As I was reading Habakkuk during my morning quiet time, I was given some insight I have not considered before. The phrase, ”The more things change, the more they stay the same,'' came to my mind. Jeremiah and Habakkuk were contemporaries living in Judaea just before and during the time when Babylon took them away. While Jeremiah taught that wickedness in God's own people has doomed them, Habakkuk preached about the corruption that had infested the government of their day. His opening verse gives us all we need to know about how evil the government of the Southern tribe of Judah had become.
Ken Graves, the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Bangor ME, offers up his opinion of the, "Man Scale". Ken's scale has men like Mr Rogers on one end, and men like to Mr T on the other end. His advice to all men is to get on the man scale and be a man. So, are you some place between Mr Rogers and Mr T? If not, then you better look to God through Christ to find out where you are lacking, because God wants all men to be men.
Gospel of Matthew Notes & Outlines
Matthew was one of Jesus' 12 disciples, who's heart was forever changed by a man from Galilee would. This despised tax collector would one day write this Gospel which proves to his fellow Jews, that Jesus is the King of the Jews they were awaiting called the Messiah.
Ruth Notes & Outlines
Please join me in my new study in the book of Ruth.
Ruth is a poignant story of faithless disobedience, that leads to death, sorrow, bitterness, and then loyalty and finally redemption. It's my prayer that you will realize that if an inconspicuous Moabite peasant woman could achieve royalty for her descendants in Israel, then anyone can gain Salvation.
Have you ever wondered how people get from point A to point B? I don't mean in a physical mileage way, but rather an emotional, phycological, and spiritual way. We all take in our surroundings and make decisions based upon the way we see things happening, and the way we feel. Then we get to a certain point in our life when we take an inventory of how we are doing. Sometimes we're relatively satisfied, other times we're disappointed, but do we ever really reflect upon the decisions we made that ultimately got us to point B?
Dear Lord our Father in Heaven, we are but a few days till the end of this year. A year that saw much angst by those who would destroy the one you chose to lead us through the storm of hate, destruction from those who are hell bent on stopping us from building the wall we need to protect our nation from foreign invaders.
Like Nehemiah did some 2300 years ago. You sent him to restore the fortifications around Your city of Jerusalem, yet many stood in his way. Even those who helped were afraid of the persecution they would face for daring to do as You instructed.
Dear Lord our Father, we come before you with a saddened heart. There has been another evil deed committed upon our children that could have been prevented, but for the forces of evil in our midst.
Lord, we cry with our fellow citizens who lost their precious children. Lost is the pride we once took in knowing our children would be safe in a place we send them for education. Lost is the understanding we had that they would be educated in a safe environment.
Instead O'Lord, our children are but pawns to be used by the evil that is constantly trying to destroy this nation we used to pledged to be under Your protection and guidance.
With Trump in office, I thought it would be a great idea for everyone to get an idea of all the taxes we pay. Many are different by state, but we are all over taxed. So the next time you hear some liberal complain we need to pay more taxes to take care of some lame liberal pet project of theirs, just give them a copy of this list.
Mind you, this list of 177 taxes is just a partial list, so I am sure there more many could think of some I missed. If so, feel free to add them in the comment section.
Let me start by saying I do not believe this was an actual death experiance. It may have been a scary dream God gave him, but it did not happen in reality. That being said, it is amazing how a mind can concoct an image of something they fear. Hell should be feared, but in Hell, you will not see heaven as he claims he did. Now I share it just because it is interesting to ponder.
Yet many warnings are given in the Scriptures as to what death will be like if Christ is not the one you worship and obey. Here is a story of a man who was pronounced dead, but was not. The following an account as told by George Lennox, who was serving time in prison for the offense of stealing horses.
We are entering another election year, and this one is as important as the one which put Donald Trump in the oval Office. Now is not the time to sit on your laurels. We need everyone to understand the importance of repeating what we did on November 8, 2016. The establishment is doing all it can to stop the process of cleaning out the swamp. Mind you, the "Swamp" consists of members from both the Republican and Democrat parties. Our Founding Fathers warned us to be alert, if we desire to keep that which they gave us.
"The price of liberty is eternal vigilance"Thomas Jefferson
History records, that when Benjamin Franklin walked out the doors of Independence Hall at the end of the 1787 Constitutional Convention, A woman asked him,
"Well, Doctor, what have we got, a Republic or a Monarchy?"
Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow, and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. “And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”Matthew 28:1-7
Trump is smarter than many realize, or want to admit. He may have actually won by signing the bill many of us hate. Follow me.
To begin with, you need to understand that the bill President Trump signed, was NOT a Budget. It was an Omnibus Spending bill. The President is directed by the Constitution to adhere to a Budget that Congress approves. A ‘spending bill’ is not the same as the Federal Budget. This bill is just a another Continuing Resolution to keep the government functioning, but this time for 6 Months.
As such, he is not bound by law to do everything it calls for. We may find out that he only spends $800 Billion instead of the full $1.3 trillion. If so, I can only imagine who will not be getting the money they expected.
