Friends

Proverbs 18:24, "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (NKJV)

 

This passage of scripture came into my spirit this morning as I was praying. At first, I was somewhat startled as I was praying about people who I know are facing different needs in their lives.  I could categorize these people as those that I don't personally know, people who are acquaintances, people who are friends and those who are close friends. I am sure that you have some of those same relationships in your life. But it was during those moments that the Holy Spirit reminded me of the "importance" of friends and the impact that they have made and continue to make in my life. I will confess that my heart is tender toward friends and their friendship as I have received birthday wishes from people who would fit into the categories that I previously mentioned. I was reminded of the need to cherish, appreciate and the understanding of the importance of maintaining those friendships. God has placed certain individuals in my life for an eternal purpose and not just for a time of temporary interaction.

 

Today I will use a word or thought from contemporary culture to express my appreciation. I want to give a "shout out" to all those wonderful, special, and unique individuals whom God has placed in my life. Each of them have played a major role in my development emotionally as well as spiritually. Many of these individuals have been a part of local churches that Ann and I have served through the years of our ministry. Many of these individuals I met when I was traveling as a Missionary/Evangelist in America for five years. Many of these individuals are fellow Pastors/Ministers that I have met through my journey as a Minister for over 42 years. These men, women, youth and children have brought smiles to my face; they have brought laughter to my heart; they have brought strength when I felt weak; they have brought courage when I was facing doubt and fear; and many of them have listened when I just needed someone to hear what was on my heart. I can honestly say that I could not have walked this road alone.

 

I read these words this morning in an email that was sent to me and I would like to share them with you. "Let old friends know you haven't forgotten them, and tell new friends you never will. Remember, everyone needs a friend..." We have been blessed through the friendships of others and we should always remember the need to be a friend to someone.

 

REMEMBER, EVERYONE NEEDS A FRIEND!!!

Encouragement

Hebrews 3:13, "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (NIV)

 

I am sure that many of us who read this blog have fought a battle or two with the spirit of discouragement. We have known what it is to face the attempts of the enemy as he sought to dismantle and destroy our heart for God and His plan for our life through the means of discouragement. I do not seek to give any free advertisement to our adversary but I sincerely want this post to emphasize the opportunity for the family of God to encourage  one another. I truly believe that the modern day church must reestablish the "ministry of encouragement" so that we can fulfill our call and responsibility to one another. I want to live with an attitude that exudes a spirit of encouragement. I am not talking about walking around with a hypocritical smile on my face and with fake words that are spoken out of rote and routine rather than from a heart of genuine care and concern. All of us have seen those people and all of us have left those type of people feeling worse than we felt before we encountered them. We certainly are seeing the effects of the second part of Hebrews 3:13. That in and of itself lets me know that we as a body of believers need to be putting into practice the first part of Hebrews 3:13.

 

Praise Report: I have been blessed to have been on the receiving end of encouragement as well as the one who desires to provide encouragement. The past few days have seen me receive encouragement and kind words from different individuals. Aren't you blessed when someone tells you that they love and appreciate you? Aren't you encouraged when someone says that they are praying for you? Doesn't a smile come to your face and a warm feeling arise in your heart when someone says you are a blessing to me? Have you ever enjoyed a pat on the back, a friendly handshake and an embrace of kindness from a brother or sister in Christ? Each of us can answer yes to these questions as well as share many other moments from our lives in which we received strength, hope and encouragement from the Body of Christ. Oh the joy of being encouraged by someone and OH THE JOY OF SERVING AS AN ENCOURAGER TO SOMEONE!!!! Hopefully at some point in this day you will be able to enjoy both of these emotions.

 

I want to personally thank everyone for the birthday wishes, birthday calls, birthday texts and birthday messages. I have smiled many times today as well as yesterday. I am thankful for my family, my friends and my extended Christian family. I have received messages from various locations both within the nation as well as outside of America. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT WITH ME TODAY!!! 

Thankfulness

1 Thessalonians 5:18, "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (NLT)

It was during prayer this morning that the Spirit reminded me about being thankful. Normally the words thankfulness and thanksgiving are associated with the holiday that we refer to as Thanksgiving. But the Holy Spirit challenged me to examine my attitude this morning. Do I truly and consistently live with and live in an attitude of thankfulness? Am I thankful in all circumstances? Is my attitude one in which I can exclaim and declare to God my sincere praise and thanksgiving on a daily basis? Or do I pick and choose the moments in which I express my gratitude to God? 

