Jesus, Forgive Me. I know It's Not All About Me 3/11/2015

Good Morning,

Wednesday already? Where does time go? Last night went quite late with an elders meeting at church. So a little extra coffee is in order this morning. My flavor of choice is Door County Christmas.

Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.

Romans 12:10

Love is not only essential to obtaining peace upon this earth; love is also vital in adhering to the will of God… The word of God tells us that we were given a New Commandment regarding love in the gospel of John through the very mouth of Jesus Christ; in this gospel we find these words recorded, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Notice that Jesus says you MUST love one another; loving is not optional or something that we can turn on and off in the body of Christ… When we love we are not just showing kindness to one another; the love spoken of in that portion of scripture speaks to the fact that we are actually put God on display in our very lives as we are told in the bible that God is love… 

 

I hear from time to time, those people who leave churches because the music or message did not reach them. I often wonder what brought them to the church to begin with. I also hear people say that they are all about love and want to express the love of Jesus. But the message and music needs to inspire them to be able to do so.

 

I have to admit that I have sat through many a sermon that I just couldn't relate to. I recall one on drug addiction that really meant nothing to me. I had the Packer game on my mind within minutes.  Half way through the message I realized that the one person I had been praying for who was an addict was there that day. The Holy Spirit pointed me in the right direction, I didn't need the sermon. I was blessed to not need the message. But someone else did and I was being selfish by wishing for some other message. My duty was to take part in the message by praying for those who needed to hear it.  It wasn't long after that day when the message was on being selfish.

 

Once I realized that not every moment has to be about me and that I can be fed by being there and praying for others my worship experience became much, much more to me. I needed to see that my love for me was all I worried about. I was not showing the love of Jesus by disengaging from the service.

 

I guess I really wasn't showing love by my actions. I really proved that I would pray for the addict but really did not care. I grew up that day, big time.

 

How about you? Are you self serving? Can you share God's time with others?

 

Have a great day.

 

Marty

 

 

Stay, Just A Little Longer 3/10/2015

Good Morning,

I hope your day is easy come and easy go. I am starting this fine morning with a cup of Door County Highlander Grog Coffee. Some people wake up to smell the roses. My nose leads me to the coffee pot.

Genesis 18:1-5, 16-22 New King James Version (NKJV)

18 Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. ² So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, ³ and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. ⁴ Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. ⁵ And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.”

 

¹⁶ Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. ¹⁷ And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, ¹⁸ since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? ¹⁹ For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” ²⁰ And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, ²¹ I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
²² Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord.

 

 

In our text today we see that God pays Abraham a visit. we are specifically told in Gen. 18:1 that the Lord (YHWH) appeared to him (Abraham) near the trees/oaks of Mamre.  The Hebrew makes it perfectly clear that Yahweh himself appeared, at least at some point in the story. The Greek translators confirm, albeit somewhat more generically, that it was God (ho theos) that appeared.

After these words of introduction, we are told that Abraham, while sitting in his tent, looks up and beheld three “men” approaching. Neither the Hebrew nor the Greek call them “angels” here, but use common words for mortal men.  However, in the next chapter, Gen. 19:1, two of the “men” are called angels (or “messengers”, in both Hebrew and Greek). If two of them leave for Sodom, then apparently the third is left behind. The way the narrative comes to us, the third visitor would seem to be the Lord, who is left by the other two and remains speaking to Abraham in the last part of chapter 18.

 

What has always intrigued me was how comfortable Abraham was with God. Abraham knew that he was in the presence of God and opened his home asking God to stay on longer. I wonder how many of us put a limit on our time with God and how many of us would ask to have more time with Him? Are our homes open to spending time with God? Makes you wonder how people can easily miss church without batting an eye. Abraham clearly let God know that He appreciated the visit and wanted more.  I wonder if we all do that?

 

Time to go to work now. Think this one through.

 

Marty

True Accomplishments 3/9/2015

Good Morning Dear Friends,

Today will start early and run late into the day. I am looking forward to my big cup of Door County Pumpkin Spice Coffee. I had a great weekend and I am still a little tired. Fresh air and walking will always wear me out. These legs don't work as well as they used to.

