Time With God

A devotional trip through the Bible with a caring community to support, love and care for each other... while spending Time With God. If you would like our daily email version of this podcast send me a note to info@pinegrovecommunitychurch.com

5-29 Double Vision

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Retired? Tomorrow? That’s right Rick said. “Tomorrow is my last day
with Quest!” Rick came to church to help me run a network wire to the
Sunday School computer. “You are too young to be retired!” Rick has been
working there 35+ years! We drilled a hole and stuffed the wire down
inside. Then I asked Rick if he’d brought a pair of coveralls. I was
ready to crawl! But Rick put them on himself! He wasn’t about to let me
go crawling under the building! What a guy! I didn’t know how the access
works from one building to another below the floor, but Rick found he
could crawl through just fine. He pulled the wire and shoved it up into
my office and just like that we were done! Thanks Rick! Happy
retirement!

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 31; Amos 3; Mark 9:30-50
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can
be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from Isaiah 7:14-16 "Therefore the Lord Himself
will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son,
and shall call His name Immanuel. 15 "Curds and honey He shall eat, that
He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 "For before the
Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you
dread will be forsaken by both her kings.

When is a virgin not a virgin? If she conceives and bears a child, she’s
definitely not one! …except in one case and only one. Mary was the
virgin who conceived having never known a man intimately. The Holy Spirit
came upon her and the power of the Almighty overshadowed her. God
miraculously intervened once and only once in history to bring about a
“virgin birth.” This is an amazing prophecy and yet it is presents a
puzzling conundrum. And because of that it teaches us some important
lessons on the nature of prophecy. In Isaiah 7, King Ahaz of Judah was
worried to grief because Ephraim (the 10 northern tribes) conspired with
Syria to invade Judah. Isaiah the prophet was sent to give him a sign
that within 65 years Ephraim would no longer be a nation and Syria would
no longer be a world power… so he was not to worry about it! What was
this sign? A child would be born to a virgin and before he was old enough
to say “momma!” or “dada!” both kings would be dead or deposed. Woah! I
thought that “The Virgin” was Mary! She didn’t have Jesus for another 500
years! What’s going on! How could that be a sign to King Ahaz? He’d be
long dead in 500 years! That’s what makes this prophecy a challenge! And
there have been various solutions suggested. This is what we call “the
law of double fulfillment.” The law works like this. Let’s say you are
in a Subway Station waiting for a train when a crime is committed. A lady
is held up at gunpoint and robbed… at that very moment you turn to see
the assailant pointing the gun at her. You’ve got a clear mental picture
of him in your mind, just before you slip behind a post to hide. But the
lady claims there were two attackers! What really happened was, from your
view point, one man was standing directly behind the other so you couldn’t
see the second fellow. This is the law of double fulfillment. Two events
are fulfilled by one prophecy and often the first is a dim reflection of
the second. There are several prophecies that fit this scenario and
that’s the case here. The “first” virgin was Isaiah’s new bride “The
prophetess” in Isaiah 8. She was a virgin until she and Isaiah
consummated the marriage and bore a son called Mahershalalhashbaz!
(Yahoo! What a name! It means “I’m going to kick the booty out of those
two kings.” Loose translation) In Isaiah 8:4 Isaiah was told this child
was the fulfillment of this prophecy… if only a dim picture of the real
Messiah who, according to Matthew was called Immanuel which means “God is
with us!” (Or I’m going to kick the booty of the Devil himself!) So when
is a virgin not a virgin? …when she’s a mere faint illustration of the
real deal.

Dear Father. Your Word always comes true. Some things are difficult to
understand, but I can see that You are an amazing God who is in control!
Your Day is coming. I await anxiously for you to return.

"Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch
what is unclean, and I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, and
you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty."

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 8:42 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-28 Prophetic Symbolism

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Our Internet service went out at our house. That means it was time to
call the wireless company. Rick answered the phone, “What do you want!?”
He has caller ID! There is something wrong with our receiver. Rick and I
set an appointment for lunch at Karen’s while Nick came out to work on our
problem. We talked about the economy. Our prognosis? It’s not good.
Fortunately for Rick, his business is one of a few recession proof
companies. People are turning to the internet for job searches & many
other things. We talked about family. Rick is a grandparent again! He
just had his 6th! He’s two ahead of me! We talked about the church and
people he knows here. What’s it going to take to see the people of this
world turn to Christ? Maybe they need to see some genuine, heartfelt,
serious business between us and God.

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 30; Amos 2; Mark 9:1-29
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can
be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from Hosea 12:10 I have also spoken by the
prophets, And have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the
witness of the prophets."

The book of Hosea is all about the “harlotry” of the nation of Israel.
They had become wayward and departed from the Lord, thus the need for a
prophet. The one thing you can be sure of, during recession or prosperity
there will always be a need for the prophetic message, “repent, for the
kingdom of God is at hand!” As long as there are sinners straying from
God, there is the need for prophetic preaching. Often God communicated to
the prophet in a vision. He multiplies visions when there is a need for
urgency. Get the message out! Yet forty days and Nineveh will be
destroyed! Sometimes the prophets spoke plainly and straight to the point
and other times they used “symbols.” It is important for us to understand
symbols, types and allegories if we are to understand prophecy because
they are the stock and trade of prophetic language. And the very first
thing we MUST understand about them is that “Scripture interprets
Scripture.” Too many people try to read things into the Bible that are
not there instead of letting God speak for Himself. There is a stern
warning about this practice… “Add not to His Word lest He reprove you and
you be found a liar!” (Prov 30:6). When trying to understand prophetic
imagery the place to begin is rest of the Bible. Find another passage
that uses similar imagery. Let one Scripture explain the other.
Occasionally the Bible uses Allegories. The word Allegory means “a
similar argument.” In an Allegory one thing or person represents another
thing or person. Eg… a mountain represents a covenant (Gal 4:24).
Sometimes the Bible uses Types. For example, Adam was a “type” of Christ
(or should we say antitype – meaning opposite). Adam brought sin to all,
Christ brought salvation to all (Romans 5:14). A type is a loose
illustration of a future person or thing. And often the Bible uses
symbols. A symbol is a way of using figurative language to describe
something else. In prophetic language you have dragons and locusts and
lions and clay feet among the many colorful pictures that are painted.
But the Bible has the right to determine what is symbolic and what is not.
How do you know? Most often there are one or two little words that give
the interpreter the key; the words “as” or “like.” His eyes were “like” a
flame! (Rev 19:12). The skies receded “as” a scroll. These are catch
words that indicate a symbol is used. If they are not used? Assume that
the words mean what they say unless the prophet gives you a reason to
think otherwise. I have discovered that it is always best to take God at
His Word. Nineveh did and they were good! Pharaoh did not and he was
toast!