I understand that there are those "special" moments in our lives in which we see the goodness of God revealed in a moment of a miraculous demonstration. These events and moments in our lives remind us that God is still all powerful and all mighty regardless of the circumstances. But is it not also true that God provides moments of divine intervention on a daily basis? Many of these moments may go unrecognized or unnoticed because we are so busy living our life that we fail to identify what God is doing in us and for us at that very moment. Could that be the reason that Paul reminds us of the need to be thankful in everything on every day? I will be honest with you and say that I do not know if I meet that challenge every day. I want to meet that challenge and I believe the Lord used this passage to remind me that I need to focus on being thankful every day and not just on certain days that I choose. 

Personal note of Praise: Over the past few months I have been praying for at least five (5) individuals that have been dealing with specific treatments for cancer that had been discovered in their bodies. I have tried to be faithful in praying for each of them by name on just about every day of their journey. I am certain that I am not alone in offering my prayer support to these individuals. One of these individuals is our niece whom I consider my "adopted granddaughter." Four out the five individuals have made excellent progress in their battle with cancer and have received wonderful progress reports. One of the five is still facing an uphill battle as the Doctors seek to find the right regime of medicine to fight the particular cancer that she is facing. Our niece crossed over another hurdle yesterday as she received a wonderful report from her Doctor. I celebrated that yesterday and I celebrated again this morning in prayer. 

I felt that I must write about living in an attitude of thankfulness. It is so easy to live a life in which we fail to recognize the goodness of God on a daily basis. It is so easy to live a life that takes for "granted" those wonderful blessings that God "daily" places in our lives. I have learned my need to make sure that I look around and "count the blessings and name them one by one" (old hymn). I know that I can not name them all but there are many of those blessings in which I need to be more vocal with God and vocal with those around me. Let the Spirit speak to your heart today and enjoy living with an "attitude of gratitude!!!"

Serving Others

Philippians 2:7, " But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:" (KJV)

 

The idea of serving others runs contrary to the attitude of many who live among us in our present world. We live in a world of "me" and what is "best for me." Culture has even created a new term to describe this phenomena; it is called "selfie." This word was developed as more and more people enjoy talking about themselves, sharing pictures of themselves and even going as far as to describe many of their personal activities through the various social media outlets. This blog is not so much concerned with warning us about the challenge of social media  but I am more interested in reinforcing the positive manner that Christ gave to us an example of a servant when He came into this world. I will have to discuss "selfishness" versus "selflessness" in a future post as the Spirit directs.

 

The writings of the Spirit through the hands of Paul came into my mind during an adult Discipleship class last night. We were discussing the third Missionary journey of Paul. The life of the Apostle Paul has always intrigued me but the presentation challenged me to focus on his actions of serving others. But his service was not just through his words, sermons, letters, or teachings. The life of Paul revealed his personal desire and not just a professional desire to serve the family of God. He was not being paid to serve; as a matter of fact the Word reveals that he paid a dear price to be able to serve the family of God. The Apostle Paul was not a "selfie"! The Apostle Paul was a servant who had encountered Christ, the example of servanthood and his life had been eternally impacted and transformed.

 

The lesson that was presented challenged me to ask questions of myself. Am I true servant who serves for the right purpose? Do I truly care more for others than I do for myself? Is my life about me or is my life about serving others? How large is my ego? What truly matters in my life? I will stop with my personal list of questions. But I do encourage you to take a look at your role of servanthood. The church does not have positions to fill which promise to bring you stardom and attention but the church does have positions open which promise to bring you opportunities to serve others. Oh, the joy of serving others as we walk the road of life. Let us lay off the garments of selfishness and take up the garments of selflessness and service!!

Remembrance, Part 2

Psalm 103:1-2, "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. ² Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:" (KJV)

 

Yesterday's post reminded us of the need to remember those wonderful benefits that accompany placing our faith and trust in God. I trust that you took some time to meditate and reflect on the benefits that accompany our relationship with God. I am sure that many who read this blog have needs that are similar to those I face at this present time. If we do not possess a personal need at this time we certainly know someone who does. It seems that my prayer list never shrinks; the names just change to reflect the updated needs that are shared with me. These last two sentences reflect the reality of life but it also leads us to the throne room of God where we can freely share our burdens with Him.

