A God Who Forgives

But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God…. then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 10: 12 and 17) 

Have you ever stopped to ponder what it means to have your sins forgiven? Have you ever stopped to think about all that is involved in God’s forgiveness of our sins?

The word forgiven is a strong word. It means to send away. This point is pictured graphically in Leviticus 16: 7-10 where the sins of the people were confessed upon the scape goat and then the goat was taken far into the wilderness and left to die, never to return.

When God forgives our sins He sends them away. He forgives our sins and forgets our sins.

How can God be so gracious and kind to us? Well, God does not simply dispense forgiveness arbitrarily. Certain conditions have to be met before God’s forgiveness can be received.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (10: 4). Then he reminds us that there is One who can take away our sins by the shedding of His blood. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God (10: 12).

The forgiveness of our sins required the shedding of the blood of Jesus on the cross. Without the shedding of His blood, no one could experience forgiveness.

The great old hymn captures this truth, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh! Precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.” (“ Nothing but the Blood,” Robert Lowery, 1826-1899)

Did you know that there is enough power in the blood of Jesus to cleanse you of any sin you have ever committed? Yes, it is true. Our heavenly Father stands on the ground of the shed blood of His Son and pronounces repentant sinners forgiven of ALL sin. Amen. Dr. Roger D. Willmore is Senior Pastor of Deerfoot Baptist Church in Trussville, AL and a popular conference speaker at America’s Keswick

Keswick, America’s  (2012-12-13). Real Victory for Real Life Volume 2 (Kindle Locations 1796-1822).  . Kindle Edition.

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 19-21

Quote of the day: Holiness is characteristic of every Christian. If we are not holy, our profession of Christ is valueless. —Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Verse to Memorize: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Slavery, Truth, Trust

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ~ paul, The Least of The Apostles, in Ephesians 3

There is beloved, an astounding truth in the gospel.  We are now part of the very family of G_d. No, we are not just some club of believers who are journeying together in an adventure towards a new homeland.  We are – each of us – a beloved son or daughter of the G_d, Father, and King of the universe.  This is now simply and profoundly true.

What makes this most difficult to comprehend is the truth that we were, at first, but slaves to the most horrible of masters.  Ourselves.  We were locked into a prison of no escape.  Our own nature, and selfish desires had wrapped us up into a bondage of incomprehensible aloneness and fear and pain and want and lust and anger and hatred and rage.

But G_d.

This same One who spoke light into being, breathed our name to the keeper of the keys of death and hell.  He said: “It is finished.”  And with a payment which far outperformed any concept we might have of value, He bought us out of our darkness.  Then, in the Great Love with which He Loved us:

He forgave the shame of our actions as slaves to our horrible former master.

He betrothed us to be His bride.

He clothed us with luxurious coverings of righteousness.

He empowered us to live as we always wanted to live – Free.

He gave us an unstoppable weapon – Love.

And the cost to us for all of this?  Nothing.  For we had nothing of value to give anyway. The only thing possible for us to do, was to turn our focus away from ourselves, and to put our gaze fully onto Him.  This change of mind was brought about by some new and astounding conviction that Jesus really was (and is) the only answer to the entire panoply of our problems.

And in being set free from our sin, and from ourselves, we finally begin to see what all of this is all about.  There is only one reasonable response to the extravagant Love-gift G_d has given us.  We are to present ourselves back to the One who has freed us, and freely ask that we might have the honor of being His slave.

For now, we know that the Master we would serve is by no means horrible or harsh.  Rather, He is the most trustworthy friend we have ever known.  The Truth by which He has freed us, is someOne we never want to leave.  We would, but dwell as close to Him as possible forever.  For, in our freedom, we come realize there is no other place we would ever want to go.

And so we do.

We say to Him, “Would you have me as Your slave please?”

And He answers, “Oh beloved, of course.  But only on my terms.”

“Yes L_RD.”

“You shall not be a slave.  You shall become attached to my House.  You shall take on my Name.  You shall eat at my table.  You shall share my riches.  You shall be my friend.  You shall have my ear.  You shall approach me boldly any time you need to talk or need help. You shall work with me to spread My Love across all creation.  You shall reign with me – forever.”  And then He says, “These terms are not negotiable.  Do you accept?”

And somewhere, someplace the last bit of us gives way in trusting obedience to the terms of our new bondage.  And in doing this, we find only more of Him.  Only more freedom.  Only more Love.  And only more trust in this very best of Masters.

