Rejoice in the Lord - Always!

Sunday night, as I scrolled through Facebook, I kept seeing postings about people who had decided to give their lives to Jesus - putting Him on in baptism, having their sins washed away.  I don't know how many people I read about....maybe 20....but it was people from all over the United States.

Yesterday I read about a lady who is working in a prison ministry and has taught 44 ladies there about Jesus using the book "A Muscle and a Shovel" by Michael Shank.  All 44 of them did the same or were restored....repenting of their sins and turning their lives and hearts back to Him.What a wonderful thing it is when the Lord adds people to the church or causes their heart to be pricked to turn back to Him!!

Mr. Shank's sequel to "A Muscle and a Shovel" is called, "When Shovels Break". It will be released in January 2015, but is about Mike's friend who became a Christian, but then turned back to his old life.  He almost committed suicide because he felt so unworthy of Christ's love and forgiveness. He was hopeless. He didn't feel like he could ever be redeemed because of his return to sin and didn't feel like God would even want him back.

Many feel that same way - that they've gone too far into the depths of sin.  Nothing is further from the truth! God can redeem the lost and those who walk away!  He will forgive, and He does!

I can't wait to read that story.  I'm sure it will direct many more souls to Jesus, pointing them to the truth found in God's Word.

Jesus' disciples are still fishing, just as they did 2,000 years ago! They are fishing for men and women, not fish!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4

....NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD

As I was preparing my lesson for my Wednesday night ladies class about 'PEACE", I came across this verse.  

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 

Hebrews 12:14

I had read it many times before, but the last part really stuck out to me:  Without holiness no one will see the Lord.  I believe this verse is talking about a Christians' own holiness....that without holiness WE won't see the Lord, but also that without our holiness we can't help bring others to Christ and THEY won't see the Lord through us.

WITHOUT HOLINESS NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD! 

It reminded me of a quote I had seen earlier in the day:  May your life preach more loudly than your lips. (by William Ellery Channing).  

Now let's turn that phrase around and make it say:  WITH HOLINESS ONE WILL SEE THE LORD.  I like that, don't you?!  What a wonderful thought that ONE WILL SEE THE LORD - perhaps by seeing holiness within you.  Perhaps many 'someones' will see the Lord because of seeing holiness in you. Not that your example saves anyone, of course, but that your example might lead someone to salvation - only through Jesus Christ. Your life's example could ultimately affect where someone will spend eternity!

How we live our lives from day to day matters.  How we conduct ourselves, how we speak, how we deal with others all matter.  Choices we make matter. Yes, at some point we must open our mouths (or type on our laptops/etc. and write a blog post!) and tell others about Jesus.  We must tell others about salvation....about God's plan.....about His Word and His church.  But, our words won't matter if we're not living what we say we believe.  No one will care about our words, if they don't see our words evident in our own lives.  It's just that simple.

We must strive to live holy lives. That is how the world will see Jesus - by Him living in us.  We are lights of the world.  The moment we became a Christian, we became a light.  That is our job.  The problem is that sometimes we don't want to be a light....or we don't want to shine too brightly.  But we must.  Living a holy life means we must shine brightly.  The world needs our light!

Our motivation for shining brightly shouldn't be from duty or obligation, but because we love Him so much, we want to live holy lives because we want to be like Him.  We want to imitate Him in all ways.  And we want to share His love with others.  

Someone you know is looking for Jesus.  They may not realize it, but they're craving a close relationship with Him and their Father in heaven.  God may be trying to use you to reach that person.  Maybe no one else could.  Without holiness no one will see the Lord.  Perhaps that person is seeing the Lord in you.  What a wonderful thought!  

The Bible on TV

Did you watch "The Bible" on the History channel last night?  If you didn't, I hope that you will take the time to check on the next airing of the mini-series. It was a very well-made movie, and our family is looking forward to watching the remaining eight hours in the series.  

We enjoyed talking about how the Bible was depicted, searching scriptures about certain points in the TV story - comparing them to the Bible for correctness, and watching the way miracles of God were played out on the set.  Seeing the difference in the Israelites and Egyptians - in the way they looked, dressed, and lived was very interesting.  

