My favorite songs are ballads. They tell an entire story in a song. If the story is important, then it is easily taught and remembered through a ballad.
Certainly, songs cannot replace the Bible as the chief learning tool for Bible believers.
However, second in line of importance as a means of teaching, preaching, and hiding the Word of God in one’s heart is memorization of Christ centered songs.
There is no story that is more important the saving Grace of Jesus Christ.
There is no story that should be remembered and often repeated than the amazing grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Crucified One.
Of all the songs of all Christendom, there is no song that tells of the journey of a believer than ‘Amazing Grace’.
Most people who speak English know the first verse of the song; but few people know all seven verses. Here they are in order, with my comments on each verse.
Amazing grace, How sweet the sound
that saveda wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found
was blind but now I see
This verse tells the story of someone who was lost, and how amazing that God opened his eyes to see a way out of his wretched state. While the song’s writer, John Newton, a slave trader, was obviously a wretched human being, everyone is a ‘wretched human being’ when compared to the perfection of God.
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
and grace my fears relieved
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed
In the writers lost and wretched state, the Grace of God came to who him and caused him to realize his fallen state and separation from God because of his sin. He KNEW he was headed for hell. BUT, then the Champion of Grace, Jesus Christ, saved his soul and relieved him of his fears of a future in hell. No wonder Newton describes this grace as precious.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come
Twas grace that brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.
Newton had gone through more obvious dangers, toils, and snares than most of face today. However, we also face rough and uncertain times. It is the grace of God that takes us through whatever we face, just like grace carried John Newton through.
The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and protion be
As long as life endures
I just love this verse. I don’t know what nut case edited it out of the hymnal. As long as we live, God has promised good to His children. God Almighty is the one who takes us through the battlefield of life.
Yea, when this fleash and heart shall fail
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the vail
A life of joy ane peace
Now I really love this verse.
When we die we go to heaven. It is as simple as that.
In the place Jesus Christ calls heaven, we will have joy and peace for eternity.
We will be reunited with loved ones who died in the Lord.
We will work at things we love.
No more war, no more striving among the nations, nothing bad will be there.
Did I mention we will see our loved ones there?
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
the sun forbear to shine
But God, who called me hwere below
Will be forever mine
Are you worried about destroying the earth? Don’t waste your time. You are required to be a good steward of the things that God puts under your control, but saving the planet is not your job. God has a plan that provides you with a secure future in a wonderful place.
2 Peter chapter 3:10-14 says:
10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12. Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
Pay special attention to verse 14. Citizens of this world are prone to say that Christians tend to dismiss worries about the environment because we are looking for a new heaven and new earth. We are not excused from being responsible in how we treat where we live. We should be careful that we are not wasteful, as our Jesus was not wasteful.
An example is when Jesus fed the 5,000. At the end of the meal, he had the disciples gather up the leftover food. Jesus did not leave a mess to ruin on the grounds of that supernatural event. He did not waste the leftover food.
Just use common sense. Of course the MAIN thing to watch is your Christian walk and testimony.
When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than we first begun
How wonderful! The ballad ends with an eternal happy ending.
The end of every human being will either be eternally happy, or eternally sorrowful. Those who accept the offer of the ‘Amazing Grace’ of Jesus Christ are assured of a very happy ending.
Those who reject His grace have doomed themselves to sorrow.
Tell the world that Jesus saves.
Tell the world about His ‘Amazing Grace’.
If I had five minutes to speak to a million people about the way into heaven, I would:
1. Quote Genesis 1:1. – explaining were we came from.
2. Quote John 3:16 – explaining how to reconcile with God.
3. Sing all the verses of Amazing Grace – giving the story of how the life a Christian goes from start to finish.
Because of His grace, God seeks the lost and saves them when they ask Him.
God takes His adopted children through everything to the eternal safety of heaven.
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/m/a/amazing_grace.htm
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Are You Looking For a Faithful Spouse? Here's Some Advice.
My husband works with a younger crowd. He is probably as about 30 years older than the average person who works there.
Jerry is appalled at the lack of normal family relationships within the large group that he sees daily. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it is a woman or a man. They all have one thing in common; and that is a lengthy and sorrow filled string of ‘relationships’ that didn’t work out.
One day a woman asked Jerry if he had ever ‘strayed’.
Jerry replied; ‘Nope!’
She replied, ‘I can’t even get a boyfriend to be faithful; much less a husband.’
Jerry just walked away. He had no idea of what to say. He told me, ‘She needs more help than anyone can give her in one session.’
I will be honest that there is no ‘sure fire way’ to guarantee that you can choose a spouse that will be a faithful, caring, helpful, supportive person.
However, there are some actions that will help put the odds in your favor.
There are also some actions that will definitely guarantee a failed ‘relationship’ or marriage.
