Heaven4Sure.com Bible Bites

BUSY! BUSY! BUSY!

2011-09-07T05:09:00.001-07:00

Over-extended and over-committed - to what End?

"Next week, I am heading south for a vacation. In two months time, I am planning to start my Harvard off-campus non-credit course on Water Fowl Ornithology. I'm into ducks, piping plovers and cormorants. A bit of a hobby; but increasingly, I find myself running out of spare time. There is such a need in our city for good leadership; I am going to take a run at the mayor's position in the upcoming civic election. My term on the "Citizens for Social Development" Board will last five years with an opportunity to serve a second term. I am just run off my feet. Our architect, after almost a year of work, wants me to look at the plans for our new home tonight. Hopefully we'll be turning the sod within three months. And then it will be the arduous process of selecting finishings, furniture and fangles. After I return from my business trip to Addis Ababa, I hope to organize a neighborhood meeting to start developing a long range plan for a green space bird habitat. I could almost have an anxiety attack just thinking about all I have to do."

A Voice: "Oops, the cloud was lifted today. Pack up and let's clear out. It's time to move on."

Busy Person: "What? What are you talking about? Are you kidding? What about my plans?"

A Voice: "Oh, you aren't familiar with that Old Testament story?

To be sure, the busy person above was not one of the Israelites journeying through the wilderness in Moses' day. After Moses led the children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt, they journeyed for forty years before they arrived at their 'destination'. Millions of them in one huge camp with their families and all their belongings. At the center of the Camp was their place of worship - The Tabernacle. God was leading them through the wilderness. He sent a cloud down over the Tabernacle during the daytime and a fire above it during the nights. And here's how it worked:

Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle,

the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys.

But if the cloud was not taken up,

then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up.

(Exodus 40:36-37)

"Moses this is ridiculous! How can I make any concrete plans? I am one of those people who like to have all the bases covered. I need predictability and stability. I plan ahead. This cloud thing - well, I can't settle down at all. I never know when I set up my tent and drive down the pegs whether I'm here just over night, or for a week or for a year. Do you expect me to get up every morning and look towards the Tabernacle to see if the cloud is down or up and organize my day accordingly? This is nuts!"

I think Moses would say: "Yes, that's the way the Lord wants it. We are dependent upon Him for guidance. We are on a journey. We are not wilderness residents. We are just campers passing through, as the Lord directs our steps. Don't pound your tent pegs in too far because you might be pulling them up tomorrow and moving on."

Does God still expect us to live that way in 2011? Paul said: "We walk by faith; not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7. James condemns those who make plans for the future without the Lord's guidance. (James 4:13-17) Peter referred to Christians not as residents but travelers and pilgrims. Paul cautioned Timothy against getting entangled in the affairs of this life.

"Lord, today I look to You for direction. I don't know what today or tomorrow has in store for me. Lead me Lord; I will follow. Help me to be completely wrapped up in the things that are significant for Eternity and to be untangled from the affairs of this life. Unravel the strings that are holding me back from serving You more. Help me to live more for the Ultimate and less for the Immediate."

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Right Answers BUT Slow Learners

2011-08-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

Precisely how many leftovers did you lug to your car after the big summer picnic? How much did you stuff into your trunk after your last family reunion? How many containers or bags did you take back home? Three, five, seven, nine . or do you even have a clue? Usually we remember we either had way too much or far too little or just the right amount. But only a rare person would recall exactly, with science-like precision, how many of these or how much of that was left-over.

At least two huge outdoor picnics are recorded in the Gospels where the Lord Jesus was the star attraction. On one occasion 5000 men plus women and children attended and, starting with five loaves of bread and two fish, He fed the entire crowd. A slightly smaller crowd showed up another day and with seven loaves and a few fish to start with, He did it again.

Shortly after that, Jesus and the disciples got into their boat; no sooner had they set sail when someone realized: "Oops. We've only got one loaf of bread on board and we're all hungry - the thirteen of us. One loaf will never do. This is terrible. Who overlooked this detail? There's nothing worse than a hungry stomach!"

Actually, Jesus was trying to teach them something about the Pharisees but they were so occupied with the measly one loaf to be shared between all of them, they missed His point completely. Right there, on the boat, Jesus popped a surprise quiz:

When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?" They said to Him,"Twelve." "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven." (Mark 8:19-20)

It's interesting. They had the right answers. They remembered specifically and exactly the numbers. Despite everything else going on, those numbers were etched firmly in their brains. They passed the intellectual and memory test with flying colors. But what about the deeper meaning and the spiritual lesson behind such miracles?

Jesus asked them: "Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?.."How is it you do not understand?" (Mark 8:17-21)

Intellectually they had the right answers but spiritually they were not grasping the reality of WHO was actually in their midst - the One with whom nothing was, is or ever will be impossible. Right answers but slow learners or should we say - slow believers.

There have been times in our past when God has amazed us by doing something in our lives. We remember specific things He did for us, including the greatest miracle of all - our salvation. But are you filled with doubt today? Intellectually you have the right answers and you can spout out the relevant verses but, just now, everything looks so impossible, unlikely, unstoppable or unattainable. Right answers but a slow learner - slow to believe?

Child of God, don't forget what He has done in the past and remember WHO He is and what He is capable of doing. Hebrews 11:6

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

God's Expectations for Me

2011-06-07T07:05:00.001-07:00

Have you ever felt that there is a huge gap between your performance and the expectations others have for you? At home, that huge gap can cause some tension and domestic discussions. At work, when your performance doesn't measure up to the employer's expectations - yikes! Trouble is in the works. Gently, at first, you may be told: "Shape up or ship out." But after the second and third visit to your manager's office things become very serious. In fact, that's when you need to start getting serious about finding another job.

Unfortunately, sometimes parents are not specific about their expectations and misunderstandings occur. It also happens on the job as well. The employer has 'assumed' that you know exactly what she expects of you and you only find out there is a big problem when you happen to cross a boundary she had established but never communicated to you. That's awkward and miserable.

The children of Israel had no excuse. Moses communicated God's expectations for His people in very crystal clear words.

"And now, Israel,

what does the LORD your God require of you,

but to fear the LORD your God,

to walk in all His ways and to love Him,

to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes.for your good?

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

God's expectations for His people today are no different. He expects the same thing from me today, tomorrow and for the rest of my Christian journey until the curtain closes on my life on the planet. When the Lord Jesus said: "Follow Me," what do you think He meant? Was it something merely physical and geographical that could be measured by kilometres per day? Or did He have something much more in mind?

The Lord Jesus said He always did the things that pleased his Father. (John 8:29) The Perfect example. But that's what God expects me to do each day as well; it's all about pleasing HIM - not pleasing myself. That's the Christian's goal - to please Him in every single thing we do. Paul told Titus that the saved slaves of his day should, in every conceivable and possible way, conduct themselves to ensure that they are "adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour." Every single thing we do we should be able to do it with God's approval and blessing upon it and pleasure over it. Again Paul wrote: "Whatever you do, do it heartily, as for the Lord." Colossians 3:23. Christ is to have first place in everything in our individual lives - pre-eminence in our lives and in the church and in creation. (Colossians 1:18)

God's expectations for my life are clear. Are they clear for your life as well? The idea you are flirting with, the decision you are thinking about making, the choice you are weighing up or the life (public or secret) you are living - is it in sync with God's expectations for you?

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

TELL HIM EVERYTHING

2011-05-31T07:14:00.001-07:00

You probably don't tell people everything that's on your mind - nor should you. There may be things on your mind you should never divulge to another person. Some will say: "I thought I was to be honest." You are. But does that give you the right to share the honest feelings of your heart indiscriminately? God appreciates someone who carefully guards the door of their mouth and utters words with caution and wisdom.

Having said that, there is One in whom you can confide and with whom you can share all. Read this verse:

Trust in Him at all times, O people;

pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

Psalm 62:8

You can read the verse in many ways. Try emphasizing one word over another as you read it. Your appreciation of the verse will be enhanced. In your mind, capitalize the word TRUST and then do some thinking - in whom or in what have I been trusting - myself, my intelligence, my friends? Or emphasize the word ALL. All times - the good times and bad times too. There are some days we would like to erase from our memories; possibly times when we were angry with God or filled with bitterness or flooded by questions. ALL includes even those times!

But the phrase to emphasize today is: POUR OUT. Sometimes we get so formal in our prayers, a listener could very easily think we were reciting a prayer from a prayer book. The Hebrew meaning of the phrase is very vivid: dump it all out! Spill your inner fears and thoughts out before the Lord - regardless of the order in which they may gush out! Spill the thoughts out like water; dump the thoughts out before Him. Shed them out like blood spurting from a severed artery. Let them 'gush' out!

It is the same word that Hannah used in 1Samuel 1:15, 16 when Eli the priest accused her of being 'out of it', or drunk! She assured him that she had not lost her marbles nor was she drunk. She said: "Don't think for a minute that I'm a bad woman or that I have been dipping into the sauce or pouring out wine or beer! I have been pouring - but not wine. I've been pouring out my heart to the Lord. I have been desperately unhappy and angry and that's the reason I have been praying and pouring it all out for so long."

Our prayers can become so technical, professional, sophisticated and formal! In times of trouble, we forget that when we sneak away into a private area to be alone with God, we don't have to restrain ourselves any longer. We don't have to keep it all in anymore; nor do we have to let it out slowly in calm, measured, and controlled words. Once we are alone with Him we can let our inner turmoils, distresses, and our conflicting thoughts burst out!

"God is a refuge for us." There are very few people we could ever trust enough to tell them everything that is going on inside our heads. But we can get alone with the Lord and tell Him every single thing, including the darkest and most intense thoughts of our hearts. He is a safe place for us to allow our pent up emotions and fears to gush forth! He is a shelter, a refuge for us.

And you need to know this: He will not shun you after you tell Him everything; nor will He think less of you. In fact, He will draw you nearer to Himself, because you have expressed such confidence in Him to be able to share the deepest secrets of your heart. That's the intimacy with us that He craves. So He loves it when we spill it all out before Him. He will prove Himself to us once again that He is a Refuge for us. Because of a Christian's position in Christ Jesus we can come to the throne of grace with boldness, confidence and liberty, and there freely tell the Lord all our mind, and all that is in our heart. (Hebrews 4:16, Romans 8:26-28)

Do you have anything to pour out today?

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Eye Catcher with God

2011-05-19T04:15:00.001-07:00

AN EYE CATCHER WITH GOD

Imagine someone positively taking a second look at you. Imagine someone sifting through 391 resumes and your resume catches their eye. They dig it out from the pile and set it alone on the desk. Throughout the day it gets picked up and looked at repeatedly as the employer reads and re-reads portions of it. Imagine getting the call about your dream job and the employer says: "You have exactly what I've been looking for." How much would that call mean to you?

Multiply the thrill of that call a thousand times. Imagine God scanning the globe. Not 391 people but 7 billion earth dwellers - no trifling number for sure! He's looking for something.

4,670,534,111: "No. Flaunts self. Too showy."

4,670,534,112: "No. Heart seething with bitterness and stubbornness."

4,670,534,113: "No. 'Look at me. See me.' attitude.

4,670,534,114: "No. Rabid envy, jealousy and covetousness within."

4,670,534,115: "No. All external. Shallow internally."

4,670,534,116: "..Just a minute. Pause. A second look. Yes! Exactly what I've been looking for! Now this is what I value. All the other displays, below the cheap tinsel external wrapping, which incidentally, doesn't do a thing for Me, were sadly lacking and disappointing. What I see in 4,670,534,116 not only catches My eyes but it thrills and delights My heart. It is of great value to Me."

Of course, this is only a weak human analogy. We think in terms of numbers - but God knows names and hearts. Now try reading these verses:

"Do not let your adornment be merely outward

-arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-

rather let it be the hidden person of the heart,

with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,

which is very precious in the sight of God."

(1Peter 3:3-4)

Really, the most expensive clothing, the shiniest luxury vehicles, the brightest and most tasteful jewellery, the coolest hair displays and the fanciest of homes and furniture - are all the trappings of this age that catch the eyes of the world but fails to impress the Lord. They are perks for our enjoyment - not His. The context for the verse above is women, but the adornment that God values in all of us is what He can see and appreciate in the hidden person of the heart. What He values is the hidden me because that's who I really am - and nothing more before the Lord.

Sincerity, humility, simplicity, modesty, and dignity should be five distinguishing features of our Christian lifestyle. Read the Epistles and see how frequently these five Christian lifestyle qualities surface in the teachings of the New Testament. If the hidden person of the heart is right - the externals in our life will be right as well. But the opposite of that is not necessarily true.

What's my primary adornment - external or internal? Am I working hard to catch and please the eye of God or the eye of the world around me?

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

Bad Day for a Good Man

2011-05-05T08:41:00.001-07:00

It was another one of those days for Moses, the leader of God's people. (Numbers 11) Everyone was whining and complaining - unhappy with this and disgruntled over that and well - the issue today was the menu. They were sick and tired of manna - gagging at the thought of eating another bite. A movement in the massive wilderness camp spread from tent to tent. A bunch of Egyptians who had mixed and mingled with the people of God fuelled the fires of discontent. "Yeah, this is brutal. Remember the awesome gourmet meals we had in Egypt? Fish, leeks, onions and garlic - even cucumbers! This manna is a pathetic excuse for food."

Moses seemed to be discouraged and he took the matter to the Lord in prayer. He didn't hold back when he expressed his feelings to the Lord. "Lord, this is rough. I'm swamped with all their complaints. Why did You give me this humongous burden to carry? I never conceived all these children. They're not mine. So why have You laid the burden of them all on my shoulders? It's way too heavy for me to carry alone. I'm just one man and I feel my frailty. So You said, You'd give them meat to eat because they are sick of manna flakes and cakes - but really, if all the fish of the sea were gathered together in one place and we caught them all - would that even be enough to feed well over a million people?"

Did you ever have a day like that? Perhaps Moses failed in his discouragement but the other side of the coin is: the Lord loves it when we are 'real' with Him. Not irreverent - but real. The Lord responded: "Don't worry Moses. My arm is not too short to reach down there and do such a miracle. I am able. Trust me. And to lighten your burden, I will share the same Spirit who empowers you with seventy other elders here in this camp. Go pick them out."

Moses selected seventy men and asked them to join him at the tabernacle to see what God would do. Sixty eight showed up and the power of God came down and all of them began prophesying with the evident power of God. But Eldad and Medad stayed right in the camp, failing to join the others.

