expectancy. what are you expecting GOD to do in your life? matthew 9.29 (niv), according to your faith it will be done to you.
there is a law that GOD has established that is called the law of expectation. and the fact is we tend to get what we expect out of life. we tend to see things we expect to see. we tend to hear things we expect to hear. we tend to feel the way we expect to feel. we inevitably accomplish what we expect we're going to accomplish.
and GOD says you get to choose, because according to your faith it will be done to you.
now in hebrews 11.6 (ms) it says, it's impossible to please GOD apart from faith.
if you can’t please GOD without faith and you can’t expect GOD to do anything in our life then it is important to learn about how to have more faith. the apostles felt the same way when they said in luke 17.5 (niv), the apostles said, LORD, increase our faith!
so how does he do that? how does he increase or strengthen our faith? he does it by testing it. so what we are going through right now in our world is GOD giving us an opportunity to increase our faith, to stretch our faith, to strengthen our faith, to depend by faith, to live by faith.
now one of the ways HE tests us is through difficulties, trials, problems, pressures, tough circumstances.
1 Peter 1:6-7 (niv), for a little while you have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. these have come so that your faith may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when JESUS CHRIST is revealed.
now GOD doesn’t cause all difficulties in your life but HE does allow them.
1. i cause a lot of difficulty in my life. most of your problems you bring on yourself. i'm the first and greatest cause.
2. other people
3. the devil
and 4. GOD can be a cause of difficulty in your life. HE allows problems to come into our lives and HE uses them for his purpose.
no matter the cause GOD can and will use it for our good.
don’t look at the trial or difficulty in your life as an enemy but as a friend that it is there to strengthen you, to test you, to mold you, to maybe get your attention.
and you get to choose. your attitude toward it makes it either a positive or a negative. it either makes you bitter or better. your faith can be strengthened or deflated depending on your response to it. so expect GOD's best even in life's worst.
well just a thought here on bill’s front porch today…
Saturday, February 28, 2009
expectancy...
Friday, February 27, 2009
...the value of the tuff stuff...
have you ever stopped to think about the fact that faith is like a muscle. it is stretched, pulled. and just like muscles develop when you test them against weights, your faith only develops as it is tested. you don't develop faith sitting on your blessed assurance in church. you develop faith by having it tested.
james 1:3 (niv) says, the testing of your faith develops perseverance so that you may be mature and complete. GOD tests your faith.
now here is the perspective as CHRISTians that CHRIST wants us to have today in going through what we are going through in our world. james 1:2-4 (ms), consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. you know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. so don't try to get out of anything prematurely. let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
bill hybels who is the pastor of willow creek community church in chicago and who has been one of the leaders in reaching out to those outside of the church shared that in the beginning days of his ministry he and his wife had great financial pressure to just make it. they even took in boarders to make it. and he said those days were important days in building his faith which in turned built his faith so that he could make in through the tuff times in building this great church.
but we want to bypass the tuff stuff. we want to go right to the maturity. right to the success.
maybe what you are going through right now is really tuff and you don’t like it and you want GOD to do a miracle and take it away. but have you ever thought that maybe the miracle is in GOD giving you the strength to go through the tuff stuff?
listen, it is not in the good times that our faith is shown to be true but in the bad times. it is not through the good times that our faith is strengthened but in the bad times. these days that we are going through are not bad times for the CHRISTian but great times to show that what we believe in really is true. not only to show others who are looking at you but also to yourself.
listen it is under pressure that your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.
there is a testing, a putting your money where your mouth is time in your life. there are situations in your life when what you believe is tested. so how are you handling these tuff days? GOD always puts these tuff days into your life for a reason.
and then it goes on and says, so don't try to get out of anything prematurely. let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
understand this, HE knows you and HE is not testing you so HE will know, HE already knows. HE is testing you so you will know and so your faith will grow.
i was with one of my good friends and we were talking about the difficult year that they had just gone through and i said now you know that you can survive anything. and that is awesome to know. that is freedom.
i have retired and that has hit us financially. now we wouldn’t have done that if we hadn’t gone through some major tuff times and survived. and from that our obedience coupled with our faith has made our risking an opportunity to show others that this is the only way to live life. surviving the tuff stuff has given us faith to do the tuff stuff and live through the tuff stuff again without fear but with faith. and that is really exciting, living on the edge, expectant rewarding living. it is the only way to live. so don't try to get out of anything prematurely. let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
let's make a real difference by showing that CHRIST makes a difference in the tuff stuff in life.
well just some thoughts from bill’s front porch…
james 1:3 (niv) says, the testing of your faith develops perseverance so that you may be mature and complete. GOD tests your faith.
now here is the perspective as CHRISTians that CHRIST wants us to have today in going through what we are going through in our world. james 1:2-4 (ms), consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. you know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. so don't try to get out of anything prematurely. let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
bill hybels who is the pastor of willow creek community church in chicago and who has been one of the leaders in reaching out to those outside of the church shared that in the beginning days of his ministry he and his wife had great financial pressure to just make it. they even took in boarders to make it. and he said those days were important days in building his faith which in turned built his faith so that he could make in through the tuff times in building this great church.
but we want to bypass the tuff stuff. we want to go right to the maturity. right to the success.
maybe what you are going through right now is really tuff and you don’t like it and you want GOD to do a miracle and take it away. but have you ever thought that maybe the miracle is in GOD giving you the strength to go through the tuff stuff?
listen, it is not in the good times that our faith is shown to be true but in the bad times. it is not through the good times that our faith is strengthened but in the bad times. these days that we are going through are not bad times for the CHRISTian but great times to show that what we believe in really is true. not only to show others who are looking at you but also to yourself.
listen it is under pressure that your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.
there is a testing, a putting your money where your mouth is time in your life. there are situations in your life when what you believe is tested. so how are you handling these tuff days? GOD always puts these tuff days into your life for a reason.
and then it goes on and says, so don't try to get out of anything prematurely. let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
understand this, HE knows you and HE is not testing you so HE will know, HE already knows. HE is testing you so you will know and so your faith will grow.
i was with one of my good friends and we were talking about the difficult year that they had just gone through and i said now you know that you can survive anything. and that is awesome to know. that is freedom.
i have retired and that has hit us financially. now we wouldn’t have done that if we hadn’t gone through some major tuff times and survived. and from that our obedience coupled with our faith has made our risking an opportunity to show others that this is the only way to live life. surviving the tuff stuff has given us faith to do the tuff stuff and live through the tuff stuff again without fear but with faith. and that is really exciting, living on the edge, expectant rewarding living. it is the only way to live. so don't try to get out of anything prematurely. let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
let's make a real difference by showing that CHRIST makes a difference in the tuff stuff in life.
well just some thoughts from bill’s front porch…
Thursday, February 26, 2009
i will not be intimidated...
are you a person that is always afraid? i mean you are always looking from the standpoint of expecting the worse. you knew these problems in the world were going to come because you have been telling everyone that everything is going to turn out bad. you say, just because it’s a beautiful day today just wait until tomorrow. you go to bed afraid, you wake up afraid, you live the whole day afraid, expecting the worst to happen. and some of you are CHRISTians.
listen, i could live that way because my view of life is my choice. and i choose to live with a positive outlook. i am not going to be intimidated by life, by the fact that bad things happen to good people, by the fact that satan is alive and well, that life is tough, and that i don’t know what is in my future. i am not going to be intimidated by life. i will not be afraid.
now does that mean that only good things happen to me. no it just means that when and if they happen i believe that with GOD’s help i can handle them. my faith in GOD and my faith in myself is strong. i have survived and i will survive because of WHO is on my side.
romans 8.31-36 (ms), so, what do you think? with GOD on our side like this, how can we lose? if GOD didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing HIMself to the worst by sending HIS own SON, is there anything else HE wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? and who would dare tangle with GOD by messing with one of GOD's chosen? who would dare even to point a finger? the ONE who died for us—WHO was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of GOD at this very moment sticking up for us. do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and CHRIST's love for us? there is no way! not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in scripture.
So why in the world should i as a follower of CHRIST be intimidated by anything or anyone? verse 31 (niv), what, then shall we say in response to this? if GOD is for us, who can be against us? HE says, i will protect you. HE's saying, one plus GOD equals a majority. it doesn't matter who's against you if GOD's on your side.
have you discovered the wonderful truth, yet, that GOD not only knows you but GOD is for you? HE's not trying to trip you up. HE's not trying to make your life miserable. HE's not trying to make your life a mess. HE is for you! HE wants you to make it. HE wants you to succeed. GOD is for you! that's good news!
i think CHRISTians of all people ought to be the most confident people in the world. if GOD's for me, who can be against me?
fear is a devastating emotion and psychologists have analyzed 645 different kinds of fears. what do you fear most? some of you fear failure. some of you fear the future. maybe you fear dying. maybe you fear rejection. maybe you fear criticism.
hebrews 13.5&6 (ms) says, don't be obsessed with getting more material things. be relaxed with what you have. since GOD assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote, GOD is there, ready to help; i'm fearless no matter what. who or what can get to me?
romans 8:37 (niv), knowing all these things we are more than conquerors through HIM who loved us. "more than conquerors" literally in greek is "super conquerors". GOD makes us super conquerors. in life, you will be a victor or a victim. you will be swallowed up by your circumstances or you will overcome your circumstances. you will be overwhelmed by your problems or you will overcome your problems.
listen, i don’t have to fear anything. i keep my eye on the LORD. you are not a victim. you can be a victor.
my question is: what have you been telling yourself that you could never do? whatever it is that you're telling yourself that you could never do, stop it! philippians 4:13 (niv), i can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me. that's what you call a life without intimidation. you're not blown away by the circumstances. and you're not blown away by the problems. you've got the confidence that comes from GOD.
so get off my front porch and go make a difference today because you will not be intimidated…
listen, i could live that way because my view of life is my choice. and i choose to live with a positive outlook. i am not going to be intimidated by life, by the fact that bad things happen to good people, by the fact that satan is alive and well, that life is tough, and that i don’t know what is in my future. i am not going to be intimidated by life. i will not be afraid.
now does that mean that only good things happen to me. no it just means that when and if they happen i believe that with GOD’s help i can handle them. my faith in GOD and my faith in myself is strong. i have survived and i will survive because of WHO is on my side.
romans 8.31-36 (ms), so, what do you think? with GOD on our side like this, how can we lose? if GOD didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing HIMself to the worst by sending HIS own SON, is there anything else HE wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? and who would dare tangle with GOD by messing with one of GOD's chosen? who would dare even to point a finger? the ONE who died for us—WHO was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of GOD at this very moment sticking up for us. do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and CHRIST's love for us? there is no way! not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in scripture.
