Zechariah 8:13 says, “And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.” (Zech. 8:13). Jesus came to earth, conceived by the Holy Ghost, in the virgin, Mary, born of the virgin, Mary, espoused to Joseph (Matt. 1:18-25). He had brothers and sisters (Mark 6:3). He started His earthly ministry at about the age of thirty (Luke 3:23). And for three and a half years, He healed, did miracles, and forgave sins. And at Passover in 31 A.D., Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, He was buried, and the third day He arose to give us the hope and promise of eternal life in His Holy name. Alleluia and praise the LORD. Amen and Amen.
Change
Out with the old, in with the new… – Part 3
Out with the old, in with the new… – Part 3
This week is the days of unleavened bread according to the Hebrew calendar. It is a time of year that represents purging. In the west we have the idea of spring cleaning. But the biblical understanding of it goes deeper, in that it has to do with God’s people coming out of Egypt and letting go of the former habits they were practicing there that were not acceptable to God. In our lives we may have many small habits or wrong thoughts that are not helping us grow in our maturity with God and others. So this 7 day period after Passover is a great time to consider our life choices, reflect on them and turn away or let go of some of those sins that are stopping us from moving forward. This week I will talk about the topic of “spring cleaning” using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.
Last, it is interesting that Jesus compared the kingdom of God to leaven, He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” (Matt. 13:33). This is the type of leaven we need to keep in our lives, the leaven of Jesus Christ and God almighty, the faith in them and the Holy Spirit. We grow this leaven of faith by prayer, thanksgiving, study, fellowship and trials. Praise God. 1 John 5:18 says, “We know that whomsoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” (1 John 5:18). We are called to have the mind of Christ, and to allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us (1 Cor. 2:16, 3:16). Paul in the letter to the Ephesians 5:30 compares our bodies to the body of Jesus Christ, he says, “For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” (Ephesians 5:25-33). This is why we ought to treat our bodies and minds decently, because they come from God almighty, in Jesus Christ of Nazareth (1 Cor. 6:20, 7:23).
Darrell
Time, Times, and a Dividing of Time – What did John really see?
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Out with the old, in with the new… – Part 2
Out with the old, in with the new… – Part 2
This week is the days of unleavened bread according to the Hebrew calendar. It is a time of year that represents purging. In the west we have the idea of spring cleaning. But the biblical understanding of it goes deeper, in that it has to do with God’s people coming out of Egypt and letting go of the former habits they were practicing there that were not acceptable to God. In our lives we may have many small habits or wrong thoughts that are not helping us grow in our maturity with God and others. So this 7 day period after Passover is a great time to consider our life choices, reflect on them and turn away or let go of some of those sins that are stopping us from moving forward. This week I will talk about the topic of “spring cleaning” using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.
Matthew 16 goes into great detail about the hypocrisy and “leaven” of the Pharisees and Sadducees. We have to be careful about whom we listen to and where our “guidance” comes from in this life. It may be something as simple as watching too much T.V. or spending too much time on our phones or at the computer, but no matter the situation we need to consider our habits and remove the old leaven of sin that is holding us back from the kingdom of our God. God desires our whole hearts, that is the first and greatest commandment “…love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matt. 22:37). This requires taking up our cross daily and it does take practice, but as we take the time to listen to and commune with God through the Holy Spirit, slowly but surely the leaven of this world will go away (1 Cor. 13:8). This requires that we be fully aware of ourselves, in relationship with God and others (1 Cor. 14:20). Like getting in tune with nature, but God’s nature, through Jesus Christ! As the Bible says, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:6).
More to come…
Darrell
Time, Times, and a Dividing of Time – What did John really see?
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Out with the old, in with the new… – Part 1
Out with the old, in with the new… – Part 1
This week is the days of unleavened bread according to the Hebrew calendar. It is a time of year that represents purging. In the west we have the idea of spring cleaning. But the biblical understanding of it goes deeper, in that it has to do with God’s people coming out of Egypt and letting go of the former habits they were practicing there that were not acceptable to God. In our lives we may have many small habits or wrong thoughts that are not helping us grow in our maturity with God and others. So this 7 day period after Passover is a great time to consider our life choices, reflect on them and turn away or let go of some of those sins that are stopping us from moving forward. This week I will talk about the topic of “spring cleaning” using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice.
