Today was a better day all around for Joyce and I. She didn't get sick at all and only "hit the wall" for a little while this afternoon. The effects of last Thursday's chemo seems to have eased up and she had a pretty calm day. I had to go to the DMV and pick up a disabled persons placard so Joyce can use the handicapped parking spaces. That felt a little wierd. I got most of our Christmas decorations stored away and rearranged a bunch of stuff in our garage...bet you really wanted to know that :-)
Just a few thoughts from our daily reading in Genesis and Matthew: Chapters 20-22 in Gen. cover Abraham's lapse of faith at Gerar, Issac's birth, Hagar and Ishmael's banishment, and Abraham's near sacrifice of Issac.
Pastor Chuck Smith noted on Gen 20: 5-6 that the Lord said that He kept Abimelech from sinning against Him. You would think that the sin was against Sarah or Abraham. When King David took Bathsheba in adultery and had her husband put on the front line of battle and killed, his confession to God in Psalm 51 was, "Against you, and you only, have I sinned..." In reality all sin is against God. It may affect other people, but God is the one I always sin against. And He alone is the One I must ultimately answer to. cs
Despite Abraham's failure to really trust God in the situation, God was not going to abandon him; He would not let Abimelech touch Sarah. That womb was going to bring forth the son of promise, who would eventually bring forth God's Messiah - God wasn't leaving this one up to man!
Even though Abraham is in sin, he is still a prophet and man of powerful prayer; God's mercy has not left Abraham, even though Abraham wasn't trusting God the way he should.
I'm so grateful to the Lord for His mercy towards me!
And on Matthew 6, Jesus is giving His disciples instruction on true spirituality. He warns them and us that trying to appear spiritual to others so they will admire you is phoney and will have no reward from God.
Mt. 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
You don't have to worry about the issues of life if you put God First. He knows your needs and He loves you and if you seek Him first your life will be balanced.
If the things of the world are the top priority in your life than your life is out of balance.
Your relationship with God is the most important relationship in your life! In reality, your relationship with your fellow man can't be right or all that it should be unless you have a right relationship with God. Do you?
In His Arm's, Pat
Monday, January 8, 2007
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Sun. Jan. 7; Gen. 18-19 & Mt. 6:1-8
God is so kind and gracious! He allowed me to teach from His Word and He gave me the words to share this morning. Joyce had a rough early morning but leveled out as the day went on. Her sister came over and stayed with her while I was at church - she's been such a great help and encourager thru all this. Jeannie also came over after church and brought some juice and bread for communion. It's been a while since Joyce has been able to come to church - so church came to her!
Gen. 18:14 is a beautiful verse of promise, especially when faced with trying circumstances: "Is anything too hard for the Lord?"
Hard is the same word for wonderful in Isaiah 9:6: For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given . . . And His name will be called Wonderful; Jesus is our "wonderful" One.
Is there anything too hard for the Lord? Thankfully not; and God can also triumph even over our weak faith.
There is nothing too hard for God. He is able to do all things. That is the kind of God we worship and serve. That's the kind of God who reaches out to you and I for fellowship; so, that we, through that fellowship, might be enhanced and blessed.
To Jeremiah, God said, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh, is there anything too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27)
What about deep emotional pain? What about abuse? Are they beyond God's ability to touch and see and heal? Nothing means nothing!
Faith looks past the circumstances to the one who makes the promise. Faith must have a promise to rest on and a person to trust.
If you are struggling with a doubt or temptation, is anything to hard for the Lord?
Keep your heart fixed on Him! He will never leave or forsake His own!
In His Arm's,
Pat
Gen. 18:14 is a beautiful verse of promise, especially when faced with trying circumstances: "Is anything too hard for the Lord?"
Hard is the same word for wonderful in Isaiah 9:6: For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given . . . And His name will be called Wonderful; Jesus is our "wonderful" One.
Is there anything too hard for the Lord? Thankfully not; and God can also triumph even over our weak faith.
There is nothing too hard for God. He is able to do all things. That is the kind of God we worship and serve. That's the kind of God who reaches out to you and I for fellowship; so, that we, through that fellowship, might be enhanced and blessed.
To Jeremiah, God said, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh, is there anything too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27)
What about deep emotional pain? What about abuse? Are they beyond God's ability to touch and see and heal? Nothing means nothing!
