READ THE BIBLE IN A YEAR

 

 

Have you been wanting to read the Bible more consistently but sometimes lack the drive or just don't know where to read? Then let me suggest reading the Bible through in a year. Here's a handy chart that will tell you where to read each day. You can print it out and put it in your Bible.

We put the chart out on the back table of the church in January and encourage anyone who has the desire to join us in our through the Bible in a year journey. It averages three chapters a day and takes about ten minutes. Just think, in the whole year you would have read the Bible through!

 

Lost your print out?  Then go to the church website and find it on the left hand side.  It will be there every day for you!  

(Psa 119:105) Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

PERSONAL DISCIPLINE

                                                            SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

PERSONAL DISCIPLINE

(1 Cor 9:25, 27) And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things…27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection…

Well, here we are on top of another new year.  We’ve indulged during the holidays in lots of food and fun and are now feeling bloated and broke.  We’ve set some goals and are motivated to take on some challenges.  But what will we do when we start losing that inspiration down the line?  We’re going to need some personal discipline to keep on with the task and accomplish what God has set before us.  

If there is one thing that sets apart a winner from a loser it is personal discipline.  Paul references the Olympic games when it comes to being self-controlled in one’s desires and how a person needs to reign in the body appetites to win the prize.  Are you ready to be one of those winners in life when others give up and give in?  

Brothers and sisters, it’s time we say NO to ourselves and our desires so we can reach the goal that is set before us.  God has great plans for our lives this year but we need to do our part in making the right choices.  We can’t have our way and God’s way at the same time.  Once we turn our will over to the Lord then we will get that stimulus we need to forge on despite the obstacles before us.  

A lot of us were spoiled and coddled growing up.  Our parents did so much for us that the instinct to fight was never really bred into the fabric of our life.  Others of us are just so laid back that we need a push in the right direction.  Some of us are so indecisive and are afraid of taking any risks because it’s all about being safe.  When we give into these fears and apprehensions we think we are in a safe house but we are really in a prison of procrastination, losing ground to the territory God has for us.  (Josh 13:1) Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the Lord said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.

Are you ready to say no to laziness and taking the easy way in life?  Disciples of Christ must have discipline so they will accomplish the Father’s will and not their own.  (Mat 16:24) Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  Cry out to the Lord and ask Him for the incentive you need to really do something for the kingdom of God this year.  (Phil 2:13) for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  Tell yourself that even if you don’t feel like it you will read your Bible, exercise, make that phone call, take that class, etc.  And you know what it will cost you in less TV, computer, entertainment, sleep, etc.  But by this time next year your goals will have been met and your joy level full.  Personal discipline will lead to praise the Lord!

Louie

PET PEEVES

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

PET PEEVES

Pet peeves.  We all have them whether we admit it or not.  It’s those annoying and inconsiderate bad habits of others that irritate us to no end.  Here’s a list of common pet peeves:

Drivers who don't use a turn signal.  Loud chewing. Talking during a movie.  People who drive too slow in the fast lane.  Family members who don’t replace the toilet paper.  People who don’t cover their mouth when they cough or sneeze.  Tapping noises.  People who interrupt   you.  Those who talk on their cell phones in public.  And the list goes on.

When we experience a pet peeve we usually issue a reaction.  We either verbally object or we at least reprimand in our minds.  But have you ever challenged yourself by asking why certain things bother you?  As Christians we must be gracious and keep from succumbing to being so petty and peevish in our attitude.  Here’s some things to think about from God’s Word:

OVERLOOK PEOPLE’S FAULTS:  (1 Pet 4:8) And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”  

BE CAREFUL, YOU HAVE FAULTS TOO!:  (Mat 7:1-5) “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

RESIST THE URGE TO VENT: (James 1:19) So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

BE GRACIOUS, AND DISPLAY THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT:  (Gal 5:22-23) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control…

FOCUS ON THE LARGER ISSUES OF LIFE: (James 5:8) You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

PERIODICALLY READ AND PONDER THE LOVE CHAPTER: (1 Cor 13:4-8) Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails…

Louie

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHESIES OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIST

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHESIES OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIST

It is amazing how the Old Testament predicted the advent of the Messiah to earth.  Below is a chart of some of the Divine expectations and their New Testament fulfillments:

1. Messiah born of a woman.                        Genesis 3:15               Mat 1:20/Galatians 4:4

2. Messiah born in Bethlehem.                     Micah 5:2                    Mat 2:1/Luke 2:4-6

3. Messiah born of a virgin.                           Isa 7:14                        Mat 1:22-23/Luke 1:26-31

4. Messiah from the line of Abraham.         Gen 12:3; 22:18          Matthew 1:1/Romans 9:5

5. Messiah a descendant of Isaac.                Genesis 21:12              Luke 3:34

6. Messiah a descendant of Jacob.               Numbers 24:17           Matthew 1:2

7. Messiah the tribe of Judah.                       Genesis 49:10              Luke 3:33/Heb 7:14

8. Messiah heir to King David's throne.       2 Sam 7:12-13/Isa 9:7 Luke 1:32-33/Rom 1:3

9. Messiah's throne anointed and eternal. Psa 45:6-7/Dan 2:44   Luke 1:33/Heb 1:8-12

10. Messiah called Immanuel.                       Isaiah 7:14                   Matthew 1:23

11. Messiah spends a season in Egypt.        Hosea 11:1                  Matthew 2:14-15

12. A massacre of children.                            Jeremiah 31:15           Matthew 2:16-18

13. A messenger prepares the way.             Isaiah 40:3-5               Luke 3:3-6

Wow!  What do we do with all that?  FIRST, we notice how God sees the future: (Isa 46:10) Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’  SECONDLY it points to Jesus as the only Messiah and Savior and no other: (John 14:6) Jesus said…“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. THIRDLY it speaks to the fact that all of God’s promises come true!: (Josh 21:45) Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.  Is there an issue in your life that you are concerned about?  God sees ahead, Jesus is your only Savior, and His promises will absolutely come true!  

Louie

CAN A CHRISTIAN BE DEMON POSSESSED?

                                                             SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

CAN A CHRISTIAN BE DEMON POSSESSED?

For a long time now there has been discussion of whether a Christian can be demon possessed or not.  Perhaps it is generated by fear or by observing something they saw in others or even an experience they had themselves.  As in everything else we need to go directly to the scriptures and never base anything on experience or feeling.  Here are some verses to contemplate:

·         (Col 1:13) He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. 

·         (2 Cor 6:14-16) … For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?  15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?  16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them… 

·         (1 John 4:4) You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

The scriptures clearly state that believers are the temple of God and that God dwells in them.  God has no time-share with the devil!  But we know that if a Christian cannot be possessed then at times he can be oppressed by the devil.  Demons cannot live in Christian hearts, but they surely can perch on Christian shoulders and whisper in their ears.  

Someone might bring up Judas but we have to remember he never really was the Lord’s.  He was a false professor of faith.  (John 13:27) Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him.  And what about Saul?  Here’s what it says about him: (1 Sam 16:14) But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.  So there is the difference between Judas and Saul.  One was possessed because he was not saved and the other was oppressed because he knew the Lord but had was settled in willful disobedience.  

Good Christians may at times experience oppression from the devil.  (Psa 42:9) …Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”  But we know the Lord delivers us from attacks from Satan if we call on the name of the Lord!  (Psa 18:3) I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.  When the devil knocks remember to ask Jesus to answer the door!  (James 4:7)…Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

But someone might say they knew a Christian who was demon possessed.  Maybe they were never saved?  Psychological problems that appear as such?  Let us use wisdom and discernment as Christians and always test our experience against the solid truth of the Word of God.  

Louie

VIOLENCE IN THE LAND

                                                            SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

VIOLENCE IN THE LAND

(Genesis 6:13) And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

God made the world so beautiful.  But then man sinned against his Creator and it didn’t take long for violence to enter the world with Cain killing his brother Abel.  By Noah’s time the world was so full of violence that God sought to destroy it and start over.  Now history is repeating itself in our times as our news is filled with foreign terrorism as well as violence in our own land.  What is going on?  Will it ever stop?  Will we ever feel safe?   

There has always been violence in our country but the acceleration of it is what is getting to us.  (Hab 1:3) Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention arises.  We used to call it the problem of urbanization but now no sector of our cities or rural population is excluded: (Psa 55:9)…For I have seen violence and strife in the city.  And it’s not all foreign terrorists finding their way into America to wreak this havoc.  It’s also of our own citizens that commit mass murders in public places as well as domestic violence in apparently cozy homes with non-suspecting neighbors.   

If you are a person of faith you know that this was predicted: (Mat 24:37) But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  It’s an unmistakable sign of the times and marks the soon coming of Christ that only a few will be prepared for: (1 Peter 3:20) who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.  

As believers we also know that we have promised protection from the Lord: (2 Samuel 22:3) The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence.  God’s got us covered and His angels are all around us!  And just think that when we are gone how bad the world will be without our godly influence as salt and light: (Rev 9:21) And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

One of these days we will be in Christ’s kingdom with zero percent crime!  (Isa 60:18) Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; But you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

Violence is also a wake-up call to Christians who have been lukewarm to get their fire back for the Lord and stop living for this world that is perishing.  (2 Pet 3:11) Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.

Louie