" DORCAS "

Good Day To You,
This week I was reminded of just how good you are. A call for assistance went out in my community, and within hours a very serious need was filled. For those of you out there who may be of the mind set that man is basically selfish, may need to re-think that one. If we seek we shall find there are many of you out there doing really nice things for others. I am very sure that many of you are answering the call of kindness when and wherever there is a need. I'm reminded of how often in the Gospels we are told of the compassion of Jesus Christ. He showed us the way of Love and Kindness, and the Word of God gives us a glimpse of Tabitha also known as "Dorcas". She is only spoke of briefly but is well remembered for her goodness.

I'm sure that we all have a little Dorcas in us. She truly was a loving individual and she was intentional about the gift of love and compassion given to her. Just imagine if you made yourself available to someone or a family in need. The Bible shares that Dorcas made an immense impression on those in her society " by many deeds of kindheartedness and compassion", by making tunics and other clothing. The shares that when she died, the room was filled with grievers, most certainly many of the people she had helped. Hopefully you have put yourself out for others. And just maybe you will have someone other than your immediate family mourning for you when your time comes. Now when she was brought back to life, the news raced through the town. Our Father God uses great preachers like Peter and Paul, but he also uses those who have gifts of kindness like Dorcas. Rather than wishing you had other gifts be grateful of what God has given you. Remember that it's not always about you, we must follow the lead of Dorcas. She continually kept her eyes open to do a good deed for another. I will from here on out check myself, and just maybe you might take a quick look at your scorecard.
Until next Time...

Jim

" ACCEPTANCE "

Today if you allow me I would like to touch on the subject of "Acceptance".
Acceptance is a basic need, we all strive to be liked, to fit in and when among others it's always our desire to be viewed as everyone else.

We as human beings desire to be accepted and yet pleasing to others. Being acceptable is being capable or worthy of being accepted. When we walk into fresh surroundings it is always our desire to be the recipient of everyone's goodwill. God unconditionally accepts us at any and all stages of our lives. Our parents love and nurture us and no matter what we get into we feel accepted by them. As children of God for some reason we don't live up to our full potential in Him. We sometimes reject gifts from the Father or we just don't fully appreciate the magnitude of said gift. We truly must learn to accept others for who they are. " Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God " (Rom. 15:7). We are to have the attitude of love toward other Christians as well (have " the Same Mind ").

A man's trust goes along way...And Integrity is what I look for in a man when it comes to me accepting him into my sphere of influence. I have to know that I can trust a man all the way. I also believe that we are to assist the rejected in feeling accepted. As Christians we are we are aware that everyone has a place in God's family. We are not to drive anyone away those who do not fit the norms dictated by our society, neighborhoods, or even churches. Our petty prejudice, our denial to look past the ill-conceived. Embrace those just as Jesus would. The good news about Jesus is that he comes to all, including the plain and the ordinary. Jesus opens his heart to anyone with a heart humble enough to accept him. Whoever you are, whatever you do, you can have Jesus in your life. Jesus excepts you just as you are and likewise we must accept others in the same way. In this world the odds on you coming into contact with someone who looks, thinks and acts differently from you is great. Bottom line we all want to be accepted, and it hurts to be rejected.

Until next Time...

Jim

" KNOWLEDGE "

Do you want to know something? I truly look forward to our time together, my time of preparation is illuminating for me. Because of our time together each week I am continuing to grow. Many of us get to a certain point in our lives and we shut down when it comes to gathering knowledge. There's an old saying that has been around for many years, and it says that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Between you and me I make it a point to learn something new every day. The Lord has chosen me an ordinary man to share with you, so saddle up and let's get into today's topic.

My dictionary says that knowledge is understanding that is gained by actual experience. Can we agree that many know of Jesus Christ, yet they don't have a personal relationship with him. For example the pharisees and the other religious leaders of Jesus' day made it their business to know a lot about God, but they didn't know God. Listen it's vital that you get this, it is not enough to study about religion or even to study the bible. We must respond to God himself. The beginning of knowledge is the fear of the Lord.
Knowledge is something learned and kept in the mind...

I have 10-15 men in my inner circle, my sphere of influence whom I turn to for knowledge and wisdom. One of the most bothersome types of people to me is a know-it-all, a person who has a authoritarian opinion about everything, is closed to anything new, and frowns upon discipline, and refuses to build one's background. Biblical history refers to this kind of person as a fool. Don't be a know-it-all. Instead, be open to the advice of others, especially those who know you well and can give valuable insight and counsel. It's important that we grasp the art of gathering information from others remember, only God knows it all.
In this age of information, knowledge is plentiful, but wisdom is scarce. Wisdom means far more than simply knowing a lot. It is a basic attitude that affects every aspect of life.
The foundation of knowledge is to fear the Lord -- To honor and respect God, to live in awe of his power, and to obey his word.

