Meeting specific needs

James5:13-18

13 Is anyone among you suffering?Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 I anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. Thee effective fervent prayer if the righteous man avails much.. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. an he prayed earnestly that it would not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rains. and the earth produced its fruit.

Let All Things Praise the Lord

Let All Things Praise the Lord

1  Praise the Lord!

    Praise God in His sanctuary:

    Praise Him in His firmament!

   

2  Praise Him for His mighty acts;

    Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

3  Praise Him withe the sound of the trumpet;

    Praise Him with the lute and harp!

4  Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

    

5  Praise Him with loud cymbals; 

    Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

6  Let everything that has breathe praise the the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

Let we who are deeply in Christ, praise the Lord with voice and instrument this week so that the halls of state capitals and the very dome of congress hear our praise! Let us remind them that their IS a GOD! And He is to be praised!

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

Luke15:11-32

          11 then He said, "A certain man had two sons.  12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father gives me the portion of goods that falls to me. 'So he divided to them his livelihood.  13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  14 But when he had spent all, there arose a famine in that land and he began to be in want. 15 to a citizen of that country, and he sent him to feed swine, 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  But when he came to himself, he said' How many of my fathers hired servants have bread

enough to spare, and I perish with hunger!  18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him," Father I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer

before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants.'"  20 And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and

21 And the son said to him, 'Father I have sinned against heaven and in your

sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son,' 22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;  24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry.  25 "Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  27 And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  28 But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded wit him.  29 So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat that I might make merry with my friends.  30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him,' 31 "And he said to him, 'Son you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found."

EXPLANATION

          The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most loved parables. It begins with a certain man who had two sons.  His youngest son wanted his inheritance while his father gathered all together and left his father and brother and journeyed into a far off land and into a life of iniquity, sexual possessions with prodigal living." He wasted all his possession with Prodigal living is not merely wasteful extravagance but also sexual immorality.   With no money he was force take a job feeding swine which was so

degrading for a Jew to touch unclean animals.  He was so hungry that he thought he would eat the pods that were for the swine but they were not for human consumption.

          Then it finally came to him in, the mire of the disgusting swine, broke, and starving he was now ready to repent.  In verses 18 and 19 he says 'I will arise and go to my father and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son, Make me like one of your hired servants.” So he got up and went back to his father, who saw him from a distance and had compassion and ran out to greet him.  He fell on his neck and kissed him, but before he

could get the rehearsed statement out," Father I sinned against heaven and am no longer worthy to called your son"  his father ad already told his servants to bring him the best robe and put it on him and get him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. He also

told his servants to kill the fatted calf and to eat and be merry.  And he said in verse 24 "for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and now he is found. And they began to me you.

          This is an analogy of how a lost sinner or backslidden Christian returns to God.  He will be ready to forgive them and run out to meet them.  And the Bible tells us to there is no greater merriment in heaven then when a sinner repents and gives his life and his heart to our Lord Jesus Christ.

          But now the older brother returned from working in the fields and heard the music and a servant told him his brother had come home but he refused to join the party.  So his father had to go plead with him. Hi older son said to him, "Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots; you killed the fatted calf for him,"

          While he should have joined in his father joy he shows utter contempt for his father instead. His statement of "never transgressed your commandment" shows of religious hypocrisy.  The kind of comment a self righteous comment a Pharisee would make.

          In verses 31 and 32 his father answers him, "Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found." But nothing could make his eldest son join in his joy.

APPLICATION

          The parable of the prodigal son shows us the abounding forgiveness and grace God has for us.  The Father represents God in the parable.  When the prodigal son came back with a repentant heart God was there to meet him and show him grace and forgiveness. No questions asked just forgiveness and grace given.  Are you a prodigal son a lost sinner or backslidden Christian God is ready to meet you right now. Just repent as the prodigal son did and take Jesus Christ into your hear as Lord and Savior.