A boy spotted the two men prophesying in the middle of the camp and ran to tell Moses. Young Joshua overheard the report and quickly said to Moses: "Such things ought not to be. They are dead wrong. Moses, you must put a swift stop to this immediately." Here's Moses' response:

But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake?

Would that all the LORD's people were prophets,

that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!"

(Numbers 11:29)

What a man of God Moses was! No, he wasn't perfect. He got discouraged earlier in the day and complained to the Lord - but who wouldn't! However, in the case of the two men, observe his unselfish noble motives; his excellent spirit, free from envy and free from any effort to promote himself. It was all about God's glory and His power being displayed. If God was choosing a different means to display His power, who was he to squash it, question it or hinder it? Moses' words were very similar to Christ's response in Mark 9:39. We can't put limits on God; He can work through whomever and however He chooses and we should always rejoice when He does, without a critical or harsh spirit. Such was Moses' spirit of grace and largeness of heart and depth of spirituality.

Apart from your bouts of discouragement, how is your heart before the Lord?

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Self Disclosure is Exposure

2011-04-19T05:48:00.001-07:00

With whom do you share the details of your life? What's the latest count on the friends you have on Facebook? The grand total as of today is ____? And what details and messages are you sharing with your friends?

"I just kissed my incredibly beautiful wife. What a sweetheart!"
"Charlie, I always knew you were the greatest son a mother could ever ask for."
"mmmmm.....more please."
"Grrrrrh, why can a guy u love be so annoying!"
"Shhhh. My first date. I think she is the one."

Really, are those personal details of your life appropriate content for all your so-called friends to read? Some of it is borderline pride and often pride comes before a fall. Revealing the thoughts of your heart to your 1311 friends - is that really a good thing to do? Have you ever wondered or even worried about what you've posted on Facebook? Even after you removed it the next day, have you ever had to explain it? "It was just how I was feeling that day. Don't read too much into it."

If you were personally with those 1311 people one on one would you hit them with any one of the above updates - right off the bat? Or might you save some of those details for a handful of your closest friends or even your closest friend in real life? Are those the type of things you would quickly share in a three minute encounter with high school friends if you met them this weekend or with work associates or neighbours?

Have you ever prayed about how you can use social media like Facebook for your personal benefit and for the benefit of others and God's glory? Ask the Lord to make you sensitive to what would be good to share and what is not necessary to share and what is totally inappropriate to share.

Yes, it is true - we are to live transparent lives. That simply means that if ever anyone was to investigate my private life, what they uncovered would not damage or destroy my public credibility. Don't confuse transparency with exposure and broadcasting private matters in your life.

Is there a Biblical example?

"The Lord confides in (shares His secrets with)

those that fear (reverence, respect) Him;

He makes His covenant known to them."

Psalm 25:14

There are some things we know about God. The incredible universe around us reveals unavoidable and obvious aspects of God. When the Lord Jesus came to earth, according to Hebrews Chapter 1, He was the revelation of God. But then there is the 'deliberate' secret-sharing when intimacy deepens and the Spirit of God enlightens us and gives us a greater appreciation of our Great God and Saviour. The more we spend time with Him by reading His Word and in prayer, the more we get to know Him and His secrets.

God shared secrets with Abraham only because of the relationship He enjoyed with him. He is called 'a friend of God.' Daniel knew His God. Who would ever doubt his loyalty and faithfulness to God? It is no small wonder then that we read God revealed secrets to Daniel. "The Lord confides and shares His secrets ONLY with those who fear, honor, and respect Him." (Only is implied.)

Remember that self-disclosure is exposure. Trace the qualities of wisdom and discretion throughout the Word of God - two qualities God values. The Proverbs speak often about fools who are always blabbing and speaking their mind and sharing everything that is on their heart, with no control over the doors of their mouth - the very opposite of a wise person.

"Lord, help me to share with others only details that are helpful and wise to share - information and details that You would want me to share. For the things that are tempting to share but would grieve You if I did so, give me the strength to keep it to myself."

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Your Right Hand Man

2011-04-14T05:39:00.001-07:00

Admittedly, the title sounds gender-specific and it may offend some. Perhaps it should have been re-titled: "Your Right Hand Person." Not bad - but as an idiom or common expression, it doesn't have the same ring to it. But you get the drift.

Can you recall a childhood experience when you were being picked on by other kids and you felt outnumbered and overpowered? All you wanted to do was run. Didn't it feel good when the next time those kids saw you your father was at your side and walking with you? You sure weren't afraid then. You knew you were safe as long as you had dad at your side.

Picture yourself somehow surrounded by a bunch of threatening thugs who have cornered you downtown. Your friend, a police officer is doing sidewalk patrol. You see him from a distance. You gesture with your arms and hands for him to come over and stand beside you; and he does. All of a sudden you feel safe. You can relax. He will take charge from here on in; you just look to him.

Think about David as he wrote this verse:

I have set

the LORD always before me;

because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

(Psalm 16:8)

Ask David about the smart choice he made. Listen to his response: "Did I think about the options? Maybe for a split second but really there was no other viable or wise option to consider. Knowing the availability of the Lord Himself, why wouldn't I request Him to stand right beside me! In my heart I just said: "Lord, please come here. Stand right beside me - here on my right hand side. I'm not ashamed in the slightest to have You standing at my right hand side; in fact, I quite like it. I am not only honoured to set you here, I am relaxed and optimistic about today and tomorrow with You at my right hand. I will not shake or be shaken.""

I know this Psalm looks forward to Christ Himself and is one of the beautiful Messianic Psalms but it was also David writing about the fears and feelings of his own heart. Beyond King David's mighty men who surrounded him, his greatest confidence was in the One whom he had chosen to set at his right hand - the Lord Himself.

As you look around are you fearful? Where have you positioned the Lord in your life? Is He out there on the doorstep of your life? Is He only a factor in your life when He could and should be the Lord of your life? Is He waiting in the wings in the drama of your life, or is He the main character on your stage? Do you find yourself shaking often? Maybe you haven't given the Lord His rightful place or maybe you have taken your eyes off Him. He's there but your eyes are focussed on the threats - not Him. David said: "I shall not be shaken."

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

ALMIGHTY GOD vs. ALMIGHTY DOLLAR

2011-03-08T06:21:00.001-08:00

Ouch! I want to bend down but it is excruciatingly painful. Perhaps I need a knee arthroscopy. Could it be torn ligaments or tendons or an unstable knee cap or early arthritis? Millions of people every year visit their doctor with knee problems. It's a strange thing that people with the most severe knee problems still manage to bend down every day. You don't have to actually use your knee joint to bend down. We can bow down in our hearts while our legs are perfectly straight.

The Lord Jesus warned of the very real possibility of people bowing down to money and faithfully serving, with deep heart devotion, the Almighty Dollar. It's possible to mechanically bend our knees to the Almighty God in a physical posture but inwardly bow our hearts at the shrine of the Almighty Dollar. Outwardly, it looks like we love the Lord. Inwardly we love the Dollar. Jesus said clearly - it's impossible to love both and we either serve one or the other. There's no fence straddling. If we think we've got a nice balance we're deceiving ourselves. We're merely soothing our conscience.

No servant can serve two masters,

for either he will hate the one and love the other,

or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and money."

(Luke 16:13)

Was Jesus being somewhat philosophical or idealistic when He uttered those words or did He really mean it? What do you think?

Is it possible to be deceived about who you are really serving in your heart of hearts? Yes. Just to help you sort through this most critical matter in your life, here are some questions you can ask yourself to determine if you are inwardly bowing down to the Almighty Dollar:

Do you think often about how you can make more money and get richer faster?
Do you find yourself giving up doing other things you should be doing in order to make more money?
Do you hope the Almighty God will understand why you don't have time for some of His things as you try to make more money?
Do you think in your heart that you will serve the Almighty God more faithfully in a few years time, after the Almighty Dollar is satisfied?
Do you spend a lot of time thinking about your possessions - things you already have, things you would like to upgrade and things you would like to get?
Do you find it hard to give some of your money away? If someone said the Old Testament teaches you should give ten percent to the Lord, is that all you give - the bare minimum and even that exits your wallet somewhat grudgingly? "Grrrh. I have to give my 10%."
Are you constantly living in debt - buying more each year than you can afford?

Maybe there are other diagnostic questions to ask but if you have answered yes to one or more of the questions above, you may only be kidding yourself about who your real Master and Lord is. If push came to shove, the Almighty Dollar might come out in top place. You may sacrifice things spiritually to better serve the Almighty Dollar.

In the long run - which Master offers you the most for faithful service and devotion? Think about it.

All to Jesus, I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

Refrain

I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.

Do you have time to sing this hymn today? It will give you a boost for the day, if you click on the link and sing along with the very basic music provided on the site.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Always With Love. Never Without It.

2011-03-03T08:11:00.001-08:00

The local church in Corinth had lots of potential but also lots of problems. It was a long letter the Apostle Paul had written to them. Did they convene a special meeting to read aloud the long letter? If some worker was to write such a long letter today, we'd be restless by the time Chapter Two was started. We'd be whispering back 'n forth while the brother read the letter: "His letters are too long. I wish he'd write shorter ones."

The difference between letters to local churches back then and today is quite significant. Letters (epistles) in your New Testament, were written not only with apostolic authority; they were God-breathed letters, inspired, to become a part of the Canon of Scriptures - the Word of God, our Bible. No such letters get written today. The Word of God is complete and the age of apostles has ended.

So the Apostle Paul writes a long letter to the church in Corinth. They were in trouble. Divisions and conflicts. Selfishness and self-promotion. Immoral behaviour was bad enough but even worse was the fact that it was tolerated. Abuse of their freedom in Christ. Disorder in worship and misuse of spiritual gifts. Wrong attitudes about the resurrection. Do you have the picture? It wasn't a healthy local assembly. Potential? Yes! But many problems. Lots of frowning going on among the members. Undercurrents. Cliques. Bitterness. Pride. Envy. Not a happy thriving robust testimony for the Lord - at least at this stage in their history.

Paul writes them to correct the multiple issues and to provide them with proper teaching on all these fronts. That's why 1Corinthians is such a relevant letter to local churches today. It is a part of the inspired Word of God. There was no beating around the bush or sweeping issues under the carpet. Each issue needed to be addressed and corrected.

Finally Paul gets to the very last section of his long letter and he writes:

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith.

Be courageous. Be strong.

And do everything with love.

1Corinthians 16:13-14

Be on guard means to be constantly watching for the slightest hint of a problem. Be alert. Don't be sleeping at the wheel. If someone entrusts you with their infant and you are shopping in a mall - you are constantly ensuring the infant in the stroller is safe and risk free. Be on guard for spiritual dangers when it comes to the assembly. Stand firm in the faith. Don't give an inch of territory when it comes to the Truth. Be courageous not cowardly or timid. It will take backbone to protect, preserve and promote the things of God - but be strong.

Notice what it does not say. It doesn't say: "Be a paranoid snooper, always suspecting the worst. Be arrogantly dogmatic. Flex your muscles every time you get a chance and instill fear in the congregation. Be intimidating and glare with those eyes until it causes believers to tremble in fear. Abruptly interrupt others while they are explaining their concerns and make sure your voice drowns out all others. Turn a deaf ear to any concerns raised and dig in your heels often. Do everything with force and power and with minimal feeling."

It says: "Do everything with love." What does everything mean? Think about it. If it is not done with love - it's contrary to the Word of God. It is wrong. If I can't do it with love, I am not to do it until I can. Is that still a Biblical rule for us today? Is that taking it too far? What do you think?

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Keeping Clean

2011-02-22T08:56:00.001-08:00

"Ahhhh - it feels so good." A foot massage by a chiropodist or even a podiatrist. But in John Chapter 13 there is something that far surpasses any such experience. When the Lord Jesus Christ took off His outer garments and wrapped a towel around Himself and bent down, (probably upon His knees) and took the grimy, dirty feet of the disciples into His tender hands - what must it have felt like? The physical feeling of having your feet cared for - relaxing and soothing. The hygienic feeling - "My feet are clean!" But more significant - the spiritual touch of the heart: "The Lord Himself has stooped down to wash myfeet."

The significance for me today? I got my bath the moment I trusted Christ - washed all over, my sins were washed away. But daily, I need to have the dirt and grime of daily-living cleansed. The exposure to garbage, bad language, idle chatter, craziness, lusts, and the selfishness of the world I live in and in my own 'flesh' - all of this needs to be washed off or else it will build up. How does a Christian get washed each day? Through reading the Word of God. It's a must for survival.

How can a young man cleanse his way?

By taking heed according to Your word.

With my whole heart I have sought You;

Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

Your word I have hidden in my heart,

That I might not sin against You.

(Psalm 119:9-11)

One of the other lessons in John 13 is this: "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." (John 13:14-15) Yes, traditionally it had been the role of the common house slave to wash off the guests' feet. But if Christ in His sweet humility and service to others....well, if He did it, how much more should I do it for other believers! How can I do it? By showing kindness to others and encouraging them from the Word of God. Just sharing one little simple verse that you enjoyed today - that's the equivalent of feet-washing!

In your group of friends, ask them for permission to start sharing something you have enjoyed or noticed from the Bible. "Hey guys - I don't want to come across as super spiritual or as a holy halo hypocrite - but why don't we try doing something this year? You know the Bible .... well, why don't we start talking about something we've read each day. Others are doing it - we should try." There are many ways to share your thoughts from the Word of God - texting, Facebook, email, or when you are just chillin' with friends - share something you noticed and enjoyed from your Bible. It is called spiritual feet washing. When you are together, make it a practise once a week at least to read a chapter together.

Did you get washed off today or is the dirt and grime still between your fingers and under your nails? Let God speak to you through His Word - let Him clean you up. Read and pray each day and share your thoughts with your friends.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Still Worshiping

2011-02-17T05:42:00.001-08:00

She definitely wasn't a spring chicken. She had been sporting those beautiful wrinkles for more than a few years. She had weathered the storms of life. Did she walk slowly with a cane? Were her hips worn out? Did she look in the mirror and try to remember what she looked like as a young lady when she first fell in love with the man of her dreams? But now her skin doesn't have the same youthful lustre and tone. Was she a frail, petite older lady or was she robust and rotund? There's so much we don't know. We do know that she climbed into her 80's and she was still worshiping the Lord. If that's not noteworthy, what is?