Fools hate knowledge in the book of proverbs, the " Simple Minded " or a fool is not someone with a mental deficiency but someone with a character deficiency ( such as rebellion, laziness, or anger). The fool is not stupid, but he or she is unable to tell right from wrong or good from bad.

Last point of the day many of us suffer from a variation of sickness and ailments. Do you remember the accounting of God's man Job in the bible, even though puzzled by the reasons for his suffering, Job affirmed God's superior understanding by asking, " Can anyone teach God knowledge"? The way you respond to your personal struggles shows your attitude toward God. Rather than becoming angry with God continue to trust him, no matter what your circumstances may be. Although it is sometimes difficult to see, God is in control. We must commit ourselves to him so we will not resent his timing. Hey, did you know that I love the Lord.

Until Next Time...

Jim

" EITHER YOU'RE SLOTH OR ANT LIKE "

Good Morning to you, today's thought hopefully will give you pause. As you might think I have the opportunity to listen and to speak with many of you. And I resign that joggling all the critical aspects in one's life can truly be challenging. Even so we must continue to be about our Father's business. I believe in preparation as I get much comfort from knowing that I will be with the Lord when I pass from this existence. I have Heaven on my mind and I am anticipating some of the things that I wish to propose to the Father. Right now it's very important that we make sure that we are on the right path, that we are doing what ever it takes to get home (Heaven).

Every single day has 24 precious hours filled with opportunities for us to grow, serve and to be productive. If we are intentional about serving and getting into heaven then we have to work at it. We should take advantage of God's gift and seize our opportunities to live diligently for him.
" He who gathers in Summer is a son who acts wisely ".
Wise men store up knowledge...it's imperative to consistently en graft the WORD into your soul. Gather up all the scriptural Intel that you can so that you will be able to make a good showing in heaven. Either you're going to be a sloth or ant when it comes to the things of God. Choose you this day as we are not guaranteed five minutes from now. If I were to be likened to the ant or the sloth, I would like to be the ant. I am attempting to be ant like in my quest for Heaven, you see the ant stores up for the harvest in this case heaven. I have my eye on the prize. A sloth is considered worthless, lethargic and he tends to be motionless. A sloth is defined as a spiritual or lack of emotion, neglecting what God has spoken, and being physically and emotionally inactive.

I've read that when the Europeans happened on the sloth, they gave it the name sloth as it reminded them of the Hebrew word atsluwth, which is translated to be idle. Once upon a time a sloth was noted in it's travel and it made a trip of four miles in an unbelievable forty - eight days.
It's crucial that we are ant like in our pursuit of heaven. " Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, lord', will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of MY FATHER, who is in heaven will enter " (Matt. 7:21).
Many are in church every time the doors are open, but still do not have a personal relationship with Christ. Therefore they are not being ant like when it comes to the things of Jesus. I believe that we must not just sit idle in church just listening, but we must be doers of the word and not just hearers. Folks this is our basic training, a sloth sleeps 15 hours per day while the ant toils in it's preparation for fulfilling harvest.

" EITHER YOU'RE A SLOTH OR YOU'RE ANT LIKE " The ant is used as an example because it utilizes its energy and it's resources economically. If laziness turns us from our responsibilities, poverty may soon bar us from the legitimate rest we should enjoy. Endeavor to prepare yourself for ETERNITY.

Until Next Time...

Jim

" BUT IT'S NOT MY FAULT "

My very best to you and yours,

Have you ever been tempted to shift blame elsewhere? I mean that you were willing to do and to say anything that would take the spotlight off of you? What's the very first thing that comes into your mind when challenged or even when asked a probing question in regards to a failed task or responsibility? We look for a credible way to shift blame?

How often have you listened to someone blame another for this or that? Some of us have even blamed God for our dilemma's, but our problems usually can be traced back to our ownselves. Often our troubles result from our disobedience or lack of faith. Accepting responsibilities can at times be difficult, but it also can bring about our dominant quality and faith in oneself, it can also earn the admiration of others as well it can stimulate us to complete our work. As Christians we are taught to look for strength in God and to begin looking for a solution instead of a scapegoat. When facing problems, remember that it is useless to look for someone to blame or criticize. Learn to seek out a solution as blaming others won't solve your problems.

