Down On The Corner, By The Sheep Gate

07/06/201607/06/2016Leave a comment

woman finger presses on bible book

“Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” ~John 5:8 (NLT)

Nothing in God’s Word should go unnoticed but ya gotta agree on this one point…God likes to hide stuff in His word. I think He designed it that way because He wants us to dig into it beyond the obvious. Such is the case when we get to the 5^th chapter of John’s Gospel. Many of us read of the cure that takes place at the pool of Bethesda, then we get to those wacky Pharisees with their charges against Jesus, “He violates The Sabbath!! Let us pick up stones and throw them at this blasphemer!!” and we think the sermon illustration should be reflecting that our God is always at work even on His day of rest and anyone who is a Pharisee about it is just plain…wacky.

But that keeps this story one dimensional doesn’t it? Now in some Bibles this chapter is titled “The Healing at the Pool on the Sabbath” but let’s change that this morning shall we and see what we can come up with.Hmmmm….ah, I got it. How about we call it, “When Jesus Steps into Your Story”? Yeah, that’s better. So, it starts like this, “On the corner of “Woe Is Me” and “It’s Their Fault”, is a pool that bubbles every so often. When it does a great crowd of people rush into it and think that the bubbling water is gonna cure them of their ill. And in their mad dash to save themselves there this dude still laying there struggling to get into the water. The water stops bubbling and everyone gets out…and leaves this poor guy behind. Then from outta nowhere comes Jesus Christ.”

Now in Scripture we read this very differently. The pool at Bethesda is surrounded by five porches and is by the Sheep Gate. In the 3^rd chapter of Nehemiah we see that this gate was rebuilt by the High Priest, Eliashib, and is very significant to the story. First, the name of the High Priest who rebuilt this gate, Eliashib, means “God Restores”. Second, we see that the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (and High Priest) makes an appearance at that gate to man that doesn’t know who He is. The Sheep Gate was used to bring lambs to The Temple for the traditional offering but now Jesus is on the scene to show us that He IS The Gate through which a man can find salvation.

So Jesus approaches this man and asks him, “Do you wish to get well” to which the man replies with the calamity of his circumstance “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” and not with a simple “YES”. This is so like us. When Jesus steps into our stories we begin our conversation with Him by letting a barrage of “Woe is ME’s” and “It’s Their Fault’s” fly outta our mouths. We can be unknowingly right by something significant and at the ready to make a divine change and all we can see is that everyone else bet us to the punch and we got left behind.

But isn’t true that The Great Shepherd came for that one lost lamb? Isn’t true that He already knows the calamity of our circumstances and has shown up for such a time as this? If you’ve said yes to these questions, then be assured that when Jesus steps into your story all that should matter is doing what He says to do, “Pick up your mat, and walk” Walk in the newness of life that Jesus brings you and be mindful of what he told the man that was once hanging out, poolside, by the gate, on the corner of “Woe Is Me”and “It’s Their Fault”, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” Amen?

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) is married (Kathy) with two adult children (Kevin and Karen) and serves on the Deacon Board at Trinity Alliance Church in Cologne NJ

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 36; Proverbs 6

Daily Quote: “The trouble is that the whole “Accept Christ” attitude is likely to be wrong. It shows Christ applying to us rather than us to Him. It makes Him stand hat-in-hand awaiting our verdict on Him, instead of our kneeling with troubled hearts awaiting His verdict on us.”—A.W. Tozer

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you. ~Isaiah 54:10

My Word’s Caused a Stir

07/05/201607/04/20163 Comments

Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:4

I have addressed this subject many times with you in the past, but since I just had something happen recently with my words, I thought I would share my heart yet again.

We live in a world where EVERYONE wants to be able to share freely their opinions and feelings even if it hasn’t been solicited.

I’ve heard people in our senior community say to me, “At this age of my life, I have lived long enough that I can say what I want, whenever I want, to whomever I want, and how I want. Deal with it.”

Social media has given us the opportunity to express our opinions solicited or unsolicited. I am convinced that 80% of the things people write on social media would never be said if that individual had to say it face-to-face. Maybe that is why someone once said, “the pen is mightier than the sword.”

I normally just post Scripture. Occasionally someone will tell me I have quoted a verse out of context. I can deal with that. I get that and am fine with that.