When we think about removing sin, we may think of something obvious like stealing or hatred, but there are other sins that we may not even consider sins, unless we take some time in life to actually listen to God on the subject. Something as simple as doubting may or may not be a sin, because if we doubt our relationship with God then we may not be putting our trust in Him (Luke 12:29, Rom. 14:1). If we do not put our trust in Him then either we are placing our trust in ourselves, other people or no trust at all, which may be okay for a time, but ultimately God desires us to follow and trust in Him, through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The point is that sin can seem so “innocent” that we just pass it off as “normal” or something that everybody does. This is the exact attitude that Satan desires us to have. It is the door that opens up our mind to doubt. Just like the serpent beguiled Eve in the garden, this same tempter still exists today, unfortunately. It may only be our own human minds, it may be somebody asking us to do something we do not believe is right, but not matter the circumstance we need to put our trust in God Almighty and Jesus Christ in every situation, through the working of the Holy Spirit in us and around us (1 Cor. 5:7-8).
More to come…
Darrell
Time, Times, and a Dividing of Time – What did John really see?
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Poverty, Money, Change – Part 3
Poverty, Money, Change – What can we do about the world’s 1%r’s? – Part 3
I will openly admit I currently live well below the accepted poverty line according to any number of definitions of it, in the West at least, and have so for the majority of my life, although I did not always know it. I come from a working class family and have so for generations, but I never really felt poor. Although the knowledge of being poor and the burden that can be created because of the desire to provide for others can change a person’s attitude, what can we do about it? I have heard of stories and read experiences where some of the richest of men are not happy in their lives, so why is that? Not that this is the norm, but the point is, what is really important in life? This week I will talk about the “issue” of poverty, money and change using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.
Last, there are two verses that can sum up what I have been trying to say about money. First Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income…” And then 1 Samuel 2:7 says, “The Lord sends poverty and wealth, He humbles and He exults” The point is that we are not really in control of our worldly wealth. Everything we have comes from God anyhow (Psalm 24:1). So why not put our trust in Him to provide for us? As the Bible says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33).
Darrell
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Poverty, Money, Change – Part 2
Poverty, Money, Change – What can we do about the world’s 1%r’s? – Part 2
I will openly admit I currently live well below the accepted poverty line according to any number of definitions of it, in the West at least, and have so for the majority of my life, although I did not always know it. I come from a working class family and have so for generations, but I never really felt poor. Although the knowledge of being poor and the burden that can be created because of the desire to provide for others can change a person’s attitude, what can we do about it? I have heard of stories and read experiences where some of the richest of men are not happy in their lives, so why is that? Not that this is the norm, but the point is, what is really important in life? This week I will talk about the “issue” of poverty, money and change using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.
Next, let’s talk about the circumstances we are born into. In most parts of the world we have “classes” of citizens where it can be a challenge to “get out” of the cyclical financial circumstances that you are born into. Kind of like the attitude that my parents were poor, so I am going to be poor to. The good news is that that does not have to be the case. If being poor were considered a “curse” the Bible talks about generational sins and how they could be passed onto the children to the 3rd and 4th generation (Numbers 14:18). However there are also verses that speak of the child not bearing the sins of the parents and vice versa (Ezekiel 18:19, 20). A perfect Biblical example of this is David becoming king over Israel. He was a “humble” sheppard’s son, who just so happened to be chosen, because God knew his heart was in the right place to serve Him and lead Israel rightly (1 Samuel 16:7, 11-13). The point is, you can be that “sheppard’s” son too (Ephesians 1:5). We are all given a clean slate by God through faith in Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7). He does not want to remember our sins, our parent’s sins, or the sins of our ancestors (1 Corinthians 13:5, Isaiah 43:25)! He wants to bless us and see us be happy and prosper by trusting in Him through Christ Jesus (Deuteronomy 30:19; 3 John 1:2).
More to come…
Darrell
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Poverty, Money, Change – Part 1
Poverty, Money, Change – What can we do about the world’s 1%r’s? – Part 1
I will openly admit I currently live below the accepted poverty line according to any number of definitions of it, in the West at least, and have so for the majority of my life, although I did not always know it. I come from a working class family and have so for generations, but I never really felt poor. Although the knowledge of being poor and the burden that can be created because of the desire to provide for others can change a person’s attitude, what can we do about it? I have heard of stories and read experiences where some of the richest of men are not happy in their lives, so why is that? Not that this is the norm, but the point is, what is really important in life? This week I will talk about the “issue” of poverty, money and change using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice.
