It's a Wonderful Life ....a classic film

This story, which I got to watch for probably the 100th time, was once again on TV tonight.

Most people know the story starring Jimmy Stewart, as George Bailey, who after having his world cave in on him, contemplates suicide but ends up meeting an Angel, by the name of Clarence, who allows George to see what his world would be like if he had never been born...of how lives he has touched, would be so very different.

Usually as I watch this film I always find myself pondering on my own life and wondering if I had made a difference in anyone's life for the better: I think that comes with age.

My thoughts were taken this time though to the Life of Jesus, pondering on his birth we celebrate at this Christmas season, his life as a baby, and his controversial years in ministry, when he was hated by so many he walked among, ....

And instead of wondering what it would be like if I hadn't been born, like our friend George Bailey, I wondered what it would be like if Jesus had never taken on flesh and come down from on high to be born as a helpless baby 2000 years ago, all to save mankind, to take our place on that cross, and bleed and die for us, offering the one and only perfect sacrifice, himself, for sinful men, and women;...that's you and me, by the way.

I can't imagine, and don't want to think about what my life would be like today without Jesus.

I also pondered tonight while watching that film, what Mary's life was like...what she thought during those months while carrying the Son of God. And what she must have pondered on during the next 33 years, watching him stumble and fall as a young child, grow into a teen, work along side Joseph in the carpentry shop, enter into His ministry, be loved by a few and hated by others...and ultimately die on that cross.

Wonder if she questioned things in her heart or knew why?

Just sharing my thoughts ...

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Would someday walk on water?
Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
That your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered
Will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Will calm the storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby
You've kissed the face of God.
The blind will see
The deaf will hear
The dead will live again
The lame will leap
The dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb

Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Will one day rule the nations?
Did you know
That your baby boy
Is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding
Is the Great I Am

*to listen- http://www.wrensworld.com/marydiduknow.htm

Are you still searching?

Life is like a journey, it is my opinion that from young to old, we are ever in the process of searching. Searching for what you may ask? For most people, we are searching for satisfaction and happiness.
Many spend their energy and time on gaining material wealth, thinking that financial security is the answer to satisfaction in life. Others seek satisfaction in friendship, in relationships. And a great number seek satisfaction in pleasure, in the form of food and drinks and sex, and even drugs.
It is my observation that such satisfaction will not last. When we die, all our material wealth will depart from us, even a good relationship will not last, because people may change, and even our loved ones will depart from us when we or they die.
And the pleasure we seek are temporary and may lead us to addiction, bondage, pain and sickness.
Some seek satisfaction in fame and achievement, in intellectual pursuit. But even this will not last forever, when we die one day, all our achievement and glory means nothing, it will fade away.
So I like to suggest that we seek satisfaction in the right thing, things that will last forever. These are the spiritual things.

There is one person in history that promises this satisfaction, He is Jesus Christ and He says He has come to give us an abundant life:

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

The irony is, to get this abundant life, you must surrender your life to Jesus. For Jesus also says:

Matthew 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

It takes faith to do that, but Jesus will keep his promise to you. What do we mean to lose our life in order to find life? We have to give the control of our life to Jesus, making Jesus the Lord over us. We have to give up things in our life that displeases God. This invitation to an abundant life is open to all, are you tired of seeking so many things in life only to find that it is emptiness? Do you labour with no peace and you have a heavy burden? Jesus says to you:

Matthew 11:28-29 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

You can find rest and satisfaction in Jesus. Click on the link “Do you know for sure?” on the left to find out more how you can begin this abundant life, don’t wait any longer.

Reasons for Our Thanksgiving; His Name

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 richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Colossians 3:15-17 nasbu


My family name made its way to the United States from Europe on August 30, 1904. On that date, a nineteen-year-old Louis Lampel walked down the gangway of the Bremen at Ellis Island in the New York harbor. His voyage across the Atlantic had started ten days earlier in Bremen, Germany, but his journey toward a new life in the United States began from his home in Czartkin, Austria.

My grandfather was a Jew:


The ship's manifest, filled out prior to departure in Germany, lists his ethnicity as "Hebrew." It is safe to assume that Louis probably was not a "practicing" Jew, but one by blood, since my father, born thirteen years later in Wellsburg, Iowa, never mentioned this heritage. Indeed, he may never have been sure of it himself. And from before 1945, my family has been Protestant Christian.


Nevertheless, the name "Lampel" is closely associated with German Jewry. A sampling of other Lampels in the Ellis Island records reveals first names such as Abram, Baruch, Franz, Hersch, Ignatz, Isaac, Isaak, Isidor, Izsak, Jacob, Jakob, Josef, Jsaak, Michel, Moritz, Moses, Oscar, Salomon, Simon, Wasil, Yosef, and Ziskind. Most came from the same area: Austria, Germany, or Hungary.


The List


This history recently became all the more poignant to me when I heard our family name uttered in the movie Schindler's List.


Though I had watched the film several times before, this was the first time I heard the name. During the last third of the film, Schindler has paid off the Commandant and "his people" are being transferred to his factory—instead of being shipped off to the death camps. As the family groups approach a small table before boarding a train, they declare their names to the officer, who then checks them against the list. At the table one man declares his family name of "Lampel" to the officer. Hearing this, I was stunned. But, not trusting either my ears or the Spielberg movie script, I located a database of the names on Schindler's list at a web site. There I discovered three Lampels listed: a mother and daughter, and an older man probably of a separate family unit.


The places, names and dates of these associations suggest no immediate connection between my family in the United States and these three European Jews saved by Oskar Schindler. Still, the realization caused a visceral reaction in me. Whether far distant or close, here was evidence that people of my blood had passed through the hideous persecution of the Nazis, but ultimately had survived through the mercies of a Gentile stranger.


Born Again


"I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are." John 17:9-11 nasbu


No matter their temporal ethnicity, all believers share a family name. They are "of Christ," they are "in Christ," they are "Christ-ians"—meaning, "followers of Christ." More than just adherents to a philosophy or creed, Christians are actual members of His family.


But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13 nasbu


This is what it means to be "born again."

Believers have been reborn into the family of God through Christ. Because of this, they obtain full rights as sons and daughters of our heavenly Father. They have set aside as ancient history their original birth of the flesh, and have been birthed anew of the Spirit. Christians, because of this rebirth, become brothers and sisters of Christ Jesus. Not just adherents, not just disciples or followers; believers are kin.

We share the name of Christ.


Everything He Is


Shortly after Pentecost, the apostle Peter came upon a man congenitally lame who was begging outside the temple gate. The man put out his hand, asking for alms. But Peter told the beggar that he possessed something better.


"I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!" Acts 3:6 nasbu


Immediately the man's legs were strengthened and he began dancing around, giddy with the joy of being able to walk for the first time in his life. The people around them were amazed at the miracle, so Peter took the opportunity to preach a sermonette, making it clear from whence the miracle had come—that the one responsible for the healing was none other than the Jesus they had just had crucified. More specifically, it was the powerful name of Jesus that did it.