A successful business person may retire with the golden handshake and receive plaques of honor for faithful years of service. The open-mike at the farewell supper may be swarmed by well-wishers. Her walls may display years of framed awards and certificates of accomplishments. But really, as she climbed the corporate ladder and immersed herself in business and accomplished all her feats - how did her devotion to Christ fare during those years? Did it affect her service to the Lord? Did He get the short end of the stick when it came to her time and abilities? If so, then what a waste her years really were - in light of eternity.

Anna was now in her 80's. As a very young wife she received the crushing news - "Your husband did not survive. We are so very sorry. He's gone." Did the young wife collapse as she received the worst news she could ever hear? Her dreams of a long happy marriage to the man she loved ended in a moment. The young widow said her last farewell to the man who swept her off her feet in romance. Long after the community had ended their mourning and long after life had returned to normal for everyone else - Anna's tears still flowed and her heart still ached with loneliness.

Many centuries later, we are reading in the Gospel of Luke. We read about the birth of John the Baptist, the birth of Christ and then we get into chapter two and read this:

And ... Anna.... was advanced in years,

having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,

and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.

She did not depart from the temple,

worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.

And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God

and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

(Luke 2:36-38)

What does it mean that she never departed from the temple - she never left the temple? It meant she never deserted or abandoned her spiritual occupation of worshiping God and praying in the temple. She didn't live there, but she did live there. That's all she lived for. That's where her heart was. That was her focus and when she could be there in person, she was there.

To think that despite the trials and sorrows and disappointments of life, Anna was still worshiping at 84 and still focused on the Messiah is beautiful to say the least. It was her privilege and high honor to help spread the news of the arrival of Christ.

"Father, please preserve me through the various stages of my life. Give me the strength to remain focused on Christ regardless of what happens and help me to always be a worshiper. I want my life to revolve around Christ."

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Cozy or Lazy in Our Comfort Zones

2011-02-10T05:57:00.001-08:00

Deborah, in Judges 4-5, was quite a woman. She was one of the judges of Israel during a particularly dark period in their history. For twenty long years Sisera and his 900 chariots of iron had mightily oppressed the children of Israel. Deborah said enough was enough. "My name might mean sweet 'honeybee' but don't kid yourself; I'm no pushover. It is time for action!" She and Barak, her five-star general, rallied many in Israel to fight against Sisera. Sisera was defeated. It was time to celebrate and sing. Deborah composed the lyrics and was joined by General Barak in singing the Victory Song of praise to the Lord. It would have been quite a duet!

Then Deborah and Barak ... sang on that day, saying:

"When leaders lead in Israel,

When the people willingly offer themselves, Bless the LORD! "

Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, even I, will sing to the LORD;

I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.

(Judges 5:1-3)

What stands out in the lyrics is the fact that in a time of crisis, some stepped forward to help while others did not. Men from the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, Zebulon and Issachar joined the action and contributed whatever they could to the fight. No big surprise - that was to be expected!

What cannot be missed in the lyrics is the record of those who knew about the need but contributed nothing. Reuben had great resolves, thoughts, searchings and stirrings in his heart but stayed among the sheepfolds. (Judges 5:16) All talk - no action!! Gad knew about the threats and the power of the enemy but chose not to cross the Jordan to help out. He probably had some very, very legitimate excuse. Dan was too busy in the shipping industry to participate. Wrong timing for him. As for Asher - he loved the beaches. "Hey, man, I can't interrupt my vacation at the seashore for something like that! Isn't there a better time of year for a war?" (Judges 5:17)

God's purposes still moved forward. Victory was achieved - God was not the loser. Who were the losers? Those who chose not to participate - regardless of their reason.

It reminds us of the loss that will be experienced at the Judgment Seat of Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15) Is there an opportunity for me to be more involved in spiritual activities and responsibilities? Will my name be mentioned in a future day as a contributor - someone who did as much as he could for the Lord? Or am I all talk with great ideas but very little action? Is the sheepfold my comfort zone? Gad's excuse was the River Jordan. What obstacles block me? Am I too busy out on the high seas of the business world? Or too relaxed and cozy with my toes enjoying the hot sandy beaches every winter or summer?

Deborah's song hi-lited the good and the bad. The Eternal Record doesn't miss a thing; does not gloss over the facts nor does it alter the reality of our lives and the choices we make. I will be the loser if I don't get involved and do all that the Lord has enabled me to do. The happiest Christians are those who are involved, participating, and doing something constructive for the Lord. The most miserable ones are those who are the armchair advisers - all kinds of opinions, tons of 'constructive' criticism to offer and after-the-fact advice on how somethingshould have been done - but they themselves do next to nothing. Cry out to the Lord to preserve you from earning such a sad distinction.

"Lord, give us the desire and the strength to be actively engaged in work that is of eternal significance - work that is important to You. Pry us out of our comfort zones to do more for You."

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Living for Others

2011-02-03T05:20:00.000-08:00

It is not as common as one might think. Living for others doesn't come naturally. Living for self does. We all know that and it can be a daily struggle to deny self in the interest of helping others. We like our own plans, our own space, our own time, our own loved ones, our own pleasures, our own - well, our own everything!

Mordecai, in the little book of Esther, looked beyond his own self interests to the interests of God's people. He lived every day with a desire to see God's people sheltered, protected, strengthened and blessed. This was his goal, even when it involved great personal risk to himself. When senior officials in the Persian empire plotted and schemed to end his influence and life - Mordecai was still unwaveringly faithful to God's people and their well-being.

Even much earlier in his life, when adversity struck, he adopted his young cousin Esther. What a nuisance to have to be shackled with the burden of raising your uncle and aunt's kid! "I know it's the right thing to do but at this stage in life, I don't need the added nuisance of wiping someone else's child's dirty nose! I've got my own life to live. I know Esther is an orphan but there are orphanages for kids like her or someone else will step up to the plate and take on the responsibility. After all, I don't need the hassles of raising my cousin." Those aren't Mordecai's words!

Mordecai had a solid track record of watching out for the interest of others - first his cousin Hadassah, who later was named Esther. But then it seemed to mushroom into a care for the good of all of God's people left in that land. He risked the threat of execution by refusing to bow to Haman. Obviously, his mission in life was not his own self-preservation but the preservation of God's interests and His people.

Of course, as always, God ensured that Mordecai would be honoured for his integrity and selfless devotion to the greater good of God's people. The last verse in the Book of Esther records this:

"For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus,

and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren,

seeking the good of his people

and speaking peace to all his countrymen."

(Esther 10:3)

There was a Greater One who came seeking the good of all and not only speaking peace but making peace by the blood of His Cross. He came for others. He died for others. He lives today for others. But what about my track-record? Am I living for others? Do I put the interests of others ahead of my own? Am I putting the good of believers and the local church ahead of my dogmatic positions, pet peeves, and gripes? When have I last made a sacrifice that hurt me to benefit others?

"Lord, help me today to be more Christ-like in living for others, even when it inconveniences me, conflicts with my schedules, dips into my wallet or grates on my frazzled nerves."

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

PAIN for GAIN

2011-02-01T09:09:00.001-08:00

Have you ever grumbled to the Lord about things that are happening in your life? Someone else gets the promotion you expected to get. You sprain your ankle, ending your snowboarding for the season. The transmission goes in your car. Your favourite piece of technology was stolen. Your house deal falls through. A courtship is called off.

Don't just shrug your shoulders and say: "Oh well, I guess it's the luck of the draw." Or, "I guess it wasn't meant to be...." Or, "What else is new?!! Nothing ever works out for me!" Or, "We all take our hits so I'll just grin and bear it."

Whoever wrote the long Psalm 119 had just come through a rough time. He had been afflicted and humbled in some way. He encountered a bumpy section along life's highway. But when he got alone with God, here is what he wrote:

"Before I was afflicted I went astray.

But now have I kept Thy Word....

It is good for me that I have been afflicted;

that I might learn thy statutes....

I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right

and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me."

(Psalm 119:67,71,75)

"Before all that stuff happened," the Psalmist said, "I was getting off track..." I wonder in what way he was going astray? Was he spending less time alone with God? Getting too independent? Forging ahead with his own plans? Hanging out with someone who would ruin him spiritually? Reading stuff that would defile his mind? Failing to move forward for the Lord in the path of obedience? Ignoring some word from the Lord?

The Psalmist didn't just dismiss the affliction as bad luck or mere coincidence. It's obvious he got alone with the Lord and probably prayed like this: "Lord, this has happened. I'm feeling the pain of it all and I don't like it. It hurts. I can't keep back the tears and sometimes I get upset with You for allowing my life to be like this. But Your purposes are far higher than mine and Your wisdom is always right. During this time, I want to be drawn closer to You. I want to come out of this a better Christian, more obedient and of greater usefulness to You. I don't want to end up BITTER as a result of this; I want to end up BETTER. So please Lord, work in my life to make me the Christian I should be."

God allows things to happen for a number of reasons but the focus of this Bible Bite is discipline. Memorize this verse and think about it: "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11)

The pain hurts. None of us clap our hands with joy when the world is crashing in around us but it helps knowing there is a purpose. We WILL become more Christ-like in our character IF (and that's a big IF), IF we look to the Lord to shape us, train us and sustain us in the trial. But IF we just stoically plow through the rough spots, biting our lips with a firm refusal to give up, we will grow bitter not better.

"Lord, help me to understand that when You allow PAIN in my life it is for my GAIN."

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

FOLLOW THE BEST

2011-01-27T07:23:00.001-08:00

"Gaius, I'm impressed that you are going on for the Lord and thriving spiritually. I am praying that everything else in your life will prosper to the same extent. There is nothing that makes me happier than to see Christians continuing on for the Lord and walking daily in the truth. I am hearing real good reports about you, despite the horrible things that are going on within the local church there. That Diotrephes loves to rule the roost! He grabs the spotlight whenever he can. His unfair and malicious actions and wicked words are appalling. If I drop by for a visit, I will deal with him."

"In the meantime, Gaius, keep your own soul sweet before the Lord. Don't let people like Diotrephes kill your joy or turn your sweetness into bitterness. At any cost, keep yourself happy in the Lord. Don't stoop to Diotrephes' level of behaviour. Don't mimic or imitate his evil ways. Don't retaliate or get all bent out of shape over a man in the local church who is ruling like a wicked despot. Follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. Yes, he is in the wrong. Yes, his actions are definitely evil. Yes, he is ruling with an iron fist. Yes, he is doing a lot of damage - but Gaius, don't let a man like that do you in. Look after your own heart - keep it sweet. Diotrephes can only wreck and ruin your joy, IF you let him - IF you give him permission. Never give him or even loan him the keys to your heart. Guard your heart like a fortress."

"The other brother there, Demetrius - now there's a dear brother who has an excellent report despite the chaos Diotrephes is causing. If you want to mimic or imitate someone's behaviour - pick as a model someone like him who has such a good report. 'He that doeth good is of God.' "

No - you couldn't consider the above a paraphrasing of 3 John. But I think you could easily extract it from 3John.

Beloved, do not imitate what is evil,

but what is good.

He who does good is of God,

but he who does evil has not seen God.

(3John 1:11)

Sometimes when we want to give in to the desires of our flesh, we try to justify our actions by saying: "Well, Mr. Papineau's wife does it. I saw her with my own two eyes." Or, "Dad, give me a break! Even the elder's son, Josh is going to it." Or,"Penny, she dresses like that - so why can't I?" Isn't it a strange thing that we sometimes justify our actions by picking a person who is fairly well-respected and then zeroing in on something in their life that is less than perfect. We take that one thing that's less than ideal and we run with it. If anyone questions me, I will say - "Well, Mike doesn't see anything wrong with it."

John writes to Gaius and says: imitate that which is good, excellent, distinguished - follow the best. Don't focus on the weaker points of others to justify things you want to do. Follow, imitate or mimic only the BEST of what you see in others. Even better, ask yourself: would Christ be pleased with my choice? Would He be happy and honored if I did that, went there, said that, wore this, listened to that, looked like this, etc.? Would I feel comfortable if He borrowed my 'stuff' for the day? The Christian's standard is no less than Christ Himself. Follow the best.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

DIALOGUING THE TRUTH

2011-01-25T06:16:00.001-08:00

Do you find it easier to have a one-way conversation than a dialogue? Some overt introverts seize up during a free-flowing discussion or an exchange of ideas. They can stand up in a classroom and deliver a prepared presentation - a one way monologue. But they become very uncomfortable when the monologue turns into a dialogue.

The Apostle Paul was equipped to do both - he could effectively deliver a monolog but he was also able to engage audiences in discussions and a dialogue. No, Paul's tool kit included more than exclusively the one-way authoritative preaching of the Gospel. As necessary as that mode of communicating the truth was and still is, he also knew when it wasn't the approach to use.

The first three months in Ephesus went somewhat smoothly for Paul. He was able to converse with audiences in the Jewish synagogue. He would present the truth and no doubt be peppered with challenging questions. Over time, some started to oppose the message of the Gospel and the truth regarding the Kingdom of God. In response to the hostility, Paul did not dig in his heels to make a scene. No, he just left and made alternate arrangements for those who did have an interest in the truth.

The Lord opened up the spacious Tyrannus Lecture Theatre for Paul to use during its off-hours. Tyrannus, the Professor of Philosophy finished his lectures at 11AM each day and the lecture hall emptied out for people to rest during the hottest part of the day - from 11AM to 4PM. As the philosophy students grabbed their electronic tablets and books and headed out for the day - another eager group gathered. They would forego their siesta in favour of learning vital truth concerning God and His Son Jesus Christ.

Did Paul have a little sandwich board erected outside the TLT with this announcement on it: "Christian Dialectic Classes, Today from 11AM-4PM, All Welcome. No Collections?" Whether the sessions were advertised formally or spread by word of mouth we don't know; but there was enough interest for Paul to continue with his daily discussions for two years!

And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples,

reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. This took place for two years,

so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

(Acts 19:8-10 NASB)

Dialégomai is a method of teaching. It implies speaking back and forth or presenting intelligent discourse and entering into a discussion. Paul held these five hour daily Christian Dialectic Classes for two years. W. E. Vine (a recognized and trusted Bible scholar, teacher and writer) points out that this Greek word, translated as 'preached' in Acts 20:7, 9 is actually 'discoursed or dialogued' and then he clarifies - "Not by way of a sermon, but by a discourse of a more conversational character."

