Thankful for God's Unchanging Truth

    With it being a new month, I would like to begin a new series: Thankfulness. We have so much to be thankful for! Over the next few weeks, if the Lord wills, we will look at passages that express thankfulness and take a closer look at all the things we need to appreciate and give thanks for! 

    If you are reading this, God has already blessed you with a new day, sufficient health, eyesight, ability to use your hands, a mind able to function and understand!! God is SO good!! To Him be the glory forever and ever!!

"Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding."

(Psalm 47:6-7 NKJV)

    Thinking about this new topic made me consider my family history - relatives who changed our family for the better because of their choice to seek God and follow His truth! Today I am thankful to God for the people in my family history who, when they found God’s truth, embraced it as truth, and chose to follow Him the rest of their days.

Let me begin at the beginning…

    Around the age of 17, my Grampa (Victor) Sullivan was desperate for shelter/work (it was the 1920’s) and he became a hired farm hand for his Aunt Lizzy (Elizabeth (Eller) Brown) and Uncle George Eller. He was given room and board and was firmly informed by Aunt Lizzy that “You’re going to church with me on Sunday.”

    So Victor went with Aunt Lizzy to church services each Sunday and heard God’s truth, straight from the Bible. Later, Victor obeyed the gospel by being baptized into Christ and began his walk as a Christian.

    Grampa married a beautiful Anglican girl, Mary McDonough. They eventually studied the Bible together with Art & Lillian Corbett (my husband’s grandparents!) and my Gramma discovered God’s truth in the Bible and was baptized into Christ. Together they worshipped with the church in Jordan (when they met in a building that stood where Snure Cemetery is now), and helped build the current meeting place on Hwy 8.

    The church grew to well over 150 members in Jordan and the elders at the time decided to see if other congregations could be started around Ontario. So they placed ads in newspapers offering free Bible Correspondence Courses (Bible studies via mail), to places like Haliburton, Bancroft, South River, and Wellandport.

    An ad was placed in a Dunnville newspaper (to find people near Wellandport), a paper which my Great Aunt Pearl Nicholls read. My Great Aunt answered the ad and shared the course with her husband Glenn and her sister-in-law (my grandmother) Marjorie (Nicholls) Gare.

    My grandmother was a Free Methodist and had been married to a well known Free Methodist preacher until his death. When she studied the Bible, she realized that it was God’s Word, and she desired to do what she read there, and she was baptized.

    My Grandmother Gare worshipped with the church in Wellandport (when they met in the rented Oddfellows Hall) until her passing a few years later.

    My mother and father met each other while worshipping with the church in Wellandport. And the rest, they say, is history! smile emoticon

    The same truth that convinced my Grampa’s Aunt Lizzy, was the same truth that convinced him and my Gramma Sullivan, it was the same truth that convinced my Grandmother Gare (and my Great Aunt Pearl & Great Uncle Glenn Nicholls AND my Great Aunt Sis & Great Uncle Allen Nicholls), it was the same truth that convinced my Dad and my Mom, it was the same truth that convinced me (and my siblings), and my husband (and his siblings), and it’s the same truth that convinced both our daughters that they needed to obey God’s Word by being baptized into Christ!

“...the word of the LORD endures forever.” 

(Isaiah 40:7-8, 1 Peter 1:24-25 NKJV)

    I am thankful for my Great Aunt Lizzy and my Great Aunt Pearl! I thank God for them, as well as the elders at Jordan who wanted to spread God’s word province-wide… I’m thankful for gospel preachers like John Whitfield, Norman Midgette, Hubert Showalter, and John Witt, who preached God’s truth and studied with many people, showing them God’s way, straight from the Bible!

    Thank you Heavenly Father for Your enduring Word!!

“I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies.

I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments.”

(Psalm 119:59-60 NKJV)

    What is your family history? Are you from a long line, a short line, or are you the one who changed your family for the better by being the first to obey the gospel? No matter which it may be take time to appreciate those who helped you learn the Truth so you could obey the gospel; thank God for them and thank Him, also, for His unchanging, powerful Word!!

You can do it! So can I!!

Fix It So You Can Flourish: Are You Diligent In Your Work?

    This week, let's consider the command found in 2 Timothy 2:15:

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth."

