Geneva Men for Christ

Delmar & Helen Powell need our help. It is time to put into practice what we profess! The Powell’s have committed their lives to serving God and they are now in need.

• They need meals delivered…
• They need work done around the house (inside and outside)….
• They need Christian compassion and companionship.

Who among us is too busy to reach out and spend time with such wonderful servants of Christ? What is holding us back?

They have given their lives to the ministry of the Gospel and it is now OUR time to step up. Few of us are willing to make the sacrifice to full time missionary work, as they have done.

The question is; “Are we willing to sacrifice our time to now minister to them?”

Do we really need quoted Scripture to understand what we are to do?

Contact Carol at the church office (407-349-5411) and she can fill you in on when and what is needed. Coordination is critical so that we don’t overlap.

IT’S TIME TO PUT OUR FAITH INTO PRACTICE. God has called the men of the church to lead, now is the time.

Raymond

The next GMC meeting with be February 8 in the fellowship hall (i.e., the building north of the Sanctuary). See you there!

“How excellent are the Lord’s faithful people! My greatest pleasure is to be with them. ” Psalms 16:3 (GNT)

Think About It

In our different walks in life we have many friends, but none compare to our fellow believers, our church family. Being a part of ministry like GMC is a wonderful way to strengthen our faith. Nothing can replace the Christian friendship, prayers and support of our brothers in Christ. However it is a two-way street. Are you consistent in your prayers for your brothers. Give your effort to it and reap the rewards! Think about it.

CONSIDER

“If you find yourself loving any pleasure better than your prayers, any book better than the Bible, any house better than the house of God, any table better than the Lord’s table, any person better than Christ, any indulgence better than the hope of heaven- take alarm!” Thomas Guthrie

OVERCOMING FEAR: A LESSON FROM THE ZUGSPITZE

by Jeff Campbell

The fear of failure is the enemy of manhood. Two years ago my son Jacob and I began to talk about climbing the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany. There are several ways up this mass of granite and ice. Most are simply long, uphill marches that eventually lead to the golden cross at the top. But the “Klettersteig” — the historic iron ladder — is more direct. It’s a cabled and bolted route labeled “difficult” in guidebooks and requiring mountaineering experience. Since this was designed to be an event that inaugurated my son’s trek toward manhood, it seemed best to choose the more challenging route.

Our culture is frighteningly ignorant of the need for young men to experience rites of passage that build confidence and mark the emergence of manhood. Maybe that is why so many young men look for deviant ways to test their own mettle and why others opt to disappear, avoiding any test altogether.

That’s what led us to this weekend, a way to move Jacob forward on his march toward godly manhood by meeting his need for challenge, struggle and conquest. I was not prepared for God’s agenda to challenge me in a similar fashion.

A godly man rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, leads courageously, loves selflessly and expects future reward. So went our training mantra for the weekend, adapted from the book Raising a Modern Day Knight. I had Jacob memorize it, but how could I look at my face in the mirror of those phrases and not “man up” to the need to grow?…. Read this in full athttp://newmanmag.com/e-magazine/102208/story2.php

VERSE TO PONDER

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:6, 7 (NIV)

CONSIDER

“Our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in “muchness” and “manyness,” he will rest satisfied.” Richard J. Foster

BEST INDICATOR OF MY BELIEFS

“I have three different kinds of convictions. We might think of them in this way: what I say I believe; what I think I believe; and what I reveal I really do believe by my actions. The best indicator of my true beliefs and my true purposes are my actions. They always flow out of my mental map about the way things really are. What I say I believe might be bogus. What I think I believe might be fickle. But I never violate my idea about the way things are. I always live in a way that reflects my mental map. I live at the mercy of my ideas about the way things really are. Always. And so do you.” John Ortberg, Faith & Doubt

ON MERCY

“The seven works of bodily mercy be these: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked and the needy, harbor the houseless, comfort the sick, visit prisoners, bury the dead. The seven works of spiritual mercy be these: teach men the truth, counsel men to hold with Christ’s law, chastise sinners by moderate reproving in charity, comfort sorrowful men by Christ’s passion, forgive wrongs, suffer meekly reproofs for the right of God’s law, pray heartily for friend and for foe.” Middle English Sermons [1940]

ON PRAYER

“O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name.” Nehemiah 1:11

LESSONS FROM JAMES MACDONALD

Doing Life Together

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3

We have a commitment within our church family to “do life together.” It’s now an 18-year experiment which asks, “Is there a group of people who will love one another no matter what and keep on going together for God?” That’s the vision God has given to us—to love, forbear with, and forgive each other, growing together in Christ year after year. As you would expect, it takes a lot of sweat and tears.

