Sabbath Prayer and Blessing

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for another opportunity to come into Your presence on Your Holy Sabbath Day, and to be able to offer You thanks, and give You praise for keeping us through the week now past.

Thank you, Father, for the blessings you have bestowed upon us, for those seen and unseen, known and unknown and for the protection You provided against perils that we never even considered or imagined.

Father, we thank You for the Gift of Calvary which allows us to come to You personally, without fear or trembling, to present our petitions.

We ask you, Father, to help us not to be so contented with the things of this life that we forget You. Help us to not be so concerned with our trials and tribulations that we forget the bounties You bestow each and every day, and the wonders un-imagined that are in store for us when, with the aid and indwelling of Your Holy Spirit, and our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, we ascend to heights unknown.

Father, we ask a special blessing upon Your children  around the planet whether sick, suffering, dying persecuted or prosecuted for their faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ, in war zones, and in the midst of drought and famine. We ask You to provide for each according to his or her need for food, for shelter, clean water, warm and clean clothing, a kindly word, a thoughtful deed, care, comfort, help and healing.

Father, have mercy on the leaders of our nations, and the leaders of Your flock. Help these men and women not to stray from the straight and narrow path and to do right in Your sight. Help our ministers to teach and preach the undiluted Word and to seek You Face in all their works and deeds.

Father, we invite You to come and abide with us during these Sabbath hours as we take our rest in You.

Oh, Lord, bless, and pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us that we may bear good fruit to Your honor and glory.

We  ask these mercies in the name of Jesus Christ the Righteous, and thank You for hearing and answering our prayer. We love You, Lord.

AMEN

Revelation 3:19 Whom He Loves He Chastens

Revelation 3:19 (KJV)

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: 

be zealous therefore, and repent.

Dear Ones,

I sincerely hope that this note finds all of you in good spirits, and doing well.

I am currently doing a write-up on two of the seven church ages, and the verse above became one of my memory verses.

With this verse in mind, I am encouraged to remind us to remember that our Almighty God loves us better than any human parent can.

Jesus Christ gave His best, His life, so that we can have eternal life.

His sacrifice was not happenstance! It was a plannedstance! He created us, and put contingency plans in place for us weak creatures of the sod. He left not one thing to chance!

Jesus loves us, and because He loves us, He rebukes us AND chastises us, not in the manner to make us afraid of Him, but in a manner which clearly says:

   "Child of mine, I love you

So hearken to what I say

Walk on the straight and narrow, and

Don't let sin carry you away!

Your heart is willing to obey

But your flesh gets in the way

So when you step off the path of right

I'll call you to straighten up right away!

Please don't be dismayed when I rebuke you

Please don't think I'm casting you away

Please don't murmur about your chastisement

Please accept it, repent, and pray!

I rebuke you, My child, because I love you

I chastise you so you will know that I care

About your soul's salvation, and

Perfecting your character for the Courts Above!

I'm coming soon, so prepare me a welcome

Keep your lamp filled with oil and always prepared

Let your light be shed abroad -- be My Ambassador

Let nothing keep you from welcoming your Lord!

So, My child, keep your eyes focused on Me

Study My Word, My Love Letter to you

Keep My commandments and a song in your heart, child

Go on my errands for, indeed, My coming is very near! **BJC**

PLEASE ENJOY THIS RENDITION OF: You'll Never Walk Alone by Wintley Phipps

      

Choose Jesus

Choose Jesus

I decided to follow Jesus

No one made that decision for me

I understood quite well what it was that I was doing

And I look forward in faith to eternity

I knew that there would be problems

With friends, family and associates

Who wondered aloud about whatever was the big deal

About having wings and sitting all day on a cloud

They said that Christianity was just a panacea

For the old, the young, and the very strange

And asked me a question, oh quite directly

If I was sure I was getting deranged?