    We understand diligence to mean 'being careful and conscientious in our work' which shows a positive attitude toward the project/duty at hand. In researching the word 'diligent' I discovered that it comes from the the Old English word 'diligo,' which means 'to love.' Diligence means 'with love.' So the above verse can read, 'With love present yourself approved to God."

    When you love what you do, how careful are you to do your best and put your best effort forward? When you love the person for whom you are accomplishing this task/duty, how much conscientious thought do you put into everything you do? When you are motivated by love, great things are accomplished with ease and all tasks are completed joyfully (consider Jacob in Genesis 29:20)!

    When we love God we will want to know how to please Him (be approved to Him). How can we know how to please Him? By reading His Word!! Then, motivated by love for God, we will learn to love His instructions for us - all of them! When we love God and His Word we will read and study and flourish and have no need to be ashamed, because we will know His Word; we will know how to rightly divide [understand] it and apply it (Hebrews 5:12-14)!

    Now, with your understanding of diligence, read 2 Peter 1:5-10.

    Take note of verse 10: "...be even more diligent (do these things with even more love), to make your election sure (sounds like, 'approved to God' right?), for if you do these things you shall never stumble (again, similar to, 'no need to be ashamed', right?)..."

    We need to learn to increase our love for God to the point that we desire His instructions/commands and increase our love of doing the things God commands! God is worthy of our love and our obedience!

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." (1 John 5:3 NKJV) 

Let love motivate your faithful service to Him all of your days!!

You can do it! So can I!!

Fix It So You Can Flourish: Transformed By Renewing Your Mind

    Our passage to read and think on throughout this week, as the Lord wills, is Romans 12:1-2:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (NKJV)

    Following in Jesus' footsteps (1 Peter 2:21, 1 John 2:6) we learn to humbly submit to God, sacrifice our wants and desires (Matthew 16:24), and obey His instructions and commands so that we can be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:13-16) and be pure just as He is pure (1 John 3:3). We will determine to make good choices in our attitudes, our words, and our actions so that others will know that we belong to God!

    When I was younger my Dad explained Romans 12:2 like this: Pour Jello into a mould, after it sets, you turn it out and you have a lump of Jello that looks exactly like the mould. The Jello conformed to the mould it was in! We conform to the world when we let it shape us, which will leave us looking just like the world!

    God wants us to be transformed (undergo a change in character). How do we do this? "...by the renewing of your mind." Fill up your heart and mind with God's word motivates us to try harder each day to make good choices in our speech, our attitudes, our actions. Read and think on Ephesians 4:17-32 as it echoes these thoughts. 

    If we put in the self-sacrificing effort, God will provide the transforming renewal!

    Determining to do things God's way will take faith and trust on our part, but it's well-worth our every effort because we will soon prove to ourselves - and to others - that His will is "good and acceptable and perfect."

    Only when we transform ourselves by doing what God has told us to do can shine as a light in the world (Matthew 5:14-16). Only when we are different from the world can we show the world that there is a different way!

    Let's be the living sacrifices that God wants us to be, so that we can prove that His way is the best way!

From wherever you are right now - BEGIN!

Magnifying God

    Good morning!! Today is another opportunity to prove to the world that doing God's will really is the best way to thrive!! Consider these verses as you go about your day:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2 NKJV)

“I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall makes its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.” (Psalm 34:1-3 NKJV)

    When we magnify God we declare His greatness! What descriptive words come to mind when you think of God?

    Glorious, Magnificent, Majestic, Loving, Merciful, Holy, Patient, Pure, Powerful…

How Can We Magnify God In Our Daily Walk?

•         Sanctify God in Your Hearts - Determine to seek God with your whole heart, your whole soul, and your whole mind (Matthew 22:37, 1 Peter 3:15). Renew this determination every day!
•          Read His Word - How can we know God without reading His Word? Dig in! (Psalm 119:11-16, 17-18)
•          Pray - Get comfortable communicating with Him! Never give up on prayer! (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
•          Grow Your Gratitude - The more you tune your focus to appreciating the blessings you receive from God, the more likely you are be able to say, “His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1, I Thessalonians 5:18)
•          Bear the Fruit of the Spirit - Our actions indicate who we belong to. If we bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), everyone will know we belong to God (John 15:1-8, 1 Peter 2:11-12)!
•          Make Mention of Him - If our heart is filled with God’s Word, if we talk with Him daily, are thankful for everything, and we are bearing fruit, the natural outgrowth will be to declare His greatness to others! “...For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). People you interact with are bound to ask you about your positive and patient attitude, your loving and helpful nature, and your firm faith (1 Peter 3:15). Give God the glory!! Magnify His greatness!

