Pledges

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 I gave this message at church this past Sunday.  I didn't realize that some of this information was new to some of the adults. 

Children’s Moments Message

September 25, 2022

I have been thinking about promises lately, sometimes we call them pledges. A pledge is a sincere promise we make. We make one to our nation’s flag, another one to the Bible, and one to the Christian flag.

In all three pledges, we promise to be loyal to each of these.

Pledge to the American flag

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which is stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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Pledge to the Bible

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word. A lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. It’s words I will hide in my heart, that I might not sin against God. ⁽¹⁾

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Pledge to the Christian flag

I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands, one Savior, crucified, risen again, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe. ⁽²⁾

We have those items in our sanctuary here at Cross Roads. I discovered something I did not know about the Christian flag. I knew there is a cross in a blue section, and the rest of the flag is white. Here’s what I learned:

#The shade of red in the Cross reminds us of Jesus’ blood that He shed because He took our sins away.

#The blue reminds us of the water of baptism. It also reminds us of Jesus’ loyalty to God.

#The white reminds us of Jesus’ purity. He was without sin until He went to the Cross for us. ⁽³⁾

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^1.http://www.ccabrazil.org/uploads /4/3/5/9/4359809/christian_flag__bible_pledges.pdf

2. IBID.

3. http://en.wikiepedia.org/Christian _Flag#:-text=The Christian Flag was first to arrive for the event/

God’s Goodness

 

Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which you have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence in the presence of the sons of men!

Psalm 31:19 (NKJV)

As children, we learned the table grace, “God is Great, God is good.” Somewhere in the process of growing up, we seem to forget how great God really is.

As we look around our world, we see people take for granted that God loves them and the many ways He provides for us.

When we pray, we need to begin with the words, “Thank You,” or even “Forgive us, Father,” We need to remember that all we have and all we are, we owe to Him and His graciousness.

We learn to trust God and His goodness as we go through the trials and hardships of life here on earth. I don’t need to elaborate on the many trials people to through to you who read this; I am certain that each of you have gone through trials of various sorts.

As I type this essay, I am trusting Him to guide my husband and myself through the day tomorrow as we go for his pro-operative tests for his surgery early in August. This time has been one of learning for me.

We all see things that remind us of God’s goodness to us, His children. In return, we must show His love to the world. We should always remember that He died for our sins Because of that act we will be able to spend eternity with God.

What Will It Take?

This is a departure from this month's theme. I felt so moved by hearing an answer to my thought. Because of this experience, I am also journaling this verse, one phrase as a time.

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quiet spirit 

Recently, as I read our local newspaper, I became sad about the violence occurring in our cities, our nation, and our world: People unable to peacefully resolve their differences, others, carrying weapons going into schools and taking out the lives of defenseless children and those called to educate them.

 

Memorial Day weekend saw multiple mass shootings across our nation. These followed the Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York tragedies.

 

As I was working in my kitchen, I wondered, “What will it take for order to come back to our world?” I received an answer to my question. “If my people. . .will humble themselves and pray.”

 

 If My people who are called by My name,

            The Lord is speaking about those who say they belong to Him. 

            He knows our hearts.

 

will humble themselves”

            We must recognize our sin, confess it to Jesus and leave it with Him.

 

 and pray

            Go before the LORD and ask Him to guide us, to help us conquer these sinful                issues.

 and seek my face.

            Diligently look for the LORD. Spend quantity time with Him.

 

 and turn from their wicked ways,

            Renounce and forsake the evil thoughts, and actions. Move away from anything              that God dislikes in us. Repent from the questionable language and behaviors.

 

 then I will hear from heaven

            The LORD patiently waits to hear us calling out to Him. He listens whenever we call upon Him.

 

and will forgive their sin

            God, in return, will forgive His people of their sin. He will not remember them.

 

 and heal their land

            God will heal those things that continually vex His people.

