Tag Lord

The Mess

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

 

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)


The following is from an email sent to me from an unknown author and I thought it was worth sharing.

Gulf Oil Spill Update 24May2010
Image by DigitalGlobe-Imagery via Flickr

Have you ever had a mess in your life that reminds you of the current BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico? You know…


1. It blew up when you didn’t expect it.


2. When it blew up, it really hurt and made a mess.


3. The mess didn’t stop when it blew up. The mess kept coming.


4. The thing that was causing the mess was deep. Too deep.


5. There was a tremendous amount of pressure dealing with it.


6. You had no idea how to fix it.


7. Everyone was giving you advice about what you should do.


8. You tried some of the advice and the mess still kept coming.


9. You really hurt some people with your mess.


10. It wasn’t the people’s fault whom you hurt. It was yours.


11. You tried to blame it on someone or something else.


12. It will take years to fix things.


13. Boy, do you wish you could do it over.


For a believer God does offer do overs’ if we confess our sin. No matter how serious the sin, God is always seeking us out and is willing to forgive our sins and give us a fresh start. He offers to clean up our messes.


If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV)


But before we we can be offered a do over we must first admit our wrongdoing.The cleansing starts by taking responsibility for the mess in our life and not making excuses for it. By taking responsibility for the mess we acknowledge the need for someone other than ourselves to fix the mess we are in. As long as we point fingers at someone else and blame others for our mess we will never get to the bottom of the problem and find the cure.


Thankfully, God is a forgiving God and by God’s grace, our personal mess can be cleaned up. He is quick to offer forgiveness to those willing to confess their need for His cleansing power.


So next time you find yourself in a mess, cry out to God and He will hear you and clean up the mess you are in.


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Disciple Makers

Allen Frederick 4 Comments


Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor
Insight from the Journey across the Sky

So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. “And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” Matt 28:19-20 (GW)

God looks at the church as if they are already making disciples. And in fact we are. The only question that remains is what kind of disciples are we actually making? Are we making disciples of Christ or of the Anti-Christ? Are we making children of God or children of the devil? What lessons are we teaching those who look upon our lives? Are we showing forth a dedication to God or some other allegiance? What takes priority in our life? Is it God or the world? Leisure or some hobby? Travel or retirement? Are we loving the Lord our God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength? Do we really see it as our responsibility to be making disciples? The truth is you are whether you intend to or not.

Your decisions and actions will shape those with whom you come in contact with and your lifestyles will pattern an example to others of what you deem important. If your life is led, for the most part, without a God consciousness then your actions and activities will reflect that viewpoint. When was the last time you actually talked about your love affair with Jesus? When exactly was the last time you told someone else about the hope found in Christ? When was the last time you actually talked about the goodness of God? When was the last time that you spoke up for the saving grace of God? When was the last time you testified to the blessings of God? When was the last time you actually told someone about something God had done in your life? When was the last time you spoke of your faith?

Contrast that with the last time you talked about the weather, or what was on TV, or how things were going on the job, or a school activity, or some other community event. Do you find your conversation to be about everything but God and His kingdom? If so then you are making disciples of the devil and not of God. God expects the church to be disciple making organisms. And you can tell by the declining numbers the church is not doing a very good job of it. If we were fruit bearing trees there wouldn’t be enough fruit to make a pie. Why are we not producing fruit? Why is the tree barren? What has happened to the life of the church?

BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous , and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. 2 But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. 3 And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]. 4 Not so the wicked [those disobedient and living without God are not so]. But they are like the chaff [worthless, dead, without substance] which the wind drives away. Psalms 1:1-4 (AMP)

Have we relegated God so far back on the back burner that we have actually grown cold? Have we become so much like our surroundings we are indistinguishable? Has our witness been so tarnished that our testimonies ring hollow? Has the fire of God’s love simply gone out and we are dead towards the things of God? Whatever the reason for our inability to witness and make disciples for Christ I wish to remind you disciple making is a requirement of the church, and by extension, of us. It is not a suggestion or an option but the intended purpose of the church. If the church is nothing more than a social gathering place, or a weekly retreat and escape from the cares of the world, then we have missed the grander design for the church. If we  fail to reach out to others and invite them into a right relationship with their loving heavenly Father, we are not walking in love toward our neighbors. If we fail to mention in our daily routines the love of God and the mercies of God we are allowing Satan to ruin lives and destroy souls.

Rise up church and be the salt and light God desires you to be. Rise up church and make a statement in the world. Rise up  church and make a difference in your communities. Otherwise you might as well shut the doors, board up the windows and put a for sale sign on the front lawn because you no longer are fulfilling the Lord’s calling, nor are you walking in the Lord’s purposes.

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

Along for the journey
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THE MANY NAMES OF CHRIST

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

eagletail feather.gif (350x76 pixels)
"If then you were raised with Christ,
seek those things which are above,
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on things above,
not on things on the earth." (Colossians 3:1-2)

To the ARTIST, He is the One Altogether Lovely.

