DanL

Thank you!

I've been asked to preach again this coming Sunday. The service is based on the Lord's Prayer. I'd appreciate comment:

Prelude: (Low volume, 4 minutes prior to service—Open Up the Heavens, Meredith Andrews)

Welcome and any announcements (With brief explanation that the entire service is modeled on the Lord’s Prayer.)

Invocation and Prayer

Father God, we thank you and praise you that you not only created us, but that you provide for us and protect us and love us as our true Father, as no father here on earth ever has or could. We lift up our praises before your throne in heaven for the very nature of your name, which is sacred and holy.  Lord of heaven and earth! Hallelujah!

Song of Praise: Be Unto You Name, Robin Mark

Lord , let your kingdom come, let your plan and your will be fulfilled as you have planned from the beginning, in the fullness of time and according to your will in your perfect timing, never one instant too early or too late. Lord, let it be that all is done here on earth as it is already done in heaven.

Celebration Church –

Children’s time—Daily Bread

Lord, we thank you for your amazing provisions and your daily gifts of abundance, both physical and spiritual. We know it all comes from you, Lord. We bless you and thank you that Jesus is the bread of life, that all of your words and His words written out in the Bible daily feed us and nourish our souls and that we live and move and have our very being in them. We thank you that your mercies are new each morning. We worship you by giving back to you in joy from what you have given us.

Worship with Tithes and Offerings

Lord, we confess in our hearts any sins within us. We ask that you would forgive us as we forgive those who have sinned against us. Oh Lord, if there is any unforgiveness in us, by the power of your Holy Spirit, grant that we would remember how much love it took for Jesus to go to that cross to take away all our sins. (Selah)

Mighty and everlasting God, let the power of that love consume us and soften our cold, hard hearts that we would be willing to not only give our lives for you, but to forgive and wash feet--even the feet of one who would betray us for a handful of coins.

Lord, in your mercy, lead us on the path of righteousness far from all the temptations of this world and protect us and keep us safe from evil and the enemy of our souls.

Song of Praise: Hail to the King, Shannon Wexelberg

Message:  The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever.

As we come to the end of the Lord’s Prayer, we again praise Him. But what do those words mean?

The Kingdom

The word “kingdom” simply means the dominion of the king. “Dominion” can mean a place, as in the territory of the king. Since God created the universe and everything in it, the entire universe is His kingdom. How big is that?

Well, the Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light years across and there are billions and billions of galaxies in the universe. NASA says no one knows if the universe is infinite or not, but we know there is stuff beyond what even the most powerful instruments in the world can see or measure.

That sounds pretty infinite to me.

And of course, heaven is also God’s kingdom. That’s either in another universe or another dimension or another plane of being.

Whatever the case, the borders of God’s kingdom are beyond our comprehension.

As it pertains to God, “the kingdom” also means the spiritual realm over which is God is sovereign.  There are two kingdoms in this world: The kingdom or darkness, and the kingdom of light.

If we are of God, we are citizens of the kingdom of light, over which God is rightful King. We are His subjects and His children.

So, Lord, we acknowledge that you are King over the infinite realms you have created and our hearts, our minds, and our souls are yours and yours alone. You are our King, sovereign Lord, and no other! We bow our hearts to you in worship and praise, awesome LORD.

The Power

The LORD God created the universe and everything in it (except man) simply by speaking it into being.

The power of His word brings forth light and beauty and everything. His power is beyond our ability to imagine or comprehend. As His kingdom is infinite, so also is the power that created the infinite.

And, the root of that power is His love. There is no power in all the universe greater than the love of God.

And out of that great love, God created Adam out of the dust of the earth, forming him with his own hands. And then, he breathed His own breath into Adam to give him life. People are God’s greatest creation, formed in love to love and to be loved.

Again and again, His power is shown in His Word.

It was God’s mighty power that freed the children of Israel; that parted the Red Sea; that sent manna from heaven; that won many battles; that caused the walls of Jericho to fall; that allowed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to walk through the flames unharmed; that shut the mouths of the lions for Daniel;  that caused Jesus to be born of a virgin; and that raised him from the dead.

God’s power is matchless, unequaled, amazing, and again, beyond our ability to comprehend or imagine. Nothing is impossible for God.

Hallelujah! Lord, we are saved by the power of your great and infinite love! We worship you for your incredible power and we are humbled by it. Lord, let it be that we rely on your power in our lives, neve deceiving ourselves that we have any power that did not originate with and was granted to us by you.

The Glory

Ahh, the GLORY!

Verse after verse mentions God’s glory—but what exactly is it?

Kinship Christian Radio announcer Beth Crosby recently began one of her programs by saying: “God created everything with His voice. He spoke and the universe came into existence. That is grandeur, power, and glory. David tells us that God’s glory fills the heavens. The word “glory” itself means “majesty.” It describes Gods stateliness, His impressiveness in scale and proportion, His greatness. Creation doesn’t exist simply to provide us a home or a place for us to enjoy. The universe exists to show forth Gods immeasurable, unquantifiable, indescribable, and awesome characteristics. The celestial realm’s great expanse magnifies God’s enormity and reminds us that God is worthy of worship.

Amen, Beth!

When I sat down to write this part of the message, and told my family I intended to write about God’s glory, and they said, “You do that a lot.”

True. I have no defense for that accusation.

And, as I pondered why that was so, I came to the conclusion that I keep doing it over and over again because I feel I never quite get it right. It’s like the words on the page always fall way, way short of the glory due God.

It’s no wonder.

Because God’s kingdom and His power are infinite, so is His glory. How could I describe the infinite glory of an infinite God? As Beth said, God’s awesome characteristics are immeasurable, unquantifiable, and indescribable.