To be ‘marriage material’ requires that the person contemplating marriage be the sort of spouse he or she would want personally.
That means living like you were already married.
That means being faithful to your potential spouse before you even meet them.
That means abstinence from s-e-x (sex) until you are married.
If you have been living the casual life, today is the day to start a new way of life. Abstinence should start for you today.
If your old friends don’t accept your decision – then it is time to get some new friends.
The idea of living together to see how it works is garbage.
Marriage is COMMITMENT.
There is nothing ‘casual’ about it.
What you want to find out about a person is not ‘how you will get along living together’.
You do want to know if your potential spouse can commit to something that is difficult.
You also need to be realistic.
My husband is faithful to me not because of who I am; but, because of who he is.
He decided long before I met him that he would live within the boundaries of behavior defined by God in the Bible.
There is nothing that anyone can do to ensure faithfulness in a spouse.
All you can do is be faithful yourself.
To think otherwise is to set yourself up for a big fall.
Mr. or Miss ‘sleeps around’ is not going to be ‘caught’ or ‘tamed’ by anyone.
This sort of person will always be looking for a reason to cheat. You cannot change his or her heart.
If you are married to a serial cheater, your option is probably divorce.
It comes down to the question, ‘Do I want to live the rest of my life like this?’
Living with a cheater could be compared to someone on one football team who goes out sneaks out and plays for a different team every now and then. Can you imagine if the Cowboys’ quarterback got up one day and decided to play for the Patriots?
I’m afraid that a majority of the people, all the way from the very young, to senior citizens, now see s-e-x (sex) as a casual activity that somehow validates ones personal attractiveness, personal power of persuasion, or as something so casual as to have no significance at all.
THAT attitude is definitely the beginning of a failed ‘relationship’. Stay away from people with that attitude.
Unfortunately, casual relationships are also the beginning of failed family units;
Failed churches,
Failed businesses and economy; and
Failed nations.
The importance of establishing a relationship leading to marriage inside the boundaries set by God cannot be overstated.
People tend to think of past generations as couples stuck in a marriage that provided nothing but frustration for everyone involved, and especially oppression for the women.
That is a false premises promoted by Hollywood and a bunch of bitter women who probably stepped outside the boundaries of a Godly relationships BEFORE they became feminists.
I have seen MANY lengthy marriages. They are not perfect. There is conflict in the marriage. But the couple is better equipped to face the world as a team than as one alone.
Talk about teamwork! A functioning marriage is teamwork at its best.
And they have something in common; the spouses are faithful to God and to each other.
Here’s the way it works to a great extent.
If you want to live within a faithful ‘relationship’, then that relationship must be within the boundaries of a MARRIAGE! Marriage should be your goal. Corporations don’t work without commitment contracts. Neither should you!
The best way to check for a potential spouse’s ability to be faithful in marriage is to demand they are faithful before marriage.
Faithfulness before marriage should be in the context of ABSTINANCE.
This shows respect for you personally, and for the rules by which God tells us to live.
Faithfulness begins with you.
Be faithful to God.
Be faithful to the standards which you have set for yourself.
Demand faithfulnes in return.
Memorize Pslam 37:1-3 which says:
3. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4. Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
God has someone special for you.
Wait on God to bring that person to you.
Jerry is appalled at the lack of normal family relationships within the large group that he sees daily. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it is a woman or a man. They all have one thing in common; and that is a lengthy and sorrow filled string of ‘relationships’ that didn’t work out.
One day a woman asked Jerry if he had ever ‘strayed’.
Jerry replied; ‘Nope!’
She replied, ‘I can’t even get a boyfriend to be faithful; much less a husband.’
Jerry just walked away. He had no idea of what to say. He told me, ‘She needs more help than anyone can give her in one session.’
I will be honest that there is no ‘sure fire way’ to guarantee that you can choose a spouse that will be a faithful, caring, helpful, supportive person.
However, there are some actions that will help put the odds in your favor.
There are also some actions that will definitely guarantee a failed ‘relationship’ or marriage.
To be ‘marriage material’ requires that the person contemplating marriage be the sort of spouse he or she would want personally.
That means living like you were already married.
That means being faithful to your potential spouse before you even meet them.
That means abstinence from s-e-x (sex) until you are married.
If you have been living the casual life, today is the day to start a new way of life. Abstinence should start for you today.
If your old friends don’t accept your decision – then it is time to get some new friends.
The idea of living together to see how it works is garbage.
Marriage is COMMITMENT.
There is nothing ‘casual’ about it.
What you want to find out about a person is not ‘how you will get along living together’.
You do want to know if your potential spouse can commit to something that is difficult.
You also need to be realistic.
My husband is faithful to me not because of who I am; but, because of who he is.
He decided long before I met him that he would live within the boundaries of behavior defined by God in the Bible.
There is nothing that anyone can do to ensure faithfulness in a spouse.
