Did I Hear A Shout And A Trumpet?

February 26, 2012 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first.”(I Thessalonians 4:16 (Amp.) Every day I wake up to a fresh realization that we are one day closer to the coming of Christ. The Word tells us to watch and wait. It also gives us hints as what to look for when Christ comes to catch us up. Tonight I hope it is this night, and tomorrow I will wake hoping it is that day, etc. The above scripture tells us how this rapture (catching up) will happen. Paul is writing to the Thessalonians to enlighten them about questions they had about Christ’s return for believers. In verses 13-17 of the fourth chapter of First Thessalonians, Paul tells believers not to grieve for those who die in Christ as those grieve who have no hope beyond the grave. Believers should know that even as Jesus died and rose again, even so when Christ returns for us, those who have died in Christ will be raised first to newness of life and precede us that are still living on earth. This is how it will happen: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life will rise first. Then we the living ones who remain on the earth, shall simultaneously be caught up along with the resurrected dead in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always through the eternity of the eternities we shall be with the Lord” (vs.16 & 17). So there is going to be a great delegation of believers who will meet Jesus in the air. I John 3:2 says that when we as God’s children see Him we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He really is. “The Lord Himself will ascend from heaven with a loud shout…” Have you ever speculated on what He will be shouting? I think He will be shouting, “Come on home, children! Come on up with Me! This is your homecoming. THIS IS THE DAY OF THE LORD!” I Corinthians 15:52 Paul tells us that this rapture will happen in “a twinkling of an eye.” I read somewhere that a twinkle of the eye was 1/50th of a second. What a mystery that is, because Revelation 1:7 tells us that every eye will see Him, even those who pierced (hurt and rejected) Him, and all peoples of the earth will look on Him and mourn and lament over Him (because they had rejected Him when they had opportunities to accept). What a wonderful day that will be for the believer, the day for which we are all looking! But for those who have rejected the One Who loves them and died for them so they could live with Him forever, it will be a sad and terrible day (I Thessalonians 1:10). Are you listening for the shout and the trumpet? What A Day That Will Be! Jim Hill “What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see, and I look upon His face - the One Who saved me by His grace. When he takes me by the hand and leads me thru the promised land, what a day, what a day that will be.”

Happy Valentine's Day

February 14, 2012 "For God So loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shold not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Valentine’s Day is a day to express our love to others. Over the years this expression has evolved from just our sweetheart to anyone and everyone we care about. The post office and the flower shops say this is the busiest holiday of the year. It is good to know there is still a lot of love going around. God created us to love and desire to be loved - love is giving. Our love is manifested to man by “sacrifice” – to give. Just as God the Father gave His Son for us (and it was a Great Sacrifice). And Jesus gave Himself for us (the ultimate sacrifice) - “But God proves His love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This kind of love (Agape) is inconceivable. Jesus is the personification of love in that He made the ultimate sacrifice for man – His life. But when we truly love someone we are willing to “sacrifice” ourselves (time, energies, resources and even our life) for them. Our love is manifested to God by our “obedience” to Him. We give all we have, all we are and all we ever hope to be, (I John 5:3) “For the true love of God is this: that we do His commands. And these orders of His are not burdensome nor repressive.” Only when the love of God lives within us can we love Him back, then it is a joy to obey Him because we know He knows what is best for us, and not only to love Him and live in His presence, but only then can we truly love another. To love God is to have a deep desire to please Him; and to please Him is to obey Him. There are five different kinds of love: 1) Epithumia, this is a love that is a strong desire to have or own - controlling. 2) Eros, this is love most associated with romance. It is a sexual love. Eros love is wholly emotional and cannot be summoned at will. 3) Storge love is described as a comfortable old shoe relationship comprised of natural affection and a sense of belonging to each other. 4) Phileo, This love cherishes and has tender affection for the beloved but it expects a response. It is a love of relationship, comradeship, sharing, communication and friendship. 5) Agape, this is a love that loves completely and unconditionally, but expects nothing in return. Agape love is usually associated with God’s love – unconditional and everlasting. I read an article a long time ago about a study done on the orphanages in some of the Soviet block countries where the child-care people were not allowed to hold or caress the babies. Even when the babies were being fed the bottles were just propped up. The only time babies were touched was when they were diapered, bathed and dressed. These studies showed these babies who were never touched or showed any kind of love were sickly and many died. A follow-up study showed the survivors of these orphanages were emotionally maladjusted and never knew how to accept or give love, even after they were adopted and cared for. God created us to love and be loved and although we may never know the love of a person, our Heavenly Father wants to manifests His Agape love to all of us. Four of these loves come and go but Agape love, God’s love for us, is unconditional and forever. The following writing is by Charles Stanley, and is a meditation on: ____________ “Our Heavenly Father’s Unconditional Love.” Scripture tells us that love is the very essence of who God is. God is love (I John 4:16). So if you don’t believe that He loves you unconditionally, you’ll never really know Him or have genuine peace about your relationship with Him. How do you define “love”? It is Jesus unselfishly reaching out to mankind, giving Himself to us and bring good into our life regardless of whether or not we accept Him - “God shows and clearly proves His love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). His care and concern are so immeasurable that He laid down His life for us while we were still His enemies. In fact, the Bible says that He first began to express His love toward us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3-5) That means your actions had absolutely nothing to do with His love for you! God’s commitment to us has absolutely no conditions or restrictions and isn’t based on whether we love Him back. Nor does He have more love for “good” people who may strike us as more worthy. He loves us even in our sin, even when we don’t repent. Does that give us license to disobey? No, It gives us power to follow Him is to receive the love He has been offering all along. Every single moment, whether awake or asleep, we all live under the canopy of the Lord’s wondrous, absolute love for us. But to fully experience that love, you must receive it. Say yes to this amazing gift that God wants to pour out on you. Bask in it, and let it overflow to those around you. ______________ O Love That Will Not Let Me Go George Matheson O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in You; I give You back the life I owe, that in Your ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be. O Joy that seeks me through pain, I cannot close my heart to You; I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain That morn will tearless be. --------------- I send my love to you and pray you will experience God’s Agape love that will not let you go!

