" Beholding the Lord"

I am so looking forward to the time that I will dwell in the house of the Lord. What a glorious day that will be for all of us! We will forever be with our Lord.

 

Let's take a look at what Psalm 27:4 says.

" One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: 

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord, All the days of my life, 

To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple."

 

We will behold the Lord's beauty and His majestic ways. We will be captivated by His all consuming love for us and we will continually be in His presence. We will see Him face to face and gaze into His eyes. Another part of that passage that sounds wonderful is to inquire in His temple. All those questions we've been wanting to ask the Lord about, this will be our grand opportunity! What a joyous time we will have.

 

Yes it will be a glorious time. But until then, I will continue to draw near to Him and go deeper with Him, basking in His love and being used for His glory.

 

Blessings,

Sandy Billingham

Pure of heart

 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

(Matthew 5:8)

"Blessed are the pure in heart" is a beatitude expressing a standard that is extremely difficult to achieve. Relating strongly to much of what is written in the Old Testament, this standard is something the Pharisees vainly pursued through an obsessive observance of thousands of cultic rules they and others added to God's inspired Word. Their desire to achieve purity before God is commendable, but Jesus clearly demonstrates that they chose to do it the wrong way, leaving their hearts unchanged. In this vein Paul remarks:

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel
is that they may be saved.

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God,

but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant
of God's righteousness,

have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

(Romans 10:1-3)

submitted by: Annie

“Now you are light in the Lord….”

 Ephesians 5:8b

I love the sky! Not because I can name all of the different kinds of clouds or give a weather report, (I cannot do either) but because of all of the ways that it shows God’s Almighty Power in the shifting light and changing colors throughout each day.

This morning, as I stepped outside with our shepherd-mix dog, I looked up to see what the morning had in store for us. My first wide-open view of the sky was a layering of shades of grey. From almost-white to deep charcoal smudges, the clouds and morning mist created an illusion off an endless mist-filled nothing. The type of murky haze that absorbs all of the existing light, hiding landmarks and leaving nothing to guide us in the right direction. Some would see this as hopelessness.

But then, we walked to the end of the street and turned the corner, so we were now heading east, and I was stopped dead in my tracks by the glorious new vista that was before me. The rising sun was overpowering all of the dreary grey, changing the clouds from their dismal heaviness into a series of warm, inviting rose and golden cushions that I wanted to roll in like a child! This was one of the purest illustrations of hope that I had ever seen!

A gentle, and powerful, dazzling light that drives all of the heaviness away. Cleansing the new day of all of yesterday’s anger, hurt and fear. His mercies are new every morning!

How often do we forget and miss these moments every day? Do we allow ourselves to stop believing God when things around us are grey and filled with the misty nothingness that makes everything appear to be hopeless? Or do we tell ourselves to keep walking in faith, so we can turn the corner and be amazed, once again by the wonder of all that God has given us in the dazzling sunrise of hope?

Remember, even when we are surrounded by what appears to be total darkness and utter hopelessness; the sun that God created is still in His sky; waiting expectantly to shine again while we grow in hope in the glory of the next new day.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

Live as children of the light

(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)”

Ephesians 5: 8-9

Written by Lynda Kinnard

CLERGY APPRECIATION DAY 10/09/11

Today is a day set aside to recognize and show appreciation those in formal religious leadership positions. Not many people are aware of all that goes into serving a congregation or ministry, or the effect that service has on the clergy and their families. My family happens to be Lutheran and my husband is the pastor of a congregation. We may joke about some of the stereotypes of ministers, but those stereotypes come from some common misconceptions on some level. Many people make assumptions that are not true. In spite of these, God continues to love us and use us.

