Remember, Repent, Reform

O God, thou knowest my foolishness;
and my sins are not hid from thee. ~ Psalms 69:5

This is one of my favorite passages in Scripture--not because it expresses a happy thought, but because it's so true, and something I need to repeat every day in prayer.

Of course, it's necessary and right for a believer to daily remember the countless blessings he or she receives at God's hand, and to give thanks and praise for them. We are so grateful to have His guidance and comfort in our lives!  But sometimes this sense of well-being can lead to complacency, pride, and even arrogance. Seeing the spiritual, moral, and temporal travail of so many around us, we may start to feel as though we are impervious to troubles, that Satan can't touch us, and that we are and always will be superior to those others who haven't gotten, as we have, "right with God."  Our prayers may start to sound like those of the Pharisee: "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican" (Luke 18:11) -- and less like those of the publican, who, "standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."  (Luke 18:13)

The publican, who was the one who went away justified (Luke 18:14), had it right. As conscious as we should be of our blessings and of the things that are right in our lives, we should be at least as mindful of our sins and shortcomings, and truly sorry for them. We should always remember that the good things come only through the Lord's grace and forgiveness, and that they are not "earned" in the conventional sense by anything we have done. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We need to confess this in humble and contrite prayer ever day, begging God for the wisdom, patience, and strength to do better. Repentance also needs to include a firm resolve to live in a more righteous and Christ-like way, and real action on our part to carry out that promise. And all this should be capped off with an ever-present thankfulness to our Lord for His great mercy, without which we would be irretrievably lost.

So, pay attention every day to the "three Rs": Remember (our sins), Repent (sorrow and confession), and Reform (actually change conduct). In doing so we should never fall into the self-righteous arrogance of the distinguished Pharisee, but walk away justified, like the "lowly" publican--and happy in Christ's embrace!

Tom Fleming

Songs of Praises

SHINE FROM THE TOP

Question: Should  Christians take leadership position by choice or only when called by God?

Answer: Yes they should at every opportunity .

Question: Why?

Answer:        Because we (Christians) cannot afford to be non challant or care less about leadership. If we do, the consequences are dire.

Question: Explain

Answer:        The bible says a mango tree cannot produce orange as a fruit, neither can an orange tree produce  mango as fruit. If we allow people who are not renewed, who are not righteous (not the righteousness of men but that of God) to rule over us, take leadership positions, they will only bear fruit according to their kind. 

The best Unrighteous leader  can only  do the best unrighteous work, lead in the best unrighteous way and produce the best unrighteous result... But for us Christians, even when there is no obvious call to leadership, we will always and only do righteous works, bear righteous fruits and lead in a righteous manner. Permit me to say that God can use anything or any man, hence, an unrighteous man can do some righteous things but won't it be better if we just take the step and appropriate the resources of heaven to better the lives of our fellow men?

Knowing fully well  that we are light of the world, can we imagine how far and wide our light will shine if it shines from the top? I mean at the top of our companies, our municipal councils, town unions, regional/state  governments, local governments and so many more other positions in private and public places.

There are so many other reasons to aspire to leadership positions but this is the much we can accommodate now.

Question: Is there any scriptural basis for your stand?

Answer: Yes. 1Timothy 3:1 says"Faithful is the Word: If anyone reaches out to overseership, he desires a good work." (ModernKJV). what it means is that we can reach out, New Living Translation says "ASPIRE". We can Aspire to become an overseer (a Bishop) of our office, localty, state/region, country etc.

Let us know that if we do not, wicked men would and since deep calls to deep,  evil men will perpetuate themselves and wickedness will abound. Men who would have lived a quiet righteous life will turn to wickedness just so they can survive. This is the tragedy of our days.

It is the story of my country, my state my environment. Look around  you, see if your case is different from mine, if not, it is time to Let our light shine for the world to see... IT IS TIME TO SHINE FROM THE TOP.

