Psalm 118:28 I will give you thanks!

Psalm 118:28 You are my God, and I will give You thanks. You are my God, and I will exalt You.

We live in a fallen world and things happen that are out of our control. Our church bus was returning from a camp full of teens in a winter storm and ended up on its side. No lives were lost and several teens had serious injuries but have fully recovered. 

Last Sunday we were driving to church and a deer came out of nowhere damaging the fender, headlight, hood and bumper. The accident appraiser commented we were very lucky as it could have been much worse.

My insurance covers animal involved accidents 100%.

You are my God, and I will give You thanks. You are my God, and I will exalt You.

Even in times of tragedy God is with us.

I will give you thanks!

Blessings, David 

Nehemiah 4:14 Remember the Lord!

Nehemiah 4:14 After I had made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

When Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall their enemies were ridiculing and plotting against them. Nehemiah said, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome”...

Yes the Lord is great and awesome! Whatever battle you are facing today, remember He is with you. Whatever struggle you face, He is there in the midst.

Don’t forget, God loves you!

Remember the Lord!

Blessings, David 

A Change of Perspective. 1 Timothy 2:1-7 NLT

Prayer is communion with God. Supplication is asking for something but prayer should never just be presenting our laundry list of wants and needs to God. Intersession is praying for the needs of someone else. Gratitude for who He is and what He has done should always be included in prayer. 

It's easy to pray for those we love and care about but what about those that annoy us? What about those people we have do interact with but don't like? How do we pray them? 

I've found the best way to pray for them is to pray for myself instead. Sure we can ask God to change their heart, draw them to Him, convict them of their wrongdoing. But what if we just pray for God to allow us to see them as He sees.  What if we ask God to help us love them like He love's. What if all that really needs to change is our perspective.

1 Timothy 2:1-7 NLT 

1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.  2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.  3 This is good and pleases God our Savior,  4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.  5 For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.  6 He gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. 7 And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I’m not exaggerating—just telling the truth. 

Blessings, Cecilia 

Deuteronomy 5:7 & Matthew 5:22 Have you been angry at anyone?

Deuteronomy 5:7 You shall not murder.

In 1988 a friends sister was murdered while walking her dog. She was four months pregnant and had a child at home. This cold case was cracked by volunteers and the six year old son of the perpetrators who was present at the time. The son said he has been traumatized since this incident.

https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/publicsafety/arrests-made-in-murder-of-south-bend-s-miriam-rice/article_7ba36a12-f5f4-5f29-8123-a3b60b68a42a.html

Why do people murder? Since Adam and Eve sin has been in our blood. Since Cain and Able murder has stained the earth.

King David committed murder and he repented when confronted by the prophet.

God forgave him but also disciplined him. 

Have you ever been angry at someone?

Matthew 5:22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. NASB

Have you been angry at anyone?

I’m guilty, I got angry at my wife yesterday.

Blessings, David 

Job 1:1, 5 Job’s example!

Job 1:1 There once was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil.

5And when the days of feasting were over, Job would send for his children to purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.

Would we have heard about Job if Satan didn’t try to make him curse God? Take note of the wording, “blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil.”

God was confident in His servant.

And look at Job’s regular practice for his children. Jesus fulfilled the law so we no longer are required to perform burnt offerings for sin. 

But do you pray for your children everyday because “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.”?

Let’s try to follow Job’s example and be “blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil”! And make a regular practice of praying for your children.

Blessings, David 

Romans 1:28-31 Pray, pray and pray!

Romans 1:28 Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and hatred. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. 31They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless.

We wonder why the world and the younger generation seems to be getting worse? 

When people refuse to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind.

Last night the president nominated a new Supreme Court justice and as soon as he did the protests began in front of the Supreme Court. It got so unruly Fox News cancelled a live show.

I believe they have depraved minds, they are full of hatred. There was also two elected officials there speaking, firing up the unruly crowd.

What can we do? Pray! Pray for our elected officials, our county, the protesters, our children, our church and....

Pray for the depraved mind!

But also pray for a revival!

Pray for His will!

Pray, pray and pray!

Blessings, David 

Hebrews 2:3-4 How shall you escape?

Hebrews 2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.

Salvation confirmed. 

Who or what confirmed your salvation? What brought you to Christ?

For me my convincing factor was reading the Bible and Paul’s writing’s about his life because he was persecuting and imprisoning Christians, saw the Light and accepted Gods grace. 

He proved to me a sinner could sin less and have his salvation confirmed!

My salvation was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.

Look back on you life as a sinner before salvation and after salvation. Can you see His grace, signs, wonders, miracles and gifts in your life?

Are you not paying proper attention, disregarding (neglect) such a great salvation? 

If so, how shall you escape?

Blessings, David