KEEP KEEPIN' ON!

KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON!

Life has no success guarantees, not even a sound body, a brilliant mind, a cultural background, a huge amount of money, or a wonderful education. Booker T. Washington was born in slavery. Thomas Edison was deaf. Abraham Lincoln was born to illiterate parents. Lord Byron had a club foot. Robert Louis Stevenson had tuberculosis. Alexander Pope was a hunchback. Admiral Nelson had only one eye. Julius Caesar was an epileptic. Louis Pasteur was so near-sighted that he had a difficult time finding his way in his laboratory without glasses. Helen Keller could not hear or see, but she graduated with honors from a famous college. Michael Jordan attempted 24,537 shots in his time in the NBA, but missed 9,000 shots and lost 300 games. Set-backs are only set-ups for success.

My high school football coach, Joe Gladys, often repeated an inspirational Vince Lombardi quote: “Winners never quit; and quitters never win.” So never give up on yourself, and never give up on God!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

THE FREE AND FEARLESS SNOWFLAKE

THE FREE AND FEARLESS SNOWFLAKE

We’re expecting significant snowfall in Connecticut tonight and tomorrow.  Admittedly, I have a definite love-hate relationship with winter weather.  I am particularly averse to those biting blasts of chilly Arctic air that frequently invade our borders from December through February, and beyond.  However, I do love to lounge in front of a cozy fireplace, totally mesmerized by its warmth, its glow, and the crackling of burning embers.

So far this winter, we have been getting a much-needed break.  Whenever we do get our fair share, the snowblower ably assists my efforts, but never increases my likability for wintry storms.  Yet, I love to stand at the window and gaze at the absolute beauty and awesome tranquility of newly fallen snow.  Although I am emotionally ambivalent about winter snow, I do have a deep-seated admiration for its basic building-blocks, a.k.a. SNOWFLAKES, BECAUSE SNOWFLAKES ARE SURVIVORS.

Their birthplace is high in the stratosphere, where they form amid violent blasts of frosty wind, conditions totally unimaginable and unendurable for us.  Along their gravity-driven journey, they collide forcefully with one another.  And they are continually shaped (and reshaped) by treacherous winds, changing temperatures and violent collisions with fellow flakes.

In fact, before reaching the ground, their transitions and transformations are far too numerous to count.  However, the difficulty of their journey produces miraculous results.  Every snowflake achieves the rare beauty of individual uniqueness.  No two are alike.  This is actually amazing in light of the multiplied millions of flakes that comprise any beautiful blanket of fallen snow.  I have a deep-seated and abiding admiration for these wintry intruders…BECAUSE WE, TOO, ARE SNOWFLAKES.

The circumstantial winds of life constantly shape us; the powerful gravity of life continually transports us.  We move…change…develop…and form in Christ.  Yet, along life’s journey, we rise; we fall; we rise again. (Proverbs 24:16) Indeed, we are constantly becoming freer and fearless, despite collisions, conflict, pressure, or pain.  Because the All-Wise GOD transforms our diverse situations into divine appointments that develop distinctiveness and destiny.

As we allow OUR CREATOR to define and refine our journey (and ourselves), we become beautifully crafted, absolutely awesome, BEINGS-OF-PURPOSE who were conceived in THE DIVINE MIND long before the foundation of the world.  It is HIS PLAN.  It is OUR PROCESS.

Romans 8:28 

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

SO GLIDE FREELY AND FEARLESSLY, SNOWFLAKE, since divine meaning and mission reside within all of your wintry storms.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

LET THE CHURCH SAY "AMEN!"

LET THE CHURCH SAY “AMEN!”

The word “amen” is remarkable. It was transliterated from the Hebrew into New Testament Greek, then into Latin and English and many other languages.  Therefore, “amen” is universal, commonly called the best-known word in human speech. That word is directly related to the Hebrew word for believe (aman). It came to mean “surely” or “truly,” an expression of absolute trust and confidence. When we believe God, we indicate our faith by an “amen.” When God makes a promise, the believer’s rightful response is “amen,” meaning it is so and it will be! In the New Testament, “amen” is often translated as “verily” or “truly.” When we pray according to God’s Word and will, we know that God will answer, so we close our prayers with an “amen.”

