Getting Ready for a New Year....

For the last few years, at about this time, I begin to make my list of the things, events and blessings that have occurred in the last 11 months or so. I strive to enter the Thanksgiving season with a heart and mind centered on the good (and sometimes not so good) things that have made me a better citizen, better husband and better follower of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ....and that is one of the reasons that I look back on some of the "not so good" events that have occurred. You see, we all know that without rain, nothing grows. So I like to thank God for His bountiful harvest in the past year, fully realizing that none of it may have been possible without the rain...yes, even the thundershowers may have truly been a blessing. I also begin to analyze how I have done in the past year living up to my one word resolution that I set out to follow at the beginning of the year.

This past year, my one word resolution was TRUST....and I will have to admit, this year, with the corona virus, the Feb-March stock market crash, the mass hysteria of the media, the relentless drumming of the TV political ads and its subsequent outcome...well, it really tested by ability to TRUST! I wanted to trust in what was being reported on the airwaves and the internet; the double speak of so-called medical experts; the promises of those in power and their often idiotic decisions. It was during this free-for-all that I came to my senses and reminded myself of one simple truth...I COULD TRUST MY HEAVENLY FATHER WHO IS IN COMPLETE CONTROL AND WHO ALREADY KNOWS THE OUTCOME...and in leaning into and learning to place my trust in the ONE who is SOVEREIGN, I found something that I was not expecting to find....PEACE!!!! So at the top of my list of things I will be thankful for this Thanksgiving is the PEACE I found in the midst of conflict, chaos and consternation...and I will rest in the consolation that no matter how bad things are or may seem, God WILL NOT let anything or anyone snatch me from the loving grip that holds me in His hands....and all I need do...simply TRUST HIM!!!!

And the other thing I do this time of year is to begin to look for my next "one word resolution" ...and at this writing, I am in full find that word mode as the start of 2021 begins to peer around the corner. I often spend days or weeks trying to find such a meaningful word that I can give my full measure of devotion in trying to live out my life in accordance with its mandates. But this year, I found that word early in the Scripture that follows in James 1:12..."Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."

It is my desire to live as Christ lived and to obtain this great quality that God Himself so clearly embodies...to be STEADFAST...fully committed, unwavering, standing firm without hesitation.

I am sure that we (as steadfast believers) WILL face many tough decisions, obstacles and road blocks to serving Christ in the year that is quickly approaching. We will be asked to compromise our values, accept doctrine and dogma that do not align themselves with our Christian principles and we will probably be tested in ways we never thought imaginable in America...so we are left with one of two choices....ACQUIESENCE OR STEADFASTNESS?

I HAVE CHOSEN MINE...AND I AM NOT WAITING TO START PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE...My start begins today; ONE DAY AT A TIME, I WILL TRUST IN MY GOD AND SEEK TO BE STEADFAST IN MY RESOLVE TO SERVE HIM NO MATTER WHAT THE COSTS!!! It is my prayer that you too will stand firmly with me as we commit to be STEADFAST followers of the one who gave His LIFE for the ransom of all who would believe...and God please, help me and all those who call on YOU in our unbelief. AMEN!

Living for my Father....STEADFAST in my walk with Him,

WPQ

 

 

Poem for the day....

A new day is coming;

Coming closer every day.

For the Father is watching

What we do and what we say!

 

For our Father is waiting

To see who is first; who is last.

Willing to live obediently...

Close to Him and steadfast.

 

Standing firm in our beliefs

Never wavering nor unsure;

Living a life that truly honors Him

One that is Holy, Righteous, Pure.

 

So don't give in to worldly lusts;

Leave  behind your sins of the past.

When you truly seek to honor God,

You will live a life that remains...STEADFAST!!!

 

WPQ © NOV 2020

 

 

 

Our pastor, Dr. Ted Sherrill, at First Baptist -Georgetown preached a wonderful sermon today that reminded me of the following blog. To me, as I evaluate the situation that we find ourselves in during these stressful times, I am reminded that there has never been a better time for those of us who call ourselves Christians to be light in a dark world; salt that allows others to savor the flavor and a lamp, when placed upon the lampstand, will light the hearts of those we encounter with the LOVE of Jesus. If we do those things, then our GOOD WORKS WILL SHOW and those that see is at work for Him, will glorify our Father and be drawn to come to know Him as their Father also; so my question is...

 

Are you an Authentic Christian?

 

Let me ask you a rather poignant question…..How’s life treating you…..Things going well, running smoothly, no problems? Are you a Christian and not being hounded on all sides? Well, could it be time to take your spiritual pulse?

 

What do I mean by such a preposterous question? Aren’t we all supposed to be working to have a better, smoother running, more fulfilling life? Besides, who wants trouble?

