My Birthday

Well, it's my birthday today. 29 years old.

"We celebrate our birthday as though we created ourselves." Alistair Begg

I thought that was hilarious. Today I am not going to celebrate as though I created myself. I asked for pulled pork for dinner and I believe that is what I am getting. I feel as though me eating pork is a celebration of Jesus Christ. Before Christ the Jewish people couldn't eat pork.

So today, in celebration of the price Christ paid for the world's sins, I am eating pork!!

Delicious!

Publish Post

I love that kid!

Well, I was planning on writing a post about patience. I guess this still is. It's just that my son, Seamus (4), added a new dimension to it. He got some "big paper" from his uncle Jeff last night. Every time he gets it he acts like it is the best thing that has ever happened to him. At least since the last time he got the "big paper".

One of the first things he wrote on the paper is 56:3-4. Since that has to be a bible verse I asked him what book it was from. He said Psalm 56:3-4. So I went and looked it up.

Psalm 56:3-4
3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

I didn't think much of it until I read further.

Psalm 56:5-6
5 Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. 6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.

Okay, so what does this have to do with patience. We have all heard patience is a virtue. I would argue that patience leads to virtue.

Romans 8:25
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

If only I had read that verse 10 years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!! There were things that I didn't see coming that I wanted. So I went out and got them. I made the worst possible decisions I could.

I was speaking with my wife and we both agreed that all of the hardships that we face now would not exist if we had patience in the Lord.

Why do we feel we have to have everything now? Why can we not have patience in the Lord to do as he promised? I know that I fell prey to those who are waiting for my soul. Not only are they waiting for my soul but they are scheming on ways to get it. David said it best in the Psalm. "In God I have put my trust". God said he would provide for us. We just have to be patient enough to wait for it. With patience we can enter into what God has for us with virtue and not with a lot "I wishes".

holiday tree

So the other day our fearless leader announced that he was having a holiday tree this year at the white house. NOT a Christmas tree, but a holiday tree.

The president needs to realize something about this GREAT country. We may not be God's chosen nation but we are the only nation to choose GOD! It has been that way from the beginning and it will be that way until the bitter end.

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim to the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.... Let it simply be asked, where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education...reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."
George Washington

Peace

I am starting to love devotionals. We have a bunch lying around the house. There are a couple from James McDonald that contain a compilation of writings by different preachers. I can across something in one of them that started me thinking.

I knew that God was doing a work in my life. My stress about certain things seems to have been taken away the more I have found my self listening to good preaching or sticking my nose in the bible.

It was hard for me to explain but I picked something up that explains it. God doesn't always give us peace without but he always gives us peace within. I have come to the realization that God is the one who does good things for my family, not me. The events of the past few days have proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt. The past two weeks I have had two birthdays and I celebrated 5 years with the most wonderful woman the world have ever known. The problem is, we really don't have the finances to celebrate such things in close succession.

We made it through two birthdays and we were still alive. Now our anniversary was coming up and we had decided that we wanted to have a nice family dinner out. That would bring my wife and I much joy. The day before our anniversary we were blessed again by someone. These people have blessed us in so many ways I could not pass up the opportunity to bless them in any way I could. This also meant spending our anniversary dinner money. I didn't know how we were going to celebrate our anniversary but some time ago I stopped worrying about that kind of stuff. I knew that God would do as he always does.

Then came the next day. We were blesseed to the tune of 600% of our original blessing. I am still thanking God for the blessings he pours out through his servants.

Here are some verses I found from my "Slaying the Giant" cards I got from Dr J that deal with the kind of peace I am talking about. The card dealing with worry was perfect!

Psalm 43:5
Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God: for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Matthew 6:30
Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, oh you of little faith?

Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

I Peter 5:7
Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

I have to admit that I took all these from the card I got from Dr J. If you want them see his website and purchase the Slaying the Giant scripture cards for I believe $2.00. I looked all over by bible for the right scriptures and then I remembered that I had these resources. They are fantastic.

Remember, God will always calm the storm within.

Doubt, faith or both?

Today I was listening to Dr J again and he reinforced the post I was thinking of doing today. He was speaking about something unrelated and brought up Thomas. I think Dr J has a liking for Thomas that I have never heard in a preacher before. I developed this liking while listening to Dr J a while ago.

Everyone associates Thomas with the "doubt" he had about Christ having risen. I hope that I can change your mind about Thomas.