The word “amen” is even a title of Christ Himself. The last of Christ’s Revelation letters to the seven churches of Asia begins with a remarkable salutation by the glorified Lord: “These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness.” (Revelation 3:14). We can be certain that His Word is always faithful and true, because He is none other than the Creator of all things and He is our eternal “Amen.” The Word declares that every promise of God is attainable through our “yes and amen.” (II Corinthians 1:20)

Finally, it is absolutely meaningful that the entire Bible closes with an “amen.” John the revelator writes, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Revelation 22:21) This assures us that the entire Bible is absolutely true and trustworthy. AMEN!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

THE MASTER BUILDER

THE MASTER BUILDER

I read an essay today by C. S. Lewis that caught my attention, so I’ll share part of it with you.

I think that many of us, when Christ has enabled us to overcome one or two sins that were an obvious nuisance, are inclined to feel (though we do not put it into words) that we are now good enough. He has done all we wanted him to do, and we should be obliged if he would leave us alone. But the question is not what we intended ourselves to be, but what he intended us to be when he made us...

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on. You knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised.

But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of -- throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.

You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage, but he is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it himself.

God has spoken through our brother, C. S. Lewis, so let the church say “Amen!”

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

WHO'S ON FIRST?

(Thu.) 23 Feb. 2023 ~ Daily Devotional of Pastor Wayne M. Bass

WHO’S ON FIRST?

Quite likely, I am seriously dating myself since I recall an old Abbott and Costello routine entitled, “Who’s on First…and What’s on Second?”  It was back-and-forth comedic banter, but it implied an important principle, that some things (and certainly some people) are more important in your life.

For us Christians, that special someone is Jesus Christ, our superlative, supernatural Savior who is preeminent, powerful and much more precious than any.  From my seminary days, I recall the teachings of Augustine who wrote, “Jesus Christ is not valued at all until He is valued above all.”  Truth.

Indeed, Christ must rule and reign over our time, our talent and our treasure.  Truth is, if we do not allow Him to be Lord of ALL, He graciously declines to be Lord at all, at least not in our lives.  A. W. Tozer, one of my favorite Christian authors, states that committed Christians have three distinct marks: (1) They face only one direction, (2) they can never turn back, and (3) they no longer have plans of their own.  Thus, life is all about HIM, and our short tenure on earth is rather meaningless if it is all about us.

My friend, allow me to share a mission critical truth.  Our God is ready, willing and able to assume full responsibility for any life that is wholly yielded to Him.   So let go…and let God.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

PAY ATTENTION TO THE LIGHT!

PAY ATTENTION TO THE LIGHT!

A ship captain peered into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance.  Immediately he told his signalman to send out a message, “Alter your course 10 degrees south.”

Promptly a return message was received, “Alter your course 10 degrees north.”

The captain was angered because his command had been ignored.  So he sent a second message, “Alter your course 10 degrees south—this is the captain!”

Soon another message was received, “Alter your course 10 degrees north--I am seaman third class Jones.”  Immediately the captain sent a third message, knowing the fear it could evoke, “Alter your course 10 degrees south—this is a battleship!”

The unexpected reply came hurriedly, “Alter your course 10 degrees north—this is a lighthouse!”

My friend, likely it’s been your personal experience that In the midst of dark and foggy times, all sorts of voices are shouting orders into your night, telling you what to do and how to adjust your life.  However, in the darkness one voice signals something quite opposite to the rest--something that sometimes might even seem absurd.  But that voice happens to be the Light of the World, and we ignore it at our own peril.  Pay attention to The Light!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

QUALITY TIME IN HIS PRESENCE

QUALITY TIME IN HIS PRESENCE

Early African converts to Christianity were quite earnest and regular in their private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn.  As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon visually apparent to the others.  They would kindly remind the negligent one, “Brother, the grass grows on your path.”

Is your prayer path well worn or overgrown with the cares of this life?  Remember the words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ: “Men always ought to pray, and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1, NKJV)

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!