And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." (Get your bread and juice for communion at the end of the message.)
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters in Jesus. Today is Friday and the day we pray for all those who are working in the fields of Harvest for our Lord Jesus, and I pray that you are indeed working for Him. Today, I want to start with a prayer asking for forgiveness of our sins and for help repenting. I cannot pray this one for you. This is between you and the Lord Jesus.
Dear Father in Heaven, I confess that I am a sinner, and I am indeed in need of the saving Grace that only You can give to me. Pour out Your blood for me, Lord, and forgive me of my sins please. And Lord, help me repent of those sins, help me repent and walk and talk for You each day. In the name of Jesus, I pray. AMEN.
The Harvest: Our seed is all grown up, and it is harvest time. On Monday, we prepared the earth, on Tuesday, we took seeds or plants and put them in the earth, on Wednesday, we put fertilizer and water on the seeds and plants. Yesterday, we talked about pulling those weeds. Today, well today we get to harvest our crop.
Now, I want to talk to you just a tad about this harvest. If we wanted to have tomatoes, then we should have planted tomato seeds or plants. If we wanted corn, we should have planted corn seed ... potatoes, we should have planted potato eyes ... and so it goes. If you went to your garden and planted green beans, please don't expect to have those yellow beans come up (I love those yellow beans). If we planted red tomatoes, don't expect yellow ones to grow (I like those yellow tomatoes also). What I am getting at is what we sow is what we are going to have at harvest time.
Now, let me relate that to family ... If from day one with our children we sowed good things for them, and as they grew we would keep sowing good thoughts and good things, and yes, sow Jesus, then as they advanced in age if we took care of the feeding, weeding and all of those things, our children should be ready for harvest for our Lord Jesus. But wait, someone is going to say I did all that and my child or children walked away from God. But wait, if you raised them up in the Lord and they walk away, they will come back. Yes, read the story of the lost son ... so keep your faith ...
But on the other hand, if you were one who set bad examples, one who never went to work, lived off of the system, drank a lot, smoked a lot, and your children were raised to see all of this -- guess who will make the harvest on this? And if there is one statement I always hated it was this one ... "Don't do as I do, do as I say." Sorry, that one does not cut it for me. It did not cut it for me at work either. I can say without a doubt that I never asked an employee to do something that I would not do, nor did I do things and then expect them not to do it. When we had service stations, I had my employees clean front and rear windows and even wipe the side mirrors. I did it, and I expect them to do it also. To just repeat this, we will reap what we sow ...
All week, I have been comparing our garden with our planting and working toward the harvest for our Lord Jesus. Please remember this -- we can do all of this, but we cannot save a person. That is between Jesus and the, well, the seed, the person or persons we were working with. I have heard so many times how at some special service hundreds of people were saved. Folks, we have no idea how many were truly saved or how many might have come forth out of emotion of the moment, and yes, that happens. Some places have been known to have plants, people who will come forth on the call to the altar just to start others walking. While there is nothing wrong with that, or a saved person walking someone to the altar ... again, Salvation is between them and Jesus. Our job does not end at Harvest, for as we know, once we pull the harvest we still need to work it up. So we need to keep working on the people, the seeds, and then of course we get to start another crop.
The Harvest: Happy Harvest day folks, happy harvest day, whether you are the one working to bring in the harvest or the one being harvested ... happy harvest day.
Here is the commandment to get your started on your harvest --
Mark 16: 15 He said to them (us) "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (NIV)
Now listen to the power Jesus gives to His workers --
Mark 16: 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (NIV) I want to remind you about snakes and drinking deadly poison, please remember we are not to test the Lord except in giving. What it means is if we believe and we run across those snakes, we will have the power to handle it. Or if someone tried to poison us we would be protected. And I will confess that I have been praying and praying for healing, be it direct, or through the hands of doctors, and also through all those who pray for people to be healed, when done in faith. And, yes, I have prayed for that power. All honor and glory should always go to God, keeping none for ourselves.
One last thing today ... we are going to have communion for all who want to join in. This is always special to me.
Luke 22: 19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying: This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." (NIV) Take now your bread and eat.
Luke 22: 20 In the same way after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." (NIV) Take now and drink the juice, and remember this is the blood of Jesus and it is given for all of us.
Dear Lord, thanks for going to the cross for us, thanks for setting examples for us. Thanks for walking with us daily. Help us to repent from sins and walk daily with You, and help us to keep working the fields of harvest for you. I love you Jesus, and I pray in Your wonderful name. Amen, amen, and amen.
Go forth now, working for Jesus, planting good seeds, and working toward the harvest, remembering you reap what you sow, and no more. Oh, and please share those blessings.
Sunday, we will have communion at The Bridges 10:00 AM and you are welcome ... love ya, dan.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday: Weeding the seed
But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is February 26th, and in just a couple of days we will be out of February ... come on, spring ... I am so ready for spring! Today is Family day on this line, a day we pray for families, and I ask this today as you pray for my family and I pray for yours -- Are we really that much different? Think about it over the next few days. Think about this ... It has been brought to my attention by the first person to receive these messages. She is Cherokee and uses the screen name of "Razzzincane". This lady has inspired me before, and I am praying that her words to me via email yesterday will turn into a message soon.
Working those seeds: As you know, this week we have been, well, getting our garden ready. On Monday, we worked the earth, on Tuesday, we got our seeds or plants and put them in the ground. Yesterday, we put on the fertilizer and water. Today, well, today we are going to do the really hard part! We are doing the back-breaking work of pulling the weeds, those nasty, nasty weeds that will overtake a garden in a heartbeat if we do not keep ahead of them. We must protect our seeds and plants as they grow, for surely the weeds will grow bigger and faster and end up killing off our work if we let it. Maybe we should go back and thank Adam for this ... just a little blame on this one.
Adam was placed in a garden with all the things a man could want, well, except a woman, so God made him Eve. We all know that story. Then they sinned, and listen to these words right from God ...
Genesis 3: 17 To Adam He said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it' (the very first first commandment), "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." (NIV)
Matthew 13: 25 "But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared." (NIV) These are the words of Jesus my dear brothers and sisters.
Ok, so now we really know why we have those dreaded weeds in our garden, it was because Adam and Eve broke the very first commandment that was given by God. Keep your fingers off that one tree. Men, don't you dare blame it on Eve or even the snake, for under God we men are to be head of the household, and for Adam should have told Eve a solid NO. But they failed and sin came ... and so did the first punishment, and ladies you did not escape it either. In fact, I think God handed you more punishment than he did men. First, you must put up with men, (just kidding on that one, but it is a fact). Because of this sin, this very first sin, men get to pull weeds, but ladies get the pain at childbirth ... and trust me on this, if men had to bear the children and have that pain, there would be no more kids, because we are wimps when it comes to pain, when compared to women. Hey, I got off my subject.
So brothers and sisters, let's now look at our garden, you know the one we are putting forth for our Lord Jesus. We have prepared the garden or the one or ones we are working on to bring to Christ. We have planted the seeds about Jesus on the minds of those folks, be it flocks at a church being worked by the pastor, or we are working the garden one-on-one helping people to become saved. We feed and water our seeds, those who we are working with by helping them to understand and use a Bible and other material they need to stay in touch with God. This should include good solid worship time, prayer time, and going to a good church (there are good ones out there and also some really bad ones).
Today, we talk about pulling the weeds. What does this mean when it comes to working the fields of Harvest for our Lord Jesus? We need to see that the ones we are working with do not fall into the hands of Satan and his very, very big team of workers. Let me tell you that he will send in many, many weeds. These weeds will appear in many forms. Satan will bottle the weeds, you know those booze bottles. I am not saying that a glass of wine will hurt you, but I will say that the booze that comes in those bottles are like the weeds in a farmers field, and they will overtake us if we let them. It does not always take a lot of it, sometimes it is where and how it is served. Men, do you really need to get a beer and some chicken wings at Hooters? And ladies, do you really need to make money so much that you take off your clothes to earn it? Hooters is just one example I am putting out there today as weeds in the garden. There are others. The corner bar ... think about it, if you hear of gunfights, or just fights, does in not happen most at those bars, or when we think of fights in a house, family fights, how often is one or both drunk or high on drugs? Oh drugs, did I mention that they grow like weeds in the garden? Cars, boats, stuff, when we let it take over our lives, it can become weeds in the garden. Now I am a car, bus, truck nut and I have a collection that some think is way out of line. Although I do not have big ticket vehicles, I do have a lot, but still they could become weeds if I put them ahead of God in my life. I might have at one time, I do not now. But I still like them, and like to work on them. What am I saying here? Here is a test ... If you cannot use something for the good of the Kingdom of God, ask yourself, should I have this or is it a weed in my personal garden, my walk with Christ? If you have stuff, and most of us have stuff, how much of it can you really use in your walk with God, how much is just for pretty, and how much really is weeds? Go ahead ask yourself that.
As I wrap this up for today, I want you to think one more time about the weeds that can kill off the plants as they grow. And this is a quote from me, and you may use it. "Before we go to the gardens of others to pull weeds, we need to weed our own gardens." To this I will add an Amen!
Dear Father in Heaven, the weeds grow because of the sin of Adam, but let us not blame Adam for this, for indeed we also are sinners, saved only by the Grace of our Lord Jesus. Thanks for saving me from sin, dear Lord, and please help me to repent. Help me walk in Your garden, to weed my garden, for the weeds surely grow in my own garden. Help me clean the gardens of my family and show them how to keep You in the front of all things. Lord, help us to walk with You, and Lord, protect us from the weeds that come from Satan and his evildoers, and keep us walking the straight and narrow way to You. Lord protect families, not just those on this line, but world-wide. Protect the family we here in America call the first family, protect President Obama and his family, and keep them safe and away from the weeds. In the name of Jesus, I ask and pray that we might walk this day to please You. In Jesus name, Amen.
In closing today, I want you to know that if we are not careful, we also could become the weeds in the gardens of others, even those we are trying to help. Think of it, we all sin, but we must work hard to be sure that we are not covered with the weeds and the seeds of the weeds, for when we walk into the garden to work with others for our Lord, we do not want the weeds to be seen on us. We want to be a worker for God, not for Satan. Trust me on this, Satan loves to bring Christians down, for he cannot get to our Lord Jesus, so he will try and get us who love Jesus, for those are victories for him. Don't be a weed, be a seed ... and share those blessings from your stockpile of blessings that God has given you, and watch God bless you even more ... love ya, dan.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is February 26th, and in just a couple of days we will be out of February ... come on, spring ... I am so ready for spring! Today is Family day on this line, a day we pray for families, and I ask this today as you pray for my family and I pray for yours -- Are we really that much different? Think about it over the next few days. Think about this ... It has been brought to my attention by the first person to receive these messages. She is Cherokee and uses the screen name of "Razzzincane". This lady has inspired me before, and I am praying that her words to me via email yesterday will turn into a message soon.
Working those seeds: As you know, this week we have been, well, getting our garden ready. On Monday, we worked the earth, on Tuesday, we got our seeds or plants and put them in the ground. Yesterday, we put on the fertilizer and water. Today, well, today we are going to do the really hard part! We are doing the back-breaking work of pulling the weeds, those nasty, nasty weeds that will overtake a garden in a heartbeat if we do not keep ahead of them. We must protect our seeds and plants as they grow, for surely the weeds will grow bigger and faster and end up killing off our work if we let it. Maybe we should go back and thank Adam for this ... just a little blame on this one.
Adam was placed in a garden with all the things a man could want, well, except a woman, so God made him Eve. We all know that story. Then they sinned, and listen to these words right from God ...
Genesis 3: 17 To Adam He said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it' (the very first first commandment), "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." (NIV)
Matthew 13: 25 "But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared." (NIV) These are the words of Jesus my dear brothers and sisters.
Ok, so now we really know why we have those dreaded weeds in our garden, it was because Adam and Eve broke the very first commandment that was given by God. Keep your fingers off that one tree. Men, don't you dare blame it on Eve or even the snake, for under God we men are to be head of the household, and for Adam should have told Eve a solid NO. But they failed and sin came ... and so did the first punishment, and ladies you did not escape it either. In fact, I think God handed you more punishment than he did men. First, you must put up with men, (just kidding on that one, but it is a fact). Because of this sin, this very first sin, men get to pull weeds, but ladies get the pain at childbirth ... and trust me on this, if men had to bear the children and have that pain, there would be no more kids, because we are wimps when it comes to pain, when compared to women. Hey, I got off my subject.
So brothers and sisters, let's now look at our garden, you know the one we are putting forth for our Lord Jesus. We have prepared the garden or the one or ones we are working on to bring to Christ. We have planted the seeds about Jesus on the minds of those folks, be it flocks at a church being worked by the pastor, or we are working the garden one-on-one helping people to become saved. We feed and water our seeds, those who we are working with by helping them to understand and use a Bible and other material they need to stay in touch with God. This should include good solid worship time, prayer time, and going to a good church (there are good ones out there and also some really bad ones).
Today, we talk about pulling the weeds. What does this mean when it comes to working the fields of Harvest for our Lord Jesus? We need to see that the ones we are working with do not fall into the hands of Satan and his very, very big team of workers. Let me tell you that he will send in many, many weeds. These weeds will appear in many forms. Satan will bottle the weeds, you know those booze bottles. I am not saying that a glass of wine will hurt you, but I will say that the booze that comes in those bottles are like the weeds in a farmers field, and they will overtake us if we let them. It does not always take a lot of it, sometimes it is where and how it is served. Men, do you really need to get a beer and some chicken wings at Hooters? And ladies, do you really need to make money so much that you take off your clothes to earn it? Hooters is just one example I am putting out there today as weeds in the garden. There are others. The corner bar ... think about it, if you hear of gunfights, or just fights, does in not happen most at those bars, or when we think of fights in a house, family fights, how often is one or both drunk or high on drugs? Oh drugs, did I mention that they grow like weeds in the garden? Cars, boats, stuff, when we let it take over our lives, it can become weeds in the garden. Now I am a car, bus, truck nut and I have a collection that some think is way out of line. Although I do not have big ticket vehicles, I do have a lot, but still they could become weeds if I put them ahead of God in my life. I might have at one time, I do not now. But I still like them, and like to work on them. What am I saying here? Here is a test ... If you cannot use something for the good of the Kingdom of God, ask yourself, should I have this or is it a weed in my personal garden, my walk with Christ? If you have stuff, and most of us have stuff, how much of it can you really use in your walk with God, how much is just for pretty, and how much really is weeds? Go ahead ask yourself that.
As I wrap this up for today, I want you to think one more time about the weeds that can kill off the plants as they grow. And this is a quote from me, and you may use it. "Before we go to the gardens of others to pull weeds, we need to weed our own gardens." To this I will add an Amen!
Dear Father in Heaven, the weeds grow because of the sin of Adam, but let us not blame Adam for this, for indeed we also are sinners, saved only by the Grace of our Lord Jesus. Thanks for saving me from sin, dear Lord, and please help me to repent. Help me walk in Your garden, to weed my garden, for the weeds surely grow in my own garden. Help me clean the gardens of my family and show them how to keep You in the front of all things. Lord, help us to walk with You, and Lord, protect us from the weeds that come from Satan and his evildoers, and keep us walking the straight and narrow way to You. Lord protect families, not just those on this line, but world-wide. Protect the family we here in America call the first family, protect President Obama and his family, and keep them safe and away from the weeds. In the name of Jesus, I ask and pray that we might walk this day to please You. In Jesus name, Amen.
In closing today, I want you to know that if we are not careful, we also could become the weeds in the gardens of others, even those we are trying to help. Think of it, we all sin, but we must work hard to be sure that we are not covered with the weeds and the seeds of the weeds, for when we walk into the garden to work with others for our Lord, we do not want the weeds to be seen on us. We want to be a worker for God, not for Satan. Trust me on this, Satan loves to bring Christians down, for he cannot get to our Lord Jesus, so he will try and get us who love Jesus, for those are victories for him. Don't be a weed, be a seed ... and share those blessings from your stockpile of blessings that God has given you, and watch God bless you even more ... love ya, dan.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday: Feeding the seeds
Feed My sheep, take care of my lambs, feed my sheep!
Good morning, my dear brothers and sisters. I am sorry I am late, I had an early morning appointment at the dentist this morning, as I will also tomorrow. Also to let you know I am in that process of changing to Comcast, and the first error has happened. My phone from Comcast is to be installed next week, but they put the order out to disconnect the line today, so my home phone is dead. I hope the message will get out, as it goes by DSL, same phone company.
Today, Wednesday, Salvation Wednesday on this line and the day we pray for the unsaved, and those we are not sure of and also those who are on the journey. Other prayers also for Sharon and Oliver and for Vicki. Don't know all the details but please pray. Thanks for your prayers for Danelle, she was hired at Central Dauphin ... it is part time.
Feeding the Seeds: "Feed my sheep, take care of my lambs, feed my sheep." These are the words of Jesus taken from John 21: 15/25 . Please take time to read those verses today.
All farmers know and all those who work gardens, be they flower or veggie gardens, that you need to be feeding and watering those seeds that you plant. Yes, we need to put fertilizer on the earth and work it into that ground. It also needs to be watered. It amazes me just what all we can use for fertilizer that is good for the earth. God really planned well for us when He made all of this, He really did. One of the very best things to use as fertilizer is animal waste. I don't know of any real farmers that don't have some sort of manure spreader. Dolores and I love to go to Lancaster County (Pa.) and ride that old train. We often see the Amish working the fields with their big work horses or mules, and one of the things they do is spread it on the land, and you really get the country smell when they are doing that. Then they turn the ground over and over by pulling the plows. It is also neat to watch the young Amish kids working the farms. Most kids at 12 are playing with the computer games or watching TV while the Amish boys are out working the fields. But wait, this is about feeding the seeds ... let's get back to the Bible and to feeding the seeds for the Lord.
