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This page is dedicated to bringing encouragement and insight to God's people and reaching the lost for Christ.
I have a favorite Old Testament verse that many will probably find odd: "Man that is born of woman is of a few days full of trouble. Job 14:1 The reason it is my favorite is because it helps to explain why there is so much suffering in my life and in the world. It can be my favorite bible verse because of my favorite New Testament verse: " In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 Be certain that troubles will continue. But we can be more certain that when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus, we are able to overcome the troubles and trials and tribulations of this life.
From a heart of love and compassion share the gospel
From a heart of love and compassion share the gospel
Your Christian life may be the only Gospel they will know
Pray and put the results of your sharing in God's hands
Pray and put the results of your sharing in God's hands
As the wind blows we cannot see where it goes, so is the working of the Spirit of the Living God
Have you ever wanted to memorize scriptures to lead a soul to Christ? Let me share this 8 Steps to Commitment to Christ
Life of Faith Scriptures
Life of Faith Scriptures
June 29, 2024 Continuation of the scriptures for Mrs. C. Nazum's book Life of Faith.
Life of Faith Scriptures
Life of Faith Scriptures
June 29, 2024
2Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” KJV
In chapter 5 of 2 Corinthians, Paul is dwelling on the hoped for change from mortality (earthly) to immortality in Christ. His focus is to make the believer aware that this life that we are now living is not the ultimate. There is something even better for us. Paul uses the phrase “that mortality might be swallowed up of life”. (5:4b) This is an important concept for all who would put their trust in the God who created us. This life and this body that we are living in is subject to death. It does not matter how long we are upon this earth we will go the way of all flesh. The deterioration of our physical body will occur over time.
In Christ we are new, old things are passed way and all things become new
We mature, we age, we are subject to the natural processes of time. And because of the curse of sin and death upon all living beings we will eventually return to the dust from which we were made. But Paul changes that focus. He says that we will not die but we shall be changed. When we accept the redemption that Jesus makes available to us by his own death and resurrection, we are no longer subject to the penalty of death. Paul says,” he died for all, … and rose again.” 2 Cor. 5:15 Jesus has made the change from mortality for immortality available to us through his own death and resurrection. Paul says we desire to be clothed with the new house (body). We long for the change that God has promised in sending his son to pay our sin debt. We change our focus from death to eternal life in Christ. There is only one remedy for the curse of sin and death: that is putting our trust in the promises of God, in the sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the cross of Calvary.
There is only one way that we can have this eternal life. It is not something we can do righteous work to earn. We cannot do enough good to push the scales in our favor. But we are to acknowledge the Word of God to be true and that God does indeed love us and wants us to be born again. God wants us to have eternal life. But he wants us to have the eternal life that He promises. We are born sin filled creatures. We can be born again and be cleansed of our sins. We can be made righteous in God’s sight; not by any works of our own; we are made righteous by putting our trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is a spiritual transaction between God and us individually. Each person must come to the place of agreement with God. We must believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. The scriptures tell us, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
Let me encourage you to diligently seek him. If you are born again seek his righteousness daily, seek his will for your life daily, live a life of appreciation for his great work on your behalf. Allow our God to use you to draw others to the grace and goodness of God and his plan of salvation.
If you are not born again, I urge you to consider what the grace of God is offering you. This world and all that is in it will one day be removed. God has plans for a new earth and those who will be righteous will fill it. There will be nothing of sin in this new earth. There will be nothing to make a lie. There will be nothing to destroy. There will be nothing to harm. Consider what being a new creature in Christ will mean to you and choose him today.
The Thief of Time
The Thief of Time
Procrastination is defined as the act or habit of putting off to a future time what needs to be done. Some synonyms of procrastination are, dithering, delaying, stalling, temporizing etc. I have adopted the phrase The Thief of Time.
July 24,2024
I enjoy doing woodworking. I am nowhere near as good at it as I would like but for me there is not only great satisfaction in a finished project no matter how small but there is also great pleasure for me in the process.
When I do woodworking, it is not with power tools. Although I must admit there have been some projects that I had to use power tools for the sake of finishing sooner than my manual tools would allow.
But mostly I enjoy manual tools. The more primitive the tool the more skill and deliberation is required to achieve the satisfactory outcome of the project (in my estimation). Now there are some primitive tools that I do not work with, but in general, I appreciate the simplicity of manual tools. For example, the draw knife, spoke shave, and sandpaper are basic tools that bring me closer to the wood as I am trying to shape and bring out beauty in the project. I am sure that those who use power tools feel the same way about their process so my affinity for manual tools is not meant to be an affront to those who prefer power tools.
However, even in the case of something like woodworking that I enjoy so much there is a tendency to fall prey to a relentless thief of time.
Procrastination
I opened this narrative on procrastination by explaining how much and why I love woodworking. This is purposeful because procrastination does not impact us only when we have to do something that we dread or find distasteful, or even difficult.
Procrastination is defined as the act or habit of putting off to a future time what needs to be done. Some synonyms of procrastination are, dithering, delaying, stalling, temporizing etc. I have adopted the phrase The Thief of Time.
I shared with our Men’s Prayer group that this thief of time has become more of a concern for me. I related to them a specific case in point. When I began a new job as a High School teacher. I had purchased some wood and wheels to build an audio/visual cart for my job. I wanted a cart that I could plug in my computer, projector, and sound system and be mobile enough to go from one classroom to another. I had all of the materials there at my home to create the cart, but for a couple of months the wood and materials merely sat. I had even produced three different designs that I thought would be what I wanted to build. But the thief of time would not allow me to begin the work. Day after day, weekend after weekend there the materials and designs sat waiting for me to do the work.
