Fall is beautiful, isn’t it?  Leaves changing, crisp air and right now a pretty sunlit afternoon.

We have several things to do before we are ready for the onslaught of winter, but we will be doing some more canning and freezing on Thursday – chicken breasts.  Looks like we will be working on about 320 pounds of it between Deed, Teresa and us.

I had the craziest dream about that last night.  I had forgotten to pick up the chicken, didn’t have a car, didn’t have a phone, tried calling Carla but she couldn’t answer, hiked all over the country side – up shale rock cliffs, up and down steep terrain, crossing creeks and then coming to the Deschutes river as it roared through a canyon and having to hike down river several miles to a bridge all in trying to get home so I could get a car to overtake the truck.  Never did get the chicken.

Woke up this morning with muscles aches that mimic what I would have felt like if I had undergone such a trip – crazy. 

2 Samuel 23:8-12    These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.

⁹ And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away:

¹⁰ He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the Lord wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.

¹¹ And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines.

¹² But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the Lord wrought a great victory.

“Mighty Men who David had.....”  David had quite a team of warriors who fought under him in the name of our Lord.

Jesus had His eleven faithful and devoted disciples and one who would betray Him.  Paul had his disciples Timothy, Silas, Galius, Aristarchus and the list goes on:

Acts 15:25-26  It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

²⁶ Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has chosen to use men to preach His Word.  He could do it Himself, we read of the accounts of Jesus and His authority and power.  Yet, Jesus chose to bring together men, he selected, to teach and to use as a cohesive team to spread the Gospel.  These became the first of many “Mighty Men” for Christ.

These eleven “Mighty Men,” in turn, discipled other men who also became “Mighty Men” for Christ.  Today, we too, have “Mighty Men – and Women” for Christ in leadership roles all over the world.

There are some things we can do all by ourselves, but it is limited.  We accomplish far more if we are part of a team.  And the team accomplishes far more if it is comprised of individuals who have specific skills that complement the skills of the rest of the team.

However, no matter how good the individual members may be, if they do not do their job to the best of their ability if they do not respect and support each other, the team cannot be successful in completing the mission.  When there is infighting and undermining of each other the energy is dissipated and the mission takes second or, in some cases, even last place.

In any team there are those that have leadership by appointment and there are those that have leadership by actions – it is hoped that they are one in the same, but often times they are not and if they are not in agreement about the mission they can be disruptive and cause the mission to fail.

Then you have those that think they know better than anyone else on the team.  They become disheartened because things do not go their way, or the mission is different from what they think it should be.  One person can undermine all the good work of a team.

Judas was part of Jesus’ team.  He ate, walked, learned, mingled and participated in the activities of the other disciples as they walked with Jesus.  Yet, his actions destroyed the team, temporarily, but none the less the team was decimated and the leader, Jesus, was killed.  Obviously they regrouped and the disciples went on to function as a team and as individuals to proclaim the Word of God and to continue Jesus’ Work.

When we are working for God, the first thing we must come to terms with is:  God is THE Boss.  Everything done for Him must line up with His Word.  While modern day techniques are different from those used by earlier Christians, the truth has not changed, the Word is as valid now as it was then.

Even Jesus took orders from God, the Father:

Hebrews 5:8-10 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

⁹ And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

¹⁰ Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

When we read His Word we find that there are people placed in positions of authority over others (which also means us;) and we are expected to honor, listen to and obey them. 

Hebrews 13:17  Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

As Christians we are part of the most important team ever devised, the Church – Christ’s Bride.  No matter what our position on that team is, it is important for the mission of the Church, the proclamation of Salvation through Christ and His teachings in order to live a life of perfection in Him, be THE fundamental reason for its existence.

Some will become the key leaders in a group of people.  It could be a President of an organization, division or district leaders or Pastor of a denominational church or a leader in a home group; it could be a Sunday School Class or a children’s group.  Elders, Deacons and other either appointed or elected positions within a church body have leadership roles in that body.  Someone has a leadership position in every situation.