Ephesians 4:2-3 hits the bull’s-eye of how this commitment works. “Walk . . . with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Eager to maintain means I am willing to work hard at unity—no matter what it costs me. This kind of sacrifice isn’t about money or time, it drills down to the core of who you are. The strength behind this pledge is in the sacrifice of yourself.

Your opinions, your entitlements, your injured feelings—these are what you give up for the sake of unity. This is how far you will go to “do life” with your brother and sister in Christ. Always caring, always trying to work it out, always helping. Why, because you like the person? Not always. You do it because you want to honor God.

This concept of sacrificing yourself for the good of your brother was so foreign to the Greek and Roman culture at the time Ephesians was written that Paul had to coin a new word to describe it. He called this attitude humility—the choice to carry a weight rather than inflict a wrong. You may say, “But his opinion is wrong!” Perhaps. But if it’s not a doctrinal issue or in conflict with what the Bible clearly teaches, swallow your argument and agree to disagree. What clearer evidence could there be that God is at work in you?

But what if someone disappoints you again after years of patience and love? You may say in frustration, “Do I still have to put up with this?” The answer is, “Yes, you do.” God is watching how we treat each other and honors every time we roll up our sleeves to do the hard thing.

That’s what we’ve signed up for in our church body. Though it’s easier to tap dance out of relationships as soon as our weaknesses begin to show, we’ve decided to be followers of Christ who love each other anyway. We don’t always get it right, but we’re working hard at unity. Why? Because our eyes are on Christ and we want the One who humbled Himself and became obedient unto death to get the greater glory.

LAST OUT

November 16 is our last week in the Spiritual Disciplines book. On December 7th we will have a steak cookout and introduce our new study of the bible. I have a couple requests.

If you have not been attending GMC, you are missing a great opportunity to grow in your faith. What’s holding you back?
If you have been attending GMC and your walk with the Lord has grown, why would you not want others to gain from the ministry as well. If you plan to come to the steak cookout, please pray for the ministry and ask the Lord to provide you someone to invite (not just for steaks, but to come and grow in their walk). Evangelism is one of the Spiritual Disciplines!.
If you want to invite someone who is new believer or a non-believer, please do so, we will have tables just for them.
Upcoming dates. November 16, December 7 (6:30 start) & 21.

Press on, for the upward call….

Raymond

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8 (NAS)

Think About It

Isaiah had his priorities straight. What will it take for us to yield so completely to the Lord? Maybe we’re afraid of where He might send us? Why? Do we really think that God would send us some place and then abandon us? Never!! Maybe He is calling you to a far off mission field, but then again maybe He is calling you to step up your game right here at home. Until we have Isaiah’s gratitude & attitude we’ll never know. Think about it.

Consider

“Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.”

- Mother Teresa

THIS IS WHO GOD IS

“God is looking for a body, flesh and blood to show the world a proper marriage of the divine and human. What happens when your body looks nothing like you? What happens when your people become the embodiment of everything you are against? What happens when you’re being given a bad name? What happens when your people are unfaithful to the vow they made to you? What happens when your people “go back that way again,” the way you rescued them from? The Hebrew Scriptures have a very simple and direct message: God always hears the cry of the oppressed; God cares about human suffering and the conditions that cause it. God is searching for a body, a community of people to care for the things God cares about. God gives power and blessing so that justice and righteousness will be upheld for those who are denied them. This is what God is like. This is what God is about. This is who God is.”

