Dump the fear, and pick up the faith

Philippians 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,y whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I love the story of Paul. Here was a man that was rich, smart, but very evil. He hated, hunted, and haunted Christians. Yet on his way to hunt Christians down and kill them, God decided that he could be used to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles. After all, who would be more believed by the Pharisees than one of their own who had changed sides?

When Barnabas introduced Paul (Formerly Saul), to the Disciples/Apostles, they could not believe that this chief killer of their faith was now an instrument of God. It didn’t make sense. Why would this guy have such a radical change in direction? Why would he give up his position of wealth and influence. To say they were suspicious is an understatement, they hated him.

So now we move forward a few years later after the others had accepted and embraced him, and we find Paul in jail in Philippi. He’s facing death, but we see that his faith has not only remained steadfast, but has become stronger. He’s in prison, and that’s where we see today’s passage come into play.

Paul is most likely in chains, but instead of saying poor me, he begins to say that he has all that he needs, because he has Jesus. He says, “Look, I’ve been rich and influential, so I know what that’s like, but even though I’m imprisoned now, I’ve never been happier. Happier because I know my joy isn’t found in riches, but in the peace of Jesus.”

I wish I had that sort of contentment in times when I find myself in trials! Don’t get me wrong, I feel pretty strong most of the time, but there are definitely times when I find myself wishing I had more material things.

Why do we always want more? The Bible is full of examples of people who have had their socks blessed off, they are satisfied for a little while, then they wind up wanting more. We are just never satisfied.

Let’s pray to be content with what God has given us and stop worrying about the future. Let’s remember that no matter how bad we think we have it, God will always give us what we need. Let’s dump the fear and pick up the faith.

#dumpthefear #Pickupthefaith

How to be like Job

Job 1:20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe(AS) and shaved his head.(AT) Then he fell to the ground in worship(AU) 21 and said:

 

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

and naked I will depart.[c](AV)

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;(AW)

may the name of the Lord be praised.”(AX)

 

I wish I could be like Job. I’ve gone through a lot in my years, but nothing like him. He had just had various messengers come to him and tell him that all of his livestock was dead, all of his workers, and all 10 of his children had died at once. All within an hour. So what does he do? Job 1:20 tells us that he fell to the ground and worshipped God. That is truly an amazing act of faithfulness!

 

How many times have we gone through just a fraction of what Job did, and yet all we did was complain or feel sorry for ourselves? I know I’ve done both. We need to become more like Jobe and find our ability to worship and love God in ANY circumstances.

 

So how do we become like Job? We take each set of circumstances that bring us a rough patch in life, and praise God that it’s not worse. Every time we do this, it becomes easier to do because we grow stronger. We become worship athletes if you will, and our ability to run the race that we call life much stronger in our faith, and much happier.

What does the Bible say about the Book of Numbers?

Today’s Book of the Bible that doesn’t get its share of time in the spotlight is….

Judges: Sin Never Goes Unpunished

Judges, likely authored by the prophet-writer Samuel—Israel’s last judge—was more than a collection of military and administrative “stories” from Israel’s history. The phrase, “in those days there was no king in Israel” occurs throughout the book; so Judges describes a character-rich period of history after Joshua’s death and before Saul’s anointing as King, a period of nearly 300 years.

Judges offers an overview of Israel’s moral decline and apostasy, the political and religious upheaval as the Israelites attempted to possess yet-unconquered lands God had promised them, and even tribal infighting in Israel (Judges 12; 20-21). A cycle repeats throughout the book: idolatry and rebellious unbelief followed by God’s judgment through Israel’s enemies, and then a deliverer—a judge raised up by the Lord—to call God’s people to repentance.

This is not a “happy” book; there are numerous disturbing stories. But there are many spiritual giants as well, including Gideon, Samson, Othniel, Shamgar, Jephthath, Ehud, and wise Deborah. Judges’ primary message is this: God will never allow sin to go unpunished. That’s why we need a Savior!

What this Country REALLY needs to do.