It may not even be an appointed position; there are those that believe that Peter was in charge of the early church, others will point to each disciple having the same authority.  But there were those that stood out as leaders, Peter, John and Paul are the most notable.  They had equal rank in the group, but were given honor and respect as men who were key leaders in the group, the early church.

There will be times that a leader in one position of the body, must become subservient to another in that same body, either because the other has a higher authority, as determined by the organization, or has expertise that makes them more qualified to lead and make decisions.  But, if a team is working well, working together, no one cares who is in charge, they go about their job in conjunction with the other members.

The most important thing for us to remember is that GOD is ultimately in charge.  We all work for Him.  No matter what our job is, what ‘authority’ we may have, we must do our job to the very best of our ability.

Colossians 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

If we disagree with how things are done, we must, first, make sure that our heart is in the right place and that our disagreement is based on the Word of God – not our own preferences.  It must be done in love and in an orderly manner. 

Mathew 18:15-17  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

¹⁶ But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

¹⁷ And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

We indeed must take care of who we follow, and we must hold leaders accountable for their decisions.  But at the same time it is incumbent on us to talk to them and to discuss our concerns with them.  In discussion we may find – as I have seen many times – that the disagreement is in fact minimal.  Decisions are made by leaders based on the information they have.

Many times information the leader has others do not, if the reasons for a decision can be shown and the decision is appropriate, then most people will accept that decision.  However, there are times that the leader cannot share a decision made concerning an individual – we must then either trust them, or not.  If not then God has given us means to correct wrongs and we must undertake those corrections as He has set up.

If those things do not work, then we can extricate ourselves from that group and find one which we believe is more in tune with the Word of God. 

Being a team player doesn’t mean blind obedience to a person.  It does mean that if they are in a position of authority we have an obligation to them.  Both in working with them, and if they are not doing what they should be doing, correcting them as Christ told us.  The person that goes behind the back of leaders and undermines them in word or deed is not only doing a disservice to them, they are disobeying God.

Obviously not all Christians belong to the same denomination, for one reason or another there are disagreements in doctrine, or in actions in pursuing the fulfillment of the function of a church body.  What we must look at when we become part of an organization, small or large, in service to Christ, is basically outlined in the Apostles’ Creed:

1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:

3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:

4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:

5. The third day he rose again from the dead:

6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:

7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:

9. I believe in the holy (Catholic) Christian church: the communion of saints:

10. The forgiveness of sins:

1l. The resurrection of the body:

12. And the life everlasting. Amen. 

I changed the term Catholic church to Christian church; for clarification, when this was written, Catholic meant Christian and has since become a denominational term.  I know, that is my (and others including many denominations) interpretation you may feel free to disagree.

There are many differences in doctrine between the churches, and my previous paragraph is an example, many Catholic church goers believe it is the one true church.  Some believe that Saturday is the correct Sabbath day, some believe in the infilling of the Holy Spirit, some believe that miracles and healings take place today as they did in the early church, some believe that certain foods or drinks should not be partaken, some that certain activities are sinful, while others do not believe any of those things and the list can go on and on.

The bottom line however, is the Word of God.  Any time we stray from the truth of the Word; anytime we follow men who preach salvation in any other form we must extricate ourselves from that group.

Only God is infallible.  We have an obligation to our own salvation to make sure the leaders we are following are as close to perfect as they can be.  As part of that following we must then become a good team player, for God, and do what is necessary to help that group serve Him. 

God wants “Mighty Men” to serve Him, to give their devotion and their lives for Him.  We can so dedicate ourselves to Him we can become a “Mighty Man – or Woman” for God. 

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Just got back from celebrating Ian’s birthday.  Last of the October Birthdays for this year.  Can’t figure out how these kids get so old, so soon.

Had a beautiful morning, then this afternoon we have winds and rain – real rain.  Yesterday we had wind up to 44 mph officially, but not as high today.  