Rationalizing - A Common Sin

“Withhold not Your tender mercy from me. O Lord, let Your loving-kindness and Your truth continually preserve!” (Psalm 40:11) The truth is an absolute. There are no shades or partial truth. There is not such a thing as a “white lie.” A lie is false and the opposite of truth. Our courts make us lay our hand on the Bible and swear that we are going “to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” Just as the courts of our land will not accept partial truth, neither does God. Webster defines the word, “rationalizing” to mean, “To attribute one’s actions to rational and creditable motives without analysis of true, unconscious motives, - to provide plausible but untrue reasons for conduct.” There, rationalizing is sin because it is not telling the truth, and is an excuse that may not contain any truth of our real motives for our actions. To continue to rationalize is not being truthful with others or our self. To rationalize is like falling into a pit that will eventually become our prison from which we can’t escape and we really don’t want to. We would rather stay in the pit than face the pain of truth and reality. The pit becomes deceitfully comfortable. It is a hiding place from those who know the truth and might confront or expose our sham. The one who lives in the pit of rationalization lives in fear – fearful to be accountable for his/her actions – fearful of the opinions of others, fearful of being wrong. The one who lives in this pit is a person of low self-esteem. Guilt, whether real or self and/or others imposed, is usually the culprit which lives with him in the pit, constantly whispering that he must remain covered and in the dark lest others know the truth and disapprove. The pit causes him to become a hypocrite, pretending to be someone he is not – hiding the true motives of his conduct. The pit started just as a small indentation of “excuse.” The more excuses were given the deeper the pit became. The habit of excusing becomes a sharp and very large shovel that quickly digs a deep, but comfortable pit. Hopefully there will come a time when we desire to escape this prison. It is only through the knowledge and acceptance of God’s love for and acceptance of us can we have the courage to climb on the back of our companions in the pit with us, fear and low self-esteem, and climb out into the light. There we have the courage to speak the truth, take responsibility for our conduct, breath in the fresh air of freedom and walk in the sunshine of God’s love and forgiveness for choosing to live in the pit of rationalization. Love cast out fear. To love is to have the freedom to think, speak and act the truth. Prayer: Father, help us to take off our masks, to live in the freedom of Your love, to speak the truth even when we may have to suffer difficult consequences. We choose not to live in the pit of rationalization. Thank You because Your truth sets us free to be all You want us to be. We pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Before They Call I Will Answer

July 22, 2012 Isaiah 65:24 – “Before They Call I will Answer” This is a story written by a doctor who worked in Africa: One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). “And it is our last hot water bottle!” she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. “All right,” I said, “put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.” The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. “Please, God” she prayed, “Send us a hot water bottle today It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.” While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, “And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?” As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say “Amen?” I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, “If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!” Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, “Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?” “Of course,” I replied! That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.' “Before they call, I will answer.” (Isaiah 65:24) When you receive this, say the prayer. That's all I ask. No strings attached. Just send it on to whomever you want - but please do send it on. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards. Let's continue praying for one another. This awesome prayer takes less than a minute. Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this. I ask You to minister to their spirit. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence to work through them. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, guidance, and strength. Where there is fear, reveal Your love and release to them Your courage. Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them. I ask You to do these things in Jesus' name. Amen! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, “Unless you change your mind and become like little children (trusting, loving, forgiving), you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” Either God is who He says He is, Almighty, or He doesn’t exist. How big is your God?

