Daily Word of God

Daily Word for Wed 12/23/2009 "God Will Lift You Up, When You Fall"

Today's Message:

"For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice... O wretched man that I am!  Romans 7:19,24

One of the things I love about the Bible is it's honesty. Paul was an apostle. Among the gentiles, possibly, the chief apostle. Yet, here he is being very honest with us about his own struggles. I don't know about you but this sounds very familiar to me. I am stuck with this problem. I can perceive perfection, but, this side of heaven, I cannot
achieve perfection. So, knowing my weakness, I feel worthless when I fail.

I heard a song on the radio the other day which expresses this doubt well. The chorus goes: "What if I stumble? What if I fall/ Where will the love be when my walk becomes a crawl?" This fear paralyzes many Christians. I am afraid that if (or should that be when) I stumble, then God will desert me. If he stays with me, then, my fellow Christians will desert me.

Certainly, God will not leave me. When I have fallen is exactly the time he wants to help. His hand is reaching down for me to grab hold of to be lifted up even higher than before I fell. More likely than God deserting me during my time of failure is my deserting God. Very often, when I have failed, I feel so guilty that I turn away from the very one who died for my failures. As a child, when I ran too fast for my little legs and I fell down, I ran to my Mom or Dad for sympathy and a band-aid. Should I be any less trusting of my Heavenly father than I was of my earthly parents?

Unfortunately, sometimes it is true that the people I go to church with may turn away when I fail. This is not so much a judgment of me as it is of themselves. When we see another person fail, it reminds us of our own failures, so if we distance ourselves from those who have failed, we don't have to deal with our own shortcomings. However, many times this too is an unfounded fear. These are my brothers and sisters. For the most part they care for me want to see me back on my feet again. If they look down on me for the moment it is only because they are reaching down a hand to help me back up.

Yes, living the Christian life can be a risky business. I might stumble, I could fall. But all that proves is that I really need God. And those failures then become the pathway to my total dependence on him. Only when I realize t hat my legs are not up to this race, does he come on the scene and give me new legs and a new strength. Amen and Amen.

Free Online Bible All Versions
"You Version" Bible Software all versions and lots of translations including Duetsch, Espanol, Italiano and many, many more. No d/l. Clicking on Link will take you to the study verses.

http://www.youversion.com


Please Support our ministry, JJL Ministries is a Federal 501(c)3 Org on file with the IRS. Remember donations are Tax Deductible.

http://bit.ly/19PY0f




Who We Are at JJL Ministries

Pastor Jeff & Janette Lilley
PastorJJL@gmail.com
Janette4God@aol.com


Remember
A man may go to heaven......
without health, without wealth;
without fame, without a great name;
without learning, without earnings;
without culture, without beauty;
without friends and without ten thousand other things-----
But he can NEVER go to Heaven without Christ.


Copyright © 1999-2010 JJL Ministries,
All rights reserved worldwide.

Daily Word for Tues 12/22/2009 "Are You the Tare in the Wheat Field?"

Today's Message:

"Judge not, that you be not judged."  Matt 7:1

Someone had this in their email signature and I loved it: "Bless 'em all and let God sort 'em out!"

Of course, this is a take off on the ugly T-Shirt many of us have seen which says, "Kill them all and let God sort them out." Of course, my friend's email signature is more true to scripture.

Jesus tells a story that relates to this idea. He tells about a man who planted a field of wheat. But an enemy came along and sowed Tares (or weeds) in with the wheat. The field hands wanted to go out and rip out all of the weeds, but the owner of the field was wiser than his workers. He said, "No, if you pull out the tares, you might also hurt some of the wheat in the process. Let's just wait for the harvest and then separate the wheat from the tares.

Sometimes Satan comes along and sows discord within Christian communities. Having participated in a few Christian email discussion lists, I am amazed that often times my secular email list participants are more civil to each other than some of the so-called "Christians" who are downright vicious at times. Certainly, there are a lot of tares in the Christian wheat field.

And, we, as workers in the field, want to immediately rush out and rip them up by the roots. We gossip about the gossipers and hate the haters, and in so doing we simply sow more tares and hurt the innocents around us.

But I wonder what would happen if we did do as my friend advises in his email sig file. What if we did bless them, pray for them, do good for them? Hey maybe would could eventually do a little spiritual genetic re-sequencing and turn some tares into wheat. But even if we can't. It's not our job to judge them, it's Gods. So, let's just "bless them all and let God sort them out." Hallelujah, Amen and Amen.

