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Thursday, August 07, 2014

Faith Is ~ Week 6

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now life in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."               

Does what we believe about God change God? If a person does not believe in God, God is still the Creator. If someone chooses not to trust God, God is still Sovereign. When our faith falters, God remains Faithful. Our beliefs about God do not change God, but they can definitely affect our faith journey. Creator and Sovereign and Faithful, along with All-Knowing, All-Powerful, and Always Ever-Present, begin to describe the character of God. To this list can be added Mercy and Kindness and Love. While His ways exceed our understanding, God's judgments are righteous.He keeps His promises. God's purposes never fail. God never changes.

Looking at the Galatians Scripture above, we can explore at least five truths about the Christian life. First, the Christian is "crucified with Christ"; the old sin-nature dies and a new righteousness living replaces the former life. Secondly, Christ now lives in the Believer. Because the resurrected Christ lives again, each person who chooses Christ as Savior finds a new spiritual beginning, new life within. Thirdly, while we are still on the earth, Christ calls us to righteous living. Saving faith comes from Christ and claims us as His own. Called to love like Him, our living faith in Christ marks our journey. Fourthly, Jesus Christ, Son of God loves each of us more than we can measure. Fifthly, Jesus offered Himself for us, became the sacrifice for all sin. Through Christ, God reveals His redemptive nature to the world. God always loves. 
~ dho

Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Grief Share Support Group



GriefShare is a special weekly seminar/support group for people grieving the death of someone close. It's a place where you can be around people who understand how you feel and the pain of your loss. At GriefShare, you'll learn valuable information that will help you through this difficult time in your life. If you've lost someone close to you, or know someone who has, please contact us for more information about this ministry.

In the Augusta, GA area see this link for more information on GriefShare! NEW Series starts September 7, 2014.

Friday, August 01, 2014

Faith Is ~ Week 5

By faith in Christ, you are in sweet relationship with God. Galatians 3:26 The Message

In studying "faith" one cannot but re-read Hebrews chapter 11, frequently called the "Hall of Faith". Filled with example after example of Old Testament figures whose lives demonstrate great faith in God. These ordinary people live extraordinary lives by placing their faith in God and His plan. Seldom knowing the outcome of the journey, each repeatedly trusts in God and His divine leadership. This is the beginning of any journey ~ knowing and believing in the never-failing, unchanging, everlasting character of God. God is Sovereign, from before the beginning of time, throughout all eternity. David Jeremiah says, "Faith is a real conviction based on the revelation of God." Our faith must be rooted in El Elyon, The God Most High



Jesus brings God's grace to mankind. He delivers His redemptive love and offers spiritual reunion for each one of us. Through faith in Jesus, the everlasting promise of God's great love, grace opens the door, invites us home! God's forgiving mercy is not deserved and cannot be earned. Grace comes to those who place their faith in Jesus Christ. This "saving faith" acknowledges the mystery of faith: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. To believe in the promises of God, who is called Jehovah, Yahweh, El Shaddai, Adonai, Immanuel, refines our faith. No longer do we simply hope in what cannot seen; our faith responds to the Living Truth by living lives of humility and obedience to God that speak boldly to a world that denies Christ. Our faith matures in the Living Water, in Christ who is called Faithful and True. ~dho

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Faith Is - Week 4

Commit your way to the Lord, 
Trust also in Him, and He will do it! Psalm 37:5

Bixler leads us with this thought about commitment: When we have a heart committed to God and His will for our life, then we are living a life of faith and trust in Him. Commitment involves dedication and application. As we grow our relationship with Christ, it is in living a life of faith that defines our commitment to Him, but we must ask ourselves where do we put our faith. Sometimes we find ourselves placing our faith in the provisions God gives rather than in God, The Provider. How often do we ask God for what we want instead of asking God what He wants for us? Our commitment and trust in the Lord reveals a God of perfect promises and lavish love.
                                 "Walk By Faith" by Jeremy Camp - click here for video 
Perseverance requires endurance and persistence, especially in times of difficulty and discouragement. In James chapter 1 we are reminded to pray boldly and with faith, to endure life's challenges, and to find joy and contentment in the Lord. We stand firm through trials by trusting God when we cannot understand the happenings. Oswald Chambers writes, "Faith is not intelligent understanding, faith is deliberate commitment to a Person where I see no way." Faith and commitment depend on trusting God's character. Believing God is Sovereign, God is All-Powerful, and God is Faithful in His love must be at the core of our prayers, of our faith. ~ dho                                                                 

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Faith Is - Week 3

Jesus said to him, "I am the Way and the Truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6

                                          "10,000 Reasons" by Matt Redman - click here!

This week's study on faith brings us to "truth" which we define a something verified, indisputable, and authentic, characterized by faithfulness, perfection, and infallibility. In John 18:33-38, Pilate, the governor of Jerusalem, finds himself face to face with Jesus, face to face with Truth. Pilate asks, "What is truth?" His rhetorical cynicism does not investigate truth or even debate truth; rather, like the philosophy of the culture of Rome, Pilate suggests there is no real truth. The answer to Pilate's question sits right in front of him but goes unrecognized.

After looking at a variety of Scripture in a search for "truth", these are the the truths we embrace: God's word is truth. Christ is truth. Scriptures testify to truth as does the Father. Jesus is The Truth. The Helper, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Christ, called Faithful and True, will come again. Pope Francis writes, "Faith without truth is an illusion; truth without love is cold." Faith is believing God is Sovereign. Faith is believing the Gospel of Jesus is Grace. Faith is empty without truth! - dho

Consider This: 
- Read Jeremiah 32:17, Luke 1:37, Mark 9:23, Mark 10:26-27, Mark 14:35-36
- What is the common "truth" in all these Scriptures?