I tried not to be offended since

I knew they had all been misinformed

Misdirected, and even lied to

So I decided to try to repair the brand

Jesus loves all the little children

Sinners, the blind, the halt and even the deaf

He heals and comforts, and He gently restores them

And invites all to spend Eternity with Him by and by

Jesus gave each, and every body, a free will

To their own path and way to choose

Whatever decision you decide to make is yours, friend

But there is Heaven to gain should you so choose

There will be Peace in that Valley of Promise

But the Vale of Tears, thank God, will be no more

We'll meet the Righteous, and the Heroes of all the ages

And live in harmony first a millennium in the sky

Oh, how I long to talk with my Creator

And ask Him questions that only He the answers know

To rest, and to speak to all of the sages

Whose inspired wisdom He caused to overflow

I choose Jesus to love, to obey and honor

For His yoke is easy, and even His burden it is very light

Trust Him, reach out, and hold even to death on to Him

You'll see Him face to face, forever, by and by

Love Him, and keep His commandments to prove it

Endeavor to live a life of purity – He will aid

Cast aside the idols and fleshly lusts that ensnare you

He'll soon be here at the unfolding of the sky

Give Him your heart, your will and your way, friend

He died to prove that you're important to Him

Trust no one else to guide, protect and to shield you

Jesus Christ will call you His very own elect

Very soon, King Jesus and the entourage of Heaven

Will all appear in that bright eastern sky

The Dead-in-Christ will rise, and the Living Faithful will join them

Together they'll meet King Jesus, with the angels, in the sky

Won't you please join me and choose King Jesus

To love, to worship, and, yes, we must Him adore

He, alone, is faithful, He's not a man that He'd have to lie

He proved His love for you – He was scourged, He bled and then He died!

He has inscribed our names in the palms of His hands

So, please, don't fear the enemy of our souls

Christ covered us believers in His blood's sacrifice

So come plod on, the end is drawing nigh

Lord, strengthen us, for the battle that is coming

Give us Grace to stand, and comfort You our souls

We hold the Promise – Eternal Life! Yes! Forever more!

For our God sits down upon The Great White Throne!

Let's hold the fort for we know that He is coming

Let's labor on whilst it is yet the day

The night is coming where no man can labor

So let's join in prayer for God's everlasting day!

Father: We love You, we praise You, and we worship You.

Have mercy on us even as we pray. AMEN

Choosing to Follow

Jesus

Comes With a Cost!

Father, Forgive Me!

Heavenly Father,

I come to You  today with a contrite heart and beseech Your forgiveness.

I ask you, Lord, to forgive me for all the times I did not trust You to make 

a way for me; for all the times I ignored Your wise counsel not to make 

a move and paid a heavy price for disobedience; for all those times that 

I have been willful, and hard-headed and chose to walk in my own wisdom; 

for all those times I chose to ignore  conscience and knowingly did what 

I knew to be  wrong in Your sight. Oh, Father, forgive me! Father, I beseech

You to forgive me for my often lack of faith in You, my Almighty God.

I beseech You, Father, to forgive me for the many times I have given

You my burdens only to take them back and made matters worse.

Father, I am sorry for being an often wayward child, and I ask You to help

me to stay on the straight and narrow path, and to always 

do right even in the face of rabid opposition.  Father, I love You, and I ask

these mercies in the name of Jesus Christ, the Righteous, and I thank You for

hearing and answering prayer. AMEN.

Because He Lives

Because He Lives

I was enjoying singing a favorite song of mine, Because He Lives, when the following thought came to me. I used the testimony of verse one, and the chorus, of Because He Lives to write my inspiration. Please take a moment to think on it! BJ

God sent His Son

He didn't have to come!

They called Him Jesus

The miracle-worker!

He came to love, heal and forgive

He did it all for love for free!

He bled and died

That was HIS decision!

To buy my pardon

I can't pay Him back!

An empty grave is there to prove

He said it couldn't hold him!

My Savior lives!

He kept His promise to rise again!

I Serve A Risen Savior, so

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow

Blessed Assurance, Jesus IS Mine!

Because He lives, all fear is gone

Faith, Faith Is The Victory!

Because I know who holds the future

Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!

My life is worth the living just because He lives!

Jesus, My Lord, Will Love Me Forever!

AMEN

God DOESN'T Change

God DOESN'T Change

The Lord is still on His throne

And the Truth is still the Truth

Don't let the skeptics sway you now

For Jesus is soon coming down – the signs are around you!

Some people they would have you believe

That our God IS rolling with the times

Don't trust their word I pray you

For they're just trying to sway you – from the Truth!

Malachi 3 verse 6 clearly says

“For I am the Lord, I change not; …”

So when someone you trust is telling you otherwise

You'll know that they're among the unwise – don't trust them!

Yesterday, today, forever and ever

Our God is always the same

No fits or starts with commands to amend

On His Sure Word you can always depend – believe it!

It's only those with personal agendas

And remits from that Dragon so foul

Who whistle in the wind, spit up in the air

And put truth-seekers on three-legged chairs – unclean spirits!