It was really good to "watch" the rebellion of the people that we read about so often in the Word.  To see Lot's wife turn to 'look' at Sodom and Gomorrah, then turn to salt in front of our eyes was very graphic, but made a great point.  To see the faith of Noah, Abraham, and Moses was very inspiring.  It made a big impression on our children - seeing it and not just hearing or reading it.

When Abraham bound up Isaac and placed him on the altar as a sacrifice, our youngest said, "I couldn't do that!".  We talked about how hard that would have been to even consider doing, but that God wants us to have that deep of faith that we would trust Him just as Abraham did.  I want to have that kind of faith, but I'm not sure I do right now.  That's the kind of faith we should all strive to have.

I couldn't help but wonder how God feels about all of us now.  Yes, He loves us.  Yes, He is patient with us.  Yes, He wants all of us to be saved and live with Him for eternity.  But just like the story depicted, there are many rebellious people in the world.  So many refuse to believe Him and His Word.  Many live only to please themselves and don't care about Him or His Word.  They don't care about the Savior.  

Then others may not yet know about the Savior. That's why our job as Christians is so important!  It's our job to tell the world about God and His Son!  It's our job to teach others the truth found only in God's Word!  We must diligently work to spread the Good News!

Let's get busy!  We've got a lot to do!

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.

2 Peter 3:9-12a

A Simple Question......Or Not

This morning my brother-in-law asked a question in his sermon that has made me think.  I think it would make all of us think - or should.

IS ANYONE GOING TO HEAVEN 

BECAUSE OF YOU?

Think about this question as you go throughout this week.  If the answer is yes....Great!  Keep making disciples!  If the answer is no.....You and I have work to do.  Work for the Lord.

Either way you and I answer, there is still more work to do.  We can live a great example and people may come to know about Him because of the way we live, BUT....at some point we MUST open our mouths and share the Good News about Christ and about salvation.

Have a great week!

The Chronicles of Biscuit - Give and Take

The Chronicles of Biscuit: Stories about our youngest son whose nickname is Biscuit...

A few days ago, Biscuit asked me for his envelope of money.  It had been in my purse since our trip to Disney World, and he finally remembered to get it.  I'm not sure how much was in there, but around $25.00.

Several moments later Biscuit came to all of us and gave gifts to his two older brothers and his sister.  Two gifts were in little Christmas sacks and one was wrapped in a Walmart sack.  They opened their gifts and asked Biscuit why he was giving them his money.  His reply:  "It's fun to give!"  I praised him for giving and for being kind, but was a little surprised that he gave all of his money away because it's not the way he usually is turned.  He likes to get money and spend it.  Of course, being 10, he doesn't get much and we don't do allowances, so his income in close to nothing until birthdays come along.
His brothers and sister were surprised as well, but told him thank you.

Later on that evening, our oldest son was going to bed and got a little snippy with his sister.  I didn't hear about it until he was already in bed, but decided to say something to him the next morning.  Before he woke up, though, I found out that when he was rude, Biscuit went up to him and took his money away from him!  He said he wasn't going to let him have it because he had been mean!  Oh, that was funny to me!!!

When the older brother woke up and I talked to him about the way he acted, I mentioned the money....and it being taken away.  He said he knew Biscuit would eventually want it back, and he wasn't planning on keeping it anyway.

To me this story is just funny.  It wasn't a big deal, and it was interesting to see it play out as it did.  But this story does make me think about giving and taking.  What if God, who gives us the gift of salvation, took it away every time we sinned?  What if the blood of Jesus didn't continue to cleanse us when we ask for forgiveness?  Wouldn't that be horrible?  Yes!  It would!

Last week I was reading in the Old Testament about the sacrifices under the old law.  I can't imagine how they were ever able to keep all of those laws.  Well, they weren't able to, were they?  They had rules for taking care of those sins.  And even the rules to cover the sins would be difficult to keep.  It was give and take....give and take....give and take.

