Tomorrow is my father's birthday and he will be... well, old enough. His first birthday as a grandfather, too. Well, for every message I hear, I like to do a response, so today, I will be addressing midweek.
This is the scripture we looked at...
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Some things to consider:
Race (noun)
1. A competition of speed, as in running or riding
2. An extended competition in which participants struggle, like runners, to be the winner.
Prize (noun)
1. Something offered or won as an award for superiority or victory, as in a contest or competition.
2. Something worth striving for; a highly desirable possession.
Aimlessly (adverb)
1. Devoid of direction or purpose.
I wanted to show all three definitions, just because I think they are understood by all, but when you look at the definition, something more is added and a better understanding is created. I do it for my benefit, due to my lack of understanding of the english language.
Acts 20:22-24
22 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
Galatians 2:1-2
1 Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain.
Galatians 5:7-10
7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.
2 Timothy 4:1-8
1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Hebrews 12:1-6
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
OK, so now my thoughts as I expound on the ideas from Wednesday. First off, based on the definition of race, it is a struggle. It's not meant to be easy. If walking as a christian is easy, then are we walking as a christian?
struggle (verb)
1. To be strenuously engaged with a problem, task, or undertaking
2. To make a strenuous effort; strive
3. To progress with difficulty
The race is hard. Paul wasn't even sure in some scriptures if he would finsih. Paul? Mr. Super Christian himself struggle with being a christian? (Acts 20:24 says "if only I may finish the race" and key word is may) The word "may" suggests doubt. OH MY GOODNESS, PAUL WAS HUMAN? Yes, I am afraid so. So, if those superchristians struggled, I think I may have struggles time to time. Just like the moon, I wax and wane.
Am I running in vain? How scary a thought.
vain (adj.)
1. Not yielding the desired outcome; fruitless
2. Lacking substance or worth
If I don't get to be with God when it comes to a close, it would be in vain. Fruitless. Worthless. Living a life for not. I work hard day end and day out. I try to call a brother every day to encourage them. I am a good guy by most people's standards. Will it get me to heaven to be with my God? I do all sorts of "christian things" and for what? It's for a desired outcome. To be with God. To be an example for my son. To help get my wife to heaven. To take as much with me as possible. This purpose has worth. In vain. Not yet. I want to some day be able to say 2 Timothy 4:7 and let that apply to me. That is an insprirational scripture. "I HAVE fought the good fight, I HAVE finished the race, I HAVE kept the faith." Man, what a good scripture. So, Hebrews will bet me there. "Run with perseverance." What is salvation without a little perseverance? No perseverance = no salvation. I not only have to run, I have to run with perseverance. I have to keep myself from running aimlessly. I have to keep the faith. I like quiet times like this. Gives me fire for the day ahead. Johnny Out.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Friday, August 26th
Posted by Weather Man at 7:29 AM
Labels: Johnny Ray's Quiet Time
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The church of the Lord began in Jerusalem on the first Pentecost after Christs' crucifixion. But what was done to get it started?
Take the New Testament and turn to the second chapter of Acts, and slowly and carefully read it.
You will read how the first four verses tell how the Holy Spirit came upon the twelve apostles. Verses 5-13 relates how the multitude that had gathered were amazed to hear the apostles speak in several languages. Verses 14-21 is Peter`s explanation of what was taking place. He said all that they had seen and heard was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel. (verse 16)
In verse 22, Peter tell the people, "Jesus of Nazareth," And from that verse to verse 36, he preaches the following truths about Jesus: 1. He was a man approved of God by miracles; 2. He had been crucified by wicked hands; 3. He had been raised from the dead by God; 4. He was now exalted to God`s right hand; 5. He was both Lord and Christ.
Please continue to read from verse 37 through verse 41 and note closely what is said. " Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."
It is as simple as that! Jesus was preached as God`s Son, and our Savior. About 3000 believed in Jesus as the Christ, repented and were baptized "for the remission of sins." According to the promise of Christ (Matt.28:18-20; Mark 15:15,16; Luke 24:45-49) They were saved and added to the church.
That is the way the Lords' church began. And that is the way to establish His church in any place on earth today.
