Wednesday, November 30, 2011

God is Good, All the Time

Did you know that God is Good, All the Time? Actually, Good cannot exist without God. Did you know that there is no temptation that God cannot deliver you from. If God has delivered you from a sin, you no longer need to tell everyone that you are a sinner, i.e., alcoholic, thief, etc. If you have been delivered from sin by Christ, you no longer have that label. In your mind, you realize that you need to stay away from that sin, but you don't have to broadcast it to everyone once you have been delivered. 


'God is good, all the time' is one of my favorite phrases, mainly, because He is. Sometimes we may be disappointed in what we receive, but in the grand scheme of things, there is good waiting out there for us at all times. I feel we must earn it and the only way to worship God is to serve others. If God is pleased with your service to your fellow men/women, then he is more likely to show your his goodness. If you do service with a greedy heart, it is not service. That is to say, you only do good for others if you get something out of it. We should never ask or expect anything for our service. 


I did something significant that the Lord asked me to do a few years ago. It was not an easy thing to do, but I did it anyway. It took five long years and loads of praying, but it came to pass as it was God's Plan. I asked for guidance and prayed that the Holy Spirit would enter into the hearts of the ones who didn't think it was a good idea. Eventually, the day came that everything worked out and it was one of the happiest and most significant days in my life. It made a difference in our community and changed the dynamic is the area of town where it happened. A pastor who was involved told me that when I get to Heaven I will have a crown of rubies for my head. I never thought of that, but it sounds heavy. Have you ever heard the expression that I use all the time? 


Live for God, regardless of the inconvenience you face. Always let people know who you are. For myself, I bought a large silver cross in California when I was on a business trip. I used the per diem that the government provides for travel for the purchase of the cross instead of lots of expensive meals. I wear the cross most of the time and if not that one, I wear a small one. You would be amazed how it calms down a heated conversation. People who spew profanity usually take one look start talking without the swear words.

I love the quotation 'Profanity is the effort of a feeble mind to express itself forcefully.' I was told it was a quote from President George Washington. English is changing day by day and more people would be more cognizant of their language if they knew that intelligent people thought them ignorant because of their profanity. 

There are occasions where I have heard someone use a word for emphasis that wasn't very nice, but in the group there wasn't anyone who swore, so it was a very effective use of the word. Using profanity habitually does show ignorance and it also shows that that person does not care about anyone but themselves. Here I go on my soapbox again.


I was thinking the other day of all the things that I have to be thankful for. How about you? What have you got to be thankful for? Here is my list:
  • Thank You Lord for taking the cancer away from my body.
  • Thank You Lord for giving me such a good husband.
  • Thank You Lord for giving me such wonderful children and grand children.
  • Thank You Lord for my wonderful Christian Friends.
  • Thank You Lord for my friends who are not yet Christians.
  • Thank You Lord for the Holy Spirit who will be instrumental in making more friends Christian.
  • Thank You Lord for the health of my family and friends.
  • Thank You Lord for letting me know those who are sick that I can pray for.
  • Thank You Lord for this wonderful country where we are free to express our opinions and be all we can be.
  • Thank You Lord for connecting me with so many people on Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn, Blogger, etc., so that I may share my faith with them.
  • Thank You Lord for my Rheumatoid Arthritis so that I may know how it feels to show compassion for others. 
  • Thank You Lord for all the blessings that You have bestowed on me and my family.
  • Thank You Lord for providing me and mine with a home where we will live with You forever and ever in Heaven.
  • Thank You Lord for being You and Loving us so much that You would give Christ to us to deliver us from sin. 
Lord God, we love You and praise Your Holy Name. Amen


GOD IS GOOD - ALL THE TIME!


Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Editorial.Following God's Call to Popes and Paupers


By:  Dr. Jim White
Editor, Religious Herald

You probably heard the one about a guy named Rudy who claimed to know everybody in the world. “No, you don’t,” retorted his friend, Benny. “I’ll bet you don’t know the pope!”

“Sure I do,” replied Rudy. “Come to Rome and I’ll prove it.” So off they went to Rome where Benny stood with throngs of others in St. Peter’s Square. Just as he realized he had become separated from Rudy, the crowd began to cheer. The Pope made an appearance on the balcony, and to Benny’s utter amazement, standing beside him waving to the crowd, with Rudy.

Benny had to concede that his friend knew the Pope -- but he couldn’t know everybody in the world! To prove the point to himself, to the man next to him in the crowd he said, “Do you know that guy up there with the Pope?”. . .READ MORE