IN YOUR PROFESSION, WHAT IS HE?

To the artist the Lord Jesus Christ is the One Altogether Lovely.

To the architect, He is the Chief Cornerstone.

To the baker, He is the Living Bread.

To the banker, He is the Hidden Treasure.

To the biologist, He is the Life.

To the builder, He is the Sure Foundation.

To the carpenter, He is the Door.

To the doctor, He is the Great Physician.

To the educator, He is the Great Teacher.

To the engineer, He is the New and Living Way.

To the farmer, He is the Sower and the Lord of the Harvest.

To the florist, He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.

To the geologist, He is the Rock of Ages.

The the horticulturist, He is the True Vine.

To the judge, He us the Righteous Judge, the Judge of all men.

To the juror, He is the Faithful and True Witness.

To the jeweler, He is the Pearl of Great Price.

To the lawyer, He is the Wonderful Counselor, the Lawgiver and the
Advocate.

To the newspaper man, He is the Good News of Great Joy.

To the philanthropist (one who loves and seeks to benefit mankind) He is
the Unspeakable Gift.

To the philosopher He is the Wisdom of God.

To the preacher He is the Word of God.

To the sculptor He is the Living Stone.

To the statesman He is the Desire of All Nations.

To the student, He is the Incarnate Truth.

To the theologian, He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

To the laborer He is the Giver of Rest.

To the sinner, He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the
world.

To the Christian, He is the Son of the Living God, the Savior, Redeemer,
and Lord.

And He is the ONE we gather to worship on this Lord’s day. What is HE to
you, my friend?

THOMAS PAINE’S FATAL MISTAKE . . .

“In 1787, an immigrant to American by the name of Thomas Paine had
leaped from poverty and obscurity to fame through his brilliant writing.
By his gifts of pamphlet writing, he had inspired the American colonists
to rise against England and achieve independence in the American
Revolution.

At this high point in his success story, Paine made a fatal mistake. He
began to write his ‘masterpiece,’ a book describing his religious
beliefs, which he expected would replace the Bible and other writings
about revealed religion.

He made the prediction that his book, “Age of Reason,’ would destroy the
Bible by exposing it as a myth and legend. He believed that within 100
years after the publication of his book, Bibles would be found only in
museums or in the musty corners of secondhand bookstores.

Paine’s book was published in London in 1794, but instead of bringing
him fame and glory which he expected, the book turned out to be a
scourge that haunted him until his death. His attack on God and sacred
things we so repugnant that many friends and admirers turned against
him.

He sailed to America to renew old friendships and regain his lost
popularity. But it was too late. Former friends would have nothing to do
with him, and the public scorned him as a crank and blasphemer.

Saddened and discouraged by his failure, he was broken in health and
became a bedridden invalid until his death. He died friendless and alone
in 1809. Instead of his prediction concerning God’s Word coming true,
the Bible advanced to the position of the world’s best perennial
bestseller and the daily guide in the lives of millions of people.”

King David wrote, “Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven. Thy
faithfulness continues throughout all generations. You established the
earth and it stands. They stand this day according to your ordinances .
. . I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have revived me .
. . I shall diligently consider Your testimonies. I have seen a limit
to all perfection; Your commandment is exceedingly broad.” (Psalm
119:89-91; 93; 95-96)

Make no mistake — the Bible stands forever. When did you read the Book
last? Make it a part of your daily walk.

A FRESH LOOK AT THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

As we move into this new year, many of us have made commitments to make
lifestyle changes — some are health related, like new eating and
exercise habits — or maybe you wanting to break free of a besetting sin
. . .

Here is a fresh look at “walking in the Spirit” by using the “fruit of
the Spirit”

LOVE. Love yourself enough to take care of the body that God has given
you. Love God enough to treat it properly.

JOY. Have joy for today because of exactly who you are right NOW. Have
joy for whose you are.

PEACE. Embrace the only peace God provides by fully trusting in Him his
plans for you . . . peace that tells you that you WILL have victory.

PATIENCE. Have patience for that victory. Remember God’s perfect timing
in the past and cling to that evidence for your future.

KINDNESS. Show kindness to yourself. Say positive things about yourself
and don’t criticize your self when you are not doing things perfectly.

GOODNESS. Dwell on the goodness of the Lord and focus on the good
changes you are making in your lifestyle.

FAITHFULNESS. God is faithful, and He will give you faithfulness in your
decision to make these new and healthier changes.

GENTLENESS. Comfort yourself . . . not with tons of ‘comfort food’ but
with gentleness and comfort that comes only from abiding in Christ.

SELF-CONTROL — Yes, you can have self-control. Call upon the powers and
grace of Almighty God. He is waiting to give you strength.”

Good words to help us walk today in the Spirit in this ever-crazy
changing world.

(from SCALE DOWN — A Realistic Guide to Balancing Body, Soul and Spirit
— published by our friends at REVELL and available at the KESWICK
ONLINE BOOKSTORE — http://www.americaskeswick.org.

