I heard of a man who said to the preacher, “I want to sing in your choir.” The preacher replied, “But you don’t belong here. Where do you have your membership?” He answered, “I don’t belong to any local church. I belong to the invisible church.” The pastor said, “Then I suggest that you join the invisible choir.”

The truth is that God created the church to be seen and heard. The word translated “church” in the English Bible is ekklesia. This word is the combination of the Greek kaleo (to call), with the prefix ek (out). Thus, the word means “the called-out ones.”

Ephesians 2:20-22 

Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

The church is an organism, not an organization.

Give it some thought.

Gary

A young minister was called upon for the first time in his short career to counsel a church member. “I just can’t cope anymore,” said the member. “I’m continually depressed, tired, and anxious.”

“I see,” said the minister. Then, turning to his shelf, he took out a book on pastoral psychology and studied it for fifteen minutes. “Have you ever felt this way before?” asked the minister.

“Yes,” said the man, “three years ago.”

“Well then, that SETTLES it!” said the minister triumphantly. “Whatever it was, you’ve got it AGAIN!”

Good counsel is hard to come by; however, there is a place to attain it.

Psalm 32:8-9

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Babylon was a beautiful city. It had been built into a fortress that was second to none. It was surrounded by a huge wall that some say was 87 feet wide and estimated to be over three hundred feet tall in places. Six chariots could run abreast on top of the wall. It was encircled by a large moat and the Euphrates River ran through the midst of the city. They had plenty of food and water for a long siege.  The Babylonians trusted the security of the city. But as is the case anytime we trust man’s wisdom and ability, they were trusting in a false security.

One ancient account alleged that Persia’s General Ugbaru had troops dig a trench to divert and thus lower the waters of the Euphrates River. Since the river flowed through the city of Babylon, the lowered water enabled besiegers to unexpectedly invade via the waterway under the thick walls and reach the palace before the city was aware.

Lesson: Security rests in God, not man’s devices.

Psalm 46:1 

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 9:10 

And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

What have you built? Are you safe?

Give it some thought.

Gary

British playwright George Bernard Shaw put it this way:

 There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart’s desire, and the other is to gain it. We don’t look at it that way. In our eyes, gaining your heart’s desire is the very purpose of life itself. But how many people have achieved their dreams only to be ruined in the process? Success can be just as big a temptation as failure, perhaps more so, since success tends to make us take life for granted. While it is true that God speaks to us both ways, we tend to listen more when God speaks through sorrow, pain, loss, and personal failure. Success tends to make us complacent, but failure cannot be denied.

Case in point is Nebuchadnezzar just before his insanity kicked in:

Daniel 4:30

The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”

God’s answer was to paraphrase, “King, you are nuts, and before “The Ed Sullivan Show” is over, you are going to be acting like an animal.”

It took seven years before sanity returned. Don’t make the same mistake.

Give it some thought.

Gary

First, I was dying to finish high school and start college.

And then I was dying to finish college and start working.

And then I was dying to marry and have children.

And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough for school so I could return to work.

And then I was dying to retire.

And now, I am dying…and suddenly I realize I forgot to live.

Psalm 90:12 

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 16:11 

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Proverbs 16:9 

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

His way is the path of life.  Peace, joy, goodness and so much more are all available in Him. Live while you have the opportunity.

Think about it.

Gary

What you are is God’s gift to you; what you become is your gift to God.

                     – Hans urs von Balthasar

What a gift we have received!

2 Corinthians 9:15

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Now is the time to give back.

2 Corinthians 9:7-8

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work

Give it some serious thought.

Gary

All those who have authority
Should use their power to lead;
By taking orders from the Lord
And serving those in need.

—D. De Haan

When Israel was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem under hard and dangerous conditions, their leader Nehemiah took his turn at both building and standing guard. Special food was allotted to him as the leader, but he refused to accept it, unlike his predecessors. He ate from the same rations that were offered to everyone else.

Nehemiah 5:18

Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people.

Wouldn’t it be great if our leadership followed Nehemiah’s principles?

Give it some thought.

Gary