To the ARCHITECT, He is the Chief Corner Stone.

To the BAKER, He is the Living Bread.

To the BANKER, He is the Hidden Treasure.

To the BIOLOGIST, He is the Life.

To the BUILDER, He is the Sure Foundation.

To the CARPENTER, He is the Door.

To the DOCTOR, He is the Great Physician.

To the EDUCATOR, He is the Great Teacher.

To the ENGINEER, He is the New and Living Way.

To the FLORIST, He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.

To the GEOLOGIST, He is the Rock of Ages.

To the HORTICULTURIST He is the True Vine.

To the JUDGE, He is the Righteous Judge, Judge of All Men.

To the JEWELER, He is the Pearl of Great Price.

To the LAWYER, He is the Counselor, the Lawgiver, the Advocate.

To the NEWSPAPER, He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.

To the OCULIST, He is the Light of the Eyes.

To the PHILANTHROPIST, He is the Unspeakable Gift.

To the PHILOSOPHER, He is the Wisdom of God.

To the PREACHER, He is the Word of God.

To the SCULPTOR, He is the Living Stone.

To the SERVANT, He is the Good Master.

To the STATESMAN, He is the Desire of All Nations.

To the STUDENT, He is the Incarnate Truth.

To the THEOLOGIAN, He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

To the TOILER, He is the Giver of Rest.

To the SINNER, He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World.

To the CHRISTIAN, He is the Son of the Living God, the Savior, the Redeemer
and the Lord.

— Author Unknown

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Beware the tax man cometh

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”
A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

When someone makes you slaves, consumes your wealth, seizes your property, orders you around, or slaps your faces, you put up with it. 2 Corinthians 11:20 (GW)


How better to describe the current state of our political affairs. Congress keeps enacting laws that are enslaving the population once again and it appears we the people tolerate it.

Why is that?

Could it be that we are so fearful of self-rule that we would much rather put up with those who tell us what to do and how to do it, when we can do it, for how long we can do it, and for how much?

Is the thought of freedom that frightening that we prefer the government enslaves us with burdensome taxation and regulation?

Are we no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave? Why is it we allow our potential political leaders to slap our faces and ridicule our way of life and make us feel guilty for living in such a great nation? They hold us up to national disgrace when they march on the world stage and belittle the American way of life. And we the people sit back and take it.


But the people refused to listen to Samuel. They said, “No, we want a king! Then we, too, will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us, lead us out {to war}, and fight our battles.” 1 Sam 8:19-20 (GW)

I feel our nation like Israel before, has also rejected the guidance and direction of God, and has instead substituted the rule of the government in place of the rule of God. Listen to what Samuel told the Israelites the rights of a king were. What they had to look forward to by choosing to be ruled by a king. Does any of this sound familiar?

The Lord told Samuel, “Listen to everything the people are saying to you. They haven’t rejected you; they’ve rejected me. They’re doing just what they’ve done since I took them out of Egypt—leaving me and serving other gods. Listen to them now, but be sure to warn them and tell them about the rights of a king.” Then Samuel told the people who had asked him for a king everything the Lord had said. Samuel said, “These are the rights of a king: He will draft your sons, make them serve on his chariots and horses, and make them run ahead of his chariots. He will appoint them to be his officers over 1,000 or over 50 soldiers, to plow his ground and harvest his crops, and to make weapons and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters and have them make perfumes, cook, and bake. He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his officials. He will take a tenth of your grain and wine and give it to his aids and officials. He will take your male and female slaves, your best cattle, and your donkeys for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks. In addition, you will be his servants. “When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king whom you have chosen for yourselves. The Lord will not answer you when that day comes.” But the people refused to listen to Samuel. They said, “No, we want a king! Then we, too, will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us, lead us out {to war}, and fight our battles.” When Samuel heard everything the people had to say, he reported it privately to the Lord. The Lord told him, “Listen to them, and give them a king.” Then Samuel told the people of Israel, “Go {back} to your own cities.” 1 Sam 8:7-22 (GW)

In spite of all these warnings the people still wished to be ruled by a king. Their reasoning was the king would fight all their battles for them so they would not have to. Is that not the state of America today? Is it not true that far too many are seeking HELP from the Government, too many rely on the king to fight their battles for them. They reason they should not have to face any adversity because it is the government’s job to take care of us. Too many feel that the government should take care of all their concerns. This comes at a great cost, that of enslavement and lose of identity. We are fast becoming a dependent nation, a slave nation, and not an independent one. Just like the Israelites of old we too are starting to look like all the other nations around us. Instead of being that beacon of hope for the world, our light is fading fast and growing eerily dim.

