Joy, Joy, Joy

You will see the Lord save you today.
— Exodus 14:13a

If one were to look for something the Lord has done in one’s life everyday, it is amazing how many blessings there are from Him to us. Whether it is the life of a new baby, the kisses and hugs of a three year old who is too young to think more than one kiss and hug is enough, the compassion of a friend when in need, or the direction that all children need from their Father, no life is more blessed than the one who lives for God through Christ.

Many look for the meaning of life. I don’t know that life itself has a meaning to us outside perhaps the meaning we give it. The gift of life is complicated and while we don’t think about it everyday we may have our moments when we reach out and wonder, “Why?”

Someone thought getting a degree would make them happy, another married and had children. They both proclaim happiness but in a sense, it is not what they imagined. It wasn’t true happiness. Have they missed true happiness or did they just misunderstand it? Maybe true happiness is just being happy in whatever we find in our life, whatever hand we’ve been dealt.

We can find something important and find meaning in it. One thing that is important to me is the Bible. His greatest gift after Christ is the Bible. I find a few minutes everyday can bring one the greatest peace of mind. Everyday, you can visit with a good friend, be reminded of grace and mercy. Some days I might not be able to see what God has done in my life, but it is comforting enough to be reminded that He is doing something. While I may not find true happiness in everything, moments reflecting on the word and remembering what Christ has sacrificed for us brings peace of mind that I can be happy in all I am given.

May God continue to bless us all through His word.

Is there such a thing as true happiness? Do we give life meaning? What’s your favorite Bible? What time of day do you set aside to study or just read and reflect?

HOW DO YOU LOVE GOD THIS MORNING?          *By maintaining a worshipful heart          *By faithful church attendance          * Having prayer everyday…*Have you taken down the emotional barriers?    of self protection          *Have you rid yourself of anger and bitterness?          *Are you showing unconditional love to others?          *We have a tendency to show love and care when it is             convenient. As we look at our scriptures we see that one of the components of LOVING GOD IS FORGIVENESS When we have an intimate relationship with JESUS it allows us to love, trust and forgive those human relationships that have been harmful to us in the past.   Forgiveness is an outflow of loving God and involves trust and grace.  Vs. 1-3Our scripture opens with The Apostle Paul, imprisoned writing a letter to Philemon on behalf of a runaway slave named Onesimus.   Paul’s letter although mainly addressed to Philemon includes Philemon’s wife Apphia as she would be a party offended by Onesimus and it was proper to include her in a letter of forgiveness and reconciliation.   He also then includes Archippus who was a minister in the church of colosse, Philemon’s friend and co-pastor.  Paul is wise in including him as possibly he might be able to assist in furthering the good work of peace-making and forgiveness. WHO WAS PHILEMON PHILEMON was a wealthy slave owner, *a beloved friend and a convert of Paul’s.    *A believer. *He was the owner of a large house as the Colossian church   who met  there. * He was probably the pastor of the Colossian church *Paul refers to him as a fellow worker and as Agapetos, meaning beloved.  ONEISMUS   * Was a runaway slave (punishable by death) AND HE         WAS from the household of Philemon  *He was a thief, a criminal – a worthless slave  *He violated the trust of his master Philemon by depriving him of his services. Slaves were not actually considered persons under the law, but the chattel property of their owners.

Q……How do we steal in our relationships – jobs

Being a parent isn’t easy. Do you wonder if being a Christian parent has made it any easier? Although we didn’t go to church while I was growing up in a small rural community, church was too far away and my mom didn’t drive…and oh, my dad wasn’t exactly a church-goer (remember Mr. Walton), I would say we were raised Christian. Read the rest of this entry »

