Thanks

 Happy Sunday!

"Give THANKS to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. This is God’s will for all of you in Jesus the Anointed."(1 Thessalonians 5:18 Voice).

The Apostle Paul had been through many different circumstances.  He was Qualified to encourage the Believers to be thankful no matter what they experienced.  He told the Corinthian Church, "You think you are so wise—yet you listen gladly to those fools; you don’t mind at all when they make you their slaves and take everything you have, and take advantage of you, and put on airs, and slap you in the face.  I’m ashamed to say that I’m not strong and daring like that! But whatever they can boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I can boast about it, too."(2 Corinthians 11:19-21 Living Bible).

He goes on to describe some of what he endured,
"They say they serve Christ? But I have served him far more!
(Have I gone mad to boast like this?)
I have worked harder, been put in jail more often,
been whipped times without number,
and faced death again and again and again.
Five different times the Jews gave me their terrible thirty-nine lashes.
Three times I was beaten with rods.
Once I was stoned.
Three times I was shipwrecked.
Once I was in the open sea all night and the whole next day.
I have traveled many weary miles and
have been often in great danger from flooded rivers and
from robbers and from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the hands of the Gentiles.
I have faced grave dangers from mobs in the cities and
from death in the deserts and in the stormy seas and
from men who claim to be brothers in Christ but are not.
I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights.
Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food; often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.(2 Corinthians 11:23-27 Living Bible).

Don't miss this!  This same man consistently encouraged others!  He didn't share the stories of all he'd been through everywhere he went, and if the Corinthians hadn't been hoodwinked by false teachers he likely wouldn't have shared it here.  BUT he did share it and hundreds of years later it can still inspire, teach, and train us how to be thankful no matter what!  This same man wrote, "God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others."(2 Corinthians 9:8 CEV).  This same man said, "But THANKS be to God, who always leads us in Victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume."(2 Corinthians 2:14 Easy-to-Read Version).

Psalm 106:1 says, "Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."(KJV).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Prosper

 Happy Sunday!

"Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why are you criticizing her? For she has done a good thing to me. You will always have the poor among you, but you won’t always have me."(Matthew 26:10-11 Living Bible).

Why did Jesus say there will always be poor people around?  Great question!  I'm so glad you asked!  God gave us free will.  There will be poor people because we have freedom to make our own decisions.  Proverbs 10:4 says, "Laziness leads to poverty; hard work makes you rich."(CEV).  Proverbs 21:17 says, "Those who live to party, who pursue pleasure, will end up penniless; those who enjoy lots of wine and rich food will never have money."(Voice).  Even the Apostle Paul had to remind the Believers, "For while we were yet with you, we gave you this rule and charge: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat."(2 Thessalonians 3:10 Amplified). Proverbs 21:20 says, "The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets."(Living Bible).  

There will always be poor people, but you don't have to be one of the poor.  Jesus said that he came to preach "Good News to the Poor".(Luke 4:18).  What is the best news you could ever give a poor person?  That's right!  You don't have to be poor any more!  The Apostle John said, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."(3 John 2 KJV).  Don't miss this!  As your Soul (mind, will, and emotions) prospers, your entire life will prosper.  Romans 12:1-2 says, "Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God.  Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change THE WAY YOU THINK.  Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him."(CEV).

The most important reason for you to prosper is to be able to help the poor.  Jesus said, “Then I, the King, shall say to those at my right, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, into the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.  For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me water; I was a stranger and you invited me into your homes; naked and you clothed me; sick and in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Sir, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you anything to drink? Or a stranger, and help you? Or naked, and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’

“And I, the King, will tell them, ‘When you did it to these my brothers, you were doing it to me!’(Matthew 25:34-40 Living Bible).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Don't Be Ignorant!

 Happy Sunday!

"God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right. You are free, but still you are God's servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong."(1Peter 2:15-16 CEV).

 

So many times, the inspired writers of the Bible urged us not to be ignorant! The definition of ignorant is "lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated" or "lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about a particular thing".  Don't miss this!  God is the God of More Than Enough!  He's got everything we could ever need and He's happy to share it with us!  James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him."(Amplified).

The Apostle Peter told the Believers there are "stupid and ignorant" people in the world!  BUT we should NOT be named in that group!  We can Silence them by living right, and doing right!  Yes, we were once like them but now we are changed by the Holy Spirit within us!  1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says, "Don’t you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don’t care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom. A number of you know from experience what I’m talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you’ve been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit."(Message).

