With Food and Clothing, Let Us Be Content.

Greetings and Salutations,

 Earlier at the beginning of this year I have experienced some certain

financial hardships and the company where I am employed, Brinks,

has changed from a weekly to bi-weekly pay period, so things have

been a bit tight as of now. Of course I am still thankful to be employed

and have food, clothing and shelter which are the basic necessities and

right now that is all that's important as far as possessions go.

 I have been eating both lunch and dinner where I work, lunch during

the noon lunchbreak and then when I get off work before heading to

the gym. I purchase food that can be microwaved and has in fact

been on the menu since last month.  I have been buying at Family Dollar

mostly with the exception of certain food items such as meat and fresh

vegetables. I buy enough to last me two weeks and praise the Lord

have been keeping it under fifty dollars.  God is good!

 The key word for this post is contentment.  The contentment I am

talking about can be found in the New Testament book of 1 Timothy

6:6-8 which reads like this:

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought

nothing into this world and we will take nothing out of it. But if

we have food and clothing we will be content with that."  (NIV)

The word contentment popped into my mind when faced with these

struggles with money. While it has been a chore sitting down to

re-work my finances and budget, I also find that I can still be content

with what I can still purchase and with what I already have. I guess

the overall thing I am going through is a lesson in contentment.

 I end with this scripture verse from Luke 3:14, Phillipians 4:11-12,

and Hebrews 13:5:

"Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely and

be content with your wages."    (Luke 3:14)

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have

plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and

every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in

plenty or in want."     (Phillipians 4:11-12)

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content

with what you have."     (Hebrews 13:5)

Have a blessed day. 

Wrath on the Road: How I Overcame.

Greetings,

 My place of employment takes me to the Queensgate area

of Cincinnati, which is in the southwest corner of the downtown

Cincinnati area, and I take Interstate 75 to get there, save for

heavy rainy or snowy weather in which I take the alternate

route through Vine Street, Spring Grove Ave. and then

Dalton Street.  I-75 scares me plenty on rainy or snowy days

as some if not most other motorists drive as if it's clear sailing

which I think is very foolish on wet or icy roads, and accidents

on I-75 are frequent enough as it is.

 But even on normal days the early morning commute frequently

gets intense, especially around 7am. Come to think of it, so do

I. Worse yet, I get a little too intense, more so than the traffic

in fact.  Not a good way to behave. It seems it's always on the

road that I'm not at my best tempermentally speaking, if I don't

count some of the intense moments at work as well because

there I get out from behind the wheel of my car and get in 

behind the wheel of a forklift truck.  Mind you, I don't drive

recklessly in either my car or the forklift but inwardly I

can burn with wrath if someone blocks me, cuts in front of

me, tailgates me, or if they're in front of me, I perceive they are

going too slow.  It's almost like if my car had weapons, I would

take them out. OOH. Commiting murder in my heart.  Not a 

good characteristic for a Christian, in fact, it's conduct unbecoming.

Now while no one else may see my anger, God does, and He 

knows the innermost thoughts of the heart. Something needs to be

done here, yes?

 Well part of the solution was to leave earlier than usual to avoid

the 7am rush hour which has helped, but this attitude issue I knew

is what really needs to be addressed here.   

 Part of my prayers when I start the day was always to ask the

Lord every morning to grant me safe, traveling mercies when I

head to work and then home and anywhere else I may go that

day. Gradually  when other motorists got careless around me

in whatever they did that could've endagered me and yet didn't

I thank the Lord that there was no accident involved in regard

to the other motorists' recklessness.  In short I count my bless-

-ings.  I have made it more of a habit each day to do that and

to realize each  that I went to work in one piece and that I

came home likewise. The solutions were allowing God as

the driver, and me the co-driver, and to count the small 

blessings of not getting into accidents whether they had the 

potential to be my fault or that of others.  Besides, it's all so

petty anyway.  Those times other motorists could have

done me harm, or even I to them, God has kept His

hand on me (and the other motorists, too) and kept me

from harm, so why not count my blessings, and yes, why

get angry. Here I still am, and I thank you , Lord, amen!

Have a blessed day.  