Parable of the Friend in Need

The Parable of the Friend in Need

Luke 11:5-13

          5 And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him;  7 and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?  8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is a friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.  9"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  10 For everyone who asks, receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asked for fish, will he give a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, would he offer him a scorpion.  If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

EXPLANATION

          This parable shows God as our provider.  He is our Jehovah-Jireh our great provider. The persistence of the friend asking for the bread he required is an analogy of how we should pray boldly to God for our needs. And as our provider He will provide all that we need. Also the last verse indicates He has given the Holy Spirit to any believer who asks Him.

APPLICATION

          This is one of the most wonderful parables.  God is our provider.  When we have a need we should pray boldly to God to fill that need.  And He will every time.  Ask anything according to and within His will and He will provide.  And it just as important to pray for more of the Holy Spirit within you.

How To Find Happiness In Strange Places

How To Find Happiness In Strange Places  Matthew 5:1-12 Have you ever noticed that just as your cup of happiness is full and you finally settle back to enjoy it, somebody bumps your elbow?  Happiness can be an elusive thing.  I don’t know how you would measure this, but according to one study only 20 % of the people in the U.S. claim to be happy. For some people it is that bumped elbow upsetting their cup of happiness.  For others, it can be that thing that never happens that upsets their happiness. What is your picture of a happy life? Is your picture of the happy life the “American dream”, the ideal of owning a home, two car garage, having 2 kids and a dog, enjoying your job, and having enough money to enjoy your leisure?  What is your picture of a happy life?  Where are the places you visit to find happiness,  the movie theater, the amusement park, mountain hiking trail, the shopping mall, a good restaurant, Bank One Ball Park?  Or maybe for you it’s not the place so much as the circumstances that you hope will make you happy.  Are you looking for happiness to come through something else?  Perhaps you are looking for happiness in your relationships, or your family life?  Or perhaps you are waiting for happiness to return with the change of circumstances, like the restoration of your health, or your financial situation, or finding the right job, or the right romance.  Where do you look for happiness? Take a moment before we start to fill in the following blank, “I would be happier if _________________.”  That statement you just wrote down says a lot about what you believe.  It might even say something about your approach to life.  I want you to compare the statement you wrote down and your beliefs about happiness with some of the words of Jesus describing the happy life. Jesus gave us a picture of a happy life that was very different.  Jesus told us you can find happiness in strange places.  He described these strange places to find happiness at the beginning of his ministry when he gave a defining message, his Kingdom Manifesto, a message that is commonly called The Sermon on the Mount. This sermon begins with those familiar words “blessed are.” Modern translators have often used the words “happy [are]” or “fortunate [are]” instead of  “Blessed [are]” as a translation to the term Jesus used. This section of Jesus’ message is referred to as the beatitudes.  The beatitudes are not a series of commands, but blessings that are described and the promises associated with the attitudes that are rewarded with these blessings. The beatitudes describe the kind of person who will receive the blessings of God. The beatitudes identify a series of qualities that produce happiness, even though happiness is not readily apparent. Focus:  Jesus gave us an unconventional perspective on happiness when he spoke the beatitudes as the introduction to his Sermon on the Mount.  This introduces more than simply a sermon; it introduces a whole new approach to life. I.                   Jesus tells us to find Happiness in Strange Places Happiness is found where there is . . . 1.  Spiritual Poverty Matthew 5:3  3  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This very first statement of his sermon is the paradoxical premise of the entire Sermon on the Mount:  The only people who can truly experience the "blessedness" Jesus offers are those who know they cannot achieve it on their own.  How could being "poor in spirit” be the source of happiness? Why does Christ begin with this?  What does "poor in spirit" mean? Jesus’ choice of words was no accident.  The word he chose for “poor” was not the word for the working poor who scraped by and made enough to survive.  The word he chose was for the beggarly poor who could not make it without outside assistance. Poverty of spirit is the foundation of all other spiritual graces.  All other gifts of God come only to the degree that we recognize that we are poor in spirit.  We do not receive the gifts of God based on merit.  We receive the gifts of God based on faith.  This faith is a humble reliance upon God's goodness rather than our own. We cannot become a Christian unless we are poor in spirit. Jesus is saying this is the starting point.  The fact is Jesus knew that we on our own were incapable of scaling the mountains of morality that he depicts for us in the Sermon on the Mount.  The following truth is taught throughout the New Testament—holiness is not achieved; it is received.  Only those who recognize that they don’t have the personal resources to attain the kingdom get in the kingdom.  Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)  The world says happy are the rich and famous and self sufficient and proud.  Jesus says just the opposite.  We will never be blessed until we see our poverty of spirit. We will never lean upon God until we see that we need Him.  