Jeremiah 2:26-28 As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets.

²⁷ Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.

²⁸ But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.

Exactly what the religion of Evolution teaches, God has warned us about Verse 27 Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth.  And He has done that same thing in so many other areas where satan will challenge us.

God has seen and has foreseen all things.  As we read His Word we can see many parallels in both Testaments with our lives today.  He knew that man could not contain his pride, that he would succumb to the temptation to proclaim his superiority over all things – so He has warned us to be aware of those traps satan has set in the minds of men.

It is so easy to get caught up in the rush of something.  While some vandalism is planned out by a person, a lot of it is done by two or more people acting spontaneously – they end up with a crowd mentality and give over their reasoning to the leaders of the crowd.  The same of course with riots, leaders get into the heads of people and they do stupid things – things they would never do and probably never even think of on their own.

We know that people will crowd around an accident victim, but many times they will not do anything – other than videotaping it which seems to be the order of the day anymore.  However, if someone will take action and if they point out someone in the crowd – identifying them by some means, color of coat, name, anything to single them out - to help, most of the time they will indeed come forward and help.

The world is in a trance like state.  They are enthralled by the noise, excitement, enjoyment of the satan’s temptations.  They are caught up in the moment.  When they are in these states of mind satan can make them feel that since everyone else is doing it they can, and should, too.  Often, though, when they are by themselves they feel the loneliness and the despair of not actually feeding their souls, many are ashamed when they are found out – but that is becoming a feeling many no longer feel.  So, many will go back to attain that euphoric feeling that comes from yielding to the lies of satan and the feeling of belonging that comes from doing as others are doing.

No one is immune from these temptations.  They can come at any of us; trying to bring us away from God and into satan’s realm.  Paul was aware of that and warned Timothy:

1 Timothy 6:20-21  O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

²¹ Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.

Paul told Timothy to stay away from these things; as should we.

The way to combat the wiles of satan is to be aware of them, the best way to be aware of them is to study God’s Word, to be in constant communication with Him, to listen to His voice and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Putting on the whole armor of God we can stand firm in our commitment to Him.

The Creator of this world and all that is in the universe is God.  In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, in the need to finish the job, raise our families, everything/anything that keeps us busy, we sometimes forget that without God nothing we do is going to last or be worthwhile in the end. 

We often forget God, because He is not in the forefront of our daily life – so out of sight He becomes out of our mind.

We want to keep that from happening.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

I see where those of you in the Valley are getting some heavy rains driven by high winds.  We are getting a little bit of moisture but nothing like that.

A friend told Carla she thinks our deer have moved over to her place, while I doubt it – she is a couple miles away, and lives in a dense populated area, for The Dalles anyway, she did have quite an experience.  Seems she heard some noise in her carport, went out and six does were there, eating her apples.  She was getting ready for bed so had her bed clothes and a bath robe on, picked up a broom and went out to confront them.  She ended up chasing them down the street, holding her bathrobe together in one hand and the waving the broom in the other – must have been quite a scene.

Luke 14:26-27  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

²⁷ And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

There are times that we read some very harsh commands in God’s Word, this is one of them.  We look at this, and try and reconcile it with loving our parents, loving our spouses and children as He also has commanded – how can He tell us to hate them?

I am mindful of a story I recently read about a Doctor in China who was incarcerated, beaten and tortured for his refusal to deny Christ and worship the statue of Mao.  After several days of this his wife and seven children were brought in to convince him to deny Christ.  For several days his wife asked him to think of her and the children, what would they do without him.

They cried and pleaded, it came to the point where he could almost bear it no more and that night knelt before God telling Him he was no longer able to resist.  God sent a peace over him and comforted him.  He felt God’s strength and when they started it all over the next day, he told them it would be no use he would not deny Christ.

They threatened him by telling him he would have one more day to think it over and if he did not bow down to the statue of Mao, they would kill him.  The next day came and he said he would never forsake Christ.  They did not kill him and later released him to go back to his family.

