" PARTAKERS "

Good morning to you all, it's my prayer that you're doing well this fine day? I'm praising God that I woke up and that I have another chance to partake in His goodness. Today it's my plan to take full advantage of all that He has for me. With that said as I peer up I see storm clouds above and yet I know that the rain is very necessary. I'm learning to thank God for everything, "Father for what I/we are about to receive I give thanks". Friends if we do that even if we realize that we may not welcome what is about to happen, we understand that the Father knows best and He has a plan.

PARTAKE: To have a share or part, to take a portion (as of food) to take part in something (in a game, etc.). Are you careful to follow all that the Lord has asked of you? I am endeavoring to give the Father my full participation in carrying out His Will. Each day I give Praise and Worship in the pursuance of my duty. After many years it is finally sinking in to Trust God in all things and in all ways. I confess though that there have been times in my past when I have not always been a diligent participator. During my time as a "steely-eyed" missile man while in the U.S.A.F. in the 60's, I learned to give great responsibility to others and then trusted them to do the job. Great leaders encourage participation, and we're talking about the things of God.

It is invaluable that we stay in fellowship with other believers, people of like minds encourage each other with love and concern. As partakers in the faith we should be aware of the authority that our Lord has given us. In life we will experience difficulties of all kind, and it's wonderful to have the encouragement of another who partakes in the faith. Some of you like me rejoice in suffering not because we like pain or negate it's misfortune, but as believers we understand that God is using life's difficulties and Satan's attacks to sculpture our character.

Our holding power to take part and to feast on the deeper knowledge of God ("the meat") is determined by our spiritual growth. As we grow in the Lord and put into practice what we have learned, our capacity to understand will also soar. Have you learned to discern? We ought to train our moral sense, our mental faculties, our reasoning, and our bodies to differentiate good from evil.

" For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant". (Heb. 5:13). It's time to get off the milk and time to start chewing on the Word of God.

Until next time,

Jim

" DROSS / IMPURITIES "

Are you ready, are you prepared to pass inspection? When is the last time that you took a long hard look at yourself? Most of us look at ourselves through rose tinted glasses. I also believe that we also tend to excuse our bad behavior and our guilty pleasures. Dross is defined as the impure scum that floats on the surface of molten metals; and is sometimes used as a picture of the wicked. I do not think of myself as wicked, sinful, evil, or even morally bad. But the Word of God uses the word dross, another might use the term waste matter or even refuse. We must at all cost become separated from all the things in life that causes us to stumble.
Is your faith defective, impure, and diluted? If by chance you have fallen into impurity, you need to ask God to restore you. Keep your devotion to Christ, and stand strong and pure always. Listen, let's be honest, we all know when we've sinned, so repent and loss the dross, leave it behind.

Precious metals are refined with intense heat to remove the impurities. When heated, the dross (impurities) rises to the top of the molten metal and is skimmed off and thrown away. You may not wish to admit it but we all need refinement. The refining process may show that people (me and you), are like worthless dross, and have nothing good in us. Wow, now we must see ourselves for who and what we really are. We don't want to get left behind, do we?

Some of you have heard this prayer in the past: " Melt the dross Lord; remove the impurities - all of it, whether in deed, word, or thought. Save me from myself, and establish me in righteousness by your strong right hand. "

Until next time,

Jim

" IGNORANCE / IGNORING "

How have you been doing since our last meeting, it's my prayer that you are growing in the things of God? I feel so blessed when we share the goodness and the Love of God while receiving the wisdom of God.

Ignorance is the lack of knowledge, how often do you hear others misuse this word. Do you wish to be informed regarding the things of God? We are told that we are to be informed, as we are our brothers keeper. A person of wisdom understands the purpose of a meaningful life. I take it very serious the challenge of winning the lost to Christ, and sharing with you as I do. Leading people to God is crucial because it keeps us in touch with God while offering others eternal life. We ought to be intentional about the things of God, as this life is just a prelude before Heaven.

If you are ignorant or ignoring your responsibilities by not knowing God's will, it's time for a change. Those of you who are Pastors and Leaders of God's people, you must know God's word as your lack of knowledge can cause you to lead God's people astray. Our ignorance can be willful and yet tragically inexcusable. How much time do you spend in God's Word daily?

Consequences of ignoring God's voice can be detrimental. I'm reminded of a story in the Bible where a pharaoh in Egypt wholeheartedly, believed only in himself. God gave pharaoh many chances to heed Moses' warnings. But lastly God seemed to say, "All Right, Pharaoh, have it your way", and Pharaoh's heart became permanently hardened. We all know the outcome and how it affected so many others. Did God intentionally harden Pharaoh's heart and prevail over his FREE WILL? No, He merely confirmed that pharaoh freely chose a life of resisting God. In a like manner, after a lifetime of resisting God, you may find it impractical to turn to Him. Don't wait until just the right time before turning to God. Do it now while you still have the chance. Many times I've had people tell me that they're just not ready to give their lives to the Lord at this moment . Folk's, if you continually ignore God's voice, eventually you will be unable to hear it at all.