All you can do is be faithful yourself.
To think otherwise is to set yourself up for a big fall.
Mr. or Miss ‘sleeps around’ is not going to be ‘caught’ or ‘tamed’ by anyone.
This sort of person will always be looking for a reason to cheat. You cannot change his or her heart.
If you are married to a serial cheater, your option is probably divorce.
It comes down to the question, ‘Do I want to live the rest of my life like this?’
Living with a cheater could be compared to someone on one football team who goes out sneaks out and plays for a different team every now and then. Can you imagine if the Cowboys’ quarterback got up one day and decided to play for the Patriots?
I’m afraid that a majority of the people, all the way from the very young, to senior citizens, now see s-e-x (sex) as a casual activity that somehow validates ones personal attractiveness, personal power of persuasion, or as something so casual as to have no significance at all.
THAT attitude is definitely the beginning of a failed ‘relationship’. Stay away from people with that attitude.
Unfortunately, casual relationships are also the beginning of failed family units;
Failed churches,
Failed businesses and economy; and
Failed nations.
The importance of establishing a relationship leading to marriage inside the boundaries set by God cannot be overstated.
People tend to think of past generations as couples stuck in a marriage that provided nothing but frustration for everyone involved, and especially oppression for the women.
That is a false premises promoted by Hollywood and a bunch of bitter women who probably stepped outside the boundaries of a Godly relationships BEFORE they became feminists.
I have seen MANY lengthy marriages. They are not perfect. There is conflict in the marriage. But the couple is better equipped to face the world as a team than as one alone.
Talk about teamwork! A functioning marriage is teamwork at its best.
And they have something in common; the spouses are faithful to God and to each other.
Here’s the way it works to a great extent.
If you want to live within a faithful ‘relationship’, then that relationship must be within the boundaries of a MARRIAGE! Marriage should be your goal. Corporations don’t work without commitment contracts. Neither should you!
The best way to check for a potential spouse’s ability to be faithful in marriage is to demand they are faithful before marriage.
Faithfulness before marriage should be in the context of ABSTINANCE.
This shows respect for you personally, and for the rules by which God tells us to live.
Faithfulness begins with you.
Be faithful to God.
Be faithful to the standards which you have set for yourself.
Demand faithfulnes in return.
Memorize Pslam 37:1-3 which says:
3. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4. Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
God has someone special for you.
Wait on God to bring that person to you.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Love My Enemies? Not Likely!
OK Christian. Admit it. Someone close to you ‘done you wrong’!
You are having a hard time forgiving them.
If you still have to be around them, they are probably continually treating you like a pile of garbage.
You are probably thinking, ‘OK Barbara, give me ONE (just one) good reason that I should forgive the creep!
You are probably thinking that you already know the Bible verses regarding forgiveness. I listed many of the verses at the end of this blog post. You need to read them just as a reminder.
Unfortunately, the verses on forgiveness are easy to read, but they are much harder to actually do.
It becomes easier to at least begin with forgiveness when you figure out:
‘what’s in it for me?’
‘What am I going to get out of this?
That rat-fink done me wrong.
They walked away scot free.
And, I am left dealing with the mess they made.
I was the one who was hurt.
I was the one was innocent.
Or, possibly even worse, I’m the one who has to deal with the selfish pig on a daily basis.
They are continuing in their self centered world without even considering what they are doing to me and everyone else they touch.
Or, maybe you are trying to forgive someone who is hurting, or has hurt, someone you love. That may be even harder than forgiving someone who has hurt you personally.
Thankfully, I can give you good reasons to forgive.
First, forgive in obedience to God.
Trust Him.
God asks us to forgive otheres for our very own benefit.
There is something in it for you.
It is to our benefit to forgive others.
Anger and hurt, no matter how justified, are stumbling blocks between the Christian and his or her Lord.
THAT is the true motivation to forgive.
It comes down to this:
‘Do I love my hurt and anger MORE than I love the God of my salvation?’
‘Would I rather hang onto my hurt feelings than gain a closer walk with God?”
Sadly, many people will decide to hang onto their hurt and anger.
There is another good reason to forgive.
If you fail to forgive, you WILL become bitter and angry.
That root of bitterness will spring up in surprising places.
Bitterness cannot be contained or pointed at just one person.
It seeps out all around you.
It slowly poisons all your relationships.
You wind up being the one who hurts the people you love.
You become the person you despised.
Forgiveness, as already mentioned, is something that can be pretty nearly impossible to pull off. You think you have forgiven someone.
Then something reminds you of them, and you are hurt and angry all over again.
I think that is one reason Jesus said to forgive 70 X 7.
You may not be forgiving a different hurt every time. You may just be re-forgiving the same hurt, or the same type of hurt.
The reason to keep forgiving is of course obedience to Christ, but also to find the blessings that come from forgiveness.