We will never seek the physician until we believe we are sick.  Happy are the sick who know it. Woe to the one who is sick and does not know it. Jesus came to fill those who admit their own resources are inadequate.  Jesus was telling us that we cannot be filled till we are emptied.  Let’s dump out our cups and ask to be filled.  Let’s just say you were walking down a country lane and you came upon a very strange sight.  You are walking by fence post after fence post, and suddenly you come to one of the fence posts and you stop and look because there is something on it.  You can’t believe your eyes.  There on the top of the fence post sits a turtle.  It sits there, legs dangling, perched on the underside of his shell.  It doesn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to do some quick figuring and deduce a few things about what you are seeing.  If you ever see a turtle on a fence post, there is one thing you know for certain. He didn’t get there on his own.  Now, believe it or not, that’s the picture of the Christian life well lived.  If you ever meet a person that DOES truly live out the values of Christ’s kingdom, you know he didn’t get there on his own either.  The New Testament makes it clear that just like that turtle someone helped him get there.  The rest of the “Sermon On The Mount” describes the turtle on the fence post.  In other words, it describes the Christian life, what it looks like, but the beatitudes describe the fact that we didn’t get there on our own.  There are preconditions that give us something that is not ours naturally.  These preconditions, these attitudes, open us up to the Kingdom of God.  What’s “the Kingdom?”  Notice the present tense.  It is something the “poor in Spirit” can have now.  Let’s call that kingdom the sphere of God’s reign and rule.  The kingdom of God is where God rules.  The precondition of acknowledging our own spiritual poverty opens us up to a supernatural ruling of our lives.  This precondition, this attitude, opens us up to God taking charge and ruling us, giving us new abilities, new inclinations and new desires, even a new power.  This outside source is the ruling power of God in our lives.  That is why Jesus opens his sermon the way he does.  Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs IS the kingdom of God.  The ruling influence of the king can come only to one kind of person, the kind of person who recognizes that they need Him because without him they are spiritually impoverished.  Without this outside help we are spiritually bankrupt.  Knowing this is a very important key to finding true happiness. Happiness is found in the very strange place of emptying yourself and asking God for help.  The next strange place of happiness actually expresses the practical how to side of it. Happiness is found where there is . . . 2.  Sadness. Matthew 5:4     Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. How can happiness be found in the place of sadness?  Isn’t this just some kind of spiritual double speak?  Let’s peel the layers of truth back from this statement slowly and carefully.  On the surface Jesus is saying to us that happiness can be found where there is weeping. There is a hidden blessing in mourning.  We as a nation have been mourning for a while over national events.  The mourning and the tears are part of the grieving process.  It is part of the healing.  It is the counselor who tells us today that people who do not allow themselves a chance to grieve and mourn actually hamper their healing in a grief process.  When grief goes underground it can channel its way into bitterness or rage. All this is true, but this is still just the surface truth to the statement of Jesus, “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” Jesus is saying more than this surface layer.  The context helps us understand the more profound truth that Jesus is telling us.  Jesus is talking about how those who mourn over their spiritual poverty, their personal sin, are the ones who are blessed by God. 2 Corinthians 7:10  10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. James 4:8-10  8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. These are words designed to wake up the sleeping soul.  Mourners are happy because only mourners are forgiven.  Happiness isn’t in the sadness itself, but in the results that this correct assessment causes. People who don’t mourn over their own sin don’t understand their own sin.  People like this look at the disasters of the world and the evil of the world and settle into a rage that can be counter productive.  It is easy for each of us at this time to walk through the pathway of rage rather than the path of mourning.  Maybe I can explain it the way G. K. Chesterton did. An editor to a series of articles asked the question “What is wrong with this world?”   Do you ever ask that question?  We all ask that question when we try to puzzle through the horrible events of terror.  But G. K. Chesterton gave a very short and surprising answer to the editor.  The letter to the editor read this way:  Dear Sir: Regarding your article “What’s Wrong with the world?”,  I am.  Yours truly, G. K. Chesterton.  Until we mourn our sin, we will not be set free from it.  Until we mourn over our sin, we will not be able to properly respond in mourning over the corporate sins of our world.  Until we see ourselves as part of the problem, we cannot ourselves become part of the solution.  Until we ourselves go through the process of receiving the answer to our problem, we will not be able to offer the answer to anyone else. 1 Corinthians 11:31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. Happiness is found where there is . . . 3.  Humility Matthew 5:5  5  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. To the modern mind meekness is a quality to avoid. To the worldly minded, meekness is weakness.  But this just isn’t true.  Meekness is not weakness.  Meekness is power under complete control.  Meekness is not for the faint-hearted or timid.  Try to follow Jesus’ example of meekness.  Can you turn the other cheek when someone slaps you unjustly?  Can you control yourself to give back good for evil?  