the Lord told
the ancient prophet, Daniel, that in the last days "the
wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall
understand; but the wise shall understand." (Daniel
12:10) This simply means that the only people on earth
at this hour who have any idea of what lies ahead for
mankind are the believers in Jesus Christ who are
searching the prophetic Scriptures and have been taught
by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit informed Daniel
that the prophetic revelation given to him would be
sealed up, not illumined by the Spirit, until the last days.
To read the entire newsletter, please click on the link below.
http://e-tacklebox.com/09-_2__newsletter.pdf

Something To Think About...

2 Corinthians 6:1 (King James Version)
1We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

To receive God's grace in vain would mean that He has given us the power to walk free from the snares of this world through holiness, but we neglect it. Jesus is not looking at our intentions, wishes, or knowledge of what is right. He is looking at our works! Are we allowing the grace of God to produce holy living in our lives, or have we received the grace of God in vain?

The encouragement: there is strength to live a sanctified life through the grace of God.

-taken from John Bevere's book, "A Heart Ablaze"

God Moves in a Mysterious Way...

I had to attend my uncle's funeral today and was wondering how I would do coming just after my son's death in March. It was a graveside service and the girl standing in front of me lost her young brother last year. He was 29yrs old, a police officer, while on patrol a truck driver ran a red light and struck his patrol car and killed him. I consider Lori a dear friend, and her whole family. I dispatched police for 10 yrs before transferring to the courthouse. During the service we were both doing ok while the preacher was reading the Word, then a lady come to the front to sing about heaven. Lori burst into tears, my attention was immediately drawn to her, I got beside her, put my arm around her and was praying for her. It was not until after the service I realized, I didn't even think about Abe! I was so drawn to Lori and praying for her comfort, that was all I could think about. God is pretty slick, isn't He? God orchestrated the whole thing, placing Lori in front of me. There were a lot of people at the graveside, Uncle Harvey was a former mayor of the city, his son an active police officer, so there were also a lot of officers there. But God saw to it that Lori stood in front of me. She later emailed me and told me she was about to lose it when I put my arm around her and that comforted her. I had to email her back and tell her she probably did more for me than I did her.
The "little" things God does for His children.

God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
-William Cowper (1731-1800)

Unprofitable Anger...

Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools." - Ecclesiastes 7:9

Every day of our lives we are placed in situations that engage us with other people, whether it is in the office, our homes, or in public places. Do you recall the last time someone cut you off in traffic, or you were forced to wait in line because someone up front got held up? Perhaps your employer did something that was downright unfair. Anger can result from many circumstances.
A friend once told me that anger is like warning lights on the front of your car dashboard. They signal that there is something going on under the hood, and we should take a look to examine the source of the problem. Anger can be traced to a few sources. First, when we lose control of a circumstance that we have placed certain expectations on and those expectations do not result in our desired outcome, we are tempted to get angry. The source of this type of anger is both fear and protection of personal rights. You see, when we believe we have a right to something, we have not given the Lord permission to allow an outcome different from what we want. If an outcome is different from our expectations, this may stimulate fear.
For instance, if a vendor failed to deliver an important job on time due to something out of his control, you may respond out of anger. Please know that the source of your anger is the fear of what might happen to you or what this might say about your abilities to manage a project. You no longer are in control of the circumstance and this creates fear in you.
The next time you get angry ask the Lord what is the source of that anger? Did the Lord allow that failure to let you see what is "under your hood"? God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind (see 2 Tim. 1:7). Give up your rights to expectations that God never gave you. You will find a new freedom in Christ you never knew you could have.
-Os Hillman T.G.I.F.

Just For Fun, Work vs Prison...

IN PRISON.......you spend the majority of your time in an 10X10 cell.
AT WORK.......you spend the majority of your time in an 8X8 cubicle.
IN PRISON......you get three meals a day.
AT WORK......you get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it.
IN PRISON.......you get time off for good behavior.
AT WORK.......you get more work for good behavior.
IN PRISON.......the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.
AT WORK.......you must often carry a security card and open all the doors for yourself.
IN PRISON.......you can watch TV and play games.
AT WORK......you could get fired for watching TV and playing games.
IN PRISON......you get your own toilet.
AT WORK.....you have to share the toilet with some people who pee on the seat.
IN PRISON.......they allow your family and friends to visit.
AT WORK.......you aren't even supposed to speak to your family.
IN PRISON......all expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required.
AT WORK.......you get to pay all your expenses to go to work, and they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners.
IN PRISON.......you spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out.
AT WORK ......you spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars.
IN PRISON ......you must deal with sadistic wardens.
AT WORK......they are called managers.

Changing One's Perspective...