On Monday, we prepared the ground, and on Tuesday, we talked about planting the seeds or setting the plants ... today, we talk about feeding them ...
The same is with the seeds we sow for our Good Lord. If we just tell someone about Jesus and maybe get them to church or Sunday School, we get them ready, we plant the seeds of Salvation through our Lord Jesus. But if we just walk away, what we have done might just die, and the person we planted the seeds in might turn back to where they were. So we need to keep in touch with those people, we need to try and keep them going to a good church and getting involved in Bible studies. We need to keep working with the person until we are sure they have come to Jesus. And you will know when that happens, for people will change. There is a big difference in a person once they are saved ... a big, big difference. Look at yourself if you are indeed saved, are you not different than you were before? Did you not change? So folks, please, where you have planted seeds, please feed them and water them, see that they keep getting the word of God.
How would it be if I wrote one message a year, or a pastor just preached once a year, would the flock grow or get eaten up? Think about it ... Tomorrow, after preparing, planting, feeding, next we must weed. All this must occur before the harvest.
Dear Father in Heaven, please help us as we seek out the Lost for You, and help us to get them to Your feet, help us to feed them the Word, and help please by opening Your Word up more and more to us. Lord, You are so faithful to us, each time I read a passage from the Bible, I can see another message in it. Open our hearts and deal with us oh Lord. Please bless Oliver, Sharon, and Vicki. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth now spreading the Word, and spreading your blessings around to others ... Love ya, dan.
Good morning, my dear brothers and sisters. I am sorry I am late, I had an early morning appointment at the dentist this morning, as I will also tomorrow. Also to let you know I am in that process of changing to Comcast, and the first error has happened. My phone from Comcast is to be installed next week, but they put the order out to disconnect the line today, so my home phone is dead. I hope the message will get out, as it goes by DSL, same phone company.
Today, Wednesday, Salvation Wednesday on this line and the day we pray for the unsaved, and those we are not sure of and also those who are on the journey. Other prayers also for Sharon and Oliver and for Vicki. Don't know all the details but please pray. Thanks for your prayers for Danelle, she was hired at Central Dauphin ... it is part time.
Feeding the Seeds: "Feed my sheep, take care of my lambs, feed my sheep." These are the words of Jesus taken from John 21: 15/25 . Please take time to read those verses today.
All farmers know and all those who work gardens, be they flower or veggie gardens, that you need to be feeding and watering those seeds that you plant. Yes, we need to put fertilizer on the earth and work it into that ground. It also needs to be watered. It amazes me just what all we can use for fertilizer that is good for the earth. God really planned well for us when He made all of this, He really did. One of the very best things to use as fertilizer is animal waste. I don't know of any real farmers that don't have some sort of manure spreader. Dolores and I love to go to Lancaster County (Pa.) and ride that old train. We often see the Amish working the fields with their big work horses or mules, and one of the things they do is spread it on the land, and you really get the country smell when they are doing that. Then they turn the ground over and over by pulling the plows. It is also neat to watch the young Amish kids working the farms. Most kids at 12 are playing with the computer games or watching TV while the Amish boys are out working the fields. But wait, this is about feeding the seeds ... let's get back to the Bible and to feeding the seeds for the Lord.
On Monday, we prepared the ground, and on Tuesday, we talked about planting the seeds or setting the plants ... today, we talk about feeding them ...
The same is with the seeds we sow for our Good Lord. If we just tell someone about Jesus and maybe get them to church or Sunday School, we get them ready, we plant the seeds of Salvation through our Lord Jesus. But if we just walk away, what we have done might just die, and the person we planted the seeds in might turn back to where they were. So we need to keep in touch with those people, we need to try and keep them going to a good church and getting involved in Bible studies. We need to keep working with the person until we are sure they have come to Jesus. And you will know when that happens, for people will change. There is a big difference in a person once they are saved ... a big, big difference. Look at yourself if you are indeed saved, are you not different than you were before? Did you not change? So folks, please, where you have planted seeds, please feed them and water them, see that they keep getting the word of God.
How would it be if I wrote one message a year, or a pastor just preached once a year, would the flock grow or get eaten up? Think about it ... Tomorrow, after preparing, planting, feeding, next we must weed. All this must occur before the harvest.
Dear Father in Heaven, please help us as we seek out the Lost for You, and help us to get them to Your feet, help us to feed them the Word, and help please by opening Your Word up more and more to us. Lord, You are so faithful to us, each time I read a passage from the Bible, I can see another message in it. Open our hearts and deal with us oh Lord. Please bless Oliver, Sharon, and Vicki. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth now spreading the Word, and spreading your blessings around to others ... Love ya, dan.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday: Finding the Seed
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is a great morning!! Pause with me a minute, take in a deep breath. Now blow it out. Thank You Jesus, Praise You Jesus. Folks that nice breath of air was brought to you by our Lord Jesus, please enjoy it and thank Him for it, for we never know when it just might be our very last one ... Thank You, Jesus.
Today is Tuesday, schools day on this line, the day we pray for our schools and all who go through the doors. Please pray for Danelle as she is seeking a job working at Central Dauphin School District with Special Needs Children. Also pray for Connie Sweigert, brain cancer.
Finding the Seeds ... When it comes January in America you start to receive those seed catalogs in the mail. Oh, they are so much fun to look for as we dream of spring. You can order flower seeds, and they show pictures of flower gardens, and they show seeds for food of all kinds, and the pictures make you hungry. While some people will call or mail in for their seeds, others will head to local home centers or food stores to purchases those seeds, and soon those plants set. You get a really big choice of where to find good seeds, and yes, there are the cheaper brands that don't work as well. But wait a minute, I want to talk to you about the kind of seeds we Christians want to plant, or sow, after all, that is what the lessons are about this week.
John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1: 14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NIV)
Ok, while we get many seed catalogs in the mail for spring planting, and some of them are better then others, our very best catalog for Christian seed planting is our Bible. In this book of books, we will find the truth, we will find wisdom, we will find all the knowledge we need for living a good Christian Life. And while there are thousands of scriptures I could quote for seeds, these verses from John jumped right out at me ... These verses tell us that Jesus is indeed God, and He made the Heavens and the Earth and He became flesh and came to us once. We also can find many more scriptures in the Bible that make good seeds, and I invite you all to search them out. The ten commandments come to my mind, and then the two great commandments. Also the Lord's prayer, and of course those words of Jesus that tell us the way to heaven is through Him ... John 14: 6 tells us that. I had many scriptures last week when we did salvation, all of them are great seeds.
There are other good books and daily readers and worship books; all are examples. Also, I would like to think that some good seeds come from God off this writer's hands. But let's just give God the glory for that. Brothers and sisters, we need to teach our children to read the Bible. I struggle with reading, and those of you who know me well, know and understand that. I have never read a complete book, except for most of the books of the Bible. I struggle to read and understand what I read, but God opens the Bible to me. So, folks, above the Bible, good seeds come to you directly from God. Through prayer and fellowship with our Lord Jesus, He will plant seeds in Your mind and on Your heart, and they will grow if you nourish them. God is good, and God is the good seed of the earth ... oh, and all good seed comes from God-- the fruit, the trees, the veggies, the flowers, and yes, those seeds of life that we must teach our children. But what good is a good seed if we just drop it on or in the ground? Well ,that lesson is for tomorrow, when we have Salvation Wednesday and talk more about planting for our Lord Jesus. We are working toward a harvest for Jesus.
Dear Father in Heaven, You are indeed the seed, and we want to plant Your word, the good seed on the minds and hearts of others, and yes Lord, we want to see the seeds grow. Lord, that is not just in others, I want to see the seeds keep growing in me, over and over again and again, I need to work on coming nearer to You. Help us to plant good seeds on our school kids so that their love of Jesus branches out to others. Lord, help us to plant good seeds in our schools. Be with Christian teachers like John and Larry who follow this line, and others who love You and teach in public schools. Thanks for schools like Newport School District in Newport, Pa., that are headed up by Christian people. Lord, I pray today for Connie and ask that You clear her body of cancer. I pray also for Pastor Charles Idler and that You rise him up from his stroke. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth planting and sharing ... love ya, dan.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is a great morning!! Pause with me a minute, take in a deep breath. Now blow it out. Thank You Jesus, Praise You Jesus. Folks that nice breath of air was brought to you by our Lord Jesus, please enjoy it and thank Him for it, for we never know when it just might be our very last one ... Thank You, Jesus.
Today is Tuesday, schools day on this line, the day we pray for our schools and all who go through the doors. Please pray for Danelle as she is seeking a job working at Central Dauphin School District with Special Needs Children. Also pray for Connie Sweigert, brain cancer.
Finding the Seeds ... When it comes January in America you start to receive those seed catalogs in the mail. Oh, they are so much fun to look for as we dream of spring. You can order flower seeds, and they show pictures of flower gardens, and they show seeds for food of all kinds, and the pictures make you hungry. While some people will call or mail in for their seeds, others will head to local home centers or food stores to purchases those seeds, and soon those plants set. You get a really big choice of where to find good seeds, and yes, there are the cheaper brands that don't work as well. But wait a minute, I want to talk to you about the kind of seeds we Christians want to plant, or sow, after all, that is what the lessons are about this week.
John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1: 14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NIV)
Ok, while we get many seed catalogs in the mail for spring planting, and some of them are better then others, our very best catalog for Christian seed planting is our Bible. In this book of books, we will find the truth, we will find wisdom, we will find all the knowledge we need for living a good Christian Life. And while there are thousands of scriptures I could quote for seeds, these verses from John jumped right out at me ... These verses tell us that Jesus is indeed God, and He made the Heavens and the Earth and He became flesh and came to us once. We also can find many more scriptures in the Bible that make good seeds, and I invite you all to search them out. The ten commandments come to my mind, and then the two great commandments. Also the Lord's prayer, and of course those words of Jesus that tell us the way to heaven is through Him ... John 14: 6 tells us that. I had many scriptures last week when we did salvation, all of them are great seeds.
There are other good books and daily readers and worship books; all are examples. Also, I would like to think that some good seeds come from God off this writer's hands. But let's just give God the glory for that. Brothers and sisters, we need to teach our children to read the Bible. I struggle with reading, and those of you who know me well, know and understand that. I have never read a complete book, except for most of the books of the Bible. I struggle to read and understand what I read, but God opens the Bible to me. So, folks, above the Bible, good seeds come to you directly from God. Through prayer and fellowship with our Lord Jesus, He will plant seeds in Your mind and on Your heart, and they will grow if you nourish them. God is good, and God is the good seed of the earth ... oh, and all good seed comes from God-- the fruit, the trees, the veggies, the flowers, and yes, those seeds of life that we must teach our children. But what good is a good seed if we just drop it on or in the ground? Well ,that lesson is for tomorrow, when we have Salvation Wednesday and talk more about planting for our Lord Jesus. We are working toward a harvest for Jesus.
Dear Father in Heaven, You are indeed the seed, and we want to plant Your word, the good seed on the minds and hearts of others, and yes Lord, we want to see the seeds grow. Lord, that is not just in others, I want to see the seeds keep growing in me, over and over again and again, I need to work on coming nearer to You. Help us to plant good seeds on our school kids so that their love of Jesus branches out to others. Lord, help us to plant good seeds in our schools. Be with Christian teachers like John and Larry who follow this line, and others who love You and teach in public schools. Thanks for schools like Newport School District in Newport, Pa., that are headed up by Christian people. Lord, I pray today for Connie and ask that You clear her body of cancer. I pray also for Pastor Charles Idler and that You rise him up from his stroke. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth planting and sharing ... love ya, dan.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday: Planting Time
A man sowed good seed in his field, but while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. The last week of February is upon us and it is time to talk about that garden and planting those seeds. And it is Monday, the day we pray for our leaders in Washington, in our State Houses, and also in local government. It is also the day we pray for our veterans, our active military, our police and firefighters, and all those who work hard to keep us safe and healthy ... God bless this group.
Yesterday right before church, Stanley, one of our flock at the Bridges, said it was about time to get those onions into the ground. Now this 80-plus year-old resident, who recently went elk hunting and bagged a big one (and it was good as he shared it with us), is ready for spring. This very caring man goes many times a week to the store for fresh veggies and fruit which he shares at his table at the Bridges. We watched as some light snow was falling and we talked about what is known as the onion snow, which you get after March 17th. So as soon as Stanley can turn the earth, those onion sets will be in. His tomato plants are already growing in his small apartment. So our talk was on my mind, and after praying about it, God set me out to talk to you about planting those seeds and taking care of them. It is time for all of us to get our gardens in order ... before you can have a harvest, you must work for it. I pray this message will take the week to get out, ending this Friday with communion. While I don't hear from many of you, I do hear that our on-line communion is welcomed.
Matthew 13: 24 Jesus told them another parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. (NIV)
Planting Time: When I look back to my very first memories of my very early childhood, I remember how my mamma and my pop would work the dirt in the spring. Mamma would bring in plants from her flower garden in the back yard in the fall, and in the spring she would set them out. Now we did not have a big back yard, but she would get that dirt ready, mixing in the dirt that fell under our rabbit pens to make the ground rich. She would work and work on this. My pop would go across the street from our home where there was a very large lot and no one had built on yet, so the owners would let the neighbors section it off for gardens. We kids would help with this, and after Christmas we gathered up all the Christmas trees and took them to the lot, and we would build forts with them. Around the first of March, Pop would burn the trees and then spread the ashes over the ground to make it rich. Then he and the neighbors would start turning the earth. Oh, and it was done with a spade and a rake. In the meantime, both of them worked on planting other seeds, oh, yes, Pop would start seeds in the windows of the house for tomatoes, and mamma, well she would water her plants, but the seeds that I remember most were how they sowed them in my brother and me. Mamma made most of our clothes (sure wish she had something other than wool for winter), but she made our good clothes and she would see that we went to Sunday School and Church, and she would go over our lesson papers when we got home. My mamma and Pop both loved the Lord, and you know, back in the days of no TV, I remember how we would sit around the table and they would read from the Bible. And Wednesday night was prayer meeting night. Yes, back then my parents were getting me ready, for in this case I was the dirt (no wonder I get ring around the collar). Anyway, I remember some of the early lessons, the story about the birth, and the story of Noah, and other stories of the Bible. I didn't think of it as getting the dirt ready for that first planting, but that was what it was.
Now I must confess here, although I did some planting of seeds in my younger adult life, and did help see that our kids got some early learning about Jesus, I did not carry the ball the way I should have. If not for their mother much of it might have been missed. But the seeds did get planted. As for me, well I had started my walkabout. But folks, I did come back, and that is for another day, but those early seeds my mamma and pop planted had to do with that. So folks, as I wrap up today's message, I want you to know it is never too late in life to start working the earth, and to start sowing those early seeds. And I want you all to remember this, we are not just planting a garden for others, although we will surely give away most of the crops. We are getting a garden ready, we are working on our very own garden, and surely we will also benefit from the harvest. You do understand there are people who are helping with the harvest that do not have a clue about how to plant it and get it ready. Meaning this in my terms, we have people who are out telling others about our Lord Jesus who might not be saved. So folks, as you work your garden, remember to not just be talking to your children, but to talk to your fellow gardeners about Jesus also. And sometimes it is just nice to go to your garden alone ... and just talk to Jesus.
Tomorrow, finding good seed, and making sure it gets planted in good ground ... where do we find the seeds? A hint ... you should be reading it daily.
Dear Lord, we come today first wanting to turn the earth, and to me that is repenting from our sins, we need to get the bad out of the ground and keep it out. And Lord, we need to prepare the ground to be Holy Ground, and for that we need Your help and understanding while we grow in You. Lord, although I know in my mind that I am saved, I still want to work for You and to grow and grow in Your word. I want to keep working towards the big and final harvest on earth ... help us with that today. Bless our leaders, our president, and all others. Bless our military people, past and present, and their families, and all others who work to keep us safe and sound ... in the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Now go forth, getting the dirt ready to receive the seed, and searching out good seed to plant ... and folks, you can get in practice for the harvest by sharing things from the shelf that you have now... share those blessings, please. love ya, dan.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. The last week of February is upon us and it is time to talk about that garden and planting those seeds. And it is Monday, the day we pray for our leaders in Washington, in our State Houses, and also in local government. It is also the day we pray for our veterans, our active military, our police and firefighters, and all those who work hard to keep us safe and healthy ... God bless this group.
Yesterday right before church, Stanley, one of our flock at the Bridges, said it was about time to get those onions into the ground. Now this 80-plus year-old resident, who recently went elk hunting and bagged a big one (and it was good as he shared it with us), is ready for spring. This very caring man goes many times a week to the store for fresh veggies and fruit which he shares at his table at the Bridges. We watched as some light snow was falling and we talked about what is known as the onion snow, which you get after March 17th. So as soon as Stanley can turn the earth, those onion sets will be in. His tomato plants are already growing in his small apartment. So our talk was on my mind, and after praying about it, God set me out to talk to you about planting those seeds and taking care of them. It is time for all of us to get our gardens in order ... before you can have a harvest, you must work for it. I pray this message will take the week to get out, ending this Friday with communion. While I don't hear from many of you, I do hear that our on-line communion is welcomed.
