By: John Alfred Hultman (1861-1942)

Thanks, O God, for boundless mercy, From Thy gracious throne above; Thanks for every need provided, From the fullness of thy love!  Thanks for daily toil and labor, and for the rest when shadows fall; Thanks for love of friend and neighbor, And thy goodness unto all!

Thanks for thorns as well as roses, Thanks for weakness and for health; Thanks for clouds as well as sunshine, Thanks for poverty and wealth!  Thanks for pain as well as pleasure–All Thou sendest day by day; And Thy Word, our dearest treasure, Shedding light upon our way.

Thanks, O God, for home and fireside, Where we share our daily bread; Thanks for hours of sweet communion, When by Thee our souls are fed! Thanks for grace in time of sorrow, And for joy and peace in Thee; Thanks for hope today, tomorrow, And for all eternity!

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By: George J. Elvey (1816-1893)

 Come, ye thankful people, come–Raise the song of harvest-home: All is safely gathered in Ere the winter storms begin. God, our maker, doth provide, For our wants to be supplied: come to God’s own temple, come-Raise the song of harvest-home.

All the world is God’s own field; Fruit unto His praise to yield: Wheat and tares together sown, Unto joy or sorrow grown. f]First the blade and then the ear, Then the full corn shall appear: Lord of harvest, grant that we Wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God own field, And shall take His harvest home: from his field shall in that day, All offenses purge away–Give His angels charge at last, In the fire the tares to cast, But the fruitful ears to store, In His garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come to Thy final harvest-home; Gather Thou Thy people in, Free from sorrow, free from sin; There, forever purified, In Thy presence to abide; Come, with all Thine angels, com-Raise the glorious harvest home.

NOW STAY WITH ME . . .

I was helping out in the junior high school youth group and this was the message.  I had never looked at these verses in this way before.  Look at them with me and see what the Holy Spirit teaches you.  Lets go to 1 John 2:18-29

18  Children, it is the last hour! (John is talking about the last days, the time between Christ‘s first and second coming)  As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now MANY antichrist have come. (antichrist=is someone who is against or puts them selves in the place of Christ. Selfcenteredness)  From this we know that it is the last hour.  19  They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. (The antichrists were not total strangers to the church; they once belonged to it, but they did not comtinue.  Some people may call themselves Christians for less than the best reasons.  Perhaps going to church is a family tradition, or they like the social and business contacts or a long standing habit.  They never stopped to ask themeselves why they do it.  What is your main reason for being a Christian ??  Unless it is a Christ centered reason, you may not really belong.)  But by going out they made it plain that none of them belongs to us.  20  But you have been anointed by the Holy One and all of you have knowledge. (Anointed is when you put your faith in Christ and then the Holy Spirit dwells within you.  Anoint means to rub or smite.)  21  I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you you know it, and you know that no lie comes from the truth.  22  WHO IS THE LIAR BUT THE ONE WHO DENIES THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST??  THIS IS THE ANTICHRIST, THE ONE WHO DENIES THE FATHER AND THE SON. 

23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also.

24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you.  If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and Father.  25  And this is what he has promised us, eternal life.

26 I write these things to you concerning those who would decieve you.

27 As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you.  But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.  (Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to teach his followers and remind them of all that he had taught.  Christians have the Holy Spirit within them (anointing) to keep them from going astray.  They also have the God inspired Scriptures.  To stay true to Christ, we must follow his word and his Spirit.  Let the Holy spirit help you discern truth from error)

28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he is revealed we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him at his coming. 29  If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who does right has been born of him.

Those ten verses are amazing when you look at them.  So, anytime I am not Christ centered I am anti-christ.  That is quite a thought.  That bible study has really stuck with me and I have been meditating on it and really trying to stay in prayer and the presence of Christ.  I really wanted to share it and hope that you also could grow and turn again to your “first love,” Christ our Savior.  Our all in all.

Thanks for joining.

AGAPE (ah-gah-pay)

In the New Testament it is the main word used for LOVE.  There are three words in the Greek which are used most of the time for love.  The two which are the most common are eros, which relates to sexual love; philos, which relates to brotherly love and AGAPE, which was the least used in the Greek and least specific in its meaning.

The word eros does not appear in the New Testament, which I find interesting.  Philos does appear in the New Testament.