But I lowered myself and shouldn’t have – to rant. My rant came out of frustration with people’s comments about my schedule and time off. Recently Jan and I hosted an 8-day trip for America’s Keswick. It is part of my job to do things like this. If you’ve never hosted a trip, you probably don’t have a clue what is involved with serving 50 people for 8 days. You are literally on call for 24 hours.

It was an unusual situation as we came home for two days and then went on our vacation. Some of the saints expressed to me how nice it would be to be on “vacation” for eight days and then take my vacation. Several posted comments on Facebook when we posted pictures of our being with our kids in Florida.

I admit it. I got in the flesh and ranted. I shared what was going on in my heart. I made an attempt to defend myself anticipating that others would join in as they have done in the past. At Christmas time was taken to task big time for putting my Christmas lights up too soon!!!

But what I did was really was to do the very thing that I have expressed frustration over in the past. I joined the crowd and shot off my mouth when I should have just let it go.

It was a good reminder to me that my words really do matter. Once they are out of your mouth, no matter how hard you try, you can’t get them back in. The damage is already done.

At 62 you think I would have learned this lesson. But like you, I am still in process. Lord, please set a guard over my lips. Help me today to use my words to speak life not poison and death. Thanks for listening to my rant.

Written by Dr. Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick: He has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 10 amazing grand kids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 35; Proverbs 5

Daily Quote:”We cannot be too careful about the words we use; we start out using them and they end up using us.” ~Eugene Peterson

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you. ~Isaiah 54:10

Offense: Cuts Like A Knife

07/01/201606/30/2016Leave a comment

God has a new heart for us that cannot be offended, an “unoffendable” heart. Beloved, possessing an unoffendable heart is not an option or a luxury; it’s not a little thing. An offended heart is endanger of becoming a “heart of stone.” Consider: Jesus warns that, as we near the end of the age, a majority of people will be offended to such a degree that they fall away from the faith. Listen carefully to His warning: “Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another . . . and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt. 24:10-12 KJV). ~Francis Frangipane

Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;

he who keeps understanding will discover good.

A false witness will not go unpunished,

and he who breathes out lies will perish.

It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,

much less for a slave to rule over princes.

Good sense makes one slow to anger,

and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

~ from Proverbs 19

Oh beloved, it is true. We think we love justice. And though this is partially true, most of us just want to be worshipped. So, when we are not given the due we think we deserve, we get angry. We take offense.

This is the precipice of danger in our lives. If we go over the cliff of offensive, we will find ourselves injured much more than what we imagined we were, where we stood before jumping. Said more simply: Offense seems like a protective measure, but it actually exposes us to much more danger.

We give, and no one thanks us.

We share, and no one cares.

We bleed, and people scorn our pain.

We believe a truth, and others see it as a lie.

We fail, and people wag a finger in our direction.

We do right, and it is judged as wrong.

We protect, and the one we saved gets angry.

We care, and no one else does.

We see injustice, and people cannot, or won’t.

We Love, and we are abandoned.

All of the above, and more, hurts. Some of it hurts in such a way that we are left gasping on the floor of our souls. Sometimes what has happened to us has rent large chunks out of our lives. And the first step in avoiding being offended is to admit that we have been stung or shaken – or worse – by something that someone else has done or said.

This fool of writer has been hurt. There are some things that have been done to me that are just plain wrong. I have been lied to in ways that have caused me incredible loss. I even lost a large home, and nearly everything in it, due to the betrayal and lies of an assistant pastor and person very close to me. Beyond this, I have been involved in relationships where I have honestly given everything – and had nearly all of it thrown back in my face as though the good were bad.

It hurts. And we must admit this. But there is more. The question is what are we going to do with the pain? There are many options, but only one path is going to work.

1) We ignore the pain of the offense when people hurt us. This one feels like it might work. But, it won’t work for long. And often, if we are people who do things this way, we can eventually find ourselves lashing out at someone for the littlest thing. Our souls are sensitive. Our hearts are made of flesh, and they can be wounded. So, when we try the strategy of ignoring pain, eventually the cuts become so tender and infected that even a bump can send us into an offended rage.

2) We don’t ignore the pain. Instead, we nurse it. We nourish it. We worship the pain. We give it the perfect place to grow inside of us. And this, is dangerous not only for its folly, but also for the idolatry it is. In creating a sanctuary for our pain and offense inside of us, we push aside the rightful Master and enable a dark vacuum in our inner man where there should be rivers of Living Water.