Matthew 13: 24 Jesus told them another parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. (NIV)
Planting Time: When I look back to my very first memories of my very early childhood, I remember how my mamma and my pop would work the dirt in the spring. Mamma would bring in plants from her flower garden in the back yard in the fall, and in the spring she would set them out. Now we did not have a big back yard, but she would get that dirt ready, mixing in the dirt that fell under our rabbit pens to make the ground rich. She would work and work on this. My pop would go across the street from our home where there was a very large lot and no one had built on yet, so the owners would let the neighbors section it off for gardens. We kids would help with this, and after Christmas we gathered up all the Christmas trees and took them to the lot, and we would build forts with them. Around the first of March, Pop would burn the trees and then spread the ashes over the ground to make it rich. Then he and the neighbors would start turning the earth. Oh, and it was done with a spade and a rake. In the meantime, both of them worked on planting other seeds, oh, yes, Pop would start seeds in the windows of the house for tomatoes, and mamma, well she would water her plants, but the seeds that I remember most were how they sowed them in my brother and me. Mamma made most of our clothes (sure wish she had something other than wool for winter), but she made our good clothes and she would see that we went to Sunday School and Church, and she would go over our lesson papers when we got home. My mamma and Pop both loved the Lord, and you know, back in the days of no TV, I remember how we would sit around the table and they would read from the Bible. And Wednesday night was prayer meeting night. Yes, back then my parents were getting me ready, for in this case I was the dirt (no wonder I get ring around the collar). Anyway, I remember some of the early lessons, the story about the birth, and the story of Noah, and other stories of the Bible. I didn't think of it as getting the dirt ready for that first planting, but that was what it was.
Now I must confess here, although I did some planting of seeds in my younger adult life, and did help see that our kids got some early learning about Jesus, I did not carry the ball the way I should have. If not for their mother much of it might have been missed. But the seeds did get planted. As for me, well I had started my walkabout. But folks, I did come back, and that is for another day, but those early seeds my mamma and pop planted had to do with that. So folks, as I wrap up today's message, I want you to know it is never too late in life to start working the earth, and to start sowing those early seeds. And I want you all to remember this, we are not just planting a garden for others, although we will surely give away most of the crops. We are getting a garden ready, we are working on our very own garden, and surely we will also benefit from the harvest. You do understand there are people who are helping with the harvest that do not have a clue about how to plant it and get it ready. Meaning this in my terms, we have people who are out telling others about our Lord Jesus who might not be saved. So folks, as you work your garden, remember to not just be talking to your children, but to talk to your fellow gardeners about Jesus also. And sometimes it is just nice to go to your garden alone ... and just talk to Jesus.
Tomorrow, finding good seed, and making sure it gets planted in good ground ... where do we find the seeds? A hint ... you should be reading it daily.
Dear Lord, we come today first wanting to turn the earth, and to me that is repenting from our sins, we need to get the bad out of the ground and keep it out. And Lord, we need to prepare the ground to be Holy Ground, and for that we need Your help and understanding while we grow in You. Lord, although I know in my mind that I am saved, I still want to work for You and to grow and grow in Your word. I want to keep working towards the big and final harvest on earth ... help us with that today. Bless our leaders, our president, and all others. Bless our military people, past and present, and their families, and all others who work to keep us safe and sound ... in the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Now go forth, getting the dirt ready to receive the seed, and searching out good seed to plant ... and folks, you can get in practice for the harvest by sharing things from the shelf that you have now... share those blessings, please. love ya, dan.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday: Where is your faith?
"Where is your faith?"
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful, cold morning here at the Southern Location of the North Pole. If you are excited about the coming of spring, let me give you just a few facts. In two weeks, we go to daylight saving time, and four weeks from today, we have the first day of spring. NASCAR started last week, baseball spring training has started, and the "Tiger" is back. But the greatest blessings come each day as God sends us another day of life ... enjoy it!
Today is Friday and the day we pray for all those who work in the fields of Harvest for our Lord Jesus. A correction from yesterday ... Sharon Saylor, a Navy Veteran, retired from the Army depot in New Cumberland, not the Navy depot in Mechanicsburg. Thanks, Sharon, for serving our country.
Today as we pray for those who work the fields, please pray for The Couriers, as they are back out singing, preaching and teaching for our Lord Jesus. Also pray for Pastor Tony Mayeski and his wife Ruby. I have mentioned Pastor Tony before, he is truly a pastor's pastor. As you pray for them, please pray for their eyesight. I also received a praise report from Helen Thomas thanking all who prayed for her in the loss of her K-9.
"Where is your faith?" Luke 8: 25 "Where is your faith?" Jesus asked His disciples. (NIV) I am not just asking you that question today, but I am quoting Jesus as He asked that same question to His disciples. From Luke 8: 22 One day Jesus said to His disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, He fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 Where is your faith?" He asked His disciples. (NIV)
Now even after traveling with Jesus for some time they must have had questions about Him, or did not have full faith in Him at that point. In amazement they were asking one another, who is this? He not just heals the sick, He also has control over the storms ... YES, HE DOES ... and may I just add here this statement. "How often do we have so little faith that we are scared when the storms pass?"
We need to learn and take safety steps, but we need to have faith that our Lord Jesus is in control and He will protect us according to His will for us. And brothers and sisters, if we do have faith in Jesus,we should never be afraid of His Will for us. Oh, you are thinking, that is easy for Pastor Dan to say, but it is not always that easy, and you are right in thinking that. I have faith that God is going to protect us. Still when a heavy storm or storms are in the area, I start to pace. We have on several occasions taken all of our pets to the basement of the house to ride out a storm. And there have been times when the storm went past so fast that we did not have time to worry about it.
But let me get off the weather related storms in our life, for indeed most all of the storms in our life are those that are not weather related. How many people right now have storms of "no job" or your house payment, your car payment, your credit card payment, and maybe even your wife are all two months late? Did you catch that one? While the lateness of your wife should be a joyful thing as you go expecting a child, it might just be another worry if you do not have a job. Folks, we need to have faith, and a lot of it. Think of this, Our Lord has promised to supply all of our needs, but we need to have faith to receive this blessing, and sometimes this faith requires us to step out in that faith. You have heard me quote Pamela Bower many times on her saying "we need to put feet on our prayers". Folks, let me add a quote of my own today when I tell you this ... "We need to put feet on our faith." Prayer and faith go hand in hand -- as we talk to our Lord Jesus, we need to have faith that He will hear our prayers and answer them, for it is faith that gets them to Him, and brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus will answer your prayers. HOWEVER, sometimes our prayers are not answered the way we want them them to be. Sometimes you might be putting your faith in the wrong place. Think about that, do you put your faith in Jesus or are you putting your faith in man? How many people right now are putting faith in a man who just happens to be President of the United States? I want you all to know and understand that our President is not God, not now, not ever. If you are waiting for Washington to cut you a check, or pay down your house payment, you are placing your faith in the wrong place.
It is time, my friends, to put our faith in God. In doing that, we might need to take a step back before we go forward, we might need to give up a lot of our earthly wants and toys. Jesus has promised to supply our needs, but our needs do not include three big screen TV's, cell phones for all in the family, two new cars, and Friday and Saturday night out on the town each week, etc. It might mean we clean out the cupboards and eat the food that is there that we overlook. Might be time to eat some Spam, instead of Steak, drive a used Chevrolet instead of a new Caddy. But folks, do not give up the faith, for our Lord Jesus will calm your storms in life. Let me sum this up. Most all of the storms in our lives are self-caused, while I am sure I will hear about that statement, I will repeat it, most all of the storms in our lives are self-caused. Still, our Lord Jesus will help you calm them, He will work with You to get you out of the mess. Let's go to our Lord Jesus now in faith and give our storms, our worries, our burdens over to Him. Then after that, let's start putting some feet on the prayers and the faith and work with God as He calms the storms ... Trust me, no, Trust God, this will work ...
Dear Father in Heaven, there are many storms in our lives, some, although few, are weather related. Yes, some of those storms, for some were big, some on this line have had the side of their house torn away, but even knowing one of them as a dear friend, I know that as You calmed that storm, You brought joy into his life that he might not have known without the storm. But Lord, most all of us have had storms that we have caused on our own ... over-extended ourselves, lived beyond our very means, and then so many expect that government will bail them out. Lord, today we are looking to You to help us, but Lord as we put our faith in You and trust in You, we want to work right with You, we want to put feet on our prayers and on our faith, and we want to walk with You in faith, we want our faith feet and our prayer feet to not just look at our own storms, but to also look at our neighbors storms and help them. Lord bless those who work in Your fields of Harvest. Bless the Couriers with a schedule that You are helping them put together. Bless also Pastor Tony and Ruby ... In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth now sharing your blessings and putting feet on those prayers and on that faith. Go in love, and know where your blessings come from ... and where they don't come from ... don't be fooled, and don't be a fool ... trust Jesus, not Washington ... love ya, dan.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful, cold morning here at the Southern Location of the North Pole. If you are excited about the coming of spring, let me give you just a few facts. In two weeks, we go to daylight saving time, and four weeks from today, we have the first day of spring. NASCAR started last week, baseball spring training has started, and the "Tiger" is back. But the greatest blessings come each day as God sends us another day of life ... enjoy it!
Today is Friday and the day we pray for all those who work in the fields of Harvest for our Lord Jesus. A correction from yesterday ... Sharon Saylor, a Navy Veteran, retired from the Army depot in New Cumberland, not the Navy depot in Mechanicsburg. Thanks, Sharon, for serving our country.
Today as we pray for those who work the fields, please pray for The Couriers, as they are back out singing, preaching and teaching for our Lord Jesus. Also pray for Pastor Tony Mayeski and his wife Ruby. I have mentioned Pastor Tony before, he is truly a pastor's pastor. As you pray for them, please pray for their eyesight. I also received a praise report from Helen Thomas thanking all who prayed for her in the loss of her K-9.
"Where is your faith?" Luke 8: 25 "Where is your faith?" Jesus asked His disciples. (NIV) I am not just asking you that question today, but I am quoting Jesus as He asked that same question to His disciples. From Luke 8: 22 One day Jesus said to His disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, He fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 Where is your faith?" He asked His disciples. (NIV)
Now even after traveling with Jesus for some time they must have had questions about Him, or did not have full faith in Him at that point. In amazement they were asking one another, who is this? He not just heals the sick, He also has control over the storms ... YES, HE DOES ... and may I just add here this statement. "How often do we have so little faith that we are scared when the storms pass?"
We need to learn and take safety steps, but we need to have faith that our Lord Jesus is in control and He will protect us according to His will for us. And brothers and sisters, if we do have faith in Jesus,we should never be afraid of His Will for us. Oh, you are thinking, that is easy for Pastor Dan to say, but it is not always that easy, and you are right in thinking that. I have faith that God is going to protect us. Still when a heavy storm or storms are in the area, I start to pace. We have on several occasions taken all of our pets to the basement of the house to ride out a storm. And there have been times when the storm went past so fast that we did not have time to worry about it.
But let me get off the weather related storms in our life, for indeed most all of the storms in our life are those that are not weather related. How many people right now have storms of "no job" or your house payment, your car payment, your credit card payment, and maybe even your wife are all two months late? Did you catch that one? While the lateness of your wife should be a joyful thing as you go expecting a child, it might just be another worry if you do not have a job. Folks, we need to have faith, and a lot of it. Think of this, Our Lord has promised to supply all of our needs, but we need to have faith to receive this blessing, and sometimes this faith requires us to step out in that faith. You have heard me quote Pamela Bower many times on her saying "we need to put feet on our prayers". Folks, let me add a quote of my own today when I tell you this ... "We need to put feet on our faith." Prayer and faith go hand in hand -- as we talk to our Lord Jesus, we need to have faith that He will hear our prayers and answer them, for it is faith that gets them to Him, and brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus will answer your prayers. HOWEVER, sometimes our prayers are not answered the way we want them them to be. Sometimes you might be putting your faith in the wrong place. Think about that, do you put your faith in Jesus or are you putting your faith in man? How many people right now are putting faith in a man who just happens to be President of the United States? I want you all to know and understand that our President is not God, not now, not ever. If you are waiting for Washington to cut you a check, or pay down your house payment, you are placing your faith in the wrong place.
It is time, my friends, to put our faith in God. In doing that, we might need to take a step back before we go forward, we might need to give up a lot of our earthly wants and toys. Jesus has promised to supply our needs, but our needs do not include three big screen TV's, cell phones for all in the family, two new cars, and Friday and Saturday night out on the town each week, etc. It might mean we clean out the cupboards and eat the food that is there that we overlook. Might be time to eat some Spam, instead of Steak, drive a used Chevrolet instead of a new Caddy. But folks, do not give up the faith, for our Lord Jesus will calm your storms in life. Let me sum this up. Most all of the storms in our lives are self-caused, while I am sure I will hear about that statement, I will repeat it, most all of the storms in our lives are self-caused. Still, our Lord Jesus will help you calm them, He will work with You to get you out of the mess. Let's go to our Lord Jesus now in faith and give our storms, our worries, our burdens over to Him. Then after that, let's start putting some feet on the prayers and the faith and work with God as He calms the storms ... Trust me, no, Trust God, this will work ...
Dear Father in Heaven, there are many storms in our lives, some, although few, are weather related. Yes, some of those storms, for some were big, some on this line have had the side of their house torn away, but even knowing one of them as a dear friend, I know that as You calmed that storm, You brought joy into his life that he might not have known without the storm. But Lord, most all of us have had storms that we have caused on our own ... over-extended ourselves, lived beyond our very means, and then so many expect that government will bail them out. Lord, today we are looking to You to help us, but Lord as we put our faith in You and trust in You, we want to work right with You, we want to put feet on our prayers and on our faith, and we want to walk with You in faith, we want our faith feet and our prayer feet to not just look at our own storms, but to also look at our neighbors storms and help them. Lord bless those who work in Your fields of Harvest. Bless the Couriers with a schedule that You are helping them put together. Bless also Pastor Tony and Ruby ... In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth now sharing your blessings and putting feet on those prayers and on that faith. Go in love, and know where your blessings come from ... and where they don't come from ... don't be fooled, and don't be a fool ... trust Jesus, not Washington ... love ya, dan.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thursday: Family
"My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, and welcome to family day on the Carry The Light Ministries prayer and message line. Thursday is the day we pray for families on this line. Please pray for the Saylor family today, and welcome Sharon Saylor to the line as a prayer warrior. Sharon, a Navy Veteran, recently retired from Navy Depot in Mechanicsburg Pa. Please pray for their Uncle John also.
"Family": I did not plan this message for family day on the line, God just worked it out that way.
Luke 8: 21 Jesus replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice." (NIV)
You who have been on the line with me for a long time know that I refer to you as my brothers and sisters. Why? Because we are brothers and sisters if we indeed believe in God and put what we hear about Him into practice. It matters not to me what your race or color is, or where you go to church, it matters to me that you are saved and working for Jesus. In fact, one of the real beauties of this line is I have no idea what most of you look like, but I do know this, you must be beautiful, for you, like me, are made in the image of God, and He did not make anyone ugly. So let me ask you today, are you a brother or sister to Jesus? Are you a son or daughter of God The Father? Jesus does not ask much of us, He wants us to live a life repenting of our sins, He wants us to share our blessings and love all people, and He wants us to love Him above all others and above all else. And He wants us to tell others The Good News of Jesus. And yes, He wants us to pull our weight here on earth, meaning working to help all others, working to earn a living, doing our share.
For this, He feeds us, He supplies our clothes, doing this through the hands of others. He supplies the air we breath, He provides us housing, He really takes care of us. He really does, He really wants us to be family. Come on brothers and sisters, He just wants us to love Him enough to listen to His word and His messages and put them to work. I know many people who are faithful at going to church, yes, they give God an hour or an hour and a half on Sunday and do nothing else. And they share their blessings like this ...
One fine day at the mint (where the presses are flying right now) a 20 dollar bill was sitting on the line ready to go out into the world. Beside the 20 was a 1 dollar bill. They got to be friends. It was some ten years later they were sitting on the shredding line, and it went like this ... Hey, 20, how are you, how are you? I am fine, one, it is good to see you. Hey 20, said one, where have you been? Wow, said 20, I have been to Atlantic City, Ocean City, I have been to the West Coast, to Hollywood, I have been to Vegas, and I have been on boat cruises, I have been all over the world and exchanged and sent back. What about you, one, where have you been? And the One said ... church, church, church, church ...
Folks, while the joke is just that, a joke, how many people go to church, put in a buck, maybe sing a song, raise a hand, sleep during the message, and then go home and forget about Jesus till the next week? A lot more people than you would think. Folk,s again I ask you to think about some things like this ... take your Bible to work and on a break, read it, maybe a good time to get together with a few work brothers and sisters and do a daily devotion thing. Oh, and yes ,you may use this, you can even blog if you wish. What I am getting at is we need to really get nearer and nearer to Jesus and we need to hook up with our "brothers and sisters" in Christ. Again, listen to these words:
Jesus said: "My mother and brothers (sisters) are those who hear God's word and PUT IT INTO PRACTICE. (NIV)
Dear Father in Heaven, I pray for my brothers and sisters today, I pray for not just my blood family, I pray for all my family, for we are covered with the blood of Jesus. Lord, please keep Your healing hand on the Saylor family, each one of them, and give Sharon the nerve to step out. Lord, thanks for another day of life, and thanks for saving us. Most of all, Lord, help us to walk each day with You. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth now, my dear brothers and sisters, sharing your blessings with others ... love ya, dan.
Please note ... I will be changing from Verizon DSL to Comcast in two weeks. All should go smoothly and they have promised me that I can keep the same email address and the same phone number. The last time I changed servers, it was a nightmare. So pray for this change-over for me. We are doing the Comcast triple to save some dollars and to speed up the work. Thanks ...
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, and welcome to family day on the Carry The Light Ministries prayer and message line. Thursday is the day we pray for families on this line. Please pray for the Saylor family today, and welcome Sharon Saylor to the line as a prayer warrior. Sharon, a Navy Veteran, recently retired from Navy Depot in Mechanicsburg Pa. Please pray for their Uncle John also.
"Family": I did not plan this message for family day on the line, God just worked it out that way.
