Good Morning! 2010.05.07 - Isaiah 45:22 - Look Unto Me

Good Morning!

 

Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:22)

 

I knew a man for many years, a praying man, who prayed with great passion and fervor and was respected by all who knew him. He was equally at home in church or delivering mail or hauling cattle to the stock yard or working in his garden. At the close of every prayer he would end with the above verse and when he got to: "for I am God, and there is none else" he would always break with a passionate sob in his throat. Always he prayed that way. A great crowd of people filed through the funeral home as he lay in state. Many if not most of them, would pause and tell something he had done for them in a time of need. This is a great verse to memorize.

 

This verse was also used of the Lord in converting the world-famous pastor, Charles Spurgeon to Christ when Spurgeon was just a young fellow. I love to read of his conversion. McGee has the best account of Spurgeon's conversion and I'll share it with you.

"This is the verse, used by an ignorant man, which was responsible for the conversion of Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon was on his way to church one Sunday morning when a snowstorm hit London. Because he couldn't make it to his church, he stopped at a little church along the way. The storm was so severe that the preacher did not make it to this little church, so a man got up and said a few words.

Spurgeon never knew the man's name; he only knew that he was an uneducated man. He chose Isa_45:22 as his text, and what he lacked in lightning, he made up for in thunder. He said, "This verse says, 'Look unto me, and be ye saved.'" He began to talk about the verse. "God says you should look to Him and be saved." By that time he ran out of ammunition.

He had said all he could say about the verse, so he went into the thunder department and began to roar and pound the pulpit, "Look to God, all the ends of the earth, and be saved." He looked way back in the congregation and saw the young fellow Spurgeon sitting there with a very miserable look on his face. The man said to Spurgeon, "You look to Jesus, and you will be saved." Spurgeon was a very brilliant man, but he did what this ignorant man suggested—he looked to Jesus and was saved."

And if you are not saved, this is where you are. Please stop everything you are thinking and focus on this one verse for just a moment. Have you really looked unto Him? Oh, not with a flashlight. Look unto Him with your eye of faith. Look to Him with your heart. You can be saved standing up or sitting down or on your knees. What you must do is to bow your heart to Him in submission. You can sing a hundred songs about God and not submit to Him as Savior and Lord. You cannot be saved until you do that one thing. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Acts 16:31) With your whole heart. 

I love the story told by a missionary who preached to an Indian tribe. The old Chief listened intently and decided Jesus was the Great Chief. So he said to the missionary, "Chief give horse to Jesus."  "No, that's not what He wants." He thought some more and said "Chief give horse and best blanket to Jesus." "No, that's not what He wants." After several minutes of silence he said, "Chief give himself to Jesus."  "Oh! That's exactly what He wants! He wants to be your Great Chief!"

Wherever you are, you can be saved if you are ready to do what this verse says.Ω

 

The Constitution of the United States

Article I

Section 2. (Continued) No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of Twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen. (Read carefully: double negatives are at work here. "Person" must be at least the age of twenty five years and must be a member of the State in which he is elected.)

●To read the history and full text of the U.S. Constitution go here:→ http://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm

 

This article can also be viewed at www.bibleliving.blogspot.com.

 

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Good Morning! 10.05.06 - Romans 12:12 - Rejoicing-Patient-Prayerful

Good Morning!

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; (Romans 12:12)

 

This verse was indirectly suggested this week through a private message on facebook by a young American soldier in Korea. I thought it significant that these words were meaningful to him. Let's have a look.

 

Rejoicing in hope; On some days we can look around us and see not one thing to bless our souls. If we are going to rejoice today, we'll have to borrow something from down the street. It's hard to feel spiritual or to rejoice when an infected tooth or the gout is driving you out of your mind. People in the north who have less sunlight tend to suffer from gloom and doom attitudes. Sunlight is an amazing antidote to the melancholies. Factories and offices have improved worker attitudes by installing daylight bulbs in their florescent fixtures.

 

But there is another import facet of rejoicing when our circumstances afford no fuel for rejoicing. That fuel is hope! It's hard to get a person down who has vibrant hope energizing their otherwise gloomy day. Their glass is not half empty. Their glass is half full!

 

We cannot look at all four walls of a room at the same time. We must turn our heads to see the wall behind us. It is under our control. We decide to turn our heads to look at any particular wall. It is that way if we want to rejoice in hope. We are encouraged and energized if we have hope. Ultimately our hope is in eternal life and the one who gave it. If we are sick; if we are going to die there is hope. Hope of a better place. Hope of a better time. 

 

"Rejoicing in hope" should be the normal life of the believer. The circumstances of the believer may not warrant rejoicing. The contrary may be true. But as we look at our future, and in hope project ourselves into other circumstances which are more favorable we can actually rejoice!

 

Patient in tribulation; It is hard to be patient with a tooth ache. We want relief from pain right now. But one of God's principles is expressed here:  …weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning (Psalm 30:5). One fellow said: "I want patience and I want it right now!" Patient in tribulation; it won't always be like this.