"It doesn't take much to become a minister" - while in some church denominations a person can simply be "called" without the education, that is often not the case. In the Lutheran church it takes 4 years of college plus 4 years of seminary education, and they end up with a masters degree after those 8 years. Their education includes learning Greek and Hebrew so that they can go back to the original texts and truly interpret it in context of the original language. In their 7th year of education they spend one full year (12 months) in a church where they are assigned to go (anywhere in the U.S.) and to work under the supervision of an experienced minister. They all hope not to be assigned to a place that sounds difficult, like Zap, North Dakota, population 237 (there really is such a place!) In their 5th, 6th and 8th years at the seminary they also work weekends in local churches around the seminary (and sometimes find their spouses there!).

"They only work on Sundays" - while in some church bodies, the minister is only part time and must have a secular job to support themselves, there are many where the ministry is their full time job, which is the case in our church body. But people often don't understand why it takes full time to do the job. They do not realize that the pastor has office hours so that many forms of counseling can take place, or that members often come in with questions and concerns about the ministry, etc. There are often Bible Studies/classes to prepare for and to teach throughout the week. There are board and committee meetings to attend, bulletins and newsletters to contribute to or compile. Phone contacts are made. And sermon preparation is at least begun (my husband spends 15+ hours every week on each sermon, researching and writing/rewriting, even if he has preached on that very same lesson multiple times). All this during office hours. Then there are "calls" to make in person outside of office hours - visiting shut-ins at home or in facilities who cannot make it to church, visiting sick people in the hospital or rehab units or in hospice or at their homes, checking on people who have not been in church recently, and making evangelism contacts. There are also evening meetings or activities in many churches. My husband only takes off on Fridays and on Sunday afternoons, so he works well over 40 hours/week. And he is always on call, often getting calls in the middle of the night or in his off times. God's work is "never done". (That's why some people say God is a woman! LOL) This can all be very stressful for the pastors, and for their families. It is important for the pastor to take care of their own physical, spiritual and mental health, and to take care of their own family, over and above the congregation. Otherwise the pastor will not be able to serve well. In spite of all this, it is a joy to serve the Lord!

"They work for me so I can tell them how they should be doing their job" - they actually work for the "Big Guy upstairs", and sometimes have to do things that don't agree with members. They can never please everyone. Some members want a "young" pastor and others want one with many years of experience - sometimes the same people want both wrapped up in the same pastor! Some people like a sermon that sounds like a conversation, others want it to be fire and brimstone - for the other guy - "let 'em have it!" - (not realizing that every sermon applies to every person). Even if your hands or your ancestors' hands literally built the church building, it is not your church, nor is it the pastor's church - it is God's church.

"Evangelism is the minister's job" - when people outside of the church see a minister coming or learn the person coming to them is a minister, they often assume it is just "their job" to say those things. But when a friend, neighbor or family member says them, it carries much more meaning to them. And each and every one of us is called on to share the Gospel with others - not just the pastor of the church.

"Successful ministry means the church is growing; if it's not growing, there is something wrong!" - actually, God calls us to be faithful servants, not "success stories". Sometimes that means the church will temporarily shrink as things transition. But as long as we remain faithful to God's teachings, He will use us for his glory.

So, hopefully you have a good understanding of what YOUR ministers do in your churches, and this posting expands your understanding of what the "job" might entail. May you show your appreciation in whatever way you feel fitting today, and every day, remembering that in doing so you are thanking God for his servant in your midst. Paul's message to Philemon and prayers for him are a great example:

I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people. Philemon 1:4-7 NIV

Blessings, Jan Andersen

Pride

My Name is Pride. I am a cheater.

I cheat you of your God-given destiny...because

You demand your own way.

I cheat you of contentment...because you "deserve better than this."

I cheat you of knowlegde...

because you already know it all.

I cheat you of healing..

because you're too full of me to forgive.

I cheat you of holiness...because

You refuse to admit when you're wrong.

I cheat you of vision...because

You'd rather look in the mirror

than out a window.

I cheat you of genuine friendship...because

Nobody's going to know the real you.

I cheat you of love..because real romance demands sacrifice.

I cheat you of greatness in heaven...because

You refuse to wash another's feet on earth.

