Lasting Friendships

"There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24).

Do you have a friend(s) who sticks closer than a brother? If so, you are a blessed individual. You know the kind of person I'm talking about.

Now let's consider the Friend Who sticks closer than a brother--the Lord Jesus Christ.

• He came that you and I might have life abundantly (John 10:10)
• He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)
• He died for your sins and mine (John 3:16)
• He sent His Holy Spirit to guide you and me into all truth (John  16:13)
• He will never leave you, nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)
• He is coming again so that where He is you may be also (John 14:3)
• He is coming soon (Revelation 22:20)

This is a friendship that lasts because it was initiated and is sustained by God Himself.

Wedding Day Report

It was a wedding to remember! Held in a pioneer country church, the Princess and her Prince Charming recited their vows. The Prince's brother officiated the traditional Christian wedding reminding the couple, as well as family and friends, of certain important principles--one of which was that Jesus died for the bride and for the groom. Each has value and is dearly loved by their Creator. Therefore, they should treat each other with consideration and respect.

It was a reception to remember! Under tall fir trees, the trunks of which had been strung with tiny white lights, guests dined sumptuously at tables spread with white linen cloths. Children played in an elaborate treehouse and on an old-fashioned wood/rope swing that reached high into the sky. All the traditions were observed: bouquet toss, garter toss, the Prince and Princess enjoying the first dance, the Princess dancing with her father, and a beautiful multi-tiered wedding cake.

As night fell, the trees took center stage--lighting the pathway out of this fairyland.

No one could blame guests for not wanting to leave. We'd just taken a magical mystery trip back to simpler times--times of joy and laughter, times of traditional values, times when mere acquaintances could spend an afternoon and evening in each other's company enjoying the moment. It was a party--and those putting it on appeared to be more concerned with their guests' experience than even their own. 

May God bless this couple with long life and rich blessings. Like the trees strung with lights, may their roots be strong and may they be reflectors of His love.

Have you a particular wedding memory you'd like to share?

Everyone Loves A Parade!

The annual Rose Festival Parade is about to begin--a big deal for the "City of Roses" aka Portland, Oregon. The parade is televised now so you can see it on your flat screen from the comfort of home, but there's nothing like actually being there, among the crowds, curbside.

Tension is palpable as viewers, some having waited along the route all night, strain for the first glimpse of the floats, marching bands, horse brigades, Royal Rosarians, and Rose Festival Court. Children listen eagerly for  vendors hawking hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, Cracker Jacks. Excitement is in the air!

Believers feel that same sense of anticipation as we wait for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The wait can seem interminable, but parading before us are the signs of His coming:

• Nations rise against nation
• Famines, pestilences and earthquakes occur in various places
• Believers experience persecution
• False prophets arise, deceiving many
• Lawlessness abounds
• Love grows cold
• The Gospel is preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations

Furthermore,

• Men love themselves and money
• They are proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God
• They have a form of godliness but deny its power

The signs are many--the Big Parade, the one we're waiting for, is just around the corner. If we hush, we can almost hear the trumpet blast. This is not a parade for bystanders--it beckons everyone from the sidelines. Jesus is coming again and will take us to heaven. Will you be among us when the saints go marching in?

"For God so loved the world

that He gave His only-begotten Son

that whoever believes in Him

should not perish but have

everlasting life."

~ John 3:16

People Who Pray

This morning in our prayer group, one friend mentioned that women often get sucked into wanting this or that previously-held male position, such as fire-fighting. Yet women who are hired in that role often find the job stressful and physically-exhausting. Some even find it necessary to quit or request desk jobs.

I have no problem with women wanting to break the glass ceiling that keeps certain positions out of reach. And I certainly have no qualms about expecting equal pay for equal work, especially since many women now are heads of single-parent households.

Yet, there's an even greater position that is open to all, regardless of gender--that of prayer warrior for family, country, and the world. Firefighters can save houses, possibly lives. Policemen can make our streets safer. Presidents can orchestrate a nation's policies. But:

Prayer warriors can work with God almighty to make a difference. 

Prayer warriors can save the world!