Faith looks past the circumstances to the one who makes the promise. Faith must have a promise to rest on and a person to trust.
If you are struggling with a doubt or temptation, is anything to hard for the Lord?
Keep your heart fixed on Him! He will never leave or forsake His own!
In His Arm's,
Pat
Sat. Jan 6; Gen. 16-17 & Mt. 5:27-48
Today was one of the worst for my darling wife. It was the 2nd full day after chemo and her poor body was taking a major hit - but the Lord was our help and she slept well this evening.
I felt pretty empty - didn't have much time or, to be honest, desire to study and prepare for Sunday morning. Caregiving is a real privilege but it's also very consuming and emotionally exhausting.
Sorry if this is depressing. It's just what we're going thru right now. I know the Lord is our ever present help in time of trouble....
In His arm's,
Pat
I felt pretty empty - didn't have much time or, to be honest, desire to study and prepare for Sunday morning. Caregiving is a real privilege but it's also very consuming and emotionally exhausting.
Sorry if this is depressing. It's just what we're going thru right now. I know the Lord is our ever present help in time of trouble....
In His arm's,
Pat
Friday, January 5, 2007
Jan. 5; Gen 13-15; Mt. 5:1-26
Joyce made it thru her chemo yesterday and the Lord showed Himself in His care for her. The nurse who administered her chemo is a believer and fellowships at Calvary Vista. The first thing she told Joyce when she arrived in the chemo lounge was that her church was praying for her last night. Then she prayed with her and the next two hours of the infusion went just fine. Joyce was really wiped out by the time we got home and tho it was a hard night, she made it thru and has had a pretty good day today. Thanks everyone for praying.
Didn't have time to select notes for todays reading - but do take your time reading carefully thru the Sermon on the Mount which starts in Mt. 5 - the Lord's teachings here can radically change your life - they have mine!
Blessings!
Pat
Didn't have time to select notes for todays reading - but do take your time reading carefully thru the Sermon on the Mount which starts in Mt. 5 - the Lord's teachings here can radically change your life - they have mine!
Blessings!
Pat
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Jan. 4; Gen. 10-12; Mt.4
God be with each of you today! Last night, my wife had a couple of dear friends from church visit with her while I taught the midweek study in Numbers 20 at church. Joyce has been on some very strong medication for her pain, but there's nothing like the medicine of friends!
Proverbs 12:5 says that a good word makes the heart glad and Proverbs 15:13 says a merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, and Prov. 17:22 tells us that a merry heart does good, like medicine. Joyce got a huge dosing of "good medicine" from her friends, which really helped encourage her for facing her start of chemo this afternoon.
Here's a few thoughts I gleaned from one of my studies in Genesis 11 on the Tower of Babel:
What was the aim of these ancient people? Build a tower to reach heaven.
All of the false religions of the world follow the same pattern.
1. Starting with an earth base, there is an attempt to reach heaven.
2. There is a quest for God. A reaching out to touch Him.
Why would man want to build such a tower?
There is built into the very nature of man that inate need for God.
The Psalmist expressed it when he said: "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." This is true of every man.
In Romans 8 Paul tells us that this is how God designed man when He created Him. "The creature was made subject unto emptiness, and that by the design of Him who created Him." what's that mean?
God designed us that way so that we might seek after Him. If God does not fill that void in my life, my life is out of balance, and this inner urge within me is to reach out and touch God.
Nature abhors a vacuum and will always seek to fill it.
So we see men constantly trying to fill this vacuum in their lives. This explains why man of every culture universally is religious. Even communism and evolutionism are religious
systems that require faith to believe, and demand blind devotion and consecration to the
cause.
Man has to believe in something, and if you reject the truth, you are then subject to every folly.
Gen. 11:5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.
6 And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.
7 "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."
8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.
9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
The result of man's attempt to build the tower to reach heaven?
1. Failure, he never made it, he could not touch God from his tower.
Starting with his earth base, he could not reach infinity. This is true of every religious system, they are destined for failure.
2. Confusion, God came down and confused their languages.
The net result of religion is confusion. Every religious founder is pointing to a different path, proclaiming that their path is the only true path.
Look at the confusion within the various divisions of so many belief systems today.
