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Monday, June 29, 2009
Surprises in Heaven I hope that there are surprises in heaven. I hope when we get there we see things and people that we never would have imagined. I hope there are giant roller coasters and huge football fields. I hope there are flavors of ice cream we have never tasted and colors that we have never seen and music we have never heard. I wonder if all the mysteries and glorious wonders of life will be revealed to us the moment we arrive, or, if God will take all of eternity revealing these things to us little by little. Even more, I hope we are surprised by some of the people we see. I’m sure we would all agree there are a few “shoe-ins”: people like John the Baptist – who was said to be the greatest ever born to man, people like King David who was a man after God’s own heart. I’m sure we will see Paul, who authored many New Testament books of the Bible, the apostles who died to spread the gospel, Mary – the mother of Jesus, Lazarus and Mary Magdalene, and many more heroes of the Bible. I can’t wait to meet people like C.S. Lewis and Oswald Chambers. Preachers like Smith Wigglesworth and Billy Graham will no doubt be sitting at the feet of Jesus. These are all people who fought the fight, kept the faith and finished the race. There will be no doubt we will see them in heaven. But I hope there are a few last minute additions too. I hope that in the final moments of their lives, people like Michael Jackson, Elvis and Princess Diana repented of their sins and found a spot in heaven. I hope Marilyn Monroe, Chris Farley and Heath Ledger had the chance to ask for mercy and grace before they breathed their last breath. I hope that my grandmother – Naomi asked Jesus into her heart before she entered into eternity. I hope to be surprised. I hope! These are people who gave so much of themselves here on earth, but just didn’t seem to know the real TRUTH! I wonder if anyone told them about Jesus, but they just rejected him. Choosing to live the way they wanted to live. I wonder if they thought they were on the right road, but had trouble showing it by the fruit they produced. I wonder if they had an 11th hour encounter with Jesus like the thief on the cross. Although these people didn’t appear to live their lives in a way that would guarantee their names are written in the Lambs Book of Life, I hope somehow, someway, they found Jesus and we will see them in heaven. I’m not the ultimate judge, but I do know God’s word is clear: anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. You have to call on him! I hope we are surprised by many people who actually call on him in the final moments of their lives. I hope they receive grace and mercy and most importantly the precious gift of eternal life. But that’s just it… I can only hope for these people! What about you? I don’t want to have to hope your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Do you know Jesus? Have you already called on Him to save you? You don’t have to hope you make it to heaven, you can know for certain right now! I pray that you call on His name and ask him to come into your heart and live there as your King. Don’t wait until the final moments of your life and hope that you have the chance to get right with him. Do it now! Word… Pasta’ Alex posted by Pasta' Alex # 5:02 PM 0 Comments   Thursday, June 11, 2009 7 Steps of Temptation Dante Alighieri, the Italian Florentine poet, who lived from 1264 to 1321, has an allegorical picture of life as a journey in which a man climbed up a winding mountain road. He begins his journey as a young man. After climbing for a short while, a vicious wolf leaped out of the bushes, and attempts to rip him in pieces. According to Dante, this was the wolf of lust, of physical passion, and represented the major temptation of a young person. As the man climbed higher, reaching “middle life,” a huge tiger sprang on him. This was the tiger of pride, representing the great temptation of middle age, which is pride of position, reputation, and social standing. Finally, as he approached the top, at the time of “old age,” a large, hairy-maned lion came bounding after him. The great temptation of later life, money and financial security, is the lion. As he classified these three great temptations, Dante’s point is that there is no level of life where you will be free from temptation. It has been correctly observed, “You are not tempted because you are evil; you are tempted because you are human.” Temptation comes to us all, but we can resist if we know the process. The seven steps are: 1. The ENTRANCE of the thought. This is not a sin. Everyone has thoughts. Satan works from without to within. In 2 Corinthians 10:3 – 5, Paul spoke of how thoughts in our mind must be dealt with. 2. The ENTERTAINMENT of the thought. This is the first mistake. Some sound advice is, “Kill the serpent, don’t stroke it!” 3. The EXAMINATION of the thought. This is when we go over the details. We consider and think about how we would do it. Thomas Secker warned, “To pray against temptation, and yet rush into occasions, is to thrust your fingers into the fire, and then pray they might not get burnt.” 4. The ENJOYMENT of the thought. This is the bonding to the thought. An adage from decades ago states it well, “One that stands or walks in slippery places is always exposed to a fall.” 5. The EXPERIENCING of the thought. J. William Chapman once said, “Temptation is the tempter looking through the keyhole into the room where you’re living; sin is your drawing back the bolt and making it possible for him to enter.” 6. The EXCUSING of the sin. This is to pass the blame, without taking responsibility for our choices. A saint of years ago said, “If Satan comes up to my door, I cannot help it; if he lifts the latch, and walks in, I cannot help it. But if I offer him a chair, and begin with him a parley, I put myself altogether in the wrong.” 