Saturday, Jun 07, 2008

TWG - June 7, 2008

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TWG - June 7, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 19; Psalm 30; Matthew 27:1-31

Today is June 7, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. T TWG is a covenant to seek the LORD God with all our heart and with all our soul. If you seek Him, He will be found by you.

My day of deadlines has come and gone. And what a day it was. I spent some it under the gun. I had to order a new projector screen. It was tough to find one at the price I had before. I spent quite a bit of time searching and finally did it. Now pray it gets here on time. David came in to be interviewed by the scholarship committee. Al came by with a tough question from the Bible. I posted it to the forum. I talked to Earl Brubaker for a while on the phone about the upcoming IFCA convention in Eugene. Brent from Ashland Bible Church called about the Sound System. Susan was there doing the bulletin. She dropped an envelope on my desk that had no return address, only the words, “Donation for Awana.” Inside were 5 crisp $100 bills! What a great blessing and surprise. God is so Good! He always supplies what we need! I put a picture of a couple of deer outside my office on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. They were just looking for something to eat. check it out.

This week’s theme verse is Joshua 1:8-9 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

What makes us Christians different than other men? Is it that we are better? No. Is it that we have achieved perfection? Not a chance! Is it that we are nicer people? That is a nicer thought… it would be nicer if that were true, but no, there are a lot of nice people in the world. It isn’t that we are better, nicer, smarter, more loveable or any of the above. In fact, the reverse is often true. Some of us have been worse than people in the world. Some of us are not as nice. We are nowhere near perfect and some of us are very difficult to love. What does make us different? It is that “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” It is the fact that the Holy Spirit lives within. The rest of the world can not say that with confidence, and even if they could, the reality is that only Christians have Jesus Christ dwelling in the heart by faith. God’s presence is the difference. Let’s camp on that thought for a minute. God is with us! Wherever you go, there He is with you! That is supernatural! You are never alone! You are never unprotected! You are never lost! You may feel weak and fearful, but there is never a reason to. When you struggle, do this little exercise: Close your eyes and whisper something like “God is with me! I am not alone! Jesus loves me! He will take care of me. Everything will work out right! I can do anything because Jesus is giving me strength.” Now say it again… and again… and again until it sinks in. This is the same truth Jesus taught us in Matthew 28:19-20, “All authority has been given unto me. Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you, AND LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, even to the end of the age.” In a very real sense you are invincible. You have the invincible God in you and with you wherever you go. If he decides that you are going to succeed, who can stop you? No one. Imagine a cartoon that pictures this. Scrawny old Christian is walking down a dark alley and is confronted by a dangerous gang of hoodlums who are brandishing guns and knives. But the Christian just gives a great big Cheshire cat grin and stares them down without a worry in the world. One of the gang members sneers, “What are you smiling about! I’m going to wipe that smile right off your face.” In the next screen, the camera pans back into the distance. Hanging near the Christian, from an arm that extends past the top of the skyscrapers above is a great big hand! The hand of God. With just a flick of his baby finger, the mob is decimated and scattered leaving only the Christian with the great big grin standing alone in the alley with God’s hand on his shoulder. Now pan back even further so that the skyscrapers are dwarfed by the circle of the earth, and there is the enormous God filling the entire universe! No wonder we are different. We are on God’s side! We’ve got God by our side and living inside. Whatever God’s will is we can do it! One man plus God makes a majority!

Dear Lord. I believe that you are with me wherever I go, and that by your strength I can face any obstacle. I ask now for courage to face my fears and strength to overcome my discouragement. Lord with you I CAN! And I will overcome those fears holding onto your hand. Let’s do it!

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