So why in the world should i as a follower of CHRIST be intimidated by anything or anyone? verse 31 (niv), what, then shall we say in response to this? if GOD is for us, who can be against us? HE says, i will protect you. HE's saying, one plus GOD equals a majority. it doesn't matter who's against you if GOD's on your side.
have you discovered the wonderful truth, yet, that GOD not only knows you but GOD is for you? HE's not trying to trip you up. HE's not trying to make your life miserable. HE's not trying to make your life a mess. HE is for you! HE wants you to make it. HE wants you to succeed. GOD is for you! that's good news!
i think CHRISTians of all people ought to be the most confident people in the world. if GOD's for me, who can be against me?
fear is a devastating emotion and psychologists have analyzed 645 different kinds of fears. what do you fear most? some of you fear failure. some of you fear the future. maybe you fear dying. maybe you fear rejection. maybe you fear criticism.
hebrews 13.5&6 (ms) says, don't be obsessed with getting more material things. be relaxed with what you have. since GOD assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote, GOD is there, ready to help; i'm fearless no matter what. who or what can get to me?
romans 8:37 (niv), knowing all these things we are more than conquerors through HIM who loved us. "more than conquerors" literally in greek is "super conquerors". GOD makes us super conquerors. in life, you will be a victor or a victim. you will be swallowed up by your circumstances or you will overcome your circumstances. you will be overwhelmed by your problems or you will overcome your problems.
listen, i don’t have to fear anything. i keep my eye on the LORD. you are not a victim. you can be a victor.
my question is: what have you been telling yourself that you could never do? whatever it is that you're telling yourself that you could never do, stop it! philippians 4:13 (niv), i can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me. that's what you call a life without intimidation. you're not blown away by the circumstances. and you're not blown away by the problems. you've got the confidence that comes from GOD.
so get off my front porch and go make a difference today because you will not be intimidated…
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
listen, i'm desperate...
well we are in a crisis but there is hope. do you live with that in mind or are you in real desperation. now the key is on what are you building your hope on. i mean for those who are basing their hope on the stock market well today there is hope because the dow was up but at the beginning of the week they were in despair because it was at a record low. for those whose hope is in their 401k, then they are in despair.
i am so amazed at the desperation of so many CHRISTians. we as a family just took a major risk at a time when risking is not a good thing but we are doing great. i have retired when i didn’t need to and common sense said not to but i did it because i believed GOD was leading us to do it and it was the right time and the right thing to do. i won’t go into details except to say that when i was walking into the house this morning after my starbuck’s time, i had the deep sense of really enjoying my life. i really have it good. do i have a job? no. do i have a paycheck? do. do i… no but i really am enjoying my life.
i know a lot of people who have a lot more security than we have but they are in total fear and desperation because they have put their faith and trust in what are the wrong things. henry david thoreau said, "most people live lives of quiet desperation."
i know we are going through tough times. i understand that we are in a time of trouble. our 401k has taken a hit. i know we are in times of sacrifice as our president said last night but my hope is not based on things but on a person. romans 8:18-21 (ms) says, that's why i don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. the created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. everything in creation is being more or less held back. GOD reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.
so many live lives of hope on sunday but desperation on monday and tuesday. GOD is not only the GOD of sunday but the GOD of monday and tuesday. GOD is not only THE GOD in the good times but HE is THE GOD in the bad times. and desperation just shows us who our GOD is.
my faith is in THE GOD everyday and HE has been proven true even this week when we could have been in desperation and fear. is your GOD your money, your investments, your 401k? no wonder you are in desperation. put your hope in THE GOD and see where your desperation goes. yes life is tough right now but there is hope and it is not in washington, it’s not in wall street. it’s in JEHOVAH GOD.
listen it’s in the tough times when one’s faith really comes through.
well just some thoughts here on bills’ front porch…
i am so amazed at the desperation of so many CHRISTians. we as a family just took a major risk at a time when risking is not a good thing but we are doing great. i have retired when i didn’t need to and common sense said not to but i did it because i believed GOD was leading us to do it and it was the right time and the right thing to do. i won’t go into details except to say that when i was walking into the house this morning after my starbuck’s time, i had the deep sense of really enjoying my life. i really have it good. do i have a job? no. do i have a paycheck? do. do i… no but i really am enjoying my life.
i know a lot of people who have a lot more security than we have but they are in total fear and desperation because they have put their faith and trust in what are the wrong things. henry david thoreau said, "most people live lives of quiet desperation."
i know we are going through tough times. i understand that we are in a time of trouble. our 401k has taken a hit. i know we are in times of sacrifice as our president said last night but my hope is not based on things but on a person. romans 8:18-21 (ms) says, that's why i don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. the created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. everything in creation is being more or less held back. GOD reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.
so many live lives of hope on sunday but desperation on monday and tuesday. GOD is not only the GOD of sunday but the GOD of monday and tuesday. GOD is not only THE GOD in the good times but HE is THE GOD in the bad times. and desperation just shows us who our GOD is.
my faith is in THE GOD everyday and HE has been proven true even this week when we could have been in desperation and fear. is your GOD your money, your investments, your 401k? no wonder you are in desperation. put your hope in THE GOD and see where your desperation goes. yes life is tough right now but there is hope and it is not in washington, it’s not in wall street. it’s in JEHOVAH GOD.
listen it’s in the tough times when one’s faith really comes through.
well just some thoughts here on bills’ front porch…
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
i am not condemned...
well our new president is going to speak tonight to the country. this is his first state of the union address. now i’m not sure how he will deal with all of the problems that we face. if he will look back and be critical and condemn or look forward with hope. i vote for hope.
it is so easy to look at life from a negative standpoint and we in the CHRISTian world have come to be known for what we are against more than what we are for. but why did JESUS come? john 10.10 (ms) says, I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
HE came to give us good news, to give us hope, to give us faith, to give us love but somehow we want as a church too many times to deal with condemnation. i don’t know about you but my sin takes care of the condemnation part. when I look at CHRIST and compare where i am i don’t need someone to condemn me. i want someone to give me hope, to show me how to get rid of my guilt, my condemnation.
well romans 8.1 (niv) says, therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in CHRIST JESUS. because through CHRIST JESUS the law of the SPIRIT of life set me free from the law of sin and death. now that’s the news i want to hear.
i like how the message puts it, with the arrival of JESUS, the MESSIAH, that fateful dilemma is resolved. those who enter into CHRIST's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. a new power is in operation. the SPIRIT of life in CHRIST, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.
that is awesome news!!!!
listen GOD is not mad at you. HE is not like that unpleasable parent that you grew up with. john 3.17 (ms) says, GOD didn't go to all the trouble of sending HIS SON merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. HE came to help, to put the world right again.
so many people i meet are walking around in self condemnation, beating themselves continuously for their past. they won't let themselves go, they won't forgive themselves, much less accept forgiveness from GOD.
there is a church in israel called the church of the flagellation. there are a lot of churches like that in america. you go to church and they beat on you, week after week. a lot of people really don't feel like they've been preached to unless they've been given a verbal spanking and slapped on the hands and whipped. "pastor, that message was so good! it made me feel so bad!" that's masochism to feel like you haven't been to worship unless you you've been run over by a bulldozer.
GOD has made it possible for us to live a life without condemnation. even if there weren't a heaven, it would be worth it to become a CHRISTian just to have a clear conscious, to know that GOD is not mad at me. HE wants to be my friend, not my enemy.
it doesn't say "there are no mistakes for those in CHRIST JESUS or no failures." obviously CHRISTians fail, they make mistakes. CHRISTians are not perfect, but we are forgiven. we are not under condemnation. GOD has made it possible to live a life without condemnation.
well, i don’t know how the speech is going to go tonight but i know how i am going to live. i have chosen to be in CHRIST and because he has forgiven me, then i am not condemned.
just some good news up here on bill’s front porch today…
it is so easy to look at life from a negative standpoint and we in the CHRISTian world have come to be known for what we are against more than what we are for. but why did JESUS come? john 10.10 (ms) says, I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
HE came to give us good news, to give us hope, to give us faith, to give us love but somehow we want as a church too many times to deal with condemnation. i don’t know about you but my sin takes care of the condemnation part. when I look at CHRIST and compare where i am i don’t need someone to condemn me. i want someone to give me hope, to show me how to get rid of my guilt, my condemnation.
well romans 8.1 (niv) says, therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in CHRIST JESUS. because through CHRIST JESUS the law of the SPIRIT of life set me free from the law of sin and death. now that’s the news i want to hear.
i like how the message puts it, with the arrival of JESUS, the MESSIAH, that fateful dilemma is resolved. those who enter into CHRIST's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. a new power is in operation. the SPIRIT of life in CHRIST, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.
that is awesome news!!!!
listen GOD is not mad at you. HE is not like that unpleasable parent that you grew up with. john 3.17 (ms) says, GOD didn't go to all the trouble of sending HIS SON merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. HE came to help, to put the world right again.
so many people i meet are walking around in self condemnation, beating themselves continuously for their past. they won't let themselves go, they won't forgive themselves, much less accept forgiveness from GOD.
there is a church in israel called the church of the flagellation. there are a lot of churches like that in america. you go to church and they beat on you, week after week. a lot of people really don't feel like they've been preached to unless they've been given a verbal spanking and slapped on the hands and whipped. "pastor, that message was so good! it made me feel so bad!" that's masochism to feel like you haven't been to worship unless you you've been run over by a bulldozer.