John 14:1-7
1: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.2: In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.4: And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.5: Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.7: If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

My bible says that this passage shows that Thomas obviously had little faith. WHAT?!? Thomas was asking a question of Christ so that he would know how the disciples could follow him. Thomas was reaffirming his faith with a question. The problem with questions about faith related topics is that most just ask the questions and don't seek the answers. Thomas had a question and he got his answer. Faith affirmed.

The next passage is where Jesus first shows himself to the disciples without Thomas being there.

John 20:19-20
19: Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.20: And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

Christ showed himself to the disciples. Notice the second to last sentence. He showed them his hands and side. He gave them visual proof. It doesn't say this but they must have doubted him because he had to show them. Earlier when Christ saw Mary at the tomb she had no idea it was him. In that same passage it talks about how the disciples, inluding Thomas, did not know the resurrection prophecy.

And now we come to the part that everyone says is why Thomas is such a bad guy.

John 20:24-28
24: But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.25: The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.26: And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.27: Then saith he to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.28: And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

Thomas, not knowing the resurrection prophecy, needed to see Christ to believe he was risen. His question was not in whether Christ could rise from the dead, but in whether the other disciples were correct.

No where does it say that Thomas actually put his fingers into the holes or his hand into Christ's side. When Jesus was in front of him he said: "My Lord and my God". There was nothing else needed. Thomas had all the faith he needed. He just needed to look into Christ's eyes to realize that he had in fact risen from the dead.

We don't have the luxury of looking into Jesus' eyes. I don't need it. I look at my beautiful wife and children and I get to see him everyday. Every time I ask God why I don't have a better job to support my family, or a better home for them to live in, I look around and remember that God loves me so much he gave me everything I have. I know that just their presence means that God has better things for me and them.

Feed them how?

This morning while getting my wife some Curry Donut coffee I was listening to a Christian radio station. The morning guy was blow harding about churches selling their buildings and all their equipment to help people in their community. At first I was in agreement with him. It is the churches responsibility to help the community. Then I remembered the book by KP Yohannon.

KP is a guy who was raised in India. He grew up to become a missionary who was starved and beaten for preaching the faith of Jesus Christ. He had an opportunity to come to America and start Gospel for Asia. His message is about funding home grown missionaries because the west sending missionaries to the east just isn't working anymore. He speaks of how people are starving all over India. We are not called to feed them physically but spiritually.

Selling off your church and all the church's possessions is feeding people physically. When Jesus fed the thousands, he preached and ministered to them for three days before he fed them.

Matthew 15:32 And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, "I feel compassion for the multitude, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not with to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."

Not to long ago Dr J was preaching on Paul and the book of Acts. He spoke about how Paul had gathered money to be given to the church in Jerusalem I believe. The funny thing is, you never hear what happened to the money. In stead all you hear about is Paul preaching the gospel.

Act 3:1-10
1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. 2 And a certain man who had been lame from his mother's womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which was called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. 3 And when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. 4 And Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze upon him and said, "Look at us!" 5 And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene -- walk! 7 And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. 8 And with a leap, he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God; 10 and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what happened to him.

Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. (I have no idea who coined that one. It's probably in the Bible somewhere.)

Paul didn't give the man money so he could eat that day. He gave him faith to believe in God so he could be fed both spiritually and physically for a lifetime.

Before a church sells itself off, it really needs to make sure it is God's will. Remember that we are to feed the community spiritually first and them feed them physically. It seems that might be hard to do without the means to feed them spiritually.

Am I guilty?

I revisited an old devotional that I loved. It was on the subject of guilt. The last line in the devotional is my favorite. " The holy spirit brings guilt for things that have not been confessed to God but the devil to things that are already confessed.

It made me think of all the things we can fell guilty about before we confessed them to God. So many times we are reminded of things that we did in our past lives. Some of them pretty bad. We need to remember that once we confessed them to God and were forgiven, they were erased from the book of life.

I love the bible that my wife got me some time ago and is just now getting some use. It has an index and concordance in the back. I looked up guilty and it brought me to Romans 3.

We all have heard Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. That is the only part that Satan wants us to remember. He is very good at deceiving us and even better at using the scriptures to do it. I think I feel a little guilty just typing that verse.

I had never read the next verse but it is just as important as the one before it. Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God gives us a punch to the gut by telling us we have all sinned and fallen short. Then he lifts us up by telling us that we are all redeemed through the grace of God and his son.

The 24th verse reminded me of something else I read in a devotional a while back. John 19:30 says When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

The term there "It is finished" is the same term used when a debt had been paid. It signified that the debt was paid in full. So in a sense Christ was saying, "It has been paid".

Just remember THAT the next time you feel guilty about something. The Lord has already paid the price for the sin and you are no longer guilty.