We read similar stories – mainly from those countries that have pagan Gods where the Christian is ostracized, separated from his family, condemned to a life of being forever the outsider.  Many times it means they have a difficult time making a living, they are prevented from doing all but the most menial of labor.  They are often incarcerated and tortured with death not uncommon.

There have been times when the Christian parent has watched their innocent children suffer, physically and emotionally because of their faith in Christ.  In some countries they have killed the children and wife in front of them to try and make them deny their faith.

Yet they refuse to turn from Christ. 

It is hard when a person must leave the closeness of their family because of their faith in Christ.  Satan works on their emotions and fears.  The family, even in the United States, may cut off all ties to the Christian and it is if they never existed.  They loved each other, yet the Christian has been condemned by the family.  Even if they don’t completely separate themselves from the Christian there is a wall that has been installed and the relationship is never the same – unless the family comes to Christ and that can happen.

God does expect us to honor our commitments to our families.  He tells us over and over that is His expectations:

Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

² Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

³ That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Ephesians 5:24-26  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

We are expected to treat each of our family members with respect and love.  We have many obligations as a spouse and parent and God expects us to fulfill them.  However, we should never let that relationship come between us and Christ.

There very well may come a time when we have to choose between Christ and the safety of our loved ones, IF that happens, God expects us to choose Him.  As Abraham trusted God when he was told to sacrifice Isaac, so must we trust God at all times, even at the death of a loved one.

Frankly it is a scary and very heavy thought; none of us wants to be in that position.  We cannot do this of ourselves, we must truly turn our fears and weakness over to God. 

The world is a dangerous place, one that can erupt at any time, much like a volcano.  With the onset of the many things occurring right now all over the world, we could be into a world war tomorrow.  America is wrestling within our borders as to how to proceed in this world and many are choosing to deny God and the deity of Christ.

We are seeing laws passed, court rulings and feeling the pressure of ‘society’ to deny our beliefs and to incorporate sin into our life as acceptable behavior.  We are only beginning to see and feel the oppression than many in other countries are enduring.  None the less, we must not lower our stand with God and we should not lower the standards He has applied to all mankind from the beginning.

If our stand is taken for God, He will be there for us:

Luke 21:12-15   But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

¹³ And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

¹⁴ Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:

¹⁵ For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Quiet day, overcast with a bit of rain.  All the domestic animals are inside laying in their favorite haunts.  Birds are taking advantage of the sunflower seeds but haven’t see the deer, so far.

We have some things to do between now and chicken breast processing day, just hope we have enough room in the freezer – if nothing else I will make the frozen fruit into jams and syrups to make room. 

Colossians 1:16-18 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

¹⁷ And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Is being competitive wrong?  Is striving for a higher office or position wrong?

I remember an episode of MASH where the Chaplain, a lieutenant, was up for a promotion.  He didn’t get it.  The show portrayed him wrestling with his desire to be promoted and how upset he was that he was not – he had earned it, he deserved that promotion. 

But it also showed where he came to the conclusion that his reaction to not getting that promotion was interfering with his primary mission, serving God by serving the troops.  It was self-serving and he was ashamed of himself.  One of the few times that, the writers of a television show, got it right.

It is interesting that some in our society – and people I don’t equate with being Christians – say it isn’t fair to have competition.  It makes those that are not able to achieve a higher standard feel they are not any good, their feelings of self-worth is gone and they often give up or they turn to crime.

So they don’t want those who achieve higher than the standard to be recognized, as it makes them look superior.  In order for those that do not achieve the standard to achieve the standard, we are lowering the standards and then lowering them again.

Then we say America has to do something about its school system; we are behind most of the other developed countries in math and science – we are like 29^th in that list.  So, we say we need more money in our school systems to increase our standing in the world.

What is the goal?  How are these other countries achieving such a higher rating using less money per student?......and sometimes a lot less money.