3) We separate ourselves from the source of our pain. Now, sometimes this is exactly what we should do. There is no need to endure the abuse of others. Nor is there the need to put ourselves into needless danger. So here, i am not talking about prudence. No, rather i am speaking of the way that offense can play on our fear and separate us from others that would actually bring health and life to us (and them) if we stay in appropriate fellowship.

Can we see it? All of the above, and more, are the strategies that will kill us. If we ignore the pain of offense, if we worship the pain of offense, or if we separate from good fellowship over the pain of offense, we are in grave danger. The evil one is the author of these strategies, and he is doing anything he can to spite our King – and to render His servants and friends useless in the Great Commission.

So, what do we do? His Word is the guide. First, i believe that one of the things we must do is to come to a place of honest humility and realize that we really do not have the right to get offended. We have been a huge offense to others and to G_d. Secondly though, when someone really does try to hurt us with word or deed, Proverbs gives the guidance that works.

Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

First, a word. Glory is a really beautiful word that is much like the pressure a large ship makes on the ocean as its millions of tons displace the water that is more dense than the vessel. Glory is an over pressure that overcomes a powerful force. Glory is also the fame that comes from Him – and to Him – for doing the right thing.

The strategy is to overlook the offense. Do we notice it? Sure. Do we feel the pain. Yes. But, we look beyond the offense into what could really be if we don’t ignore, worship or run from the pain. Love wins, beloved. We can stay in contact with pain as we choose to obey His commands to not be afraid and to allow courage to flow out from our hearts and overwhelm the situation He has allowed us to be in.

So, are you feeling offended? Caution, this is a very dangerous place. But, if handled correctly, you may just be on the verge of something glorious. Tonight is your night. Time to overlook a few things.

Written by Makala Doulos: Makala is a child of G_d, a husband to his wife, a father to his children, and a teacher to his students. But mostly, he is a prisoner set free by Jesus. Love has invaded his life, crushed it, and made it new. Now, G_d’s Love is what constrains him to live in full surrender to the freedom The Father and Son and Holy Spirit have bought for us all. Grace and Peace to you all.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 30; Proverbs 31

Daily Quote: “But when we are securely rooted in personal intimacy with the source of life, it will be possible to remain flexible but not relativistic, convinced without being rigid, willing to confront without being offensive, gentle and forgiving without being soft and true witnesses without being manipulative.” ~Brennan Manning

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

So the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness;
Sorrow and sighing shall flee away. ~Isaiah 51:11

COMMIT TO THE LORD

06/30/201606/29/2016Leave a comment

leadershipcommitment1

In my one year working at America’s Keswick I have witnessed many men come “back” into the Colony of Mercy a second or a third time. WHAT HAPPENED! Did they forget the great teaching; did they fall into the same group of people that they hung out with before? Did they just have too much free time on their hands and wound up doing what brought them to Keswick in the first place? Or did they just get lazy about keeping their commitments?

While reading proverbs the other day it hit me, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” 16:3. Commit, that’s the key! Are we committed to our jobs, are we committed to our families, and are we committed to doing what the good book teaches us? 1 Peter 4:19, 1 Samuel 7:3, Acts 20:32 all speak of committing our lives to the Lord.

Too many times all of us forget that our Lord has all our needs taken care of. We worry about things that we have no control over. “Commit” one small word, but something that all of us have forgotten from time to time. Are you ready to commit yourselves heart and soul to our Lord?

Written by Robert Breault: Robert is married to Shirley and full time staff member at America’s Keswick.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 29; Proverbs 30

Daily Quote: “One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Allow Me to Demonstrate

06/29/201606/28/20161 Comment

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ~Romans 5:8

Talk is cheap, I’ve heard the expression “Show me, I’m from Missouri, the Show Me state”. There’s two ways to try to convince people of something, you can tell them or show them, I prefer the latter. I can remember hearing the way people would sell vacuums, they knock on someone’s door and the moment they opened it the salesman would throw a scoop of dirt on their carpet. This would give him an opportunity to “demonstrate” his product.

Romans 5 is a good chapter for me to be reminded of what Jesus did for me before I ever existed or knew anything about God. A reminder now but as an unbeliever it was thought provoking.