Colossians 3:15-17 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And BE THANKFUL. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, WITH THANKFULNESS in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, GIVING THANKS to God the Father through him.

 

My Dentist is from Vietnam. He was a young child during the war, and lost a brother. His family was sponsored, and moved to San Diego. They proudly became citizens, and became involved in many Civic organizations. He now volunteers his services to the Wounded Warrior Project to help Veterans like me through their Dental issues at little to no cost. He said that it’s the least he could do for a Country that has been so wonderful to him. He doesn’t demand that his Country serves him, he finds a way to serve his Country. I consider him more Patriotic than a vast majority of Americans that were born here.

 

As we were waiting for the first shot of Novocaine to work it’s way into my gums, he said that he just couldn’t understand why there was so much arguing and bickering over such minor issues in this Nation. Most Countries would love to have these petty differences, but they have to focus on starvation, famine, extreme poverty, things that we cannot even imagine in our pampered lives. We rant, rave, and act like spoiled children over who’s right about the wearing of a mask while others starve to death.

 

So many people call themselves Patriots while demanding that their Country bow to their every want and desire. They’ve never done a thing for this Nation other than whine because it’s not perfect. We have become a Country of complainers.

 

Today’s verses talk about being thankful to God for the gifts that he has given us, and we need to take it to heart. We have been blessed and need to stop pouting about what we don’t have, and focus on what we do. We need to stop acting so spoiled and remember to help others like we used to do. We need to grow up spiritually and return to our roots of kindness, generosity, and Christian love.

Story of the day…. Pakistani woman beaten to death with bricks by family

A three-months pregnant Pakistani woman was beaten to death with bricks by members of her own family Tuesday for marrying the man of her choice, police said.

Farzana Iqbal, 25, was attacked outside the Lahore High Court by more than two dozen people including her brother and father, senior investigator Rana Akhtar told AFP.

She had been due in court to defend her new husband against allegations, made by her family, that he had kidnapped her and forced her to marry him.

Some 28 to 30 people attacked her, Akhtar told AFP.

“The brother first opened fire with a gun but missed. She tried to run away but fell down,” the investigator said.

“The relatives caught her and then beat her to death with bricks.”

Mohammad Mushtaq, another police official, confirmed the incident in the eastern city. Mushtaq said police had opened an initial investigation following a complaint by Farzana’s husband Iqbal, who also has another wife.

Farzana’s lawyer Rao Mohammad Kharal told AFP: “Farzana was here to tell the court that she married of her own choice.”

Many Pakistani women have no say in who they marry and disobeying the wishes of relatives is believed to bring shame on the whole family.

Last year 869 women died in so-called “honour killings” according to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

“Such crimes persisted because of the impunity enjoyed by the killers,” the commission said in a report, noting that Pakistan’s blood-money laws allow kin to forgive perpetrators and that most killers were members of the victim’s family.

© 2014 AFP

The Grandfather’s Table…A place you never want to set someone.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table, but the elderly grandfather‘s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about Grandfather,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.” Therefore, the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since grandfather had broken a dish two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days, he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently, provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child’s future. Let us be wise builders and role models.

Always remember: “What goes around, comes around!” However, “Treating others as you would treat yourself or that you would like to be treated will grant you more love than not!

Whine, or lemonade? What do you do with the lemons you get in life?

Whenever we’re disappointed with our spot in our lives we should stop and think about a little girl Jamie. Jamie was trying out for a part in her school play. Her mother told her husband that she’d set her heart on being in it, although she didn’t think she’s get the part.

On the day the parts were handed out, her husband went with the mother to collect her after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement.

“Guess what Mommy,” she shouted, and then said those words that should remain a lesson to us for a lifetime: “I’ve been chosen to clap and cheer!”

Sometimes we think we’ve been handed a lemon in life, when we have really been handed the ingredients for lemonade. I guess it’s all how you look at it.

Remember that God has chosen a certain path for us to take in this life, make the best of it by honoring His choice and path for you. God will not pour fresh, creative ideas and blessing into old attitudes. Have a glass of lemonade.

Philippians 4:11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.