War in the 21 century

Deuteronomy 20:1-4 Going to War 1 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3 He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. 4 For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”  

What kind of trouble are you facing in this time?

Health?
Finances
Familiars troubles?

Everyone goes through seasons of disappointment or difficulty. We all have unexpected setbacks. Maybe you’re going through something right now that you don’t understand. Here’s the good news: that disappointment is not the final chapter. God never ends in a negative. If you will keep moving forward with your life, God promises that He will bring you to a flourishing finish. Not a defeated finish, a bankrupt finish, a betrayed finish, or a barely-get-by finish. No, in your future, God has a victorious finish.

I don’t know but when you face thing bigger than you, just remember:

1 – God is with you anytime. He didn’t put you there by the way. God is able and knows what to do.

2 – Put God in front of every single thing you face. Here in the battle, the priest goes first. Share your trouble with your pastor or church’s elders, they can pray for you or give you a good advance.
That setback, disappointment or betrayal that seems like it’s working against you, God knows how to turn it around and cause it to work for you. The key is that when you’re in difficult times, don’t settle where you are. Don’t put your roots down and think that things are never going to change. No, for every setback, God has already lined up a comeback. For every injustice, He has vindication. For every disappointment, He has restoration. Right now, just begin to thank Him for what He’s going to do. Praise Him for His faithfulness. Rejoice today because He has a plan to bring you into a flourishing finish!

REMEMBER:
Remember God in all your ways
He is able
Do not fight alone
Cry to help
Be blessed!
Pati Nanni

Reflections on Loss

1 Corinthians 15:54-55 (NET) - Now when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then the saying that is written that will happen, "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where,  O death, is your victory? Where. O death, is your sting?"

Many people I held dear have passed away this year.

Some were members of my family.

Some were members of my church family.

None of us likes saying goodbye to those we hold dear.

Yet I find one truth inescapable.

Each of these remarkable people had an impact on many lives including my own.

I gratefully acknowledge the fact that I would not be the same person I am today had it not been for their influences.

Another great truth that I know is that every single one of these people I held dear were saved.

That provides me with a tremendous amount of comfort.

Why does that comfort me so much?

Scripture assures me that all who have put their faith in Jesus Christ will have eternal life.

As a result, I confidently know that these loved ones will have eternal life.

Even though I feel a personal sense of loss I can still rejoice for them.

2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (NET) - Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth we are absent from  the Lord - for  we live by  faith, not by  sight.

After further reflection, I am reminded of two more things.

First, I am reminded of those that I care about that have not yet been saved.

I am forced to ask myself if I am doing enough to bring them to the Lord.

Facing facts, each tick of the clock brings them closer to the end of their earthly journey just as it brings me closer to mine.

The time remaining between us is diminishing, but I have to keep trying even if trying means losing a friendship.

I risk the very real possibility that some of the friends I so want t bring to the Lord may weary of me or my persistence.

They may even decide that they no longer desire my friendship.

That is a risk I must be willing to accept.

After all, if I were willing to allow a friend to die spiritually, then I would not be much of a friend in the first place.

Second, I am also reminded of a time when my church family experienced the death of someone very dear to all of us.

I knew that each of my Sunday School students would be experiencing the pain of this loss and I prayed for His guidance in what I could do to help ease that pain.

I will never forget the response He wrote upon my heart and I will share it with you now.

"When someone special to you is no longer there, it leaves a hole that can never be completely filled. You can make that hole smaller by simply drawing closer together."


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/

As for ME

"If you decide that it's a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you'd rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you're now living. As for me and my family, we'll worship God." (MSG)

     Whether you realize it or not, your family worships at the alter of a god. For most families in America it's the god of money. For some it's the god of time and schedules. 

The fact is there are families in this country who are trying to serve multiple Gods. Take for example those families who attempt to gain the best of both worlds by either coming to church on a Sunday when it's convenient, or choosing sporting events or family trips. 

Here's what I want to know: Can you really serve 2 masters these days?