"And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all." Acts 3:16 nasbu



Today, in the Western world, a person's name is little more than a convenient label. It is assigned as a way to mark one person out from another—to denote one family from another, and one person from another within each family. It can be used as a term of endearment, but more often it is alphabetized in a phone book, printed on invoices and bills, used as the means to receive one's appropriate mail. It is not meant to say anything about the character or personality of the individual. It is just a label.


But in Jesus' time a person's name represented who that person was. And in God's economy, the name of "Jesus" represents everything of His personality, His goodness and strength, His purity and grace—His deity. Placing one's faith and trust in the name of Jesus is the same as placing that faith and trust in the person of Jesus.


But the relationship does not end there. Those who believe in the name of Jesus actually acquire that name. It becomes their family name from that point on, as they are now in Christ.

And what a name it is—a name before which every knee will bow.


For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 nasbu

And for the privilege and honor of sharing this most holy, powerful name, we give humble thanks.

From Strength For The Journey - By Joseph Stowell 

Judgment is coming

Revelation 9:20-21 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Judgment is coming to the world

The above verses are taken from the book of Revelation, the last book of the bible.
It reveals the sins of mankind, they were holding to these sins even after they saw some of God’s judgment in the end times.

Worship of devils-many of us are not into Satanism. But if the “god” we worship allow us to practice evil, then it is devilish. For example if a religion allows you to murder innocent lives, to kidnap people or hold people as hostages, then your “god” is like the devil.

Worship of idols- any graven image is considered an idol, that will include many gods of eastern religions, the graven image of Mary is an idol.

Murders- if we hate someone in our heart, entertain thoughts of bringing harm to people, we are committing murder in our hearts. We may not even have hateful thought when we abort a child, but it is murder because life begins at conception.

Sorceries-the use of magic or evil spirits to get what we want, like witchcraft or wicca. But note that anyone who made use of a higher supernatural power (God, goddess, Satan, spirits, spirit of dead people, angels, Cosmic energy etc) to get what they want is behaving like a sorcerer.

Fornication-Fornication is sex outside of marriage and also adultery. However the Greek word is porneia, which we have the word pornography, this will include all sexual perversions like lesbianism, sodomy, pedophilia, incest, cross dressing etc. If we lusted after someone in our mind, or have unclean thoughts, we have sinned.

Theft- Any acts of deception for material gain is theft, but those who commit any dishonest acts are just like thieves, these will include hiding or exaggerating truths for personal gain. Theft is greed and dishonesty.

Judgment is coming to the church

But there is a greater sin in Christian churches, many who profess to be Christian are living a life of sin. They have no desire to pursue holiness and forsake their sins. Many trust that they are going to heaven because they are members of a church or they have “accepted Christ” in the past, but they have make no commitment to forsake sins and follow Jesus, instead they are following the world, even the church is like the world.

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:26-29

The bible contains many warnings of coming judgment, and judgment may come sooner than you think. If you have never know Jesus personally, now is the time to cry out to Jesus for mercy.

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalms 34:18

If you have a repentant heart, and see yourself as utterly sinful and hopeless, there is hope for you. Jesus is able to forgive you and heal you. Ask Jesus to come into your life and make a commitment to follow Him. Following Jesus means a willingness to obey and trust Him.

Click on link on the left “Do you know for sure” to understand the Gospel fully.

The Mystery of Faith

"Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience." 1 Timothy 3:10



Open your Bible to the very first book and read the very first verse, it reads;

"In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth."


Now to the carnal man this is ludicrous. How can a man grasp the improbability of such an impossible task as to create the heaven and earth, and do it all out of nothing? Herein lies the mystery of Faith.

The simple truth is, man could never grasp the grand concept of creation by an eternal God. It is beyond our ability to understand. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" (Romans 11:33)


There is however a force greater than our understanding... Faith!


We may never understand how God created all things, but we can know Him, and through our faith, we can believe that God created all things. "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God." (Hebrews 11:3)


The Biblical definition;

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)


This takes in the whole of the Christian walk with God. Every aspect of our walk in the Spirit is through faith.


"For without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is..." Hebrews 11:6


Faith is a gift of the Spirit;

"To another faith by the same Spirit..." (1 Corinthians 12:9)

The Spirit of God gives us this wonderful gift of faith, however, we must receive it, we must embrace it, we must walk in it.


Faith is the fruit of the Spirit;

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith..." (Galatians 5:22-23)


Fruit insinuates a process of growth and maturing. As the mustard seed, it starts small, but grows with time and care.

Faith is a process of growth;

"...faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)


We have a responsibility to nurture our faith through much prayer and study of the Word of God.

"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation;" (Hebrews 2:3)


Ultimately though, faith is a gift from God. He awakens us to it, He stirs it in us, and with our cooperation, He causes it to grow and mature for us.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)



This is the great mystery of Faith.


Acting on our Faith;


Hebrews 11:13 says that, By faith, they saw the promises afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed them.


Faith takes on action and action always brings about results.


Hebrews 11:33-38

Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.


Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; Of whom the world was not worthy...


Faith must be motivated by Love,


"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." (Luke 10:27)


Without the proper motivation of love, faith has no effect.

Because God is love, and our faith is a gift from God, love and faith are inseparable, in-fact, one cannot work without the other.


1 Corinthians 13:1-8

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all

knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:


— Randy Munter -

www.theoldtimegospel.org

The Gift of Hope

There is a gift God has given his people in all ages that has enabled them not just to hold on, but to experience fulfillment even in times of great difficulty. This gift is hope.

Biblical hope is rooted in the fact that this life and its troubles are brief experiences relative to eternity. Paul said, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).
The hope of the people of God is not merely a desire or wish. It is a confidence rooted in God's promise and God's faithfulness. It is a trust that is rooted in Christ's trustworthiness and the certainty of His wonderful plan for us:

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house there are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I'm going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am (John 14:1-3).

Jesus gives us no false hope. He guarantees that a day will come when He will reign and all things will be new:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God Himself will be with them to be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away' (Revelation 21:3-4).
(You've just read the end of the book. So now you know how the movie's going to turn out!)

The day is coming when all that is wrong will be made right. All that now hurts will be healed. All that causes stress, outside and inside us, will vanish.

Hope is the light at the end of life's tunnel. It not only makes the tunnel endurable, it fills the heart with anticipation of the world into which we will one day emerge. Not just a better world, but a new and perfect world. A world alive, fresh, beautiful, devoid of pain and suffering and war, a world without disease, without accident, without tragedy. A world without dictators and madmen. A world ruled by the only one worthy of ruling. (See my book In Light of Eternity: Perspectives on Heaven.)

The Difference Hope Makes

A study was done in which one group of Israeli soldiers was told they would go on a march, but were not told if or when the march would eventually stop. Another group was told the length of the march. They knew there was an end.