GOD has made it possible for us to live a life without condemnation. even if there weren't a heaven, it would be worth it to become a CHRISTian just to have a clear conscious, to know that GOD is not mad at me. HE wants to be my friend, not my enemy.
it doesn't say "there are no mistakes for those in CHRIST JESUS or no failures." obviously CHRISTians fail, they make mistakes. CHRISTians are not perfect, but we are forgiven. we are not under condemnation. GOD has made it possible to live a life without condemnation.
well, i don’t know how the speech is going to go tonight but i know how i am going to live. i have chosen to be in CHRIST and because he has forgiven me, then i am not condemned.
just some good news up here on bill’s front porch today…
Monday, February 23, 2009
but do i really trust HIM...
i love the way life is laid out. every second, every hour, every day, every week, each one has a new beginning, a new opportunity. granted some of the dumb things we have done, the stupid decisions that we make have a carryover effect. there is a cause and effect reality in life and we can’t go back and relive our lives. there is no do over in life for those regrets we have but romans 8:28 (niv) says about those who love GOD, we know that in all things GOD works for the good of those who love HIM who have been called according to HIS purpose.
we know that in all things GOD works for the good of those who love HIM. it doesn’t say in some things. it doesn’t say in the good things. it says in all things.
now it doesn’t say that all things are good but that GOD works for good. GOD can take evil and turn it around and bring good out of it. GOD loves to turn crucifixions into resurrections. HE is the pro at turning pain into benefit and productivity.
but this is not for everybody. it is a promise for those who love HIM. only when you say, “JESUS CHRIST, i want to be yours. i want to take all the broken pieces of my life and then YOU give me peace for the pieces.” and HE takes all the pieces in your life and makes something beautiful out of them. it is not a promise for everybody. you must place it all in CHRIST’s hands.
think about the biggest disappointment you’ve ever had. or think about the thing you regret most in your life. it still hurts when you think about it.
GOD saw it before it ever happened. and HE has found a way to weave it into HIS plan and purpose for your good, your growth, and HIS glory.
you mean HE can take even the stupid things that i’ve done in my past and still turn them around and use them for good in my life? yes! GOD can take even the things other people do to hurt you intentionally or unintentionally and the things you've done to hurt others that your ashamed of and use them for good when you give HIM all the pieces. that is such good news.
so what are you afraid of? when you think about the future, what’s your stomach in a knot about? when you think about the changes that are coming up in your life, what is it that causes your back muscles and neck to tense up or your face to feel flushed, or your mouth to go dry, because you think, “i don’t know if i can handle that or not.” is it a financial thing or what is it?
regardless of what it is that’s got you stressed out today, why don’t you do what david did? psalm 56.11 (nlt), i trust in GOD so why should i be afraid?
good question, why should i be afraid?
just as a side light, my new friend joe q and i were talking at church yesterday about the fact that we as CHRISTians so many times live out our lives as if there is no GOD. on sunday we sing the songs, but on monday... we say with our mouths that we are CHRIST followers but we live with our worries as if CHRIST doesn’t exist. CHRISTians on sunday but atheists on monday.
listen if we trust in GOD we will not be afraid. then psalm 46.1-2 (nlt), GOD is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. and so we will not fear even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
and that is a great way to start out a new work week. no matter what you are facing, GOD is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. HE can be trusted but we don't prove HE can be trusted in our lives until we really trust HIM.
just some thoughts from bill’s front porch on a monday morning here on long island…
we know that in all things GOD works for the good of those who love HIM. it doesn’t say in some things. it doesn’t say in the good things. it says in all things.
now it doesn’t say that all things are good but that GOD works for good. GOD can take evil and turn it around and bring good out of it. GOD loves to turn crucifixions into resurrections. HE is the pro at turning pain into benefit and productivity.
but this is not for everybody. it is a promise for those who love HIM. only when you say, “JESUS CHRIST, i want to be yours. i want to take all the broken pieces of my life and then YOU give me peace for the pieces.” and HE takes all the pieces in your life and makes something beautiful out of them. it is not a promise for everybody. you must place it all in CHRIST’s hands.
think about the biggest disappointment you’ve ever had. or think about the thing you regret most in your life. it still hurts when you think about it.
GOD saw it before it ever happened. and HE has found a way to weave it into HIS plan and purpose for your good, your growth, and HIS glory.
you mean HE can take even the stupid things that i’ve done in my past and still turn them around and use them for good in my life? yes! GOD can take even the things other people do to hurt you intentionally or unintentionally and the things you've done to hurt others that your ashamed of and use them for good when you give HIM all the pieces. that is such good news.
so what are you afraid of? when you think about the future, what’s your stomach in a knot about? when you think about the changes that are coming up in your life, what is it that causes your back muscles and neck to tense up or your face to feel flushed, or your mouth to go dry, because you think, “i don’t know if i can handle that or not.” is it a financial thing or what is it?
regardless of what it is that’s got you stressed out today, why don’t you do what david did? psalm 56.11 (nlt), i trust in GOD so why should i be afraid?
good question, why should i be afraid?
just as a side light, my new friend joe q and i were talking at church yesterday about the fact that we as CHRISTians so many times live out our lives as if there is no GOD. on sunday we sing the songs, but on monday... we say with our mouths that we are CHRIST followers but we live with our worries as if CHRIST doesn’t exist. CHRISTians on sunday but atheists on monday.
listen if we trust in GOD we will not be afraid. then psalm 46.1-2 (nlt), GOD is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. and so we will not fear even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
and that is a great way to start out a new work week. no matter what you are facing, GOD is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. HE can be trusted but we don't prove HE can be trusted in our lives until we really trust HIM.
just some thoughts from bill’s front porch on a monday morning here on long island…
Sunday, February 22, 2009
but i've messed up...
some of you on this sunday morning in thinking about living out GOD’s plan for their life would say, “but bill, i’ve messed up. there is no way i can be what GOD created me to be. there’s no way i can live out what HIS plan is for my life. i messed up.” and i can understand that deep sense of hopelessness but that’s not the way it is. you still have a choice
so another question would be, can i get back on track after wasting years of my life? and the answer is absolutely. you can get back on track. psalm 33:11 (tev) says, HIS plans endure forever. HIS purposes last eternally.
that means that no matter what has happened in your life to date, GOD’s plan for your life has not changed.
some of you say, “but you don’t know about that moral blowout i had three years ago or ten years ago. you don’t know about that sin, that stupid decision i made where i took the wrong turn in life and wasted ten or twenty years or more. you don’t know.” and i say this: regardless of what has happened in your life up to this point, regardless – GOD has not given upon you. no matter what’s happened. even all those dumb, stupid decisions that you and i have made in the past.
listen, GOD has no plan b for my life. HE doesn't have a plan b for your life. “but what about my divorce/my abortion/this…” he does not have a plan b for your life! his purposes last eternally.
that is great news. for some of you that may be life changing new. i hope and pray that it is. just ask HIM to forgive you for your going it along without HIM and to forgive you for those areas where you messed up and HE will.
over in 1 john 1. 9 (ms) HE says, if we admit our sins - make a clean breast of them - HE won't let us down; HE'll be true to HIMself. HE'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.
why don't you start over today?
well, I need to get off the porch and go in and get ready for church…
see ya tomorrow.
so another question would be, can i get back on track after wasting years of my life? and the answer is absolutely. you can get back on track. psalm 33:11 (tev) says, HIS plans endure forever. HIS purposes last eternally.
that means that no matter what has happened in your life to date, GOD’s plan for your life has not changed.
some of you say, “but you don’t know about that moral blowout i had three years ago or ten years ago. you don’t know about that sin, that stupid decision i made where i took the wrong turn in life and wasted ten or twenty years or more. you don’t know.” and i say this: regardless of what has happened in your life up to this point, regardless – GOD has not given upon you. no matter what’s happened. even all those dumb, stupid decisions that you and i have made in the past.
listen, GOD has no plan b for my life. HE doesn't have a plan b for your life. “but what about my divorce/my abortion/this…” he does not have a plan b for your life! his purposes last eternally.
that is great news. for some of you that may be life changing new. i hope and pray that it is. just ask HIM to forgive you for your going it along without HIM and to forgive you for those areas where you messed up and HE will.
over in 1 john 1. 9 (ms) HE says, if we admit our sins - make a clean breast of them - HE won't let us down; HE'll be true to HIMself. HE'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.
why don't you start over today?
well, I need to get off the porch and go in and get ready for church…
see ya tomorrow.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
but i changed my mind...
i know that i left some people in vegas who wondered why i changed my mind. i had said that i was going to die in vegas and here i am on long island. i know that caused some frustration but i'm not GOD and i am not perfect and i thought i would stay but things changed.
now did GOD change HIS mind? no. just like GOD's love for me doesn't change and GOD's word doesn't change so GOD's plans don't change. 1 samuel 15:29 in the today's english version says, GOD is not a human being – HE doesn't change His mind.
i’m really glad for that verse. long before you were born, GOD planned you. and that plan has never changed. you were made for a reason.
now why do our plans change? two reasons: one, you can’t see the future. none of us can know what’s going to happen tomorrow, much less ten years from now and because you don’t know the future, you often make plans that don’t happen because there are circumstances beyond your control that kick into gear. you can’t see the future so your plans get thrown out the door.
