Nehemiah, the good, rose up from his weeping to do something about a vision God had laid on his heart. Under divine providence, he was soon transported from Shushan to his beloved city, Jerusalem, armed with authority and equipped with materials to rebuild the ruined city. . .
The first device of the "enemy," upon hearing of the undertaking, was to heap ridicule on the whole plan. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem laughed Nehemiah and his helpers to scorn. Undeterred, Nehemiah replied with firm assurance, "The God of heaven, he will prosper us." And the work went on according to plan. After all other means had failed to hinder the reconstruction, the conspirators tried to arrange for a conference with Nehemiah. The man of God saw in this an evil purpose to do him mischief and divert him from his monumental work. His reply to the would-be mischief-makers is classic and might well be adopted for the all-time stock reply to all such overtures: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?" (Nehemiah 6:3). The great task to which God had called Nehemiah was so important that every other consideration must be waived. Would that we might have such an overpowering sense of being about our Father's business and be so impressed with the grandeur of our task that we would reject every suggestion of the evil one that would bid us take up some lesser pursuit. Let us rout him with the words that date back to 445 B.C., and which cannot be improved upon: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down." By A.W. Tozer Blessings. Lamar When I was in high school a FEW years ago, there was a popular song as I recall that said (as its feature line in the song) “seems like everything good is bad, and everything bad is good.” It’s been 45 years since that song was written and that statement is being lived out today in society. Sometimes you have to just stop and ask yourself, “What in the world is going on?” Truth is, it seems EVERYTHING unthinkable is going on. Things that were once considered bad are now considered good, and conversely, things that once were respected and considered good are now considered bad. Just recently another one of those events that make you shake your head, took place. According to the article, a Jewish Rabbi and a protestant minister (names and location excluded intentionally) went to an abortion clinic and began thanking God. I initially thought when I read this that they were thanking God for the life that was being sacrificed in the name of abortion, but that was not the case at all. They were asking God to bless that clinic and their work, singing hallelujah and asking blessings on the room. I want you to reread the former line. How can men who claim to represent God, commit such an atrocity? Is that what it has come to? It seems in an effort to reach the world, many have become like them. Imagine what it takes spiritually to shift to a place where you celebrate abortion. They have drifted so far off course, they have lost their identity. One of the participants was quoted as saying, the Bible says that life begins at the first breath, and until a child actually leaves the womb, it does not take that breath, therefore it is not a living being. Immediately my mind began to default to the what the Bible says, “the god of this world has blinded them”; and now supposedly in the name of the God we serve, they are celebrating the work of a place who murder the innocent daily. I hope this provokes enough thought in your heart to SEE what is happening around us and to ask yourself, on what truth do you stand? Remember anyone can call themselves a Christian, but only those who do the will of God according to his word, prove it! May God trouble the consciences of those who feel abortion is justifiable.
