I DO NOT PRAY FOR THE WORLD

(Joh 17:9-10) "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.

The constant flood of bad news, the steady diet rich in violence can chip away your confidence in the Christ. Satan is so very patient. With man, the devil needs only to plant the bad seed, the tares among your wheat, and patiently wait. We have this human tendency to rush out and try to remove the tares immediately, placing at risk the whole crop. A wiser solution comes from patience and what we have learned from our Messiah, our Christ:

(Mat 13:30) 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.'

It seems to me that so many Brothers and Sisters are getting all wrapped up in the daily affairs of this world; Who is ahead in the polls (REMINDER: Polls are meaningless, ELECTION DAY IS WHAT COUNTS—WE AIN”T THERE YET! )

Charles Spurgeon came through again this morning, helping to place all of this turmoil into perspective. He said, “We know how all this ends.” We have read the book. God has armies that defy human understanding who patiently wait just out of sight. When the time comes, these armies will be released by God, and all that was revealed to Daniel, and to John and to us—through scripture—will unfold before our very eyes.

In the meantime, you and I have a great deal of work to do. The harvest is ripe.

(Mat 28:18-20) And Jesus came up 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 the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Making disciples. That is our job. Sharing with all who will hear the joy, the peace that comes with salvation in Christ. Won't you join me. There is work to be done.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY??

I DO NOT PRAY FOR THE WORLD

(Joh 17:9-10) "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.

The constant flood of bad news, the steady diet rich in violence can chip away your confidence in the Christ. Satan is so very patient. With man, the devil needs only to plant the bad seed, the tares among your wheat, and patiently wait. We have this human tendency to rush out and try to remove the tares immediately, placing at risk the whole crop. A wiser solution comes from patience and what we have learned from our Messiah, our Christ:

(Mat 13:30) 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.'

It seems to me that so many Brothers and Sisters are getting all wrapped up in the daily affairs of this world; Who is ahead in the polls (REMINDER: Polls are meaningless, ELECTION DAY IS WHAT COUNTS—WE AIN”T THERE YET! )

Charles Spurgeon came through again this morning, helping to place all of this turmoil into perspective. He said, “We know how all this ends.” We have read the book. God has armies that defy human understanding who patiently wait just out of sight. When the time comes, these armies will be released by God, and all that was revealed to Daniel, and to John and to us—through scripture—will unfold before our very eyes.

In the meantime, you and I have a great deal of work to do. The harvest is ripe.

(Mat 28:18-20) And Jesus came up 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 the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Making disciples. That is our job. Sharing with all who will hear the joy, the peace that comes with salvation in Christ. Won't you join me. There is work to be done.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY??

Light in Darkness

For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness. (2 Samuel 22:29)

Lately it seems to me that Satan is pulling out all the stops as he stirs up trouble and evil in this world. Each day brings a new expression of vulgarity. A global contest to see who can deliver the most hate, cause the most pain. Everybody is in the TRANSMIT mode. Who is RECEIVING? Who indeed.

Darkness is overtaking the earth. It is as though the Devil has broken into our church building and is stealing all the furniture, and worse, members of our own congregation are helping Satan carry off the goods. I want to grab ahold of them and shout STOP! Look at what you are doing!

It is absolutely vital that each of us puts on all of our armor, head-to-toe, each and every day. Never giving an inch to the prince of darkness. Never to compromise. Never to give in.

In these rapidly changing times and turmoil, the words of Charles Spurgeon brings a much needed dose of truth and hope:

Am I in the light? Then Thou, O Lord, art my lamp. Take Thee away and my joy would be gone; but as long as Thou art with me, I can do without the torches of time and the candles of created comfort. What a light the presence of God casts on all things! We heard of a lighthouse which could be seen for twenty miles, but our Jehovah is not only a God at hand, but far off is He seen, even in the enemy’s country. O Lord, I am as happy as an angel when Thy love fills my heart. Thou art all my desire.

Am I in the dark? Then thou, O Lord, wilt lighten my darkness. Before long things will change. Affairs may grow more and more dreary and cloud may be piled upon cloud; but if it grow so dark that I cannot see my own hand, still I shall see the hand of the Lord. When I cannot find a light within me, or among my friends, or in the whole world, the Lord, who said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, can say the same again. He will speak me into the sunshine yet. I shall not die but live. The day is already breaking. This sweet text shines like a morning star. I shall clap my hands for joy ere many hours are passed.