Dear Father. I believe Your Word is Truth. I will take it at face value
and I will not try to second guess what You are saying. Help me gain a
good understanding of Your Truth so that I can follow you more clearly!

God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their
God, and they shall be My people."

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 8:44 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-27 Prophetic Interpretation

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I just love the look of freshly spread beauty bark. I came home last night and Susan had spread bark in all the front flower beds. It looked beautiful. She had a “free ticket” from a year ago. When she bought bark back then… either it wasn’t a full load because they ran out, or it had some white wood mixed in with it so they gave her a ticket for a free load. She used it yesterday. And then I went into our back yard. She had half the back yard barked as well! Whoa! Now you must understand we live on a hill! Susan had to load the bark into the garden cart and pull it up our hill before she could put it on the flower beds! Her face was red! Her hair was matted from sweat! She’s crazy! What a hard working gal! They don’t come any better than that!

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 29; Amos 1; Mark 8
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from Lu 24:44 Then Jesus said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."

When God makes a prediction it always comes to pass. About a dozen times throughout the Bible the formula is used “God spoke… It was fulfilled.” There is a cause and effect principle in prophecy. The wheels of God’s government may seem as though they grind slowly, but you can bet that sooner or later you will feel the rumble on the tracks… and when you do, you better look out because the freight train called prophecy will come steaming into town. There’s no stopping the prophetic freight train. But prophecy can be puzzling, shrouded in symbols and dragons and beasts and strange sayings. How are we to understand it? There are a few very important principles that must be applied to gain a right understanding of prophetic Scripture. #1 We must ask “who is this talking about?” That seems elementary, yet it may be the most abused principle of interpretation of all. Jesus explained the prophecies to the disciples that were written “concerning ME.” If we tried to apply them to someone else or some other event, we’d have a problem. The most abused application of the prophetic Scriptures are those explicitly aimed at the nation of Israel. A large cross section of Christian interpreters want to take the future predictions made about Israel and apply them to the church! This causes enormous confusion. In fact it completely changes the future! At least it changes what we believe about the future. Here’s how… If Israel is the church then the 12 tribes in the book of Revelation aren’t Jews they’re Christians. And what about the Jews being back in the land of Israel as predicted? It must be symbolic of some Christian blessing! Such confusion! #2 A second principle of interpretation, perhaps subjected to as much abuse as the first is that prophecy should be interpreted according to “normal literary means.” If the plain sense of Scripture makes good sense, seek no other sense! But take every word at face value unless there is some reason in the context to indicate otherwise. Many interpreters want to take every prophecy and make it “symbolic” of something else. While some prophecy is unquestionably symbolic, the Bible has the right to tell us what those symbols mean. We should not see symbolism where there is none! If we do, we can make the Bible say anything we want! So when God’s word says there is a Tribulation coming… believe it! When it says that there is a Millennial Kingdom coming… take it on simple faith. Jesus IS coming soon. In fact I can feel the rumble of the prophetic freight train now! “All Aboard!”

Dear Father. I believe Your Word is Truth. I will take it at face value and I will not try to second guess what You are saying. I know You are coming again soon. Lord Jesus, come quickly.

You are the temple of the living God.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 11:09 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-26 The Prophetic Ship

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Memorial Day is a time for remembering. I know some great people who sacrificed years of their lives so that I could experience freedom. Jim was at our Memorial Day BBQ. He got in on WWII. He’s one of the few living WWII veterans. Most of them have passed away. Like Cliff Broadwater. What stories he could tell. He was in a German prison camp! These guys are heroes. They marched across Europe, camped in the rain, hunkered down in foxholes and they believed they were doing something noble for God and country! Meanwhile, back home their wives waited long days and weeks for letters from the field. Not like today where you have cell phones and email! The world was a much bigger place back then! To all those who served! Hats off to you! Thanks!

Today’s Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 28; Joel 3; Mark 7
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 2Peter 1:19-21 we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Prophecy is sort of like sailing a sailboat. Prophecy is also a great illustration of the sovereignty of God and the free will of man. You have the man on the boat. He thinks he’s “the man” because he is the captain. He makes the decisions on where to sail. He chooses whether to turn his little skiff to starboard or port. But since this is a sailboat, this boat don’t float nowhere unless the wind is blowing (love that grammar). Then you have God. He controls nature. He makes the wind blow and the seas stormy. He also brings the rain and the sunshine. God is really THE Captain. One day our Prophet Seaman decides to take his craft called “Revelation” out to sea. It is a beautiful sunny day and the wind is blowing from the east. He raises his sail, heads westward and says, “thus says the Lord.” Prophecy is coming. The wind fills his sails and the boat picks up speed. As long as the boat and the sail keep the wind to their back he will have swift sailing. (In our illustration we are not allowing for “tacking” which is a way to go against the wind.) He has many choices. He can sail southwest, northwest, or due west. As long as the wind is behind him he will sail swiftly. God chooses which way the wind will blow. He fills the sails. If God wants the Prophet Seaman to head west, he’ll bring an east wind. If he wants him to head south, he’ll blow hard from the north. If God wants this seaman to avoid an island or change his direction, he’ll send a sea monster from the north to scare him south or worry him with a squall from the south to make him turn north. He might even send a few dolphins for him to follow. In the end the Prophet navigates where he will (or so he thinks) and God sends the skiff exactly where He wants it to be. Thus the prophet uses his own words and illustrations and says exactly what God wants him to say. That’s why prophecy did not come by the will of man, but holy men spoke as there were MOVED by the Holy Spirit. In fact, that is what the word “moved” means… It is speaking of persons borne by a ship in the sea carried by the wind! Thus we have man’s free will and God’s sovereign plan. Both have occurred without the one violating the other! That’s an amazing God!


Dear Father. I know that you are sovereign. You are in control. Help me to remember that when the winds and waves threaten me they are only bearing me up and carrying me where you want me to go! Thank you for your power in communicating your prophetic word yesterday so that I could read it today!

When we are absent from the body we are present with the Lord.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 11:18 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-25 How Many Interpretations are there?

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Susan’s special day came… and went with sunshine, sunshine, sunshine. What beautiful weather we have been having! I took her to dinner at Kowloons Chinese Restaurant and then we came home and watched “Mall Cop,” a comedy that even I liked. The next day we had the Evie, the grandkids and Shaphen over for a birthday party. Ken had to work. We sang “happy birthday” in the worst possible way, the dog howled, the baby cried, a glass broke (I do exaggerate!). But Susan liked it! And that’s what matters. This year I gave a “recession birthday present.” It was cold hard cash. Not a huge amount… am I being too practical thinking she can spend it on needs or wants? She liked it!