Tonight is the night beloved.  Take a knee.  Allow Him to enslave you in His Truth and Love. – Makala Duolos graduated from the Colony of Mercy and lives in Jarkata with his family. He is a frequent Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 16-18

Quote of the day: A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in the little things is a great thing. —Hudson Taylor

Verse to Memorize: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

An Old Man’s Advice

“Be very careful, therefore, to love the LORD your God.” Joshua 23:11 (ESV)

Since this New Year as started I have heard some slam dunk preachin’! If it wasn’t Dr. Bob Alderman reminding me that I need to set heart by seeking the LORD it was Pastor Mike Weigel from Ocean County Baptist Church with his encouraging sermon from Joshua 23. These older brothers have made a Godly impression on my young heart (I’m 51…just for the record) with just the basics. Ya know sometimes the gears of a Christian man’s life change and we can get discouraged when the uncertainty of how things will work out arise in us. It is in those moments where having the life of Joshua to look to that can give us the uplift we need to keep on moving…forward!  

There is a lot of what we could call “an old man’s advice” to glean from the 23^rd chapter of Joshua. By verse 3 we are assured that we can rest in the confidence of knowing that “you have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the LORD your God who has fought for you.” I don’t know about you brother, but as for me and my house we have seen what the LORD has done mightily in our lives. It started after I admitted that on my own I could do no good thing almost eleven years ago. Since then, even with its ups and downs, I’ll take the life the LORD has provided me with, over what I thought was living. (Living like a Rock-Star isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, by the way)

When we arrive at verse 6 we come at the very center of the matter. “Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left.” I like how John Gill put in his commentary on Joshua when he penned, “To observe which required spiritual strength, fortitude of mind, a holy courage, a firm and fixed resolution” We live in times that have become increasingly unstable in its ways. It seems as if the world changes the rules to accommodate the everyday changing of minds so that it can be comfortable with the notion that it really doesn’t know what it’s doing at any given time.

As Pastor Weigel got to verses 8-11 he got all fired up. Reminding all of us in attendance to cling to the LORD as verse 8 instructs, for when we do He will drive out those strongholds that stand in our way. This even means those people who don’t believe that we can be saved to do His good purpose. Because it is the LORD’s desire that everyone should be saved and that none should perish. And just so we understand this we are reminded of His promise to do so in verse 10, “since it is the LORD your God who fights for you” as long as we “Be very careful, therefore, to love the LORD your God.”

But this all comes with a warning and a consequence for not taking heed. In verse 12-13 we are warned not to go back to what was behind us because by doing so the LORD will not drive anything, anywhere and our freedom in Him is lost. Pastor Weigel said, “Burn the bridges behind you!” Never heard that advice before but the way last year went it just may not be a bad idea. The very beginning of the book of Joshua is an action of moving forward. Moses is dead now, Joshua has to move on, take people with him and the LORD promised to be with him if he pressed on. At the end of the day, the LORD stayed true and so did Joshua. If that went well with both of them thousands of years ago, why can’t it be true for today, Amen? – Chris Hughes graduated from the Colony of Mercy and is a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 13-15

Quote of the day: “Joshua wanted to ensure that his people would continue following the LORD wholeheartedly after his death. So he wove an incontrovertible argument for his GOD by recalling numerous instances of His goodness to Israel in the past, ending it with a personal exhortation to “chose for yourselves whom you will serve.”—Bruce Wilkinson

Verse to Memorize: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

 

Fill’er Up Again

“When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.” Proverbs 10:25

Well, Barbara’s Place is under way and we are starting from the bottom and working our way up.

I remember walking on to the job as a teenager thinking, “This feels right”. I was offered a job as a laborer on a construction site building townhouses. I knew right away, “I wanna build something”. Some of my first experiences were helping layout buildings and preparing for the foundations. As much as I admired the masons I knew that I wasn’t going to make that my trade. I would watch all their work get buried and there would be nothing to show for it. Although you couldn’t see it, it was the most important part of the building.

Thinking back to my last blog “Fill’er Up”, I think it’s important to remember our foundation. Sometimes I have “feelings” that who I am is not enough and what I’m doing is useless. We have to remember that under our feelings is a strong Foundation that we must build on.

As I watched the different trades I was drawn to carpentry. This led me to years of Home Improvement. When I would examine a house for renovation the first thing I would do is check out the foundation. If the foundation was solid than the improvements would be profitable.

In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul reminds us of our identity.  How we were lost in our sin. But because in verse 12b-13 we read “having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ”. So, according to verse 20, “having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone”, we can now be “RE Filled” or “Renewed” through the Word of God.

