?? Father's Day ??

Happy Father's Day!

OK, I know it's late, but this last week has really got me thinking...

How often do we as Dad's get thanked for all we do on Father's Day?

Every year we get cards, gifts, video thank yous, etc.

But how often, on Father's Day, do we thank our Heavenly Father

for all that He has done for us in our lives? Or even mention Him in anything?

Ever since Father's Day, I have not been able to shake that question

from my mind, or even give it a good answer.. 

All this time, we as Dad's have our day, but we seem to forget 

the Father who made us all and provides so generously for us!

Exodus 3:4-6 (esv)

When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 

"Moses, Moses!" And he said, " Here I am." 

Then he said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, 

for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."

And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, 

the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." 

And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

As we see above, having any encounter with the Father is a big deal!

Moses could not look once he knew what he was seeing! 

Neither could he stand!

I am often baffled at how we forget the awe and power of the Father!

He created all things! He holds all thing together!

He guides those who love Him to rest and peace!

But so many of us forget that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!

Humility is a must! Who are we that we should even stand in His presence?

No matter how much we love Him, and no matter how much He loves us,

When we see Him, we will not be standing!

Bottom line... We all need to start thanking our Father in heaven

for all the wonderful things He has done for us!

Everyday can be like Father's Day! 

For each day that we thank and praise our Father in heaven is a good day!

So the next time Father's Day comes around, think of God our Father!

Thank Him for all the things He has, is, and will do for us!

He truly is a good good Father!

Colossians 1:16-17 (esv)

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, 

visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 

— all things were created through him and for him. 

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Is It Really Dark?

Try this for me when you get time...

When the sun goes down, turn off all the lights in the house.

Take a minute and sit in a room.

When your ready, open your eyes.

Spend a few moments focusing your eyes.

Take note of what you see.

I have done this many times and it really paints a wonderful 

picture that I will try to put into words.

Unless you are buried underground there is always light.

It may not be the brightest of light, but there is light.

The Lord made it that way. One light to govern the day.

And one light to govern the night. 

In order to pick up on the light, we need to spend a few

moments waiting for our eyes to adjust.

 When you look at the picture posted above, it really 

speaks to the type of light we see.

I purposefully removed the dominate light in the picture 

in order to see the more subtle light that we don't normally focus on. 

Playing around with the light can sometimes give unexpected results!

There is a Light that someday will replace the need for any other light. 

One that will make all other lights look dark!

Revelation 21:22-25 (esv)

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the
Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it,

for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 

By its light will the nations walk, 

and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 

and its gates will never be shut by day
— and there will be no night there.

We have the ability to know this Light and see it

before all other light is made dark.

Jesus is the Light I speak of.

You can know Him today! His gift of life is free
and available to all! No matter what you have done.

Don't stay in the dark!
Focus your eyes on the Light of the world, Jesus Christ!
He is all the light you need in this dark world.


 

Light So Bright!

Light So Bright!

Upon entering your home at night, what is the first thing you do?

If you are like most, you reach for the light switch.

We all have an inherent need to find light.

Do an experiment with me, please. It will take some time,

and you will need to do it more than once. 

But I truly believe it will drive home the point on what we are

truly searching for..

Do it indoors or outside. The only rule is, your eyes must be closed!

As you walk with your eyes closed, which way are you looking?

Left, Right, Up, or Down?

I have found after doing this over and over that my entire head

tends to look upward... I asked myself why am I always looking up?

The answer is simple.

We are searching for the Lord.

We were created to have a relationship with Him! 

You will search your entire life for Him.

The light of men is the Lord.

He shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it!

John 1:1-5

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, 

and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him, and without him 

was not any thing made that was made. 

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

Give this experiment an honest try.

I truly believe our eyes always will divert to the Lord. Up!

He is our Light!

Our path is known only through Him.

No One else can show the way to redemption.

Forgiveness is in the Lord!

Accept Him and follow Him!

He is the Light of your path!

Provided Paths

There is a path where every step you take is with the Lord.

There is also a path where every step you take requires the 

Lord to reach out and rescue you.

If you are walking with the Lord, you will stumble, trip, or even fall.

But the Lord is right there. And you will be reaching for Him when you fall.

Don't worry, He is faithful to catch us and to pick us up!