Both groups were tested for their stress response. Although they marched not one foot further than those in the other group, those who did not know whether or when the march would end registered a much higher level of stress. Why? Because they had no hope, no tangible assurance that the forced march would end. They felt helpless, hopeless, wondering if they would ever be allowed to rest.

We do not know exactly how long we will be here, but we do know there will be an end. We will not march forever. We will rest. That is cause for certain hope. Even in times of greatest grief Christ leaves us with his hopeful assurance:

You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy...Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy...I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:20,22,33).

by Randy Alcorn

From www.epm.org/articles/hope.html

Tears Of Repentance

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." — Revelation 3:20


There is no rowing to paradise except upon the stream of repenting tears. Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet. Why are the wells of repentance stopped? Do not the sinners of the land know that they should repent? Have they no warning? Have not God's faithful messengers lifted up their voice as a trumpet and cried to them to repent? But many of these tools in the ministry have been spent and worn out upon rocky hearts. Do we think that God will always put up with our affronts?


Some bless themselves that they have a stock of knowledge, but what is knowledge good for without repentance? Learning and a bad heart is like a fair face with a cancer in the breast. Knowledge without repentance will be but a torch to light the way to hell. Repentant tears may be compared to myrrh, which though it is bitter in taste, has a sweet smell and refreshes the spirit. So repentance, though it is bitter in itself, yet it is sweet in the effects. It brings inward peace.


We are to find as much bitterness in weeping for sin as ever we found sweetness in committing it. Surely David found more bitterness in repentance than ever he found comfort in Bathsheba.


Tears have four qualities: they are moist, salt, hot, and bitter. It is true of repenting tears, they are hot to warm a frozen conscience; moist, to soften a hard heart; salt, to season a soul decaying in sin; bitter, to wean us from the love of the world. And I will add a fifth, they are sweet, in that they make the heart inwardly rejoice.


David, who was the great weeper in Israel, was the sweet singer of Israel. The sorrows of the repentant are like the sorrows of a travailing woman:

"A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world" (John 16:21).


Be as speedy in your repentance as you would have God be speedy in His mercies. Many are now in hell that purposed to repent. Satan does what he can to keep men from repentance. When he sees that one begins to take up serious thoughts of reformation, he bids them wait a little longer. It is dangerous to procrastinate repentance. The longer any go on sinning, the harder they will find the work of repentance. Delay strengthens sin and hardens the heart and gives the devil fuller possession.


A plant at first may be easily plucked up, but when it has spread its roots deep in the earth, a whole team cannot remove it. It is hard to remove sin when it comes to be rooted. The longer the ice freezes the harder it is to be broken. The longer a man freezes in security, the harder it will be to have his heart broken.


Presuming upon God's mercy can be eternally fatal. Many suck poison from this sweet flower. Oh, one says, "Christ has died; He has done all for me; therefore I may sit still and do nothing." Thus they suck death from the tree of life and perish by a savior. So I may say of God's mercy, it accidentally causes the ruin of many. Because of mercy, some men presume and think they may go on sinning. But should a king's clemency make his subjects rebel? The psalmist says;

"there is mercy with God, that he may be feared," (Psalms 130:4) but not that we may sin.


Can men expect mercy by provoking justice? God will hardly show those mercy who sin because mercy abounds. Many would rather go sleeping to hell than weeping to heaven.

— By Thomas Watson

Though your sins be as scarlet

“Though your sins be as scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though your sins be as scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they be red like crimson,
They shall be as wool!”
“Though your sins be as scarlet,
Though your sins be as scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow,
They shall be as white as snow.”

Hear the voice that entreats you,
O return ye unto God!
Hear the voice that entreats you,
O return ye unto God!
He is of great compassion,
And of wondrous love;
Hear the voice that entreats you,
Hear the voice that entreats you,
O return ye unto God!
O return ye unto God!

He’ll forgive your transgressions,
And remember them no more;
He’ll forgive your transgressions,
And remember them no more;
“Look unto Me, ye people,”
Saith the Lord your God!
He’ll forgive your transgressions,
He’ll forgive your transgressions,
And remember them no more,
And remember them no more.

Words:
Fan­ny Cros­by, 1887.
Music:
W. Howard Doane

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/h/thoyours.htm

Chariots of Fire: Eric Liddell

Eric Liddell ~ 1902-1945


On April 6, 1923, in a small town hall in Armadale, Scotland, Eric Liddell spoke for the first time of his faith in Christ. Eighty people came to hear Scotland's famous runner give his testimony.
"Shyly, he stepped forward and for a few seconds surveyed his waiting audience, then he began," writes Catherine Swift in her biography, Eric Liddell.

"There was no lecturing, no fist thumping on the table, no wagging or pointing a finger to stress a point, no raised voice to impress on them what he thought they should be doing. In fact, it wasn't a speech at all. It was more of a quiet chat, and in his slow clear words, Eric for the first time in his life told the world what God meant to him.

"He spoke of the strength he felt within himself from the sure knowledge of God's love and support. Of how he never questioned anything that happened either to himself or to others.
He didn't need explanations from God. He simply believed in Him and accepted whatever came."

News of Liddell's talk was reported in every newspaper in Scotland the next morning. God was preparing Liddell to honor Him, and his testimony still reverberates today.

"The Lord Guides Me"

Liddell was an unorthodox sprinter. Coming out of trowel-dug starting holes, Liddell ran with abandon, head tilted toward the skies, knees thrust upward to his chin, feet rising high from the ground. Before each race, Liddell shook hands with each competitor, offering his trowel to fellow runners who struggled to dig their starting holes in cinder tracks with their cleats.
When asked how he knew where the finish line was located, he replied in his deliberate Scottish brogue, "The Lord guides me."

As word of his faith in Christ spread through England, many wondered if he would display the same zeal on the track. Liddell silenced any skeptics in the AAA Championships in London in July 1923, by winning the 220-yard dash and the 100-yard dash. His time in the 100 stood as England's best for thirty-five years.

He won the Harvey Cup for the best performance of the meet and readied himself for the Paris Olympics in the summer of 1924.

"I'm Not Running"

Liddell waited excitedly for the posting of the Olympic heats for the 100 meters and the 4X100 and 4X400 relays, his best events. He was stunned upon learning the preliminary dashes were on Sunday. "I'm not running," he said flatly and then turned his attention to train for the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes.

He considered Sunday to be sacred, a day set apart for the Lord; and he would honor his convictions at the expense of fame.

On Sunday, July 6, Liddell preached in a Paris church as the guns sounded for the 100-meter heats. Three days later, he finished third in the 200-meter sprint, taking an unexpected bronze medal. He quietly made his way through the heats of the 400 meters but was not expected to win. Shaking hands with the other finalists, he readied for the race of his life.

Arms thrashing, head bobbing and tilted, legs dancing, Liddell ran to victory, five meters ahead of the silver medalist. "The Flying Scotsman" had a gold metal and a world record, 47.6 seconds. Most of all, Eric Liddell had kept his commitment to his convictions of faith.

