Couple of things on my heart as we prepare to dig into another Book of the precious Word of God:
1. Given memorial day - the idea of remembrance.
2. Repentance before God
1. Remembering our fallen, but remembering who the Lord has made us - we are not our own any longer.
On the heels of Memorial Day, I keep coming back to the statement of Medal of Honor Recipient, Gary Beikirch:
"To really live you must almost die. To those who fight for it...life has a meaning...the protected will never know!"
This quote is really not biblical, but from a strictly patriotic point of view it is spot on without culture today. But at the same time, it also is an indication of our current world. SO MANY have no idea that they are or could be protected from the destruction and torment of eternal hell. Maybe worse yet, so many KNOW they are protected, but are not reaching out to rescue those that don't know!, myself included at time. And the very worst part is considering that I can get this way without even realizing it if I focus on my self too much.
So the idea of remembering, and memorial day, to me, means pleading with God to keep me from forgetting, by whatever means is necessary.
Note: Gary's service testimony (the reason for his receiving the Military's highest honor, is fascinating, but his testimony of what he does with it, is more encouraging. We do not have to be a Medal of Honor recipient to obey God - we only need to obey Him, using whatever He's given us (whether it's 5 talents or 1 talent), to profit (bless and honor and glorify)Him!
2. Repentance before God
The next time we meet, we'll discuss this topic and listen to a teaching that came from the East Coast Pastor's Conference. Though it was targeted to Pastors, and assistants and support staff, etc., this particular message seems very fitting for our recent past discussions about what made Paul able to continue in his bold, all or nothing walk with Jesus Christ? One thing mentioned was "purposed disciplined" in and with Jesus Christ. Discipline is that big word that everyone wants, but we often rationalize it as "too hard to attain too". OK, I'll take the hit - I rationalize it. I won't call anyone out, even though I know all of us men do it, except for the ones who are sure of themselves (but they have a different issue, right?). I digress.
Another thing that aided Paul was his view of himself, and likely his recognition that he needed to repent; he needed to repent more than just once for all times; he needed to be a "repenter". And linked to being a repenter, is the humility that we've talked about in the Calvary Road and in other contexts - Psalm 51:17:
The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
So the title of the message we'll listen to is "What Do Repenters Look Like?"
The message is 45 minutes long, so we should have some time at the end to discuss things.
I'm going to try to start the video around 7:45, after we've all gotten our breakfast and we'll continue to eat as we listen and watch.
1. Given memorial day - the idea of remembrance.
2. Repentance before God
1. Remembering our fallen, but remembering who the Lord has made us - we are not our own any longer.
On the heels of Memorial Day, I keep coming back to the statement of Medal of Honor Recipient, Gary Beikirch:
"To really live you must almost die. To those who fight for it...life has a meaning...the protected will never know!"
This quote is really not biblical, but from a strictly patriotic point of view it is spot on without culture today. But at the same time, it also is an indication of our current world. SO MANY have no idea that they are or could be protected from the destruction and torment of eternal hell. Maybe worse yet, so many KNOW they are protected, but are not reaching out to rescue those that don't know!, myself included at time. And the very worst part is considering that I can get this way without even realizing it if I focus on my self too much.
So the idea of remembering, and memorial day, to me, means pleading with God to keep me from forgetting, by whatever means is necessary.
Note: Gary's service testimony (the reason for his receiving the Military's highest honor, is fascinating, but his testimony of what he does with it, is more encouraging. We do not have to be a Medal of Honor recipient to obey God - we only need to obey Him, using whatever He's given us (whether it's 5 talents or 1 talent), to profit (bless and honor and glorify)Him!
2. Repentance before God
The next time we meet, we'll discuss this topic and listen to a teaching that came from the East Coast Pastor's Conference. Though it was targeted to Pastors, and assistants and support staff, etc., this particular message seems very fitting for our recent past discussions about what made Paul able to continue in his bold, all or nothing walk with Jesus Christ? One thing mentioned was "purposed disciplined" in and with Jesus Christ. Discipline is that big word that everyone wants, but we often rationalize it as "too hard to attain too". OK, I'll take the hit - I rationalize it. I won't call anyone out, even though I know all of us men do it, except for the ones who are sure of themselves (but they have a different issue, right?). I digress.
Another thing that aided Paul was his view of himself, and likely his recognition that he needed to repent; he needed to repent more than just once for all times; he needed to be a "repenter". And linked to being a repenter, is the humility that we've talked about in the Calvary Road and in other contexts - Psalm 51:17:
The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
So the title of the message we'll listen to is "What Do Repenters Look Like?"
The message is 45 minutes long, so we should have some time at the end to discuss things.
I'm going to try to start the video around 7:45, after we've all gotten our breakfast and we'll continue to eat as we listen and watch.