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Peter 5:7
I Corinthians 1:18 & Hebrews 4:12
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"Casting all your cares upon him; for he careth for you." (KJV). This verse is a favorite because it helps to remind me to "Let Go and Let God"! We must work daily to overcome the problem of worry and to learn to let God do what only He can do with such success, relieving our burdens. Some people tend to worry about everything even to the point of worrying about not having anything to worry about! We were created to live full abundant lives and to be whole in mind, body and spirit. The best way to achieve that is to put Jesus in charge of your life and worries, to learn to really Let Go and Let God! I ran across a quote that sums it all up, "Worry is like a rocking chair: It gives you something to do, but doesn't get you anywhere." Beverly Rainwater (SissyBev) "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know." (KJV). These verses were given to the apostles by Jesus to comfort and give them hope. They were meant to teach them to not let earthly troubles get them down because He was still with them even in death. How do these words apply to us today? These verses should be reassuring to us of His second coming and of the hope of a beautiful and magnificent reward for His followers! What could possibly be more reassuring, more full of hope and promise than to know Jesus is preparing a home for us and is there through all our trials, struggles, and victories giving us strength to survive and succeed! Beverly Rainwater (SissyBev) Are We Seeking God First? Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you" (KJV). Very plain, very concise, no holds barred statement! How hard can it be to understand? According to our Lord and Savior we are to seek God first in our lives and all the righteousness that He has to offer will then and only then be given to us. Simple, yes very and yet we seem to have more trouble with that part of our lives! Why is that? Maybe the answer lies in the fact that we have forgotten to be more concerned with what God thinks about us than with what people think about us. When we turn ourselves over completely to God and let Him guide us in everything we do, everything we say, everything we think then we will be seeking God first. When we seek God's plan first then this scripture falls into place because all our plans will center around God and attaining His righteousness. If God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son to die for our sins then should it not be only fitting that we should give ourselves completely to Him by seeking Him and His righteousness first and foremost in our lives! Bev Rainwater (SissyBev) "Wonderful News". When the Apostle Peter was asked by those who had just crucified our Lord and Savior, Men and brethren what shall we do? Peter answered with the most wonderful news known to man, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." A better reply to any question has never been given to man. This is why I call this passage the wonderful news. Man who had no chance of having sins remitted or being totally forgiven now was given and still is given the opportunity to enter into a restored relationship with God. Man who from the downfall of the Garden until the glorious resurrection of Jesus lived outside of God's family. Sure the Jews of the Old Testament were in a relationship with God, but as servants, not as Sons of God as the New Testament so plainly states we are today when we obey God. May God richly bless your study as you strive to search the scriptures to find the only absolute truth known to man. Roy Lonsinger (PreachW994) " I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." KJV What do I think of when I read this verse. Let me count the ways. When I am feeling depressed and think there is nothing I can possibly do to change my situation I meditate upon this verse. It changes my entire outlook for I know that I can do all things for Christ will give me the strength. When others come to me and say they have a drinking problem or cannot stop smoking I read them this verse. See we can do all things through Christ, all we have to do is trust Him to strengthen us. Paul said that there is nothing on this earth worth giving up his relationship with Christ. We need to start thinking the same way. God has promised to meet our every need if we will just cast all our care to Him. Whenever you are down and need a pick me up read this verse and meditate upon the suffering and agony that Jesus did in order to make eternal life possible for you. Watch and see, your spirits will rise and things will not seem so gloomy, for you too can do all things through Christ which will strengthen you. Roy D. Lonsinger (PreachW994) " Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." KJV First we must ask ourselves, What is the doctrine of Christ, and where can we find it? The doctrine of Christ can be summed up as the teachings of Jesus while on earth and the teachings of the Apostles after the Ascension. All of this is contained in what we know today as the New Testament of the Bible. What does this then say about people who use the Old Testament as their religious authority today? Well friends I think the Apostle John tells us quite clearly what it means in this verse, they are without God. This is a hard saying for those who don't believe in the unity of the Lord's Church or believe that God does not condemn denominationalism. People must be taught the truth about this matter before it is too late for them to accept the truth. It is our job as Christians to go forth and teach the pure Gospel to all nations, Matthew 28:18-20. Let us prayerfully continue to expose religious error, speaking the truth in love, Eph.4:15, but always brethren speaking God's truth for it alone has the power of salvation, Romans 1:16. May God bless us all as we strive to do His will. Roy D. Lonsinger (PreachW994) "BUT WHAT IF I FAIL?" Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles,...Isa 40:31 How many times have we heard people say, "I just don't have the energy to go on". We seem to be in such a hurried world with schedules and deadlines and blindly going through a time table for which there seems no purpose. Even Christians may feel at times a sense of burnout. Recently, we've heard of a medical condition called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I don't know if there really is such an illness as being chronically fatigued, but I would suspect the underlining cause would be living without a deep abiding purpose in life. When we feel we have no particular goal or purpose in life or we have forgotten our mission, we begin to feel heavy and weighted unable for our spirits to soar as God would have us to be. Children of God have a deep abiding goal and purpose. We may not always know how we're going to get there but we know where we're going. There is a purpose and a longing to live life as we know it and reaching the ultimate goal of eternal life with God. In Isaiah 40:28-31 we read..."Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might He increathes strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fail but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." In Psalms 27:1 we read:" The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?" And in Psalms 46:1-2 we learn that," God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear." In Jeremiah 16:19, we hear the ultimate prayer of gratitude for strength..."Oh Lord, my strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction." In 2 Corinthians 12:9 we learn that God's strength is made perfect in weakness. In Psalms 27:14 we are told to ..".Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart." A newborn bird in its nest has not yet learned to fly. In fact, its wings almost seem as a burden. When the time is right for them to fly, they will hesitate at first with wings that feel more like weights. But as they learn how to use them and are lifted into the air, the weights suddenly become wings of flight. Sometimes we feel like birds without wings, and our duties and task are the pinions God has made to lift us up and carry us heavenward. We look at our burdens and heavy loads, and shrink from them; but as we lift them and bind them about our hearts, they become wings and on them we rise and soar toward God. There is no burden which, if we lift it cheerfully and bear it with love in our hearts, will not become a blessing to us. God in His Infinite wisdom means for our tasks to be our helpers and our lessons in life. And we have His promise that if we look ever onward toward the goal and call upon Him..we shall mount up with wings as eagles as we soar toward our goal of everlasting life with God. Larry Gissendanner (Yanni610) "But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before Him." The family we have as brothers and sisters in Christ is one of the most encouraging parts of our Christian lives. And this makes perfect sense. After all, the relationships we build now will last for an eternity. It seems good that we should make every effort to build strong bonds. These bonds are based in the love of God and we extend them to one another. The scriptures tell us that every blessing is from God. And surely God has blessed us abundantly. Unfortunately, however, we tend to react as the foolish man who thought he would store up his excess and rest in his blessing. Why is it so easy to think only of ourselves when times are good? As the parable goes God confronted this man by telling him that his very soul would be required of him that evening. God asks us not to rest in our abundance; rather, to put our blessing to good work for Him. It is very easy to say, "I am a Christian." And God tells us to make this confession. But does it stop there? Is it enough to see a brother or sister in need and simply say, "be warm and fed" and then do nothing? Sometimes what we do with our lives make a greater confession of the Lord we serve. And our light shines so bright when we allow love to work "in deed and truth." We need each other. We should be able to depend on each other. We must begin standing in the gap for one another. Who is responsible when a brother is hungry, or thirsty, or in need? We are. You and I are; and, we must always be ready to step up. If we live like this we confirm God's love with our deeds. And we can be confident that our service is pleasing to our Lord. Amen. Leigh Moore (LAinVR) "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." The early church in Jerusalem had suffered persecutions. The result was that many were falling away from the faith that brought them to Jesus. With this in mind the Hebrews writer tells how the people of God always endure through the trials of life. The writer points to their lives (this "cloud of witnesses") as an inspiration to those who were suffering. As Christians we should be that cloud of witnesses for one another now. The early Christians were encouraged to lay aside the sin that had entangled them. The greatest setback of suffering is not the pain; but, the fact that we tend to lose focus on the race set before us by God. In times of personal weakness we must remain ever mindful of the Lord whom we serve. Jesus, suffered greatly for us, never loosing focus on the work that He had to do at Calvary. We must continue in the same example of our Lord. We are