 

Some things to think on:

 

1.         Do we need to humble ourselves?

2.         Have we harbored “Christian” sins in our hearts?

3.         Do we truly pray, seeking His will or do we dictate to God what we want?

4.         Do we spend quantity time in prayer as we  seek His guidance, or do we pray on the run?

5.         If we have any bad thoughts and habits, do we want to give them up?

 

 

 

 

 

  

Here I Am To Worship

 

            We sang this at church last Sunday. I  love the words. I thought you would as well.

Blessed are the Peacemakers

 

                 

 

biblestudytools.com

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. Matthew 5:9 (NKJV)

 

Have you ever wondered what a peacemaker is? “The word translated peacemakers comes from a verb meaning “to join together.” It pictures two opposing forces that are being reconciled. Peacemakers experience joy and excitement as they help others reconcile with God and with one another. ⁽¹⁾

 

Someone whose role is a peacemaker must have certain qualities that set them apart for that work. Those to whom they minister must see Jesus in them. We have peacemakers in our lives, but we sometimes don’t recognize them. One who truly is a peacemaker keeps confidences and does not hold past issues over the heads of those involved.  They never start conversations in a group with: “Why I remember when she (or he) . . .”

 

Jesus was a peacemaker. Let us all strive to be one as well.

 

(1)   Jeremiah Study Bible © 2013, David Jeremiah, Inc /study note page 1288)

Jesus is the Vine

 

Steve Thomason

 

                                                                “I am the vine, you are the

                                                branches. He who abides in Me, and I in

                                                him, bears much fruit; for without Me

                                                you can do nothing. If anyone does not

                                                abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch

                                                and is withered; and they gather them                      

and throw them into the fire and they

                                                are burned. John 15: 5-6 (NKJV)

               

                               

Jesus continues his comparison by stating that He is the vine and those who follow Him are the branches. That is a potent statement for the disciples to hear. He continues by saying something that must have shaken them to their cores. Simply stated, he tells them they can do nothing to save someone or to minister to their broken spirits unless He is present and working in the circumstance. We must remember this when we present the Gospel to those around us.

 

Per the scripture, those who do not abide in Christ and chose to continue going their own way are punished for their disobedience.

 

Without Jesus’ guidance in our lives, we cannot become the persons He has planned for us to be.  We must learn to remain in Him, no matter what we face in our earthly life.

 

A couple at our church went through a very difficult time. They both lost their jobs; then, they lost their house. The husband decided that they would stay with God and see how He would work things out for them. The church helped them by referring people to them if the people had odd jobs that needed to be done. They found a place to live. He found a new job within walking distance from their new home.  He shared this story when he was asked to speak on Laity Sunday one year.

Book Review: Lead like Christ By A. W. Tozer

Amazon.com

This book is edited by James L. Snyder.

Dr. Snyder has compiled a series of sermons based on the New Testament book of Titus by A.W. Tozer.

 

Tozer aims his writings to “those with an incurable hunger and thirst for the deep things of God.”  [1]

 

This should be considered a workbook to raise up men and women to become the Christian leaders needed in our world today.

 

I found myself caught up by the concept of purpose. Some of today’s believers follow Christ but do not realize they have a purpose for following him. It can be a challenge for some Christ-followers to discover their purpose. I know it was mine. I found out just recently that our purpose can change as we advance in age and deterioration of our state of health.

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is seriously searching for a closer walk with the LORD. Because of the shortness of each chapter, I believe it would make a good study book for a small group made up of such Christians. I would also recommend this to be in any pastor’s personal library. 

 

(1.) Lead like Christ, by A.W. Tozer and James Snyder, Bethany House, © (James Snyder), 2021, page 7.

 

 

 

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[1]

Use Our Gifts to Serve

 

Christianity.com

 

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

 

I recently wrote that our spiritual gifts were for our employment. By this, I meant that we are to use our gifts to enlarge the kingdom of God.

 

Sometimes, I wonder if I am not obeying the message Peter wrote to the scattered believers. Then I read a response to a text or a comment on Facebook that tells me I have done or said the right thing. Due to the COVID pandemic, things have changed dramatically. There are still restaurants in our city that have not reopened. A friend mentioned one that had been a viable business on the near southside of town seemed not to be reopened yet.