Increasingly, the sanctity of Sundays is fleeting. No longer do "Christian" moms and dads fight to protect the importance of our day of worship. Families are being raised to believe that Church is an option and that gathering is good when conducive to your schedule. Now, if you're a part of a family that has not sold out to Jesus, then you are free to do as you please. But for the "Christian family," something has to change. This post is for you!

I am beyond sick and tired of seeing parents teach their children that what's most important is everything BUT God. Do you think that for a moment this is healthy and that it pays off in the end? Stop and consider that you are teaching your child. 

The reality is that you are teaching that a casual faith is good enough. Casual faith is the exact opposite of what Jesus taught. So, by allowing your family to serve multiple gods you are in a sense damning your kids. I know that sounds harsh, but Christianity is meant to be evangelistic and generational. As the parent you must model Scriptural principles and show your child how important corporate worship and participation in biblical community is. You will be held accountable if you claim to follow Jesus but fail to lead your family. Your children's faith is shaped by you! Take that seriously!

You cannot serve 2 masters, nor should you want to. Now is the time to choose whom you will serve. As the leader or my family, each week we will gather with the body and we will be involved in a small group. The rest of the week is up for grabs. I will raise my children to know that money is evil and time robs us. I proudly declare: As for ME and my house, we will serve the lord!

What about you?
www.mikewhittymore.com

Mothers Every Day

This coming Sunday is Mother's Day in the United States. Millions of dollars will be spent on greeting cards, flowers, and other gifts for mothers. And yet, mothers and motherhood are still undervalued in contemporary culture and among too many people--even many who consider themselves Christians. Elderly mothers, typically widowed, are often left alone and virtually forgotten, even by children who live nearby. In other cases, enmity over some past slight or disagreement festers between a grown child and his or her mother, and they stop speaking to each other. Tempers flare because a mother is thought meddlesome for offering advice or an opinon. On a wider social level, pressure on young women to forgo raising children and pursue a career outside the home is enormous, and those who put family life first are widely depicted in the media as fools, rubes, or afflicted with a miserable, empty life.

In God's Kingdom, on the other hand, mothers and motherhood are treasured and vitally important. We are commanded to honor and reverence our mothers (Exod. 20:12; Lev. 19:3), to heed their teaching (Prov. 6:20), and. in our righteous obedience, to "let her rejoice who gave birth to you." (Prov. 23:25)  We must not dishonor or grieve our mothers through foolishness (Prov. 10:1) or rebellion (Prov. 30:17; Micah 7:6). For her part, a mother is admonished to love her children as well as her husband, to be discreet and chaste, and to be a good homemaker, so as to honor God (Titus 2:4-5). Above all, a mother is to "teach [God's commandments] diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Deut. 6:6-7)  We have the archetype of faithful motherhood in Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, who reverently accepted the great responsibility that God placed upon her, diligently taught and cared for her Diviine Son, grieved inexpressibly to witness His suffering and death, and gloried in His resurrection.

There is in all literature no more apt description of the good wife and mother than that found in Proverbs 31:

Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Her children arise up, and call her blessed . . .  (Prov. 31:25-28)

I have been so infinitely blessed to have this image fit the mothers who figured most prominently in my life--my own mother and my dear wife, the mother of my children!

Honoring, caring for, and blessing our mothers is not something that can or should be done just through a card one day a year. The relationship between a mother and a child is infinitely precious in God's sight, and one that lasts for eternity--it should be treated accordingly!  If there is friction or enmity between you and your mother, heal it now and completely.  You can't imagine what blessings flow from simple apology and forgiveness!  No matter how young or old they are, children and mothers should be speaking with and visiting each other as often as reasonably possible--no one should ever be alone and forgotten! And no feasible expense or effort should be spared to take care of our aging mothers (or fathers), and to see that their grandchildren get to know and love them deeply.

In other words, treat every day as Mother's Day!

Tom Fleming

Songs of Praises

BE YOURSELF

One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (called the Twin), was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" Thomas said to them, "Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

A week later the disciples were together again indoors, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop your doubting, and believe!"

Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said to him, "Do you believe because you see me? How happy are those who believe without seeing me!"(John 20:24-29)Goodnews version

He is nothing like us in so many regards, and when we are at our weakest, the difference between how He treats us and we treat ourselves shows how different He is from us...

He does not make an unnecessary demand of us, He is like a mother who does not expect her 2 year old daughter to cook for her in the kitchen. The scripture says "He knows our frame...". At every stage of our life He understands our weakness and strength and deal with us accordingly with the hope that we will get to live above the level we currently are... He is just so different from us.

In the scripture above, our interpretation reveals that Thomas doubts (and we coin the name 'Doubting Thomas" for him) but Jesus was not looking at that, He rather prefer to quell his(Thomas) doubt to bring Him at par with the other disciples who already believe. Jesus was not condoning Faithlessness, doubt or unbelief, He would rather have us "believe without seeing Him"(John 20:29b) but in case we are like Thomas, He won't criticize us, make us see ourselves as babes in the faith or express disappointment that after 3years of intensive discipleship filled with so many signs and wonders and great revelations, this is the best we could do... No! Jesus won't do that, He would rather remove our doubt as He did to Thomas.

The beauty of what He did to Thomas is that He would gladly do that to all aspects of our lives... whether we are sick when we should be well; poor when we should be rich; borrowers when we should be lenders; students when we should be teachers; immoral when we should be holy; wicked when we should be righteous etc. For He is our high priest, our advocate, He understands all that we are facing(Hebrew 4:15).

All that we have to do is be like Thomas BE OURSELVES, be open and sincere to Him about who we are, what we think etc and when He reveal Himself- the truth, we should not harden our heart but take His help and move from where we are to where He would have us be.

Paying to live

 Deuteronomy 13:6-10 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Well, maybe one of the texts more difficult to teach, too
 little heard in our preaching. I must say that I do not remember a sermon on this text, but lets to think and talk a little about him.
If the one I love urges me to go against the Lord, shall I kill him! Wow
Think about the kind of gospel that is preached and lived today. The staff gets a cell phone and no longer comes in the church. Not counting the 'eternal love' sworn for many teenager, (encouraged by the Facebook) that endures 'forever' 15 days! 15days where sin reigns in this 'eternal love' and the target of 15 days is only one of those involved to turn away from God! Even more idolatry very familiar sight in our own culture where parents are responsible for taking or prevent their going to church and also the presence of God.
Now is my turn,  as a leader I say, do not listen to this music, do not access that kind of thing on the Internet, do not walk with that kind of people they can take you to sin, only saying these things makes people ugly face and scandalized, imagine saying "kill your father!"
What is this gospel that we are living? Surely God will not tell you now kill your father for not letting you go to church nor your brother made ​​you feel so bad about being a believer.What I am emphasizing the gospel in this paper is cheap, relative, loose and easy to live today, so easy that is not leading people to salvation, as far as I know, be strong (Luke13:24) and narrow (Matthew 7:13) are linked to salvation!
Think
Review your concepts
And should turn again!
Be safe.
Jesus loves you
Pati Nanni                       
                              

Who is to BLAME ?!

    Hey, I Started this post with a story all too familiar ... "And the Lord God called to Adam, and said unto him, where art thou? And he said: I heard your voice sound in the garden, and feared, because he was naked, and hid myself. And God said: Quem te showed that you were naked? Eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat from? Then told Adam: the woman who gave me by companion, she gave me of the tree, and I ate. And the Lord God said to the woman: why hast thou done this? And said the woman: the serpent deceived me, and I ate. " (Gen. 3.9-13).


        Who is to blame? Adam blamed Eve for her sin and Eva likewise accused the serpent. This way of thinking if something wrong happens to the primary responsibility lies always in the arms of another.