I cheat you of God's glory...because

I convince you to seek your own.

My name is Pride. I am a cheater.

You like me because you think I'm always looking out for you.

Untrue.

I'm looking to make a fool of you.

God has so much for you, I admit, but don't worry...

If you stick with me, You will never know.

Written by Beth Moore

Shared by Amie Spruiell

A Friendship Worth Keeping

“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.

”Philippians 1:3 (NLB)

When Paul wrote the above verse to the people in Philippi, his heart was full of joy. The people to whom he was writing held a very special place in his heart. Together they had shared the Good News of the Gospel along with the blessings of God. He loved these people very deeply and he wanted them to continue to grow in their knowledge and understanding of the Lord. He wanted their lives to be filled with the fruit of their salvation in order for them to bring glory and praise to God.

Paul shared his life and his heart with these people. He told them of the hard times that he had gone through, and how God had used those circumstances for the greater spread of the Gospel. He shared with them the confidence that he had in God, and how excited and determined he was to continue to serve Him with all that he was, and all that he could be. He encouraged, admonished and taught them in all honesty and sincerity… always wanting, hoping and praying for God to work out His best in and through each one of their lives.

Today I met to pray with some friends like that. They are perhaps the greatest gift (besides my own family), that the Lord has ever given to me. They are steadfast in their love for me, and their motives towards me are pure. They recognize and acknowledge the special gifts that God has placed inside of me. They support those places in prayer, and they cover me in my weaknesses. They know just about all there is to know… and they love me nevertheless. They are friends like Paul. They want my life to be filled with the fruit of my salvation and for that fruit to be used to bring glory and praise to God. I believe they know and understand that I want the same for them.

What about you? Do you have those kinds of friends in your own life? What about becoming that type of friend to someone else? We all need friends who not only love and support us, but those who also really know us. When God made us, He made us in His own image. I believe that proves that we were not only made to know others, but we were also made to “become known” ourselves. This means that we must take a risk and become vulnerable to each other. I know that as for me, this “reward” far outweighs the risk… how about you?

Beverley A. Napier
September 29, 2011

God’s Direction in Circumstances

“How do I know if I am doing what I am supposed to be doing?” “If I only knew for sure what God’s will is, I would do it!””What is my purpose in life?”

I have spent many years asking myself these and other similar questions. Maybe you’ve wondered, too.

These are questions that can’t be answered quickly or easily. We must seek wise Godly counsel and take time to pray and wait for wisdom from God. But there is also an amazing amount of direction, God’s direction, to be found by determining what the “right” thing to do is in my circumstance.

The first thing to do is assess the situation. Certain scenarios come hand in hand with certain responsibilities and duties.

Am I married? God’s will is that I am faithful and choose to love and care about my husband.

Am I single? God’s will is that I keep my body pure by avoiding sleeping with a boyfriend.

Am I an employee? God’s will is that I am honest and reliable.

Am I an employer? God’s will is that I am fair and just with my clients and employees.

Am I unemployed? God’s will is that I face this head on; searching for work as if the search is my full-time job.

Am I a stay at home wife? God’s will is for me to be a good steward (take care of) of my home.

Am I a stay at home mom? God’s will is for me to be a diligent caretaker and nurturer of my children.

No matter how different our situations may be, as sisters in Christ, we share a similar list of obligations: truthfulness, not revealing confidences, kindness, following through on a project, doing what we say, keeping our promises, etc.

 A new commandment I give to you,

that you love one another, even as I have loved you,

that you also love one another.

John 13:34 (NASB)

We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly/undisciplined,

encourage the fainthearted, help the weak,

be patient with everyone.

See that no one repays another with evil for evil,

but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.

I Thessalonians 5:14-15 (NASB)

Thank You, Lord, for direction in my life. I won’t pretend this is easy. But I am grateful You are with me. I know I can do all things through You who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13). In Jesus name, amen.


Written by Mary M. Wilkins