Today’s Edition Includes:

Video: Reverend Billy Graham-Be Packed and Ready. Duration-1:54

Thought for Today: “Only one basis for really enjoying life”

Verses with Ponderings: Matthew 24:46 and Proverbs 12:28

Discovery: Faith and Reason Connection.

Today’s Sermon: “Don’t Fret”

Be Packed And Ready To Go!

Billy Graham in Anaheim, California, 1969

Transcript below video.

Transcript

“In the midst of the pessimism and the gloom, and the frustration of this present hour, there’s only one hope, and that hope was expressed by Jesus Christ when He said, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again!” (John 14:3)

“Blessed is that servant for whom his Lord when he cometh, shall find so doing” (Matthew 24:46)

Now the Lord is coming. Christ is coming. And the temptation of many Christians is to say, “I’m going to sit down and take it easy and wait for the coming of the Lord.”

I want to tell you that when He comes, you may be left behind.

Do you remember the five foolish virgins, in the story Jesus told about? They thought the Lord had waited, and waited, and waited, and they got a little tired. The oil in their lamps was gone. When He came they were left behind.

The Bible says, “Blessed is that servant, whom His Lord when He cometh finds so doing”.

If I knew Christ was coming, do you know what I’d do? I’d do just what I am doing today.

We ought to live every day just as if the Lord was coming. You ought to have your bags packed and ready. You oughta not have your roots too deep. You oughta not have too big a bank account to worry about. That’s the reason why the Bible says we are to give to the poor, and we’re to give to the Church, and to give to Christian work. We are to be Stewards.

Be Packed And Ready! Ready to go! Working. Winning others to Christ. Witnessing for Christ. Doing all we can, to help our neighbor!

And above all loving! Loving!”

-END  

Enjoying Life

"There is only one basis for really enjoying life, and that is, to walk in the way in which God leads you. Then you are prepared to find delight in all sorts of wayward incidents....When a man is drifting through life, seeking nothing outside of self-gratification, the world must become increasingly a barren and forbidding wilderness. But it is wonderful how many delights fall to the lot of him who is led by God. For such a one the clasp of a friend\'s hand, a cool drink in the heat of noon, a merry salutation from a passing traveler, a glimpse of beauty by the road, a quiet resting place at night, are all full of unspeakable pleasure."

- Leaves of Gold

Verses and Thoughts

Matthew 24:46: "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing."

Doing

- What motivates our doing and to what end?

- Are we the act or the reaction?

Proverbs 12:28: "In the way of righteousness is life: and in the pathway thereof there is no death."

Sin is the sting of death, a prick from the scythe, just a sampling before the terminal swing of the blade.

There is no death in righteousness. Everlasting to everlasting is only righteous. Death, dies. Pain and sorrow, end. Life, everlasting life, lives, and living with it, love and truth.

The Faith and Reason Connection

“That science that opposes the truth of the gospel is falsely so called; it is not true science, for if it were it would approve of the gospel and consent to it. Those who are so fond of such science are in great danger of erring concerning the faith; those who are for advancing reason above faith are in danger of leaving faith.” –Matthew Henry/1 Timothy 6:17-19 

Reason and faith are components of each other. They are not exclusive of each other, but rather incluse. It is impossible to reason, without faith and it is impossible to have faith without reason.

Even God said, “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18)

Many times the Bible uses reason to support faith.

“Therefore we conclude (reason) that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” (Romans 3:28)

Today's Message: Do Not Fret

Michelangelo Buonarotti said, “Do not fret, for God did not create us to abandon us.” Buonarotti, more commonly known as Michelangelo strikes a chord that resonates in every human being. It is that crushing feeling of isolation during tribulation. That feeling we are all alone in a situation that has us beaten, defeated and demoralized. It is the insurmountable beast that we must battle by ourselves, that we are totally unprepared to fight against and frightened beyond our description.

Who hasn’t been there?

In this situation we are dealing with three things; the problem, the belief we are detached from God and finally a spirit in panic. The last two (detachment and panic) go hand in hand and creates that feeling of abandonment from God; the One who is love and Creator of all things. That feeling, when we believe God has left us is the worst state of being man can ever experience.

It is why the devil tries so hard to convince man that there is no God.

“When the fear of man prevails God is forgotten, his power, his providence, his promises, and past instances of divine favour and goodness; were these more frequently recollected, considered, and thought of, they would prove an antidote against the fear of men; and especially when it is observed, that he that is our Maker is he” (John Gill).

“I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass. And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?” (Isaiah 51:12-13).

Man is temporary and carnal and will fade and die. Consequently, any power man has will fade and die too. God is eternal, omnipotent and omnipresent. He will never leave or forsake you. It is easy to forget “the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth” when we think God has left us and we are staring down the barrel of some great adversity.

But God is the God of all comfort. If we feel alone it is for a reason and only for a season. God knows best. He doesn’t punish His children He corrects them. Usually, the feeling of being cut off from Him is for us to understand we need Him always. It is to break the sin of self-reliance and to lean on Him always.

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

God also teaches His children to aid and assist His other children. All storms that we weather enable us to prepare and protect others from similar events. God is the Father of consolation and comfort and he teaches His own the very attributes He possesses.

Helps and comforts to our fellow man and dependence and reliance on God all stem from the same tree, the tree of love.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).

The next storm we face or battle we are engaged in know that the Lord, His word and His ministering angels are there with you. Our religion is based on faith, hope and belief so do those things which are foundational. Stand on the full confidence and expectation of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost and all battles will be won.

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Bill Hitchcock
12292014