Not the God of Olden Times. Really?

Today I hear people say that in the Old Testament God was active in the plans for His people then but is not today.  But if you read in Numbers you will see where God had the plans for the the nation of Israel to go into the promise land immediately upon their arrival.  Moses sends out twelve to scout the land and according to God's plan, they were to come back with all the large fruit of the land and come to the people and say,"Let's go into the land now because God is in control".  Instead only two of the twelve said that and the result was that the people wondered for 40 more years and the 10 who doubted God died and never saw the Promised land. God's plan remained but it took a new generation to fulfill those promises.

God's promises are final and he have never gone back on any promise.  It is us who think God has walked away.  It is us who pray for something once or go into a ritual of the same prayer day after day and then wonder why it does not happen exactly like the prayer is spoken.  You doubt God hears you.  Is it because you expect religion to come through without a relationship with whom you are praying?

For ten years now I have prayed for God to move in the area I live.  During the last year I have gone to the same location every week  and prayed over that location and the 14,000 people who are far from a relationship with God.  Yes in one location.

Satan enters periodically and say, "God does not hear you.  You will need to take matters in your own hands."  Being ADHD and impatient I have been tempted but in my quiet time, God say for me to be still and know that I am in control.

God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  I know this because God is assembling a team a people who have moved here from all over the US to this location.  For that I give thanks that God is the God of old and our goal is to be true to Him.  He wants those 14,000 plus people to get to know Him and love Him.

Is there something you have been praying for and wondering why God does not seem to be around?  Keep praying even when you don't feel like it.  It may be years away and a lifetime away but God never fails to His promises that were written in olden times and still true today.

Not Giving our Best

In studying Malachi 1 it hit me that we should listen to what God told Malachi.  Today we are more possessed to satisfy people and impress others rather than to give our best to God.  Yes, God gets our second, third, or worse effort and then in front of others call ourselves Christian.

We talk the game but do not live the game of life to serve God.  As you read the first chapter of Malachi, God addresses the leaders that they offer burnt offerings of blind calves, lame and diseased animals and God only wants the best of what God has blessed us.

Today we do not offer the same sacrifices because of the one sacrifice of God's son.  That still does not give us an excuse to not give our best to the Lord out of love and not requirement.  Instead we ourselves build ourselves up and try to just impress others with our stuff.

I believe God looks down and just shakes His head in that He gives us everything and our life reflects the sadness of caring less about God until we have a crisis.  Then we cry out to Him to fix it.

I am not saying that if you give God your best that you will not have crisis but in developing a relationship that gives the best thing you have to offer.  The Lord will get you through the crisis even better than before the crisis. Remember it is Satan that wants to inflict pain.  (Read the Book of Job and see Satan's conversations with God).  

YOUR TIME in a relationship with the Lord is what He is asking you to do, instead of just saying  "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep."  Giving our best is in time with Him with sincere words, loving others, and giving a small portion of what God has blessed us all.

Read the short book of Malachi in a modern version and you will see what happens to churches and nations when they do not give their best.  But God makes one promise to each one of us and God does not ever break a promise.  Read Malachi 3: 6-12

Then you will see what God promises when we give him our Best!

Romantic Games Adults Should Play - Part 4

             

Here is another game taken from my book. "Romantic Games Adults Should Play"- Designed for the men who are romantically challenged.

Notes Galore

 Items Needed:    

Self-Stick Note Pad

Pen or marker

     Get up in the morning before your love, open a package of post–it notes and write a couple of words, a sentence, or date that is important you. The important part of this game is to fill out about ten to twenty notes. Place them in the kitchen on anything you would like. Try locations everywhere your love might be that day--whether early in the morning or throughout the day. Even try to leave one in their purse or billfold. Don't forget to tell your love often in the notes that you love them and will miss them that day.

     Put one in the cereal box top, coffeepot, the refrigerator, or any other place you can see.  Place one in makeup tables, on mirrors, in cabinets, on top of their underwear, on the windshield of her car, and so many other places your love might frequent that morning. Even if your children find the notes, they will learn what a healthy romantic life should be like.

Act Your Age

Here's the question I am being asked today, "Why are you doing that?  Act your age!"  This all pertains to my birthday.  Being a strong believer that your age is how you feel, some days I feel like 75 but most days I feel my age of about 50.  When someone asked me the question above, I comment, "What does acting your age feel like?  Are you saying that acting my age is what society expects it to be or is it how I feel and act?"   Reality says that I can never do what I did at 18 but then again I really don't want to do that.

A couple of weeks ago I had a blast throwing a softball with some guys from church.  From age 15 until 48 I played softball multiple times each week.  Even after Achilles heel surgery, and two other surgeries on my tendons in the right leg, (which got fixed in the "off" season)  I was playing again.

Then one night while playing with our church I pivoted on my foot to make a throw to first base and heard a "pop".  The left leg was killing me and I thought it was broken but at the hospital, it turned out that I separated the entire calf muscle from the left leg bone.  Officially my playing days were over.

Today I love to still throw the ball and hit but will not do it competitively again.  My mind still says I can but the body says, "Not so fast."  Now people ask me what my age is and  I tell them I feel and therefore am 56 today.  It is the age I feel today. Society set my real age, not me.  Those who know me say, "What, you're not 56!"  Here's the deal.  I told myself that I was not going to age over 60.  Each year after that date, I subtract a year and will continue to do that until I die.

Refuse to act or be your social age.

Therefore age is a state of mind and the more active you try to be the younger you will feel.  As for me I hope to make it back to 25 before I call this life over.  Then again I may not remember much at that age but the journey will be so much fun!

NEVER ACT YOUR AGE!

Losing your Classmates?

One sign of getting old it that you keep seeing on FaceBook the memorial videos and messages of classmates dying.  Years ago, my dad noted that he did not want to get so old that he was the last of his classmates because there would be no classmates to visit his funeral.  I laughed and though it was funny at the time but our high school class is rapidly declining.

FaceBook has been great for getting back in contact with classmates and catching up on their lives, but for me it has more of an impact on me personally when I read about them dying.  I see their kids, and grand kids and all the activities and watch their excitement, their struggles from injury or disease, as well as how their life has developed since high school.

In getting older you need to rekindle old friendships and not play the "what if" game with the memories.  Appreciate where they have been and the lives they have touched since your first had a relationship with that person.  When I pull up an old classmate from high school or college I go to their "about" page on FaceBook and enjoy everything that the Lord has blessed in each one's life.

It is sad to ponder on losing a classmate but learn to appreciate what they meant to you many years ago.  Do it now since you may not have a chance later on in life.  That goes for any person who you call a friend or relative.  Most importantly is to let them know in a note or a letter.