The Bible tells us that God’s glory is so great that, when it takes on visible properties, it is downright frightening.

In 2 Chronicles 7, after Solomon had consecrated the temple he had built for the LORD, the glory of the God filled it and the priests could not enter it. When all the people of Israel saw the glory of the LORD filling the temple, they fell down on their faces and worshiped and praised the LORD.

The shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks by night had a similar reaction when the angel announced the birth of Jesus:

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. (Luke 2:9)

Indeed, fear and trembling, praise and worship are the only responses left to us when we are in the presence of the glory of God.

While I will never be able to adequately describe the incredible glory of God, the Bible does describe what it was like when God’s glory withdrew from the Earth:

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. (Luke 23:44, 45a ESV)

In that moment when Jesus was dying and the love of God and His glory retreated from all the earth, complete darkness fell over us.

There was a great earthquake, the temple of the curtain was torn in two, and the very rocks split. It seemed as if the whole earth would crumble to pieces without the presence of the glory of God.

And, I am convinced it would have, had He not withdrawn from us temporarily that His glory would be all the greater when he arose from the dead, clothed in majesty, with a way opened before us to be freed and forgiven, reunited and restored to Him.

The truth is, God’s glory is all around us every day. We do not live in darkness. All of this is a miracle, created by His voice. From the infinitely small perfection of the very molecules that make up everything around us to the infinite vastness of the universe, His infinite love is visible and tangible in the gifts He has placed before us.

But the greatest of all those gifts was His incredible plan to take on finite flesh and emerge victorious in the battle of the finite versus the infinite.

When we brought death into this world with our sin, we introduced the finite into what had been created and designed to be infinite. That’s why when Jesus rose from what had been the finality of death and brought everlasting life to all who believe, He was victorious in restoring the infinite. And this was not by any virtue of our own, but by the very nature of His infinite love for us and to the praise of His infinite glory, forever and ever.

LORD, we are humbled in the presence of your glory! We praise you and worship you and ask that your Holy Spirit would shine out of us causing all we do and say to be to the building up of your kingdom, the power to save many souls, and to the praise of your glory, forever and ever!

And all God’s people said,

AMEN! (Music “All the People Said Amen by Matt Maher)

Watch--i like that a lot. I think I will add that. And you do not need to ask permission to use it. It came from the Holy Spirit,so I no more own it than I own the sunrise.

Greetings, brothers and sisters in Christ. I have been blessed to be asked to deliver a sermon to the congregation of Faith Bible Church (of which I am a member) on June 22. This is the first draft of that sermon. I would appreciate advice, comment, guidance, direction. Thank you.

Worry Sermon

One day Bob was scanning the Help Wanted ads and came across one that said, “Wanted: Professional Worry Wart. Good pay. Benefits. Call Moe at 555-1234.” So, Bob calls and talks to Moe. Moe tells him he should come to Moe’s Bar on Third Street right away for an interview. When Bob gets there, Moe tells him, “As you can see, I own this bar. I got six employees, and none of ‘em get along with each other.  I got a 19 year-old daughter living with her boyfriend and neither of ‘em has a job. They’re always calling me for money. My 15 year-old son is always in trouble with the law, I’m pretty sure my wife’s cheating on me, and I got some serious health problems. And, as if that’s not enough, sales at the bar are starting to fall off. I’m always worrying about this stuff, and I’m sick of it. I want to hire someone to do my worrying for me.”

“Wow,” says Bob. That a lot of worrying to do. How much does this job pay?”

“A hundred grand a year, plus bennies,” says Moe.

“A hundred grand a year? How can you afford that kind of pay after everything you’ve told me?”

‘That’s your worry,” says Moe.

Worry afflicts many Christians. It’s so easy to worry. I have met people who worried that they would have nothing to worry about, and others who were absolutely convinced that if they did not worry, the things they worried about would actually happen to them.

The Bible has many verses telling us not to worry. There’s Matthew 6:31-"So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?'

And Matthew 6:34--"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.

And Luke 12:25-26--25"And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? 26"If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?

The Bible tells us hundreds of times not to be afraid and not to worry. But for some people, they just can’t seem to help it. In some cases, it seems people worry because if they don’t, it seems like they don’t care. For others, it’s like an addiction.

But worry is undoubtedly bad for us.

Numerous studies have shown worry is bad for the body. One such study in Australia found that people who worry excessively about their health make up somewhere between four and seven percent of those who need surgery and those people have health care costs ten to 13 times higher than people who don’t worry so much!

Did you know studies have been done to determine how much of what we worry about actually happens? The best information I can find indicates that about 92% of the time, what we worry about never happens. So, 92% of the time, worry is a lie and a waste of time. And the other 8% of the time does worrying about it actually change the outcome?

Our word, “worry” comes from a word that describes how a wolf clamps his jaws on the windpipe of his prey and kills it. It means, “to strangle.” Worrying undoubtedly steals the joy we have in the Lord, and worrying certainly steals praise and glory from God. Worry is the opposite of faith. It strangles us and it does not come from God.

But, we’ve always been told that, while we should not worry, it’s understandable and okay to be legitimately concerned.

Your teenage daughter said she’d be home at 10:00 p.m. and it’s now 11:00. You’re driving your car and the oil light comes on and you hear a knocking noise from under the hood.  Those are legitimate causes of concern and we should do something in cases like that.

Now, before we go on, I need to be clear that I am not talking about people with anxiety attacks or depression or other conditions. These and a host of others are the result of a medical condition and are the reason God gave us doctors and trained professionals who can and do help.

