How Many Pencils Do You Have?

Some of us can remember the days of the timed test. In some sort of educational setting, a test was administered in which we penciled in our answer by filling in the little circles by our chosen answers. In some settings we were told to be sure and bring at least two #2 hardness pencils so in case one broke we could continue the test. It was foolish to come take the test with just one pencil. If the soft lead broke, you could not finish and you risked not passing the test. It was wise to bring at least two pencils to the test.

Jesus taught in the end time the kingdom of God would be like ten virgins awaiting the coming of a bridegroom for a marriage ceremony. They all had ceremonial lamps with oil in them for their place in the ceremony. Five of the virgins had vessels of extra oil with them as a reserve. The bridegroom was a long time coming, so they all got sleepy and lay down and slept. Finally the call was made and they all got up and trimmed the wicks of their lamps to make them burn brightly. During their time of sleeping, the oil of five of the virgins had burned out and they had no oil with them to refuel. They started trying to get some of the oil from the reserves of the other five virgins, but they were told to go and get their own oil. While they were gone to get their own oil to replenish their lamps, the bridegroom came. Those that were ready went into the ceremony with him, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came back and knocked on the door saying “Lord, Lord, open to us.” But the bridegroom answered them, “I say unto you, I know you not.” Jesus concluded the analogy by telling us to “watch”, to “stay awake” (spiritually), because we don’t know when he will be coming and we will be meeting him face to face (Matthew 25:1-13). The five virgins came to the time of the test with only one pencil. They had no back up, no reserve. When life uses up or breaks our pencil, we don’t have time to wake up and go find another one in order to finish the test. We are to be ready with a reserve. It is foolish to not have a reserve. The foolish virgins had it in their minds that they had all they needed, nothing lacking. But there was more needed in order to pass the test that life offers. Jesus taught that we be born again, baptized in water, and baptized in and led by the Holy Spirit. With this, we have a reserve from which to draw each day. With this we can be ready. We are to keep the extra pencils of living in his Word and Spirit each day so we can write our ticket of victory with God!

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Grab The Right Cup

We enjoyed a trip to Branson for a couple of days doing various things, with the highlight of the trip being to see the sight and sound production of JESUS. This is truly a spectacular portrayal of the life and ministry of Jesus. I highly recommend anyone going to see it. You can’t know what it is like until you go see it. Meanwhile, back at the motel one morning, I got up and went about getting one of those in-room cups of coffee. As with many motels, they had a little tray with clear plastic cups on one side for water and paper cups on the other side for coffee, with the packets of coffee, tea, and sugar in the middle. Being preoccupied with waking up, when the coffee was brewed, I grabbed one of the clear plastic cups and had to take my pocket knife to get the plastic off. It didn’t want to tear. So I did that and poured my coffee. I did not think about what I was doing until I was walking over to a chair to sit down and realized how hot that cup was in my hand. “Well, I’ll be! I grabbed the wrong cup!” I thought to myself. But I decided, “Well, for all the trouble I went to for this one, I’m just going to keep it.” So, I held it up around the top rim to drink it until I got it drunk down some. When Barb saw what I was doing, she asked, “Is that coffee you are drinking out of that cup?” I said, “Yes” and explained to her how it came to be. She just shook her head.

Sometimes we just settle for things that are less than the best. We just get by, figuring to get that which is designed for us, is more trouble than it is worth. Had I been paying attention to what I was doing, I would have gotten the paper cup which is insulated against the heat. Life can dish out some pretty hot stuff that can burn us or even cause us to drop the cup. We need to take all that God offers us in order to most effectively deal with things. When Jesus paid the price for us, he not only took our sins away, but he provided that we can live our life in the supernatural power of his Word and Spirit. Two provisions can help us to handle the hot things in life much better. To “stand on his Word” means to believe, confess, and take action in life according to the promises in his Word. To be “filled with and led by his Spirit” means that we yield to and receive the power of his Spirit by faith. Then, by “stepping out in faith”, we can experience the supernatural operation of the tools and weapons of the Spirit provided to help in daily life. We just need to grab the right cup. Luke 11:9-13.

