THE STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE OF THE PRAYING HANDS

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived
a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food
on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a
goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade
and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.

Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of the elder children,
Albrecht and Albert, had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their
talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be
financially able to send either of them

to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.

After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two
boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would
go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his
brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won
the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the
other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or,
if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer
won the toss and went off to Nuremberg.

Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four
years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an
immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils
were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he
graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his
commissioned works.

When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held
a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant
homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and
laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the
table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice
that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words
were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn.
Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream,

and I will take care of you."

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where
Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head
from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over,

"No ...no....no ..no."

Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced
down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands
close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to
Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the
mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed
at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly
in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast,
much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush.

 No, brother ....for me it is too late."

More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer's hundreds of
masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, water colors,
charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great
museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people,
are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer's works. More than merely
being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in
your home or office.

One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed,
Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms
together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful
drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened
their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love
"The Praying Hands."
The next time you see a copy of that touching creation,

take a second look.

Let it be your reminder,

that no one - no one  - ever makes it alone!

"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."

Climbing Jacob's Ladder

 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. (Genesis 28: 12)


And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (John 1:51)\

Jacob must have thought a great deal about his sin and his life as he traveled to his mother’s family country.  His sin brought him separation from his family. He felt alone and discouraged, for even his relationship  with God was affected by his sin. I wonder how many people in the world today are the same way? Jacob wanted and his heart longed for peace and forgiveness.  He desired and wanted the fellowship of his God, who was in heaven, but he could not find a way to achieve it.  He did not know how to go about it. His sin was ever before him, separating him from the Lord.  As night approached, he laid down to sleep and a dream was given to him from God.  In the dream he saw a ladder that touched the earth on one end and reached to the gates of heaven on the other end. Then the LORD spoke to Jacob and promised to be with him and that the nations of the earth would be blessed through him. ( Genesis 28:11-15.) 

Jesus is the fulfillment of this dream and its promises.  Because Jesus is the only link between heaven and earth.  As we grab hold of the ladder to climb, we must remember that every step up that ladder is a truth on our way in our passage to heaven.  Truth is a belief, an very effective and valuable force. It is a working principle, a standard of belief, that molds and shapes our hearts and lives.  Every step, that we take and every truth, that we say amen to and abide by will have a transforming impact upon our life so that the life of Jesus is reflected in us as we continue to climb that ladder. Each step that we take as a Christian we are letting Jesus mold and make us into a vessel of his choosing. We must keep climbing that ladder.

 What we are talking about here is by no means salvation by works, because we are saved by our faith in Jesus.  He is our reason for wanting to climb that ladder.  As I write this article I recall what Paul said  in Philippians 3: 13-14.  “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”  We are to continue in our spiritual growth every day.  We must picture it just like climbing Jacobs’s ladder.

The representation of the ladder should, by all means, bring hope to all, because, that ladder reaches all the way from Heaven to earth.  It reaches down and touches man when he lives in his fallen state.  Climbing a tall ladder requires painstaking and diligent effort.  Every step on that ladder is important and not one rung of that ladder is to be missed or meant to be skipped.  We must take hold of Jesus and never let go.  The journey may look like it is long and hard at different times but the reward, in the end, will be worth it all.

“The angels of God ascending and descending on it”  makes known all the resources of God which was at the disposal of Jacob and is now at the believers disposal.   It is the same for every modern day believer, if we put our trust in Him and properly understand Jesus Christ and look to Him solely and according to what He did on the cross in the Sacrifice of Himself on the cross.  Some of us may be tired and weary, but we got to keep on keeping on because Heaven is there not far from our view! 

God Is Always There

Hello God, I called tonight To talk a little while
I need a friend who’ll listen To my anxiety and trial.

You see, I can’t quite make it Through a day just on my own…

I need your love to guide me, So I’ll never feel alone.

I want to ask you please to keep, My family safe and sound.
Come and fill their lives with confidence For whatever fate they’re bound.


Give me faith, dear God, to face Each hour throughout the day,
And not to worry over things I can’t change in any way.

I thank you God, for being home And listening to my call,
For giving me such good advice When I stumble and fall.

Your number, God, is the only one That answers every single time.
I never get a busy signal, Never have to pay a dime.

So thank you, God, for listening To my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night, God, I love You, too, And I’ll call again tomorrow!

