BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE!!

"I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content." Philippians 4:11. My friend, are you content with what you have? With what the Lord made you? With your look? With being single? With your wife or husband? With your children, or without children? With your Job? With your Church or Pastor? With your house? Well, are you? Do you know "It is better to desire the things WE HAVE, than TO HAVE the things we desire"! King Solomon said " Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my reward from all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was Vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun". Ecclesiastes 2:1-11. Solomon was arguably the richest man that ever lived and he indulged every desire, whim and inclination he had- when all was said and done he was miserable- his life was empty and his spirit was vexed. I have heard a story of a discontent farmer who was griping about the lake on his property always needing to be stocked and managed.. And those fat cows lumbered through his pasture. All the fencing and feeding- WHAT A HEADACHE!. He called a Realtor and made plans to list the farm. A few days later the Realtor called and wanting his approval for the advertisement she intended to put on News Paper. She read the Ad to the farmer "A lovely farm in an ideal location- quiet and peaceful, contoured with rolling hills, carpeted with soft meadows, nourished by a fresh lake, and well-bread livestock". After reading this two times to the farmer, the farmer said "I've changed my mind, I am not going to sell it- I've been looking for a place like that all my life". Did you get it Buddy. It's all your perspective. BE CONTENT, Y'ALL HEAR ME!

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME..

My friend, God is good all the time- ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD. Do you believe it? Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles that we forget to count our blessings. Hey, True faith and courage are like a kite- an opposing wind raises it higher and higher. I still remember the opening theme song of Rev: Oral Roberts Television program- "Something good is going to happen to you".. I have a word for you my friend this morning. Through years of tears and adapting to the trials and difficulties of life, you must come to the point where you make up your mind if He does not change the circumstances in your life, you are still going to praise Him. To your surprise what you will find is then He will move in your life because you have matured enough to realize that God is worthy regardless of all the things He does for you. HE LOVES YOU IN ALL YOUR SITUATION AND HAS NEVER FORSAKEN YOU. YOU ARE PRECIOUS TO HIM. The heart stopping realization that in Him you are part of something ancient, endless, unstoppable, unfathomable. Hey, hey, He who can dig the Grand Canyon with His pinkie, pile up the dust to form Himalayas in one stroke with His thumb, thinks you're worth His death on a Roman timber. He loves you man- HE LOVES YOU!!! STOP TELLING NOBODY LOVES ME OR CARES ABOUT YOU!! UHH.

Follow the manual of Life!

On my long flight from India (16 hours non-stop) I was reading a very good Christian book. In that book I read: In one of the better public schools in the nation, a high school teacher gave a quiz from the Bible to the college bound seniors prior to a "Bible as Literature" class. Some of the unusual answers were "Sodom and Gomorrah were lovers, Jezebel was Ahab's donkey, the Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luther, and John, Eve was created from Apple, Jesus was baptized by Moses, and Golgotha was the name of the giant who killed Apostle David. Oh my my my. Well have you quizzed your children from the Bible? Will you get different answers than this? Do you know there are instructions in the Bible how to teach our children about God and His law. " These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. IMPRESS them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and your gates". Deuteronomy 6:6-9. Hey follow the manual for life, THE BIBLE, then we won't regret. This is my take on it.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY OF YOUR LIFE!

"When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared". Matthew 13:26. When the best moment of our life want to come to fruition, there is a tendency of life that an unexpected thing will emerge: I hear you my friend, this is your situation, right? Unexpected things will step into our way to muddy the situation what God wants to bring into our life. Bro: Let me frank with you- A larger part of what is happening in your life is based upon a Biblical Principle "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows". Galatians 6:7. OUCH!! When you should be really protective and guarding you, you took a wrong decision to sleep and careless- then this is what you get. When your doctor told you to lose weight: eat less and exercise. Speaking in tongues and anointing with oil doesn't cut it man. If you have trouble having friends- I can guaranty you have trouble being friendly. Don't blame Satan for everything-ouch. Blaming others for what's not going right in our lives is often more common than looking in the mirror and taking responsibility for what we have done to contribute or contribute to our current circumstances. If things are not going right for you and you find yourself pointing the finger at others, turn that finger back at yourself, because that's where you need to begin to make changes in your life. Remember, YOU and only YOU have the power to take charge of your circumstances and create the life you want. Hey, You have to decide to assume your right to live the life that God intended for you!! I am talking to you my friend, and YOU KNOW IT!! YOU STILL LIKE ME BUDDY!

"DON'T BE ANXIOUS!