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3
hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed and getting to the patient within 3 hours which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE - A true story
Susie is recouping at an incredible pace for someone with a massive stroke all because Sherry saw Susie stumble - - that is the key that isn't mentioned below -and then she asked Susie the 3 questions. So simple - - this literally saved Susie's life - - Some angel sent it to Suzie's friend and they did just what it said to do. Suzie failed all three so then 9-1-1 was called. Even though she had normal blood pressure readings and did not appear to be a stroke as she could converse to some extent with the Paramedics they took her to the hospital right away. Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps. Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three
simple questions:
1. *Ask the individual to SMILE.
2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (ie . It is sunny out today) If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.
Johnny:
You did a good thing here. Search out the truth. Too often we want answers handed to us or we believe people who are in our life. You instead went to the book with all the answers and found them.
It is often easier for people to deny things, because then they don't have to take reponsibility (ie there is no sin, people are good by nature, there is no hell, all you have to do is believe, do what feels right, etc...). It is much easier to give in and take the easy path, rather than face the truth of life.
Keep on searching out!
Ric
I get little messages like this that touch my heart at different times, and just wanted to share it with you. Since my mind constantly races throughout the day, and often this racing starts right as I get up, and then I give it a nitrous oxide type of injection with coffee, it really convicted me. It made me think, "what frequency is my internal reciever tuned to? Am I listening to the Holy Spirit channel, or perhaps the Marc Pond Channel for my news, wisdom and guidance?"
Love you guys, I hope you are tuning into God's word and hearing His voice today in your quiet time with our Maker. If you haven't gotten your time with Him yet, stop, tune in, and listen, otherwise you may get lost in the noise. I know you all know these things, but it is always helpful to me to be reminded.
Marc
How to Listen to God
Isaiah 50:4-5
Communicating with the Lord involves both speaking and listening. Most of us are better at talking. But God intends for His children to hear His voice. His goal is the same today as it always has been - to be certain that we comprehend the truth about Him, to conform us to His ways, and to equip us for communicating His truth to others.
Two of the instruments the Lord uses to speak to modern-day believers are His Word and other people. For this reason, studying the Bible is more important than getting breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day. We can easily live on one daily meal, but we cannot survive in this wicked world unless we feast on God's Word. The result of our regular consumption of Scripture is a discerning spirit. When a Christian shares a message that God laid on his heart for us, our spirit verifies the truth of his statement.
Regardless of how loudly God speaks, we won't hear Him unless listening is a priority. We must ask Him to teach us to hear and then work at having a quiet attitude. An internal "receiver" tuned to the Father develops only through committed prayer, meditation, and practice at listening. In addition, we will need a spirit of submission to obey the commands He gives.
God's goal for us is a lifestyle of sensitivity so we can hear Him in noisy or calm situations. Listening to Him is a critical skill for ensuring that our hearts are open to divine guidance in every circumstance. The dessert for our feast of Scripture is the sound of a Father's voice.
Marc
Good morning brothers how is everyone this morning? I am doing great and I am fired up to be alive and to be in Gods grace. I just want to confess some stuff so that you can all pray for me. I have been getting a little angry with a brother in my heart, I have also been just getting frustrated as well with people who do not listen to me. Maybe the problem is that I am not listening to them. I am going to definetly work on that. Also I can feel that the physical attraction with my girlfriend and I is growing stronger and stronger. We have not been impure but I can feel that it is arounds the corner if I do not act on it now and get open with you all. Please pray for us and for especially for me to lead Jessica in a righteous way. This morning's quiet time was just right for what is going on. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, the passage about love. It also talks about thinking as a child and reasoning as a child. It would be childish for me not to fight and get open and ask for help in prayer and accountability. If I trully love God as I know I do, I will do that. I put childish ways behind me when I became a man of God. Gentleman let's put the childish ways and thoughts that we still hold on to on the cross and crucify those things immediatley before they cause major damage to us spiritualy. I love all of you and I pray that all of you has a great day and weekend, God bless.
1 Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I
reasoned like a child. When I became a man I put childish ways behind me.
Joseph
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