HE NEVER CHANGES

“It seems to be very hard for us to comprehend the importance of the
fact that Christ does not change and that there is no fluctuation in His
character, in His nature, in His resources, in His love and mercy.

Because change is everywhere around us at all times on this earth and
among human beings, it is difficult for us to grasp the eternal and
unchanging nature and person of Jesus Christ .
But nothing about our Lord Jesus Christ has changed down to this very
hour. His love has not changed. It hasn’t cooled off, and it needs no
increase because He has already loved us with infinite love and there is
no way that infinitude can be increased. His compassionate understanding
of us has not changed. His interest in us and His purposes for us have
not changed.

He is Jesus Christ, our Lord. He is the very same Jesus. Even though He
has been raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the
Majesty in the heavens, and made Head over all things to the Church, His
love for us remains unchanged. Even though He has been given all
authority and power in heaven and in earth, He is the very same Jesus in
every detail. He is the same YESTERDAY, TODAY and FOREVER!

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:4

from TOZER ON THE ALMIGHTY GOD compiled by Ron Eggert published by
Christian Publications. Good words for today.

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The Devil’s Beatitudes

Blessed are they who are too tired and too busy to go to church on
Sunday, for they are my best workers.
Blessed are they who are bored with the minister’s mannerisms and
mistakes, for they get nothing out of the sermon.
Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church
for he is part of the problem instead of the solution.
Blessed are they who gossip, for they cause strife and divisions that
please me.
Blessed are they who are easily offended, for they soon get angry and
quit.
Blessed are they who do not give their offerings to carry of God’s work
for they are my best helpers.
Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother and
sister, for he shall be with me forever.
Blessed are the trouble makers, for they shall be called the children of
the devil.
Blessed is he who has no time to pray, for he will be easy prey.

from PULPIT HELPS

Your Pastor needs your encouragement and support. Why not drop him a
note today. Let him know you are praying for him. Have a good day in
Christ.

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HAPPY CHRISTIANS . . .

We live in the 5th largest senior citizen’s population of the country
and rub shoulders with thousands of seniors. In my eight years in this
community I have met some of the grumpiest people. Unfortunately some of
them have been Christians.

God has wired all of us differently and I realize that part of my
“wiring” is that I tend to be optimistic and positive in my outlook. I
tend to look at the glass as “half full” while others tend to look at
the glass as “half empty.” I have a wonderful group of men and women
that meet with me in the mornings to pray and for several months I would
walk away from the prayer time frustrated and depressed. Then I realized
that most of my key leaders are wired the opposite of how I am wired.
Two or three of us are excited for the brand new day and all the
challenges before us. We are happy and excited about to see what God is
going to do next. The rest of the team are just happy that they are
awake. Just their demeanor sends a signal that they wished they were
still in bed. The glass is definitely “half-empty.”

Over the years I have been involved in leading worship and one of the
things that has made me chuckle is watching people sing. We can be
singing songs about joy and all that God has done for us, but someone
how the joy and happiness hasn’t made it from the heart to the face.

Now I am not suggesting to you this morning that we need to put on a
false face and be fake with people we rub shoulders with. But I do
believe that we could impact the kingdom by allowing the joy that is in
our hearts to bubble up from within and show itself on our faces. There
are so many unhappy, miserable people, that your countenance alone could
give you a reason to share the hope that is within you.

In reading through some of the Psalms this morning, I read these words
from Psalm 16 from THE MESSAGE: “I’m happy from the inside out, and
from the outside in, I’m firmly formed. You canceled my ticket to hell
— that’s not my destination.”

This morning I am happy that because of JESUS — my ticket destination
has been changed from hell to heaven! That in itself ought to make me
happy today. I deserve hell — but instead, because of His grace (God
giving me what I don’t deserve) and mercy (God NOT giving me what I do
deserve) — heaven is my destiny. Wow!

I learned a little chorus in Sunday School many years ago: “I’m
in-right, out-right, up-right, down -right happy all the time, I’m
in-right, out-right, up-right, down-right happy all the time. Since
Jesus Christ came in — and cleansed my heart from sin — I’m in-right,
out-right, up-right, down-right happy all the time.”

