He Delivers You always

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all”
(Psalm 34:19, NKJV)

Isn’t it good to know that we serve a Deliver? You might feel afflicted today, but God is working to bring you out of that difficult situation. It may not be in the way you thought, but you have to trust that God has your best interest at heart.

An affliction is defined as the cause of persistent pain or distress. I know that afflictions can take on many forms — a sickness or hardship, a temptation, a coworker or family member. There are so many things that can come against us, but God promises in His Word that no weapon formed against us shall prosper! Those afflictions are only temporary. Stand in faith believing that God is on your side, and you and God are a majority! It doesn’t matter what your circumstances look like, get up every morning and say, “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. My Deliverer is coming!”

As you stand and trust the Lord, He will deliver you out of all your afflictions, and you’ll see His hand of blessing in every area of your life!

Seeking and Finding

At one time or another we've all misplaced some item, like car keys, a cell phone, a ring, or the like. Then, watch out!--we turn the house or office upside down, frantically searching for that thing we think we can't live without. More often than not it's found sooner or later, under a seat cushion or a pile of mail, or maybe even right in plain sight where we just overlooked it. What relief and exhiliration we feel when that happens!  Of course, sometimes what we seek is never found, and on top of all the time and effort expended looking we have to spend money to replace the item, if it's replacable at all.

"Seeking" is an inescapable and important--if often an aggravating and even agonizing--part of life. It extends from looking for lost objects to deciding what career to pursue, searching for a mate, or discerning what our purpose in life is. Sometimes we do it consciously, but often it's more like an irresistable current in the hidden depths of our minds and hearts.  And so often that all that seeking seems to lead nowhere but a dead end. Even a "successful" person may not really find the lasting fulfillment he or she was looking for, but discover too late that all his or her hard-won conquests were hollow. Sometimes, one spends everything he or she has in time, money, and even friends, only to make that mortifying discovery in the end.

That's why I love the Lord's "Lost and Found" stories so much, especially those in Luke ch. 15--the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, the Lost (or "Prodigal") Son. These stories hold many lessons, but at least one of them, I believe, is how we do, and should, assess the value of things. Of course, the missing piece of silver that the woman swept her whole house to find (Luke 15:8-10) was undoubtedly of great value to her--maybe it was a tenth of all the funds she had--and its recovery fully justified a celebration with her friends and neighbors. So much more so, said the Lord, was there "joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." Even more compelling is the story of that one Lost Sheep, in which the Shepherd left all of his other 99 to find and bring home. Likewise, the Lord said, "joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." And then there is the story of the Prodigal Son, who left home and spent all his inheritance in "riotous living," and then had to crawl back to his father in sorrow and rags. The father might have shut him out in anger for having wasting all that wealth, but instead received him back with forgiveness and joy--much to the chagrin of the young man's more responsible brother--proclaiming, "for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found!" Surely this is one of the most touching and revealing passages in all Scripture. For it, and the other parables spoken by Jesus in Luke 15, demonstrate that one repentant soul returned to the Lord is worth infinitely more in the Kingdom of God than any amount of wealth or honor, or even a whole lifetime of outwardly "righteous" conduct (remember that these paragbles were told to a crowd of "publicans and sinners" in the presence of Pharisees and scribes who "murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.")

So, never give yourself up for "lost."  Never doubt your worth in the Lord's eyes, no matter what you may have done or failed to do--you're already bought and paid for, with His life. And not only are you worth seeking and reclaiming: unlike a hunt for car keys or for fame and glory, your own search after God, if sincere, is guaranteed successful: "[Y]e shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."  (Jeremiah 29:13)  He will always be there, waiting eagerly with open arms for His prodigal son or daughter to return. As Christ Himself said:

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh

it shall be opened.
~  Matthew 7:6-8

Tom Fleming
Songs of Praises

Music to My Ears

Ephesians 6:13-17 (NET) - For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm, by fastening belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace, and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Several weeks ago, I was once again enjoying coffee with friends at a local restaurant.

On this particular occasion, one of my friends brought his own coffee cup.

He walked up to the counter and paid for his coffee.

They filled the cup he brought in and my friend then joined our table.

The restaurant was quite noisy due to the large crowd.

There we were, enjoying both our coffee and each other’s company.

Then something happened that distracted me.

I heard music.

This music was different from that which the restaurant had playing through their speaker system.

I first checked my cell phone and was quickly able to rule that out.

As quickly as it appeared it disappeared.

I put this out of my mind.

Moments later I heard it again.

It was a very simple melody that was just loud enough for me to detect.

It sounded like the music to "Happy Birthday".

A moment later, it was gone.

Try as I might, I could not figure out where this music was coming from.

Over the course of the next several minutes it would come and go seemingly at random.

The effect it had on me was noticeable.

One of my friends asked me what was wrong.

All eyes on the table were now on me.

"This is very strange," I explained, "but I hear music from time to time and I have no idea where it coming from."

I asked if anyone else was hearing it.

They replied that they didn’t.

Then, purely without trying, I discovered exactly where this phantom music was coming from.

I was speaking directly to the friend who had so recently joined us.

As I spoke to him, he picked up his cup in order to drink from it.