the other reason is you don’t have the power sometimes to pull them off. you have a great plan, a great business plan, but you don’t have the time or you don’t have the money, or you don’t have the energy or intelligence or the opportunity – something happens that you don’t have the power to pull off this great plan.
now contrast that with GOD. GOD never has to change his plans. never. why? because GOD is all knowing – omniscient. and GOD is all-powerful – omnipotent. so GOD never has to change his plans. HE already knows everything that’s going to happen and HE already has the power to do anything HE wants to do. so HE doesn't ever have to change HIS plans. HIS plan for you has never changed. it is unchanging.
now you might ask, can i miss GOD’s plan for my life? and the answer is yes, absolutely. millions and millions of people miss GOD’s plan for their life all the time. you can miss it by neglect. you can miss GOD’s plan for your life by arrogance – doing your plan and not GOD’s. you can miss it by disobedience, by rebellion, laziness. you can live your entire life and never fulfill the reason you were actually put on this earth. that’s a tragedy, but GOD never forces his plan on us. it’s a choice where you say, "JESUS CHRIST, i want you to be my LORD. i want to follow your plan and purpose for my life.” yes you can miss your purpose in life, the very reason you were made.
now did GOD change HIS mind? no. just like GOD's love for me doesn't change and GOD's word doesn't change so GOD's plans don't change. 1 samuel 15:29 in the today's english version says, GOD is not a human being – HE doesn't change His mind.
i’m really glad for that verse. long before you were born, GOD planned you. and that plan has never changed. you were made for a reason.
now why do our plans change? two reasons: one, you can’t see the future. none of us can know what’s going to happen tomorrow, much less ten years from now and because you don’t know the future, you often make plans that don’t happen because there are circumstances beyond your control that kick into gear. you can’t see the future so your plans get thrown out the door.
the other reason is you don’t have the power sometimes to pull them off. you have a great plan, a great business plan, but you don’t have the time or you don’t have the money, or you don’t have the energy or intelligence or the opportunity – something happens that you don’t have the power to pull off this great plan.
now contrast that with GOD. GOD never has to change his plans. never. why? because GOD is all knowing – omniscient. and GOD is all-powerful – omnipotent. so GOD never has to change his plans. HE already knows everything that’s going to happen and HE already has the power to do anything HE wants to do. so HE doesn't ever have to change HIS plans. HIS plan for you has never changed. it is unchanging.
now you might ask, can i miss GOD’s plan for my life? and the answer is yes, absolutely. millions and millions of people miss GOD’s plan for their life all the time. you can miss it by neglect. you can miss GOD’s plan for your life by arrogance – doing your plan and not GOD’s. you can miss it by disobedience, by rebellion, laziness. you can live your entire life and never fulfill the reason you were actually put on this earth. that’s a tragedy, but GOD never forces his plan on us. it’s a choice where you say, "JESUS CHRIST, i want you to be my LORD. i want to follow your plan and purpose for my life.” yes you can miss your purpose in life, the very reason you were made.
let's stop there and pick it up later. this is saturday and i can't sit on my front porch all day. margaret has plans...
Friday, February 20, 2009
i have my doubts...
the oscars are on this sunday. i don’t know if you are into that but one of the pictures this year up for best picture is called doubt. it is a pretty powerful film. there is a scene at the end of the movie where meryl streep who plays a stern nun and school principle deals with deep emotion with some doubts that she is having about her church and about her faith.
doubt comes into all of our lives at one time or another. satan makes sure of it. do you know what the most basic fundamental temptation is? it’s the temptation that adam and eve had and it’s the same one you have every single day of your life. every time you’re tempted to do something wrong, this is at the bottom of it. when adam and eve were tempted by the temper. he came to them and said “did GOD really say don’t eat from that tree? did GOD really say that?” he’s questioning GOD.
here’s the most basic temptation and you get it all the time: the temptation to doubt GOD’s word. did GOD really say don’t do that? did GOD really say we all ought to do that? if satan can get you to do that, you’re going to fall for anything.
there are many variations of this today. one of them goes like this: “that’s your interpretation.” you share a bible verse with somebody and they say, “that’s your interpretation.” when you see a sign that says, “stop”, how do you interpret that? it’s pretty clear, straightforward isn't it? when GOD gives ten commandments and he says, don’t lie, don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, GOD wants to say, “what is it about the word ‘don’t’ you don’t understand? that is not a matter of interpretation. it’s clear. but we like to say, “that’s your interpretation.” that’s the temptation to doubt GOD’s word.
there’s another version of this: “i know that it says this in the bible but that is for those people back in that time so those rules and regulations are back for those people back then. this is now, 2009.”
listen, GOD does not invent new rules for each new generation. the truth is eternal. it never changes. what was wrong 1000 years ago, is wrong today and it will be wrong tomorrow. it doesn’t matter what the opinion polls say. it doesn’t matter who else is doing it. it’s still wrong. and right is still right. it doesn’t matter if people say it’s out of date, a bunch of baloney, it doesn’t make sense, it isn’t logical, it’s nonsense – it’s still right. truth is eternal.
look at what JESUS said. matthew 7:24 (ms), these words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. they are foundational words, words to build a life on. if you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. it was fixed to the rock.
JESUS is saying if you want to have a stable home, you’ve got to build it on an unchanging foundation. you’ve got to build on a rock. people in california know this principle. you don’t go out and build a house on shifting sands in earthquake territory or it may float off into the ocean. if you’re going to build a solid house that lasts, it’s got to be built on a solid foundation of rock that does not change.
the same is true for your life. if you want to build your life in a way that is solid and significant and handles the stress of the 21st century you’d better build it on the truth of GOD’s word, because it is bedrock. it is not going to change. popular opinion is going to change, psychology books are going to change, what the talk radio hosts talk about are going to change. on and on. everything else changes. but GOD’s word does not. so if you want stability, you build your life on GOD’s unchanging truth.
just some thoughts up here on a cold bill's front porch...
i think i'll go in now and get warm. if you want to talk just knock on the door and come on in.
doubt comes into all of our lives at one time or another. satan makes sure of it. do you know what the most basic fundamental temptation is? it’s the temptation that adam and eve had and it’s the same one you have every single day of your life. every time you’re tempted to do something wrong, this is at the bottom of it. when adam and eve were tempted by the temper. he came to them and said “did GOD really say don’t eat from that tree? did GOD really say that?” he’s questioning GOD.
here’s the most basic temptation and you get it all the time: the temptation to doubt GOD’s word. did GOD really say don’t do that? did GOD really say we all ought to do that? if satan can get you to do that, you’re going to fall for anything.
there are many variations of this today. one of them goes like this: “that’s your interpretation.” you share a bible verse with somebody and they say, “that’s your interpretation.” when you see a sign that says, “stop”, how do you interpret that? it’s pretty clear, straightforward isn't it? when GOD gives ten commandments and he says, don’t lie, don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, GOD wants to say, “what is it about the word ‘don’t’ you don’t understand? that is not a matter of interpretation. it’s clear. but we like to say, “that’s your interpretation.” that’s the temptation to doubt GOD’s word.
there’s another version of this: “i know that it says this in the bible but that is for those people back in that time so those rules and regulations are back for those people back then. this is now, 2009.”
listen, GOD does not invent new rules for each new generation. the truth is eternal. it never changes. what was wrong 1000 years ago, is wrong today and it will be wrong tomorrow. it doesn’t matter what the opinion polls say. it doesn’t matter who else is doing it. it’s still wrong. and right is still right. it doesn’t matter if people say it’s out of date, a bunch of baloney, it doesn’t make sense, it isn’t logical, it’s nonsense – it’s still right. truth is eternal.
look at what JESUS said. matthew 7:24 (ms), these words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. they are foundational words, words to build a life on. if you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. it was fixed to the rock.
JESUS is saying if you want to have a stable home, you’ve got to build it on an unchanging foundation. you’ve got to build on a rock. people in california know this principle. you don’t go out and build a house on shifting sands in earthquake territory or it may float off into the ocean. if you’re going to build a solid house that lasts, it’s got to be built on a solid foundation of rock that does not change.
the same is true for your life. if you want to build your life in a way that is solid and significant and handles the stress of the 21st century you’d better build it on the truth of GOD’s word, because it is bedrock. it is not going to change. popular opinion is going to change, psychology books are going to change, what the talk radio hosts talk about are going to change. on and on. everything else changes. but GOD’s word does not. so if you want stability, you build your life on GOD’s unchanging truth.
just some thoughts up here on a cold bill's front porch...
i think i'll go in now and get warm. if you want to talk just knock on the door and come on in.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
it doesn't change...
i finally decided on what newspapers that i will have delivered. in most towns there are at the most 2 newspapers but here in new york city there are 4 papers. well, i always get the usa today delivered so i finally decided on the long island newsday for the week and the ny times on saturday and sunday.
now you can imagine how all of the ny papers have been handling this a-rod story about his taking steroids. alex rodriquez plays baseball for the ny yankees and it came out last week that he took steroids back when he played for the texas rangers.
back a few years ago katie couric interviewed him and asked him if he took steroids and he said he didn't. and everybody believed a-rod but a-rod's word wasn't true and he has been having interviews after interviews and he seems to be changing his word.
but GOD's word doesn't change. isaiah 40.8 in the contemporary english version says, what our God has said will never change.
it’s timeless, enduring, eternal. it never withers; it’s always fresh. it doesn’t get stale. GOD’s word is never out of date.
psalm 119:152 in the message says, i've known all along from the evidence of your words that you meant them to last forever.
notice it’s not meant as a temporary suggestion. these are eternal principles. JESUS said it like this: heaven and earth will pass away but my word will never pass away. it abides forever. no book has been more criticized, more judged, more ridiculed, more banned, more burned than this book and yet it is as fresh and relevant today as it was when it was first given over 2000 years ago.
when the american astronaut alan shepherd was getting ready to go up into space for the very first time, a reporter asked him “what are you depending on in this flight?” his answer is classic: “i’m depending upon the fact that GOD’s laws will not change.” great answer.