7. The being ENVELOPED by it. Like in an enclosed envelope, we allow ourselves to become under bondage. Warning: “The devil has no conscience, and the flesh has no sense!” - Dave Arnold (www.davidarnoldonline.org) posted by Pasta' Alex # 4:13 PM 0 Comments Thursday, May 28, 2009 Why we should read the Bible I was thinking about a few reasons why we need to read the Bible – God’s word. Here is what I came up with this. This isn’t an all inclusive list. I’m a little OCD and very anal retentive so my list has to be a usual number. So, here are my 10 reasons why you should read the Bible. 1. We read the Bible to know how God wants us to live and to understand what He expects of us. God offers all of His word as an instructional manual of what He wants and then He expects us to obey. We show our love to God by obeying his commands (1 John 5:3). How can you keep His commands if you don’t know them?! So, read the Bible. 2. We read the Bible to see and know God’s heart. God reveals Himself to us through Hi word. He longs to spend time us and talk to us everyday. I often hear people say that God tells them specific things during their prayer time. I’m not saying He doesn’t speak through prayer, however, much of what they say God said is refutable. However, God’s word is irrefutable! Let His word be the primary source of you hearing God speak to you and getting to know Him. 3. We read the Bible to Learn His plan for your life. We are made to search for purpose. God has a lot to say about what He wants you to do and even about what He wants from you. Read the Word and dig in to study what God’s will for your life is. Learn to use your Bible as a tool and valuable resource. Don’t look at it as just a book you can crack open from time to time for quick inspiration and encouragement. Sure, the Word does offer both inspiration and motivation for life, but it has to become more than that to you. You have to learn to meditate on and study God’s Word. God is a mysterious God and there are some things you will only find out about Him when you search for it like searching for hidden treasure. 4. We read the Bible for Power to live a victorious Christian life. God expects us to live a life free of sin. If we let His Word lead and guide us every step of the way, this can surely happen. 5. We read the Bible for Inspiration and Motivation. Life is tough and problems will come. God will help us through these tough times. His Word offers peace and comfort, encouragement and motivation, direction and guidance in all situations. He wants to give you these words to lift your spirit and pick you up. But don’t let this be the only reason you read His word. Don’t demote God to the role of motivation speaker in your life. 6. We read the Bible to know Christian history. You will learn what are Fathers of the Faith went through. Heritage. I love the reading the old stories of how God took care of his people. Reading about the miracles God performed for His people are awesome! 7. We read the Bible to build our Faith. God is not a respecter of persons. If He did something for the past generations He will do it for you and for me. I love Hebrews 11 – the faith hall of fame. He wants to encourage our faith and He gives us great examples to hang on to. 8. We read the Bible to know all God’s promises to us. God’s Word is full of promises. Rev. Everek Storms counted and found God gave over 8,800 promises in the Bible. 7,487 of these promises are given to Mankind. I want to know what God wants to give me! I want to know his promises! 9. We read the Bible because it’s exciting! There are so many cool stories in the Bible. Many of these stories could be made into blockbuster movies that would blow people’s minds. The Bible is full of stories of great warriors, gruesome battles, stories of betrayal and revenge, and of course awesome miracles. Check out the Old Testament – you will be amazed at some of the things that are recorded in the Holy Scriptures. When I think about all that is recorded in 1 and 2 Kings, all I can say is WOW! Read it and check it out for yourself. 10. Read the Bible because I said so! I pity the fool who don’t read The Word of God, sucka’s! Can you dig it?! P. Alex posted by Pasta' Alex # 10:31 AM 0 Comments Tuesday, May 19, 2009 Do You Have Trouble Falling Asleep? The National Sleep Foundation says that 64% of adults have trouble sleeping a few nights a week, and 41% say it’s a nightly occurrence. So what’s keeping us up? The experts say: Stress! Chronic stress makes your adrenaline and cortisol spike, your heart race and your blood pressure increase. That leaves you feeling like you’re hooked up to a constant IV drip of caffeine. So, here’s how to quiet your mind according to sleep experts interviewed by Rodale Publishing: • First, if you go directly from your computer to your pillow, stop it! You need to set up a restful routine that gives your mind & body the cues that it’s time to sleep. So take a hot shower or bath about an hour before bed. The reason it works is that warm water relieves tension – then, when you step out, the cold air dials down your inner thermostat, mimicking what your body naturally does when it’s ready for sleep. • Next, if you’re watching the financial news right before bed, you’re not doing yourself any favors. The National Sleep Foundation says 27% of people are kept awake by money worries. Dr. Rubin Naiman is a sleep specialist from the University of Arizona, and he says it’s like eating a spicy meal and then trying to nod off. Instead, watch a comedy before bed. Laughter reduces blood pressure and decreases your heart and respiratory rate. Just don’t watch TV in bed because the blue glow can keep you awake. • Lastly, if you lie in bed making a mental to-do list – move that task up two hours. So right after dinner, write out your to-do list. Doing that earlier in the evening desensitizes your mind to those thoughts later – so they won’t keep you up. If that doesn't work and you find that you are still awake, why not spend your time in prayer and intercession. Our