Only 25 verses long the book of Philemon is all about love and forgiveness. They go hand in hand. OUTLINE OF PHILEMON 1-25      Paul writes to his friend Philemon on behalf of       Oneismus (1-3) In these short verses we see the      following nuggets of truth.          I.                   Spiritual character of One who forgives (4-7)II.                Spiritual Action of One who forgives (8-18)III.             Spiritual Motivation of One who forgives (19-25) Forgiveness is best understood through what James wrote – “judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy (James 2:13 Proverbs 19:11 says, “A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression.” Love is only understood within the context of God’s unconditional love for humanity and how He showed that love by the sacrifice of His Son on the cross.  God offers us GRACE….His unmerited favor and with outstretched arms welcomes us as His child. When we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we are adopted as God’s sons and daughters.                                                                      Page 1                            In Romans 8:15 we read “You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.  And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father”. In Galatians 4:6, “Because you are sons/daughters, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out “Abba, Father.” ABBA, FATHER – referring to God is a cry of the heart for intimate belonging.  ABBA, DADDY In our relationship with Jesus we are to show one another AGAPE LOVE, *It is spiritual, *It is selfless love.  *It is unconditional.  *It is not feeling based or self centered.   *It focuses on what will benefit the person that is loved.   *Agape says, I love you unconditionally, no matter who you are, no matter what you do.”  It works in difficult situations and difficulties. *It loves even when it receives nothing in return.   

*It is the way God loves us.  He poured out His love for us even while we rejected it.  He sent His Son to give His life for us even while we claimed we did not need a Savior. 

What do you think of when you read this?

Welcome to the June 15, 2008 edition of Her Christian Blog Carnival.

And what better way to start off our carnival on The Fruit of the Spirit then with a few messages sending us out as God did the disciples at Pentecost. Here are those messages from Crystal Nichols posted at Christian in the Corporate World.

Read Go! The Lord has gone ahead of you! Crystal says, “In Judges 4, Deborah was having a busy day. As the judge-prophetess for Israel, she was busy solving disputes for the people when God spoke to her.”

And in her message Faith in the Workplace: Planting Seeds she says, “One of the reasons I started this blog was because I have lot of trouble expressing my faith, especially at the office. The idea of “planting seeds” gives me a lot of encouragement and also scares me a little too! Make that a lot.”

Kathleen Gage presents A life can be changed by a few simple words posted at Daily Awareness, saying, “Words have power. How often have you heard this and yet, how true is it? Learn how one affirmation can change your life forever.”

Claudia Riley presents The Greatest Joy posted at Standing Straight.

Julie presents Living Green - Dominion and Stewardship of God’s Creation posted at M4K Parenting & Family Life.

Christopher Johnson with a wonderful idea to bring Christian’s together presents a message about a new site called His-Friends posted at christopheraaronjohnson.net, saying, “I need your help to build a Christian community where everyone can come to make friends, keep in contact with friends and family, and give and receive support and encouragement.”

Theresa L. Twogood at OLIN e-Book e-Publishing presents three reads for us with Turn Back Because, Big Picture Progressive Exposure and Daily Prayer Journal.

We also welcome our friends who would like to share their messages on Business, Finance, Politics and Other:

Big Larry presents Dealing with Debt Biblically posted at Holy Cash Cow, saying, “Being overwhelmed by debt doesn’t just exact a financial toll, but an emotional and spiritual one as well. Churches are rapidly becoming a crucial support system for those that find themselves financially over their heads.” This is a GREAT site, I hope you can check it out.

J. Karlin presents The Best Fundraising Idea posted at Marketing & Fundraising Ideas.

Michael Snyder presents The Picture Of The Hindu God That Barack Obama Carries For Good Luck posted at Shattered Paradigm.

Recoil presents Pavlina Says Jesus was a Fictional Character posted at Double Barreled Opinions.

That concludes this edition. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Yesterday we heard from Mike Walsh on his post “Dear Christian” and I think while there are many points to argue, my message is not about arguing. As God’s servants we are called to facilitate the work of God in many different ways. Also as God’s servants we are all one in the same a Christian, each with a background from a multitude of beliefs.

What we are not is perfect. We are all sinners and perhaps maybe some have a bit more sin in them then others, but sin is sin. There are those we could even question as to whether or not they are real Christians based on their actions but we know that we are not to judge.

Having patience seems core in living with others, Christian and otherwise. I also am of the belief that the wrongs of one do not necessarily represent or take away from the good of others in a group. I would no sooner generalize all Christians as evil or hating as I would Muslims.