If the Cornerstone of our foundation is Christ, than, although unseen, the teachings of The Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit are what is needed to keep us “filled”. Amen – Rob Russomano is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy, serves on our full-time staff, and is a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 10-12

Quote of the day: Christ is the very essence of all delights and pleasures, the very soul and substance of them. As all the rivers are gathered into the ocean, which is the meeting-place of all the waters in the world, so Christ is that ocean in which all true delights and pleasures meet.  John Flavel

Verse to Memorize: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

It’s Taken Hollywood By Surprise

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:1-2

I don’t know if you have been following the news, but I was thrilled beyond thrilled to hear the news that Joni Eareckson Tada is up for an Oscar nomination for a song that she has recorded for the soon to be released movie, Alone, But Not Alone.

I have been following the commentaries about this from “Hollywood’s” perspective. People are outraged trying to figure out how this “nobody” could possibly be a Oscar nominee.

Most of you know that Joni was paralyzed years ago when diving into a shallow lake, breaking her neck which left her as a quadriplegic and confined to a wheel chair for decades.

She went through many ups and downs, but God has used her in amazing ways. She has authored numerous books, became well known for her art work which had to be done using a pencil or paint brush in between her teeth, and in recent days, well known for her ministry, Joni and Friends, which has an international ministering around the world to those who are handicapped.

We had the privilege of meeting her years ago when I managed Fox Chase Christian Bookstore in Philadelphia. She made a profound impact on our daughter, Laura, on several occasions, and despite the fact that she was a “Christian star,” she took the time to engage Laura in deep conversation that was very real and personal.

I believe that Joni is part of the “huge crowd of witnesses” talked about by the writer of Hebrews. I have appreciated her transparency over the years. She has freely talked about her struggles and the challenges living in a world as a quadriplegic. She has been candid, not sugar-coated times of doubt, discouragement, frustration and all the other emotions that we have all faced.

But Joni has always reminded us that God is sovereign – that He can trusted even though we can’t always understand his plan. I am thankful for men and women like Joni who are there cheering us on this race of life.

Who are those men and women that God has brought in your life to cheer you on?

Check out this link for Joni’s song, Alone and Not Alone.

Going the distance with Jesus,

Bill Welte
President/CEO
America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 7-9

Quote of the day: We must love God more for what he is than for what he bestows. True love is not mercenary. —Thomas Watson

Verse to Memorize: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

The Weather Outside is Frightful

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.  I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
~ Psalm 16

There is beloved, a horrible storm all about us.  And the turbulence of it all comes so close to us as to threaten to blow us completely away.  The storm is external, but it sometimes comes very close to who we are at the core.

Some of the storm is distant and beats against our outer defenses.  Circumstance and trouble and situations pound like ogres with clubs against our door.  And thankfully we have (mostly) learned from Him to not even entertain the thought of opening the door.  We have learned to abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  For, even the shadow of the Infinite is infinitely stronger than any attack from any other quarter.

But the storm comes even closer.  This writer is no different than any other human being in that he is but a moment from a failure in the flesh, a flash of anger, or the making of some other horrible mistake.  And in the transgression – a stepping over the line – we open a path for a back draft of the storm to come even closer to our inner man.  It comes in through the door we have opened and threatens to wreak havoc in our lives.

And some thrusts and gusts of the winds of the storm threaten to rip us open from the inside.  The winds enter through the door we have opened and start to throw the normal organization of a mind quieted by His Spirit into a fit which seems to resemble the mind we had before we had the mind of Christ.

But there is a difference.

We do fall.

We do not come apart.

We do not give up.

We persevere.

Something is different.  There is now within us, a most-definitely different person than the person we were before we met Him.  There is a part of us that is in Him completely.  And this space does not wane, but it is waxing slowly, and grows more bright and sure with each passing moment.  And it is this part of us – this new creation He has wrought – that simply stands in the refuge of the Unchangeable.  We have learned to confess this as utterly true. And in this agreement with His strength, we do indeed become exceedingly strong.

Can we see it?  Even the worst storms cannot really touch who we are now.  The only thing they can do is howl and beat against us.  And the pummeling we take does indeed bring suffering.  But the suffering has an unexpected effect now.  We watch the wind and waves beat against the Refuge we now inhabit, and our confidence in the Hiding Place He is just grows. And, conversely, we utterly abandon any sense that we can survive outside of His Spirit.  For now, any forays outside of His refuge – and into the flesh – now instantly remind us that we can do nothing apart from Him.

So yes beloved, the storm does rage very close to us.  But we are no longer afraid.  We do, in fact, know that all is well.  Nothing can stop us from the path He has for us.  Not even ourselves.

Go ahead storm.  Rage.