That's what is so special about the sacrifice of Jesus under the new law. He was/is the final sacrifice - the perfect sacrifice.  He took the sins of the past, present and future upon himself and put them to death on the cross.  When you look at salvation now, it's pretty simple compared to all of those rules under the old law.

Because of God's grace, we don't have to worry about God "giving and taking".  His plan is perfect.  His grace is sufficient.  Our part is just to get on board with his perfect plan.   Grace is defined in an acrostic as,  "God's Riches at Christ's Expense".  Thank you, God!  Thank you for the new covenant.  Thank you for no more "give and take"!  Thank you the perfect sacrifice.  Thank you for Jesus.

Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office;  but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

Hebrews 7:22-28

Body and Soul

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deuteronomy 10:12

Below is a great quote from C.S. Lewis, but I'm not sure many in the world believe this truth.  Our soul will live on after our body dies.  We spend lots of time taking care of our bodies.  What is more important is that we spend time taking care of our souls.  

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

1 Peter 2:11-12

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man is going to comein his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Matthew 16:25-27

The Chronicles of Biscuit - Put it to Use!

The Chronicles of Biscuit - Stories about our youngest son, Tyler, whose nickname is Biscuit.

Last week I was talking to my mom on the phone when I picked Biscuit up from school.  When we got home and walked through the garage, Biscuit was eyeing a new golf bag.  He touched it, examined it, and smiled.  I asked him (still on the phone), "Is that your dad's?"  Biscuit said, "Yes."  As he raised up the cover I could tell there were new clubs, too.  "Are those new clubs?", I asked.  Biscuit replied, "New irons."

I began to tell my mom about my husbands' new bag, clubs, and a recent 'how to swing' video he had bought. "He's really trying to improve his game," I said to her within earshot of Biscuit.  Biscuit turned around and joined in the conversation with, "Yeah, but it would be better if dad actually got out and swung the club instead of just watching a video!"  Biscuit walked on to do his homework, as I kind of laughed about what he said and went on to finish the phone conversation.

When my husband got home, Biscuit and I relayed the whole 'new golf stuff' conversation to him.  He laughed about what Biscuit said, too, but quickly told him he had been practicing - even when Biscuit didn't know about it.  The old bag and clubs I had bought for him 23 years ago, so obviously he was due for more.  The old bag had holes in some of the pockets.  Even so, my husband and I laughed about his renewed hobby and getting new gadgets that go with it.

(Disclaimer: My husband knows about this blog post and approves.) Our conversation led to us joking and laughing about other 'things' that he had purchased over the years.  He's always been into the newest 'health/exercise' products and sometimes get-rich-quick schemes when we were newlyweds.  He admits it. It's not uncommon to find new things that are going to help him in this area, yet they sit around the house often unused. 

I'll never forget finding boxes and boxes and boxes of envelopes and papers in the closet in the first few years of marriage.  It was one of those 'stuffing envelopes' scams.  I never asked what happened to those.  Pretty sure they ended up in the trash!  Other things have been exercise bars (huge) that hang on the door frames.  Never saw it used.  Haven't seen it in years.  A huge, plastic exercise ball....I saw it used a few times.  FUNNIEST THING EVER!  There's no way I could have balanced on that ball.  I'm pretty sure my husband found that it was that way for him, too.  Didn't see it very long.  Many smaller, less HUGE things have stayed and gotten used: kettle bells, books, exercise videos, and a few other things.  But you know what?  It's true what Biscuit said.  If those 'gadgets' and self-help things aren't put to use, they will never help.   

Nothing - no matter how new and nice and useful it may be - will work, if we don't put it to use.

The same is true with our spiritual life.  When we become a Christian - which can ONLY come through Jesus. That process begins by believing in Him, realizing that our sin separates us from God and that repenting of that sin, confessing that belief, and coming in contact with the blood of Jesus that is symbolized through immersion/baptism.  It's at that moment we receive a wonderful gifts: Remission of our sins and the Holy Spirit to live in us!  

Maybe we found out about Jesus by hearing a sermon or lesson.  Maybe you read about Him yourself or someone told you about Him.  Maybe some of you even read about him online - through a website or blog.  Perhaps even now your are just now hearing about Him by reading this post.  YOU NEED JESUS!  HE IS THE ONLY WAY TO OBTAIN SALVATION!  HE IS YOUR ACCESS TO GOD!