In our commitment to the authoritative preaching of the Gospel, which is Scriptural - don't overlook other Scriptural methods. In our efforts to reach those who do not know our Saviour and know very little about God's Word, don't overlook one of the Apostle Paul's frequently used methods of communicating the Gospel - dialoguing the truth.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Everybody Does It!

2011-01-18T05:24:00.001-08:00

"I just don't see anything wrong with it. Maybe you do but I don't! You must have your head stuck in the sand. Everybody does it. You're old-fashioned if you still think that way because it is so common around here, it's almost a custom. It can't be all that bad. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes. How else could it ever happen?"

More than once, Abram received word from the Lord that he and Sarai would be the parents of a great nation of people. But it wasn't happening. They just couldn't seem to have children. Years slipped by and Sarai was still childless.

Abram was beginning to doubt. "Well, how's God ever going to bring about His promises? It must not be through our own child, because we never had one. My heir will be Eliezer, my servant from Damascus." How frighteningly inaccurate human reasoning can be! At that point, the Lord told him in no uncertain terms: "You yourself will father a son - in fact, to number your offspring will be like trying to count the stars." Abram believed.

Sarai, on the other hand, was struggling. "It's not going to happen. Facial creams can't keep up with my aging process. The chances of me ever having a baby now are over. We might as well do what everybody else does in our situation. The cashier at the drugstore took that route. Our neighbour said that's how they got their child. Even the waiter at Cora's Camel Caravan Coffee Corner got their son that way. It's very common. I was checking online just to see if it was really legal in this society and according to Hammurabi law, there's nothing wrong with it."

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children.

She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar.

(Genesis 16:1)

So Sarai says something like this: "Abram's it's okay. My right-hand helper, Hagar, can be your substitute wife. I'm to the point where I don't mind. It's the only way we'll ever have a child and build a family. Everybody does it. You can still love me the most - but there's nothing wrong with having a second wife who will be able to have children. It's very accepted now-a-days. We'd be old-fashioned if we thought otherwise. Sure, it may not be ideal, but it can't be that bad either."

Abram failed as head of the home to provide leadership at this critical point. Sarai was having a bad day with doubts. The two of them agreed and went down the Hagar road. You can read the rest of the story in Genesis chapters 16 and 21. The ripple effect of doing what everybody else was doing back then is still being experienced today in the Middle East.

Did you start doing something because everybody else is doing it - even your Christian friends? At what point did you begin to see things differently and start thinking it probably is okay? "No one seems to be expressing much concern, so it can't be that bad."Is that as high as your standard goes - it must be okay? Did you get any insights from your Bible on the matter - or are you satisfied with the Code of Hammurabi?

As a Christian, I am not merely to approve or do things that are 'okay' or 'not that bad' or even things that are probably 'good'. The Christian standard is to approve what is 'excellent'. (Philippians 1:10) Is this the best thing for my life? Is this the best thing for our home? Is this the best thing for my friends? Is this the best thing for the assembly? That's God's standard.

Just because everybody else is doing it, doesn't make it right.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Am I Building My Own Tower?

2011-01-13T06:05:00.001-08:00

Perhaps you have never thought of it this way - but is there the slightest chance you are trying to make a name for yourself - trying to be noticed? The expression is a common one: "Oh, she's trying to make a statement." It could be the clothes she wears or her make-up. Maybe her hairstyle or the car she drives. The pendulum swings on either side of the norm. The 'look' could be outrageously extravagant or pathetically unkempt and dishevelled. The statement is: notice-me and remember-me.

Many years ago there was a group of people who wanted to make a statement about themselves and that they did. As is usually the case when people try to be noticed and remembered, it didn't go over well. Oh yes, they made a name for themselves and they are talked about to this day - but not in a good sense.

Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city

and a tower with its top in the heavens,

and let us make a name for ourselves,

lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth."

(Genesis 11:4)

The people who were traveling east towards what we know as Iraq today decided to build a city and a tower. God told them to disperse and inhabit the entire earth but in human pride and arrogance, they defied God by going no further. They built a city and a tower to be noticed. The tower was not to worship God or other gods but rather to be a rallying point and a symbol of their fame. It was all about themselves - human pride and arrogance. Humanism. Their success. Their ability and their achievements. Their self-sufficiency. "People will see our tower and say: 'Wow, look at them. Look what they did. They are amazing!'" So they set out to make a name for themselves. You know the end of the story.

Another Bible example is King Saul. He wanted to be remembered for his big success against the Amalekites. He built a monument or a tower as a trophy or memorial to himself. (1Samuel 15:12) Absalom was another who built a rock pillar so his name would be remembered. (2 Samuel 18:18)

Towers that make statements about ourselves. Hmmm. Towers for people to see and to remember us. Towers that draw attention to ourselves. Big towers. Semi-big towers. Small towers. Mini-towers. They all have the same purpose - notice me. Can you think of any towers in your life?

A Christian should have only one tower in life. The Lord. "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe." (Proverbs 18:10) Our confidence should be in the Lord - not ourselves. Our lives should not be about making a name for ourselves but rather, glorifying and honouring and exalting His Name alone. All of our service should draw attention to Him - not to us. When our thinking shifts to doing this or doing that so we will be remembered for this or that - then we are on dangerous grounds. We are laying the ground work for our own little Babel Tower.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Noah's Ark: Fable or Fact?

2011-01-11T05:23:00.000-08:00

The smirk. The raised eyebrow. The mocking statement: "Surely no one in this classroom believes the hilarious fable of Noah and his big boat with all the animals on board surviving some big flood. Surely no one! Maybe you've heard of Sunday Schools years ago where religious people taught all these far-fetched ancient myths and fables to little kids with big eyes and gullible minds. Have you ever heard of the Book of Genesis - where it supposedly all began? Six day creation kooks and big zoo boat believers. Pathetic. But you're brighter than that - or at least I hope you are, if you are going to stay in my class."

Some students start imitating with their fingers elephants and giraffes marching up a ramp. Other students look over and laugh and shake their head. Would anyone in the room be so brainwashed or such a nerd as to believe that religious bunk and baloney? You do. Or your child does. And they are feeling like two cents right about now. Crying inside. But isn't it in the Bible?

They went into the ark with Noah,

two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life.

(Genesis 7:15)

It's time for Christian parents and Sunday School teachers to re-think some of the ways we teach the true stories from the Bible. We have children for only a very few short years to influence and teach them. All too soon they will be in classrooms and social settings where Bible truths will be attacked and ridiculed. Too many are not surviving the attacks.

Look at some of the material we share with our children and some of the graphics we have in our Sunday School rooms. Take a second look at them. Don't they resemble a fairy tale or something out of a popular cartoon series or Aesop's Fables? Those images burned into their young minds, coupled with the mocking that comes later in classrooms, may do a number on our children. They may not abandon it all and become atheists - but deep down they may secretly harbour doubts about the credibility of some parts of the Bible. Unexpressed but nagging doubts about the credibility and reliability of certain parts of the Scriptures will have a crippling spiritual effect that could last a lifetime.

What's the alternative? Don't tell those stories anymore? Absolutely not an alternative. Tell them but do your homework. Dig deeper. If you know certain things in the Word of God are likely to be attacked academically, then study it for yourself. There are answers. These are not just cute little stories to wow childish minds. Equip your children while you have them. Drill into their young minds the facts of Scripture and whenever possible the facts of science and logic that substantiate the teachings of the Bible. Yes, there is that which is known by faith alone. But sometimes we use that as a cop out. If we did our homework, we would find that many things that are attacked in the Word of God and about the Word of God can be supported by solid reasoning and credible evidence that will silence the mouths of critics in 2011 or at least expose their own lack of credibility.

If our children are not grounded in the Book of Beginnings and Origins (Genesis) and have never been given the information to defend the Bible itself, we are sending them out into the high seas of this world extremely vulnerable - limping along at best.

There are excellent resources to help you and your children. One such website is www.answersingenesis.org. They have an online store with many excellent resources. Their New Answers Book 1, 2&3 are excellent for high school and college students. They do have a Kid's Version of these books, as well as many DVDs, etc. Have the material in the familyroom, playroom, bedroom and bathroom. If you have found some excellent resources, please share them in the comment section of this Bible Bite posted on www.heaven4sure.com.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

FOLLOWERS

2011-01-06T09:40:00.001-08:00

With the fingers pointed, they whispered: "Yeah, he's a follower too. I can't believe it. I would have thought he was a stronger person than that and much more perceptive. Can't he see it's a dead end street they're on? Why would an intelligent and successful business person ever fall for such a thing and abandon all to become one of the followers?"

In a sense, we're all followers - even leaders are followers. Some follow others while others follow their dreams but they are still 'following'. Some follow the lure of money or power. Many are following the pull of a harmful habit, as if they were hooked to a tow-rope and being dragged along. Some jump on the bandwagon of discontents, agitators and bitter bullies and follow behind the ringleader who is also following his pet peeve and desire for revenge. Still following.

What are you following? Perhaps you are an introverted, strong-willed leader-type or even an extroverted, desire-to-be-liked leader. You have never really thought of yourself as a follower. But the reality is - you are following something in life. Or maybe you know you wear the label on your forehead 'follower' and you have followed, even in your school days, the wrong sorts of people and have suffered the consequences.

We're all followers.

Two sets of brothers had been fishing and following their career path and financial goals. Yes, earlier they had come in contact with Christ - their individual moments of conversion. Peter and Andrew, John and James had encountered Jesus earlier. They heard His words; they saw His humble and modest lifestyle. They knew He had come from poor Nazareth and had recently moved into a home in Capernaum - but it certainly wasn't a gated palace. (Matthew 4:13). They knew opinion was divided and not everyone was buying into His teachings and claims. They heard the rumours and gossip - the scuttlebutt down at the wharf and in the coffee shops. They knew He spent His days walking down dusty roads, along shorelines and through fields - walking in sandals, teaching and preaching. He wasn't carried in some glass-covered, bullet-proof prophetmobile.

Against this backdrop, we read these words:

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,

Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother,

casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

And he said to them,

"Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

(Mathew 4:18-20)

Have you responded to the "follow me" command yet?

And the story continues:

And going on from there he saw two other brothers,

James the son of Zebedee and John his brother,

in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets,

and He called them.

Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

(Matthew 4:21-22)

No longer following their own will or their own ambitions or aspirations - or even the goals their parents had set for them; they followed Him. It sure wouldn't be smooth sailing with financial prosperity and popularity or a bed of roses for them - in this life. He didn't dangle that before their eyes. The sole attraction was Christ Himself - His Person - who He was; His power and character and His beauties.

Who or what do you think would be best to follow in life?

Would you like to set your eyes on Him and follow Him today and tomorrow and throughout this year and for the rest of your life? Would you tell Him that as you finish reading this Bible Bite?

If you can handle the images and the tempo of this beautiful song, invest four minutes in this hymn and it will affect your thoughts today:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NKIMfgOI_w&feature=related

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

DOUBTING GOD

2011-01-04T10:10:00.000-08:00

"If you walked a mile in my shoes, you'd understand why I am having doubts about God. Sure, I've heard the classic stories of believers who never doubted God in their troubles but those stories must be fairy-tales or urban myths - the stuff that books are written about. You'd be doubting too if you were in my circumstances today."

You don't have to be struggling with life to be blind-sided by doubts. Even in a perfect situation you could be attacked by a powerful doubt-missile. Eve may have been singing a beautiful hymn of praise to the Almighty Creator as she happily served God in her daily duties in the Garden. One moment enjoying sweet fellowship with her Lord and the next moment - puzzled, wondering, looking at things differently, doubting and caving in to doubts, deceit, and desires. Ever been there?

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

He said to the woman,

"Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"

(Genesis 3:1)

"If God is supposed to be such a good God, why would He ever deprive you of eating from any tree - not to mention this beautiful one right here? Just think about it Eve! This God whom you love, can He really be as good as you originally thought He was? So much for the 'God is Good' slogan you and Adam have hanging in your home. You have every reason to be having second thoughts about this God. If the tree could make you wiser and allow you to share in God's knowledge of what's good and evil - why would this 'good' God of yours ever block you from such a tree? Just look at that tree. Look at the trunk; look at its branches; look at its leaves - aha....Eve, look at its fruit. Good to look at for sure, but even better to taste. And this thing about dying if you take a bite - not chance, Eve. Did God tell you that? You can't trust Him. The reality is, if you sink your teeth into that juicy fruit, you will see as you never saw before and think thoughts you never had before. Say after me Eve as you look and look and look some more: 'Delicious, delightful and desirable!' Yes, highly desirable, Eve. Go for it."

And go-for-it she did and so did Adam. What a disaster!

Are you flooded with doubts today about God? Do you feel as if you are standing on only one leg and you are beginning to shake and tip - losing your balance and about to fall over or fall down? Are you horrified that you are actually having doubtful thoughts about God?

Satan wanted Eve to forget about every good thing God had given them and to focus on the one thing she could not have. How quickly she lost perspective! What is Satan trying to get you to focus on today? Are you doubting God because of that one thing? Have you quickly forgotten all the blessings that are yours through Jesus Christ our Lord?

"Lord, give me strength to run from the temptation and to resist the Devil. These thoughts I am having are not produced by Your Spirit within me. Satan is the father of lies and he is lying to me in these doubts I am having. Lord, I open up every facet of my being to You and close every portal to Satan. Refocus my eyes today to be thrilled with the beauties of my Saviour and Lord and to surrender only and always to Him."

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Are Your Cousins Saved?

2010-12-21T12:39:00.001-08:00

What would you do if you had a cousin who was a real enemy of the Gospel? Andronicus and Junia had a cousin who was as radical as they come. His hatred went beyond words, propelling him to hunt down believers wherever they could be found. What a threat and what a burden he must have been for Andronicus and Junia. How often did they pray words like these?

"Dear Lord, thank You for ever saving our souls. We will never forget those days in Jerusalem when we first appreciated that the Crucified Jesus was, in fact, the Risen Christ our Saviour. We'll never forget seeing Stephen, with that heavenly smile on his face, as they stoned him to death. You have redeemed us to God by Your precious blood. Lord, we are terribly burdened for our cousin Saul. He pushed for the death of Stephen and Lord, he still hates You. He wants all of us dead. Please, stop Him. Please save him."

We can't be certain that Andronicus and Junia were the Apostle Paul's cousins but we're in good company entertaining the thought that they may have been. W.E. Vine, John Philips, J.M. Stifler, E. Peterson and others translate the word 'cousins'. Here's what Paul wrote:

Greet Andronicus and Junia,

my kinsmen (cousins)

and my fellow prisoners.