 

One way we have been able to serve others is to continue our prayer ministry. For quite a while we met via conference calls on our mobile phones. This spring we have tried to meet in the gazebo in our prayer garden.

When it is too hot (80+ degrees) or rainy we meet in the fellowship hall of the church building.

Our prayer group has a text group that we use when we are aware of a need in our families or our community. We use it when we are not meeting.

 

When I sat down to work on this, I had a personal message from one of my Facebook friends who was in the youth group I was in back in the day. He had commented on a post I shared about people with cancer. He commented that his stepson had cancer. I responded by asking him to PM me and give me the stepson’s name. I would add him to my prayer list. He messaged me and seemed grateful for the added prayer.

 

That seems to me how God wants us to work.

Serve One Another In Love

 

                                 

Pinterest

 

 

 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13 (NIV)

 

Paul writes to the Galatians that we are to serve one another in love. He warns them, and us, that our freedom should not be used in a questionable or sinful way.

 

How can we keep from causing hurt to others when we serve them? We should ask the LORD to guide us in our actions and our speech as well as our attitudes.

 

Sometimes we must engage what some call filters in our speech. (Gauge how something might sound if we spoke certain things.)

 

Other times, we must just do our jobs and choose not to listen to things that cause us to slip up and fall into the ‘world mode’.  This takes some maturity in Christ.

 

We must remember that God loves those we serve and those who serve with us as much as He loves us.

 

 

The Gift of Wisdom

 

quotefancy.com 

Dear Blogging Friends: I have been dealing with taking a new med that seems to have given me several side effects. Hence, my absence from here for a good week or more. I appreciate your prayers that I am able to get through this issue as I am supposed to take this med for a lengthy period of time. Thank you, in advance.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.

                                                                                                             James 3:17 (NIV)

                We hear a lot about wisdom and about knowledge. I once heard that knowledge                               is what we know but wisdom is how we apply that knowledge.

James tells us that wisdom loves peace. Sometimes, we must let God’s wisdom guide us through difficult circumstances. These can be some personal issues or the circumstances a friend has.

He further tells us that wisdom is considerate. We have times when we must put ourselves in another’s shoes before we decide how to respond to a situation.

When we seek God’s wisdom, we must submit to His Will and His direction. Even though doing that goes against our humanity.

When we exercise our gift of mercy, we must be able to extend our hands in times of another’s need.

In exercising this gift of wisdom, it is important to remember not to ‘take sides’ in an issue. And we must be sincere about our words, thoughts, and deeds.

                A lady from church was terribly sick last month. I called her to check on her one time during her illness (COVID)  and decided not to bother her again. When she tried to talk, she got to coughing so hard that she really could not talk. I chose to pray for her as I could. She called me when she got to feeling a lot better. I shared with her why I had not checked on her more than one time. She understood.

                One of my cousins called me this afternoon, she had COVID back in November. In our conversation, she said something about her emphysema worsening. She then told me it was from the COVID. She had the original COVID six months ago.  We are both learning about using wisdom considering our individual health circumstances.

At The Cross

Book Review: Flooded

 

By Nicki Korziarz

                            (The 5 Best Decisions to Make When Life is Hard and Doubt is Rising)

 

Ms. Nicki Korziarz has written a book dealing with the tough issues of life. She divides her book into what she calls five decisions, each of which has three chapters.

In each section, she shares with the reader some of the times she felt swamped and even inundated by the events that touched her life. She also relates these decisions to the life of Noah.

 

Each of us have had times of uncertainty as we try to deal with difficulties that life throws our way. We see that Noah displayed obedience and followed God’s directions.

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who seems to be ‘hemmed in’ by stresses that seem unbearable. I would also recommend this book to those who are Christian counselors or pastors.

 

I received this book from Bethany House, free of charge. All they asked of me was that I give an unbiased review.

 

God Sees Me-Thomas

 

hearthymn.com

“Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my fingers where the nails were and put my hands into his side, I will not believe it.”

