Monday, July 31, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “A big tree attracts the gale.”
(Chinese proverb on pride)
“Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (I Corinthians 1:20 NIV)
Where are the wise men, the scholars, and the philosophers? Are we hearing from them? If we are so advanced as a civilized nation why are they warning us of the dangers of global warming? Why is it that we cannot keep peace and are always at war with some other nation? But yet we think that we have many of the answers, and do not apply them. The USA disposes of more eatable garbage every day than most third world nations have to eat in a single day. Even our poor throw away a lot of food. Why are there little children starving in Africa and Asia, and the other side of the globe is wasteful? But yet we spend billion of dollars sending people to space, developing bigger weapons to destroy each other, and design comfortable and timesaving furnishings for our homes and lives. Don’t get me wrong I am not against prosperity. I believe that God desires us to prosper in all ways. I just don’t believe in poverty, and wonder why with all the prosperity there is in the world, why there is so much poverty? The apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians provides me with some of the answers I am looking for. Even though he wrote it around 1,950 years ago, today it still rings true. “God has made foolish the wisdom of the world.” That little starving child in Africa doesn’t give a hoot about the space station. And in God’s eyes that little hurting baby is worth more than a million shuttles and space stations. Why can’t we get our lives together as a world community and help each other more than we hurt each other? Because the wisdom of the world is foolish, compared to that hungry child. Maybe we’re looking in the wrong direction. The prophet Zechariah said, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit say the LORD Almighty.” Maybe if we want to get things done right we need more of the Spirit of God instead of the spirit of man. I don’t know why I headed this way today in my thoughts, but walk through the Word after my study time seemed to be headed this way. I had a wonderful weekend. I traveled over 1,200 miles to Texas and back, and enjoyed many benefits of prosperity as we traveled. I traveled in air-conditioned automobiles and stayed out of the heat in an air-conditioned house. I enjoyed several fine restaurants as we traveled and I was comfortable. Why my burden this morning for those who are in poverty I don’t know. Possibly because of the realization, that I also, at one time was in poverty. Mine was a self-induced poverty brought about by self-centered drug and alcohol use. I would have died in my poverty had it not been for the grace of a loving God that helped me up as I surrendered and asked for help. And for the many friends and family that offered encouragement and assistance. It takes help to rise above the curse of poverty, and I am grateful for that help. May I learn to lend a helping hand as I hold on to the hands that helped me. May we be connected as a chain, and God will do for us what we could not do for ourselves…………………..JRE
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV)
The foolish wisdom
Thought for the day: “A big tree attracts the gale.”
(Chinese proverb on pride)
“Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (I Corinthians 1:20 NIV)
Where are the wise men, the scholars, and the philosophers? Are we hearing from them? If we are so advanced as a civilized nation why are they warning us of the dangers of global warming? Why is it that we cannot keep peace and are always at war with some other nation? But yet we think that we have many of the answers, and do not apply them. The USA disposes of more eatable garbage every day than most third world nations have to eat in a single day. Even our poor throw away a lot of food. Why are there little children starving in Africa and Asia, and the other side of the globe is wasteful? But yet we spend billion of dollars sending people to space, developing bigger weapons to destroy each other, and design comfortable and timesaving furnishings for our homes and lives. Don’t get me wrong I am not against prosperity. I believe that God desires us to prosper in all ways. I just don’t believe in poverty, and wonder why with all the prosperity there is in the world, why there is so much poverty? The apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians provides me with some of the answers I am looking for. Even though he wrote it around 1,950 years ago, today it still rings true. “God has made foolish the wisdom of the world.” That little starving child in Africa doesn’t give a hoot about the space station. And in God’s eyes that little hurting baby is worth more than a million shuttles and space stations. Why can’t we get our lives together as a world community and help each other more than we hurt each other? Because the wisdom of the world is foolish, compared to that hungry child. Maybe we’re looking in the wrong direction. The prophet Zechariah said, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit say the LORD Almighty.” Maybe if we want to get things done right we need more of the Spirit of God instead of the spirit of man. I don’t know why I headed this way today in my thoughts, but walk through the Word after my study time seemed to be headed this way. I had a wonderful weekend. I traveled over 1,200 miles to Texas and back, and enjoyed many benefits of prosperity as we traveled. I traveled in air-conditioned automobiles and stayed out of the heat in an air-conditioned house. I enjoyed several fine restaurants as we traveled and I was comfortable. Why my burden this morning for those who are in poverty I don’t know. Possibly because of the realization, that I also, at one time was in poverty. Mine was a self-induced poverty brought about by self-centered drug and alcohol use. I would have died in my poverty had it not been for the grace of a loving God that helped me up as I surrendered and asked for help. And for the many friends and family that offered encouragement and assistance. It takes help to rise above the curse of poverty, and I am grateful for that help. May I learn to lend a helping hand as I hold on to the hands that helped me. May we be connected as a chain, and God will do for us what we could not do for ourselves…………………..JRE
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV)
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“Forbid that I should walk through Thy beautiful world with unseeing eyes: Forbid that the lure of the market-place should ever entirely steal my heart away from the love of the open acres and the green trees: Forbid that under the low roof of workshop or office or study I should ever forget Thy great overarching sky.”
JOHN BAILLIE
“Forbid that I should ever forget Thy great overarching sky.” When I came across this quote this morning I had to stop and give some thought to my position in life. Many times I find myself directing my feet as I place them one step at a time. Sometimes when I stumble and fall back I find myself putting a little skip in my step to catch up. God’s grace is always there with me holding my hand, never so far ahead that I struggle to catch up. The reason this quote from John Baillie got stuck in my spirit is because many times I am so busy that I fail to take note of the majestic beauty of God’s creation that surrounds my life. It matter not, if I am on some secluded gravel road, in the timber, or standing on a street corner in downtown Kansas City, God’s beauty in the sky alone arches overhead. I take this daily occurrence of God’s created beauty for granted. Oh I have marveled at the combinations of colors in the sunrises and sunsets. I have enjoyed the partly cloudy days with the big puffy white clouds. I even enjoy when the storm clouds roll in and the sky darkens. But most of the time I “walk through Thy beautiful world with unseeing eyes,” too busy being about my own business. Thanks for letting me share this.
Today I finished reading the New American Standard Bible; I think that it is a wonderful translation. It took almost two years to finish. I started with the New Testament and then read the Old Testament. During this time I also have been reading the King James and the New Living Translation. This morning as I finished reading the Book of Malachi, I was drawn to one verse at the very end of the Old Testament. Share this with me:
“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.”
(Malachi 4:2 NAS)
This promise of God’s Word reminds me of the first calves that I raised. It was in January of 1986 when I received them. January is not the best time for birthing of calves, but in the dairy industry to keep cows fresh they must have calves that are born on a regular basis. They were only three days old when I received them. I had five altogether. It got extremely cold that January and I had to keep them in the barn in a stall. They needed to be bottle fed and closely attended to for the first few months. I remember when we had a warm spring like day in February, that I turned them out into the calf pen. At first they were reluctant to go outside the stall, but once they got out and the warm sun hit them they began to run and jump and skip about just like the scripture verse describes. Today when I take it one day at a time and give the glory to God for my progress and increase, I receive healing from a hopeless state of body and mind that I call drunk and addicted. Today I skip around just like the calves because I have been set free. I am grateful because God has done for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
Skipping calves
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“Forbid that I should walk through Thy beautiful world with unseeing eyes: Forbid that the lure of the market-place should ever entirely steal my heart away from the love of the open acres and the green trees: Forbid that under the low roof of workshop or office or study I should ever forget Thy great overarching sky.”
JOHN BAILLIE
“Forbid that I should ever forget Thy great overarching sky.” When I came across this quote this morning I had to stop and give some thought to my position in life. Many times I find myself directing my feet as I place them one step at a time. Sometimes when I stumble and fall back I find myself putting a little skip in my step to catch up. God’s grace is always there with me holding my hand, never so far ahead that I struggle to catch up. The reason this quote from John Baillie got stuck in my spirit is because many times I am so busy that I fail to take note of the majestic beauty of God’s creation that surrounds my life. It matter not, if I am on some secluded gravel road, in the timber, or standing on a street corner in downtown Kansas City, God’s beauty in the sky alone arches overhead. I take this daily occurrence of God’s created beauty for granted. Oh I have marveled at the combinations of colors in the sunrises and sunsets. I have enjoyed the partly cloudy days with the big puffy white clouds. I even enjoy when the storm clouds roll in and the sky darkens. But most of the time I “walk through Thy beautiful world with unseeing eyes,” too busy being about my own business. Thanks for letting me share this.
Today I finished reading the New American Standard Bible; I think that it is a wonderful translation. It took almost two years to finish. I started with the New Testament and then read the Old Testament. During this time I also have been reading the King James and the New Living Translation. This morning as I finished reading the Book of Malachi, I was drawn to one verse at the very end of the Old Testament. Share this with me:
“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.”