- Rob Bell and Don Golden, Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile

VERSE TO PONDER

“Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him. Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.” Proverbs 24:17-20 (NIV)

Consider

“If monotony tries me, and I cannot stand drudgery; if stupid people fret me and the little ruffles set me on edge; if I make much of the trifles of life, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

- Amy Carmichael, If [1938]

Knowing God

“Knowing God is more than knowing about Him; it is a matter of dealing with Him as He opens up to you, and being dealt with by Him as He takes knowledge of you. Knowing about Him is a necessary precondition of trusting in Him, but the width of our knowledge about Him is no gauge of our knowledge of Him.”

- J. I. Packer, Knowing God [1973]

On Prayer
“Grant that I may not pray alone with the mouth; help me that I may pray from the depths of my heart”

- Martin Luther (1483-1546)

LESSONS FROM JAMES MACDONALD
Answer the Call

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:4-10
Every person who names the name of Jesus Christ has a threefold call on his life.
First, God calls us to know His Son Jesus Christ personally through faith. Responding to this call changes everything—your life, your purpose, your eternal destiny—but it’s not the whole story. Some folks think, “I’m saved now—next stop, heaven,” but God’s call doesn’t stop at conversion. Really, it’s just the beginning.

God also calls you to follow Him. Jesus extends the same invitation to you and me that He did to the disciples on the shore of Galilee: “Come follow Me.” This call to discipleship makes a place for you to walk and talk with the Lord every day; it’s an invitation to know and be known by the Lover of your soul.

But again, the call extends even beyond this to the call to serve Christ. Contrary to many people’s priority lists, working for God is not in the options column. Why? Because God needs you to get His church built? No, He could do it with His feet up. He calls you and me off the bench and into the game because He wants to bless us. Just ask any faithful, fruitful follower of Christ, and they’ll tell you all about the joy of rolling up your sleeves and pouring yourself into the place He’s got for you to serve.
Ephesians 2:8-10 sums up our threefold calling like this: “By grace you have been saved through faith [the call to conversion]. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works [the call to service], which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them [the call to discipleship].”
Where do you stand in relation to God’s call on your life? Are you experiencing the blessing of obedience? If you obey the call to know Christ, you know the gift of eternal life. If you obey the call to follow Christ, you know fellowship with the Lord that brings increasing faith and joy. If you obey the call to serve Christ, you’re experiencing the rush of investing your life in something greater than your life. It takes obedience in all three aspects to experience the abundant life Christ promises.
If you wonder where your joy is these days, ask yourself how you’re doing in these areas. Then step up and go after the things that God calls you to. You’re gonna get blessed for sure.

Last Out

Have you spoken to anyone from your table this past 10 days? Call someone today and let them know you are praying for them.

Upcoming dates: October 26, November 2 & 16, December 7 (6:30 start) & 21. Note that we’re off until the 26th due to scheduling conflicts. Don’t let this time away keep you from examining The Spiritual Disciplines and applying them to your life.

Press on, for the upward call….

- Raymond

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  1 Samuel 16:7

Think About It
Have you fallen into the trap of “playing the game”? It’s easy to show up at the appointed time, say the right things and look the part.  Sadly we are only fooling ourselves.  God calls us to “be new creatures” not just in outward appearance, but in transformed hearts.  Are we playing the part of a Christian or yielding to the Prince of Peace to radically change our hearts?  Think about it.

CONSIDER
“If your treasure is on earth, you are going from it; if it is in heaven, you are going to it.”  Unknown

JEREMIAH AT HARVARD
Three decades after Solzhenitsyn’s speech, where do we find ourselves?
by Charles Colson with Anne Morse

Thirty years ago this summer, a 59-year-old bearded dissident, whose writings helped expose and eventually bring down Soviet tyranny, stood facing rows of robed faculty and graduates at Harvard’s historic Yard for its 327th commencement.  Expectations ran high. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was admired for his literary achievements and lionized by the faculty, if not for his outspoken views on Communism, at least for the fact that he was an oppressed intellectual.

Solzhenitsyn delivered each line in his high-pitched voice in Russian.  The translation blunted the impact somewhat—in fact, there were even sporadic bursts of applause.  But soon enough, outraged professors realized that Solzhenitsyn was charging them with complicity in the West’s surrender to liberal secularism, the abandonment of its Christian heritage, and with all the moral horrors that followed.