Lord, may my life today bubble over with the joy and happiness that is
in my heart because of what YOU have done in my life.
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GOD IS . . .

Yesterday I shared with you from Scripture who are great God is . . .
Someone shared this with me many years ago . . .

God is like —

God is like Ford — He has a better idea!
God is like Coke — He is the real thing!
God is like Pan Am — He makes the going great!
God is like Pepsi — He’s got lots to give!
God is like Standard Oil — You expect more from Him and you get it!
God is like Dial soap — Aren’t you glad you know Him?
God is like Alka Seltzer — Try Him, You’ll like Him!
God is like Bayer asprin — He takes the pain away!
God is like Hallmark cards — He cared enough to send the very best!
God is like Tide — He gets out the stains that others leave behind!
God is like VO5 hair spray — He holds through all kinds of weather!
God is like Mattell toys — You can tell He’s swell!

Maybe you are too old to remember some of those … so how about these?

God is like Dominoe’s Pizza — He delivers!
God is like Westinghouse — You can be sure if it’s God!
God is like Visine — He gets the sin out!
God is like Vitalis Hair Creme — Who says God doesn’t care about hair?
God is like AllState — You’re in good hands with God.
God is like Gaterade — He quenches your thirst!
God is like Ban Roll-On — He won’t wear off as the day wears on!
God is like Bounty Towels — He’s the quicker, picker-upper!
God is like Campbell’s Soup — M’m good! M’m good!
God is like Citiband — The God who never sleeps!
God is like the Energizer Bunny — He keeps going and going and going!
God is like McDonald’s — He did it all for you!
God is like Mr. Clean — He cleans your whole life and everything in it!

“No one is like the Lord. For there is none besides You nor is there any
Rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2) Good reminder on this 18th day of
October.

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GOD IS . . .

I am preparing for the messages I will be sharing in Bermuda (well …
someone has to do it) next week. I love the way God’s Word speaks to my
heart. I am planning to share from Ephesians 3:20 — “Now unto Him who
is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think
. . .”

I love that phrase — “who is . . .” Hebrews says, “Without faith it is
impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that HE
IS, and that HE IS a rewarder to them that diligently seek Him.”

Let me remind you from the WORD who HE IS:

1. God IS with you in all you do. (Genesis 21:22)
2. The Lord IS my strength and my song and has become my salvation. He
IS my Father’s God, and I will praise Him . . .” (Exodus 15:2)
3. The Lord your God IS a consuming fire — a jealous God. (Deuteronomy
4:24)
4. The Lord your God IS one! (Deuteronomy 6:4)
5. The Lord your God IS He who goes before you. (Deuteronomy 10:17)
6. He IS our God who has done awesome things. (Deuteronomy 10:21)
7. He IS your life and the length of your days. (Deuteronomy 30:20)
8. He IS the Rock, His work is perfect. (Deuteronomy 32:4)
9. He IS the God of all knowledge. (1 Samuel 2:3)
10. He IS your strength and power. (2 Samuel 22:23)
11. He IS gracious and merciful. (2 Chronicles 30:9)
12. He IS a just judge. (Psalm 7:11)
13. He IS a shield to those who trust Him. (Psalm 18:31)
14. He IS our refuge and strength. (Psalm 46:1)
15. He IS your helper. (Psalm 54:4)
16. He IS your defense. (Psalm 59:17)
17. He IS the God of the impossible. (Matthew 19:26)
18. He IS the God of peace. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

My friends, this morning this should cause you to sing . . . “Then
sings my soul, My Savior, God to me — HOW GREAT THOU ART!” Praise Him
today because of who HE IS!- – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
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WORSHIP WARS?

On the Lord’s Day, a day when God’s children are supposed to gather
together AS ONE to worship our great God, some get tangled up in the
quagmire of fighting over styles of music. Too many praise chrouses for
some, and not enough hymns for others. Some banter about the need for
“biblical worship.”