"It's Complete Surrender"

The next year, Liddell returned to China, where he had been born to missionary parents, as a teacher and missionary. In 1932, he was ordained as a minister and married in 1933.
He ministered pleasantly and plainly, often traveling on bicycle, braving constant fighting between Chinese warlords and Japanese in their growing conquest of China.
His decision to share Christ in isolated communities, forcing him to leave his wife and children behind, was the result of insistent prayer. "Complete surrender" was his description of this attitude.

In March of 1943, Liddell, along with other Americans and Brits, entered a Japanese internment camp. He was appointed math teacher and supervised a sports program. He arose each morning to study his Bible and was the cheer of the camp.

But his health deteriorated rapidly. A brain tumor ravaged his body with severe headaches. Shortly after his forty-third birthday in January 1945, Liddell collapsed. His last words, spoken to a camp nurse, were, "It's complete surrender."

Upon learning of Liddell's death, all of Scotland mourned. Heaven rejoiced.

Run The Race

Eric Liddell ran, spoke, and lived with great faithfulness and solid commitment to Christ. The movie, Chariots of Fire, chronicled his faith, influencing yet another generation for Jesus Christ.
You do not have to be famous or skilled to make a difference for Christ. God asks only that you serve Him faithfully and wholeheartedly in whatever you do.

God has "appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain" (John 15:16)

Honor God in all you do, and He will honor your obedience with a life that counts for eternity.

"Complete surrender" to Christ is total victory.

Example or Substitute?

After speaking to a group of collage students about the Lord Jesus, one student told the speaker “I don’t like your preaching. I do not care for the cross. I think that instead of preaching the death of Christ, it would be far better to preach Jesus, the teacher and example.”


“Would you be willing to follow Him if I preach Christ, the Example?” replied the preacher;

“I would, I will follow in His steps.” “Then,” said the preacher, “Let us take the first step. ‘Christ . . . who did no sin.’ Can you take this step?”

The student looked confused. “No,” he said; “I do sin, and I acknowledge it.”

“Well then,” said the speaker, “your first need of Christ is not as an Example, but as a Savior.” And this is every man’s need.


For in the cross we see the only One who was capable of taking the sinner’s place. Being without sin Himself, He bore the sinner’s sins, suffered for them, died for our sins, was buried, rose on the third day and ascended to the highest heaven. Every one that believes on him as Lord and Savior will not be condemned by God but will receive the forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life.

You cannot do without Him; there is no other way, no claim, and no hope by which you ever can be saved.

The Bible, God’s Word declares:

“…for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23

“…for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord “ Romans 6:23

“…but God commendeth his love toward us in that ,while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” Romans 5:8

“…and said what must I do to be saved? And they said Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house.” Acts 16:30, 31 

Prayer

LUKE 5:6 “And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.”

CHRIST is able to help us in our business affairs as well as in our spiritual matters. The disciples had been fishing. They had toiled all night, and their nets were empty in the morning. Jesus told them that if they would push out farther and drop their nets in a certain place, they would find plenty of fish. They did as He asked them to do, and were rewarded.Some people seem never to learn that they can have God’s guidance in their secular affairs. A young woman was trying to find something to do. A friend, after advising her, asked her if she had taken the matter to God. “Why, you would not pray about a matter of this kind, would you?”That is precisely what we should do. God is interested in everything in our lives, in our smallest daily affairs, as well as in our largest spiritual interests. Jesus tells us that the very hairs of our heads are all numbered. This means that nothing in our lives is too small for God’s notice.

“ORDER my steps” is a prayer which should ever be on our lips. We should get our orders from God, not once in our life only, when we first give ourselves to Him; not at the opening of each day only, as we go forth to the day’s task; not merely at the beginning of each new piece of work or of each fresh task—but every moment, for each step. That is what walking with God means. We may make this so real that we shall look up into God’s face continually, asking, “What next, dear Lord? What shall I do now? Which course shall I take today? How shall I do this duty?” If we can but have God’s guidance and help for the little short steps, we need not fear for the long miles, the great stretches of road. If each step is of His ordering, the long miles will be paths of His choosing.

From Devotional Readings for Every Day of the Year-By J.R. Miller, D.D.

When I See The Blood....

One night in a church service a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart. She responded to God's call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and prostitution. But, the change in her was evident.

As time went on she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children. It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor's son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans. This is when the problems began. You see, about one half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor's son.

The church began to argue and fight about the matter. So they decided to have a meeting. As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand. The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past. As she began to cry the pastor's son stood. He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be. He began to speak and his statement was this:

"My fiancee's past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the Blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?"

The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Too often, even as Christians, we bring up the past and use it as a weapon against our brothers and sisters. Forgiveness is a very foundational part of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely then it cannot cleanse us completely. If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble.

"What can wash away my sins,
nothing but the blood of Jesus..."

— Author Unknown

He Gathers The Lambs

“He shall gather the lambs with His arm.” -Isaiah 40:11

Our good Shepherd has in His flock a variety of experiences, some are strong in the Lord, and others are weak in faith, but He is impartial in His care for all His sheep, and the weakest lamb is as dear to Him as the most advanced of the flock.

Lambs are wont to lag behind, prone to wander, and apt to grow weary, but from all the danger of these infirmities the Shepherd protects them with His arm of power. He finds newborn souls, like young lambs, ready to perish - He nourishes them till life becomes vigorous; He finds weak minds ready to faint and die - He consoles them and renews their strength.

All the little ones He gathers, for it is not the will of our heavenly Father that one of them should perish. What a quick eye He must have to see them all! What a tender heart to care for them all! What a far reaching and potent arm, to gather them all!

In His lifetime on earth He was a great gatherer of the weaker sort, and now that He dwells in heaven, His loving heart yearns towards the meek and contrite, the timid and feeble, the fearful and fainting here below. How gently did He gather me to Himself, to His truth, to His blood, to His love, to His church!

With what effectual grace did He compel me to come to Himself! Since my first conversion, how frequently has He restored me from my wanderings, and once again folded me within the circle of His everlasting arm!

The best of all is, that He does it all Himself personally, not delegating the task of love, but condescending Himself to rescue and preserve His most unworthy servant. How shall I love Him enough or serve Him worthily?

I would love to make His name great unto the ends of the earth, but what can my feebleness do for Him?

Great Shepherd, add to Your mercies this one other, a heart to love you more as I should.

- C.H. Spurgeon

The Angel in the Cell

Love this true story and wanted to post it as an encouragement.


"...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me"-Hebrews 13

My brother Dave Howard does a lot of traveling and comes back with wonderful stories. One summer when the six of us Howards with our spouses got together for a reunion, Dave told us this one, heard from the son of the man in the story.

