Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Time to Get Rid of Stinkin' Thinkin'....

We all have heard the sayings of "You are what you eat" or "Garbage in, Garbage out!" And it probably stands to reason that there is a great deal of truth to either one or both of these sayings. Let's face it, if you fuel your body with the wrong "stuff," it will not perform to its highest and best level...in fact, you may make yourself sick and do permanent damage if your bad eating habits were to persist.

The same can be true of what you put into your mind when it comes to what fuels your drives and your passions. If you fill you mind with "junk food" then your life will reflect that in the motives and actions you take in living in this crazy and unpredictable world. It is common fact that the more you dwell on something in your mind, the more it begins to drive your thoughts and before long, it can and will determine your actions. There are any number of life stories of serial killers that spent too much time thinking on the immoral and evil things of this world and those thoughts lead to horrific deeds.

Knowing that what we put into our minds can have a direct effect on what we do gives us great power...the power to choose what we think and what we think on over and over. The apostle Paul in writing to the Philippians said in best in chapter 4, verse 8; "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable...if there is ANY moral excellence and if there is any praise...dwell on these things."

Yes, you and I have the power to fuel our thoughts with things that are pure and lovely...thoughts that focus on our God and His great and awesome power. We can only do this as we shut out the clamor of the world for our thoughts and dwell on His Word.

I remember as a young child and a Christian at an early childhood age, my parents continually put the Word of God before me and encouraged me to learn and memorize Scripture. Over those many formative years, I can recall the Sword drills that took place on Sunday evenings at my church as my friends and I raced to find the Scripture that had been called out...step forward and read it and earn a point for our team. Little did I know then that I was filling my mind with those pure, lovely and commendable things that I would carry with me long into my adult years.

And the challenge to continue to do that has never been greater as the world and all it wickedness is thrust at us through our TV sets; while surfing the Internet; even riding in our cars and listening to our radios has become a never-ending challenge to find songs that are wholesome and lead us to think good and righteous thoughts.

So, who has the power when it comes to what you are thinking? Are you the one that decides what makes it into your brain or have you been brainwashed to think that you really can't control what is being forced upon you by the world?

The solution is really simple...if you want to live a life of excellence then that life begins with excellent thoughts....not sometimes but every time. It's time to get rid of stinkin' thinkin' and turn your thoughts over to the Creator of the Universe....after all, He has given us so much to ponder we just don't have time to waste on stinkin' thinkin'!

Capturing each thought for the Master,


WPQ

Monday, November 21, 2016

A Thankful Heart in Trying Times

Here’s a new twist to an old saying: Due to the recent financial difficulties, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off!

Now, I know that things are not as good as they could be; but, heaven knows they could be worse. So as we approach the upcoming day that we as Americans set aside to give thanks; well, let’s do just that….GIVE THANKS!

In fact, if truth be told, we find in God’s word that giving “THANKS:” is an imperative: in fact, it is a direct command from the Great I AM. Throughout the Psalms, David continually wrote to praise the Lord and to give thanks. In Chapters 106 and 118, he begins each psalm with this admonition, “Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Time and time again, David reminds us to give thanks…to let our hearts overflow with thanksgiving. In fact, in over 33 passages in the Bible, we are commanded to give thanks to our Father who is the giver of every good gift.

So on this Thursday, as you gather with friends and family members and recount God’s blessing during this past year, don’t look at the shrinking balance in your checking account and lament how poor you are…rather; remember if you have any spare change just lying around the house, you are already wealthier than 75% of the world’s population. Comp template this…..if you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back and shoes on your feet….. And you eat at least one meal a day; you are living above the poverty level of 85% of those in third world countries.

Yes, times are hard for many of us here in America, but that does not relieve us of God’s command to obedience as we bestow our praise, honor, adoration and gratitude on Him who has given us all that we have and more than we need. However, we should not give thanks to God because it our duty or just to be obedient to his Word, but rather out of love and gratitude for the immeasurable blessings of God on this great nation.

Times may be hard and they may become harder…but we, as followers of Christ, are called to a higher standard of thanksgiving…we are to praise him and give thanks in ALL things…the good and the bad…in the best of times and the worst of times.

Begin today your celebration of this Thanksgiving season by doing the following….set aside some time to make a list of the things for which you can give thanks and after each one, BLESS THE NAME OF JESUS….tell Him, personally, what and why you are thankful and how, even if that blessing were stripped away, you would still give thanks and bless his name…..for scripture tells us, “What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, yet lose his own soul.”

This Thanksgiving do the one thing that will honor God and bring glory to His name….Tell others how thankful you are that you belong to Jesus. This simple act of telling others that you are a child of the King will elicit praise from your lips and will demonstrate a heart filled and over-flowing with thanksgiving.

It is in every act of worship that we demonstrate our love for our Heavenly Father and in our praise and works of obedience that we show a humble and thankful heart.

SO GO AHEAD AND HAVE A BLESSED AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING this week…and 

May God bless you as never before!

WPQ

Poem for the Day:
 In harmony with one voice we raise
Our grateful songs of thankful praise.
In song and dance we do proclaim
That we are blessed in Jesus’ name.