No Holograms

July 13, 2012 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:18) This scripture makes me think somewhat of holograms I have seen. These have been pictures that appear to be nothing discernable, but as you concentrate on either the light or dark areas, to your delight a clear image emerges; the mystery in the picture is no longer a mystery. Google’s definition of “hologram” is: “a photograph of an interference pattern that, when suitably illuminated, produces a three-dimensional image.” This past week our granddaughter e-mailed us a picture of a sonogram taken of her baby in her womb. She made no explanation but just said, “Another Justin.” We looked at the picture but it just looked like a big blob of something. We could not figure out the mystery. While still looking at the picture I called to ask her to explain. As I concentrated on the abstract lines the close-up picture of the baby’s face just seemed to jump out at me. Once I saw it, it became very real and even was three dimensional. It was all in how I looked at it. So I guess little Johnny’s sonogram picture on the computer is a hologram. This picture proves there is a real baby mysteriously hidden that will someday soon come forth and we can hold him. This picture is temporary and can easily be destroyed, but that baby is real and eternal. So until we can see Johnny with our eyes and hold him with our arms we will just have to enjoy this picture, knowing that the real will soon come to past, and he is eternal, even now. So it is with our spiritual eyes, since we are spiritual beings, created in the image of God, we should not focus on the things of this world, which are temporal, but we should focus on those things of the spirit, for they are eternal and will never go away. Heaven and hell are for real and our spirit being will spend eternity in either heaven, if we have accepted Christ, or hell, if we haven’t accepted Christ. The Word of God makes the picture clear, and that picture is of a born-again child of God who is destined for an eternity with God the Father and Jesus His Son. As we look deeply into the things promised in God’s Word, we can clearly see the distractions and the things here that are temporal, and the things that are eternal - when time shall be no more. On what are we focusing? Here is one man’s testimonial of his path to reality. Through Mr. Cox’s prayer of faith he could now see clearly the eternal things. The distorted, blurred and mysterious things (the temporal) were gone, and the eternal things now became real, and life was no longer a hologram. “It’s Real” (by H. L. Cox) Oh, how well do I remember how I doubted day by day, for I did not know for certain that my sins were washed away. When the Spirit tried to tell me, I would not the truth receive, I endeavored to be happy, and to make myself believe. When the truth came close and searching, all my joy would disappear, for I did not have the witness of the Spirit bright and clear. If at times the coming judgment would appear before my mind, oh, it made me so uneasy, for God’s smile I could not find. When the Lord sent faithful servants who would dare to preach the truth, how my heart did so condemn me as the Spirit gave reproof. Satan says at once, “I will ruin you to now confess your state, keep on working and professing, and you’ll enter heaven’s gate.” But at last I tired of living such a life of fear and doubt, for I wanted God to give me something I would know about. So the truth would make me happy, and the light would clearly shine, and the Spirit gave assurance that I’m His and He is mine. So I prayed to God in earnest, and not caring what folks said; I was hungry for the blessing; my poor soul it must be fed. When at last by faith I touched Him, and like sparks from smitten steel, just so quick salvation reached me; O bless God, I know it’s real! It’s real, it’s real, oh, I know it’s real. Praise God, the doubts are settled, for I know, I know it’s real!