Today’s Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 27; Joel 2; Mark 6:30-56

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 2Peter 1:19-21 we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

How many interpretations are there? Some people believe the Bible teaches one thing… and some people believe the same verses teach exactly the opposite. I’ve heard that if you get two Professors of Theology in the same room you’ll have three opinions! It can be confusing. It’s like all of us are in a dark room trying to read the same Bible out loud in unison but since we can’t make out the words very well it sounds like everybody is reading altogether different books! It is a cacophony of confusion! It would be nice if someone would open the shutters so that we could see the light! Why are there so many different “interpretations” anyway? May I suggest that a lot of it has to do with human nature? We all see what we want to see. I have noticed that people have a high opinion of their own opinions. If I have a preconceived notion about some subject because it makes sense to me, I’m likely to impose my opinion on Scripture! I hate to say it, but that very thing happens with distressing regularity. That’s why we go on living our own way even though the Bible clearly teaches that we should do it God’s way. We justify our own actions by our own wisdom. But all those interpretations can’t be right can they? No way, José! In fact Peter firmly says “NO Scripture is of any private interpretation!” I don’t have the right to impose my own personal prejudices on the Bible. The way interpretation is supposed to happen is that I am supposed to ask the Holy Spirit to impose His interpretation on me! While there are many human viewpoints about what Scripture says, in reality there is only ONE interpretation… one and ONLY ONE! Do you think God knows what every Scripture passage really means? Of course He does! God’s interpretation is the only right one. That’s because the Bible came from God! If it were simply a human book, any human opinion would work. But since God is the author behind it, the responsibility of the interpreter is to discover what God meant by it without imposing any of his own prejudices on it. Now that is difficult to do! That’s why the understanding of the Bible takes great humility. I have to be willing to humbly change my opinions if I find that the Bible disagrees with me. No wonder we have so many interpretations. It’s much easier to walk away than it is to give up my strong opinion! That’s why we must submit our will to God and ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom.

Dear Holy Spirit. Please enlighten my mind so that I can see clearly what you want me to see. Help me to have the humility I need to change when I do see the light. May my life be transformed by your truth!

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 11:17 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-22 Has God Spoken to You?

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Do you pray every day? That was the question Mike posed to me. (after I scared the daylights out of him! I opened the door from the inside just as he was reaching for it!) Good question. He asked me, now I’m asking you? Do you pray every day? Mike and Melissa both shook their heads in agreement as he told me how important prayer is to them. “We pray together every night before we go to bed. What happens to you if you don’t pray? I’ll tell you what happens to us. We can’t sleep that night. We toss and turn all night long.” I told them that I’ve found that the best way to go to sleep is to pray! It works every time for me! So thanks, Mike and Melissa for your faithful prayers. May many of the TWG family follow your example!

Today’s Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 26; Hosea 15; Mark 6:1-29

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 2Peter 1:19-21 we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

How did the prophets get their prophecy? Did it come first class mail? Did they send away for their “free prophetic kit” that would make them millions! Did they attend a high powered seminar for the prophets to “learn how to write your own best selling Bible?” When a prophet said, “Thus saith the Lord!” a saying that occurs some 3808 times in the Bible, I’m thinking that he must have been pretty sure that the message he had came from God… at least if he was being genuine. So how did he know that God had a message for him? The prophetic gift is unique. It’s not something that God passed out en mass. Only a select few individuals over the centuries can say that they received special scriptural revelation from God. Over the 1500 years that the Bible was written only 40 people authored Scripture out of the millions or billions that lived! So if God hasn’t spoken out loud to you, don’t feel slighted! Most people, since the creation of man have never had that astonishing privilege. Peter relays the mechanism of prophecy in these verses. First of all the Prophetic word was given to the prophet and confirmed. So how did God give it and how did God confirm it? For that we need to read the previous verses. God spoke to the prophets… in Peter’s case, on the mount of Transfiguration. A prophet was an eyewitness of the Glory of God and often heard the very voice of God. If God spoke out loud to you, my guess is, that that is all the confirmation you would need! But Peter is saying more than this. In his case he spent 3 years with Jesus listening to everything the Lord said. Then he went up on the mountain and heard the voice of God… and what God the Father said was, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” That was the prophetic confirmation! So Peter, believing that Jesus is God the Son, took His words as a prophetic reality. Thus, when Peter quoted Jesus he could say, “Thus saith the Lord (Jesus)” and know that whatever Jesus said was God’s Word! He had a sure word of prophecy. First stated by God the Son, and second confirmed by God the Father! The simple truth of the prophetic word is that prophets got their prophecy from God! God spoke, either directly or through a dream, a vision, an angel or through His own dear Son. When God spoke to the prophets, He always confirmed His Word one way or another. And if God really said it, we would do well to heed it!

Dear Father. Thank you for Your Word. Thank you for speaking to Holy men so that they relayed Your message to us. What an awesome privilege to have the very words of God at our disposal so we can read them and know what You want for us! Please help us to obey them.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 11:32 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-21 The Spirit of Prophecy

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Lions and Tigers and Bears, uh huh! It’s a jungle out there! Yesterday I went to grandson Josiah’s musical at Glide Elementary. He was a monkey. It was cute and fun. Viviana was in it, as was Gunner and Kaylee. A few seats behind us sat John and Jennifer. Seems we always seem to connect at events like this. During the break we teased Jennifer about missing church. John has come to a few early services without her and the family. I told her I’d lay some guilt on her… she said she already had enough to go around! She teasingly said, “I need to get my priorities straight!” Now that’s what happens when you talk to me! You get written up! Jennifer reads our daily email… Now the pressure is on! Hey. Love what you’re doing with your family! Hope to see you at our Memorial Day BBQ on Monday – 4 PM at Doris Z’s house.

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 25; Hosea 14; Mark 5:21-47
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can
be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from Deuteronomy 18: 18 ‘I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 ‘And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. 20 ‘But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in
the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ 21 "And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’ — 22 "when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

“The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10 …and the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus! It works both ways. That is what Deut 18 is talking about when God says “I will raise up a Prophet like Moses from among your brothers.” Jesus is that Prophet! One of the characteristics of Scripture and prophecy is what we call the Christocentric principle. What it means is that Christ is central to all
the Scriptures. He is the main point of the Bible and the main point of prophecy. If you read the Bible or study prophecy and get lost in the details and miss the fact that it is all about Jesus, you have missed the point! Jesus is the Creator! Jesus is point of the symbolism of the OT sacrifices. Jesus is the culmination of prophecy. He’ll be coming back in the clouds as Lord of all. From beginning to end, it’s all about Jesus! Prophecy is not so much about the predictions and chess moves of
the almighty as it is about using those amazingly accurate realities to point us in the direction of obedience to Christ. Once we are convinced of the Lordship of Christ it becomes a foregone response to follow Him. Whoever does not heed His words will be accountable to God for the waywardness of his ways. Prophecy is compelling. Prophecy is a tool of the almighty to prod us to act upon what we have heard and what we believe. In school you might have learned about some mathematical fact or
equation and said, “so what! Who cares! When am I ever going to use this?” And maybe you never will! But when it comes to the cause and effect equations of prophecy you can’t get away with “who cares.” If the X + Y of prophecy = Z, it proves one thing: God is true, God is real, and God expects that we will not only learn the prophetic equation, but that we will submit ourselves to God because of it. The reality of prophecy
produces the reality of obedience. If God said it, and we know He did because it always comes true, then I am obligated to obey Him as Lord of all. That’s the Christological nature of prophecy. “Follow Me!”