Yesterday was day two of the Faith Bible Church Men's Ministry Annual Pheasant Hunt. The weather was warm and the guys shot very well over trained dogs. A great time was had by all.

All of us have achieved goals or accomplishments that have either been set for us, we stumbled into, or we chose to do. I for one have never bowled a great game, but many others have. I have never received a medal for being able to spell but others have. I have never saved a life, but others have. I have achieved some awards with my hunting dogs and have massed huge amounts of bird retrieves over the years. Yesterday we celebrated as Gibbs passed the 400 mark while still 2 years old. He will be 3 soon though. But in the realm of heaven all of our accomplishments, although some are brave and brilliant are nothing compared to what Jesus has done for all of us by dying on the cross to save a world. What does it matter how many retrieves a dog makes? None really.

Acts 20:24New King James Version (NKJV)
²⁴ But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God

The closest I can come to a heavenly accomplishment is to try and live out Acts 20:24. I do look forward to the finish line some day.
I must confess that as much as I cook and make some pretty nice meals I cannot make a Jello mold. I have tried and tried, over and over again, without success. Even if I master the Jello mold some day, what will it matter except to me? When I die, do you think that someone will get up and say, I remember his one good Jello mold? No they won't.


Our goal should be to hear; ............
²¹ His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Matthew 25:21King James Version (KJV)

Aim high today!

God bless,
Marty

The Train In The Distance 3/8/2015

Good Morning,

May your day be blessed from above. May your coffee be hot and tasty. My mug is filled with Door County Chocolate Caramel Truffle Coffee the fine day.

 

As I began to write to you this morning I could hear a train sounding it's horn in the distance, warning automobiles  that it was approaching a road crossing. We live fairly close to the railroad tracks and when we first moved into our home and heard the rumble of the train and the horn we thought we would never get used to it. After a few months you just didn't seem to know it was even there. It is easy to ignore. I actually love the sound in the winter on a very cold night. My ancestry has a railroader in it that causes me to recall a loved one who taught me a few things about railroad tracks. The horn is very loud and signals a clear warning of imminent danger. Our road crossings have signal lights that start flashing and gates that swing down to block the road. You can still drive your automobile or bike around those gates. I see people do it all the time. I read all too often in the newspaper about people who know the train is coming but yet cross the tracks with the train approaching instead of waiting. The reason it made the news is that it did not end well for the driver when the car stalled or got stuck and the train collided with which is now usually a dead driver and passengers. What a tragedy to not listen to the warning.

 

Psalm 139:13-14         

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Our bodies were made with warning signals also. Someday each of us will pass away from this Earth. That is God's timing and His alone.  But in the meantime we have a responsibility to take care of ourselves as best as we can. For instance when something internally is wrong, a signal is pain, or a bloody discharge which is out of the normal parameters of life. This is a warning sign telling is to seek medical attention. Thinking that it will just disappear especially after it persists for a few days or returns is like standing on the railroad tracks thinking that the train will stop in time and not hit you. A woman with  lump in her breast is give a clear signal that something is wrong and it needs to be checked out.

God created us in such a way that we are wired with signals all throughout or bodies. He has given us the responsibility to heed the signs and reasonably seek medical attention until He heals us permanently when we go home to heaven.

Dear friends, take care of yourselves, heed the warning signals your body gives you. God equipped many people with brains for medicine now and advances are made each year in health repairs and maintenance of the body. Doctors and nurses are a gift that God uses to sustain us until our journey ends. I had a shoulder repair a couple years ago that took a long time to heal. The physician said the reason it took so long to heal was that I made it worse by waiting too long for the repair. I guess the numbness and pain weren't enough to convince me to seek help. I had to wait until I couldn't pour my coffee!!! That was the last straw. This guy likes his coffee, but it was way too long of a time to wait. Things became worse.   Listen to the signals. God speaks to us through the signals and advises us to use the gifts He has provided.

Have a great day!  Love you all.

Marty





Back To the Beginning. 3/7/2015

Good Morning Dear Friends,

My coffee this morning is Door County Caramel Apple. What a nice start to a Saturday. Off to the fields to chase some ditch chickens (pheasants).