A man whom we'll call Ivan, prisoner in an unnamed country, was taken from his cell, interrogated, tortured, and beaten nearly to a pulp. The one comfort in his life was a blanket. As he staggered back to his cell, ready to collapse into that meager comfort, he saw to his dismay that someone was wrapped up in it--an informer, he supposed. He fell on the filthy floor, crying out, "I can't take any more! whereupon a voice came from the blanket: "Ivan, what do you mean, you can't take any more?" Thinking the man was trying to get information to be used against him, Ivan didn't explain. He merely repeated what he had said.

"Ivan," came the voice, "Have you forgotten that Jesus is with you?"

Then the figure in the blanket was gone.

Ivan, unable to walk a minute before, now leaped to his feet and danced round the cell praising the Lord. In the morning the guard who had starved and beaten him asked who had given him food. No one, said Ivan.

"But why do you look so different?"

"Because my Lord was with me last night."

"Oh, is that so? And where is your Lord now?"

Ivan opened his shirt, pointed to his heart--"Here."

"OK. I'm going to shoot you and your Lord right now," said the guard, pointing a pistol at Ivan's chest.

"Shoot me if you wish. I'll go to be with my Lord."

The guard returned his pistol to its holster, shaking his head in bewilderment.

Later Ivan learned that his wife and children had been praying for him on that same night as they read Isaiah 51:14: "The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread" (NIV)

Ivan was released shortly thereafter and continued faithfully to preach the gospel until he died in his eighties.

By Elisabeth Elliot Taken from: Keep a Quiet Heart

Admitting our mistakes

In my working life, I have seen my colleagues and myself making mistakes. I am sure you will agree that it is impossible for a person not to make any mistake in his or her life.
There are five possible reactions when people make mistakes.

Deny it

Blame on someone else

Cover it up

twist the facts

Admit our mistake

It goes against our self-pride to admit our mistakes. Even among Christians, we struggle with that. We may have know of a Christian who is very dogmatic in his/her view, but when shown that his/her view is inconsistent, often he or she will not acknowledge his mistakes. A Christian that has not learned to admit mistakes has not learned self-denial.
Recently I too struggled with covering up a mistake in my work, but the Holy Spirit tells me to admit it and swallow my pride.

Maybe you are not a Christian, a few questions for you to ponder:

Do you deny you are a sinner?

Do you cover up your sins?

Do you blame your sins on someone else?

Do you twist the facts so that sin is no longer called sin?

Sins are worse than mistakes. While mistakes can be due to an oversight sin involves a moral choice with eternal consequence. If we made a mistake, we may lose our job, but if we sin, we lose our soul.

My friend, the willingness to admit our sins is the first pre-condition for eternal life, we need to mourn for our sins. If you don’t acknowledge that you are a sinner, you are denying reality and deceiving yourself. Check what the bible says about the conditions of our heart:

Mark 7:15-23 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Ponder on these verses, it is beneficial to your soul. Then read the other articles on this blog to find out how you can have eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Self Imposed Famine

Was reading an article in the recent Time Magazine, titled 'Does God Want Me Rich?' when the words of Amos 8 came to me. I know it refers to Israel, but the Holy Spirit brought it to my mind for a reason, so I pondered on it.

Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit. And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more. And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence. Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.

The bolded verses were what actually what came to me.....

Thought about those verses where God shows Amos the basket of summer fruit, asking him 'what do you see'..

All types of fruit grow in the summer only...early, mid, etc. but there is a season in late summer when the fruit, if not picked rots on the vine. Late summer. I think this was the season God was showing Amos--that this 'late summer fruit' was 'spoiled'...

Are we experiencing a famine of hearing the Word of God today, like is spoken of above?

I think we are.

God is giving no new words because He's already spoken but people have refused to hear.

I had a preacher tell me long ago when I was seeking advice on what to do in a matter, telling him I couldn't seem to get any direction from God in prayer, that I needed to go back to the last time God DID speak to me and reflect on if I had obeyed. For when God does speak, if we don't obey, we'll hear 'no new word' until we do.

Makes sense, doesn't it.

Today we get 'words'...in fact anyone with a computer can sign up on any number of 'prophetic' web sites and receive one in their mail box every day. But are they truly a 'Word from God'? I seriously doubt it. For one thing, what Prophet [real, truly called of God] can produce a 'word' on command, daily at that! None that I've ever read about in the bible.

So what are we hearing? Fluff. Chaff.

Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney. Hosea 13

Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble:.. Is.33

......clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Jude 12

Can't survive on chaff...

Chaff- The seed casings and other parts inedible to humans of plant matter harvested with cereal grains such as wheat. The chaff must be separated from the grain before use, by such techniques as threshing and wind winnowing. The word "Chaff" is also used to refer to something worthless, such as in the ex-pression "separating the wheat from the chaff" meaning to find things of value and separate them from things of no value.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked perish. Psalm 1

Is the famine we're in today self imposed? I kinda think it is.

Today we have the Word of God available like no other time in history...almost any Christian has access to a bible. Just a few years ago, this wasn't true in all Nations. Granted there are still areas/pockets of the world in which a group of believers may gather with only 1-2 per group...but for the most part all believers today do have access to reading/hearing the Word.

But like the scripture in Amos says, the famine is in the 'hearing', not in the giving forth.

Anyway was just thinking outloud. God has been speaking, but I just wonder if any of us really have heard. And that because we haven't taken to heart what we HAVE heard about 'repent, prepare, I'm coming soon, Be watching,' that we may not get anything more until we heed and obey what we have been given. Not the 'chaff messages' but the words of the true Prophets.

The words of that article title really hit me today; 'does God want me rich'...

Does God want us rich, sure He does. Rich is all mercy, grace, and love, through Christ.
We are truly living in the Laodicean age when we've forgotten that truth, and the world, thru a secular magazine has to remind us.

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelation 3

Thanks for bearing with my ponderings...

THERE IS A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.
Washed all my sins away, washed all my sins away;
And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.
Be saved, to sin no more, be saved, to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.

E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die, and shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.

Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing Thy power to save,
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.
Lies silent in the grave, lies silent in the grave;
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.

Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared, unworthy though I be,
For me a blood bought free reward, a golden harp for me!
'Tis strung and tuned for endless years, and formed by power divine,
To sound in God the Father's ears no other name but Thine.


cyber hymnal- http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/f/tfountfb.htm

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it,
and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
Drink ye all of it. For this is my blood of the new testament, which is
shed for many for the remission of sins.

But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine,
until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

Matthew 26

Born Again

"When a man is converted to God, it is done in a moment.

Regeneration is an instantaneous work.

Conversion to God, the fruit of regeneration, occupies all our life, but regeneration itself is effected in an instant.

A man hates God-- the Holy Spirit causes him to love God.

A man is opposed to Christ, he hates his gospel, does not understand it and will not receive it: the Holy Spirit comes,  puts light into his darkened understanding, takes the chain from his bondaged will, gives liberty to his conscience, gives life to his dead soul, so that the voice of conscience is heard, and the man becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus.