church is sponsoring an around the clock prayer ministry. Sign up to committ to pray! Make good use of the time you can't fall asleep. Pray for your church, your country, your family and friends - pray for me. I know I need it! Word... P. Alex posted by Pasta' Alex # 12:11 PM 0 Comments Thursday, May 07, 2009 My Prayer 5.7.09 Lord, I want everyone that knows me to know your son, Jesus. Is this too much to ask for? Is this request too unrealistic? I can’t bear to think that one of my family members, friends, neighbors or co-workers will not get to spend eternity with you in heaven. What do I need to do to make sure they accept you in their heart and end up in heaven? I pledge to give my whole life to you and your work. I will spread your gospel to make sure everyone knows. Is it possible for everyone I know to respond to you? I know your word says in Matt 7 that wise is the road and wide is the gate that leads to destruction and many will find this road. Does this have to include my family members? My friends? My neighbors? My co-workers? Your word also says; it’s your will that none should perish. You don’t desire for anyone to end up in hell. So, I know my request lines up with your will. So this is a valid prayer. There are only 2 factors that remain: 1. Will I tell and or show everyone about Jesus? About his love, and grace, and mercy, and forgiveness? Will I open up my mouth and tell people about you? Will I take the time to share about how they need you and can receive forgiveness? I need to do my part! 2. Will they chose to accept you? Your Word says you won’t force yourself on anyone. Will they chose to accept the forgiveness of their sins offered by your son Jesus dieing on the cross? Will my family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers exercise their free will and chose to live for YOU? Please help us! P. Alex posted by Pasta' Alex # 5:19 PM 0 Comments Thursday, April 30, 2009 God, You Are... A couple of days ago during my prayer time I started thinking about adjectives that describe God. Often times in prayer I find myself jumping to my list of things I want and need God to do for me. On this occasion I wanted to slow down and spend a little extra time in Adoration of God. Adoration is the act of paying honor to a divine being. Jesus gave us the example of adoring the heavenly father in prayer when he taught us to pray in the Sermon on the Mount – “Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”. He was paying honor to God at the start of his prayer. This is an example that we need to follow before getting to our laundry list of requests for our heavenly father. So the other day, I made a list of adjectives to pray to God in my own words to describe Him. I wanted to think of a characteristic that corresponds with every letter of the alphabet. Here’s the list I came up with (Keep in mind this is not an all inclusive list and I must say, it was harder than I thought it would be, so don’t laugh at my list): God, You Are: · Awesome, Alive, All-knowing, Absolute · Beautiful, Big · Caring, Courteous, Cool · Dedicated · Everlasting · Fabulous, Fantastic, Forever, Fun, Final, Forgiving · Gracious, Good, Gigantic, Gorgeous · Holy, Huge, Hilarious, Happy · Interesting, Immeasurable, Intelligent · Just, Jealous, Joy · King, Kind · Loving, Life, Lord · Marvelous. Miracle working, Majestic, Merciful, Mighty · Never-ending, Nice · Omnipotent, Omnipresent · Patient, Purposeful, Pretty, Protecting · Quick, Quality · Redeemer, Real · Sincere, Sensitive to my needs · True, Terrific, Tactful · Unending, Unchanging, Understanding, Unity, Unequaled · Valid, Verified, Vine · Word, Waiting, Wanting, Watchman, Wonderful · X-ray our hearts (cut me some slack on this one) · Yahweh, Yearn for us, Yielding · Zestful, Zealous towards us Do you have anything to add to this list? Or maybe you want to make your own list. I encourage you to spend time in prayer each day, adoring God. He longs to be adored by his children. Tell him what you think about him. Now it’s your turn to make a list, God, you are… Word… P. Alex posted by Pasta' Alex # 9:33 AM 0 Comments Wednesday, April 22, 2009 You Can Count On It Have you ever doubted something? Have you ever had a friend, who you know to be a truthful person, tell you something that you think is just unbelievable? It just seems too good or too far fetched to be true. You want to believe, but truth be told, doubt exists. I remember hearing a missionary tell the story of raising a guy from the dead in Russia. His name is Michael Chowning and he is unbelievable, literally. He tells the story of how this guy was brought before him who was actually dead for 3 days. Michael touched his cold lifeless body and began to pray. He experienced the spirit of God breath life back into this guy with his own eyes. What!?! How!?! Come on Pastor Alex, this sounds too unbelievable. But it is true! Jesus says in his Word that we will see greater miracles than he ever performed and he raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11). So we know this is possible. Yet, I doubt. We doubt. Why? If only I had the faith of a child. I’m reminded of my boys. When I tell them we can go to Dairy Queen for ice cream after dinner, they believe it. In their eyes, when dad says something – it becomes a law that is permanent and binding for future generations! They think that dad’s word is the absolute authority. They have no reason to think otherwise. So it should be with us and our heavenly father. John 8:14 – Jesus said, “You are right that you only have my word. But you can depend on it being true.” Wow! What a statment! My heavenly father says it and I believe it. He sounds pretty convincing to me! Learn to know God’s word, my friend. Then learn to trust it with the faith of a child who was promised ice cream after dinner. You would be surprised how far this will get you. Word… P. Alex posted by Pasta' Alex # 10:35 AM 0 Comments |
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