More and more parents are pulling their students out of school and teaching them at home.  It isn’t just Christians that are fed up with the morals being taught and the less than truthful history, biology, etc. many others are concerned about how their children are learning, what they are learning and that the system is holding their child back.  These people are not only paying the same taxes as those that send their children to public school, but paying additional money for books and other materials to home school their children.  Not to mention the additional time it takes out of their lives to help their child at a more intense level than normal.

Or, the parents are sending their children to private schools, paying high tuition – in addition to their taxes.  Most of these are schools sponsored by churches, and even though the parents may not subscribe to the beliefs of that particular church they want their children to obtain the education and discipline the school provides.

Private and Home schooled children often have the highest grades on standardized tests, there must be a reason.

Part of the reason comes from America’s belief that every student deserves an education.  We will assist children with handicaps by hiring extra staff to assist them, which, of course, raises the costs of education – it is a worthy and appropriate expenditure as far as I am concerned.

Part of the difference in the ability to educate the child is in home schooling the parent is working much closer with his child, either one on one or one on how many children they have.  They often will use the older child to help the younger child.  There is a connection and the child can ask question and get answers.  The same can be said of the private schools, they usually have smaller classrooms and more teacher contact with the student.

While the public school must take on all students, both the brightest and those that are either less capable of learning or have no desire to meet the standards.  The teacher then has to teach to the level of the lower abilities.  There are exceptions, but not wanting to recognize excellence in academic scholarship sometimes gets in the way.

Private schools and Home Schools are interested in not only the academic achievements, but the discipline of the student, they have a higher standard of conduct.  If a student in the Private school acts out then it is easier to deal with them up to and including kicking them out.

Public schools, however, must deal with uncaring parents, – not to mention the requirement that students be taught in their ‘native’ language; they must deal with uncaring and unmotivated students and students that have conduct issues.  It is harder to deal with them in the public school system.  It comes back to my question though, why?

In an effort to be all inclusive, we have ‘dumbed down’ our school systems.   We have spread out from the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic to classes that will keep students in school, even if they don’t care one way or the other.  Our teachers have to be parents, but can’t discipline the students and if they give them a grade they deserve they are not being fair to the student’s self-worth.

I can remember the frustrations of a principal I talked to over 40 years ago as more and more demands on the teacher was being made by the state without increasing budgets to help overcome the expenses.  It is far worse now.

I also find it interesting that many of the same people that lament the fact our students don’t do as well on the international testing level are the same ones that decry making the student accountable, and try not to hurt their self-esteem which seems to be their primary goal. 

America is turning out mediocre students and they are going into the workplace expecting the same ‘standards’ the school sets.  Most private sector employers cannot afford to dumb down their standards, if they do they not only lose customers they soon go out of business.

Unfortunately many of the teachers today have been the recipient of the ‘dumbed down’ standards and they themselves are not able to show the ability to reach the standards necessary to achieve a better score in the international testing process.  They are perpetuating the ‘we must make them feel good regardless of their abilities or lack of it’ mentality.

While we may not agree with everything these higher rated countries are doing in their education system, I would suggest we look at why they are successful where we are not.  What are their expectations, what are their standards – how are they met?

Now if setting standards is how we measure the ability of the student what is the determining factor for those standards?  It should be to obtain the best outcome for the student as far as being able to get the job done at the highest level; but the truth appears to be it is to achieve a feel good about yourself mentality - in both the student and those setting the standards because then they can say they have ‘helped’ these students by making them feel better about themselves.

Now, how does that apply to those verses?  First of all we must place God in His proper place in our thoughts.  He is God.  He is the Creator.  He has a right to set the rules for how His people behave.  

God has a standard and many of us are ‘dumbing’ down those standards.  Instead of saying this is what God says, we gear down our demands and expectations of ourselves and others in responding to God’s demands and expectations.  We want to make it easier to be a Christian and serve Him, so we bow to current social expectations and they become the new standard.  God doesn’t work that way, which is why we must understand who He is and where His place is in our life.