 

Continuing instant in prayer. Clarke says it best: "Making the most fervent and intense application to the throne of grace for the light and power of the Holy Spirit; without which you can neither abhor evil, do good, love the brethren, entertain a comfortable hope, nor bear up patiently under the tribulations and ills of life." It is God's will that we pray as a way of life, not just when we are gloomy or in trouble.Ω

 

The Constitution of the United States

Article I

Section 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature. (I.e. the voters in that State must be qualified to vote also for members of the House of Representatives in that State.)

●To read the history and full text of the U.S. Constitution go here:→ http://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm

 

This article can also be viewed at www.bibleliving.blogspot.com.

 

To be removed from this mailing list, please click here. In the subject line type "remove."  ●To subscribe to this and other Encourager mailings, click here. In the subject line, type "subscribe." Please give your name and email address. ●Please set your spam system (contact list) to accept  encourager@biblewalking.com and  dan@dancarr.org.   ●Thank you for accepting our mail and passing it on.

 

 

 

Good Morning! 2010.05.05 - Isaiah 41:10 - Fear Not

Good Morning!

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea,

 

I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness (Isaiah 41:10).

 

This verse has been a great pillar of strength for God's people ever since it was written. The occasion was primarily to the exiled Jews during their long and painful captivity in Babylon. They were God's people but they had been rebellious and had to face seventy years in a strange land with their own temple in Jerusalem destroyed by God. Centuries later Peter wrote:  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1Peter 4:17).

 

Fear thou not –"they who had been selected by God to be his special people had nothing to fear. But the promise is one that may be regarded as addressed to all his people in similar circumstances, and it is as true now as it was then, that those whom God has chosen have nothing to fear" (Barnes).

   For I am with thee –It is a big step of faith for God's people who have trusted Him with their eternal salvation to actually trust Him for the needs of today. Our first great need is to deal with fear. The Bible repeatedly admonishes His people to "fear not." We lock our doors and arm ourselves but ultimately our real safety is the Lord Himself. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee (Psalm 56:3).

 

At the beginning of World War II, President Roosevelt told all of America in one of his radio fireside chats, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." It is now a famous quote.  Before we can be at peace, we must deal with our fears and God will do just that if we will let Him.  'If God be for us, who can be against us?' (Romans 8:31). What higher consolation can man desire than the assurance that God is with him to protect him?

 

Be not dismayed - to look about as one does in a state of alarm, or danger. The sense here is, that they should be calm, and under no apprehension from their foes.

 

For I am thy God – It should be enough to know that He is our God. But we have to know it to the bone. We can say it with our mouth but if our knees are knocking together we have not really believed it to the bone. I know of no greater thought than that the God of heaven is my God; He has all power and that He has pledged His power for my protection. No wonder people of all ages and all nations love Psalm 23.

 

I will uphold thee - I will enable you to bear all your trials. He does not promise we will have no trials.

 

With the right hand of my righteousness – It is a Hebrew expression. A faithful hand, reliable hand, a hand of security.

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home. (Isaac Watts-1719)

 

 

The Constitution of the United States

Article I

Section 1.  All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

(To read the history and full text go here: http://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm)

 

This article can also be viewed at www.bibleliving.blogspot.com.

 

To be removed from this mailing list, please click here. In the subject line type "remove."  ●To subscribe to this and other Encourager mailings, click here. In the subject line, type "subscribe." Please give your name and email address. ●Please set your spam system (contact list) to accept  encourager@biblewalking.com and  dan@dancarr.org.   ●Thank you for accepting our mail and passing it on.

 

 

Good Morning! 2010.05.04 -John 1:11-12 - He Became Poor -

He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (authority) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:11-12)

He came to his own creation, his own people, his own Jewish religion. Even his own brothers rejected him for a long time.

To them that believe on his name. You must believe into or upon Jesus Christ; embrace him with your whole heart; not merely with your head. You do not believe upon him as a remote historical figure as you would believe in George Washington who has no personal relationship to you. You must believe upon him as your very own, personal Savior and Lord. It is not enough to believe about him.

You look at a chair and believe it can hold you up. You believe in its sufficiency. But it is not holding you up because you are not personally resting and trusting your weight to the chair. That is head knowledge of the chair.

But then you turn around and sit in the chair. Your whole weight has been trusted to the chair. You am resting in the chair and not worried about its sufficiency to hold you up safely.

Have you personally trusted him to hold you up, to receive you and to see you safely through death's door into Heaven? Then you surely believe he is worthy of your submission to him as your Lord. He has become the moral authority for your life and is truly your Lord in all your decisions in life.

They borrowed a manger of hay for His bed; Jesus my Savior;

No soft, downy pillow, no warm cradle spread for Jesus, my Lord.

They borrowed a colt, lowly beast for a king; Jesus my Savior;

No court gave him honor, no carillons ring

CHORUS:

His were the planets and stars in the sky;

His were the valleys and mountains so high;

His, were the riches from pole unto pole;

But He became poor to ransom my soul.

The words and music were written by Byron Carmony, a pastor for 40 years.© Lillenas Publishing

The Constitution of the United States

WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

(We will be reading through excerpts from the Constitution and American history. Some of the spelling is different from today.)