GOD has established certain physical laws of the universe. physics and chemistry and all kinds of science study these laws and discover how they operate. like if you jump off a tall building, you’re going to go down. if you mix certain chemicals and put them in your eye, you’re going to go blind. any time you ignore GOD’s physical laws, like if you go 100 miles an hour and ram your car into a wall, then you don’t break the law, that law breaks you. if i jump off a tall building, i don’t break the law of gravity; it breaks me.
how would it be if gravity worked every other day? would that put a crimp in your lifestyle?
in the same way, every time i ignore GOD’s moral or GOD’s spiritual law, i hurt myself. they’re there for my benefit. it causes stress. it causes worry. it causes guilt. it causes anger. it causes conflict in relationships – all kinds of problems when i break GOD’s moral laws.
many of our society’s social ills wouldn’t even be here. we would have no sexually transmitted diseases – none whatsoever would be in this world – if everybody followed GOD’s moral laws. which one of them is: no sex outside of marriage. if everybody followed that, there would be no sexually transmitted diseases in the entire world.
well let's stop there. just some thoughts here on bill's front porch...
now you can imagine how all of the ny papers have been handling this a-rod story about his taking steroids. alex rodriquez plays baseball for the ny yankees and it came out last week that he took steroids back when he played for the texas rangers.
back a few years ago katie couric interviewed him and asked him if he took steroids and he said he didn't. and everybody believed a-rod but a-rod's word wasn't true and he has been having interviews after interviews and he seems to be changing his word.
but GOD's word doesn't change. isaiah 40.8 in the contemporary english version says, what our God has said will never change.
it’s timeless, enduring, eternal. it never withers; it’s always fresh. it doesn’t get stale. GOD’s word is never out of date.
psalm 119:152 in the message says, i've known all along from the evidence of your words that you meant them to last forever.
notice it’s not meant as a temporary suggestion. these are eternal principles. JESUS said it like this: heaven and earth will pass away but my word will never pass away. it abides forever. no book has been more criticized, more judged, more ridiculed, more banned, more burned than this book and yet it is as fresh and relevant today as it was when it was first given over 2000 years ago.
when the american astronaut alan shepherd was getting ready to go up into space for the very first time, a reporter asked him “what are you depending on in this flight?” his answer is classic: “i’m depending upon the fact that GOD’s laws will not change.” great answer.
GOD has established certain physical laws of the universe. physics and chemistry and all kinds of science study these laws and discover how they operate. like if you jump off a tall building, you’re going to go down. if you mix certain chemicals and put them in your eye, you’re going to go blind. any time you ignore GOD’s physical laws, like if you go 100 miles an hour and ram your car into a wall, then you don’t break the law, that law breaks you. if i jump off a tall building, i don’t break the law of gravity; it breaks me.
how would it be if gravity worked every other day? would that put a crimp in your lifestyle?
in the same way, every time i ignore GOD’s moral or GOD’s spiritual law, i hurt myself. they’re there for my benefit. it causes stress. it causes worry. it causes guilt. it causes anger. it causes conflict in relationships – all kinds of problems when i break GOD’s moral laws.
many of our society’s social ills wouldn’t even be here. we would have no sexually transmitted diseases – none whatsoever would be in this world – if everybody followed GOD’s moral laws. which one of them is: no sex outside of marriage. if everybody followed that, there would be no sexually transmitted diseases in the entire world.
well let's stop there. just some thoughts here on bill's front porch...
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
HE doesn't change...
as i mentioned yesterday we have gone through some major changes in the past few months and that can be frustrating. i know that some of you are really afraid. you are afraid your money is going to run out before you life runs out. you have put your trust in your money. for others it's your health, others your relationships. we cannot put our trust in that which is going to change but on that which is permanent.
listen, i don't know if you realize it or not but GOD's love for you is not going to change.
Malachi 3:6 (ms) God says I am GOD—yes, I am. I haven't changed.
why does GOD never change? it’s because HE’s perfect. and because GOD’s perfect, He can’t get any better. and HE can’t get any worse. if you’re perfect there is no reason to change, because you are perfect.
now in Jeremiah 31:3 (ms) HE says this, I've never quit loving you and never will. expect love, love, and more love!
listen, GOD never gets moody. GOD never has a bad hair day. GOD never gets up on the wrong side of the bed. people never say, “what got into GOD today? HE’s grumpy today. have you noticed that? HE needs to go back to bed. HE stayed up too late last night.” GOD is not moody.
and that is such good news. because while GOD is consistent, i am incredibly inconsistent. the bible teaches that GOD loves me just as much on my good days as HE does on my bad days. HE loves me when i feel it and HE loves me when i don’t feel it. HE loves me when i think i’m close to GOD and doing the right thing and HE loves me when i’m not close to GOD and i’m not doing the right thing. HIS love is not based on my performance. HIS love is based on HIS character. it is consistent. it is continual. it is everlasting.
as you know, this is completely different from human love. human love is quite fickle. we love and then we don’t. we’re hot and then we’re cold. i run into people that say, “my husband isn’t the man i married.” you aren’t either. or they say, "i can’t ever figure out my boyfriend. he likes me one day. he doesn’t the next.” or “my dad is so inconsistent. one day i’m a hero the next day i’m a zero.” i can’t figure it out from day to day.
it is because human love is fickle. and it is conditional. the truth is some days i don’t want to love anybody. some days i’m grumpy. some days i’m grouchy. some days i want to take out my frustration on the people closest to me. this bothers me that sometimes I say the most hurtful things to the people i love the most. why do i do that?
because i’m a human being. my life is inconsistent.
but GOD, on the other hand, is not like us at all. Psalm 119:159 (niv) says,YOUR love never changes.
HIS love never changes. you can count on HIM no matter what happens in the future, GOD is never going to stop loving you.
the point is: we always get into trouble when we doubt GOD’s love. always. i never need to doubt GOD’s love. there are a lot of things i could worry about but i don’t have to worry about that one. no matter how i feel, what i’ve done, what i’ve thought, GOD’s love is based on His character.
that means you can go to bed tonight, confident of the fact that tomorrow morning when you get up GOD is not going to have changed HIS mind about you and while you were sleeping decided, “I don’t think I’m going to love them anymore.” you will never be loved by GOD any more than you are at this very moment. you will never be loved by GOD any less than you are at this very moment. GOD’s love never changes. that is something i can anchor my life into.
just some thoughts up here on bill's front porch....
listen, i don't know if you realize it or not but GOD's love for you is not going to change.
Malachi 3:6 (ms) God says I am GOD—yes, I am. I haven't changed.
why does GOD never change? it’s because HE’s perfect. and because GOD’s perfect, He can’t get any better. and HE can’t get any worse. if you’re perfect there is no reason to change, because you are perfect.
now in Jeremiah 31:3 (ms) HE says this, I've never quit loving you and never will. expect love, love, and more love!
listen, GOD never gets moody. GOD never has a bad hair day. GOD never gets up on the wrong side of the bed. people never say, “what got into GOD today? HE’s grumpy today. have you noticed that? HE needs to go back to bed. HE stayed up too late last night.” GOD is not moody.
and that is such good news. because while GOD is consistent, i am incredibly inconsistent. the bible teaches that GOD loves me just as much on my good days as HE does on my bad days. HE loves me when i feel it and HE loves me when i don’t feel it. HE loves me when i think i’m close to GOD and doing the right thing and HE loves me when i’m not close to GOD and i’m not doing the right thing. HIS love is not based on my performance. HIS love is based on HIS character. it is consistent. it is continual. it is everlasting.
as you know, this is completely different from human love. human love is quite fickle. we love and then we don’t. we’re hot and then we’re cold. i run into people that say, “my husband isn’t the man i married.” you aren’t either. or they say, "i can’t ever figure out my boyfriend. he likes me one day. he doesn’t the next.” or “my dad is so inconsistent. one day i’m a hero the next day i’m a zero.” i can’t figure it out from day to day.
it is because human love is fickle. and it is conditional. the truth is some days i don’t want to love anybody. some days i’m grumpy. some days i’m grouchy. some days i want to take out my frustration on the people closest to me. this bothers me that sometimes I say the most hurtful things to the people i love the most. why do i do that?
because i’m a human being. my life is inconsistent.
but GOD, on the other hand, is not like us at all. Psalm 119:159 (niv) says,YOUR love never changes.
HIS love never changes. you can count on HIM no matter what happens in the future, GOD is never going to stop loving you.
the point is: we always get into trouble when we doubt GOD’s love. always. i never need to doubt GOD’s love. there are a lot of things i could worry about but i don’t have to worry about that one. no matter how i feel, what i’ve done, what i’ve thought, GOD’s love is based on His character.
that means you can go to bed tonight, confident of the fact that tomorrow morning when you get up GOD is not going to have changed HIS mind about you and while you were sleeping decided, “I don’t think I’m going to love them anymore.” you will never be loved by GOD any more than you are at this very moment. you will never be loved by GOD any less than you are at this very moment. GOD’s love never changes. that is something i can anchor my life into.
just some thoughts up here on bill's front porch....