I’ve already brought up some of the more familiar verses about worry, but let’s take a look at Mark 4:35-40 where Jesus had just finished preaching to the crowd on the shore of the Sea of Galilee:

³⁵ On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” ³⁶ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.

Okay, let’s hold the boat here for a minute. Whose boat was this that Jesus was getting into? The verse does not specifically say who owned the boat, but four of the 12 disciples were professional commercial fisherman. I can’t prove this, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable to suspect that this boat was owned by either Peter, James, Andrew, or John. They were very, very familiar with boats and were also familiar with the Sea of Galilee. These were not a bunch of tourists out on a three–hour pleasure cruise.

Moving on:

 ³⁷ And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.

Let’s put this into perspective. The Sea of Galilee is eight miles wide, 13 miles long, and 150 feet deep. This is no little farm pond. If the Sea of Galilee were located in Minnesota, it would be our fifth largest lake, right between Lake Winnibigoshish and Lake Vermillion.

In 1986 during a low water period, some fishermen and amateur archeologists discovered a typical fishing boat from Jesus’ time sunken in the Sea of Galilee. While there is nothing linking this particular boat to Jesus or his disciples, it is typical of what would have been in use in the first century.

It was 27 feet long, 7.5 feet wide, and 4.5 feet deep. It had a flat bottom and was made mostly of cedar planks held together by wooden pegs and nails. They found ten different types of wood used on the boat, showing that it had been patched numerous times. Experts determined that the boat had probably been used for decades, perhaps as much as a century, before it was abandoned.

Although that is a larger boat than most of the fishermen in this room are accustomed to, this is not some riveted or welded deep-vee aluminum hull. It had a flat bottom, so big waves would tend to slam it up and down. In addition, there were no bilge pumps, no life boats, no radio to call for help and not even any life jackets.

Okay, for you fisherman in the congregation who have been on Winnie or lakes like it, what would it be like being out there at night in that boat on the Sea of Galilee?

Yes, it would have been so scary every fiber of our beings would have wanted to get off that lake. NOW!

The story goes on:

³⁸ But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Jesus is in the back of the boat sleeping. Sleeping! The boat is “already filling.” In a vessel 4.5 feet deep, that means the water is NOT ankle deep. It means it’s probably at least hip-deep-- maybe more. These are professional fisherman. One of them probably owns the boat they are in. And they don’t wake Jesus up and say, “Umm, Rabbi, we may have a little problem here.”—I love the way some people read Bible verses. “Yea, verily, teacher, we are nigh unto perishing.” I’m pretty sure the correct way to read that verse is:  “AAAAAA!!  WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE! AAAAAA!!”

(That’s the part of the sermon I put in there for people who fall asleep in church.)

Okay, so in the middle of this story, my question to you is: Legitimate concern, or worry-wart worry?

Exactly. They had every reason to be worried. I would have been scared silly. This has “Legitimate Concern” written all over it in bold face, italic, underline type.

³⁹ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

I  love that verse. “Peace, be still.” The Greek word in the Bible where “peace” is used translates ‘Silence.” Silence. Be still.

Be still and know that He is God.

And the wind stops and the sea goes flat.

And in that moment of silence and great calm, Jesus turns to his disciples and says,

^40b “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

He chews them out! Here they were, almost certainly about to die, and He says, “What were you worried about? How is that you have no faith? “

What do you say to the God of the universe when He says that to you?

Well, the Bible tells us how the disciples reacted:

41: The disciples were absolutely terrified. "Who is this man?" they asked each other. "Even the wind and waves obey him!"

Absolutely terrified. In the presence of the God of the universe. In whom and through whom and by whom all things were created. In that moment, the disciples had an inkling of whose presence they were in. The One who has all things under His control, the Mighty, Everlasting, Omniscient, Omnipotent GOD! The GOD of eternity!

So, dear brothers and sisters, when the car makes a knocking noise and your daughter is late, who is in control? Who holds everything in His hand?

Is this not the God who said he came to give you life and give it the full? Didn’t He say his burden is light and His yoke is easy and we would find rest for our souls if we would just take up His cross and learn from Him?

Isn’t this the God who loved you enough to take on flesh for you and die on a cross for you and pay off all the sins of the world past, present, and future?

Is anything impossible for Him?

Oh, my friends I will admit this is hard for me. Especially when I’m late and things go wrong. Especially when yet another thing comes up and I don’t know where the money is going to come from to pay for it. Ask my wife. I am not any better than any of you.

But, here’s the deal:

The enemy of our soul knows what buttons to push. He’s not omniscient, but he’s watched us and others like us for thousands of years. And he whispers those lies in our ears that tell us the waves are going to break the boat in half and we are going to drown in all the crashing waves of our troubles.

And , he knows if he can load us up with the lies of our own special worry, we will be ineffective as witnesses. He doesn’t care about us. Does a city on a hill or a light on a stand shine forth worry? Does a Christian overcome with worry and doubt make others want to seek out Jesus and find the peace that passes all understanding?

No, worry is a lie. And we know where lies come from.

But the truth is this:

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. Romans 8:38

So, the challenge for us all is to remember is that the next time that little voice in our head tells us how awful something is to remember that Jesus is right there with us, and if we call on Him, He can speak those words over any storm that may come along:

Peace! Be still--and know that He is God.

I was blessed to be asked to give the message (sermon) in my church on Feb. 2. This is it:

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4. NIV)

Julie K----, a long-time (and now happily retired) KJLY ministry worker, had that verse on her desk for many years. It was even on her retirement cake and Julie truly is a person who takes delight in the Lord.

