Are You Made In 'His' Workmanship?

Tonight Barb and I are in Huntington Beach, California just finishing up the movie "Extreme Measures" and getting ready for bed. Tomorrow at 6 AM, we will "dawn" our little baseball caps and race down to the beach parking lot and try to secure a space for us and our trailer. Got here too late today for ANYTHING. Tomorrow we will have a better chance.

I was sitting here thinking about how blessed a person I am. Sitting in my little "house on wheels" with my best friend and "Cap't Jack" too (sometimes he gets in the way but he doesn't take up too much space). Beautiful beach weather (a little chilly tonight but it is sure to be beautiful and somewhere in the 70's tomorrow. We will pull out our "beach lounge" chairs, open up the awning on the trailer and sit out sipping tea and enjoying the sun.

Of course you might imagine it would remind me of a verse in scripture. It is Ephesians 2:10, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Remember when it was said in Titus 2:11-14, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds?" Well today, just like any other day, I sinned against God and went before Him asking for His forgiveness, and just like the faithful God that He is, it was so given.

And later on today, He gave me yet another chance to mention Him to another person. Why? Because we are "His workmanship" designed by Him to do His good will here on earth. I don't know about you guys, but that excites me to no end, just knowing I am following His will at those moments.

We will be having a wonderful time while "bathing in the sun" at the beach, but we should never forget that we brought Jesus Christ, our King, along with us.

By the way, it's Memorial Day and I am so very grateful for those who gave their lives in battle, so that I might have the freedom I have to speak the truth of God, without threat! Ain't God Great?

Good night,

Dave

Facing Giants In Life

Tonight I watched the movie "Facing the Giants." A Christian movie about a high school football team that eventually surrendered completely to God's purpose and it was an amazing story of facing obstacles in our lives. I've had obstacles, you've had obstacles! There's not a person on this earth who has not or will not "Face their Giants" in life.

It seems to me that the longer I live, the more difficult the "Giants" in my life become. Am I the only one who feels this way? Sometimes it is very hard to deal with these "everyday" life situations. And believe it or not, sometimes I even feel sorry for myself.

Now tonight, after watching this movie, I feel very confident in my trust of God and His ability to carry me through these "waters." Facing our life's difficulties are so much easier when we have a Father that we can trust to care for our needs. And of course, it brought to mind a verse in scripture that says, in Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." So what is it that we have to fear in life. Now I am NOT of the opinion that the above scripture verse means I can pick up an automobile because of the strength He gives me, but rather, I can do ANYTHING that the Spirit wills in my life according to God's purpose for my life.

And so these "Giants" show up from time to time, and what God wants us to do is know that we have the power of the Almighty Himself with which to carry ourselves over the mountains of physical, mental and emotional dilemma's in life.

You are probably facing some kind of "Giant" in your life today. Are you confident in your relationship with God? Are you trusting him for EVERYTHING in your life? If not, then why not? We cannot get through these times without our faith in God.

So what I saw tonight showed me that it is vital that we place ALL our trust in Him. Try to put God in the place of your "Giant" tonight and see if He can give you peace!

Dave

Go In Peace

Last night was a very heartbreaking experience for me. As we began our travel time, heading toward the beach for some fresh air, sun and sand, we made a two day stop in Bullhead City, Arizona to visit a couple of siblings of mine. One who has always confessed that God wants nothing to do with him and the other who appears to have used God, in the past, as a "means to an end." In other words, this sibling appeared to be as those Pharisees & Sadducees who were referred to as "brood of vipers" in the Gospel of Matthew.

Nothing hurts the spirit within us as a person who would be willing to use God as a way to achieve something earthly (and so filthy). But as difficult as it is to admit, I have a relative who seems to have done just that. To except the love of God, merely for the sake of convincing others that you have changed, is a "mockery" of the one who went to Calvary, to save my soul. It offends me deeply and I am sure it does others as well.

So I was prompted by God to address the issues "squarely" and was obedient. Of course, the person that my sibling has chosen to "share a bed and drugs" with believes that they will go to heaven because "that is what someone told me." Later in the same conversation this person confessed that they did not even believe that God really exists. I wanted to run as far away as I could, however as I started quoting scripture to prove this person wrong, they ran from the room themselves, never to return again.

Then I was laying in bed tonight thinking about the events of last evening when God brought this scripture to mind: "And whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that [house or] city." (Matthew 10: 14,15).

I take very seriously, my relationship with our God and do not wish to watch ANYONE try to use Him or His love, for unholy purposes. God can use any of us in a mighty way if we have surrendered ourselves to His will and purpose for us. And last night looked like an "exorcism" of some sort as demons fled from the mighty Word of the Lord God.

I confess I am, indeed, heartbroken and wounded because of the lack of compassion and deception brought about by my own family, however I am richer tonight than last night because God used me to take "victory" away from the devil. Tonight, I better understand the words of the half brother of Jesus, James who said in Ja:5:16 "confess your sins to one another..." God can and does bring about the "power of effective kneeling" as we give ourselves to His will.

Perhaps you have a friend or family member who confesses to be a child of the King, and lives like a cousin of the devil. Find your way to your own knees as you ask God for the wisdom to speak truth in love to them.

Go in peace,

Dave

By the way, so that there is no cofusion, I too, consider myself nothing more than a "sinner saved by the touch of the master's hand."

