Knowledge

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." That's in the book of Hosea. But what does that verse mean? It says also, that they reject knowledge. Well, we have lots of schools of higher education, and here in Chicago, we just had a big teacher's strike, so we have lots of opportunity to learn here in America. We can even take online courses in zillions of subjects. What kind of knowledge was Hosea talking about? Was it a head knowledge that you can learn by taking various courses? David in the book of Psalms said "Blessed is the man...whose delight is in the Law of the Lord." He also said the Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul, and the testimonies of the Lord are sure making wise the simple. Psalm 19. So you are thinking that reading the book of the Law will do the trick! Reading and knowing are not the same. Reading is a definite start because you cannot know about God unless you first read His Word. When Jesus came along, He accused the Pharisees of many things...but they were keepers of the Law and teachers! He said they were like graves with a nice headstone on the outside ,perhaps, but still dead on the inside. They did have knowledge! Daniel said that in the end times, many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase. Look around you, and at yourself. We are so busy running everywhere to make money , to pay bills, to stay ahead of tax time in April ( which sounds like it will get tougher than ever for those with children), and knowledge is increasing. We have unmanned drones, and new types of cell phones every time you turn around, plus surgical equipment is far beyond 50 years ago. Are we better off? Are we more peaceful ? Are we happier? My people are destroyed for LACK of knowledge! Paul said "To know Christ and Him crucified" "and to know the Love of Christ, which passes knowledge that we may be filled with all the fullness of God." " But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yes, doubtless, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness,which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death." Phil 3. Knowing Christ is the knowledge that you need. But reading about Christ in the scriptures, is good, but still not enough. Look back to what Paul said in Philippians. He called Jesus "My Lord!" There is a huge difference between knowing about Christ and knowing Him ! HUGE ! I can say that for myself. One time when I was much younger, the Lord spoke to me and said just that ! He said "You have known about me these past 17 yrs but now I want you to know Me" Repentance is first. If you can't recognize that you are a sinner and that Jesus is the only Savior to set you free, then just forget it! You are still proud. Repentance is the recognition of your sinfulness and the asking Jesus to forgive you and take over your life...going a brand new direction. Then Peter in Acts said to all the people that after repentance, you need to be Baptized in water in Jesus name. This is a fulfillment of Matthew 28. Jesus is the name with all power and so we MUST be Baptized in His name. Then, you pray to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit where the evidence is speaking in tongues, just like they spoke in tongues in the book of Acts. Now what? Remember the song " Take my life and let it be, always only all for thee" You have a new Lord...but this Lord loves you and wants the best for you. We get to know Him in prayer, and reading His Word and by learning to say "Yes, Lord". Pride can still try to overtake you, but come back to Him and yield to His direction daily, hourly. As time goes by and you feed your spiritual life with His Word, good Christian books and good Christian music etc, you will fall in love with Him more and more. There's another song, "To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus, I only ask to be like Him." It's a journey...but we have The Good Shepherd, who Loves His sheep.

What Can We Learn From Sorrow

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM SORROW? There was a knock at my door, so I hurried to open it. When I looked through the window of the door, I saw who it was. I quickly locked the door, and secured it with a bolt. I even got hold of some furniture and pushed it in front of the door! My fears at seeing who was at the door somewhat subsided, but only somewhat…because Sorrow then started speaking to me from the other side of the door. Why won’t you let me come in? You will learn so much from me and from experiencing me in your life and in those around you. I will teach you many things, if you will let me! I can teach you Mercy, Compassion, Patience, Love, Kindness and Forgiveness. You cannot learn these things any other way. Are you sure you want to keep the door locked?” Mercy, Compassion, Patience, Love, Kindness, and Forgiveness, were standing in back of Sorrow. I could see them out there on my front sidewalk. There was something keeping them from getting past Sorrow. Something! And yet, they didn’t even want to get past Sorrow. So, I pondered and waited and wondered and prayed. “Yes, Lord, I want all you have for me, and if this is the only way for me to learn those wonderful things, then I will open the door.” I pulled away the furniture, unlocked the bolt, unlocked the door, and opened it. Sorrow flooded over me, and unseen with her, was Grief and Pain! I cried, “Lord, is this the only way? Are You sure? Are You with me? I cannot bear this alone, Lord! Please help me!” Then His Peace came and I felt His Everlasting Wings underneath me. The Sorrow, Grief and Pain were still there, but also Assurance of His Love, I said, Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou, Lord” As I yielded to Jesus, in this way for me, I started seeing that Mercy, Compassion, Patience, Love, Kindness, and Forgiveness were coming through my front door. I embraced then All…All! For I knew that I would not learn the last things without the first. Then I remembered what the Lord said…Sorrow, Tears, Death, Crying and Pain will someday pass away. (Rev 21:4) Thankyou, Lord!