How can we ensure that we are not stupid or ignorant?  Great question!  I'm so glad you asked!  "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."(2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

What Really Matters

 Happy Sunday!

"Don’t tell lies to each other; it was your old life with all its wickedness that did that sort of thing; now it is dead and gone.  You are LIVING a brand new kind of life that is continually LEARNING more and more of what is right, and trying constantly to be more and more like Christ who created this new life within you.  In this new life one’s nationality or race or education or social position is unimportant; such things mean nothing. Whether a person has CHRIST is what matters, and he is equally available to ALL."(Colossians 3:9-11 Living Bible).

What really matters to you?  What things are important to you?  I've seen people being asked if they had to evacuate what items would they want to take from their homes.  Many times it's mementos or keepsakes, pets, valuables, and of course, family members.  Things are changing quickly in our world. Jesus described the times we live in.  He said, "You will hear about wars that are being fought. And you will hear stories about other wars beginning. BUT DON'T BE AFRAID. These things must happen before the end comes. Nations will fight against other nations. Kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will be times when there is no food for people to eat. And there will be earthquakes in different places. These things are only the beginning of troubles, like the first pains of a woman giving birth."(Matthew 24:6-8 Easy-to-Read Version).

Don't miss the best part of all that Jesus said!  Don't Be Afraid!  It would be deceitful for Jesus to tell us to do anything that we couldn't do.  If he says we can live fearlessly, then we can live without fear!  Timothy was a young pastor in Ephesus. He faced many obstacles. His father in ministry, the Apostle Paul wrote to him saying, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control."(2 Timothy 1:7 Amplified).

How can we have a calm and well balanced mind in any situation or circumstance?  Great Question! I'm so glad you asked.  Isaiah 26:3 says, "With perfect peace you will protect those whose minds cannot be changed, because they trust you."(GW).  Keeping our minds on the Word of God will keep us in perfect peace.  The Dake Annotated Reference Bible says this about this scripture, "This is a promise for all men of all ages who meet the condition of keeping the mind stayed on God, and who trust Him at all times, in all things, and in all places".  We can keep the Word on our minds by hearing it, reading it, memorizing it, speaking it, and meditating on it.  The Psalmist said, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."(Psalm 119:11 KJV).  Just like the precious treasures we would grab if we needed to evacuate, the Word should be something we can't live without.  It should be the thing that matters most.

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Unspotted

 Happy Sunday!

"You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless. The worship that God wants is THIS: caring for orphans or widows who need help and keeping yourself free from the world’s EVIL influence. This is the kind of worship that God accepts as pure and good."(James 1:26-27 Easy-to-Read Version).

The King James Version of this verse says, "and to keep himself unspotted from the world."(James 1:27).  You know me, I always see interesting things when I read the Word.  I immediately thought of the old Dishwasher Detergent commercials that showed two women comparing the glasses that came out of their dishwashers. Do you remember those commercials? They wanted to get you to buy a specific detergent so that your dishes would be "spotless".  God wants us to surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit so that we can make it through this life unspotted, untainted, and undefiled. 

It also made me think about the 12 spies Moses sent to spy out the Promised Land.  The King James Version says 10 of the spies brought back an "EVIL" report.  Numbers 13:30-33 says, "But Caleb reassured the people as they stood before Moses. “Let us go up at once and possess it,” he said, “for we are well able to conquer it!” “Not against people as strong as they are!” the other spies said. “They would crush us!”  So the majority report of the spies was NEGATIVE: “The land is full of warriors, the people are powerfully built, and we saw some of the Anakim there, descendants of the ancient race of giants. We felt like grasshoppers before them, they were so tall!”(Living Bible).  Until they got into their feelings, they were reporting the facts.  But they failed to acknowledge the TRUTH.  God promised the land to them and no matter how big the people were or how little they saw themselves it was theirs to take.

Throughout the Bible there are comparisons.  Psalm 1 compares the righteous man and the ungodly man. Numerous scriptures in Proverbs compare the wise and the foolish.  Malachi 3:18 says, "Once more you’ll see the difference it makes between being a person who does the right thing and one who doesn’t, between serving God and not serving him.”(Message).