What better way to prove something than to show it by an act of Love. I have done a lot of foolish things to attempt to show someone I love them but most of the time my acts of showing off were more of an attempt to get them to love me. When I consider the plan of salvation that resulted in the crucifixion, the reality is that it wasn’t Jesus showing off, it was an act of obedience to satisfy the judgements of God. On top of it all He did this while I was still in my sin.

We have a free gift from God that satisied a debt that we could not pay, but this freedom wasn’t free. I hope as you read this post you will take a moment to reflect on the Love of God that caused Him to make a way when there was no way and before we knew we needed a way.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:4-10

It was the Love of God that compelled Him to make a way for us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Just a reminder…

Written by Rob Russomano: Rob is married to Terri, he is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a full time staff member. He is also available as a speaker of the grace of God with a message of Hope for church events.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 28; Proverbs 29

Daily Quote: “Employ whatever God has entrusted you with, in doing good, all possible good, in every possible kind and degree…” – John Wesley

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

A Whirlwind of Secrets

06/28/201606/27/2016Leave a comment

“The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that He has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.” ~Deuteronomy 29:29 (NLT)

I am completely confident in making this statement, “There are just some things in God’s Kingdom that ain’t none of my business.” I got my times where I don’t like falling back on this statement but ultimately, when things aren’t going MY WAY, this ends up being all I got. Even though we are living in a world where all you have to do is “Google” something to find out the what, why, when, where and how of things there are times when it comes to matters that are actually unseen that I feel YHVH keeps them veiled for our own good. All though Moses may have gotten his glimpse of YHVH even he had to settle with what he got, then he had to wear a veil.

Every so often my wife, Kathy, will e-mail me a devotional she read from http://www.icr.org. On this one particular day she sent one titled “The Secret Things” and in her body of text she wrote, with caps locked, “YOUR FAV VERSE”. This verse is my go-to when during Bible study a question arises that gets more of guess for an answer than an exact true one. I’ll pretty much say, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deut 29:29)

The part of this devotional that bears repeating is this… “In recognition of the limitations of humankind, Moses wrote in our text that there are certain things known only to God, which He has veiled—things which cannot be understood by the human mind—things which He simply chooses to keep to Himself. But he goes on to say that He has revealed certain things to us, and these things we must obey. Consequently, our text consists of a great principle of life: We must do what we know to do. We don’t know everything, but we must act responsibly and properly on that which He has told us, leaving the “secret things” and their consequences to God. Elsewhere, He promises that even the secret things will “work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28)—in His sovereign plan. We must obey, doing what we know to do, and leave the results with Him.”

So often our own impatience for the future to finally get here will lead us into doing things with consequences that carry on, and on, and on, and on…like Abram, Hagar and Sarai did way back in them Old Testament days. To this day we are seeing the end results of what it looks like when Abram, Hagar and Sarai did not act responsibly and properly on that which He has told us. We see this being played out on the world stage daily and many nations are involved, entrenched and wanting to get to a peaceful solution that is still yet undetermined.

Even in the book of Job, we read about 35 chapters worth of guessing the motives of YHVH until we finally get to a whirlwind and an announcement of, “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.” (Job 38:2-3) Not too sure I would have wanted to be around for that one!

In “The Pursuit of God” Tozer made this observation, “Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and to bring Him nearer to our own image.” If I take this and apply it to my own questioning of what YHVH’s will is for my life I come to one conclusion… “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” and in this bit of knowledge I should act responsibly and properly on that which He has told me. How about you? Are you content with what He was told you? If so, great! If not…look out for those whirlwinds. They have questions for you and you may not have the answers at all. Amen?

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 27; Proverbs 28

Daily Quote: “We are forbidden curiously to inquire into the secret counsels of God, and to determine concerning them. But we are directed and encouraged, diligently to seek into that which God has made known. He has kept back nothing that is profitable for us, but only that of which it is good for us to be ignorant.” —Matthew Henry

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Mephibosheth

06/27/201606/26/20161 Comment

So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet. ~2 Samuel 9:13

Most of us can’t even pronounce his name. It wasn’t a story growing up that we even heard about in Sunday School. I have only ever heard on message preached about this man.

Who the blazes is Mephibosheth? Well to learn his story you can read about him in 2 Samuel 9. Mephibosheth is the son of King David’s dearest friend, Jonathan.

In an effort to honor his friend, he has his team search out the kingdom to see if there is anyone still alive related to Jonathan. They find his son but he doesn’t necessarily fit the mold of being the son of a warrior. In fact he wouldn’t be the one that most of us would think would even have the profile of being the son of a king.