As it happened, this summer I was reading a tattered copy of Solzhenitsyn’s speech at the same time I was studying Jeremiah in my devotions.  I was struck by the chilling parallels between the dissident’s words and Jeremiah’s warning to the Israelites….  Read this in full here.

VERSE TO PONDER

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  James 1:22

CONSIDER

“As a very little dust will disorder a clock, and the least grain of sand will obscure our sight, so the least grain of sin which is upon the heart will hinder its right motion toward God.”  John Wesley

OLYMPIC ARCHER’S FAITH GIVES COMPETITIVE NUDGE
As much as she hates to admit it, Jennifer Nichols acknowledges that her archery training isn’t full of thrills. “There’s some really boring training time in archery sometimes,” Nichols said.

The U.S. Olympic archer shoots at her target from a distance of 70 meters. After every six shots, she walks to the target to retrieve her arrows. She usually shoots at least 120 arrows every day -– sometimes as many as 200. Do the math, and that means she spends a lot of time walking.

So Nichols and her sister Mandy, who trains with her, found a way to redeem the time -– by reciting passages from Scripture. Jennifer has memorized the first five chapters of Proverbs. Her sister has made it through six or seven chapters. They recite verses to each other as they walk back and forth to the targets. “We want to verbally speak it so it gets into our lives and into our heads,” Nichols said.

You don’t have to talk to Nichols for long before discovering that the Bible indeed has found its way into her life. Her Scripture-saturated language is proof that the Bible memory exercises have worked, just as her prowess with a bow has proven the success of her archery training.

Nichols is the top-ranked recurve archer in the United States and is ranked ninth in the world. She begins her competition in the Beijing Olympics Aug. 9 with the qualification round followed by the elimination rounds beginning Aug. 12.

The 24-year-old Nichols is the United States’ best hope for a medal in the competition. But Nichols discovered during the 2004 Olympics in Athens -– when she placed ninth -– that winning a medal is not her top priority.

“After that year, I realized that winning and my achievements in archery became a little too important to me,” Nichols said. “I had formed my identity around those things.”

Such an attitude can be common among athletes, who face a constant emphasis on winning. By placing her security on the outcome of her matches, Nichols went through plenty of emotional ups and downs.

Now, with God working in her life, her outlook has changed. “Right now, that’s kind of where the theme is for me -– looking to Him and identifying with Him, rather than basing all my security on my archery,” Nichols said.

Her father Brent has helped, reminding her that archery is what she does. It’s not who she is.  But doesn’t that mindset lead to complacency? Doesn’t it douse the competitive fire and make losing more palatable? Hardly. For Nichols, the opposite is true.

“This does not discourage me from working hard to be skilled in my sport or to develop a high standard or performance,” she wrote on her blog. “Rather, it frees me to perform my best, train my hardest and shoot my strongest because I need not fear failure nor my weaknesses. Because I am living for the glory of God, offering all that I can, all that I am, I will be acceptable in the eyes of my Lord. I strive to trust Him to determine the outcome of competitions as well as the path of my life. He is faithful.”

ON PRAYER

“There is a mighty lot of difference between saying prayers and praying.”  John G. Lake

LESSONS FROM JAMES MACDONALD

Head vs. Heart

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death. Philippians 3:10

I have great respect for our nation’s leaders so you can imagine how honored I felt to be invited to the White House not long ago.

It was during a particularly intense season on the national scene and the President was calling together Christian leaders, specifically those who lead large groups of praying believers. He requested our prayer on his behalf and on behalf of our nation. He dismissed the press, closed the doors around us, and opened his heart.

As great as it was to be there, all of us have been invited to a far greater place than the White House. The great, resounding message of Scripture is God’s invitation: Come to Me. Know Me. Enter into a relationship with Me . Get to know My heart.

Does that desire burn in your heart? Hosea 6 says, “Let us press on to know the Lord.” Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection.” There’s urgency in those verses.

What exactly does it mean to know the Lord? Certainly it’s more than facts. Most of us can point to a time when we had head knowledge of God but not heart understanding. We’re after both. You probably have been around people who know a lot about God and may even have half the Bible memorized but it’s made no difference in their lives. It’s not enough just to have facts about God, your heart understanding of those facts has to impact you at the core of your being.