What "Bugs" You?

Well Barb and I are on the road and really enjoying time spent together, relaxing and having fun in the travel trailer. Before we left, my wife (bless her heart) spent 10 hours with her friend Robin, making new curtains for the trailer just because I didn't like the "mini-blinds" that were originally installed. And they look GREAT! Would I possibly say anything else? Just kidding, they do match and look wonderful.

So today we got a chance to visit with my older brother for a few hours and have dinner together. Everything there still the same. Once again, glad I live several hundred miles away from everyone. We will go with them to beautiful "downtown" Oatman, Arizona tomorrow (I'm not sure why) something about a lot of donkeys to look at - not sure.

So today I had to ask myself what was bugging me about family members and try to get some understanding about why we don't get together any more than we do. I won't go into detail except to say some of the reasons (just as with other family members) are valid. And tonight, since my whole body felt "agitated" I couldn't sleep so I got up to read, and sure enough (Ain't God Great), He lead me to just the right passage of scripture to give me peace.

Listen to these verses of scripture in Genesis 1:24,25 which says, "Then God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind; cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind; and it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good." Notice that I underlined "creeping things". Not sure why but the scriptures made me think of flys. They are such a bother to everyone. It doesn't matter where they land, within your "space" they are still "creeping things" that are bothersome. We hate them. We go out of our way to destroy them. We swat them with flyswatters, spray them with dangerous chemicals, throw things at them and they still continue to "bug" us to no end, it seems.

Some of us may experience distant relatives like that and they just "bug" us. Is that rude? Oh well, I'm just typing the way I hear God leaning.Check this out. This was a thought I had while reading these verses and thinking about how difficult flys are in our lives. Answer this question for me: " How close to the ceiling does the fly have to get before he knows to "flip" over so he can land on his feet." I know, I need to get a life! I guess the point I am trying to make is that there are several things in life that really "bug" us (especially like the fly) and we just don't know what to do about it.

We cannot take a "flyswatter" to our family and friends so perhaps the best thing to do is to come to the understanding that God created them, just as he did "all the creeping things" that crawl on the earth and these are things that we have to co-habitate with here on earth. I guess there are just some things we need to ignore.Something bugging you today?

Perhaps you don't like the way I write or you have people in your life that "suck all the air" out of the room and just suffocate you with need. Like the fly, we don't know when he decides to "flip over" to land on his feet and perhaps some of our family and friends are the same way. I know; another long explanation for something that perhaps should just simply be ignored. But it is important to remember that even though there are people and things that may "bug" us, they too, were created by the same God that created you and He loves them just the same.

I remember a lot of years ago when a black man, Rodney King, after being beat up by a few police officers, got on TV and said "Can't we just all get along?" Maybe we will never discover when the fly decides at what point he needs to flip over to land on his feet on the ceiling. Maybe we don't need to know. Perhaps simply being thankful that the "fly" which God created serves it's ultimate purpose in the overall scheme of God's plan here on earth and just leave the guy alone.

I know! By this point, you are all thinking I have completely lost my mind. But actually, being out of the brown air of the Phoenix Metropolitan area has actually cleared my head and I'm throwing out my flyswatter in the morning. Now that I think about what I have written, if God hadn't given the fly the talent to achieve his "ceiling landings" we would be crushing hundreds of them all over the floor every singe day. So this is a good thing. Hopefully, you got a little chuckle out of this thought.

Dave

"The Main Thing, Is To Keep The Main Thing, The Main Thing!"

Barb and I are in the Travel mode and the first stop, Laughlin, Nevada to see my brother, Dale and make a small charitable donation. From here we will travel northwest toward Hesperia, California, where we will see our Nephew Ronnie and his family along with Barb's sister, Linda. I just heard that Med and Gail will be there on Friday so we will visit with them. Strange that we have so much trouble getting with them because they live about 40 miles away, but after driving almost 400 miles we will catch up with them...LOL.



After that, it's a "free-for-all at Huntington Beach, California, where Barb and I plan to stay for several weeks, if possible. We will work very hard and doing nothing but laying out in the sand in our "Ergonomically" designed lounge chairs outside the trailer, soaking up the sun. "West and Wewaxation" as Elmer Fudd would put it.



From there we will go to Barb's cousin's (I think), daughter's wedding and meet up with lots of family and friends in the Santa Barbara area. And then off to visit my mother and other brother in Calimesa, California. Hopefully we can find a secure place to park our trailer for a week or ten days while we come home to the dreary task of doctor's visits and blood work. I'll tell you, if Barb doesn't get well soon, she's going to have to stay at home...LOL.



Then we plan to go back and retrieve our trailer for another "several week" stay at the beach. In fact, forget everything above. We're just going to the beach.



Naturally, I have God's Word with me so I will try to put up a few devotions while we are on the road.



Those of you who have to stay in the lovely, Phoenix Arizona area where the temperature will soon past the century mark, God bless you in your ministry. We are on ours!



We love you,



Dave & Barb Stallings (and Cap't Jack)

Does HE Have Your Attention?

Stress is hard on your knees, makes your head ache, bad on your back, hurts your heart, and "drains" a person, both physically and emotionally; "a real killer"! Matt. 11:28 says, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." I Lord, along with a whole cast of others need your rest today......Thanks for the promise, Lord.