When I finally began the work, it took nearly another month to complete. Now this was okay because I do not have a great amount of time to devote to woodworking and I do not use power tools, so it is expected to take a little longer to complete a project. When I do a project, for me it is a slower and satisfying process, like a longer scenic route when on an enjoyable trip. Except when I make a mistake and have to go back to the store and buy more wood.
When I finished the cart, I was very pleased with it and still am. I have been using it ever since.
As a high school teacher there are many requirements that must be addressed, many of which have deadlines and due dates. There are daily high priority requests to address throughout the day. These at times become prey to procrastination. Whether legitimate delays occur, or a delay is due to insufficient information, or the wearisome nature of the task, procrastination impacts my ability to address some of the daily priorities. More than once or twice procrastination has meant that I have missed deadlines. When I miss a deadline for some of the administrative obligations they can have an impact on students under my care.
It would be a natural response to justify the delay, however, I know that Christ Jesus calls us to a higher standard. We are to do all things as unto the Lord. We are to give our best service without grumbling and complaining and I believe without stalling or temporizing; putting off what I am able to do when the task is before me.
I have wondered to myself what is the cause of this procrastination. It has nothing to do with physical inability or inadequacy.
I considered this and believed it to be a weakness of heart. I akin it to the spiritual warning that Jesus gave to his disciples who could not stay awake and pray with him for even an hour. Jesus said, “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)
I also liken it to Paul’s confession in Romans 4:17 “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.”
In this life while we are still in our imperfect bodies, we have a new spirit that desires to please and honor the Father but so often we fall short of what we know to do. We recognize that we have fallen short, and we repent and plead for help to overcome the weakness of our human heart.
In this life while we are still in our imperfect bodies, we have a new spirit that desires to please and honor the Father but so often we fall short of what we know to do. We recognize that we have fallen short, and we repent and plead for help to overcome the weakness of our human heart.
Procrastination as I understand it, in me, is not from any inability but more it is a willingness to do what is easier or least challenging. I lean toward the path of least resistance. I have read about some people that are perfectionist and wait until they feel they have everything in readiness to complete their task. But too often for me it is more of an attitude to take it easy.
The next step or phase of the message has to be what are you going to do about it? Or, what can be done about procrastination?
Well obviously, we can pray for me. (I need it)
We can pray to God to help me overcome the proclivity to procrastinate.
The Thief of Time
The Thief of Time
Onesimus: The name means helpful.
Philemon 1:10-11 "I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me."
Here is the main point that I believe is for all to gain from this narrative: Whether you are afflicted with procrastination or any other impediment that steals time from you it is only remedied by a committed determination that I am living this life for Christ.
My heart desire must be to not do what I want and when I want, but rather what Christ Jesus wants of me.
This brings me to one of my favorite characters in the New Testament.
If you have your bible handy turn to the book of Philemon.
In this letter the Apostle Paul writes from prison in Rome to his friend and fellow believer Philemon. Paul’s letter is principally about Onesimus. Onesimus was a slave who had either robbed his master or defrauded him someway and then ran away. In the process of time Onesimus became acquainted with Paul while in Rome. It is not clear whether Onesimus spent time in prison himself of merely became a helper to Paul while Paul was under house arrest. Onesimus did, however, come to faith under Paul’s ministry and attached himself to Paul as a faithful helper.
In the letter to Philemon, Paul offers a witticism on the name of Onesimus. Paul noted that while Onesimus was a slave in Philemon’s house he was “useless” or “unprofitable” in the King James version. (Philemon 1:1) The name Onesimus however means helpful.
Once converted, Onesimus truly lives up to his name and becomes very dear to Paul. In fact, Paul considered keeping Onesimus with him to continue to be his help. Somehow Paul convinces Onesimus that as a Christian he must always do that which is right in the sight of the Lord. Paul convinced Onesimus that he must make restitution for the wrong he had done to Philemon.
This is where Onesimus’ story helps me deal with my inclination to procrastinate. This is also where I hope others will find encouragement to overcome any impediment or obstacle that keeps us from being wholly committed to the Lord, wholly surrendered to his will for our lives.
“First, the trip from Rome to the seaport Ephesus, mostly by ship, would have been about two weeks according to ORBIS: The Stanford Geospatial Network Model of the Roman World.1 Colossae would have been another 4 or 5 day walk from Ephesus” (https://theopolisinstitute.com/tychicus-and-onesimus/) I am sure that the closer Onesimus got to Colossae the more the tempter tried his resolve to do what he knew he must do. Onesimus was willing to return to slavery for Christ’s sake.
Onesimus went back to Philemon’s house not certain if Paul’s letter would make a difference or not.
Consider with me what he must have gone through as he got closer to the day that he would once again be completely subject to another man’s will. Selah
Consider what Onesimus was about to encounter was completely uncertain. It is obvious that he had resolved in his heart “to live is Christ, to die is gain” (Phillipians 1:21) This is the elemental lesson that Onesimus’ story conveys to me. Onesimus was a living epistle. He chose to see the task done because it was right in the sight of the Lord.
For my part, I thank God that he has put people in my life who are the exact opposite of me. They are driven to achieve, complete, conquer and move on to the next challenge. They inspire me to be more intentional in addressing procrastination in my life.
In keeping with Onesimus’ story, there is an old hymn that comes to my mind that says, Not for ease or worldly pleasure, not for fame my prayer shall be. Gladly will I toil and suffer; only let me walk with thee. Close to thee, close to thee, close to thee, close to thee, gladly will I toil and suffer only let me walk with thee.
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Father, I thank you for the timelessness of your Word and your Promises. I pray you will use these words to encourage your children as they grow in their relationship with you. I pray that you will work in the heart of every person who does not know you as Lord to bring them to yourself, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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