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Grab The Right Cup

We enjoyed a trip to Branson for a couple of days doing various things, with the highlight of the trip being to see the sight and sound production of JESUS. This is truly a spectacular portrayal of the life and ministry of Jesus. I highly recommend anyone going to see it. You can’t know what it is like until you go see it. Meanwhile, back at the motel one morning, I got up and went about getting one of those in-room cups of coffee. As with many motels, they had a little tray with clear plastic cups on one side for water and paper cups on the other side for coffee, with the packets of coffee, tea, and sugar in the middle. Being preoccupied with waking up, when the coffee was brewed, I grabbed one of the clear plastic cups and had to take my pocket knife to get the plastic off. It didn’t want to tear. So I did that and poured my coffee. I did not think about what I was doing until I was walking over to a chair to sit down and realized how hot that cup was in my hand. “Well, I’ll be! I grabbed the wrong cup!” I thought to myself. But I decided, “Well, for all the trouble I went to for this one, I’m just going to keep it.” So, I held it up around the top rim to drink it until I got it drunk down some. When Barb saw what I was doing, she asked, “Is that coffee you are drinking out of that cup?” I said, “Yes” and explained to her how it came to be. She just shook her head.

Sometimes we just settle for things that are less than the best. We just get by, figuring to get that which is designed for us, is more trouble than it is worth. Had I been paying attention to what I was doing, I would have gotten the paper cup which is insulated against the heat. Life can dish out some pretty hot stuff that can burn us or even cause us to drop the cup. We need to take all that God offers us in order to most effectively deal with things. When Jesus paid the price for us, he not only took our sins away, but he provided that we can live our life in the supernatural power of his Word and Spirit. Two provisions can help us to handle the hot things in life much better. To “stand on his Word” means to believe, confess, and take action in life according to the promises in his Word. To be “filled with and led by his Spirit” means that we yield to and receive the power of his Spirit by faith. Then, by “stepping out in faith”, we can experience the supernatural operation of the tools and weapons of the Spirit provided to help in daily life. We just need to grab the right cup. Luke 11:9-13.

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Stung!

While traveling in the hot summer time, a wasp was deflected off the little side glass pointed toward me and ended up resting on top of my left leg. I looked down and saw it sitting there and thought to myself, “Well, I’ll be! There’s a wasp sitting there on my leg!” I pondered a moment on what I should do and decided, “I’ll just fix him for good.” So I made sure I had good control on the steering wheel and that I was clear of traffic on the road, and I slapped that critter on my leg with a good hard slap to kill him. Much to my surprise, I drove the stinger right into my leg. With angry irritation, I said out loud, “Dadgummit, I stung my own self with that wasp just sitting there!”

So much for murderous vengeance in my heart – it came back to bite me! Isn’t that the way it usually works? We go about getting at somebody and we end up hurting ourselves. These days people don’t know what the Word of God says, and we end up stupidly slapping a stinger into our leg and blame it on God or the devil. We are told in the Word of God that he who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the just, even they both are an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 17:15). Tongues waggle on facebook and phones at the drop of a hat before all the facts are ever known, or even cared to be known. Put this with the truth that we will definitely reap what we sow, and we get a not-so-pretty picture (Galations 6:7, 8). It might feel good coming out and make for juicy conversation, but much of what is spoken simply amounts to hard-core slander. If what we are relating is not a fact, it is a spiritual felony to relate it. It is called speaking evil (Ephesians 4:21-32). Then people wonder what hit them. Such sin is an open door to sickness, weakness, despair, depression, and even premature death (1 Corinthians 11:29, 30). Adam and Eve believed and sided with a lie in the Garden and brought trouble on themselves and everybody. First, make sure what you hear and relate is true. Just because a person is a wasp, does not mean we need to be slapping them. Remember, Jesus himself taught us to be careful what we say. Words carry spiritual force. If you’ve got a wasp on your leg, you best brush it off by prayer, forgiveness, and asking God to bring hidden things to light. That does not mean you let people walk on you. It means you keep your heart clear and trust God to deal with them his way. Jesus dealt with evil people to their face and he warned his disciples of them, keeping his focus on God’s will for his own life. If you don’t, you will end up slapping a stinger into your leg.