(Malachi 4:2 NAS)
This promise of God’s Word reminds me of the first calves that I raised. It was in January of 1986 when I received them. January is not the best time for birthing of calves, but in the dairy industry to keep cows fresh they must have calves that are born on a regular basis. They were only three days old when I received them. I had five altogether. It got extremely cold that January and I had to keep them in the barn in a stall. They needed to be bottle fed and closely attended to for the first few months. I remember when we had a warm spring like day in February, that I turned them out into the calf pen. At first they were reluctant to go outside the stall, but once they got out and the warm sun hit them they began to run and jump and skip about just like the scripture verse describes. Today when I take it one day at a time and give the glory to God for my progress and increase, I receive healing from a hopeless state of body and mind that I call drunk and addicted. Today I skip around just like the calves because I have been set free. I am grateful because God has done for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
Monday, July 24, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “We never know how high we are, till we are called to rise.”EMILY DICKINSON
Ask rain from the LORD at the time of the spring rain
The LORD who makes the storm clouds;
And He will give them showers of rain,
vegetation in the field to each man.
ZECHARIAH 10:1 NAS
“We never know how high we are, till we are called to rise.” What a profound statement. Sometimes we can’t see the progress we’ve made until we are asked to step out of our comfort zone and help someone else. Just yesterday morning as I was riding my bicycle to church I came to the realization that next week I will be sixty years old. I try and ride 15-20 miles a day, not so much because I want to, but because in August of 1996 my drivers license was revoked for ten years and the bicycle is the only transportation that I am allowed to have on the roads. At first I thought that a curse had been placed on me by the state of Missouri, but as the years have passed by, one day at a time, I have gotten stronger physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Much of this strength is because of the strenuous exercise involved in getting one place to another. Much of my strength also has come about because of discipline techniques that I learned having to ride every day. Disciplines that made me ride regardless of the heat or the cold, the rain or the snow. I applied this learned discipline to my daily reading of God’s Word. Daily, regardless of circumstances in my life I have conditioned myself to read God’s word at the start of my day. I like to think of myself also as riding 15-20 miles a day through the Scriptures. Sunday morning as I rode to church I realized how much better shape I am in at sixty than I was at fifty. When I turned fifty in August of 1996 I was drinking a fifth of whiskey a day, smoking a pack of cigarettes and all the pot I could every day, with a continuous dusting of meth to provide energy. I was physically drained, mentally ill, emotionally sick, and spiritually bankrupt. And then on top of that, what I considered to be a curse, I was told I could not drive for ten years. Sunday morning as I rose up off the bicycle seat and peddled up the hill on my three mile trip to church, I noticed the ease at which I peddled and I gave praise to God for having brought me through a hard time and making me stronger each day. This morning as I count I have 134 days till I am able to drive again. God has done for me what I could not do for myself………..JRE
“I know that God cannot teach anyone who is trusting in a crutch. I will throw away the crutch of alcohol and walk in God’s power and spirit. God’s power will so invigorate me that I shall indeed walk on to victory. There is never any limit to God’s power. I will go step by step, one day at a time. God’s will shall be revealed to me as I go forward.”
HAZELDEN……………………..Twenty-Four Hours A Day
15-20 miles a day
Thought for the day: “We never know how high we are, till we are called to rise.”EMILY DICKINSON
Ask rain from the LORD at the time of the spring rain
The LORD who makes the storm clouds;
And He will give them showers of rain,
vegetation in the field to each man.
ZECHARIAH 10:1 NAS
“We never know how high we are, till we are called to rise.” What a profound statement. Sometimes we can’t see the progress we’ve made until we are asked to step out of our comfort zone and help someone else. Just yesterday morning as I was riding my bicycle to church I came to the realization that next week I will be sixty years old. I try and ride 15-20 miles a day, not so much because I want to, but because in August of 1996 my drivers license was revoked for ten years and the bicycle is the only transportation that I am allowed to have on the roads. At first I thought that a curse had been placed on me by the state of Missouri, but as the years have passed by, one day at a time, I have gotten stronger physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Much of this strength is because of the strenuous exercise involved in getting one place to another. Much of my strength also has come about because of discipline techniques that I learned having to ride every day. Disciplines that made me ride regardless of the heat or the cold, the rain or the snow. I applied this learned discipline to my daily reading of God’s Word. Daily, regardless of circumstances in my life I have conditioned myself to read God’s word at the start of my day. I like to think of myself also as riding 15-20 miles a day through the Scriptures. Sunday morning as I rode to church I realized how much better shape I am in at sixty than I was at fifty. When I turned fifty in August of 1996 I was drinking a fifth of whiskey a day, smoking a pack of cigarettes and all the pot I could every day, with a continuous dusting of meth to provide energy. I was physically drained, mentally ill, emotionally sick, and spiritually bankrupt. And then on top of that, what I considered to be a curse, I was told I could not drive for ten years. Sunday morning as I rose up off the bicycle seat and peddled up the hill on my three mile trip to church, I noticed the ease at which I peddled and I gave praise to God for having brought me through a hard time and making me stronger each day. This morning as I count I have 134 days till I am able to drive again. God has done for me what I could not do for myself………..JRE
“I know that God cannot teach anyone who is trusting in a crutch. I will throw away the crutch of alcohol and walk in God’s power and spirit. God’s power will so invigorate me that I shall indeed walk on to victory. There is never any limit to God’s power. I will go step by step, one day at a time. God’s will shall be revealed to me as I go forward.”
HAZELDEN……………………..Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Friday, July 21, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
“Most people are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
I have heard that Abraham Lincoln suffered from what they called melancholy. Today we call it depression, so I am a little surprised to find him quoted in this statement. My question to myself today is can we make ourselves happy when we are going through some sort of depression? No doubt President Lincoln had to over look much that was said about him and make himself happy. We see the press give our presidents a critical view and many times what they report is very unfair, but no president has undergone the negative torture that was given President Lincoln. They referred to him as looking like an ape and gorilla, and had cartoons of him drawn as such. They said he was stupid, back woods, and crooked. Many people, and of course the things they said, were very cruel to Abe, especially when they called him a gorilla. Did he overcome all this negative press by his fellow countryman? I don’t know, he was assassinated before he reached a ripe old age and could reflect back. At the present time I am again watching the PBS epic The Civil War. What a time that was in our young country’s history. What a hard time for an American president to lead his country. In Vietnam we lost over 58,000 men in a ten-year period. In the civil war they lost more than once, 20,000 within a day. I cannot imagine such deliberate destruction of human life. Spiritually both sides prayed to the same God and Savior, and prayers were answered on both sides. Do you think that Abraham Lincoln made up his mind to be happy during these times? I think he had to. Today I understand that happiness and joy are two different things. Joy is a spiritual force that makes its home deep within our spirit, and cannot be removed. Happiness is a state of mind that has been guaranteed by God if we trust in Him. I think that Abraham Lincoln understood this and made up his mind that he was going to be happy regardless of his situation in life. May I learn today that happiness is a choice that I must make in order for God to do for me that I could not do for myself………….JRE
Blessed is everyone that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
PSALM 128:1-2 KJV
I CHOOSE JOY……………….
I will invite my god to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…..the tool of the lazy thinker.
I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God.
I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God. MAX LUCADO
Make a decision
“Most people are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
I have heard that Abraham Lincoln suffered from what they called melancholy. Today we call it depression, so I am a little surprised to find him quoted in this statement. My question to myself today is can we make ourselves happy when we are going through some sort of depression? No doubt President Lincoln had to over look much that was said about him and make himself happy. We see the press give our presidents a critical view and many times what they report is very unfair, but no president has undergone the negative torture that was given President Lincoln. They referred to him as looking like an ape and gorilla, and had cartoons of him drawn as such. They said he was stupid, back woods, and crooked. Many people, and of course the things they said, were very cruel to Abe, especially when they called him a gorilla. Did he overcome all this negative press by his fellow countryman? I don’t know, he was assassinated before he reached a ripe old age and could reflect back. At the present time I am again watching the PBS epic The Civil War. What a time that was in our young country’s history. What a hard time for an American president to lead his country. In Vietnam we lost over 58,000 men in a ten-year period. In the civil war they lost more than once, 20,000 within a day. I cannot imagine such deliberate destruction of human life. Spiritually both sides prayed to the same God and Savior, and prayers were answered on both sides. Do you think that Abraham Lincoln made up his mind to be happy during these times? I think he had to. Today I understand that happiness and joy are two different things. Joy is a spiritual force that makes its home deep within our spirit, and cannot be removed. Happiness is a state of mind that has been guaranteed by God if we trust in Him. I think that Abraham Lincoln understood this and made up his mind that he was going to be happy regardless of his situation in life. May I learn today that happiness is a choice that I must make in order for God to do for me that I could not do for myself………….JRE
Blessed is everyone that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
PSALM 128:1-2 KJV
I CHOOSE JOY……………….