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
i'm going through change...
i have just made a major change in my life. when i go to church now, i don't preach. i used to preach up to 3 times a week now i have shortened my messages and i am doing it 7 times a week. the reality is, i shared with more people last week than i did every week in getting up in front of people. i made a change.
now change is a difficult thing for a lot of people. fast change causes frustration, fear. we wonder, "where are we going?" and the Bible talks about this in 2 Corinthians 4. paul the writer was saying, don’t get discouraged when these things are happening all around you -- these problems and pressures and changes are occurring. v. 16 - 18 (ms), so we're not giving up. how could we! even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where GOD is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. these hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. there's far more here than meets the eye. the things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. but the things we can't see now will last forever.
now in this, paul says that everything in life can be divided into two different groups: those things that are permanent and those that are temporary. those things that are visible, that we can see and those things that are invisible, the values in life that last. those things that are changeless and those things that are constantly changing. and the key to learning how to cope with change is to focus on the things that are going to last.
if you want to be solid when the winds of change are blowing everything all over the place and it looks like everything is coming apart and uprooted, he says focus your attention, fix your eyes on what is not seen, on the values that are going to last, the things that are permanent. he says base your life on the things that are going to last forever.
for many these past few months have been times of great change. i have very good friends who have lost their jobs, others have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in the stock market. i remember when we found out that margaret, my wife had cancer. changes happen.
but is there anything permanent in life? yes, there is. hebrews 13:8 is the one thing that is permanent in life. JESUS doesn't change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he's always totally himself.
while everything else is changing, he remains changeless. all that JESUS CHRIST was yesterday that we read about in the bible, HE is today. and all that HE is today, HE will be tomorrow. and JESUS CHRIST is already in your future. GOD is not limited by time. HE's past, present and future. when you get in the future, HE's going to already be there. that's comforting because i know whatever change i go through, HE's going to be there ahead of me. the new international version says it this way, JESUS CHRIST is the same yesterday, today and forever.
let's put our trust in that which doesn't change, not in what will always change.
just some thoughts up here on bill's front porch...
now change is a difficult thing for a lot of people. fast change causes frustration, fear. we wonder, "where are we going?" and the Bible talks about this in 2 Corinthians 4. paul the writer was saying, don’t get discouraged when these things are happening all around you -- these problems and pressures and changes are occurring. v. 16 - 18 (ms), so we're not giving up. how could we! even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where GOD is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. these hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. there's far more here than meets the eye. the things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. but the things we can't see now will last forever.
now in this, paul says that everything in life can be divided into two different groups: those things that are permanent and those that are temporary. those things that are visible, that we can see and those things that are invisible, the values in life that last. those things that are changeless and those things that are constantly changing. and the key to learning how to cope with change is to focus on the things that are going to last.
if you want to be solid when the winds of change are blowing everything all over the place and it looks like everything is coming apart and uprooted, he says focus your attention, fix your eyes on what is not seen, on the values that are going to last, the things that are permanent. he says base your life on the things that are going to last forever.
for many these past few months have been times of great change. i have very good friends who have lost their jobs, others have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in the stock market. i remember when we found out that margaret, my wife had cancer. changes happen.
but is there anything permanent in life? yes, there is. hebrews 13:8 is the one thing that is permanent in life. JESUS doesn't change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he's always totally himself.
while everything else is changing, he remains changeless. all that JESUS CHRIST was yesterday that we read about in the bible, HE is today. and all that HE is today, HE will be tomorrow. and JESUS CHRIST is already in your future. GOD is not limited by time. HE's past, present and future. when you get in the future, HE's going to already be there. that's comforting because i know whatever change i go through, HE's going to be there ahead of me. the new international version says it this way, JESUS CHRIST is the same yesterday, today and forever.
let's put our trust in that which doesn't change, not in what will always change.
just some thoughts up here on bill's front porch...
Monday, February 16, 2009
connecting to...
i am really enjoying this new experience of connecting with other people on the internet. my daughter, stef turned me on this past week to facebook and i have been on a whirlwind trip of connecting with people all over the internet. i have connected with people from my college days forty years ago, with family all over the country, with friends all over the country, with friends of friends, with people i don't know, i have been on a connecting frenzy.
i have been doing the same thing with people here on long island, my new home. i have been going to different starbucks and connecting with people, i have been talking with people at church, at a meeting last night i was able to connect with some new people. i really have been enjoying my time of finding new friends.
i started looking last week here on the front porch at this matter of losing your passion in life and another relational passion killer is living an isolated lifestyle, of living totally to one's self.
listen, we were all made to live in relationships with other people. we were made to need others. that’s why one of the most cruel imprisonments is solitary confinement. you put somebody all by themselves, they think of it as a torture. why? because we were made to live with other people.
we’ve all seen what happens to a spouse when the other spouse dies and they all of a sudden begin to feel like, why should I even go on? what is there worth living for?
there’s plenty worth living for. GOD still has a reason for your life. but you begin to feel because that person isn’t there that life isn’t worth living. the passion has gone from life.
sometimes you lose passion because you’re not getting any connecting time with other positive people. you might be doing a lot. you might be at a lot of entertainment events. but you’re not getting any relationship time that increases and restores passion.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (niv) says, two are better than one. because if one falls down his friend can help him up. but pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.
i love the bible! it’s such a simple, practical book. if you fall down it’s really good to have somebody there to help you up. some of you there’s nobody around to help you up. so when you fall down you have to struggle up all by yourself all the time.
the bible is saying get somebody around you who can help you. it helps you to keep the strength and passion that you and I need for everyday life.
i’ve been a pastor for a lot of years now. i’ve seen a lot of people who wanted to have a passion for GOD. i could see it in their eyes. yet they couldn’t sustain it. i can tell you without a shadow of a doubt where that passion began to fall off.
the first step is always the same first step. they stopped being around GOD’s people. they stopped coming to church. they stopped hanging around other people who had the same passion. it’s like, "it’s after CHRISTmas. winter’s coming. i won’t come as often. it’s just so cold"
it’s like that old picture of if you take a coal out of a fire and put it off to itself it gets cold. you put it back in the fire, it warms up again. GOD made us all like that. we need other people in our lives in order to sustain the passion in our lives.
listen, i know that people hurt us and i know how hard it is to get back and make the effort to strive to connect but it is an effort that makes a difference. as ruben welch said, we really do need each other.
so who are you going to reach out to today, who are you going to connect with? i know that it will be worth it.
just some thoughts up here on bill's front porch....
i have been doing the same thing with people here on long island, my new home. i have been going to different starbucks and connecting with people, i have been talking with people at church, at a meeting last night i was able to connect with some new people. i really have been enjoying my time of finding new friends.
i started looking last week here on the front porch at this matter of losing your passion in life and another relational passion killer is living an isolated lifestyle, of living totally to one's self.
listen, we were all made to live in relationships with other people. we were made to need others. that’s why one of the most cruel imprisonments is solitary confinement. you put somebody all by themselves, they think of it as a torture. why? because we were made to live with other people.
we’ve all seen what happens to a spouse when the other spouse dies and they all of a sudden begin to feel like, why should I even go on? what is there worth living for?
there’s plenty worth living for. GOD still has a reason for your life. but you begin to feel because that person isn’t there that life isn’t worth living. the passion has gone from life.
sometimes you lose passion because you’re not getting any connecting time with other positive people. you might be doing a lot. you might be at a lot of entertainment events. but you’re not getting any relationship time that increases and restores passion.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (niv) says, two are better than one. because if one falls down his friend can help him up. but pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.
i love the bible! it’s such a simple, practical book. if you fall down it’s really good to have somebody there to help you up. some of you there’s nobody around to help you up. so when you fall down you have to struggle up all by yourself all the time.
the bible is saying get somebody around you who can help you. it helps you to keep the strength and passion that you and I need for everyday life.
i’ve been a pastor for a lot of years now. i’ve seen a lot of people who wanted to have a passion for GOD. i could see it in their eyes. yet they couldn’t sustain it. i can tell you without a shadow of a doubt where that passion began to fall off.
the first step is always the same first step. they stopped being around GOD’s people. they stopped coming to church. they stopped hanging around other people who had the same passion. it’s like, "it’s after CHRISTmas. winter’s coming. i won’t come as often. it’s just so cold"
it’s like that old picture of if you take a coal out of a fire and put it off to itself it gets cold. you put it back in the fire, it warms up again. GOD made us all like that. we need other people in our lives in order to sustain the passion in our lives.
listen, i know that people hurt us and i know how hard it is to get back and make the effort to strive to connect but it is an effort that makes a difference. as ruben welch said, we really do need each other.
so who are you going to reach out to today, who are you going to connect with? i know that it will be worth it.
just some thoughts up here on bill's front porch....
Sunday, February 15, 2009
today is the day...
sunday is the day that GOD has given to us to set aside for focus on HIM, who HE is, what HE has done for us and what HE wants to do through and in us. i will be will going to church in a couple of hours. that activity always helps me in my focus.
of course we can do this any day but for some reason HE strongly suggested that we are to remember to observe the sabbath day...
it is for our good. HIS suggestions are always for our good.
have a great sunday...
of course we can do this any day but for some reason HE strongly suggested that we are to remember to observe the sabbath day...
it is for our good. HIS suggestions are always for our good.
have a great sunday...
Saturday, February 14, 2009
the day of love...
i understand why this would be a day that a woman would say is unnecessary, that everyday should be a valentine's day but from a pragmatic standpoint it is needed.
i don't know if you realize it but nowhere does GOD command a wife to love her husband but in ephesians 5.25 (niv) HE strongly suggests, husbands, love your wives. so if we as men have to be commanded by GOD then we need a day to help us, to remind us, to nudge us to express our love. don't you think it may be a good idea, ladies, to have some help?
now in reality we men are very ego centered. we want to be taken care of, our needs, our desires, our expectations to be met. but the truth is GOD doesn't see it that way. HE doesn't let us men get off with the excuses we like to give.
i like how the message paraphrase puts this verse. it says, husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. we men really need that reinforced in our lives don't we?
now we have been looking the past couple of days at this matter of forgiveness and as a pastor it has been interesting to see the double standard that men have in this area. oh they may have transgressed in their love relationship, maybe had a fling or whatever and when they come back and repent, they of course want, expect and many times get forgiveness if they ask for it. that's what love does, even broken love. but if the wife messes up, no way can they ever forgive them because of what they did to them. there is this double standard.
listen, there is no double standard to love. love is love and there is no double standard to forgiveness. i understand the pain involved in so many relationships but in order to restore you must forgive. and forgiveness is a gift for you and for them.
i know in many marriages the feeling part of love has gone out, especially on the women's side. and for men it is important to realize that the reason most times is because of some pain that you have caused in your wife and the only way for the feeling to potentially come back is to try and go back and find where you have hurt them and to acknowledge what you did and ask them to forgive you and little by little the feelings will come back. but i'm a man. my dad didn't do that. real men don't do that and real men are very lonely beings because of their self-focus, their self-protection.