C.H. Spurgeon

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

Light in Darkness

For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness. (2 Samuel 22:29)

Lately it seems to me that Satan is pulling out all the stops as he stirs up trouble and evil in this world. Each day brings a new expression of vulgarity. A global contest to see who can deliver the most hate, cause the most pain. Everybody is in the TRANSMIT mode. Who is RECEIVING? Who indeed.

Darkness is overtaking the earth. It is as though the Devil has broken into our church building and is stealing all the furniture, and worse, members of our own congregation are helping Satan carry off the goods. I want to grab ahold of them and shout STOP! Look at what you are doing!

It is absolutely vital that each of us puts on all of our armor, head-to-toe, each and every day. Never giving an inch to the prince of darkness. Never to compromise. Never to give in.

In these rapidly changing times and turmoil, the words of Charles Spurgeon brings a much needed dose of truth and hope:

Am I in the light? Then Thou, O Lord, art my lamp. Take Thee away and my joy would be gone; but as long as Thou art with me, I can do without the torches of time and the candles of created comfort. What a light the presence of God casts on all things! We heard of a lighthouse which could be seen for twenty miles, but our Jehovah is not only a God at hand, but far off is He seen, even in the enemy’s country. O Lord, I am as happy as an angel when Thy love fills my heart. Thou art all my desire.

Am I in the dark? Then thou, O Lord, wilt lighten my darkness. Before long things will change. Affairs may grow more and more dreary and cloud may be piled upon cloud; but if it grow so dark that I cannot see my own hand, still I shall see the hand of the Lord. When I cannot find a light within me, or among my friends, or in the whole world, the Lord, who said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, can say the same again. He will speak me into the sunshine yet. I shall not die but live. The day is already breaking. This sweet text shines like a morning star. I shall clap my hands for joy ere many hours are passed.

C.H. Spurgeon

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

He sent from on high,

He took me;

He drew me out of many waters.

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. ---And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; and he said, "I called out of my distress to the LORD, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. ---For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me. We went through fire and through water, Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

(Psa 18:16) (Psa 40:2) (Eph 2:1-3) (Psa 61:1-2) (Jon 2:2-3) (Psa 66:12) (Isa 43:2) Samuel Bagster

He sent from on high,

He took me;

He drew me out of many waters.

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. ---And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; and he said, "I called out of my distress to the LORD, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. ---For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me. We went through fire and through water, Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?

(Psa 18:16) (Psa 40:2) (Eph 2:1-3) (Psa 61:1-2) (Jon 2:2-3) (Psa 66:12) (Isa 43:2) Samuel Bagster

Election Season

The party conventions have been now been gaveled to a close. The race and the political rhetoric are about to take on new dimensions as we travel the road to November. (That road is a WIDE road, I thought I should mention that!)

I am finding value in taking the back roads as much as possible. Those roads are narrow, and strewn with frequent stops. The effort is greater since the way is not always well signed. While moving slower on these narrow paths there seems to be a friendlier collection of travelers. Folks who will smile and wave as you drive by. Yesterday, a fellow actually slowed down when he saw my turn-blinker so that I could move over. You don't find that much, out there, on the Big WIDE Road.

The towns I drive through, on the narrow highway, actually have a palpable pulse. Life lives and flows right there in front of your eyes. The pace is just fast enough to validate motion, while slow enough that one can appreciate the beauty of the caring spirit and evidence of the hand of GOD.

It is remarkable how much quieter it is, traveling the more difficult route. The TRUTH is easily heard above the noise. Not hidden in the clatter of the dollar, the Mighty God of the Interstate Highway.

We really need to pray and pray hard and long that repentance will come to those who will be selected, then elected, and finally anointed into leadership of this gasping land of ours. Gasping because she has been sorely wounded by the crass, the crude, the lewd and the vulgar. Our Lord is at the door. The time is quickly drawing nigh.

Tell your story, tell it often. Tell it to all who will hear. Tell them the TRUTH. Be a part of the harvest not the chaff. Some will listen, most will not. Share the WORD, then move on. They will either hear or they will not. The rest is up to Jesus.

(Act 28:26-27) …..GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.

Share the TRUTH, share the LOVE. The clock is ticking!

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?