Do you have such self control?  Can you go the second mile, when someone is forcing you to go the first?  These are all responses of meekness.  These are responses that say, “I am going to do what is best for you even though you don’t deserve that.”  Meekness is power under control.  But the kind of control is not really self control at all, but it is yielded control.  The only truly meek people are people that understand the self control the Bible talks about, the self control that is the result of the Spirit of God getting control of your life (Galatians 5:22).  Meekness is perhaps best seen in the raw power of the wild stallion that has been gentled by his master.  His power becomes completely useful to his master because he is gentled, he is submissive, he has become meek.  This state or quality of meekness cannot be achieved without first walking through the first two blessed states that Christ described.  In other words you can’t get to verse 5 before going through verse 3 and 4.  In monopoly terms you cannot collect $200 till you pass go.  Verse 3 and 4 are the “go” to verse 5.  Each of these “beatitudes” build on each other.  You cannot get to the attitude in verse 5 without first coming through the process described in verse 3 and 4.  Happiness is found where there is . . . 4.  Hunger The worldly thinker looks at happiness in opposite terms.  Happy are the full and satisfied.  Isn’t that what we believe?  Jesus turns this upside down.  He says, happiness is found in strange places.  Happiness is found in the place of hunger. Matthew 5:6 6  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. The hunger referred to here is not the rumble of a missed meal, but the gnawing hunger that results from deprivation of another sort. It is not literal hunger for physical food, but a hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Contrast the self satisfied with the hungry.  Jesus says the self satisfied are not going to be happy.  Only those who are not self satisfied will be blessed.  How hungry are you for righteousness?  We are a nation of children at God’s table.  We have come to him saying we are hungry.  God offers us healthy vegetables, and we say to him, “I’m not hungry for vegetables, I’m hungry for dessert!”  Is your appetite too specific to truly qualify as hunger? Most of us want fast food goodness, easy goodness.  Most of us settle for “good enough.” I want you to notice something here.  This happiness is found in route, not the arrival.  The hungering itself is the precondition that brings about happiness.  There is happiness with that hunger for righteousness.  We are in process now.  Feeding our hunger actually increases our appetite, increasing our hunger and thirst, and this brings about satisfaction even as we are hungry. What if I’m not hungry for spiritual things right now?  Should I wait?  Don’t wait.  The only way I know to develop a hunger for the right things when you aren’t presently hungry for them is by eating appetizers.  In other words when you start feasting on the right things, you want more of the right things to feast on.  You actually train your appetite to crave that which is good.  The more you get the good stuff the more you want it, the more satisfied you are, yet the more you want it.  It is a great and happy place to find yourself when you start craving the right things.  So let me say it again, when it comes to spiritual matters, if you aren’t hungry don’t wait to eat the right things.  Too many have waited till it was too late. 10 Practices to Train Yourself to Be Happy 1. Give something away (no strings attached) 2. Do a kindness (and forget it) 3. Spend a few minutes with someone who needs encouragement (someone who is lonely, or hurting) 4. Look intently into the face of a baby (and marvel) 5. Laugh often (it’s life’s lubricant) 6. Give thanks (a thousand times a day is not too often) 7. Pray (or you will lose the way) 8. Work (with vim and vigor) 9. Plan as though you’ll live forever (because you will) 10. Live as though you’ll die tomorrow (because you will on some tomorrow) By the way, the reverse is also true.  The more you fill yourself with the bad stuff, the more dull your appetite becomes for good things.  What are you using to satisfy yourself.  Jesus says, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Happiness is found in the strange place of hunger. Happiness is found where there is . . . 5. Forgiveness Matthew 5:7    Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Most will agree that mercy is a blessing when you receive it, but here Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful ... ” those who give it.  We want to receive mercy, but when injustice strikes that’s probably not the thing we want to extend. In On This Day by Carl D. Windsor, the page for Valentine's Day includes this anecdote:  "Even the most devoted couple will experience a 'stormy' bout once in a while.  A grandmother, celebrating her golden wedding anniversary, once told the secret of her long and happy marriage.  'On my wedding day, I decided to make a list of ten of my husband's faults which, for the sake of our marriage, I would overlook,' she said.    "A guest asked the woman what some of the faults she had chosen to overlook were.  The grandmother replied, 'To tell you the truth, my dear, I never did get around to listing them.  But whenever my husband did something that made me hopping mad, I would say to myself, Lucky for him that's one of the ten!'  Happiness is found in strange places.  Some of you know what I mean, you were unhappy for years because of the hurt that was inflicted upon you.  You never felt peace, until you finally forgave the person who hurt you deeply.  Maybe that person didn’t even know, or didn’t even care, but you knew, and you cared, and forgiveness was the way you were finally released.  Happiness is found in strange places.  It is found in the tears of forgiveness and release.  Since Christ could forgive you what you did to him, you can forgive others.  As you have been extended mercy, you become empowered to extend mercy to someone else.  Happiness is found where there is . . . 