When I first started thinking about what it meant, I thought to myself, “What? Is God some big bubble-gum machine where you can get whatever you want just by thinking He is wonderful?”

I mean, come on. There are lots of people who don’t have all the desires of their heart. Come to think of it, nobody I know--no matter what they have-- has all the desires of their heart. If that verse were true, wouldn’t every Christian alive be a multi-billionaire?

And, what about alcoholics? Isn’t the desire of their heart just one more drink, even though it’s bad for them?

It didn’t seem make sense to me, so I did some looking into it.

The line of reasoning goes like this: To truly take delight in the LORD and all He is and was and always will be is to align our will with his. The more we take delight in Him and get to know who God really is, the easier it is to see the incredible mercy, grace, and love that He is.

If we stop and think about it, we have plenty of reasons to take delight in the Lord. He has blessed us in so many ways. 

In 1900, the infant mortality rate was 14%. That’s one in seven children who didn’t live to see their first birthday. In the 1950’s, it was about 3%, or one in 35. Today, infant mortality is less than seven-tenths of a percent, or one in 142.

In 1900, average life expectancy of men in the United States was 45. Women lived to an average age of 49. Today, those figures are 76 for men and 81 for women.

Even though indoor plumbing has been around for over a thousand years, it was only for the very rich and even then it wasn’t truly perfected until the 1920’s because we had not figured a way to keep sewer gas from backing up into homes. Leprosy and scores of other diseases which are virtually unheard of today were caused by sanitation issues.

Approximately two million children die each year in developing countries as a result of improper waste disposal.

Most urban homes didn’t have electricity until the 1930’s and many farm homes didn’t have electricity until the 1950’s or 1960’s.

People in the United States didn’t even understand the role of germs in disease and infection (and the importance of washing their hands) until after the Civil War.

Even today, over three million people still die each year from disease which could be prevented by washing one’s hands with soap and water.

So, dear Christian, when was the last time you praised God for a bar of soap?

Or the S-trap under your sink which keeps sewer gas out of your house?

Or clean water uncontaminated by your own outhouse?

Or for the wholesome food in your electric refrigerator and freezer?

Or for your very life and the lives of your children?

God blessed those of us alive today with more comfort and convenience, more protection and health than any people who have ever lived since the beginning of written history. Praise the LORD!

Yes, I know that bad things still happen and there are wars and murders and all sorts of evil in the world, and we should indeed weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn, but the fact is all of the things we see in this world cannot change the fact that we have a God who was willing to take on human flesh and die in our place to save our souls.

Al l of those things I just told you about are things that benefits to our flesh. They are great blessings, indeed, but God’s primary concern is for our souls.

And that’s the real deal: it’s about our souls.

In Psalm 37:4, the word translated “heart” is the Hebrew word for “inner man.” So do our souls really need a billion dollars? Does the alcoholic’s soul really need another drink?

All of the evil and wrong in this world gets to us because this is not our home. We were designed and built to live in paradise. Our souls yearn for a perfect world and perfect relationship with God. That is the true desire of our hearts--our souls--because God put that desire there.

So if our soul takes delight in the LORD, will the God of Abundance, El-Shaddai, allow it to lack for anything? After all, it all belongs to Him. There is nothing good that exists that did not come from Him in the first place and does not still belong to Him.

You remember the parable of the prodigal son, right? Do you remember the brother’s complaint? And what did his father tell him when he was all indignant and mad that his father never threw him an amazing party with a fatted calf?  "His father said to him, 'Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. (Luke 15:31, NLT) (Emphasis added.)

Everything God has is OURS!

The Bible tells us we are children of God and His kingdom is our GUARANTEED inheritance. Ephesians 1:14 The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

HALLELUJAH!

Jesus did not die on that cross to give us indoor plumbing. He came and died for us to save our souls! And, the presence of His Holy Spirit is our guarantee on this earth that we are indeed saved and that the souls of all who believe will not die but will have eternal life!

With a guarantee like that, is God worthy of praise? AMEN!

Oh my soul, praise the LORD!

God is worthy of praise and, not surprisingly, it is good for us.  Praising God lifts our souls and equips us. It recharges us. It puts our minds and hearts and our souls on the right track. It fills us with truth.

And, there is protection in in praise. I once heard a minister preaching on KJLY say, ‘Praise of the Lord creates an atmosphere the enemy cannot move through.” And I have found it to be true!

Oh, but it can be so hard to put into practice.

 When I’m late for work and the car is making a weird noise and the dog chewed up my favorite shoes and the guy in the Buick in front of me has me screaming, “Hey Grandpa, it’s that vertical pedal on the right!” suddenly, delight in the LORD seems very, very far away. 

And that’s when the enemy of my soul starts whispering those killing lies in my ear that my life is just the worst and I really shouldn’t have to put up with all of this and I deserve soooo much better.

And that’s what the enemy’s lies do—they steal from us and they kill the joy God intends for us, and for the others we are intended to share that joy with. That theft, that spirit or complaining and bitterness, makes us ineffective as witnesses to the love of Christ!

(For a description of how God’s Complaint Department works, see Numbers 11.)

The fact is that I have a job , and I have a car, and I have a dog who bounces around with crazy joy just because I came home, and I have shoes, and I have a God who loves my soul enough to put a guy in front of me who is only driving 56 miles an hour so that maybe my soul can learn some patience and love for my fellow man because even if I don’t pass him, the convenience store is probably still going to have that chocolate donut my flesh just has to have!

Perspective is a humbling thing.

And praise of the LORD does make the devil flee from you.

So, child of the One True King, heir to all that belongs to the God of the Universe, sinner saved by the blood of the Lamb and the Risen King, the Living Jesus-- does your Father lack for anything? Is God poor?