First let’s talk about what a few people said about money in the Bible. There is one verse that says “For the love of money is the root of all evil…” (1 Timothy 6:10; KJV). That does not mean money is bad, but if you worship it, that is bad. Next, Jesus spoke of provision when He said, “Do not worry about the clothes you wear or the food you eat, are you not greater than the birds and God feeds them” (Paraphrase Matthew 6:25, 26). There are also verses however, that speak of the rich man and how they ought to be responsible with their money (1 Timothy 6:17-19). And more about those who have worldly riches, and the repercussions of giving them up or not to follow Jesus (Luke 12:13-21, Luke 16:19-31, Luke 18:18-30). Then more still, Jesus said that, “The poor we would have with us always” (Matt. 26:11). The point is that, being poor is not a “curse”, just like being rich is not necessarily a “blessing”. Paul stated it simply, “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4:11).
More to come…
Darrell
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Change, Life and Truth – How should you change in a world that has so many options? – Part 5
Change, Life and Truth – How should you change in a world that has so many options? – Part 5
Looking through the local electronics store flyers today and helping setup a new “Smart TV” for a family member a couple of days ago has given me the opportunity to think. Although I had this topic idea jotted down months ago, the experiences of the last couple of days has given me some fresh insight into it. The world is changing, we are changing, getting older day by day, technology is changing, the seasons are changing, but what does this all mean? This week we will talk about the seasons of change in our life and what this means for our ultimate goal, using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.
Last, change comes whether we ask for it or not. It can come through the illness of a loved one, or our own illness’s, it can be a loss of a job or a promotion to a new position in the company. But although God is unchanging, it is inevitable in our lives here on earth, that we are going to face change, so we might as well embrace it. Ecclesiastes 3 talks much about this change in life, maybe not directly in our own lives all the time, but in the world we live in. Take a look through the chapter or listen to Turn, Turn Turn by the Birds!
Darrell
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Change, Life and Truth – How should you change in a world that has so many options? – Part 4
Change, Life and Truth – How should you change in a world that has so many options? – Part 4
Looking through the local electronics store flyers today and helping setup a new “Smart TV” for a family member a couple of days ago has given me the opportunity to think. Although I had this topic idea jotted down months ago, the experiences of the last couple of days has given me some fresh insight into it. The world is changing, we are changing, getting older day by day, technology is changing, the seasons are changing, but what does this all mean? This week we will talk about the seasons of change in our life and what this means for our ultimate goal, using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.
Change can be difficult, and there is more than one example in the Bible of people fighting against or for change. Jacob fighting with the angel (Genesis 32:22-31), Job fighting with God and there are others (Job 13:3, 40:2). But the point is, we can fight, and to a degree we may get an outcome we are looking for (Genesis 32:28, Job 42:12). But in the end it is kind of like the old saying goes, it’s my way or the highway. Well the same goes with our lives, we can either make the changes required to mature in life or we can get left behind. The great thing about God is He is extremely patient, so we can screw up time and time again, but He will still be there for us. Just ask Him and find out for yourself!
More to come…
Darrell
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Change, Life and Truth – How should you change in a world that has so many options? – Part 3
Change, Life and Truth – How should you change in a world that has so many options? – Part 3
Looking through the local electronics store flyers today and helping setup a new “Smart TV” for a family member a couple of days ago has given me the opportunity to think. Although I had this topic idea jotted down months ago, the experiences of the last couple of days has given me some fresh insight into it. The world is changing, we are changing, getting older day by day, technology is changing, the seasons are changing, but what does this all mean? This week we will talk about the seasons of change in our life and what this means for our ultimate goal, using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.
So, now that we have our solid rock of truth to build on and some ideas for this holiday season. What else can we do to change? Well, first, major change does not necessarily happen overnight, but once we have accepted Christ into our lives and accepted that we are not alone in our journey here on earth, making that change does become much easier. That is the key; it is allowing that change to take place. As I mentioned in last week’s post, it is not in us to direct our steps (Jeremiah 10:23). But once we give our lives over to our Creator and Jesus Christ, taking those steps back out into the world can be done much more easily knowing that we have someone with us who is much more powerful and insightful than anyone else we can imagine!
More to come…
Darrell
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