6. Purity of Heart Matthew 5:8  8  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. The non-Christian does not believe that the pure of heart are blessed. The Christian knows a wonderful secret. Purity carries its own reward. It is a lifestyle that brings health and contentment. Purity isn’t popular.  The popular movies and videos aren’t rated “G”.  Why is that?  People have stimulated that part of their flesh that craves fleshly things and as a result people are craving things that are not pure.  Blessed are the pure in heart.  We need to guard our hearts.  The pure in heart are morally pure, honest and sincere.  What is true on the outside is true on the inside as well.  In fact if we follow Paul’s advice, we will “have the same attitude as Christ.”  If we focus right there, on the attitude of Christ, the actions will take care of themselves.  If we focus on a heart like Christ’s we will find that our actions will follow suit.  We will become people of integrity.  The real question for us is what are we holding back from God in our hearts?  If we aren’t holding anything back, we are 100 percent committed to God.  This is the formula for integrity.  This is the formula for happiness. But guess what, you can’t get there by your own effort, you have to go through the steps we’ve already mentioned.  Happiness is found where there is . . . 7. Conflict. Matthew 5:9  9  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. You should notice that Jesus did not say, “Blessed are the peace-lovers.”  Everybody enjoys peace.  But just because you enjoy peace does not mean you are willing to go through the painful process of making peace.  Making peace often means stepping into the conflict in order to make peace. Reconciliation often requires confrontation.  Peace lovers avoid confrontation.  It is too uncomfortable and unsettling.  Peacemakers risk themselves by entering the tunnel of chaos to come through to the other side to work toward reconciliation.  If we dare to make peace, then we will be given the greatest compliment a person may know on earth. We will be called “sons of God.”  Jesus was a peace maker.  It cost him his life.  But he was raised again to resurrection and raised the possibility of reconciliation.  We become like him when we take on the challenge of making peace.  Happiness is found in strange places.  It is found where there is conflict. Happiness is found where there is . . . 8. Mistreatment. Matthew 5:10  10     Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Don’t miss the surprises in Jesus’ statements.  Each one of his statements was surprising.  This one is surprising because everyone viewed suffering as an indicator that something is wrong.  But Jesus shows that suffering mistreatment like this may be an indicator that something is right!  This kind of suffering does not indicate God’s displeasure.  This kind of suffering marks people as truly those who are like Jesus!, and approved by God.  Christians are citizens of another kingdom, yet we live in this hostile kingdom.  This fact results in clashes and mistreatments.  Jesus says, don’t look around and wonder what you are doing wrong when you are mistreated.  You might be doing it right.  Those who are effectively living the Christian life will be living through difficulties and hardship.  Some of these hardships will be caused directly because of the stands we take. Everyone wants to be liked; it is our nature. It is not possible to please everyone, especially if you are a Christian. A person who lives as a genuine Christian is perceived as a real nuisance to many who are not Christian.  Why is that?  Why are Christians who endeavor to be peace makers perceived as trouble makers?  Perhaps Jesus answered this question when he said something that sounds very different.  Matthew 10:34-36  34“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ How could this come from the same man?  Jesus just understood the simple truth that those who become followers of Christ would become enemies to people who didn’t even though they are trying to be peacemakers.  Imagine being in a Jewish household at about 50 AD and you became a follower of Christ.  This brought division within the family whether you wanted it to or not.  People hated Jesus, and they will also hate his followers.  Today Christians are badly mistreated and misrepresented in many places in the world.  Persecution can be a character builder. It becomes a visible proof of your allegiance.  Often the persecuted church is a more pure church.  The persecution has a tendency to shake off all the dead wood from the branches.  Persecution can make us a more effective witness. Conclusion Well, that’s the picture of the happy life. How do you like it? You don’t have to accept it, you know. But when you find yourself asking, “Is there something more?” Remember that Jesus told you how to find Happiness in strange places.  Dear Lord, We want the kind of lasting happiness and blessing that comes from you.  So we want to bend our attitudes to fit with your program for happiness.  We admit that we are poor in spirit.  We are spiritually bankrupt apart from your help.  We mourn over our own sin.  We have made many messes of our lives.  We have hurt you and we have hurt others.  We have every reason to remain humble.  Help us to respond with the strength of meekness, depending upon you.  We are hungry and thirsty for righteousness.  We want more of you in our lives.  We want to be merciful.  We choose to forgive those who have hurt us.  We release them into your hands.  Help us to be people who reflect your mercy.  Lord, we ask you to cleanse our hearts so that we might be pure of heart.  Where we are holding back, help us to see how it is hurting us rather than making us happy.  Lord we offer ourselves to you as instruments of peace.  Help us to have the courage to be part of the solution for people who need peace like we have received.  Give us courage when we find ourselves in conflicts.  Give us the ability to go through that tunnel of chaos to the place of reconciliation.  Lord, give us courage to stand for the things you stand for, even when it means mistreatment, or misunderstanding.  Allow us to shine with the light of life you place in us, through Jesus.  It is in His Name that we pray. Amen.