And all this is done, mark you, by the instantaneous supernatural influence of God the Holy Spirit working as he wills among the sons of men."

- C.H. Spurgeon's, "THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT"

The Holy of Holies & The Rent Veil

Happy Saturday to you!


While browsing through my old bookmake page folders last evening
I came upon this wonderful interactive link and wanted to share it.

It had been awhile since doing any bookmark cleaning, so I'd forgotten
about having it.

Was glad I rediscovered it! What a blessing it was to come across it again.

Its an Interactive Journey through the old Temple in Jerusalem.

http://messiah.heartofisrael.org/

If you have problems getting into it, go here instead and click on the
banner at the bottom.

http://radio.heartofisrael.org/

After entering into the Outer Court be sure to stop long enough to
enjoy the anointed worship music at the bottom by Marty Goetz,
among others.

I can guarentee, you will be blessed!

Just a little background on the Holy of Holies

THE HOLY OF HOLIES

The Holy of Holies, a small room 10 cubits x 10 cubits (15' x 15') separated from the Holy Place by the veil. It housed one piece of redemptive furniture, the ark of the Covenant, with its mercy seat. There was no created light like the sun and no artificial light but Gods own "Shekinah" glory that lit up the Holiest Place.

There was no seat for man but here Jehovah sat alone on the throne of glory and righteousness. As the high priest entered once a year, he entered with bowed head, unsandalled feet, and bells. No human voice was heard, only the voice of God.

The Veil

Exod 26:31-34 "You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim."

- The veil could never be touched except by the high priest, and then only once a year to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat on the day of atonement:

Lev 16:2 and the LORD said to Moses: "Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat."


What Was the Significance of the Temple Veil being Torn in Two when Jesus Died?

During the lifetime time of Jesus, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish religious life. Here was the place that animal sacrifices were carried out, and worship according to the Law of Moses was commanded, and followed faithfully.

Hebrews 9:1-9 tells us that in the Temple a veil separated the Holy of Holies where God dwelt from the rest of the Temple where men dwelt. This signified that man was separated from God by sin (Isaiah 59:1-2). Only the High Priest was permitted to pass beyond this veil once each year (Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:7), enter into God's presence for all of Israel, and make atonement for their sins (Leviticus 16).

Solomon's Temple was 30 cubits high (1 Kings 6:2) but Herod had increased the height to 40 cubits according to the writings of Josephus, a first century Jewish historian. There is uncertainty as to exactly what a cubit equaled in our feet and inches but it is safe to assume that this veil was somewhere near 60 feet high. Josephus also tells us that the veil was four inches thick, and that horses tied to each side could not pull the veil apart. And the account in the Book of Exodus teaches that this thick veil was fashioned from blue, purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen.

The size and thickness of the veil makes so much more momentous the events described as occurring at the exact moment of Jesus' death upon a cross nearly 2000 years ago.

"And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom..." (Matthew 27:50-51a)

So what do we make of this? What significance does this rent-torn veil have for us today? Above all, the tearing of the veil at the moment of Jesus' death dramatically symbolized that His sacrifice, the shedding of His own blood, was a sufficient atonement for sins forever. It now signified that the way into the Holy of Holies was open for all people, for all time, both Jew and gentile.

When Jesus died, the veil was torn, and God moved out of that place never again to dwell in a Temple made with hands (Acts 17:24). God was through with that Temple and its religious system and worship forever, and the Temple and Jerusalem was left "desolate" (destroyed by the Romans) in 70 A.D. just as Jesus prophesied it would in Luke 13:35.

As long as the Temple stood, it signified the continuation of the Old Covenant. Hebrews 9:8-9 indicates that the way to the sanctuary was not yet open "as long as the outer tent" still stood, being symbolic of "the present age." The "present age" refers to the age that was passing away even as the New Covenant was being established (Hebrews 8:13).

In a sense, the veil was symbolic of Christ, Himself.

Christ is the only way to the Father. (John 14:6) This is symbolized in the fact that the High Priest had to enter the Holy of Holies through the veil. Now Christ is our more superior High Priest, and as believers in the finished work of Jesus we partake of His better priesthood. We can now enter the Holy of Holies by Him. Hebrews 10:19-20 says that the faithful enter into the sanctuary by the "blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which he opened for us through the veil, that is, through his flesh."

The veil being rent from top to bottom is a fact of history. The profound significance of this event is explained in glorious detail in the Letter to the Hebrews. These things were shadows of things to come, and they all ultimately point us to Jesus Christ. He was the veil to the Holy of Holies, and through His death, the faithful now have free access to God.

The veil in the Temple was a constant reminder that sin renders humanity unfit for the presence of God. The fact that the sin offering was offered annually and countless other sacrifices repeated daily was meant to show graphically that sin could not truly and permanently be atoned for or erased by mere animal sacrifices. Jesus Christ, through His death, has removed the barriers between God and man, and now we may approach Him with confidence and boldness.

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.(Hebrews 4:14-16)

Pray the link provided brings to you a portion of the awe it has to me.

God Bless...

Matthew

Fatherhood

I became a father last year 10th of June when my daughter Glenda was born. Since then my life has changed, I no longer have as much time for myself as I like, I need to bathe her and change her diaper, and just spending time playing with her. Though it can be tiring, but it is also a joy to me.
As Christian parents, it is a God given responsibility to bring up a child. Children have impressionable minds and parents are given good opportunity to teach them the right values. I have read some Christian writings about bringing up a child, and below are some important points that I am learning.

• Set a good example to your child, your child can observe you.
• Spend time with your child, play with them, develop the bond with them.
• Teach your child the bible at an early age, tell them bible stories, tell them about Jesus (Deut 11:19)
• Have family worship and show your child how to pray (Deut 11:19)
• Discipline and correct your child when he or she is naughty, cane the child if necessary (Proverbs 13:24)
• Don’t exasperate your child, don’t make them bitter against you (Ephesians 6:4)
• Finally father and mother need to love one another, don’t give your child a broken family. When children see that parents love one another, they have the security.

It is not easy to be good parents, that is why prayer helps, pray to God for grace and strength, pray for your child, may God help us parents to preserve godly seeds in these evil days.

A Man of One Book.

"I have thought I am a creature of day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God, and returning to God: just hovering over the great gulf till, a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing... the way to Heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore?

God Himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end He came from Heaven. He hath written it down in a Book. O give me that Book! I have it; here is Knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri (a man of one book).

Here then am I, far from the busy ways of men. I sit down alone; Only God is here. In His presence I open, I read His book; for this end, to find the way to Heaven. Is there a doubt concerning the meaning of what I read? Does anything appear Dark or Intricate? I lift up heart to the Father of Lights; 'Lord, is it not Thy Word, if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God?' 'Thou givest liberally, and upbraidest not'. Thou hast said: 'if any be willing to do Thy will he shall know'. I am willing to do, let me know, Thy will.

