Moments

Moments

Occupy your moments…
There is no life in dreams.
There is no touch in the future,
No laughter in tomorrow,
No smell in what may be.
Life is the moment!!!
The Now!!
The past is only a memory,
Good or bad it does not live.
The future only a hope not yet realized.
Occupy your moments…
Savor the present,
Touch what you can while you are here,
Hear the song of today,
Smell the flower before you go.
Occupy your moments…
You will not be coming back.
Life is a one way journey lived one moment at a time.
Fill the moment with your presence,
See all there is to see.
Hold on to what is worthy.
Grasp the noble.
Take from the moment what is eternal…
Love.

James Spruill

Copyright 2004

From our house to yours

Empty Space

Deep within the human heart there is an empty space unrecognizable by many. It is a hunger for something more and can never be satisfied with small things--emptiness on the prowl looking for fulfillment and looking in all the wrong places. The temptation is to mask the emptiness with temporary stuff, cover the hole with fun and momentary pleasure.  In spite of all our efforts, nothing in this world can fill the place made for God.  Religion cannot fill the emptiness within us. Jesus came to fill that empty place in our lives.  He alone offers a living presence. We were made for relationship.  Jesus did not come to start a new religion but a personal relationship.  He came to the manger so He could come to you. “For unto you is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord” There is a manger deep within all of us and it beckons the Savior.  It can never be satisfied with straw. jfs

Sad, Sad,

That is the feeling in my heart for all the families who lost loved ones in the senseless killings in Conn.  The temptation is to give lectures about right and wrong but that is not the need, the need is for compassion and love.  I can only imagine the pain these families are feeling, and I pray for them.  Evil is a terrible monster and those who deny that evil exist only serve it.  Blame is a natural outcome but let’s make sure we blame the cause not the symptom.  Our world seems to prefer dealing with symptoms over causes and with that approach nothing is resolved.  Jesus is all about causes and He took dead aim at the real issue, the human heart.  There is right and wrong and the human heart is fertile ground for wrong.  What we all need today is a change of heart and that is just what Jesus offers all of us.  Jesus is our hope, our only hope. Jfs`

2Ch 12:14 And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.

Worth Thinking About

“YOU WERE MADE BY GOD AND FOR GOD

AND UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND THAT,

LIFE WILL NEVER MAKE SENSE.”

A friend from India sent me the above statement.

How many times have we all broken something because we were not using it the way it was intended to be used.  I once damaged my automobile because I forced it to pull more weight than it was made to pull.  Sin is a heavy load and we were not made for it.   We were made for purity and holiness.  A Holy God could not create an unholy person.  Sin corrupts us, binds us and blinds us. Sad how many have lost their way under the heavy load of sin.  Pulling the heavy weight of sin, life becomes meaningless and empty.  Jesus offers both forgiveness and cleansing.  Come home to your maker and life will make sense even when the road is bumpy.  jfs

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  Matthew 11:28-30

Prophetic Word

It is a good time to remember the power of the Prophetic Word.  I do not propose that I understand all the Bible says about the future but I do insist that what the Holy Spirit has prophesied will come to pass. But we must not take refuge in the “whatever will be will be” philosophy. We must be responsible and vote and as Christians we should always vote Kingdom values. Separating your Christian values from your political values is not acceptable.

Mr 13:2 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down."  Did it happen? You bet. They even dug up the foundation.  You say, “What is the point”?  It is this--whatever God has spoken about the future will come to pass. Where is America in it all?  I am not sure, but I am sure that we cannot prop up walls that God says are coming down.  If America is not punished for her sins it will be a big surprise to me. It is not that God delights in clobbering us but when we have asked Him to stay out of our lives He respects our power of choice.  When He removes His blessing and protection the enemy will bring the misery.  We are all responsible for our choices and at times we suffer from the choices of others.

Joh 17:12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” “That the Scripture might be fulfilled” is a statement we would do well to remember in these difficult days.  My prayer is, “Your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” amen Lord! jfs

 

WORDS

1 Thessalonians 4:18  says, "Therefore comfort one another with these words."

What kind of words does it take to comfort you?  Oh the power of words, choose them carefully, once spoken they can never be erased. Their power can last a lifetime, they can become an emotional prison, a fence keeping us from freedom, barbed wire of the soul entangleing us in lies spoken without thought.  Words can lift, give hope, encourage and give us a reason to hold on.  Your tongue has great power, use it for good. jfs

 "He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit."  1 Peter 3:10

His Perspective

We are all confronted with situations over which we have no control.  They can be frustrating and painful.  I am living with such at the present.  My heart is troubled because I care.  I have a life investment, but at this time I can do nothing about the situation but watch and pray.  My prayer is, Lord help me see this the way you see it.  Lord, I can accept your view.  I join with you embracing your plan in this situation.  At this time I am not sure what His plan is but whatever it is that is where I take my stand.  Jesus used a powerful word as He prayed in the garden, “nevertheless” and it separates  our plan from His plan.  It is alright to have our plans as long as we keep “nevertheless” on the table.  Our hearts living the “nevertheless” may take us down an unexpected path but in the end it will lead home.  The “nevertheless” prayer prayed from our hearts is always heard by our Father. Jfs

Mr 14:36 And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."