Our lives are "full of it". Ever heard that saying before? I have. But I'm not talking about the worldly "obvious" statement made when people think we are "full of it"! I'm talking about the stressors of life that fill us up daily and create in us an inability to walk, talk, or think of anything else because we are so stressed out with a little bit of everything.

Barb and I were having dinner last night with some close Christian friends of ours and we were talking about how "fast" we could actually see the world "spinning out of control." Some of you probably don't even notice it. You get up each day and go to work, sometimes, not even aware of the news of the day. Then you come home to your families and tend to the business of caring for them.

Then some of you notice it, but just shrug it off as "just another catastrophe" in today's world, sort of like, "this too shall pass."

But after over thirty years of being a Bible-studying Christian, I don't see it quite that way. I see the Revelation of the Apostle John fast approaching us and each day it seems to come faster and faster and I wonder; How many of us are ready?"

The Bible is the final authority on our "Eternity" and it has a lot to say about our preparedness or the lack thereof. It is the trials of life that I have experienced along with my salvation through the Lord, Jesus Christ that has given me the preparedness required to look at today's world and know with a certainty what is taking place.

The "Terminator" (Arnold) was not the first one to coin the phrase "I'll be back"! Our Lord Jesus, when He left this world, made us plenty aware that His return was eminent and that we should expect His return for the church. First Thessalonians 4:16,17 says, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive, and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord."

That tells me that we, as "fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ" should not only be prepared, but looking up as well, because He could be here, "in the twinkling of an eye"!

Does HE have your attention?

Dave

Resist The Devil

For decades I have heard exultation's from the pulpit about how wives should submit themselves to their husbands and that the husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave His life for it. And I fully agreed over these years, most of the dissertations presented in these cases. Just wanted to say that because, I have yet to hear from the pulpit or in Bible Study the following passage:

James 4:6-10 which says, "...Therefore, it says, God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you."


I personally believe that these words are mystical and courageous. They were written by the half brother of Jesus, James, who was not always "in step" with the Lord's plan. But James absorbed all of the events of the countrymen, the disciples and Jesus Christ Himself and at the end, it is James who makes what I think is a most conservative yet, faith-based statement within God's Holy Word. And that statement comes from verse 7 which says, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." What he said here is very dynamic because of the time and study to prove in his heart that his very own half brother, was indeed, the Son of God. And when this realization is made, he becomes one of the most dynamic, on fire, set free of all the disciples.

"Resist the devil and he will flee from you" is the exact opposite, here near the end of the Bible to what we read at close to the very beginning of the Bible as satan has his discourse with Eve in the Garden and he finds himself successful in the deception that he presented in her hour of weakness. All the way back "in the beginning" in chapter 3 verse 5 satan presents to Eve the most convincing argument against God's Word when he says, "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Now I must say that way back then, when you were one of the first persons of significance, a statement like that is hard to completely dismiss.

And so I think, given the above facts, that it is only fitting, that it would be a loved-one of Jesus that centuries later would be the one to "refute" satan's claim in Genesis 3 with these words. They are precious and they are ALL POWERFUL in the Christian walk today. Listen to them one more time: "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you...Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you."

Remember that it will be extremely difficult to share the love of God, as you listen to satan sitting on your left shoulder.

God Bless you,

Dave

Are You Looking Forward Or Backward?

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words" (I Thessalonians 4:16-18 NASB)

If you are a Christian, how many times have you read that passage of scripture with amazement at the coming events of our Lord Jesus Christ. Does it excite you? Does it raise the "goose bumps" on your arms? Does it cause you to reflect on life in this world and think about how much different, how much better and more joyful it will be when He returns?

Or does it bring you sadness? Does it concern you that you have children you have yet to raise? Does it interfere with your professional ideals? Does it bother you that this event in "eternity" could happen any day now? So, think about it and ask yourself which of these two paragraphs you ascribe to.

Excited or hoping He will delay. Do you have a racing heart when you discuss the second coming of the Lord or do you feel like you have more life left to live on this earth? Well if you are "EXCITED" as I am, then "Praise The Lord, coming quickly Lord Jesus!" However, if you are concerned with the prospect of not seeing fully, your professional career or your children go to college or get married and give you grandchildren then you are not taking the time to "develop" your relationship with the Christ. Oh, you have your salvation, and in the event He returns soon you are safe, but do you want to complete life here on earth with a "less than excited" anticipation of Jesus' return? Do you not understand that the eternity that He has promised is far superior to the, possibly 70 plus years you get here?

In the book of Genesis the Godhead said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..." (Gen. 1:26). And then in Genesis 2:7 "...the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Do you realize that NOWHERE in the Bible does it state that God "breathed life" into any other creature. Doesn't that make you feel special? Because you are!

You, in the image and likeness of God, have an eternity that is fixed in heaven, at the feet of our Savior, in worship and praise, living eternity on "streets of gold" where there will be no more tears or pain.

Our family had a close friend named Christine who opened her door one night to someone she did not consider a stranger and before that night was over, her life was gone and she stood in the presence of God Almighty as a result of her quest for His salvation. She didn't plan this day, nor did any of her family believe that this day had arrived. She "forever" talked about the Lord and how she "longed" for His return.

Christine is just one of millions and millions of "followers of Christ" who patiently wait on His return, not knowing if they will see Him before He comes "thundering" through the clouds.