promised a day of rest in Heaven if we, like Jesus, endure to the very end. Leigh Moore - (LAinVR) Draw nigh unto God and he will draw nigh unto you. Cleanes your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (NKJV} When contemplating writing about my "favorite verse" there were several that came to mind, but only one that kept returning -- James 4:8. Perhaps it’s because I’ve experienced the essence of its meaning more times in my life than I care to admit. It’s hard for some to realize that God does not come in search of us... often citing Matt.18:11 as proof. However, that verse simply describes the love God feels for us by sending His Son to show us the way. Now that we know, He waits for us to come to Him. In Matt. 7:7 our Lord said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:.." He made it so simple for us. Knowing that a forced love is not genuine, God exhibited His omniscience by allowing us to choose whom we will serve. But, sometimes, even we who chose to be Christians take for granted that our comforts and needs are being satisfied, and, as a result, tend to pray less. Consequently, we grow farther from God. When we wake up, usually after suffering a tragedy or other great loss, we realize we have drifted away, and cannot withstand the perils of this world on our own. But, in His compassion, He gave us prayer, one of the greatest blessings of all. It's through prayer that we can draw nigh unto Him, and return back into the comfort of His guidance. For those who have never known the love of God, it is never too late to seek Him. "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). Let us always glorify and honor God from whom all blessings proceed. And never forget the arms that stretched wide in death for our sins, are stretched wide to welcome us home. And for that alone, brothers and sisters, may God be praised. Peggy Weaver-Miller (P422miller) A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. When we are converted and become obedient to the gospel, the most natural reaction in the world is to want to share the experience with all who will give audience. We usually go to our loved ones first, then to people of denominations hoping to correct them in their understanding. Unfortunately, more times than not, it falls on deaf ears. Before long, we start repeating ourselves in our desire for them to understand, which almost always results in disappointment. There is nothing wrong in displaying eagerness to spread the Word. But, as we mature we have to realize there are times in our attempts when we are casting our pearls before swine as advised against in Matt. 7:6. We are commanded to spread the gospel, but we are also commanded to move on when we are not being well received (Matt. 10:14). If a person becomes argumentative and contentious, then we should walk away. There are many souls to be sought who are willing and longing for guidance. How sad to waste precious time on someone who only desires to win a debate. That person is already cursed by his own opinion. There is not one instance when the Lord argued or debated with anyone. He proclaimed His message with gentleness and moved on. He changed the world and the course of history in three years through obedience and love -- our perfect example. We can never be as unblemished, but by imitation and obedience we can follow in His footsteps that lead us to everlasting life. Peggy Weaver-Miller (P422miller) WHY IT IS MY FAVORITE* This is one of my favorite verses because I sometimes find it so hard to apply in my life......When I encounter trials considering it "joy" is usually not my first reaction...Fear.....Anger.....Frustration.....Blame......Sadness... etc..are usually my first thoughts and human feelings that kick in... WHAT DOES IT TEACH US?* In my opinion I feel it teaches us that God designed us to feel these human emotions.....That He knows how we are feeling.......God knows what we can gain from these experiences........God experienced these feelings.... and that we can't go through life Without these trials....... HOW DOES IT APPLY TO US?* When we encounter trials and face them .......then......as Christians.... we understand that when our Faith is tested......and we endure......we become not only stronger in our faith.....but we have learned that by allowing God to work in us and through us.........He guides us through at these times........we learn patience.........If I go into a trial or tribulation with God by my side then I will come out of it with God by my side......The choice is up to ME! Sandi [ nanasandi2 ] "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." I remember one summer when I was a teenager that we had a drought. I lived near the Shenandoah River and everywhere one looked the vegetation was withered and brown from lack of water, except by the river, that is. There the trees were lush and green and strong because they had a continual source of water - the river. As long as our trust is in God we will remain strong, even when droughts (hard times) come into our lives. When we have our sights on God and his eternal purposes the things here on this earth come into perspective. We will be like those trees by the river when I was a teenager and we will remain strong because we will be rooted into the source of life itself - God. Karen(SABASSKM) My favorite Bible verse (Jeremiah 17:7&8) is very closely tied with Psalm 1 (particularly verses 2&3: "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.") which also uses the tree by the water analogy. This shows us that the way for us to build the trust that we need to have in God is to study His Word. Studying the Bible is the way that we get to know God because it is the way that He talks