What Is Your Epitaph?
“And I heard a Voice from Heaven saying unto me, ‘Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth; yea, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors and their works do follow them’.”
Revelations 14:13
Our lives are investments in eternity; the question is “Where are we investing them?”
Grave markers.
Every cemetery has them. Some are tall and ornate; others are small and inconspicuous. But, all of them have some things in common: A name. . .birth and death dates. . .and sometimes an epitaph. You’ve seen them:
“Gone, but not forgotten.”
“Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother.”
“Forever in our hearts.”
Or, as one person wrote, “As you are, I once was; as I am, so you, too, one day shall be.”
Talk about getting your attention!
Fixed Focus and Forgetfulness
“But, what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. . .forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”
Philippians 3:8a, 13b
When we know where we want/need to be, getting there is a matter of intentionality and increments.
Decide. Commit. Succeed.
Those three, simple words are the “keys to success” for a popular exercise program. They sum up in a succinct way the steps needed to change your physical fitness, strength, weight, etc.: Decide that you want to change. Commit to the exercise and diet plans. And, succeed.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
Yes, incredibly so.
But, what’s the problem?
It’s called “will power”—or, a less offensive way of saying it is “want to,” i.e., “how badly do you want to change?”
After meeting the Risen Lord on the Road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul realized he’d been traveling down the Road of Religiosity, not God-given Righteousness, and something had to give if he was going to follow Christ.
A Godly ABS-CBN Station ID
Star Ng Pasko, A Godly ABS-CBN Station ID
I can’t stand without giving my commendation to ABS-CBN Station ID. I have been a fan of ABS-CBN Station ever since. I have seen all the rest of their station ID’s. But I would really say that this Christmas’ station ID is the best.
I also tried browsing over YouTube what GMA could present as their station ID. Without bias, still this ABS-CBN Station ID is the best for me. If you disagree, then I encourage you to judge for yourselves, browse their station ID’s and see if it is true.
Sermon About Idolatry
Idolatry Examined
Text: 1 Corinthians 10:14-33
Introduction
Last time, we have discussed about the things that the Israelites did during the time of Moses. And because of those things that they did, God gave judgment over their sinful acts.
Starting today, we will be talking concerning those things that they have committed. And we will start about the issue of idolatry.
Similarity of Idol Feast and The Lord’s Supper (v.14-22)
In 1 Corinthians 8, we already have discussed that there is no other God but one. That the food sacrificed to idols is nothing more than food. However, in these few verses Paul is explicitly making a comparison of what it looks like when we give in ourselves to things that the world do abusively.
Starting in verse 14, Paul is making a comparison about the Lord’s supper and partaking of those foods sacrificed to idols. The food is nothing but a food. The idols are nothing, they have no power and they cannot do anything against a person. This is in contrast to what other people believes that images and idols have the power to repel against dark powers. The Bible says they DO NOT have any power.
However, the main idea of this part of our passage is that, eating food sacrificed to idols has the picture of participating with the demons. Again, the idols itself and the food cannot do anything to harm us, but the picture of joining people who eat food sacrificed to idols has the picture of participating in the works of the devil.
This is why there are people who stumble in seeing a fellow brother in Christ eating food sacrificed to idols and in our culture includes drinking alcoholic beverages and participating to disco. Please see my article: Why Alcohol Drinking Is Not For Christians.
Verse 21 it says that we “Cannot” drink the cup of the Lord and drink the cup of demons, we cannot take part in the table of the Lord and take part in the table of demons. But can we still do it anyway if we like it? The answer is yes. However, verse 22 gave us a question to answer, “Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we really stronger than he is?”
Illustrations About Faith
The Bible And Faith
The Bible gave so many illustrations about faith. The book of Hebrews 11 alone enumerated some of those people who exemplified faith.
We praise and worship God by faith, we pray by faith, we do things for God by faith, and we live by faith. As Christians, this should be a way of living, not just a need of living. Faith is a foundational element of each one of us.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1)
Simplify
“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. . .That you be strengthened with mighty by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. . .and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:14, 15b, 17a, 19
When it comes down to it, this is all that really matters.
Have you ever gone to a circus or watched one on television where the juggler performed his many feats of coordination and balance? Watching him juggle five, six or seven objects at one time and spin 10 plates on sticks at the same time left us giddy with excitement as we cried, “Wow! Did you see that?”
Hope For the Struggling Soul
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring?. . .My praise shall be of You in the great congregation. I will pay my vows before them that fear Him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise the Lord that seek Him; your heart shall live forever.”
Psalm 27:1, 25-26
If our trials and troubles are His Refiner’s fires (Job 23:10; I Pet. 1:6-7), we must continue lifting high the “shield of faith” (Eph. 6:17a) lest doubt and despair crush us underfoot.
How goes it this morning, Pilgrim? How goes the battle? Are you winning or losing? Ready for another round or about to go down for the count? Delighting? Or depleted?
If your honest answer is the latter rather than the former, do not lose hope—for today’s Manna reveals you’re in good company. Written by David, the lion-bear-giant-killing saint of God, the words “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” both haunt and taunt us. We fear asking them because of pride, guilt and shame. . .afraid that others will think less of us for feeling that way. . .and fearful that God Himself will somehow give up on us.
Our Father By Don Moen With Chords and Lyrics
Our Father
Sung by: Don Moen
By Thomas George and Sanjeev George
Source of Chords: www.yourchords.com
Starts with THE Lord’s Prayer
Capo 1st fret
Intro C F C
F G Am
F G C
C
Hear our prayer
F C
We are Your children and
F G Am
We’ve gathered here today
F G C
We’ve gathered here to pray
C F C
Hear our cry, Lord we need Your mercy
F G Am
And we need Your grace today
F G C
Hear us as we pray
chorus
G Am F
Our Father who art in heaven
C G C
Hallowed be Thy name
G Am F
Our Father hear us from heaven
C G C
Forgive our sins we pray
When God Seems Far Off
“Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do you hide Yourself in times of trouble?. . .Arise, O Lord. O God, lift up Your Hand; forget not the humble.”
Psalm 10:1, 12
Honesty helps us admit it; heartfelt humility helps us deal with it.
“Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?”
Has there ever been a simpler, more straightforward, straight-from-the-depths-of-the-soul question than this one? No, not really; however, seldom do we hear such questions in a mid-week prayer meeting. And, we certainly wouldn’t let others know if we were feeling that way for fear of being looked at like some faithless atheist.
Today’s Manna, written by some struggling, anonymous author, is one we also need to grapple with if we’re to grow in our faith. Our difficulty in admitting these feelings rests primarily in fear and guilt; however, confessing them reveals a sincere struggle of the soul that every saint of every generation has experienced if he’s honest.