Ro 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Defining Love

The love of God expresses itself through sacrifice and opens the door to redemption.  The love Hollywood portrays expresses itself in selfishness and ends in pain and separation.  God’s love is always compatible with His Holiness. Jfs

(1 John 4:7-8) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  (NKJV)

A Page of Life

Our lives are like books, some are short and some are long.  Each day is a page in the book.  Our story is written one day at a time.  The book tells our life’s story and we write it with our choices and the consequences of those choices.  When we give our lives to Christ it becomes His story.  Our lives become light and salt influencing the world for our King and His kingdom.  A page can be a short story written in one day, a story of His Grace and mercy protecting us from the evil one.  A page can be a definition of Love, defined by the way we treat each other.  Everyday our lives write one page at a time, the big question is, will it be about His Story or our story.  For me today is page 26,856.  I pray it is a page worth reading. Jfs

Ps 90:12 ¶ So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Two Views

Yesterday I stood with Mary by the bedside of her dying sister.  The scene was not easy, the struggle for breath, the distorted face and the helpless feelings of the moment leaves an ugly memory.  This was the earthly view, the human view, the what you see, and hear view.  It is the earthly view that we are all too familiar with and it is not pretty.  There is another view seen only by faith and assured by His Word.  It is the spiritual view, the view God sees and it is as real as the one we see.  In the story of Steven, the first Christian martyr, there are two views. One as ugly as it gets, an innocent man being stoned to death, not something you could forget.  Read the story for yourself and you will see that there are two views, the earthly view and the Kingdom view, both real, one temporary the other eternal.  In the ugly situation of Steven he saw the other view.  He saw Jesus and Jesus saw him and for Steven the earthly view was nothing more than a “momentary trouble.”   We earthlings must always remember there are two scenes.  As Christians we are assured of life after death, guaranteed by the resurrection of Jesus.  The death scene does not have the final say.  Jesus said, “Because I live you shall live also.”  It is the resurrection scene that has the final word. 

As I write this, word has come that Rhoda has left us.  Life has pulled the curtain on the earthly scene but Heaven has opened the curtain on the eternal one.  Let us, “look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” jfs

Light of the world

A Lesson From The Garden

Plants need sunlight. Fruit does not grow in the dark. The night does not produce grapes. Little trees in the deep forest reach for the sunlight. The truth is, our lives depend upon sunlight and our spiritual lives depend upon SON light. John 8:12 ¶ Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." Darkness hides the truth and some choose to live in the darkness rather than face the truth. His light exposes us and reveals the ugly stuff which holds us captive. The scripture says, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32 Never forget this truth; the pain of facing the truth is better than the bondage of lies. jfs

A Father's Message

To Mark, Megan and John, 
I am thinking about what it means to be a father and hoping that my failures will never plot the course of your journey.  I am your father but I am also a child who had a father.  I was thinking about the lessons I learned from my father and how they have impacted my life.  I learned to never give up and that anything can be fixed.  He taught me to live life looking forward to the future.  He always had plans--he built his last house at seventy. He was generous and quick to forgive.  Oh, I remember some of his weaknesses, but his strengths still encourages me today.  We are all flawed but life is not about our flaws, it is about our hearts, our willingness to keep going when others drop out, about knowing when to rest or as my dad said, “put your oars in the boat and drift awhile.”  In so many ways he lives on in me and you.  He was a man worth following.  He never asked anyone to follow him but he could have said with Paul, “Follow me as I follow Christ.”  I am very proud of all three of you.  You have honored me in so many ways and for that I am thankful.  I pray that when I go home you will know that every day of your life your dad is looking for you and that the good memories blur the bad ones.  I love you.  dad

A Reason for Hope

“Well I sure hope so” is an expression of uncertainty.  We have all spoken these words when we were unsure of an outcome.  Our world is full of uncertainty. The politics of our world has us living on the edge.  Is there hope and if there is where can we find it?  The word translated hope in the Bible is not an expression of uncertainty but of expectation.  “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;” 1 Peter 3:15   Read this verse again and put expectation where hope is and you will have it right.  The Word of God gives us reason to live in expectation.  Hope is about the future but the history of God’s faithfulness to His Church gives us reason to live in expectation of our future.  The Word of God is full of promises to the faithful.  These promises are seeds to be planted in our hearts and nurtured in expectation until the day they become a reality. Jfs

1Pe 1:13 ¶ Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 

Book Review

I am just finishing a book by Ravi Zacharias. The title is “WHY JESUS?” The sub title is, “Rediscovering His Truth In An Age of Mass Marketed Spirituality.”   If you are like me, very concerned about the Church today and what many consider the departure from the faith, you will enjoy this book.  It is my observation that long before we rewrite our theology we depart from it in our hearts.  Ravi Zacharias is a thinker and he brings keen insight into the subtle mixture of Eastern religions into the Christian Faith.  Below is an example of his observations:

“The Church has forgotten the teachings of quietness, solitude, and meditation that are part of our Judeo-Christian heritage and provide great strength to the soul.  We have moved from silence to noise.  We have moved from reflection to fast-moving programs.  We have moved from quietness to the inability to remain focused on a thought for even a moment, so that the next item on the program has to begin as soon as the previous one has finished.  There is no time in our services anymore for quietness and contemplation.  We have moved from the progression of thought to a repetition of sounds.  We have stolen the bridge between the head and the heart and gone to one of two extremes: either unable to engage the culture or reflecting the culture.  Every need of the soul is met in the gospel, but like an intoxicated person, we swing between two walls without finding balance.”