REALIZE YOUR INHERITANCE AND BELIEVE!

“It is difficult to live out our inheritance in Christ when we don’t
fully believe the truth of our transformation. Imagine that you you’d be
living in poverty for twenty years, not realizing that your
great-grandmother had deposited a million dollars in a trust fund for
you seventy-five years ago. But once you realized this, what would you
do with the truth? You’d probably act on it!

If would be unbelievable if you never withdrew the money. But that’s
often how we live as Christians. We live as paupers instead of princes!
We live defeated instead of victorious. Why? We haven’t embraced our
inheritance. But how do we do that? Believe the truth! Simply knowing is
not believing. When we truly believe, it transforms our minds and
eventually our behavior.

The Spirit of God took residence in you when you believed, and he will
bear witness and animate the truth of God’s Word when you read, study,
and meditate on is as if were all you needed to sustain your life . . .

To live a victorious life in all its dimensions, you must know who you
are and become consumed with a passion to pursue God and His truth. The
process of getting and keeping your ‘spiritual balloon’ fully inflated
is relatively simple. You need to nourish your spirit daily in five
ways:

1. Pray as if it is the air your breath.

2. Nourish your soul and spirit with God’s Word daily.

3. Digest its truth through meditation.

4. Practice the presence of God.

5. Worship him in Spirit and in truth.

Good words today from Dana Demetre in her new book SCALE DOWN — A
Realistic Guide to Balancing Body, Soul, Soul and Spirit — published by
our good friends at REVELL and available at the KESWICK ONLINE BOOKSTORE
— http://www.americaskeswick.org

RETURN TO THE WHO WHO LOVES

“There is a lie pervasive in our society that says that at some point
unclear, yet ever-present point . . . we’ve gone too far. We fear there
is a line crossed, a sin committed, a wrong done that cannot be
forgiven. So when is ‘enough, enough’? Is it three strikes and you’re
out? Is there one or more unforgivable sins? If you’ve run away from
God, I have great news for you — you’ve not gone too far! Whatever your
sin, or series of sins, whatever lifestyle you’re entrenched it . . .
you’ve not gone too far. YOU CAN COME HOME!

That is not to say you should love with reckless abandon. There are
consequences to poor choices . . . they can damage you and others. BUT
IT IS NEVER TOO LATE, you’ve never gone too far to reconcile with God.
God forgives even though we grieve His Holy Spirit with our defiant and
rebellious behavior. His love PREVAILS even though there is a time of
interrupted fellowship as His loving discipline guides us back home.

Let us learn from Him as we set healthy, yet loving boundaries for
ourselves and others. It’s never about you being worthy. No one is
worthy. It’s about the fact that you are God’s child. If you are out
there on a limb and you feel there is no place to go and your heart is
breaking . . . that you’ve gone too far . . . you have not. You can
always come home.” — Dr. Tim Scott from COME HOME — Purpose 5 (Scott
Memorial Community Church)

There was an old Billy Graham movie that had a song with this text:

Return to the One who loves you.

Return to the Savior who cares.

He gives perfect, your burdens He bares,

Return to the Savior who cares.

Are you running from God? Think you are beyond the point of no return?
Come home. We’d love to help you. Respond to this email and we will get
information on how you can come home.

KNOWN BY GOD

“What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the
fact the I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it — the fact
that HE KNOWS ME. I am graven on the palms of His hands. I am never out
of His mind. All my knowledge of HIM depends on HIS sustained initiative
in knowing ME. I know Him, because He first knew me, and continues to
know me; and there is no moment when His eye is off me, or His attention
distracted from me, and not moment therefore when His care falters.

There is tremendous relief in knowing that His love to me is utterly
realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about
me, so that no discovery now can disillusion Him about me, in the way I
am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench His determination to
bless me.

There is, certainly, great cause for humility in the thought that He
sees all the twisted things about me that my fellow men do not see (and
I’m glad!), and that He sees more corruption in me than that which I see
in myself (which in all conscience, is enough). There is, however,
equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for
some unfathomable reason, He wants me as His friend, and desires to be
my friend, and has given His Son to me for me in order to realize this
purpose.” — J. I. Packer KNOWING GOD

For more insight, see Psalm 139:13-16

Good words to ponder today!

TEMPER CONTROL

“A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a
temper-fire.” Proverbs 15:1 (The Message)

“Anger is like the secondary valve on a pressure cooker, the one that
pops when the main one is clogged, in order to avoid an explosion.
‘Popping ones cork’ and ‘letting off steam’ are recognizable expressions
for the healthy process of an edger. The inner buildup can exist only so
long, and then it must be released. To keep it inside over a long period
of time is to invite a more dangerous situation, a possible mental
breakdown, or an irreparable event as drastic as suicide.

