Here in his first letter to the followers of Jesus in Corinth, Paul states we should be all things to all people.
It's something I think we've forgotten in our clubiness & privilege while protecting our religious liberties.
1 Corinthians 9
19 Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ.
20 When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ.
When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law.
Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law.
21 When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ.
But I do not ignore the law of God;
I obey the law of Christ.
22 When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness,
for I want to bring the weak to Christ.
Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone,
doing everything I can to save some.
23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.
24 Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?
So run to win!
25 All athletes are disciplined in their training.
They do it to win a prize that will fade away,
but we do it for an eternal prize.
26 So I run with purpose in every step.
I am not just shadowboxing.
27 I discipline my body like an athlete,
training it to do what it should.
Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
Monday, May 7, 2018
Sunday, May 6, 2018
no go
Matthew 28
16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee,
going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him;
but some of them doubted!
18 Jesus came and told his disciples,
"I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.
And be sure of this:
I am with you always,
even to the end of the age."
The operative word in that whole passage is "go".
The "where" is secondary.
To "go" means to reach out to the world around us for Jesus, whether that's close by, in the next town over, or another state, or overseas
Most of us aren't willing to "go" anywhere for the Lord, let alone do any of those other things Jesus mandated.
We'd rather stay in our prissy & precious little supposedly safe world,
"in fellowship" with our safe Christian friends,
living out our American Dream,
& let the rest of the world go to hell in a handbasket.
Shame on us...
16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee,
going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him;
but some of them doubted!
18 Jesus came and told his disciples,
"I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.
And be sure of this:
I am with you always,
even to the end of the age."
The operative word in that whole passage is "go".
The "where" is secondary.
To "go" means to reach out to the world around us for Jesus, whether that's close by, in the next town over, or another state, or overseas
Most of us aren't willing to "go" anywhere for the Lord, let alone do any of those other things Jesus mandated.
We'd rather stay in our prissy & precious little supposedly safe world,
"in fellowship" with our safe Christian friends,
living out our American Dream,
& let the rest of the world go to hell in a handbasket.
Shame on us...
Saturday, May 5, 2018
servants
You must accept whatever situation the Lord has put you in,
& continue on as you were when God first called you.
1 Corinthians 7:17
In the 7 1/2 years we've lived in Blairsville, I've learned a lot about being "a servant of the Lord".
Whenever I hear someone say, "all I want to be is a servant of the Lord," I usually think, "they've never been one."
Servants have no rights of their own.
Servants serve.
They have to trust completely the one they serve.
Many times the one we are serving trusts us to simple be & do what He leads us to be & do, knowing that we'll serve whether we know the big picture or not.
The Lord is under no obligation to answer the who, what, where, when, & how questions.
We so often feel that we should be filled in on all the inner workings of whatever situation in which we are serving the Lord.
Servants may never see any fruit from or reason for what or who they served - maybe not until they get to heaven, maybe.
Sometimes God doesn't want us to know the full story - maybe if we did we wouldn't serve.
Serving isn't glamorous.
Serving doesn't guarantee success - we are called to serve - success is the Lord's responsibility.
Servants need to get the right attitude & not be cranky or pouty because they haven't had the big picture shared with them.
Whatever role or identity is mandated from a servant is important & fits into the scheme of things.
"Nothing we do for the LORD is ever useless." 1 Corinthians 15:58 - even if it seems like it is.
Others are watching us as we serve.
So why do we serve?
Because we owe everything we are & have because of the Lord's matchless, eternal grace & love.
& continue on as you were when God first called you.
1 Corinthians 7:17
In the 7 1/2 years we've lived in Blairsville, I've learned a lot about being "a servant of the Lord".
Whenever I hear someone say, "all I want to be is a servant of the Lord," I usually think, "they've never been one."
Servants have no rights of their own.
Servants serve.
They have to trust completely the one they serve.
Many times the one we are serving trusts us to simple be & do what He leads us to be & do, knowing that we'll serve whether we know the big picture or not.
The Lord is under no obligation to answer the who, what, where, when, & how questions.
We so often feel that we should be filled in on all the inner workings of whatever situation in which we are serving the Lord.