They are well known to the apostles,

and they were in Christ before me.

(Romans 16:7)

Andronicus and Junia were saved before Paul. So we can be certain of this - they prayed for his salvation, as he was the single greatest opponent of the Gospel in his day. What a thrill (and relief!) it must have been when the news of his salvation spread. Eventually the three of them ended up being in prison together for Christ. Quite something!

Are you praying for your cousins? Sometimes we turn them off by our lack of wisdom. Preaching, stern warnings and constant reminders to our relatives every time we see them may not always be of the Lord. In our 'zeal' to reach them with the Gospel - we can do damage that will turn them off for years. If they only hear from us when we want them to attend a Gospel meeting then it's no small wonder they're icy cold.

The other extreme is to neglect them completely. Never send them our personal testimony. Never send them a Christmas card. Never visit them at home or in the hospital. Never send them a 'thinking of you' or a 'praying for you guys' card when their family has hit a hard bump. Never surprise them with unexpected kindness. Never pray for them. Never, never, never.

What would happen if everyone reading this article, created a mailing list of all their 'first' cousins and then, during 2011 we sent each of them a 'thinking of you' card? Two cousins a month would mean we would contact 24 of them in a year. Apologize for not staying in touch; add a few newsy and friendly words in it; enclose a picture. But no preaching at them. You could say: "Even though I am terrible at staying in touch, I do pray for you guys regularly." You don't need to tell them you are praying for their salvation. You could sign off: "With Love and Prayers, Your cousin..." It starts with rebuilding the neglected relationship - not with preaching.

Using your newly compiled cousins' list, set aside one day in the week when you will particularly remember them in prayer. Andronicus and Junia must have been thrilled when they saw it on Face Book: "Our cuz - Saul of Tarsus has been wonderfully saved." We can pray for the same thing to happen to our cousins.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

If I Know God I Won't Say: No God.

2010-12-16T07:07:00.000-08:00

Most of us don't wade through the book of Ezekiel - we skim through it. Many of us just don't feel we have the capacity or spiritual maturity to comprehend much of Ezekiel's long prophecy. Even some respected Bible teachers have suggested the book of Ezekiel is not the first book in the Bible a new believer should read.

Ezekiel the prophet was one of the Jewish captives taken from Jerusalem and carried to Babylon. He lived and died in exile and his tomb is reputed to be just outside Baghdad. His wife died suddenly and traumatically. He was probably 35 at the time. His own name meant: God will strengthen. So often he must have mused on the meaning of his name as he looked at the trials of his life. He experienced God at work in his life, in the life of his people, the Jews, and in the life of the nations around him.

Despite all we may not understand when reading Ezekiel there is something we cannot miss - probably because of its repetition - frequent repetition. Over fifty times this expression is found:

You shall know or they

"...shall know that I am the Lord."

Ezekiel 13:9

The burden of Ezekiel's message was that ultimately everyone would know who the real Lord was - including straying Israel and the surrounding nations who had watched Israel lose its testimony as it plunged into idolatry. God's Holy Name would be vindicated and His glory recognized by all. (Ezekiel 36:22-23)

My highest pursuit in life should be to know the Lord - to know God and to know all that God has revealed about Himself. In the high priestly prayer of the Lord Jesus in John 17:3 He prayed: "And this is eternal life, that theyknow You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."

The Apostle Paul wrote: "...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection..." Philippians 3:10. It is one thing to know Christ as my Saviour; Paul discovered that on the Damascus Road. But his lifelong pursuit became getting to know Christ better and better, more and more. Transcending his labours in the Gospel was his overarching goal of becoming more intimate with the Almighty.

It should not only be my highest pursuit in life, it is God's highest purpose for me. In Hosea 6:6 we read that the knowledge of God transcends everything else in life - it is more critical then the best offerings we can bring to the Lord.

Here's how it works: a couple first get to know each other on their first date. The more time they spend together, the deeper their relationship becomes, the more aware they become of each other's likes and dislikes, qualities and strengths.

The more time we spend with the Lord, the more the relationship will grow and deepen and flourish. The more intimate we will become. Doesn't it almost make you shout for joy to think that the Almighty God has made such a relationship possible through His Son Jesus Christ? Why does He want me to be intimate with Him in the first place? WHY! WHY! WHY! He knows me through and through and yet He still wants me to get closer and closer to Him each day.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Sixteen Member Teaching Team

2010-12-14T05:45:00.001-08:00

Jehoshaphat was the new king in Judah. "Okay, thanks for all your kind words and congratulatory messages but the coronation is now over. It's time to get to work. During my reign I want to see our Kingdom flourish for the Lord." In fact, the king not only sought after the Lord but he was courageous for the Lord. His heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord. He was excited about the opportunity he had during his reign to promote the ways of the Lord throughout the land. His wasn't a caretaker government. He realized there was a window of opportunity when he could make a difference and then it would quickly close.

Jehoshaphat also understood that making a difference wasn't just a matter of dealing with the wrong things in people's lives. Yes, the traces of idolatry had to be removed; torn down and stripped away. But this wise king knew there was more to living for the Lord than all the don'ts. "My people need to see the big picture. They need to understand 'why' idol worship is wrong but they also need to learn more about God and what pleases Him. Getting this life changing message across to the people is a top priority for me during my reign as king. Today I am announcing the formation of a sixteen member Teaching Team. I have commissioned them to go to every community for teaching sessions. They will be carrying the book of the law of the Lord with them."

"And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD:

moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah.

Also in the third year of his reign he sent". five princes, nine Levites and two priests

To teach in the cities of Judah.

"And they taught in Judah,

and had the book of the law of the LORD with them,

and went about throughout all the cities of Judah,

and taught the people.

And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah,

so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat."

(2Chronicles 17:6-10)

How much teaching are you initiating during your time of responsibility and influence? Is teaching a priority for you? If you don't have the ability to teach the believers, are you ensuring others are? Do the Christians see the big picture or do you have them focused on the checklist - the do's and don'ts? Jehoshaphat wanted his people to be fully conversant in the Law of God - to see the big picture; so he put a special plan in place to make it happen. Do you have a teaching strategy or is it hit and miss? Are the believers only getting a hodgepodge-hash of truth rather than a cohesive and contextual approach to all the Word of God?

Don't get me wrong: there are definite do's and don'ts in the Word of God of which we must be aware - but they always need to be appreciated within the big picture. Pressured compliance with a checklist may produce immediate conformity without appreciation but no deep rooted spiritual conviction - only deep seated resentment.

May the Lord raise up Jehoshaphats who have a love for the Word of God, a burden to see its truths taught to all and a vision and action-oriented plan to make it happen.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

No Armoured Vehicles at Cemetery

2010-11-18T08:51:00.001-08:00

Have you been crunching the numbers lately on your calculator? Is your wealth increasing at the rate your Investment Manager said it would? Are your savings and investments quadrupling within the timeframes you had envisioned? Perhaps that's not the question you needed to be asked today. If the sluggish economy has gotten me all bent out of shape and all I can see are dark clouds on the horizon, then I am living for the wrong thing.

One of the beauties of reading the Bible is - God speaks to us through His Word and if we are willing, He will calibrate our perspective with His. Some verses, more than others, pierce the heart like an arrow. When we are open to hearing His Voice, not many verses and very little study is required to be reminded of the emptiness and short-sightedness of shallow living. What kind of life are you living?

Psalm 49 makes it clear - there will be no armoured vehicles in our funeral procession carrying our possessions from our safety deposit boxes, secret stashes and investments accounts. Our fancy homes and our summer convertible sports car will not be loaded on to flat bed trucks, along with our boat, and carried to the cemetery. Our newest iPads, Blackberry's and Android's, fine China dishes and elegant, posh furnishings, our don't-dare-touch-me ornaments, vintage guns and memorable golf clubs, Gucci wardrobe collections, etc. - well, how can I break the news gently? The bottom line is - it all stays here! If that is all I have in life, I have nothing.

Psalm 49:10-11 says it so bluntly eloquent:

"They leave their wealth to others.

Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue forever

and their dwelling places to all generation;

they call their lands after their own names....."

Vs. 17: "When he dies he shall carry nothing away..."

Absalom was a Bible character who erected a monument in a valley and called it - guess what? "Absalom." (2 Samuel 18:18) But dear Absalom lost it all and lost his soul.

The writer to the Hebrews noted this about the Christians then:

"You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property,

since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

(Hebrews 10:34)

The writer encourages the Christians, reminding them how they smiled when their persecutors broke into their homes and stripped them bare of all their possessions. "Remember how you just smiled when they stole all your stuff, because you knew they could never touch your real treasure."

What do I treasure today? What makes a smile come over my face? Can the enemy touch my real treasure? When I daydream - what kind of treasures excite me? Invest for eternity. Make today count for Christ. Live for Him.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

MY Distress

2010-11-02T07:37:00.001-07:00

Rarely do you get advance notice that trouble is about to strike. One day a person has plans and hopes but the next day everything is shattered. Today is so different from yesterday - a huge frightening freefall into an abyss of darkness. Their world has been abruptly turned upside down and swirling around them are thick, dark clouds of despair. A completely different universe. Their ears hear nothing but the screeching tires of life hitting the side of a mountain without notice - the horrific sounds of the mettle of life crashing and crushing upon impact. The sounds are replayed in a continuous loop non-stop.

"Is this life? What will 'normal' look like in the future? Will I ever be able to smile sincerely again or will it always be forced? Will this suffocating heaviness ever leave me? Will the well-intentioned words of consolation ever sound real or will they always be shallow, hollow and irritating to me?"

"In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He answered me."

(Psalm 120:1 ESV)

In my trouble, distress, anguish, extreme discomfort, affliction, adversity and tightness, I called and cried out to the Lord. Which word best describes your situation and your feelings today?

In this first of the fifteen Songs of Ascents (Ps. 120-134), the poet is crying out to the Lord in his intense distress. It seems like he was the target of vicious lies and malicious slander and character assassination. No, it wasn't the horrible news of disease; or the crushing news of death or the heart-breaking news of the bad choice of a child or the loss of a job.

No, the poet is careful to say: "In MY distress. My distress is my character has been attacked. It doesn't cut any deeper than that. How can I fight back? Others may feel their trouble is the absolute worst, but for me, MY distress is that I have been falsely accused; it goes to the very core of who I am."

However, you're thinking - I wish that was all I had to worry about. I could handle slander and a vicious attack on myself or our family. But 'my distress' is so much worse and so hopeless --- as far as I can see into the future.

Whatever 'my distress' is - the resource is still the same: the Lord. He doesn't specialize in just dealing with certain kinds of distress. It's not that He's better dealing with one trouble over another. He's a specialist in dealing with all troubles and responding in times of crisis - regardless of the nature of the distress.

"And He answered me." Isn't it amazing? Away up there, He hears our cries away down here. That's God! Of course, you know, dear child of God, He's much, much closer than that. He's not really light years away!! And He is good. When He responds to the cries of your anguished heart - His response is not 'a' good response - as if it was one good response among a number of good options. Bu His answer is: 'the' good response.

Perspective is so important. We lose it quickly. Calendar time allows us to regain perspective; but more profoundly, time alone with God, heaving out the sobs of a broken heart in His Presence, provides the deeper perspective. That deeper perspective is His response - His answer. The cries from Gethsemane didn't change the circumstances of Calvary but who would ever question the infinite value of the intimacy experienced and the joy amidst those sorrows during those dark hours? "In my distress I cried to the LORD, And He answered me."

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Choosing to be Faithful or Unfaithful

2010-10-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

"I can't wrap my head around it. Josh has been through practically everything in life. It boggles my mind how he keeps going on. And yet, he's there every Sunday and not just on Sunday morning's only. He's there for the Lord's Supper; there for the teaching session; there for the preaching of the Gospel. You can always count on him to be there for the mid-week prayer meeting and Bible Study. And if there is anything else going on - he's there! Just after he had the motor job done on his car, he wrote it off in an accident. He's had major family disappointments. His company was downsized and he lost his job. Oh yes, and there are the frequent migraines and, well, the list goes on - it's a long one. But......BUT he is still worshipping, praying, contributing to Bible Studies, singing and participating 100%."

What's the difference between Josh and other Christians who are hit and miss in the spiritual responsibilities and spotty in their attendance? Why can you always count on Josh when others only show up maybe two times a month at the Lord's Supper and rarely return for the Gospel meeting - not to mention their lack of participation in Children's work or the prison ministry or the Bible Study? Oh yes, they are officially listed in the directory of Christians produced by the local assembly once a year. But the sightings are sporadic at best - even rare.

The difference can be summarized in a one line response: Josh has chosen to be faithful. Being a faithful Christian is a choice. Faithfulness doesn't just 'happen' based on circumstances. It only happens when the Christian chooses to be faithful. You choose to be faithful or unfaithful. You don't believe people choose to be unfaithful? Every time a Christian chooses to not live up to their responsibilities, they are making a definitechoice. They are being faithful to themselves, pleasing themselves and unfaithful to the Lord. Sadly, we have all experienced some of that in our lives!

I have chosen the way of faithfulness;

I set your rules before me. I cling to your testimonies, O LORD;

... Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes;

and I will keep it to the end.

(Psalm 119:30-33)

When you stand before Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Bema) which description would you like to carry with you into eternity - faithful or unfaithful? Faithful and committed believers, who can be counted on and relied upon to shoulder their spiritual responsibilities have made a choice to live that way.

Think of these references: "God is faithful." (1Cor.1:9; 10:13,18) "He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." (1Thess.5:24); "The Lord is faithful." (2Thess.3:3); "If we are faithless, He remains faithful." (2Tim.2:13); He's a "merciful and faithful High Priest." (Heb. 2:17); "Christ is faithful." (Heb.3:6); Our "faithful Creator." (1Pet. 4:19) "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." (1John 1:9), etc. Study faithfulness in your New Testament.

Is there any good reason for me to choose anything else in life - other than 'faithfulness'?

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

STUDYING WHAT'S AWESOME

2010-10-21T06:48:00.001-07:00

What do geneticists, ornithologists, astronomers, physicists, zoologists, oceanographers, meteorologists, lepidopterists and microbiologists all have in common? What do microbes have in common with minerals? Or flitting butterflies with distant stars? Or tiny hummingbirds with tiny atoms? Or deep ocean floors with marsupial koalas? What's the connection?

