The Cross. A Powerful Message

Steve Harvey Introduces Jesus

Found this over at the blog at Eternal Perspectives Ministry yesterday.  I can’t find the link to the actual post but here is the video.  What a great into!!!

When the Bible Kicks You in the Gut… Again.

In this instance, it was not when I read the scriptures that I was beaten over the head with the lesson. It was later…

So, last night I was scheduled to go to my first mens Bible Study. The afternoon rolled around and my wife got home and informed me that we had $4 (our budget is really tight right now) and my sister was bringing over the $5 she owed us and we needed it just so my wife could get to work today.

I called my buddy and let him know I couldn’t make it. I was not happy about it but what could I do? 15 minutes later my sis shows up with $10. I asked “$10?” and she said “Yeah” and left because she was in a hurry. I called my mom who had given her the money to give me and asked “Did you send along $10?” She stated she had. For her own reasons she sent over more money than she was supposed to and it gave me enough money to put gas in the car to meet my friend for the Bible Study. Excitedly, I called my friend and told him I would be there.

On my way down there it hit me, or God hit me…. I know that I have read something very recently about worrying over things. I read that we shouldn’t because God would provide. I thought I had read that it specifically mentioned finances but I couldn’t find it.

When I was at the park and ride waiting for my friend I looked in Matthew where I have been reading and found it. Chapter 6 25-34. I had just read it the day or so before in my study about Jesus.

I was choked up. I always pray for God to soften and prepare my heart and mind when I take in His Word, but this lesson was not hit home till a day or two later. He had provided. My knowledge in the Bible is very little but I knew where to look when the lesson struck me.

Thank God for His provisions!!!!

When the Bible Kicks You in the Gut

In this morning’s reading, I was kicked in the gut again.  This time by Luke 9:23-25.

²³And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. ²⁵ For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Again, for many this is a “No duh!” sort of thing, but it struck me pretty hard.  Really.  What good is it if we spend our time chasing wealth and prosperity when that will mean nothing in Heaven?  It will mean ZERO in Eternity with God.  I doubt that God calls us to be poor, but I think that He is clearly stating that we need to have more eternal pursuits.

Abraham and Isaac

I read this story the other night in Genesis 22:1-13. We are looking at a man who loved and feared God. A man who lived in a time with no Bible. Nothing to educate him about God, Jesus and His redemptive Sacrifice.

God told him to take his son to the top of a mountain and burn him as a sacrifice to God and without hesitation, without question, he summoned his servants, packed up his son and went into the mountains to do it. Gladly God presented a goat for offering at the last second though.

But this man did not hesitate. He obeyed God without question. I would love to say that if God called on me to do the same with one of or both of my boys that I could do it. I am just not sure that I could. I pray I would be able to obey though.

What an amazing story of a man’s amazing obedience to God.

As was pointed out to me where I originally posted this topic at Saints of the Old Republic Guild Forums

“Abraham by faith chose to obey God, God already had the sacrifice prepared for Abraham, though he couldn’t see it because the mountain was in the way.

Too often we look at the trial and can’t see the blessing on the other side, instead of looking at the mountain, we need to look to God and just trust and obey.”

An amazing story nonetheless.  I hope that I am able to obey if God calls on me.

When the Bible Kicks You in the Gut

The other night I was doing my nightly reading and got kicked in the gut by Proverbs Chapter 1 Verses 20-33.

Too often we are not in prayer when things are going good. I believe that most of us take time to thank Him when things are going good, but speaking for myself, in the past when things are cruising along smoothly I didn’t spend nearly as much time in prayer as I did when things were sour. But when things get sour I was consistently right there asking for His help.

Turns out, He doesn’t like that.

I understand that for many of you this is a “No duh!” situation, but me being new to being in His Word on a regular basis, this was eye-opening so I figured that I would share.

The Judgement Seat of Christ

Blunt and straight-forward.  Unabashed truth.  An amazing sermon.

A Call For Discernment

Justin Peters of Justin Peters Ministry has put out a seminar on discernment as described at his website:

In addition to expository preaching, another aspect of Justin’s ministry is the three session seminar which he has developed entitled A Call for Discernment. This seminar is a fair, comprehensive, biblical critique of the modern Word of Faith movement. Word of Faith theology (WoF) dominates Christian satellite and cable television and is making alarming inroads into more theologically conservative, evangical churches. This seminar contains dozens of audio and video clips (primarily the latter) of various WoF leaders such as Benny Hinn, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Jessie Duplantis, Creflo Dollar, etc. incorporated into a PowerPoint format. This format allows people to see and hear for themselves what these individuals are actually teaching. Everything then is, in turn, balanced with Scripture.

You can watch the four part preview at youtube.  Click for Part 1, Part2, Part3 and Part4.

I was able to convince my friend’s wife to get it for him for Father’s Day.  A small mens group he meets with weekly are going to go over it in depth.  I will be letting you know what I learn.