Shorelines
COMMUNION - In the beginning, God dwelt on earth and
people had unmediated access to God. After the fall, mankind is separated from
unmediated access to God. Now we must have a mediator. The Bible teaches us
about God bringing people back to Him through a mediator, Jesus Christ. So, as
a worshipper, we want to talk with God, we want to hear from God, and we want
to talk with other people about our God. Now we can also eat with God as a sign
of communion. In the Bible, whether in worship or making treaties among people,
you eat together. It is the greatest sign of unity. Eating is at the heart of
this union and fellowship between the parties. What makes worship Christian is
Communion, celebrating believing in Christ, His death, and salvation through
Him alone. So, sing, pray, eat the bread and come together for the cup. Then
give praise to God. This is the peace offering we remember and celebrate with
Him. This is not an ordinary meal. We eat together and drink together because
of what we share together in the Lord Jesus
PRAYER AND PRAISING
- Biblical prayer can be a song, praising God for His revealed attributes.
Exodus 15:1-18 is a prayer in the form of a song from Moses who, after crossing
the
THE REWARDS OF
LYING
A clergyman was walking down the street when he came upon a group of
about a dozen boys, all of them between 10 and 12 years of age.
The group surrounded a dog. Concerned that the boys were hurting the
dog, he went over and asked "What are you doing with that dog?" One
of
the boys replied, "This dog is just an old neighborhood stray. We all
want him, but only one of us can take him home. So we've decided that
whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the
dog."
Of course, the reverend was taken aback. "You boys shouldn't be having
a contest telling lies!" he exclaimed. He then launched into a ten
minute sermon against lying, beginning, "Don't you boys know it's a
sin to lie," and ending with, "Why, when I was your age, I never told
a lie."
There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the reverend was
beginning to think he'd gotten through to them, the smallest boy gave
a deep sigh and said, "All right, give him the dog."
KILLING WITH WORDS
My Name Is Gossip.
I have no respect for justice.
I maim without killing.
I break hearts and ruin lives
I am cunning and malicious
and gather strength with age.
The more I am quoted
the more I am believed.
I flourish at every level of society.
My victims are helpless.
They cannot protect themselves
against me because
I have no name and no face.
To track me down is impossible
The harder you try,
the more elusive I become.
I am nobody's friend.
Once I tarnish a reputation,
it is never the same.
I topple governments and ruin marriages.
I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights,
heartache and indigestion
I spurn suspicion and generate grief
I make innocent people
cry in their pillows.
Even my name hisses
I AM CALLED GOSSIP.
WORSHIP - Worship
is not just a great experience for an hour in a Sunday service. True worship
becomes integrated with your whole life. You do not just attend worship
services, you become a worshipper. And in doing so, God is honored because
worship is not just for us, it is for God. Worship completely alters our
perspective. Apart from our awareness of God, we are pushed back and forth by
greed, fear, lust, anger, confusion, anxiety and stress. With worship, we
realize our lives and our world are in the hands of God! That fundamentally
transfers our attitudes toward family, work, finances, everything. In all
aspects of worship, music, God's word, confession, intercession, silence,
sight, we want to grow deeper in loving the Lord with all of our hearts and
minds.
I AM GOD.
Today I will be handling all of your problems.
Please remember that I do not need your help.
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you
cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it.
Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do)
box.
It will be addressed in My time, not yours.
Once the matter is placed into the box,
do not hold on to it
If you find yourself stuck in traffic; Don't despair.
There are people in this world for whom driving is an
unheard of privilege.
Should you have a bad day at work;
Think of the man who has been out of work for years.
Should you despair over a relationship gone bad;
Think of the person who has never known what it's like
love and be loved in return.
Should you grieve the passing of another weekend;
Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve
hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.
Should your car break down, leaving you miles away
from assistance;
Think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity
to take that walk.
Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror;
Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she
had hair to examine.
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what
is life all about, asking what is my purpose?
Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long
enough to get the opportunity.
Should you find
yourself the victim of other people's
bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities;
Remember, things could be worse.
You could be them!!!!
PRAYER AND PRAISING - Biblical prayer can be a song, praising God for His
revealed attributes. Exodus 15:1-18 is a prayer in the form of a song from
Moses who, after crossing the
OUR GOD IS LOVE - "Herein is love", wrote John,
"Not that we loved God but that He loves us and sent His Son to be the
propitiation (satisfaction) for our Sins." 1 John
DEAD SEA SCROLLS -
Were discovered in 1948 in some caves near the
OUR BENEVOLENT GOD
- The meaning of benevolent is to be pleasant, agreeable, good and kind. Psalm
119:68 says of God: "You are good and do good." God Himself is good.
He is excellent to an infinite degree, possessing every desirable quality and
of inestimable value. Our God is the source and fountain of all other good. It
is His nature to be generous, kind and benevolent to demonstrate His goodwill
toward us. Every good thing we now enjoy or ever hope to enjoy flows from Him.
"Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good: for His
lovingkindness is everlasting." Psalm 119:71
CHRIST - Came as
High Priest of the good things to come with the greater and more perfect
tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not found with
the blood of goats and calves but with His own blood He entered the
THE GOD OF NEW
BEGINNINGS - Our God is into new beginnings. The new year, the birth of a baby,
springtime are just some of the reminders all around us of new beginnings. The
moment we are saved is a brand new beginning too! That new beginning is the
most special gift God has given to us. Take time to reflect on the cost that
brought us a brand new spiritual beginning that will last throughout eternity!
That cost was the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of
God. He came to die for us that we might have the promise of a new beginning
with God. We can celebrate and remember that new beginning today!
o God gave a new beginning to Adam and Eve.
o He promised a new beginning to Abraham.
o He established a new beginning for Moses and
o Each prophet brought the opportunity for a new beginning.
o John the Baptist was a forerunner of a new beginning.
o The early church was the beginning of another new work of
God.
THE GLORY OF GOD -
The sum total of the attitudes of God is God's glory. The magnificence of God
is the sum total of His character. We are obligated to glorify God, to honor His
person, in response to the revelation of his attributes. Creation glorifies
Him. "The heavens are telling of the glory of God and their expanse is
declaring the work of His hands." Psalm 19:1. We glorify God by living a
godly life. "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and
so prove you are My disciples." John 15:8. The twenty-four elders cast
their crowns before God's throne and say "You are worthy, our Lord and
God, to receive glory and honor and power, since You created all things and
because of Your will they existed and were created." Revelation 4:11. Our
chief purpose is to glorify God. The end of all things is the glory of God.
This alone must be the purpose for which we live!
OUR SHEPHERDING GOD
- When the Bible talks about the concept of shepherding it means to tend. It
includes feeding, caring, leading guiding and protecting. All of these are
duties and responsibilities a shepherd has for his flock. Jesus Christ is
called the Good Shepherd in John 10:11 and 14. As the Good Shepherd, He is
willing to lay down His life for His sheep in Hebrews 13:20. No shepherd
compares with Him. He is the greatest caregiver, guide, leader and protector of
His people. Jesus Christ is also called the Chief Shepherd in 1 Peter 5:4. We
are His sheep placed only under His care!
OUR GRACIOUS GOD -
God loves to give His rich benefits to undeserving people without demanding any
compensation in return. God's grace is both unearnable and unrepayable. 1 Peter
5:10 tells us that God is 'the God of all grace'. God's inexhaustible supply of
good gifts is more than adequate for every conceivable need we have and He
makes these gifts available to us freely. He gives simply for the enjoyment of
the ones who receive His benefits. Ephesians 2:8-9 says God's greatest gift is;
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves it is the gift of God..." What a gracious God!