Servants may never see any fruit from or reason for what or who they served - maybe not until they get to heaven, maybe.
Sometimes God doesn't want us to know the full story - maybe if we did we wouldn't serve.
Serving isn't glamorous.
Serving doesn't guarantee success - we are called to serve - success is the Lord's responsibility.
Servants need to get the right attitude & not be cranky or pouty because they haven't had the big picture shared with them.
Whatever role or identity is mandated from a servant is important & fits into the scheme of things.
"Nothing we do for the LORD is ever useless." 1 Corinthians 15:58 - even if it seems like it is.
Others are watching us as we serve.
So why do we serve?
Because we owe everything we are & have because of the Lord's matchless, eternal grace & love.
Friday, May 4, 2018
honoring
These are words of Paul in his first letter to the followers of Jesus living in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 6
19 Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,
who lives in you and was given to you by God?
You do not belong to yourself,
20 for God bought you with a high price.
So you must honor God with your body.
I just wonder how often I honor God with my body....
Judging from what I see in the mirror in the bathroom, I don't think I've been doing a lot of that lately...
I'm not trying to be funny...
I'm too out of shape, too many pounds in too many places, too many effects of stress showing, too much of a lot of things...
1 Corinthians 6
19 Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,
who lives in you and was given to you by God?
You do not belong to yourself,
20 for God bought you with a high price.
So you must honor God with your body.
I just wonder how often I honor God with my body....
Judging from what I see in the mirror in the bathroom, I don't think I've been doing a lot of that lately...
I'm not trying to be funny...
I'm too out of shape, too many pounds in too many places, too many effects of stress showing, too much of a lot of things...
Thursday, May 3, 2018
from Jesus' lios
Matthew 25
31 "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.
32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence,
and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep at his right hand
and the goats at his left.
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.
35 For I was hungry,
and you fed me.
I was thirsty,
and you gave me a drink.
I was a stranger,
and you invited me into your home.
36 I was naked,
and you gave me clothing.
I was sick,
and you cared for me.
I was in prison,
and you visited me.'
37 "Then these righteous ones will reply,
'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you?
Or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality?
Or naked and give you clothing?
39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'
40 "And the King will say,
'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'
41 "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say,
'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.
42 For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me.
I was thirsty, and you didn't give me a drink.
43 I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home.
I was naked, and you didn't give me clothing.
I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.'
44 "Then they will reply,
'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?'
45 "And he will answer,
'I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.'
46 "And they will go away into eternal punishment,
but the righteous will go into eternal life."
31 "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.
32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence,
and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep at his right hand
and the goats at his left.
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.
35 For I was hungry,
and you fed me.
I was thirsty,
and you gave me a drink.
I was a stranger,
and you invited me into your home.
36 I was naked,
and you gave me clothing.
I was sick,
and you cared for me.
I was in prison,
and you visited me.'
37 "Then these righteous ones will reply,
'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you?
Or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality?
Or naked and give you clothing?
39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'
40 "And the King will say,
'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'
41 "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say,
'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.
42 For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me.
I was thirsty, and you didn't give me a drink.
43 I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home.
I was naked, and you didn't give me clothing.
I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.'
44 "Then they will reply,
'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?'
45 "And he will answer,
'I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.'
46 "And they will go away into eternal punishment,
but the righteous will go into eternal life."
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
prophesy
This is Jesus talking here to His disciples.
Just read it....
Matthew 24
1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings.
2 But he responded,
"Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!"
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said,
"Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?"
4 Jesus told them,
"Don't let anyone mislead you,5 for many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah.'
They will deceive many.
6 And you will hear of wars
and threats of wars,
but don't panic.
Yes, these things must take place,
but the end won't follow immediately.
7 Nation will go to war against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be famines
and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains,
with more to come.
9 "Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed.
You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.
10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.
11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.
12 Sin will be rampant everywhere,
and the love of many will grow cold.
13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world,
so that all nations will hear it;
and then the end will come.
15 "The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place."
16 "Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.
17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack.
18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat.
19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.
20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began.
And it will never be so great again.
22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive.
But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones.
23 "Then if anyone tells you,
'Look, here is the Messiah,'
or 'There he is,'
don't believe it.
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.
25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.
26 "So if someone tells you,
'Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,'
don't bother to go and look.
Or, 'Look, he is hiding here,'
don't believe it!
27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.
28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby,
so these signs indicate that the end is near.
29 "Immediately after the anguish of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens,
and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth.
And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet,
and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world
—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
32 "Now learn a lesson from the fig tree.
When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout,
you know that summer is near.
33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near,
right at the door.
34 I tell you the truth,
this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.
35 Heaven and earth will disappear,
but my words will never disappear.
36 "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen,
not even the angels in heaven
or the Son himself.
Only the Father knows.
37 "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day.
38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.
39 People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away.
That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
40 "Two men will be working together in the field;
one will be taken,
the other left.
41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill;
one will be taken,
the other left.
42 "So you, too, must keep watch!
For you don't know what day your Lord is coming.
43 Understand this:
If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming,
he would keep watch
and not permit his house to be broken into.
44 You also must be ready all the time,
for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
Just read it....
Matthew 24
1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings.
2 But he responded,
"Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!"
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said,
"Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?"
4 Jesus told them,
"Don't let anyone mislead you,5 for many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah.'
They will deceive many.
6 And you will hear of wars
and threats of wars,
but don't panic.
Yes, these things must take place,
but the end won't follow immediately.
7 Nation will go to war against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be famines
and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains,
with more to come.
9 "Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed.
You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.
10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.
11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.
12 Sin will be rampant everywhere,
and the love of many will grow cold.
13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world,
so that all nations will hear it;
and then the end will come.
15 "The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place."
16 "Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.
17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack.
18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat.
19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.
20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began.
And it will never be so great again.
22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive.
But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones.
23 "Then if anyone tells you,
'Look, here is the Messiah,'
or 'There he is,'
don't believe it.
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.
25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.
26 "So if someone tells you,
'Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,'
don't bother to go and look.
Or, 'Look, he is hiding here,'
don't believe it!
27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.
28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby,
so these signs indicate that the end is near.
29 "Immediately after the anguish of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens,
and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth.
And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet,
and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world
—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
32 "Now learn a lesson from the fig tree.
When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout,
you know that summer is near.
33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near,
right at the door.
34 I tell you the truth,
this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.
35 Heaven and earth will disappear,
but my words will never disappear.
36 "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen,
not even the angels in heaven
or the Son himself.
Only the Father knows.
37 "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day.
38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.
39 People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away.
That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
40 "Two men will be working together in the field;
one will be taken,
the other left.
41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill;
one will be taken,
the other left.
42 "So you, too, must keep watch!
For you don't know what day your Lord is coming.
43 Understand this:
If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming,
he would keep watch
and not permit his house to be broken into.
44 You also must be ready all the time,
for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
4 verses
These are 2 of the many passages I feel God has given me for 2018.
I'm just holding on to them this morning.
Maybe you need these 4 verses to hold on to, also?
Maybe we could hold on to them together?
Don't throw away this confident trust in the Lord,
no matter what happens.
Remember the great reward it brings you!
Patient endurance is what you need now,
so you will continue to do God's will.
Then you will receive all that He has promised.
Hebrews 10:35-36 (NLT, 1st ed.)
So take a new grip with you tired hands
& stand firm on your shakey legs.
Mark out a straight path for your feet
so that those who are weak & lame will not fall
but become strong.
Hebrews 12:12-13 (NLT, 1st ed.)
I'm just holding on to them this morning.
Maybe you need these 4 verses to hold on to, also?
Maybe we could hold on to them together?
Don't throw away this confident trust in the Lord,
no matter what happens.
Remember the great reward it brings you!
Patient endurance is what you need now,
so you will continue to do God's will.
Then you will receive all that He has promised.
Hebrews 10:35-36 (NLT, 1st ed.)
So take a new grip with you tired hands
& stand firm on your shakey legs.
Mark out a straight path for your feet
so that those who are weak & lame will not fall
but become strong.
Hebrews 12:12-13 (NLT, 1st ed.)
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