God, the works of God and the study thereof.

What does Calvary and the cosmos have in common? Or do you see any link between the cross and creation? What do sinners redeemed by precious blood have in common with the solar system or the ecosystem? God and the works of God.

Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.

(Psalm 111:2)

Who the deep, reflective thinker was we don't know. Yes, he was a poet but we won't talk about the intriguing structure of the Psalm in the original Hebrew language. You can study that yourself. But the poet was obviously meditatively delighting over his great God. His works are great because He is great. A great God wouldn't do un-great things.

It is no small wonder that many scientists who have delighted in studying the great works of the universe have concluded that a mighty and awesome God had to be and still has to be behind it all. Even sailors from a ship's deck have peered into the night sky and concluded: "God is for real." Not a few atheists, agnostics and sceptics have repented as they studied the facts and have acknowledged God and have embraced Christ as their Saviour. Stories of such conversions are many.

Of all the amazing and delightful works of God, there is one that surpasses all others in absolute beauty and wonder. If the work of Creation is breath-taking, the work of Redemption is heart-bowing. The more we study and ponder it - the more delight we find in it. The story of God's love for sinners expressed fully at the Cross is one of staggering proportions that will never be figured out or fathomed throughout the eternal ages. Redemption and salvation.

Isn't there a verse that goes something like this: "For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He (even) gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life." John 3:16 Amplified

Swamped with studies? Don't neglect the study of the great works of the Lord and the heart-warming study of Christ and the greatest of all works accomplished at the Cross. Find your delight in the great works of God.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Busybodies and Butterflies

2010-10-19T08:18:00.001-07:00

Some say they're on overload with the business of others. It seems that few details of the lives of many are spared from public consumption. Kissing a spouse, going shopping, having a blood test, seeing a racoon or testing a new tooth paste – and many other activities of daily living now seem like fodder for public consumption. Perhaps the days of minding our own business are over.

There's a fine line between being interested in the lives of others and being downright nosy. The dark propensity to be nosy has been around for a long time. The Apostle Paul cautioned against it. Just because this generation is becoming very transparent with personal information, does not give me the right to be a nosy Christian on Facebook or anywhere else. Even if our wicked flesh enjoys it and technology facilitates it, snooping, prying, nosy Christian busybodies are frowned upon by the Scriptures.

Evelyn said to Edith: "Margaret said that Lilly's parents wanted her to break up with Herbert your brother because he is a workaholic and is stingy with his money. I was shocked to hear her say that but I'm just telling you what I heard. Do you think there's any truth to it" Even if Margaret said that, it gave Evelyn no right to repeat her words. It's no wonder people say Evelyn is a nosy busybody. Evelyn wonders why people keep her at arm's length!

Paul not only wrote about busybodies – he wrote about butterflies. Social butterflies are people who thrive on social interactions and derive energy from being with groups of people. They are extroverted and thoroughly enjoy being 'on the go' with people. "If only there were more hours in a day and days in a week to get out of the house to be socializing with others!" Flitting from one social scene to another. Paul seems to have a word for these personalities as well.

"...aspire to live quietly,

and to mind your own affairs...

as we instructed you,

(1Thessalonians 4:11)

Some of the Christians in Thessalonica were restless. They were unsettled and confused about the return of the Lord and the death of their loved ones. Paul writes to give them the truth and to advise them to be ambitious to live a quiet, focused life for the Lord, maturely assuming spiritual responsibilities and attending to their own spiritual and family needs – not nosing into the lives of others.

There are some who can't settle to privately and quietly sit alone to enjoy the Lord and to study the Scriptures. They find it hard to even focus on the needs under their own roof. They want to be 'on the tear' constantly and if they're not, Christian living is boring. While their own family suffers or their own home crumbles – they're busy flitting here and there.

Christian living does involve activity and work – but an absolute must in my life is a spirit of quietness. Paul said: "Ambitiously work at being quiet." A high-energy extrovert may naturally want to be 'running' all the time – every evening and every weekend – even running for the Lord. But we are to 'strive eagerly' to be quiet and to have a tranquility of mind. It is the opposite of being restless. You can be busy for the Lord and not be restless.

"Lord, if I have social butterfly tendencies that are hindering me and others and if I'm a bit of a busybody, I confess my sin and my failure today. Help me to mind my own business and to be more aware of these issues in my life. I confess my restlessness and nosiness. Help me to walk in the Spirit today."

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

TREASURED TURF and ALTARS THAT ALTER

2010-10-14T06:35:00.001-07:00

If someone asked you to take them to a place where you did 'business' with God, where would you take them? Are there any special geographical locations where you had a heart to heartwith the Lord - one of those deep dialogues that will be remembered for a long time? People who walk with God have treasured turf and sacred spots where they communed with the Lord.

Abraham once got discouraged during a raging famine. He packed his bags and moved his family down to Egypt. But something was missing down there! During that disastrous period of Abraham's life we don't read about him having any altar experiences. What a tragedy for the 'friend of God' who once enjoyed communion with the Lord at the altar. When things went from bad to worse, Abraham decided to return...

"And he journeyed to....

the place where he had made an altar at the first.

And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD."

(Genesis 13:3-4)

Imagine the tears Abraham must have shed when he returned to that treasured turf where he made an altar at the first. Do you have any such places that come to your mind? Sacred spots, treasured turf, holy ground, altars where your life was altered and you surrendered everything to the Lord?

On another occasion, Abraham was travelling down a road. He came to a complete stop and conducted major business with the Lord. The Lord was planning to destroy Sodom. This gut-wrenching news broke Abraham's heart. All he could think of was his nephew Lot and his family who lived inside Sodom. It was heavy tidings for Abraham. On that spot of ground, a specific spot on that road, Abraham pleaded with the Lord to spare Lot and the family. (Genesis18:22) It was quite a prayer!

The day after the fire fell on Sodom, "Abraham went early in the morning to THE PLACE where he had stood before the Lord....." Genesis 19:27. Abraham knew the exact spot where he had major dealings with the Lord. How could he forget! And, the Lord could not forget the treasured turf either. Genesis 19:29 says: "So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out..."

How many special places do you have? Could you take someone on a tour of the treasured turf in your life? The place where you were saved? The place where you cried to the Lord to strengthen you in a major trial? An altar where you told the Lord you were surrendering your life 100% to Him? An altar where your life was altered? A chair in the corner of a room where you got on your knees and confessed and cried to the Lord for deliverance from some struggle? A spot on the road where you pulled off due to blinding tears? A big old tree in the woods where you knelt on your knees all alone with the Lord and confessed your bitterness - a place where you were restored to the Lord?

People who experience the Lord have secret places, treasured turf where they did business with God. Do you have some business to do with the Lord today? Does your life need to be adjusted and altered? Find an altar and allow the Lord to alter your life.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

As Long as My Heart is Right

2010-10-12T05:49:00.000-07:00

"You are so judgmental. You get hung up over the smallest things. You are a true legalist if there ever was one. I am so glad I don't live under such Christian bondage. I don't want to be rude, but you have no business drawing conclusions about me by the things I do, the way I look, what I wear and where I hang out. You are pathetically focused on outward religion. God looks on the heart."

Yes, God does look on the heart but your unsaved friends don't and can't. They can't see that deep - nor can other Christians. So living your Christian life is much more than just an internal thing. God who sees your heart left you in this world for people to see your life. Your interface with society and this world is not your heart - it's your body and what you do with it and how you present it and where you take it. Your heart, your soul - in other words, the real 'you' is encased in a physical body which gives visible expression to who you really are. Our outward is supposed to be a window into our hearts.

God gave your friends eyes to watch you. Ears to listen to you and feet to accompany you. What you look like leads them to believe certain things about you. Where you go with them - or won't go, informs them as to who you really are. How I look to the unsaved, what I wear before the unsaved, where I go, what I talk about and how I spend my time before the unsaved - is all a part of my Christian testimony. Your friends can NOT see your heart. (Only God sees below our surface.) They just reach conclusions (rightly or wrongly) based on the externals signals you send out. You may be the only Bible they will ever read.

"...walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,

fully pleasing to Him,

bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

(Colossians 1:10)

Walking in a manner that is worthy of the Lord - means living your life with your friends in a way that brings honour to the Lord - a Joe or a Jill who thrills His heart as He watches you mingle with friends in the corridors of the school or on the campus or at the office. It means to present and conduct yourself among your friends and colleagues in such a way as to bring credit to your Master.

Perhaps it isn't quite right to say that we should work hard to ensure the Lord is 'proud' of us today. But that's the thought in our vernacular.

Just as opposite as the North Pole is from the South Pole so is godliness opposite from worldliness. Over the past two years, judging from what your friends see of you, which direction would they think you are leaning towards.

Godliness (more like God) Worldliness (more like the world)

To dismiss externals as not important to God and to suggest you are on a higher spiritual plain because you are focusing on your heart - maybe self-deception to justify what you want to do and where you want to go and the self image you want to project to those you are seeking to impress.

We should not deceive ourselves. If our heart is truly right - it will be reflected externally. We will appear more Godly in our lives than worldly.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

One Way to Witness: Include www.heaven4sure.com as a FACEBOOK Link: Links really do work! Every day new visitors are finding their way to the Gospel website via links posted on Facebook or other social networking sites.

BE A MAN!

2010-10-05T05:43:00.001-07:00

People often mock political correctness and the use of non-offending words. Words have to be chosen so sensitively today and rightly so, because words often have hidden, just below their surface, some lurking hurtful prejudices or offensive undertones. Some old axioms no longer work. Is it still okay for a father to say to his son: "Son, be a man?"

The old king was dying. He had reigned for 40 years. The Bible refers to him as a man after God's own heart. He wasn't perfect and he had some failures but no one could argue with the record of his life from his teen years to his death. His overarching motivation was to honour the Lord and please God. Now he was passing on the baton of his reign (or the sceptre) to his son Solomon. Old King David called his son to his side and said:

"I am about to go the way of all the earth.

Be strong, and show yourself a man,

and keep the charge of the LORD your God,

walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments,

his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses,

that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn..."

(1King 2:2-3)

Son, you will be pressured from every angle to compromise and cave in to the wishes and the will of the people or segments of the population. Your popularity will be threatened and people will wave opinion polls in your face trying to force you to change direction or abandon what you know to be right. Be strong; be a man. The criticisms of your beliefs will be sharp and cutting. The ridicule of your convictions will almost become a sport - but son, don't cave into the pressure. Be a man. Keep the charge of the Lord your God. And that's not all.

The pressures and temptations to swerve off course will not only come from outside you and around you; perhaps the worst of all pressures you will deal with will come from inside. I don't mean inside our country or even inside the palace - I mean from inside your own heart. You will have everything at your fingertips in your position of power and wealth as king. There is a real danger of you becoming proud and arrogant, thinking you are invincible and nothing can bring you down. What lurks in your heart, son, and in mine as well, has the potential to do you in and to wreck your usefulness for God and tragically cause you to end your days in disgrace. Walk in God's ways. Keep His commandments. Stand up for what is right and keep away from all that is wrong. Be strong. Be a man. Have a backbone. If you stand for nothing, son, you will fall for anything.

That was the amplified version of King David's death-bed charge to his son Solomon. You can read the story of Solomon's life and judge for yourself how strong he was and how well he followed his father's counsel.

It is just as hard for us today to stand for what we believe and to resist the pressures to compromise and to say 'No!' to the temptations around us and within us. But if you want to prosper in God's eyes, you will have to be strong. You will have to say no to others and no to yourself and yes to God. It is the only formula for successful Christian living.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

For Christ's Sake

2010-09-23T05:39:00.001-07:00

Notice: Sorry for the interruption in Wednesday's delivery of the Bible Bite. The website, www.heaven4sure.com, was out of commission for a period of time and the Bible Bite had to be postponed until this morning. The Fall schedule for Bible Bites will resume on Tuesday, October 5^th - Lord willing.

For Christ's Sake

Why wait another day? Things aren't going to get better. Pack it in. Call it quits. Throw in the towel. Turn back. Give up. Ever feel like that? There's no hint of the Apostle Paul ever having such a thought and yet his trials would make the most of us embarrassed to ever mention our own problems. Wham! Wham! Wham! Every day for him seemed like a new storm. How could he take another hit?

Just think of the context of the verses below. This servant of the Lord, following in the path of obedience, with deep affection for Christ, was under siege. False teachers were worming their way into the hearts of Paul's converts and undermining his labours and spreading malicious stories about him. Just that experience alone would knock some of us out but read on:

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.

Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned.

Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;

on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers,

danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city,

danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;

in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst,

often without food, in cold and exposure.

And, apart from other things,

there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

(2Corinthians 11:24-28)

"Stop Paul. That's enough. If it hurts us just to hear about it, how much more painful must it be for you to experience it! Paul, you aren't appreciated by most and to make matters worse, you are swamped by afflictions and trials. I think it's time for you to move into a little condo and write your memoirs. Retire. You seem to be a lightning rod for trouble. Withdraw. Retreat. Scale back your activities. It's just not worth it. You've taken enough hits. It's someone else's turn."

"Excuse me," Paul interrupts. "How could you say it's not worth it? How could you say I've taken enough hits? When I think of the hits my Lord took, mine are nothing. Think of all the malicious and false accusations they hurled against Him. Think of the spitting. The shame. The humiliation. The lashes upon my Saviour's back. What about the thorns and the nails? The thirst? The loneliness of Calvary? His tears. His abandonment. The load of my sins. The wrath of God that fell on Him. He never called it quits. Had He turned back and taken the easy way out, I would have been lost eternally."

Thinking about Christ - loving Him and always keeping Him as the object of his heart's affections - that's what propelled Paul forward. It was Christ who motivated him to plow through the waves of trials. It was Christ that kept him afloat.

"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses

FOR CHRIST'S SAKE..."

2 Corinthians 12:10

Remove Christ from the equation and Paul would have been out of his mind to press forward. How sweet it will be for you, dear child of God, to stand before Christ in the future and to hear Him say: "Thanks my child for not calling it quits FOR MY SAKE. Thanks for making that sacrifice in your life FOR MY SAKE."

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Read the two latest blog entries about Community Good Works and Pens on www.lostsheepfinders.com

NFL 49er Glen Coffee Abruptly Leaves Football at 23: The Big Question is "Why?" The latest story on www.heaven4sure.com

One Way to Witness: Include www.heaven4sure.com as a Facebook Link: Yes, links really do work! Every day new visitors are finding their way to the Gospel website via links that Christians post on Facebook or other social networking sites.

