May 22, 2008

Taking God Seriously


"Every time anyone in the Bible of any significance met God, great fear, awe, and trembling came upon them. We talk about standing in the presence of a Holy God, yet our response to Him is unlike anyone who stood before Him in the Scriptures. We must ask ourselves if we are confronting God in such a way that a holy sense of trembling comes over us. How can Christians proclaim a message of urgency while living a lifestyle of complacency? People will believe the message when it is delivered by a messenger whose life demonstrates that he knows God and takes God seriously.” - Henry Blackaby from the book, The Man God Uses

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7 ESV)

Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away.  They do not say in their hearts, "Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest."  Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you. (Jeremiah 5:22-25 ESV)

“The presence of God in His people put fear in the nations surrounding them. The nations were not afraid of the Israelites. They were afraid of the God of the Israelites. How many people tremble before the God that churches serve in their communities? The fear of God will not come upon the people outside the church before it comes upon the people inside the church." - Henry Blackaby from the book, The Man God Uses

Posted by Jim at 07:41:23 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

May 12, 2008

Appearance or God's Power


Addressing a national seminar, George Gallup said, "We find there is very little difference in ethical behavior between churchgoers and those who are not active religiously.”  The levels of lying, cheating, and stealing were found to be remarkably similar in both groups.  Gallup found that eight out of ten Americans consider themselves to be Christians, yet only half of them could identify the person who gave the Sermon on the Mount and fewer still could recall five of the Ten Commandments.  Of the respondents in the poll, only two in ten said they would be willing to suffer for their faith.

I doubt that anyone serious about their faith would find the above circumstances acceptable.  Why is such weak, jaded “Christianity” the norm?  Could it be that many who name the Name have never been changed by His grace and power?

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:1-7 ESV)

Posted by Jim at 09:39:12 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

May 06, 2008

Campaign 2008


Today is Primary Day in North Carolina.  Many people are making their way to the Polls to cast their vote.  Others are choosing to stay at home.  Some do so because they feel betrayed by their political party.  Some stay home because they have lost faith in the political process.  Others stay home because they simply don't care.

I pray and I vote.  I do so primarily because of 1 Timothy 2:1-4, which reads:

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4 NASB)

I also pray and vote because I understand the importance of responsible citizenship.  While I do not place my hope in any political party (my trust is in Lord Jesus), I am a citizen of the United States of America and my vote counts.

Consider the difference that one vote makes.  ONE VOTE made Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector of the Commonwealth and gave him control of England in 1645. ONE VOTE condemned Charles I and caused him to be executed in 1649. ONE VOTE kept Aaron Burr – later charged with treason – from becoming President of the United States in 1800. ONE VOTE elected Marcus Morton governor of Massachusetts in 1839. ONE VOTE made Texas part of the United States in1845. ONE VOTE saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment in 1868. ONE VOTE changed France's governmental polity from a monarchy to a republic in 1875. ONE VOTE admitted California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho into the United States in 1850 (California and Oregon), 1889, and 1890. ONE VOTE elected Rutherford B. Hayes to the Presidency in 1876 and the man in the Electoral College who cast that vote was an Indiana Representative also elected by ONE VOTE. ONE VOTE made Adolf Hitler head of the Nazi Party in Germany in 1923. ONE VOTE maintained the Selective Service System (the draft) only 12 weeks before Pearl Harbor in 1941. ONE VOTE per precinct would have elected Richard Nixon, rather than John Kennedy in 1960.  One vote counts!  Your vote counts!  Pray and Vote!
Posted by Jim at 11:50:24 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

May 04, 2008

Making the Moments Count

Christin Ditchfield, a writer for Focus on the Family Magazine, records that on the morning of September 11, Jeannie Braca switched on the television to check the weather report, only to hear that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. Jeannie’s husband, Al, worked as a corporate bond trader for Cantor Fitzgerald. His office was on the 105th floor of Tower One. Al had survived the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and had even helped a woman with asthma escape from the building. Jeannie knew that Al would do the same thing this time, “I knew he would stop to help and minister to people,” she said, “but I never thought for a minute that he wouldn’t be coming home!”

A week later, like so many others who were in that building, Al’s body was found in the rubble. Al’s wife, Jeannie, and his son Christopher were devastated! Then the reports began to trickle in from friends and acquaintances. Some people on the 105th floor had made a last call or sent a final e-mail to loved ones saying that a man was leading people in prayer. A few referred to Al by name. Al’s family learned that Al had indeed been ministering to people during the attack! When Al realized that they were all trapped in the building and would not be able to escape, Al shared the gospel with a group of 50 co-workers and led them in prayer.

This news came as no surprise to Al’s wife, Jeannie. For years, she and Al had been praying for the salvation of these men and women. According to Jeannie, Al hated his job and couldn’t stand the environment. It was a world so out of touch with his Christian values, but he wouldn’t quit. Al was convinced that God wanted him to stay there, to be a light in the darkness, and although Al would not have put it this way, to be a hero! Al was not ashamed of Christ and Christ’s words…and he paid the price of taking up his cross daily. Al shared his faith with his co-workers….many of whom sarcastically nicknamed him “The Rev.” And on that fateful day…on September 11, in the midst of the chaos, Al’s co-workers looked to him—-and Al delivered!

At the same time, Al too tried to get a phone call through to his family. He asked an MCI operator to contact his family. “Tell them that I love them,” he said. It took the operator more than a month to reach the Bracas, but the message brought them much-needed comfort. “The last thing my dad did involved the two things most important to him—God and his family,” his son Christopher told a writer for Focus on The Family. “He loved to lead people to Christ. That takes away a lot of the hurt and the pain.”
Posted by Jim at 22:21:48 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

April 30, 2008

Really Cool

Casting Crowns is a wonderful group of musicians who minister as they sing and play.  I love their musical offerings and this song, "Who Am I?" is one of my favorites.  Below is a clip of their song that was dramatized by a college group with a marvelous effect.  I hope you are blessed by the music and dramatic presentation.  And remember, God really does love you...Jesus is the proof!

alt : http://www.youtube.com/v/CT7x3VnrqbA&hl=en
Posted by Jim at 21:45:23 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |