As we look ahead to 2008, let me encourage you to keep your eyes fixed firmly upon the Savior, to stand fast in Him. May you have a wonderful year as you give yourself to serve the Lord Jesus Christ!

Another year is dawning! Dear Father, let it be; In working or in waiting, another year with Thee;
Another year of learning upon Thy loving breast; Another year of trusting, of quiet happy rest.

Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace; Another year of gladness in the shining of Thy face
Another year of progress, Another year of praise; Another year of proving, Thy presence all the days!

Another year of service, of witness for Thy love; Another year of training, for holier work above.
Another year is dawning! Dear Father, let it be On earth, or else in heaven, another year for Thee.
(Poem written by Frances R. Havergal)

No doubt you’ve seen it in the past, if not recently. Nation-wide, the averages at the pump inch (in some case spike) higher, then down a little, then higher and higher. As it does, your bank account dips lower and lower. Of course we complain about it, we moan and groan, but really there is nothing that we can do about it, except, maybe revert back to the days of horse and buggy. Despite how horse enthusiasts relish the thought, I’m afraid there are some serious disadvantages to that as well.
You see, no matter how we look at it, we are dependant on gas to keep our car going and unless we find some other way to get around – putting gas in our tank is rather a necessity.
Since the purpose of this post is not to bash the oil companies nor to encourage you to gripe and complain… read on!

Have you ever though about how you, as a child of God have a spiritual gas pump? As usual, God does things a whole lot better that we could ever do! His supply is always full, there’s no waiting line, it’s environmentally sound, and best of all, and the price tag attached couldn’t be better – free! Unfortunately, many Christians are running on empty because they fail to pump themselves full of the vast supply. – In case you haven’t guessed I’m talking about the Bible.

Look at Colossians 1:9-10, where the apostle Paul talks’s about being filled. “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God…”

(Eph 5:18-20)  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

In essence the Word is God’s gas pump. It’s simply up to us to go to it, to draw of its supply and be blessed. God’s Word is vastly rich and best of all it’s free! As we are filled others will see the outward evidences in your life, namely, your singing, your serving, and your spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, many Christians turn to other things looking for fulfillment and joy, when they hold the answer right in their hands… or maybe part of the problem is, in reality, their bookshelf holds the answer, under three inches of dust. Christian, don’t be deceived, God’s won’t be able to use us when we are empty, so go to the source, God’s Word and – fill ‘er up!

“Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.” (Psa 72:18-19)

Psalm 118:8 states “It is better to trust in the Lord…”
It is better than trusting in man. Man will ultimately fail us in every area – yet God, because of His very nature cannot fail. It is better than trusting in princes. All the power in the world, all the possessions can never match the resources of Jesus Christ who is the Prince of peace and the King of all Kings! It is much better than trusting in wealth. Monetary and physical possessions will fade away, they will rust and be destroyed. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal…” (Matt 6:19). However, when our hope is founded on Christ the solid rock, we need never worry for in CHRIST we find eternal life we find eternal security. “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal…” (Matt 6:20)

The Bible over and over tells us to trust in the Lord, to allow Christ to be the commander of our ship – to let Him (Christ) make the calls for our life. Yet, many Christians find extremely hard to trust in God. Why? Does not God own the cattle on a thousand hills? Will not he seek to bring about His best for us? Has not He made all creation?
I believe that it is hard because God’s ways are so much different than our natural inclinations, and trusting means surrender. We cannot understand God’s way – we can only trust!

Here are a three of the many reasons why it is BETTER!

It is better because God loves us
Probably one of the verses most frequently quoted is a verse that has to do with God’s supreme love for us, John 3:16 “For God SO loved the world that He gave [Jesus]…” Jeremiah 31:3  The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee. We have confidence in the ones we love, because of their Love. Love seeks to give, to help to encourage, it is selfless. If we have come to trust human love with such confidence, why then shall we not trust the author of all, and the giver of true love – God himself.

It is better because God never fails us
I recently read that most people with trust each other until one has failed them. God has never failed us, and never will fail. When we place everything in God’s hands we relinquish control on our life – that is trust. It is hard because it means humility, it means surrender, yet the rewards are much greater.

It is better because God know our future
Jesus Christ it the same: yesterday, today and forever! He can be trusted, all that we must do now take the hardest step and simply trust in God.

I recently heard a song that says it quite well …

Trust Him, when your heart is laden with the weight of all its sin
He will speak the word of pardon, he will give you peace within
Trust Him, when dark doubts assail you, trust him when your strength is small
Trust Him when to simply trust Him seems the hardest thing of all… Trust in God.

To all mothers: Happy Mother’s Day!
Proverbs 31:28 “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”

My purpose here is simply to remind you of how blessed we are to have Christian mothers. Mothers who love God, and seek to train their children in the ways of the Lord. Mothers who sacrificially give of themselves on a daily basis for others.
It is very interesting, that innately God created Moms with a purpose, in fact that purpose is probably one of the most important positions in the world – namely, being a keeper of the home.
When you think about it, a woman fulfilling that purpose of being a Mom is just as important (or more important than) a being the President, working some high profile job, or earning lots of money (which incidentally will fade and flee). Simply because as a keeper of the home, a Mom is fulfilling her God-given role and there’s nothing more important than that.