Among the early Christians, agape refered to the unearned love Gad had for humanity.  It was a love so great that God was willing to send His one and only Son to die on our behalf.

Later Christian writers started to broaden the usage of agape as a word that specifically denoted Christian Love or charity.

In the New Testament there are numerous examples of agape that generally expand on the meanings derived from acient texts, denoting brotherly love, love of a spouse or child, and the love of God for all people.

The Christian usage of the term agape come mostly from the canonical Gospels account of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

I pray that God‘s Holy Spirit will decend on our country and world this year.

That all seeking hearts will find Christ and live for Him.

I pray that all hardened hearts will soften to then seek their Precious Creator.

I pray the the Holy Spirit will spread far and wide and there will be rejoicing like never before for the Joy of the Lord.

For those who are suffering, I pray for peace in the presence in the Lord.

I know we all have prayers and mine can not cover even a fraction, but I wanted to extent some thoughts and prayers for the opening of a new year.  Be safe, walk with Jesus, share Jesus, keep the faith, stay in the word, and I hope your New Year is all that God wants it to be.

Image by Darren Hester via Flickr

Do you believe:  God is in control of everything?  Did he mean for Christ to come and die on the cross?  Did he have a master plan for Christ and the saving of all mankind?  Do you believe that Christ in the Gospels is the Messiah that was anticipated in the Old Testament?

God’s statement to Eve in Genesis and God’s promise to Isreal of a Messiah permeates the Old Testament.  Scriptures concerning the Messiah are first noticed in the Book of Genesis and go through to the book of Malachi.

Are we willing and bold about sharing Christ with others that are in need of a Savior?

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American Center for Law & Justice– www.aclj.org

American Vision– www.americanvision.org

Reasons to Believe– www.reasons.org

Juice Plus– www.juiceplus.com/+kg97071

Our Daily Bread– www.rbc.org

Insight for Living w/ Chuck Swindoll– www.insight.org

Harvest Christian Fellowship w/ Greg Laurie– www.harvest.org

Compassion Internationl-Child Sponsorship– www.compassion.com

Mission of Mercy-Child Sponsorship– www.missionofmercy.org

Nazareth-Christian Comedian– www.nazarethusa.com

Bible Gateway– www.biblegateway.com

Thru the Bible w/ Dr. J. Vernon McGee–  www.ttb.org

Human Events– www.humanevents.com

AngelWinks-Heavenly Post Cards– www.angelwinks.net

Voice of the Martyrs-Christian Pursecution– www.persecution.com

Focus on the Family–  www.focusonthefamily.com

Fox News–  www.foxnews.com

Summit Ministries–  www.summit.org

The Presidential Prayer Team–  www.presidentialprayerteam.org

FLAME–  www.factsandlogic.org/index.html

Laura Ingraham–  www.lauraingraham.com/

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“I Pledge Allegiance”

Did you know that two very powerful beings are constantly pleading for your allegiance and trust.  The truth is–we can only pledge to ONE!  I bet you can guess who those beings are:  Our Great God, the Creator and Holy One and Satan.  These two beings are in a constant battle.

The Enemy:

• Satan-(mentioned 55 times in the bible)
• The devil-(35 times)
• great Dragon-(Revelation 12:9)
• god of this age-(II Corinthians 4:4)
• ruler of this world-(John 16:11)
• Lucifer-Isaiah 14:12-14
• prince of the power of the air-(Ephesians2:2)
• Adversary-devil-(I Peter 5:8)

• He was and still is the most powerful created being. (Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 6)
• He has one-third of the angels as his helpers (demons). (Revelation 12:4)
• he is not omniscient(all knowing). BUT-he does know the scriptures and believes in God.
• He is not omnipresent

Here is the Enemy’s Strategy

• He is continually trying to seduce believers to think incorrectly about themselves. (This is called PRIDE) Genesis 3:1-7; Deuteronomy 17
• He is continually trying to seduce believers to misrepresent the facts. (This is called LYING) John 8:44
• He is continually trying to seduce believers to be independent from God’s authority. (This is called ANARCHY) Isaiah 14:12-14