But, just like Biscuit said, that my husband must swing the club and put those new tools to use, YOU must use the gifts God gave you.  The gifts He has or He will freely give you!

Here are THREE STEPS TO PUT OUR GIFTS TO USE:

1.  USE GOD'S WORD

You and I must use God's Words.  Even if we hear the words from someone else, we'll never grow and mature like we should if we don't read them ourselves.  

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 

1 Peter 2:2-3

2. BE MORE LIKE JESUS BY RELYING ON THE HOLY SPIRIT

You and I must strive to be more like Jesus.  The Holy Spirit lives within us and will help us grow and be more like Him, but we have to allow that Spirit to help us.  When we don't 'put the Holy Spirit' to use, we are grieving Him.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 

Ephesians 4:29-32

3. WALK IN HIS FOOTSTEPS

We can talk the talk of Christianity, but if we're not walking the walking our talk is useless.  There is more to believing and confessing that a one-time-covers-it-all deal.  True belief, true confession results in true change in our lives.  Not that we'll never sin again, but that our walk is striving to imitate Jesus....that we're not deliberately sinning.

Changing attitudes and habits is not always an easy task! Established thoughts and behaviors resist being altered! However, change is easier when we clearly see the dangers of continuing old habits, understand the benefits we can gain by adopting new behaviors and learn what actions are needed to replace our old behaviors. This gives us a clear path we can follow.  The path is the one where we're following Jesus' footsteps.  We can read all about that in the Bible.

If we are not walking with Him, we're not living in the light.  And if we're not living in the light, we're in serious trouble.

God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 

1 John 1:5-7

To remain in Jesus is to strive to walk with Him....by His example we read about.

 But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: ⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.  

1 John 2:5-7

When we stop walking with Him, we're forsaking God, His Word, His Spirit, and His Son.  We're saying to God that we don't want His gift of salvation.  And that's the saddest and most heartbreaking state of "not putting to good use" there could ever, ever be.

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,⁵ who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, ⁶ if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because^[b] to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

Hebrews 6:4-6

Nothing can separate us from the LOVE of God, but we can choose to turn away from Him.  We can reject His salvation. Sadly, it happens all of the time. 

Put to 'good use' all that God has given you!  Remember, if you've got all of the 'stuff', but not actively doing it, it's useless.  And Biscuit might need to have a talk with you!

On this GRATITUESDAY, I am grateful for the opportunity God has given me to put His gift to good use!  I pray that my goal and desire is to serve Him to the best of my ability.  His gifts of salvation are free, but He wants me and all of His children to love Him and serve Him.  That is how I show Him I love Him.  I want nothing more that to do just that!  I hope and pray that is your desire, as well.

It's All His!

Have you seen the quote that says, "What if all you had when you woke up today was what you thanked God for yesterday."?  It makes you think, doesn't it?  If that truly happened, each day we would be more diligent to pray for the things that are the most important to us, wouldn't we?  Of course we would!

I'll add to that thought a quote from a recent sermon from our minister:  "Nothing we have is ours.  It is God's.  He has loaned it to us."  And I'll go a step further and say that God can - at any time - decide He wants it back!  Not as a mean, uncaring God, but sometimes just to show us that all of this "stuff, things, and even the people in our lives" is His.  Maybe He wants us to learn to rely more on Him and less on all that "stuff" that really isn't ours.  Or perhaps He wants us to be more grateful for all we have.  Or maybe He's just finished loaning it out and wants it back.  After all, it belongs to Him.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

1 Timothy 6:17

We humans are greedy, by nature.  We're like the pelicans on "Finding Nemo" who shout out "MINE! MINE! MINE!!" over and over and over.  We're selfish.  We want what is ours and often want what is YOURS, too.

So back to the original thought...of thanking God for what we have today.  Isn't it easier to be thankful for it all when we realize how blessed we are by what God has given us?  Isn't it easier to think clearly about what we're thankful for if we think about the fact it might not be here tomorrow?