All is well in Him. – Makala Duolos is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is a frequent Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 48-50

Quote of the day: Happiness keeps you sweet. Trials keep you strong. Sorrows keep you human. Failure keeps you humble. And God keeps you going.

Verse to Memorize: The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;  though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand. Psalm 37:23-24

Pushing the Envelope

I was watching a special not too long ago where Nik Wallenda was tightrope walking across the Grand Canyon. It was an amazing feat! As I watched him tempting fate with every step, I thought back on his history—on the “Flying Wallenda” family. The family got its start back in 1905 when Nik’s grandfather Karl was born in Germany. He learned the rope walking act which he passed on to his brother, a friend and a woman who would become his wife.  In 1962, an accident, falling from the wire, killed 2 members of the troupe and seriously injuring Karl. But that didn’t stop them. They continued to walk the wires risking their lives all the time.

In 1963, Karl’s sister-in-law fell to her death. In 1972, another member of the show fell to his death. And finally, in 1978 at the age of 73, Karl Wallenda fell to his death.

So, why would Nik, after seeing so much injury and death in his own family, choose to do the same thing and risk dying as well? Why would he risk making his wife a widow and his children fatherless? My guess would be its because its what he has grown up with. Its what he knows best. Risking his life seems “normal”.

So what’s my point? As I look at the news and the church today, I see more and more that we are pushing the envelope with our freedoms in Christ. Many churches are not only OK with drinking but encourage it through social functions. We are looking more and more like the world than like those called by the name of Jesus.

¹² “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything  (NIV) 1 Cor. 6:12

If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. (NIV) Rom. 14

If we live our lives in a way that, by our example, we lead brothers into places that are known to be dangerous, how are we any different than the world? Nik lives his life the way he does because its what he grew up seeing and believing to be “normal”. If we as the church, lead others to believe that drinking is a safe activity and tout our Christian liberties to do so, how are we living out Rom. 14:15? Are we pushing 1 Cor. 6:12 too far?

As surely as the Wallendas have seen loved members of their family die because they have the right to walk the high rope, we will continue to see the church suffer losses at the hands of our own “freedoms”.

The year is new and we can start today to make a statement for Gods church—to exercise our “freedom” not to use alcohol. Christ died to set us free from all manner of sin. Lord help us not to use our freedom to lead others into bondage and death.  – Steve Schmidt is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy, is a full-time staff member at America’s Keswick and a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 46-47

Quote of the day: It is a hard matter to enjoy the world without being entangled with the cares and pleasures of it. —Thomas Manton

Verse to Memorize: The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;  though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand. Psalm 37:23-24

Fill ‘er Up

…to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;  That you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:19

“Fill ‘er up”, now there’s a phrase that has gotten harder to say. That request that used to cost $20 is now closer to $70.

But that’s not the point I want to make. A topic that seems to come up alot with the men at the Colony is “why can’t we listen to secular music”? This is a rule that has been in place for ever here. Among the numerous reasons, I’d like to focus on the fact that the Bible commands us to be filled with the Spirit, the knowledge of His will and joy.

One of the issues a man has when he comes into the Colony is the balance of “his being” is usually overfilled with the secular. This condition is conducive to falling into sinful habits. The picture I try to draw for them is the importance of “being filled” with the spiritual. I believe when the level of the spiritual is more than the secular we begin to overcome the sinful nature.

I can only be around the secular when my spiritual levels are well above the fleshly. In other words, if I’m well-nourished spiritually my appetite for the worldly is not there and I’m not enticed.

This practice is not only for the men of the Colony, but for any believer who wants to walk in victory. When we allow the secular to overpower the spiritual we are bound to fall into temptation. The 6^th chapter of Ephesians starting in verse 10 gives us a picture of “The Armor of God” that is so important.

I’m looking forward to our theme verse this year which is Hebrews 12:1, 2. It’s tells us to “run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus…” A good runner is usually filled with the right type of nutrition to compete.

In the weeks to come I will be sharing some thoughts as to how we can accomplish this task and begin to see victory as we ascribe to give glory to His name. Amen!! — Rob Russomano serves on the full-time staff at America’s Keswick where he graduated from the Colony of Mercy. He is a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 43-45

Quote of the day: Be extravagant for God or the devil, but for God’s sake don’t be tepid. —C.T. Studd

Verse to Memorize: The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;  though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. Psalm 37:23-24

After All, It Is Our Issue

^“And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.”  2 Chronicles 12:14 (NKJV)

Couldn’t think of a better way of spending New Year’s Day then a morning at America’s Keswick and a message from Dr. Bob Alderman, Minister at Large! He was his usual comedic self as he passed along compliments to all those he had encountered during his stay for the NYD event and then he got to the business at hand…God’s Word. Once the microphone was sorta adjusted for him he told us where he wanted to go in Scripture. He also told us this was a particularly nasty verse in the Bible. Not what I thought would be coming from him and considering I went to hear his encouraging take on God’s Word I wasn’t ready for…Rehoboam.