Hannah...A Great Woman of God

I got distracted while reading Ezekiel today, and looked up a reference in 1 Samuel 2. Then I got further distracted, and just had to read about this great woman...Hannah. How absolutely incredible she was ! First she has to endure the tauntings of the other wife...year after year ! Hannah had no children, but the other wife did! The other wife was also jealous because Elkanah, the husband , loved Hannah better than her. So, at the yearly trip to the temple, Hannah makes a vow. "If you will give me a baby boy, Lord, I will give him back to you." Wow! Could I do that? It definitely would be hard. So, she gets pregnant, gives birth to a baby boy. The child gets weaned and then Hannah takes the boy (probably at age 5), back to the temple to live with the priest. What a heart break most women would feel to do such a thing. And besides that, Eli's house was not really holy. It says that his sons were sons of Belial or the devil. So, the boy grows up in an unholy household. Hannah comes each year with a new coat for her son. Then Eli prays a blessing on her and she has 3 more sons and 2 daughters. She was blessed for her obedience to the Lord. Who is the son? Samuel ! He becomes one of the greatest prophets that ever lived ! Who knows what will happen when you and I trust the Lord God completely ...and do not lean on our own understanding! Who knows what great things will happen in the kingdom of God. It's high time ladies, that we stop living in our fears, and throw ourselves into the arms of our Saviour and say, "Here I am Lord ! Take me and do with me YOUR will, and help me trust you always."

If Jesus Came to your House (poem)

If Jesus Came to Your House by Red Sovine If Jesus came to your house, I wonder what you'd do. Yes, if Jesus came to your house, to spend a day or two, If He came unexpected, just dropped in on you. 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 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 turn off the radio and hope He hadn't heard? And wish you hadn't uttered that last loud hasty word? And would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out? Could you let Jesus just walk right in, or would you rush about? And I wonder if the Savior spend 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? Would life for you continue as it does from day to day? And would your family conversation keep up it's usual pace? And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace? Would you sing the songs you always sing, and read the books you read, And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed? And would you take Jesus with you everywhere you'd planned to go? Or maybe would you change your plans for just a day or so? Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends, Or hope that they would stay away until His visit ends? And 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? Oh, it might be interesting to know the things that you would do, If Jesus came in person to spend some time with you.

Don't Fudge it

In the old days, we would say, "You gonna fudge it?". That meant " Are you going to try to get around the issue, or are you going to change the homework or your timecard or your recipe, so that you can get away with something. Some things can be "fudged". You can buy honey with added water that's a cheap price and then make it through life. You can buy storebought fruit and veggies instead of garden organic grown, and still make it through life and have a happy life. You can buy cheap windows that look good and sound good when sold to you by that dealer, and then later have some draft coming in , or pay a higher price for heating than if you had bought a more expensive brand of window. Still you can make it through life and have a happy life. You can do some "Fudging" on some things in life and still go through life fairly happy. BUT.........you CANNOT "Fudge" on eternity. You cannot change the BOOK (meaning the Bible) and write your own plan ! God has set it up His Way for our own good. He has not set up His plan of salvation (as in Acts 2:38) to damage us or control us or to kill our life and make us unhappy! He has done it for our own good because He loves us. You cannot change His Word and make it to heaven. You cannot wash away your sin with any other plan but His! And if you think He is selfish and controlling, think again. "Can the vessel tell the potter how to shape the vessel?" . I hear things these days that are astounding to me! "I am good enough". "I am going to be all right!" You are not going to be all right without Jesus! You cannot get around it, "fudge it" and get to heaven your way. You may be all, right for now! It may seem like you got it together, but honey, Jesus said "I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life. NO man come to the Father but by Me" (and NO woman either). People have so much pride! And all the time, there is a Heavenly Father who loves you so very much and is waiting to shower you with His love and His blessings and make you a child Of God and a joint-heir with Christ. He wants to make you like a first-born who inherits all that the Father has!