Gratitude should constantly be on our lips and in our hearts.  Our loving, caring, heavenly Father has been so good to us - no matter how rich or poor we are here on earth.  He gave us the hope - a confident expectation - in what is to come when this earthly life is over.  A home in Heaven with God and Jesus forever and ever!  That promise is for every one of His children...for all whose names are written in the book of Life.

So, Christian, be thankful for what He has given you today.  And remember, He is only loaning it to you.  Some day He will want it all back.  He's even loaned you to someone.  Someday He's going to want you back, too.

He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 

Revelation 3:5

Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Revelation 21:27

Christ Died for YOU!

From "Stand on the Rock": https://www.facebook.com/stand.on.the.rock

It is so hard for me to understand when people have a flippant attitude towards God, Jesus, the Bible, and the church.  I can't fathom the attitude of "It's my life, and I can do whatever I want to do!" It makes no sense to me, and it's nothing that I would even want to do.

Don't people realize that God does matter?  Don't they know He loves them - that He created them?  Don't they care that Jesus died for them so that they might live eternally in Heaven instead of in the fires of Hell?  Don't they care about anyone but themselves at all?  Do they really believe the world just "boomed" into existence?

Sadly, many don't care about God, Jesus, the Bible, and the church....and many won't.  I don't understand it.  Maybe you don't, either.  Or maybe you are one that feels the other way - that God isn't real and doesn't matter.

I pray that everyone will come to the realization that God does matter....that Christ did, indeed, die for them.....and that His church and His Word matters.  God wants everyone to be saved.  And so do I.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all people.

1 Timothy 2:1-6

The Chronicles of Biscuit - The Most Important Decision....Biscuit's Baptism

The Chronicles of Biscuit: Stories about our youngest son, Tyler, whose nickname is Biscuit.

I had plans to not do a "Chronicles of Biscuit" title for this special post, but I had to because today Biscuit was baptized! And, when we arrived at the building, Biscuit's Uncle Ken had made this special screen for him!  So, I had to use the "Biscuit" :).  How sweet is that??!

Biscuit began asking questions about salvation, sin, forgiveness, and baptism some time ago....over a year ago.  But when we would ask him other questions, it was obvious he wasn't really sure about everything yet.  But yesterday, right after worship, Biscuit said, "I need to be baptized!"  We knew he was serious and that he understood why he needed to be and what baptism did.  He wanted his dad to baptize him, but my husband was preaching out of town.  In fact, he wasn't going to be home until 10:00 p.m., and Biscuit would have been asleep by then.  My husband and I talked about it and decided that tonight, after a full day of school for the kids, work for him, then a football game tonight, we would finally all be together after the football game.  Biscuit's baptism was planned for then....around 8:30 p.m.

Last night Biscuit told me that he wanted to invite a few people....a few friends and family.  He had some special friends from camp he wanted to invite.  They live about an hour and fifteen minutes away, but we wrote them to tell them about it, anyway.  A few of the friends responded immediately that they wanted to come.  Biscuit was so excited!

(Biscuit with special friends: Matt, Jim, and Caylie)

This morning, as soon as Biscuit woke up, he had a plan.  He wanted us to sing some songs, then have his baptism, then sing some more songs.  I thought it was pretty neat he was planning the whole event himself!  My husband contacted his brother/our minister, and asked him to take care of the songs.

So after the football game tonight, a few friends and family met together for Tyler's baptism.  It was a special night for all of us, but more importantly, we know that God, Jesus, and the angels are rejoicing in his decision, as well. Our youngest of four children has now turned his life over to God and has put on the Lord in baptism.  All four of them have been baptized by their daddy!

My Facebook status said the following:

Tyler has HEARD the word of God since birth, he BELIEVED in God from a young age, as well, and knew that Jesus died for Him. Now Tyler has realized that sin separates us from God and that Jesus is the only way to get forgiveness for those sins and to become a child of God. Tyler has REPENTED of those sins, CONFESSED that Jesus is Lord to all who were present and to the Heavens above, and he will continue to do so. Tyler has made the decision to change his status from UNFORGIVEN to FORGIVEN by being BAPTIZED tonight. 