And will He withhold any good and perfect gift from the souls of those who love Him?

Truly, the love of God is rich and pure, measureless and strong, and we do have 10,000 reasons and more to praise his holy name!

Have a delightful day.

Today’s Praise

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21

Janiebeth,

I am still praying for you. Please come back and pray with us if you can.

Dan

While I am not changing my position on Chocolate Cream Pie, I think there should be some theological debate on Shepherd's Pie in this thread.

Attention, people of Worthy.

Chocolate Cream Pie (with a graham cracker crust) has already been duly nominated and voted upon by the chatters of Worthy. This election, while not exactly adhering to all the miniscule details of Roberts Rules of Order or a true Democracy, is complete legit. Any attempts to oust the venerable CCP will be considered seditious, heretical, and, well, just plain crazy by myself and possibly Steve. (If I can talk him into a totalitarian Pie State.)

DanL

I have written a petition on the White House's "We The People" website. This site lets anyone petition the Obama Administration. Right now, it only has one signature. (Yes, mine) It will not be visible to the American public until it gets 150 signatures.

If it gets 100,000 signatures within 30 days, the Obama Administration will respond to it. (They don't have to actually do what the petitions says, but they will respond.)

Please click the link and if you agree, sign the petition.

I feel this is incredibly important for our nation.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/call-time-national-humility-fasting-prayer-and-repentance-seeking-face-one-true-god/Tk45c8r4

I do not do facebook or twitter, so if you would like to post the link on those sites or any other site you feel is appropriate, please do so.

Thank you and God bless!

DanL

Insomnia

Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.(Daniel 6:18 ESV)

The National Sleep Foundation’s 2002 Sleep in America poll showed that 58% of adults in the U.S. experienced symptoms of insomnia a few nights a week or more.

It’s something we’ve all experienced at some time or another and something I used to have a problem with. I praise the Lord that I can now talk about it in the past tense, because it is God who blesses me with a good night’s sleep. I have found the following prayer very helpful: (It’s not always exactly the same, and this is just how I pray for sleep. It doesn’t mean you must pray in exactly this way.)

“Lord, I praise you and I worship you. I bless your Holy name Lord, and I thank you for all the wonderful gifts you have given me. (Go ahead and mention as many as you can think of.) I am in awe of the majesty of your creation. (Be still and think of the beautiful sunrises and sunsets you have seen, the night sky filled with stars, the time you saw the Grand Canyon, the beautiful bird you saw in your back yard, a lake in northern Minnesota, or whatever comes to mind as beautiful, peaceful, and awesome. Let the majesty and the beauty of the Lord fill your soul.)

Lord, I thank you for your Son, Jesus, and I confess my sins now. (Search your soul and confess anything which bears any guilt to Jesus. Make sure you forgive anyone who has sinned against you.) I humbly ask your forgiveness, Jesus.

I thank you and I praise you, my Savior for cleansing me of all unrighteousness and removing my sins as far as the east is from the west. Thank you, Lord Jesus! (Know that your sins truly are forgiven!)

Lord, I ask that you would help me to fall asleep quickly and that you would protect me from evil while I sleep. (I find this a good point to ask protection for loved ones also.)

Lord, if I must dream tonight, please grant me holy dreams. Help me to sleep peacefully and soundly. Help me to wake up renewed and refreshed and ready to serve you. Help me to wake up in the morning with a song of love for you in my heart and words of praise for you on my lips. Amen.”

If you continue to have trouble after praying, go back to praise. Remember that honest and true praise of God is something the enemy cannot tolerate.

It’s a simple prayer and waking up with praise and worship for the LORD in your heart is a wonderful feeling.

Oh, and don’t feel bad if you fall asleep before you finish the prayer because that is like falling asleep in His arms.

I hope this helps you and blesses you! Oh, and remember that God gave us many excellent and blessed health care professionals. You should see a doctor about serious sleep problems.

Do you have a prayer that helps you sleep?

Today’s Praise.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8 ESV)

If God didn't want us to remember Jesus' birth, why did he give us that beautiful account of it in Luke 2?

Okay, after further experimentation, I have refined the recipe somewhat. The last batch, I used pinto beans. They worked well, but they seem to absorb more water. So, I now recommend 11 ounces of water for a loaf of the baked bread and 12 ounces of water for the flat bread. My family very much enjoys the flat bread. I do seem to get a better rise with the pinto beans.

Cobalt is correct, my local thrift store gets $8 for a bread machine. I have two: a Hitachi and and an Oster. If you look closely at the internal working of the bread machines, about 90% of them are made by the same company, so many of the parts are interchangeable. (I commonly wear out the bearing in the bottom of the bread pan because I make bread 3-4 times per week.) This also means 90% of the bread machines in your local thrift store are going to have the same operation, buttons, and settings. The Oster I bought today is a back-up for the Hitachi which is a higher-quality machine. It's much quieter and more durable. I did have to take it apart and bypass a silly saftey switch that had worn out and caused the machine to shut off because it thought I did not have the bread pan in when I did.

I do respectfully disagree on the bulk yeast thing. Bulk yeast is much higher quality and it will keep a long, long time in the freezer. (Up to a year) Yeast is a living organism and each brand is a slightly different variety of the same organism. (Like the difference between a German Shepherd and Chihuahua--same animal, different breed.)

Oh, and if you closely read the label on the grocery store Ezekiel bread, some of the grains used have been sprouted, then dried and ground. This is the same process used in making malt beverages and it changes the chemical configuration of the grain. The grocery store stuff is also hideously expensive. (Yes, I am the cheapest guy in the world.)