Valuable Oranges...
One of the most tragic accidents that ever happened came about in the mid-Atlantic, April 14, 1912.
The Titanic, one of the largest vessels of all time, hit an iceberg and sank within a few hours. Many stories of heroism and courage have been written about this incident. Many women chose to go down with their husbands. The band played "Nearer My God to Thee."
One woman who was allotted space on one of the rescue boats asked permission to return to her stateroom. She was given three minutes. In that stateroom money and jewels were scattered all over the floor, but she took no heed of them. Rather, she snatched three oranges and hurried back to the boat.
It seems almost incredible that the woman preferred oranges to diamonds.
But, you see, death had boarded the Titanic, and with one blast of his awful breath, transformed all values-precious things became worthless and worthless things became precious.
Death has a funny way of changing things. All of the things we work for and worry about seem reasonable until they are viewed in the light of our own death. The pursuit of pleasurable things seems most reasonable until one thinks about death. Striving for fame would also seen reasonable until one ponders the grave. Death just has a way of changing one's perspective.
The thing that happened on the Titanic actually happens every day-but remember: values transformed at death are values transformed too late. Will you transform your values now?

"Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
-I Timothy 6:6-8

IF JESUS CAME TO YOUR HOUSE...

If Jesus came to your house To spend some time with you,

If He came unexpected, I wonder what you'd do.

Oh, I know you'd give your nicest room to such an honored guest.

And all the food you'd serve to Him Would be the very best.

And you would keep on assuring Him You're glad to have Him there-

That serving Him in your home is joy beyond compare.

But when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door,

with arms outstretched in welcome to your heavenly visitor?

Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in?

Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they'd been.

Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out?

Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about?

And I wonder - if the Saviour spent a day or two with you,

Would you go right on doing, the things you always do?

Would you go right on saying, the things you always say?

Or would life for you continue as it does from day to day?

Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you go?

Or would you maybe change your plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him meet your closest friends?

Or would you hope they stay away, until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on?

Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know, the things that you would do,

If Jesus came in person, to spend some time with you.

-author unknown

Just say no to works...

I love what Charles Stanley once said, "Remember the flesh that rages within you is at war with God, not with you. You may feel as though the battle is yours, but in a spiritual sense it is God's battle. We are the ones that must learn to say no to the desires of the flesh, but not just because we are disciplined. Without a sincere love for God and a desire to obey His will for our lives, discipline becomes nothing more than a physical exercise."The flesh is the part of us that stands in opposition to God's truth. It cannot be improved, disciplined, or changed. It is totally self-focused. It is self-centered, self-pleasing, self-promoting, self-seeking, self-concious, self-righteous, self-indulgent. Oswald Chamber writes: "If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself." We overcome the flesh by setting the focus of our hearts on loving the One who gave us life.

The secret is not in anything you can do, it is in abiding in Christ. We think we have to do something, but we can't. So what do we do to overcome sin in our lives? Believe. Believe in Christ's finished work on the cross. The Cross + nothing. How did we get saved? By trusting in Christ. It is the same way we get sanctified. You didn't get saved by anything you did, and you can't get free from sin by any self-effort. Just say no to works, and abide in Christ and trust Him to finish the work He started in you.

Could this be your problem?

Matthew 16:24-25 (King James Version)
24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Many people read this passage of scripture and think, I was born with a physical handicap so that is my cross. Or, I am not attractive, too tall or short, etc. But that is not it at all. Jesus is emphasizing denying yourself. Most people don't want to deny themselves anything. For one thing they have the wrong view of what is enough. Anything you do in excess, whethet it be eating, shopping, working, talking, sleeping, etc. There are many normal everyday things that turns into sin when you get excessive about them.
1. Excessive eating = Gluttony
2. Excessive shopping = Greed
3. Excessive sleeping=laziness
4. Excessive talking=Gossiping
5. Excessive working=Dependant on self not God
There are always consequences to sin. Gluttony will bring about health problems. Greed will bring debt. Staying in bed will keep you from your morning quiet time with the Lord. Many people hit the snooze button on the alarm clock and get up rushing because they don't want to be late. This causes stress. The old adage, silence is golden, the Bible says a talebearer breaks up friendships. Workaholics are not depending on God. They think they have to do extra to meet their needs. There again, they have the wrong view of what is enough.
All sins of excess have their roots in fear. Fear of not having enough, whether it be food, money, rest, or even attention. Gossips are extremely insecure people and talking is their way to get attention.
I wonder what would happen if:
1. The glutton ate right and exercised in order to take care of God's temple?
2. The person deep in debt paid off their debts and quit accumilating "stuff" so they could be a giver.
3. The lazy person got out of bed 30 minutes earlier and spent that time alone with God.
4. The gossiper, used their mouth only to bless and not to curse.
5. The workaholic would spend 40 hrs a week instead of 60 or 80 at his/her job so they could spend the remaining time with their family and Jesus.
I think the problem is that people tend to underestimate the verses that doesn't fit their lifestyle.
You may be guilty of one or more of these sins and are wondering, how do I get set free? Your freedom comes from what Christ did on the Cross. The majority of people look to Christ and the Cross for their salvation and leave it at that. But through Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit you can be set free. Many people look to works, or their own self effort and that will never free you. Jesus said, it is the truth that sets us free. Are you willing to face the truth that what you are doing is sin? You won't know freedom until you do. Are you willing to change your focus? Get it off yourself and get it on Christ and His finished work. The Apostle Paul struggled for many years before he found freedom. Read Romans 6,7 & 8. If it was a struggle for him, know it will also be a struggle for you. Don't give up, and don't think you can reach a point of sinless perfection, you can't.
Recommended reading: http://www.enduringword.com/ Read David Guzik's commentary on Romans 6, 7 & 8. Click on "commentaries" on the left side of the screen. Another good thing to read is "The Vine and the Branches" by David Tryon. It is found @ http://www.ntmu.net/ Click on pressing issues on the left side of the screen. This book will set you free.