 “My Lord and my God!” John 20:25,28 (NIV)

 

The above verses are Thomas’ reactions to hearing of and then seeing the risen LORD. The context of the first quote tells us that Thomas was not present when Jesus first visited the disciples on the evening after his resurrection. On this first visit, Jesus’ first words were words of comfort, “Peace be with you.”

 

On Jesus’s second visit, a week later, Jesus repeats his greeting, and He addresses Thomas. He tells Thomas to do what he said were the conditions of his, Thomas’ believing that the others had seen the LORD. Thus, we read of Thomas’ affirmation, “My Lord and my God!”

 

God saw and heard Thomas voice his disbelief. We have scriptural proof that God saw Thomas. I do not believe we realize how important that was to both him and the others.

 

God does see us in our times of disbelief and doubt. He then chooses to meet that doubt and gives us what we need.

 

We had a relative who kept telling my husband that she would not come back to the LORD until after he brought a man into her life. I believe she came back to the LORD because He spoke to her heart and told her it was more important that He be a part of her life.

How often do we wish to have peace in our lives? How often do YOU want to have peace in YOUR life?

If My People. . .

 

if my people, who are called by my name,

 will humble themselves and pray

 and seek my face

 and turn from their wicked ways,

then I will hear from heaven,

 and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

These are God’s words. He spoke them at the dedication of His Temple. As I turned off the television last Wednesday morning. I just wanted to find out the latest information about two news stories in our nation. The first one story had the ending I hoped for. The second one gave me a sense of this one was going to turn into an ‘on-going’ tale that would only bring more heartache to our nation.

 

I clicked off the television, buried my head in the pillow, and cried out found myself saying, “God, please heal our land.” The next thing I knew, I found myself thinking of the above verse.

 if my people, who are called by my name,

God has aimed this message at those who bear His name. As His children and followers of Jesus Christ, His Son. He is speaking about us.

 

will humble themselves and pray

There is an order here that God expects us to follow. We are to humble ourselves first. By this, I have come to realize that we must face the reality that we are imperfect and only God is perfect. We must tell Him when we have done something He does not like.

 

and seek my face

We are to not hold back and hide from God. We are to search for Him and look into His face as we make our confessions.

and turn from their wicked ways,

God wants us to renounce our bad habits and our ways of living that do not bring glory to Him. If this seems difficult for us, we need to give that habit over to Him and let Him guide us through the process of changing our thoughts, or our habits.

 

then I will hear from heaven,

God states that He will hear our confessions and our prayers. He always hears them, no matter how long or short they happen to be.

 

and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

God forgives us when we confess our sins. That is His business. He also will heal our land. We truly need Him to heal our nation. We must do our part before He can work out our needs.

 

An added thought: I have seen several references to this scripture since this horrific event occurred. God is trying to tell us something if we would only listen.

Prince of Peace

 

Head of Christ by Sallman

He shall be called. . . Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

 

A friend of mine, now residing in heaven, told of a phone survey she was a part of. The surveyor asked her what she thought about a certain peace accord conference going on at that time. She told the person that our world would never see lasting peace until Jesus comes again. She was right. Peace only will come when Jesus returns and sets things right. He is the only one who can do that. 

 

I have learned we can only have peace for the world when each of us finds true peace, the peace that comes from Jesus, in our hearts.

Everlasting Father

 

 

Switchbacks.org

He shall be called. . . Everlasting Father. . . Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

 

Jesus, the Son of God, is eternal. There is no end to His kingdom. And He is our heavenly Father. We can tell Him anything and He will understand what our thinking is. If we look at something incorrectly, He gently guides us through how we are supposed to think, and He forgives us. He does these things out of His love and grace for us.

 

He willingly forgives us because of His great, undying love for us. His is our Father forever.

Mighty God,

 

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He shall be called. . . Mighty God. . . Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

 

God has no equal in this world. He is invincible. All victory belongs to Him. All things are under His control.

 

Although, the enemy rattles his sabers, tries to gain control of our world. It is basic to our Christian belief that we withstand the onslaught of the enemy and allow Jesus to remain victorious over our world.

 

As the time for Christ’s return approaches, we must learn to worship Him fully and truly, recognizing Him for who he is. . .the Mighty God.

