FOLLOW?

These days everywhere I turn I see "Follow" such as on Twitter, Facebook and many other hi-tech ways of staying in touch with several people all at once. I think it is a wonderful invention for our times.
Even, today when I got on my Facebook I noticed "Follow" ...meaning to sign up to follow a particular item. It made me think…who are we following? Our ultimate call is to look into the Scriptures where we can “follow” Christ Jesus every step, action and his every move. Now that would be a great addition to facebook.
Christ is the one that is our true friend…not just a person we’ve signed up with on facebook that may or may not really know us. He wants US to take the time to really know Him. Are you willing to sign up to “follow” Christ?
April 18, 2009....By Jo Gower

Jesus said "Beware...don't look down on children..."

I noticed in this reading Jesus said
“Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father"
Ohhhh...so we better take care and teach ALL the little Children. Even more than that maybe we have a lot to "learn" from children.
Here is the Scripture to read:

Matthew 18
The Greatest in the Kingdom

1 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf[i] is welcoming me. 6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.

7 “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. 8 So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.[j]

10 “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.[k]

Prime Time With God by Os Hillman - www.churchgrowth.org

Today's Prayer

God, as I reflect on Proverbs 23:12, "Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge," I'm trying to examine myself in light of that Scripture. Do I respond to you and your Word with my heart...or do I do what I do for you out of a sense of duty or obligation? I'm sorry for the times I have done good things only because someone needed to do it. I pray that I will always have the right attitude and the right motives. I pray that whatever service I give to you from this day forward will be out of love and as a result of my relationship with You. In Jesus' name. Amen.




Knowing and Doing God's Will
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
01-11-2009

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Prov. 3:5-6).
George Mueller was a pastor in England during the nineteenth century who knew what it meant to live a life that was focused on knowing and doing the will of God. God led him in a walk of faith that has become an incredible testimony to all who hear his story.
Whenever he lacked for something, he prayed for the resources. During his ministry in Bristol, England, George built four orphan houses that cared for 2,000 children at the time. When he died at the age of 93, over 10,000 children had been provided for through his orphanages, and he had distributed over eight million dollars that had been given to him in answer to prayer.
How did he know and do the will of God?
"I never remember a period that I ever sincerely and patiently sought to know the will of God by the teaching of the Holy Ghost, through the instrumentality of the Word of God, but I have been always directed rightly." Here is how George summed up the way he entered into a "heart" relationship with God and learned to discern God's voice:
1) "I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter.
2) Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.
3) I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined.
4) Next, I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God's will in connection with His Word and Spirit.
5) I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.
Thus, (1) through prayer to God, (2) the study of the Word, and (3) reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly."*
Consider these five steps when discerning God's voice in your life.

http://realheroes.net/reformers/George_Mueller.html

*Henry Blackaby, Claude King, Experiencing God, Lifeway Press, Nashville, TN, p. 33,34
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When You Speak, God Hears

Those who pray keep alive the watch fires of faith. For the most part we don’t even know their names. Such is the case of someone who prayed on a day long ago. His name is not important. He is important not because of who he was, but because of what he did.
He went to Jesus on behalf of a friend. His friend was sick, and Jesus could help, and someone needed to go to Jesus, so someone went. Others cared for the sick man in other ways. Some brought food; others provided treatment; still others comforted the family. Each role was crucial. Each person was helpful, but no one was more vital than the one who went to Jesus.
John writes: “So Mary and Martha sent someone to tell Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick’” (John 11:3, emphasis mine).
Someone carried the request. Someone walked the trail. Someone went to Jesus on behalf of Lazarus. And because someone went, Jesus responded.
In the economy of heaven, the prayers of saints are a valued commodity. John the apostle would agree. He wrote the story of Lazarus and was careful to show the sequence: The healing began when the request was made.
The phrase the friend of Lazarus used is worth noting. When he told Jesus of the illness, he said, “The one you love is sick.” The power of the prayer, in other words, does not depend on the one who makes the prayer but on the one who hears the prayer.
We can and must repeat the phrase in manifold ways. “The one you love is tired, sad, hungry, lonely, fearful, depressed.” The words of the prayer vary, but the response never changes. The Savior hears the prayer. He silences heaven so he won’t miss a word. The Master heard the request. Jesus stopped whatever he was doing and took note of the man’s words. This anonymous courier was heard by God.
John’s message is critical. You can talk to God because God listens. Your voice matters in heaven. He takes you very seriously. When you enter his presence, the attendants turn to you to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored. Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one, it impresses God—and he listens.
Intently. Carefully. The prayers are honored as precious jewels. Purified and empowered, the words rise in a delightful fragrance to our Lord. “The smoke from the incense went up from the angel’s hand to God” (Rev. 8:4). Incredible. Your words do not stop until they reach the very throne of God.
One call and heaven’s fleet appears. Your prayer on earth activates God’s power in heaven.
You are the someone of God’s kingdom. Your prayers move God to change the world. You may not understand the mystery of prayer. You don’t need to. But this much is clear: Actions in heaven begin when someone prays on earth. What an amazing thought!
When you speak, Jesus hears.
And when Jesus hears, the world is changed.
All because someone prayed.

by Max Lucado
From
For These Tough Times:
Reaching Toward Heaven for Hope and Healing
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006) Max Lucado

Why Pray Now? or Where is God?