To understand how the above statement fits into the message of the book you will have to read it.
I hope you will put this book on your reading list.  jfs

Pay Attention

Anybody who tells you they have finished school is not paying attention. We don’t finish school.  If you are breathing you are in school.  School is never out, no spring breaks no summer vacations.  Our Lord is always teaching and His classroom is LIFE.  The question is, “are we paying attention?”  On our journey we encounter moments of frustration, fear, doubt, pain and sorrow and they are all events of learning.

The tools of Christian education are found in our daily journey and some of them are downright messy. The teacher of this EVERYDAY school is the Holy Spirit and school is always in. What is the subject?  It is the same for all of us, CHRISTLIKENESS.  jfs

Joh 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

Lu 6:40 "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.

John 11

The story of the resurrection of Lazarus is one of my favorites.  I like it because I see myself in it.  At some point in my life I have been most of the characters in the story.  I was dead in trespasses and sins and raised to new life by Jesus--Lazarus.  I have been disappointed that my prayers were not answered the way I expected--Mary and Martha. At times I have misunderstood what I heard my Lord say--the disciples.  I have wept when it was a waste of tears--Mary.  We are all in this chapter somewhere and the best part is so is Jesus.  Jesus is in your story too, and He probably weeps at times when you and I don’t understand how much He loves us.  He wants you to know that He cares and has a plan for your life.  Don’t plot your own life’s course and ask Him to bless it, let Him plot it and He will bless it.

Joh 11:35 “Jesus wept.”

Why Obey?

Obedience puts us on the path to God's blessings and usefulness.  Disobedience opens the door to the enemy.  The choice is ours to obey or disobey, but the consequences come with our choices.  In our choice to obey let us begin with His command to love each other.  It is not an option, when we fail to love each other we disobey and that opens the door to all kinds of trouble.  The command to love is at the top of the list, let's keep it there. jfs

Joh 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Ruth Paul Caudle

I received this yesterday from my dear friend Ruth. She is part of my Haitian family. I am greatly blessed by her life, her commitment to God and to helping the people of Haiti. Once again we are confronted with the big question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Let’s leave the answer to this question to God and give ourselves to what we do know. God has a plan for all of our lives and we can have faith that He is able to keep us here until He is finished with us. His grace and mercy are more powerful than the evil intents of the enemy. My prayer is: “Oh merciful Heavenly Father, I know it is your will that Ruth finish the race you have set before her. Don’t let the enemy take her out of the race. Keep her for your purpose for this life. We join with the host of heaven and declare in the Name of Jesus that Ruth shall live all the days you have planned for her life. In the Strong name of Jesus we (her brothers and sisters in the Lord) command that the will of God be done.” Amen. Love you Ruth, pastor jim

The following is the letter I received from Ruth. It will bless you to read it. jfs

I need an urgent miracle. I have been experiencing some headaches and went to the doctors. After invasive testing I was told that the cancer is in the spinal fluid, in the covering tissue of the brain and also in the liver. The doctors have never seen my type of cancer go to the head. It is a challenge for them to figure our how best to treat this but not for God. God has taken care of me before and will do in again. Watch him in action and see how he will heal me. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I had already purchased tickets to bring my family to visit Haiti to do some work there and gave them a tour of their mother's homeland soon. I do not know how this will happen but I am inviting you to fast and pray with me so that God can move mountains for me to go to Haiti and return safely and in good health. I would like to see my haitian brothers and sister and to see the work we are doing there first hand. I trust in Him and love Him and I refuse to crawl into a little ball, I refuse to go to the closet and cry all day long. I refuse to allow cancer to run my life. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. This too, shall pass. Please pray for strength, peace and hope for my family and for God to put the right words in our mouths as Brian and I tell our 6 year old, 10 year old and 12 year old that their mother's cancer has returned. I need your strength when I am weak. I need to know that you are praying for me when if I ever become too discouraged to do it for myself. God bless you all. Thank you.

Blessed New Year

Thanks to all who have wished me a happy new year but I am not seeking a happy year, I want a blessed year. We have all heard the phrase, “the pursuit of happiness” and it is easy to fall into the trap of reaching for it. Now here is the kicker, happiness should not be our goal. It is a by- product of pursuing more important things. “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” These words of Jesus help us put happiness in its place. “These things” is the key, do these things and the result will be happiness. In most other places in the New Testament the same Greek word for happy is translated blessed. The pursuit of happiness is like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, just when you think you are about there it is gone. Pursue “these things” and you will find happiness without looking for it. jfs