Blessings. Lamar “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9). Occasionally a day comes along when a big event introduces significant, and obvious, change into our lives. If the change is for the better, we go to bed and give thanks for the growth we’ve experienced that day. Yet all of us know that life is not made up of days like this. On most days, nothing very unusual happens; we simply move through the ordinary routine of our all-too-familiar schedule. And after weeks of nothing but the daily grind, we tend to grow impatient, feeling that nothing is happening in our lives. But what should be our attitude toward the ordinary? Do we simply have to endure the commonplace, hoping that sooner or later another “big” day will come along? Here’s the answer: we shouldn’t despise the daily grind. That is where the real growth takes place. Our progress on average days may not be as obvious as the progress we make on extraordinary occasions, but the growth is real, and in a sense, it’s more important. Healthy spiritual growth doesn’t come in spurts; it comes through “patient continuance in doing good” (Romans 2:7). When we read the exciting account of the early days of the church in Jerusalem, we’re intrigued by the stories of martyrdom and the proclamation of the gospel before kings and other great audiences. But although these brethren did accomplish thrilling things on certain days, no finer thing is said about them in the Book of Acts than this simple statement: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). They continued steadfastly! We need to pay more attention to the simple doing of our ordinary duty. Most people, even those of little character, can rise to the occasion when they’re in the spotlight. But the question is, what will we do with today ... when nothing will happen, when no one will be looking, and when there’ll be no particular reason to do our best except a desire to keep on serving our King? It’s days like today that are the true test of our love for Him. If we’re not faithful in what is “least,” what is “much” will not save us. “It is the daily strivings that count, not the momentary heights”
(Borrowed from Gary Henry) Blessings. Lamar Life is full of so many distractions that it is easy to get caught up in the chaos around us. Apparently, the apostle Paul was on to something when he said our journey through life is not a casual walk, but a race. A race that takes preparation, execution, and most importantly completion (crossing the finish line). Many have set out in this race, only to give up and quit for one reason or another. So Paul admonishes us to run to win (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). The goal is not the running, it is the finishing. Some finish in good shape, others finish totally spent, and yet a few collapse immediately upon crossing the line- in every case, they finished! It doesn’t matter how, as long as you do. Now, back to the distraction issue. How do we maintain our focus? For the answer we must go to the book of Hebrews and notice what the writer says in Hebrews 12:3, to “fix” your eyes on Jesus. In long distant running, one of the success strategies comes from an ability of the runner to “fix” their eyes on a target, and then give it all they have to reach that mark. As we “fix” our eyes on Jesus, it is not a casual glance every now and then, nor is it being intrigued with everything going on around us as we look for Him. Unfortunately, neither does it suggest looking at Him an hour a week on Sundays. No, the “fix” is a constant gaze, an almost trance like gaze; never taking our spiritual eyes off Him, knowing the minute we do, we falter. It is amazing how much easier this race is when we just listen to what God is telling us in his word, and then put it into practice in our daily walk. IF we are going to follow Jesus. IF we are going to have the mind of Christ. IF we are going to finish our race, then we must ”fix” our eyes on where we are headed, and then run the race with perseverance. As I sit and reflect on this year, I have reached the conclusion there is nothing more beautiful than a Christian who has laid their armor down for the final time after running their race well; and having finished, they go on to receive their victors crown which the righteous judge will give them (2 Timothy 4:8). My prayer is that you will be encouraged to run well and finish!
Blessings. Lamar Emerging from Mission Possible my thoughts have turned to a question. How can we spread the love of God to the city of Port Huron? At first, it seems to be a daunting task, but when you consider what it took for the gospel to spread from its beginnings in Jerusalem thousands of years ago to this present day- in my mind it is nothing short of a miracle. Theologically, it is the power of God at work in humanity. Honestly, I haven’t spent enough time pondering this great phenomenon. Not only has it continued from its early beginnings, it has found its way in some of the most obscure places imaginable- which is further evidence of the power of God at work. Consider a few I can recall from memory. It found its way into a German Concentration camp- in written form no less, and it converted a soul. It has found its way into countless prisons and through its power has converted die-hard criminals into loving, kind, compassionate ambassadors of God who are willing to risk their lives for Jesus. It has found its way into Muslim homes and converted many. Also it has found its way into hearts once filled with hatred and converted them into hearts filled with the love of Jesus. It has literally found its way into every corner of the world and continues to do so-I stand amazed! We watch it work around us, and never really stop to consider the full extent of its power and reach. So as I look around me and ask myself the question, is it unreasonable for me to believe the city of Port Huron can be reached for Christ, the answer is a resounding NO! It can and it will. One heart at a time by the power of the Holy Spirit, carried by the love of those whose lives have been changed, rearranged, and converted by the word of God. Let us be praying for a spiritual revival to take place in our city; that God will use our resources to reach the lost for Christ, so that one day we can lift our voices and sing with great conviction from what he has done, that he is indeed the God of this city.
Blessings. Lamar |
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