Dear Lord Jesus. I bow down before you. You are the Lord of lords and King of kings. Help me to come to the place where I love You, serve You and obey You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. That is what my life is all about.

the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 11:42 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-19 Prophets wanted… apply here!

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It’s good to have friends. I am blessed with lots of people who care about me! Thanks. Like yesterday when Kyle and Marcia helped me unload a TON of pellets. (They were a ton of help… really!) It sure was better when there were two of us carrying bags of pellets to my basement store room! Or last week when Carl brought over some old 2X6 material for raised garden beds. He drove them to my house and helped me unload them. Or Dave who called last week and asked if the church needed a shed. Or Ken who is chasing down a rear end for our Explorer. Or… well the list goes on. Thanks so much for good people who care! How blessed we are!

Today’s Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 23; Hosea 12; Mark 4

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from Deuteronomy 13:1 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 “and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’ —which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ 3 “you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

“Prophets wanted! Lousy pay… usually in sheep or chickens, if you get paid at all! Long hours… always on call or on the run from angry kings, governors or religious leaders. Difficult conditions… you may be subject to stoning, name calling, being burned at the stake, beheading, crucifixion etc. Job description? You get to say things like “Thus saith the Lord, yet forty days and __________ (name of city) will be destroyed.” Most of your news will be bad news. You won’t have many friends especially after you deliver your message of judgment upon them. Bad things always seem to happen after you speak like fire and brimstone, earthquakes, famine and pestilence. You will have the added bonus of dreams and visions, but if you should ever get the message wrong, even one time, “You’re fired!” Or should I say, “you’re stoned!” To apply, look for a burning bush in the desert (may take 40 years) or some other dramatic sign that God is hiring! And then you get to wear sackcloth and ashes and eat locusts and honey. Fashionable! It is amazing that there have ever been any applicants at all! Yet, despite all the negatives, someone is always dying to be a prophet! God has some very strict ideals about who his prophets should be. The first one is that they had better have a clean doctrinal résumé. That is one of the top tests of prophecy: all prophecy must harmonize with God’s previously revealed Truth. If the message contradicts Scripture… it’s not Scripture. If a prophet suggests that the True God is not the one we know from Scripture… don’t believe him. Most people who have claimed the prophetic gift throughout history where not true prophets, they were charlatans out for personal profit, or they were just plain deluded. One of the amazing characteristics of the Bible is that after 1500 years of prophesy by 40 different individuals, we got 66 books that incredibly harmonize with each other. Their message is clearly Divine! Dozens, perhaps hundreds or thousands of other prophetic messages just didn’t cut it! The book we have is the best that there is, there is nothing else like the Bible on the face of the earth… that’s because it’s from God

Dear Holy Spirit. Thank You for inspiring holy men to speak and write Your message to us, despite the price they had to pay! Thank You for the clear direction and truth we find in Your word. We would be lost without it. We are blessed because of it!

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 11:48 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-18 One Infallible Proof

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5-18 One Infallible Proof

Have you ever been so droopy tired that you fall asleep during a
conversation? That’s how it was for me yesterday. Susan and I had Dan &
Holly over for lunch. I was soooooo tired it took every ounce of
concentration to keep my eyes open. They kept talking and my eyes glazed
over. I thought, “I’ve got to focus! Wake up! What a rude host!” So I
kept getting up… walked to the kitchen for something to drink… to the
bathroom …to the trash can …I tried every trick in the book to wake myself
up. Half the time I stood, just so I could stay awake! I hope they
didn’t think I was uninterested! I tried really hard to engage in
meaningful conversation! And when they left, I congratulated myself on
making it without one single head bob! Then I took a nice long nap!

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 22; Hosea 11; Mark 3
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can
be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from Isaiah 46:9-10 9 Remember the former things
of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none
like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times
things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will
do all My pleasure,’

How do you know that your God is the One True God? Every religion claims
Him, but they can’t all be right! There must be some way to narrow down
the field to the One True God. Will the real “One True God” please stand
up! He has. In fact He’s the only one who can! False gods don’t really
exist. They can do nothing in their defense. They are propped up by
their worshipers. But the One True God can and has revealed innumerable
evidences to us that He is alive and He is the almighty God and there is
no other. If there were one infallible proof we could present of His
existence, (it would be difficult to narrow it down because there are so
many!) …how about this one: The proof of prophecy. If God exists, by
definition He would know everything. And since He already knows what’s
going to happen in the future, and, by definition is all powerful, He not
only can foretell the future, but He’s already planned it out and it
always comes out according to His plan. This is an infallible proof.
Lots of people and religions have tried to pinch the spirit of prophecy
from God and claim they have the prophetic gift, but none has ever been
able to match the sheer number of prophecies and the pinpoint accuracy of
God’s declarations. God has told us, from the very beginning how things
are going to end up. He has also declared numerous events that will
happen in between. Everything He has ever predicted Has come to pass, or
is waiting to come to pass just as He predicted and planned. If God is
God, there ought to be dozens, even hundreds of prophecies. Prophecy
should be easy for the God who knows it all. And that is exactly what we
find. And if God is God these prophecies ought to be specific and
detailed so that there can be no question of their fulfillment. There
should be no “tall dark men” or any other lame generalizations that could
be fulfilled by every Tom, Dick and Harry. And that is exactly what we
find. And if God is God hundreds and even thousands of years could pass
from the giving of these prophecies to their fulfillment so that He can’t
be accused of just being a good “stock picker.” And that is exactly what
we find! Check it out! About 1/3 of the Bible is Prophetic! You can
find fulfilled prophecies of the highest caliber in most every book and
across the centuries. God said it and it always happens just so. That’s
my God!

Dear Almighty God. I bow down before you because You have shown yourself
true! There is no other God besides You. I know I can trust you because
You have always proved Yourself in the past. I have every reason to place
my future in Your hands. You are my God!

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of
God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with
Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified
together.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:53 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-15 The Last Trumpet

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Lasagna is one of my favorite foods! And Rich knows just how to make it. The secret recipe is: run to Safeway and pick up their premade stuff! Boy was that good! I won’t tell you how many servings I ate! More than is humanly acceptable. Rich also knows rock walls. Next to his house is a hill. Over the years, oh probably between 8 and 10 years, Rich has slowly collected rocks, one by one, from between the coast to Montana and carefully placed them on his 5’ high wall. Not just any ordinary rock… these are all flat rocks! I remember when there was no rock wall at all! Now it is 20 or 30 feet long! It is a thing of beauty, Like his house. I remember when it was all peeling paint… I’m guessing a sick color of yellow. Now it is beautifully painted and maintained. And Eric stopped in while we were there. He’s as skinny as ever, but now he has a very low manly voice. We had a great evening and a great time with one of God’s precious servants. Thanks Rich!