Unspotted means different!  Are you different?  Or are you just like everyone else?  When you hear about inflation do you cry like the 10 spies?  Or do you remember Psalm 23:1, "The Lord is my shepherd; I have ALL that I need."(NLT)?  When you hear about random acts of wickedness do you immediately fear that it could happen to you?  Or do you proclaim, "You, Lord, are the light that keeps me safe. I am not afraid of anyone. You protect me, and I have no fears. Brutal people may attack and try to kill me, but they will STUMBLE. Fierce enemies may attack, but they will FALL."(Psalm 27:1-3 CEV).  When a pain hits you, do you say, "I thought I was healed"?  Or do you declare, "The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives within ME and he will, by that same Spirit, bring to MY whole being new strength and vitality."(Romans 8:11 Phillips)?

There was a cute meme that said, "This is John".  Some were positive and others were negative.  Some said "be like him" and others said, "don't be like him".  We can make one for the the 2 spies that came back with a positive report. This is Caleb and Joshua. They believed God. Be like Caleb and Joshua.

Love and prayers, Cynthia

No Doubt, No Unbelief

 Happy Sunday!

"I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no DOUBT."(Psalm 139:14 CEV).

What's the difference between doubt and unbelief?  Great question!  I'm so glad you asked.  Doubt is when you just don't know.  If you don't know about a certain thing you will have doubt about it.  I could tell you that the elements Sodium and Chloride by themselves are both poisonous. But when you put them together you get table salt. You may doubt that I am telling you the truth. You may doubt that I know anything about science.  But if after careful investigation you find that this is actually true, and you still don't believe me that's Unbelief.  Unbelief is when you do know about something but have made a conscious decision not to believe it.

Jesus said, "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not DOUBT in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith."(Mark 11:23 KJV).  I enjoy seeing mountains, and I enjoyed hiking them when I lived in Arizona.  So I'm more interested in moving the "mountains" in my life not physical mountains.  Situations, and circumstances that are obstacles need to be moved.  If I am ignorant of the Word of God it will be easier to doubt.  But as I saturate myself in the Word I find more and more promises, and blessings that I can enjoy. 

Once I learned how Wonderful, and Trustworthy God is, then it became much easier to believe.  When I am tempted to not believe or get into Unbelief I go back to the Word.  The Word says, "He personally carried the load of our sins in his own body when he died on the cross so that we can be finished with sin and live a good life from now on. For his wounds have HEALED ours!"(2 Peter 2:24 Living Bible).  The Word says, "God can BLESS you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others."(2 Corinthians 9:8 CEV).  The Word says, "I’ll reward him with many GOOD years on this earth and let him witness My salvation.”(Psalm 91:16 Voice).

I really like that last one!  Many good years on this earth!  Not years of poverty, destruction, and sickness!  Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Eternal, “plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope—never forget that."(Voice).  Even though the Children of Israel were experiencing the opposite when this prophecy was given, God let them know that he had a better plan for them. He has a Good Plan for us as well.

Love and prayers, Cynthia

It Is What It Is

Happy Sunday!

"The Lord God is our protector and glorious king.  He blesses us with kindness and honor.  The Lord FREELY gives every good thing to those who do what is right.  Lord All-Powerful, great blessings belong to those who trust in you!"(Psalm 84:11-12 Easy-to-Read Version).

In one of my past positions, I had a Lead that would take escalated customer calls.  My cubicle was right across from his so I would hear everything he said to my customer after I transferred the call.  I would giggle and laugh as he would tell the customer, "It is what it is!"  Don't get me wrong, we were not mistreating any customers, but after explaining the situation to them over and over you get to the point where tough love is needed.  I feel like that about the Word of God!  It is what it is!  I take it literally and God has never let me down.

I believe that He loves me more than anyone else can or would. I believe He only wants the best for me.  I believe His Word is for me and my benefit.  No one knows me better than He does.  Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the Word that God speaks is alive and active; it cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword: it strikes through to the place where soul and spirit meet, to the innermost intimacies of a man’s being: it exposes the very thoughts and motives of a man’s heart. No creature has any cover from the sight of God; everything lies naked and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to do."(Phillips).

Do I always get it right?  No, I don't.  Do I use my shortcomings as an excuse to stop trying?  NO, of course not!  The Apostle Paul said it like this, "I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back."(Philippians 3:12-14 Message).

What happens when we follow after God with all we've got?  Psalm 84:11(b) says, "He doesn’t deny any good thing to those who live with integrity."(Voice).  I expect good things.  The Psalmist said, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."(Psalm 23:6 KJV).  The Voice translation of this same scripture says, "Certainly Your faithful PROTECTION and loving PROVISION will pursue me where I go, ALWAYS, everywhere."

Love and prayers, Cynthia