If you are not excited about current events or things that point to the return of Christ; if you still have one foot "too firmly planted" in this world, let me suggest to you that you take the time to better understand your reward in heaven if you sincerely belong to Jesus Christ. Oh, don't misunderstand my zeal. While you are here, you have a very serious job to do. It just may be that the person you sit next to at work has no earthly idea about Jesus and He has put you there simply for the purpose of sharing His Gospel with that person. I don't know about you but I don't want to have to stand before God and try to explain to Him why I did not share the Love of Christ with that person. It's real easy. Just a simple question to get the conversation started. "What do you think of this man called Christ?" Our God is depending on you or He wouldn't have put you there.

Dave

Come Down Out Of That Tree

Jesus said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house" (Luke 19:5). On this very day, the Savior had a date with a sinner. Zaccheus was not only a hated "Tax-gatherer" but he was a "chief tax-gatherer." Chapter 19 of Luke's Gospel opens up by sharing a divine appointment with man is his predicament (up a tree),that Zaccheus, a sinner, had with the Master of the Universe. It was Zaccheus' day to meet Jesus face to face and answer that all important question (what will you do with this man called Christ?).

I see a few things in the first 10 verses of this chapter that seem important to the character change and heart renewal of a sinner that need to be pointed out. First of all, I see Zaccheus, one of the "chief tax gatherers in the country and Jesus chose Zaccheus on this day. I know it looks like Zaccheus chose Jesus, as he scurried up the sycamore tree to get a glance at the King of Glory but Jesus knew that He would be entertained by this "Tax-Cheat" on this very day.

Another thing I noticed was that the crowd was "grumbling and saying 'He (meaning Jesus) had gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." The crowd here was satan's preference. Satan would love for Zaccheus to see the people he had become rich from collecting taxes, oppose this meeting. They really had no "loss of love" for those who would continually "bleed" the people of their taxes (especially knowing that these guys were becoming wealthy from "scrapping off the top" so to speak)

A third thing noticeable in this passage was that Jesus was the program of the Father here as He said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house..." And then finally, as a result of Zaccheus meeting up with the Savior, he was a new man. Zaccheus says to the Lord in verse 8, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." Doesn't sound like a man who wanted to be in the company of satan anymore, huh?

Salvation, though the most important step we will take, seems simple to achieve by:

1) Recognizing our sin.
2) Being willing to walk away from satan's crowd (repent and turn from our sins).
3) Recognize our need for a Savior (join in on the Father's plan).
4) Accept the "newness of our salvation"

What is it that keeps you doing what you do every single day that includes God? It's these 4 things above. Once these steps have been sincerely applied to the heart, one cannot help but come down from the tree and ask Jesus to "come in".

Hope you're not still hangin' around in that tree!

Dave

Where Do You Get Your Wisdom From?

Here's a couple of verses I ran into this morning that kind of go with what I mentioned yesterday. I found them in Proverbs 2: 6,7 and it says, "For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity."

I read a book once called "Who You Are When No One Is Looking". Had a lot to do with a persons integrity and spiritual "wellness". It makes sense that because God "stores up sound wisdom" that we would go there for the guidance of the day and receive our fill of it prior to going out into a world that is "boldly" owned by "the prince of the power of the air" (Satan).

They have said it times of old, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". Well I don't know how true that is but I do know the truth about the wisdom of God and it "far" surpasses my own. So, basically that is why I write as often as I can. God leads me to verses and I speak of what I think about them. Few people refute my writing and lots of people like what is said. Hopefully that means they understand with I feel the Lord leading me to say.

You know, it doesn't take much time to go into God's Word before you actually "pick up" some of the wisdom He has in store for you. If you can't think of any particular place to create a habit, try reading a Proverb for every day of the month, each month, throughout the year. I can almost promise you that you will not stop there.

Happy wisdom seeking!

Dave

Are We Christians Or Are We Mice?

I've been observing the news of the world from a "Fair & Balanced" point of view for several years now and I can tell you one thing that strikes me as very "Unfair & Unbalanced" and that is not only the way Christian people are treated but also the was some Christian men and women act and respond to God's Holy Word.

I have heard several dozens of different remarks concerning God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Theology, Doctrine and civil issues (more so than ever before on public television) and it seems to me that very few of these people who are willing to make comments seldom ever use the Word of God as the basis for their argument.

Look at what the Word of God says in Deuteronomy 8:3 (and by the way, this is a prophetic verse of scripture - which means if fell into Jesus' ministry in Matthew 4:4), "And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord." Now as I look at that verse and the follow up by Jesus in Matthew, I find it hard to believe that some people will deliberately "speak" without determining if what they say is "from the Lord" or not.

If you watch any news at all in today's world you see that not only is America being "thrown under the bus" but we Christians as well. Now I'm preaching to myself as much as the rest of the Christian society, but we don't do our homework very well. The secular world is "eating our lunch" and I don't ever see any commentary that opposes their ridicule.

We are children of the Almighty God and we stand before God as a "RIGHTEOUS" people yet when slandered we don't "hold our own". I heard it said recently that Christianity is MORE RADICAL than Islam! And everyone reporting or sharing this news was careful to hold their tongue and not defend the Christian faith. However, I see so many of them claim Catholicism or Christianity for themselves. Don't they fear God? Don't they fear losing MORE than their jobs for just standing idle and allowing the world to "eat us alive"?

