HANDMADE & GOD-MADE

 

 

 

(Gen. 2:7a) "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground."

(Jeremiah 18:4,6)"And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

(Rom. 9:21) "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?"

                I had the opportunity to view a potter create a vessel. He took a lump of clap and placed it on a round flat surface. He began to press a pedal underneath which made the surface the clay was on spin. As it began to spin and the wheels started to turn, his hands stayed on the clay, shaping it into a vase of some kind. I saw him add clay to the lump and oftentimes shave some off as it was spinning on the pedestal. There were also times he had to splash water on the vessel to keep it from drying out before time. When done, he lifted it off the surface with some tongs and placed it in a type of oven to dry and solidify. He showed us ones that were finished on his shelf. What beautiful vessels! Some had designs on them and some were painted with various colors. It was amazing to see how such beautiful vessels made of clay turned out the way they did.

           We are vessels made of God, formed and shaped for His purpose. As Jeremiah went down to the see the work of the potter being done, God wanted to show him how Israel was in His hands despite of all they had done contrary to His Will. We must remember we are made in His image, formed by His hands, and chosen for His purpose. If we refuse to stay on the wheel as God is making and shaping us, we can get marred, blemished and out of shape, not fit for His use. When we feel like we are "finished" in our eyes and not God's, we could become a vessel of dishonour.

           When trials, troubles, struggles, disappointments come our way, we may feel the urge to jump off the wheel and out of the potter's hand. This is not the time to get off the wheel. God is making us through all these things. We must remain in His hands as He is doing a work in us and through us. In the final process of Him making us, we will come out of the fire (the oven) as a vessel of honor, fit for the Master's use. Let us allow God to shape us, mold us, break us (if He has to) or remake us into what He wants us to become. Then, in His timing, we will be placed on His shelf of masterpieces for His purpose, His honour and glory to His name. Let us prayerfully and truthfully ask God to have His way in our lives, to mold us and make us, while we are waiting on the wheel, let us be willing and still for we are Handmade and God-Made!

 LOL! (LEGACY OF LOVE)

(Remember to mute media player at bottom right to listen to video posted)

 

 

(I Cor. 13:4a, 5a, 7, 8a) “Love suffereth long, and is kind; Doth not behave itself unseemingly, seeketh not her own; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things; Love never faileth.”

(I Cor. 13:13) "And now abideth faith, hope and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

           Of all the things that a person can give, Love is the one thing that will outweigh anything else. How you treat people, not your wealth or accomplishments, is the most enduring impact you can leave on earth. Love leaves a legacy (something left behind to remember one by). What makes love our top priority is that it is eternal. When you love, you will give of yourself unconditionally not looking for anything in return. Christ demonstrated his love to us in a way no one else could ever compare. Love is not always about what you give in materialistic ways to express yourself, but sometimes it’s as simple as how you made someone feel.

There were many times (way back when) while mothering my small children, they would give me homemade cards or “stick man” pictures in their own handwriting. That left a huge impact on me. There were times as well while they were playing outside, they’d pick me flowers from the yard and bring them to me and say, “Mom, this is for you”. I’d put them in a cup of water as if the florist had delivered me a bunch of roses. That left a lasting impact on me as a mother. To this day, those expressions of love are still fresh in my mind and heart even now that they are all grown. Why? It wasn’t something they had to go and spend money for but the thought behind it and mostly how it made me feel. I will treasure those acts of love for life.

Loving in ways that does not require reciprocation is love that will leave a legacy. When love becomes a duty and a hassle, one may want to re-evaluate the motive behind their love. Love demonstrates by example and not for recognition. People may never remember who you are, what you did or gave, or what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. That’s a legacy (something to leave behind)!

Jesus left such a legacy and impact on the world. We can look on his life and realize how much he really loved us. His love made us feel wanted, when others rejected and didn’t want to accept us for who we were. His love for us didn’t look down on us for who we were or what we had done, but loved us through our good and our bad. Let us find someone to reach out to this week and leave a legacy of love that they will forever remember. Let us share the love of Jesus by sharing the legacy of Christ’s love to them. They may never step foot in a church building or may never read the bible, but because we cared to share love it will leave a legacy of love that will last beyond any materialistic thing we could ever give them. Love leaves a Legacy!