I will invite my god to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…..the tool of the lazy thinker.
I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God.
I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God. MAX LUCADO
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Our creator would never have made such lovely days, and given us the deep hearts to enjoy them, above and beyond all thought, unless we were meant to be immortal.” NATHANIEL HAWTHORN
After consulting the leaders of the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever.”
2 Chronicles 20:21 NLT
When I was in Vietnam and the combat situation would escalate, we would call for artillery to go ahead of us. Then the chopper gun ships would do their thing. Next the Air Force jets would make their runs and soften up the enemy. If needed a B-52 bomber strike could tenderize an area. All of this went out ahead of the troops on the ground. We saw the same thing in the Persian Gulf War, and again in the War with Iraq. We always use extreme force ahead of the soldiers that have to walk in and do the cleanup. Can you imagine having enough faith in God to send in a praise team first? The enemy is lined up, and the battle lines are drawn, and instead of sending out recon or your crack military warriors first, you send out a bunch of singers singing praises to God. That’s exactly what king Jehoshaphat did. Israel had three nations against them that were lined up and ready to do battle. The situation did not look well for the nation of Israel, when out of their midst a man stood up with a message from the Lord. “Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this great army, for the battle is not your, but God’s.” What a message, and you know what? They accepted it. The message also said that they would not even have to fight. The next day they set out believing totally on the Word of God. It must have taken great spiritual strength to send out the singers ahead of the army, but that is just what they did. At the very moment they began to sing and give praise to God, the armies of the enemy began to fight amongst themselves. By the time the army of Judah arrived the battle was over. The truth is that when it comes to spiritual battles, the battle is not ours, it is God’s. Oh we can try to physically fight the battle, but the real battle takes place in the spiritual realm. The lesson to be learned from historical account is to send out the praises first. I can relate to this on a weekly basis. From Sunday to Sunday sometimes seems like longer than seven days. I have entered the church on Sunday morning with a multitude of problems that I have gathered up during the week. I don’t intentionally come to worship this way, but sometimes that’s just the way it is. As the praise team begins to play music and the singers began to sing I am lifted above the natural realm into the spiritual. When I join in and sing giving praises to God, and I meditate upon the amazing grace that has been bestowed upon me, my worldly troubles seem to melt away giving birth to victory through praise. Spiritually the battle is not mine. It is God’s and as a member of God’s army, I am commissioned by the blood of Jesus to be a soldier. I will sing praises because I don’t have to fight. God has done for me what I could not do for myself…………………..JRE
“Let us say it again: the universal Presence is a fact. God is here. The whole universe is alive with His life. And He is no strange or foreign God, but the familiar Father of our Lord Jesus Christ whose love has for these thousands of years enfolded the sinful race of men. And always He is trying to get our attention, to reveal Himself to us, to communicate with us. We have within us the ability to know Him if we will but respond to His overtures. (And this we call pursuing God!) We will know Him in increasing degree as our receptivity becomes more perfect by faith and love and practice.” A.W. TOZER……..The Pursuit of God, page 67
Go to war singing praises
Thought for the day: “Our creator would never have made such lovely days, and given us the deep hearts to enjoy them, above and beyond all thought, unless we were meant to be immortal.” NATHANIEL HAWTHORN
After consulting the leaders of the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever.”
2 Chronicles 20:21 NLT
When I was in Vietnam and the combat situation would escalate, we would call for artillery to go ahead of us. Then the chopper gun ships would do their thing. Next the Air Force jets would make their runs and soften up the enemy. If needed a B-52 bomber strike could tenderize an area. All of this went out ahead of the troops on the ground. We saw the same thing in the Persian Gulf War, and again in the War with Iraq. We always use extreme force ahead of the soldiers that have to walk in and do the cleanup. Can you imagine having enough faith in God to send in a praise team first? The enemy is lined up, and the battle lines are drawn, and instead of sending out recon or your crack military warriors first, you send out a bunch of singers singing praises to God. That’s exactly what king Jehoshaphat did. Israel had three nations against them that were lined up and ready to do battle. The situation did not look well for the nation of Israel, when out of their midst a man stood up with a message from the Lord. “Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this great army, for the battle is not your, but God’s.” What a message, and you know what? They accepted it. The message also said that they would not even have to fight. The next day they set out believing totally on the Word of God. It must have taken great spiritual strength to send out the singers ahead of the army, but that is just what they did. At the very moment they began to sing and give praise to God, the armies of the enemy began to fight amongst themselves. By the time the army of Judah arrived the battle was over. The truth is that when it comes to spiritual battles, the battle is not ours, it is God’s. Oh we can try to physically fight the battle, but the real battle takes place in the spiritual realm. The lesson to be learned from historical account is to send out the praises first. I can relate to this on a weekly basis. From Sunday to Sunday sometimes seems like longer than seven days. I have entered the church on Sunday morning with a multitude of problems that I have gathered up during the week. I don’t intentionally come to worship this way, but sometimes that’s just the way it is. As the praise team begins to play music and the singers began to sing I am lifted above the natural realm into the spiritual. When I join in and sing giving praises to God, and I meditate upon the amazing grace that has been bestowed upon me, my worldly troubles seem to melt away giving birth to victory through praise. Spiritually the battle is not mine. It is God’s and as a member of God’s army, I am commissioned by the blood of Jesus to be a soldier. I will sing praises because I don’t have to fight. God has done for me what I could not do for myself…………………..JRE
“Let us say it again: the universal Presence is a fact. God is here. The whole universe is alive with His life. And He is no strange or foreign God, but the familiar Father of our Lord Jesus Christ whose love has for these thousands of years enfolded the sinful race of men. And always He is trying to get our attention, to reveal Himself to us, to communicate with us. We have within us the ability to know Him if we will but respond to His overtures. (And this we call pursuing God!) We will know Him in increasing degree as our receptivity becomes more perfect by faith and love and practice.” A.W. TOZER……..The Pursuit of God, page 67
Monday, July 17, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “One’s real life is often the life that one does not lead.”
Oscar Wilde
We are all familiar with the story of Jonah being swallowed by the fish because of his disobedience to God’s word. Another great lesson in the story is one about dealing with self-centeredness, anger and depression. Jonah was told by God to go to the great city of Nineveh and tell them if they did not change their ways, within forty days they would be destroyed, and he did this. They repented and were spared, this goes down as one of the greatest revivals know to mankind. But the problem was that Jonah was hoping that they would experience disaster. When they were spared, Jonah became “hot headed.” The Hebrew word used for anger is “charah,” and has a meaning of glowing or growing warmer, to blaze up, and to burn. After Jonah’s anger he became isolated, depressed, and was on the pity pot of self-pity. God sent a little worm to show Jonah life’s real values. Today may I keep an eye out for the little worms in life that might be here to show a demonstration of God’s love. Share with me these verses of Scripture……..JRE
This change of plans upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the LORD about it: “didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love, I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for destroying these people. Just kill me now, LORD! I’d rather be dead than alive because nothing I predicted is going to happen.”
The LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”
Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see if anything would happen to the city. And the LORD God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased some of his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
But God also prepared a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant, so that it soon died and withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God sent a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than this!” He exclaimed.
Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”
“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”
Then the LORD said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. And a plant is only, at best short lived. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkne3ss, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”
Jonah 4:1-11 …………Life Recovery Bible, page 1063
Jonah had hoped that God would destroy the people of Nineveh, after all they were an enemy of Israel, and Jonah being a prophet possibly could see their future invasion of the northern kingdom. But it didn’t work out the way Jonah wanted it too, and he pouted, got bummed out, and wanted to die. It was all about what Jonah wanted. My alcoholism used to do the same thing to me, I would not get my way and I would isolate in a little hot trailer in the sun. That’s a lesson that I am still learning. It ain’t about me! When I come to see that my joy grows when I am there for others, God is able to do for me what I could not do for myself………………….JRE
Hot
Thought for the day: “One’s real life is often the life that one does not lead.”
Oscar Wilde
We are all familiar with the story of Jonah being swallowed by the fish because of his disobedience to God’s word. Another great lesson in the story is one about dealing with self-centeredness, anger and depression. Jonah was told by God to go to the great city of Nineveh and tell them if they did not change their ways, within forty days they would be destroyed, and he did this. They repented and were spared, this goes down as one of the greatest revivals know to mankind. But the problem was that Jonah was hoping that they would experience disaster. When they were spared, Jonah became “hot headed.” The Hebrew word used for anger is “charah,” and has a meaning of glowing or growing warmer, to blaze up, and to burn. After Jonah’s anger he became isolated, depressed, and was on the pity pot of self-pity. God sent a little worm to show Jonah life’s real values. Today may I keep an eye out for the little worms in life that might be here to show a demonstration of God’s love. Share with me these verses of Scripture……..JRE
This change of plans upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the LORD about it: “didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love, I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for destroying these people. Just kill me now, LORD! I’d rather be dead than alive because nothing I predicted is going to happen.”
The LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”
Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see if anything would happen to the city. And the LORD God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased some of his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
But God also prepared a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant, so that it soon died and withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God sent a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than this!” He exclaimed.
Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”
“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”
Then the LORD said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. And a plant is only, at best short lived. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkne3ss, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”
Jonah 4:1-11 …………Life Recovery Bible, page 1063
Jonah had hoped that God would destroy the people of Nineveh, after all they were an enemy of Israel, and Jonah being a prophet possibly could see their future invasion of the northern kingdom. But it didn’t work out the way Jonah wanted it too, and he pouted, got bummed out, and wanted to die. It was all about what Jonah wanted. My alcoholism used to do the same thing to me, I would not get my way and I would isolate in a little hot trailer in the sun. That’s a lesson that I am still learning. It ain’t about me! When I come to see that my joy grows when I am there for others, God is able to do for me what I could not do for myself………………….JRE
Friday, July 14, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “The best soldier does not attack. The superior fighter succeeds without violence. The greatest conqueror wins without a struggle. The most successful manager leads without dictating.” Author unknown
John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’”
At that very time, he cured many people of their various diseases, and he cast out evil spirits and restored sight to the blind. Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard, the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. And tell him, ‘God blesses those who are not offended by me.’”
Luke 7:20-23 NLT
Share with me what the Life Recovery Bible has to say about these verses.
“John the Baptist’s experience shows that even the strongest believers will go through times of discouragement and doubt. John had been imprisoned and was facing death. Jesus’ seeming inability or unwillingness to set up his Kingdom led John to send these inquirers. Jesus deeply respected John, even his doubts. John’s questions were honestly asked in a time of acute suffering, so Jesus affirms him and answers him accordingly. God invites us to bring our doubts to him, and he will gently move us along the path of discovery and recovery.” (Life Recovery Bible, page 1215)
How could John the Baptist have doubts? He was filled with the Spirit of God even before his birth. It just goes to show that no matter how spiritual you are or how successful you are, you may and will have doubts. Even when our faith is solid, our circumstances are constantly changing and many times as we dip in and out of situations that are not going exactly as we planned, we may develop some doubts as to the direction we’ve been headed. That doesn’t mean that we are headed in the wrong direction. I strongly believe in traveling through life with those who have some of the same spiritual values as myself. I tried isolation and was a Lone Ranger with my spiritual plan of recovery at various times in the past. When doubts came up, I always failed because I had no one to assure me that my direction was right. One thing that the program of Alcoholics Anonymous stresses, that I don’t find so much in church, is the concept of mentoring, or sponsoring as we call it. Having someone to turn to in times of doubt, and likewise being there for someone else when they are struggling. I have heard it preached and I have heard emphasis put on mentoring, but it is not a requirement. Many people would probably leave the churches if they were forced to be hooked up with someone else, especially if they were struggling. Sometimes mentoring is not very comfortable, especially when we have to listen to someone grip and complain I have discovered in working with my sponsor that much of the time when I bring a problem to him, I am able to arrive at solutions on my own, just by having someone there to talk it through with. John the Baptist clearly had a sponsor, Jesus Christ. Today I call Jesus my sponsor also, but I depend on the ear of Wayne H. when I struggle with doubts. Today, God working through other people is doing for me what I could not do for myself……..JRE
Sponsorship
Thought for the day: “The best soldier does not attack. The superior fighter succeeds without violence. The greatest conqueror wins without a struggle. The most successful manager leads without dictating.” Author unknown
John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’”
At that very time, he cured many people of their various diseases, and he cast out evil spirits and restored sight to the blind. Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard, the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. And tell him, ‘God blesses those who are not offended by me.’”
Luke 7:20-23 NLT
Share with me what the Life Recovery Bible has to say about these verses.
“John the Baptist’s experience shows that even the strongest believers will go through times of discouragement and doubt. John had been imprisoned and was facing death. Jesus’ seeming inability or unwillingness to set up his Kingdom led John to send these inquirers. Jesus deeply respected John, even his doubts. John’s questions were honestly asked in a time of acute suffering, so Jesus affirms him and answers him accordingly. God invites us to bring our doubts to him, and he will gently move us along the path of discovery and recovery.” (Life Recovery Bible, page 1215)
How could John the Baptist have doubts? He was filled with the Spirit of God even before his birth. It just goes to show that no matter how spiritual you are or how successful you are, you may and will have doubts. Even when our faith is solid, our circumstances are constantly changing and many times as we dip in and out of situations that are not going exactly as we planned, we may develop some doubts as to the direction we’ve been headed. That doesn’t mean that we are headed in the wrong direction. I strongly believe in traveling through life with those who have some of the same spiritual values as myself. I tried isolation and was a Lone Ranger with my spiritual plan of recovery at various times in the past. When doubts came up, I always failed because I had no one to assure me that my direction was right. One thing that the program of Alcoholics Anonymous stresses, that I don’t find so much in church, is the concept of mentoring, or sponsoring as we call it. Having someone to turn to in times of doubt, and likewise being there for someone else when they are struggling. I have heard it preached and I have heard emphasis put on mentoring, but it is not a requirement. Many people would probably leave the churches if they were forced to be hooked up with someone else, especially if they were struggling. Sometimes mentoring is not very comfortable, especially when we have to listen to someone grip and complain I have discovered in working with my sponsor that much of the time when I bring a problem to him, I am able to arrive at solutions on my own, just by having someone there to talk it through with. John the Baptist clearly had a sponsor, Jesus Christ. Today I call Jesus my sponsor also, but I depend on the ear of Wayne H. when I struggle with doubts. Today, God working through other people is doing for me what I could not do for myself……..JRE
Thursday, July 13, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “We are always in the forge, or on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.”…………….. Henry Ward Beecher
“Take away the dross from the silver, and it will go to the silversmith for jewelry.”
Proverbs 25:4 NKJ
Before metal can be put in the forge to be heated, so that it is ready to be shaped on the anvil, it must first spend some time in the crucible. A crucible is a container that can withstand extreme heat where metal ore’s are heated and melted. In the process of heating the metals, the impurities found in the ore’s come to the surface as the molten metal gets hotter and hotter. These impurities are called dross, and they are scraped off as they are forced to the top. The metal is heated again and again as the impurities are removed. I am sure that there are methods of refining that leave metals in a pure form, but the precious metals that I have seen will have stamped on them a percentage, like 99% pure. I take that it is very difficult to remove completely all the impurities. That does not mean that the metals are any less useful or beautiful. Solomon wrote the proverb about removing the dross from the silver and I believe that he knew exactly what he was talking about. Solomon had more precious metals than anyone else alive at that time. He had so much silver that he didn’t even bother to count it. It was just stored in heaps. You can read about this in 1 Kings 10:21. I am able to relate to the crucible, the forge and the anvil in my life today. I still find myself after being heated in the forge, and shaped on the anvil so that I am of use to God, to be taken back to the crucible from time to time to have the dross removed. When I became a Christian it would have been easier if God had removed all the impurities at that time, but that did not happen. At the very instant I was born-again I was 100% pure, but the very next instant my thoughts brought in some impurities. God loved me so much that I was given complete use of my free will. And this has been the source of my impurities. My life before being born-again was totally spent in the crucible. The temperatures were not always extremely hot so I became accustomed to the heat. As my life of “self-will run riot” continued to flourish and alcohol and drugs became a major factor in fueling the fires of life, I became miserably uncomfortable as the impurities of my life came to the surface. When I became willing to surrender, God started removing some of the dross as I became useful to be of service. Through the choices that I am free to make, I find myself back in the crucible from time to time. It’s part of the process of being forged and shaped to be of use. Today I am grateful for the heat in my life that allows the impurities to come to the surface. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
“Such is the paradox of A.A. regeneration: strength arising out of complete defeat and weakness, the loss of one’s old life as a condition for finding a new one.” BILL W.……………A.A. Come Of Age, page 46
Take away the dross
Thought for the day: “We are always in the forge, or on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.”…………….. Henry Ward Beecher
“Take away the dross from the silver, and it will go to the silversmith for jewelry.”