I heard it said some time back, "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything!" Is that the way it's going to be until people actually see the Lord "descending from the clouds"?

Man lives by "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God". Very simple concept and easily defended, if one will just take the time to "dine on the Word of Life".

Dave

Walking With His Peace

Ever notice when you are walking with the Lord regularly, things seem to work out better? Of course, there always seems to be some level of testing or trial going on but for the most part, abiding in Him brings peace and strength to your life. Like when you are walking down the street minding your own business and the Lord of Creation drops a person with a real need right in your lap. When you are walking in that peace, it is the simplest thing to minister to this person and share the grace of God with them.

Being able to just get through a day in life without "stumbling" is a glorious task that can only be met by someone who abides in Christ moment by moment. Here's a verse of scripture that stands alongside of this thought. You can find it in Psalms 119:165 and it says, "Those who love Thy law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble." Tonight I had to leave my wife at the hospital so they could nurse her back to health. I believe so much in the "love of His law, that I am home now and at peace that He is in control of those who are caring for Barb. She will be just fine. That doesn't mean that this couldn't turn into a "stumbling" episode but I trust God to fill us both with His peace. We both love the Lord and try daily to abide in His "grace granting" law.

Want to live each moment in that kind of peace. Trust me, you can. Simply give ALL of your life to Him and let Him lead. With you 'out' of control, God will do all of the guiding. That's all He really wants from us; complete surrender. And living in His grace is so much more peaceful than the way I run life.

Five years ago, upon the acknowledgement of cancer in our lives, we just gave ourselves over to God to do and to use as He sees fit. Seems like some new blessing every single day. That doesn't mean that the days don't sometimes come with a trial, but we are not in the "driver's seat" therefore, not in control. That takes "FAITH"!

How's your FAITH, today? How about in the middle of your greatest test? You've heard it before..."Let go and let God"!

Dave

I'm Gonna Make A Lot Of New Friends Today!

Check out this verse in Matthew chapter 5. It's verse 19 and it says, "Whoever annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (NASB)

This verse really touches my heart. It's no secret that I have somewhat of a problem with "The Emergent Church, Seeker Sensitivity, and that Lounge Chair Mentality" in the Post Modern Church of today. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a lot more valuable than this "mamby pamby peace and love" I've heard over the years. Take a look outside! The Word of God is coming alive right before our very eyes! All indications are that the Lord is getting ready to mount His steed! He's comin' back, folks! And this verse really hits home to me.

Earlier in the passage Jesus was saying, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." At last glance, in some of the churches I have observed, I have not seen how the church has glorified the Father in heaven but rather the life we are living here on earth. This is just "MY" own personal opinion and you can take it for what it is worth, but we as believers in God, Born Again Christians, are not doing our job. The church seems too busy making people comfortable and "wooing" them into a state of complacency rather than pushing the saints to "let their light shine...for the glory of God."

I know this is a "soap box" issue and I make no apology for it. We need to be very deliberate in our quest to light a fire under one another to present the Gospel of God without apology or exception. According to those pulpiteers who do not fear the truth, this is just not happening today. I have a brother-in-law who is ALWAYS preaching, teaching, passing out tracts and trying to direct people toward Jesus Christ and His salvation but truthfully, I don't see a lot of those kind of people coming out of our churches.

Finally, in verse 20, Jesus says, "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." So whether you are on the "edge of your seat" in your church or you feel like you are sitting in a "Lazy Boy Recliner", if you identify yourself as a "fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ", you have more to do in this world than just make yourself comfortable. I believe as I read about Jesus and the moneychangers in the temple, I have a hard time interpreting it as Jesus trying to "make friends and influence people" but rather sharing His heart in a physically "gut wrenching" way that God is to be respected as the Great I AM and anything less is playing church.

Wow, did I say all that? Yes, as a matter of fact I did. And I challenge anyone reading this to "call me in on the carpet" if my testimony is anything less than what I described above.

The Lord Jesus Christ is MY WORLD and nothing will deter me from the mission He has chosen me for. If you're just playin' church, perhaps you are willing, today, to change your direction and do the very things that cause your Father in heaven to be glorified. In other words, it's probably time to get out of your Lazy Boy Recliner, step out from behind your "comfort zone" and "spew" Jesus Christ out to a world that is dying and going to hell. Aside from that, you have no mission or purpose here on earth. Time to "get out" and "get going" for Christ. Other than that, Have a great day!

What do you say?

Dave

How Much Wealth Do You Have

The people who care for me are extremely important to me. My wife is my "caregiver" and she is well educated in the ability to see that nothing is overlooked in my care. My children are constantly caring and giving to me both physically and emotionally and I could very possibly, be the luckiest man alive.

When I think about those who care for me I think of Proverbs 19:17 which says, "He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed." Now I realize that none of my family wants to be patted on the back for doing "good deeds" but I see that it concerned God enough to enter it into His inspired word.

I am far from a poor man. In fact, over the years as a husband, and father, and a grandfather, I have accumulated somewhere in the neighborhood of $24 million dollars. Now over the years, I have spent all of that money on my children and grandchildren. By the way, that $24 million is what I consider a small sacrifice for the love that has been shown to me at this time in my life.