It is easier to strike out in frustration and accuse someone else than to admit an error and ask forgiveness. Why is it that we often attempt to avoid culpability by shifting the blame? In the full scope of things attempting to transfer the blame won't resolve the problem. We also cannot blame God for our sins. Fact, until we face this reality, we will not experience tranquillity and no spiritual growth.
I can't help but to be reminded of Job, it seems that we are still blaming those who are experiencing heartache on themselves. However, on the other hand Job's story makes it positively clear that blame cannot always be attached to those whom trouble strikes.

Why do people complain when often we have only ourselves to blame for our woebegone.

Until Next Time...

Jim

" AGE "

Good day to you, how are you on this wonderful Autumn day that the Lord has made? Yes stand up and take a deep breath as you are here to usher in another day. Many that rose this morning will not see the sun go down and for this reason alone we should thank God. Each day I ask the Lord to use me as to His Will, even if He wishes to change the path that I'm currently on.
I like to think of myself as experienced in the things of God and life and it's always my pleasure sharing with you. The Lord gives me the topics to share with you and I go from there, many times I just don't understand God's reasoning, but always someone or multiple positive comments come in. Thank you so much for your support and as your older brother I'm thinking about your Spiritual Growth.

" You shall rise up before the grey headed and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:32).
Age is no barrier to our creator. At any time in our lives we can be called upon to accomplish something in the name of the Lord. Never think you are too old or even to young to be of service to him. Do you remember the young boy who gladly shared his lunch, and it is a miracle which is still read and talked about thousands of years later? That shows me that all we have to do is to make ourselves available. If we offer nothing to God, then in a way we are saying I just don't have the time for you. Please remember that our God can take what little we have and turn it into something of epic proportions.
Older people like yourselves and you are older than someone in your sphere of influence, should teach those younger by words and by our example. This is how values are passed on from generation to generation. An individual's primary work for God may have to wait until he or she is an adult, but no one is ever too young to take God seriously and obey him. Teach your children, no show your children the love of God at an early age.

Having a high regard for God is not limited to those in the early portion of life as they seem to have unlimited strength and energy. Even in old age, devoted believers can produce spiritual fruits. Seek out an elderly friend or relative to tell you about his or her experiences with the Lord and challenge you to new heights of spiritual growth. If you are struggling with a decision or looking for insight, check with your parents or other older adults who know you well. There extra years of experience may have given them the wisdom you seek.
FYI some societies honor their elders ( "An Older Individual"). They respect their wisdom, defer to their authority, and pay attention to their comfort and happiness. This is how a Christian saint should act. Regardless of your age, God can use you whether you are young or old, don't think of your age as a handicap. Live so others can see Christ in you.

Until Next time...

Jim

" REJOICE "

Good day to you all, have you been well since our last encounter? Are you looking to Jesus in all things and in all ways? This past week has truly been one where I truly had to be intentional about almost every single thing that I accomplished. Have you ever felt like " Why me, or Why is it always me"? Even now I'm fighting my way through our time together, I'm having to stop to call on continuously invite the Lord into my thoughts. I'm thinking how grateful I am to be alive, and I'm Praising the Lord for all He does for me. Yes sometimes life can be challenging for all of us but we must learn to turn to God in all things. I find that when I'm going through a challenging moment in life by thinking and praying for others works for me. " REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS".

Have you learned to rejoice, to feel joy and great delight in all aspects of your life?
many are hurting due to the Economy, Marriage's being tested in all areas, and Financial Concerns now days. It's evident that the powers of darkness are working over time and we truly must learn to rejoice in all things. On the surface things may seem like there's no tomorrow, but if you Trust God he will bring us through. As children of God we are to stay faithful no matter what. We are to remain functioning, cheerful, and somewhat comfortable in the most difficult of hardships. We don't have the luxury to allow circumstances or an other's expectations to control us. I understand that there are days when the last thing we want to do is Rejoice. Our state of mind is down, our situation is out of control, and our sorrow or culpability is overwhelming. When you don't feel like rejoicing, tell the Father how you're feeling. You will find that God will give you a reason to rejoice. God has given you this day to live and to serve him so be glad! Enjoy life now, but don't do anything physically, morally, or spiritually that will prevent you from enjoying life when you are old. Now a word on Suffering...

We are to rejoice in our suffering, now when we suffer, Christ feels it with us. Our suffering can be endured joyfully because it changes lives and brings people into God's kingdom. When we suffer, if we faithfully represent Christ, our message and example affect us and others for good.
Use suffering to build your character. Don't resent it or let it tear you down.

Rejoice always and in all things, from my experience it works. Rejoicing in the things of God takes my mind off of me.

Until next time...

Jim