Luke 8: 21 Jesus replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice." (NIV)
You who have been on the line with me for a long time know that I refer to you as my brothers and sisters. Why? Because we are brothers and sisters if we indeed believe in God and put what we hear about Him into practice. It matters not to me what your race or color is, or where you go to church, it matters to me that you are saved and working for Jesus. In fact, one of the real beauties of this line is I have no idea what most of you look like, but I do know this, you must be beautiful, for you, like me, are made in the image of God, and He did not make anyone ugly. So let me ask you today, are you a brother or sister to Jesus? Are you a son or daughter of God The Father? Jesus does not ask much of us, He wants us to live a life repenting of our sins, He wants us to share our blessings and love all people, and He wants us to love Him above all others and above all else. And He wants us to tell others The Good News of Jesus. And yes, He wants us to pull our weight here on earth, meaning working to help all others, working to earn a living, doing our share.
For this, He feeds us, He supplies our clothes, doing this through the hands of others. He supplies the air we breath, He provides us housing, He really takes care of us. He really does, He really wants us to be family. Come on brothers and sisters, He just wants us to love Him enough to listen to His word and His messages and put them to work. I know many people who are faithful at going to church, yes, they give God an hour or an hour and a half on Sunday and do nothing else. And they share their blessings like this ...
One fine day at the mint (where the presses are flying right now) a 20 dollar bill was sitting on the line ready to go out into the world. Beside the 20 was a 1 dollar bill. They got to be friends. It was some ten years later they were sitting on the shredding line, and it went like this ... Hey, 20, how are you, how are you? I am fine, one, it is good to see you. Hey 20, said one, where have you been? Wow, said 20, I have been to Atlantic City, Ocean City, I have been to the West Coast, to Hollywood, I have been to Vegas, and I have been on boat cruises, I have been all over the world and exchanged and sent back. What about you, one, where have you been? And the One said ... church, church, church, church ...
Folks, while the joke is just that, a joke, how many people go to church, put in a buck, maybe sing a song, raise a hand, sleep during the message, and then go home and forget about Jesus till the next week? A lot more people than you would think. Folk,s again I ask you to think about some things like this ... take your Bible to work and on a break, read it, maybe a good time to get together with a few work brothers and sisters and do a daily devotion thing. Oh, and yes ,you may use this, you can even blog if you wish. What I am getting at is we need to really get nearer and nearer to Jesus and we need to hook up with our "brothers and sisters" in Christ. Again, listen to these words:
Jesus said: "My mother and brothers (sisters) are those who hear God's word and PUT IT INTO PRACTICE. (NIV)
Dear Father in Heaven, I pray for my brothers and sisters today, I pray for not just my blood family, I pray for all my family, for we are covered with the blood of Jesus. Lord, please keep Your healing hand on the Saylor family, each one of them, and give Sharon the nerve to step out. Lord, thanks for another day of life, and thanks for saving us. Most of all, Lord, help us to walk each day with You. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth now, my dear brothers and sisters, sharing your blessings with others ... love ya, dan.
Please note ... I will be changing from Verizon DSL to Comcast in two weeks. All should go smoothly and they have promised me that I can keep the same email address and the same phone number. The last time I changed servers, it was a nightmare. So pray for this change-over for me. We are doing the Comcast triple to save some dollars and to speed up the work. Thanks ...
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Wednesday: Don't Hide Jesus
No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed ...
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Salvation Wednesday, the good old middle of the week -- hump day -- and a great day to renew your spirit in our good Lord. Brothers and sisters, I ask that you pray today for Helen Thomas (not the reporter, but you should pray for her also). Our Helen had to lay her 18-year old beloved dog "Harley" to rest last night. For those of us who love our K-9s and other pets we can feel her pain. So let's lift her in prayer. Also being Salvation Wednesday, let's pray for the unsaved and for God to use us to reach out in the name of Jesus for them to come to Him.
DON'T HIDE JESUS: "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, He puts it on a stand so that those who come in can see the light" (Luke 8: 16 NIV)
While we might not put our lamp under the bed, we do some really dumb stuff with it. Let's see, we buy a 100-watt light bulb, you buy one that is frosted so the light is not so hard on your eyes, then you put it in a lamp and put a shade over it. Our wagon wheel lights (and we have four of them in our great room) -- each one has four lights on it, and each at one time used a frosted 100-watt bulb and then had a frosted glass over that and then a shade. Now they do not look as nice, but they have bare bright 35-watt bulbs in them, making more useable light. Looks bad, but works better.
HOWEVER, the lamp on the stand, the light on the table, is not what Jesus was teaching us in this lesson. In fact, there are several lessons in this scripture. Let's look at them over the next two or three days. First, let's look at our personal light, the light we put out just as we live. Now this is really not mentioned in this scripture, but I think it fits well. Jesus is the light of the world, and we are to take the good news of our Lord Jesus into all the world. When we invite Jesus into our lives, when we become born again, when we have the personal relationship with our Lord Jesus, we, believe it or not, are going to glow a lot brighter then we did before. A half-empty glass should become half-full ... a little bit of food, clothes, even your money, will grow if you invest it in God and His work.
Now, I have run across people who say they are saved, but yet they are so negative about most everything you start to wonder, not judge, but wonder, are they saved? How could someone know and trust Jesus and be so down on most everything? I know people like that -- are they saved?? I am not really sure. If they are, they for sure are putting the lamp under the bed, or under the rug ... putting it out of sight. I have said this before and I will say it again ... If you are going to work for Jesus, and we all have been ORDERED to do just that, why are you hiding His light? If He is in you, shine, baby, shine. Let your personality glow in Jesus. If you are a grump, if you are a downer type person, and you go up to someone and tell them about Jesus, what do you think they are thinking? Might it be this ... "gosh, if that is how you are when you know Jesus, I don't want anything to do with it". Think about that, is it not true? Also, there are people who are able to go to work and just refuse ... and more and more are getting on that band wagon each day. I know people who sit at a computer all day at home, answer email after email and say they cannot sit in an office. Most everyone can do something, even the older and retired. Do you know you can work for Jesus, after all He is the one who is feeding you, putting clothes on your back, and giving you air and water. You can work for Him just by the way you live -- yes, you can. Jesus set examples as He walked this earth about how to live, and we can also set examples. You can let the Jesus light shine forth for all to see. Don't hide Jesus under your bed. Let Him come out through you. Don't put Him in the trunk of your car and drive light a nut Drive safely and let His light shine. IN ALL YOU DO, DO IT LIKE YOU ARE SAVED AND ARE DOING IT FOR JESUS ... for the bottom line is ... Jesus does know all we do, and we must someday own up to all of it.
Dear Lord, I want Your light in me, and I want it to come out bright. Help me with this today. I am proud of You and I want all to see that I love You, help me show it in the way I carry myself and the way I live. Lord, I pray all on the line are praying this in faith. Comfort Helen as she suffers the loss of her K-9 friend. And Lord, may we all work for You today and everyday. Help us as we pray today for the unsaved and work to bring them into Your arms. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth, sharing your blessings, and yes, your blessings are part of the light of Jesus, so let it shine ... Love ya, dan .
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Salvation Wednesday, the good old middle of the week -- hump day -- and a great day to renew your spirit in our good Lord. Brothers and sisters, I ask that you pray today for Helen Thomas (not the reporter, but you should pray for her also). Our Helen had to lay her 18-year old beloved dog "Harley" to rest last night. For those of us who love our K-9s and other pets we can feel her pain. So let's lift her in prayer. Also being Salvation Wednesday, let's pray for the unsaved and for God to use us to reach out in the name of Jesus for them to come to Him.
DON'T HIDE JESUS: "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, He puts it on a stand so that those who come in can see the light" (Luke 8: 16 NIV)
While we might not put our lamp under the bed, we do some really dumb stuff with it. Let's see, we buy a 100-watt light bulb, you buy one that is frosted so the light is not so hard on your eyes, then you put it in a lamp and put a shade over it. Our wagon wheel lights (and we have four of them in our great room) -- each one has four lights on it, and each at one time used a frosted 100-watt bulb and then had a frosted glass over that and then a shade. Now they do not look as nice, but they have bare bright 35-watt bulbs in them, making more useable light. Looks bad, but works better.
HOWEVER, the lamp on the stand, the light on the table, is not what Jesus was teaching us in this lesson. In fact, there are several lessons in this scripture. Let's look at them over the next two or three days. First, let's look at our personal light, the light we put out just as we live. Now this is really not mentioned in this scripture, but I think it fits well. Jesus is the light of the world, and we are to take the good news of our Lord Jesus into all the world. When we invite Jesus into our lives, when we become born again, when we have the personal relationship with our Lord Jesus, we, believe it or not, are going to glow a lot brighter then we did before. A half-empty glass should become half-full ... a little bit of food, clothes, even your money, will grow if you invest it in God and His work.
Now, I have run across people who say they are saved, but yet they are so negative about most everything you start to wonder, not judge, but wonder, are they saved? How could someone know and trust Jesus and be so down on most everything? I know people like that -- are they saved?? I am not really sure. If they are, they for sure are putting the lamp under the bed, or under the rug ... putting it out of sight. I have said this before and I will say it again ... If you are going to work for Jesus, and we all have been ORDERED to do just that, why are you hiding His light? If He is in you, shine, baby, shine. Let your personality glow in Jesus. If you are a grump, if you are a downer type person, and you go up to someone and tell them about Jesus, what do you think they are thinking? Might it be this ... "gosh, if that is how you are when you know Jesus, I don't want anything to do with it". Think about that, is it not true? Also, there are people who are able to go to work and just refuse ... and more and more are getting on that band wagon each day. I know people who sit at a computer all day at home, answer email after email and say they cannot sit in an office. Most everyone can do something, even the older and retired. Do you know you can work for Jesus, after all He is the one who is feeding you, putting clothes on your back, and giving you air and water. You can work for Him just by the way you live -- yes, you can. Jesus set examples as He walked this earth about how to live, and we can also set examples. You can let the Jesus light shine forth for all to see. Don't hide Jesus under your bed. Let Him come out through you. Don't put Him in the trunk of your car and drive light a nut Drive safely and let His light shine. IN ALL YOU DO, DO IT LIKE YOU ARE SAVED AND ARE DOING IT FOR JESUS ... for the bottom line is ... Jesus does know all we do, and we must someday own up to all of it.
Dear Lord, I want Your light in me, and I want it to come out bright. Help me with this today. I am proud of You and I want all to see that I love You, help me show it in the way I carry myself and the way I live. Lord, I pray all on the line are praying this in faith. Comfort Helen as she suffers the loss of her K-9 friend. And Lord, may we all work for You today and everyday. Help us as we pray today for the unsaved and work to bring them into Your arms. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth, sharing your blessings, and yes, your blessings are part of the light of Jesus, so let it shine ... Love ya, dan .
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Tuesday: Ready or Not
It is not for you to know!!
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. What a beautiful morning here in Central Pennsylvania and another day closer to spring ... Come on spring!! In less than three weeks, we will be back on daylight saving time. Hang in there brothers and sisters, warmer weather is coming. Today is Tuesday, and that is schools day on this line, the day we pray for all of our schools. Folks, some think that our schools need more and more money, newer buildings, bigger sports complexes, so the kids get better grades. I think what our schools need is our Lord Jesus. So how do we get Him back in the schools? We send Him in the hearts of our children, the hearts of our teachers, and the hearts of parents. Let me ask you this. Other than on Schools days on this line, how long has it been since you really prayed for our schools? If you don't have kids in school, do you forget about our schools? Hey, we are footing the bill, so let's send in the new Super ... the top man, our Lord Jesus. AMEN! So pray for our schools, from early childhood to the schools of higher education. Pray for all going through the doors. Also today, please pray for Vicki, Josh and her family ... again, her plate is very full.
READY OR NOT! I remember standing in the evenings when I was young (back when the streets were still dirt and the Dead Sea was just sick) with my head buried up against a power pole or a tree counting to a hundred while all my friends and neighborhood playmates would hide. Then I would turn around and say ... READY OR NOT, HERE I COME. In most cases, all would be hidden from me, for it was my turn to be "It". If someone did not get hidden in time and you called out their name, then they would be it for the next game. But you still had to hunt down the others and try and get them out ... READY OR NOT, HERE I COME ...
Brothers and sisters, we are not even going to get that kind of warning for our Lord Jesus when He comes back, so we are getting our warnings now. And remember this, when our Lord Jesus returns, it will not be a game of hide and seek, for you will not be able to hide from Jesus. Le'ts face it, you can't hide from Him now ... Jesus is good. Now you might go to your Bible and try and figure out when Jesus is coming back, but it tells you, you just don't know. In fact, the Bible tells us that our Lord Jesus does not know ... Only the Father ... "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority." Acts 1: 7 (NIV) "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" Matthew 24: 36 (NIV).
Folks, all last week I wrote about Salvation, and I can't help wonder how many put it off. How many did not read, or did not repent? But my job for Jesus is to just get the word out that He is coming back, not to tell you when ... gosh, I don't know when ... and neither do you, nor does any other person. Not one person knows. And again I tell you to be ready. God The Father, someday will get tired of the way we are living, get tired of the cursing, the swearing, the abortions, the unfaithful in marriage, and I could go on and on. He is going to get tired of all the sin. In the days of Noah, He went to Noah and had Him build an Ark. He had warned people. It is the same today, we have been warned and warned and warned. From John the Baptist to Jesus Himself, we have been told to "Repent for the Kingdom of God is Near". So brothers and sisters, maybe, just maybe God the Father is doing the count down ... or count up ... You have heard some parents counting when their kids are bad. I am counting, I heard a mother say,... 1,2,3 she went, and then she said, I really mean it ... I am counting 1,2,3. You are going to get it. You are going to get it. My dad was a math teacher, but he never counted when I got out of line. He punished, and I love him to this day for it. But then he would forgive me. Folks, God the Father is going to send Jesus back to get those who are saved, those born again, those washed in the blood. ALL OTHERS WILL BE LOST. The game will not end like a game of hide and go seek when the one who is "it" would yell after giving up ... "All in Free, All in Free". Oh, no, no free pass to heaven after the big event. Your free pass needs picked up now. If Jesus would return right now -- WOULD YOU MAKE THE CUT?
Dear Father in Heaven, please forgive me of my sins, and even my sinful thinking. Lord wash me clean. Lord ,I pray today for our schools, and ask You, please go and take care of our schools. We who love You know that the only way our schools will work for good, is if You are involved. Some don't want You there but we do. So please Lord, enter in the hearts of the kids who love You, kids Like Julie Campbell and others whose parents have raised them to love Jesus. Lord, bless each one that carries the message in. Bless teachers who love you like big John from Carlisle and Larry from Dauphin County Tech School. Let Your love ride in on them, Lord, and many others like them. Like the principal named Tommy from Paxtang. Lord, help them. Lord, bless them. Lord, bless our schools. And Lord, Your hand is needed on Vicki and Josh and even their dogs. And Lord, thanks for looking after Oliver, and bless that book he wrote ... In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth sharing your blessings. Jesus loves you ... and yes, I love ya also. dan.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. What a beautiful morning here in Central Pennsylvania and another day closer to spring ... Come on spring!! In less than three weeks, we will be back on daylight saving time. Hang in there brothers and sisters, warmer weather is coming. Today is Tuesday, and that is schools day on this line, the day we pray for all of our schools. Folks, some think that our schools need more and more money, newer buildings, bigger sports complexes, so the kids get better grades. I think what our schools need is our Lord Jesus. So how do we get Him back in the schools? We send Him in the hearts of our children, the hearts of our teachers, and the hearts of parents. Let me ask you this. Other than on Schools days on this line, how long has it been since you really prayed for our schools? If you don't have kids in school, do you forget about our schools? Hey, we are footing the bill, so let's send in the new Super ... the top man, our Lord Jesus. AMEN! So pray for our schools, from early childhood to the schools of higher education. Pray for all going through the doors. Also today, please pray for Vicki, Josh and her family ... again, her plate is very full.
READY OR NOT! I remember standing in the evenings when I was young (back when the streets were still dirt and the Dead Sea was just sick) with my head buried up against a power pole or a tree counting to a hundred while all my friends and neighborhood playmates would hide. Then I would turn around and say ... READY OR NOT, HERE I COME. In most cases, all would be hidden from me, for it was my turn to be "It". If someone did not get hidden in time and you called out their name, then they would be it for the next game. But you still had to hunt down the others and try and get them out ... READY OR NOT, HERE I COME ...
Brothers and sisters, we are not even going to get that kind of warning for our Lord Jesus when He comes back, so we are getting our warnings now. And remember this, when our Lord Jesus returns, it will not be a game of hide and seek, for you will not be able to hide from Jesus. Le'ts face it, you can't hide from Him now ... Jesus is good. Now you might go to your Bible and try and figure out when Jesus is coming back, but it tells you, you just don't know. In fact, the Bible tells us that our Lord Jesus does not know ... Only the Father ... "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority." Acts 1: 7 (NIV) "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" Matthew 24: 36 (NIV).
Folks, all last week I wrote about Salvation, and I can't help wonder how many put it off. How many did not read, or did not repent? But my job for Jesus is to just get the word out that He is coming back, not to tell you when ... gosh, I don't know when ... and neither do you, nor does any other person. Not one person knows. And again I tell you to be ready. God The Father, someday will get tired of the way we are living, get tired of the cursing, the swearing, the abortions, the unfaithful in marriage, and I could go on and on. He is going to get tired of all the sin. In the days of Noah, He went to Noah and had Him build an Ark. He had warned people. It is the same today, we have been warned and warned and warned. From John the Baptist to Jesus Himself, we have been told to "Repent for the Kingdom of God is Near". So brothers and sisters, maybe, just maybe God the Father is doing the count down ... or count up ... You have heard some parents counting when their kids are bad. I am counting, I heard a mother say,... 1,2,3 she went, and then she said, I really mean it ... I am counting 1,2,3. You are going to get it. You are going to get it. My dad was a math teacher, but he never counted when I got out of line. He punished, and I love him to this day for it. But then he would forgive me. Folks, God the Father is going to send Jesus back to get those who are saved, those born again, those washed in the blood. ALL OTHERS WILL BE LOST. The game will not end like a game of hide and go seek when the one who is "it" would yell after giving up ... "All in Free, All in Free". Oh, no, no free pass to heaven after the big event. Your free pass needs picked up now. If Jesus would return right now -- WOULD YOU MAKE THE CUT?