OUR HOLY GOD -
Holiness in the Bible means separation from all that is common or unclean. In
respect to God, holiness means not only that he is separate from all that is
unclean and evil but also that He is completely pure and undefiled. God (The
Father, Son and Holy Spirit), is not polluted or compromised by anything inside
or outside of Himself. Holiness means that sinners have to be separated from
Him unless a way can be found to make them holy. And that way has been provided
in the work of Jesus Christ. We now have access to our Father through Jesus
Christ, His Son, and our Savior.
OUR LONGSUFFERING
GOD - Our breaking point probably varies from day to day. But there is one
person whose endurance level is constant and consistent. It is God's nature to
be slow to anger and we call that longsuffering. God delayed punishment when
His people deserved it, Exodus 34:6. God's longsuffering has to do with His
anger. He can get angry, but it takes God an extremely long time to do so. His
nature is to delay His wrath. He is of long endurance. His longsuffering bears
patiently with us in our sin waiting and longing for us to repent. His
longsuffering delays the punishment we deserve, giving us the opportunity to
change.
THE APOSTLE'S
CREED - I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, and in
Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord. Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born
of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilot, was crucified, dead and
buried. He descended into Hades, the third day He rose again from the dead. He
ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the
Holy Spirit, The holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.
Amen
OUR SOVEREIGN GOD -
Our God is the supreme ruler of the universe. 1 Chronicles 29:11 testifies that
"Yours, Oh Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the
victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the
earth. Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as the head over
all." Our God is the final and ultimate source of power, control and
authority. Nothing happens apart from His plans and all He determines comes to
pass. God, not Satan, is in ultimate control of man, nations and history.
"But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases." Psalm
115:3. We can rejoice in the fact that neither chance, nor the plans of men,
nor the manipulation of Satan, nor circumstances, controls the sequence of
events or the consequences of them. He is the creator of all things visible and
invisible and as the owner of all has an absolute right to rule over all of it.
Ephesians 1:11. And He does!
OUR VICTORIOUS GOD
- One of the names of God is "The Almighty One". The use of this name
signifies God's ability to do all things He purposes. With Him all thing are
possible and nothing is too difficult for Him, Luke 1:37. God's power gives Him
the victory in everything He does. Our God has never lost a battle He has
fought. His plans have never been defeated. He has also given us the victory in
Christ. In Christ God has defeated sin, Satan and death. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57
says "...death is swallowed up in victory. O death where is your victory?
O death where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is
in the law; but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ". We praise our Victorious God!
EMERGENCY NUMBERS
o When in sorrow call, John 14
o When people fail you, call Psalm 27
o When you have sinned, call Psalm 51
o When you worry, call Matthew 6:19-34
o When you are in danger, call Psalm 91
o When lonely and fearful, call Psalm 23
o Secret happiness, call Colossians 3:12-17
o When down and out, call Romans 8:31ff
o When you need peace, call Matthew 11:25,30
o When traveling, call Psalm 121
o When you need courage, call Joshua 1
o When investing, call Mark 10
o If depressed, call Psalm 27
o If pocketbook empty, call Psalm 37
o If people seem unkind, call John 15
o If bitter or critical, call 1 Corinthians 5:15-19
OUR GOD NEVER
CHANGES - The Bible teaches us that our God is unchangeable in His character.
This means that God is never inconsistent, growing or developing. James 1:17
says "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming
down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting
shadow". The One who created the starry universe gives us salvation and is
unchanging. Shadows from the sun shift but not the One who made the sun. The
fact that God is unchanging in His person offers us comfort and assurance that
God's promises will not fail. God can never be coaxed or compromised into
changing. We have an infinitely reliable God who has given us His sure word
that we can trust in and rely upon. God is never fickle or moody. Let's praise
Him today for being our unchanging God today and always!
OUR ETERNAL GOD -
When we say that our God is eternal we mean that God has no beginning, no
growing, no aging and no end. Our God has no birthday. God exists endlessly.
