IT'S IN THE BOOK.

Ephesians 3:4.....”Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.”

I was a sophomore in high school and had probably never read anything larger than a “Classic” comic book in my life. I'm not proud of that, but that's just the way it was.

Then, Mr. Harrison, my high school English teacher brought me a book and challenged me to read it. I can't believe I read the whole thing! And it was over 350 pages!

“Thank you Mr. Harrison, you are one of those teachers that made a difference in my life.”

Well, years have past since then and I still have a hard time losing myself in “just any” book. But the Bible is not “just any” book. It is every book we will ever need bound into one.

I'm concerned that today so many people are reading books written by man about God and so few are reading the book written by God about man.

II timothy 2:15 reminds us that to be approved by God and to be able to know the truth, we must study the Word of God.

Someone has said that the person who does not read is no better than the person who can't read. Apply this to the Bible and the result is spiritual ignorance.

Let's get into the Word, so the Word can get into us.
PS. I wrote this for me....I want to do better.

The Dawn is coming!

Psalms 30:15 “...Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh the morning.”

I walked a mile with pleasure:
She chatted all the way;

But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with sorrow,
And ne'er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her
When sorrow walked with me.........Robert Hamilton

Sorrows are like clouds that engulf our lives and darken our souls, but we are never beyond the sight of God. When we have met the challenge and kept the faith, He moves the clouds aside and once again the rays of God's glory come streaming back into our lives.

Even in the final sunset of our life, If we have given our life to God and lived by His word, we will experience a dawn that is like none we have ever seen, and the new morning will find us in the presense of God, where we will live for etenity in the greatest joy we have ever known.  The victory cry of 1 Corinthians 15:55 is, "...Where O Death Is Your Sting?"

If you are experiencing sorrow today, take heart in these words recorded in John 16:20.
“Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned to joy.”

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Lord, Don't let me forget today that the darkest hour is just before the dawn and

JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING!

Willy Wallywort from Wallyville USA

I can't believe I wrote this long, dumb story. And when you read it you will say the same thing. There is nothing devotional about this one!

Once upon a time there was the happiest, nicest, little man named Willy Wallywort. Willly lived in a delightful little town called Wallyville. One of the best things about Wallyville was that every one had a good job making all the stuff that the other folks in town needed to be happy.

Willy worked at the food market on main street, and all of the farmers kept the market full of good things to eat.

His cousin, Joe, worked in the cobblers shop and made shoes for the whole town.

Willy's neighbor was Dr. Goodguy who kept everyone healthy. If they couldn't come to his office, Dr. Goodguy would go to their house and even give them medicine.

Willy's big brother, Windy, went to work every day at the saw mill with lot's of other men from Wallyville. They cut the lumber everyone needed to build their homes, and some of them worked in the furniture factory.

Then there was Parson Paul. Everyone loved Parson Paul because he loved them so much. Everyone in Wallyville went to church on Sunday morning all dressed up in their Sunday clothes and sat in their favorite pew.

They didn't have a clothing store, in Wallyville because, since all of the men worked, the women stayed home and made the clothing.

They didn't need a restaurant either because the mothers prepared the meals and the family always ate together.

One of Willy's favorite thing to do was to go fishing. You see, Wallyville was built right on beautiful lake Wallyia. There were lots of “fish frys” in Wallywille. And did you know that not one person had ever crossed the lake to the other side. It was so far across that you couldn't see the other side, and besides everyone was happy just to stay on their side of the lake. They were all busy taking care of each other.

THEN IT HAPPENED! One day a big boat came from across the lake and tied up to the towns fishing dock. Willy wondered who they were and what they wanted. They didn't look like the men from wallyville. On the side of the boat were the letters: CHINA. But what nice people they were! They started unloading big boxes of clothing, shoes, furniture, and barrels and barrels of all kinds of food.

Then the town's mayor, Bill Burp, came out to meet them. The ships captain was a lot smaller than Mr. Burp, but his smile was a lot bigger and everyone liked him. His name was Captain Charlie Chopsticks and he said he had come to save our little town. I don't think anybody knew we needed saving. We all had jobs and were taking really good care of each other.

But when the people in town saw all of the wonderful things they unloaded, everybody wanted some. “My”, they said, “we can just get all of the things we need from the big boat, and we won't have to work any more.” Then all the ladies said, “ Yea!, we won't have to cook and sew anymore. “ Every one was amazed at how inexpensive everything was on the boat, so they just stopped making shoes, growing food, and making furniture and started living from the big boat.

But it wasn't long before they realized that they didn't have enough money to buy everything they wanted. So Captain Chopsticks said, “Don't worry, I will loan you the money to buy everything you need.” So everyone in the village started buying and borrowing, buying and borrowing, and buying and borrowing until they owed the big boat lots more money than they could afford to pay.

Then Captain Chopsticks quit smiling and said, “We can't loan you anymore money or bring you anymore of the wonderful things you have grown to love until you pay your bill.”