Free Online Bible All Versions
"You Version" Bible Software all versions and lots of translations including Duetsch, Espanol, Italiano and many, many more. No d/l. Clicking on Link will take you to the study verses.

http://www.youversion.com


Please Support our ministry, JJL Ministries is a Federal 501(c)3 Org on file with the IRS. Remember donations are Tax Deductible.

http://bit.ly/19PY0f




Who We Are at JJL Ministries

Pastor Jeff & Janette Lilley
PastorJJL@gmail.com
Janette4God@aol.com


Remember
A man may go to heaven......
without health, without wealth;
without fame, without a great name;
without learning, without earnings;
without culture, without beauty;
without friends and without ten thousand other things-----
But he can NEVER go to Heaven without Christ.


Copyright © 1999-2010 JJL Ministries,
All rights reserved worldwide.

Daily Word for Mon 12/21/2009 "Come, Now is the Time to Repent"

Today's Message:

"Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge, That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, That you may answer words of truth To those who send to you?" Prov. 22:20 - 21

There are some things I am certain of.
- The sun will come up tomorrow, even if I don't and unless the Lord returns.
- The government will continue to collect taxes.
- My dogs love me.
- Jesus loves me more.
- The Father loves me so much He sent His Son to die for me.
- When I do die, I will see Jesus face to face, and I will not be afraid.

I like certainties. They are things "a man can hang his hat on." I like knowing that I have a job to go to. I like knowing that my wife loves me, warts and all. I like knowing that there is something beyond this life, and it is far better than what I have now.

I don't like uncertainties. I don't like being made to wait for the outcome of something I have no control over. I don't like owning a car that may or may not start in the morning. I don't like the feeling I get when I know I have done something wrong and anticipate the possibility of discipline.

Uncertainties are like quicksand. It looks like solid ground, but it will not support his weight. Solomon has spent the past twenty-one chapters of his book of wisdom telling us things of certainty. His words are like solid stones quarried from bedrock. We can use them to lay a solid foundation. We can use them to build beautiful walls. We can use them to provide a solid roof to protect us from the elements. His words of

wisdom direct us in the paths of righteousness. They guide us through the legal morass of the Law.

They provide a laugh from time to time and always direct our paths in God's ways. There is another certainty that I am aware of: Unless the Lord returns, I will eventually die. It may not happen tomorrow or next week or next year or ten years from now, but my body will eventually give up and I will cease to exist on this earth. What's more, it is a certainty that if we study the words of Solomon and know Jesus as our Lord and Savior that we will be able to stand before the Father without fearing death but with certainty that we are able to enter into the reward He has for us.

That's what Solomon means by the last line of today's verses, "that you may be able to correctly answer him who sent you." On that day, the Father will ask us one question: "What have you done with my Son?" We will answer honestly, for that is the only way to respond when we stand face-to-face with the God who holds our future in His hands. Most of us who read this will be able to say, "I have made Jesus my Savior and serve Him as my Lord." God will proudly say "well done" and we will enter into the place God has for us. A few may bow their heads in shame and say, "I denied Him, many times." God will utter a "depart from me" and cast those into the eternal reward for evildoers.

Perhaps you are one of the few who will stand in shame before God, if you were to die today. You don't have to. Yes, you have denied Jesus in the past, but you don't have to live in that denial. There is still time to change that decision. Accept Jesus as your Savior right now. Tell Him that you are a sinner and are sorry for your sins. Ask Him to forgive you, He longs to do that. If you accept Him, He will not deny you on the Day of Judgment. Don't delay. Respond right now... before it is too late. Amen and Amen.

Free Online Bible All Versions
"You Version" Bible Software all versions and lots of translations including Duetsch, Espanol, Italiano and many, many more. No d/l. Clicking on Link will take you to the study verses.

http://www.youversion.com


Please Support our ministry, JJL Ministries is a Federal 501(c)3 Org on file with the IRS. Remember donations are Tax Deductible.

http://bit.ly/19PY0f




Who We Are at JJL Ministries

Pastor Jeff & Janette Lilley
PastorJJL@gmail.com
Janette4God@aol.com


Remember
A man may go to heaven......
without health, without wealth;
without fame, without a great name;
without learning, without earnings;
without culture, without beauty;
without friends and without ten thousand other things-----
But he can NEVER go to Heaven without Christ.


Copyright © 1999-2010 JJL Ministries,
All rights reserved worldwide.