As soon as he did, I heard the music play again.

As he set the cup down, the music stopped.

Mystery solved.

He had one of those musical coffee cups.

Someone had given it to him on his birthday years ago.

Due either to the cup’s age or some electrical malfunction, it played at a greatly reduced volume.

I thanked God that even at my age I was able to hear this amid all the noise.

I also realized that the hearing protection I wore when I worked in factories decades ago had indeed protected my hearing.

Because I took the precaution of protecting my hearing as a young man, my hearing is still quite good even though I am older.

It would not have been sufficient to carry around my hearing protection.

I actually had to wear it In order to preserve my hearing.

This served to remind me of the passage from Ephesians with which I opened.

God provides us with full armor to protect us spiritually.

He provides the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of truth.

It is not enough for us to simply carry them around with us.

In order to guard ourselves, we must wear them at all times in order for them to provide the protection He has so generously provided.

Thus armed, we can stand our ground and stand firm against anything that comes at us.


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

Help Another, Help Yourself

Life's many problems can leave one feeling overwhelmed, alone, and helpless--an emotional paralysis that makes it impossible to cope.  One way to escape this cycle of despair is to focus on someone else who is in serious need, and devote substantial thought, energy, and prayer toward helping that person. The benefits are many, and "losing yourself" in this way is sure to lighten your own load!

Among other things, doing this helps to put your own problems in perspective--no matter how bad things look for you, there is ALWAYS someone in much greater need!--and reduce them in your mind to a more manageable level. You avoid developing an obsessive fixation on apparently insoluble dilemmas; your mind is freed and rested, at least for a while, enabling you to come back later with a fresh viewpoint and possibly new angles to try in dealing with your own challenges.

Making a positive difference for someone else, even in a small way, gives you a renewed faith in your ability to change things and a greater sense of your own value in this world. Also, others are more inclined to come to your aid if they see you as a helpful, giving person yourself.

Perhaps most important, acting as a channel of God's love toward another fills you with awareness of His infinite love for you, and with a new sense of purpose and confidence. That makes all the difference when tackling life's challenges!  There is nothing more empowering than knowing that no matter what happens in this life, He will NEVER disown you, and never abandon you! Whatever problems we have now, they'll be left here when we join Him in Heaven!

So, if you need help with your burdens, start by shouldering another's!

Tom Fleming
Songs of Praises

Thinking About Evangelism

I realize that we are just into October, but I am looking forward to November with great anticipation.

One of the great joys in my life is teaching Sunday School and beginning in November I plan to lead my students through an in depth study of The Pilgrim‘s Progress by John Bunyan.

Though written in the 1600’s, this allegory has stood the test of time.

One unique aspects of Bunyan’s work lies in the fact that he gives his characters names that denote their spiritual roles and personalities.

On the positive side we meet characters like Faith, Mercy, Hopeful and the main character Christian.

On the negative side we meet characters such as Ignorance, Envy, Deception and Atheist.

In preparing for my class, I have read the book several times and learn more each time.

Aside from the main character, Christian, another character that captures my attention goes by the name Evangelist.

Before reading the book, every time I heard the term evangelist, one person immediately came to mind.

His name is Billy Graham.

Over the decades I have seen Billy Graham a number of times on television.

I would hang onto his every word and marvel at the number of people who came to hear him speak.

Major sporting arenas were booked in order to accommodate the vast numbers that attended in person.

Millions more,  like myself, were content to watch and listen via television.

In Bunyan’s book, Evangelist makes many appearances and addresses audiences as small as one or two.

He serves as a counselor, a minister and a messenger.

He helps Christian and his companions by forewarning them of what is to come.

He also appears whenever they go off the course he has pointed out for them to stay on and gently corrects them in order that they may ultimately find that which they so earnestly seek.

In thinking of Evangelist’s roles, I am reminded of the service performed by Philip in Acts 8.

Acts 8:25 (NET) - Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a desert road.)

Please note that an angel was involved here, but more on that later.

Philip encounters an Ethiopian reading the book of Isaiah.

Acting on the urging of the Spirit, Philip runs over to this man and asks if he understands what he is reading.

Acts 8:31 (NET) - The man replied, "How in the world can I, unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

The Ethiopian then reads to Philip the passage from Isaiah with which he struggles to understand.

He then asks Philip if Isaiah wrote about himself or someone else.

Acts 8:35 (NET) - So Philip started speaking, and beginning with this scripture proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him.

The Ethiopian ordered the chariot stopped when they came to water in order that Philip baptize him.

Here was a man that went from confusion to conviction because Philip evangelized to him.

Remember, I earlier asked you to note the angel’s involvement in this account.

One of the major roles that angels play in scripture is that of messenger.

Often, they relay messages from God to man.

Embedded in the word evangelist is the word angel.

Along with being a minister and a counselor, an evangelist must be a messenger as well.

Like Philip, he must be able to effectively communicate the message of the good news.

God uses some like Billy Graham to reach millions of people at once.

God also uses some like Philip to reach one person at a time.

He’s even been known to use a few Sunday School teachers along the way.

In the final analysis, It is not the size of the audience that matters.

What matters is the message.


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