God doesn't protect those who ignore Him, so don't ask the Lord for His advice if you intend to ignore it. Real love for God is shown not by merely asking for direction, but by following that direction once it is given.

The Word of God is timeless, so until next time.

Jim

" SOUND DECISIONS "

Good Evening,

Well hear we are together again, but this time it's at the end of our day.

Did you make WISE DECISIONS this day, and have you considered the cost of each? Many of us take for granted the freedom that we have in this country, we can pretty much do and say whatever we wish. Imagine if there was a toll on all of the decisions that we made, and most of you definitely would be making more than me. What if you reached your limit, how do you think that your life would be if you couldn't make a little decision? So we'd better start making better decisions.

I read that we make hundreds of choices every day. I believe that all of our decisions should be made in good conscience. Most choices have no right or wrong connected to them - like what you wear or what you eat. But we always face decisions that freight a little more weight. We don't want to do wrong, and we don't want to cause others to do wrong, so how can we make such decisions? In our decision making process we ought to take the time to reason as we have a sane or sound mind. Always remember that nothing we do should cause another believer to stumble. Our decisions may have monumental and yet lasting consequences.

There are three basic principles for making sound decisions: (1) Always get the facts before action; (2) Be open to new ideas; (3) make sure that you hear both sides of the story before judging. These three valuable principles center around seeking additional information. This can sometimes prove to be a very arduous task, but the only way to get the facts.

God has made us complete and we grow into maturity daily. God will not leave us alone with our problems, He has promised to stay close and to help us. Whenever we need wisdom, we can pray to God, and He will generously supply what we need. As Christians we don't have to fumble around in the dark, hoping to stumble upon answers. We can ask for God's wisdom to guide our choices. Hey, in order to learn God's will we need to read his Word and ask Him to show us how to obey it. THEN WE MUST DO WHAT HE TELLS US. When making important decisions we must ask for God's intervention. Set up criteria consistent with the Bible, examine the alternatives, and pray for wisdom and guidance to reach a wise decision.

Don't allow impatience to affect your decision making process when faced with a quandary. Never allow any situation to drive you to disobey the Word of God . When you know what God wants, follow His plan regardless of the consequences. God often uses delays to test our obedience and patience.

So until next time mind your Decisions.

Jim

" DRINKING / ALCOHOL"

Good Morning All,

I find myself thinking about how much I truly love my Lord and God. I'm also reflecting on my past missteps in life and I wonder why the lord has allowed me to share with you. I'm sure that most of you are aware that I didn't give my life to the Lord until I was a man of 34 years of age. I am still a young man in the eyes of the Lord, 61 years on this earth. I've come to realize that their is a consequence for everything, now or later.
Yesterday when I was in prayer with some of my Prayer Accountability Partners I was reminded that the End Times are upon us. I for one believe that it's high time for all of us to account for our past and present actions.

Do you know that your body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN (1 Cor. 3:16). I once abused my body, my temple, before I gave my life to Jesus Christ.
I did what ever I was big enough to do. I confess that I smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol. Yes, I admit that in my younger days I was UNWISE and followed what advertisers suggested. In the 60's and 70's everyone smoked cigarettes and drank alcoholic beverages, and I followed suit like a dumb sheep. I thought that was the cool thing to do, people in the 60's believed in living for today. In the gospels Jesus speaks of the rich fool who thought that he had everything, to the point of saying to himself; " take your ease, drink and be merry". We must be mindful that our actions today may have repercussions that affect our families.

Proverbs 20:1 "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise". I have not abused my body/temple in nearly thirty years. The Merriam - Webster Dictionary defines "Alcohol " As a colorless flammable liquid that is the intoxicating agent in fermented and distilled liquors.
Drunkenness might be understandable among dying people in great pain, but it is inexcusable for our national leaders. Go to the book of Ester; and read about King Ahasuerus of Persia who was a very proud and also impulsive individual.
Now, once upon a time King Ahasuerus made a very rash, half drunk decision, based purely on his feelings. His lack of control and practical wisdom were weakened by too much of the vine. Poor decisions are made when people don't think clearly. Always factor the Lord into all of your decisions, with clear thinking, not on the emotions of the moment. Impulsive decision making leads to severe complications.

Alcohol always clouds the mind and can lead to injustice and again poor decision making every time. We tend to think that we're in control and that we can solve our problems by drowning them in alcohol.
The calmative sensation of alcohol is only temporary. Real relief comes from dealing with the cause of the anguish and sorrow and turning to the Father for peace. A word of wisdom don't lose yourself in the bottom of a bottle; find the peace that you seek in the Lord. What you find in the bottle is not real, I would think that one would have better things to do than anesthetize oneself with alcohol.

Until Next Time...

Jim