Today’s Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 21; Hosea 10; Mark 2

To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1 Corinthians 15: 50 Now this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

When will the last trumpet sound? That is the question for today. If you like discussions of the theoretical type, this one is for you. There is only one place in the Bible where the words “last trumpet” are used… that’s right here in 1 Corinthians 15:51. So when is this “last trumpet” going to be blown? The Bible records the blowing of many trumpets for many different reasons. A trumpet was blown when the Law was given. (Ex 19) at Jubilee. (Lev 25) For assembling the group, breaking camp and alarms to battle. (Nu 10) When they defeated Jericho. (Josh 6) During the feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah Leviticus 23: 24) the Jews blow trumpets all day long from sun rising to sun setting. Jewish writers say that the trumpets were sounded 30 successive times during the day. During every Rosh Hashanah, at the end of the day there was a “last trumpet.” So the question must be asked, “Is the last trump of 1 Cor 15 the last trumpet blast ever? Will there be no more trumpet calls after it? Or is it the last of a series? Or the last of a time period?” In prophecy we know that there are 7 trumpet judgments in the book of Revelation. Is the last trump the 7th trumpet? I don’t think so. The 7th trumpet is specifically calling for God’s wrath to fall upon the earth in a colossal battle; this trumpet is specifically calling for resurrection and translation of the saints. We also know that at the second coming there is a LOUD trumpet call as Christ returns to earth which occurs AFTER the 7th trumpet of Revelation 11. Is this the LAST trumpet of 1 Cor 15. I don’t think so. The trumpet of Matthew 24 calls for angels to gather the elect and the non-elect together on earth for the sheep and goats judgment to see who will enter the Millennial Kingdom. The last trumpet is calling only believers to ascend to be with the Lord, to heaven not to the earth. The Last Trumpet occurs at the rapture of the church. Are there more before it? The answer? Yes. 1 Thess 4:16 records those trumpet blasts with a word that means “trumpet reverberation.” In other words there seem to be several blasts from the trumpet. If the first one didn’t get your attention, the last one surely will! So when do the previous trumpets blow? We don’t know. The “Last Trump” seems to be the signal that the church is finally on its way home. Listen for the trumpet call!

Dear Father. I am waiting for your homeward call. Perhaps tonight. Dear Lord Jesus, come quickly. We are waiting anxiously for your promised return. In the meantime keep us faithful, and keep us looking upward.

As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 11:56 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-13 Like a Fish out of Water

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Big machines are good! Love them. I got to drive the backhoe yesterday. Evie asked me to bring it over and tear out a shrub she didn’t want. It came out way too easy. I like something a bit more challenging. Then I tore out a trellis covered with ivy dumped the ivy on our bank… it will be a nice stream bank protection. And then the fun began. I stretched a little too far and moved the front deck AND the front sidewalk an inch away from the house! The sidewalk! Can you believe that? Things seldom move back to the spot where they came from, so I was a little concerned, but I fired up the hoe and pushed her back! Just like that, it was the way it should be. Surprise, surprise! Now there was some fun.

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 20: 24-42; Hosea 9; Romans 17
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1 Corinthians 15: 50 Now this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

How do you get to heaven? A Sunday School teacher once asked that question to a group of grade school boys, and one of them shouted, “That’s easy! First you’ve got to die!” True… but not exactly the answer we were looking for. Our verse for today says that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God!” Simply put, us mere humans in our flawed, sinful state are not capable, nor qualified to be in heaven. It would be like a tuna fish trying to live in the Himalayan Mountains! Sure the mountains are nice, but the rocky crags are not the environment for fish! They need water, they are not capable of long hikes on snow covered trails. It would take quite a trick of transformational metamorphosis, or perhaps an out of water scuba suit for fish, for the Tuna to live on land. A guy named Nick came to Jesus by night and asked Him about the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus told him, “unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom.” We need a transformation to make us capable and qualified for heaven. A heavenly scuba suit is not available. We must be born again “of spirit” if we want heaven thrown in. The reason? Every man, woman and child is a sinner, and sin is not allowed in heaven. A sinful human being is no more capable of breathing in heaven’s environment than a fish out of water. But even more pertinent, God’s presence is a consuming fire with early warning sensors. Any sin is immediately incinerated if it even approaches His presence. We are not capable nor qualified in our present state to go to heaven. We need to be born again. How’s it done? You must become a child of God by simple faith. Trust Jesus. Ask Him to forgive your sins and “save” you. It’s the only way. Once “saved” you’ll be singing a brand new tune, and then you won’t be like a fish out of water.

Dear Lord Jesus. I trust you for my hope of Eternal Life. I realize that I am a sinner unable to come into your presence. I ask you to transform me and make me like You. Please forgive me for even trying to get to God my own way instead of yours. I want to be born again. I thank you for Your death on the cross that paid my penalty of sin so that I don’t have to. I am trusting You.

Whoever believes in Him will never be put to shame.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:30 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-11 In the Twinkling of an Eye

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Did you get all that good sunshine yesterday! That was great. Now I can’t say that I got a lot of it, but I did get outside for a while… between climbing upstairs, down in the basement, back upstairs, then into the attic. Hey! I’m still working on our rental remodel. Meanwhile Susan got a lot of Sunshine! She was outside working on our backyard. She is a workaholic! What a job she is doing. It’s going to look good. And did you know that Sunshine is good for making Vitamin D! But only if you don’t shower for 48 hours! No kidding! At least that’s what I read on the web. Can’t believe everything you read, now can you. But who knows.

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 20:1-23; Hosea 8; Romans 16
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1 Corinthians 15: 50 Now this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

Sign over the nursery, “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed!” This is incredible. This is the moment of transformation. This is the mystery unveiled. I suppose you have always wondered how our transformation to our new body is going to happen, Wonder no more. It will be instantaneous. “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” Before you can blink or say “hello!” it will be over. An eye blinks in about 400 milliseconds, or 4/10th of a second! That’s fast… but the hand is faster than the eye, or so I’ve been told, until I checked the Greek for the word “moment.” It is the word “atomos.” It is the smallest fraction that the Greeks had that they believed could not be divided into a smaller element. That’s fast! One millisecond you will be the old you, aches, pains, guilt, anguish and earthly, the next millisecond you will be the new you! You will say, “Something changed! What was it? It happened so fast!” When will it happen? At the last trumpet. This is the trumpet of 1 Thessalonians 4:16, calling the dead in Christ to rise. There we find that there will also be a loud shout from heaven as Christ descends, and a call from the archangel. They all seem to happen contemporaneously. So I suggest that six things happen so fast that you will not be able to process them… sort of like an accident that happens in your peripheral vision. One second traffic was normal, you spin around and see a three car pile up that happened so fast you really didn’t see it. #1 Christ descends from heaven. This descent is not a slow, floating, peaceful descent… it is “now you see it, now you don’t” speed! Suddenly he appears. #2 Jesus Himself shouts, calling for the dead to rise. #3 The archangel also shouts. In fact, I’m guessing all of heaven is shouting. #4 At the same time the trumpet will sound. #5 The Dead in Christ rise in a flash. #6 Believers who are alive are caught up into heaven. All this happens instantaneously, so fast your head has no time to spin. Now you see us, now you don’t, because we are with the Lord!

