Right Side Up!

Just a quick thought on this Saturday before Resurrection Sunday. My Bible reading plan (that you may download from our Iowa Seed Sowers website) took me through Acts 17 today. Acts 17 is jam packed with really powerful historical fact, but I wanted to share a simple verse and a thought.  The unbelieving Jews set the city of Thessalonica on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring out Paul & Silas to the people (vs. 5). And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; (vs. 6).

Now, I write notes in my Bible, sometimes just a thought I had when reading; sometimes a quote from a sermon message or from someone's commentary. Someone reading these may not find them significant, but they've been an encouragement to me over the years. The little marginal note (above picture in the small red box) is the thought I wanted to share. It reads, 

"No! This lost world is already upside-down. Jesus Christ turns things right side-up!"

Jesus Christ turns everything right side-up, in our minds as we read and understand God's word; in our lives as we yield to the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. How many things we believed, thought about, or did in our life before Jesus Christ can we look back on and wonder how in the world we could have thought that or did that? For me, plenty!

Hope that encourages you today.

Maranatha...Paul.

Changes

"...Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God." 

(Psalms 55:19)

This being a leap year, I realized that my daily Bible reading plan goes from February 28 to March 1. So in reading some of the past few days scriptures, I read Psalm 55, and was curious to understand the latter part of Psalm 55.

Adam Clarke writes of this verse:  
"Most of those who have few or no afflictions and trials in life, have but little religion. They become sufficient to themselves, and call not upon God." (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible).

I started writing this little note on March 1st, 2020. Today is March 20th. How could I have known then that:

• We are face-to-face with a medical crisis in our family
• The world would be gripped with fear regarding the spread of the Chinese coronavirus (Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19) that came out of Wuhan province in China

Maybe I can write more about these later. But for now, like many of you I can attest that I am not sufficient to myself, as Clarke puts it. Afflictions and trials drive me to call upon my God and to rest in his grace. As the Lord Jesus told the Apostle Paul:

"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." 

(2 Cor. 12:9)

May our all-sufficient God give you and I his all-sufficient grace as needed; strengthen, comfort, and sustain us as we walk through this life. Amen.

Paul.

 

Warren B Smith - Standing Fast in the Last Days

I really enjoy listening to Warren B. Smith teach, especially on the New Age, so I thought I'd just share a link from one of his YouTube videos. Enjoy.

Warren B Smith - Standing Fast in the Last Days (Calvary Chapel Pastors Conference)

Every

As I was driving home from work last night, listening to a message by Mike Fabarez (Focal Point Ministries) on 91.5FM. A thought occurred to me that I needed to write down. I did so on a yellow sticky note so I would not forget it. Turns out I came down sick in the middle of the night with a fever, so I must have picked up the flu that is going around my workplace. So I am out of commission from work today, and with the Ibuprofen kicking in for a few minutes, I wanted to put it down here. 

Every:

• Failure in my plans, my hopes or my conduct
• Disappointment
• Unexpected or unplanned expense
• Storm of life
• Aggravation
• Betrayal by a friend, or when I fail someone else
• Faithless act, intended or not
• Time something "bad" happens...

...is an opportunity for me to trust God. And so often, I don't. Or at least I go through a pity-party or a temper-tantrum and it takes me a while to recognize what a fool I am. 

Howard McNear was a talented actor on radio and television. I can pick out his voice in old radio shows like Gunsmoke, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. He was  hoot on The Andy Griffith Show.

 

When Floyd the Barber looks into the mirror and declares he's a miserable deceitful wretch, its funny. When I fail to trust God when hit with something; God who has proven Himself over and over again as trustworthy & faithful: I end up looking in the mirror of my heart, and say about the same thing. Only its true, and not funny at all. 

Thank God for grace. And that God's mercies to us are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). Today I get a new chance to do what I know is God's will for me. He tells me in His word:

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Those were the thoughts that went through my mind last night, and that is what I wanted to share.
Maranatha - Paul.
 

Dead People Live

I heard Ravi Zacharias recently in an interview on The Rubin Report on YouTube. Dave Rubin had asked him in a roundabout way how he had come to faith in Jesus Christ. I've hear Ravi tell his story before: how he'd tried to commit suicide by poison when he was 17, how that failed, and he lay in a hospital bed. A man brought him a Bible, and the words of Jesus brought him to saving faith. In this particular interview I heard Ravi say the following, and it is so good it bears repeating. He said something like this:

"People think that Jesus Christ came to make bad people good. But that's not true. Jesus Christ did not come to make bad people good; he came to make dead people live."

 He Came To Make Dead People Live!

What an interesting difference! We do get this wrong, and perhaps that is the difference between mere religion and being born from above. This was the portion of scripture that God used to bring Ravi to that place of repentance & faith: 

 "Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also." 

John 14:19

Mary had an interesting comment: this must be a reference to both the spiritual life we receive when we are born-again by faith in Jesus, as well as the promise that we have of receiving a new physical, eternal body some day in the future; one that will not get sick, grow old, or wear out. In Jesus prayer to the Father he defines what eternal life is:

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." 

 John 17:3

Here is the link to this particular interview:

https://youtu.be/V8bD7ovxIuc