I beseech, I'll plead, I'll even beg you if I need

To make sure of what it is you believe

Take down the old Bible from off the top shelf

And read the Word's Words for yourself – they're trustworthy!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Master warned us in Matthew 24:4 to ... “Take

heed that no man deceive you.” This was/is no idle warning as,

at this time of the end, many are changing, misinterpreting,

deleting, questioning, doubting and causing others to doubt

the Inspired Word, and even trying to force others

to deny the Lord Jesus Christ on penalty of death!

I implore you to know for your own self:

(1) in whom you believe;

(2) why you believe in this being;

(3) whether you can stand up and DEFEND your belief; and

(4) if you are willing to die for said belief!

We are living in perilous times, and soon we will all

have to face the “music” if we CHOOSE (and it is a choice)

to “STAND UP, STAND UP FOR JESUS!”

I am asking each one of us to take the time to write

a sentence or paragraph or essay outlining

WHY we have our hope in Jesus Christ.

Are you able to say why?

YOU had better be sure for yourself because

neither the Bishop, Pastor, Preacher, Teacher, Guru,

Priest, Apostle, Guide, Companion,

nor the Prophet can answer for you!

Stand up for AND Hold on to King Jesus!

BJ

What Does it Profit a Man

What Does it Profit a Man

This world has nothing to offer me

Except a lost sinner's unremarkable grave

For between life's start and the finish thereof

Is a few laughs that aren't even close to sincere

The prince of this world is a master of

Deception, wickedness and destruction

He offers toys and some so-called joys

And the assured loss of your election

What profit the world if your soul is lost

And Christ's promise of eternity forfeited

Think carefully, for the way is broad

That leads to sorrow and soul affliction

You can look forward to spills, and lots of cheap thrills

Dread disease, broken homes, and fear

Your toys then become terrors that bleach the soul

Until it's like dead bones in the valley of decision

That, my friend, is all that's left

When you seek after this world

With all its greed, and need for speed

That put you on the wrong side of heaven

Forgive me, but I will not walk with you

This world has nothing to offer me

I prefer the narrow path, hard though it be

That leads me to Christ for Eternity. **BJC**

Do You Praise Him?

Do You Praise Him?

Don't sell your soul for earthly gain

That will not avail you much

Look to your God, Almighty He

He is The King!

Do you praise Him?

Don't sell your soul for man's applause

For laurels, medals, and honor

It's fleeting, friend

Avails you nothing, then

He IS The King!

Do you praise Him?

Jewels and crowns, suits, furs and gowns

They rust and decay

They get stolen away

What, then, will you say?

Jesus is the King!

Do you think to praise Him?

Don't let things cause you to play

To go out and stray –

You know you'll pay!

Please turn away from sin

Turn away and pray

Please come to Him today

Please don't delay

Don't be led astray

His love made the way

Come, now, and praise HIM! **BJC**

What Wondrous Love

What Wondrous Love

He loves me.

Why should I care?

I didn't ask Him!

Please go away!

He offers me gifts.

I don't want them!

I didn't ask Him!

Please go away!

He promises life –

No sorrow, no shame!

I didn't ask Him!

He wouldn't go away!

He pleaded!

He beseeched!

He loves me!

Oh, did He teach!

He was willing!

He died!

He went away!

I cried!

I MISS HIM!!

Three days later He arose

Glorified

Defeated the foe

Went to the Father up above

Oh, how I need HIM!

Heart opened now

I am in love

He sent His Spirit

Showed more love

Bless His name

He despised the shame

He will come again –

I really need HIM!

Oh, praise our God

Jesus bore all for love

Of you and me

He'll come again

'Tis very plain

To destroy the last

Vestige of sin's stain

And at last His Beloved Bride claim –

HE's coming for ME!

Praise to our God who

Time, and again

Redeeming Love

His Heart proclaimed

I love HIM

Oh, I love HIM so

Through Grace of God

I'm not letting go –

JESUS LOVES ME!! **BJC**

Good Christian

Good Christian

I heard one day of Good Christian

And for a moment I couldn't understand

If over there Good Christian see

Then over yonder Bad Christian be.

Good Christian as we're sure to know

Is gentle, helpful, no worldly flow

Means then Bad Christian is likely

Suffering chronic, and putting on a hyper-show.

Good Christian is eager, approachable too

Bad Christian suffers lassitude and ingratitude, who knew?