Dear Father. Thank you for the promise of the resurrection. I can’t even begin to imagine how staggering this event will be. I can’t imagine how wonderful this event will be. Here I am waiting, knowing that you can change me. Thank you for your Son Jesus, His death, and the promise of eternal life.

To God be the glory, great things he has done

5-11 In the Twinkling of an Eye

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:59 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-11 More than Dust in the Wind

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Happy Mother’s Day… Not every woman is on the mother track and that was true with some of the ladies who showed up for church on Sunday. After Church I sat around with a few of them and their husbands. As we talked and laughed, I was pretty sure that they had no mother’s day plans. “Hey, how about we stop at subway and then on to my house?” I really wanted to show off my rock wall anyway… and my kids weren’t coming over until 5. So there we were, sitting in the sun in my back yard, exchanging stories and having a great time! Susan’s “palm tree” chime was the center of conversation for a while. I don’t really think it’s a palm! It has a key hung in place of the striker. Anyway, that and a lot of stories and laughter made for a great afternoon. Then we took a nap and waited for the grandkids to come over. And that was a delightful treat as well. Great day.

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 19; Hosea 7; Romans 15
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1 Corinthians 15: 35 But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" 45 as it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual… 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

“Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind…” Remember that song? It got part of it right anyway. We are made in the image of the man of dust. Adam is our great, great grandpa. We all look a little bit like Adam & Eve. Do you see the family resemblance? Look at any human being, and you can say, “Hey, guess what? We’re related!” If you have two eyes, a nose, mouth, two arms and two legs (and even if you are missing a body part or two) you take after Adam’s side of the family. But there are some other family characteristics that aren’t so good. In Adam’s fall, we sinned all. Every one of us takes after our pappy in the way that we are all sinners. Now the wages of sin is death. That means we are all going to return to dust. It isn’t a pleasant ride, and it isn’t a pleasant destiny. But because of the intervention of the heavenly Man, we can have our destiny changed! You can change family tracks. You can trade earth dust for the heavenly image. When you trust Christ as your Savior, He adopts you into His family. But His adoption is more like cloning. You get to bear the characteristics, image and destiny of the Heavenly man. That means that sooner or later you will become just like Jesus! That means an ultimate removal of sin! Good by dust, hello paradise! It also means that we will be spiritual. Goodbye depression, sorrow, sadness, frustration, anger, hatred, stupidity, and all of Adam’s failures, and hello to bliss, joy, hope, and eternal, abundant life. I’m thinking that trading “dust in the wind” for paradise is a pretty good deal. See you on the other side, brother!

Dear Father. Thank you for the promise of heaven. I dream of being in your presence. I yearn to be like Your Son Jesus and lose the image of the man of dust. Fill me with the full understanding of what that means so that I will be motivated to follow you in every way.

Because Your loving kindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5-11 More than Dust in the Wind

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5-8 Soul centered or Spirit centered?

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It was a festive mood along Jackson Ave last night when Susan and I went out for our Anniversary. It was the annual “wine walk.” I noticed that people smile more when you give away stuff. We ate a Brix. The people were friendly and the food was good. Then we walked two blocks over to “Raise Your Glass” where Shaphen works – you know our middle son. Every time I see him he is skinnier! He has lost more weight! He is now within 15 pounds of his dad! And boy does he look good! John and Colleen’s band “The Dixonville Chicks” were playing, so we had a duel reason to stop by. Shaphen was glad to see us, but he satirically said, “Oh yeah. You come up here to see them, but not me.” “No,” I said, “We came by so you could wish us a happy anniversary!” “Oops! Someone really needs to remind me of stuff like that!” We listened to about three songs and talked with Shaphen for a little while and then we were on our way back home. Not a bad anniversary night.

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 18; Hosea 6; Romans 14
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1 Corinthians 15: 35 But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" 45 as it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual… 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

How do you know if you have soul, man? I suppose if you can move and groove to jazz or something like that man! How do you know if you have spirit? “fight, fight, fight! Go, go, go!” It must be contagious, because everyone is shouting… at least when your team is winning the game. That’s team spirit. But the Bible use of “soul” and “spirit” are quite different than that! They are terms which describe the basic components of this life and the next. Soul is the central principle of existence in this life; Spirit is the central principle of existence in the next life. “Adam became a “living being” or literally a “living soul.” The word soul has nothing to do with all that jazz. Soul (psuche) could be translated the “breath of life.” When Adam was created God breathed breath into his body to animate him and make him alive. We are living, breathing, carbon based life forms. Once you quit breathing, you’re done; this life is over. One of the central principles of existence in this life is that you had better “breathe, breathe, my pasty friend!” Spirit is the central principle of existence in the next life. Jesus became a life giving spirit. Many people are confused by the use of the term spirit. They think that it means we won’t have a body any more, but instead we will be a spirit, like a ghost. But Spirit has to do with the way our bodies are animated. Soul can be translated “breath” and Spirit (pneumatikos) can also be translated “breath” or “wind.” Instead of being soulish, in the resurrection we will be spirit filled. The basic principle of life will have changed! Soul is the earthly, smog filled, disease carrying breath of terminal life that will one day take its last gasp. Spirit is the heavenly, reinvigorating breath of eternal life that renews life perpetually. The beauty of the central principle of existence in the next life is that, like the mythical fountain of youth, once breathed upon by God, it is regenerational! Soul life subjects us to entropy, deterioration and death. Spirit breath is life giving, life sustaining and eternally renewing! You get that from Jesus. Let Him breathe on you and say, “Receive the Spirit!”

Dear Spirit. Come and fill this life of mine. I anxiously await the day when I pass the doorway of death and you breathe your life into this body to bring vitality, fullness and eternal joy to me. That is what it is all about. This life is but a shadow compared to the sunshine of your presence.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:48 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-7 No Comparison to the Resurrection

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What an award ceremony it was! It was our first Annual Awana Awards, and everyone was cheering wildly! We had a houseful of kids and their parents. We had so many that excelled. It is astonishing how much scripture was memorized and how much the kids absorbed. One of them was Dylan. Dylan came to us at the beginning of the year from my neighborhood. He was in trouble almost every night. We talked with him, worked with him, and had to take a few disciplinary measures. But slowly he has been transformed. I can’t remember the last time he’s been in trouble. Oh, he’s a live wire! And yes he does get everyone going, but God’s Word and a little bit of love has melted the anger from his heart. What a great “award.”