True Christianity is not a religion. There are some similarities to a religion, i.e. it is a
system of beliefs that demand faith to receive. This is where the similarity ends.
Religions all start with the earth base to begin their towers to reach heaven. Man reaching for God.
Jesus said that He had come from God out of heaven. In Him God was reaching out to man.
Religions require the works of men to become worthy. "Let us build" They would have man to trust in his efforts, his works to save him.
Christianity says that we must trust in the work of Jesus for salvation, there is no good work that we could possibly do to save ourselves. It is through Christianity that the grace of God is revealed. No religious system teaches grace, but just the opposite.
This is the place where the perversions to Christianity have come within the church, where they have set aside the grace of God and made your salvation dependant upon something other than your simple faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
May we all grow in that simple faith in Jesus today!
In His Arm's,
Pat
Proverbs 12:5 says that a good word makes the heart glad and Proverbs 15:13 says a merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, and Prov. 17:22 tells us that a merry heart does good, like medicine. Joyce got a huge dosing of "good medicine" from her friends, which really helped encourage her for facing her start of chemo this afternoon.
Here's a few thoughts I gleaned from one of my studies in Genesis 11 on the Tower of Babel:
What was the aim of these ancient people? Build a tower to reach heaven.
All of the false religions of the world follow the same pattern.
1. Starting with an earth base, there is an attempt to reach heaven.
2. There is a quest for God. A reaching out to touch Him.
Why would man want to build such a tower?
There is built into the very nature of man that inate need for God.
The Psalmist expressed it when he said: "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." This is true of every man.
In Romans 8 Paul tells us that this is how God designed man when He created Him. "The creature was made subject unto emptiness, and that by the design of Him who created Him." what's that mean?
God designed us that way so that we might seek after Him. If God does not fill that void in my life, my life is out of balance, and this inner urge within me is to reach out and touch God.
Nature abhors a vacuum and will always seek to fill it.
So we see men constantly trying to fill this vacuum in their lives. This explains why man of every culture universally is religious. Even communism and evolutionism are religious
systems that require faith to believe, and demand blind devotion and consecration to the
cause.
Man has to believe in something, and if you reject the truth, you are then subject to every folly.
Gen. 11:5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.
6 And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.
7 "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."
8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.
9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
The result of man's attempt to build the tower to reach heaven?
1. Failure, he never made it, he could not touch God from his tower.
Starting with his earth base, he could not reach infinity. This is true of every religious system, they are destined for failure.
2. Confusion, God came down and confused their languages.
The net result of religion is confusion. Every religious founder is pointing to a different path, proclaiming that their path is the only true path.
Look at the confusion within the various divisions of so many belief systems today.
True Christianity is not a religion. There are some similarities to a religion, i.e. it is a
system of beliefs that demand faith to receive. This is where the similarity ends.
Religions all start with the earth base to begin their towers to reach heaven. Man reaching for God.
Jesus said that He had come from God out of heaven. In Him God was reaching out to man.
Religions require the works of men to become worthy. "Let us build" They would have man to trust in his efforts, his works to save him.
Christianity says that we must trust in the work of Jesus for salvation, there is no good work that we could possibly do to save ourselves. It is through Christianity that the grace of God is revealed. No religious system teaches grace, but just the opposite.
This is the place where the perversions to Christianity have come within the church, where they have set aside the grace of God and made your salvation dependant upon something other than your simple faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
May we all grow in that simple faith in Jesus today!
In His Arm's,
Pat
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
1-3-07; Gen. 7-9; Mt. 3
Genesis 7-9 covers the great Flood and story of Noah's ark. There are some great pictures of sacrifice and redemption here that forshadowed the work of Jesus for you and me.
Mt. 3 introduces us to the ministry of John the Baptist - and in verse 11, tells us how Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire. You and I need the Holy Spirit working in our lives - purging away the old man - the old sin nature, and purifying us for His purposes, and inceasing and overflowing our passion for the Lord!
I need that power and so does Joyce. She is very tired and weak and has to start chemo again tomorrow. Please pray for us!
In His Arm's,
Pat
Mt. 3 introduces us to the ministry of John the Baptist - and in verse 11, tells us how Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire. You and I need the Holy Spirit working in our lives - purging away the old man - the old sin nature, and purifying us for His purposes, and inceasing and overflowing our passion for the Lord!