I don't think this means you must continue to live with or put up with vicious and hurtful behavior. Regardless of whether you decide to live with something or remove yourself from the situation as much as possible, you MUST forgive.
Forgiveness seems to be a state of mind that you must work at continually. It becomes easier over time, but you still have to keep working at it.
That is done through prayer.
Truly, ‘pray for those that despitefully use you’ is written for YOUR benefit. (Matthew 5:44)
To be an effective Christian, nothing is more important than your personal walk with Jesus Christ.
You must pray for your enemies.
Don’t let hurt and bitterness ruin your future.
Forgive others and walk into a better future.
Ephesians 4:32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.Ephesians 4:31-32 (in Context) Ephesians 4 (Whole Chapter)
Matthew 5:44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;Matthew 5:43-45 (in Context) Matthew 5 (Whole Chapter)
Luke 6:27But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,Luke 6:26-28 (in Context) Luke 6 (Whole Chapter)
Luke 6:35But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.Luke 6:34-36 (in Context) Luke 6 (Whole Chapter)
John 13:34A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.John 13:33-35 (in Context) John 13 (Whole Chapter)
John 15:12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.John 15:11-13 (in Context) John 15 (Whole Chapter)
(Compliments of biblegateway.com )
You are having a hard time forgiving them.
If you still have to be around them, they are probably continually treating you like a pile of garbage.
You are probably thinking, ‘OK Barbara, give me ONE (just one) good reason that I should forgive the creep!
You are probably thinking that you already know the Bible verses regarding forgiveness. I listed many of the verses at the end of this blog post. You need to read them just as a reminder.
Unfortunately, the verses on forgiveness are easy to read, but they are much harder to actually do.
It becomes easier to at least begin with forgiveness when you figure out:
‘what’s in it for me?’
‘What am I going to get out of this?
That rat-fink done me wrong.
They walked away scot free.
And, I am left dealing with the mess they made.
I was the one who was hurt.
I was the one was innocent.
Or, possibly even worse, I’m the one who has to deal with the selfish pig on a daily basis.
They are continuing in their self centered world without even considering what they are doing to me and everyone else they touch.
Or, maybe you are trying to forgive someone who is hurting, or has hurt, someone you love. That may be even harder than forgiving someone who has hurt you personally.
Thankfully, I can give you good reasons to forgive.
First, forgive in obedience to God.
Trust Him.
God asks us to forgive otheres for our very own benefit.
There is something in it for you.
It is to our benefit to forgive others.
Anger and hurt, no matter how justified, are stumbling blocks between the Christian and his or her Lord.
THAT is the true motivation to forgive.
It comes down to this:
‘Do I love my hurt and anger MORE than I love the God of my salvation?’
‘Would I rather hang onto my hurt feelings than gain a closer walk with God?”
Sadly, many people will decide to hang onto their hurt and anger.
There is another good reason to forgive.
If you fail to forgive, you WILL become bitter and angry.
That root of bitterness will spring up in surprising places.
Bitterness cannot be contained or pointed at just one person.
It seeps out all around you.
It slowly poisons all your relationships.
You wind up being the one who hurts the people you love.
You become the person you despised.
Forgiveness, as already mentioned, is something that can be pretty nearly impossible to pull off. You think you have forgiven someone.
Then something reminds you of them, and you are hurt and angry all over again.
I think that is one reason Jesus said to forgive 70 X 7.
You may not be forgiving a different hurt every time. You may just be re-forgiving the same hurt, or the same type of hurt.
The reason to keep forgiving is of course obedience to Christ, but also to find the blessings that come from forgiveness.
I don't think this means you must continue to live with or put up with vicious and hurtful behavior. Regardless of whether you decide to live with something or remove yourself from the situation as much as possible, you MUST forgive.
Forgiveness seems to be a state of mind that you must work at continually. It becomes easier over time, but you still have to keep working at it.
That is done through prayer.
Truly, ‘pray for those that despitefully use you’ is written for YOUR benefit. (Matthew 5:44)
To be an effective Christian, nothing is more important than your personal walk with Jesus Christ.
You must pray for your enemies.
Don’t let hurt and bitterness ruin your future.
Forgive others and walk into a better future.
Ephesians 4:32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.Ephesians 4:31-32 (in Context) Ephesians 4 (Whole Chapter)
Matthew 5:44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;Matthew 5:43-45 (in Context) Matthew 5 (Whole Chapter)
Luke 6:27But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,Luke 6:26-28 (in Context) Luke 6 (Whole Chapter)
Luke 6:35But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.Luke 6:34-36 (in Context) Luke 6 (Whole Chapter)
John 13:34A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.John 13:33-35 (in Context) John 13 (Whole Chapter)
John 15:12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.John 15:11-13 (in Context) John 15 (Whole Chapter)
(Compliments of biblegateway.com )
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