Daily Word for Sun 12/20/2009 "Sometimes We Just Need to Say NO"

Today's Message:

"The lazy man says, "There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!"  Prov. 22:13

Excuses, excuses, everybody has excuses. Way back in the dark ages, when I was a boy, excuses for not having homework done ranged from "the dog ate it" to "I finished my work but it dropped out of my notebook into a mud puddle on the way to school."

 

Solomon tells us that the sluggard or lazy man always has an excuse. Solomon's example is that there is a lion outside and it might eat the sluggard. Indeed there were lions roaming Israel at the time of Solomon, but not in the streets of Jerusalem! Note that the sluggard is afraid he will be killed in the streets, not in the forest! It seems that lazy people have no lack of imagination when they need an excuse, and the more outrageous the better!

The real question is "why does a sluggard need an excuse?" Why doesn't he just say, "I didn't do my homework?" Or "I just don't feel like coming in to work today." The answer is rather simple. The sluggard doesn't want to look lazy! He is, but he wants to appear better than he is. The result is that the lazy man with excuses appears to reasonable folk as more of a fool that he may truly be.

So what's the point? There are several. One, don't make excuses. If you don't get something done, admit that you didn't and promise to keep working until it is finished. Two, if you don't want to do something, say no when first asked. This won' t work when the boss, or teacher, gives you an assignment, of course, but it will work about any other time. We all must learn to say "no." It is hard. I have a tough time doing it. But all of us have a limited amount of time and if that time is already allotted to other tasks, we must learn to refuse to allow others to burden us more. Three, when you are assigned a task that you can't refuse, assess how best to accomplish the job, plan a step-by-step procedure to accomplish the assignment, plan to finish the task early, and keep at it until it is finished. Always allow extra time in the schedule for unforeseen obstacles that steal time.

"So what is the spiritual application, Pastor Jeff?" The planning stage fits God's assignments to you as well as those from a boss. Seek God's direction, and He will help you formulate the plan and accomplish it to perfection! Come to think of it, He desires to help with every task we might undertake. He desires to be our partner in our everyday lives. All we have to do is ask for His guidance,  and He helps us say "NO," too! Amen and Amen.

Free Online Bible All Versions
"You Version" Bible Software all versions and lots of translations including Duetsch, Espanol, Italiano and many, many more. No d/l. Clicking on Link will take you to the study verses.

http://www.youversion.com


Please Support our ministry, JJL Ministries is a Federal 501(c)3 Org on file with the IRS. Remember donations are Tax Deductible.

http://bit.ly/19PY0f




Who We Are at JJL Ministries

Pastor Jeff & Janette Lilley
PastorJJL@gmail.com
Janette4God@aol.com


Remember
A man may go to heaven......
without health, without wealth;
without fame, without a great name;
without learning, without earnings;
without culture, without beauty;
without friends and without ten thousand other things-----
But he can NEVER go to Heaven without Christ.


Copyright © 1999-2010 JJL Ministries,
All rights reserved worldwide.

Daily Word for Sat 12/19/2009 "We Are All Made by God"

Today's Message:

"The rich and the poor have this in common, The LORD is the maker of them all."  Prov. 22:2

Sometimes, when I am on the road and have been out of our local area, I make a connection with my wife. It is not via the cell phones we have. It is not some mystic union. This connection comes when I can finally tune in the same radio station that I know Janette is listening to. I don't know what there is about that, but it brings me a comfort, a peace, a consolation knowing that she is doing what I am now able to do.

On a similar note, sometimes when we become awed by a famous person, whether he is a movie star, sports jock, politician, or religious powerhouse, we are brought back to reality when someone tells us that "he puts his pants on one leg at a time." (Someone named Tiger rings a bell.) Obviously we are not including firemen in that statement, but you know what I mean. Men are just men, no matter what position they hold. Women are just women whether they are famous to millions or famous to their family only.

Solomon tells us that we all, rich and poor, male and female, powerful and powerless have something in common. We all are made by the same Creator. That is more of a similarity than the way we put our pants on, and much more significant. If we are all created by the same God, we should not hold ourselves too highly. That is our problem. We do tend to think we are more important than anyone else. For example: just tonight on our local news program a story was reported about a police veteran of seventeen years who thought his needs were more important than any else's. It seems that he had sex with a prisoner in the police break room, while he was on duty and in uniform! And he confessed that he actually did it. What is wrong with this guy? He risked a seventeen year career for a brief moment of "pleasure"? Didn't he realize the consequences of his actions? Obviously not. He has lost his job and is facing ten years in prison if convicted. He thought his "needs" superseded any other's needs.