- Author Unknown

The Best Gift

It will soon be Christmas and once again it is the season for the giving of gifts. There is an atmosphere of secrecy, love, kindness, thoughtfulness, and caring, all combined together  to plan surprises of delight, joy, and happiness to the ones we love. There is a feeling that we have at Christmas that is not like no other time of the year. The home is warm, radiant, and aglow with eager anticipation, waiting for something that is most wanted, something needed, that is carefully selected, wrapped  and hidden away until the day (Christmas) arrives. In all of this there is, with all Christians, a new and fresh reminder to us of God's eternal plan of love to meet the dire need of man's soul and provide the best gift to totally satisfy and bring happiness to our heart. This is the gift of unspeakable worth and it goes beyond words or description. This is God's gift of eternal life.

A gift offered to a person does not become theirs until they receive it. It is the same way with salvation. Faith is the empty hand that reaches out to receive God's gift of life. It is the personal appropriation of his offer. It is believing in our hearts that Christ's sufferings and death were for your sins and mine: that His resurrection among the dead was for our justification. That is making the best gift yours. So when we sit in our house during the Christmas holiday let us remember the “ BEST GIFT OF ALL”.

The Sins Of The Modern Church

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.                   ( 1 Corinthians 2:2) NKJV

A large majority of the mega churches profess to know Jesus Christ, but they still would deny the Cross and the precious blood that was spilled there. I say that because of the so many different doctrines they offer the people to promote their church and to increase church attendance and the church coffers.

Every since I can remember and it is still to the best of my knowledge the same way today if you did not belong to a certain denomination then you would never get to make heaven your home.  This is so untrue, but look at how some church denominations fight each other. The fact is all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ should: “Fight The Good Fight” and not each other.

Today we have churches, with what I call schemes, like The Purpose Driven Life, The Government of Twelve, The Twelve Steps, and many others that point to everything but to Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It is not Jesus and the purpose driven life, It is not Jesus and the government of twelve, or any other combination. It is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. If a person believes any of them they believe in another Jesus. It is Jesus Christ and Him crucified that is the real answer for this old sinful world. It is by the precious blood of Jesus that the battle has been won and can be won in your life.

Many people, in today’s churches view God’s standards of holiness and truth as legalistic restrictions to their life, their personal freedom, their happiness, and their self fulfillment. The problem here is when people set their self's up that way, to be the authority over their own lives by such things as the purpose driven life, the government of twelve, and others, they are turning from the true teachings of the Bible and they have become slaves to their own corrupt nature and desires.

We now have some churches, today, where the people  sit side by side with Muslims in the church, with the Koran next to the Bible and the people worship Christ and Allah.  Anybody that reads the Word of God Knows this is wrong.  What is happening to the Churches of our Lord Jesus Christ Today?

I was always taught, and hold to a firm belief,  that all religions of this world are insufficient to meet the needs of the people in this world. It may be Islam, Buddhism, Shintoism,  and Confucianism.  These newer doctrines that I mentioned earlier are also the same. FALSE! They are all corrupt and do not measure up to Bible Doctrine.  It is by the precious Blood of our Savior (and no other way) that the battle is won!

Slaying Giants

Our victory over the giants that rule this country and the ones in our life, just like David’s victory over Goliath, must be because of our faith in our Creator. We must have a deep heartfelt passion for our Lord and a desire for the Lord’s presence and His power in our life and His presence in our government. We must recognize same as David did, that it was not the armies of Israel that Goliath was coming up against but it was the fact he was defying the Lord God. Our government and most of its leaders has, for some time, defied the Lord. You just do not do that and get away with it for very long. We reap what we have sown.  When a government and its leaders promote ungodly acts such as abortions (the act of killing unborn babies), Homosexuality (one of the deadly sins of the Bible), and allowing many other things that defy God they will be defeated.  

It was not the kings armour, his shield and sword that won the battle for David. It was his faith in God that gave him victory over the giant. It will not be what any candidate has to say in the upcoming election, how much one party has or what tactics they use. It is not by might or power, or anything else that we will win the victory over the giant that is in our government, but it is by HIS SPIRIT that the victory will come.  So let us all be in one accord like they were on the day in that upper room and we will see the Lord move on our behalf.