Dear Father in Heaven, please forgive me of my sins, and even my sinful thinking. Lord wash me clean. Lord ,I pray today for our schools, and ask You, please go and take care of our schools. We who love You know that the only way our schools will work for good, is if You are involved. Some don't want You there but we do. So please Lord, enter in the hearts of the kids who love You, kids Like Julie Campbell and others whose parents have raised them to love Jesus. Lord, bless each one that carries the message in. Bless teachers who love you like big John from Carlisle and Larry from Dauphin County Tech School. Let Your love ride in on them, Lord, and many others like them. Like the principal named Tommy from Paxtang. Lord, help them. Lord, bless them. Lord, bless our schools. And Lord, Your hand is needed on Vicki and Josh and even their dogs. And Lord, thanks for looking after Oliver, and bless that book he wrote ... In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth sharing your blessings. Jesus loves you ... and yes, I love ya also. dan.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Monday: Build it right
When the flood came, the torrent struck but could not shake it, because it was well built.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is Monday, Presidents Day, and the day we pray for our leaders, our military, our police, and firefighters, and all others who work to keep us safe and sound. Maybe we should add contractors to the list for today....
Let me tell you first about the weekend ... First there was a conference in Hershey Pa., the sweetest place on earth, for married couples and also those getting ready to get married. Our prayer warriors Rob and Martha Campbell went to the retreat, this their fourth year if I am correct. They report that there were over a thousand couples in attendance, including 97 pastors. One couple was married less then 2 months, another 54 years. God is good, and if we learn anything about making a marriage work, we must know that a good marriage is headed up by our Lord God. I am sure I will get an amen from Rob on that.
Yesterday at the Bridges I preached on the messages I wrote last week, Salvation, who needs it? And it went really well, The Holy Spirit was ever-present and filled the room with joy and love. Then we had a concert and the Spirit of the Lord was still "hanging out with us". God is good. How many might have come to the Lord, I don't know. But the Holy Spirit was right there with this message.
Build it right! The Bible tells us about the Wise and Foolish builders, and believe me, we still have them today. I invite you to read Luke 6: 46/49 (your homework assignment). In fact, I invite all of you readers to have your Bibles with you when you read my writings. You should be checking me out ... yes, you should.
Anyway, our Lord Jesus is preaching and telling people about listening to what He is saying and how some will listen and do nothing while others will listen and put it to work. Sounds like the same thing that goes on today ... of course, for Jesus is still the same. How many of you have ever been to church and your pastor is preaching his heart out on something and you are thinking, this man/woman saw me this week, they are preaching about me? So you set out to correct what you did (repent) or maybe you did it over, not caring ... or maybe you just took a snooze during the message and did not hear it at all.
Lets look at the builders: Lets call them Jiffy Builders, and Do Right Builders. First both builders, to get a job, must find a place to build the places. In this both cases they are house builders. Most builders would like to be called home builders, but as you and I know, only Jesus in the house can make it a home, so Jesus alone, will be the home builder. Even the Bible refers to a house in this reading ... "He is like a man building a house" -- Luke 6: 46a. Anyway, both builders go and search for lots. Jiffy takes the first thing coming along that is low priced and gets working. Do Right is looking for something that not just has a view, maybe a stream, but is in safe ground. Jiffy found his ground which looked good, but was a former landfill. Do Right found a great old farm ...
Jiffy went in and started building, working in some cases very, very fast . Cheaper materials were used. In some cases, ground was just made level, stones put in and a slab poured to set the house on. Do Right did testing and found out just how far down the foundation had to be to support the house. He checked on the wetlands and flood plan. When he built it, he used the best materials. When the builders were done, Jiffy had a bigger house, it was really big, while Do Right's was smaller. Both houses sold for about the same money. So which one would you want? Tempting to get the bigger one, right? Yes it is. It is hard for us customers to purchase the benefits that we cannot see. Think about that in life. You want to see where your money went.
Anyway, this example could be used in many things you purchase. You can purchase things for less money that are not built as well, or you could spend more and get better. In a word, you are getting what you paid for.
Now let's go to the Lord and see what He is really telling us. He wants all of us to build on The Rock. Remember this from Psalm 18 1/2 -- I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (NIV)
Now let's go to our house, yours and mine. We have a house, is it not a fortress of ours, a place we spend in the cold, in the heat, in the rain, in storms. We do not want the house to slip on the mud, or have the roof blow off in the wind, we want it right. Likewise, we need to build our families on a good foundation. This is where the examples all lead that Jesus gave us. We need to change our house to a home, make it safe by bringing on board the Holy Spirit. Bring in THE ROCK. Today I ask you to consider doing this if you have not ever done this. Go to the front door, open it, get on your knees and invite in Jesus. Turn your house into a home. Please use the front door ... meaning bring Jesus in for all to see. Don't be ashamed of Jesus. Don't sneak Him in the back door, welcome Him in the front. This is another example my friends of living for Jesus. Bring Him on board in all you do. Invite Him into your car, into your school, your workplace. We have a traveling Lord, for if you invite Him on board with You, He will surely be with you till the end of time, and will be with you each and every place you go. Amen ...
Dear Lord, today we want to invite You into our home again. Yes, Lord, You have made our house a home, and we are indeed thankful. Lord, I pray for those who have not and ask that You use us to get the word out to have open house for Your entry. And, Lord, since I pay some taxes that help build and keep the White House in Washington, DC, I invite You in there also. And I ask that You protect our president and his family, and Lord, I pray if he is not saved, he will bow down to You and give his heart to You. Lord, please protect our military also and all those who work to keep us safe and free. In the name of Jesus, Amen. Oh Lord, one other thing ... I love You ...
Now go forth, building all you do on the Rock of our Salvation, on our Lord Jesus ... and sharing is a good way to go forth also. So please share your blessings. Love ya, dan.
PS, remember to check out our blogspo t... get involved with it ...
http://carrythelight4jesus.blogspot.com/
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is Monday, Presidents Day, and the day we pray for our leaders, our military, our police, and firefighters, and all others who work to keep us safe and sound. Maybe we should add contractors to the list for today....
Let me tell you first about the weekend ... First there was a conference in Hershey Pa., the sweetest place on earth, for married couples and also those getting ready to get married. Our prayer warriors Rob and Martha Campbell went to the retreat, this their fourth year if I am correct. They report that there were over a thousand couples in attendance, including 97 pastors. One couple was married less then 2 months, another 54 years. God is good, and if we learn anything about making a marriage work, we must know that a good marriage is headed up by our Lord God. I am sure I will get an amen from Rob on that.
Yesterday at the Bridges I preached on the messages I wrote last week, Salvation, who needs it? And it went really well, The Holy Spirit was ever-present and filled the room with joy and love. Then we had a concert and the Spirit of the Lord was still "hanging out with us". God is good. How many might have come to the Lord, I don't know. But the Holy Spirit was right there with this message.
Build it right! The Bible tells us about the Wise and Foolish builders, and believe me, we still have them today. I invite you to read Luke 6: 46/49 (your homework assignment). In fact, I invite all of you readers to have your Bibles with you when you read my writings. You should be checking me out ... yes, you should.
Anyway, our Lord Jesus is preaching and telling people about listening to what He is saying and how some will listen and do nothing while others will listen and put it to work. Sounds like the same thing that goes on today ... of course, for Jesus is still the same. How many of you have ever been to church and your pastor is preaching his heart out on something and you are thinking, this man/woman saw me this week, they are preaching about me? So you set out to correct what you did (repent) or maybe you did it over, not caring ... or maybe you just took a snooze during the message and did not hear it at all.
Lets look at the builders: Lets call them Jiffy Builders, and Do Right Builders. First both builders, to get a job, must find a place to build the places. In this both cases they are house builders. Most builders would like to be called home builders, but as you and I know, only Jesus in the house can make it a home, so Jesus alone, will be the home builder. Even the Bible refers to a house in this reading ... "He is like a man building a house" -- Luke 6: 46a. Anyway, both builders go and search for lots. Jiffy takes the first thing coming along that is low priced and gets working. Do Right is looking for something that not just has a view, maybe a stream, but is in safe ground. Jiffy found his ground which looked good, but was a former landfill. Do Right found a great old farm ...
Jiffy went in and started building, working in some cases very, very fast . Cheaper materials were used. In some cases, ground was just made level, stones put in and a slab poured to set the house on. Do Right did testing and found out just how far down the foundation had to be to support the house. He checked on the wetlands and flood plan. When he built it, he used the best materials. When the builders were done, Jiffy had a bigger house, it was really big, while Do Right's was smaller. Both houses sold for about the same money. So which one would you want? Tempting to get the bigger one, right? Yes it is. It is hard for us customers to purchase the benefits that we cannot see. Think about that in life. You want to see where your money went.
Anyway, this example could be used in many things you purchase. You can purchase things for less money that are not built as well, or you could spend more and get better. In a word, you are getting what you paid for.
Now let's go to the Lord and see what He is really telling us. He wants all of us to build on The Rock. Remember this from Psalm 18 1/2 -- I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (NIV)
Now let's go to our house, yours and mine. We have a house, is it not a fortress of ours, a place we spend in the cold, in the heat, in the rain, in storms. We do not want the house to slip on the mud, or have the roof blow off in the wind, we want it right. Likewise, we need to build our families on a good foundation. This is where the examples all lead that Jesus gave us. We need to change our house to a home, make it safe by bringing on board the Holy Spirit. Bring in THE ROCK. Today I ask you to consider doing this if you have not ever done this. Go to the front door, open it, get on your knees and invite in Jesus. Turn your house into a home. Please use the front door ... meaning bring Jesus in for all to see. Don't be ashamed of Jesus. Don't sneak Him in the back door, welcome Him in the front. This is another example my friends of living for Jesus. Bring Him on board in all you do. Invite Him into your car, into your school, your workplace. We have a traveling Lord, for if you invite Him on board with You, He will surely be with you till the end of time, and will be with you each and every place you go. Amen ...
Dear Lord, today we want to invite You into our home again. Yes, Lord, You have made our house a home, and we are indeed thankful. Lord, I pray for those who have not and ask that You use us to get the word out to have open house for Your entry. And, Lord, since I pay some taxes that help build and keep the White House in Washington, DC, I invite You in there also. And I ask that You protect our president and his family, and Lord, I pray if he is not saved, he will bow down to You and give his heart to You. Lord, please protect our military also and all those who work to keep us safe and free. In the name of Jesus, Amen. Oh Lord, one other thing ... I love You ...
Now go forth, building all you do on the Rock of our Salvation, on our Lord Jesus ... and sharing is a good way to go forth also. So please share your blessings. Love ya, dan.
PS, remember to check out our blogspo t... get involved with it ...
http://carrythelight4jesus.blogspot.com/
Friday, February 13, 2009
Friday: Romans 10:9/10
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. AMEN and AMEN!
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, and welcome to day five of Salvation week on the Carry The Light Ministries prayer and message line. Today I will try and explain the final step you must take for salvation, and I want to point this out right away. Although it is the final step as I explain it, you must even after asking Jesus into your heart, keep living for Him daily, repenting from your sins. You see if you truly are saved, your life will change. If you come to the Lord for the very first time today, if you make the step -- BEWARE, YOU WILL CHANGE!!
Romans 10:9/10 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (NIV)
1 John 5:10/13 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (NIV)
It is truly amazing how God lines things up when we work for Him. Just today in the "Faith" section of our paper, the writer of the "God Squad", Rabbi Marc Gellman, tells that Salvation won't be resolved till death. He is telling this based on a question about a mixed family, a marriage between a Jew and a Christian (Catholic).
Now let me put in my two cents worth here. While it is very true that Jesus will judge us when we pass from this earth, if we do not make our plans for salvation while we are alive to do it ... WE WILL NOT HAVE ANY SALVATION ... SO SALVATION OCCURS WHEN YOU TAKE JESUS AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR ... and now I said it, that is what I believe. You become saved before you die. You are a Saint when you accept Jesus here on earth. When you pass, you will be one of the Saints as you go marching in (as the song sings and the Bible tells us). When you get on your knees, or stand before God while you are here on earth and ask Him to forgive you of your sins, when you repent of those sins and you truly, truly believe in the virgin birth, the death on the cross, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, and the facts, the true facts that He has gone on to Heaven to prepare a place for us, when you truly believe that, and confess it to Jesus, YOU WILL BE SAVED ... You have your salvation, and you will change.
Please, do not put this off one day longer. Last night, 10:20 PM, a plane with 44 passengers and 4 crew went down and all were killed. Those with salvation are with God. The rest were wasted. And folks, one person in a house was killed. Why am I telling you this?? Why? Because we do not know when our life will end. You might put a lot of things off in life, but this is one thing I really beg you not to put off.
Some people have gone to their local funeral home and made all the arrangements for what they call their final arrangements. They pick a casket, they pay for the service, they buy a lot or plot, they get the headstone in place. All the arrangements are made and paid in full ... except for one. If you have not come before Jesus, you forgot the most important one. You made arrangements for a body that will be no good anymore, and did not make arrangements for your soul and to get your new body. And this one as I have told you already this week is paid for in full up front by our Lord Jesus. You might have life insurance to give your family money, but have your really insured your life to come? Have you called upon the Lord? State Farm, All State, Nationwide, or even the company with the rock will not get you into heaven. Only the Rock, the real Rock, the ROCK OF OUR SALVATION, OUR LORD JESUS. He is the one and only way to heaven.
So now I ask you again, are you ready to come to Jesus, on this day we pray for all those working for Him, are you ready to come to Him? The rabbi from the God Squad said this, "What happens after death is really none of our business." What the heck is he talking about? What happens to us after death is all about our business. That is why we want to go to Jesus now, we have control over what happens to us after our death ... and yes, we can help lead others to Jesus also. It is a simple thing folks, and we have control over where we go. Jesus paid the price, we just need to believe and live for Him.
Good living alone will not get you into heaven ... a lot of people think that. Singing in the choir, making dinners for your church, taking up the offering, and feeding the poor and hungry will not get you in. You will not be judged on these things. That way, no one can boast when they get to heaven. You must have Jesus in your heart. Then of course all these works will be added unto you. For if you know people who say they love Jesus and have Him in their hearts, and do not work for good, chances are they do not have Jesus in their hearts. This works together ... first you must be saved.
Here are the two scary words ... you must be "BORN AGAIN". Oh yeah, I am one of those "Born Again" Christians. I have been asked tha t... Are you a "Born Again" Folks? If you are not "Born Again", you are not a Christian and not a Saint and not Saved. Ok, enough already ... Will you pray this with me in faith? Will you confess over to the Lord today? If you need help, please call me ... 717 691 8200 or email, you can just hit reply ...
Maybe you want to renew. Here we go ... if you are not going to pray in faith, you are wasting your breath and time. In faith, are you with me? Come on, come on, Jesus is calling us.
Dear Father in Heaven ... I am a sinner and I am tired of it, I want to live for Jesus and I want Jesus to live in me. I believe in the virgin birth, the death and resurrection and I believe it was done by Jesus to save me from my sins. I want to repent today of my sins and walk for You, Jesus. Forgive me and save me. Thanks Jesus. I ask You this in the name of Jesus ... pour Your blood over me. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Salvation!! Who needs it? Only those wanting to go to Heaven. It has been a joy, brothers and sisters ... Now pray for me this weekend as I preach and teach this same message on Sunday.
Carry The Light will be in concert Sunday afternoon at 2.00 PM at the Bridges ... yes, we are home on Sunday afternoon. Come on out ... 2100 Bent Creek Blvd., Mechanicsburg Pa. Now go forth and share your blessings. Love ya, dan.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, and welcome to day five of Salvation week on the Carry The Light Ministries prayer and message line. Today I will try and explain the final step you must take for salvation, and I want to point this out right away. Although it is the final step as I explain it, you must even after asking Jesus into your heart, keep living for Him daily, repenting from your sins. You see if you truly are saved, your life will change. If you come to the Lord for the very first time today, if you make the step -- BEWARE, YOU WILL CHANGE!!
Romans 10:9/10 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (NIV)
1 John 5:10/13 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (NIV)
It is truly amazing how God lines things up when we work for Him. Just today in the "Faith" section of our paper, the writer of the "God Squad", Rabbi Marc Gellman, tells that Salvation won't be resolved till death. He is telling this based on a question about a mixed family, a marriage between a Jew and a Christian (Catholic).
Now let me put in my two cents worth here. While it is very true that Jesus will judge us when we pass from this earth, if we do not make our plans for salvation while we are alive to do it ... WE WILL NOT HAVE ANY SALVATION ... SO SALVATION OCCURS WHEN YOU TAKE JESUS AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR ... and now I said it, that is what I believe. You become saved before you die. You are a Saint when you accept Jesus here on earth. When you pass, you will be one of the Saints as you go marching in (as the song sings and the Bible tells us). When you get on your knees, or stand before God while you are here on earth and ask Him to forgive you of your sins, when you repent of those sins and you truly, truly believe in the virgin birth, the death on the cross, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, and the facts, the true facts that He has gone on to Heaven to prepare a place for us, when you truly believe that, and confess it to Jesus, YOU WILL BE SAVED ... You have your salvation, and you will change.
Please, do not put this off one day longer. Last night, 10:20 PM, a plane with 44 passengers and 4 crew went down and all were killed. Those with salvation are with God. The rest were wasted. And folks, one person in a house was killed. Why am I telling you this?? Why? Because we do not know when our life will end. You might put a lot of things off in life, but this is one thing I really beg you not to put off.