Morning Larks & Night Hawks

2010-09-15T09:00:00.001-07:00

So the flap continues between the night hawks and morning larks. Some early morning faces are better covered. Half the day passes before the "let me crawl back in bed" look finally wears off their face. Morning people tend to think their approach to life is superior! They have great disdain for the slack, undisciplined lifestyle of the night hawks. Night hawks, when awakened prematurely in the morning can make life miserable for the first few hours as they emit the "don't talk to me" signals.

Why the difference in the two? Blame it on the Period 3 Gene. DNA studies prove that night hawks have shorter Period 3 genes than morning people. It is also vitally important for us to know that our circadian cycles are controlled mainly by a region within the brain's hypothalamus known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Got all that?

Here's the catch though - only 30% of Christians can blame their early morning or late night preferences on their biology. The rest of us can easily choose to be either. We can adjust and adapt quite easily - if we want to. It all depends on the lifestyle that appeals to us. Sleep specialists also confirm that even the 30% segment can override their genes if they choose to do so - if they want to.

Research shows that people, who exercise or perform other rituals in the morning, are far more likely to be consistent in their habits than those who walk or jog or read in the evening.

David told the Lord:

"My voice You shall hear in the morning (dawn),

O Lord. In the morning will I direct my prayer unto You and will look up."

Psalm 5:3.

The Lord didn't say to Moses: "Whenever you get around to crawling out of bed tomorrow, I want to see you sometime during the day at the top of Mount Sinai." No! The Lord said in Exodus 34:2 "Be ready in the morning and come up in the morning unto Mount Sinai and present yourself there to me..." When Hannah and her husband were returning home, it says: "They rose up in the morning early and worshipped before the Lord an returned...." (1 Samuel 1:19)

Christian warfare is real and the battle rages on every day. Every day we step out into a world that hates our Savior and a world that is dominated by Satan himself. How vulnerable we are when we crawl out of bed at the last minute, wipe the scum off our face, grab a piece of toast and head out the door for the day. Spending time with the Lord each morning, reading and praying, is critical to our daily Christian performance. Consider the Perfect Example - look at Jesus Himself. He put in grueling days of travel, preaching and interactions with people. But in Mark 1:35 we find Him arising before dawn and going to a special spot to pray.

"But I just can't do it. I'm a night person." Leaving on a trip? Yes! Up at the crack of dawn. Going fishing? Get an early start. An exam? The alarm goes off at 5AM. Golfing tee-off times? Get there early.

I got up early one morning to explore the inner-city I was visiting. I walked past the skateboard park. Five teens were there at 7AM doing their stunts. They yelled out: "Good morning, sir." "You guys are at it early today," I shouted back. They replied: "We came at 5AM so we could have the place to ourselves."

Motivation is the key. If we love it and are excited about it, it's so much easier for our feet to hit the floor in the morning. Am I excited about the hearing the Lord Himself speak to me and the privilege of talking to Him? If I am, it will be the first matter of business each day for me.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Snowballing & Paintballing: No Place to Hide

2010-09-01T07:44:00.001-07:00

Snowball fights are intense - or at least they used to be - and painful too, unless you had a good snow fort to hide behind. It was never a comfortable feeling when you were being pelted with carefully crafted, perfectly round and hardened snowballs made from wet snow.

But paintballing ratchets the risk up a notch. Perhaps you haven't had a painful experience paintballing. Here's some advice for beginners: wear more than a flimsy summer shirt. If you have to wear eye glasses inside your protective goggles, make sure you have them coated with de-fogger spray and that it's not a hot and humid day. Glasses tend to steam up and greatly impair your vision. Also, make sure you are not color-blind. Looking through steamed up lens, trying to distinguish the colors of your friends from your opponents is challenging, especially if you are color blind. One final piece of advice is - make sure the trees in your area are more than tender saplings. You will want vastly huge tree trunks to hide behind. Without taking the above precautions, you will feel somewhat vulnerable, exposed and experience pain in various places.

King David frequently had times in his life when the things flying through the air were not snowballs or plastic, paint-filled balls used for games. He escaped air-born daggers and perhaps arrows that were intended - not to maim him but rather kill him. At times the sky was charged with hatred and jealousy towards him. Vicious words, heart-wrenching betrayals and violent threats, like deadly missiles were launched against him.

With those experiences behind him, David wrote these words:

"This God - His way is perfect;

The word of the Lord proves true;

He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him."

Psalm 18:30

A sturdy snow fort to shield you from pounding snowballs. A hefty, obese, tough, old tree to crouch behind when paintballing becomes fierce. But dear child of God, when the arrows of the enemy are flying in your direction and the deadly missiles of life are targeting you - what do you have for cover? Are you just trying to be strong and resilient, drawing from your inner character and family genes that equipped you with a stiff upper lip?

How are you coping with the war today? The battle at times is fierce and brutal. Are you just trying to bite your lip and with sheer determination plow your way through? Or have you found a safe shelter? David could reflect on the incredible peace that comes from knowing you are hiding behind a safe, impenetrable shield that will never melt or split in two in a lightning storm or rot away from some fungus or bug.

God - He is a shield, whether people take refuge in Him or not. Some will use their own self defenses and not take shelter behind Him or even IN Him. That's their choice. What's yours? How are you going to weather this crisis?

Get alone with God today. If you are emotionally stretched to the breaking point, just get behind His shield right now; crash and collapse in His Presence. You will be safe. He is a shield. He will equip you and shelter you at the same time. Too often we try to deal with life's battles on our own strength. Appreciate today, dear child of God, that God is your strength; God is your shield. God is your help. "God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Bible Bite: Your Eyesight

2010-08-25T05:36:00.001-07:00

Your Eyesight

Do you still have 20/20 vision? Have you been to an optometrist lately? Perhaps you have been referred to an ophthalmologist for some specialized 'eye' attention. Those who once enjoyed clear vision, often talk about how frightening it was when their vision began to deteriorate - beyond the norm.

How is your eyesight as you read this? Are you having any difficulties reading the font size here?

Eli had judged Israel for some forty years. His base was the city of Shiloh where he also functioned as a priest in the temple. Spiritually, things were dark throughout the land. Eli ,in his leadership role, contributed to the decline by not putting on the brakes and dealing with blatant and gross sin, even within his own family. Things were so dark that messages from the Lord to anyone had become a very rare thing. Most of us remember old Eli for the part he played in young Samuel's life - especially the night he told Samuel what to say to the Lord if He called again.

When you are reading the story of Eli in 1 Samuel 1-4 do not miss the statement about Eli's eyesight. It goes like this:

"At that time, Eli,

Whose eyesight had begin to grow dim

So that he could not see,

Was lying down in his own place.."

Eli was well on his way to being blind. Back then, ophthalmologists were as scarce as hens' teeth. There was really no hope for the recovery of his eyesight. As dreadful as that must have been for the dear old man, far worse was his spiritual eyesight. When things start to become dark spiritually and when our vision becomes impaired in the things of God - that's when the sirens need to scream out.

As bad as his physical vision was, Eli's spiritual sight was of far greater concern. Even when he saw Hannah praying to the Lord in the temple, his spiritual sight was so dim he didn't recognize what he saw. Rather than seeing a woman deeply burdened and pouring out her heart to the Lord, he accused her of being drunk. His vision and discernment was so poor he failed to recognize Godly behaviour. (1Samuel 1:12-16)

He didn't seem to see his own sons going off the rails. Why didn't he stop their blasphemous anti-God behaviour the moment he saw them starting to slide towards spiritual perversion and idolatry? Was he blind to his sons' departure or had he himself allowed his own vision for the things of God to become clouded and dark?

The worst of all Christian diagnoses is the 'deterioration and darkening of spiritual eyesight.' When we lose our spiritual vision, there is no telling how far off-track we will go or how far we will lead our families astray. If your focus on Christ and the things of God isn't as sharp as it was this time last year, it's time to get down to business before your deteriorating eyesight spirals out of control.

Some of you are heading back to school or to university. Keep a close watch on the condition of your eyes. Make sure your spiritual vision isn't clouded by new friends or darkened by an anti-God environment. Pray daily that your focus on honoring Christ will not be lost. It would be a tragedy for you to become blinded or blind-sided at this stage in your life. A life of great potential for the Lord - to be wasted. Lost. It happens every year. Christian tragedies. Be on guard.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Read the two latest blog entries about Community Good Works and Pens on www.lostsheepfinders.com

NFL 49er Glen Coffee Abruptly Leaves Football at 23: The Big Question is "Why?" The latest story onwww.heaven4sure.com

Change Your Culture: "Let's Pray!"

2010-07-28T05:45:00.000-07:00

The King's demand was bizarre. It's hard enough to try to interpret a dream once you hear it, but King Nebuchadnezzar was adding a new twist to it all. "Not only do I want you to interpret my dream, I want you to remember it for me - because I've forgotten it. The content of the dream has escaped me completely. Think hard because if you can't tell me, your heads will roll." Nasty consequences to say the least! A rather brutal penal system.

Obviously none of the magicians of the day could meet the King's demand. So the edict from the King was swift and sweeping. Not only were the magicians and astrologers implicated, every wise man was faced with the prospect of being cut in pieces too - even Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

Daniel wisely suggested to the King's captain that the execution order was a bit hasty. He asked for more time to consider the forgotten dream. Daniel went back to his apartment and told his three friends. The next scene is awesome: the four young men have a prayer meeting. What's so awesome about that? Well, these were young guys far away from home and from their parents. They had attended the University of Babylon - maybe they were still in a campus dorm. But they were still living for God.

"Then Daniel went to his house,

and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah,

his companions:

that they would desire the mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret...."

(Daniel 2:17)

They still knew how to pray. Their first impulse, when at risk, was: "let's pray."

Is praying a part of your culture when you get together with your friends? Does your group feel comfortable praying together - or would someone snicker?

If your parents' generation seldom prayed spontaneously and informally together with their friends, would you like to help blaze a new trail for your generation? If the adults in your life mostly only prayed in local church meetings or in bedrooms, would you like to do your part in making spontaneous, informal, on-the-spot prayers a part of your generation's normal activities?

If your friends piled into a car for a weekend camping trip or for a Bible conference, would it be too awkward to pause momentarily to pray? You could briefly ask that God would protect you on the road, guard you from talking about wrong things and that you would have a good weekend.

It's not too late to start praying with your friends - even if it hasn't been the norm in the past. We're all scared of being labeled a super-duper, holier-than-thou Christian. Yes, your friends know the crazy side of you and you may be scared they'll think you're being artificial or hypocritical, but get beyond that.

Have a little discussion with your group. "Hey, you know what we should start doing? We should pray together when we are planning to do something or if one of us has a problem. It might seem weird at first and we might feel awkward, but we should start doing it. We don't have to pray long - we can just spontaneously pause to pray. When any one of us has the impulse to pray, let's give ourselves permission as a group to interrupt whatever we're doing and pray - even if it is just a 20 second prayer."

Print off this Bible Bite and when you and your friends are together the next time, discuss it with them. 2010 could be the year when you help to make praying a part of your 'group' behaviour - the norm for your peers. And pray that it will spread to other groups of friends. Lead by example.

Romans 12:12 "...continuing INSTANT in prayer." Praying together will deepen your relationship with each other and with God.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

So Smart but So Dumb!

2010-07-21T06:40:00.001-07:00

An uppity middle aged Christian man scoffed at two classic books authored by the late William MacDonald. He called them "ludicrous and extreme." He visibly shook his head as he condemned the two popular books: My Heart, My Life, My All and True Discipleship. Your head will shake too if you read the books but hopefully for a different reason. The books will shake you up - not because Mr. MacDonald was out-2-lunch when he wrote them, but because of how far short we fall from true and complete surrender to the Lord. Some dismiss the books as out-of-touch with reality; others bow their heads and confess how out-of-touch with spirituality they are.

Psalm 49 takes yet another swipe at those who are preoccupied with getting rich and living an easy life. Affluence and wealth may allow you to wield some power in this life but that's where it stops.

They that trust in their wealth, And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;

None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him .

that he should still live always, that he should not see corruption.

For he shall see it. Wise men die; The fool and the brutish alike perish,

And leave their wealth to others.

Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue forever,

And their dwelling-places to all generations;

They call their lands after their own names.

(Psalms 49:6-11)

It is hard to read this Psalm and not ask: how can a person be so smart and yet so dumb? Smart enough to make money but too dumb to see beyond tomorrow. The Psalmist says they think their stuff, their houses and property will last forever. They name their land after themselves - Pierre Boulevard! But how quickly they move into their new home - Coffin Cabin and change neighborhoods to Headstone Cemetery.

The frail shell is laid to rest - in time. The real person, on the other hand, has entered the eternal zone. For those of us who are saved, we will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. He will review my life as a Christian - the choices I made; how I spent my time; how I used my talent and where I stored my treasures. No, I will not be at risk of losing my soul on that day. I am eternally secure. But I will suffer loss based on things I could have done for Him but failed to do.

How ridiculously small some things will be the moment we step into eternity. My mind races: "... All my fretting over the color of my Lamborghini, the size of my yacht, the gold plating on my sink faucets, the style of my Gucci shoes and my floundering investment portfolio......and now here I am. That's Him sitting on the Throne. That's His Beautiful Face. Look at His eyes. The nail holes are still in His Hands and His Feet. The wound in His side. He's turning the page. He's getting ready to call my name. The echo of my name as He calls me forward is awesome. I take a few steps towards Him. I fall at His Feet - "O Lord, I wish I had given You more! I wish I had surrendered all rather than squandered all. I wish I had practiced more of True Discipleship in my life. I wish I had given You My Heart, My life, My All."

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Will Neighbors in an Upscale Neighborhood Attend Your BBQ? Read the latest on www.lostsheepfinders.com.

BIBLE BITE: Unsaved Friends

2010-07-14T05:46:00.001-07:00

"But you don't understand. I just happen to click with her; we get along great. I feel completely comfortable around her. I don't have to be on edge. I can completely relax. We have a lot of things in common."

But what about Christ? Do you have HIM in common as well?

"No, she's not a Christian, but when it comes to my faith, I think I can hold my own ground and not compromise. I see no reason why she should not continue to be my best friend."

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

(Psalms 1:1-2)

Psalm 1:1 refers to the kind of friends with whom you feel most comfortable.

