The mobile water sprinkler chugged its way across the lawn sending stiff streams of water toward the grass, trees, shrubs and flowers. When it reached the flower laden hibiscus, the delicate flowers took the full force of the water and shriveled under the pressure. As I started toward the menacing machine to divert it, a miracle occurred.
Somewhere inside that hibiscus, a safety mechanism was built into the plant by our Creator. One by one, the blooms began to close themselves, protecting the delicate flower petals from the danger. Once the emergency was over, they opened again and renewed the task of sharing their beauty with the world. What an awesome display of the Father's love for His creation!
GospeLines Prayer:"Do not worry about your life...and why do you worry about your clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin...if that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6)." Amen and amen.
There’s a saying “Since God can not be everywhere, he created Mothers.” My daughter gave me a plaque with that saying that I cherish and keep prominently displayed in my kitchen. I’d like to take that saying a step further…”Since God can not be everywhere, he created Angels.” My Angels come in many sizes, shapes, personalities, nationalities and varying ages. They are my Sisters. They are Godly Women.
It matters little whether they’ve traveled along the path with me for a lifetime or more recently. God has a plan and purpose for bringing us together. We share a kindred spirit that a few people might understand.
I have been blessed with many Angels who’ve shared my joys, sorrows, disappointments and successes. They’ve even shared their faith and when we commune, we know there’s nothing any one of us can’t handle. We are God’s children and He is at the center of our joy.
My Angels can be found among friends, family, colleagues, my church family, and Prayer Warriors and they travel the highways and byways of my life. So, while I don’t have siblings, my life has been enriched beyond measure.
With that, I dedicate the following…
Walking and Talking with Godly Women
Lord, when I’ve been troubled
You sent them to me
In many forms, even branches from my family tree
When I needed to hear from you
Or needed a simple hug,
You sent them to witness
Your unconditional love
It doesn’t mean they’re perfect,
Neither am I
But, they know you intimately
And I’m allowed to ask why
I am closer to Thee because
You’ve led me to them
You’ve shown me more by their example
How to be more like Him
I’m listening more intently
Than ever before,
And as I continue to grow in the Word,
I want to know more
Very early on a Sunday morning I drove to the local grocery store to pick up a few things. It was my day to cook. While ordering scrambled eggs, bacon and biscuits at the deli counter I heard a woman's voice, singing loudly while she worked, "God is watching..." My first tendency was to look at how I was dressed, in shorts and a tee shirt. If He really was watching, I wanted to look OK.
In a few seconds, she sang out again: "God is watching..." This time I didn't duck, but turned to see who was singing this off key one-liner. She wasn't strange looking at all. She was just busily working, baking pies and cakes and sharing a private moment with the world. "God is watching...," she blurted out in an ominous tone again. I drove away with a smile on my lips, the smell of breakfast on the seat next to me, and a new song in my heart: "God is watching...," I sang to no one and to everyone.
I wonder what she meant by that song? Did she mean that God is watching and I better think twice and not be naughty but nice? Is God really like that? Sometimes He is. The presence of God SHOULD be a deterrent to misbehavior and an influence toward doing the right thing. Or, did she mean, "Hallelujah, God is watching over us." Yes! Surely, there is a feeling of security knowing that God is watching over us with a protective hand upon our lives.
You are a child of God. He watches you, not for His entertainment, but for His delight. As a parent watches his beloved children play, grow to adulthood, go away to college and become happy in their chosen professions, our Father watches over us as we grow toward spiritual maturity. Let us live in a way that brings a smile to the face of our Lord, and a song to our hearts: "God is watching..."
"The Lord watches over you-
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm-
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch your coming and going
both now and forevermore"
Psalm 121:5-8
We've got to do something. Over 2,500 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq. Over 12,000 alcohol related traffic deaths each year in the US. About 24,000 people around the world die from hunger or hunger related causes each year. Approximately 22% of all pregnancies worldwide end in abortion. That's over 46 million abortions each year. We've got to do something!
Yes, those numbers are staggering. No Christian reading those statistics could avoid feeling the pain and heartache of these families and individuals. Putting these and other statistics together, we can easily agree that millions are in need of immediate attention. What if I told you that 1,000 times that number are in even more serious jeopardy?
Estimates vary, but since creation approximately 24 billion people have lived on the earth. Of that number, over 25% are living right now. That's about 6 billion people. Of those, 72% do not believe that Jesus is God's Son or that He died for our sins and rose again bodily on the third day. They do not believe that He now sits at the right hand of the Father and that He will come again (soon?) to judge the living and the dead.
My friends, that means that somewhere around 5 billion people alive right now have not accepted our Lord as their Savior. Need I say what that means? "I never knew you: depart from me." (Matthew 7:23)
"We've got to do something" takes on a whole new meaning and priority when we think of these numbers. Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Are we doing it? He said:
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16 - NIV)
Are you a light?
So many are lost and in need of Jesus. So many are facing damnation if you and I don't tell them what we know. We've got to do something… and we've got to do it now… but what?
Most of us can't take the gospel to billions, millions, thousands or even hundreds. However, all of us can take the gospel to those the Lord places in our paths. We can take it to them in word, deed or in example by simply living as Christ would have us live.
Plant a seed every day. Plant one, or two, or 5 billion… but plant, "making the most of every opportunity." (Ephesians 5:16)
Pastor Ron
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
- Philippians 2:5
What some have seen as an accident of history was a carefully worked out plan by God, that Jesus was born in a small village located on the road to Hebron, outside the city of Jerusalem.
Bethlehem. In Hebrew, the word means house of bread or meat. By definition it carries a rich Christian heritage that Jesus Christ, born to a humble family in a cave used for a winter shelter for livestock, is not only our Lord, He is our source of life. As the Bread of Life, He gives to my soul what food provides my body.
He is nourishment to an empty heart, filling me with everlasting hope. He is my strength in a moment of weakness, lifting me above temptation. He is my banquet table, providing joy and fellowship with those who share in His abundance. Each time I partake of Him, I am reminded again that He alone can make my cup run over and fill me so that I shall never want for more. Amen and amen.