We are created by the same God. We should remember that connection. If you and I share that bond, then I must realize that you are just as important to God as I am. If I were President of the United States, I would be no more important than you. That fact should help us keep ourselves in perspective. Bill Gates, the richest man on earth, is simply a man created by the Father. Henry Homeless, representing street people around the world, is simply a man created by the Father. They are connected by that act of God.

Solomon wrote a simple statement, but it holds so much truth. If only we could learn the truth in it and put that truth into practice. I can guarantee that we would be able to keep our lives in much better focus, and we would see each other in a different light. It might even lower our blood pressures. Amen and Amen.

Free Online Bible All Versions
"You Version" Bible Software all versions and lots of translations including Duetsch, Espanol, Italiano and many, many more. No d/l. Clicking on Link will take you to the study verses.

http://www.youversion.com


Please Support our ministry, JJL Ministries is a Federal 501(c)3 Org on file with the IRS. Remember donations are Tax Deductible.

http://bit.ly/19PY0f




Who We Are at JJL Ministries

Pastor Jeff & Janette Lilley
PastorJJL@gmail.com
Janette4God@aol.com


Remember
A man may go to heaven......
without health, without wealth;
without fame, without a great name;
without learning, without earnings;
without culture, without beauty;
without friends and without ten thousand other things-----
But he can NEVER go to Heaven without Christ.


Copyright © 1999-2010 JJL Ministries,
All rights reserved worldwide.

Daily Word for Fri 12/18/2009 "Are You Ready to Make a Change?"

Today's Message:

"Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?" II Kings 7:3

 

Have you ever been watching a TV show or movie when half way through the show you discovered you really didn't like it, but you kept watching anyway? Many people treat their lives that way. They start out on a path. It may have looked good at the start, but it was the wrong path to take. It wasn't long before they realize this, but now they are walking down that path simply because it's there rather than because it is right.

 

But like the men in our scripture verse, we sometimes need to take account of where we are at in our spiritual and secular walks with the Lord. Are we sitting in a place which will eventually destroy us spiritually, emotionally, physically, occupationally? Change can be hard. No doubt about that. It can be frightening. It can even be painful. Those four lepers would have found it difficult to go anywhere considering their physical conditions.

But the alternative was more unpleasant. Very often, change does not occur in our lives until we reach a point of desperation, until we reach that point at which the pain of change is seen as being less than the pain of staying the same. Chemical dependency counselors call this hitting bottom. Sometimes God will allow trouble to come into our lives to force us out of our comfort zone so that we can remain vital in him. Like the eagle who "stirs up the nest" slowly removing the feather lining until the eaglets are left sitting on hard jagged stones so they have an incentive to get out of the nest and learn to fly. The eaglets undoubtedly feel the mother is cruel, but the mother simply wants the eaglets to be come the mighty eagles she knows they can be.

 

So it is with the Lord, he wants us to soar as eagles, but he knows we will never do that as long as we sit in our nest. So, if the nest you are sitting in is becoming uncomfortable or unbearable, maybe it's time to do some praying. God may be trying to get your attention. He may be telling you it's time to move on and make some changes in your life. In order to soar with the eagles, you have to get out of your comfortable nest. But the view is much better up there.

 

Lord, stir up my nest today so that I won't become comfortable in places I no longer belong. Give me the courage and strength to make those changes you would have me make in my life today. Amen and Amen.

Bible Stumper Trivia: Answer Below
Which of Joseph's brothers was left behind as a hostage when the other nine returned to bring Benjamin to Egypt?


Free Online Bible All Versions
"You Version" Bible Software all versions and lots of translations including Duetsch, Espanol, Italiano and many, many more. No d/l.

http://www.youversion.com


Something to Ponder

Why is it that when we "skate on thin ice", we can "get in hot water"?

Please Support our ministry, JJL Ministries
is a Federal 501(c)3 Org on file with the IRS.
Remember donations are Tax Deductible.

http://bit.ly/19PY0f




Kid's Say the Weirdest Stuff

Youth worker: "Joey, you're an instigator."

Student: "I'm not an instigator, I'm a boy."

Complaint Department

Dining with a picky eater (they can never order off the menu without customizing every aspect of the meal).

Everyone has a complaint, right?? What makes you complain?? Let us know in the comments.


Bible Stumper Answer:
Which of Joseph's brothers was left behind as a hostage when the other nine returned to bring Benjamin to Egypt?