Proverbs 25:4 NKJ
Before metal can be put in the forge to be heated, so that it is ready to be shaped on the anvil, it must first spend some time in the crucible. A crucible is a container that can withstand extreme heat where metal ore’s are heated and melted. In the process of heating the metals, the impurities found in the ore’s come to the surface as the molten metal gets hotter and hotter. These impurities are called dross, and they are scraped off as they are forced to the top. The metal is heated again and again as the impurities are removed. I am sure that there are methods of refining that leave metals in a pure form, but the precious metals that I have seen will have stamped on them a percentage, like 99% pure. I take that it is very difficult to remove completely all the impurities. That does not mean that the metals are any less useful or beautiful. Solomon wrote the proverb about removing the dross from the silver and I believe that he knew exactly what he was talking about. Solomon had more precious metals than anyone else alive at that time. He had so much silver that he didn’t even bother to count it. It was just stored in heaps. You can read about this in 1 Kings 10:21. I am able to relate to the crucible, the forge and the anvil in my life today. I still find myself after being heated in the forge, and shaped on the anvil so that I am of use to God, to be taken back to the crucible from time to time to have the dross removed. When I became a Christian it would have been easier if God had removed all the impurities at that time, but that did not happen. At the very instant I was born-again I was 100% pure, but the very next instant my thoughts brought in some impurities. God loved me so much that I was given complete use of my free will. And this has been the source of my impurities. My life before being born-again was totally spent in the crucible. The temperatures were not always extremely hot so I became accustomed to the heat. As my life of “self-will run riot” continued to flourish and alcohol and drugs became a major factor in fueling the fires of life, I became miserably uncomfortable as the impurities of my life came to the surface. When I became willing to surrender, God started removing some of the dross as I became useful to be of service. Through the choices that I am free to make, I find myself back in the crucible from time to time. It’s part of the process of being forged and shaped to be of use. Today I am grateful for the heat in my life that allows the impurities to come to the surface. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
“Such is the paradox of A.A. regeneration: strength arising out of complete defeat and weakness, the loss of one’s old life as a condition for finding a new one.” BILL W.……………A.A. Come Of Age, page 46
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Waiting for someone to repent before we forgive is to surrender our future to the person who wronged us.” Author unknown
Words of Jesus taken from Luke 6:27-28 The New Living Translation.
“But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you.”
One thing I have learned from working a program of recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction is that I must forgive. The lesson of forgiveness actually goes beyond my recovery and is rooted in my faith as a Christian, but before I could stay sober I had to actually put the principle to work in my life. Jesus says, “if you are willing,” so if find that I have to make the choice. Forgiveness is a decision that I must make that goes against what my natural feelings express. Forgiveness is like swimming up stream through the boulders and rapids to the calm waters above the falls. It’s hard. This morning when I read these words that Jesus spoke I recall to mind, my own deliverance from drugs and alcohol and what was needed on my behalf to be set free. Forgiveness has played a big part in my being sober today. I am about to relate an experience that I am not proud of, but it has been a major factor in my understanding of how forgiveness works. In 1995 my ex-wife died of an overdose of drugs and alcohol. That same year a man that I knew died as a result of drug addiction. His ex-wife and I got hooked up, after all we had a lot of common misery to share, and neither one of us had any desire to stop using and drinking. For two years we shot dope, got drunk and fought. We attempted to get sober at one point and started attending church, but with no real support group we soon failed. We started spending less time with each other and she started a new relationship with someone else. The problem was that we still continued to see each other from time to time. At that time in my life I was living at the back end of my property in a small trailer in the woods. I remember one moonless night when she and I were there asleep, how I awoke to the sound of my tires being slashed with a knife. The next thing I know is that there is this guy trying to get in the trailer, he’s drunk and has a knife and says he is going to kill me. I kept the lights off and prepared to defend myself. I mainly tried to keep him from entering the trailer. He continued to stab the knife through the walls and doors, broke windows, and just went nuts. I was terrified. He finally broke through one door and she and I fled out the other door. I walked through the woods to the closest neighbor and called the sheriff. The guy was arrested and charged. Six months later my alcoholism and drug addictions had escalated to the point that the only way I could continue to live, was to surrender. Broken, beat, and spiritually bankrupt, I crawled back to God asking forgiveness. What an awesome God we have. No words can describe the length that God has traveled to allow me to be set free. I did not deserve freedom. I went to treatment for substance abuse in the fall of 1998. After I came home those first few months were very difficult, but I wanted more than anything else to stay sober. I remember having this hatred for the guy that tried to kill me. I want revenge for letting him scare me like he did. What made it worse was that I saw him daily as I went to town. Knowing that resentments and anger are some of the main reasons for relapses, I had to deal with forgiving him in order to stay sober. Believe me, I did not want to forgive, but I knew that everything hinged on forgiveness. My salvation first and next my sobriety. In the book Alcoholics Anonymous there is a story titled Freedom From Bondage. In it a woman describes resentment against a person that she could not forgive. She learned that if she would pray for that person everyday, even though she did not want too, and pray for them to have everything she wanted herself out of life, that if she did it for two weeks, she could be set free of the resentment. She tried it and it worked. From that example I did the same thing. I hated that guy and I forced myself daily to pray for his salvation, his health, his peace, and his prosperity. It took exactly fourteen days, and I remember on the fourteenth day how I started seeing him in a different light. I started seeing him as being sick, alcoholic, and in the grips of a bondage that kept him tied. I had to choose to forgive him and I most definitely had to work at it. Today I swim in the calm waters above the waterfalls. I have peace about the whole situation. Jesus gives us the same solution today when He says “Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.” It works! God has done for me what I could not do for myself…………JRE
Share this with me from the Life Recovery Bible…………..
“We no longer need to be controlled by other people’s dispositions and actions. Even when we have done our best to make amends for the wrongs we have done, the situation may not change. And even when we have come to terms with the wrongs that have been done against us, our feelings may not change. But we don’t have to be held captive by our feelings of others. We can choose to forgive and act in loving ways. This will free us from being controlled by anyone other than God. As we choose to forgive others and do good, our feelings will change with time.”
Swimming in the calm waters above the falls
Thought for the day: “Waiting for someone to repent before we forgive is to surrender our future to the person who wronged us.” Author unknown
Words of Jesus taken from Luke 6:27-28 The New Living Translation.
“But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you.”
One thing I have learned from working a program of recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction is that I must forgive. The lesson of forgiveness actually goes beyond my recovery and is rooted in my faith as a Christian, but before I could stay sober I had to actually put the principle to work in my life. Jesus says, “if you are willing,” so if find that I have to make the choice. Forgiveness is a decision that I must make that goes against what my natural feelings express. Forgiveness is like swimming up stream through the boulders and rapids to the calm waters above the falls. It’s hard. This morning when I read these words that Jesus spoke I recall to mind, my own deliverance from drugs and alcohol and what was needed on my behalf to be set free. Forgiveness has played a big part in my being sober today. I am about to relate an experience that I am not proud of, but it has been a major factor in my understanding of how forgiveness works. In 1995 my ex-wife died of an overdose of drugs and alcohol. That same year a man that I knew died as a result of drug addiction. His ex-wife and I got hooked up, after all we had a lot of common misery to share, and neither one of us had any desire to stop using and drinking. For two years we shot dope, got drunk and fought. We attempted to get sober at one point and started attending church, but with no real support group we soon failed. We started spending less time with each other and she started a new relationship with someone else. The problem was that we still continued to see each other from time to time. At that time in my life I was living at the back end of my property in a small trailer in the woods. I remember one moonless night when she and I were there asleep, how I awoke to the sound of my tires being slashed with a knife. The next thing I know is that there is this guy trying to get in the trailer, he’s drunk and has a knife and says he is going to kill me. I kept the lights off and prepared to defend myself. I mainly tried to keep him from entering the trailer. He continued to stab the knife through the walls and doors, broke windows, and just went nuts. I was terrified. He finally broke through one door and she and I fled out the other door. I walked through the woods to the closest neighbor and called the sheriff. The guy was arrested and charged. Six months later my alcoholism and drug addictions had escalated to the point that the only way I could continue to live, was to surrender. Broken, beat, and spiritually bankrupt, I crawled back to God asking forgiveness. What an awesome God we have. No words can describe the length that God has traveled to allow me to be set free. I did not deserve freedom. I went to treatment for substance abuse in the fall of 1998. After I came home those first few months were very difficult, but I wanted more than anything else to stay sober. I remember having this hatred for the guy that tried to kill me. I want revenge for letting him scare me like he did. What made it worse was that I saw him daily as I went to town. Knowing that resentments and anger are some of the main reasons for relapses, I had to deal with forgiving him in order to stay sober. Believe me, I did not want to forgive, but I knew that everything hinged on forgiveness. My salvation first and next my sobriety. In the book Alcoholics Anonymous there is a story titled Freedom From Bondage. In it a woman describes resentment against a person that she could not forgive. She learned that if she would pray for that person everyday, even though she did not want too, and pray for them to have everything she wanted herself out of life, that if she did it for two weeks, she could be set free of the resentment. She tried it and it worked. From that example I did the same thing. I hated that guy and I forced myself daily to pray for his salvation, his health, his peace, and his prosperity. It took exactly fourteen days, and I remember on the fourteenth day how I started seeing him in a different light. I started seeing him as being sick, alcoholic, and in the grips of a bondage that kept him tied. I had to choose to forgive him and I most definitely had to work at it. Today I swim in the calm waters above the waterfalls. I have peace about the whole situation. Jesus gives us the same solution today when He says “Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.” It works! God has done for me what I could not do for myself…………JRE
Share this with me from the Life Recovery Bible…………..