Some people have gone to their local funeral home and made all the arrangements for what they call their final arrangements. They pick a casket, they pay for the service, they buy a lot or plot, they get the headstone in place. All the arrangements are made and paid in full ... except for one. If you have not come before Jesus, you forgot the most important one. You made arrangements for a body that will be no good anymore, and did not make arrangements for your soul and to get your new body. And this one as I have told you already this week is paid for in full up front by our Lord Jesus. You might have life insurance to give your family money, but have your really insured your life to come? Have you called upon the Lord? State Farm, All State, Nationwide, or even the company with the rock will not get you into heaven. Only the Rock, the real Rock, the ROCK OF OUR SALVATION, OUR LORD JESUS. He is the one and only way to heaven.
So now I ask you again, are you ready to come to Jesus, on this day we pray for all those working for Him, are you ready to come to Him? The rabbi from the God Squad said this, "What happens after death is really none of our business." What the heck is he talking about? What happens to us after death is all about our business. That is why we want to go to Jesus now, we have control over what happens to us after our death ... and yes, we can help lead others to Jesus also. It is a simple thing folks, and we have control over where we go. Jesus paid the price, we just need to believe and live for Him.
Good living alone will not get you into heaven ... a lot of people think that. Singing in the choir, making dinners for your church, taking up the offering, and feeding the poor and hungry will not get you in. You will not be judged on these things. That way, no one can boast when they get to heaven. You must have Jesus in your heart. Then of course all these works will be added unto you. For if you know people who say they love Jesus and have Him in their hearts, and do not work for good, chances are they do not have Jesus in their hearts. This works together ... first you must be saved.
Here are the two scary words ... you must be "BORN AGAIN". Oh yeah, I am one of those "Born Again" Christians. I have been asked tha t... Are you a "Born Again" Folks? If you are not "Born Again", you are not a Christian and not a Saint and not Saved. Ok, enough already ... Will you pray this with me in faith? Will you confess over to the Lord today? If you need help, please call me ... 717 691 8200 or email, you can just hit reply ...
Maybe you want to renew. Here we go ... if you are not going to pray in faith, you are wasting your breath and time. In faith, are you with me? Come on, come on, Jesus is calling us.
Dear Father in Heaven ... I am a sinner and I am tired of it, I want to live for Jesus and I want Jesus to live in me. I believe in the virgin birth, the death and resurrection and I believe it was done by Jesus to save me from my sins. I want to repent today of my sins and walk for You, Jesus. Forgive me and save me. Thanks Jesus. I ask You this in the name of Jesus ... pour Your blood over me. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Salvation!! Who needs it? Only those wanting to go to Heaven. It has been a joy, brothers and sisters ... Now pray for me this weekend as I preach and teach this same message on Sunday.
Carry The Light will be in concert Sunday afternoon at 2.00 PM at the Bridges ... yes, we are home on Sunday afternoon. Come on out ... 2100 Bent Creek Blvd., Mechanicsburg Pa. Now go forth and share your blessings. Love ya, dan.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Thursday: Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Good Morning my dear brothers and sisters. Welcome to day four of Salvation week on the Carry The Light Ministries prayer and message line. Early in the week, I told you that we were paid for our sins, that there were wages for those sins. Today I want to talk to you about God's stimulus plan for us, how God, through His Son Jesus, wrote the "bail out check" for us.
Today as I start, I want to show you just one way that satan tries to get people on his side. Yesterday, in front of the Dauphin County Court House, Harrisburg Pa., the gay community protested about not being able to have rights to marry the same sex. In the crowd were children -- one dear little girl holding a sign looked to be about 4 years old. What is being taught to that child? If all that is not bad enough, the protest rally was being held by a "church" and the members were of course wearing the rainbow colors. The Unitarian Church of Harrisburg was one of the sponsors of the event. Not only are the church leaders wrong in their teaching and preaching ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE ... there is a heavy price to pay for a pastor who leads his/her flock astray. Remember this, we need to love these folks, but hate the sin, like we should hate all sin. Jesus went to the cross to forgive all people of their sins, which includes these folks, the same as it includes you and me.
Romans 5: 8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NIV) Now, we must believe, and we will talk more about this in the final lesson on this tomorrow. I want to point out just how we are cleaned of our sins. What really takes away our sins? Yes, it was Jesus going to the cross for us, dying for us. But what really does it?. What is the cleaning fluid, so to speak? If you make a mess, or ladies, if your husband makes a mess and you need to clean it up, you get out something to clean it. Maybe some type of cleaning fluid ... soap and water, 409, Mr. Clean, Pine Sol, Spic and Span, Windex, and yes I could go on and on. But the cleaning fluids of our dirty lives will not clean up the dirt of our sins.
Romans 5: 9 Since we have now been justified BY HIS BLOOD, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him? (NIV) Not only do I want to point out here that the cleaning fluid that cleans our sins is the blood of our Lord Jesus, I want to point out what this blood of His is really saving us from. And to some this might sound strange ... some folks do not like to hear we should fear God. But it is very clear to me that He is saving us from His own wrath. Yes, He is saving us from Hell, and putting us into Heaven, but He, Jesus, is the judge. It is His mercy, or His wrath that will decide where we are heading. However, as we will find out tomorrow, the call is up to us, as JESUS PAID THE PRICE, JESUS PAID THE WAY, JESUS CUT THE STIMULUS CHECK.
Jesus was spit on, mocked, yelled at, treated very badly, He was whipped, beaten, strapped, punished, and nailed to a cross. Thorns were placed into His head, and He was stabbed in the side, and this was all taken by Him for us. Beside doing all that, He supplies our needs ... and yes, a lot of our wants. So I ask you this today. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO FOR HIM TODAY? ANYTHING? ARE YOU GOING TO SHARE HIS WORD? SHARE YOUR BLESSINGS? REPENT FROM SIN? LIVE TO PLEASE HIM? OR ARE YOU GOING TO DRIVE SOME MORE NAILS INTO HIS HANDS AND FEET?
Dear Father in Heaven, Thanks for letting Your blood be spilled for me, for us, and Lord help me to never forget it. Lord today, help me walk each and every step to please You. Help us to repent and to share Your love and blessings. And today, family day, I pray for families, and for salvation of families. How nice it would be if all the family members of our families would be saved. Help us, Lord, help us ... in the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth now, sharing those blessings, sharing the love of Jesus, sharing the blood of Jesus. Have a blessed day, and in our area, hold onto your hat ... love ya, dan.
Good Morning my dear brothers and sisters. Welcome to day four of Salvation week on the Carry The Light Ministries prayer and message line. Early in the week, I told you that we were paid for our sins, that there were wages for those sins. Today I want to talk to you about God's stimulus plan for us, how God, through His Son Jesus, wrote the "bail out check" for us.
Today as I start, I want to show you just one way that satan tries to get people on his side. Yesterday, in front of the Dauphin County Court House, Harrisburg Pa., the gay community protested about not being able to have rights to marry the same sex. In the crowd were children -- one dear little girl holding a sign looked to be about 4 years old. What is being taught to that child? If all that is not bad enough, the protest rally was being held by a "church" and the members were of course wearing the rainbow colors. The Unitarian Church of Harrisburg was one of the sponsors of the event. Not only are the church leaders wrong in their teaching and preaching ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE ... there is a heavy price to pay for a pastor who leads his/her flock astray. Remember this, we need to love these folks, but hate the sin, like we should hate all sin. Jesus went to the cross to forgive all people of their sins, which includes these folks, the same as it includes you and me.
Romans 5: 8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NIV) Now, we must believe, and we will talk more about this in the final lesson on this tomorrow. I want to point out just how we are cleaned of our sins. What really takes away our sins? Yes, it was Jesus going to the cross for us, dying for us. But what really does it?. What is the cleaning fluid, so to speak? If you make a mess, or ladies, if your husband makes a mess and you need to clean it up, you get out something to clean it. Maybe some type of cleaning fluid ... soap and water, 409, Mr. Clean, Pine Sol, Spic and Span, Windex, and yes I could go on and on. But the cleaning fluids of our dirty lives will not clean up the dirt of our sins.
Romans 5: 9 Since we have now been justified BY HIS BLOOD, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him? (NIV) Not only do I want to point out here that the cleaning fluid that cleans our sins is the blood of our Lord Jesus, I want to point out what this blood of His is really saving us from. And to some this might sound strange ... some folks do not like to hear we should fear God. But it is very clear to me that He is saving us from His own wrath. Yes, He is saving us from Hell, and putting us into Heaven, but He, Jesus, is the judge. It is His mercy, or His wrath that will decide where we are heading. However, as we will find out tomorrow, the call is up to us, as JESUS PAID THE PRICE, JESUS PAID THE WAY, JESUS CUT THE STIMULUS CHECK.
Jesus was spit on, mocked, yelled at, treated very badly, He was whipped, beaten, strapped, punished, and nailed to a cross. Thorns were placed into His head, and He was stabbed in the side, and this was all taken by Him for us. Beside doing all that, He supplies our needs ... and yes, a lot of our wants. So I ask you this today. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO FOR HIM TODAY? ANYTHING? ARE YOU GOING TO SHARE HIS WORD? SHARE YOUR BLESSINGS? REPENT FROM SIN? LIVE TO PLEASE HIM? OR ARE YOU GOING TO DRIVE SOME MORE NAILS INTO HIS HANDS AND FEET?
Dear Father in Heaven, Thanks for letting Your blood be spilled for me, for us, and Lord help me to never forget it. Lord today, help me walk each and every step to please You. Help us to repent and to share Your love and blessings. And today, family day, I pray for families, and for salvation of families. How nice it would be if all the family members of our families would be saved. Help us, Lord, help us ... in the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Go forth now, sharing those blessings, sharing the love of Jesus, sharing the blood of Jesus. Have a blessed day, and in our area, hold onto your hat ... love ya, dan.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Wednesday: John 3: 16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV)
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, and welcome to Salvation Wednesday, in the middle of Salvation week on Carry The Light Ministries prayer and message line. And yes, it is the day we pray for the unsaved and for God to use us to go to the fields of Harvest and work getting in the lost.
Warriors, I ask today you go into deep prayer with the Lord. It does not need to be a lot of words, just deep and meaningful as we ask God to use us. This week is very important for all of us. Let's start again by asking God to clean us.
Dear Father, each day we want to start clean, and it should not be just this week, but each day, all of our lives. And we need to repent, repent of our sins, and Your help is needed for us. Clean me, oh Lord. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
John 3: 16 A quick review of the week ... Monday: Who needs Salvation? Only those who want to go to Heaven. We get paid to sin. The wages of sin is death. Tuesday: Repent, we need to be cleaned of our sins by God and then we need to repent of them. So here we are on ...
Wednesday: Why in the world is God concerned about us? And why would He do what He did for us?
The first thing that God did for us was this: He made a world and everything in it and gave it all to us except for one little tree. So He really had a big investment in us right from the start, then He gave us free will. May I dare relate this to the stock market of today, or a bank. This happened to me back even before George W. Bush. I retired from work, I took my dollars from the retirement fund and put them in what was to be a secure 401 K at the bank. The bank invested it and walked away from it, we had a blip in the market and I lost most of the money. Gone, never to be seen again. Back in the 90's folks. (Yes we recovered because we love God.) Ok, what am I saying here? I, like many others, put my trust in people to do something, and the people we trusted failed, and we lost what we entrusted to them. Is that not what God did, He took all He made, all of it, and trusted it to Adam and Eve, and then of course us, after it all filters down. And we failed Him ...
God has been through it before, trusted man with what He made and then had to destroy it with a flood. But again after that He trusted man again, this time starting with Noah and of course once again I say it all filters down to us. Why folks, why in the world is God so concerned about us that He wants us to do it right? We are His children, He is our Father. Men, those of you who have children -- don't we all want to see our kids do it right, and it hurts so bad when we see them mess up.
First, it reflects on us, but that is not the bottom line if we really think about it. The bottom line is we just want to see our kids get it right and not get hurt. I have talked to several men on this line who will join me in saying just that. It hurts when one just walks away or even just messes up on something that will affect them for life. So God is concerned about us because He made us. Really, we should not try and make it difficult, He is concerned about us just because, well because we are His kids.
John 3: 16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV)
Do you remember how when our parents would punish us they would say it is going to hurt me more than you? And just why if it was going to hurt my pop, would he just not forget about me?
John 3: 17 For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. (KJV)
So our parents were really trying to save us from future problems by teaching us right, even if it hurt them to punish us. So you ask me, did God hurt Himself when He punished His Son, or left Him be punished for us? Yes, God did just that. In plain words, God loves us, His earthly children, that He sent Jesus, His one and only begotten Son, so we might all live if we just believe. And brothers and sisters, as we will see later this week, Jesus really walked the hill for us.
Remember on Monday I said we get paid for our sins. Tomorrow we are going to find out who signed the check to pay our bail -- Who stood in for us to pay for our sins -- Who bailed us out.
Now go forth, knowing today from this lesson that God loves us (like we didn't already know). Walk with God today, walk to please Him, and tell others about Him ... and yes, if you wish you may print this message and share it with others ... or send them to our blogspot ... http://carrythelight4Jesus.blogspot.com/. Share those blessings, folks, and live for Jesus. love ya, dan.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, and welcome to Salvation Wednesday, in the middle of Salvation week on Carry The Light Ministries prayer and message line. And yes, it is the day we pray for the unsaved and for God to use us to go to the fields of Harvest and work getting in the lost.
Warriors, I ask today you go into deep prayer with the Lord. It does not need to be a lot of words, just deep and meaningful as we ask God to use us. This week is very important for all of us. Let's start again by asking God to clean us.
Dear Father, each day we want to start clean, and it should not be just this week, but each day, all of our lives. And we need to repent, repent of our sins, and Your help is needed for us. Clean me, oh Lord. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
John 3: 16 A quick review of the week ... Monday: Who needs Salvation? Only those who want to go to Heaven. We get paid to sin. The wages of sin is death. Tuesday: Repent, we need to be cleaned of our sins by God and then we need to repent of them. So here we are on ...
Wednesday: Why in the world is God concerned about us? And why would He do what He did for us?
The first thing that God did for us was this: He made a world and everything in it and gave it all to us except for one little tree. So He really had a big investment in us right from the start, then He gave us free will. May I dare relate this to the stock market of today, or a bank. This happened to me back even before George W. Bush. I retired from work, I took my dollars from the retirement fund and put them in what was to be a secure 401 K at the bank. The bank invested it and walked away from it, we had a blip in the market and I lost most of the money. Gone, never to be seen again. Back in the 90's folks. (Yes we recovered because we love God.) Ok, what am I saying here? I, like many others, put my trust in people to do something, and the people we trusted failed, and we lost what we entrusted to them. Is that not what God did, He took all He made, all of it, and trusted it to Adam and Eve, and then of course us, after it all filters down. And we failed Him ...
God has been through it before, trusted man with what He made and then had to destroy it with a flood. But again after that He trusted man again, this time starting with Noah and of course once again I say it all filters down to us. Why folks, why in the world is God so concerned about us that He wants us to do it right? We are His children, He is our Father. Men, those of you who have children -- don't we all want to see our kids do it right, and it hurts so bad when we see them mess up.
First, it reflects on us, but that is not the bottom line if we really think about it. The bottom line is we just want to see our kids get it right and not get hurt. I have talked to several men on this line who will join me in saying just that. It hurts when one just walks away or even just messes up on something that will affect them for life. So God is concerned about us because He made us. Really, we should not try and make it difficult, He is concerned about us just because, well because we are His kids.
John 3: 16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV)
Do you remember how when our parents would punish us they would say it is going to hurt me more than you? And just why if it was going to hurt my pop, would he just not forget about me?
John 3: 17 For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. (KJV)
So our parents were really trying to save us from future problems by teaching us right, even if it hurt them to punish us. So you ask me, did God hurt Himself when He punished His Son, or left Him be punished for us? Yes, God did just that. In plain words, God loves us, His earthly children, that He sent Jesus, His one and only begotten Son, so we might all live if we just believe. And brothers and sisters, as we will see later this week, Jesus really walked the hill for us.
Remember on Monday I said we get paid for our sins. Tomorrow we are going to find out who signed the check to pay our bail -- Who stood in for us to pay for our sins -- Who bailed us out.
Now go forth, knowing today from this lesson that God loves us (like we didn't already know). Walk with God today, walk to please Him, and tell others about Him ... and yes, if you wish you may print this message and share it with others ... or send them to our blogspot ... http://carrythelight4Jesus.blogspot.com/. Share those blessings, folks, and live for Jesus. love ya, dan.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Tuesday: Matthew 3:3b
"A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
Good morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Welcome to day two of Salvation week on Carry The Light Ministries prayer and message line. Today, Tuesday, is the day we set aside to pray for our schools and all those who go through the doors at the schools.
Yesterday, we prayed for forgiveness of our sins, for God to put us clean again, and I want to repeat that short prayer right now ... for this lesson, we should get a clean start. Join me in this prayer that no one else can pray for you ...
Dear God forgive me of my sins and sinful ways ... clean me like a new fallen snow cleans the ground it falls upon. Thanks Jesus, I ask this in your name. Amen.
My opening line this morning comes from Matthew 3: 3b, and it is John the Baptist telling all that Jesus is coming, and to make straight paths for Him. How do we make straight paths in our lives according to the Bible? WE REPENT. Yesterday, I talked about getting paid to be a sinner, and who needs salvation. Well let me repeat, the only people who need salvation are those who want to get into heaven. No Salvation, No Heaven. Today, I just want to talk to you about repenting from your sins. Folks, let me tell you what it means to repent. It means to turn and walk away from your sins. Just yesterday, another baseball player went before the cameras and confessed to doing drugs that enhance playing. He said he was under pressure to play better. Why, so he could make millions of dollars a year!! I am saying this for as I am just relaying what is in the Bible that we need to repent, I will tell you that each day we Christians are under great pressure to sin.
And when we do, we do not need to go before the cameras of earth to confess. We just need to go to Jesus ... however Jesus expects us to repent.