The servants told David – “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” (2 Samuel 9:3).

King David is so moved by meeting this kid that he does the unthinkable – not only does he promise to care for him, he promises to care for his descendants, and then invited him to come sit at his own table and to eat their regularly! What an amazing picture of God’s grace.

Why do I share that story? Well there are some special people that I know who are sons and daughter of the King. And they have a huge heart for caring for people who don’t necessarily fit the “mold.”

Elizabeth B and her family are an example of caring for two men who are physically and mentally challenged. They have done this as a family for years.

Elizabeth brought her son, Donald to our Young at Heart conference several years ago. Donald is 59 and has many physical and mental challenges. He can’t say much, but he knows what’s going on. When he greats me with his big smile, he melts my heart. He calls me “Him” and when he arrived at our recent conference, he had a picture that he drew for me.

Donald comes to all the sessions. I am not sure what he comprehends. But I do know this. Robert and I will play “Jesus Loves Me” for him and when we do, his entire face lights up. There is a radiance and joy that goes beyond the physical and mental challenges and he lights up the room.

Apart from a miracle, Donald won’t ever get to sit at the table of the President of the United States like Mephibosheth who was seated at the Kings’ table.

But I do know this – that Donald, being a child of God is the son of the King of kings and Lord of lords and He invites him to sit at HIS table.

I am thankful for my friend Elizabeth and her family for caring for my friend, Donald. Somehow I think that King Jesus has some very special rewards in heaven for people who have loved on and cared for folks like Donald.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 26; Proverbs 27

Daily Quote: “Doctrine properly understood and applied makes all the difference in the world of belief and behavior. ” ~Dr. Joe Stowell

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Which Way Should I Go?

06/23/201606/23/2016Leave a comment

“But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue

Righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.” ~1 Tim 6:11

When we were kids one of our favorite games was hide and seek. Someone had to be “it” and the rest of us would run a hide. There was always the one who, when the countdown began would just stand there frantically looking for somewhere to go. The secret was to hide where the seeker would never look…

The Bible teaches that “your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8b). If that’s the case “Where should I go”?

Paul’s instructions to his protege, Timothy was to flee and pursue. The picture here is when the adversary comes at you with instant gratification, those things like pride, selfishness and money, we are to flee, but not just run anywhere, his instruction was to run towards righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Those are “places” the enemy will never find you. When we pursue these attributes of the Christian faith we are removing ourselves from the lion’s den and putting ourselves in the hands of God. It would be foolish for us to battle the enemy in our own strength, instead, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” Colossians 3:1,2.

It takes an act of obedience to “set your minds on things above”, to purposely turn, flee and pursue those things that put you out of reach of the “things on the earth”. Romans 12:1,2 tells us “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. Sometimes being a living sacrifice means to reject what comes natural, the default cycle that our flesh goes thru to deliver pleasures now instead of waiting for the blessing that God has for us. These blessing are usually in future events, it’s down the road when we experience the peace and joy of the Lord that comes when we become “transformed by the renewing of your mind”.

So the next time you here the proverbial countdown to flee, run towards an attitude of “Righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness”, they’ll never find you there…

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 22; Proverbs 23

Daily Quote: God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies. ~Hudson Taylor

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

³¹But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. ~Isaiah 40:31

Spurring Each Other!

06/22/201606/22/2016Leave a comment

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,” (Hebrews 10:24)

There are many times that the flesh, life, people, my sin etc…has brought me to a place of desperation. In those times, I recall dreading to face the circumstance or situation and upset at life/myself that I actually woke up. A desalinate place, a cloud over my soul, a seemingly hopeless condition . And God would send someone to say; it is going to be ok. Simple truth!

The writer of Hebrews is intentional about this command. To Consider: to think about carefully, to think of especially with regard to taking some action, take into account, to regard or treat in an attentive or kindly way. This is a well thought process. I know we see things in people and quick make a judgment, but are we weighing out all the factors. Are we being intentional about what’s best for the individual?

Saints we ought to gaze on each other as fellow sojourners and spur one another. “A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse to move forward or laterally while riding.” This refers to aiding or provoking individuals, in love, to finish the race that God has began in their life.