The Enemy’s Temptations

• COWARDICE- Fear in spiritual things.  II Timothy 1:7; I Peter 5:8
• BUSYBODY- Overly curious and meddling in anothers’ affairs. I Timothy 5:13-15
• DISAPPOINTMENT/DISCOURAGEMENT- A lack of trust in God’s resources during hardship and distress. II Corinthians 12:7-9
• LAZINESS- Spiritually inactive, satisfied to let the other perosn do God’s work.  I Timothy 5:11-15
• LYING- Misrepresenting the truth. Acts 5:4-6
• PRIDE- Self exaltation, self reliance or acting independently of God.  Isaiah 14:12-15
• STEALING- Taking of someone else’s belongings.  Ephesians 4:27-28
• GOSSIP- Accuse falsely and malicious intent.  II Corinthians 12:20
• UNFORGIVING ATTITUDE- Refusal to forgive another when they have confessed.  II Corinthians 2:10-11

How to have Victory over Satan

• Be in the Word!  The Battle is the Lords.  Matthew 4.
• Practice Humility.  You are the light of the world.  James 4:6-7
• Be serious and spiritually awake.  I Peter 5:8
• Armor UP!!  Ephesians 6:10-18

May you walk with the Lord and may He watch over you always!

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64 days left until inauguration day

For justice and mercy to be in the forefront of concerns of the new administration.

He has showed You, O man, what is good.  and what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with Your God.  Micah 6:8

Living Lord God, how I praise and thank You today that You have shown Your people what You desire from us.  In Your kindness and love You have pointed us toward You and Your righteousness.  Thank You for Your Word which lovingly reveals Your standards for the way we must live.  Thank You for being a holy and just God!

I bring the members of the new administration before you today, asking that they will burn with desire to please and honor You in all their ways.  may they long to do what You say is good, O Lord–to act justly, to live mercifully and to walk with You daily in humility and gentleness.  When they are tempted to bring You sacrifices, God, remind them that You show them what is truly good, and protect them from substitutes.  In Your holy name, Amen

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http://www.reasons.org

I am so excited to share this web site with you.  Putting it simply, this group of scientists and their other staff provide powerful new reasons from science to believe in Jesus.  I will keep it simple and just tell you the very basics of their beliefs.  I encourage you to go to their web site and explore.

WHAT THEY BELIEVE ABOUT:

Scripture: They believe the the Bible is the Word of God.  As a “God-breathed” revelation, it is thus verbally inspired and completely without error (historically, scientifically, morally, and spiritually) in its original writings.

Creation:  They believe that the physical universe is the visible creation of God.  That it declares God’s existence and gives a trustworthy revelation of God’s character and purpose.

God:They believe in one infinitely perfect, eternal and personal God who is the transcendent and sovereign Sustainer of the universe.

Person of Christ:The believe that Jesus Chrsit is both true God (second person of the Trinity) man (incarnate Son of God.) 

Person of the Holy Spirit:They believe that the Holy Spirit, is indeed a Divine Person, coequal with the Father and the Son.

Mankind:God created mankind in His image and likeness(having rational, moral, relational, and spiritual capibilites) to followship with Him and give Him glory.

Redemption:They believe God has acted sovereignly to bridge the gap that separates people from himself.  He sent His Son, born of a virgin, attested by miracles and by a sinless life, to bear the full penalty for humanity’s sin.

Justification:This is a judicial act of God’s grace wherein He acquits a person of all sin and accepts that person as righteous in His sight because of the imputed righteousness of Christ.

Resurrection:Jesus Christ rose bodily from the dead, conquering sin, death, and all the powers of Satan.

The Church:This is the spiritual body of Jesus Chrsit and that it encompasses all true believers at all times and places.

Future Things:The Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth, personally, bodily, and visibly to establish his glorious reign in a kingdom that will never end.

The Great Commission:Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation.

This is a very brief statement to wet your taste buds.  I hope that this will stir your interest to spend some time on their amazing web site.  They have so much to offer in the way of wisdom and knowledge.