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 17; Romans 13
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1 Corinthians 15: 35 But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" 36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies… 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door. I’ve heard that. Don’t know if it’s true, but we are in a relentless pursuit of bigger and better. That’s what inventions are all about… “new” “improved” “multifunctional!” The PC is getting better… or is it? Not according to the Mac. Cars are getting better… or are they just getting more and more expensive. Science is trying hard to improve the body. We have cutting edge research that experiments with Cancer, Disease Control, DNA, Stem Cells and even Cloning. But as I look at the persistently stubborn poison oak on my arm, and think about the simple things we cannot cure like the swine flu or the common cold, I realize we have got a long way to go! Compare that to what God can do! Today’s body is subject to corruption and decay, no doubt about it. The resurrection body will not have a single ailing cell. We will be purely immortal! Today’s body is less than perfect. There are very few of us proud to show off our perfectly toned, well chiseled athletic bodies. And it gets worse as I get older. The resurrection body will be glorious, excellent and in perfect condition. I’ll really be something to look at one day! Today’s body is weak, ergo it can be taken down by a simple bacteria or virus too small for anything other than the electron microscope to see. It will be raised in power. No scheme of man nor happenstance will be able to bring me down then! I will be immune. Today’s body is carbon based, oxygen dependent and earthly. Our focus is to keep these fleshly engines running and happy as long as possible. To do that we have got to focus on work, health, and me. The resurrection body will be independent and sufficient. We won’t have to work our fingers to the bone to feed the monster. Instead we will be able to focus on more important things like God! We will be spiritual. Our occupation will be enjoying more of the divine than is humanly possible to date, because you will be a perfect, powerful, spiritual, resurrected, new you!

Dear Lord Jesus! Thank you for the promise of the resurrection. I do not fear this life because I know it is only a shadow of things to come. I do not fear sickness, sorrow or death because one day all wrongs will be made right. I wait for that day in great anticipation to overwhelm of all the troubles of this life.

Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:08 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-6 The Peak of Perfection - Resurrection

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The year was 1977. That’s when I first was introduced. She was so shy then. I really didn’t like her at first. Our first conversation was completely one sided. I did all the talking and she just bobbed her head shyly, to keep her eyes out of range. We met in the middle of the long concrete stairway between Aagard and VanGuilder Hall. I was relieved when our “conversation” was finally over and her brother came to pick her up. But that was not the end of it! She liked me. And when a woman wants something, look out! She schemed until she finally got me on a date with her, and that was that! No more dates with cute blonds, she made sure of that. We fell in love. I took her to Silver Falls Park where we kissed underneath the cascading waterfalls. We drove to the coast where we spent a blissful day on the sand in each other’s arms. It’s now been… let me think? Thirty One years today! Happy Anniversary Susan!

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 16; Hosea 5; Romans 12
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1 Corinthians 15: 35 But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" 36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies… 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

What will I be like in heaven? Will you be able to recognize me? Will I still be Dennis? How “old” will I be? If I died as a child will I look like a child, and if I died as an old man will I look like an old man? Will I still be 5’9”, have brown hair and hazel eyes (I guess I have hazel eyes, I never pay attention!). How are the dead raised? With what body do they come? Paul gives the key. Death is like planting a seed, resurrection is like germination. Plant a plain, dry, brown, non-descript seed into the ground, add water, wait… and in a matter of days a green frond emerges that may grow into a majestic tree. The seed is plain, the tree is spectacular! The seed and the tree don’t look anything like each other except there is a symbiotic relationship. Seeds of the same kind inevitably produce the same kind of plant. The point is that our lives are ordinary and plain compared to the majesty and awe of the resurrection. In fact, ordinary and plain are too expressive. A better word of comparison would be “dormant” or “dead.” Compare that to our resurrection where we experience a new existence bursting with life, vitality and power. If you think this life is good, the next will be spectacular. If you think this life is bad, the next will be even more amazing! You will still be “you,” and everyone will recognize you, but something radical will have changed. No more break downs, no more deterioration, no more aging… the principle at work in your body, instead of leading to a downward spiral toward death, will resiliently energize and maintain a perfect balance of life. You will be resurrected at the peak of perfection. I’ve never reached that yet. I suppose my body was close somewhere in my teens or twenties, but even then it was impacted by entropy. I will finally be the me I was meant to be! I will be, you might say, “just like Jesus.”

Dear Father and Creator. Thank you for the promise of the resurrection. I have many flaws right now, many aches and pains and weaknesses. Thanks for the hope and joy and promise that when you raise me up I will put all that behind me in a beautiful display of resurrection! I can’t wait.

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us

5-6 The Peak of Perfection - Resurrection

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:01 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-5 The Last Enemy

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Poison Oak is beautiful this time of year! I have never seen a red that stunning! If you don’t already know, let me retell the story of my encounter between Dennis and the Giant poison oak. I was doing ministry down by the creek, meditating on God’s goodness under the trees and listening to the babbling brook, when I turned a corner in the underbrush, and there standing in my path was a giant poison oak bush! I had a stick in my hand and five smooth stones in my pocket, so… ever so delicately I used the stick to push the bush aside so I could pass. The bush gave way, and I went by and shouted, “Giant bush, I have vanquished you!” As I let go of the bush it sprung to life and in vengeance slapped me right across the face for my insolence! And here I am today… with a nice rash of poison oak across my face and arms. I should have stood at a distance and used my sling shot and stones.

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 15; Hosea 4; Romans 11
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1 Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24 Then comes the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

Who are our enemies? It used to be so easy to identify them, but today they blend into the countryside. No one seems to be able to agree who is for us and who is against us. We used to fear the Communists, now they teach in our schools of higher learning. We used to be at war with Islamic Terrorists, now we are hobnobbing with them. Is this good or bad? Who are our real enemies? Good thing God is clear on who the real enemy is. We can identify them as Satan, sin and death… otherwise known as the world, the flesh and the devil. There is a colossal battle being fought for the mastery of the universe and one day Christ will finish it off. Right now, in the plan of God, He tolerates insubordination; but one day all challenges to his reign and rule will end. He will put down all rule and authority and power. That means no more terrorist countries! (oh yah) No more Communist countries! (celebrate). And no more United States Constitutional government (gasp). The only authority allowed in the end will be the righteous rule of the Kingdom of God! Another enemy that will be vanquished is death. Death is our enemy. Every one of us is doing a deadly dance toward a single destination… death. The older we get, the slower we dance. Death ends our relationship with those we love here on earth. Death ends our ministry to the people we want to see in heaven. Death means that we have succumbed to weakness, disease or a terrible accident. It means we are vanquished! But Christ has vanquished death! Now it is no longer a thing to be feared; now it is just a simple door-keeper to the afterlife. If you know Jesus, Death will usher you into His presence! One day there will no longer be any death at all. We will never be separated from our God, and never be separated from our loved ones. Perhaps that is why, whenever death is mentioned in connection with the believer it is called a “sleep.” We get to rest from the blood, sweat and tears of this life in God’s presence forever and ever.