 

COVERED?

 

Exodus 13:21 - "And the Lord went before them by the day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night."

Psalms 23:4 - "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Psalms 27:5 - "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me upon a rock."

Psalms 56:11 - "In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me."

 

 

          There is a sense of security and peace of mind when you know you are covered and protected. Insured people don't have to worry about how they will repair their vehicle if they are involved in an accident or worry if they have enough to cover costs should unforeseen circumstances occur. Insurance is there to take the worry out of your life. So it is with having God in our lives. When we put Him first and include Him in all our plans, we can know that He will cover and protect us. We are covered by Him and the blood of His son, Jesus.

          The other day, I went to the store and before returning to my car, it started raining so hard. I make it a habit of keeping a compact-size umbrella in my purse in the event of rain. To avoid getting soaked, my umbrella provided protection from the wet weather. We get into our cars and go places with ease because we have confidence and feel protected in case we are in a mishap or accident because of our insurance. Insurance is a safety covering in case of accidents, loss, medical, etc. It's a good feeling of security to have knowing you are protected and covered.

          God is our Protector and provides the best protection to and for us. The children of Israel experienced His protection so many times after leaving Egypt and even during their time in the wilderness. We must not forget that no matter what seems to come at us or against us, God has His hands on us, around us, over us and with us to shield protect and cover His children. Even when we face unforeseen dangers, we are covered. You're in good hands with All-God! Covered?

 

TESTING 1,2,3!

 

 

(Rom. 8: 35) "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, sword. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

(Job 1:21b-22) "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly."

(Job 42: 10b, 12a)  "Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning."

           How do we handle tribulations and tests? How do we respond when our world is turned upside-down? Do we buckle under or give up all hope? Do we turn to God or from God in our time of crisis? Do we allow others to dictate our course of action concerning the conditions of our struggles? Do we keep the faith knowing God will deliver us?

          Testing 1,2,3! This phrase is used in sound engineering or stage settings to make sure the audio and amplification of microphones, musical instruments, etc., are working and adjusted properly. It's call a Sound-check. If things are good, it's a go! It's important to the sound tech to have them "tested" to detect causes which can be corrected.  Let's take a peek back at Job's life. Job walked before God upright and blameless. He faired very well and was wealthy, yet loved God. Satan recognized this and wanted to prove (do a check test) to see if he was allowed the opportunity to touch him with tribulations and tests, he'd throw in the towel and stop serving God. Testing 1,2,3! Suddenly, all Job possessed (children, land, livestock, property and his health were taken away from him). What would we have done in this situation? One of my favorite verses Job quoted during this ordeal is (Job 13:15) "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him". There will be times when those who are the closest to you will try to get you to discount your faith and trust in God. Job's friends, and even his wife, were such ones during his time of trials.
We must know, that we know that we know, If God be for us, who can be against us?

           During our times of tribulations and tests, we must STAND, STAND, STAND. There will come times in our own lives when the enemy will attack us and try to influence us to turn from God. Testing 1,2,3! We must have confidence in who we believe and what we believe to combat his attack and evil schemes. Jesus warned us that in this life we would have trials and tribulations. Yet, he encouraged us by letting us know that he had overcome them and so would we. Remember that our trials, tribulations and tests come to make us strong and not meant to destroy us. You are more than a conqueror! God will not put more on us than we can bear. If it is there, it means that He knows we can bear it! Testing 1,2,3!

GOD + SIN (NO MIX)

 (Prov. 14:34) "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but SIN is a reproach to any people."

           On yesterday, which was observed as the National Day of Prayer, many of us paused to pray for this nation, our nation’s leaders and its people. I cried, “God retain your wrath and give us time to reach the lost to turn from their wicked ways (II Chron. 7:14).” In my reading and studying the Old Testament, I have noticed that the Kings and leaders of God's people started out doing what God had told them to do. Somewhere along the way, they allowed sin (disobedience to God's law) to enter and began to worship, serve and do the things God told them not to do. As long as the kings followed the statutes of God and obeyed Him, they prospered and God fought for them. When they turned from God and began serving other idols and gods, they lacked God's protection and provision. God's leaders and the people suffered great loss due to disobeying God.