If you are not walking with the Lord you wont be reaching out

for Him when you fall. Your hands will be out in front of you

in order to break your fall. This will undoubtably will leave

one frustrated, bruised, and questioning every step.

There is nothing like being picked up from a fall,

being brushed off by the Lord,

and set back up your feet by His loving hands!

There is however, nothing worse than falling, feeling totally alone

with no one there who cares enough to see if you are alright.

You don't have to feel alone!

Someone does care!

The Lord will rescue you no matter where you are,

no matter how dirty or bruised.

Trust in the Lord. Let Him into your heart and life!

Live your life to please Him, and Him alone!

Then life will have purpose, meaning, direction, protection,

and you will never again feel alone!

Walk with the Lord on the path He has set before you!

Don't walk away from Him!

The road will be rocky and treacherous, and you will need rescue!

But the road He has for you will shape you and mold you into His image.

It will teach you more about the Lord,

and it will leave wanting more of Him!

Respond, Trust, and Obey!

It will be the best decision you will ever make!

Good Posture

They say a good posture can be the difference between a healthy body and an unhealthy one.

Good posture before the Lord is just as important.

So lets see what a good posture before the Lord looks like. 

I will give a few "snipits" and then dig a bit deeper. Here we go!

Exodus 3:4-6 (esv)

When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, " Moses, Moses!" And he said, " Here I am." Then he said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Matthew 28:9-10 (esv)

And behold, Jesus met them and said, " Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."

Act 9:3-5 (esv) (Saul)

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, " Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, " Who are you, Lord?" And he said, " I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

Revelation 1:17 (esv)

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.

In Exodus we see Moses in the presence of God in a burning bush. Once Moses knew what he was seeing he hid his face in fear.

In Matthew we see Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary after He rose from the dead, as they came to visit the tomb where He was buried. Again they fell at his feet.

In Acts we see Saul confronted by Jesus after he ascended to heaven. Here Jesus appeared as a great light and spoke to Saul, and Saul fell to the ground and lost his sight.

Finally we see John on an island as he is given Revelation. He fell at His feet as though dead.

So whats the point? We have a picture, some verses, and they all point to the best type of posture before the Lord. On our knees, with our face covered, at His feet!

None can stand in His presence! Those who think they can are foolish!

Those who arrogantly approach will find themselves hiding in the mountains

praying it will fall on them!

A day is coming when ever knee will bow and every tongue will confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord!

For those who know the Lord, there is no safer place than at His mighty feet in a posture of humility.

When we see His perfection and we see our sinfulness, we will fall to our knees and praise God for His limitless love, His unending patience, and His perfect forgiveness. Apart from these things, there is no hope. 

Knowing Jesus, accepting Him as your Savior, and giving all to Him will put your heart in the right posture to praise Him and thank Him for His grace!

Use your knees for what they were meant for. Kneeling!

Troubled Times

Troubled Times

Matthew 24:5-14 (esv)

"See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ' I am the Christ, ' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains."

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name 's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

In these verses we see 2 thoughts.

The first deals with signs. Signs of the end of the age.

The second deals with tribulation or tests.

Many read the signs of the end and are filled with fear.

There are 3 main causes of this fear.

1. Lack of focus on the security we have in Christ Jesus.

2. Lack of knowledge of what the end times are.

3. Unwillingness to endure the tests that might come our way.

There are obvious solutions to these causes of fear.

1. Study of the end times. When we study the end times we find encouragement from God. He continuously tells us He is with us to the end. His perfect love casts out fear. All we need to do is rest in His saving grace and know that all things work for good for those who love Him. 

2. Salvation. For those who are saved, there is security in Christ. No matter what the world tosses at us, nothing can take us from His hand. There is no need to fear.

3. God gives strength in time of need and in times of trial. We are given everything needed to endure any trial, no matter how great. When the time comes for you to be tested, remember the Lord is on your side. Focus on Him, give Him glory, and thank Him for all that comes your way. If we are obedient, we will march into trouble like conquerors! The Lord is our strength!

Don't let Troubled Times cause fear.

Rest in the Lord. He has saved us!

Study His Word. Knowledge of His Word gives direction.

Pray. Our flesh is weak! But He is strong. He will carry you!

Be obedient. If you are truly His, trouble will come. 

Be ready for battle! He has given you all that you need to conquer!

Matthew 28:20b (esv)

"And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."