    God is worthy of our praise! God’s greatness is worthy to be magnified!! What can you do today that will allow you, like Mary, to say, “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Luke 1:46)? Magnify Him today!!

You can do it!! So can I!!

A Worthy Walk Requires Faith, Hope, and Love

    As we continue our study of New Testament passages that mention the vital trio of faith, hope, and love we find ourselves this week in Ephesians 4:1-6.

"I, therefore, as a prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (NKJV)  

    Paul urgently begs Christians to “walk worthy of the calling in which they were called” (4:1). What does that mean?  First, we are called by God through the gospel (2 Thessalonians2:13-14). When we hear the gospel we are hearing God’s words for us. In God’s word, the Bible, is all that we need to know to become His child (for example: Acts 2, 8:26-40, 9:10-19, 16:11-34; 22:1-16) and all we need to know to keep growing and developing properly as a Christian all the days of our lives (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 3:14-18).

    Why does God call us? He calls us because He created us to seek AND find Him (Acts 17:26-27), to proclaim His praises (1 Peter 2:9) and to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). He calls us because He desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4), so much so, that He is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God loves us, so He calls us, through His word. In that Word He tells us what we must do to walk worthy of His calling! So we have a real responsibility to read/study and faithfully obey His instructions (James 1:25).

    God is calling us to eternal life – obeying His commands/instructions will keep us on the narrow pathway that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14), eternal life with Him, so you can see why ‘walking worthy of the calling’ is of paramount importance!

Love:

    Ephesians 4:2-3 makes mention of several ways in which we should walk/behave that befits a child of God: “with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (NKJV) Consider also the description of a Christian given in Colossians 3:12-17.

    Love (agape) seeks the best for another. When we ‘bear with one another’ it means we hold them up when they are weak, we endure the exertion of helping them while they are strengthening their faith and gaining understanding (young/new Christians, Christians during trials, etc.).

    Love will take the time needed to help others gain clear understanding on what we all as Christians must agree – this is the unity of the Spirit – that there is: one body (Christ’s, which is the church, Ephesians 1:22-23), one Spirit, one hope of your calling (eternal life with God), one Lord (Jesus Christ, the Son of God), one faith (God’s way is the only way), one baptism (for remission of sins), one God and Father of all (Ephesians 4:4-6).      

 Hope:

    We see mention of “one hope of your calling” in Ephesians 4:4 – we can have confident expectation of eternal salvation when we walk worthy of the calling! Paul wanted the Ephesians brethren, and us, to know the hope of God’s calling (Ephesians 1:15-23), to know of God’s promise of eternity and to anchor our soul’s to it (Hebrews 6:19), believe in it (1 Timothy 4:6-8), and strive toward it (Philippians 3:12-16)! That is why God told us of it in His Word! He wants us to be in eternity with Him!! He wants us to live in hope!! This hope keeps our mind focused on God (Colossians 3:1-3) and keeping our minds focused on Him will develop our hope as we in love and increase our faith through humble obedience to His Word!

 Faith:   

    There is one faith. The conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and through Him we gain eternal salvation. We cannot be saved through any other name (Acts 4:10-12), Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:1-6).

    We must be careful that we are obeying God’s Word and not men’s words (books, doctrines, creeds, ideas/notions, philosophies, etc.). Read and consider Matthew 7:22-23; Acts 17:11-12, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Mark 7:6-9, Colossians 2:6-10, and Hebrews 11:6 – we must seek HIM – GOD – no one else! He has provided all that is needed in His word. It can be understood, it can be obeyed! We do need a degree from a seminary school to understand it, we simply need God’s word, the Bible, and a heart ready and willing to receive the instructions found within it (Luke 8:11,15)!

    To walk worthy of our calling – to show God our absolute appreciation for His love and provision – we must bear with one another in love (help others to grow and strengthen), agree that there is one hope of our calling (eternal life with God), and one faith (Jesus Christ is the Son of God and only through Him can we have our hope of eternity)!

    Are you ready to walk in a worthy way? God’s calling is worth every effort and every sacrifice to do just that!!

You can do it! So can I!!