Philippians 4:12-13, “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Acts 16:25, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. Acts 16:37, “But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.”
I was thinking this afternoon about something cool I saw many years ago...
OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE
What do you see?
What do you see?
What do you see?
What do you see?
Most people read: “OPPORTUNITY IS NO WHERE,” but a few people optimistically see “OPPORTUNITY IS NOW HERE.” Interesting, huh? The only thing which makes the difference is how you and I perceive the letters that are grouped together. To be fair, one of the reasons why most people tend to see this phrase in a negative light is because the letters “N” & “O” form the word “NO,” which our brain recognizes before it can identify the word “NOW.” So it is a bit of a mind game.
However, the lesson learned from the preceding word game is profound. So oftentimes we as humans limit ourselves, and for that matter, we limit God. I once heard a life-changing sermon by Pastor Jack Hyles called: “God Is Just As Great As You Make Him.” In the sermon Dr. Hyles says: “Don't limit the Holy One of Israel.” Amen, that is so true! Whereas most people will always see things as negative, half-full and impossible; the Christian who is right with God realizes that “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). Jack Hyles' mother, Mattie Coystal Hyles (1887-1984), wisely taught him as a boy: “I can makes the man!” Yes ma'am, that is absolutely true!
Our Global View (i.e., our overall attitude toward life) affects everything. Everything in life is a mindset. So many believers live defeated lives. They are always negative, discouraged, down in the mouth, critical and ineffective to serve God because of it. I admit that I have struggled with depression most of my adult life, but I have learned how to cope with it, hiding my life with Christ in God. ...
Colossians 3:1-3, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
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Psalms 57:1, “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.”
Psalms 91:1, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
I like the following passage of Scripture, because it contrasts two sisters who had different attitudes, and we see how those attitude affected them...
Luke 10:39-42, “And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Mary was Martha's younger sister. This was the same precious Mary who washed Jesus' feet with her tears, and dried His feet with her hair. John 11:2, “(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)” The Bible says that Mary sat at Jesus' feet to hear Him speak the Words of life. John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” There's your Bible inspiration right there! The Words which Jesus spoke are God's Words. That is what “inspired” means!
Please don't believe all these ignorant false teachers today who claim that only the original autographs of the Bible were inspired. If they are correct, that only the originals were inspired by God, then it means we don't have God's Words today. I'd throw my Bible into the garbage pail and never preach again if I thought that we don't have a perfect inspired Holy Bible today!!! Either we have God's Words or we don't! And if we do, then they are 100% verbally (every word) and plenary (the whole canon of Scripture, all 66 books) inspired.
King David said that he had zeal over and loved God's Word because it is VERY PURE, and he was upset that wicked men were trying to do away with God's Word. Psalms 119:139-140, “My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words. Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.” My zeal comes from my burning passionate belief that I hold in my hand the perfectly preserved, incorruptible, pure, holy and inspired Word of God. I believe that BOOK in the English language since 1611 to be the inspired King James Bible.
The King James Bible contains zero mistakes, no errors and nothing that could have been translated better! The Bible needs re-reading, not re-writing! The Bible needs to correct us, not us the Bible!!! I will never be so arrogant and pompous as to sit in judgment upon the inspired Word of God. Do you understand dear friend that according to Psalms 138:2 God magnified His Holy Word above all His own holy name? Psalms 138:2, “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” Yet ungodly ignorant men today don't even hesitate to change, corrupt and butcher the eternal Words of almighty God.
Mary had the right attitude, desiring to hear the Savior's life-giving Words. But Martha was a busy gal, preparing things in the kitchen, going about her business. Isn't this much like most people today, busily hurrying along life's merry way? Martha could have sat at Jesus' feet like her sister Mary, and also listened to Him speak the truth, but she didn't. It is interesting that it was Martha, and not Mary, who became flustered and frustrated. I think 95% of believers are just like Martha. They are good people who get caught up in the routine and chores of daily life, missing out on what the dear Savior has to say to them, just like Martha missed out. Mary heard everything Jesus said. Not surprisingly, it was Martha who Jesus called “troubled about many things,” and not Mary who sat listening to His voice. ...
Luke 10:39-42, “And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
An important lesson that I take away from this helpful passage is that if we become boggled down with life's responsibilities like Martha, so that we fail to intentionally take the time to sit at the Master's feet each day to hear His Words of life, then we are our own worst enemy. Martha should have been listening to Jesus with the others. Martha wasn't troubled about many things as a result of choosing not to listen to Christ; but rather, she was too busy to listen to Christ because she was troubled about many things. If we are not careful, life will bring us to our knees and keep us there.
I love something uplifting that Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) said in Rocky Balboa (part five). I edited the quote a little bit, adding a Bible verse (just picture me saying this with a broken jaw, blood all over my face, and hollering 'Yo Adrian"...lol:
The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, nor anybody else is going to hit as hard as life, but it ain't about how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
We all have an opportunity today to serve God faithfully. Time is running out! God willing I will turn 55 years old on March 5th, 2022. I cannot believe how fast the years are passing. I still feel like I am 18 years old. It seems like just yesterday that I was a teenager. I am like a big kid and I like it that way. I love wearing my “John 3:16” hat backward (or maybe my head is backward). I like who I am. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a Christian woman of kindred spirit who wants to spend the rest of her life with me, having fun together.
These are perilous times (2nd Timothy 3:12). Women are different today. I see so many women covered in ugly tattoos. A favorite activity of women today is to go barhopping with girlfriends. No wonder guys like me are alone and cannot find a mate. Women are too independent nowadays, rebellious, angry and empowered by the courts. There are literally millions of divorced and single knocked up mothers all across the country, causalities of America's rotten feminist culture. There's nothing new under the sun...
Philippians 2:15, “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;” Isaiah 1:4, “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.”
We have a great opportunity today to prove our love for Jesus by being faithful in these unfaithfully times. We can still say with faithful Joshua today:
Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
I choose to serve the Lord Jesus Christ!
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