When you need to make a decision about the way to behave, what guides you?
If you look good after the decision is made to - your audience, your friends, your family, your co-workers, your bank account, your enemy, your destination ... your - you.
Do we really believe that we are invisible?
Do we really believe we are accountable to God?
Do we really believe we live to Jesus? Or are we tired out and it's boring?
Do we try sensationalism - just to remove mediocrity?
Do we believe we will do something new for ourselves or for God?
The Absolutely Wonderful thing about life is that we take this so for granted and there is a purpose.
God tells us His purpose for Life. He lumps us all into one category and says He wants to save the World.
Lumped together - we are all going in the same direction. God says so. We are going to the 12 Open Gates of Heaven. We will all see Heaven and we will bow to Jesus and tell Him about what uses we made of our days and our talents. And Jesus is going to listen. We know because Jesus listened to people when He already knew their problems and their names.
The Absolutely Wonderful thing about life is we need to take the Bible less for granted and tune into His Word. Not little cliches, that we forget the Bible is the Word of God. And because this is God explaining God to us and life - that real decisions, real complaining, real hate and real communication is ALL OVER THE SCRIPTURES.
People in the Scriptures made Amazing Choices we are not sure we would have the courage to make.
And when we think about that courage - we want to say, "Not me, buddy, I'm smart."
And if we want to learn more about where we are going - we are going to keep learning. About God and why He possibly thinks the way God thinks.
The Scripture being living and active will set us on fire when we meet God just where HE meets us.
Is God always going to rattle our cage?
Do we want to know God if He is going to rattle our cage?
Yep. Hilariously - we will all leave this little, fleshy cage.
The Roman Catholics have this exactly right - "Pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death."
Perfect. We are all going to meet Jesus and we want to End Well!
I love the "Pirate's" movies.
The Curse of the Black Pearl
Dead Man's Chest
At World's End
On Stranger Tides
Why? These start out as good girl seeks good man to have good life. And LIFE jumps allll over her.
Now this - this - this - oddly is Good Bible Study. We can plan, we can make lists and The Lord God tells us in Scripture - Father God is going to laugh. Life is GOING to Happen. We just have to adjust to the speeds. Life is more like a Pirate's Movie than Pollyanna. Mostly because we are the TV generation and what we see and laugh and mourn and worry and are entertained by. Images.
James 4:13-17
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."
So going back to Scripture is God Almighty always going to make us uncomfortable.
Buhawaaaa. Nope. We can just lull ourselves into falling into doldrums that make us veer waaaay off into pride, unwillingness to go in directions best taken for growth in fear of personal comfort. Making all of our lives merely a show. Tiring us out.
Why "Pirates"?
One Side says this:
We are all emerging and changing in our journeys. Life is an enormous force like the Mississippi River.
We need to see what Godly voice we are listening to.
Is it trite like these sayings we used for our images today? Images...
The Other Side says this:
Is Father God only going to grow us when we are uncomfortable?
No. Father God is going to Equip us to do what He wants us to do. Our DNA and our gifts and talents give us ideas and solutions for our lives.
And when we are dry out of solutions?
The Lord God who has made Heaven and earth - has not forgotten our address.
WE HAVE FORGOTTEN SOMETHING IN THE MIDST OF TECHNOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS!
We are giving God a dab. And not our heart. We have given "our" God an image.
We have to Know How to Endure to Patiently Learn how to thrive in Creator God's Framework He is
WILLINGLY going
to Provide.
Make our children special, heard, honored, comfortable.
GOD LOVES THIS ABOUT US!!! We DO THIS. THIS GENERATION has a Virtue! WE PLEASE FATHER GOD WHEN WE WORK HARD TO WELCOME A CHILD. Father God has entrusted us with the long-term care of our children to make valuable contributions to life and not allll about me. We are not to forget to raise our children to the place they were intended to be and say, "We made them." It is not we who made them - this is God Himself. Sometimes children are happy being where we would not be happy. Sometimes we grow when our children hurt. Really, really grow. Sometimes we have to stretch to love more. Sometimes we have to tell them your ego has gone over the top come back to the "Body of Christ."
God has uniquely called Noah, David and all of His Beloved Children.
Why did God give Noah that task of that Ship that would not BE BUILT AGAIN UNTIL THE 1900s? The SHIP that is "NAUTICALLY CORRECT." (Ha!) That's right. God had to have built that ship. GOD! THE CREATOR OF THE INFINITE UNIVERSE!
Once again, the Scriptures repeat. "God's Plan is Perfect." For? "What God Intends."
Humanism. In a lot of our entertainment. An outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.
Jesus said, Paul said, find the way to say "GOD IS LOVE!"
So Humans are looking for solutions! God. God is actually a rational solution.