At last what are we spurring them to? This verse is literally directing us, to direct them, to good works. In the Greek this word is εργων to toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication, an act — deed, doing, labor, work. I know this might mess with some people’s theology, but you can’t argue with scripture. Good works is a good thing. This is the way we illuminate are relationship with Christ.

Basically, there might be someone in your life that could benefit from an encouraging word, a coffee date, a few minutes of your time. Hebrews 3:13 mentions, “But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Be initial, and be sure you will also need spurring one day. God Bless.

Written by Juan Mendez: Juan is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and full time staff member of America’s Keswick.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 21; Proverbs 22

Daily Quote: I would go to the deeps a hundred times to cheer a downcast spirit. It is good for me to have been afflicted, that I might know how to speak a word in season to one that is weary. ~Charles Spurgeon

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

³¹But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. ~Isaiah 40:31

Friends

06/21/201606/21/2016Leave a comment

“But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.” ~Philippians 2:19-22 (NKJV)

The funny thing about being on Facebook is the number count next to the friends list. At last count I have 483 people on that list. Not too bad if you wanna think that’s a decent measure but in the reality of it all how many of them make it to the core of relationship. Ya see, in everyone’s life there are three levels of relationship. Ya got the acquaintance (the outer rim), ya got the casual (the inner rim), ya got the intimate (the core) and if I were to run my Facebook friends list through those levels very few get to the core. Truth be told most of them are on the outer rim and not every one of them is Christian either but I can say this…I actually do know everyone on my list.

One friend that wasn’t on that list but is at the core of friendship was Mark Fisher. I watched Mark battle cancer with a smile on his face and when The LORD saw fit to call him home on February 10th of this year I lost a piece of me that hasn’t been replaced yet. Mark was there to watch as I walked away from a world of disobedience into the same marvelous light that was keeping him sober. That light is Jesus Christ. Mark took me on as a Timothy (even though I was older than he) and I learned a lot about the Christian walk through Mark. I praise God for that privilege…but I still miss Mark.

When we read into the life of the Apostle Paul it almost seems like the guy was a loner but he really wasn’t. Yeah he had his traveling buddies like Barnabas and Silas or his fellow tent-makers, Priscilla and Aquila but there was someone that was a close companion and that was Timothy. Paul meets Timothy on his second missionary trip and from there on Timothy is a constant. (there are also two important letters bearing his name in the New Testament). The two of them are almost like David and Jonathan (1Samuel 18:1; 20:17). Paul is a Jew out to teach the Greeks and Timothy is both a Jew and a Greek so it seems feasible the two should go together. Kinda like Frosted Flakes and milk…they’re GRRRREAT!! (I bet you read that in Tony the Tiger’s voice)

Even though there are three reasons why the Apostle Paul sent Timothy to the church in Philippi I believe they are the three main reasons Paul and Timothy cliqued.

1. They both had a “kindred spirit” —they were liked minded and had a deeper level of understanding of each other. They understood the importance of the

Cross of Christ (Phil 2:20a) and that needed to be spread throughout the known world.

2. They both had a “genuine concern” —it was all about having a Christ-like attitude and having a genuine compassion for other people’s concerns. (Phil 2:20b-21) That’s why small time ministry is key in getting to know people.

3. They both had a “servants heart” — As Swindoll puts it “He (Timothy) gave himself away in caring for the needs of others.” It was a “when you get Timothy, you get me” mentality. (Phil 2:22-24) It was always Paul’s hope that as you imitated him you’d be imitating Christ.

Having and maintaining core friendships are key to our everyday walk with Jesus. And yes Jesus is to be LORD of our lives but He also speaks to us as that core friend…caring more about you then you’ll ever know. When Mark and I ran an “Addiction Victorious” meeting some years back it was important to the both of us that the main message stayed the main message. That message is still Jesus Christ and when I look back at what was done at that time it still says, “when you get him, you get me.” But if you got the both of us it was our hope that you got Jesus as you went on your way. Ya see, when Jesus Christ is our common bond in our friendships there ain’t nuttin’ that can, well maybe this is a better way to put it….

“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”— Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT) Amen?

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 20; Proverbs 21

Daily Quote: “When this year is over, what gift will your current schedule present you with? The popularity to receive hundreds of Christmas cards from acquaintances only? Or the deeper satisfaction and joy of a few close friendships as well?” —Charles Swindoll

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

³¹But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. ~Isaiah 40:31

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