Going Down

Twelve thousand, seven hundred thirty-two B-17s were produced during WW2 and 4,735 were lost. Most were downed by the Germans. Others went down with mechanical problems and some were involved with accidents with other B-17s. It was war.

 

It reminds me of believers in the field of service. There are so many sad endings.  If only…

  

The Bible records the failures of mankind: Adam and Eve (Gen. 3), Cain and Abel (Gen. 4), Noah and his sons (Gen. 9), Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 16), Lot and his daughters (Gen. 19), Jacob and Esau (Gen. 27), Joseph and his brothers (Gen. 37), Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10), Aaron and Miriam (Num. 12), Israel and Canaan (Num. 14), Moses and the rock (Num. 20), Samson and Delilah (Judges 16), Samuel and his sons (1 Sam. 8), David and Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11), Solomon and his harem (1 Kings 11). And on and on it goes, right into the New Testament, where we find disciple after disciple and church after church marked by failure and disappointment. It was war.

 

It’s dangerous out there, so stay close to God’s path for your life.

 

Gary

No Need

I like this post I picked up from an unknown source.

Athletes and entertainers are mistaken for people of importance.

I’ve needed a doctor. I’ve needed a teacher.

I need farmers every day.

I need truck drivers every day.

I have needed a car mechanic, a plumber, a house painter and a lot of other everyday people.

But I have never, not even once, needed a pro-athlete, a media personality, or a Hollywood celebrity for anything…

especially for moral or political advice. 

Give it some consideration and remember what we especially need every day.

Psalm 143:8 

Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.

Lamentations 3:22-23 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

Gary

Church

Most people believe the word church refers to a building. However, that was never the biblical meaning. The biblical meaning is an assembly of people meeting together to worship God through the person of Christ.

Acts 20:28 

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood.

Matthew 18:20 

For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them.”

Remember it is not the building, but the people. Give it some thought.

Gary

Avarice

Avarice is extreme greed for wealth or material gain. Does the Bible address it? Glad you asked.

1 Timothy 6:10 

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Hebrews 13:5 

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

If you have enough, thank God and don’t let greed get its hands on you.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Anger

It’s in every one of us, although some can control it better than others. It is one of the deadly sins. Does the Bible address it? Glad you asked.

Proverbs 14:29 

Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Psalm 37:8 

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Have a handle on this monster, lest it eats you up. Give it some thought.

Gary

The Head

Having been on the planet for seven decades, I’ve observed the pain of watching world leaders and their decisions. It assures me that the future of the church is not in the hands of men.

1 Corinthians 10:4

and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

Matthew 16:18

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Ephesians 5:23

For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior.

For two thousand years, He has been building the church, and it’s almost finished. Give it some thought.

Gary

Miracle

An atheist, an agnostic, and a theist are out playing golf. They come to the par 5 18th hole with the theist down by four. On the opening drive, the theist hits the ball and it goes off course, but then it strikes a dove. Falling to the ground, it’s picked up by a squirrel. The squirrel with a ball in its mouth is then grabbed by an eagle, which flies over the hole, and the ball falls from the squirrel’s mouth and into the cup for a hole-in-one.

The theist says, “It’s a miracle.”

While the atheist says, “I don’t believe it.”

The agnostic replies, “I don’t know what I just saw.” 

–       Source unknown

Which one of the three would you be?

Acts 26:28

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

If you are almost persuaded, it is not enough. There is more than enough evidence. Give it some thought.

Gary