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In Earth as It is in Heaven

Years ago we were having student Bible studies in our home with students from the local universities in attendance. One evening a girl from Japan was invited to come who was of the Shinto religion. She did not want to come, but the friend insisted that she come with her. During the course of the meeting it was asked if anyone had any needs to pray about. It was discovered this girl had a bad headache, a chronic condition due to an accident. One of the attendees kneeled before her as she sat on the couch and prayed for the headache to go. The pain instantly left. She was then told that this same Jesus who healed her of the headache would take her sins away and give her new life. She received the Lord. I was told that the next day on campus, she went everywhere telling people what the Lord had done for her – a life transformed by the Lord through simple prayer, trusting God.

Prayer is a wonderful thing. Anyone can do it. It requires no special training. You can do as much or as little as you choose. The pay is commensurate with the work performed. The long term benefit potential is unlimited. You don’t have to be religious to do it. It can be done in any setting with good results. One prayer, from a heart bowing to God Almighty, repenting from sin and receiving the Savior Jesus Christ, can take you from the spiritual kingdom of darkness and put you in the kingdom of light and life in Christ Jesus, with, a destiny of heaven in the end. Then, you can live a lifestyle of prayer and communion with that great loving, merciful, and faithful God, seeing him work in ways and accomplish things that you in no way could ever do or accomplish. Jesus took the limits off how we are to pray. He said it was God’s will for things to be on earth as it is in heaven. There’s no sickness in heaven, so it’s God’s will for us to not be sick on earth. God’s will on earth began in the Garden of Eden. Man fell, but Jesus came to restore man back to God in every way. Jesus demonstrated God’s will on earth by healing all and forgiving all who came to him with an open heart, and he taught us to pray that way (Matthew 6:9-15). You can know – just as it is God’s will to forgive you of your sins, it is God’s will to heal you of your sickness and that you be healthy and live a long, satisfying life (Psalms 91:16). What a privilege we have through the work of Jesus Christ, that we can talk to Almighty God and come to know him as a loving Father, and receive all his provisions for us on a daily basis. “Yes Lord! ‘Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven’.”

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Good People Can Be Born Again

Nicky was a good man. He was enlightened and educated in the things of God. He knew God was a miracle-working God, and even as a Jewish Pharisee, acknowledged that Jesus was sent from God. He desired to know more about Jesus, so much that he came to Jesus to learn more about him. He certainly did not want his Jewish colleagues to know that he had a personal intrigue to know more about Jesus, so he went to Jesus at night. Nicodemus, in our modern culture, by pursuing his interest in Jesus could have gone to Bible College and become a fine pastor or even a college Bible professor. With his Jewish background and knowledge, his teaching would be rich and good, tying the old covenant in with the new. However, Jesus ignored Nicodemus’ enlightenment, his knowledge, and the fact that he was convinced that he, Jesus, was of God. Instead of acknowledging and commending him for his fine knowledge, Jesus abruptly said to him, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). They conversed about being born again. Jesus explained to him that it is by the Spirit of God that a person is born again, and so enters into the kingdom of God. He continued with good news of how God so loved the whole world that he gave his only begotten Son so that people would not perish in their sins, but have everlasting life (John 3:16, 17). He said this to a very good man, one who, as a Pharisee, vigorously shunned sin and sought to live a righteous life. Jesus used birth as a metaphor of entry into spiritual life. A baby is conceived and grows in the darkness of a womb before it is ever born into the light of the world. Being enlightened and going to church is not the new birth. Being convicted of sin and doing good religious things, even teaching about Jesus and trying to live a good life is not the new birth. All that is well and good, but it is not the entry into eternal kingdom life. It is not just an intellectual assent to the Spirit. New birth is a life-transforming yielding to and fellowship with the Spirit in view of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. This is when we are supernaturally infused with the very life of God. When this occurs, the Lord Jesus Christ becomes our focus. We commit our life to follow him. In this operation of God we are born from the darkness of the fleshly womb into the spiritual light of the kingdom of God. Jesus becomes our total and only peace with God. Our good Bible works are shown to be vain and useless in the light of what he did for us. We love him because he first loved us. With the new birth, good people can come to really know Jesus.