His existence is without interruption or imitation. As an eternal being He sees
the past and the future as clearly as the present. God's eternity is reflected
in psalm 90:2 "from everlasting to everlasting". Genesis 21:33 uses
the name for God that means "the God of Eternity". Since our God is
eternal, we can find comfort and confidence that God has never nor will He ever
cease to exist. His sovereign control over all things is assured in our lives
and in the affairs of this world and the universe.
OUR GOD HEARS -
Consider the following in relation to our praying:
- Our prayers
are addressed to the Father (John 16:23) and to the Son (2 Timothy
2:22). We pray to the Father, on the merits of the Son, through the
Holy Spirit.
- We can pray
standing (Mark 11:25), kneeling (Acts 20:36), prostrate (Matthew
26:39), or sitting (1 Kings 18:42). Posture is not as significant as
attitude.
- We should
pray all the time (Luke 18:1), have regular times of prayer (Daniel
6:10), before meals (Acts 27:35), and special occasions (John 6:15).
The Lord is available any time.
- We are
encouraged to pray secretly (Matthew 6:6), in solitary places (Mark
1:35), with others (Acts 12:5), in the presence of the unsaved (Acts
27:35), in every place (1 Timothy 2:8).
- 5 Prayer includes
confession (1 Kings 847), adoration (Revelation 4:11), thanksgiving
(Philippians 4:6), petitions (Matthew 7:7-11), and intercession (1
Timothy 2:1). We pray because God told us to pray. So let's pray!
OUR TRIUNE GOD -
Our Triune God refers to God's unity and trinity. There can be only one
infinite and perfect being in the universe. The Bible tells us in Deuteronomy
6:4 that "the Lord is our God, the Lord is one". At the same time,
there are three persons who posses the divine
attributes. The Father is recognized as God in John 6:27. The Son is recognized
as God in John 1:15. The Holy Spirit is recognized as God in Hebrews 9:14. So
there are three persons who posses all of the divine
attributes and are equally God. There is no competition, rivalry or ego in the
Godhead but perfect harmony that allows for God to accomplish His eternal
plan/purpose for all things. Praise our Triune God.
OUR REVEALED GOD -
Unless God had taken the initiative to reveal Himself to us, we would never
have known God or God's view of the world. He has disclosed both Himself and
his view of the world in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21). When we
read, study and contemplate its pages, we grow in our understanding of who God
is and His view of the world. Without the Bible, everyone would be left to
their own conclusions about the existence of God, His person and His work. God
has revealed himself to us and invites all of us to learn about Him and from
Him as we take in His Word into our lives. We can thank God today that He has
revealed himself to us. Let's show our gratitude by making His world-view our
very own.
KNOWING GOD - Much
of the New Testament books can be divided into two parts. The first part is
doctrine and the second part is teaching. Knowledge is essential before
practice. After knowledge we need understanding and then application. That
knowledge is of God and is revealed in the Bible. Philippians 1:9-10 'And this
I pray that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all
discernment'. Colossians 1:9-10 'that you may be filled with the knowledge of
His will'. 3 John 1:4 "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my
children walking in the truth'. Knowing the Word of God is knowing the truth.
Knowing truth is knowing God!
IF I WERE THE DEVIL
-by Paul Harvey
I would gain control of the most powerful
nation in the world;
I would delude their minds into thinking that they had come from man's effort,
instead of God's blessings;
I would promote an attitude of loving things and using people, instead of the
other way around;
I would dupe entire states into relying on gambling for their state revenue;
I would convince people that character is not an issue when it comes to
leadership;
I would make it legal to take the life of unborn babies;
I would make it socially acceptable to take one's own life, and invent machines
to make it convenient;
I would cheapen human life as much as possible so that the life of animals are
valued more that human beings;
I would take God out of the schools, where even the mention of His name was
grounds for a law suit;
I would come up with drugs that sedate the mind and target the young, and I
would get sports heroes to advertise them;
I would get control of the media, so that every night I could pollute the mind
of every family member for my agenda;
I would attack the family, the backbone of any nation.