“We no longer need to be controlled by other people’s dispositions and actions. Even when we have done our best to make amends for the wrongs we have done, the situation may not change. And even when we have come to terms with the wrongs that have been done against us, our feelings may not change. But we don’t have to be held captive by our feelings of others. We can choose to forgive and act in loving ways. This will free us from being controlled by anyone other than God. As we choose to forgive others and do good, our feelings will change with time.”
Monday, July 10, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “One today is worth two tomorrows.”
BEN FRANKLIN
Sow with a view to righteousness,
Reap in accordance with kindness;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the LORD
Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.
HOSEA 10:12 NAS
Each time I read the prophet Hosea I seem to develop more compassion for the man. His job was not easy and his home life was a mess. Hosea was married to a woman who was unfaithful and worked as a prostitute. Then, the office he held as a prophet, was to deliver mostly bad news. People who bring bad news are sometimes rejected along with the news they bring. But God in His infinite wisdom and mercy always seems to sprinkle light in with the dark, salt in with the pepper. Before God’s judgment is applied, God always gives a warning with directions for the escape route. In the midst of prophecy after prophecy that tells Israel that they will reap the results of choices they have made, God deposits a shinning nugget of Gold. “Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness.” The Dake Bible says that sowing and reaping always stand out against each other as labor and reward. God’s message here is to get busy, to sow our lives doing the right thing, and we will reap the mercy and kindness of God’s grace.
I started out this morning with the idea that I was going to write about breaking up fallow ground and rain, but the idea of sowing in right living got stuck in my fingers as they picked the letters to form words. We have been in a drought here in southern Missouri. The pastures are yellow, not green, and the ground is hard as stone. This morning I woke to rain. What a blessing. Then my reading brought me to the book of Hosea and these words about breaking up fallow ground, ground that was plowed once, but let go, and has become hard again. Then the words about rain seemed to fit into the timing of the rain we are receiving today. As I took direction with the help of the Spirit, the words “sow with a view to righteousness,” would not let me proceed. It became very clear to me, that in my life, if I have the ground prepared and the conditions are just right for growth, if I do not sow good seed, I will not reap a good harvest. If the ground is prepared and I don’t have any seed to sow, what good is it? Today I realize that if I want a good life tomorrow, I must sow good seeds today. I am learning that just as God, I must sow in forgiveness to be forgiven. I must sow in kindness to receive mercy. I must sow in listening, to be listened to. I must sow in love to receive love. Good seeds must be gotten, and weed seeds are just there, you don’t have to go find them. Today as I read the Word of God I am able to gather good seeds that I may sow after ground has been prepared. Thanks for letting me share, God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself………………………JRE
“Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.” Augustine
A view to righteousness
Thought for the day: “One today is worth two tomorrows.”
BEN FRANKLIN
Sow with a view to righteousness,
Reap in accordance with kindness;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the LORD
Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.
HOSEA 10:12 NAS
Each time I read the prophet Hosea I seem to develop more compassion for the man. His job was not easy and his home life was a mess. Hosea was married to a woman who was unfaithful and worked as a prostitute. Then, the office he held as a prophet, was to deliver mostly bad news. People who bring bad news are sometimes rejected along with the news they bring. But God in His infinite wisdom and mercy always seems to sprinkle light in with the dark, salt in with the pepper. Before God’s judgment is applied, God always gives a warning with directions for the escape route. In the midst of prophecy after prophecy that tells Israel that they will reap the results of choices they have made, God deposits a shinning nugget of Gold. “Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness.” The Dake Bible says that sowing and reaping always stand out against each other as labor and reward. God’s message here is to get busy, to sow our lives doing the right thing, and we will reap the mercy and kindness of God’s grace.
I started out this morning with the idea that I was going to write about breaking up fallow ground and rain, but the idea of sowing in right living got stuck in my fingers as they picked the letters to form words. We have been in a drought here in southern Missouri. The pastures are yellow, not green, and the ground is hard as stone. This morning I woke to rain. What a blessing. Then my reading brought me to the book of Hosea and these words about breaking up fallow ground, ground that was plowed once, but let go, and has become hard again. Then the words about rain seemed to fit into the timing of the rain we are receiving today. As I took direction with the help of the Spirit, the words “sow with a view to righteousness,” would not let me proceed. It became very clear to me, that in my life, if I have the ground prepared and the conditions are just right for growth, if I do not sow good seed, I will not reap a good harvest. If the ground is prepared and I don’t have any seed to sow, what good is it? Today I realize that if I want a good life tomorrow, I must sow good seeds today. I am learning that just as God, I must sow in forgiveness to be forgiven. I must sow in kindness to receive mercy. I must sow in listening, to be listened to. I must sow in love to receive love. Good seeds must be gotten, and weed seeds are just there, you don’t have to go find them. Today as I read the Word of God I am able to gather good seeds that I may sow after ground has been prepared. Thanks for letting me share, God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself………………………JRE
“Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.” Augustine
Saturday, July 08, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night.” Author unknown
Then Jesus said to those who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”
They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:31-36 NKJ)
Have you ever tried to carry on a conversation with someone that is talking about one thing and you are talking about another? Every now and then you might hit on something that makes sense to both of you, but most of the time they are trying to apply what you are saying to their view, and you try and work in what they are saying into what you are trying to get across. Of course there might be a conversation but little understanding. Many times Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” This statement is an example of what I am talking about. Upon first reading this we get a picture of physical ears that we hear with, but Jesus repeated it so many times that I feel He was talking about hearing with our spiritual ears, the ears of our heart. When Jesus gave His teaching about being set free, He was teaching in the temple, and He said, “If you abide in my word.” I would at this time like to comment on the word “if.” There are 1,522 “if’s” in the Bible, and each one is like a hinge, they will swing one-way or another. Jesus said “if” you abide in My word you will be free. He was talking not so much about being free as He was about living and taking up residence, in the security of the Word of God. Here is an example of people hearing only with physical ears. They thought He was talking about their freedom and they told Him that they had never been in bondage to anyone. That was just an out and out lie. They had been in bondage for several hundred years in Egypt; the Assyrians took them bondage, the Babylonians took them into bondage, and at the time of this conversation, they were under the thumb of the Romans. Jesus was having a conversation with people that understood one concept as He was talking about another. A lack of communication is one of the major reasons for our problems today also. The problem is not listening. We can hear without listening. I find this true in my life, that when someone is speaking to me and I am thinking about what I am going to say, I am not listening. My thoughts today are that I may not only hear with my physical ears, but that the ears to my heart may listen. Then and only then can God do for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“Divine control and unquestioning obedience to God are the only conditions necessary for a spiritual life. Divine control means absolute faith and trust in God, a belief that God is the Divine Principle in the universe and the He is the Intelligence and the Love that controls the universe. Unquestioning obedience to God means living each day the way you believe God wants you to live, constantly seeking the guidance of God in every situation and being willing to do the right thing.” HAZELDEN………………..Twenty-Four Hours A Day
The inner ear
Thought for the day: “Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night.” Author unknown
Then Jesus said to those who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”
They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:31-36 NKJ)
Have you ever tried to carry on a conversation with someone that is talking about one thing and you are talking about another? Every now and then you might hit on something that makes sense to both of you, but most of the time they are trying to apply what you are saying to their view, and you try and work in what they are saying into what you are trying to get across. Of course there might be a conversation but little understanding. Many times Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” This statement is an example of what I am talking about. Upon first reading this we get a picture of physical ears that we hear with, but Jesus repeated it so many times that I feel He was talking about hearing with our spiritual ears, the ears of our heart. When Jesus gave His teaching about being set free, He was teaching in the temple, and He said, “If you abide in my word.” I would at this time like to comment on the word “if.” There are 1,522 “if’s” in the Bible, and each one is like a hinge, they will swing one-way or another. Jesus said “if” you abide in My word you will be free. He was talking not so much about being free as He was about living and taking up residence, in the security of the Word of God. Here is an example of people hearing only with physical ears. They thought He was talking about their freedom and they told Him that they had never been in bondage to anyone. That was just an out and out lie. They had been in bondage for several hundred years in Egypt; the Assyrians took them bondage, the Babylonians took them into bondage, and at the time of this conversation, they were under the thumb of the Romans. Jesus was having a conversation with people that understood one concept as He was talking about another. A lack of communication is one of the major reasons for our problems today also. The problem is not listening. We can hear without listening. I find this true in my life, that when someone is speaking to me and I am thinking about what I am going to say, I am not listening. My thoughts today are that I may not only hear with my physical ears, but that the ears to my heart may listen. Then and only then can God do for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“Divine control and unquestioning obedience to God are the only conditions necessary for a spiritual life. Divine control means absolute faith and trust in God, a belief that God is the Divine Principle in the universe and the He is the Intelligence and the Love that controls the universe. Unquestioning obedience to God means living each day the way you believe God wants you to live, constantly seeking the guidance of God in every situation and being willing to do the right thing.” HAZELDEN………………..Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Friday, July 07, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more.”
