Being Thankful for Our Freedom

By Pastor Ken Foreman

Text: II Corinthians 3:17 - "Now, the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

The freedoms we enjoy here in the United State are worthy of and reason to be thankful. But as the old saying goes, "You don't miss the water til the well runs dry."

To become an American citizen, a person renounces his or her former citizenship and leaders and takes on new responsibilities and allegiances.

The Old Testament was under the law and commandments...

• The law required things like circumcision.
• The law was strict and unforgiving - a judge.
• The law was a type/shadow of something greater.
• The law was a stern schoolmaster.

The New Testament was full of grace and truth... Peter waffled a bit here, but Paul insisted Jesus came to give life and life more abundantly.

• Jesus said, "He who the Son sets free is free indeed."
• Engraved on the Statue of Liberty are the words of the poet, Emma Lazarus... "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
• The Preamble of the Declaration of Independence speaks of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
• Abraham Lincoln said, "Freedom is not the right to do what we want - but what we ought... Do our duty."
• Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "Freedom is never granted by the oppressor, it is demanded by the oppressed."

We can look into the perfect law of liberty and resist getting entangled in sin again. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1)

We should not be controlled by our wants. Emotions and feelings are poor leaders. Rather, we should have godly control over them. Spirit control = "from glory to glory!" Our focus must be clarified and centered on Jesus. He knows best.

A Friend is a Lovely Gift

By Marjorie Kinnee

 

True friends are like the spice of life,
We’ve often heard folks say;
And spice enlivens everything,
Including a cloudy day.

Faithful friends who’re kind and steady,

Are few and far between;

They choose to go the second mile,

And work behind the scene.

They give in generous measure,

Gifts of talent and time impart;

A willing hand, a listening ear,

And a loving, gentle heart.

Such friends like rarest treasure,

Are gifts from heaven above;

They illustrate in human form,

Our Blessed Savior’s love!

Comparison - the Thief of Joy

By Rachel Coltharp

I met a thief in the hospital on Thursday; baby G contracted a virus and became dehydrated. While we were in turn to be called, the thief made his appearance

on a waiting room T.V. game show...

The show featured four brides who attended each other’s weddings and then rated them in effort to win an exotic honeymoon.

The once-in-a-lifetime event, the day that they had each meticulously planned, every detail given heartfelt attention to, was stripped of its meaning, and given a number.

“They should have used more color.”

“Her dress was too plain.”

“The chicken was dry.”

“The flowers looked skimpy.”

“The music wasn’t very good.”

The sacred ceremony reduced to a score card. And for what? A trip. The trade off just doesn’t add up. You can save up for an exotic trip, but your wedding day - it’s a one-time deal. The vows, two people becoming one, the celebration with friends and family reduced to competition. Who could think this would be a good idea?

But I have done the same thing. Many times. I have allowed pinterest birthday party photos to make me feel like a dullard mother. I have ogled Facebook photos of my friends vacations, not in an "I’m so glad for you" way either. I have, in short, drunk the poison elixir of comparison.

When we choose to sip from the cup of the joy thief, we ingest a biting brew of bitterness, a dour drink of discontent, a poison pint of pity.

Our Creator knew the joy thief would like nothing better than to strip us of the joy in our lives. II Corinthians 2:10 warns us against the foolishness of comparing ourselves, of measuring ourselves with others.

Like David, we can choose to say, “my cup runneth over.” My cup may be smaller than yours, it may be wood, yours may be gold, but it’s the cup God trusted me with. If I compare mine with yours, I’m saying that God does not know what is best for me. To be wise, we must lay down the measuring stick, the scorecard, the measuring cup.

So go ahead, pour up a big ol' cup of gratitude, and start sipping. That ol' joy thief, he can go pour his poisonous brew somewhere else. On T.V. perhaps, where it seems he is

welcomed, encouraged, and celebrated.

I’m going to keep opening up the Book of Wisdom and let it’s waters of life keep filling my cup, and my home. On Facebook and Pinterest, I'm going to sip while I interact,

practice as I pin; and as for me and my "mouse," we will serve the Lord!

Editor's Note: Rachel Coltharp, pastor's wife and mother of four, labors along-side of her husband, Brent Coltharp, who is District Superintendent for the Illinois District. and pastors First Apostolic Church in Aurora, Illinois.

What Did God Say to You?

By Colleen Clabaugh

I asked this question during a kid's session of the Summons to Sacrifice conference a few weeks ago right after we lead the children in a time of listening for what God wanted us to do. An eight year old answered it. "God said, we are to keep praying!"