Friday, July 11, 2014

Faith Is - Week 2

Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols. Psalm 40:4 NLT

                                           Hold Me, Jesus! by Big Daddy Weave (click here)

Continuing our summer study of faith, Bixler asks, "How would your decisions differ if they were based on just today?" What would life look like if we tried to focus more on today and less on the future? In our discussions, examples of a reduction in micro-managing of situations, seeing the blessings in today instead of missing them by focusing so much on the future, and reducing our anxiety with "all the balls we are juggling". We frequently struggle with control, doubt, and fear that comes from the world as we try to balance these with trusting God, keeping our eyes on Christ, choosing God. Faith always battles the world's 'sure thing'. Faith must ignore what the world worships. Faith is confidence in Yahweh, I AM, the God of never failing promises.
    What God wants is for you to trust what He says over what you see!                  Jon Bloom, author of Not By Sight: A Fresh Look At Walking By Faith
Bloom challenges the Christian to put away old thinking and try new thinking, to consider God's Promises over our human perceptions. Instead of worrying, 'What can [name your struggle] do to me?', with faith ask, 'What can God do through [name your struggle]?'. Even when we do not understand the reason, faith empowers us to trust in God. Life experiences, especially the most difficult ones, teach us about God's Promises. Because God has overcome the world, Christ becomes the victory, brings the grace. His victory over the darkness within the world kindles our faith, affirms our redemption. Christ is the foundation of our faith and our everlasting hope. - dho

Thursday, July 03, 2014

Freedom Rings! ~ 4th of July

“We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America. . . [a]nd for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”  from The Declaration of Independence


Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? 

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.  Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well-educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.  He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.  The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste.  For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. 
~ unknown source


So, this 4th of July remember: freedom is never free! Be thankful for these early patriots, as well as those patriots who fight now to KEEP our freedom! May God bless America, land of the free and home of the brave. ~dho

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Faith Is ~ Week one

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  Hebrews 11:1 

                                                                 "Faithful" by Hank Nelson - click here!

This summer I am involved with a group Bible study on FAITH by Heather Bixler! As an introduction first week, we tried to define faith, explore where our faith comes from, and attempt to understand the origin of faith. Hebrews 11:1 gives the Scriptural definition of faith. Faith is the foundation of hope. Faith is believing without seeing. In Hebrews 12:2 we found that Jesus is the "Author and Finisher" of our faith. Faith comes through Jesus, and He completes our faith. Faith comes with the hearing of the word of God, and this interconnects with the sharing of the Gospel message. (Romans 10:17)
"Our faith begins with what we know and believe about God." Heather Bixler
Our beliefs about God affect our faith. Knowing the character of God matters because He is the object of our faith. If we believe God remains unchanging in Goodness, Love, Patience, and Mercy, believe God is Creator, Sovereign, All-Powerful, and Infinite, believe God always keeps His promises, judges fairly, and knows all things, we will discover His shelter and solace, His rescue and refuge, His purpose and provision. Bixler says, "Faith is a choice." True. Faith is also a gift from God through Jesus Christ. Faith is a response to love - God's love for us, and God's love within us. He is Faithful! ~dho

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Forever Faithful


"Even if the healing doesn’t come
And life falls apart
And dreams are still undone
You are God You are good
Forever faithful One
Even if the healing
Even if the healing doesn’t come" ~ Kutless


It is in GOD, the forever faithful One, that we must trust. His goodness in unmeasured! When our hopes and expectations fall short, when the outcomes and resolutions remain incomplete, when diesease conquers and dreams fade, GOD never fails. ~ dho

Thursday, June 12, 2014

God Alone

Rest in God alone, my soul!
       He is the source of my hope.
Psalm 62:5 New Jerusalem Bible
 
photo by Allison Oswalt, coast of  S. Africa
Holy Father ~
I fall on my knees in Your presence. Illumine my mind when darkness lingers. Protect my heart when doubt threatens.  Rescue my soul when uncertainty challenges.  When I am weak, You strengthen me.  When I stumble, You catch me.  When I am weary, You hold me.  In countless ways, You bless me!  My prayers of praise, insufficient but whole-souled, applaud Your Glory. Still on my knees, I surrender my own desires and offer this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, for He is Grace.  Amen. ~dho

Doxology
To Him who can keep you from falling and bring you
safe to His glorious presence, innocent and joyful, to
the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our
Lord, be glory, majesty, authority and power, before
all ages, now and forever.  Amen.
Jude 1: 24-25 New Jerusalem Bible

Friday, June 06, 2014

New Places

 [God] is waiting to explode our smallness and put us in places of which we have only dreamed. . . Do not settle for smallness, . . . God is waiting to take you into places and open you up to opportunities that exist only in your wildest dreams. 
Dennis Kinlaw from his devotional book, This Day with the Master



Kinlaw goes on to point out that these opportunities do not come from our own making, rather "you must let [God] give you the opportunities and move you into new places."

Why is it that we  complain about the smallness of our lives, the smallness of the moments? When does our complacency allow us to be content with our smallness? How often do we go in search of new places and opportunities by ourselves? Do we seek God's will for our moments or charge ahead, desperate to create our own? 

These are questions that wrestle with my mind. The many possibilities can create conflict for me, and other times, the waiting stagnates my willingness. If these words are true, that God desires to put us in places of which we have only dreamed, dare I not wait with Him? Likewise, if we must let God provide the opportunities and move us to these new places, dare I not trust His leading?  I must trust Him absolutely! ~dho

God, the One and Only - I'll wait as long as He says.
Everything I need comes from Him,
He's solid rock under my feet,
breathing room for my soul.
. . . So trust Him absolutely.
Psalm 62:1-2,8 The Message