Just a few days ago I came across this:
“Recently, Salary.com,Inc., the compensation experts, announced the 2006 update to their valuation of a Stay at Home Mom’s job… Salary.com consulted with Stay at Home and Working Moms and determined the top 10 jobs that make up a mom’s job description. If paid, Stay at Home Moms would earn $134,121 annually (up from 2005’s salary of $131,471). Working Moms would earn $85,876 annually for the “mom job” portion of their work, in addition to their actual “work job” salary. Salary.com found the job titles that best matched a mom’s definition of her work to be (in order of hours spent per week): housekeeper, day care center teacher, cook, computer operator, laundry machine operator, janitor, facilities manager, van driver, CEO and psychologist. New job titles that made the list in 2006 include psychologist, laundry machine operator, computer operator, and facilities manager.”

Praise God we have mothers who are willing to give what they have to their children and others. We a privilege we have to have a Mothers. So, take a moment to thank God for your Mother and then, do some extra special for that Mom God has given you, who makes you sit back and say…“WOW!”

O Lord God, 

Thou art my protecting arm, fortress, refuge, shield, buckler. Fight for me and my foes must flee; Uphold me and I cannot fall; Strengthen me and I stand unmoved, un-moveable; Equip me and I shall receive no wound; Stand by me and Satan will depart; Anoint my lips with a song of salvation and I shall shout thy victory! Give me abhorrence of all evil, as a vile monster that defies thy law, casts off thy yoke, defiles my nature, spreads misery. 

Teach me to look to Jesus on his cross and so to know sin’s loathsomeness in thy sight. There is no pardon but through thy Son’s death, no cleansing but in his precious blood, no atonement but his to expiate evil. Show me the shame, the agony, the bruises of incarnate God, that I may read boundless guilt in the boundless price; 

May I discern the deadly viper in its real malignity, tear it with holy indignation from my breast, resolutely turn from its every snare, refuse to hold polluting dalliance with it. 

Blessed Lord Jesus,
at thy cross may I be taught the awful miseries from which I was saved, ponder what the word ‘lost’ implies, see the fires of eternal destruction; Then may I cling more closely to thy broken self, adhere to thee with firmer faith, be devoted to thee with total being, detest sin as strongly as thy love to me is strong, and may holiness be the atmosphere in which I live. 

Amen 

Galatians 5:1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free…

Christian, many times we will be required to stand for truth, righteousness and God. We are exhorted by this passage of scripture to stand fast – never give up!
While we do take a stand for the truth of God’s Word, let me remind you of how we are to go about doing it.

We are to be courteous and loving:
“Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel…”
No matter what the subject matter, or how strongly we feel, we must allow God to convict the hearts of those we oppose. Remember, it’s “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts”. God is glorified when we stand for truth, but in a biblical way, with conversation that becometh the gospel of the Lord. Through that communication we must firmly stand on the Word of God, communicating not only His justice but also His love, for “God is love.”

We are to be dependant on Christ
Second, we must come to the realization that we are only the vessel through whom God can work. As we stand for truth we begin to think that it is in the cleverness of our words, or in the forcefulness communication that victory is secured, but it is not. True victory comes, as we allow ourselves to be filled by the Holy Spirit of God and used of God. That is why it is most important to pray before we take our stand, that our motives would be right, our words and attitude loving, and our God would be glorified.
You’re most likely familiar with the account of three Hebrew young men Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who stood for God (Daniel 3:17-18) “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
These men were totally dependant and confident that whatever the final outcome would be, they would stand for God. Courage does not come from ourselves but it comes from Christ living in us.

God has certainly blessed our country with freedom. If we are to continue to be a nation “under God” we as Christians must stand for truth, but take our stand depending fully on Christ so that God gets all the glory!
God Bless and Never give up!

No doubt you’ve seen it. Nationwide the averages at the pump inch (in some case spike) higher and higher, as it does, your bank account dips lower and lower. Of course we complain about it, we moan and groan, but really there is nothing that we can do about it, except, maybe revert back to the days of horse and buggy. Despite how horse enthusiasts relish the thought, I’m afraid there are some serious disadvantages to that as well.

You see, no matter how we look at it we are dependant on gas to keep our car going and unless we find some other way to get around – putting gas in our tank is rather a necessity.

Since the purpose of this post is not to bash the oil companies or to encourage you to gripe and complain… read on!

Have you ever though about how you have a spiritual gas pump? As usual God does things a whole lot better that we could ever do! It’s always full, there’s no waiting line, it’s environmentally sound, and best of all that price tag attached couldn’t be better – free!

In case you haven’t guessed I’m talking about the Bible.

Look at Colossians 1:9-10, where the writer (Paul) talk’s about being filled. “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God…”

(Eph 5:18-20) And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

So in essence the Word is God’s gas pump. It’s simply up to us to go to it, to draw of its supply and be blessed. God’s Word is vastly rich and best of all it’s free! As we are filled other will see the outward evidences in your life, namely, your singing, your serving, and your spreading the good news. Unfortunately, many Christians turn to other things looking for fulfillment and joy, when they hold the answer right in their hands… or maybe part of the problem is, in reality, their bookshelf holds the answer, under three inches of dust. Christian, don’t be deceived, God’s won’t be able to use us when we are empty, so go to the source, God’s Word and – fill ‘em up!