I then search after and consider parallel passages of Scripture, 'comparing spiritual things with spiritual'. I meditate thereon with all the attention and earnestness of which my mind is capable. If any doubt still remains, I consult those who are experienced in the things of God; and then the writings whereby, being dead, they yet speak. And what I thus learn I teach.

Yet, how far is love, even with many wrong opinions, to be preferred before truth itself without Love! We may die without the Knowledge of many truths and yet be carried into Abraham's bossom. But, if we die without Love, what will Knowledge avail? Just as much as it avails the devil and his angels.

The God of Love forbid we should ever make the trial! May He prepare us for the Knowledge of all truth, by filling our hearts with all His love and with all Joy and Peace in Believing!"

John Wesley; within his sermons.

No Looking Back

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3

 
There is an art of forgetting, and every Christian should become skilled in it. Forgetting the things which are behind is a positive necessity if we are to become more than mere babes in Christ. If we cannot trust God to have dealt effectually with our past we may as well throw in the sponge now and have it over with.

Fifty years of grieving over our sins cannot blot out their guilt. But if God has indeed pardoned and cleansed us, then we should count it done and waste no more time in sterile lamentations. And thank God this sudden obliteration of our familiar past does not leave us with a vacuum.

Far from it.

Into the empty world vacated by our sins and failures rushes the blessed Spirit of God, bringing with Him everything new. New life, new hope, new enjoyments, new interests, new purposeful toil, and best of all a new and satisfying object toward which to direct our soul's enraptured gaze.

God now fills the recovered garden, and we may without fear walk and commune with Him in the cool of the day.

Right here is where the weakness of much current Christianity lies. We have not learned where to lay our emphasis. Particularly we have not understood that we are saved to know God, to enter His wonder-filled Presence through the new and living way and remain in that Presence forever. We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.

The Triune God with all of His mystery and majesty is ours and we are His, and eternity will not be long enough to experience all that He is of goodness, holiness and truth. In heaven they rest not day or night in their ecstatic worship of the Godhead. We profess to be headed for that place; shall we not begin now to worship on earth as we shall do in heaven?

— A. W. Tozer

Unbelief; Father Forgive them for they Know not.

Tho silent before men, He {Jesus} was not silent before God;

pain of past or of present let us go to God in prayer.


charles Spurgeon.


Unbelief; Father forgive them for they know not

was it fear of death that caused them to cry "can He not prepare a table for us in the wilderness? " {unbelief}

was it fear of death that caused them to say " shall He take us out of Egypt only to have us die in the wilderness?" {unbelief}

Were His wonderous works before them not enough for them to believe,

That He should be thoughtful enough to know their needs?

The overflow of what they had asked came. He knew their desires. Many had fallen, yet God said: they are of flesh. He remembered.

and it was through His rememberance that He saved those few for His Name's Sake; His personal Glory.

As the waves, winds and rains come, in the heat of burning despair know He is mindful of us. Know He knows your need. Know He is your defense.

in past, in present, through suffering and hard times; through the fears of the facing elements, Trust God.

The people the Lord spoke of in the Holy Scriptures were those He set apart for Himself. In the Bible they are called Israelites. Under the oppression and abuse of a Worldly Government God had heard their cries and sent one called Moses. Moses believed God and led a chosen people into the wilderness that they might Worship Him.

Today we have One called Jesus. He too came to set apart a chosen people from a Worldly Government. The Worldly Government of Pride. The difference between Moses and Jesus is that while Moses was a mere man used as an Instrument of God, Jesus was not just a mere man. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the Ending".

We have been given " Life Eternal" through following Jesus; believing on Him.
He is leading us into a Wilderness so that we Might Worship Him. Moses told his people that God would give to them a Promise Land filled with Milk and Honey. This promise was to those who believed God. Again we can peacefully know and believe God will take us through the wilderness of this life as long as we Believe Jesus in His everlasting Promise: " I am the way, the truth and the Life", ye will see His promise Land.

Jesus knew His defense

The Songbird And The Flower

I love this story and its author. Chip's writings have blessed me, AND taught me many things through out the years.
As usual, and in his own unique style, he brings home a greatly neglected point about true ministries. He is right, many times in our persuit of 'ministry' we can forget who we're really called to minister too first ...amen?

In a land not too far away lived a songbird. According to outward appearances this songbird was no different than the rest. She had blue feathers, a white breast, and a yellow bill. But she also had a very special gift!

Her gift was discovered one day quite by accident. She enjoyed singing to the Lord and worshipped Him at every opportunity. It was her custom to wake up early to see the sunrise and spend time worshipping the Lord. She had done this every morning since she was a little bird.

Her song carried unusually far one morning. Her neighbor, the squirrel, was sitting in his little recliner with a cup of tea, reading the morning newspaper, when suddenly this magnificent song came wafting through the open window! "I have to find out where that's coming from!" he exclaimed. Jumping up out of his chair, he ran through the door and into the field, looking for the source of the beautiful music.

Also, at that exact moment, a deer was walking through the woods and heard the same sweet melody. "What singing!" she cried. "I wonder who it could be?" And she, too, went off to find out where the music was coming from.

The songbird, of course, was oblivious to the excitement she had generated. She was lost in her worship when suddenly the squirrel arrived on the scene, followed by the deer - and about a dozen other animals!

"Where did you learn to sing like that?" they all asked with great admiration.

The songbird shrugged her shoulders. "I always sing like this whenever I want to give praise to the Lord. I hope I didn't disturb you."

"Disturb us?" answered the deer. "We think it is wonderful! How uplifting to hear such beautiful singing early in the morning. You really have a gift!"

"I do?" asked the songbird.

"Absolutely!" said the squirrel. "God blessed you to bless others, and you shouldn't let that gift go to waste. You have a special calling!" And all the other animals agreed.

"I don't want to waste my gift," answered the bird. "What should I do?"

"Come with us to the church service this morning," said the deer. "I'll speak to the pastor about you and he'll let you sing for the congregation!"

The songbird wasn't sure what to do about all this attention, but she didn't want to waste her gift, and she certainly wanted to bless others with what she had been blessed with. So she agreed to go.

* * *

Of course, the congregation of animals were blessed by the singing songbird, and she was such a blessing that they invited her to sing every Sunday morning. The little group began to grow as a result of the songbird's beautiful voice. In no time the songbird became the worship leader. Not only was she responsible for selecting the music and leading the worship service, but she was supposed to conduct the choir practice twice a week and teach voice to the pastor's daughter (the crow) so she could one day sing as well as the songbird.

One Sunday morning a group of eagles arrived, listened to the songbird, and watched her very carefully. After the service, the eagles gathered around the songbird and began to prophesy! "The Lord says that you have a special anointing, and He will give you an international ministry!"

Of course, the songbird was very thrilled about this, because she wanted to use her gift and she wanted to be a blessing. Another member of the church, the fox, offered to record her music and put it on CD. "That way," he explained, "You can reach more animals and be a blessing to God's creatures all over the world. This is what the Lord meant when He said He was giving you an international ministry!"