Key question: Do you really want to know God? Do you want your own relationship with Him? Do you want to experience His blessing and power?

Don’t be satisfied with just head-knowledge, let your heart be gripped by His greatness so you are never the same. You’ve been invited to know the Lord. Press on and get the real thing.

When I got back to the church after visiting the White House, everyone wanted to hear how it went and ask “what was he like?” That’s the same question people will be asking you when it’s clear your heart belongs to Him. When you have a fresh, vibrant relationship going with Him, it can’t help but show up in your life.

LAST OUT
Are you praying for the men at your table?
Upcoming dates.  August 24,  September 7 & 21
Press on, for the upward call….
- Raymond

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (NAS)

Think About It

We started our most recent book with a chapter on “Bible Intake”.  How are you doing with quality time in the Word?  Without consistent time in the Word we cannot understand the will of God for our lives.  It also creates dullness as we try to navigate without a compass.  We get frustrated with life and yet we have within our reach a source of comfort, direction, conviction, thanksgiving, praise and practical knowledge.  When are we going to stop running solo?  Think about it.

CONSIDER

“Even as great an angel as Michael the archangel did not dare take on Satan alone but called on the Lord to rebuke him.  No Christian, then, should ever feel that he is wise enough or powerful enough to engage Satan apart from complete dependence on the Lord.”  Charles Ryrie

FINDING STRENGTH IN THESE HARD TIMES

A lot of men are facing hard times today — the economy, marriage struggles, children kidnapped by a self-absorbed culture.  What is the battle you must fight today?  Where will you find your strength?  Will you depend on superior force or strategy?  Will you depend on God?  Or will you be divided and pray to God while you rely on your own best thinking?

A civil war broke out between Abijah of Judah and Jeroboam of Israel.  Abijah mustered 400,000 troops, but Jeroboam fielded 800,000 warriors.  Jeroboam secretly sent part of his army behind Judah to ambush them.  A fierce battle was fought that day.  In the end, Abijah’s smaller force decimated Jeroboam’s larger army.  In fact, 500,000 men of Israel were killed that day.

The difference?  Jeroboam depended on superior troop strength and strategy.  He assumed he would overwhelm Abijah by force.  But Abijah and his troops put their trust in God: “So you see, God is with us” (2 Chronicles 13:12).  And the result?

• “God defeated Jeroboam….” (2 Chron 13:15)
• “…and God handed them over….” (2 Chron 13:16)
• “So Judah defeated Israel…because they trusted in the LORD….” (2 Chron 13:18)

The Big Idea:

To have the Lord on your side is better than having the right strategy. Prepare wisely for the battles you must fight today.  Don’t put your trust in your own capabilities — whether strength or strategy.  Instead, realize that having the Lord on your side is better than having the right strategy.  God will fight for you, if you let Him. Pat Morley

VERSE TO PONDER

“Let us stop passing judgment on one another.  Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself.  But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.  If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.”  Romans 14:13-15 (NIV)

CONSIDER

“True it is that every man willingly followeth his own bent, and is the more inclined to those who agree with him.  But if Christ is amongst us, then it is necessary that we sometimes yield up our own opinion for the sake of peace.  Who is so wise as to have a perfect knowledge of all things?  Therefore trust not too much to thine own opinion, but be ready also to hear the opinion of others. Though thine own opinion be good, yet if for the love of God thou foregoest it, and followest that of another, thou shalt the more profit thereby.”  Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), Of the Imitation of Christ, I.9 [1418]

RETIRED ARMY GENERAL ATTEMPTS TO SET RECORD STRAIGHT IN NEW AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Lt. General William Boykin retired from the Army in 2007 after a 36-year military career, which included being a founding member of the Army’s elite Delta Force, and later commander of the U.S. Army Special Forces.  But while Boykin dodged more than a few bullets during his Special Forces escapades, he says his unashamed faith and relationship with Jesus Christ made him a target of the media in 2003 and 2004.  He made national headlines for speaking at evangelical churches while in uniform.  “I was demonized by so much of the media for things that actually I had not said nor done,” he says.  “…I was characterized as a religious fanatic who hated Muslims and who was trying to essentially initiate the next phase of the Great Crusades,” Boykin describes.