Another thing to note is that the money is a "figuratively speaking" amount because I've tried to put a realistic figure on how much I love and care for them. I am a millionaire because of what my family has given to me. Today, I live on the very Social Security Disability Income that I have always thought was a bad idea in the first place. I am a conservative and have always thought that our government should not have the power to dictate to use what amount we live on in the latter years of our lives. And here I am today, finding it necessary to take the very entitlement I have always apposed.

But the entitlement I have that is far greater than the money that comes every month, is that I get to live in the surroundings of those who think and care the most for me. There are 12 of them who would gladly slide their plate over in front of me to make sure my portion is sufficient. Can others of you who are parents and grandparents say that today?

Early on in God's Word, in Deuteronomy 15: 7 & 8 the writer said, "If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks."

With a heart full of joy, in the middle of the fight of our lives, we ARE, without a doubt, the richest family walking the face of the earth. You cannot make enough money in a lifetime to buy what I have described. It has to come from the heart.

Until tomorrow,

Dave

Did You Know?

Check out this verse in Psalms 118:8: "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man."

We have all run into certain people who have a nack for making great promises that they are really not capable of fulfilling. And then there are some who are just pathological liars and they'll make all kinds of promises and they didn't even know they made the promise. I mean, it's just a part of man's nature. Of course that doesn't mean that some who will promise you something aren't sincere; they just haven't the capability to fulfill them. We've all met these kind of people and it is amazing how many people and how many times we put our confidence in man and have been let down.

But we know and have confidence in God and His Word. In my short life, I have known many people who were "genuine" in their commitment to me, however, it always seemed that when the "going got tough" they were nowhere to be found.

Take your counsel and guidance from God and you will never be disappointed. The results may not be what you expected, but you can trust that God's direction will lead to a fuller life here and a mansion in glory. Money, education, vocation, relationships. Whatever your need, God is better able to supply than anyone you can know here on earth. Trust God. After all, He gave up His Son for your love.

By the way, did you know that Psalms 118:8 is the very middle verse in the entire Bible? Now you can really impress your friends.

Dave

Watch Your Tongue!

"He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles" (Proverbs 21:23). Let me tell you who is the "chief offender" of this proverb...ME. But don't laugh and point your fingers at me because some of you also have a little problem here.

With some of us, I don't understand, but it is so simple for us to open our mouth and stick our foot right in it! I think "wouldn't it be nice if words would flow slowly out of our month and we had the ability to grab them and stuff them back in?" Well, unlike the written word, once it is said, it cannot be returned.

I remember when I first became a Christian. I was concerned because I worked in a Steel Mill and was a United States Marine (not profiling here) and it seems like I could "cuss" the wallpaper off a wall. Seems like my vocabulary only offered "four letter" or "offensive" words and phrases. It was like I only knew about a dozen or so words.

I remember when God convicted me of speaking this way and how He helped me recover from this terrible way of communicating. He simply said to slow down my speaking to where I could actually hear the words I was preparing to say, in my head first. Kind of like an old phonograph record player. Some of you remember those things. They had different speeds for different sizes of records (some of you don't even know what a record is). Anyway there was 78 RPM's (revolutions per minute), 45 RPM's and a 33 1/3 RPM"s. Before Christianity I spoke at 78 revolutions per minute and I slowed my speech down to 33 1/3 RPM's and guess what? I was able to control the filth that came out of my mouth. Anyway, that was my method. I'm sure there are plenty of other ways.

Here's what seems important to me. James says, "...the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity;..." (James 3:6) so we know not only from experience but from God's Word as well that the tongue is a "frightful" tool in the hands of a fool. However, James also says in verse 2 of the same chapter, that "...we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well."

The answer? Well, I'm kind of partial to my method, but really, whatever you need to do to keep your tongue "bridled" is what is best for you. Some of us may need to quit speaking all together for a while...Ha Ha! God wants to share in every part of your life as a Christian, and well it should be that way. But He desires to see your respect and love for one another (without cussing them up one side and down the other...LOL).

Speaking at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute isn't so bad. It really keeps the "flames off the tongue".

Dave

I Trust You God!

I was just reading Psalms 56:3 & 4: "When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?"

What an "awe-inspiring" Word from the Lord. As David opens this Psalm he says "...Fighting all day long he (Satan) oppresses me. My foes have trampled upon me all day long, for they are many who fight proudly against me."

But, he say, "...I will put my trust in Thee." On a moment by moment basis, I find myself in this situation where I MUST put my trust in Him. How else could we survive. There are threats all around us, all the time. But God is in us, on us, beside us, and nothing that happens to us goes unnoticed by the great I AM.

Like David, I will rest in Him and His praise shall ever be in my mouth. If you are not at peace in the middle of your storm, you can know real peace and passion with the Lord in your heart. Jesus opened chapter 14 of John's Gospel by saying "Do not be afraid, you believe in God, believe also in Me."

In the middle of a total collapse, we have nothing to fear, for God is with us. Is He with you?

Dave

Give Yourself

Today, inadvertently, my daughter-in-law reminded me of Isaiah 58:10 which says, "And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like mid-day."

Here is the benefit which follows the performance of this ministry. If a person, a family, a people, steer themselves to things that help their fellow man, they find God, their bountiful rewarder and what they lay out in works of charity shall be abundantly made up to them.

1. God will surprise them with the return of mercy after great affliction, which shall be as welcome as the "light breaking out like the dawn" (verse 8).
2. God will put honour upon them. Good works shall be compensated with a good name; this is included in that light which "rises out of darkness" (verse 10).