 

God is My Strength

  

crumc/quiet spirit

Though the fig tree does not bud
 and there are no grapes on the vines,

 though the olive crop fails 

 and the fields produce no food, 

though there are no sheep in the pen

 and no cattle in the stalls, 

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

 I will be joyful in God my Savior. 

 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; 

 he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, 

 he enables me to tread on the heights. 

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (ESV)

 The prophet Habakkuk rejoiced in the LORD despite some extremely difficult times. The fruit was not maturing; those trees were not able to blossom. The olive crop failed. These were hard times for the Israelite nation. 

 Yet, Habakkuk chose to rejoice in the LORD. He would find joy in the small things that God did for him. He claims God as his strength, knowing God keeps his feet steady and secure. 

 In our world today, we see the worldwide and national pandemic numbers rising to heights that cause grave concern. We have seen forest fires rage through our western states, hurricanes pelter our southern and eastern states, the advent of killer bees. This past summer, we saw civil unrest move across our nation. Even now, after our presidential election, we still have uncertainty. 

 Whatever side you believe is right in this uncertainty about the election’s outcome, we must realize that God has this and all other issues under His control. We must find some things in our lives in which to rejoice and for which to thank God. 

 We must trust God without reservation, for all that comes into our lives. Abraham left his homeland not knowing where God was leading him. Moses led the Israelite people out of bondage, trusting God as the Israelite people grumbled and complained about everything. Ruth left her native land to accompany Naomi as she went back to her homeland. Ruth did not know if they would make it to Naomi’s homeland or how she would be received by Naomi’s people. 

 Yes, God is our strength. Like Habakkuk, we must believe that no matter what we face.

Praise the LORD (part two)

 

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“For God alone my soul waits in silence;

From him comes my salvation.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

My fortress: I shall not be greatly shaken.”

Psalm 62:1-2 (ESV)

 

These are the words of David.

 

“For God alone”

 

David had a special relationship with God. Yes, we know David was human. He sought forgiveness from the LORD.

 

Only God, through Jesus, forgives us of our sins, we should await His guidance for our lives. Like David, we should seek forgiveness from God and then from others.

 

“my soul waits in silence”

 

David sought out the LORD patiently, quietly, expectantly waiting for the guidance he needed.

 

We should learn to wait for God. He sometimes speaks in whispers; therefore, we should learn to be silent before Him.

 

“He alone is my rock and salvation”

 

Only God is David’s strength and He is the only one who saved David from his sins.

 

God gives us the strength to go on when we are ‘down’ physically, emotionally, and mentally.

 

“my fortress”

 

God was David’s stronghold against Saul and against his own sons.

 

God is the strong front when we face difficult, even traumatic times.

 

“I shall not be shaken”

 

David realized that God would uphold him as he faced those who opposed him.

 

When we rely on God and wait for His guidance and leading, we, like David, will be able to stand firm for what we believe.   

This spoke to me this afternoon. Next Tuesday afternoon, I have an appointment to see a specialist at a hospital in Indy. I can feel God's presence and the prayers of all those who are praying for me. Our son, Roger came home Saturday afternoon and stayed until Sunday afternoon. Please pray for us. God is in control.

The LORD, Our Help

scpeanutgallery.com 

I lift my eyes to the hills—

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,

The Maker of heaven and earth.

The Psalmist asks and answers a basic question of humanity. He realizes his help comes from the creator, not the creation.

He will not let your foot slip—

He who watches over you will not

Slumber;

The LORD will not let us fall into sin.

He does not sleep lightly.

indeed, he who watches over Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

               

The Psalmist intensifies his thought of the LORD always being alert to our needs.

 

The LORD watches over you—

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

The sun will not harm you by day

Nor the moon by night.

                Our Creator keeps close tabs on us, His children. He protects us from the                                              elements throughout the day and the night.

               

The LORD will keep you from all harm—

He will watch over your life;

The LORD will watch over your

Coming and going

Both now and forevermore.

                The LORD keeps us safe from ALL harm, watching over our lives, our movements                               each day from when we are conceived until our time here on earth is finished.