John called it this way in Matthew 3: 3b "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
Now, let's look at the words of our Lord Jesus on this subject. Matthew 4: 17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." (NIV)
Jesus teaches us all along that we need to repent. Yes, Jesus will forgive us. Let me ask you this ... parents, do you ever get tired of correcting a child? Son, you just cannot do this. Daughter, you just cannot do this. Stop it right now. I need you to behave. What do you think God is telling us, His very own children? Yes, we are children of God (even those who do not believe in Him, are His children.) Can't you just picture Jesus looking down on us and saying ... I just want you to behave ... I want you to stop this sinning, I am getting sick of this. REPENT ... Gosh, if we were sitting where God is, and we are not ... We might be yelling REPENT DUMMY, I TOLD YOU TO REPENT! I know a lot of people who do not want to believe this, but we need to fear God, we really do. I had a very loving mother and father, I really did. They loved me enough to punish me when I went wrong, and if I did that same thing again, the punishment was worse. Oh yeah, it got worse. And my friends, I learned to love my parents, love them more each day, and I also learned to have a fear of doing wrong, knowing that my dad would hand out justice. So who needs to repent?
Who needs to repent? I do, for sure ... how about you? The Bible tells me you are like me, you are a sinner. We looked at that yesterday. So who needs to repent? All of us ...
Matthew 9: 13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners." (NIV) Jesus died for us sinners. He was sent here to earth, via a virgin mother by God The Father in Heaven. A way of cleaning up the sins of the world without again destroying His wonderful work. He sent Jesus to die for sinners, for all sinners ... and we are those sinners. He did not come to heal the righteous but us sinners, and according to the Bible that would be all of us. So today, starting clean, I want to repeat what John and Jesus both said - today I will say it - REPENT, for the Kingdom of God is coming again. John said repent for Jesus is coming, Jesus said repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is coming and I am saying REPENT FOR JESUS IS COMING AGAIN! And to that we all should say ... PRAISE GOD!
Go forth sharing your blessings and repenting from your sins, doing good to all people, of all colors and all races and all religions. Share your love of Jesus, and brothers and sisters, show your respect for Jesus by repenting. love ya, dan.
Good morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Welcome to day two of Salvation week on Carry The Light Ministries prayer and message line. Today, Tuesday, is the day we set aside to pray for our schools and all those who go through the doors at the schools.
Yesterday, we prayed for forgiveness of our sins, for God to put us clean again, and I want to repeat that short prayer right now ... for this lesson, we should get a clean start. Join me in this prayer that no one else can pray for you ...
Dear God forgive me of my sins and sinful ways ... clean me like a new fallen snow cleans the ground it falls upon. Thanks Jesus, I ask this in your name. Amen.
My opening line this morning comes from Matthew 3: 3b, and it is John the Baptist telling all that Jesus is coming, and to make straight paths for Him. How do we make straight paths in our lives according to the Bible? WE REPENT. Yesterday, I talked about getting paid to be a sinner, and who needs salvation. Well let me repeat, the only people who need salvation are those who want to get into heaven. No Salvation, No Heaven. Today, I just want to talk to you about repenting from your sins. Folks, let me tell you what it means to repent. It means to turn and walk away from your sins. Just yesterday, another baseball player went before the cameras and confessed to doing drugs that enhance playing. He said he was under pressure to play better. Why, so he could make millions of dollars a year!! I am saying this for as I am just relaying what is in the Bible that we need to repent, I will tell you that each day we Christians are under great pressure to sin.
And when we do, we do not need to go before the cameras of earth to confess. We just need to go to Jesus ... however Jesus expects us to repent.
John called it this way in Matthew 3: 3b "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
Now, let's look at the words of our Lord Jesus on this subject. Matthew 4: 17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." (NIV)
Jesus teaches us all along that we need to repent. Yes, Jesus will forgive us. Let me ask you this ... parents, do you ever get tired of correcting a child? Son, you just cannot do this. Daughter, you just cannot do this. Stop it right now. I need you to behave. What do you think God is telling us, His very own children? Yes, we are children of God (even those who do not believe in Him, are His children.) Can't you just picture Jesus looking down on us and saying ... I just want you to behave ... I want you to stop this sinning, I am getting sick of this. REPENT ... Gosh, if we were sitting where God is, and we are not ... We might be yelling REPENT DUMMY, I TOLD YOU TO REPENT! I know a lot of people who do not want to believe this, but we need to fear God, we really do. I had a very loving mother and father, I really did. They loved me enough to punish me when I went wrong, and if I did that same thing again, the punishment was worse. Oh yeah, it got worse. And my friends, I learned to love my parents, love them more each day, and I also learned to have a fear of doing wrong, knowing that my dad would hand out justice. So who needs to repent?
Who needs to repent? I do, for sure ... how about you? The Bible tells me you are like me, you are a sinner. We looked at that yesterday. So who needs to repent? All of us ...
Matthew 9: 13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners." (NIV) Jesus died for us sinners. He was sent here to earth, via a virgin mother by God The Father in Heaven. A way of cleaning up the sins of the world without again destroying His wonderful work. He sent Jesus to die for sinners, for all sinners ... and we are those sinners. He did not come to heal the righteous but us sinners, and according to the Bible that would be all of us. So today, starting clean, I want to repeat what John and Jesus both said - today I will say it - REPENT, for the Kingdom of God is coming again. John said repent for Jesus is coming, Jesus said repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is coming and I am saying REPENT FOR JESUS IS COMING AGAIN! And to that we all should say ... PRAISE GOD!
Go forth sharing your blessings and repenting from your sins, doing good to all people, of all colors and all races and all religions. Share your love of Jesus, and brothers and sisters, show your respect for Jesus by repenting. love ya, dan.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Monday: John 14: 6
Jesus said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, and welcome to Salvation Week on Carry The Light Ministries prayer and message line. This week, God willing, we will be talking about how to get to Heaven, what must be done, who needs to do it, who paved the way. I never ask anyone to forward things that I write, but I do invite you, if in your heart you want, to share messages of this week.
Folks, I am asking God to give it to me plain and simple, plain words, and easy to understand...
First, brothers and sisters, it is good to be back. Dolores and I were hit with a flu bug like neither of us have ever seen before. I got it first, setting in last Thursday afternoon and going strong into Saturday. It hit Dolores on Saturday and she is still down with it. I am still weak. We cancelled a concert on Saturday, which to my memory is the very first one we had to cancel for being sick. We did reschedule some to line up with my back surgeries of past. God did see that I was able to preach on Sunday, and sent us LeaAnne Crocket to play the piano. This wonderful lady, one of the activity leaders at the Bridges is always willing to help Carry The Light Ministries.
Remember, today is Monday and the day we pray for our leaders, our military and all others who work for our safety and our health.
John 14: 6 Jesus said unto him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (King James Version) Jesus answered: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me:" (New International Version)
Now I could just stop here, for this verse spells out who gets us into heaven, but it does need background and it needs to be, well, put in the words God is giving me, it needs told to others ... and we could say that it needs SOLD to others ... and I am not talking about selling for money, but selling meaning making others understand what it means. So let's dig in and get started.
First thing I want to tell you is that if anytime you need prayer, or need to talk about this, please email me directly at icarrythelight4God@msn.com or call me at 1 717 691 8200 or in case of emergency please call my cell phone... I do request that you use that in case of emergency only; that number is 1 717 991 0754. Or you can write to Carry The Light Ministries at 16 Dewalt Drive Mechanicsburg, Pa. 17050.
First of all, who needs salvation, who really needs this? The answer to this is simple, only those wanting to get to heaven when they pass from this earth. Or I could say it this way also ... only those not wanting to go to Hell. It really means the same thing since there are only two locations to spend the hereafter ... just two, and folks, brothers and sisters, as we will find out this week, the choice is yours, for Jesus has done His part.
So who needs it? We all do, since I think we all want to get to heaven. What is blocking us from just going there when we pass? Again a simple answer ... SIN. And we are all sinners, yes we are.
Let's go to Romans 3: 23, and unless I mark differentlly, all Bible quotes will be from my NIV study Bible.
Romans 3: 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Please notice it does say ALL have sinned, and all includes you and me ... me and you, us, we. Face it, brothers and sisters, we have all messed up at one time or another, all of us, and I might add, more than once. Remember also a sin is a sin is a sin, and I ask you right now to take a real good deep look at yourself. Have you sinned this morning already? Think about it, think about your drive to work, what were you thinking when that blank, blank cut you off! Did you really want to pop him or her the bird, or did you really do it? Remember, your thinking is a sin, you just did not act out on it.
Now you may quote me on this, when it comes to sinning, "Your thinking is just a sin you did not act out on yet." Men, if you undress a woman in your mind, it is a sin, and ladies, the same goes for you. So what am I pointing out today? Just what it tells us in Romans 3: 23 For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ... each of us, all of us. So I can think of no better way to start this series than to go to God and ask Him to start us on this assignment free and clear of sin ...
Please, dear Father in Heaven, we are all sinners, but we want to be clear of sin right now to start these lessons, so please, dear Lord, forgive me of my sins, and hear the personal prayers of all other readers who are asking right now. Thanks for washing us white as the new fallen snow. In the name of Jesus I give honor and glory to You ... Amen.
One other point I want to make today is sinners get paid. WHAT, you are telling me to give up sin and then in the next part you are telling me that sinners get paid? Are you nuts, you might be saying to me. Well, yes, but that's beside the point. Ok, I am saying that we do get a wage for our sins. And I am not just talking about those who deal in sin for pay, as in selling street drugs, prostitution, or being a doctor who gets PAID TO KILL THE UNBORN CHILDREN ... Let's go to Romans 6: 23a For the wages of sin is death!! Plain and simple, your pay for sinning is DEATH. Wow, what a great reward, what a wonderful paycheck for sinning, we die. But let me put it in words that might be a tad stronger. The wages of sin is death and burning in Hell. But there are answers, there are ways around this. There is light at the end of that tunnel ... there is Heaven. Come back tomorrow as we start digging into "The Way and The Truth".
Now go forth walking with Jesus, walking to please Him, for if we indeed walk to please Jesus, does it really make a difference what the others might think? Please, Jesus first, and always. One way to please Him is to share your blessings. love ya, dan. Again, sorry about missing on Friday...
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, and welcome to Salvation Week on Carry The Light Ministries prayer and message line. This week, God willing, we will be talking about how to get to Heaven, what must be done, who needs to do it, who paved the way. I never ask anyone to forward things that I write, but I do invite you, if in your heart you want, to share messages of this week.
Folks, I am asking God to give it to me plain and simple, plain words, and easy to understand...
First, brothers and sisters, it is good to be back. Dolores and I were hit with a flu bug like neither of us have ever seen before. I got it first, setting in last Thursday afternoon and going strong into Saturday. It hit Dolores on Saturday and she is still down with it. I am still weak. We cancelled a concert on Saturday, which to my memory is the very first one we had to cancel for being sick. We did reschedule some to line up with my back surgeries of past. God did see that I was able to preach on Sunday, and sent us LeaAnne Crocket to play the piano. This wonderful lady, one of the activity leaders at the Bridges is always willing to help Carry The Light Ministries.
Remember, today is Monday and the day we pray for our leaders, our military and all others who work for our safety and our health.
John 14: 6 Jesus said unto him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (King James Version) Jesus answered: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me:" (New International Version)
Now I could just stop here, for this verse spells out who gets us into heaven, but it does need background and it needs to be, well, put in the words God is giving me, it needs told to others ... and we could say that it needs SOLD to others ... and I am not talking about selling for money, but selling meaning making others understand what it means. So let's dig in and get started.
First thing I want to tell you is that if anytime you need prayer, or need to talk about this, please email me directly at icarrythelight4God@msn.com or call me at 1 717 691 8200 or in case of emergency please call my cell phone... I do request that you use that in case of emergency only; that number is 1 717 991 0754. Or you can write to Carry The Light Ministries at 16 Dewalt Drive Mechanicsburg, Pa. 17050.
First of all, who needs salvation, who really needs this? The answer to this is simple, only those wanting to get to heaven when they pass from this earth. Or I could say it this way also ... only those not wanting to go to Hell. It really means the same thing since there are only two locations to spend the hereafter ... just two, and folks, brothers and sisters, as we will find out this week, the choice is yours, for Jesus has done His part.
So who needs it? We all do, since I think we all want to get to heaven. What is blocking us from just going there when we pass? Again a simple answer ... SIN. And we are all sinners, yes we are.
Let's go to Romans 3: 23, and unless I mark differentlly, all Bible quotes will be from my NIV study Bible.
Romans 3: 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Please notice it does say ALL have sinned, and all includes you and me ... me and you, us, we. Face it, brothers and sisters, we have all messed up at one time or another, all of us, and I might add, more than once. Remember also a sin is a sin is a sin, and I ask you right now to take a real good deep look at yourself. Have you sinned this morning already? Think about it, think about your drive to work, what were you thinking when that blank, blank cut you off! Did you really want to pop him or her the bird, or did you really do it? Remember, your thinking is a sin, you just did not act out on it.
Now you may quote me on this, when it comes to sinning, "Your thinking is just a sin you did not act out on yet." Men, if you undress a woman in your mind, it is a sin, and ladies, the same goes for you. So what am I pointing out today? Just what it tells us in Romans 3: 23 For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ... each of us, all of us. So I can think of no better way to start this series than to go to God and ask Him to start us on this assignment free and clear of sin ...
Please, dear Father in Heaven, we are all sinners, but we want to be clear of sin right now to start these lessons, so please, dear Lord, forgive me of my sins, and hear the personal prayers of all other readers who are asking right now. Thanks for washing us white as the new fallen snow. In the name of Jesus I give honor and glory to You ... Amen.
One other point I want to make today is sinners get paid. WHAT, you are telling me to give up sin and then in the next part you are telling me that sinners get paid? Are you nuts, you might be saying to me. Well, yes, but that's beside the point. Ok, I am saying that we do get a wage for our sins. And I am not just talking about those who deal in sin for pay, as in selling street drugs, prostitution, or being a doctor who gets PAID TO KILL THE UNBORN CHILDREN ... Let's go to Romans 6: 23a For the wages of sin is death!! Plain and simple, your pay for sinning is DEATH. Wow, what a great reward, what a wonderful paycheck for sinning, we die. But let me put it in words that might be a tad stronger. The wages of sin is death and burning in Hell. But there are answers, there are ways around this. There is light at the end of that tunnel ... there is Heaven. Come back tomorrow as we start digging into "The Way and The Truth".
Now go forth walking with Jesus, walking to please Him, for if we indeed walk to please Jesus, does it really make a difference what the others might think? Please, Jesus first, and always. One way to please Him is to share your blessings. love ya, dan. Again, sorry about missing on Friday...
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Thursday: Your car and you
Happy Thursday, my dear brothers and sisters. It is family day on this line, and how important families are! The most important part of a family is Jesus, in fact if you do not have Jesus in your family, you are missing the one who should be heading it up ... AMEN.
Let's today welcome Jesus into our homes and hearts . Let's put Him in charge of things. Jesus will give you things that money or fame cannot purchase; He will give you love, unconditional love, and besides that He will supply all of your needs if you just believe. So pray for families today, pray for the family of God, notice it does not say families of God, for indeed there is just one family of God for there is but one God. Next, pray for all families, and please pray for our family and we will pray for yours. AMEN.
We are thankful this day that Oliver has come home from the hospital, however please keep him in your prayers.
Your car and you: People often say that we who have dogs sort of look and even act like our beloved pets. Wow, is that true or what? I have always loved those dogs with long hair, and if you have seen me and know me you know I don't spend much money on haircuts or shaving ... in fact, I don't spend any. My dogs of choice over the years -- Yorkshire Terriers, Collies, Old English Sheep, long haired Poms. But what about your car and you ... What do you have in common with that car?
Most of us who have been motorheads and I am surely one of those, have a love for the first car they ever owned. So my love of cars would go back to a 1947 Oldsmobile Convertible, a 1938 International Panel Truck and a 1950 Ford two door sedan. I got the first, the Olds, at age 14, the truck at 15, and the Ford the day I turned 16. After that first car, I don't believe there has been a time in my life that I had just one or even two vehicles. Maybe today I should be ashamed to say just how many vehicles I have. But what do we have in common with those beloved cars?
Well, we both for sure like to eat. Back when I was sixteen and driving my cars, a gallon of gas was about 19 cents and a burger was 15 cents. Today in our area gas is about 1 buck 90 cents and you can buy a former 15 cent burger for, well a buck ... in fact, you can get a double burger with cheese for a buck. What a bargain that burger is, but people sure are funny ... we complain about how much that gallon of gas costs, and when we fill the car we go into the store to pay for it, and pick up a bottle of water for a buck (that is still just about free at home), and a cup of coffee for well sometimes up to 4 dollars. OK, got off the subject a tad ... we both like to eat. Oh, and your car and you, well dare I say we both have "Exhaust" and I am not sure which stinks the most. And cars of today have a brain, and today when our car goes to the shop they hook up these big machines that check our systems, sort of like going to the doctor's for a heart test.... And if the car is not working correctly it might even overheat like we do. If a tire goes flat, it would limp like a person with a bad foot.
Now folks, I could go on and on with this. When we by a car, do we get one that fits our habits? If you are a man who takes his shirt off in the summer or a lady who likes to wear those halter tops around the yard, maybe you like the cars that, well go topless. If you are one who likes the sheer look of those nylons maybe you like the cars with the glass tops. If you are a big person, and this is me, you still like those really big cars. In my daily driver is a 1993 Caddy six door sedan (21 mile per gallon, thank you). So again I could go on and on down memory lane ... A petite lady like my dear wife Dolores has a Chevrolet HHR, a wee little truck (oops, only 20 MPG on that one).