I’m concerned with the generalizations of missionaries. There are missions too numerous to name that have facilitated giving regardless of a person’s belief system, in the name of God, not to force God on anyone, but to do a true service for God. I would not consider the actions of Mother Theresa, Amy Carmichael, Dr. Albert Schweitzer just to name a few, anything perpetrated by an “evil group of humans.” These people are the very essence of patience, people who made great sacrifices in their lives so others could live a better life.

In using missionaries as an example, it is quite appropriate to note in our study of patience that we are all missionaries of one sort or another and yesterday’s post has one incredible point that Christians should consider. In the bible we are directed not to send any away from the fold. Our actions sometimes speak louder than our words, and to do more than what God has equipped each of us for can sometimes send another away from God.

As such we have to have patience and represent our Christianity through our actions and words. We should feel that we’ve touched others in a positive way. Mike said it simply:

If God is the truth, He will find me. Don’t sell Him to me.

I ain’t buying.

I can’t say it any plainer; God knows when each will come into the fold. We don’t need to sell Mike anything. We have to remember it’s free for all and if we live a good life and share the fruit of the Spirit and are patient in sharing God with others by how we live, act and speak, then all will see what a Christian life can be about. It is not always about TV evangelism or beating down doors. It is having an open door and an open heart to all you come in contact with.

Have you been giving the tough sell to your family, friends or co-workers about being a Christian? Have you lost patience with them or they with you over the discussion of religion?

Today I’m going to post something from Mike Walsh, better known as Mikey the Rhino at Election-Coverage.com. Tomorrow I can give you my take on what exactly this has to do with this week’s theme, Peace and our study of the Fruit of the Spirit.

So without further adieu I give Mikey the Rhino the floor…

Dear Christian,

Jokes and humor have been a major part of my blog posts. Time to put the jokes to bed. Maybe even bare my teeth a bit here.

God I like, as a concept, but I have trouble believing in Him.

The people who believe in Him have a nasty tendency to be, well, let’s face it, nasty. They make it hard to look at God and think “I want to be like these people and follow them into the Kingdom of Heaven”

Two examples of what I view as wrong with the men who work In God’s name follow. There are many more.

Missionaries, as one example of the wrong perpetrated in the name of God, are about as evil a group of humans that as had or will have ever existed. The point I have always had a problem with, is that of forcing religion down the throats of those they want to convert. Do you think the American Indians who first ran into the Spanish wanted a new God? The Chinese and Japanese I am pretty sure didn’t really need the Christian God that was foisted On them By missionaries several hundred years ago. I’m sure they were fine with whatever spirits they believed in.

And there are missionaries who do this even now. If people really wanted God, They would have sought Him out. Leave the people of the world be. That actually goes out to ALL religions. The world would be a better place without having God and religious beliefs forced on us.

Why do you think missionaries were killed or as religious types like to put it, martyred, as they were when Things went sour?

Another more modern group of “Christians” who are just wrong, In my opinion at least, are the modern preachers. Let’s look at one.

Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

As an American I was unhappy with his anti-American statements, but I could live with them. You have freedom of speech and can say what you like. No worries there.

But His anti-Semitic ranting and His anti-white talk are absolutely against all the good that is in the Bible, and the hearts of honest upstanding citizens.

He preached In church for 30 some odd years. I’m certain there are preachers like him and Robertson, Tilton and Bakker and the like of all colors and denominations who have preached similar hate and have taken advantage of others for their own gain, and have spoken with hate In their hearts to children, to mothers and fathers. Making it look like it is ok to hate. That it has God’s sanction. It is coming from the pulpit, how could it not look like that?

‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ Christ is said to have said this On the cross. The translation is “My God, My God, Why have you Forsaken me?”

He didn’t. But his forebears certainly have. The ideals upon which the church was to have been built, Love and Truth, have been undermined by those wishing to further their own aims.

And if you don’t see naked, blind ambition in either of the examples I gave, you aren’t looking hard enough.

There is no love In pushing God On those who don’t want it.

There is No truth in hate pushed from the pulpit, no matter the cause.

If God is the truth, He will find me. Don’t sell Him to me.

I ain’t buying.

Wanna argue any of the points I made here? I’d be more than happy to speak to you about it.

The Rhino