Last night I was able to meet with an old friend for a cup of coffee. My friend is at a cross road in life and wanted to talk. A little coffee, a little prayer, a little listening, and a little advice, were all part of our meeting. I believe that in everyone's life there comes a time when the right choices need to be made.

Psalm 22:9-10New King James Version (NKJV)

⁹ But You are He who took Me out of the womb;
You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.
¹⁰ I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother’s womb
You have been My God.

 

I have learned that in order to get the proper perspective on the future that I often need to go back to the beginning and remember the past. This is what King David did in our Scripture this morning. David went  back as far as his birth. Life hadn't always been this tough. David told us the truth when he said that if it weren't for God he would not have even existed. He remembered how God had always helped him.  Looking back he wrote that his whole existence was God's will. There was more to life than his present suffering.

 

If things are rough right now, go back and remember the love relationship you once had with God. Go back to when he carried you last. If you can't remember that, go back and know that He formed you in the womb and brought you into this world in His time. He gave you strength to grow and will do it again and again and again. 

 

I titled this "Back To The Beginning. " Maybe it should have been titled "Back To The Future". Sometimes in order to move forward we need to carry our past into the future.

 

God bless,

Marty

Watching And Waiting 3/6/2015

Good Morning,

Happy Friday! My mug is filled with Door County Chocolate Cherry Coffee and my face is decorated with a smile.

Matthew 25:13         
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour

I love to duck hunt. There is no doubt about it. One of the things a duck hunter must do is to be watchful at all times. Many hours are spent watching the sky and the waves for a glimpse of a duck or flock of ducks coming toward the hunter's decoy spread. The other thing a duck hunter must be ready to do, is to shoot right away when the duck gives you that chance at a shot.

I can tell you of a time while duck hunting in the cold that I fell asleep and woke up to a bunch of mallards sitting in the middle of my decoys. I was startled and when I moved my shot gun slid down into the boat. My  movement to get my gun caused the ducks to take flight faster than you can imagine. Needless to say I missed my chance at a duck supper. You never really can tell when those ducks will come in.

Jesus will return and no one knows the day or the hour. Many people are fooled into believing false prophets who claim to know exactly when Jesus will return. This is very far from the truth. God's Word says we will not know. But what we should do is "be ready to go".

Many women have a bag packed during the last days of pregnancy because they want to be ready to go to the hospital when little Johnny or little Gertrude decides to grace the world with their presence.

We need to have our bags packed also. What do I mean? Jesus is coming back some day. You might be ready to go because of your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Good for you and me. But what about those friends and relatives that have not received Jesus into their lives and accepted Him as Lord and Savior? Those bags aren't packed. So since we do not know when He is coming, but like the duck hunter who is watching and anticipating a return some day, shouldn't we be ready and have those bags packed full of our relatives and friends? Tell them about the love Jesus has for them. Lead them to Jesus.

Why not be ready? He is coming back!

Marty

The Pheasant Hunt and Bacon 3/5/2015

Good Morning Dear Friends!

This morning is unusually cold for March in this part of the world. So as I head out of the door with a song in my heart, one big, hot cup of Door County Highlander Grog Coffee is in my hand.

This coming weekend I will be out chasing pheasants with my dog and a bunch of great guys. We really enjoy each other's company and of course we like to eat. Pictured above are some pheasant breasts, that are stuffed with peppers and mushrooms and then wrapped in bacon. We like to cook up what we shoot that day. It seems to add a little more macho to the day when you dine on what you shot.  Anyway, anything always tastes better with bacon on it.

Proverbs 12:27New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁷ Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch,
    but the diligent make use of everything they find.

The book of Proverbs deals with many practical subjects as well as spiritual ones. In this verse, we are given advice on hunting. It is not wrong to hunt; however, Proverbs 12:27 says that the man who hunts for game and just kills it, and does not take possession of it for eating is a slothful man. The diligent hunter takes his game for food (roasting) and considers it a precious possession, as he has food for his family’s table.

Looking forward to the hunt. Really looking forward to a feast later.

God bless,

Marty