ACCUSTOMED TO YOUR FACE

In “My fair lady” the song “Accustomed to his face” has the lines “Are second nature to me now, like breathing out and breathing in.

When your baby is first born you look adoringly at every bit of them. Then as time goes by you don’t have the same urge to focus on them for you are so familiar with them. They grow up and only when they are not there, do you miss them.

One custom that every mom and/or dad should do is to take their children’s face in your hands and look into their eyes for a few seconds, this moment of bonding will last for a lifetime.

Being accustom to a person at times can cause a relationship to become “a run of the mill” relational but with a faded intimacy. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with being comfortable with one another; in other words; be able to ”let your hair down.” Doing marriage people do things they wouldn’t have done before the wedding day.

As I was thinking (musing) about some of the previous posts I wrote concerning the indwelling Holy Spirit, I began to wonder if I had become to accustom to the presence of Him to the point of taking His presence for granted?

Was being too accustomed to His presence lessened His impact on His indwelling in me. There is a difference in being comfortable with someone and an acceptance with indifference of their personage.

I recalled the time when I was first born again, when His Spirit only was convicting me of my sin and then the difference when He came in to stay, how real His presence was. It is a realty I can’t afford to lose and so I must not let my lethargic nature dull my spiritual sense of his presence.

Ephesians.4:30 And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

Charles Finney; You see why so many persons often pray for the influences of the Holy Spirit and yet do not receive his influences. It may be and doubtless often is because they have grieved him entirely away.

Your entire spiritual life depends upon the ministry of the Holy Spirit’s interaction within you and if He is prevented by your rejecting His leading then there is little more He can do but withdraw until you as Finney says; “Let us see wherein we have been and are grieving the Holy Spirit.

And now let us all go down upon our knees, and confess our infinite guilt, in having, in so many ways and for so long a time, grieved the Holy Spirit”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0I9iEUfRvI

VOLUNTEER FOR JESUS

It was about 10 o'clock in the morning and I was thinking about lunch time. What should I fix?

I had some left over tri-tip roast which was very tender and tasty but we had that yesterday. I had all the ingredients for making a stew so that was it. As I put everything in the pot and got it roiling, the smell began to fill the room and it took me back to the fifties when my church conducted a Rescue Mission service once each month.

It was a men’s mission so it was mostly men that went and testified and preached. As soon as you entered the door you could smell the odor of the evening meal which was always a kind of soup/stew and a couple slices of bread.

It was a mixed bag of people who were there, some were just traveling through, some were regulars and some considered the mission their church home. While there were a few that were just above the bum level others were truly born again and loved GOD.

In our church you either volunteered or the pastor would volunteer you. My Pastor decided to volunteer me, and for the next ten years I never missed a service. The Pastor of the mission was a tough guy that kept control for the men who were sometimes a bit unruly and would have to be put out of the service.

I truly respected this pastor as much as any I ever met for he was totally committed to his calling. He would drive his van around town and collect the food for the men. There was one man who gave constantly to feed the men at the mission and his name was Ronnie Svenhard the owner of Svenhard’s Swedish Bakery. His tasty pastries were a delight for breakfast and the men enjoyed them very much.

The services were interesting, in as much as you got to pray with men who you wouldn't associate with normally. We would put our arms around these guys and pray, not knowing if they had lice or some other problem.

The church was allotted one hour for the service and sometimes the one who was preaching would get wound up and would ignore the time. This would cause a problem for the men felt they were being taken advantage of. They were hungry and would become verbal and noisy, because they wanted to eat, as some hadn't eaten all day.

The memory still lingers of the old mission days and the aroma of the soup which fed many a man.
http://www.hymns.me.uk/old-hymns/as-a-volunteer-hymn.htm

To Serve or Not to Serve

Blessings for those who serve and not so blessed for those who fail to serve their God!

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13 To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good!

Deuteronomy 11:13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. 15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.

Deuteronomy 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

While I seek for my truth under the New Covenant we can learn much from the Old Covenant because many of the truths therein are carried over into the New. The loving and serving GOD with everything that is within us hasn't changed at all. All of your innate capacity is to be used in the context of serving and loving GOD. To love and serve is mandated for you as a born again one and any departure from that is not allowed.