A cast iron corn mill suitable for grinding grains is about $25 and they last a lifetime. You can also make your own corn meal or masa de harina. (For some real fun, try growing your own corn, then turning it into homemade tortillas. Google up "nixtimalization" before you undertake this very rewarding adventure. Nixtimalization is powerful evidence of God's love for people because without it, the nutrients in corn would be indigestible and a vast percentage of the world which relies on corn as their staple food would die of malnutrtion.)

Fascinating stuff, but I appear to have slipped into a lengthy epsiode of Cliff Clayvinism.

God bless all. May you be richly fed on His word.

DanL

I left something out of the ingredients. It's not crucial, but it does make the bread better. Please include about a teaspoon of honey to the ingredients listed above.

Oops. Sorry.

Angels,

Cooking the beans and mashing them should work, but then you will have to refridgerate what you don't use. But hey, feel free to experiment. MAybe you coudl try grinding the beans in a blender. I listed the beans I have not tried grinding and I'm sure their are many more.

God bless!

ncn, Godspeed! Let me know how it turns out.

I recently wrote a blg post about my bread experience. It may be helpful to both of you.

http://kinshipchristianradio.blogspot.com/

Praise the Lord always!

Ezekiel Bread

Ezekiel 4:9

"Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side.

Okay, I have experimented with these ingredients and have come up with a pretty appetizing bread. Here’s the recipe:

You can buy millet and spelt already ground into flour at most food co-ops. The beans, barley, and lentils you will have to grind yourself. I have a food grinder, designed for grinding corn. You will have to grind the barley, beans, and lentils three times, tightening the adjusting nut each time. Even so, these grains will be somewhat gritty as it is very difficult to achieve a fine powder. (Tip—I have had the best luck grinding great northern beans. Navy beans are gummy and impossible to grind)

Grind one-half cup beans, one cup lentils, and one cup barley. Mix all together and grind two more times, tightening nut after each grind.

Add two cups whole wheat flour, one cup ground millet, and one cup ground spelt.

Mix together.

This is your base mixture. You can make bread form it, but it will be quite dense.

I add high protein white bread flour to this to make it more palatable.

The quality of bread flour varies by brand. I recommend “Dakota Maid”

To make the bread, put the following in a glass bowl:

10 oz water

2 ounces olive oil

one teaspoon salt (okay, use Kosher if you want)

one teaspoon lemon juice (yes, the stuff in the bottle is okay)

Heat all this up in the microwave for about 3 minutes until it just boils. Then, take it out and quickly add one cup of the base mixture. Stir it up with a fork until it turns into porridge.

Making this “porridge” softens the grains and makes the bread a lot less gritty. It’s a pain, but a necessary step.

Let the porridge cool until its less than your body temp. Okay, that might be hard to figure out. Ummm-okay, if the porridge is too hot, it will kill the yeast. So, let it cool until you can stick your finger in it without saying, “Ooo, that’s hot.” Go for warm. Cooler than a cup of coffee. Lukewarm. Tepid

Once tepid, get a rubber spatula and transfer the porridge to your bread machine. Add three cups bread flour and one tablesoon of yeast. (Buy your yeast at the food co-op in bulk. Its waaaay cheaper than the stuff in the grocery store and waaay better. Engage the “dough” cycle.

This will knead it and rise it the first time That takes about 90 minutes.

Once risen, punch down, form into a loaf, put into loaf pan and let rise second time. This takes about two hours.

After two hours, heat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 18 minutes. Check carefully after 15 minutes or so.

Or, my family greatly enjoys Ezekiel flat bread.

Instead of forming into loaves, break off hunks slightly smaller than a racquet ball, roll into ball, and flatten into patties about 3/8 inch thick. You should get nine or ten. Let these rise for two hours and cook on electric griddle set at 400 degrees. Cook both sides till nice and brown. The flat bread is yummy.

With the protein from the beans and lentils, the vitamin C from the lemon juice, and the wonderful things honey does for you, this bread probably contains everything you need to live on. ( I am not a doctor, that’s just a guess.)

You can use less bread flour and more Ezekiel base if you want. I’ve only been making this for about two months, so any further experimentation is a good thing. I have not tried red beans, black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, lima beans….etc. The Bible does not specify the exact bean. One thing I do know is that you do not want to use too many beans in the base mix. (You’ll note beans are the smallest proportion in the base mix) Too many beans won’t hurt the flavor, but it will make you less popular in public, if you know what I mean.

God bless all!

Numbers 11:5

We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;

I should have added to the original post that there is much, much more to it than just keeping us humble.

So, go ahead, there is indeed much more to be said than I have written.

Why does God not heal all?

We know the Bible says Jesus healed the lame, gave sight to the blind, and even raised the dead.

We know Jesus said with faith we can move mountains and that whatever we ask will be given to us.

Psalm 37:4 says,

“Delight yourself also in the LORD,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

So, why are so many of us still afflicted with disease, illness, pain, and all sorts of maladies?

If you ask a dozen Christians, a hundred Christians, a thousands Christians, “How many of you are completely healed of every physical and mental illness?” there will be silence.

No one, Christian or not, is 100% healed of everything.

Surely, God could heal us, so why not?

Yes, sin and death entered the world at the fall, but didn’t Jesus pay for all those sins on the cross? Is our healing only spiritual? Did God stop healing when Jesus rose?

Yes, our sins are paid in full. No, our healing is not solely spiritual. No, God still heals.

An often-quoted verse on this subject is Paul’s writing on the “Thorn in the flesh” in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

“7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The first verse in this section should catch our attention, as it contains the same phrase twice—“lest I should be exalted above measure.” The Bible does not repeat itself without reason. In fact, the sentence begins and ends with that same phrase.