GOD's idea of a real man is marked by giving not getting.
just some thoughts here on bill's front porch on valentine's day...
by the way i bought margaret a card, made her some coffee and got her a vanilla cream filled and a boston cream filled donut from dunkin donuts. you can't say that i'm not romantic.
i don't know if you realize it but nowhere does GOD command a wife to love her husband but in ephesians 5.25 (niv) HE strongly suggests, husbands, love your wives. so if we as men have to be commanded by GOD then we need a day to help us, to remind us, to nudge us to express our love. don't you think it may be a good idea, ladies, to have some help?
now in reality we men are very ego centered. we want to be taken care of, our needs, our desires, our expectations to be met. but the truth is GOD doesn't see it that way. HE doesn't let us men get off with the excuses we like to give.
i like how the message paraphrase puts this verse. it says, husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. we men really need that reinforced in our lives don't we?
now we have been looking the past couple of days at this matter of forgiveness and as a pastor it has been interesting to see the double standard that men have in this area. oh they may have transgressed in their love relationship, maybe had a fling or whatever and when they come back and repent, they of course want, expect and many times get forgiveness if they ask for it. that's what love does, even broken love. but if the wife messes up, no way can they ever forgive them because of what they did to them. there is this double standard.
listen, there is no double standard to love. love is love and there is no double standard to forgiveness. i understand the pain involved in so many relationships but in order to restore you must forgive. and forgiveness is a gift for you and for them.
i know in many marriages the feeling part of love has gone out, especially on the women's side. and for men it is important to realize that the reason most times is because of some pain that you have caused in your wife and the only way for the feeling to potentially come back is to try and go back and find where you have hurt them and to acknowledge what you did and ask them to forgive you and little by little the feelings will come back. but i'm a man. my dad didn't do that. real men don't do that and real men are very lonely beings because of their self-focus, their self-protection.
GOD's idea of a real man is marked by giving not getting.
just some thoughts here on bill's front porch on valentine's day...
by the way i bought margaret a card, made her some coffee and got her a vanilla cream filled and a boston cream filled donut from dunkin donuts. you can't say that i'm not romantic.
Friday, February 13, 2009
you have to do it if you want it...
here's a good one! mark 11.25 & 26 (ms), and when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all asking. if you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly FATHER be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins.
a couple of thoughts. one. to realize that GOD will wipe our slate clean of our sins is unbelievable. that HE will make it so it is as if we have never sinned is unfathomable isn't it? i would do anything to make sure that was true wouldn't you?
two. then i wonder why we have so much trouble with forgiving others when it says only then will your heavenly FATHER be inclined to...
as a pastor i have seen so many people who get tripped up right here. all wrapped up in this i can't believe they would do that to me. there is no way i am going to forgive them and they live all wrapped up in their own quilt because they can't release others the wrong they did to them.
now i don't like to be inclined to put people down but i'm sorry that doesn't seem to make much sense to me, does it you? i can be freed from the wrongs that i have done to others, to myself, to GOD, but no way am i going to free that other person because of what they did to me.
it's all because of pride...pride and i'm sorry to tell you, GOD hates pride. HE really does, but HE lifts up the humble, those who acknowledge they need help, those who forgive others.
now what being humble means is you let GOD take care of the other person not you. and HE can do a better job at it.
who is it that is keeping you from living a life of freedom? why don't you on this valentine's day give then the gift of forgiveness and then you can have the gift of forgiveness if you ask GOD to forgive you of all that you have done. the gift that gives back to you.
well just some thoughts from bill's front porch on friday the 13th...
a couple of thoughts. one. to realize that GOD will wipe our slate clean of our sins is unbelievable. that HE will make it so it is as if we have never sinned is unfathomable isn't it? i would do anything to make sure that was true wouldn't you?
two. then i wonder why we have so much trouble with forgiving others when it says only then will your heavenly FATHER be inclined to...
as a pastor i have seen so many people who get tripped up right here. all wrapped up in this i can't believe they would do that to me. there is no way i am going to forgive them and they live all wrapped up in their own quilt because they can't release others the wrong they did to them.
now i don't like to be inclined to put people down but i'm sorry that doesn't seem to make much sense to me, does it you? i can be freed from the wrongs that i have done to others, to myself, to GOD, but no way am i going to free that other person because of what they did to me.
it's all because of pride...pride and i'm sorry to tell you, GOD hates pride. HE really does, but HE lifts up the humble, those who acknowledge they need help, those who forgive others.
now what being humble means is you let GOD take care of the other person not you. and HE can do a better job at it.
who is it that is keeping you from living a life of freedom? why don't you on this valentine's day give then the gift of forgiveness and then you can have the gift of forgiveness if you ask GOD to forgive you of all that you have done. the gift that gives back to you.
well just some thoughts from bill's front porch on friday the 13th...
Thursday, February 12, 2009
where is your passion...
missouri sen. clair mccaskill said something yesterday about our new president when he said, "it is important that he be president, but he has to stay connected to his passion" and that is so true.
passion. passion is what creates greatness and nothing great is ever accomplished without passion.
rick warren said that passion is what energizes life. it turns the impossible into possible. in fact if you don’t have any passion in your life you’re boring. your life is dull, routine, monotonous. if you don’t have passion in your life you are not living. you are just existing.
i have found that there are some things that rob us of our passion especially in our relationships. this week is valentine's day and it is a day that celebrates our passion for another person. but there are a lot of marriages out there that have no passion and all this holiday is is just an obligation without passion and that is a waste.
have you lost your passion for your wife or husband? maybe it's because of something that they did to you and that conflict has just robbed you of your passion and now there is resentment and anger. and job 18.4 says that you're only hurting yourself with your anger.
listen, unresolved conflict robs you of passion. and the only way to resolve it and to restore your passion is through forgiveness.
now, forgiveness is not saying they were right. forgiveness is not saying that GOD’s not going to judge them for what they did that was wrong. it’s saying, "i'm taking it out of my hands, GOD. i forgive them. it’s in YOUR hands. i can’t hold it in my heart because if i do that resentment is going to destroy me and steal passion from me every single day of my life. you have to forgive. ask GOD’s strength to let it go.
now you’re going to have to say that, if you’re like me, a hundred times during the next week. i forgive them. i remind myself once again that i forgive them. it’s going to come to your mind again and again. but as you do that you’ll feel the passion begin to be strengthened in your life. because an unresolved conflict always kills our passion.
why don't you start the process today? what a great valentine's gift. the restoring of your passion through forgiveness.
well just some thoughts here on bill's front porch.
passion. passion is what creates greatness and nothing great is ever accomplished without passion.
rick warren said that passion is what energizes life. it turns the impossible into possible. in fact if you don’t have any passion in your life you’re boring. your life is dull, routine, monotonous. if you don’t have passion in your life you are not living. you are just existing.
i have found that there are some things that rob us of our passion especially in our relationships. this week is valentine's day and it is a day that celebrates our passion for another person. but there are a lot of marriages out there that have no passion and all this holiday is is just an obligation without passion and that is a waste.
have you lost your passion for your wife or husband? maybe it's because of something that they did to you and that conflict has just robbed you of your passion and now there is resentment and anger. and job 18.4 says that you're only hurting yourself with your anger.
listen, unresolved conflict robs you of passion. and the only way to resolve it and to restore your passion is through forgiveness.
now, forgiveness is not saying they were right. forgiveness is not saying that GOD’s not going to judge them for what they did that was wrong. it’s saying, "i'm taking it out of my hands, GOD. i forgive them. it’s in YOUR hands. i can’t hold it in my heart because if i do that resentment is going to destroy me and steal passion from me every single day of my life. you have to forgive. ask GOD’s strength to let it go.
now you’re going to have to say that, if you’re like me, a hundred times during the next week. i forgive them. i remind myself once again that i forgive them. it’s going to come to your mind again and again. but as you do that you’ll feel the passion begin to be strengthened in your life. because an unresolved conflict always kills our passion.
why don't you start the process today? what a great valentine's gift. the restoring of your passion through forgiveness.
well just some thoughts here on bill's front porch.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
what are you doing...
it seems that criticism is something that we do as a sport. and we are so good at it. the church is into it too. but our leader isn't.
JESUS over in luke 6.41 & 42 says it this way in the message, it's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. do you have the nerve to say, "let me wash your face for you," when your own face is distorted by contempt? it's this i-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. or in other words made a difference in their life.
how is it that taking our most holy reason to criticize which is to make people do better it still falls way short in its effectiveness let alone of how it shows as the scripture says, an i-know-better-than-you-mentality which is pride. it doesn't work. that's the pragmatic reason for not doing it.
i found a quote from charles schwab this morning in which he said, "i consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among men the greatest asset i possess. the way to develop the best in a man is by appreciation and encouragement."
the way for us to help a person to develop the best in them is not by putting them down but by building them up by appreciation and encouragement. but our pride likes to criticise because it makes us feel important. not a good thing.
but there is also the people-matter-to-GOD aspect which means HE really loves them so we must cut it out.
just some thoughts up here on the front porch...