 

This morning it seemed as though the Spirit asked me this question as I began my time of prayer. "Are you going to trust Me with your requests today?" I was somewhat stunned and amazed at the same time. I knew that God knew all things but this question brought that stark reality to the forefront of my thought process. Praying was not the question, I was beginning to pray as I normally do. The deeper question hinged on the fact of whether I would trust God or would I just go through the motions of pretending to trust Him as I prayed. I am still somewhat overwhelmed as I write these words 3 1/2 hours later. Will I trust Him resonated in my heart throughout my prayer time and the question is still resonating in my heart as I write these words.

 

I have come to this conclusion now that I have had some time to reflect. There are some situations that are easier to place in God's hands and care than others. There are some situations that I can more easily trust God with than others. I hope that I do not offend you or hinder your faith through my transparency regarding my thoughts today. But in my heart I know that I want to trust God with every situation. It was during those moments that the Word of God came rushing into my heart and began reminding me of the revealed promises of the Heavenly Father. My faith and trust began to grow stronger and I found myself leaving my burdens with the Lord. I plan on learning from this encounter with the Spirit and I am fully committed to continue my journey of trusting in the promises of God.

 

Be encouraged today as you continue to place your trust in God and His mighty Word!!

Remembrance

Psalm 103:1-2, "Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:" (KJV)

The past few days have been ones in which God has reminded me to remember His many and wonderful benefits. Many of you could quote the wonderful promises that are found in this powerful passage of scripture. But this morning the Lord stopped me at the last part of verse 2 and I believe that He wanted to remind me of a very valuable principle. It is the principle of remembrance. I am reminded not to forget the benefits of God. My observation of this portion of truth leads me to believe that I have the ability and maybe even the propensity to forget "His benefits." Life does have a way to bring "spiritual amnesia" into our thought process as we move through daily situations and challenges. 

The Lord in His amazing Graciousness this morning reminded me of prayers that have been answered in recent days. The Lord through His wonderful loving care reminded me of an individual that had been delivered from an addiction that had challenged them for a long time. The Lord through His awesome sacrifice on the cross reminded me of an individual who had prayed the sinner's prayer and accepted Christ as their Savior. I believe that I am receiving a witness of confirmation and encouragement as these words are being read. The Lord reminded through the power of Jehovah-Raphe of an individual who received a wonderful report from their last visit with their Doctor. The Lord also reminded me through the promises of God found in His Word that there is so much more that the Heavenly Father desires to share with His children. Although these words were written in a song I am going to share them one more time; "Our God is an awesome God..." Let the church say AMEN!

Would you let this blog post remind each of us of the greatness of God? And may His Word and the revelation of His presence assist us through the process of our memory!!!

² 

Valentine's Day

First of all, I desire to wish a Happy Valentine's Day to my lovely wife, Ann. She has been and continues to be a blessing to me and in a few weeks we will celebrate 42 years of marriage. I am thankful for the day that God brought her into my life and I am thankful for the day that God awakened the true Biblical sense of love, honor, respect, and caring in my heart for her. We have been blessed tremendously as we have walked this road together. Each of those 42 years have been spent in the Ministry and God has rewarded our lives in so many ways and I rejoice in His blessings today.

 

Valentine's Day allows us to reflect on the love that we have for our spouse, our family, our friends and our local church family. We are able to recognize the role that loves plays in our lives and the importance of those people with which we share that love. I would encourage you to take a little extra time and remember those people that God has placed in your life for His unique purpose and plan. I realize that the "bad" people of our world garner all of the attention but we must remember that each of us have been blessed to encounter many "good and wonderful" people who have definitely made a difference in our lives. We may need to step out of our comfort zone and let these "good" people know that we love and appreciate the contribution that they have made to our lives. Several people immediately come to my mind as I am typing these words to share with you through this blog post. Do not let your thoughts remain buried in the recesses of your mind. Use some form of communication (card, note, email, text, phone call, etc.) to express your thankfulness to them. Your thoughtfulness in this expression of appreciation will bless you as well as bringing a smile to their face and a sense of knowing that someone cares. Trust me on this one, the individuals who receive the communication will be encouraged and strengthened.

 

Yesterday I shared some thoughts from Dr. James Dobson concerning our marriages. I would like to share five (5) more inspirations from his understanding of marriage relationships.

6. Trust one another and build reasonable boundaries -- jealousy and trust rarely co-exist. 

7. Avoid alcohol or substance abuse, pornography, gambling and other potential addictions that will quickly kill your marriage and your life. 

8. Be content with having enough -- “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread” (Proverbs 30:8). 

9. Think of your marriage as a marathon -- you will need determination and faith to go the distance of a lifetime. 

10. Keep Christ at the center and remember His words, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).