I would make divorce acceptable and easy, even fashionable. If the family
crumbles, so does the nation;
I would compel people to express their most depraved fantasies on canvas and
movie screens, and I would call it art;
I would convince the world that people are born homosexuals, and that their
lifestyles should be accepted and marveled;
I would convince the people that right and wrong are determined by a few who
call themselves authorities and refer to their agenda as politically correct;
I would persuade people that the church is irrelevant and out of date, and the
Bible is for the naive;
I would dull the minds of Christians, and make them believe that prayer is not
important, and that faithfulness and obedience are optional;
I guess I would leave things pretty much the way they are.
A HELPING HAND - A young girl, dressed in
her Sunday best was running as fast as she could to Sunday School. As she ran,
she prayed, "Dear Lord, please don't let me be late! Dear Lord, please
don't let me be late!" At which moment, she tripped on a curb and fell,
getting her clothes all dirty and tearing her dress. She got up and brushed
herself off, and started running again and praying, "Dear Lord, please
don't let me be late! But please, DON'T PUSH me."
A FUNNY OR
NOT - YOU BE THE JUDGE
Funny how a $100 "looks" so big when you take it to church, but so
small when you take it to the mall.
Funny how long it takes to serve God for an hour, but how quickly a team plays
60 minutes of basketball.
Funny how long a couple of hours spent at church are, but how short they are
when watching a movie.
Funny how we can't think of anything to say when we pray, but don't have
difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.
Funny how we get thrilled when a baseball game goes into extra innings, but we
complain when a sermon is longer than the regular time.
Funny how hard it is to read a chapter in the bible, but how easy it is to read
100 pages of a best selling novel.
Funny how people want to get a front seat at any game or concert, but scramble
to get a back seat at church services.
Funny how we need 2 or 3 weeks advance notice to fit a church event into our
schedule, but can adjust our schedule for other events at the last moment.
Funny how hard it is for people learn a simple gospel well enough to tell
others, but how simple it is for the same people to understand and repeat
gossip.
Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.
Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe,
or to think, or to say, or do anything.
Funny how you can send a thousand jokes through e-mail and they spread like
wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think
twice about sharing.
MARK 17
A minister told his congregation, "Next week I plan to preach about the
sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark
17." The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the
minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark
17. Every hand went up. The minister smiled and said, "Mark has only 16
chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying."
OUR LONGSUFFERING
GOD - Longsuffering carries the idea of patience, steadfastness, endurance,
waiting and forbearance. Our God is merciful gracious and longsuffering (Exodus
34:6). Paul tells us that if God was patient enough to save Paul (The worst of
sinners), then he is longsuffering enough to save anyone (1 Timothy 1:16). Why
should the Lord be so long in returning? God wants as many people to be saved
as possible (2 Peter 3:9). By not exacting punishment on sinful humanity
immediately, God displays the riches of His tolerance and patience since God's
purpose is to lead people toward repentance through His kindness. Let's thank
the Lord for the longsuffering he has shown to us and let the world know of it!
A BIBLE ALPHABET TO
MEMORIZE:
A - Isaiah 53:6 B -
Matthew 6:33 C - Matthew 11:28 D - James 4:8 E - James 1:17 F - John 3:16 G -
Psalm 46:1 H - Romans 8:32 I - Romans 12:1 J - Hebrews 13:8 K - Proverbs 4:23 L
- Romans 13:10 M - Psalm 37:37 N - Acts 4:12 O - Psalm 119:18 P - James 1:27 Q
- Psalm 119:88 R - Philippians 4:4 S - John 5:39 T - Romans 3:20 U - Psalm
59:17 V - John 5:24 W - Psalm 27:14 X - Psalm 99:5 Y - John 15:16 Z - Isaiah
1:27
OUR INVISIBLE GOD -
The Israelites did not see any form when the Lord appeared to them (Deuteronomy
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