Friday, October 16, 2015

Are you willing

Have you ever doubted God's ability to use you to do something?  In the song God is Faithful by Shelia Walsh it contains these words.  "We will never be worthy of his healing but all he asks of you is that you will be willing."  In Isaiah we read this.  Then I heard the Lord asking "Whom should I send as a messenger to these people?  Who will go for us?"  I said "Here I am. Send me."  I never planned on teaching a bible study online.  Roughly 5 years later I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing.  It got me thinking about the disciples.  Twelve simple men.  Most fishermen, a tax collector but really ordinary people no training in preaching really.  But God used them to turn the world upside down.  In 1 Samuel 13:22 we find something that seems obscure.  Israel is at war with the Philistines who have kept them from having blacksmiths for fear the people of Israel would make weapons and revolt.  "So on the day of the battle none of the people of Israel had a sword or spear, except for Saul and Jonathan."  The people of Israel are grabbing anything to use as a weapon.  So Jonathan goes on a mission on his own and tells no one.  Just him and his armor bearer.  "Let's go across to the outpost of those pagans,"  Jonathan told his armor bearer "Perhaps the Lord will help us."  Watch Jonathan's faith here because this is awesome.  "For nothing can hinder the Lord.  He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!"  This duo goes on to lay waste to twenty people wile the king and his army sit under the trees.  Then an earthquake happened.  God used these two men who were willing to get up and be men.  Twenty to two odds.  I can already hear Han Solo saying "Never tell me the odds."  Philippians 4:13 "For I can do everything through Christ who give me strength."  When you surrender and are willing to be used by God he can and will use you.  I believe this to be what we call in the pro-wrestling business your go home line.  "In all of our weakness, He becomes so strong when He gives us the power and strength to carry on."  






 
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Thursday, October 8, 2015

Mercy

Mercy is not the secretary of Lex Luthor in the Superman cartoons no my friends she is only fictional.  Mercy is unexpected kindness.  In 1 Samuel 10 Saul gets anointed to be the first king of Israel.  Like with most rulers he wasn't completely accepted.  1 Samuel 10:27 "But there were some scoundrels who complained, `How can this man save us?' and they scorned him and refused to bring him gifts.  But Saul ignored them."  My dad has this saying of "Some people would complain if you hung them with a new rope."  In the next chapter I found an example of mercy by King Saul that for all the times I have read the Bible I have never seen this.  Saul has just gathered an army and fought his first battle as king.  The army defeats the Ammonites so badly they are scattered and no 2 are left together.  But watch this display of mercy.  1 Samuel 11:12-13 then the people exclaimed to Samuel "Now where are those men who said,`Why should Saul rule over us?' Bring them here and we will kill them."  But Saul replied.  "No one will be executed today, for today the Lord has rescued Israel."  Saul was king and his word was to be obeyed.  God is sovereign king over all and I want you to see another example of mercy, the prize won for all on the cross.  "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard."  At this verse you can almost see the judge lowering his gavel to pronounce you guilty.  Then as my friend Clyde would say "Suddenly and without any warning whatsoever." or like any good infomercial "But wait there's more."  "For the wages of sin is death,"  the judge's gavel continues it's descent.  "But the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."  As you stand in the courtroom the gavel hangs in midair and you look and see Jesus on the cross.  You behold the greatest example of love in all of history.  "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were sinners."  Mercy is cause for celebration and happiness for the believer.  
For the unbeliever it may not be today but later down the road but at some point in all of our lives God shows us the weight and cost of our sins before a Holy God.  I want as you read this to know some things and take them away with you.  Salvation is found in only one place.  Jesus told them "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through me."  John 14:6  Church attendance, being good, keeping the 10 commandments, Buddhist, Islam, another cult, proud catholic none of these things will save you.  Salvation is only found in Christ Jesus.  Romans 10-9-10 makes salvation clear.  "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved."  You might ask who can be saved.  I'm glad you brought that up.  Romans 10:13 "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  God's mercy is your hope.  Don't reject it please!  


On all but one of the songs I was able to get the lyrics with it but that one song is okay because Meredith Andrews teaches the song as it goes.  the reason for the lyrics aside from my wife Marion loves to do sign language and see the lyrics i wanted all of you to be impacted not by just a song but the words to it as well.  











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