The mathematical and scientific discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727) are astronomical. Some of the most notable of his achievements include the invention of calculus, the discovery of the laws of motion and the law of gravitation, and the construction of the first reflecting telescope.

On the Bible he said:
"I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily." At the time of his death, he left more than a million words of notes on the Bible.

Sir Isaac Newton made enormous advances in life, but when I read about him, it seemed there was more to say about his faith and generosity than his achievements in life. Six years after his death, Observations Upon the Prophecies of Daniel and The Apocalypse of St. John was published. Not only was Isaac a great scientist but also a dedicated student of the Bible.

Why would anyone bring up a scientist like Sir Isaac Newton in a devotion. Well, I did because before our achievements, before our accomplishments in life, before our successes (or failures), there is a people surrounding us who are in real need. They struggle in life until we recognize the calling of God on our hearts to step in and help.

Who will pen the next commentary on prophecy or perhaps the next Apocalyptic allegory? We don't know. However, we do know those in need and God, in all of His infinate wisdom has chosen us to "stand in the gap". Someone needs you tonight! Can you hear their plea?

Dave

Tell them I AM sent you!

You remember the holy ground "burning bush" experience of Moses' back in Exodus Chapter 3? This is where Moses met God and was told what his mission was to be. Moses stood in awe at the very presence of the Lord God as He explains His concern for the "affliction" of His people.

And Moses begins to ask questions of God saying, "who am I that you should send me" and then Moses asked one of the most thought provoking questions in God's Holy Word. He said in verse 13 "...Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you. Now they may say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them?" Not an unreasonable question. If I go to someone and give instruction from another, most likely they will want to know who this instruction comes from so Moses is saying, "Who do I tell them you are?"

"And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM; and He said, Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you" (v. 14). I AM sent me! Hummm. What a profound response for a finite being to have to discern. God had already told Moses back in verse 6 that "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." So God says, "tell them, I AM sent you..."

But what does that mean exactly? Well I'll tell you from years of listening and studying what I think it means! I think it means, "you need strength, I AM strength, you need courage, I AM courage, you need wisdom, I AM wisdom, you need peace, I AM peace! Whatever it is that you need Moses, I AM! And then in verse 15, God tells Moses "This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations." And all throughout the Bible we see "I AM", one of the most powerful names given to our Lord God.

We see in the New Testament places where Jesus used the name "I AM". In the Gospel of John, chapter 8, verses 24, 28, 58, and then again when it is proclaimed in Hebrews 13:8 that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and yes forever." The most famous usage of the name was in the garden when the Roman guards came to Jesus as He prayed and Jesus asked them "Whom do you seek?" (Jn 18:4) and Jesus told them, "I am He," and upon Him just speaking His name, the soldiers drew back and fell to the ground. Two more times in the garden Jesus referred to Himself as "I AM"!

What does all of this mean and where is God going with such a profound use of the phrase "I AM" as His name? Well, here's what I think. You are standing beside someone who had just lost their spouse to cancer, or perhaps a little child to an accident and the grief is so "entrenched" that there are no words to offer to bring peace. Maybe they just lost their job or one spouse has decided "enough is enough" and has packed up and walked away from the family. They don't care to hear a busy dissertation on who God is or why this happened. They just need to know that "I AM" the most powerful source in the universe is "standing in the gap" and when they want to share their grief, He (I AM) will not fail them. He will be there to be for them, whatever it is they need, so they can get through their trial. What do you need? I AM peace, I AM love, I AM grace, I AM your Father and I loved you enough to send My Son to Calvary so you would not have to go.

Are you being "eaten up" from the inside today because of a trial that is SO MUCH bigger than you and you think you just can't take it anymore? I AM, the God of Creation waits patiently, as He did way back with Moses, to assure you that HE has you in His hands.

Dave

Heaven Is NOT Good Enough

Now please, before the hair on the back of your necks, starts on fire, please continue reading. I am trying to make a point and I am sure it will surface within this devotion. Over 58 years of life, I have heard my share of complaints. In fact, I've had a lot of complaints and temper tantrums myself. For twenty-five years I was in the Insurance Industry and then I was a Regional Sales Manager for a car rental company so I have heard, what seems to me to be "every possible" complaint and even more than two sides, from time to time.

We in America, live in a "lush" continually producing country. Granted, we have our share of problems but consider the alternatives. Each of us could have been born in a "3rd World" country and not privileged to the things and opportunities that we currently have. Now those of you thinking from a political point of view, take a deep breath and clear your mind of what is happening in the world today because it has nothing to do with what I want to discuss (maybe some of the people but none of the current events).

Take myself for example. After all, if I cannot laugh at myself, why would I be allowed to laugh at you. Some time back, my wife listed and sold for me a perfectly good laptop computer on eBay and the reason she did was because I saw one with more "bells and whistles" than that one so I needed, quickly to get rid of it and purchase the one I am currently typing on (by the way, "It Is Awesome"). But I had the other one for almost a year and it was becoming "less than new" and less of a novelty for me so I wanted this new one, and I wanted it NOW! Well, I have it and honestly, it does the exact same things the older one did, perhaps a little faster and with the ability to store a little bit more stuff, but for the most part, it is the same thing.