"Do not be anxious about anything". Philippians 4:6. My friend, Life is uncertain but our God is not! We don't know what tomorrow hold, but we know who holds tomorrow. No matter what happens, God has the whole world in His hand. Do you know anxiety starts as a trickle, then creates a channel in our mind through which all our thoughts begins to flow. This is the same way a DAM breaks. Most of our anxieties fall into three categories. 1) ANXIETY about things we all face. Like aging, disability, retirement, loneliness, financial uncertainty, accidents, illness, losing a loved one, and death. 2) ANXIETY about things we all must do. Like making decisions, starting and ending relationships, whom to marry (Is this the right person), losing weight, changing careers, making a mistake. 3) ANXIETY reflecting our inner state of mind: These anxieties reveal how we feel about our ability to handle things; For example, fear of rejection can affect every relationship in our life. In order to avoid being hurt we shut others out, our world grows smaller and our opportunities for growth are inhibited. Our enemy Mr. Confusion himself (devil) will creep in these circumstances and immobilize us and he will steal our joy and make us hopeless, helpless, and depressed. But Bible says "Do not be anxious of anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanks giving, present your request to God". Philippians 4:6-7. Couple of years ago, Captain "Sully" did an amazing job of landing a US Air flight on Hudson River without a loss of life. You think Pilot Sully said, "This is Captain speaking..in preparation for a crash landing into Hudson River, we'd encourage all of you to break into groups of two or three and pray that God will intervene in this Catastrophe? NO! NO ONE TOLD THEM TO PRAY, BUT REPORTS SAID EVERYONE WAS PRAYING BUCKLED DOWN IN THEIR SEAT. What I am saying, in the time of uncertainty we do somethings instinctively. IN OUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND WE KNOW WHAT TO DO, RIGHT? Just a reminder BUDDY, DON'T PANIC. Y'ALL HEAR!

WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH JESUS!

" What should I do with Jesus, the one called Christ". Matthew 27:22. My friend, how long you will be undecided about this great decision about your eternity? I know you are a well educated person with good job. But if you cannot take your next breath, you are gone buddy..eternity is waiting for you. Let me ask you, what do you do with a man who claims to be God, yet hates religion? What do you do with a man who calls himself the Savior, yet condemns system? What do you do with a man who knows the place and time of his death, yet goes there anyway? Just like you, Pilate tried to push off making this decision. He wants someone else make the decision (He sent Jesus to Herod). He wanted the crowd to make the decision and he wanted nothing to do Jesus. Too long buddy you are postponing your decision based upon: 1) The influence surrounding you. 2) The persuasion of your friends or crowd and tending to decide based on the majority. 3) Persuasion of your family members like your wife, parents, siblings and so called friends. Don't allow those closes to us to decide for you. This decision you have to make. Remember, when you die, all your family members, friends and your current social gathering fellows will only come to the grave and say good bye, may be a last kiss on the forehead at the grave site, BUT YOUR ETERNITY BEGINS AT THE TIME OF DEATH. NOBODY WILL ACCOMPANY YOU WHEN YOU STAND BEFORE THE LORD. Hey, What should you do with Jesus, the one called Christ? It's not the decisions like College, Marriage, Company to work for, what car to buy. Even it is not about a church, a religious ceremony, rules and regulations or charity works. Bro: It's time to take a decision. MOST IMPORTANT DECISION IN YOUR LIFE. IT'S NOT A JOKE BROTHER. WE LOVE YOU!!

UNFORGIVENESS!

"Be kind and compassionate to 0ne another, FORGIVING EACH OTHER, just as in Christ God forgave you". Ephesians 4:32 NIV. My friend we cannot take the step into our future because we cannot even get through today. Are you carrying your baggage from the past man? Why are you struggling to forgive? The past is holding as much weight over you today because they have not yet been dealt with. Forgive man forgive, let it go! You cannot change it. But you have a future waiting for you, do you know that? When someone has sinned against you, or you have committed sins that you regret, IT IS LIKE A WOUND OR A CUT THAT HAS BEEN MADE ON YOUR SOUL. If that wound is left untreated, it will fester and bacteria will begin to grow. In order to overcome unforgiveness, you need to treat your wounds, let them heal, and then take your focus off your scars by putting it onto your NEW BEGINNING. Sometimes it is hard. But through Christ Jesus everything is possible. Want to learn to forgive? Then consider how you've been forgiven. Ephesians 5:32 says so. Finding it hard to put others first? Think of the way Christ put you first. "Though He was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God". Philippians 2:6. Having trouble putting up with ungrateful relatives, cranky neighbors and bossy Mother in Law? God put up with you when you act the same. "He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked". Luke 6:35. NIV. Isn't it time for you to set free? Lord, help my friend to forgive and live a life of freedom, IN JESUS NAME!! AMEN!

NUMBER YOUR DAYS!!