Who we walk with, jog with, work-out with, golf with, hunt with, snowmobile with, shop with, play with, eat with and hang with are critical matters for believers. As compatible as your personalities might be, never forget that an unsaved friend is just that - unsaved! Your friend is a sinner who does not share your love for Christ.

If Christ came to your neighborhood today, your unsaved friend with whom you connect so well would join the others in shouting: "Crucify Him; I do not want that Man to reign over me." You would be shocked, disappointed, hurt, and offended. You would think: "Wow, if that's how he feels about My Saviour, I guess we really have nothing in common! It means a parting of the ways." You rarely see a person's bottom line in everyday life. But remember this, your friend's bottom line is: "I do not want to follow your Christ." Such an attitude towards Christ is deep in the heart of every sinner. It lurks just below the nice respectable, fun-loving surface of your unsaved friend.

Take just one example from the Bible: do you think Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, after witnessing the raw and brutal hatred of their colleagues towards Christ and their decision to have Him crucified - do you really think those two believers would have any great desire to socialize and chill with them on the weekends? Regardless of how much common ground they shared in the secular world or how compatible their personalities were - there was a huge fracture and disconnect over one Person - Jesus Christ.

Our social relationship with an unsaved person should be to show them the kindness of Christ and to win them to Christ. This Bible Bite is NOT about severing relationships with the unsaved - it is about having a spiritually motivated relationship with them.

If I mingle and mix and enjoy the continuing friendship of unsaved people, without an overriding spiritual goal for them, then I am in deep trouble. If I would prefer to spend my free time with unsaved friends from work or college, then I am in deep trouble. It is NOT the normal Christian desire. The normal Christian impulse is to prefer Christian company and enjoy fellowship with those who love Christ. If you are leaning in the other direction, you're leaning in the wrong direction.

Seek the Lord and seek the company of those who love your Lord.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

It is my Christian Responsibility

2010-07-07T06:09:00.001-07:00

It is My Christian Responsibility

"Some things never change. Even the way he tilts his head and how he swaggers when he walks bugs me. When he sits down he gawks around as if to say: 'I've arrived. Does everyone see me?' Well, to put it mildly, he just gets under my skin. And besides, that turkey has never even apologized to me yet for saying that about my mother. He didn't just call her a gossiper; he called her a busybody - sticking her nose into everyone else's business. I feel like pounding him."

Perhaps you can't relate to such intense feelings over some hurt you have sustained. All honest Christians will confess to having harbored nasty thoughts at some point in their life against someone. Am I ever justified in feeling that way?

Read the list of things in Colossians Chapter 3 which we are to abandon:

".Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness.

anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk.

Do not lie to one another."

Now look at the list of positive things that should be on display in my life as a believer:

". compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

bearing with one another and,

if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other;

as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

(Colossians 3:5-13)

As a Christian I am to put up with, graciously endure and cope with others who may have a personality that naturally annoys me and idiosyncrasies that aggravate me. The Lord puts up with our manners, our insensitivities, our attitude, our lack of discipline and our procrastination in spiritual things. He puts up with us and loves us just the same. We are to show the same patient endurance with other people. Forbearance or 'bearing with one another' is our Christian duty.

Patient endurance is one thing; forgiving is another. If someone has hurt me or wronged me or someone I love and they refuse to apologize, what is my attitude supposed to be towards that person? I am to get on my knees and forgive that person before the Lord and leave it there. PERIOD. Then, I will not be consumed with hatred or bitterness the next time I see him. I will be able to shake his hand, give him a smile, pick up his handkerchief if it drops on the floor, hold the door open for him or even let him go ahead of me in the lineup at the checkout.

You ask: "Even if he never said 'sorry' to you?" Yes, even if the person in the wrong has not apologized, I am to forgive them before the Lord. That doesn't mean I am reconciled with the person. It means I have forgiven them; reconciliation in the relationship will only result when the other person recognizes their wrong. But my own personal responsibility is to forgive regardless.

On the Cross Jesus said to His Father: "Father, forgive them...." Did the soldiers ever say they were sorry? No. But The Lord Jesus did His part. Now it was up to the individuals how they wanted to respond to Christ's forgiving attitude.

Don't ruin another day of your life by failing to forgive that person. A Christian who has an unforgiving spirit becomes stunted in their spiritual growth and often is wrecked by bitterness. You become more wrong before the Lord in your own spirit than the other person's wrong that originally caused the offence. Do your part before the Lord so your attitude is right. It is our Christian duty. It is like Christ.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

How Do You Look at People?

2010-06-30T05:23:00.000-07:00

"Did you ask me what I'm staring at? Can't you see! Those got to be the two luckiest dudes in town. Just look at the bikes they are driving. They get off their Harley-Davidson XR1200X's and walked through the marina and took off in their brand-spanking new Baja Hammer X. Incredible monster power! They're so lucky. I'm green with envy!"

That's one way to look at people.

"Why can't I get a fat raise in pay and climb the ladder faster?"

"Look at the car they own."

"I wish I could take an annual vacation like that."

"I wish I had half her looks."

You can probably add to the list.

Many years ago there was a Man who interacted daily with people from all walks of life - the big-wigs and the outcasts. The fine-dining type with all their etiquette and finesse as well as the beggar who survived on a daily menu of scraps tossed to him. When He looked at all these people, He saw them from a different perspective.

When he saw the crowds,

He had compassion for them,

because they were harassed and helpless,

like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful,

but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest

to send out laborers into his harvest."

(Matthew 9:36-38)

Harassed by religion. Burdened with the tedious regulations imposed on them by the Pharisees. How heavy the burden becomes when one starts to see the emptiness of merely performing religious duties. These people were tired of the sham and hypocrisy. The crowds were disillusioned by the hollowness of rituals and the flaunting of power by those who should have been their shepherds and teachers. Spiritually the crowds were harassed and helpless - like sheep without a shepherd.

When Jesus looked at people, He saw beyond their outward behaviour and their external appearances. He saw beyond their possessions and wealth or, at the other end of the spectrum, their financial poverty. He saw through the façade of religious practices. When He looked at people He saw them from a spiritual perspective - lost, helpless, wounded by sin, perishing, travelling towards a lost eternity and He was moved with compassion towards them. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd - a pathetic situation.

When the Lord Jesus looked at the crowds, all He thought about was the huge spiritual need and the urgency of the situation.

This summer, why don't you pray about looking at people differently - through a different set of lens. When you catch yourself looking at someone and wishing you could be like them or have what they have or do what they do, why don't you deliberately try to re-focus and think about the need of their hearts? Look at them and think: where will they be 100 years from now? Look at the crowds in the shopping mall or at the beach or on the sidewalks and see beyond the external. Think about the darkness and unrest in their hearts and breathe out a prayer to the Lord on their behalf.

Start praying for the souls of people in the crowds that you see and wherever you see them. Make it a life-long spiritual practice to breathe out silent and brief but frequent prayers on behalf of the people that you pass by each day.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Happy Volunteers

2010-06-23T05:26:00.001-07:00

Happy Volunteers

"What time do you want me there? I can't believe it's my turn to volunteer again already. It just seems like I was there and did that last week. Volunteering three times a month is becoming too much for me. Could you tell the Coordinator that I can only do this for one more month? I'm finding it to be a real intrusion into my life. Sorry for the rant. I will take my turn this evening at 6PM. Thanks for the call."

So you take your turn. You show up at 6PM. You go through the motions. You are wishing you were anywhere else but there. Sporting the fake smile, your body language says it all. You are a reluctant volunteer doing the bare minimum and doing it grudgingly.

There are happy volunteers in the Word of God. Those who count it an immense privilege to volunteer for the Lord and to please Him in whatever way they can. Actually, the verse points forward to a day when the Messiah, Jesus Christ will return to earth to establish His 1000 year reign, often referred to as the Millennium - a word not found in the Bible but certainly the truth is there repeatedly.

"Your people shall be volunteers

In the day of Your power;

In the beauties of holiness."

Psalm 110:3 NKJV

Someone has paraphrased the rest of the verse this way:

"as dew is born of its mother the morning,

so Thy army shall come to Thee numerous, fresh, bright and powerful."

When Christ returns in splendor and power and majesty and the Armageddon enemies of God are crushed and all opposition is subdued, the Lord's volunteers will shine in their good and holy character - just as the dew sparkles in the morning after the long night. There will be an 'army' of people who will gladly submit to the Messiah and happily serve as holy volunteers in that day when He rules in power.

That's then, but what about now? If someone was writing about you or me, what would be said? Would they say your life of volunteer service for Christ sparkles as the dew of the morning? Would they say your submission to Christ and unreserved willingness to do whatever He asks is beautiful to see, in contrast to the selfishness and rebellion exhibited elsewhere throughout the planet?

Is your volunteer service for Christ in the local assembly of believers sparkling with beauty, like dew drops on a blade of grass - so refreshing! Or are you dragging your feet just now? Are you finding spiritual responsibilities a bit of an intrusion into your life? Are you wearing a fake smile as you carry out your spiritual duties? Does your body language tell it all? Are you taking your turn at 6PM as one of Christ's volunteers but the happiness and holiness is gone? You are doing it out of duty now and no longer out of love?

Why has your attitude changed? Why are you dragging your feet? Face the issue and deal with it before the Lord. Don't waste your life carrying out your spiritual duties with reluctance and a chip on your shoulder. Deal with it. Confess it. It's not somebody else's problem. It's yours. You are responsible for the condition of your heart. Return to the days of being a happy volunteer - gladly submitting and cheerfully doing whatever the Lord has for you to do.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

They Made Me Do It!

2010-06-15T06:32:00.001-07:00

Summer Schedule: Next Bible Bite, Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Every Wednesday until September 21, 2010

"They Made Me Do It."

"Think this thing through. Was I acting out of character or did you expect me to behave that way? Was it my norm or were you shocked when you heard? Let's face it - you were totally shocked by what I did. And you had every reason to be! I wouldn't normally have responded that way but they aggravated me to the point where I literally exploded. Basically, it was not my fault; they made me do it."

Have you ever felt that you would have acted differently had it not been for others? "I knew better, but because of them, well ." Did you ever try to justify your own behaviour by blaming 'them'? "Really, the bottom line is, those scoundrels made me do it."

They (the children of Israel) angered him (God) at the waters of Meribah,

and it went ill with Moses on their account,

for they made his spirit bitter,

and he spoke rashly with his lips.

(Psalms 106:32-33)

The children of Israel were not easy to get along with. No matter what Moses did for them, they were the first to whine and complain and pout and blame at every inconvenience or apparent threat. They were chronic pessimists who could only see doom and gloom when the first hint of trouble appeared. If they had to wait for anything, they got antsy and irritable. Few would want to go on a long camping trip with them.

God selected Moses to be the leader of such a group. Moses actually loved the campers he was leading. On more than one occasion he pleaded with God to go easy on them despite their annoying and unfaithful behaviour. But one day he lost it. He had been leading them for many years but the incident at Meribah seemed to be 'the straw that broke the camel's back'. (Numbers 20)

No water anywhere to quench their thirst. It's true: God had never failed them in the past. Each time God came through with amazing wonders to meet their needs. But on this day, they were thirsty and they got nasty and noisy. They blamed God and Moses. God directed Moses to justspeak to the Meribah rock and the water would gush out. But Moses' patience was wearing thin. Real thin. He snapped.

The normally patient and meek Moses was now allowing words to spew out of his mouth. Besides calling the people a bunch of rebels, we don't know what else he said. The Psalm says he spoke 'rashly' with his lips! And then, rather than speaking to the rock, he took his rod and slammed it against the rock twice.

Moses' failure on that one occasion was the cause of him never getting into the Promised Land. He got to see it but his feet would never touch its soil - until centuries later when he appeared at the Mount of Transfiguration. (Matthew 17:3)

Was Moses banned from Canaan because of their bad behaviour or his own reaction to their behaviour? He never said: "But Lord, they made me do it. I had every reason to lose my cool. Anybody in my situation would have exploded!' Regardless of what others do and regardless of their actions, I am personally responsible for my own actions and reactions. I will never be able to say: "They made me do it."

Under intense provocation, Christ never lashed out. When He was reviled, He reviled not again. (1Peter 2:23)

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com

Wishy-Washy Love

2010-06-08T05:28:00.001-07:00

Wishy-Washy Love

"I just don't see why you are such a stickler on those details. Christianity is about love and if you keep insisting on those things, we'll lose everyone. The writing's on the wall. People today just are not going to put up with all of those technicalities. Before you know it, everyone will be walking out of here. Like, does it really matter if one believes that Christ could have sinned but chose not to? Is there that much difference in saying that than saying He was absolutely free from sin and could not sin? If the bottom line is the same (He was sinless), why get all bent out of shape over it? Would you split the Christians over something so technical? Have you ever heard of such a thing as LOVE?"

Let's face it: there is a technical side to truth. Truth is never wishy-washy. It is factual; unchangeable and unbending. It is not fuzzy around the edges. Truth is not optional; it's mandatory. Truth unifies those who value it and separates from those who don't. Truth is not like putty - malleable and shaped according to one's personal preferences. Love never trumps truth. In fact, the very foundation of the uniqueness of Christian love is truth.

Christians do not love one another because we were changed into lovey-dubby disciples the moment we believed or because the indwelling Holy Spirit has made us mushy and all our personalities have suddenly become sweetly compatible. No, the basis of our love is the truth we have come into the good of. We love because of the truth that has gripped our souls. The basis of our love is Christ and all His name represents - the common truth we cherish.

The Apostle John wrote believers and said of them:

".whom I love in truth,

and not only I, but also all who know the truth,

because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son,

in truth and love.

I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth,

just as we were commanded by the Father.

(2John 1:1-4)

And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments;

this is the commandment,

just as you have heard from the beginning,

so that you should walk in it.

(2John 1:6)

John Stott once wrote: "Since Christian love is founded upon Christian truth, we shall not increase the love which exists between us by diminishing the truth which we hold in common. In contemporary movements towards church unity, we must never compromise the very truth on which alone true love and unity depend."

Stott went on to say: "Christian fellowship should be marked equally by love and truth, and we are to avoid extremism which pursues either at the expense of the other. Our love grows soft if it is not strengthened by truth, and our truth hard if it is not softened by love. Scripture commands us both to love each other in the truth and to hold the truth in love."

Would you be among the 'some' that John identified as children who were walking in the truth?

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com