Last Messages...

I can only imagine being there, at the end of that first century...with a  gray haired and gray bearded Apostle John writing those final letters. With many people around him, writing those final letters of the most  beautiful chapters ever written in the Bible. It was heard, seen and touched. All of which we have seen from the beginning, with our eyes, heard with our ears and explored with our hands. Life that was manifested, seen and bear witness that eternal life which is with the Father, seen and heard will have fellowship with us and we will have fellowship with Him. The Father and the Son, Jesus Christ, these things we write to you, God is Light and of no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him yet do not have light nor bear witness, then we have lied and not followed the Truth, and followed darkness. If we walk in the Light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with each other and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us of all sin.When we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is therefore not in us. We must stand for the Gospel...The Son gives us Truth - For the Bible says He has come for the sick - as it was the sick who need the help and the sinful that need to be free from sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of  our sins and all unrighteousness. If we say to Him that we have not sinned, we are making Him a liar and the Word is not in us. So we must call ourselves sinners, we must realize we are saved by grace. This very grace that He Himself has given us as a gift. For there is not one man who can ever walk this world and have not sinned. Only Jesus Himself. Not one that ever walked this world and say that they have not sinned. So we must confess our sins, for He is faithful and just to forgive us. As He sits at the mercy seat of the Father, and we sin, He looks at the Father and says "I have died for that man". This is what it is. This is what a man in his 90's or closer to his hundredth year back from Pamos-back from exile....soldiers of Life - the Apostls, wanted to give us... everything that he could to help us have an intimate relationship with God. And God's top priority for your life is   for you to walk in close fellowship with Him. And this we have to do. Walk in close fellowship with the Father through the Son. May the Holy Spirit, by the saving grace, which is a gift in itself. That no man shall boast. This is what this last Apostle wanted to tell us. This is what the one chapter, with the three letters in which the old man John-the Apostle they said would never die, wanted us to know. That He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin, and to cleanse us all from all unrighteousness. 