Praise God for Tyler's heart! 

Today after school, Tyler jumped in the car with a big smile. I asked if he was excited. He said yes. Then he said that this was one of the biggest decisions he would ever make. I said, "Yes, it is. What's another one?" He said, "Who I'll marry"...paused and said, "I'll probably be like Grammy and not go to my graduation." He was thinking Joe's mom didn't walk across the stage at graduation, but got married then instead. She actually did, but missed her Senior trip for her wedding. He's right.....that's the 2nd most important decision he'll ever make. 

Tonight Biscuit DID make the most important decision he could ever make.  I pray that he lives a long life of faithful service to God, that he continues to grow in the faith and in love, and that he strives to be a servant to God by imitating the example of Jesus, the Savior.

To his friends and family:  Please pray for Biscuit had he begins this new walk with Jesus, and thank you, in advance, for your love and support. 

On this Gratituesday, it's easy to see what I'm grateful for:  God's gift of salvation; the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus - the gospel; and for Tyler's decision to walk in this new life.

To see what others are grateful for, visit www.heavenlyhomemakers.com.

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Romans 6:4

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 

Galatians 3:26-27

Homecoming

It's spirit week at our school, leading up to Homecoming that will be held tonight before the football game.  If I haven't "bragged" already, our football team is ranked #1 in the state of Oklahoma for Class C, which is 8-man football.  So, it's an exciting season.

Homecoming is a time where school alumni comes back "home".  They come to cheer for the team. They come to support the Homecoming candidates.  They come to see friends and family.  Those of us who live hear enjoy greeting those who come.  Everyone is excited and there is a "celebration" feel in the air.

Some day there will be a huge homecoming.  When Jesus comes back, it will be like nothing else we have ever seen or heard.  That Day will come.  That day - that HOMECOMING day - God's children will reach their eternal home in Heaven.  What a great homecoming celebration that will be!!

The apostle Paul writes, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise . . ." 1 Thessalonians 4:16.  And Jesus Himself says:

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.  Matthew 24:30-31

We don't know when, but we can know it will.  No one can predict His return.  The Bible says so in Matthew 24:36. And because it says so, we must be ready for this day.  We know it's going to happen, but we don't always live like it could happen today.  Sometimes it's as if we want to wait until the last possible moment to do His Will, so that we can go on doing our own will.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 

Hebrews 10:23-25

So, how should we live waiting for this day?  THE DAY?  HOMECOMING?

2 Peter 3:10-18 (total passage is below.  It's long, but so very worth reading!) tells us how to live as we wait for that day. It also says that God is patient.  He's waiting for some to make the choice to follow Him.  He's waiting for some to turn their lives over to Him, to accept His gift of salvation, to have their sins washed away in baptism and to become one of His children. He wants all of us to be ready for that wonderful Homecoming celebration!  Maybe He is waiting for you.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. ¹⁶ He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
¹⁷ Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Blue Ribbons

These blue ribbons from the Oklahoma State Fair are pretty neat to a 4-H member who has had something place at the fair.  Of course, the blue ribbon is always the 1st place ribbon.  Because it's the State Fair it means a little bit more to the winner.  It means they placed 1st at their county fair to even be able to go to state, but then that their entry won over all of the other entries.  Perhaps they won over lots of other entries.  The prize is this ribbon and a sum of money.

When my children were little, they would enter lots of items in our local and county fair.  For one thing, it helped the local fair have more entries, but it also gave me an opportunity to do craft projects with my children all summer long...in preparation for the up-coming fairs.  An added bonus was that they won some money along with the ribbon awards.

After each fair, my daughter would take all of the ribbons - hers, mine, her brothers - and put them on a shelf that had five pegs.  She put all of the first place ribbons on the first one, 2nd place ribbons on the second, and so on....ending with the 5th place ribbons.  She enjoyed her collection.

