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| I remember when Saturdays used to be a "get out on the town" night. All we could think about is what were going to do on Saturday. When I gave my life to Christ at 18 years of age my Saturdays were revolutionized. Almost automatically Saturdays became a day of preparing my heart to be in Gods presence on Sunday. Not that I locked myself in a room to pray and fast although I would do that on occasion, But I had a strong anticipation and inward reflection. Whether I was walking through a store or in a park or wherever I was my thoughts were on what God was going to do the next day. Psalms 42 "When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast." Speaks to us of this yearning for Gods presence. To be in his house and worship him with great celebration and Joy. Everyone in the world is so busy on Saturdays, going to the malls to the parks and places of recreation, spending time with the family. Saturday is the time for birthday parties, baby showers, weddings, quinceaneras, long drives to the mountains, and other innumerable activities. You may not want to reduce your Saturday activities but you can build expectation in your heart. There is nothing that compares to the coming together of Gods people in explosive praise and whole hearted worship to the Lord. As I would walk into the house of God I would never be disappointed and I have never been disappointed since. I just want to encourage those of you who are advanced enough in years and in spiritual growth to dedicate your Saturdays to prepare your hearts for Sunday service. Not in a legalistic way but from a spiritual hunger for more of God. Separate a little prep time on Saturday. Carry your bible with you and any chance you get read the word. Even in the midst of whatever activity you are involved in cultivate expectation for Sunday when the whole family of God gets together to sit around the Fathers table and sup with Him and He with us.
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KEYS TO ABUNDANCE This is our new sunday morning series. Jesus said in John 10:10 "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but I have come so that you might have life and have it abundantly" Proverbs 28:20 says that " A faithful man will abound in blessings" This is the first key to enjoying the abundant life that Jesus came to give us. Faithfulness; You see it is the faithful man who will patiently continue to work until the harvest comes. James 5:7 says "Be patient therefore, brethren unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain." We must wait for the blessing! We must serve the Lord faithfully even when we do not see the blessing. Believing that the blessing will come. "Be not weary in well doing for in due time we will reap if we faint not" Galatians 6:9. Together we will discover the keys that will open the windows of heaven and pour out upon us an uncontainable blessing. Tell me what you thing one of these keys might be and why. Lets learn together.
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| Micah is two Caleb is not even one yet. What a joy it has been to help raise them over these two years. Watching them learn to walk (well Caleb almost walks), Hearing the first words, waking up one morning and seeing Micah starring at me with a big smile on his face, Seeing Caleb’s smile light up the room and my heart when I enter the room. I just paused as I write this and finally the inevitable, I’ve been avoiding it for two days, I cried, no I wept, I grieved with deep pain. Jen and Jon have made a sudden decision to take a job opportunity in Greely Colorado eighteen hours away.In a lot of ways our two grandsons are our lives. We of all people understand leaving all to follow the call of Christ but now we are beginning to understand what it means to lose it all for the sake of Christ. Such a flood of human emotions, we ask ourselves inside “why are you taking our grandchildren so far away from us”? Why is this happening to me? To feel like the joy of helping to raise our grandkids has been taken away from us.But then like in the movies when someone is hysterical and the other person gives them a solid slap or two across the face telling them “get a hold of yourself” I think it’s God getting me by the shoulders and shaking me back to my senses. It’s only a two hour flight. Hey you’re a successful man you can do this a couple of times a month if you want to. You’re not the only one in the world who has to go through this. Brother Mesa suffered it and survived, sister Linda had to make the sacrifice.And yet we are so attached to our two boys. Please Jenn and Jon try to understand our pain and encourage us to stay in their lives. You are young and life is an adventure. We are happy for you and we want you to spread your wings and fly. Follow your dreams, make a difference! But we are old(er),(except Tia) We are living our dream and making a difference (except Tia she is still in school). But Micah and Caleb are the love of our lives (including and especially Tias). Always Tata, Nana & Tia
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Psalms 90:1 "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom"
Very few young people learn to number their days. There is a certain sense of immortality that accompanies youthfulness. There is a physical strength, a drive and passion for life, a desire to be and to do. The idea of tragedy or death is shaken off in an instant and then on with life. But for you to apply your heart to wisdom you must first learn to number your days. You must lose the false sense of imortality and become fully aware of your mortality. To have in your heart a consciousness of your temporary existence. To realize in your heart that there is no guarantee that life will give you 80 years or even 18 years.