to us.....imagine that......the One who made the universe talking to us by having a book written for us to be able to see His thoughts. I hope you will take the time to get to know God through His Word. By doing so you will gain strength in your life through the trust you will build in Him by putting His Word into your heart and mind and soul. Karen(SABASSKM) "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, Who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." I Corinthians 10:13 This is a wonderful passage that I hold close to for encouragement and reassurance. I would like to point out a few promises that God has given to His children in this verse. First of all, all temptations that we go through others have had before. Many people know what it is like to go through the same things you are. I believe that we should encourage one another when trials come up among ourselves. A second promise that amazes me is that God won't let us be tempted beyond what we can handle. No matter how bad your day is, no matter how bad your week is, no matter how bad your year is, you have the assurance that you can handle it. If you weren't able to, God would not let you go through it. Remember, the testing of our faith produces patience. Finally, God will always provide a way of escape. Many times we feel there is no hope; there are so many problems going on at the same time, and we are at our wits end, but the Lord will give you a way out. It is our decision if we will take it. "But we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulations produces perseverance; and perseverance, character, and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4 Randy Melvin (RRandyman1) Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.- Psalm 37:4 This is probably one of my favorite promises that God has given me. So many times I look around in this world and see what it has to offer. The old saying of "Sex, drugs, and rock and roll" pretty much sums it up. Many people put their entire lives into worldly things. Some are work-a-holics and spend their whole day consumed at the office. They don't take time out to enjoy God's creation. Others worry about material riches and how much they can get. Many are all wrapped up in their appearance and social life, and unfortunately there are those who put their lives in the hands of drugs and alcohol for a few seconds of enjoyment. "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity," says King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes. This is a man who had it all. He had women, he had food, he had riches, he had power; but when it came down to it, Solomon realized that all those things never really mattered. You can't take riches or power with you when you die. There is no point in putting your entire self into worldly matters, when they only last a twinkling of an eye. As followers of Christ, we are to "Store up treasures in Heaven." When you get down to the heart of the matter, "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all." Randy Melvin (RRandyman1) I Corinthians 1:18 & Hebrews 4:12 The Word of God has the ability not only to judge the actions of men, but to touch his heart to the point that, if he has not destroyed all of his compassion and goodness, the message of the cross can draw him to the goodness of God. Jesus said in John 12:32 "And I, If I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me," God has predetermined who will be with Him in heaven. He wishes all men to be saved, but not all have the heart that can dwell with Him. The heart that can dwell with Him responds to the message of the cross...thus God elects who will be saved based upon the free-will heart of men responding to the Gospel. To some whose heart is arrogant, proud and judgmental...the cross is foolishness! To those who possess the qualities of love, compassion and the realization of their own inadequacy to answer the real problems of life....they are drawn by the message of the cross. Silvia (Susque47) "For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16 This scripture is the thesis of the book of Romans. The Gospel ( the good news of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ) answers 3 problems that humanity cannot answer for itself. Problem # 1 ~ Romans 3:23 "The wages of sin is death." Sin needs to be paid for by eternal death. Problem # 2 ~ All die physically. Problem # 3 ~ No one can live a perfect life. Thru the good news of the gospel, God answers these 3 problems: 1. Jesus solved our sin problem in that, while we certainly deserve death, He took the immense burden on for us...becoming sin for us. Therefore the debt was paid. 2. Jesus solved our grave problem by raising up never to let death be master over Him, promising that we too would be raised up with Him. 3. Jesus solved our Life problem by ascending to heaven to make continual intercession for us with His blood, so we don't have to live a perfect life. Thus the "Good News" of the "Gospel." Silvia (Susque47) This is my FAVORITE verse because in a perfect world ( which this is not ) we would live by these words and ALL of Gods words. No one likes pain or sadness. That is why I truly try to live by this scripture. If we all treated others like we would want to be treated how glorious this world would be. We would treat each other with love, respect, honor, kindness, and gentleness. We've all been hurt by teasing, unkind words, slander and unkind acts. These feelings should stay with us to remind us how NOT to treat people. We are all GOD created and deserve love and respect. God wants us to love him and to love each other, and by treating each other with love there would be no room for hurt. So, if you are guilty of being