The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
On a frigid morning, in an unheated brick garage at 2122 N. Clark St. in Chicago, seven men were lined up against a whitewashed wall and pumped with 90 bullets from submachine guns, shotguns and a revolver. It was the most infamous of all gangland slayings in America, and it savagely achieved its purpose--the elimination of the last challenge to Al Capone for the mantle of crime boss in Chicago.
A city that had been numbed senseless by the constant gangster killings over control of illegal beer and whiskey distribution, was left mortally shocked by what the media called, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
The history of Israel, from Abraham to present time, is most important to the world today. To the secular world this may be a confusing statement, however, to those who understand biblical truths, this statement is fully understandable.
True Christians around the world look to protect Israel. According to the Old Testament (by which Judaism derives its beliefs) Israel is the beginning of Christian understanding. It is the beginning of Christianity; a time of preparation leading to Jesus Christ. To Christians, Israel is the homeland of their religion and the people of Israel are God's first chosen.
To Christians, the Jewish people are their brothers and sisters who are missing the truth of Christ as their Messiah and Savior. Christians pray for Israel and support it in many ways, in the hope of bringing the nation of Israel and the Jewish people to see Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
True love only comes when you empty yourself of all yourself.
Only then can you experience the love that God has for us
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,but have not love, it profits me nothing.
"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another."
(These are dolls made specifically to be sold to adult men)
Forgive me for sharing this story on my blog, but you all need to be aware of what is happening. What follows was written by my good friend Jeffery Oertle. He says all I feel in my heart when I consider the ramifications of such misguided thinking. Please take the time to read this all the way through, it is spot on.
guest writer
by Jeffery Oertle
So they feed the lust with a craving for something real and mimic the image of something authentic, with something that has only the look, but no value and no. "I say unto you, If a man should look at a woman in lust, he is guilty of the same sin" Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh... You can only pacify Lust! Lust is spiritual, therefore it craves that of a spiritual nature... they can supply this all they want, this only feeds the desire for something more.
Some of you may know of Francis Chan, and thus have either a positive or negative impression of him. Usually it comes down to what some think of his teaching style. However you feel about him, I ask that you give this short video a listen.
Now I am not trying to convince you to become a follower of Francis, but in this short 1:45 he says exactly what is wrong with many Christians when it comes to following the "Great Commission" of Jesus Christ that can be found in Matthew 28:18-21;
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen
Too many Christians feel that all they need to do is show up at church, listen to the preacher, attend a few Bible studies, and memorize Scripture so they can say what other Christians want to hear. However, how many Christians truly step out of their comfort zone to share the Gospel, baptize believers and disciple them to where they too can follow the Great Commission themselves? For that matter, how many Christians can honestly say they brought other sinners to Christ? Or at least tried to, even if they failed?
Francis Chan was the founder and Pastor of a megachurch in Simi Valley California, Cornerstone Community Church. He and his wife started it in 1994. After 6 years of leading a flock of thousands, he decided to step down as Pastor. Francis felt the need to seek guidance from God as to how he could better serve God. Eventually he moved to San Francisco began a series of house churches. He is currently leading 15 home churches in a way that he feels better for reaching and leading Christians to fulfill Christ's Great Commission command.
Proverb 18:1 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
00 He rages against all wise judgment.
Proverb 18:24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
00 But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
In today's world, we fight against our desire to isolate ourselves from the world that is so dangerous and greedy. We feel as though we would rather not make new friends so that we will not be harmed or taken advantage of. This goes against what God created us to be and is thus very unwise, for we were created to be social and friendly with others.
I created a new chart that lists 23 women from the Scriptures. There are more than 23 women I could cover, but I took the 23 I felt were more recognizable to most Christians. Now, we all know who these women are, and their stories. From Eve to Mary, these women have had as great an impact on mankind as the men. Three, or maybe 4, are not known for their love of the One true GOD, while the others are remembered for their strength and courage in the face of adversity.
Book Review
As someone who has benefited from Mark Atterson's Biblical knowledge, I felt it an honor to write a review on my friends book. Mark spent some years as a teen in the Jehovah Witness church, but found Christ and left the cult many years ago. Mark's understanding of the way cults begin and how they misinterpret Scripture to Satan's benefit, proves he has the credentials needed to recognize how the perspective of fallen man throughout history have twisted the truth of God's Word
Walking In Wisdom
Read daily commentaries on the Book of Proverbs.
I highly recommend this business for you ladies looking for some good deals. The owner is a beautiful Christian woman who does my wife's hair. Plus she has some awesome women's apparel at decent prices you can order from her website Please check her out.
When you open the Bible to read the books of the Prophets, you will notice they are not listed in chronological order. I have stated time and time again that while I believe every Word in the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, I do not believe the divisions of chapters nor verses are inspired. Like the division of chapters and verses, I also do not believe the placement of where all the books themselves are located was inspired.
There are many sordid story's with many shocking facts shared in the Scriptures about God's people. One such story is the twisted account of Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar? (Genesis 38:7-26) The story of Judah and Tamar is certainly not the most pleasant story in the Bible. In fact, most commentaries on the book of Genesis don’t spend much time on this chapter. After all, the story of Joseph (Genesis chapters 37-38), has a lot more preaching material and great spiritual lessons!
I joined FreeRepublic in February of 1998, shortly after it was created. Twenty four years later I am one of the few original members still contributing to the forum.
Posts