John 8:11
The Scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now the Law of Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman where she was, in the center of the court.
Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman where are they? Did no one condemn you?”
She said, “No one Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on sin no more.” (John 8:3-11 NAS)
These Scripture verses have always assured me that there is room at the cross for me. It’s not just the adultery sin, but all my sins can be forgiven. That is if I take them to Jesus and ask to be forgiven. If a sin that would bring about capital punishment by execution can be forgiven, then other sins may also be forgiven. One thing I have noticed about this story is that the woman did not ask to be forgiven and Jesus did not say that she was forgiven. He said He did not condemn her and to go and sin no more. Was she forgiven? I don’t know. Did she go and sin no more? We don’t know. She did have a second chance at life, and that in it’s self could be an eye opener. What would have happened if they had brought her to Jesus with the same sin, the next day? That is something I am guilty of. Being forgiven and turning around and doing it again. I don’t know what would have happened to the woman,. They were just trying to find grounds to accuse Jesus anyway. One question I have always asked myself was where was the man? You can’t just commit adultery by yourself. The whole story is confusing to me, but there are many lessons to be learned from it. I am amazed how God can take a deliberately messed up occasion and turn it around to be used as a great teaching tool. First of all Jesus did not say that she was not guilty, but said to go ahead and cast the stones. He just wanted to make sure that the first one to throw had grounds to condemn. That puts all of us in the picture. Even today I could condemn the woman, if, I am without sin in my life. There is a lesson to be learned in the order that the men left, from the oldest to the youngest. None of them were condemn either and they admitted their guilt by leaving. How often in life I have been the one with the stone in my hand, ready to throw. I can relate to everyone in the story, even Jesus who is my example of how to live at peace with others. Jesus did not stir the situation and make it any worse. I am so grateful that I did not get what I deserved. I have no right to complain about anything. God has done for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
Share with me what the Dake Bible has to say on these verses.
“This statement (“Neither do I condemn thee: go and son no more.”) caused early Christians to avoid reading this story in public when lessons were read from the gospels. It was not in any lists of scriptures to be read in churches, and it was probably marked in the MSS, as a portion not to be read in public, it came after some time, to be left out of some copies of Scriptures, though in the greater number it still remains as an original part of this gospel. Early Christians thought that Jesus was not condemning adultery here, but the idea is that He was not a magistrate and since no man of her accusers stayed to condemn, He was not going to pass sentence on the woman, taking it upon Himself to execute the law of Moses. He had to avoid the Jews accusing Him of taking magisterial authority in His own hands. Then too, Christ came to save men, not to destroy them, so forgiveness of her sin was as much an obligation then as it still is when anyone repents and turns from sin. Jesus did not say He did not condemn adultery as a sin, He simple forgave the woman as He did others who were sinful. He frankly told her to go and sin no more, proving He did condemn adultery as sin.”
THE DAKE BIBLE page 103
“There is therefore now, no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1 KJV)
No condemnation
Thought for the day: “Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more.”
John 8:11
The Scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now the Law of Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman where she was, in the center of the court.
Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman where are they? Did no one condemn you?”
She said, “No one Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on sin no more.” (John 8:3-11 NAS)
These Scripture verses have always assured me that there is room at the cross for me. It’s not just the adultery sin, but all my sins can be forgiven. That is if I take them to Jesus and ask to be forgiven. If a sin that would bring about capital punishment by execution can be forgiven, then other sins may also be forgiven. One thing I have noticed about this story is that the woman did not ask to be forgiven and Jesus did not say that she was forgiven. He said He did not condemn her and to go and sin no more. Was she forgiven? I don’t know. Did she go and sin no more? We don’t know. She did have a second chance at life, and that in it’s self could be an eye opener. What would have happened if they had brought her to Jesus with the same sin, the next day? That is something I am guilty of. Being forgiven and turning around and doing it again. I don’t know what would have happened to the woman,. They were just trying to find grounds to accuse Jesus anyway. One question I have always asked myself was where was the man? You can’t just commit adultery by yourself. The whole story is confusing to me, but there are many lessons to be learned from it. I am amazed how God can take a deliberately messed up occasion and turn it around to be used as a great teaching tool. First of all Jesus did not say that she was not guilty, but said to go ahead and cast the stones. He just wanted to make sure that the first one to throw had grounds to condemn. That puts all of us in the picture. Even today I could condemn the woman, if, I am without sin in my life. There is a lesson to be learned in the order that the men left, from the oldest to the youngest. None of them were condemn either and they admitted their guilt by leaving. How often in life I have been the one with the stone in my hand, ready to throw. I can relate to everyone in the story, even Jesus who is my example of how to live at peace with others. Jesus did not stir the situation and make it any worse. I am so grateful that I did not get what I deserved. I have no right to complain about anything. God has done for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
Share with me what the Dake Bible has to say on these verses.
“This statement (“Neither do I condemn thee: go and son no more.”) caused early Christians to avoid reading this story in public when lessons were read from the gospels. It was not in any lists of scriptures to be read in churches, and it was probably marked in the MSS, as a portion not to be read in public, it came after some time, to be left out of some copies of Scriptures, though in the greater number it still remains as an original part of this gospel. Early Christians thought that Jesus was not condemning adultery here, but the idea is that He was not a magistrate and since no man of her accusers stayed to condemn, He was not going to pass sentence on the woman, taking it upon Himself to execute the law of Moses. He had to avoid the Jews accusing Him of taking magisterial authority in His own hands. Then too, Christ came to save men, not to destroy them, so forgiveness of her sin was as much an obligation then as it still is when anyone repents and turns from sin. Jesus did not say He did not condemn adultery as a sin, He simple forgave the woman as He did others who were sinful. He frankly told her to go and sin no more, proving He did condemn adultery as sin.”
THE DAKE BIBLE page 103
“There is therefore now, no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1 KJV)
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more.”
John 8:11
The Scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now the Law of Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman where she was, in the center of the court.
Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman where are they? Did no one condemn you?”
She said, “No one Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on sin no more.” (John 8:3-11 NAS)
These Scripture verses have always assured me that there is room at the cross for me. It’s not just the adultery sin, but all my sins can be forgiven. That is if I take them to Jesus and ask to be forgiven. If a sin that would bring about capital punishment by execution can be forgiven, then other sins may also be forgiven. One thing I have noticed about this story is that the woman did not ask to be forgiven and Jesus did not say that she was forgiven. He said He did not condemn her and to go and sin no more. Was she forgiven? I don’t know. Did she go and sin no more? We don’t know. She did have a second chance at life, and that in it’s self could be an eye opener. What would have happened if they had brought her to Jesus with the same sin, the next day? That is something I am guilty of. Being forgiven and turning around and doing it again. I don’t know what would have happened to the woman,. They were just trying to find grounds to accuse Jesus anyway. One question I have always asked myself was where was the man? You can’t just commit adultery by yourself. The whole story is confusing to me, but there are many lessons to be learned from it. I am amazed how God can take a deliberately messed up occasion and turn it around to be used as a great teaching tool. First of all Jesus did not say that she was not guilty, but said to go ahead and cast the stones. He just wanted to make sure that the first one to throw had grounds to condemn. That puts all of us in the picture. Even today I could condemn the woman, if, I am without sin in my life. There is a lesson to be learned in the order that the men left, from the oldest to the youngest. None of them were condemn either and they admitted their guilt by leaving. How often in life I have been the one with the stone in my hand, ready to throw. I can relate to everyone in the story, even Jesus who is my example of how to live at peace with others. Jesus did not stir the situation and make it any worse. I am so grateful that I did not get what I deserved. I have no right to complain about anything. God has done for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
Share with me what the Dake Bible has to say on these verses.