Matthew 4:10 "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.”

If you think about it, what was happening was Satan was trying to get Jesus to change his relationship with the Father. The same thing is occurring to we who are in the family of GOD for Satan is trying to interfere with your loving GOD and serving GOD.

Due to culture people express their love for the departed in different ways. Some will put flowers on the grave while others will put food on it, but we show our love for GOD by our obedience.

(John 14;15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.) and we serve HIM by our ministry to others (Matt.25:40 And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'). Phil. 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

 Eccl.9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

Sounds like a do it now proposition. The conclusion of the whole matter is we are to love and serve GOD with all of our strength and our ability for the LORD GOD proveth you.

Matt 25:23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; (to love and serve) I will put you in charge of many things.

Come and share your master's happiness! When someone asks you what are you doing? Be pleased to say; I am a loving and a serving follower of the LORD.

COUNTING THE COST

When shopping, I oft times see something I want. I may not need it but “I want it.” I get in the “got to have it” mode and all reason seeks to leave me at that point. The last thing I wish to do is to “count the cost.”

Luke 14:27-30 "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be My disciple. "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.

I may be overcome by the urge to have the item and while the desire overcomes me and I pay the cost I wasn’t willing to count.

In 2 Samuel 11 the story of David and Bathsheba is told and the thing David didn’t do was count the cost, and what followed was adultery and murder. The interesting thing is this was from a man after GOD’S own heart.

Acts 13:22 God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.  (And I might add David did some things GOD didn’t want him to do).

When GOD forgives, it may be easy to forget the consequence of the forgiven act and if it wasn’t for the scripture we might sluff it off.  (Galatians 6:7 Don't be misled--you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.)

Don’t you just hate it when every act has a consequence? Every action has a price that someone must pay? Does it seem unreasonable to count the cost?

Much of the pain within families is caused by a member not taking into consideration what effect their act will have on the rest of the family.   Romans 14:7 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.

The result of saying things, doing things will live on in our memories for life. There are things when I inadvertently think about cause me to feel some of the unpleasantness all over again.

The advice of the old carpenter will serve us well; measure twice and cut once. The main reason for counting the cost is to be sure you are willing to pay the price.

Before you ask, how much that doggie in the window is, (the one with the wiggly tail) be sure you count the cost of dog food and the vet bills.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jitS-sqMXCA

MY SUGAR DADDY

As a boy since there was no TV and I went to the movies a lot. Sometimes there would be an older man with a younger woman hanging on to him. She would be dressed in furs and jewels and she called him her “Sugar daddy.”

All she had to do was ask and she would receive. There could be a circumstance where she might go to far and her conduct wouldn't be kosher and the request would be denied, but for the most part she would prevail.

Her standing with Sugar Daddy gave her certain rights and the promises he made was her guarantee she could ask and receive. All was required of her was to provide certain services and believe ole sugar would give it up and she would get it.

Today there are many websites that advertise for both men and women to sign up to meet sugar daddies or sugar mommies for the same type of relationship as in the pictures I saw as a boy. These websites are little more than pimping services where the participants prostitute themselves because of greed.

Some preaching and teaching I have heard leads me to believe that we are getting close to thinking that GOD is our Sugar Daddy.  However God is not into playing games!

The approach used, is to build a case against GOD whereby HE must fulfill our request or violate HIS written word.  It is as if the way to get GOD to service their greed is build a case against HIM where HE must obey their slightest whim. They play the old GAME: ask and I must receive or else.

People who prostitute themselves to lust and greed readily latch on to this kind of thinking for it gives them (in their mind) a power and control over GOD. No matter how proficient they have become in framing their message it reeks with an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth.

The same scriptures that was designed to cause Christians be in awe of our creator can be twisted to bring us to the point of thinking like Satan did when he decided to ascend and become the highest and rule over GOD.

The Miranda rights state something to the effect anything you say can be used against you and this is the tactic utilized when GOD’S word is used to try to force HIM to answer their requests. Trying to brainwash your mind with scripture can convince your mind of what it wants to believe, but true faith is not of the mind but of the spirit.