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Just Let the Dust Fly

With my wife’s vision of how nice it would be to open up two rooms together by the removal of a part of a wall, we proceeded to undergo a small remodeling project in our house. Of course, that wall was a load-bearing wall, with electrical receptacles and switches. To facilitate the progress of the project, I cut a hole in the ceiling to save this seventy one year old body from crawling the length of the house in the low attic. I said I would not do jobs anymore crawling in attics, and I intend to stick by those words. I can repair the ceiling. I don’t want to be repairing my body. With me and the electrician working together, we got the electrical done. With some carpenter work on my part in the attic to span the area of the removed wall, I got it sufficiently supported. Once I got the gluing, screwing, bolting, and bracing work done in the attic, I replaced the ceiling I had cut out, and at this writing, I am in the process of finishing the sheetrock. A doorway was removed and a half wall was created on the backside of the kitchen cabinets which needed sheetrock work along with the channel that had to be cut out to re-direct the wiring. Oh yes, we also moved a section of the upper kitchen cabinets to a different location in the room. The house is a dusty mess with more dust yet to come as I continue finishing the sheetrock. Barb likes to have a neat house, something which she must forfeit having for about two weeks. That’s the price to pay for a vision of change for something better and more desirable.

When we get a vision of the next level of what God wants us to walk into, there usually must be some tearing out of some walls, some cutting some holes to expose what is inside, and some supportive reconstruction. Our neat little spiritual house will suffer the dust and debris of remodeling when God works on us to bring us into a greater glory. None of us need to think that we have attained. There is always more. Jesus himself is our example. We are to be conformed to his image. We are not there yet. We need to ask God to bring us further along, then be prepared for changes to start happening in our lives. God does not bring evil. He has come to deliver us from evil so we are positioned to be blessed by him. That is what God’s heart is, to bless every person on earth to the max. That is why Jesus gave his blood and broken body – that we might live in his presence, his power, and unto his glory. There is liberty and healing for us in every way if we will take it. As we pursue God for more, we need to just go for it and let the dust fly!

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Launched

We have now launched our vessels into the ocean of 2022! Some have a destination in mind and some do not, but one thing for sure, we are all now sailing into this year ahead with no turning back. How we handle our vessel with the winds we encounter will determine where we go and how fast we get there. A sea-worthy vessel with all the communication and navigation equipment available is more likely to weather the storms than the one which in need of repair and lacking. The sea-worthiness is our responsibility. A good wind is God’s responsibility. Jesus gave us a guide for sailing into this year. If we will hear it and apply it, we can make our journey with good success. That guide is what is commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-15). In this guide, all our daily life is covered in proper order. There is worship. There is putting God’s will and ways first. There is daily trust and dependence on him for our daily spiritual and physical sustenance, and “good winds”. There is dealing with keeping our “boat” in good repair as we assist others to repair their boats. There is dealing with contrary winds ahead of time, and drawing on supernatural help when the storm winds hit us. In this prayer guide, set in the context of “our” Father, we are in a redemptive mode to help others along the journey – give “us”, forgive “us”, lead “us”, and deliver “us”. It is not give “me”, forgive “me”, lead “me”, and deliver “me”, because those who carry the light of God in their vessels are sailing on the ocean of life to help and guide others to receive the light. As Jesus identified with humanity in order to make their vessels worthy to sail, so do we come alongside each other in prayer. We can’t point the finger. We realize that we must keep our boat in good repair just like everybody else, maybe in a different area, but we must tend to our boat just like everybody else. So before God the Father and Jesus Christ our Savior, by the power of the Spirit of God, we pray, and give ourselves to obey the will and ways of God on the journey each day. There is a law in the kingdom of God. We reap what we sow. Jesus made a clear explanation at the end of his example of how to pray. He explicitly pointed out that if we did not forgive those who have done us wrong, if we are going to hold it against others for their hole in the boat, then we will go without help in getting the hole in our boat repaired. If Jesus had not helped us because we hurt him and did him wrong, then we would all be lost and sink in the sea. But he came alongside us and fixed it. That is how we pray, and God will make the way.