That phrase in the original Greek is “ὑπεραίρωμαι” and it means “to raise oneself up, to become haughty, arrogant.” The ESV uses the word “conceited” in this passage.

So, Paul begins the discussion of his malady by clearly giving us the reason he has such a thorn in the flesh—to keep him from becoming arrogant. In other words, the thorn keeps him humble.

As we look through the Bible, not once does God ever associate pride with something desirable in His people.

Proverbs 21:24

A proud and haughty man— “Scoffer” is his name; He acts with arrogant pride.

Ezekiel 7:10

‘Behold, the day! Behold, it has come! Doom has gone out; The rod has blossomed, Pride has budded.

On the other hand, God speaks of the humble in this way:

Psalm 147:6

The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.

Psalm 149:4

For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.

God tells Paul His grace is sufficient for him and His strength is made perfect in Paul’s weakness. Paul follows that verse with two verses saying he will gladly brag and enjoy his sickness and everything that bothers you and I for the sake of Jesus!—and that doing so will cause the power of Jesus himself to rest upon him!

And, then, there’s that verse that is so hard to figure out—“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

What!?!?!

How can the weak be strong? How can a crippled or blind or lame or drug-addicted or thieving or murdering or poor or stuttering or mentally ill person be an effective witness for Christ?

Because the best witnesses are those who have received the greatest grace—forgiveness where there was condemnation, peace where there was turmoil, faith where there was doubt, and love where there was none.

We are they.

I would like to change my position on OSAS. In my first post on this topic, I related a personal witness and concluded that we could never know if OSAS was true or not because we could never know the heart of any individual to know whether they were truly saved to begin with. While I continue to maintain that only God knows the heart for sure, I now believe that OSAS is incorrect. And, I most certainly agree with Romans 8:38 & 39:

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

All things listed in that verse are external forces. The verse does not negate our free will.

I now believe, given the volume of scripture that cautions us to fight the good fight, put on the full armor of God, resist the adversary and many other admonitions, that it is possible to walk away from God even after being saved. Indeed, scripture implores us to be vigilant that we do NOT slip into sin and lose the precious gift given us.

If this beautiful and precious gift of salvation required no maintenance, if it came with no personal responsibility for its care, would it be as valuable?

God is perfect and His plans are perfect.

While it is possible for us to slip away, stumble, fall, and make fools of ourselves, Jesus is always there holding out His hand, ready to lift us up and out of the crashing waves.

Let us always keep our eyes on Him.

Be blessed, oh ye saints.

You know, when I woke up this morning, it occurred to me that all of our questions on this topic are answered in the parable of the prodigal son.

Yes, we can walk away at any time, take our inheritance and fritter it away. (Yes, we have free will.)

If we do that, we should not be surprised if we end up in a really bad situation that causes us to reconsider the consequences of that decision. (Note that this is not God sending lightning bolts. It's the natural consequence of letting sin rule our lives.)

But, our Father will not only take us back, He will come running to welcome us home.

So, is it okay to just run off when ever we want and do whatever we want?

The father in that parable answered the jealous son that while the other son had run off, he was dead.

Dead and feeding pigs? Not so much, thanks.

Okay, after 52 pages, at what point do we find ourselves straining out the gnat and swallowing the camel?

Let's try a simple experiment: (Note: Use of male pronoun a personal choice based on number of letters to type. Not significant to discussion.)

Suppose you meet someone who is a new believer. He believes Jesus is Lord. He believes His death on the cross as a holy and spotless lamb of sacrifice paid for all his sins. He has confessed his sins, repented, and believes his slate clean. He knows in his heart he will spend eternity in heaven with Jesus. He openly thanks God that this salvation is a free gift of grace and not of his works or intelligence or anything he could take credit for.

And he asks you, knowing that you are fellow believer who has studied God's Holy Word more extensively than he,

"I won't lose what I have been given, will I?"

I, or one, would have no problem assuring that new believer that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ--neither height, nor depth, nor anything. Our almighty, omniscient Father is more than capable of preserving us unto salvation, and He lets none slip through His hand. I would not say, "As long as you're a good boy and always clean your plate."

Then he says,

"But what if I mess up and sin again?"

Easy answer: "Oh, that'll happen for sure. But, God loves you and His mercies are new very day. Forgiveness is there for the asking. As you grow in your faith and your walk with Jesus, you will find it easier to resist temptation and you will grow closer to the Lord over time. Remain in the word. Pray continually. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Our obedience is an offering of praise, not some carrot and stick deal. Yes, the Lord disciplines those He loves, but to teach them in love to grow and produce fruit. (Please ignore the carrot and fruit mixed metaphor.)

Then, he asks,

"So, I can do anything I want and God will just forgive me everytime?"

I would want to say, "What? Are you 13 years old?" but I wouldn't.

I would hope I'd say, "Is that how you think we should return God's love? If all things are permissable, are all things beneficial? By no means!"

Then what if he said,

"Well, what if I decide after awhile that I don't like it anymore and want to go back to the way I was?"

I would also have no problem telling that new believer that God would never strip anyone of their free will. And, then I would think to myself that because he asked that question, everything he told me about how much he believed was a lie--For what fellowship has darkness with light?

Do you see the line in the sand with the questions?

The first (concern with a loss of salvation) is a legitimate question, though based on a lack of scriptural knowledge. The inflooding of love and mercy and the joy that comes with it could surely cause our human weakness to fear its removal. Assurance and love is called for.