In this upcoming election we must not trust in the poles, votes, and what man has to say. It is God where all our trust has to be placed. That is where our faith must lie. Whenever we, as the Lord’s Children, face what appears to be a impossible problem, that seem like ‘Giants’, in our lives (and that also includes our personal lives also) we must remember this we can be over comers if we place our faith in God the same as David did. We must follow David’s godly example.

MAKING BELIEVE: Nicolaitans

“For the nation and kingdom that shall not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.” ( Isaiah 60:12.)

For the people who live in this country you need to know this: there is an Almighty, Everlasting, Omniscient, God.  He has complete and unlimited knowledge, awareness, understanding; He perceives all things.  God is, and always has been active in the affairs of men, of the leaders of this nation, and events of the whole world. The rights of every human being, including our right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness come from Him. He is the one who framed the universe.

The problem is this:  We must first have leaders that will recognize this and base their decisions on what says the Lord God. Today in Washington we do not have that.

It is the responsibility and obligation of our government to make safe, look after, keep, and preserve these God given rights, to recognize and accept our Creator, to glorify Him and make Him known to everybody in this country and around the world; and when this does not take place, when civil government that takes this country in a direction that becomes destructive and are not of God given purposes, it is our duty to alter, change, or put an end to such Godless government. We need to, with much prayer, vote them out of office. That is If we are a Christian nation and claim to be servants of Jesus Christ. 

We (this includes our government leaders)  need to serve Christ in all areas of our  life, in our very thoughts and our actions, and nothing less. This means destroying arguments that are against the knowledge of God and what thus says the Lord. We must be seriously concerned about the fact that far too many of today’s [but not all] Christian leaders, government leaders, and others  are a sinful embarrassment and are to blame for  most of the sins in this country, but they still call their self  Christians and doing nothing but mock the Christian religion and our Savior.  They have dishonored our Lord and sold their Christian birthright for no less than a mess of political pottage.

 They are like Esau, who sold his birthright for a bowel of  stew and gave up his inheritance. People and groups have taken sides for every reason in the book except the ones outlined in ‘THE BOOK’ which is the Word of God.  Christian people will take sides because of skin color, their political party, or what they can get out of voting for a certain person. Those folks and groups are Christian in name only. They Have a form of godliness, but they deny the very guild lines that Christians are to follow.  Sad to say these people have a name: ‘NICOLAITANS’ and in the Book of Revelation we are told God hates the Nicolaitans.

The Nicolaitans had given into compromise with the pagan, ungodly society, around them. The same thing is happening today in our country and it is sad. Let us be over comers for the Lord and live by his word. Only over comers will be with the Lord forever and ever!

Thoughts Of Christmas

I still can remember those days, of years gone past, when I was a youngster and Christmas had such a special meaning. In public school, the most of us would put up pictures of the Baby Jesus in the class room. We would pick up the Bible (Which was on the teachers desk in plain view) and  read the Christmas story from it, during the morning devotions, before class was started. The loudspeaker to the public address system would come on, with a word from the principle, “Merry Christmas Students” he would say. And just before the school closed for Christmas vacation the  whole school, including the teachers, the staff from principal, to the janitor, all assembled in the school gym to sing Christmas carols, such as Silent Night, Away in a Manger and any others. We would listen to one of the local ministers read the Christmas story from the Bible.  It was a very special time for me and most of the other kids. Even at that early age I could feel the Spirit of The Most High in that gym. It was more than just the excitement of Christmas. Christmas had a special meaning to me when I was young and it still does to this day! It was (and still is) time to celebrate Jesus’ Birthday.

In the local stores, on the streets, and everywhere that a person would go we heard the words, “MERRY CHRISTMAS”. I always looked forward for my mom and dad to put my sisters and me in the family car and look at all the naivety scenes in the neighborhood. There was a feeling there that goes beyond all explaining.

But in today’s “political correct world”  we see less and less of these things that I have made mention of. More and more, every Christmas, anti-Christian groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, sue some city for erecting a nativity scene on public property or singing Christmas carols on the public street, and at the same time, fearing they may be perceived as not being politically incorrect, more and more retailers replace the word "Christmas" with "Holiday" in their marketing advertisements and sale signs. Christmas has now become a commercial event We need to put the true spirit of Christmas back where it belongs.