Rehoboam wasn’t a nice guy at all. At his coronation he made this announcement to the common folk, “Whereas my father laid upon you a heavy yoke, so shall I add tenfold thereto. Whereas my father chastised you with whips, so shall I chastise you with scorpions. For my littlest finger is thicker than my father’s loins; and your backs, which bent like reeds at my father’s touch, shall break like straws at my own touch.” Umm, yeah…kinda makes me wanna go back to Egypt (which, by the way, did take his part of Israel as tribute). So Dr. Alderman has us in 2Chronicles 12:14 and it is of no encouragement. Definitely not a good word to hear as the New Year had just started some 10+ hours earlier.

The beginning of the chapter isn’t any better either as it states that Rehoboam abandons the Law of the LORD and takes Israel with him in this behavior but this 14th verse is about him. And even as you look into the 12th chapter and see the possibility of a repented Rehoboam by the 14th verse he turns back and it comes in three folds.

1. He did evil

2. He didn’t set his heart

3. He didn’t seek the LORD

When I seek this verse pull apart like this I see the result first, the action second and the purpose as last. As Dr. Alderman said and I am in full agreement with, seeking the LORD is our responsibility; it is our issue to handle. And yet we can all be like Rehoboam at times.  It happens when God’s no gets vetoed and replaced by our yes or when God’s yes falls short with our idea of yes.

Another thing to look at is it is our responsibility to set our hearts; it is our issue to handle. You are the one to set your heart. The following passage should work as guidance in this area…“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” (Proverbs 4:23-27) If we can stick with this I am confident that we can avoid evil or at least be able to swerve around it.

Dr. Alderman gave this as a word of warning, “If we think we can handle our hearts we are defeated. We need to be mindful the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.” As I get ready to blaze a new trail into this New Year I praise God that this message made it to my ears. Last year wasn’t exactly anything to write home about as it was peppered with those things that weren’t exactly set on the things of YHVH!! The last thing I would want to say is I plan on making the burden of being around me heavier on those who love me but instead taking the time and reflect on what Solomon wrote in the 4^th chapter of Proverbs. Maybe Rehoboam should have done it as well…after all, it is our issue and ABBA knows best!! Amen? – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 41-42

Quote of the day: “The heart is first. It speaks of the inner life, the mind, the thoughts, the motives, the desires. The mind is the fountain from which the actions flow. If the fountain is pure, the stream that flows from it will be pure. As a man thinks, so is he.”—William MacDonald

Verse to Memorize: The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. Psalm 37:23-24

Fourteen Sentences Your Pastor Would Love to Hear

We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

Last week I said I was going to build on Hebrews 12:1-2, but I read an email blog from Pastor Thom S. Ranier this week and it was too good to not share. Thom does a lot of writing for Lifeway Publications.

I am really burdened for pastor and their wives, so my heart really resonates with this list of sentences that would be a great encouragement to your shepherd.

Here is the list … now watch your pastor faint …

1. “I would like to babysit your kids so you can go on a date with your     wife.”

2. “Pastor, let me tell you specifically what I learned from your sermon and how it helped me.”
3. “Your wife should have the freedom to be herself in the church.”
4. “I confronted your critic about those unfounded claims he made about you.”
5. “I’m setting aside five minutes every day to pray for you and your family.”
6. “I explained to the personnel committee how a package is not the same as your salary.”
7. “Your kids should be able to live a normal life.”
8. “Thank you.”

9. “I want to help you recruit people to do ministry.”

10. “I am so thankful for the time you spend in sermon preparation.”

11. “We don’t expect you to attend every meeting or function.”

12. “Let me do that for you.”

13. “Tell me how I can most help your wife.”

14.“Here is a gift card to get you some books for your library.”

Now my guess is that your using one or more of these sentences will be a HUGE encouragement to your pastor. Give it a try and please let me know how it goes. Which one will you use this week?

Going the distance with Jesus,

Bill Welte
President/CEO America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 38-40

Quote of the day: There are no crown-wearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here below. —C.H. Spurgeon

Verse to Memorize: The steps of a man are established by the Lord,  when he delights in his way;  though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. Psalm 37:23-24