Where is God?

It is important to recognize that God dwells in a different realm. He occupies another dimension. “My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like my ways. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8–9).
Make special note of the word like. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are they even like ours. We aren’t even in the same neighborhood. We’re thinking, Preserve the body; he’s thinking, Save the soul. We dream of a pay raise. He dreams of raising the dead. We avoid pain and seek peace. God uses pain to bring peace. “I’m going to live before I die,” we resolve. “Die so you can live,” he instructs. We love what rusts. He loves what endures. We rejoice at our successes. He rejoices at our confessions.
Our thoughts are not like God’s thoughts. Our ways are not like his ways. He has a different agenda. He dwells in a different dimension. He lives on another plane.
What controls you doesn’t control him. What troubles you doesn’t trouble him. What fatigues you doesn’t fatigue him. Is an eagle disturbed by traffic? No, he rises above it. Is the whale perturbed by a hurricane? Of course not; he plunges beneath it. Is the lion flustered by the mouse standing directly in his way? No, he steps over it.
How much more is God able to soar above, plunge beneath, and step over the troubles of the earth! “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (see Matt. 19:26). Our questions betray our lack of understanding:
How can God be everywhere at one time? (Who says God is bound by a body?)
How can God hear all the prayers that come to him? (Perhaps his ears are different from yours.)
How can God be the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? (Could it be that heaven has a different set of physics than earth?)
How vital that we pray, armed with the knowledge that God is in heaven. Pray with any lesser conviction, and our prayers are timid, shallow, and hollow. Look up and see what God has done, and watch how your prayers are energized.
This knowledge gives us confidence as we face the uncertain future. We know that he is in control of the universe, and so we can rest secure. But important also is the knowledge that this God in heaven has chosen to bend near toward earth to see our sorrow and hear our prayers. He is not so far above us that he is not touched by our tears.
Though we may not be able to see his purpose or his plan, the Lord of heaven is on his throne and in firm control of the universe and our lives. So we entrust him with our future. We entrust him with our very lives.

by Max Lucado
From
For These Tough Times:
Reaching Toward Heaven for Hope and Healing
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006) Max Lucado
UpWords ® is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

LAWS of the Lighthouse
• Love God more than you fear hell.
• Once a week, let a child take you on a
walk.
• Make major decisions in a cemetery.
• When no one is watching, live as if
someone is.
• Succeed at home first.
• Don’t spend tomorrow’s money today.
• Pray twice as much as you fret.
• Listen twice as much as you speak.
• Only harbor a grudge when God does.
• Never outgrow your love of sunsets.
• Treat people like angels; you will meet
some and help make some.
• ‘Tis wiser to err on the side of generosity
than on the side of scrutiny.
• God has forgiven you; you’d be wise to
do the same.
• When you can’t trace God’s hand, trust
his heart.
• Toot your own horn and the notes will be
flat.
• Don’t feel guilty for God’s goodness.
• The book of life is lived in chapters, so
know your page number.
• Never let the important be the victim of
the trivial.
• Live your liturgy.
To sum it all up:
Approach life like a
voyage on a schooner. Enjoy the view. Explore the vessel. Make friends with the captain.
Fish a little. And then get off when you get home.
From
In the Eye
of the Storm
Copyright 1991 Max Lucado

Praying for Children of All Ages

This photo is of Pop and Gigi with our children at the hosptial when our grandson was born! We pray not only for our children and grandchildren but other children as well! The other photo is of Gigi and granddaughter!

An easy way to pray for children of all ages is to pray for them from head to toe. It includes using the Bible to ask God's blessing on various aspects of their lives. Thinking, “Head to Toe” is an easy way to remember to pray at anytime of the day or night and in any circumstances because we will have stored up in our hearts passages of the Bible as we pray the scripture that pertain to “Head to Toe Praying”. The scriptures that we’ll use to pray work for all children, no matter how old they are or what they're going through.