JESUS over in luke 6.41 & 42 says it this way in the message, it's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. do you have the nerve to say, "let me wash your face for you," when your own face is distorted by contempt? it's this i-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. or in other words made a difference in their life.
how is it that taking our most holy reason to criticize which is to make people do better it still falls way short in its effectiveness let alone of how it shows as the scripture says, an i-know-better-than-you-mentality which is pride. it doesn't work. that's the pragmatic reason for not doing it.
i found a quote from charles schwab this morning in which he said, "i consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among men the greatest asset i possess. the way to develop the best in a man is by appreciation and encouragement."
the way for us to help a person to develop the best in them is not by putting them down but by building them up by appreciation and encouragement. but our pride likes to criticise because it makes us feel important. not a good thing.
but there is also the people-matter-to-GOD aspect which means HE really loves them so we must cut it out.
just some thoughts up here on the front porch...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
i love the psalms...
i love the psalms in the ot. back 25 years ago, i went through what i call my jerk time. i lived totally for myself. they were not good times in our family life. and during that time my father died and that threw me into a time of deep depression. just a side light. when you are living totally for yourself you will eventually go into depression. depression is a negative self focus.
now a good thing that came out of that and there always are good things in bad times, you just have to look for them, but a good thing that came out of that was a deep love for the psalms.
david, the writer of many of the psalms has a great way of bringing a positive out of a negative. many times he starts his psalm by being discouraged and then changes his focus from himself and what is going on around him and putting his focus on GOD.
and that was what i needed then and that is what i need now and what we all need now.
i just got back from my daily starbucks reading newspaper time. after hearing about all the negative stuff in a-rod's life and the major catastrophe that can only be avoided by passing the stimulus package or the deadly fire in australia, i needed to come home to some psalms time.
and i read psalm 10 and sure enough david started off where many of us are today, he said, GOD, are you avoiding me? a good honest question that many of us have and have a right to ask. he then goes through and talks about those who are luckless and how they feel but then comes down and says in verse 14, but YOU know all about it — the contempt, the abuse. i dare to believe that the luckless will get lucky someday in YOU. YOU won't let them down: and then in verse 16, GOD'S grace and order wins.
GOD's grace and order wins. and because HE wins i win.
we need to keep our focus on GOD and what HE has done, what HE will do and what HE is doing right now.
just some thoughts up here on bill's front porch.
now a good thing that came out of that and there always are good things in bad times, you just have to look for them, but a good thing that came out of that was a deep love for the psalms.
david, the writer of many of the psalms has a great way of bringing a positive out of a negative. many times he starts his psalm by being discouraged and then changes his focus from himself and what is going on around him and putting his focus on GOD.
and that was what i needed then and that is what i need now and what we all need now.
i just got back from my daily starbucks reading newspaper time. after hearing about all the negative stuff in a-rod's life and the major catastrophe that can only be avoided by passing the stimulus package or the deadly fire in australia, i needed to come home to some psalms time.
and i read psalm 10 and sure enough david started off where many of us are today, he said, GOD, are you avoiding me? a good honest question that many of us have and have a right to ask. he then goes through and talks about those who are luckless and how they feel but then comes down and says in verse 14, but YOU know all about it — the contempt, the abuse. i dare to believe that the luckless will get lucky someday in YOU. YOU won't let them down: and then in verse 16, GOD'S grace and order wins.
GOD's grace and order wins. and because HE wins i win.
we need to keep our focus on GOD and what HE has done, what HE will do and what HE is doing right now.
just some thoughts up here on bill's front porch.
Monday, February 9, 2009
some good stuff...
there is some real good stuff over in the nt book of luke. in chapter 6 verse 37 it says something that really makes a lot of sense when it comes to connecting with people. it says, don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier.
the bible is so practical. we say we are CHRIST-followers so we are into what HE expects but it seems that all we do is
the bible is so practical. we say we are CHRIST-followers so we are into what HE expects but it seems that all we do is
- pick on people
- jump on their failures
- criticize their faults
- condemn those who are down
and we wonder why people don't want to connect with us. i'll tell you, i wouldn't want to. people need us to be easy on them and if we are we will find that life will be a lot easier, a lot more effective.
i used to really be hard on people but i also found that that hardness would always boomerang on me, that i wouldn't get the result that i was looking for. i wouldn't connect with people but i would push them away and it made my life so much more difficult. but i hope that we grow up and learn what works and what works is GOD's way that we find in GOD's word.
just some thoughts up here on bill's front porch...
connecting can be a problem...
i have been having some connecting problems on my pc which means i have connecting problems. last week i had problems with my phone. i could not charge my battery. another connecting problem. i haven't been getting into GOD'S word as much as i usually do. another connecting problem.
now if i just wanted to live unto myself then a connecting problem would not be a concern but it is to me. i find looking on my facebook and seeing what others have said gives me an emotional boost. also being able to write on my blog and then seeing if anyone has viewed it or responded to what i said gives me great satisfaction. or having the ability to receive a call from you or others keeps me from feeling isolated and of course being able to have a GOD connection makes all the difference in all the other connections in my life.
ruben welch wrote a book called, we really do need each other. and that is so true. i really do need others. one of the reason why i spend time every morning at a starbucks is because of my need to connect. i find a place at the door and drink my coffee and read my paper and strive to connect with as many people as i can. i do it with a smile or some nonsense phrase but at some point if i spend the time of being there, i will connect. there is a part that i must play in order to connect. i can't leave it up to others or be frustrated.
so i am doing all i can to get my computer fixed, i went out and got a new phone, and i am spending time in GOD'S word. there is a part for each of us to play in breaking this problem of isolation and doing what we can at connecting.
that is one of the main reasons for this blog because i wanted to connect with you. thanks for coming up on my front porch and making the effort to connect with me.
now if i just wanted to live unto myself then a connecting problem would not be a concern but it is to me. i find looking on my facebook and seeing what others have said gives me an emotional boost. also being able to write on my blog and then seeing if anyone has viewed it or responded to what i said gives me great satisfaction. or having the ability to receive a call from you or others keeps me from feeling isolated and of course being able to have a GOD connection makes all the difference in all the other connections in my life.
ruben welch wrote a book called, we really do need each other. and that is so true. i really do need others. one of the reason why i spend time every morning at a starbucks is because of my need to connect. i find a place at the door and drink my coffee and read my paper and strive to connect with as many people as i can. i do it with a smile or some nonsense phrase but at some point if i spend the time of being there, i will connect. there is a part that i must play in order to connect. i can't leave it up to others or be frustrated.
so i am doing all i can to get my computer fixed, i went out and got a new phone, and i am spending time in GOD'S word. there is a part for each of us to play in breaking this problem of isolation and doing what we can at connecting.
that is one of the main reasons for this blog because i wanted to connect with you. thanks for coming up on my front porch and making the effort to connect with me.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
it is a little snowy today...
it is a little snowy on the front porch today and it is beautiful. i went out and shoveled to made it easier to get around. it took a little time but it will make a difference down the way.
we many times look at the excitement of life and the beauty and the fun and are thrilled with it but we don't always see the potential for harm in the beauty and excitement.
take the snow for instance. if i didn't shovel it it would potentially became ice and there is potential hurt in ice. i'm too tired to get up and shovel. i'll just let the sun take care of it but if you don't shovel the top to let the sun work at it's best the potential for harm to others is there.
some people think that there is no harm in doing what i want to in the moment but there are consequences that that the fun hides. that's where character comes in and that's where the HOLY SPIRIT comes in. that still-small-voice or right and responsibility speaks but the excitement of the other drowns out the still-small-voice. again that is where character comes in.
just some thoughts here on the snowy front porch.
we many times look at the excitement of life and the beauty and the fun and are thrilled with it but we don't always see the potential for harm in the beauty and excitement.
take the snow for instance. if i didn't shovel it it would potentially became ice and there is potential hurt in ice. i'm too tired to get up and shovel. i'll just let the sun take care of it but if you don't shovel the top to let the sun work at it's best the potential for harm to others is there.
some people think that there is no harm in doing what i want to in the moment but there are consequences that that the fun hides. that's where character comes in and that's where the HOLY SPIRIT comes in. that still-small-voice or right and responsibility speaks but the excitement of the other drowns out the still-small-voice. again that is where character comes in.
just some thoughts here on the snowy front porch.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
tough times are...
have you ever thought about the fact that tough times are real opportunities to test yourself and to test your faith? oh GOD already knows about us and our faith but we don't and it is in tough times when we survive that we see what GOD is really doing in us in building that something in us that makes us truly able to make it.
tough times are also times to clean out a lot of unnecessary stuff in our lives. we find out what is really important.
we have just gone through a move from a larger house down to a smaller one. that meant that we got rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff that we don't miss. even the unnecessary room that we used to have we don't miss now but we wouldn't have known that if we hadn't gone through the change.
well just some thoughts here on a snowy day in long island, ny.
tough times are also times to clean out a lot of unnecessary stuff in our lives. we find out what is really important.
we have just gone through a move from a larger house down to a smaller one. that meant that we got rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff that we don't miss. even the unnecessary room that we used to have we don't miss now but we wouldn't have known that if we hadn't gone through the change.
well just some thoughts here on a snowy day in long island, ny.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
i love sunday...
i love to go to church. i really do. when i was young i went every night because my father was an evangelist and we would go to church on wednesday through 2 sundays and then drive to a new place and start again on wednesday and i loved it then. i can't ever think about when i didn't enjoy church except maybe when i was in my 3 year jerk time and i had some guilt because of the way i was acting. guilt does make you want to hide doesn't it? as a pastor i could always tell when people were going through guilt times because they didn't want to go to church. guilt does that but forgiveness takes care of the guilt.
i love my new church. it is some different because i am not the pastor, my son is. and i love listening to my new pastor. GOD speaks through him to me.
well i need to go get ready for church. i really am excited about going. are you?
i love my new church. it is some different because i am not the pastor, my son is. and i love listening to my new pastor. GOD speaks through him to me.
well i need to go get ready for church. i really am excited about going. are you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)