Our problems are not because he have an elected government. Our problem is we have elected to be governed by a king and not the King of kings and Lord of lords. We have elected to reject Christ and God’s ways for an established kingdom made in the image of other nations. We have gone the way of Israel of old. In forgetting God, we have chosen instead to be governed by the dictates of man and thus we have reaped what we have sown. We have forced God out of our political process and in the process we have replaced Him with those who have no moral compass, who seek to enrich themselves as they enslave the populace.

However, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, search for me, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear {their prayer} from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their country. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (GW)

There is hope however. If those of us who are Christian, and have a relationship with God, would repent of our disinterest in governmental affairs, acknowledge that our nation has strayed from God, sincerely seek once again to be ruled by God and involve Him in our life and decisions, turn from our wicked ways, then God will hear from heaven and forgive our sins and heal our land. It is up to those of us who believe God and His word. We have for too long remained silent while the nation’s moral fiber continued to decline. Slave or free, rich or poor, life or death, the chose is ours to make or forsake. Either way we make a choice. Choose to do nothing and we become as nothing. Choose instead to obey God and seek His face, and desire to do things His way, and we reap instead life and health, blessings instead of curses, hope to replace despair.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalm 33:10a (GW)

And if it seems evil to you to be the servants of the Lord, make the decision this day whose servants you will be: Joshua 24:15a (BBE)

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

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Integrity

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.

Today seemed like a perfect day to share this old parable. With all the talk about the financial woes we find ourselves faced with and an upcoming Presidential election I felt that perhaps a little talk about INTEGRITY would be a much needed refresher course. Imagine how things would be different if there was just one person in charge of this whole mess who would speak up and tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. What if a real man or woman of integrity were in charge of the current financial morass, do you suppose things would be handled differently? I do not know about you but it would appear America has an ample supply of talking heads and power hungry politicos, what I feel she is lacking though are a few good honest men and women of integrity. I pray for people of integrity to arise to the forefront. I personally am growing weary of listening to and watching the foxes ruining the hen house. Perhaps it is time we post a guard at the door?

Anyway here it is an oldie but definitely a goody.

An aging king woke up one day to the realization that should he drop dead, there would be no male in the royal family to take his place. He was the last male in the royal family in a culture where only a male could succeed to the throne – and he was aging. He decided that if he could not give birth to a male, he would adopt a son who then could take his place but he insisted that such an adopted son must be extraordinary in every sense of the word. So he launched a competition in his kingdom, open to all boys, no matter what their background. Ten boys made it to the very top.

There was little to separate these boys in terms of intelligence and physical attributes and capabilities. The king said to them, ‘I have one last test and whoever comes top will become my adopted son and heir to my throne.’

Then he said, ‘This kingdom depends solely on agriculture. So the king must know how to cultivate plants. So here is a seed of corn for each of you.Take it home and plant and nurture it for three weeks. At the end of three weeks, we shall see who has done the best job of cultivating the seed. That person will be my heir-apparent.’ The boys took their seeds and hurried home. They each got a flower pot and planted the seed as soon as they got home. There was much excitement in the kingdom as the people waited with bated breath to see who was destined to be their next king.

In one home, the boy and his parents were almost heartbroken when after days of intense care, the seed failed to sprout. He did not know what had gone wrong with his. He had selected the soil carefully, he had applied the right quantity and type of fertilizer, he had been very dutiful in watering it at the right intervals, he had even prayed over it day and night and yet his seed had turned out to be unproductive.

Some of his friends advised him to go and buy a seed from the market and plant that. ‘After all,’ they said, ‘how can anyone tell one seed of corn from another?’ But his parents who had always taught him the value of integrity reminded him that if the king wanted them to plant any corn, he would have asked them to go for their own seed. ‘If you take anything different from what the king gave you that would be dishonesty.’

‘Maybe we are not destined for the throne. If so, let it be, but don’t be found to have deceived the king,’ they told him. The d-day came and the boys returned to the palace each of them proudly exhibiting a very fine corn seedling. It was obvious that the other nine boys had had great success with their seeds. The king began making his way down the line of eager boys and asked each of them, ‘Is this what came out of the seed I gave you?’

And each boy responded, ‘Yes, your majesty.’ And the king would nod and move down the line.

The king finally got to the last boy in the line-up. The boy was shaking with fear. He knew that the king was going to have him thrown into prison for wasting his seed. ‘What did you do with the seed I gave you?’ the king asked. ‘I planted it and cared for it diligently, your majesty, but alas it failed to sprout.’ the boy said tearfully as the crowd booed him.

But the king raised his hands and signaled for silence. Then he said, ‘My people behold your next king.’ The people were confused. ‘Why that one?’ many asked. ‘How can he be the right choice?’ The king took his place on his throne with the boy by his side and said, ‘I gave these boys boiled seeds. This test was not for cultivating corn. It was the test of character; a test of integrity. It was the ultimate test.’

If a king must have one quality, it must be that he should be above dishonesty. Only this boy passed the test. A boiled seed cannot sprout.’ Never!!

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)