To most people It may seem like a small issue to expound on, but not to me, because I’m a child of the King. The things, that I’m saying here,  are important and noteworthy because they reduce and make smaller the importance of the Christian foundations and roots of this once great nation. The United States of America. The very ideas  of justice, mercy, liberty and love for our fellow man are deeply rooted in the Bible, and particularly in the birth,  life, death and resurrection of Jesus The Christ. That's why America, in years gone past)  has been a shining light among the nations in the world.

Like the angel who appeared to the shepherds saying: “I bring you good news of great joy,” we as Christians have a story to tell about the blessings of honoring the true God, not Buddha, Not Allah, or any other false god.  Telling that story can start with all who read this article say amen to the truth and let your community know that It's Okay to Say Merry Christmas. Make a effort to say Merry Christmas when doing your Christmas shopping. Let people know that you are not and never will be politically correct, because you are a child of the King!

In closing I want to say how I miss my mom, even more during the Christmas Season. She would always sing her favorite Christmas song, which also has become mind, Oh Beautiful Star of Bethlehem. And Friends that is what we must do at this Christmas Season and every day, “SHINE ON FOR CHRIST”

LORD: You Know I Love You

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?' He said to Him, 'Yes Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Tend My lambs.' He said to him again a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Shepherd My sheep.' He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, 'Do you love Me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'Tend My sheep.'" (John 21:15-17, NASB).

All of the followers of Christ are faced with the same question. It is not: are you willing to do anything for God, or do you love others, The primary question that He wants of all His followers is this: Do you truly love me. A deep and heartfelt love for God is the only effective means and motivation for serving Him. As the Lord’s disciples, our primary calling is to be with Him. Out of that love relationship comes the motivation and power to to fulfill our God given purpose in life, no matter what we have to endure along the way.

The Bible often uses earthly examples as a form of explaining spiritual things. A flock of sheep with its shepherds used throughout both the Bible. The flock of sheep is a type, and a figure used, of God's people and the shepherds are figures, or types, of those whom God appoints to feed those sheep, in other words, to take care for the spiritual needs of God's people. Jesus instructed Peter and the other disciples to take over the feeding and shepherding of His sheep. The disciples were called upon to serve under Him on this earth, as shepherds too. Shepherds of His flock.

The discussion Jesus had with Peter just before He ascended up into Heaven, was the result of three and a half years of teaching by Jesus to His disciples, especially the twelve who had lived very close with Jesus during His time on earth. This teaching showed the disciples what to do, what The Lord wanted them to turn out to be after e ascended and went back into Heaven.  During Jesus’ life on this earth with His disciples Jesus taught this teaching to them over and over again in different scriptures and parables. [Matthew 14:13-21]: He wanted them, like us, to carry on what He wanted us to.

Matthew told of the time when the disciples, who were under the headship and guidance of Jesus, fed over five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus, saw a great multitude and felt compassion for them, and healed their sick." We can see in these scriptures the Great Shepherd  looked after and cared for the people’s needs. The lord’s  disciples were there with Him and he wanted them to be able to do the same.

The lesson here is like a text book, laid out in simple steps. First, the disciples saw a need of the people and Jesus told them to go ahead and do what was necessary to fulfill that need. But the disciples didn't know how to carry out what they considered to be a very impractical request of Jesus because they did not have the means to do it. They said to Jesus, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." Reading between the lines, we know pretty well what the disciples were thinking: this thing which Jesus has told us to do is impossible. These people are hungry and need to eat now. We can't feed this entire multitude with these hardly nothing. All we have is, five loaves of bread and two fish. Look what Jesus said next. He said, 'Bring them here to Me.'" After the disciples had gathered together all the resources which they could, and had determined it was not enough, the next step called for by Jesus was, "Bring them to Me!" Remember this was done in answer to the request of Jesus, "You give them something to eat." We always have to take the first step.

The Lord's view took in many things which the disciples could not see. The Lord spoke from the standpoint of the creator of all things The disciples were as yet limited by their thinking to the physical realm and scarcely aware that they also were part of the vast invisible spiritual realm. The Lord was teaching His disciples a step at a time who He was, who they were, and the complete spiritual meaning of "Feed My sheep."