Well let me throw on one you today. Paul says in Colossians 3:16: “Let
the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one
another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual
songs with GRATITUDE in your hearts.”

There is an example of BIBLICAL WORSHIP — whether it is a psalm (The
Psalter . . . which 75% of us have never ever used in our worship),
hymns and spiritual songs, we sing them TOGETHER with GRATITUDE!!! But
let’s not leave off the next verse — “And WHATEVER you do, in WORD or
DEED, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, GIVING THANKS TO GOD THE
FATHER THROUGH HIM. (Colossians 3:17)

So as you gather today to worship CORPORATELY — whether you are singing
a hymn or a praise chorus — You are doing it in HIS NAME — worship
isn’t about us — IT IS ALL ABOUT HYMN.

Here’s an assignment for you this morning — are you ready for the
challenge? I am giving you a psalm to sing — come on — right where you
are — this comes from a hymnal compiled by the famed preacher —
Charles Haddon Spureon. The hymn tune is AMAZING GRACE and the text is
from Psalm 1. Now worship HIM by singing HIS WORDS set to music . . .
and let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly . . .

Blest is the man who shuns the place
Where sinners love to meet;
Who fears to tread their wicked ways,
And hates the scoffer’s seat.

But in the statutes of the Lord
Has placed his chief delight;
By day he reads or hears the Word,
And meditates by night.

He, like a plant of gen’rous kind,
By living waters set,
Safe from the storms and blasting wind,
Enjoys a peaceful state.

Green as the leaf, and ever fair,
Shall his profession shine;
While fruits of holiness appear
Like clusters on the vine.

Not so the impious and unjust;
What vain designs they form!
Their hopes are blown away like dust,
Our chaff before the storm.

Sinners in judgment shall stand
Amongst the sons of grace,
When Christ, the Judge, at His right hand
Appoints His saints a place.

His eye beholds the path thye tread;
His heart approves it well:
But crooked ways a sinners lead
Down to gates of hell.”

Have a blessed Lord’s day.

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SANDPAPER PEOPLE

Ok . . . now I certainly can’t be the only one who has had (or has)
someone in their life that has rub them the wrong way. How do we respond
to those “sandpaper” people that God brings across our path? Well,
author Mary Southerland suggests in her new book — SANDPAPER PEOPLE —
DEALING WITH THE ONES WHO RUB YOU THE WRONG WAY (Harvest House
Publishers) — that there are twelve things we can we do when we do
indeed encounter SANDPAPER PEOPLE:

1. Be loving: Recognize their worth.
2. Be humble: Choose against pride.
3. Be accepting: Love them just as they are.
4. Be encouraging: Become their greatest cheerleader.
5. Be patient: Learn to endure.
6. Be forgiving (Ouch!): Forgive and forget.
7. Be caring: Meet a need.
8. Be peaceful: Wage peace — be a peacemaker.
9. Be confrontational: Care enough to confront.
10. Be thankful: Thank God for them.
11. Be strong: Develop endurance.
12. Be committed: REFUSE TO WALK AWAY!

“Fools are headstrong and explode all too quickly; the prudent quietly
shrug off insults.” — Proverbs 12:16 THE MESSAGE

Next time you face one of those SANDPAPER PEOPLE — Pull out this list
and allow God to work in your life as well as theirs!

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SLOW LEARNER . . .

The hard part about writing Freedom Fighters is that having to live out
what you write! I wish I could tell you I have it all together, guys
(and you ladies that have joined us!). I am a slow learner and still in
process. After sharing what I read yesterday from STREAMS IN THE DESERT,
I purposed to pray about EVERYTHING as I moved through the day. Well I
didn’t. And I must confess it was a frustrating day. I was short with
several of my co-workers . . . made issues out of stuff that should
have been “little” but turned big.

I have been trying to debrief at the end of the day and write in my
journal. Duh! Why didn’t I practice what I wrote? I need to learn to
pray about EVERYTHING! Some of the situations I messed up yesterday
could have easily been averted had I just taken a few moments to pray
for wisdom, prayed for the right way to respond, and to just take a
“time out with the Lord to chill!”