Noah - tell me about - having a difficult job. Exacting specifications. Nasty atmosphere in which to work. Why did God pick Noah - Father God had built Noah to be DNA, God Planned, Equipped to do the God Job. Noah was obedient to God.
Sounds bad? Noah said, "Yes!" TO... Father God!
David needed solutions because he believed God. David needed to leave sheep herding because a price was on his head and sheep sloooooow you down. God had told David, David would be a king - David went into the military. Sounds good. Except he was a mercenary and dealt with kidnappers and thieves and the nay sayers. For-ged abod this Guy. He's... Bad.
He has a wife he left behind at her father's. He next took off with the man who was feeding him - his wife. He acted like he was insane. He did questionable things for money. He was Gone. He seemed to be violent. He marauded where he wanted across this border and that. We can surely see - this is not the man.
God has a Word for that - God never said sit down and tell me about this person - I need to know. God said:
Romans 11:34
"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"
Isaiah liked what Paul said, so he said this first in the same Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 40:13
Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel?
God is like E.F. Hutton, the late stock brokerage firm. "When He speaks, Listen to HIM." Because. God just doesn't lie.
We don't see Noah had a lot of conversations with God. God is like that. Father says, "Do what I Say for you to do."
God didn't always talk to David and David had unique ways that God spoke to him. Father God is talkative when He wants to be.
Why did God pick David? God tells us in His Word - David would be obedient to God.
Making that image above - David was comfortable with what God told David to do.
Making that image above - Noah was determined to be comfortable with what God told Noah to do.
They had a skill - they learned to endure - believing in God's framework - they would be blessed and thrive.
God wants us to be mature. Not tossed back and forth by opinion.
God brought Jesus in by notification of a star. People looked Up to God to go in the right direction.
We keep our eyes on Jesus - not the cultural norm.
Not the traditions of men - worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
When we fall. When we are wrong. When we are human. When we sin.
We can never, ever come close to earning what Jesus has done!
Jesus has clothed us in HIS Righteousness. For our belief, our Love of Jesus.
The Spirit of Truth says live with Jesus as our Fulfillment. Do not lean towards sin.
Let Jesus, by prayer and calling on His Name and His Will and His Help. Be our Rest and Shelter.
Because Jesus said we are to be in the world, just not of the world.
Jesus didn't say hide away. Jesus said be Salt. Be flavorful personality. Be zest.
Jesus said be Light. The Light that shines in all of mankind. Jesus.
God loves the World. God sees His Creation as Good.
David did all these things to do survival and God's will. And God said, "I want My Son to be Yours, too!" Wow. David didn't always do great fatherhood. David worried about his kids and sometimes chose non-involvement as the answer. Except David was involved - David loved and prayed.
David wrote us of many emotions not publicly correct. Not a cultural norm for today. Except David was working out his emotions before God.
God appears to listen to hearts more than grade performance. Or else. Father God sees further.
David found peace in God. Usually by being emotional and determined at the time.
We can do this too.
Father God runs to us when we seek the Lord.
The Scriptures tell us all the Time God will arrive where He is asked.
We can rely on His Plan.
Draw up God as a Comfort around you. Give God your cares. Believe He will Help. David always believed God would go Further than God even said. Jesus Knew That! Go Two Miles when you are asked for one!
Jesus did this and Jesus then walked a little on water. (Do you think that Jesus, as God, was surprised the Disciples could see Him do this?! David had an idea God has humor.) God does abundantly more than we plan.
When you need to make a decision about the way to behave, what guides you?
The best idea is to Please God - who is pleased when we want to please Father God.
When you know that you know that you know you are on God's Plan - some people will not be pleased. Some will say you are going down hill. But if you are trying to Please God - You are Going Forth to ALMIGHTY FATHER GOD just by calling upon His name. God has given us no choice in His plan. We work God's Plan willingly or unwillingly. I vote Willingly for Jesus! He helps us because we are not God!
We can never, ever come close to earning what Jesus has done!
Thank You Father God! Thank You for Belief in Your Word. Your Love.
You sent us to this Life almost the exact way we send our children to College.
To Learn, to Grow, To be Stretched. To Experience, To be in Dire Circumstance,
To be in Comfort, To be Challenged, To Decide for Ourselves.
And when we look to You - for help - You Run to us.
We will be Blessed in You. Always.
We pray this for our loved ones,
For the elderly and the disabled.
For good decisions and life to be in Wisdom of Jesus' Love.
For the soon to be born,
For the Church Family,
For our health and eyes,
And give thanks and thanks and Thanks for answered prayer and yes.
And Faith, Hope and Love for what was answered as wait, as no, as different direction
Knowing that Father God plans for us to have Hope and a Future in Jesus.
God has designed us to want to live together and to work for Jesus.
GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!! Thank You Father God. In Jesus.
GOD bless us All. In Jesus. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
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