Suddenly, everyone in the village started looking for work but realized that they had become a village of consumers and had stopped being a village of producers. When there is nothing being produced there are no jobs to be had.

Then Mayor Bill Burp had a great idea. He said, “We will just make all of the people in the village pay a high tax on everything they own or consume.” “With that money we can pay off the big boat and everyone in the my office can get a big bonus.” Then the people hated Mayor Burp and the village wanted to string him up.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY: If the village is going to survive, it will have to stop the big boat and rebuild it's own shops and factories so the people can return to work and be producers instead of just consumers. When that happens, the unemployment rate will plunge and the economy will soar in Wallyville USA.

OVERDRAWN?

Philippians 4:19....”But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

I'm sure you have heard of the lady who said, “I can't be overdrawn! I still have checks left”. (That was a lady, wasn't it?)

Well, most of us, at one time or another, has probably bounced a check when we were sure we had money in the bank. But it doesn't make it any less embarrassing, does it?

The first question most of us asks is, “How could that have happened”? Well, the answer is simple. We withdrew more than we deposited. DUH!

Image via Wikipedia

The same thing can happen to us spiritually. How often do we overdraw our spiritual account? How often do we run out of our own resources and cry out to God, “I can't be overdrawn! I still have checks left?

Then with a love we can't understand He Quietly says, “Oh child, when will you ever understand? It's not the checks! It's the resources! Come unto me and I shall supply all your needs according to my Father's riches in glory.”

 

If we invest our lives in God, our account balance will always be greater than our own resources.

"And you can bank on it!”

Hogs, Garbage, and Hollywood

Looking out my window this morning, I see a very messed up world. Oh for the days of Mayberry again! I am not an alarmist, but hey, you have to admit, the wheels are coming off of the wagon. There is no longer any right or wrong.

 Have you ever watched the Mory (what ever his name is) show on TV? The whole thing is about trying to figure out which of the dozen or so men that a young woman slept with is the father of her child. It animalistic! (Is that a word? You know what I mean).

 I heard just yesterday where a young girl 10 years old gave birth and the father was a minor. Unbelievable! Want to hear a couple of statistics I read just a couple of days ago? In 1965 2% of the babies born to white girls were born out of wedlock. We thought that was bad, and it was, but today it is 26%.  One in four. The same statistics show that 72 % of all black babies are born out of wedlock today.  Notice I said "out of wedlock".  I didn't say they are illegitimate.  There are no illegitimate children, only illegitimate  parents. 

Image via Wikipedia

Thank you Hollywood! Our young people, and some not so young, are worshiping at the shrine of Hollywood. Trying to pattern their life after the ungodly, immoral, dregs of the earth. Hollywood is the garbage can of America! I now hear people in the church talking about  how great this movie or that movie is. BULL! It is all garbage. I even hear pastors use illustrations from“R” rated movies they have seen. God help us! And I “ain't” lilly white. I've have been to a movie or two myself but I'm not proud of it or wasn't comfortable going and I don't plan to go again. Folks, if we wallow with the hogs and eat with the hogs we will look like the hogs, and smell like the hogs, and act like the hogs.

 Whatever happened to Philippians 4:8?

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”        Isn't that still in the Bible? 

Well, I'm tired of looking out of my window, so this is the last blog I will write. If you have honored me by reading some of them I want to thank you and encourage you keep the faith.........Dale

ILLEGITIMATE?

 When I look

TRASH OR TREASURE, WEEDS OR FLOWERS?

Well, we had a garage sale yesterday. That was the third garage sale we have had since I said we would never have another garage sale! But people paid us about $150.00 to carry off our trash. Can you beat that? The stuff we had in our garage sure looked like junk to me, but, evidently, to other folks it looked like treasure.

I once saw a sign on an antique store that said,”We buy junk and sell treasures. Isn't that ironic? ”

Image via Wikipedia

Webster's Dictionary says that a weed is just an unwanted flower. Imagine that! If you see a plant you think is pretty, it is not a weed, It's a flower. But to the next person it may just be a dandelion or a thistle.

I guess wether it is trash or treasure, weed or flower is all in the eye of the beholder.

What do you think God see's when He looks at you?  

Does He  see junk or treasure? Do you think he see's a weed or a flower?

Genesis 1:27 tells us that, “ God created mankind in his own image.”

 No ugly junk there.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 Declares, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Only flowers there.

2.Corinthians 4:7 Reminds us that,“We have this treasure in jars of clay.” Can you imagine? God stores His beauty and treasures in our frail, imperfect bodies of clay.

Notice He says, IN jars of clay. He knew the “gene pool” would louse up His perfect jars of clay. He knew some would have bulges, warts, and ugly imperfections, but He wants us to know that it's not the outside of the jar that is important. It is what's poured out from the inside that makes us beautiful, gives us worth, and confirms His power.

Today, I want to say with the apostle Paul, “Even if I am being poured out like a drink offering...I am glad and rejoice...”