As simple as it may seem, this occurred after an extended time of prayer had already taken place. We were beyond the time for our lesson, bathroom break and even snack. Instead of the children choosing those things, they wanted to pray; they were hungry for something deeper. An intense move of God's Spirit moved over the room as children cried, travailed, and interceded for others. Several that night received the Holy Ghost and others felt God shared with them direction in ministry for their life. This intense move of God continued for the next two days.

If we as adults, believe that our children receive the Holy Ghost, we must also believe that the Holy Ghost is just as powerful in their lives as it is in us. We must trust that the children really can hear God speaking to them. We must train them to hear His voice and to answer, just as Eli trained Samuel. We must see them not just as the church of tomorrow, but an active part of the church of today.

   

When we trust a child to experience spiritual things we enable them to actively use the Holy Ghost power God has given them. If we are not enabling them, then we are hindering them, and may very well be hindering the move of God.

Trust them. Train them. Enable them. And watch what God will do.

Editor's Note: Colleen Clabaugh works at the UPCI Headquarters office in Hazelwood, Missouri. This wife and mother is involved with the World Network of Prayer and took part in children's ministry in the recent "Summons to Sacrifice" which incorporates several days of intense focus on prayer.

God's Focus: The Soul

Editorial
By Marjorie J. Kinnee

Hovering over the dusty ground with focused intent, He carefully and oh, so gently gathered dusty earth and water to fashion a replica. Made in His image and likeness... every part, every particle, conjoined; fitly framed together. Other, lesser things could be spoken into existence and flung into the farthest regions of space; but this required total attention to the minutest detail. It was the sole purpose for all the rest. All of that was designed to be home for this one, perfect solution. He had been lonely for so long, but it was now time to set the future in motion. He breathed in deep and bent down low... "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7)

The Garden was the perfect place for the perfect being He'd created. Everything man needed was there; food, water, beauty, meaningful work, and companionship... But most precious of all was the communion. How eager He was for the cool of the day when He would walk and talk and fellowship to His heart's content. (See Psalm 107:9; 149:4.) They spoke of good things, rejoiced in remembered times of joy and peace, and looked forward to more and more of the same - until - trouble came in the form of a serpent, disrupting the peace of the Garden; peace of mind, peace of body, and worst of all - the peace of the soul.

That loss of communion and fellowship drove Him to desperate measures, (the Incarnation and Calvary,) in the pursuit of restoring that soul-full kind of perfect communion. In the meantime, what kept Him going? What kept Him reaching? The answer is, Men and women like Abel, Enoch, (See Genesis 5:24.) Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, (See Numbers 12:7-8.) Ruth, David, (See Acts 13:22.) Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, (See Daniel 9:23.) Zachariah, Simeon & Anna, and Mary. (See Luke 1:28.) Then, in the fulness of time, He took upon Himself flesh and walked and talked with men, pouring Himself into twelve hand-picked men for three and a-half years. For the joy of restoring that precious communion, not only in the here and now, but throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity... He submitted Himself to the death of the cross.

You see, God's primary focus is the soul!

Oh, yes, He cares about the body, ("Consider the lily, the sparrow, and the coney...") He provides what's needful, steps into situations to intervene, (miraculously if warranted,) but His focus is always the soul and it's eternal destiny. The soul is eternal. It will live or die forever... in heaven with the blessed - eternal life... or in hell with the sin-cursed - eternal death...

Ruptured by sin and bound by its deathly penalty, man was thrust out. Communion was no longer easy and frequent. Although the soul of man was designed for full fellowship with its Creator, bloody sacrifices (of innocent animals,) became the only means of approaching a Holy, Righteous God. Such sacrifices meant rules and laws and multiplied instructions, yet none of those animal sacrifices dealt with the real sin question. The best they could do was roll sins forward to the next sacrifice.

So, He willingly bankrupted Heaven to give man the hope of reconciliation and restoration. (See Psalm 77:15.) He came to earth in a robe of flesh to pay that price, shed sinless blood, die and rise again; bringing a new "breath of Life" into being. (See John 14:16-18, 26; 15:26-27; 16:7-14; Acts 1:4-5, 8; 2:1-4, 16-18, 37-42.)

And what is it that keeps Him going yet today? (See John 4:35-36.)
Just another soul...! (See II Peter 3:9; Proverbs 11:30.)

P.S. A little extra food for the soul... See Malachi 3:16-17.