Dear Almighty Lord. Thank you for vanquishing all enemies! Thank you that death no longer holds the power of fear for me. I long to be in your presence! I can not wait for the door of death to open and have you welcome me with loving arms. In the meantime, help me to serve you and live for you as best as I possibly can!

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us

5-5 The Last Enemy

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:01 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-4 Which Resurrection?

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Over the years I’ve met a lot of Mexicans and had friendships with a few, but Adrian & Laura fascinated me. They didn’t seem at all like typical Hispanics. They came from Mexico City, a huge metropolis of 22 million people! (Oregon has less than 4 million and Portland only a half a million!). Her father was a heart surgeon. When she was growing up, she took vacations anywhere in the world! She is well educated… I think she has a Masters degree. Adrian had his own garage in Mexico City until a few kidnappers tried to kill him! They did kidnap and kill an acquaintance right from his garage. That did it! He shut the shop down and moved to Guadalajara, a city of only 4 or 5 million! He worked as a travel agent for a number of years. Now he’s here in Oregon running a portable saw mill! We had them and their two precious daughters over for a BBQ. He freely talked about Jesus, eternal life and the church. It was a great start in a relationship that we pray will evolve into a deeper opportunity to present the Gospel.

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 14:24-52; Hosea 3; Romans 10
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1 Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24 Then comes the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

What happens when you die? That question was asked to one of the Nixon plumbers, a tough guy named Alderman, and he replied, “You become food for worms.” “That’s all?” “Yep. That’s all and nothing more.” If that’s all we have to look forward to, this is one sorry existence! So what is the hope and expectation of the Christian? That even after my skin is destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God (Job 19:26). Our Resurrection is based on Christ’s resurrection. If Jesus died and rose, his promise of our resurrection is sure! We will rise! We will see Jesus with our own eyes! We will walk with him in heaven and spend all eternity in a glorified body… perfect in every way! But did you know that there was an “order” in the resurrection? It sounds like what we used to do in grade school. Everyone had to get in line after recess in the proper order so the teachers could take a quick count to make sure we were all there. Then one class got to go in before the rest of us. An order. I remember it well because one year the school bully stood behind me! All year long he would whack me in the head, pull my hair and pinch me! Don’t you just miss the good old days? It wouldn’t have hurt my feelings if there was no resurrection for school bullies! But back to the subject at hand: what is the order of the resurrection. In this case we are talking about the resurrection of the righteous. There are three stages in the order. #1 Christ was first. #2 Those who are Christ’s are second at the “parousia,” the coming of Christ for his saints of 1 Thess 4:15. #3 Then there is the “end” or “last” in the order of resurrection of the righteous. That happens at the end of the tribulation where all the martyred saints are raised (Revelation 20:4-5). This is the first resurrection. You should really be happy if you are included here, because the only thing left is the resurrection of the unrighteous! At the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ (Rev 20:13) they get a resurrection to judgment! And about the worms comment… Jesus said that their worm never dies nor are the fires of hell ever quenched! That’s the kind of food for worms I don’t want!

Dear Father. Thank you for the promise of the resurrection. I look forward to the day when I will be transformed into a perfect new me! Thanks for the blessed hope. Help me to value things of eternity as the highest values of all!

He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, And shall not despise their prayer.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:33 PM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

5-1 World Peace Now!

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I just compared grandkids, and discovered that MINE are the best in the whole wide world! Sorry that yours didn’t come in first, but someone has to win! My granddaughter popped into my office yesterday looking for a hug and a kiss. She is by far the sweetest little blond girl you ever did see. She told me her mom said she could come to my house for dinner! Oh boy! What a treat! But first we jumped into the car and ran out to see Gene. His birthday is next week. She shyly sat on my lap the whole visit. Then it was back to town for an ice cream at Dairy Queen! Boy that vanilla cone was good! She even let me have a few bites. After that we stopped at Kyle’s workplace to work out. For a treat, she got on the treadmill and walked for over 15 minutes of bliss! On the way to grandma’s she wrote us a very sweet note… “I love grandma and grandpa!” I asked her what she wanted for dinner and she said, “I already ate!” “You did?” “Yep… I had ice cream!” Well, we had spaghetti and salad and toasted bread anyway. What a treat we had!

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Samuel 14:1-23; Hosea 2; Romans 9
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 2 Peter 3:12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;

Find peace now! Everyone is looking for peace. I’ve seen bumper stickers that say things like, “you can’t raise your kids with nuclear arms.” Clever play on words… and another that says something like, “I want my kids to grow up in a peaceful world,” “Give Peace a Chance,” and many others downplaying war. Where do wars come from? Why do people fight? What is the solution that will bring world peace? Just lay down your weapons? Will that work? James 4:1 asks, “Where do wars come from? Do they not come from your own selfish desires?” That’s right. World War comes from personal self gratification. World problems will only be solved when we fix every individual. Let me be meddlesome. World problems will only be solved when we fix YOU! You and I are the problem! As long as there are people on this earth with sinful natures, we will have crime, killing and war. 2 Peter 3 instructs us to “be diligent to be found by Him in peace…” Strive to be at peace! Now if that isn’t an oxymoron. World peace will only come when every heart is at peace. You will only be at peace when #1 you make peace with God – that’s who the sinful nature is at war with. You make peace by surrendering to Jesus Christ and the message of forgiveness through the cross. That is where peace begins. And #2 you’ll only be at peace when you rest in the knowledge that God is in control. Or in the context of the verse above… in the knowledge that no matter what you are going through it can’t compare to the fact that Jesus is coming again and he will make all wrongs right and create a brand new world of hope and peace. World Peace Now! I’m all for it… so long as we define what we mean by it. Maybe we need a few new bumper stickers rolling around the city. “Save the World! Trust Jesus!” “Peace Now… Surrender to Jesus.” “Everyone has a chance at Peace in Jesus.” I don’t know if those are catchy enough. If you have a better one, send me your new bumper sticker for “Peace with God.”

Dear Jesus. I know that you are the Savior. Peace comes only through the cross, and only through You. Please help me to pass that truth on so that everyone has the chance at peace. I surrender to you and ask that you be Lord of my life no matter what may trouble me.

He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, And shall not despise their prayer.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:28 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT    

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