Remember this, It was by the hands of the disciples that the food was given out. The Lord had commanded the disciples to "feed the people," it was the disciples who gave out the food. But it was at the hands of the Lord that the food was multiplied, It was the Lord who caused the miracle. But The Lord  did not give out the food, and in that sense, ( in other words to grasp the true meaning) He did not "feed the people." The disciples, with Jesus' help and guidance, fed the people. Make no mistake it could have not been done without Jesus! If they had not acted in response and obedience to His  command, Bring them here to Me, The disciples would have not been able to feed the people.  Because  it was, in fact, Jesus who fed the multitudes by His divine power! He was the only one who knew how to increase the bread and fish to make them enough for all the people. It was by His power it was done!

When Jesus left from this world. His disciples of that day were to remain on earth a little while longer to "feed His sheep," and they needed to be taught how to do it. And the future disciples of Jesus throughout the entire Christian Age needed to be taught through them. Christian disciples, even today, can never expect to "feed His sheep" without the help of Jesus to multiply their resources.  The lesson was taught. The people have a need. We  Christians, are to fill that need." We are to gather all the means we can. They might look like they are not enough. But when we take them to Jesus He will increase the means and give it back to us so that you can do what Jesus commanded us to do. Then, as His willing vessel, we need do it.

The Lord spoke to every Christian when He said:  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the Age." (Matthew 28:19-20). Here in the great commission we have all the essentials  and basics of the mission that Jesus was teaching His disciples to carry out. The commission is addressed to the shepherd servants, the Christians of the Age. The Lord Himself, will be with the Christian always, even to the end of the Age. In this case the spiritual food, the gospel, is provided by the Lord, and it is more than sufficient to feed all the people of the earth. What is missing that prevents the multitudes of the earth from having access to the gospel message today?

Aren't there enough Christians willing to accept the challenge of the Lord's great commission? In New Testament days it took only a relatively few disciples to proclaim the gospel "in all creation under heaven." (Colossians 1:23). Could it be that the available resources are insufficient to reach the swelling multitudes, the billions of people in the far reaches of today's world? But even as the population of the spiritually hungry world has multiplied many times since the New Testament days, so have the means of travel and communication have also been also multiplied. The various types of today's mass media allow communication into homes in every nation of the world. In many respects today's world is effectively "smaller" than the world in Bible Days. The means of communicating are more available than ever before in the past history of this world.

So the question is this: Is the Lord's plan, which He taught to His twelve disciples, believed to be impracticable and not effective today? Is the Lord unable to multiply insufficient and inadequate means as He did when He walked this earth? Or could it be that Christians just haven't tried the Lord’s instructions and plan lately? Read the text book (our Bible) Get together all the means that you have. You might think that it isn't enough. But, just, take it to the Lord. Put it in His hands. And whatever He gives back to you, start giving it out to the hungry people and the Lord will do the rest!

Onward Christian Soldier!

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12).

I read this article recently and thought that it was well worth sharing. Please read it and let it bless your soul.

"A young man enlisted, and was sent to his regiment. The first night he was in the barracks with about fifteen other young men, who passed the time playing cards and gambling. Before retiring, he fell on his knees and prayed, and they began to curse him and jeer at him and throw boots at him. So it went on the next night and the next, and finally the young man went and told the chaplain what had taken place, and asked what he should do. 'Well,' said the chaplain, 'you are not at home now, and the other men have just as much right to the barracks as you have. It makes them mad to hear you pray, and the Lord will hear you just as well if you say your prayers in bed and don't provoke them.'

For weeks after the chaplain did not see the young man again, but one day he met him, and asked - 'By the way, did you take my advice?' 'I did, for two or three nights,' [the soldier answered.] 'How did it work?' 'Well,' said the young man, 'I felt like a whipped hound and the third night I got out of bed, knelt down and prayed.' 'Well,' asked the chaplain, 'How did that work?' The young soldier answered: 'We have a prayer meeting there now every night, three have been converted, and we are praying for the rest.'

Oh, friends, I am so tired of weak Christianity. Let us be out and out for Christ; let us give no uncertain sound. If the world wants to call us fools, let them to it. It is only a little while; the crowning day is coming. Thank God for the privilege we have of confessing Christ."

Friends do we need to say more? Let's ask the Lord to touch our lives with power today. That we may be released from our stresses, our problems and even our own desires -- that we may become focused on being available for the task at hand. There's so much work to be done!

What Then?