The retired general says he had another reason for wearing his uniform while sharing his faith at the pulpit.  “If we’re going to go out in these communities and ask moms and dads to encourage their young men and women to join the military, to go off to war, certainly I can go out in uniform and show them that the senior leadership in the military is very proud of the young men and women who wear that uniform,” he explains.  His autobiography is titled Never Surrender: A Soldier’s Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom. (HT: Click here for more.)

ON PRAYER

“If you were to rise early every morning, as an instance of self-denial, as a method of renouncing indulgence, as a means of redeeming your time and of fitting your spirit for prayer, you would find mighty advantages from it.  This method, though it seem such a small circumstance of life, would in all probability be a means [toward] great piety.  It would keep it constantly in your head that softness and idleness were to be avoided and that self-denial was a part of Christianity… It would teach you to exercise power over yourself, and make you able by degrees to renounce other pleasures and tempers that war against the soul.”  William Law (1686-1761), A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, ch. XIV [1728]

LESSONS FROM JAMES MACDONALD

Pick It Up

If you want to benefit from the Bible, you’ve got to pick it up.  It’s not doing any good on your desk.  It’s not doing any good on your shelf.  It doesn’t matter if you have a nice one on the coffee table, or a great one in the glove compartment of your car.  The Bible is not some magical book that does something for you if you just keep it close to your heart.  The Bible does nothing for you unless you pick it up.

We surveyed a hundred people with this question: Name a reason people give for not reading the Bible.  Here’s the top four answers:

• Number four: “It’s not interesting.”  I know some people feel this way, but it’s because they don’t know how to study it for themselves.  The Bible is incredibly interesting if you know how to dig out what’s in there.

• Number three: “I forget to read it.”  These people leave church fired up about the Bible, but by the time Monday comes around they are occupied with other things.  The Bible gets lost in the shuffle.

• Number two: “I don’t understand it.”  People say this because they pick the wrong place to start.  They think, “Well, I’ve heard of the book of Revelation, so maybe I’ll start there.”  Let me tell you, picking up the Bible and starting in Revelation asking a first-grader to begin with algebra or calculus!  Until you’ve done 2 + 2 = 4, you can’t do calculus.  And until you’ve read the Gospel of John and some other basic passages, you cannot do the book of Revelation.  Apart from that, the Bible is not as difficult as you might think.

• And now, the number one reason people give for not reading the Bible: “I’m too busy.”  We think we just don’t have the time.  But that is so lame; we have to make time.  What food is to the body, the Bible is to the spirit.  We’re often starving our spirits because we’re not feeding on God’s Word.

I was talking with one of my elders, and he told me about a business trip where he went to the back of the plane to spend some time feeding his soul from God’s Word.  He said, “As I walked off the plane, I couldn’t help but notice that littering the seats were all kinds of papers and magazines: USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune,New York Times.  They had been read and thrown down, and that was the end of it.  But under my arm—and in my heart—was the eternal Word of God.”  As Isaiah said, The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).

Let me ask you: How many times this past week did you touch a newspaper?  How many times did you touch a magazine?  How many times did you touch the remote control?  (I can never find the stinking thing!)  How many times did you touch the keys of your computer?   Now, how many times did you pick up God’s Word?  How many times did you pick up the book that God wrote?  It’s sad that we make all kinds of time for the words of men, and yet we’re “too busy” to pick up and read the Word of God.  So, what are you waiting for?  Pick it up!

LAST OUT
Are you praying for the men at your table?  See you Sunday.
Upcoming dates.  August 24  September 7 & 21
Press on, for the upward call….

“And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-3 (NAS)

Think About It
We all understand the utter dependence a child has on it’s parents.  Everything that a child needs must be supplied to them…food, shelter, love, compassion, discipline.  It’s difficult for grown men to think of themselves in this same light.  After all, we are trained from an early age to become increasingly dependent on ourselves, when in reality we must learn utter dependence on our Heavenly Father. If you are a father or grandfather there are two equally important lessons here.  First, we must let go of self-reliance and pick up “God-reliance”.  Secondly, we MUST model this to our children and grandchildren.  If we don’t SHOW them our utter dependence on God then they will grow up “self-reliant”.   Do you children or grandchildren see you turning all of your life over to Him?  A great way to start is by vocally bringing God into your family’s decisions.  Think about it.
CONSIDER