 

We all should….Why? Simply put…because Scripture says that’s the way it is to be. When we read 2 Timothy 2: 12 we have a better understanding of this Biblical truth,

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

 

Since the beginning of time, it has been the mission of Satan to blind sinners and to beguile and undermine Christians…to inflict pain, suffering and discouragement to those who belong to God. He will do anything to disturb our minds, disrupt our lives and discourage our witness for our Lord and Savior. He is the one who led Lot to Sodom, instilled the anger in Joseph’s brothers so they would sell him into slavery and lead Peter, the Rock, to deny Christ three times. He even called out the Son of God and attacked Him…challenging Him to deny His Father to gain worldly fame and fortune.

 

In 1 Peter5: 8, we are reminded by Peter to “be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

 

If you are a Christian and seeking to live for the Lord in a godly and forthright way, you should be on the menu for our adversary, the devil. You will (a promise from God’s word) be pressed and stressed and messed with from all sides…that’s the way the devil likes to operate. He comes at you with all sorts of problems; some large, small, even life-changing …each designed to move your further from God’s perfect will for your life…each with the intent to separate you from the witness of God’s love in your life.

 

So if life has been treating you too good lately, you might want to ask yourself if you are truly living a godly life in Christ Jesus. If your life is truly making a difference in the lives of those you encounter, you can bet the devil is sniffing around to see if he smells “fresh meat”; however, if not; then, even a lion will not eat a dead, decaying corpse.

 

Is Jesus alive in you today…are you striving to live a life that is pleasing to Him….are you beset with trials, problems and persecutions of an earthly and heavenly nature? Then, PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!!!!!!

 

Remember….the way you handle the trials, tribulations, test and temptations in your life can be a great beacon that shines the light of God’s love, support and encouragement to others that are watching you. You are living in Him and He lives in you …and it should show!!!!!

 

Today, count your blessings …but also count your persecutions as blessings….for in each one is an opportunity to draw closer and closer to your Heavenly Father…and as you lean upon Him, you will feel your pulse race, your heart pound and your faith grow as you win the war against your adversary….and when all is said and done, the VICTORY IS IN THE LIFE WELL-LIVED IN JESUS!!!!!

 

Living in persecutions ….counting each a blessing,

 

WPQ

 

Poem of the Day...

Father, in Heaven, please grant me

When faced by earthly foes;

A spirit that will not tremble

And be undone by earthly woes.

 

Let me place my trust in Jesus;

Not shrink from the battle near;

And may the sounds of victory

Be pleasing to my Savior's ear.

 

May I always seek to serve you

As I defend my life in you...

For you gave me life at Calvary

So the least that I can do...

 

Is be a Bright & Shining Beacon

So that all who see may know...

To follow in your footsteps

Is the way we each should go.

 

May the victory be ours, dear Lord

As we place our will in thine;

Then all who see will acknowledge

Our Lord and Savior is indeed…. DIVINE!!!!

 

WPQ © August 2018

 

 

If you would like to hear Dr. Sherrill's sermon today,

go to www.firstbaptistgeorgetown.org

and click on the icon for sermons.

Honoring our Veterans on Their Special Day!

 

During the time that our 5 year old daughter battled a childhood cancer, I wrote a little book entitled, Bent ...but not Broken! A Family's Victory Over Cancer Through the Grace of God!

From that small beginning, my wife, Terri, and I began a small cottage business that we later named THANKFUL PRAISE PRINTS.  For 6+ years, we took poetry that I wrote and Terri, along with a couple of wonderful local artist, would illustrate the poems. We would then print, frame and sell what we called PoeticArt to over 600 accounts nationwide. One of the many poems I wrote had to do with our service people...Police, Fire, EMT, Nurses and of course our servicemen in the Armed Forces. One of my favorite poems was A VETERAN'S SONG...a poem with which we sold and shared with many a funeral home that used this framed poem in Memorial services and then gave to the family of the deceased Veteran.  I am a  Veteran myself,  after serving on active duty in the Navy for two years and then another 6 years as a Reservist. It was a couple of years ago that I found this poem in my files and added a verse or two...it is my joy to share this today as we mark another November 11th...a day we pause to salute all those men and women who held this country and what it stands for in their highest regard and promised to defend it against all enemies, foreign or domestic...it was a pledge to give their life if so needed to ensure that we could live as a free people, bound together with love for our country, our flag and the ideals that draw us all together as one people in the LAND OF THE FREE and the HOME OF THE BRAVE.

SO FOR EVERY VETERAN THAT HAS PROUDLY WORN THE UNIFORM OF SERVICE TO GOD AND COUNTRY ...this poem is for YOU!!!!

 

Veteran's Song

I signed a piece of paper;

I took an oath as well.

I promised to serve my country...

'Tis a mission I could not fail!

I banded with my comrades

So together, in might, we stand,

In defending this Great Nation...

This bright and promised land.

For I have done my duty

I have sacrificed for all.

And now Sweet Liberty can stand

Forever...proud and tall.

So when our days are over

And the bugles sound no more

May those who stand beside us

And gaze toward Heaven's shore...

May they know that we gave freely

Without hesitation.... without fear!

For we gladly served unselfishly

To protect this life we hold so dear!

 

WPQ © September 2018

Are You Delighting in the Lord?