When a person is angry, he is apt to see things less objectively. For
that reason other heads should remain cool until the angry party’s
spleen has been vented and calm restored, for only then can the cause of
anger be dealt with in any satisfactory way.” (The Love Formula)

Remember: YOUR TEMPER IS ONE OF YOUR MORE VALUABLE POSSESSIONS — DON’T
LOSE IT.

I am writing this week from historic Williamsburg. Freedom Fighters may
be a little delayed since I am on vacation!

GOD’S PROTECTION

“The British express train raced through the night, its powerful
headlamp spearing the black darkness ahead. The train was carrying Queen
Victoria.

Suddenly the engineer saw a startling sight. Revealed in the beam of the
engine’s headlights was a weird figure in a black cloak standing in the
middle of the tracks and waving its arms. The engineer grabbed for the
brakes and brought the train to a grinding halt.

He and his fellow trainmen climbed out to see what had stopped them. But
they could find no trace of the strange figure. On a hunch, he walked a
few yards further up the tracks. Suddenly he stopped and stared into the
fog in horror. The bridge had been washed out in the middle and had
toppled into a swollen stream. If he had not heeded the ghostly figure,
the train would have plunged into the stream.

While the bridge and the tracks were being repaired, the crew made a
more intensive search for the strange flagman. But not until they got to
London, did they solve the mystery.

At the base of the engine’s lamp, the engineer discovered a huge dead
moth. He looked at it a moment, then on impulse wet its wings and pasted
it to the glass of the lamp/

Climbing back into his cab, he switched on the lamp and saw the
‘flagman’ in the beam. He knew the answer now: the moth had flown into
the beam, seconds before the train was due to reach the washed-out
bridge. In the fog, it appeared to be a phantom figure waving its arms.

When Queen Victoria was told of the strange happening she said, ‘I’m
sure it was no accident. It was God’s way of protecting us.'” from THE
ENCYCLOPEDIA of 15,000 Illustrations.

“The Lord, He is the one who goes BEFORE you. He will be with you, He
will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Deut. 31:8)

As you gather together to worship HIM this Lord’s day, let’s thank Him
and praise Him for His protective hand in our lives.

CALL UPON ME

A hypothetical scene . . .

“It seems that Moses had led the children of Israel out of Egypt — and
they now had Pharaoh and his armies in hot pursuit behind them and the
Red Sea in front of them. They were trapped. So Moses called his
generals and other tribal leaders together and reviewed with them the
desperate straits they were in. What to do? Did anyone have any
suggestions?

One of the engineering types suggested that it would be possible to
construct a pontoon bridge — but it was quickly noted that they didn’t
have time for that. All kinds of crazy ideas were suggest — but none of
them had any merit.

Finally, Moses asked, ‘What if I were to pray to Jehovah God and ask him
to send a mighty wind to sweep back the waters of the Red Sea so that
the dry land would appear beneath the sea? Then we could cross over on
dry land. And then when we’re safely on the other side the wind would
subside and the waters would rush back and drown the Egyptian army who
would be in hot pursuit? What do you think of that idea?”

At this point Moses’ publicity man jumped up enthusiastically and said,
‘Moses Baby, if you can pull that one off — I guarantee I can get you
two full pages in the Bible!'” (see Exodus 14)

Friend are you facing what seems to be insurmountable obstacles? Facing
a huge crisis and not sure what to do? Why not do what Jeremiah
suggests: “Call to ME, and I WILL answer you, and I will tell you great
and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

“When a man is at his wit’s end it is not a cowardly thing to pray — it
is the ONLY way he can get in touch with REALITY! ‘O that I knew where I
could get in touch with the Reality that explains things!’ There is only
one way, and that is the way of prayer.” Oswald Chambers

Good words for this Saturday, January 14, 2006

PEACE, PEACE, WONDERFUL PEACE

Listening to the 10 O’clock news is not always the most healthy thing to
do before going to bed. It is bad enough that we are seeing the moral
decay of our country, but add to that the threats that we see happening
on the global scale with Iran and the potential for an all out war that
has prophetic implications, one could easily become fearful and anxious.

This morning as I opened the Word — the words from the Scriptures took
on new meaning. I share with you verses from THE DAILY LIGHT ON THE
DAILY PATH for your consideration this morning:

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You,
because He trusts in You. Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall
sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. I will
trust and not be afraid; for YAH, the Lord, is my strength and my song;
He also has become my salvation. Why are you fearful, O you of little
faith? Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. In quietness and confidence shall
be your strength.

The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of
righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. Peace I leave with you,
My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not
your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Peace from Him who is
and who was and who is to come.” (Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 55:22; Isaiah
12:2; Matthew 8:26; Philippians 4:6-7; Isaiah 30:15; Isaiah 32:17; John
14:27; Rev. 1:4)

I could write many things this morning — but THE WORD speaks for
itself. Aren’t you glad this morning for HIS PEACE — a peace that the
world doesn’t understand or take away. He is the God of peace, Himself!
Thank Him this morning for HIS peace even in the midst of difficult
circumstances that you might be facing right now in your world.

Good words for today.