Also look at other pages here to see who is on their staff.

www.reasons.org

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“May the God of hope fill you with all the joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13

FEELING:  I am unworthy or unacceptable in God’s eyes.                                               TRUTH:  I am accepted and worthy in Christ.  (Ps. 139; Romans 15:7)

FEELING: I cannot solve the problems I face.                                                               TRUTH: I have God’s wisdom for all situations. (James 1:5)

FEELING: I am unloved.                                                                                              TRUTH: God loves me. (John 15:9; Romans 8:35-39)

FEELING: I am to weak to mke it through the day.                                                        TRUTH: I have all the strength I need in Christ. (Psalm 46:1; Phil 4:19)

FEELING: I am depressed and hopeless.                                                                        TRUTH:I have all the hope I need through Christ. (Psalm 16:11; Romans 15:13)

FEELING: I can’t change anything about me or my circumstances.                                 TRUTH: God’s power is greater than any habit or problem and is at work in me to bring about positive changes. (Eph 3:20)

Fill me, Lord, with the assurance of your love and acceptance, with your wisdom and strength, and with your hope and JOY.  I thank you and praise you.  Amen

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The Breastplate of Righteousness

“His righteousness, it sustained him.”  Isaiah  59:16

Belt of Truth

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  John 8:32

Sword of the Spirit

“The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.”  Hebrews 4:12

Helmet of Salvation

“The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.” Psalm 37:39

Shield of Faith

“Fight the good fight of the faith.  Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.”  1 Timothy 6:12

Readiness of the Gospel of Peace

“The peace of God, which transcends all the understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:7

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From our nation’s very begining, God‘s amazing movements have been fashioned and sustained by prayer.  You can see it from the signing of our earliest documents to our victories over days of darkness, to all the spiritual awakenings that have sustained our faith over the years.

How wide are the possibilities when we pray.  Prayer is a wonderful power given to us by the Almighty god.  When we humbly see His face in prayer, He is moved to act on our behalf.  Make your life a life of prayer.

If My people who are called by My name will humble themsleves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  2 Chronicles 7:14

“‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’”  Jeremiah 33:3

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.  And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.”  Deuteronomy 28:1-3

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with ll your heart.  Jeremiah 29:11-13

Water turned to Wine:  John 2:1

Many Healings:  Matt 4:23, Mark 1:23,

Healing of a Leper:  Matt 8:1, mark 1:40, Luke 5:12

Healing of a Roman Centurion‘s Servant:  Matt 8:5, Luke 7:1

Healing of Peter’s Mother-in-law:  Matt 8:14, Mark 1:29, Luke 4:38

Calming of the Storm at Sea:  Matt 8:23, Mark 4:35, Luke 8:22

Healing of the Wild Men of Gadara:  Matt 8:28, Mark 5:1, Luke 8:26

Healing of the Lame Man:  Matt 9:1, Mark 2:1, Luke 5:18

Healing of a Woman with a Hemorrhage:  Matt 9:20, Mark 5:25, Luke 8:43

Raising of Jairus’s Daughter:  Matt 9:23, Mark 5:22, Luke 8:41

Healing of Two Blind Men:  Matt 9:27

Healing of a Demon-possessed Man:  Matt 9:32

Healing of Man with a Withered Hand:  Matt 12:10, Mark 3:1, Luke 6:6

Feeding of 5,000:  Matt 14:15, Mark 6:35, Luke 9:12, John 6:1

Walking on the sea:  Matt 14:22, Mark 6:47, John 6:16

Healing of the Syrophoenician’s Daughter:  Matt 15:21, Mark 7:24

Feeding of 4,000 people:  Matt 15:32, Mark 8:1

Healing of an Epileptic Boy:  Matt 17:14, Mark 9:14, Luke 9:37

Healing of Two Blind Men at Jericho:  Matt 20:30

Healing of a Man with an Unclean Spirit:  Mark 1:23, Luke 4:33

Healing of a Deaf, Speechless Man:  Mark 7:31

Healing of a Blind Man at Bethesda:  Mark 8:22

Healing of Blind Bartimaeus:  Mark 10:46, Luke 18:35

A Miraculous Catch of Fish:  Luke 5:4, John 21:1

Raising of a Widow’s Son:  Luke 7:11

Healing of a Stooped Woman:  Luke 13:11

Healing of a Man with the Dropsy:  Luke 14:1

Healing of Ten Lepers:  Luke 17:11

Healing of Malchus‘s Ear:  Luke 22:50

Healing of Royal Official’s Son:  John 4:46

Healing of a Lame Man at Bethesda:  John 5:1

Healing of a Blind Man:  John 9:1

Raising of Lazarus:  John 11:38