Only one who has experienced the difference can understand this. This convoluted form of teaching goes over the line and doesn’t allow GOD to be GOD but demotes HIM to become “OUR SUGAR DADDY!”

This post has been entered in “Changing the World One Word at a Time” Please visit at: http://peterpollock.com/2011/05/games-blog-carnival/  

CAUSE AND EFFECT

Cause and effect seems to fit the category of a law. When something happens it causes something else to occur.

It has been further described as action demands reaction. While it doesn’t have to be something negative we usually think in those terms.

We see tragedies such as tornados and the effect on people’s lives and try to seek remedies in some way.

The greatest cause and effect event happened in the Garden of Eden when man first sinned and all the pain and suffering was the effect of that act.

On the surface what Adam did seems like such a small thing, yet the act of disobeying a simple command of GOD brought all the destruction we endure today. While GOD’S word doesn’t mean much to many people today, He takes a different view of it.

We tolerate simple defiance of GOD’S commands to us and go on our merry way thinking little of our insolence but does GOD have a different view of it? I think so for it is a thin strand of grace and mercy that protects us from destruction.

The song; “the land of might have been” by Ivor Novello

Somewhere there's another land
Different from this world below,
Far more mercifully planned
Than the cruel place we know.

We never got a chance to experience the original land because of “cause and effect” but now we do have a chance to enter the land of “will be.”

John 14:2-3 There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

2 Peter 1:10 We are admonished; So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things and you will never fall away.

This is a cause and effect I can live with, still the question remains for some;

Days may pass and years may pass
And seas may lie between--
But will you ever find that lovely
Land of might-have-been?

JUST AVERAGE

When you read the scriptures and see all of the great things that were done by Jesus and some of his followers, it makes you to want to do great things also.

The problem is; some of us have to do the mundane stuff, like oil the wheels so the ones who are special can do their thing.

I have found it a little demeaning when the Lord put Martha down for not sitting along side Mary and listening to what Jesus was saying.
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.” (Luke 10:38-42)

Now that could have been interpreted as saying, “Don’t fix us some food we’ll just go hungry, and we don’t need a place to sleep, we will just sit and talk about good things. - - You don’t need to bother about this kind of stuff for it is not spiritual enough, be more like Mary and just kick back.

Martha has been damned by a million sermons for being concerned about the physical needs of her guest.

Some would say, and it’s probably so, that anytime Jesus was teaching you should have been listening. On the other hand Martha was obligated to provide hospitality for her guest;

Romans 12:13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

1 Timothy 3:2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,


Titus 1:8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, and who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined

1 Peter 4:9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.


3 John 1:8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

Romans 16:23 Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.

Unfortunately Martha was just average, she didn’t have the liberty of sitting at Jesus feet, she had work to do.

Some in criticizing Martha said; she didn’t have to go to all that trouble because Jesus would have done his thing and fed everybody.

That would be just like he did in Luke 6:1 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels.

Was that a miracle or what?

I have a good idea; let’s take all of the Martha’s of the church and run them off so we will only have Mary’s in the church.

We recently went to a restaurant and the host was friendly, took us to a seat gave us a menu and disappeared. Then the waitress for the next 45 minutes served us. The cook prepared our food, and we ate and enjoyed our meal. The waitress took our money and returned with our change. If the host was Mary and the cook and waitress were Martha, which was the most needful Mary or Martha?

Poor old Martha was only average and she was merely good for the donkey work. She was too concerned about whether people were able to eat and slept. She got slammed for trying to be hospitable and not wanting to do all the work by herself.

We sometime forget that Jesus was human and Mary knew how to be the center of attention by sitting at the feet of Jesus which may have turned Jesus on. If Mary was a pretty young thing hanging on and around Jesus I suspect he being a normal 100% man as some claim, he must have enjoying this attention.

Now for those who say he was filled with the Holy Ghost and couldn’t do that, I remind them of the preachers who are also filled with the Holy Ghost that do enjoy such a scenario.

The moral is; when the Mary’s give the Martha’s the necessary help that is needed it will be amazing how much more spiritual the Martha’s will become.