May all creation spend each day,
Praising Jesus in every way…
And may the very rocks cry out;
The valleys sing, the mountains shout...

And echo through each humbled heart
As all who know Him do their part….
To sing and worship all our days
With hearts filled with eternal praise.
 WPQ 2011

Friday, November 18, 2016

Praise Him, Praise Him!

I remember as a small child learning the following song when I was about 3 or 4 years old….

Praise Him, Praise Him; All you little children.
God is good; God is good.
Praise Him, Praise Him; All you little children …
GOD is GOOD…GOD is GOOD!!!!!!

This little song should ever be on our lips as believers especially as we enter a season of praise and thanksgiving. Scriptures says it best in Psalm 107:1-2, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”

Did you catch that? The act of gratitude and thanksgiving falls to those of us that are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb….for if anyone has a reason to be thankful, it is surely those that God has forgiven and adopted into the family of righteousness.

The problem for all too many of us is that we are often filled with gratitude, but fail to express it….to our spouse, our family members and especially to our Heavenly Father. It is like picking out a great gift, going to the trouble to wrap it in the best paper, placing an awesome bow on top…..and then sticking it in the closet, never to be given to our intended recipient.

Gratitude that is not shared is not really gratitude at all….it fails to give us that warm, fuzzy feeling that one would expect when shared ……and it leaves our object of affection feeling cold, sullen and unappreciated.

So in this upcoming Thanksgiving season,  let’s start at the top of the list with those to whom gratitude and expressions of love are due….Our Savior for His gift of eternal life…our spouses for their affection, tenderness and support …our children for their honor, obedience and admiration….our church, its staff and those who give unselfishly in loving acts of service…..and anyone else that brightens your days and lightens your load.

Let’s unwrap our gifts of gratitude and tell everyone we meet, “Thank you and God Bless you for all that you are and do for those that you love.” Remember, there is one debt we each owe that should never be fully repaid...and that is the debt of GRATITUDE.

So as the day of Thanksgiving comes in just a few more days, let us as the Redeemed of Christ express our thanks and show our gratitude to those we love. In that way, all of those around us will see a true picture of the love of Christ in the gratitude we show to those that God has put in our path....and all will receive the blessing of a true and grateful heart.

Don't let this Thanksgiving Day pass without singing Praise Him, Praise Him…. God is Good...GOD IS GOOD!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

In this season of thanksgiving,
Best watch your attitude;
So share with all your loved ones
Your thanks and gratitude.

Don’t leave them in the darkness
Wondering if your care;
Just thank them for their support
And always being there.

WPQ@ 2011



Tuesday, November 15, 2016

SHINING STARS

Is there a precedent that is set in God’s word that calls us out of the darkness to be a glorious light….you better believe there is!

In Paul’s writing to the Philippians, he tells them to continue to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, "for it is God who works in you to do His will and to act according to His good purpose.” But, he doesn’t stop there as he continues, “Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life….” Philippians 2:13-16

Notice the admonishment here is continue to grow in our faith (working out our salvation) so that God’s good (and perfect) will is accomplished….and how do we do that? By doing everything we can to create harmony in the body of Christ (no arguing, complaining or backbiting). When that is accomplished we will be found without fault and we will become all that God intended for us to be….SHINING STARS IN THE UNIVERSE.

Now, I don’t know about you, but the thought of one star shining in the universe might seem a little bleak. Just walk out some night and look up when there’s a heavy cloud cover, fog or just a hot summer haze and there’s not much to get excited about. A few stars, twinkling WAY OFF IN THE DISTANCE. But, go out into the wilderness or walk along a mountain lake or sail across the vastness of the ocean and look up on a crystal clear night...I promise you, it will take your breath away…….MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF STARS…so close it seems that you can touch them. Now that’s what God has called His Church to be.

We are to be SALT & LIGHT to a dark and dying world….one shining star multiplied by the grace of God until the heavens erupt with His glorious light…..Shining with the love of our Savior for the entire world to see.

As one star, my light might not be too visible in this dark and depraved day; but when all the believers of faith seek to do God’s will, to become His people….then our lives will light up the world and His message of love and forgiveness will bring salvation to all who will bow before the Lord and proclaim him as KING. Our light will shine and HE WILL BE GLORIFIED!

What’s keeping you from becoming the star God intended you to be? There’s a place in the starry heavens that just waiting for you….. SO SURRENDER TO HIM AND SHINE ON !!!!!

One light burning brightly for Jesus,

WPQ

Monday, November 14, 2016

Take My Yoke…

Working in today’s fast paced business environments leaves many of us feeling stressed, over worked and often at the “end of our rope.” We scurry from project to project, meeting to meeting with hardly a moment to catch our breath…and if something should happen to go wrong …Well, look out for the fireworks!

Christ knows that we weren’t built for this type of prolonged stress and the accompanying anxiety. He tells us in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Ancient Biblical history tells us that farmers in Israel used to train an inexperienced ox by yoking it to an older, more experienced ox by use of a wooden harness. They would draw the straps tightly around the neck of the older animal while the harness rested lightly upon the neck of the younger ox. The burden or “load” was borne primarily by the older beast …the younger animal merely walked along side the mature ox, carrying little of the burden as they traveled the dusty, rocky road…..