While the secular world looks at success by numbers, profits or position, God looks at success by the willingness of the believer to rely and follow Him.  God looks at our heart.

I believe competition can be healthy when it creates a feeling of desire to be the best we can be.  We test ourselves against others of like mind; the competition makes us improve and makes us work harder to succeed at that endeavor.  The danger of course is what happens to us as individuals, are we turning away from God?  Do we get so prideful of our accomplishments that it over comes our service to Him? 

For some people it is better for their spiritual condition that they do not compete, because it will separate them from God.  While most of us wish we were millionaires, God knows that when people become prosperous they often turn from Him, and He knows many of us could not handle that temptation – so we are not given the opportunity to become rich.

While competition may (or may not) be healthy in the secular part of our lives, it can be disastrous if done in the church.  Part of competition is measuring one’s self against another; there is a winner and a loser – one is better than another, at least in that particular competition at that particular time.  There should never be ‘losers’ in the church – that doesn’t mean we ‘dumb down’ the Word of God and His expectations, but it does mean we should not compete in the traditional worldly sense for positions within the church.

For instance, it is not unusual to have more people on a church ballot for deacon than there are positions.  However, that does not give liberty for any of them to be campaigning for that office.  Yes, there is an election, but God expects the members to search their hearts and, hopefully, they know the works of all the individuals and will vote for whom they believe will best serve God in this organization.  The ‘loser’ should understand that this is not the position God wants for him at the moment and continue in his service as he has been doing.

It is often hard for us to accept that every position in the church is important to God – because we bring our worldly values into the situation.  God does have those that govern or have some authority over others, the Pastor, the Elders, the deacons.  He has specific expectations and STANDARDS of the spiritual life of these people and it includes a humble and serving spirit. 

In God’s world – therefore our world – God is the not only the one in charge, but He is the one that sets the rules and He expects us to follow them.  He has laid them down in His Word for all of us to see.  While He understands our weakness and imperfections, He expects us to recognize them and to do better.  He expects us to strive for perfection, not determined by competition with some other Christian, but as determined by the standards He has set in His Word. 

A young Pastor from a small church went to his denomination’s conference.  He saw a Pastor of a large church with thousands of members, one who had served for many years and was respected by everyone else.  He introduced himself to the man, saying that he was the Pastor of a small country church.  The older man shook his hand, hugged him and said, ‘there are no small churches.’

God does not expect all of us to be Billy Grahams, Billy Sundays, Martin Luthers, Pauls or Peters, what He does expect is for us to turn our hearts over to Him and let Him work in us to His Glory; no matter what task – large or small – He has given us.

As Christians we are not in competition with each other to be the biggest or the best, OR the holiest, we are all servants of a Creator God  we are the physical evidence He uses to show other’s how much He loves them. 

We are not even in competition with satan.  We present the Word, we present our life in Him and we pray for souls - HE does the battles, we are but one of the tools for Him to use to bring others to Him.  He arms us to do battle, but the battle is His through us.

While standards of conduct, achievement, academics or other actions in this world may change due to human decision making, God’s Standards will never change.  They are not unattainable for anyone; everyone can meet them IF they turn their heart to God, which is the first requirement.  Accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, the second requirement.  Listen and obey Him as we live our lives, in dealing with Him and our fellow man, the third requirement – and He will take care of us meeting His Standards.

Mathew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

³⁸ This is the first and great commandment.

³⁹ And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again

Interesting Fall day, we are having a rain that is slow and sinking into the parched soil, giving it new life.  Clouds are interesting.  Looking out at the Columbia River and the Klickitats they form different kinds at different levels.

Directly above the water was fog, then fluffy Cumulus clouds then some clear sky with the grey rainy flat clouds above.  The wind shifts them around, but they remained that way most of the morning.

Carla wants to can some more butter today, Apples with Apple cider.  Sounds good, we shall see.  