Have you ever reached a point in your life when it seemed that your prayers were just bouncing off of the ceiling? Times that your prayers went unanswered and left you without hope? If you haven't, then you are one of the fortunate ones that has your walk with the Lord in the primo position...and I say to you, "CONGRATS"...and keep up the good work.  In fact, you need read no further; however, if you are like me and so many of our other Christian brethren, this feeling of abandonment and disconnection from our Father creates a real and emotional emptiness that may very well overwhelm us and leave us impotent to do the Father's will.

 GOOD NEWS....this situation is fully TREATABLE and REVERSIBLE...and the answer(as always) can be found in God's Holy Word in Psalm 37: 3-4 that reads:

 Trust in the Lord and do what is right. Settle in the land and maintain your integrity. Then you will take delight in the Lord, and he will answer your prayers.

This is the remedy for unanswered prayer, but there are several things we need to unpack to fully understand what needs to be done (continuously) in order to have our prayers answered with the love and consistency that comes from our Heavenly Father who ALWAYS has our best interest at the center of His heart.

First and foremost, WE MUST TRUST IN THE LORD...and that means we need to have a relationship with Him; we must have accepted what He did for us at Calvary and have asked Him to enter our lives, not as a guest, but as a full-time resident. For when we truly TRUST in the Lord, His desires WILL overwhelm our desires and our greatest pleasure becomes serving Him in obedience. I am always amazed when people tell me they asked God to save someone they loved from a horrible disease; give them a new job; heal their broken marriage or a myriad of other "I WANTS"...only to find out that the last time they spent any time with God in worship was at Christmas service a year ago; or they know they have a Bible at home, but they are not really sure where it is kept....imagine if you treated your spouse this way and then asked them for anything...WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE THEIR RESPONSE...Most likely it would be SILENCE!!! Why should we expect more than that from God when we have ignored Him for so long?

 Secondly, we need to DO WHAT IS RIGHT, and in God speak, that means to strive to be holy and live a righteous life in front of a world that has lost its moral compass. If you want God to answer your prayers...then, LIVE LIKE YOU MEAN IT...in short, you've got to do more than talk the talk; you've got to WALK THE WALK.

 Thirdly, we are to "settle in the land and maintain our integrity"....to me, this means that we are no longer living in and for this world; rather we have set our sights on the land of promise...THE KINGDOM OF GOD...brought to earth by His Son and now left in our hands to live as Jesus would. We settle into the land by being God's Heavenly representative now in this "foreign" land, so that others may long to have what we have and will choose to become citizens of Heaven as they come to know and follow Jesus...and how can that happen? Simple! Let the people of God live with INTEGRITY....DO WHAT WE SAY WE WILL DO, WHEN WE SAY WE WILL DO IT AND BE SURE THAT WHATEVER WE ARE DOING, WE ARE GIVING OUR BEST SO GOD RECEIVES THE GLORY!!!!

 If we do these things, then the best part of this Scripture will come to fruition....when we have chosen the first three life-altering courses of living, our hearts will be filled with love, adoration and JOY...and we will DELIGHT IN THE LORD...His desires will truly be our own!!! We will no longer pray with our selfish agenda for God to give us the desires of our heart; rather we will pray for HIS DESIRES TO BE ACCOMPLISHED IN OUR LIVES and when we pray with a broken and contrite heart, GOD STANDS READY, WILLING AND ABLE TO MEET US AT THE POINT OF OUR NEED AND GIVE US ANSWERS TO OUR PRAYERS.  It is only then that our connection to Him will grow stronger; and in good measure, we will see the hand of God work in ways we could not fathom before. When we have met the Lord at this juncture in our walk with Him we will see that when we pray for our needs, in accordance with the work God is doing in our lives, we will become mature in our relationship with our Heavenly Father and know that the answer to our every prayer is on its way...in the perfect timing of the One who loves us and gave His only Son so that we may become children of the Most High!

 So, what is your answer to my question? Are you delighting in the Lord? Are you confident that your prayers will be answered...all in God's perfect timing? If so, congrats and keep up the good work of living for and delighting in the Father. If not, grab a copy of His Holy Word and dig into its pages; it is there that God will begin to speak to you and prepare your heart to delight in HIM!

It is a place where old things will pass away and a place of new beginnings; it is where you will become a new creature in Him and the journey that begins here will give way to a life of....

 LOVE...JOY....and never-ending  DELIGHT!!!

 

Settling in the land...living in delight,

WPQ

 

 

Poem for the day....

 If trials and troubles have beset you

And you decided that you should pray;

But your prayers bounce off the ceiling

And no answers come your way...

 

Then maybe it's time to examine

Your relationship with Him;

For you just can't reach out in prayer

Like it's just another whim.

 

It takes a prayer warrior

That seeks the Father's light;

For when you seek to honor Him

In your heart you will delight.

 

For His answer is just waiting

For those hearts filled with His delight;

And He will always answer prayers

For those who love and seek His light!

 

WPQ © November 2020