When she was five we moved to a different house.  I told her the ribbons had to go....that we weren't going to keep all of them in the newer house.  She was a little disappointed at first, but quickly forgot about it.  We donated all of the ribbons to our county extension office to be recycled and used for the fairs.  To this day we still donate back all of our ribbons - keeping only a few for scrapbook purposes.  My kids have gotten so many ribbons in their lives that it isn't special to them any more.  The ribbon doesn't mean that much to them, though the placing that the ribbon represents does.  They still enjoy placing first, naturally! :)

On the flip side of this thought, I have a new 4-H member in my local club who entered a pencil drawing at the county fair.  He was soooooooo excited about his project and couldn't wait until it was time for the drawing to be judged.  As he rode home with me one day, he analyzed the other entries in his drawing category.  He kept saying, "I think I got this!  I think I can win this!"  He was so cute!  So you can imagine his excitement when he visited the fair the next day and found that he had won 1st place and that his drawing would be sent to the Oklahoma State Fair to compete at that level!  He was very, very proud of that blue ribbon.  I'm sure it's in a place of honor at his house!  He didn't place at the state fair and was disappointed that it didn't, but he's already ready to compete again next year - trying to do an even better job on his drawings.

Sometimes when we are "used" to blessings, we forget to recognize them as blessings.  We may become ungrateful and complacent in our thinking.  But we shouldn't.  We should be just as thankful in times of abundance as we are in times of drought, shouldn't we?  It may be harder to be thankful at the sparse times, but we should still praise God in those times.  We should still thank Him for the blessings we do have - because even in sparse times, our blessings are really still abundant if we will just stop and look around.

Yes, my children take winning ribbons for granted.  They've been doing it since they were little.  However, my little 4-H member doesn't.  This year - as a 9 year old - was the first ribbon he had ever won.  He was ecstatic!  He thought of it as a wonderful prize - something special that he took pride in because of the time he had spent on his entry and felt that he did a great job.  He was thankful for that prize and for what it meant.

This makes me think of our Christian lives.  Many Christians were "raised in the church"...meaning they attended worship with their parents as a baby, grew up worshipping and attending Bible classes regularly, were baptized many years ago, and still continue to be an active part of the Lord's church for the remainder of their life.  They've never known any different.  Of course, they recognize that they sin and that they had a need for a Savior, but they didn't ever go through a "rock bottom" stage of life.

On the other hand, some Christians weren't raised in a Christian home.  In fact, they had no knowledge of any type of spiritual life while growing up.  As a teen, they got into trouble.  Alcohol, drugs, sexual promiscuity were a big part of normal life until soon, addictions took hold of their life to the point they couldn't function.  They became beaten down.  Broken.  They hit rock bottom.  But someone came to visit them at the prison.  This person took the time to talk to them about eternity and God....Jesus....Salvation.  The person talked of how the blood of Jesus could wash all of the sin away.  It could be totally forgiven and explained that a new life could begin - a new life in Christ.  The person gave their life to God, claimed the promises spoken of in His Word, and put on the Lord in baptism to have their sins washed away and to be white as snow.  A baptized believer who was very thankful for the forgiveness of sins and for this new walk of life in the footsteps of Jesus!

Two extremes.  Both Christians.  Both thankful for their salvation given freely by God's gift of His Son.  Both thankful for a Savior who was willing to sacrifice His life for their life.

But what's the difference in the two?  The first Christian is thankful, but may not have the same appreciation for the gift as the second one.  They may even take it for granted. Not that it's the right attitude to have, but sometimes it's hard to realize just how special something is if you haven't seen the flip side of the scenario.  The second Christian knows what he/she has.  He/she knows how special that saving grace and forgiveness really is.  They've known what it is like to feel totally away from God.  They lived it for years.  The first Christian had God in their lives forever.  They lived it their whole life.

Which one are you?  The first Christian or the second or somewhere in the middle?  It would do us all good to think about how we think of our life in Christ.....analyze how we feel about salvation and our need for the Savior.

We don't want to get used to being a Christian....like my children have gotten used to getting the ribbons.  We want to remember how special that salvation and forgiveness really is!  We want to be excited about that gift, just as my little 4-H guy is excited about his blue ribbon!

Think about the gift today.  Think about the prize.  And think about how your feel about the sacrifice of Jesus for you.