And that is the picture that Christ paints for us in this scripture from Matthew….He is walking beside us, bearing the burdens that are too heavy for us to carry. We are yoked together, but it is Christ that is doing the work …and that is why our yoke is light!

Are you yoked with the Savior? What great burden is He bearing for you….the loss of a job; the grief over losing a loved one; the financial turmoil that has you buried in debt… or could it be the shame of the eternal debt that you have not given to him….you have not taken His yoke because you do not know Him as your Lord and Savior?

He begs us to take His yoke and learn from Him…just as that young oxen has to learn how to work in tandem with his mature counterpart, we must learn of our Savior and when we do, we will be seen in His likeness….gentle, meek, lowly in heart and ready to be in service with and for our Lord.

Then and only then, we will be able to make it from day to day in our busy, hectic world….”For His yoke is EASY and His burden is LIGHT!”

OH, HOW HE CARES FOR YOU….. GIVE HIM YOUR BURDENS TODAY!

Sharing my load….guiding my steps,


WPQ

Saturday, November 5, 2016

MOVE OUT …

Now, I am former military guy, having served our country during the Vietnam era as a storekeeper in the U.S. Navy…and I am proud to have served this great land; however, I must admit, I've never been one that likes to take orders. While in boot camp, I had one drill instructor that finished every sentence with, "Now, MOVE OUT!"…usually shouted at the top of his lungs.

When we read in Scriptures the last moments that Christ spent with his disciples before he ascended into to Heaven. we read these words, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Now, Christ could have shared a heart-felt message with his disciples telling them how much he would miss them; how hard times were sure to come there way; or that they should take heart because one day He would return for them and take them to be with him; however, His parting words really came down to this simple command given in love and direction…

MOVE OUT!

Christ send out His beloved disciples with the command to go, make disciples, baptize them and teach them to observe all that they had been taught so that others would come to know the Father because they, too,  had come to know the Son.

And we, now as those that have come to know Jesus, are given that same command…not shouted at us but lovingly impressed upon our hearts and our minds to take the Good News of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

You see, Jesus never said that the whole world should go to church…but He did say that the church should go to the whole world…and YOU and I are His church.

So take heed to His great commission as your start this upcoming new week… Move Out and move into a world that needs to see the Light of Jesus shining brightly in a dark and desolate world… a world that is lost in sin and headed for an eternity of separation from their loving Creator… and take heart, even when you meet the devil and all his forces and they seem to be an insurmountable foe. You can go toe to toe with them and win for the King of Kings is at your side and He will not be defeated.

He promised… He is ALWAYS WITH US…so, TAKE COURAGE and MOVE OUT!

Standing on the promises…moving forward for my Lord,

WPQ

Thought for the day:
Don't sit on the sidelines,
It's time to get in the fight.
To share the love of Jesus…
To be Salt and Light!



Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Is It Time for a U-Turn?

In the last two cars I have owned, I've had this incredible onboard GPS that gives me directions to where I want to go...I just but in the destination address, listen and follow the onboard prompts and magically end up at my final destination. However, there have been times when I have not been paying attention  or traffic patterns interrupted my ability to follow those directions; it's then I have heard, "In .2 miles, make a legal U-turn!"

I can relate to this command because the same thing happens in my daily walk with my Lord. I have read my Bible and understand what God would have me do; how I should live my life; the places I should go; the people I should associate with and the way I should conduct my affairs in the marketplace.

But likewise, when I am not focused on God's will or just let the ebb and flow of life get the best of me, I find that I have gotten off course and need to make a U-turn...and that U-turn usually requires that I ask for forgiveness, repent and then set a new course.

It is good to know that God is in the business of forgiveness and just like the GPS in my car, He will whisper (or shout when needed), "You are going the wrong way; you need to make a Heavenly U-turn."

We know that God send His son, Jesus, to call the world to repentance and through His shed blood to pay the debt for our sin. Knowing and believing this calls for us to repent of our sins, trust in Him for our salvation and then begin our new life in Christ, walking in a new direction with Him as our guide...and that decision is a one-time, life altering decision...once made, we are eternally His.

But when it comes to our daily walk in His presence, well, that is a daily decision that prompts us to program our GPS to our final destination of Heaven and to walk in the grace, love and mercy that has been shown to us through the sacrifice of our Savior. We may begin each day with the purposeful intent to go where God leads; however, often we get off course and need to make that Heavenly directed U-turn to get back on course so that our lives reflect who we love and who we serve.

So today make the commitment to spend time in God's Holy Word; share counsel with those in need; receive instructions or corrections from a godly mentor or just listen for the still, small voice of God to whisper His instructions for the day ahead...trust in your GPS and know that God will take you to where He wants you to go...and if you find yourself off course, be ready to make a U-turn...being in the will of God....THERE'S NO BETTER PLACE TO BE!!!!

Trusting God's GPS....Heading toward home,


WPQ