Don't "fudge it" with your soul and your eternity. Please give your life to Jesus, now. You won't regret it!

Prescription for O.S. (over-sensitivity)

Definition: touchy, self-defensive
1. You must acknowledge that you are O.S. You cannot be in denial.
2. You must acknowledge that God is a God of Love, and that He loves you.
3.You must look in the mirror, and say, "Since God loves me, I chose to love me!"
4.You must ask the Lord to open up your eyes and heart to recognize when you are becoming O.S.
5.When the O.S. comes on, stop and ask God to give you strength in your weakness.
6.Thank the Lord, and then Thank Him some more.

Active ingredients: Praise and worship
Directions: Adults and children apply prescription daily
Results: Overcoming O.S. through the name of Jesus

The Babysitter (poem)

If I had all the time in the world
I would become a Babysitter .
I would take all the homeless,
the poor and the maimed,
the lost and the lonely,
and those who've been shamed
I would shoulder the crying,
the fearful who doubt
that life has been worthwhile
not worth finding out!
I would cover the dying,
and hear their last prayer
and comfort the old
who have no one who cares.
But...
I can't and
I don't
have all the time!
Only our Savior does
He is the Great Babysitter!

Depression

What a topic! I hate this topic, because I have been there, done that! Many women have! Of course we hate it, but we must talk about it.
First I want to describe it. It's like a deep , dark cave, or a long dark tunnel or another description I find perfect, is that depression is like those deep dark, crevices that some mountain climbers or mountain skiers fall into. I remember watching a documentary of a young man who had experienced such a fall. His partner couldn't find him up top, and couldn't get a reply from any crevice, so he left! How alone the young man felt! The young man thought and thought of what he was to do, and then finally just used all his strength and the tools he had, to go slowly one step at a time , up the steep ice.
Sometimes when we are down, no one knows what to do with us...so they simply leave us alone. They feel they can't help, or maybe they don't want to help because they don't want to bother. So, we feel so alone.
One thing that is important in the beginning of our slow fall into depression, is to recognize what is happening to us. The Bible says to Give Thanks Always. When I am falling into depression, the last thing I want to do is give thanks. That's my carnal self, wanting to wallow in self pity, because , after all, I deserve some show of pity from others, but they won't give it so I have to pity me, myself and I.
Right at the beginning, Give Thanks. Quote or read some Thanks verses...until you drive the devil crazy and until you are really thankful.
Sing !! But you don't feel like singing! Make a joyful noise unto the Lord! Sing a hymn. Hymns have such deep meaning, often. Most of those old hymns talk about the goodness of God, Jesus shed blood, and His great power. Sing...until you feel thankful.
Go talk to someone..even in the grocery store...about the goodness of God. But you say, " How can I talk about the goodness of God when I don't feel that He is being good to me right now?" Talking about God's goodness will change your attitude.
I do not have all the answers...but the Lord and His Word do....and guess what ?...He was touched with the feelings of our infirmaties!! That means that He knows what it is like to be depressed...because He bore all our sins when He was nailed to the cross. Praise the Lord! And do you know what else? Someday we who know Christ, will put off this body with its sins and shortcomings, and corruption , and put on a new self with no corruption! Christ will do that for us.

God is Good Psalm 145

Here in Psalm 145 , it says that God is Good; God is Great; God is Gracious ; God is Merciful ; God is slow to anger ; God is abounding in Steadfast Love ; The Lord is Faithful; The Lord is Good to all ; The Lord is Righteous; The Lord's Greatness is Unsearchable !!
God is All these things and More...no matter what I feel today; no matter what atrocities people do to each other today; no matter what unkind things people do to me today; no matter if I am sick or if I am feeling well; no matter if tornadoes or hurricanes or earthguakes come and take away all I have; no matter if a loved one of mine, or a family member is taken away into eternity today; no matter even when there is famine and starvation in the world; no matter even when the antichrist comes to create havoc in the world ! God is always in control! God NEVER allows anything to happen except that He ALLOWS it or has deliberately caused it to happen. God cannot do evil. He has no evil in Him. He is not a ying-yang God. God IS totally and completely Good. God IS Good.
Help us Oh Lord to remember this Truth, today, and all our tomorrows.