John and Melissa Simmons
Joined: 10 Feb 2007
Posts: 48
Location: Cumberland Plateau-Tn
|
 Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:47 pm Post subject: 2nd Timothy 2:15 KJV |
 |
|
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God , a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth"
This is the first scripture that comes to mind,each time i come online to follow the reading schedule. I am almost 40 and this was one of the first scriptures I ever memorized as a kid.
As we see the News and watch local and national and global events and stories unfold , sometimes we overlook the war being waged on us as Christians right here in our own country. In out own communities,and sometimes against families of our very own church home. Satan learned early on he couldnt be very successful destroying Christians in groups, and that he could do more damage attacking individuals and or families .
Problems with marriages, kids that turn on their parents, financial issues on the homefront, loss of employment , our children recieveing liberal influences in the local schools nationwide, illnesses raring their heads in our families and friends are just a few of the fronts involved in this age old war declared upon us by Satan.
The first shot in this war was fired in the Garden of Eden when Eve and ultimately Adam was led astray by Satan. There has never been a cease fire.
I was talking with a friend recently . And the conversation struck a thought process that sometimes we like to shy away from as Christians.
It has to do with self absorbtion and sometimes simply a lack of thought before we act or say something that could harm even those closest to us.
We have words with our spouses, our kids , or maybe a brother or sister in Christ . Or maybe we become self absorbed to the point of being inconsiderate of the fact that others in our church in our community may be suffering similiar or even worse challenges and trials.
Satan will always target families ,marriages first. This challenge is ongoing on a national level.
We all have been guilty of this at some point in our lives, and rest assured Satan will do his best to take advantage of these situations and strike however he can.
No body of Christ is immune to these attacks. As the Pastors have said many times, signing up as soldiers of Christ, also signs us up for everything Satan can throw at us to win us over. To destroy us. Our families, our children, our congregations and communities.
God tells us to study His word for good reason. Ephesians 6 gives us the baseline rules on how to defend ourselves , our families our churches and reach out to our communities. This responsibility falls to every Christian, as Christ teaches in The Sermon on the Mount. Not just our appointed leaders and teachers. To use an analogy, to say this task belongs only to Pastors,Elders etc, would be the same as sending only our highest ranking military officers to fight a war . Wouldnt make sense would it?
Matthew 5 is a passage we need to live and breathe just as much as the rest of the Word.
I ran across something I want to share with you guys ,I want you to read it before i tell you the source....
If I Knew
If I knew it would be the last time I would see you fall asleep ,I would tuck you in more tightly, and pray the Lord , your soul to keep...
If I knew it would be the last time I would see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and a kiss, and call you back for one more...
If i knew it would be the last time I heard your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and each word, so i could play them back day after day.
If I knew it would be the last time i would share your day, well I am sure you will have so many more,so I can let this one slip away.
There will always be another day to say I love you, and certainly another day to say "anything I can do?"
But just in case I might be wrong,and today is all I get,I would like to say how much I love you,and I hope we never forget.
Tommorow is not promised to anyone,young or old alike, and today might be the last chance to hold your loved one tight.
So if your waiting for tommorow , why not do it today? For if tommorow never comes you surely will regret the day.
That you didnt take that time, for a smile,for a kiss, a handshake, and you were to busy to grant someone ,what turned out to be their one last wish
So hold your loved one close today, whisper in their ear,tell them how much you love them and that you will always hold them dear.
Take time to say I am sorry , please forgive me, thank you , or its ok.
For if tommorow never comes you may help eliminate regrets about today.
**this was written on 9/12/2001 after over 3000 people were murdered on our country's soil.
why did it take such tradgedy to wake us up to what are some readily obvious truths and even found in scripture...
God says we have no promise of tommorow or even the next moment,
Lets be careful to avoid the flat tire mentality , and not only call upon God when we need something ,but to keep our relationship with him as focused as it should be. Scripture teaches us to worry about nothing , pray about everything, tell him our needs and thank Him for what he has done.
I have seen almost entire congregations walk to the alter and do this very thing, and the presence of God was almost electric in sensation.
Lets pray for our Pastors,ministers,teachers,leaders, their responsibilities are not just at home, but the family of God.
Lets keep each other lifted in prayer and admonish one another, and nurture one another. As Christians we are called to do this. The church has many parts.
Remember Jeremiah 29:11 no matter how rough it gets, Gods plans are for good and not disaster for a future and a hope. the hope is salvation through Jesus, and the future is an eternity with God. Where there is no war ,no crime, no divorces, no illness, no tears, none of the things of this life .
We encourage all to join together and reach out to those who need it ,no matter who they might be . Sometimes all it takes is walking up and offering to pray about an unspoken prayer issue at the alter. Sometimes a simple invite to small group .
God Bless
_________________
God Bless ! John and Melissa Simmons  |
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