unkind or unloving and harsh, think back to when you hurt from someone else’s arrows. Pray for strength and forgiveness and move forward to show love again. DO UNTO OTHERS..................... In Christian love, This is one of my favorite verses because it is "HOPE" and "FAITH". Everyone feels disappointment and failure at times. But the Lord has promised us that we will spend eternity in heaven if we OBEY and ENDURE. He has also told us that He will never give us more than we can handle. We should never lose hope no matter how low we may fall because the Lord will pick us up and hold us firm! We need to look above when we are struggling and try to find the good in the bad. Our tears will be wiped away and our sorrow will be gone when we endure to the end and see our Lord and Savior in heaven. We are never alone because HE is always with us and He even provided help for us here on earth---------brothers and sisters!! Hold on to HIM and each other and lets walk the path together.....................heres my hand! In Christian love, WALKING IN THE LIGHT This is truly a great passage of scripture: one that contains both good news and bad news. The bad news is... we sin! (1 John 1:8, 10; Romans 3:23; 1:18ff). There is good news, though. The good news is... even though we sin, we can still be saved! 1 John 5:16 says there is such a thing as a sin unto death and there is a sin not unto death. We understand about the condition in which a man is living in sin and walking in darkness...doesn't care about trying to live for God might even be someone who claims to be a Christian but continually gives in to sin and likes it that way (John 3:19; 2 Peter 2:20-22) But John also talks about a brother who sins but is apparently still in a saved condition. This one is being cleansed from his sin because he is walking in the light (1 John 1:7; 2:1-2). John says we remain in a saved condition as long as we are "walking in the light." What is walking in the light? Surely one who is doing so has a far different attitude about sin than does one who lives in sin. A faithful Christian hates sins, does not continue in sin, and continually confesses his sin and strives to overcome. Such a one (praise the Lord) is continually washed by the blood of the Lamb. Bob Williams (Bob78999) THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME We often sing "This world is not my home…" Truly the angels are beckoning us from heaven's open door; that's where our home really is, and I love to sing about it. Problem is: we're stuck living here in the meantime! that can cause us a lot of problems this world is filled with dangers that can lead us away from being on the Lord's side it can make living a good faithful spiritual life most difficult thing to do because as long as we're stuck living here in this world, it can have a very powerful influence on us; the world is a tough place to live for Christians trying to do right Answer is found in the familiar passage: 1 John 2:15-17 If you want to make it to heaven, then keep looking at things related to your home in heaven instead of getting all wrapped up in things down here in this world. If, on the other hand, you have no great concern about your eternal home, then settle in and make yourself at home right here. Because that's what it takes to lose your soul. Bob Williams (Bob78999) A Virtuous Calling "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is a rottenness in his bones." Proverbs 12:4 (KJV) How many of us have searched relentlessly to find some meaning and/or purpose for our lives? Moreover, how many of us women have overlooked the glorious position God has called us to in just creating us to be women? Proverbs 12:4 very poignantly represents the awesome responsibility and honor that is incorporated in being a virtuous woman. Consider for a moment the great compliment there is in being a "crown to her husband". How can we continue to overlook the significance of the role to which God has called us? Even the world recognizes the prestige and honor of a crown. Society holds in deep regard those crowned in royalty, and athletes beat their bodies into submission to obtain the crown of victory. A crown is a symbol of honor, accomplishment, and is well esteemed. It is something that sets one apart, and it's status symbol is sought after from many different walks of life. For a woman to be a crown to her husband is both an honor and privilege from God almighty. It is a gift of great price to both the husband and his wife. The latter part of this verse indicates how a virtuous woman is set apart from others in that she brings him glory. But a woman who is worldly and disobedient both to God and her husband, brings him great shame and sickness. This scripture also points out that such a woman is " a rottenness to his bones" reminding us that a woman came from man, is of man, and in fact, is in man. (Matthew 19:5-6 "and the two shall be one flesh.") For this purpose God created woman; to serve as a helpmate for the man, a companion, a soul-mate, a crown. To bring her husband honor and glory and by doing so, glorifying God Almighty. This is not something that God has changed his mind on over the years. However, the enemy through the decadence of society would have us to believe so, and has caused many to be led astray and to become disobedient by not adhering to the word of God. It is imperative that woman today begin to re-establish the relationship that God has called us to, and once again be re-united in living the will of God; fulfilling the purpose for which he has created us. Copyright 1998, Nancy M, Ericsson 70 x 7
Matthew 7:1 I Corinthians 11:7 Romans 5:1-5 I Corinthians 13:1-8
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