Let those who want to make a temporal difference squabble over jobs and pay scales, and let those who want to make an eternal difference meet together in prayer.

The Promise of a "God-Made" Day (Reprint)

Friends, I'm re-posting this because I need it. Maybe some of you do, too.

On the wall beside my desk is a large silver cross. Across the top section is a rising sun, and below it are the words,

"This is the day which the Lord hath made: we will rejoice and be glad in it."

~Psalm 118:24

What difference does it make to know the Lord has fashioned the day stretching before you?

Does it affect the way you look at the events of the next 24 hours?

Does it reassure you  to know that nothing can enter your life except what has filtered through the hands of a loving Father who cares for you?

If it does . . . then, along with the psalmist, you can rejoice and be glad in this day, and the next, and the next.

If it does not, then perhaps you need to analyze this: Is He your Lord? Are you His child? Are you walking in the light of His word?

"For God so loved the world that he gave 

his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him shall not perish

but have eternal life."

~John 3:16

If you belong to Him and yet still do not rejoice in this day, consider this: Are you allowing the cares of this world to rob you of your joy?

Then turn your eyes upon Jesus!

Look full in His wonderful face.

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

in the light of His glory and grace!*

Look full in the wonderful face of Jesus. May the LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He turn His face toward you and give you peace.

*Lyrics by Helen H. Lemmel

The Promise of Life

We find promises of life in both the Old and New Testaments. This is good news for the many of us who often feel overworked, overtired, and under-appreciated. Like dead men walking, we wonder when we will EVER feel alive!

"In the way of righteousness is life,

and in its pathway there is no death."

~ Proverbs 12:28 (NKJV)

Of course, this verse is talking about eternal life. But that eternal life begins when we decide to walk in the way of righteousness. Webster's defines righteousness as: 1) acting in a just, upright manner; doing what is right, virtuous. 

However, the Bible says that nothing we can do on our own has any eternal merit.

"All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags."

~ Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV)

So what are we to do to get in "the way of righteousness"--the kind that leads to life? God gives us the answer in John 3:16, the verse that even little children memorize and recite with gusto!

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, 

that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

~ John 3:16 (NKJV)

Jesus is the way of righteousness that leads to life. And Jesus later affirmed this when speaking of Himself as the good and true Shepherd:

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

~ John 10:10 (NKJV)

So let us take heart and know that those of us who have trusted in Christ as our personal Lord and Savior are on the right path, the path of righteousness that leads to life. 

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

for His name's sake."

~ Psalm 23:1-3

The Promise of An End to Earthly Suffering. (And Then What?)

This morning, amid piles of furniture and clutter and dust, we cleared a spot in the living room and shared a bagel. Our house has been torn up for a week while installers finish the new floor. In the end, it will be worth it, but the days drag on.

Then I think of the Haitians who see no end to their displacement . . . or our neighbor who lies in bed waiting for an end to his suffering. What do you say to ease their pain? This, too, shall pass?

One way or the other, there will be an end to earthly suffering. And then what? 

For some, joy will come in the morning. But for those who haven't made peace with God, their future suffering will be far worse than anything they experienced on earth.

Brothers and sisters, forgive me for preaching . . . but we must not allow ourselves to become complacent where the souls of the lost are concerned. Like Noah, we must continue to tell an unbelieving world that judgment is coming . . . judgment that will make our earthly troubles seem as trivial as sharing a bagel in the living room. 
 
God's desire is that all should come to repentance. May we love the world even as He does!

A Promise to Give You Hope!

This time of year many people feel the pain of rejection and abandonment. Maybe you are one of them. Maybe you feel the sting of hopelessness, that you are not a worthy person, that no one could love you.

Well, banish that thought! It comes from the pit of hell!

Keep your heart open to the love that comes from the only One who REALLY matters: God Himself.
Over and over He extends the olive branch to anyone who will accept His Christmas gift--Jesus Christ.
Jesus Himself stands at the door of your heart and asks permission to come in.
All you have to do is open the door.

And here's the sweetest part of all for those who have known rejection . . . He promises "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

And because of who He is--God cannot lie. Your future is safe with Him.