We can begin by putting the verse on several index cards and posting them around the house and in the car. The 3”X 5” is easy to carry in your purse or in the shirt pocket for the men. When we pray the scripture daily will have us knowing the verse by heart in a matter of days. Now, you can see the scripture below, just fill in the blanks with the child's name and we're off and praying!


Mind:
Proverbs 9:9-10
"Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
Prayer:
Father, please make ______ wise. Make ______ heart open to instruction that he/she might gain more wisdom. Teach him what it means to fear the Lord, for that is the beginning of wisdom. Grant him knowledge of the Holy One.

Eyes:
Proverbs 3:7 "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil."
Prayer:
God, please guard ______ from being wise in his own eyes. May he fear you and find wisdom, strength, and understanding in you alone, not in his own capabilities. May he understand your holiness and resist evil.




Ears:
Proverbs 2:2 "…turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding."
Prayer:
Father, please make _______'s ears attentive to wisdom. Deafen his ears to the call of sin; teach him to recognize your will and follow Your Word. Incline his heart to understanding.

Mouth:
Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
Prayer:
I pray that ______ would speak only wholesome words beneficial to others. May his speech be appropriate and respectful. May it encourage those who are disheartened and bring faith to those who have none.

Tongue:
Proverbs 10:19-20 "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value."
Prayer:
I ask that _______ will learn wisdom and as a result, be able to hold his tongue. Keep him from wicked words. May he use his tongue to encourage others and teach them about You Holy God. Make his tongue like choice silver.

Neck:
Proverbs 3:3-4 "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man."
Prayer:
I pray that love and faithfulness will not leave _____. May he bind them around his neck and write them on the tablet of his heart. Open his eyes to others' needs, making him quick to extend kindness. Bless him with favor and a good reputation in the sight of God and man.

Heart:
Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."
Prayer:
I pray that ______ will watch over his heart with all diligence. Keep him heart pure. Keep him from being embittered by trials. May his heart be steadfastly set on loving you more than anything or anyone else.

Hands:
Psalm 24:3-5 "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior."
Prayer: I pray that ______ would have clean hands and a pure heart. May he love you with all his heart, turning away from all that is false. Keep his speech and motives pure. Thank you for promising a blessing and being faithful to fulfill it.

Knees:
Psalm 95:6 "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker."
Prayer:
I pray that _______ will worship and bow down before you. May he love and fear you, honoring you as the King of his life. May he acknowledge you as his Maker and recognize that your love will never fail.

Feet:
Psalm 119:35 "Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight."
Prayer:
Father, please help _______ walk in your path. Cause him to delight in your commandments and follow you all his days.

Top Ten Questions About Jesus Christ

Top Ten Questions About Jesus by Keith Roberts {for more information go to http://calhounchurch.org/tenJesus.htm}
#10- "Was Jesus A Real Person?"


Yes, Jesus actually lived. No credible historian today would deny the existence of a carpenter & teacher from Nazareth named Jesus. The Bible gives his life history, but several non-biblical historians of his era also mention him. Josephus (AD 37-95) the Jewish historian wrote about him, and so did Roman historians Tacitus (AD 55-120) and Seutonius (born AD 120.)

#9- "Did Jesus Ever Claim To Be The Son Of God?"

Yes, several times. Once when attacked by his enemies, Jesus said, "I and the Father are one." Then he spoke of the miracles he had done, and asked "For which of these do you stone me?"
Their answer was, "We are not stoning you for these (miracles)… but because you, a mere man, claim to be God." (John 10:33.)
On another occasion they tried to kill Jesus because "he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." (John 5:18.)


Another time when his enemies tried to kill him, he had said, "Before Abraham was born, I am!" - claiming to be the "Jehovah" of Exodus 3:14. (John 8:58.)
He also said to his own disciples, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9.) Even at his trial, when the High Priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" Jesus answered, "I am… And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:62.)
Jesus definitely claimed to be God's Son.


#8- "Why Did People Believe His Claims; Weren't They Just Superstitious?"

People believed Jesus' claims because he proved them. How? By fulfilling all the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of God's own Son-the "Messiah."
For example, the prophet Micah (720 BC) predicted that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 & Matthew 2:3-6.)
Isaiah (740 BC) foresaw that Christ would heal the sick (Isaiah 53:4 & Matthew 8:17), and that he would be born of a virgin, and would be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6.) Isaiah also gave an extensive picture of the crucifixion of Christ 700 years before it happened! (Isaiah chapter 53.)


Daniel the prophet (600 BC) predicted that the Messiah would come during the Roman Empire (the fourth empire from Daniel's day) and establish God's Kingdom (Daniel 2:44-45.) Jesus fulfilled it. And the prophet Zechariah (520 BC) amazingly predicted that the Messiah would be sold for 30 pieces of silver, which would be thrown back into the temple (Zech. 11:12-13.)
Also, in Psalm 16:10, King David (1,000 BC) predicted that Messiah would be raised from the dead (see Acts 2:27-32.) People in Jesus' day believed his claims because he fulfilled Divine prophecy.