Today in STREAMS . . . “God has a simplicity about Him in working out
His plans, and yet He possesses a resourcefulness equal to any
difficulty. His faithfulness to His trusting children is unwavering, and
He is steadfast in holding to His purpose. In Joseph’s life, we see God
work through a fellow prisoner, later through a dream, and finally
through lifting Joseph from a prison to a position of governor. And the
length of Joseph’s prison stay gave him the strength and steadiness he
needed as governor. It is always safe to trust God’s methods and to live
by HIS clock . . . DIFFICULTY is actually the atmosphere surrounding a
miracle, or a miracle in its initial stage. Yet if it is to be a great
miracle, that surrounding condition will not simply be a difficulty, but
an utter IMPOSSIBILITY! And it is the clinging hand of His child that
makes a desperate situation a delight to God!” — Streams in the Desert

Wow! Powerful words today! Well here’s the deal — I am going to purpose
to pray about EVERYTHING today! How about you? In fact, I will also do
this — if you pray for me — I will pray for you! Thanks for being my
friend!

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Have you ever had one of the nights where you just tossed and turned? Couldn’t turn off the brain? For me, nights like that is when my mind starts to race and ANXIETY sets in which then sometimes leads to FEAR (False Events Appearing Real!). Last night was one of those nights.
Concern for our Director of Maintenance who is battling leukemia that has now turned into non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Concerns about several staff that are facing tough times in their lives. Concerns about my growing “to-do” list and all that needs to be done before going to Bermuda at the end of next week. And the list goes on and on . . .

Sometime during the night, the Lord reminded me — “talk to ME about these things.”

This morning when I got up for my quiet time, I opened STREAMS IN THE DESERT, and here are the words that refreshed my soul this morning: “Do not be anxious about anything.” (Philippians:6)

“Anxiety should never be found in a believer. In spite of the magnitude, quantity, and diversity of our trials, afflictions, and difficulties, anxiety should not exist under any circumstances. This is because we have a Father in heaven who is almighty, who loves His children as He loves His ‘one and only Son,’ and whose complete joy and delight is to continually assist them under all circumstances. We should heed His Word, which says, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.’

IN EVERYTHING — not simply when our house is on fire or when our beloved spouse and children are gravely ill, but even in the SMALLEST matters of life. We are to take EVERYTHING to God — little things, very little things, even what the world calls TRIVIAL things. Yes, we are to take EVERYTHING, living all day long in holy fellowship with our
Heavenly Father and our precious Lord Jesus. We should develop something of a spiritual instinct causing us to immediately turn to God when a concern keeps us awake at night. During those sleepless nights, we should speak to Him, bringing our various concerns before Him, no matter how small they may be. Also speak to the Lord about any trail you are facing or any difficulties you may have in your family or professional life.

BY PRAYER AND PETITION — earnestly, pleading persevering and enduring, and waiting, waiting, waiting on God. WITH THANKSGIVING — always laying a good foundation. Even if we have NO possessions, there is one thing for which we can always be thankful — THAT HE HAS SAVED US FROM HELL! We can also give thanks that He has given us His Holy Word, His Holy Spirit, and the most precious gift of all — HIS SON! Therefore when we consider all this, we have abundant reasons for thanksgiving.

AND THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS — This is such a wonderful, genuine, and precious blessing that to truly know it, you must experience it, for it ‘TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING . . . Search your heart several times a day, and if you find something that is disturbing your peace, remember to take the proper steps to restore the calm.” from STREAMS IN THE DESERT — published by Zondervan.

“The test of a person’s spiritual like and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of
life when he is not under the spot light (see John 1:35-37) . . . It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has far surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus — ‘He will not fail nor be discouraged (Isaiah 42:4)’ . . . because He never worked from HIS OWN INDIVIDUAL STANDPOINT, but always worked from the standpoint of HIS FATHER.

And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. If is God’s Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before where
impossible. Getting into God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don’t give up because the pain is intense right now — get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.”

from the pen of OSWALD CHAMBERS — MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST published by Discovery House.