"So teach us to number our days, that we may get us a heart of wisdom." Psalms 90:12. My friend notice that the verse didn't say count our days but it says NUMBER our days. Well, here is our story of our life: Charming children, Tender Teens, Teachable Twenties. Tireless Thirties, Fiery Forties, Forceful Fifties, Serious Sixties, Sacred Seventies, Aching Eighties, Nappy Nineties.. shortening breath....and bye bye world. My doctor recently told me that "you need regular oil and lube job". I bought a metal wall hanging from a store and it says "Life is not measured by the breath we take, but by the moments that take our breath away". Bro: Life is an opportunity to improve- everyday is another chance to improve. Life lets me think- may my thoughts be constructive, elevating and uplifting. Life lets me talk- may my speech be true, pure and helpful. Life lets me do- may my efforts center on the things that count the most and last longest. My father used to tell me "Don't let your Pastor lie at your funeral service about you". Tada. You get it??

GO AHEAD AND LAUGH!!!

God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me". Genesis 21:6. My friend why are you so uptight? You think it's a sin to laugh? Unholy? Hey, laughter is an amazing thing! It's a tension dissolver. It's an antidote to anxiety. It's just like a tranquilizer, but without any side effect. And "It's free man" free! You don't even need a prescription. Tada. Laughter is life's shock absorber and please learn to laugh at our circumstances. Do you know many of the famous Comedians grew up in poor neighborhoods with lots of problem? They coped with their troubles by learning to laugh. During my recent trip to Israel I saw a poster in a book store and it says "What soap is to body, laughter is to the soul." Bro: "Love may make the world go 'round, but laughter keeps us from getting dizzy". We need LAUGHTER in all our relationships TOO! In our marriages, if we don't laugh together WE're missing out on a TON OF FUN! I LAUGH WITH MY CUPCAKE (wife). I laugh with my children and grandchildren. Pastors, Elders, policemen, judges and everybody can laugh man. Laughing with others is an integral part of healthy friendships. For laughter is one of those blessings, like music and flowers, that God has given to relieve the tensions of life. When we are faced with serious, difficult, and trying situations, we can clear our burdened heads and think better if we can laugh a bit. So, smile, that's it, laugh, laugh, ha ha ha hA hA HA HA HA ...

GOD CANNOT CHANGE, HE LOVES YOU!!

"..Yes, I have loved you with an EVERLASTING LOVE; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you". Jeremiah 31:3. My friend, did you get what the Lord is saying to you? God is the one "with whom there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency". Your mood may shift, but God doesn't. Your devotion may falter, but God's never does. Our minds may change, but God's doesn't. Even we if we are faithless, he is faithful, for He cannot betray himself. God loves you, and you cannot change that. Every once in a while and being in the ministry of taking care of orphans and destitute children, I will hear a child in a broken home, a child in a divorce situation, an unloved child of a prostitute where she abandoned the child soon after the birth, abandoned children wandering in the street begging and eating from left over food left in the back of restaurants, my heart really breaks and cry. How do you feel when a child or even teenagers say that nobody loves me. Or in America when children say how they wish they could have done the right thing or acted the right way, so that they could get their parents to love them. My friend, I know your childhood's unloving circumstances still bothering you. But I want you to know 1) Nothing you do or happened to you will cause God to love you less. 2) Nothing you do will cause God to love you more. Understand being a child of God "Christianity is all about a relationship NOT RULES. Oh yes, religion is about RULES. NOT CHRIST AND CHRISTIANITY. The disciplines we practice, the disciplines we learn from the word, we practice because we want to become more like our Savior. We practice them as a joy, not as an obligation. YES SING "JESUS LOVE ME YES I KNOW"...GOOD!

ARE YOU IMMATURE?

"He answered, " I MERELY DID TO THEM WHAT THEY DID TO ME'. Judges 15:11. One of the most notable examples of immaturity in the Bible is Samson. Was he gifted? YES. Anointed? YES. We see in him PERILS OF LIVING A LESS-than-COMMITTED lifestyle. In spite of God's power, he lost it all. A life of impulse, immaturity, resentment, and anger. My friend, do you know some of the signs of immaturity? Well, you want me to say it? People leave churches, friendships, and relationships over the smallest thing like "didn't get the position, pastor didn't call me while I was sick, refuse to see or talk to the sibling because they said the wrong thing over the dinner table, she didn't give me a gift for Christmas, they didn't visit me while they were in town, my name is not in the flier etc..."You didn't take me also when you went for the meetings". "SILLY SILLY. And they can memorize 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 too. Like Samson, IMMATURE PEOPLE NURSE THEIR RESENTMENTS UNTIL THEY BECOME GRUDGES. THEY FEED THEIR GRUDGES UNTIL THEY BECOME OFFENSES. THEY CARRY THEIR OFFENSES UNTIL THEY DICTATE BEHAVIOR. THIS PRODUCES UNNECESSARY PAIN AND BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS. SPEAKING OUT WITHOUT THINKING WHAT THEY SAY. DISRESPECT AUTHORITIES. It starts with small steps in that direction. Hey, hey, are you going in that direction? RED FLAG- STOOOPP IT BUDDY.