My Prayer For You

June 30, 2012 “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you.” (I Samuel 12:23 Amp.) Although God is Sovereign and is in complete control of everything, for His own reasons He has told believers to pray perseveringly (Phil.4:6; I Thess.5:17). I think some reasons He commanded us to pray are to involve us in His miracle working power, and it definitely enlarges our faith. Through this blog I wanted you to know how and what I am praying for you. These are prayers taken from God’s Word (I didn’t think I could go wrong in praying for you in these ways). As I pray for you, personalize (put your name in each prayer as if I were there with you calling out your name, because in the spirit I am). God already knows your needs and desires, so trust Him to answer each prayer as you yield yourself to Him for His good will and pleasure. (I am praying also for me). Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus, that name that is above all names, and for all for which that Name stand; and by virtue of my faith in that name I know you hear my prayers for all for whom I am praying – you know their names. Cleanse our hearts from anything that is unlike you (including any hidden sin) which will keep You from hearing our prayers (Ps.66:18). Thank You for cleansing our hearts and for making us pure and holy before You – what a wonder! I praise You because You are fearful and wonderful and that You created each of us to be special and unique. You saw each of us when You intricately formed us in our mother’s womb, and even then all the days of our life were written in Your book before they ever took shape. I thank You that Your love for us is everlasting and that Your thoughts toward us are precious and weighty. How vast is the sum of them – if we counted them they would be more in number than all the grains of sand. If we could count all of those grains, when we finished we would still be with You. Search us thoroughly, O God, and know our thoughts and our hearts, and see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in us, and lead us in Your way that is everlasting (Psalm 139: 13- 24). Father, I pray that each of us would believe that you gave your only Son so we would not and come to eternal destruction; but by believing in and accepting Your greatest gift, Jesus, we can have everlasting life (John 3:16). And by accepting Your magnanimous gift we become Your child and heir to all You have (Romans 8:14-17). Part of that inheritance is Your promises – they are “yes and so-be-it” in Christ (II Cor.1:20) – and we can lay claim to them all. What a wonder to get to know (intimately acquainted with) the Creator of the universe, Jesus, our Savior, and to know You is to love You. Although we are still in this world, this intimate knowledge of Jesus lifts us spiritually out from those who are spiritually dead because they do not know You (Philippians 3:7-16). I pray we may all come to know Christ in this way and be filled and flooded with Your very Self (Eph.3:19). Upon finding this “Pearl of great price” (Jesus), may we give all that we are to You Matt.13:46), because as Jim Elliot (the missionary to the Auca Indians in Ecuador and was later martyred) said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to save what he cannot lose.” Father, enable us to prove our love for You by continually give of ourselves to You and by obeying Your Word and Its commands, (because You know what is best) (I John 5:11-13). And we thank You, Father, because we can be assured of eternal life if we have put our faith and trust in Jesus, your Son (I John 5:11-13). Father, in Matthew 5:44, You told us to “love our enemies and to pray for those who despitefully use us,” but You also know we cannot love without You filling us with Your love and enabling us to love our “enemies.” We confess that we don’t want to love our enemies and those who despitefully use us – so please change our “want to’ and to love the unlovely through us, (who are often unlovely). Father, we know that love is a choice, as well as forgiveness, so help us to make that choice to give up and let go of that hurt and wrong that has been done to us and let You take care of the “making right” part (Matt.6:6-15). Father, help us to even forgive You because we know ultimately “the buck stops with You.” You are a sovereign God and in control of everything that comes into our life. We acknowledge that You don’t cause, but permit, terrible circumstances to happen to us, but Your thoughts and ways are not our thoughts, and the way we would do things, if we were God, are certainly not the way you would do them (Isaiah 55:8-9). We know from Your Word that You permit the enemy of our soul, Satan (the devil), to attack us and try to destroy us, just as he did Job (Job 1, especially vs.6-12). Father, although we may not understand why You have permitted “bad” things that come into our lives, help us to trust that You love us with an everlasting love and that You desire only our good. Because we know it is Satan who has come to “steal, kill and destroy us, but You have come to bring us life that is abundant and full of overflowing joy (John 10:10). Please help us to embrace this Truth and to yield to Your love in the midst of our chaos. Father, help us to pray knowing You always hear when we come with “clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3-5). Help us to not live in the counsel of the ungodly, (following their plans, advice and purposes; nor to stand submissive and inactive in the paths where sinners walk. Nor help me not to sit in the place where mockers gather. But help me to delight in reading, studying, meditating and obeying Your Word day and night. If we do this You have promised that we shall be like a prosperous tree that brings forth its fruit in its season and its leaves will not wither; and everything we do shall prosper (Ps.1:1-3). Have mercy on us because You know we are weak and helpless (Numbers 14:18). Your mercies and loving kindness last forever, and Your truth and Your faithfulness endure to all generations (Psalm 100:5). Help us to learn to submit to Your will and wait for Your answers to our prayers, then our strength to persevere will be renewed and we will mount up close to You, and we will walk in Your paths of righteousness and not become tired, and You will cause us to run our course You have planned for us (Jer.11:29) and not be weary (Isa.40:31). Thank You, because in Your time You make all things beautiful (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Help us to trust You with all of our hearts and lean to our own understanding but in all our way to acknowledge You for Who You are, and You will direct our paths (Prov.3:5-6). We pray this in the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

A Beautiful Description of the Beautiful Woman

June 18, 2012 (From writings of Audrey Hepburn) For attractive lips, speak words of kindness (*kind words are like apples of silver in pictures of gold. You can even say something good about the devil - he is determined). For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people (*Try to walk in their shoes, and remember we all have feet of clay). For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry (*exercise your gifts of love and mercy, take long walks while you meditate on the Word of God, and run to help fulfill the needs of others) . For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone (*God is always with you, be confident in Him). People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed (*Jesus is the restorer, the renewer, the reviver, the reclaimer, the Redeemer); never throw out anyone (*including yourself, “God don’t make no junk”).. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others (*to lift up someone else is to be lifted up yourself because “you reap what you sow”). *(italics are mine)