2 Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love & a sound mind. 1John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear…. Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord, & He answered me & delivered me from all my fears. 1 John 4:8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1Peter 4:8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Col 3:14 Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. —I have learned that there is a lot of joy & fulfillment that comes from giving, provided that giving comes from a place of love & not fear! Do you believe that if love is not shared, then it is not real love! Do you believe that there are those that can’t even experience real love because of the fear that binds their hearts? What about the ones that do nothing more than take & take! The ego within tries to manipulate or control! Is the ego empty from taking, manipulating or controlling? Where is real balance found? God is the only one that really knows! Who is willing to find real love by surrendering to God? It is found in surrender! Do you fear surrender? Love vs fear! It is a struggle! Surrender is the final battle, because it is the submission to God! That is the only thing that overcomes fear, as well as control, & manipulation! Learning to Love right, always leads us closer to God! Love Mel
Cat and Dog Theology Part 2
From Bill- Cat & Dog Theology continued. What is our purpose? Isaiah 43:7 (NKJV) 7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” Our purpose is to glorify God! Psalm 100:2-3 says: “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, & we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 139 says: For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” —Sometimes we wonder if God still cares about us when things don’t go our way or we cannot clearly discern the purpose of God in our current circumstances. But then we should remind ourselves “it’s not about us”. Whew!! Our circumstances are not a judgment of God upon us. He promises to bring good from what the enemy means for our bad! And He will use us when he needs us– we just need to be available. Q: Is God being glorified today? His spirit is working everywhere & pastors, preachers & missionaries are spreading the word throughout the world. We can Participate daily with our prayers, time, giving, & as He leads. He is being glorified, & that is that & should be sufficient to give us great joy as His children. Let us rejoice. Love Mel
Cat and Dog Theology (borrowed from G. Robison)
From Bill— Cat & Dog Theology – credit to Gerald Robison sermon. The Dog says: You feed me, you pet me, you house me – YOU must be God”. The Cat says “You feed me, you pet me, you house me – I must be God”. Now consider, Are we Cat or Dog Christians? Dog theology looks with a longing love only to be with His Master in Heaven. While Cat theology – with a sigh of relief -seeks God mostly to avoid Hell. When we wake each day & utter our first prayer, when we read the word of God or hear it preached, do we see it from His perspective & desire to find out how we may glorify Him in all we do? Or do we selfishly seek all that God can do for us & all the blessings He can give us? By now, we must know the Bible plan is all about God & not all about us? Knowing it is all about Him – History is His Story – taking the confusion away & helping us answer some of our questions of life like “why me”. & I t can remove some of the pressures we place on ourselves. Seek to love & serve His purposes then many questions will be answered. Much of the pain we induce to ourselves will be relieved. Being “dog-like” is a great picture of what it looks like to seek God! It’s a worthy spiritual goal. This is where we find the love we desire! Remember it is all about Him!! And He is not Santa, He is our Creator, with our salvation in His wings!—Isaiah 40:3 A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.”—Love Mel
Palm Sunday and the Lowly, Humble Donkey!!
Beast of burden! Gen 22:3 Abraham got up early in the morning to saddle his donkey, a small act, yet one of obedience to the Lord in order to offer Isaac up to God. Zech 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous & victorious, gentle & riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Luke 19:29-31 As He (Jesus) approached Bethphage & Bethany at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples. saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, & as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it & bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why you are untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’” Matt 11: 29-30 Take My yoke upon you & learn from Me; for I am gentle & humble in heart, & you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy & My burden is light.”Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, & He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved. Gen 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, & so fulfill the law of Christ.—The donkey is a sign of peace & service! He was created to carry burdens & the very fact that he carried our Lord into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, just as it was prophesied! Burden bearers are key to fulfilling the law of Christ! Just imagine you are going on a long hiking trip & have much gear to carry! Will you give the burden up or will you try to carry it all alone? It is time to trust our God! Take His yoke, because it is light! Living this life to the fullest for Him! Love Mel
Q: Rebekah L. Holt, “May we be like Christ’s donkey, willing and set aside, patiently waiting for our Master’s touch that we may fulfill the tasks the Lord has ordained for us to accomplish.”
Matthew 13 The Parable of the Sower
Matt 13:3-9 He told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. & as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, & the birds came & devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, & immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. & since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, & the thorns grew up & choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil & produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear. — Spring is here & it is planting season! This parable can be used to examine what we are doing with His words! Are they becoming bird food? How about that hardened heart! What about all the thorns (idols) in life? His words need good ground, adequately cultivated, fertilized, & watered. To produce a vital harvest, we need to focus on what is taking root in our lives! The more we are yielding to Him, the greater the fruits of our labor! He even tells us the laborers are few! Let’s choose to be part of the few! Willing to yield to His plow! If we have ears, then open up to hearing so that we will produce a great harvest! Love Mel