Back in the sixties, I drove those VW bugs and the Chevrolet Corvair (no smart remarks about the location of the engine folks). Like all cars, if you do not service them properly, they cause you trouble. Well if you did not keep the right amount of air in the rear tires and you drove like a nut, you could roll them over easily. You have the same thing today on an SUV. Along comes a man called Ralph Nader and the Nader raiders as we called them, and cars that had some problems were called back to the ones who built them for repairs. And yes, folks, that is the last thing today I want to touch on about you and your car being the same. Both are subject to recall by their makers. Yes, we people get called by our maker into His service and we will also be recalled by our maker when our time is up here on earth.
Now, when a car is recalled, you hope to get it back to the shop before what is being recalled might break and have you sitting along the road. Well folks, you get a letter in the mail and maybe a reminder or two about the recall on the vehicle. But what about us, you know, will God send us a letter? You are being recalled on March 1, 2009. No. ... we need to get ourselves ready for the recall now. Your letters have been sent ... in fact, I sent you one just yesterday and took you through all the repair steps. So you are ready for the recall if you invited Jesus into your life ...
Oh, there is one thing about the recall we will get ... God will send for us, we will not be able to take that beloved car. You can leave it for someone else here on earth. Maybe put a note in it ... oh, that is a good idea, let's all put a plan of salvation in the glove box for the next owner.
Folks, I am sure that over the years, you have had more repairs done to you than all your cars put together. Think about it, how many times have you replaced your brakes, changed your oil, put on new tires? Then think about this, how many times has God healed your colds, healed broken bones, healed broken hearts, broken spirits, and most of all forgiven our sins? Oh, we have been repaired and repaired, but up till now NEVER RECALLED. Folks, today take this as a recall warning on yourself, get ready, look at yesterdays message. And when the recall notice comes, you will find yourself before Jesus, already past, already forgiven, already repaired, and like getting a new car, well PRAISE THE LORD, we will get that new body ... no pain, no suffering, and no hurts, and no more recalls, just one ... just one ... So get ready... who knows when we will be recalled? You have already been called (Mark 16: 15) now be ready for the recall ...
Dear Father in Heaven, I want to be in the family of God, I want to be forgiven of my sins so that when recall day comes for me, I will be welcome home. Lord, please forgive me of my sins and help me repent of them. In the name of Jesus I ask this . Save me please. In Jesus name, Amen.
Now share those blessings, that is one thing that after you are born again you can do to be working for Jesus. Working on the called par. Oh, and God does pay good for working for Him, yes, He supplies our needs, and that benefit package, well that is just HEAVENLY ... Love ya, dan.
Oh, by the way, I do have more than two vehicles right now ... just a few, maybe two dozen. But just ONE AND ONE ONLY GOD, HIS NAME IS JESUS ...
Let's today welcome Jesus into our homes and hearts . Let's put Him in charge of things. Jesus will give you things that money or fame cannot purchase; He will give you love, unconditional love, and besides that He will supply all of your needs if you just believe. So pray for families today, pray for the family of God, notice it does not say families of God, for indeed there is just one family of God for there is but one God. Next, pray for all families, and please pray for our family and we will pray for yours. AMEN.
We are thankful this day that Oliver has come home from the hospital, however please keep him in your prayers.
Your car and you: People often say that we who have dogs sort of look and even act like our beloved pets. Wow, is that true or what? I have always loved those dogs with long hair, and if you have seen me and know me you know I don't spend much money on haircuts or shaving ... in fact, I don't spend any. My dogs of choice over the years -- Yorkshire Terriers, Collies, Old English Sheep, long haired Poms. But what about your car and you ... What do you have in common with that car?
Most of us who have been motorheads and I am surely one of those, have a love for the first car they ever owned. So my love of cars would go back to a 1947 Oldsmobile Convertible, a 1938 International Panel Truck and a 1950 Ford two door sedan. I got the first, the Olds, at age 14, the truck at 15, and the Ford the day I turned 16. After that first car, I don't believe there has been a time in my life that I had just one or even two vehicles. Maybe today I should be ashamed to say just how many vehicles I have. But what do we have in common with those beloved cars?
Well, we both for sure like to eat. Back when I was sixteen and driving my cars, a gallon of gas was about 19 cents and a burger was 15 cents. Today in our area gas is about 1 buck 90 cents and you can buy a former 15 cent burger for, well a buck ... in fact, you can get a double burger with cheese for a buck. What a bargain that burger is, but people sure are funny ... we complain about how much that gallon of gas costs, and when we fill the car we go into the store to pay for it, and pick up a bottle of water for a buck (that is still just about free at home), and a cup of coffee for well sometimes up to 4 dollars. OK, got off the subject a tad ... we both like to eat. Oh, and your car and you, well dare I say we both have "Exhaust" and I am not sure which stinks the most. And cars of today have a brain, and today when our car goes to the shop they hook up these big machines that check our systems, sort of like going to the doctor's for a heart test.... And if the car is not working correctly it might even overheat like we do. If a tire goes flat, it would limp like a person with a bad foot.
Now folks, I could go on and on with this. When we by a car, do we get one that fits our habits? If you are a man who takes his shirt off in the summer or a lady who likes to wear those halter tops around the yard, maybe you like the cars that, well go topless. If you are one who likes the sheer look of those nylons maybe you like the cars with the glass tops. If you are a big person, and this is me, you still like those really big cars. In my daily driver is a 1993 Caddy six door sedan (21 mile per gallon, thank you). So again I could go on and on down memory lane ... A petite lady like my dear wife Dolores has a Chevrolet HHR, a wee little truck (oops, only 20 MPG on that one).
Back in the sixties, I drove those VW bugs and the Chevrolet Corvair (no smart remarks about the location of the engine folks). Like all cars, if you do not service them properly, they cause you trouble. Well if you did not keep the right amount of air in the rear tires and you drove like a nut, you could roll them over easily. You have the same thing today on an SUV. Along comes a man called Ralph Nader and the Nader raiders as we called them, and cars that had some problems were called back to the ones who built them for repairs. And yes, folks, that is the last thing today I want to touch on about you and your car being the same. Both are subject to recall by their makers. Yes, we people get called by our maker into His service and we will also be recalled by our maker when our time is up here on earth.
Now, when a car is recalled, you hope to get it back to the shop before what is being recalled might break and have you sitting along the road. Well folks, you get a letter in the mail and maybe a reminder or two about the recall on the vehicle. But what about us, you know, will God send us a letter? You are being recalled on March 1, 2009. No. ... we need to get ourselves ready for the recall now. Your letters have been sent ... in fact, I sent you one just yesterday and took you through all the repair steps. So you are ready for the recall if you invited Jesus into your life ...
Oh, there is one thing about the recall we will get ... God will send for us, we will not be able to take that beloved car. You can leave it for someone else here on earth. Maybe put a note in it ... oh, that is a good idea, let's all put a plan of salvation in the glove box for the next owner.
Folks, I am sure that over the years, you have had more repairs done to you than all your cars put together. Think about it, how many times have you replaced your brakes, changed your oil, put on new tires? Then think about this, how many times has God healed your colds, healed broken bones, healed broken hearts, broken spirits, and most of all forgiven our sins? Oh, we have been repaired and repaired, but up till now NEVER RECALLED. Folks, today take this as a recall warning on yourself, get ready, look at yesterdays message. And when the recall notice comes, you will find yourself before Jesus, already past, already forgiven, already repaired, and like getting a new car, well PRAISE THE LORD, we will get that new body ... no pain, no suffering, and no hurts, and no more recalls, just one ... just one ... So get ready... who knows when we will be recalled? You have already been called (Mark 16: 15) now be ready for the recall ...
Dear Father in Heaven, I want to be in the family of God, I want to be forgiven of my sins so that when recall day comes for me, I will be welcome home. Lord, please forgive me of my sins and help me repent of them. In the name of Jesus I ask this . Save me please. In Jesus name, Amen.
Now share those blessings, that is one thing that after you are born again you can do to be working for Jesus. Working on the called par. Oh, and God does pay good for working for Him, yes, He supplies our needs, and that benefit package, well that is just HEAVENLY ... Love ya, dan.
Oh, by the way, I do have more than two vehicles right now ... just a few, maybe two dozen. But just ONE AND ONE ONLY GOD, HIS NAME IS JESUS ...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Wednesday: Called
Happy Salvation Wednesday, my dear brothers and sisters. Yes, it is hump day, the old middle of the work week, and Salvation Wednesday on this line. A message of Salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ is needed ... and needed over and over again ... for we never really know who is saved. I remember asking Pastor, Dr. Richard Denison, my pastor at the time, if he was saved ... later he told the flock that he was taken aback at first by my asking this, but later realized that I love him and cared enough about him to ask. So often we do not ask a friend or even a family member if they are born again because we do not want to upset them. Brothers and sisters, the place to really work on salvation for our Lord Jesus should be under your own roof ... AMEN.
So today please pray for God to open the hearts and minds of those whose paths we cross to receive a word on Salvation from us, and for God to use us to help lead the unsaved to His feet. Please note, we and us = you and me. Also pray today for Oliver Ogden, Bill Sanders, Jill Smith, Dolores Lehman, all who need prayers for healing.
Called: This week I have been writing about our Lord Jesus calling His disciples and about His healing and how our sins can cause us to be crippled, and let me add that our sins can even cause us to be sick. You know when Jesus called His disciples He did not call perfect people, lets face it, there were none to call. But back in those days, a tax collector was not considered a good person but Jesus called Levi who was sitting at his tax booth. "Follow Me," Jesus said. And he calls the sinners to work for Him. Folks, while many a man or woman got a great start in life and then went into the fields working for Jesus, a lot of workers in the field were called after they had, well after they, well after we, were sort of at the bottom. I have heard people say about me, YOU PREACH? And yes once in a while I hear people talking behind my back saying ... I remember him when he did -- and on and on it goes. Funny how God forgives us but man while saying they forgive don't forget and once in a while they get that chance to gossip a tad and bring things up.
You might be saying to yourself, I am not worthy of working for Jesus, I am not worthy of telling others about Jesus. Folks, listen for the call from Jesus. Quoting Jesus on this one. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance." (Luke 5: 31/32 NIV) Please remember this, when Jesus calls us, and we answer the call, if we start by asking Him to clean us of our sins, we are clean ... we are again healthy, we have been to Doctor Jesus and now are clean workers in His fields.
Now I mentioned about messages on Salvation ... One of the most important things that we who are on the road for Jesus do is offer a call for Salvation during or at the end of each service. While I was growing up I do not recall one time our pastor at the United Brethren had a call for salvation, sometimes referred to as an altar call. Not once, and when I got out of high school and starting not going to church after my mamma died, I truly knew about the Lord, but did not really know Him. After I was saved and starting going to concerts with Brotherhood, Couriers, and Jacobs Brothers, I heard the message over and over again ... and the more I heard the messages of Salvation the more I wanted to hear. My dear friends, it is so important to hear that message. I pray I will never forget to have that call at the end of one of our concerts or at our services at the Bridges.
So today I ask you the question ... Are you saved? Do you know Jesus personally? Have You been to the Altar of Jesus? Are you washed in the blood that was shed for you on the Cross by Jesus? If you were called today to work for Jesus, would you go? (And you have already been called.) If you do not understand what I am talking about, if you are not sure about your salvation, please, do not wait one minute longer. Please get out your Bible and read ...
Romans 3: 23 -- We are all sinners.
Romans 6: 23 -- There is a price to pay for sin.
Matthew 9: 13 -- we need to repent.
John 3: 16 -- God Loves us:
Romans 5: 8 -- Christ paid the price for our sins
Romans 10: 9/10 and 1 John 5: 10/13 -- You must believe in Him
Then I also ask that you call me, 717 691 8200. This is my home phone, if I am not here I will call you back, leave your number. I am serious about this.. If you are not sure if you are saved, "Born Again", if you are not sure if you die today that you would get into heaven ... CALL AT ONCE ... We have a network of pastors on this line, pastors and workers for our Lord Jesus that would love to talk to you, as I would. Please, please do not go on if you are just not sure. Remember to take on our Lord Jesus. YOU MUST REPENT OF YOUR SINS, not just ask to be forgiven. To get you started today will you pray this sinners prayer with me ... Lets start by cleaning up our act right now ... Even the saved on this line might need a "wash job" with the blood of Jesus. LETS' DO IT ...
Dear Father in Heaven, please forgive me of my sins, all of them, right up to this very minute. Lord then please, please help me to repent, I am a sinner and I really want to repent and walk with you. I do believe You are the one and only way I can get into Heaven, for You died for me and You have gone on before me. I believe that, dear Lord. I also today ask that You get my room ready and make me so I can get into it. Forgive me, Lord, forgive me, Lord. And Lord, help me tell others about Your love and saving grace. And, Lord, help me find Christian friends, Christian buddies, and help me read and understand the word from my Bible. I ask all of this in the name of the one who died for me, Jesus ... Amen.
One of the best ways to get started working in those fields of harvest and serving the Lord is to just share those blessings He has given you. If you bring home ten cans of food, put one back for the food bank, if you make a hundred dollars, give some away to help others. YOU CANNOT OUT-GIVE THE LORD ... and you can test Him on this one. Even if you get food from a food bank or food pantry, share some of that. Yes, sharing your blessings is a great thing to do. To quote again Pastor Richard Denison, "we are blessed to be a blessing." And remember this ... I love ya ... dan.
Tomorrow: What do you have in common with your car?
So today please pray for God to open the hearts and minds of those whose paths we cross to receive a word on Salvation from us, and for God to use us to help lead the unsaved to His feet. Please note, we and us = you and me. Also pray today for Oliver Ogden, Bill Sanders, Jill Smith, Dolores Lehman, all who need prayers for healing.
Called: This week I have been writing about our Lord Jesus calling His disciples and about His healing and how our sins can cause us to be crippled, and let me add that our sins can even cause us to be sick. You know when Jesus called His disciples He did not call perfect people, lets face it, there were none to call. But back in those days, a tax collector was not considered a good person but Jesus called Levi who was sitting at his tax booth. "Follow Me," Jesus said. And he calls the sinners to work for Him. Folks, while many a man or woman got a great start in life and then went into the fields working for Jesus, a lot of workers in the field were called after they had, well after they, well after we, were sort of at the bottom. I have heard people say about me, YOU PREACH? And yes once in a while I hear people talking behind my back saying ... I remember him when he did -- and on and on it goes. Funny how God forgives us but man while saying they forgive don't forget and once in a while they get that chance to gossip a tad and bring things up.
You might be saying to yourself, I am not worthy of working for Jesus, I am not worthy of telling others about Jesus. Folks, listen for the call from Jesus. Quoting Jesus on this one. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance." (Luke 5: 31/32 NIV) Please remember this, when Jesus calls us, and we answer the call, if we start by asking Him to clean us of our sins, we are clean ... we are again healthy, we have been to Doctor Jesus and now are clean workers in His fields.
Now I mentioned about messages on Salvation ... One of the most important things that we who are on the road for Jesus do is offer a call for Salvation during or at the end of each service. While I was growing up I do not recall one time our pastor at the United Brethren had a call for salvation, sometimes referred to as an altar call. Not once, and when I got out of high school and starting not going to church after my mamma died, I truly knew about the Lord, but did not really know Him. After I was saved and starting going to concerts with Brotherhood, Couriers, and Jacobs Brothers, I heard the message over and over again ... and the more I heard the messages of Salvation the more I wanted to hear. My dear friends, it is so important to hear that message. I pray I will never forget to have that call at the end of one of our concerts or at our services at the Bridges.
So today I ask you the question ... Are you saved? Do you know Jesus personally? Have You been to the Altar of Jesus? Are you washed in the blood that was shed for you on the Cross by Jesus? If you were called today to work for Jesus, would you go? (And you have already been called.) If you do not understand what I am talking about, if you are not sure about your salvation, please, do not wait one minute longer. Please get out your Bible and read ...
Romans 3: 23 -- We are all sinners.
Romans 6: 23 -- There is a price to pay for sin.
Matthew 9: 13 -- we need to repent.
John 3: 16 -- God Loves us:
Romans 5: 8 -- Christ paid the price for our sins
Romans 10: 9/10 and 1 John 5: 10/13 -- You must believe in Him
Then I also ask that you call me, 717 691 8200. This is my home phone, if I am not here I will call you back, leave your number. I am serious about this.. If you are not sure if you are saved, "Born Again", if you are not sure if you die today that you would get into heaven ... CALL AT ONCE ... We have a network of pastors on this line, pastors and workers for our Lord Jesus that would love to talk to you, as I would. Please, please do not go on if you are just not sure. Remember to take on our Lord Jesus. YOU MUST REPENT OF YOUR SINS, not just ask to be forgiven. To get you started today will you pray this sinners prayer with me ... Lets start by cleaning up our act right now ... Even the saved on this line might need a "wash job" with the blood of Jesus. LETS' DO IT ...
Dear Father in Heaven, please forgive me of my sins, all of them, right up to this very minute. Lord then please, please help me to repent, I am a sinner and I really want to repent and walk with you. I do believe You are the one and only way I can get into Heaven, for You died for me and You have gone on before me. I believe that, dear Lord. I also today ask that You get my room ready and make me so I can get into it. Forgive me, Lord, forgive me, Lord. And Lord, help me tell others about Your love and saving grace. And, Lord, help me find Christian friends, Christian buddies, and help me read and understand the word from my Bible. I ask all of this in the name of the one who died for me, Jesus ... Amen.
One of the best ways to get started working in those fields of harvest and serving the Lord is to just share those blessings He has given you. If you bring home ten cans of food, put one back for the food bank, if you make a hundred dollars, give some away to help others. YOU CANNOT OUT-GIVE THE LORD ... and you can test Him on this one. Even if you get food from a food bank or food pantry, share some of that. Yes, sharing your blessings is a great thing to do. To quote again Pastor Richard Denison, "we are blessed to be a blessing." And remember this ... I love ya ... dan.
Tomorrow: What do you have in common with your car?
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