In our youth we live in a sense of denial as we live our life as if there is no tomorrow or no end to our tomorrow's or worse we live as if there is no eternity. This was the plight of Solomon the wisest man who ever lived, who became foolish and forgot about eternity, about judgment and about God. And when he regained his senses he said "remember that for all of this you must give account to God".
The art of numbering your days is something that you should learn while you are yet young! You will most likely learn this as you grow older but if you learn it in your youth you will have a long and productive life. If you do not you will most likely squander your life in frivious things that either bring you pain and disappointment or do not amount to anything worthwhile. If you do not learn to number your days you will no doubt look back on your life with regret. No learn to number your days while you are young and you will be fruitful and satisfied in your heart. Let me try to help you learn how to number your days and apply your heart to wisdom.
Life is just a space of time in eternity, with it's beginning and its end. if you are reading this you are probably at least 12 years old so lets number your days. The bible says that our days are 70 to 80 years. Some live longer and some die young. But lets say you have 80 years of life, that means that you have already spend 12 so you only have 68 years left. 8 hour a day of sleep that means that you have 16 hours a day of life. 16x 365 = 5840 hours a year x 68 years of life that you have left = 397,120 hours of life but If you divide that by 24 the hours in an actual day that gives you 16546 days or 45 years of awake time. If you are 12 years old you actually only have 45 years of awake time left. Now if you live to be 80 your last 10 years probably will be years of reflecting, relaxing and resting. so that means that you probably have only 35 years (of awake time) that you will fully enjoy.
Look at all the Icons of music and Hollywood that enjoyed the spotlight 50, 40, 30, 20 even ten years ago, they are either Gone or in the background. Put aside to make room for the new generation as it arrives. All that is old was once new all that is new will become old and eventually pass away. God says heaven and earth will pass away but my word will not pass away. To number your days it to live each day for God. To live a life filled with Love and abounding in good works. it is to live for eternity. Number your days, apply your heart to wisdom. Make the most of you days here on earth and be ready to meet with God and prepared to enter eternity with Christ.
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I visited Jericho, it was very hot and there were many flies. As I looked around I could see the Jordan River where the water had opened before Joshua and the people of Israel. What euphoria to see the miraculous unfold right before your eyes.Then there was Jericho, a great city with towering walls up to 12 feet thick. So what's the plan? March! March around the city the first day, nothing happens. March around the city the second day, nothing happens. Every day for seven days, then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times. The walls fall, the victory is won.
God has taught me a few lessons from this story. Of course, there is the lesson we all have learned, like the importance of absolute obedience. I believe this is the core lesson to be learned in this story and in the word of God in general. However, I have learned some other lessons from this story. Like the importance of patience and persistence. The answer to our prayer does not always come immediately and usually not even quickly. The miracle does not always happen instantaneously. The dream does not become reality within the time frame that we would have liked. Usually these things take time! We just have to keep on marching, keep on obeying, keep on believing. Even when others mock us or criticize us, even when our own mind accuses us of stupidity. ignorance and even of insanity. We must believe God above the reproach an above even our own thoughts and feelings. patience and persistence go together. not just sitting down to wait but following through with the last word we heard from the Lord.
The other thing that I have learned from this story is that God did not need all the marching and yelling in order to bring down the walls, but he did want his people to work together with him in this great miracle. he could have just touched them with his little finger and it would have been as if a nuclear bomb had hit them. But he wanted there to be an explosion of faith in the hearts of his people. It amazes me that god wants us, wants me to work together with him in all he does. When i think of the privilege of working together with God, i feel humbled. that the almighty God would say to you and me, "Let's go heal a sick person" or "Let's me and you go out and save a soul today" or even "Let's build a new church building that will seat a thousand people".
The bible says that we are co-laborers with God, WOW! Think about this next time you pray for a sick person or teach a Sunday school class or minister through music or song. You are not merely doing these things for God, but God has allowed you to work together with Him to bless and minister to others. When Jericho was conquered and the people were all settling down for a night of rest, I can almost hear someone say, "Praise God for the victory, we did it! We persevered and God gave us the victory!" there is a feeling of accomplishment and success and that's OK. God knows that we need to feel like we had a part in something successful and so he allows us to work together with Him. He doesn't really need us but he loves to include us. What a privilege to work with God.
Someone once said, " God does not need us to do anything but He will not do anything without us."
give me your insights on the battle of Jericho.
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