Exalted vs. Humbled

Greetings,

 In the book of Matthew chapter 23 Jesus talks about
the scribes (teachers of Hebrew law) and the Pharisees
who were members of the strict Jewish sect which held
the Mosaic law and their own traditions as binding.
 Jesus even stated Himself that the scribes and the
Pharisees sat on Moses' seat and instructed His
followers to obey them.  But He also went on to
tell them not to do what they did because the
scribes and Pharisees didn't practice what they
preached. (Matthew 23:1-3).
 Jesus then went on to tell his followers the
ways in which the scribes and Pharisees exalted
themselves while out in public, at banquets, and
in the synagogues, all to be seen of men. (Matthew
23: 4-7).
 Now Jesus literally turns the idea of leadership on
its head in verses eight through twelve of chapter 23
in which He says:

 "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you only
have one Master and you are all brothers.  And do
not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one
Father, and He is in heaven. Nor are you to be
called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.
The greatest among you shall be your servant.  For
whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever
humbles himself shall be exalted."

Jesus was instructing His followers to not get arrogant, heady,
and high-minded.  In short He was warning them about pride.
God hates a proud heart because pride does away with the
need of Him. In Proverbs 29:23 it reads, "A man's pride
brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor."

 In the past I frequently struggled with bouts of inferiority
and insignificance seeing that I was (and still am) a man
of modest means and low social status. If there was ever
a man that was lowly in spirit, it was me. Even as of recent
I have had these struggles. There were times in church that
I sat in the back of the sanctuary alone and felt unworthy to
sit with the others even though no one showed any rejection
towards me. And it was also of recent that I began to take
a long hard look at myself and realize I was isolating myself
from my brothers- (and sisters) -in-Christ.
 I still feel that I am the least of my siblings-in-Christ but now
I am seeing that more as a badge of honor than a ribbon of
shame after reading scriptures dealing with pride versus
humility.
 As a Christian I now realize how foolish it had been to carry
this feeling of insignificance. So foolish in fact that I didn't
really realize how much I really had it made. What I mean was
I failed to see all the little ways the Lord has blessed me and
that how much those little blessings really added up.  Yes, I
live on a modest income, drive a thirteen-year-old Saturn
sedan, live in a one-bedroom apartment, and had debts due
to some unexpected occurences. But my bills are always
paid, I have food to eat, and I take joy in small pleasures
such as my hobby of model cars (which God has graciously
allowed me to have) plus a caring church family.  Oh Lord,
I feel humbled yet so exalted! 
 I pray that the Lord keeps me humble and to guard my heart
and mind against pride.  If anyone considers me the greatest,
my I serve them in humility such as Jesus did in washing His
disciples' feet.  If anyone considers me the least, may it be used
to glorify the Lord!  Amen!

The Triumphal Entry.

Greetings,


 Why was Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem considered a triumphal entry?
Well for one thing it was where Jesus' purpose here on earth would come
to pass. Some would think it a day of triumph for those who greeted Jesus
as they saw Him as the new king of Israel and one who would take away
the rule from the Roman Empire.
 Pagan rulers were often welcomed in with much pomp, celebration,
banners, music, parties, and what-have-you. You get the idea. Kings
often came into a community riding on a fine horse, all decked out.
 But when Jesus came into Jerusalem, he rode in on a borrowed donkey,
and He didn't come in with a lot of glitz and glamour.  Now the people
were correct in that He was a king, only not quite the king they were
expecting, as they would later find out, which in turn caused opposition
among the people and had them shouting, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"
 But at the time Jesus entered Jerusalem the multitudes that greeted Him
were common folk, not high-ranking officials or military leaders as would
the case be had Jesus been an earthly king.
The multitudes must have really been expecting some powerful earthly king
as it says in the quote below:
"And when He had come to Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying
'Who is this?' "  (Matt. 21:10)
 The scene of Jesus Christ coming into Jerusalem was like a royal procession,
and prior to that time Jesus avoided such a display.  Now here He was
presenting Himself publicly as the nation's (Israel) Messiah and King.
But what He was presenting Himself as was not what the people were
expecting. The people couldn't see it, but He was coming to save people
from their sins, not rule here on earth or to overthrow Roman rule in Israel.
The triumph of Jesus entry into Jerusalem was to publicly present Himself
as Savior. And it would be through His crucifixion, death, burial and
resurrection that He would accomplish this.  That was His triumph in
His entry into Jerusalem.

The story of the Triumphal Entry can be found in Matthew 21:1-11,
Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:28-40, and John 12:12-19

Have a blessed day.

The Sissy, the Movie

An animated story from the Jack T.Chick tract, 'The Sissy.'
Enjoy!