#7- "Since The Bible Was Written So Long Ago, How Do We Know We Have The Words Jesus Actually Spoke?"

Because of the wealth of carefully hand-copied manuscripts-more than for any other ancient work. There are 13,000 ancient manuscripts for the New Testament alone! Compare that to only 7 for the works of Plato, 5 for Aristotle, 8 for Herodotus, and only 9 for Euripedes.
After years of study, scholar F.F. Bruce says, "There is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament."

#6- "Did Jesus Actually Work Miracles?"

Yes, Jesus worked scores of miracles right in front of his enemies, yet they never denied it. And he worked so many miracles, that they can't be explained by "mass hypnosis" or "emotionally overwrought witnesses."
His enemies' only defense was to accuse him of working miracles by Satan's power, but Jesus answered, "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined…" (Luke 11:17.)
It wouldn't make sense for Jesus to do good, like casting out demons, by Satan's power-Satan would be destroying his own kingdom.


It's amazing that people today will deny that Jesus, or his disciples, ever worked miracles, yet no one in Jesus' day ever denied it. His enemies never denied it. And those who saw his disciples work miracles never denied it-they said, "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it." (Acts 4:16.)

#5- "Did Jesus Really Die On The Cross, Or Just Faint And Awaken Later?"

No one in Jesus' day, including his enemies, denied that he died on the cross.
After suffering an entire night of trials and beatings, and then being forced to carry the beam of his own cross, Jesus couldn't have survived the horrors of crucifixion. Besides that, he was crucified by professionals-four Roman soldiers whose job was to kill people. Letting a prisoner escape death would cost them their own lives-They wouldn't be fooled by one who just fainted.

#4- "Did Jesus Actually Rise From The Dead, Or Did His Disciples Just Hide The Body?"

On the third day after his death, Jesus literally came back from the dead. His spirit returned to his dead body (John 20:1-18.)
The disciples couldn't have moved Jesus' body; Pontius Pilate had posted a guard and sealed the tomb. But when Jesus came back to life, these guards were paralyzed with fear. Later, Jewish leaders paid them to say they had fallen asleep and the disciples grabbed Jesus' body (Matthew 28:11-15.) But falling asleep on guard duty meant the death penalty, yet these guards were never prosecuted.
How could Jesus' disciples have moved his body without overpowering the guards? And if the guards were asleep, how did they know what happened to the body?

#3- "Didn't The Disciples Just Mistake Jesus' Ghost For A Resurrection?"

No, Jesus actually appeared in bodily form. He spent over a month-40 days-with hundreds of his disciples after his resurrection. He ate meals with them, taught them and readied them to be his witnesses (Acts 1:3-8.) On one appearance Jesus said to them, "Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have" and then he ate fish with them (Luke 24:37-43.)

#2- "If Jesus Was The Son Of God, Why Didn't Everyone Believe Him?"


In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus said people fail to believe because Satan comes and steals the good news out of the hearts of hearers (Luke 8:12.)
He also said that religion itself can become a barrier to belief-to a group of religious Pharisees, Jesus said "you nullify the word of God for the sake of your traditions." (Matthew 15:6.) An insincere heart can poison the well of one's belief.


#1- "If Jesus Was Really The Son of God, Why Did He Let Himself Be Killed?"


Because his death and resurrection had a purpose.
After his resurrection, Jesus told his own disciples, "Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms… This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations…" (Luke 24:44-48.)

The purpose of Christ's life, death and resurrection was to repair our broken relationship to the Father-the "forgiveness of sins." As the Holy Spirit later said through the Apostle Paul, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…By this gospel (good news) you are saved…"(1Cor. 15:1-4.)

Since every human being born after Adam's likeness has sinned-or "fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)-everybody needs their alienation from God repaired. Isaiah said that "your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you…" (59:2.)

Christ substituted himself for us-he went to hell on the cross so we don't have to go there ourselves. He was the sinless Son of God, yet he absorbed our sins so we could be free. All the guilt and shame of every sin-whether child molestation, murder, adultery, theft, lying, etc-all sin and shame were placed on him.
If you believe that he is the Son of God, raised from the dead, and that he did all this just for you, it will change you. You'll be, as Jesus described it, "born again" (John 3:3-18.)
He also said, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16.)

Are you such a believer? Do you have questions? If you need help in finding your walk with Christ, contact us.


May God bless you with the answers to all your spiritual questions.