Amen

Daniel

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

And one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (NAS, Mark 12:28-31)

In Jesus' teachings, our relationship with our fellow men, women and children is inseparable from our relationship with God. Love of God and love of our neighbors are two aspects of the same calling:

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (NIV, John 13:34-35)

Who is my Neighbor?
We commonly think of neighbors as the people who live near us, but Jesus meant it to include all mankind - even our enemies! Jesus told His famous parable of the Good Samaritan to make it clear that "love your neighbor" means to love all persons, everywhere - not just our friends, allies, countrymen, etc.:

One day an expert on Moses' laws came to test Jesus' orthodoxy by asking him this question: "Teacher, what does a man need to do to live forever in heaven?" Jesus replied, "What does Moses' law say about it?" "It says," he replied, "that you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbor just as much as you love yourself." "Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you shall live!" The man wanted to justify (his lack of love for some kinds of people), so he asked, "Which neighbors?" Jesus replied with an illustration: "A Jew going on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money, and beat him up and left him lying half dead beside the road. "By chance a Jewish priest came along; and when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Jewish Temple-assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but then went on. "But a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw him, he felt deep pity. Kneeling beside him the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his donkey and walked along beside him till they came to an inn, where he nursed him through the night. The next day he handed the innkeeper two twenty-dollar bills and told him to take care of the man. 'If his bill runs higher than that,' he said, 'I'll pay the difference the next time I am here.' "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the bandits' victim?" The man replied, "The one who showed him some pity." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same." (TLB, Luke 10:25-37)

The Jews and Samaritans had been enemies for hundreds of years. The Jews of Jesus' society considered the Samaritans to be ceremonially unclean, socially outcast, religious heretics (Mays, p. 1029). Yet, the Samaritan took pity on the poor man who had been robbed and beaten. He gave freely of both his time and his money to help this Jewish man who was not only a stranger, but also an enemy from a foreign country. In His parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus challenges us to "Go and do the same."
To reinforce that "love your neighbor" applies to everyone, Jesus extended the rule of love to even our enemies!

"There is a saying, 'Love your friends and hate your enemies.' But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way you will be acting as true sons of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust too. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even scoundrels do that much. If you are friendly only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even the heathen do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. (TLB, Matthew 5:43-48)

Like the unselfish Samaritan man of Jesus' parable, we are called to extend our love and concern to all persons everywhere, as our neighbors. We should not exclude anyone or any group because of social status, a supposed character fault, religious difference, racial difference, ethnic difference, citizenship difference, etc.
Related verses: Matthew 22:34-39, Luke 6:27-38
Forgive Others
Jesus calls us to remember that we are all God's children. Just as He loves all His people and is willing to forgive their sins, we must be willing to forgive others who have done wrong to us:

"For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. "But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. (NAS, Matthew 6:14-15)

Anger can consume us with hatred and block out the love of God. Whether between parent and child, spouses, friends, or nations, expressions of anger divide us and drive us toward open hostility. More often than not, our angry feelings are based on a misinterpretation of what someone said or did. A grudge clouds our judgment and may lead us to an act of revenge that can never be undone.
The Old Testament law specified equal revenge for equal wrong: "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (Exodus 21:23-25, Leviticus 24:19-20.) But this rule was too harsh for the new age of the kingdom of God. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said the right thing to do is to take no revenge at all.