“This statement (“Neither do I condemn thee: go and son no more.”) caused early Christians to avoid reading this story in public when lessons were read from the gospels. It was not in any lists of scriptures to be read in churches, and it was probably marked in the MSS, as a portion not to be read in public, it came after some time, to be left out of some copies of Scriptures, though in the greater number it still remains as an original part of this gospel. Early Christians thought that Jesus was not condemning adultery here, but the idea is that He was not a magistrate and since no man of her accusers stayed to condemn, He was not going to pass sentence on the woman, taking it upon Himself to execute the law of Moses. He had to avoid the Jews accusing Him of taking magisterial authority in His own hands. Then too, Christ came to save men, not to destroy them, so forgiveness of her sin was as much an obligation then as it still is when anyone repents and turns from sin. Jesus did not say He did not condemn adultery as a sin, He simple forgave the woman as He did others who were sinful. He frankly told her to go and sin no more, proving He did condemn adultery as sin.”
THE DAKE BIBLE page 103
“There is therefore now, no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1 KJV)
No condemnation
Thought for the day: “Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more.”
John 8:11
The Scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now the Law of Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman where she was, in the center of the court.
Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman where are they? Did no one condemn you?”
She said, “No one Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on sin no more.” (John 8:3-11 NAS)
These Scripture verses have always assured me that there is room at the cross for me. It’s not just the adultery sin, but all my sins can be forgiven. That is if I take them to Jesus and ask to be forgiven. If a sin that would bring about capital punishment by execution can be forgiven, then other sins may also be forgiven. One thing I have noticed about this story is that the woman did not ask to be forgiven and Jesus did not say that she was forgiven. He said He did not condemn her and to go and sin no more. Was she forgiven? I don’t know. Did she go and sin no more? We don’t know. She did have a second chance at life, and that in it’s self could be an eye opener. What would have happened if they had brought her to Jesus with the same sin, the next day? That is something I am guilty of. Being forgiven and turning around and doing it again. I don’t know what would have happened to the woman,. They were just trying to find grounds to accuse Jesus anyway. One question I have always asked myself was where was the man? You can’t just commit adultery by yourself. The whole story is confusing to me, but there are many lessons to be learned from it. I am amazed how God can take a deliberately messed up occasion and turn it around to be used as a great teaching tool. First of all Jesus did not say that she was not guilty, but said to go ahead and cast the stones. He just wanted to make sure that the first one to throw had grounds to condemn. That puts all of us in the picture. Even today I could condemn the woman, if, I am without sin in my life. There is a lesson to be learned in the order that the men left, from the oldest to the youngest. None of them were condemn either and they admitted their guilt by leaving. How often in life I have been the one with the stone in my hand, ready to throw. I can relate to everyone in the story, even Jesus who is my example of how to live at peace with others. Jesus did not stir the situation and make it any worse. I am so grateful that I did not get what I deserved. I have no right to complain about anything. God has done for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
Share with me what the Dake Bible has to say on these verses.
“This statement (“Neither do I condemn thee: go and son no more.”) caused early Christians to avoid reading this story in public when lessons were read from the gospels. It was not in any lists of scriptures to be read in churches, and it was probably marked in the MSS, as a portion not to be read in public, it came after some time, to be left out of some copies of Scriptures, though in the greater number it still remains as an original part of this gospel. Early Christians thought that Jesus was not condemning adultery here, but the idea is that He was not a magistrate and since no man of her accusers stayed to condemn, He was not going to pass sentence on the woman, taking it upon Himself to execute the law of Moses. He had to avoid the Jews accusing Him of taking magisterial authority in His own hands. Then too, Christ came to save men, not to destroy them, so forgiveness of her sin was as much an obligation then as it still is when anyone repents and turns from sin. Jesus did not say He did not condemn adultery as a sin, He simple forgave the woman as He did others who were sinful. He frankly told her to go and sin no more, proving He did condemn adultery as sin.”
THE DAKE BIBLE page 103
“There is therefore now, no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1 KJV)
Monday, July 03, 2006
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “The truly rich are those who enjoy what they have.”
Yiddish proverb
“Finally my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.” (Philippians 3:1 NAS)
The apostle Paul did not mind repeating himself. He knew that when it came to the Word of God and living a righteous life through Jesus Christ, that hearing the same thoughts over again could deepen their foundation. To me the Bible is not just a book to be read, but also a book to be studied. I use it like a textbook. A textbook is a book that you don’t just read once, but refer to it many times. Most textbooks that are used regularly will have bookmarks, passages underlined, and notes written in the columns. All of my Bibles are marked and underlined as I have read them. I have many different translations in my collection of Bibles, but the book that is most dear to me is one that I bought for myself for my forty-ninth birthday in 1995. It is a Nelson King James Study bible and it looks like a mess, but it has been my life preserver over the years. It has helped me weather the stormy seas of life. When I first bought it for myself I was attempting to get clean and sober from a serious addiction to alcohol and meth. I remember at that time using a ballpoint pen to underline. In November of 1995 as I was in the grips of a relapse, someone lit a fire in my wood stove on which my Bible was sitting. The back cover got burned and many of the back pages scorched. That same day my ex-wife died of an accidental overdose. In 1996 I received my last DWI and went to drug rehabilitation and carried the Bible with me. I underlined at that time with an orange pencil. Later I had to go to jail as a result of my DWI and I underlined with blue and red. The red being scripture verses that I put more emphasis on. I relapsed in April of 1997 and the Bible sat on the shelf for seventeen months. In September of 1998 when I again came back into recovery and went to treatment my Bible once more became a part of my everyday life. At that time I underlined with a green pencil. In July of 2000 as I continued in my recovery I started using a brown pencil to underline. Later in 2000 I started reading the Dake Bible and the New International Version. In 2002-3 I read the New King James. In 2004 I read the New American Standard. Today I love all my bibles, but the old one with the back cover burned has special meaning to me. It is like a road map through my recovery. When I see the ballpoint pen marking I know that that was when I first got the Bible. The orange when I was in treatment, blue and red in jail, green the first couple of years of recovery, and the brown as I continued to read one day at a time to maintain my spiritual condition so necessary to my recovery. Today as I look at my old bible lying on my desktop, I realize that of all my tools, it has been the most effective in working a change in my life. I am grateful today as I am reminded by the apostle Paul that it is good to go back over the important things in my life. That way God can do for me what I could not do for myself……………………….JRE
“Solitude liberates us from entanglements by carving out a space from which we can see ourselves and our situation before the Audience of One. Solitude provides the private place where we can take our bearings and so make God our North Star. Os GUINNESS
Enjoy what you have
Thought for the day: “The truly rich are those who enjoy what they have.”
Yiddish proverb
“Finally my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.” (Philippians 3:1 NAS)
The apostle Paul did not mind repeating himself. He knew that when it came to the Word of God and living a righteous life through Jesus Christ, that hearing the same thoughts over again could deepen their foundation. To me the Bible is not just a book to be read, but also a book to be studied. I use it like a textbook. A textbook is a book that you don’t just read once, but refer to it many times. Most textbooks that are used regularly will have bookmarks, passages underlined, and notes written in the columns. All of my Bibles are marked and underlined as I have read them. I have many different translations in my collection of Bibles, but the book that is most dear to me is one that I bought for myself for my forty-ninth birthday in 1995. It is a Nelson King James Study bible and it looks like a mess, but it has been my life preserver over the years. It has helped me weather the stormy seas of life. When I first bought it for myself I was attempting to get clean and sober from a serious addiction to alcohol and meth. I remember at that time using a ballpoint pen to underline. In November of 1995 as I was in the grips of a relapse, someone lit a fire in my wood stove on which my Bible was sitting. The back cover got burned and many of the back pages scorched. That same day my ex-wife died of an accidental overdose. In 1996 I received my last DWI and went to drug rehabilitation and carried the Bible with me. I underlined at that time with an orange pencil. Later I had to go to jail as a result of my DWI and I underlined with blue and red. The red being scripture verses that I put more emphasis on. I relapsed in April of 1997 and the Bible sat on the shelf for seventeen months. In September of 1998 when I again came back into recovery and went to treatment my Bible once more became a part of my everyday life. At that time I underlined with a green pencil. In July of 2000 as I continued in my recovery I started using a brown pencil to underline. Later in 2000 I started reading the Dake Bible and the New International Version. In 2002-3 I read the New King James. In 2004 I read the New American Standard. Today I love all my bibles, but the old one with the back cover burned has special meaning to me. It is like a road map through my recovery. When I see the ballpoint pen marking I know that that was when I first got the Bible. The orange when I was in treatment, blue and red in jail, green the first couple of years of recovery, and the brown as I continued to read one day at a time to maintain my spiritual condition so necessary to my recovery. Today as I look at my old bible lying on my desktop, I realize that of all my tools, it has been the most effective in working a change in my life. I am grateful today as I am reminded by the apostle Paul that it is good to go back over the important things in my life. That way God can do for me what I could not do for myself……………………….JRE
“Solitude liberates us from entanglements by carving out a space from which we can see ourselves and our situation before the Audience of One. Solitude provides the private place where we can take our bearings and so make God our North Star. Os GUINNESS