        Does this happen with you? Or maybe these stories are just fictions uncalled for? May occur with us in a way less dramatic. The natural man and the carnal Christian always are willing to remove from their consciences the sin. In this way, the guilt, the first instance, it is a sign that something is not correct, it should be moved to far from you. Like Adam, in most cases, the man tends to hide behind a good charge. This is why we see so many accusers in our midst.

        Things are not right , i blame my wife. Everything went wrong the devil's fault in my life. I'm in the Valley, God forgot me. Our responses are often an affront to God's character. Hypocrites! I hear Jesus saying to the Pharisees of yesterday and today who cannot repent of their sins, because simply they don't feel sinful. Jesus said: "the Pharisee, standing on end, prayed with you this way: God, give thanks because I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, Adulterers; or even like this tax collector [...] The publican, however, being in the foot by far nor still wanted to raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, have mercy on me, a sinner! " (Luke 18.11 .13).

       We are responsible for our acts. God made the possibility of free will and the couple in Eden made it real. When Adam and Eve sinned they deployed in the world the right choices. The will of God about the man was partially transposed and our desire to be regarded. This is what Joshua said to the people of Israel: "However, if you seem evil to your eyes to serve the Lord, who today chose to sirvais; If the gods who were your fathers, who were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live; but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. " (Joshua 24.15).

        But anyway who is to blame? My, your, of all of us, because there are no inculpáveis, but justified and redeemed by Jesus. As the FREEWILL entered the world by the Sin I am guilty or acquitted by the choices they make. If you deny the Christ still far removed from his glory and miserably, but if I get in my heart I am motivated to live in his Kingdom and not overburdening them already forgiven me for errors.

       The time has come to rejoice all our hearts that God can heal our entire life. Just to think that we are innocent and poor thing. We must take responsibility and face our problems head on. Therefore, let us put them before us humbly asking the Lord to remove from us the shame of sin.

Blessings,

MaryGondim ;

www.verdadecongelada.blogspot.com

Fairness, or Faith?

Deuteronomy 34:4 (NET) - Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it, but you will not cross over there."

One of the things that acts as a roadblock to those who do not believe in God ironically is something even believers struggle with.

Fairness.

I once tried to share my faith with a man who admitted that he was an atheist.

"How can there be a God that would allow children to suffer and die?", he asked.

There is no easy answer to such a question.

Even Christians struggle with questions like this.

Problems arise when we try to apply our human concept of fairness to God.

Whenever I think of fairness in this context I think of Moses.

Moses, considered a great prophet, did many things for God.

He went to Egypt and confronted Pharaoh.

He was an instrument that God used to free His chosen people from the bondage of slavery.

He then led this rebellious people in the wilderness and even interceded on their behalf.

Yet he disobeyed God.

How?

In Numbers 20 we read that the people were in need of water.

God tells Moses to assemble the people and speak to a rock and that water would come out of it.

Moses did not follow God’s directive.

In his frustration  with the people, he chose to react rather than act.

Numbers 20:11 (NET) - Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff. And water came out abundantly. So the community drank, and their beasts drank too.

For this, Moses was forbidden by God to enter the Promised Land.

What would our reply be if we found ourselves in the place of Moses?

I would venture to say that I would be something like, "That’s not fair!"

Sound familiar?

If you have children it does.

A parent has the responsibility to raise a child and sometimes has to impose limits on the child.

Many times, the child’s response is, "That’s not fair!"

When it comes to our relationship with God, we all too often try to impose our human concept of fairness on God.

When we do, we lose sight of the fact that God has a plan.

That plan is perfect. Just as God is perfect.

Frankly speaking, I am glad that God does not conform to my concept of fairness.

John 3:16 (NET) - For this is the way God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life.

Yet, He willingly died for imperfect and sinful people.

He died for us.

That certainly does not conform to our concept of fairness, does it?

When our view of fairness fails us, faith must take over.

It does not matter that we do not understand the facets of God’s plan.

What matters is that we have the faith to believe that God is perfect, that His plan is perfect and that He understands that perfect plan perfectly.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/