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This Is The Way; Walk Ye In It

A lady visiting our church gave a powerful testimony of how God was working in the lives of family members and others through prayer. Well, I believe proper praying changes things for the good, so when she offered to pray for people individually, I was the first in line. You know, the angel and Jesus himself told Mary and some other women to go tell the men that he was risen from the dead. They were the first ones who gave testimony of the risen Lord, and the men did not believe them. When the Lord appeared to those men, they were sharply reproved by the Lord for their unbelief and hardness of heart (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20). If you are one who has a problem with women ministries, you would have been in that group who were sharply reproved. Myself, I don’t want to be reproved by the Lord in such a way. I look at a minister first for where their heart is, then if they speak the full truth of the Word. I don’t look at gender, color, appearance, or other criterion (Galations 3:28; Acts 2:17, 18). Anyway, when she prayed for me, she referred me to a scripture from the Word of God for me to trust in and apply to my life. It is Isaiah 30:15: “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” I know the Lord will only lead me into good things. He gave his life blood to bring me out of the power of sin, death, flesh, and the devil. When I ask for the fullness of and leadership of his Spirit in my life, I know he will give me that as I follow him in every way believing his Word. He is not going to give me something bad. I can trust him with all my heart and life. And if I am following and being led by his Spirit, I have the best there is to offer this side of heaven. I have God’s will and design operating in my life. What could be better than that? Do you want the flesh’s will and design and the sickness and death that brings? Do you want the devil’s will and design for your life and the hell that brings? No! You want the good life God gives! So I have one “resolution” for this coming year, 2022. My “goals and plans” consist of one thing. “Lord, unite my heart to fear your name. Help me follow the leadership of your Spirit in every aspect of my life, looking to you to help my unbelief, so that I believe the testimony you give me, unto abundant life every day” (Psalms 86:11). That will cover it all – spiritually, physically, financially, in family, and in every other way, because he cares for me.

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Looking Into The Mirror

One of the major attractions in our house for kids is the large mirror in the dining area at kid level. It covers the wall under a shelf, giving the area a sense of spaciousness. It is about 42 inches tall, which is plenty of room for the little people to stand in front of and admire what they see, and that is what they like to do. When you stop and think of it, most mirrors are up away from children, so when they have one at their level they get a new dimension of entertainment. Children like to see themselves. It appears they are purely admiring what they see and fascinated with the different faces they can make and what they can see themselves to do. It has been stated that the mirror is one of the most interesting items for the children.

A mirror is a tool to help us. Many times we as adults also use the mirror to purely admire what we see, but a real beneficial use is that we see things about ourselves that need change and adjustment for proper presentation to the world. The Amplified Bible says “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty – emancipation from bondage, freedom. And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17, 18). A continued gaze into the Word of God under the direction of the Spirit of God will transform us into the image of God more and more in our experience. Children like to use a mirror to admire themselves. One aspect of looking into the mirror of the Word is to see our identity in Christ. It is good to see what God has done for us, and in our lives, and build on and grow into that which we see in the mirror of the Word. Another aspect of looking into a mirror is to see what changes and adjustments need to be made. “Reproofs of instruction are the way of life” (Proverbs 6:23). If we are going to continue in and excel in the life of God, we will be repenting and changing things in our lives daily – by looking into the mirror. If we never look in the mirror, we don’t see what is going on. The mirror of God’s Word is for our and others good. As we approach the view with prayer and openness to change, we will see things that we were not seeing before, and it will always be for the good. The Word of God is precious. It can help us in every way. Looking into the mirror each day is a good thing.

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