The second question is also legitimate. (Dealing with sin after salvation.) It's born of a genuine concern with pleasing God who has just saved this person. Guidance and scripture are called for. It's the same answer we give the back-slidden seeking return to the fold. There is often great heartache. It's not uncommon for a genuine believer to say, "I know God can forgive me, but I can't forgive myself." That's the adversary at work and requires much healing.

The third question (sin more that grace would increase more) is just being a smart-aleck. It shows a readily apparent lack of real faith. It mocks God and deserves a short, correcting answer. (If asked in chat, I would anticipate the boot within one or two sentences following if apologies were not made.)

The last question (going back to a life of sin and rejection of salvation) is something a troll would ask. Would a man dying of thirst in the desert offer to give you back the drink of water you just gave him? Would a starving man give you back your loaf of bread after spitting out the first bite?

No offense intended, but some of the debate here seems more of an intellectual ping-pong game rather than an effort to lift up, support, and encourage fellow believers--or, more importantly, equipping each other to save the lost.

Shiloh,

I agree. And, have you ever seen any process in your life (or anyone else's, for that matter) that took place in a straight line? Are there not always peaks and valleys?

God sees the book already written. All of eternity is laid out before Him and He knows it all.

We're on page 3 somewhere.

Well, I am anyway.

1 Corinthians 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (emphasis mine)

When we are saved is it our flesh that is saved?

Or, does the devil attempt to use the flesh that remains to confound and render ineffective those who are saved? (fallen televengelists duly noted)

If nothing can snatch us from His hand, and the adversary knows that, isn't his best tactic then to extinguish our light?

Ephesians 4: 20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Putting on the new man sounds much more like a process than an instantaneous change.

Good point alien.

I really should have made it clear that sometimes God does heal for His glory and in mercy.

The thing that struck me is how no one is completely healed of everything.

That's saved for heaven.

The other night in chat, someone suggested I write on the topic of “healing.”

I serve on a call-in Christian radio prayer line, and I can tell you the number one prayer request is for healing.

The conversation went on for a bit and I got to thinking about all the Christians I meet who have something within them that they would like healed.

I don’t remember my exact words, but I asked a question something like, “How many in the room right now are completely free of anything that needs healing?”

Dead silence.

Out of at least a dozen people actively participating in the conversation, not one was completely free of the need for healing.

So, if we serve a mighty God--an omnipotent, loving, Father who could heal every affliction of any kind in the blink of an eye, why was every believer present still in need of healing?

2 Corinthians 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Now, that’s a common verse to quote to the suffering, but it’s often cold comfort because it can be so hard to understand. Why in the world would Paul tell the Corinthians that when he was weak, then he was strong? What?

I think it becomes clear when we look at the whole of what Paul said.

Paul starts out with “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations…” That phrase “lest I should be exalted above measure” occurs twice in the same sentence. When scripture repeats itself, you can be sure a point is being made.

Paul wrote a huge chunk of the New Testament. Today, he certainly is “exalted above measure.” Cities and churches around the world are named for him. (As is the capitol city in my home state of Minnesota.) Prior to becoming an apostle, Paul had been of the ruling class of the Jews, a Pharisee. This is how he describes himself in Philippians 3:

5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

But, look at the very next verses following:

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Quite a contrast, right? And the phrase that jumps out of that paragraph for me is “the fellowship of His sufferings.”

So the thorn in the flesh, sent by Satan to buffet him, is not taken away by God who explains only “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

We know grace is God’s undeserved love and mercy. God is right. Surely His undeserved love and mercy is enough for any of us, because that grace means we are forgiven and will spend eternity in heaven with Him. But how can His strength be made perfect in our weakness?

Throughout the Bible, God chose the humble to do His work:

Moses, the son of a slave and a murder, of whom the Bible says, “Numbers 12:3

(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)

David, the youngest son of a sheep farmer and a mere boy when he was anointed king of Israel.

The disciples: common fishermen, a tax collector, regular guys.

Look what Mary sings to God when she learns she is to bear His son:

46 And Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;

For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,

And holy is His name.

50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him

From generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with His arm;

He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

And exalted the lowly.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things,

And the rich He has sent away empty.

54 He has helped His servant Israel,

In remembrance of His mercy,

55 As He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

And what does Jesus say of Himself in Matthew 11?

29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Again and again, the Bible clearly shows us how much God values humility over pride.

Proverbs 8:13

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate

Psalm 25:9

The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way.

Psalm 69:32

The humble shall see this and be glad; And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.

Psalm 149:4

For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.

Matthew 18:4

Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven

So, this is why Paul says,

Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

It is our very weakness that brings glory to God because we are not perfect. We are not kings and rulers and people of high position with perfect bodies and perfect cars and perfect homes and perfect spouses. No, we are ordinary, lowly folk given the greatest gift in all the universe:

2 Corinthians 4:7

New International Version (NIV)

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Yes, we are jars of clay--fragile earthen vessels easily fractured, carrying the best gift ever given to humanity: the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ!

And, in our weakness and all that humbles us and afflicts us and brings us low, we are equipped to minister to others! We can understand the suffering of others because we ourselves have suffered. We can support, lift up, and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ precisely because in all those infirmities, reproaches, needs, persecutions, and distresses we are equipped to minister to fellow believers and witness to the lost. We can weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn. We can lead them to the light that is Jesus Christ that they will no longer stumble in darkness. We can show them where there is water they can drink that will well up in them so that they will never thirst again. When we realize that we will never have perfection in these earthly bodies and learn to praise God for those imperfections, we can guide others to the peace that passes all understanding precisely because we are not perfect people.

And in serving others, we realize that we are not put here for ourselves, but to love God and love each other.

That is the power of Christ in us.