“So give it all to God: your past regrets, your present problems, your future ambitions, your fears, dreams, weaknesses, habits, hurts, and hang-ups.  Put Jesus Christ in the driver’s seat of your life and take your hands off the steering wheel.  Don’t be afraid; nothing under his control can ever be out of control.  Mastered by Christ, you can handle anything.”  Rick Warren

EVERYTHING BELONGS TO GOD

“I am a fan of the budget that spends, saves, and gives.  Any budget from a Christian perspective must, I believe, have a component of giving.  Although people differ on whether a specific percentage is required of Christians, all would agree that Christians should give of their resources.  The primary reason, of course, is that we give in recognition that everything belongs to God.  But giving also challenges our natural inclination to depend on ourselves.  When we give, especially when we are in debt and do not have what we think is enough, it forces us into a position of depending on God (see Malachi 3:10).  Terry Hargrave, Boomers on the Edge: Three Realities That Will Change Your Life Forever

VERSE TO PONDER

“I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.”  Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 (NIV)

CONSIDER

“Apart from God every activity is merely a passing whiff of insignificance.”  Alfred North Whitehead

TRUE GRACE
“God’s grace is not a static attribute whereby He passively accepts hardened, unrepentant sinners.

Grace does not change a person’s standing before God yet leave his character untouched.  True grace, according to Scripture, teaches us “to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:12 ).  Grace is the power of God to fulfill our new covenant duties (1 Corinthians 7:19), however inconsistently we obey at times.  Clearly, grace does not grant permission to live in the flesh; it supplies power to live in the Spirit.”  John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus: What Is Authentic Faith?

ON PRAYER

“Spiritual growth is impossible apart from the practice of prayer.  Just as the key to enhanced relationships with other people is time spent in communication, so the key to a growing relationship with the personal God of heaven and earth is time invested in speaking to Him in prayer and listening to His voice in Scripture.”  Kenneth Boa, author and President of Reflections Ministries

LESSONS FROM JAMES MACDONALD

Follow the Blueprint

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. Psalm 127:1

In the construction world, nothing good is built without a blueprint. The necessity of a plan is a universally accepted assertion that you’d have to be nutty not to follow. Any time there is a problem or question, builders examine the blueprints. Every time there’s an uncertainty or a perplexity, every time there’s a question about what to do next, they go back to the blueprints.

Interestingly, though, the principle is not just true in the construction world but also in life. You can’t build your finances without a blueprint. You can’t build your family or your future or your faith without a blueprint.

It’s amazing to me how professionals in the construction trades would never try to build anything of value without a blueprint, but all the time people try to slap together a sort of life without a pattern or a plan. They reach for materials, cut without measuring, and hurriedly nail a bunch of stuff together and up goes all kinds of craziness in their lives. Even as the horror at what they’re building grows before their eyes, most never stop and say, “I’ve got to get a clear plan for my life. I’ve got to consult the blueprints.”

Sadly, even a lot of Christians don’t get the importance of operating from God’s blueprint. God Himself authored all the manufacturer’s specifications for our happiness. He knows how we’re each put together; He knows how we work. He knows what will make us each happy and or miserable. He knows what will satisfy and give us joy. He wrote the blueprint for our complete happiness.
Just in case you’re wondering, it’s not too late to follow God’s blueprint. Your life could be better. Some of the things you’ve dreamed about can still be yours. You don’t have to be trapped in this cycle of failing and falling and fumbling all the time. You can rise up and be who God wants you to be.
Get alone, open God’s Word, and start to read, the Scripture will wash over your mind. It will clean up your faulty thinking, set your feet on a rock, and send you out in a good direction. When I get disappointed with people and I get disillusioned about the way situations unfold, and frustrated with my own failures and weaknesses, I go back to God’s Word.

• God’s Word washes my mind.
• God’s Word renews my spirit.
• God’s Word cleanses my heart.
• God’s Word is the blueprint for my life’s direction.

LAST OUT
Are you praying for the men at your table?
Upcoming dates.  August 10 & 24.
Press on, for the upward call….
- Raymond