Good Christian has fine morals he wears like a skin

Bad Christian – catch him offside – he swears at his kin!

Good Christian seeks to his wisdom share

Bad Christian shows knowledge with so great a flair

Good Christian exhibits a right kindly glow

Bad Christian never fears to tell who he knows.

I tell you all this so that you would know

Wherever the rabbit, the fox it will show!

Good Christian, Bad Christian, the wheat and the tare

Together, a-growing, same garden they share!

Our Bible tells us to watch the fruit

Because a bad tree never a good fruit seed

Bitter water cannot good water contain

And hot mout' will speak what cold heart enchain!

So when you see Christian Good and Bad

Look to Jesus, and then be glad

For Gentleness, goodness, and honesty, see right

In the mien of him who is following the Light! **BJC**

THEY CAN'T HIDE!

Have Faith in GOD!

Have Faith in GOD!

Have faith in God

He is your great Creator

Have faith in God

He made the earth, the seas

Have faith in God

His love for you is infinite

Have Faith, Dear Ones, in God!

Have faith in God

The Father – He is Holy!

Have faith in God

The Son – He is your Savior and Friend!

Have faith in God

The Holy Spirit – the Comforter!

Have faith, Dear Ones, in God!

Have faith in God

He made the Plan of Redemption

Have faith in God

His Son, our Sacrifice

He lived and died

And rose again to glory

Have faith in God

The King is coming soon!

Fret no yourself

O'er Satan's wily deceits, friend

Love you your Lord

His Precepts you must live

Offer your prayers and praise

Each passing day, friend

Reach out your hands

The Savior He will guide!

Give Him your burdens

You know that He can bear them

Live for His Kingdom coming very soon

To take us Home with Loved Ones gone before, friend

The battle's won!

And, yes, indeed, we know it!

Keep your faith, Dear Ones, in GOD! **BJC**

WE WIN!!

Lord, Prepare Me

Father, Have mercy on me,  a sinner.  

Father, I am digging into Your Holy Word seeking after knowledge, and I ask You to help me to see Your truth, 

and not the truth that evil men would have me 

believe for their gain as I search through the many and various study materials to aid my understanding of Your Word.  

I ask You to shield my eyes, my ears, and my heart from the personal interpretations, outright lies, and carefully 

crafted deceits of the enemy of my soul, and help me, Lord, 

to keep my eye on the prize, Home. 

Oh, how my heart longs for Home. Home with Jesus. 

You have promised in Your Holy Word that You 

will have a people prepared and ready to meet the King. 

Please, I beseech You, help me, under the agency of 

Your Holy Spirit, to be ready, possessing all 

the fruit of Your Spirit, and living as only a 

Child of the King, can. I love You, Lord. 

Please come soon. AMEN

If Only

If Only

If only are the saddest words,

Ever uttered by a man,

Because they speak of the broken dreams,

Of someone who now needs a hand!

If only is a feeling

Brought on by sad regrets

Of things we should have done differently

And now wish we could correct!

If only — broken promises,

Hopes buried, unspoken words,

All the things we never accomplished,

But, you know, there’s ever the Lord!

So don’t worry about unchangeable things

Get down on your knees and pray

To live life according to His will

And “If only” won't ever come your way! **BJC**

The Contrite Heart

The Contrite Heart

If only ...

I should have ...

I could have ...

Maybe if ...

Perhaps I ...

So Sorry for Self-inflicted Sorrow.

Useless!

Unchanging!

Unchangeable!                  It's ... Too late!

I CAN'T CHANGE IT!! 

But I Can … REPENT!

Joel 2: 13 – And rend your heart, and not your garments, and

turn unto the Lord your God: for He [is] gracious and

merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth

Him of the evil.

I Am FORGIVEN!

2 Timothy 2:15 – Study to show thyself approved unto God, a

workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the

word of truth.

The Hidden Meaning Behind the Word IMPOSSIBLE

The Hidden Meaning Behind the Word IMPOSSIBLE

Most days, minding my own business is easy for me but this particular day was not one of them. 

 I sat and openly listened to the conversation going on around me because the theme of it was how “impossible” this is to handle, how “impossible” that was to overcome, and how life was “impossible.” Everything in the conversation was impossible.

I was so intrigued by what I heard that my thoughts went off on a tangent of their own as I tried to figure out why we, humans, believe that impossible is a word worthy of use, and why we automatically default to impossibilities when faced with life’s challenges.