When the great plants of our cities
Have turned out their last finished work.
When the merchants have sold their last yard of silk,
And dismissed their last tired clerk,
When the banks have ranked in their last dollar,
and payed their last dividend.
And the Judge of earth says, "Close for the night,"
And asks for a balance ----- WHAT THEN?

When the people have heard their last sermon,
And the preacher has made his last prayer
When the choir has sung its last prayer
And the sound has died out of the air
When the Bible lies closed on the alter
And the pews are empty of men
And each one stands facing his record
and the GREAT BOOK is open --- WHAT THEN?

When the actor has played his last drama
And the mimic has made his last fun
When the film (and TV) has flashed its last picture
And the billboard displays its last run
When the crowds seeking pleasure have vanished
And gone into darkness again
And the trumpet of ages is sounded
And we stand before Him ------  WHAT THEN?

When the bugle's call sinks into silence
And the long marching columns stand still
When the captain has given his last orders
And they have captured the last fort and hill
When the flag has been hauled from the masthead
And the wounded afield check in
And a world that's rejected its Saviour
Is asked for a reason ---------- WHAT THEN?


When life, friend, has run to a finish
And the the last thing you can do is done
When your work here on earth has ended
and eternity has begun
As you think of how long God has pleaded
Of how Christ bore your sins on the tree
And your soul stands there naked before Him
And the Father denies you ----    WHAT THEN?


WHAT THEN  ------  The Bible Says:


"It is appointed to man once to die, but AFTER THIS the judgement."
"He that believeth on Him is not condemned : but he that believeth 
not is condemned already"

Occupy Till He Comes!

 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,  while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians  4: 17,18) NASB

Because we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and His promises, All of us are called to change the world in which we live in. C.S. Lewis gave a helpful point of view on a Christian remaining heavenly minded while continuing to make an influence in this present world. Lewis said this:, “In mere Christianity, hope means a continual looking forward to the eternal world. What it does not mean is this: “We are to leave the present world as it is”. The devil and his imps never stop working and as God’s redeemed we should not either. When we read history we can will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were the ones who thought most of the next world. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world (Our Eternal Home) that they have become so ineffective in this present world. Let us set our sights on Heaven and we will get what we need on this earth thrown in. Set sights on just at the earth and you will not get neither one.

Being heavenly minded is not natural or normal to the carnal people of this old world. To be heavenly minded  happens when our focal point and meditation is on the realism and the blessed hope of the world to come. When we do this, we can bring a taste of heaven to the world around us. So let's not become complacent and content on how this present world is. We need to stay focused on our Heavenly home, so we can be effective here on this world we live in. We must occupy until our lord comes.

While we cry out against the injustice in this world, we must never lose or misplace our hope in our Heavenly home. We are not to strive for things in this world that we see because they are not worthy of the pursuit of a immoral soul. We are to look for the things not seen that are eternal and everlasting. These are the important things of this life. I have said all that to say this:

Christians are not, for the rest of their lives, to sit down and stare off into space. We still live in a world of practical reality. We must still occupy till our Lord comes for us. We must carry on, cry out against evil, injustice, sin, tell the world that Jesus saves and what that truly means. We must speak out about anything or anybody that opposes God and His laws.  Not doing nothing is just like the people in the world (during WW2) letting Hitler kill just about every Jew in the world and do nothing about it, not even by speaking up. Now the Muslim terrorist are doing the same thing while our government does nothing.  It is wrong and we must cry out against it!

We, as God’s Children, have been bought with a price and What a privilege it will be to be in the presence and close to Jesus forever and ever. It will be a privilege of living in a environment free from want, care, poverty, pain, loneliness, death, dying, sickness, hunger, disease, aging, murder, racism, terrorist, perverse and wicked leaders, a place free from sin. It will be forever and ever! One day will be as a thousand years and a thousand years will be as a day.  But here on this earth we must occupy (live in) till He Comes.

We should never take a position that I read so much on Face Book and other sites by some Christians and that is this; “IT IS WHAT IT IS”. I love these people with all my heart! They are my brothers and sisters, but, Who knows if you have come into the world for such a time as this. Till the Lord takes me home I will not only tell the World about our Savior’s love, but what He is also saving us from and I will cry out against ungodly leaders in government and the church that are not governing by God’s Holy standards. I’m not perfect but I want to hear my Jesus say to me on that glorious reunion day, “Well done my true and faithful servant”

Soon and very soon we are going to see the King, but occupy till he comes!