Musings from My Sun Porch

Tag: jesus

  • Give Thanks!

    “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100 NIV84).

    Yesterday, by government proclamation, we celebrated Thanksgiving Day.  For most of us, it was a day of fellowship with family and friends and a time of gorging ourselves on all our favorite family dishes, including the desserts.  Hopefully, it included a Thanksgiving prayer somewhere along the way.

    Yet, I can’t help but wonder how many of us sincerely entered God’s presence with thanksgiving. How many of us took the time to praise His Holy Name and consider the blessings in our lives?

    I ask those questions of myself as well, so I want to take a moment and mention just a few of the ways that God has blessed me.

    I have a family who loves me and cares for me.  They bring joy into my life in so many ways. They are also a tremendous help to me.

    I have three very special friends who make me laugh, encourage me, and keep me accountable.  They have helped me grow so much.

    I have so many other friends who share my love for God’s Word.  They have taught me so much as we study together.  They also bring laughter and fellowship, which we all need.

    I have great neighbors who are Christ followers and who look out for each other.

    I have been blessed with great health despite my age, and I count that as a blessing from God every day.

    I have found renewed purpose in life by using the talents and abilities that God has given me to serve Him.

    This list could go on and on, but I think you will get the picture.  Maybe it’s time that you start your own list.  Count your blessings and see what God has done! 

    I Thessalonians 5:18

  • Continuing the Battle for Christ – Week 9

    How should we respond to persecution?

    I recently heard a speaker ask this question: “What if Joseph had been released from Pharaoh’s prison? What if he wasn’t there when Pharaoh had a dream that needed interpretation?” (Genesis 39:1 – 41:41).

    That same thought applies to our persecuted brothers and sisters.  “… he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live” (Acts 17:26b NIV84). God has them there for a reason.  Those who are persecuted are in unique positions to witness for Christ, often to those who have never heard the name of Jesus.  Pray that they will be bold in their witness so that many of their persecutors may be won to Christ!     

    How should we pray for the lost?

    “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26 NIV84).

    Too often, we don’t know how or what to pray for those we love who are lost.  Remember that the Holy Spirit can intercede on their behalf.  Ask Him to show you how and when to speak Truth, and to soften the hearts and open the ears of those who need to hear and accept the Truth.

    Leadership Prayer Focus This Week: State Senators

    “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.  The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1 NIV84).

    Together with the State Representatives, our State Senators govern the State.  They enact laws, create state budgets, and have the power of veto over the Governor’s actions.

    Pray that: They will recognize that they serve at God’s pleasure, not their own.

    They will turn away from political expediency and instead determine what is best for all their constituents.

    They will be fiscally responsible.

    They will serve with honesty and integrity.

    For all our leaders, pray that if they do not already know Christ, they will accept Him as Lord.  For those who do know Christ, pray that they will stand firm on His Truth and His Word, never compromising it or minimizing it.

    “Pray continuously” (I Thessalonians 5:17 NIV84)

  • One Door

    A new grocery store recently opened in my neighborhood.  I’ve been told that it’s the largest of its kind in the United States.  I can’t confirm that, but I do know that you can easily get your steps in if you try walking up and down every aisle in the store.

     This morning, as I was checking out, a lady who had checked out before me stopped in the aisle, looking both left and right, obviously confused.  Finally, she said to the cashier, “Where is the door?”  At first, that sounds like a stupid question, but because this store is laid out differently than most, it wasn’t stupid at all.  Most stores of this kind have two doors.  One leads to one side of the store, and the other is at the exact opposite side of the store.  This new grocery store has two doors, but they both lead to the same area of the store, effectively creating one door.  Thus, the cashier’s response to the lady’s question was, “It’s that way,” pointing in the direction of the door, and then adding, “There’s only one door.” Confusing though that might be, it was accurate.  There is only one way in and out of that store

     As I thought about that this afternoon, I thought, “That’s just like heaven.”  With all the religions in the world today, we get overwhelmed with all the different ideas of how we might get to heaven. Some people believe they can reach heaven by being good.  The only problem is that no one is good.  The Scripture tells us clearly that “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV84).

     Some religions think that they must make great sacrifices to appease their gods.  However, Christianity is the only religion where God sacrificed Himself for His people.  Others believe that they will be reincarnated as a different person, based on how they lived their life. 

    Unfortunately for all these misguided souls, they are all wrong. The truth is that there is only one door to eternal life, and that door is Christ!  Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved” (John 10:9a NIV84).  Later, He also said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NIV84).  Jesus is preparing a place for His people, and He welcomes all who believe. 

    Like the grocery store that only has one door, heaven only has one door.  Jesus is that door, and He anxiously waits to invite each of us to walk through.  All He asks is that we believe that He is the Son of God and our Savior.  It doesn’t get much easier than that.

    John 3:16

    John 10:9

    John 14:6