In the world, we are like this very much of the time. "The soup is too cold", "the pizza is too hot", "I wasn't thinking the job would be this hard"...etc. We are a world of complainers. "I hurt over here and just yesterday a guy in the store stepped on my foot right where I already have a sore and I just cannot get it to stop throbbing"! I don't know if we have enough food for the rest of the week, I'm not sure but I think we have more month left than money, if only God would let me have this thing or that thing I truly believe the entire family would be much more happy. The doctor said it was "cancer" and I believe I could have handled it better if I just new what was going to happen to me now. How do I tell my wife I lost my job today? Especially when that guy in the next cubical has been a screw-off for years and he is still working there. Why did that car have to stop so quickly in front of me? Get the picture? I'm sure I don't need to go any further. We have it all, but we want more of "it"! So, getting the "jest" of the kind of complainers we really are, why would we believe that Heaven IS good enough?

Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 15:13,14 "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be rooted up. Let them alone (speaking of the Pharisees); they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." (my point here is these complaints are ones NOT planted by God but created in our own minds). I think that I actually fall into this category sometimes, like "the blind leading the blind". I have a complaint for every category. In fact, I am good at creating "spreadsheets" in Microsoft Excel. I should create one to keep track of all the times I complain and then all the times I fail to recognize that I have been blessed by God.

Check out this passage of scripture in John 8:12-19 which says "Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying. "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." ("the light of the life"...just take a moment to think of that issue alone). The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "you are bearing witness of Yourself; (your mind seems to be fix on yourself; what about the rest of us. Your only thinking of yourself). Your witness is not true." Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true; for I know where I came from, and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from, or where I am going. You people judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and He who sent Me. Even in your law it has been written, that the testimony of two men is true. I am He who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of me." (so we not only create all of our own complaints but we also look for others to help back up our complaints). And so they were saying to Him, "Where is Your Father?" and Jesus answered, "You know neither Me, nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also." BINGO!!! But I DO know the Father, so what is my complaint?

You don't know Me so why do you complain about me? For three years these Pharisees walked around complaining about Jesus and continually tried to find something to "pin" on Him so they could have Him put to death. They new the law; they were in charge and "they" had all the answers to eternity, so why would this heaven that Jesus spoke of be better than what they had in mind?

Sometimes I get a little "deep" in my thinking so slow me down when you need to. I'm just trying to say that, just like the Pharisees, we gripe and complain, sometimes about the smallest things (one laptop over another - I should probably be glad I have one...not everybody does), when there is so much more and so much "better" in store for us as children of the King. The Pharisees were working toward a kingdom of mankind. Jesus was securing our very souls.

Every since being diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, I feel like I have been fairly "upbeat" about the prospects of a shorter life here on good old planet earth but I still really have my share of complaints.

Let me remind everyone of what Paul said. We all know about Paul and some of the discomforts he experienced. In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 he said, "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." I've got a feeling that the Pharisees could only see the "temporal" and had a real problem with the "eternal"! (BTW, it's sometimes a pain typing as slow as I do). Oops, there I go again.

Well heaven may not have been good enough for some of these guys in the Bible, but it sure is good enough for a guy like me who's only act toward earning entrance was accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Thanks for enduring this one. Hope it made sense to you.

Dave

Because He Cares For Us

Peter takes the opportunity to express his heart as he shares important words of wisdom in First Peter 5: 6,7. Please read this passage carefully and see how it applies to you this day:

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you."

I believe that humility is a discipline in one's life. I say that because it is so easy to do something that is wonderful, receive marvelous reviews and immediately find ourselves "puffed up" as a result of the complements. Humility means "the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc." Humility is synonymous with lowliness, meekness, and submissiveness. That "puffed up" feeling is the exact opposite of humility which is better known as "pride in one's self achievements".

Our ministry, as mentioned in this passage operates "under the mighty hand of God..." and therefore places the pride or boastfulness of achievement in the "oneness" of God. When Jesus walked with the disciples He explained that "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work" (Jn. 4:34). And Jesus fully expected that His exaltation would come, "at the proper time".

Also here, Peter implores us to "cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us." I think that by using all of my fingers and toes, I can count the number of people on this earth that I know "care for me" and I could possibly have some "digits" left over. That doesn't mean that there are NOT a lot of people who care for me but Peter is telling us that this "care of the Father" is not earthly and it took sending His Son, Jesus Christ to the cross at Calvary, to show how much He did, indeed care for us. So our anxiety, our worry, our concerns about day to day trivial matters, are very low on God's list of concerns for us. He struck ONE BLOW here on earth, using His own Son, to fulfill all of His concerns for us.

So Peter simply says, "you can rest in this"! I rest in this! I know that in the middle of a storm, that I need not be anxious because "HE CARES FOR ME"!

Dave

Trying To Keep My Commitment

Those of you who have read my blog before know that I tried to write a devotion every single day so that I could have one for every day of the year. My illness, to some extent, has prevented me from making this commitment and tonight I am going to attempt to finish that promise I made to God and myself and complete this project.

I will attempt, beginning tonight, to complete those 365 devotions and hopefully those who have been so faithful in the past will return once again to read God's Word from my heart.

Because my trial is so extremely difficult, I should not "promise" that I can keep up but I am making a firm commitment tonight to try my best. Please read and be blessed as God continues to speak to us through His Holy Word.

God's Richest Blessings,

Dave