A) Simeon -- (Genesis 42:18-20, 24)


Who We Are at JJL Ministries

Pastor Jeff & Janette Lilley
PastorJJL@gmail.com
Janette4God@aol.com


Remember
A man may go to heaven......
without health, without wealth;
without fame, without a great name;
without learning, without earnings;
without culture, without beauty;
without friends and without ten thousand other things-----
But he can NEVER go to Heaven without Christ.


Copyright © 1999-2010 JJL Ministries,
All rights reserved worldwide.

Daily Word for Thurs 12/17/2009 "Blessed Are They That Mourn"

Today's Message:

"Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5.4

What a paradox! We think of grief and happiness as being mutually  exclusive. In fact, even in Christian circles, we are often taught that the Christian always has a smile on his face and a song in his heart. We are told that to be sad is sinful, that grief represents a lack of faith, and that pain comes from sinful living. Yet, this teaching is directly contrary to what Jesus is saying here.

Let's look for a moment at the word "mourn." In the Greek it means to  grieve a loss. This may be the loss of a loved one, but it may be other losses as well: loss of health, loss of security, loss of a  relationship,  loss of a dream, loss of a job, etc. Too often when a Child of God  mentions a loss to another Christian she is met with rebuke for her lack of faith or told she is "having a pity party." It's doubtful she was having a pity party. To have a party you need guests and, usually, there is no one around to show pity on the Christian in sorrow.

Sometimes the person is alone in their sorrow, not because of lack of concern among the Christian community, but because no one knows about the pain. Many people get up in the morning under a burden of circumstances, filled with pain, but they put on their smile along with their Sunday clothes and go to church. They never let anyone know what they are going through. Sometimes this is because they don't want to appear weak. Sometimes it's because what is causing the pain might seem trivial to others. Sometimes it's because the pain is caused by something no one else would understand. So, even the person sitting next to them, even their spouse, child or best friend doesn't know that something is wrong.

 

But, Praise God, Jesus is telling us that he knows our heart. He knows when we mourn in silence. He knows that what is trivial to others may be overwhelming to us. And he says, "Child, I know what you are going through. I felt your pain in my body on the cross. And I will heal that pain."
 
So, when we mourn, when we face hard times, when we are sad, when our hearts break and the pain mounts up inside so badly that we feel we can't stand it any longer, we are Blessed. We are Happy. Why? Because at those times we really know how much we need him. We become "poor in spirit." We feel his presence. And when he does the work (He will do the work), then we will come out on the other side of the loss with a stronger testimony and a greater endurance for what is yet to come.

It is only against the darkness of night that the brightness of the stars be seen. The jeweler displays his most precious diamonds on his darkest cloth. God shows his glory against the backdrop of grief. So, blessed are those who mourn, for we shall be comforted.

 

Lord, wrap your arms around me in my grief and give me the strength only you have. And let me pass that strength along to others. Amen and Amen.

Bible Stumper Trivia: Answer Below
What was the name of the wife of Lapidoth and what is she famous for?


Free Online Bible All Versions
"You Version" Bible Software all versions and lots of translations including Duetsch, Espanol, Italiano and many, many more. No d/l.

http://www.youversion.com


Something to Ponder

Is it rude for a deaf person to talk (sign) with their mouth full of food?

Please Support our ministry, JJL Ministries
is a Federal 501(c)3 Org on file with the IRS.
Remember donations are Tax Deductible.

http://bit.ly/19PY0f




Kid's Say the Weirdest Stuff

Bad pick up line at camp last summer.

 

"My mom's a gynecologist if you need to talk about anything."

Complaint Department

When you genuinely ask someone what's wrong (when there obviously is something wrong) and they respond half-heartedly, "hmmm? oh nothing..."

Everyone has a complaint, right?? What makes you complain?? Let us know in the comments.


Bible Stumper Answer:
What was the name of the wife of Lapidoth and what is she famous for?

A) Deborah, and she was the first woman judge
of Israel -- (Judges 4:4, 5)


Who We Are at JJL Ministries

Pastor Jeff & Janette Lilley
PastorJJL@gmail.com
Janette4God@aol.com


Remember
A man may go to heaven......
without health, without wealth;
without fame, without a great name;
without learning, without earnings;
without culture, without beauty;
without friends and without ten thousand other things-----
But he can NEVER go to Heaven without Christ.


Copyright © 1999-2010 JJL Ministries,
All rights reserved worldwide.