April 23 – The Sureness of God’s Word

April 23 – The Sureness of God’s Word

Isaiah 55:10  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Another incomparable comparison that is made in God’s Word. This comparison is about God’s Word. The hydrological cycle always supplies the earth with water. This is God’s plan for the growth of plants. Notice the reference to seed to the sower. At this present time, many are preparing and planting gardens. Seed is needed to drop in furrows and then the prayer for rain goes up. This rain will cause the seed to bud and grow and produce a harvest because someone has invested in sowing seed.

God gives us many examples in the New Testament of sowing seed. This is our example to sow the seed of the Word. This is a continuous process because the field is always white unto harvest. We must be faithful even when we are discouraged. The emphasis is on God’s Word. It is not our words or our wisdom. God has promised that His Word will not return void. God will take the seed we deposit and send the rain from the Holy Spirit and cause the seed to grow in the heart. God said His Word would not return empty or void. God’s Word will always accomplish the work God intends for it.

He is simply waiting for us to sow the Word to all we meet and then allow Him to work within the hearts where the seed has been sown. Are we sowing the seed?

FEBRUARY 26 – See this Great Thing

FEBRUARY 26 – See this Great Thing

1Samuel 12:16  Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes. 

Watch this! I am going to rain on your parade. The first of this verse is stand. This reminds me of children that are often fidgety. The Lord says, PAY ATTENTION. His address is really about their rebellion in asking for a King. God is going to show His displeasure because of their rebellion. Pay attention and see what I will do right here before your eyes. This was an occasion that God wants the people to remember. This could be called “cause and effect.” Because of rebellion, God was going to affect their lives and not in a good way.

For all we do, there are consequences. Some are good. Some are bad. The question, why do we run the risk of bad consequences. The answer is we yield to desire and relinquish the mind of God to exercise our human mind in futility. It is futile to try and out-think God. Man always has a better way than God’s way. All too often it is youth and a desire to do great things that propel us to disaster. I am guilty and I have little doubt you are guilty. Has this thought run through your mind? If I did this, I would really get some attention for God? I thank the Lord that these were temporary thoughts that were never put into action. The Word dissuaded me.

The other thought that would come to accompany the new plan was does God approve or am I going to have to rationalize what I do to make it acceptable. I noticed how ineffective my rationalizing influenced my wife. That caused me to remember that God looks on the heart. I made the determination that I did not need the thunder and rain in my life.

I determined to not rebel and simply do things God’s way.

A LETTER TO GOD

MINNIE MEMBERS

1001 Excuse Avenue

Dear God Up In Heaven,

I wanted to write you and let you know why we don’t attend the services of the church faithfully.

You have chosen for Your day, a day that comes at the end of a hard week when we are all tired out. Also, it comes just after Saturday night and that is the night we feel we should enjoy ourselves and take in a movie or a ball game, or a party; and it is usually after midnight when we get to sleep. You have chosen the very day on which we need to sleep late. Then, too, my family demands a big Sunday dinner; and when I get up so late, I can’t get all this prepared and make it to Bible study and for preaching. John likes to read the Sunday sports page thoroughly, and the kids want to read all the funnies. I mean no disrespect, but it seems to me that You picked the wrong day.

Then, too, we must think of John. John works hard all week, and Sunday is about the only day he has to catch up on odd jobs around the house. I also feel like he should have one day a week to sleep, fish, golf, or visit the folks he doesn’t see during the week.

Please try to understand and don’t hold this against us.

Last Sunday we meant to go to church but had company. The Sunday before, we meant to go, but it was raining. The Sunday before that you know how cold it was. I was telling John last night that we just had to get back to church or people would thin we had quit. You know how people like to talk.

Days of Noah

Author – Bob Hess
TODAY AND THE DAYS OF NOAH ARE LIKE LOOKING IN A MIRROR:
“As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For just as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” Matthew 24:37-41
What are these verses telling us? We are told that Noah was a preacher of righteousness (Contrary to how the new movie portrays him), according to 2 Peter 2:5. He was a righteous man (living a life that was right in the eyes of God), blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God, according to Genesis 6:9.
When Noah began building the Ark, I can just imagine how those who observed what he was doing reacted. Being a “preacher of righteousness”, I can see Noah telling the people what God was planning to do. But in spite of watching this faithful man of God, being obedient to God, the people continued on in living each day as though Noah was crazy for doing what he was doing. A flood? It doesn’t even rain. Where is all the water going to come from that will cover our city, let alone the whole world? I can just hear them saying, as days became months and months became years. Then came the 119th year, and still no rain, let alone a flood. But, Noah kept building and making the preparations that God had instructed him to do.
But people STILL continued on with their same lifestyle of “eat, sleep and be merry”. Noah was “crazy” – “Building an ark because it is going to rain and kill everyone?”. Finally at the end of the 120th year from the day that Noah was told that God had had it with man, Noah had completed the task that God had given him – completely and he made sure that every “I” was dotted and very “T” was crossed (Genesis 6:22). God told Noah to get into the ark with the seven members of his family, and GOD SHUT THE DOOR OF SAFETY.
Today, many of God’s people are telling the people of this world that Jesus is about to return. But, life goes on as usual. Things are becoming more and more evil as each day passes bye, just as they did in the day of Noah. Right is becoming wrong and wrong is becoming right – homosexuality, abortion, etc. (Isaiah 5:20-24 and Malachi 2:17). In Malachi, God said that He is tired of them saying that “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD and He is pleased with them”. Sound familiar? We are facing a day when people spit in the face of God by saying that homosexuality is OK in God’s sight when God’s Word says otherwise.
Well folks. Jesus IS COMING BACK SOON. People can deny it if they want to. But Peter warned the Christians of his day that “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say “Where is this coming He promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:4)
The scoffers are becoming the majority today. But we can’t give up and we can’t give in. We need to be “preachers of righteousness” just as Noah was as he waited for God’s promise to be fulfilled for 120 years. I honestly don’t believe that we have 120 years. Who knows? We may not even have another 120 minutes.

THE BRIGHT SIDE by Jo-Ann M. Daugherty

Some people see rainbows
While others – just rain
Some people see failure
While others see gain

Some people see dark clouds
While others see sun
Some people have worries
While others have none

And the reason for this
Is quite simple, I guess
Some just look at the bright side
To find happiness

Technorati Tags: happy fainbow, rain failure, gain

JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING

POEM

JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING

Nights can be long and so lonely

Filled with such anguish and pain,

Jut joy cometh in the morning

Like sunshine after the rain.

Sometimes your heart can be aching

Filled with such grief and sorrow,

But joy cometh in the morning

Bringing hope for the morrow.

For God hath not always promised

Sunshine and blue skies above,

But joy cometh in the morning

Bringing God’s peace and His love.

They say it always seems darkest

in the hours before the dawn,

But joy cometh in the morning

Giving us faith to go on.

Thus we should trust Jesus always

Give Him each sorrow and pain,

For joy cometh in the morning

Like sunshine after the rain.

Mary E. Harrington