I need that power and so does Joyce. She is very tired and weak and has to start chemo again tomorrow. Please pray for us!
In His Arm's,
Pat
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
1-2-06 Gen. 4-6; Mt. 2
Praise God for a new year and new life in Christ! His mercies are new EVERY morning - including today! May the Lord keep our hearts and minds set on Him and may He work thru us today. As His followers, may we reflect His character in all we say and do.
Today we're reading about Cain and Abel, Adam's Geneology, and how mankind had so degenerated, prompting God to call Noah to build the Ark in prep for the Flood. In our New Testament reading we're still in familiar Christmas related texts and looking at Joseph and Mary and the infant Jesus fleeing Herod into Egypt, Herod's wrath on the children of Bethlehem and their finally settling in Nazareth where Jesus would grow up.
Good reading! A couple things from Genesis to think about:
Gen 4 Rather than admitting he was wrong, Cain became angry with God. People today are angry with God because He will not accept them on their terms. A lot of people don't want to come to God by the sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ, that God has given. They want to bypass Jesus and just come to God. They think they don't need Jesus, but you can't relate to God without Christ. It is impossible! Jesus said, "...I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6). If that's too narrow for you, then you can go sit with Cain over in the corner. You're in no position to dictate terms to God. Who are we to tell God how and under what conditions we will come to Him? We must come by God's way. The way of sacrifice. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ for us. We can not change the terms. Cain tried and God rejected him.
Gen. 4:7 - How many times have you promised not to do something only to do it again. Why? Because resolve isn't enough. Only the power of Jesus Christ in your life is sufficient to break the chain of sin that is binding you. You should rule over it and you can rule over it if you just submit your life to Jesus Christ. He will give you the power, through the Holy Spirit, to rule over the sin that has been destroying you. These are God's terms!
How do we keep sin from mastering over us? By first being mastered by God. If we will not have God as master, then we will be slaves to sin.
Gen. 4:17 - Where did Cain get his wife? Adam and Eve, at this point, are about a hundred and thirty years old. (note 5:3) If they had Cain and Abel in the first couple of years of their existence on the planet and if they had a child every two years after that there would have been at least seventy brothers and sisters. Those brothers and sisters that were born in the early years could have been married and if they had produced children at the rate of one every two years, there could have been several hundred people on the earth by this time.
Have a very blessed day in Jesus! Pat
Today we're reading about Cain and Abel, Adam's Geneology, and how mankind had so degenerated, prompting God to call Noah to build the Ark in prep for the Flood. In our New Testament reading we're still in familiar Christmas related texts and looking at Joseph and Mary and the infant Jesus fleeing Herod into Egypt, Herod's wrath on the children of Bethlehem and their finally settling in Nazareth where Jesus would grow up.
Good reading! A couple things from Genesis to think about:
Gen 4 Rather than admitting he was wrong, Cain became angry with God. People today are angry with God because He will not accept them on their terms. A lot of people don't want to come to God by the sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ, that God has given. They want to bypass Jesus and just come to God. They think they don't need Jesus, but you can't relate to God without Christ. It is impossible! Jesus said, "...I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6). If that's too narrow for you, then you can go sit with Cain over in the corner. You're in no position to dictate terms to God. Who are we to tell God how and under what conditions we will come to Him? We must come by God's way. The way of sacrifice. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ for us. We can not change the terms. Cain tried and God rejected him.
Gen. 4:7 - How many times have you promised not to do something only to do it again. Why? Because resolve isn't enough. Only the power of Jesus Christ in your life is sufficient to break the chain of sin that is binding you. You should rule over it and you can rule over it if you just submit your life to Jesus Christ. He will give you the power, through the Holy Spirit, to rule over the sin that has been destroying you. These are God's terms!
How do we keep sin from mastering over us? By first being mastered by God. If we will not have God as master, then we will be slaves to sin.
Gen. 4:17 - Where did Cain get his wife? Adam and Eve, at this point, are about a hundred and thirty years old. (note 5:3) If they had Cain and Abel in the first couple of years of their existence on the planet and if they had a child every two years after that there would have been at least seventy brothers and sisters. Those brothers and sisters that were born in the early years could have been married and if they had produced children at the rate of one every two years, there could have been several hundred people on the earth by this time.
Have a very blessed day in Jesus! Pat
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