I started writing the various definitions for the word “Impossible” on my notepad and was astounded to notice that there was a pattern emerging:

The Hidden Meaning Behind the Word IMPOSSIBLE
The Light of Life	Parts of Impossible	The Dark Side
Inc(k) - to write what you know Congruous - things that fit In-Us - is the answer to everything (remember that you are the temple of God, and the Holy Spirit lives in you) 1 Corinthians 3:16	Incongruous	Con - I fooled you
Inc(k) - to write what you know Conceive - birth the concept Able - you can do it	Inconceivable	Con - I fooled you
Logic - let’s reason this out	Illogical	Ill - you’re going be sick before you finish
Uni - single mindedness Imagine - the possibilities Able - you can do it	Unimaginable	Un-Able - you can’t do it
Able - you can do it Desire - you must want it	Undesirable	Un-Able - you can’t even see it
Able - you can do it Suit - put on your armor to do battle Suitable - it’s good enough for you	Unsuitable	Un-Able - you can’t do it
Able - you can do it Ten - they’re 10 reasons why you can do it	Untenable	Un-Able - you can’t do it Ten - they’re 10 reasons why you can’t do it
Able - you can do it Think - that it’s possible and doable	Unthinkable	Un-able - you can’t do it Think - impossible
Able - it can be done Work - put your back and mental effort into it	Unworkable	Un-able - it can’t be done AND Un-able - you can’t do it
Probe - dig for deeper meaning Probable - it’s doable Able - you can do it	Improbable	Imp - I’m going to give trouble Bab(b)le - You’re talking nonsense
Proper - it’s all good Prop - lean on the Father Rope - wrap up with truth	Improper	Imp - I’m going to give trouble Rope - I’m going to tie you in knots
I’m Able - yes, I am! Practice - you’ve got to work at it Practicable - it can be done	Impracticable	Imp - I’m going to give you trouble
Able - you can do it Surmountable - you can overcome it Insure - look to your faith for insurance	Insurmountable	Un-Able - you can’t do it
Prep - you need to prepare yourself Poster - write down what you know	Preposterous	peter (out) - your strength will fail before you accomplish this

The more I looked at the word “Impossible” and all the things it means, I realized that there was mischief afoot.

That’s when I saw the “Imp” who freely ran around wreaking havoc whenever we uttered the word “Impossible” which was the Pandora’s box in which he dwelt — obviously, he was not alone.

When I considered the kinds of friends someone like this would keep company with, I realized that it was time to expose him for what he is — a liar and a cheat and a perjurer and a trickster. A demon.

He was carrying his friends, Ill, Unable, Peter, Babble, Con and Rope to confuse, confound, puzzle and perplex us and cause us to throw up our hands in defeat. This is how they do it:

The imp makes us feel ill and useless and the con tricks us into feeling as though our strength has petered so that rope can tie us up in so many knots so that our thoughts defy logic rendering us unable to think of 10 things to put on a poster to give us the will to suit up and mount an attack to work toward our goals. In so doing, we will throw up our hands in disgust and cry “Impossible” and give up the fight.

          Now, since we know how they lead us to failure and disillusionment, here’s how we can fight 

them:

Nothing is impossible with God! Acknowledge it, believe it and live 

it. We need to realize and accept that in each of us is the means to 

solving all our problems. We need to be single-minded in the pursuit 

of our goals, after saying “Thy will be done!.”

We must remember that we are indeed able and that we must suit up 

for our success – must look the part – and make preparations to 

succeed. We must acknowledge that we can’t do “it” by ourselves and 

that our back prop is the Father.

We should then write (ink) down on our poster the 10 things which we 

believe make this “thing” which we desire, possible, after we have 

ascertained that it is indeed good and proper for us to have it.

We must then probe for the truth of the thing we desire, and imagine 

that it is ours for the taking.

We are then required to put all things in perspective to make sure that 

these things match, or belong together.

We should then map out the logical steps to be taken to achieve this

goal, and then take out insurance from the Father against those 

naysayers who are purveyors of self-doubt and indecision.

Thereafter, with work, i.e., mental and physical effort, clear focus and 

faith that all things are possible, we will overcome.

Anything and Everything is now indeed possible! 

Impossible

Impossible is not a word

That I care to conceive

Because it makes a liar of

The King whom I believe!

And since the King whom I believe

Has never let me down

Impossible is not a word

Around me to be found!

For me, all things are possible

Impossible holds no dread

Believe God — He will deliver

And impossible will be dead! **BJC**