2 Corinthians 4:6-10 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

⁸ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

⁹ Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

¹⁰ Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

These verses were in my studies this morning, as I read them I felt an uplifting of heart and mind.  How often does God tell us that He loves us?  How often has His Word told us of His care for each of us as individuals? 

As we read the Old and New Testaments we know that God cares for His children.  He wants to guide them into perfection and He loves us enough to chastise us when we stray.  As the Old Testament prophets and the Apostles and many new converts in the New Testament proclaimed God and His precepts were persecuted, we also will suffer persecution.

But that love through Christ which saves us for eternity also wants others to come to Him.  Our love and thankfulness to Him for that salvation gives us the honor to serve Him as these great men and women did of old, even if it is painful for us for a time.

As we work for Him we begin to recognize the workings of His Holy Spirit within us; we realize that God truly has provided for us even in our tribulations.

When we look at the children of rich parents we know their monetary worth is founded on the worth of their parents.  These children were born into wealthy families.  They have done nothing to deserve or earn the wealth; it is there because their parents gave it to them.  Eventually, what they do with that wealth will determine their success or failure in this life.

While earthly goods can corrupt or make a person better, determined by what they do with it, it cannot save them from an eternal damnation, only Christ can do that.  What we, any one of us, do with Christ determines our success or failures not only in this life, but our eternal life, either with Him as His children, or a forever separation from Him as we perish eternally in hell with satan and his minions.

As those children inherit worldly wealth at their birth, we inherit eternal wealth at our re-birth in Christ.  We become heirs of God.  Since we are heirs through Christ we have access to Him and His wealth, which surpasses anything here on earth.  He even sends His angels down to minister to each one of us.

Hebrews 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

So not only do we have Jesus within our heart, the Holy Spirit to comfort, teach and give us guidance, but we have our own angel(s) to watch over us.  Then He sits on high and oversees it all, not as an uncaring overlord but a Father who wants to lift His children up and give them the very best He can.

As an earthly father that knows his children, their moods, their skills, their abilities, so does our Heavenly Father know us.  However, while our fathers are human and subject to error in both discerning some things in their children or in the process of raising them, God is perfect.

God knows everything about us; He has access to every crevice of our heart, every thought of our minds.  God knows what we are capable of and wants to give us the tools necessary to develop those skills.  WE may question our abilities as Jeremiah did when God told Him to speak to the Israelites about their transgression, but God doesn’t.  He takes everything into consideration when He gives us a mission.

Jeremiah 1:6-8 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

⁷ But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

⁸ Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

God will guide us; He will give us the courage to stand for Him.  He loves us so deeply He gave His only Son for us, such love cannot be measured in monetary terms, or even human terms.  I cannot conceive of the depths of that love, I can only accept it is there for me and that with it comes His desire for the very best for me as an individual. 

Even those times with I feel I cannot go on, I can no longer perform out of fear, frustration, discouragement, or a feeling of inadequacy, God is there.  God understands and is ready to help us overcome any obstacle in our service to Him. 

In our weakness He will show His glory if we but let Him.  And when we do that His Spirit does incredible things within our lives and hearts, as well as the conversion and/or strengthening of others.  That is why Peter, Paul and so many others proclaimed Christ as Savior and taught the Word of God even though persecuted and beaten:

Acts 5:40-42 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

⁴¹ And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

⁴² And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

WE look at the martyrs and think we could never do that, yet, they were just people, only different from us in time and space.  Through the Holy Spirit they were given strength as will we be given strength.  Even today, where so many Christians are undergoing incredible persecution, God still prevails and His Spirit lives on within them, giving them strength to persevere and live for Him.  They could never do that on their own, only through the strength of Christ, the Holy Spirit and our Heavenly Father do they receive the courage to go on.

God is God; the Creator; the Founder of all that we have access to in sight, hearing, tasting, words and deeds.  There is nothing He cannot do, and when we accept that truth and apply it to our lives, there is nothing He cannot do with and through us.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again