God's Suddenlies...

I posted this on my other blog site, www.2getblessed.blogspot.com back in February and I don't know why, but felt led to post it here this evening. Hopefully it will bless someone.

Read Exodus 3:1-5, John 4:1-30, Acts 3:1-8
Three familiar old stories, Moses and the burning bush, the woman at the well, and the blind man at the gate called beautiful. Familiar scripture with powerful truths hidden in them that we miss because we tend to read through them so fast because they are familiar.Was Moses thinking on that day, take my father-in-laws flock to the back side of the desert, again. Perhaps the woman at the well was thinking, get my waterpot, go to the well, draw water, same old, same old. Maybe the blind man was thinking, hope I can beg enough to get some bread today, nothing ever changes. Our lives are not much different today. We do the same mundane things day after day. We get in a routine and tend to think, same old, same old, nothing ever changes. What these three didn't know, on those particular days, it wasn't going to be the same old dull day. Suddenly and unexpectedly, as they were going through their same old routine, the Lord shows up and their whole lives were changed.That's what makes Jesus so exciting. You never know when, where, or how Jesus will show up and your whole life be changed. Today may be that day for you as you are going about your same old dull routine. Today just may be the day you get that long awaited answer to prayer or some other unexpected blessing.

Blessings in Christ by John Woodward

Blessings in Christ

"Blessings in Christ"
"But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30).
The preceding verses in this context strike the familiar chord of God choosing the "weak and foolish things" to put to shame the values of this fallen world (1 Cor. 1:23-29).
"Of Him you are in Christ Jesus" indicates that salvation is a work of God's grace from beginning to end (Eph. 2:4-10). We owe everything to our Savior's loving kindness!
Through the new birth, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies! (Eph. 1:3) These blessings are due to our being transferred out of Adam's fallen line and into Christ's spiritual line (Col. 1:13,14; Rom. 5:15ff). As true believers we are "in Christ"!
Consider four blessings in Christ.
1. In Christ, we have WISDOM. Instead of the twisted wisdom of this age, we have God's true eternal perspective. In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3). Draw upon Christ for the wisdom you need!
2. In Christ, we have RIGHTEOUSNESS. Although our own efforts at righteousness are soiled (Isaiah 64:6), in Christ we are clothed with the very righteousness of God. This standing of justification is by grace through faith (Phil 3:9; 2 Cor. 5:21). Rejoice that you are clothed with a pure garment before a holy God![1]
3. In Christ, we have SANCTIFICATION. We are set apart for God the moment of our conversion. Hebrews 10:10 states "By that will [God's will] we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." That is why we are called saints! (1 Cor. 1:2). Yet we are called to continually progress in our experience of holiness. That is why the writer of Hebrews goes on to mention, "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified (Heb. 10:14). Do you find this challenge beyond your ability? Welcome to the club! Look to Christ for His life to be expressed through you. He is your sanctification!
4. In Christ, we have REDEMPTION. As believers we have been bought with a price--the precious blood of Jesus 91 Pet. 1:18,19). Although we deserve nothing in Adam's line, Christ's atonement declares us supremely valuable in the eyes of God. That is what counts! Through redemption we are set free from sin's penalty and power. (Rom. 6:11, 23). Reckon this true in your life, because it is true!
Made free! Made free in Jesus; Deep planted in His death, He liberates His life power, And breathes His Spirit's breath, Then, waxing strong in Spirit, With force of quickening life, The soul and body governed, Its members cease from strife.
Made free! Made free in Jesus; Joined to the Risen One, By conflict prayer you triumph, And claim the victory won. Freed with His glorious freedom, Above the darkness rife; For now the law of sin and death Is conquered by His life." [2]
"Our Savior, how can we thank You enough for the infinite blessings we have through true faith in Christ? Help us to treasure Your gifts to us--wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. In Christ we live and pray, amen."
~~~~
[1] Additionally, God's work of regeneration in the believer makes him righteous in his spirit as "the new man" (Col. 3:10). Cf. "Made Right to Live Right: A Study of Justification" @ GraceNotebook.com
[2] M.M. Quoted by Jessie Penn-Lewis in Soul and Spirit, (CLC).
For a more in-depth study of these four blessings, see Grace Notes: "Christ, Our Wisdom,""Christ, Our Righteousness," "Christ, Our Sanctification," and "Christ, Our Redemption."