Before long the CD's were produced, and the fox had promoted them all over the world. The orders began to come in, and everyone said they were blessed by the songbird's music. Then came the invitations! "Is the songbird available to come to our church?" Everyone wanted their own live performance, and the fox took care of everything.

"Congratulations!" he told the songbird. "You're booked up for ministry every week for the next two years, and your CD's are in record stores all over the world. Now you can be in the full-time ministry! The Lord has really blessed you!"

So the songbird took her itinerary from the fox and began flying all over the world to meet the demands of her full-time ministry schedule. The fox even made her a special backpack so she could take all her CD's and ministry resources with her and raise money for her ministry.

The songbird sang in church services, and in retreats, and in conventions, and in concerts. She truly enjoyed meeting all the other animals, and she still enjoyed singing. She was getting a little tired of flapping her wings all the time to get from one ministry event to the other, and her voice seemed to be losing some of its former strength and purity from being used all the time, but she accepted that as part of fulfilling the call on her life. Besides, no one seemed to notice. Everyone loved her, and wanted to hear her.

* * *

Time went by, and the songbird was becoming more and more popular. She had a ministry headquarters, a ministry staff, and ministry partners all over the world. Her next CD was coming out soon, and everyone was looking forward to it with great anticipation. She was a busy little songbird, flying all over the place to keep up with her hectic ministry schedule, but having to carry around all those CD's and ministry resources on her back was a constant strain, and she tired easily.

One day she was traveling to her next singing engagement and found herself flying over a canyon out in the middle of nowhere. Exhausted from her flight, she decided this would be a good place to stop and rest her wings for awhile. Far below her she saw a gorgeous flower of indescribable beauty! So she circled around the flower and landed right next to it.

What a lovely little flower it was! It had round petals of many colors - yellow, blue, pink, and white - and golden leaves. She had never seen anything like it in all her travels around the world. And the fragrance! It was unlike anything she had ever smelled, and far better than any perfume she had ever tried. Yet here it was, growing out of a crack in the bottom of a rocky canyon floor, out in the middle of nowhere!

"Hello little flower!" the songbird said. "I was just flying overhead and admiring your beauty, so I thought I would visit with you for a moment. You are certainly the most beautiful flower I have ever seen, and I don't think there is another flower in the world quite like you."

"The Lord has been very gracious to me," answered the flower pleasantly. "Who are you, and where are you going?"

"I am Rev. Songbird and I'm on my way to minister at a retreat on the other side of this canyon. Maybe you've listened to one of my CD's, or seen me on television?"

"No, I don't believe I have," the flower said. "I'm quite alone out here in the canyon, and I don't have a lot of contact with the rest of the world. As you can see, I don't have wings to carry me anywhere."

"That's a shame," said the songbird. "Because you are such a beautiful flower, and you give off such a lovely aroma. The Lord has blessed you to be a blessing, yet your gifts are not being used as they should! Why don't you come along with me to church, so the other animals can see your beauty and enjoy your fragrance?"

"Oh no, that would never do," the flower said, "Because that would only distract me from my own ministry."

"So you are in the ministry? What denomination are you with?" asked the songbird.

The flower laughed. "I'm not with a denomination."

"Where do you go to church?"

"Oh, I'm not involved with a church, either."

"Do you have some books or tapes out?"

"Heaven's no!" the flower laughed.

"So what kind of ministry do you have, then? Are you in the ministry full-time, like me?" the songbird asked.

"Oh yes, it is a full-time ministry," answered the flower.

"But you are out here in the wilderness, all alone. There are no churches, no one to fellowship with. How can you be in the full-time ministry? It seems like such a waste."

"Oh, but that is where you are wrong," explained the flower. "You see your ministry as being to the other animals, but my ministry is to the Lord Himself! He has planted me out here in the wilderness, hidden from the rest of the world. You believe that is a waste, since no one can see me or smell me. But He can see me! And He can smell me! And the measure of my fruitfulness is not what I am to other people, but what I am to Him."

The songbird was silent for a long time. Finally, she said, "Creatures all over the world are being blessed and encouraged by my music. Perhaps you are called to minister to the Lord, but I am called to minister to the other animals!"

"Who told you that you are called to minister to the other animals?" asked the flower.

"The Lord!"

"Really?" asked the flower.

The songbird thought about what the squirrel had said, and what the deer had said, and what the eagles had said, and what the fox had said, and what all the other animals said. "Well... just about everyone who has heard me sing has told me that the Lord has given me a special gift, a special calling, and a special ministry."

"Yes," agreed the flower. "But all of God's creatures have a special gift, a special calling, and a special ministry. Who told you that your gift, calling, and ministry is to the other animals?"

"I guess the other animals said so."

"Naturally," continued the flower. "But wait! What is that huge pack on your back?"

"Oh, that is my bag of music CD's and ministry resources. I carry these with me wherever I go, because this is how my full-time ministry is supported."

"It looks mighty heavy," observed the flower.

"It is, believe me!" said the songbird. But it's part of being in the ministry."

"For your ministry, perhaps," said the flower. "It's not part of my ministry! Ministering to the Lord is not a burden at all."

(Secretly, the songbird envied the flower, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it.)

"It does sound good," said the songbird. "But I'm not sure I even know how to minister to the Lord."

"Do you remember when you used to sing praises to the Lord in secret every morning, and just worshipped Him for Who He is, with no agenda or vision or plan or crowd of onlookers to minister to? Do you remember when you just sang the songs He gave you, and they were just between you and Him?" the flower asked.

"Yes."

"You were ministering to the Lord! And what was your reward, when no one could hear you sing, and you were just singing to Him?"

The songbird thought. "I didn't get any rewards, or recognition, or applause. So I guess the only reward I had was... Him?"

"That's right," the flower smiled. "When we minister to the Lord then the Lord becomes our reward. So then the question becomes: is Jesus enough for you? Or is the work of the Lord more important to you than the Lord of the work?"

And the songbird had to admit that she never had time to just sing to the Lord the way she used to. With all her traveling and performing she seldom took time to just minister to the Lord, the way she did before anyone knew how gifted she was. Now the ministry had become so big that the Lord Himself had been neglected.

"I see it now," the songbird finally admitted. "I went into the ministry, but I missed my calling."

"That's what usually happens," said the flower.

The songbird and the flower sat together in silence for a long time.

"So what do I do now?" the songbird whispered.

"Just go back to the beginning," the flower said. "The Lord is waiting to meet with you there."

The songbird and the flower embraced, and the songbird flew back to her nest, leaving the burden of her ministry behind on the canyon floor. So from that day forward the songbird devoted herself to ministering to the Lord, just like she used to do.

And the Lord gave her some beautiful new songs to sing - just for Him.

by Chip Brogden

http://www.theschoolofchrist.org/articles/songbird.html