         Anytime a nation follows after other idol gods and begin doing things that are an abomination in the eyes of God, look for things to spiral downward. There will be evidence of strange happenings never before occurring. When a nation refuse to repent and leaders of our nation won't hearken to God's Word, we stand in an opposing position with God. This is why there were prophets and seers who were the voice of God to warn the leaders about their actions. If they corrected their wrongdoings, then God's mercy spared them. Today, we still have people who are the voice of God and those who are standing in the gap for this nation (prayer intercessors and prayer warriors).

          We are in the last days and Jesus warned us of these times.  God frowns on and hates SIN. If SIN is in us or is committed by us, then it separates us from God. Just as oil and water doesn't mix, neither does God and Sin. We have to deal with God and the consequences for the choices we make against our disobedience to what He has required of us. Our position as Christians is to show those who are in SIN how to be freed from it through God’s Word and to allow them the opportunity to make the choice to accept cleansing through Jesus’ blood and His righteousness. We can't make people act right, do right or accept what is not ours to give. Our job is to present them the truth through His Word, pray for and with then and lead them to the cross. The rest is God's job and the work of the Holy Ghost.

         The Word of God does not condone SIN but shows us how we can be cleansed, delivered and how to walk in freedom from it. Jesus will return quickly(beginning scripture) to receive those who are without Sin when he comes. Our job is not to judge, condemn, hate or ignore those who are with sin, but to show them a better way out of SIN. Romans 3:23 “For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God” Rom. 6:6 “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. GOD LOVES THE SINNER BUT HE HATES THE SIN.....GOD AND SIN DON'T MIX.

 

 

 

LET'S PRAY!

 

 

 

 

(2 Chronicles 7:14) New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁴ Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

 

          Today (Thursday, May 2, 2013) is observed as National Day of Prayer across our nation. People in all walks of life have committed themselves to pause and pray. Prayer is needed everyday and not just this particular day. However, because it has been recognized as a national day, let us join forces with others around this nation and pray. Our combined efforts together will make a difference. We can talk about, rant about and criticize what's going on and do nothing. We may not can change things on our own, but God has told us if we pray and seek His face, He will change things. Let"s Pray!

          On this National Day of Prayer, let us commit to praying for some or all of the following directives:

• Our Nation
• Our Governmental Leaders, (Local, State and National, and Religious and Civic leaders)
• Our Families and Marriages
• Our Churches
• Our Youth
• Our School Systems
• Unemployed
• Sick People
• The Military
• Ministries which assists others
• Gangs and violence
• Depressed People
• Parents
• The Elderly
• Agricultural Workers - Migrant workers
• Health care Workers
• Prison and Law Officers
• The Poor
• Children
• University Students
• The News Media
• Native People
• Single People
• Educators
• The Unborn
• United States neighbors
• Women and Men
• Physically disabled People
• Prisoners and their families
• Substance abusers
• Ethnic Communities
• Judges and Law Enforcement
• Homeless People
• The Athletic and Entertainment Industry
• Refugees
• Business People
• The Coming Generation

 

LET'S FORGET ABOUT "US" AND REMEMBER "JESUS"!

 

 

 

(Luke 23: 42-43) "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."

(Psa. 106:4) "Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation."

(Ezekiel 16:60) "Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant."

          In the first scripture given, a convicted, guilty thief hung on a cross next to Jesus asking him to remember him when he arrived in glory. Isn't it just awesome that even in situations where nobody else can rescue us, Jesus remembers and comes to save us? What would have been our response to this thief knowing what he had done during his lifetime? Would we have remembered the act of his crime or the cry for help?

          There are people we meet or know who may never remember who we are, what we've done, where we live, what we have achieved or any of theses things that may matter. And you know what? It's all good! It is so encouraging through reading God's Word that He remembers. Some people try so hard to get people to recognize them by the things they say or do. All of this may be good in its own place, but what is most important? Is it important to us whether God remembers or man? As this thief was almost to die, he sensed that he had one more chance to obtain help and he didn't let what wrong he had done in his past stop him from reaching Jesus.

          When we forget about US and remember JESUS, we will find that whatever we desire or need can be obtained when we acknowledge him. If people never remember our name or what things we may have done here on earth; knowing God remembers should mean more! God never forgets!