Do me a favor

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you.

– Proverbs 3:27-28

“Hey, do me a favor . . . “

Oh goodness. . . 

Depending on who is saying those word, I admit that I sometimes cringe when I hear them.

Think about it. . . our view of our possessions, time, and money is exposed when we are faced with the “inconvenient” needs of a neighbor.

How many times though, is God in the inconvenient moments — the times that we don’t want to help someone around us.

Sometimes it takes a disaster like a hurricane or earthquake to activate people toward acts of service for each other, but for the Christ follower, the Scripture tells us to act now!

As we do, we may be surprised that we find Jesus in the person that we give water to, or the friend in the hospital, or the needy neighbor who needs an act of compassion.

When God gives you the opportunity to serve those around don’t let it pass by! 

Have a blessed day!

Death is not the end

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

—Psalm 23:4

There has really been too much death in my life.

Death in the form of unexpected tragedy, and in the form of natural causes, some of the people were close to my heart and others simply break my heart when I hear of the loss.  

I don't like to think about it and I don’t want to talk about it.

But death is that one reality that will not leave us alone.

We lose friends and family members to death.

And some day we too will die, unless Jesus comes before our passing.

Now that we have that out in the open, what assurance do we have as we face the inescapable?

Obviously, the answer is our God!

He will walk us through, guiding, protecting and comforting us in our journey.

As followers of Christ, this promise is intensified because we know Jesus as our Good Shepherd, and He has taken the walk ahead of us to assure us that our walk through death's valley doesn't end in death, but in glory. 

 Have a blessed day!

Thirst for knowledge

An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

- Proverbs 18:15

 

Well, friends, the little question and answer session that I was posting has come to an end.

I get a lot of feedback from my emails and my blog, (which I love) and I have learned much from many.

Some of the questions were hard, and I am thankful for the pastor of my church for his willingness to try to give answers to some of these tough questions. 

No matter how old we are, we should never stop our quest for knowledge.

No matter how small or large your question may be, I encourage you to reach out and ask.

Flashback! “Knowledge is power”

And to know God and His word is most powerful.

 

Have a blessed day!

How is it better to be part of a church?

Now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

- Acts 20:32

Questions and answers:

Describe how things can be better for people who are part of a church?

When you are part of a church, you learn to live like Jesus.

To know who Jesus is and what He did, to love Him, and have the right heart.

You learn to care for others.

In a church we always learn, and as a result we grow wise.

Attending church teaches us to be humble, to deal with our pride and any boastfulness and to be prepared to say sorry when we get something wrong.

We must learn to be considerate of others in all we do, watch our tone of voice, our style of language (don't curse, blaspheme, etc.).

And we must always speak kindly of others and try to see things from their perspective.

These things are easier when you are part of a church, because you have accountability.

Have a blessed day!

*Thank you to the lead pastor of Rogers Christian Church for answering questions in Sunday’s service.  I have paraphrased his answers and (of course) added some thoughts of my own. 

How do we balance church with school or other activities?

He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

- Luke 9:59-62

Questions and answers:

How do we balance church with school or other activities?

Balance is maybe the wrong word . . .  we should do everything for the Lord.

Busy schedules tend to tear families apart - I have seen marriages crumble because once the kids leave home, the parents don’t have to shuffle and attend and deal with the kids and they no longer have anything in common.

I have seen kids that feel neglected even though they are always at some function or another event.

What is most important?

If people looked at your life, what would they say is most important to you?

Have a blessed day! 

Why has God not come back yet?

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,  but only the Father.

- Matthew 24:36

Questions and answers:

Why has God not come back yet?

Even Jesus did not know when He would be coming back.

Simply stated, it is not up to us.

Here is what we can do:  live every day for the Lord.

Do everything for the Lord.

Follow His word, meditate on it, live by it.

That way, when Jesus does come back, we will be among those who are welcoming Him.  J  

Have a blessed day!

*Thank you to the lead pastor of Rogers Christian Church for answering questions in Sunday’s service.  I have paraphrased his answers and (of course) added some thoughts of my own. 

What does the Bible say about suicide?

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

– Romans 10:13 

Questions and answers:

What does the Bible say about suicide?

First  - if you are struggling, please reach out.

You are loved by God and you are loved by the people around you.

Simply stated, if you are thinking of taking your own life – don’t.

God has so much in store for you, submit your life to him.

Every life is precious to Him,

Some people think that suicide is the “unforgiveable sin” but it is not.

It is no worse than other evils, in terms of how God sees it, and it does not determine a person's eternal destiny.

However, suicide definitely has a deep and lasting impact on those left behind.

The painful scars left by a suicide do not heal easily.

May God grant His grace to each one who is facing trials today, and may each of us take hope in the promise, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”

Have a blessed day!

*Thank you to the lead pastor of Rogers Christian Church for answering questions in Sunday’s service.  I have paraphrased his answers and (of course) added some thoughts of my own.