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' "But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. (NAS, Matthew 5:38-39)

The need to forgive is not some ideal that we cannot hope to attain. Forgiveness is necessary to free us from the dark cloud of anger and resentment that can literally destroy our own lives. We cannot afford to wait for the other person to repent and apologize. Unless we let go of our anger and the desire to punish or get even, the love of God cannot enter our lives.
Related verses: Matthew 6:12, Matthew 5:21-24, Matthew 5:38-48, Matthew 18:21-35, Mark 11:25, Luke 6:37, Luke 17:3-4
Help the Needy

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. "And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' "Then they themselves also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (NAS, Matthew 25:31-46)

Jesus could hardly have made things plainer than in His Parable of the Sheep and Goats, above. We are not meant to live hard-hearted or self-centered lives. We are called to put our faith into practice and truly love our neighbors, especially those less fortunate.
God has given each of us unique talents and gifts to use in His service. His work for us on earth is to use our gifts and talents in the service of others! Each of us has something to offer to someone in need. We can give our money and our time to charity, be a friend to someone who is sick or lonely, do volunteer work, or be a peacemaker. We may give unselfishly of our time to our spouse, children or parents. We may choose a service-oriented occupation, or we may just do our everyday jobs with integrity and respect for others.
It would seem that the more we give to others, the poorer we become, but just the opposite is true! Service to others brings meaning and fulfillment to our lives in a way that wealth, power, possessions and self-centered pursuits can never match. As Jesus said,

For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give- large or small- will be used to measure what is given back to you." (TLB, Luke 6:38)

Does this mean we can't satisfy Jesus' command unless we have abundant wealth to give, or extraordinary talents to serve other? No! It is not how much we give, but the spirit in which we give that counts with God. Each of us is called to give generously of what wealth and talents we have been given - whether it is a little or a lot. Jesus compared a poor widow, who gave only a little, to the wealthy men who gave much more. The wealthy men had only given a token amount from their great wealth. In God's eyes, the widow gave much more because she gave from the heart:

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything- all she had to live on." (NIV, Mark 12:41-44)

Each of us has something to give. Some have wealth, some have talents, and some have time. Whatever gifts we have been given - large or small - we should share generously. When we do, we make the world better for someone else and find true meaning and satisfaction in our own lives.
Related verses: Matthew 6:1-4, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:17-27, Mark 12:41-44, Luke 6:30, Luke 14:12-14, Luke 12:33-34, Luke 14:12-14, Luke 19:1-9, Luke 21:1-4.

Follow the Golden Rule

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (NIV, Matthew 7:12)

The Golden Rule, spoken by Jesus, is possibly the best-known quote from the Bible, and sums up Jesus' ethical teachings in one short sentence. If we wish to be loved, we must give love. If we wish to be respected, we must respect all persons - even those we dislike. If we wish to be forgiven, we must also forgive. If we wish others to speak kindly of us, we must speak kindly of them and avoid gossip. If we want strong marriages, we must be loyal and faithful to our spouses. If we wish to be fulfilled in our lives, we must share generously with others. If we wish to reap the rewards of our Heavenly Father's love, we must truly love all His people.
If we do not wish to be judged harshly, then we must not judge others harshly. Often we are tempted to call someone else a "sinner" or to think of ourselves as holier. However, we are called to correct the faults within ourselves, not to criticize or condemn others:

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (NIV, Matthew 7:1-5)

Jesus' comical story tells of a man trying to remove a speck of sawdust (a minor fault) from his friend's eye while he is blinded by a huge plank (a major fault) in his own eye. Jesus says that as long as we have our own faults and sinfulness (which we always will), we do not have the right to criticize others.
The golden rule - treat others as you would want to be treated - is the standard Jesus set for dealing with other people.
Related verses: Matthew 5:22-28, Matthew 12:34-37, Matthew 20:25-28, Mark 9:35-37, Luke 6:27-36, Luke 6:37-38, Luke 12:57-59, John 8:3-11
In His sermons and parables, Jesus seeks to shock us out of our selfishness and worldliness and create in us a true passion for the welfare of our fellow men, women and children around the world. Universal love is at the very heart of Jesus' teachings; it is God's earthly work for us.
What matters to God is our love for Him and our love for each other. Wealth, power and status count for nothing in the kingdom of God. When we truly love our neighbors, we do our part to make the world a better place, and we find our own fulfillment in life.