In Your Father’s House – There Is Unconditional Love!

-And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son [I no longer deserve to be recognized as a son of yours]! But the father said to his bond servants, Bring quickly the best robe (the festive robe of honor) and put it on him; and give him a ring for his hand and sandals for his feet bring out that [wheat-]fattened calf and kill it; and let us revel and feast and be happy and make merry, Because this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!

-Luke 15:21-23

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Hey Neighbor,

I remember as  naive teenager, I couldn’t wait to break free from the nest…that was my parents’ house. I was the youngest of three and both my older siblings had already left home, had both gotten married and had begun to have children and homes of their own.

I thought I was also ready and prepared to manage my own life, but like many of us,  I had no clue how difficult it would be to make it on my own…and like many I found that without the financial support of my family, I could not make it. From time to time, I needed to be able to lean on mother and father… and many times I needed them to hold me up…and because they loved me, they did so, unconditionally…And I thank God for them!

Do you Remember the parable of the prodigal son? Luke 15:11-32

The Father in this story had two sons and his younger son decided that it was time for him to break free from the family nest, so he packed up his his things, took his inheritance, and left his father’s house.

Well, this naive young man found that he did not have much success without his father around to lean upon…and although his father had given him his portion of his inheritance, he found himself broke (financially) and broken (of heart)…literally sitting in a messy pigsty. Luke tells us he was sent to the pig pen by a stranger because he was homeless, he had no where to go…he had sinned and had recklessly spent his fortune and found himself so hungry…and so desperate that instead of feeding  the pigs, he would rather have eaten the pigs’ carob pods himself,  if it would have diminished the pangs of hunger.

Jesus is our story teller here…teaching us a parable…a lesson about morality…reminding us that when this boy finally came to himself…he remembered his father and the support available to him in his father’s house. He remembered that in his father’s house, even the servants were not of want and suffered no lack… yet here he was…a young man who had been accustomed to an especially extravagant lifestyle, was now living in a total state of desperation.

Jesus tells us that there had come a famine and this boy had fallen behind and was in a state of great want…He wanted to go home!!

He had found himself in need of many things…things that his father could provide for him…safety, food, shelter, clothing etc…But what he needed most of all was unconditional love, although he had made such a terrible mess of his life…

Well, if you know how the story ends, We learn that this prodigal son did receive the unconditional love of his father, who had welcomed his son back home with opened arms.

Are you ready to come home??

Have you yet come to reality, finding yourself sitting in the ‘mess-of-a-life’ that you have made? Have you fallen behind, dragging your feet in the guilt and condemnation of sin, because Satan has lied to you, telling you that you are not worthy of God’s love?

Well the truth is: You don’t have to wallow in that pigsty any longer. God has been watching and waiting for you to come to yourself and to get up and drag yourself on back home, where you can always lean on Him. He will hold you up and stabilize Your Life, because He Loves You!!

He is waiting and will receive you with His Unconditional Love…all you have to do is just Repent…turn away from the sin that has enslaved you for a time…and return to God Today!

Your Loving Father awaits You with His Arms Wide-Open!!

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Thanks For Stopping By…Until next time,

Remember….

God Loves You and So Do I!!

-Tam

 

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God Has Heard Your Cries and He Has Sent Deliverance!!

-LORD, HOW they are increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are saying of me, There is no help for him in God. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. With my voice I cry to the Lord, and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that.

Psalms 3:1-4

 

Hey Neighbor,

The Lord sits high upon his throne and looks low onto the earth at His people. He sees our tears. He’s witness to our suffering and his hands long to remove the heaviness of the world from our failing flesh. He says Look unto me, reach out your hand and take upon my yoke and release the hefty weight of your burdensome load. Cry out to me! Ask me for help! I hold the heart of the king in my hands and I can turn it in your favor or I can crush it, if in his vain, futile rebellion he does not submit.

Remember God always wins and He also causes us to triumph…as one songwriter says…that means He makes Us win!!

Look at the Hebrews that suffered under Pharoah in Egypt…day after day, their baby boys were being mercilessly thrown into the River Nile, but the cries of those weeping mothers had mounted up to the heavens and were heard at the throne of Grace. And God, in His mercy, sent deliverance…In the form of a beautiful baby boy who’s own little life was spared as he floated down the River Nile in a papyrus basket, bound for Pharoah’s household. He was no doubt an answer to the cries of a barren mother, Pharaoh’s daughter. She received him as her own son, in spite of him being a Hebrew child, and he was raised up as a prince in Pharaoh’s house. But as he grew…he could not bear to watch the oppressive treatment of his people, so he rebelled and would not submit to the will of his father, Pharoah, who had enslaved the Hebrews under the burdensome task of resurrecting monuments to celebrate his idolatrous rule and reign in this World. But Our God, The One who rules and reigns on high, once again heard the sound of the groans and cries that had stretched up to heaven although He had already seen firsthand the needless suffering of his ‘special’ people…Those whom he had handpicked and whom He had called ‘His Own.’ He saw how they had been misused and mistreated and forced to serve Pharaoh, who in his own vain imaginations, believed that he was the god over these People. Pharaoh had boldly usurped God’s authority, making himself Lord and King over those who were not ‘his own!’ He had no idea that he was merely a pawn on the Chess Game of God! God was using Pharaoh, hardening his Stone-cold heart as a means to turn the hearts of His Chosen People, Israel, back to Him.

Neighbor, God also holds your heart in his hand…does it beat for Him? Does it thirst for the life-giving blood of Jesus? Is it occupied by the presence of the Holy Spirit?

If Your answers are No!…Then You can change all of that right now!! God Loves You and It is not His will that you should continue to suffer.

God Has Heard Your Cries and He has Sent Deliverance!!

God Gave to You His Only Son, Jesus!!
And Jesus came to Give You Life…and Life More Abundantly!!

You can submit to God’s Will today, by receiving Jesus Christ as Your Personal Savior. There’s no hard work involved…if you will simply believe that Jesus Christ is the Resurrected Son of God. And confess with your mouth that “Jesus is Lord!” and Ask him to be the The King and Lord of Your Life….then instantly, Your heart will beat and circulate the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ into your Soul, as the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your own spirit, insuring that You have received God’s Salvation.

God is Listening…Cry out to Him today and receive Jesus!!

Give Him Your Heart and He will give You Everlasting Life!!

Thanks For Stopping By, Neighbor!
Until Next a Time, Remember…

God Loves You and So Do I!!
-Tam

 

Don’t forget to Be a Blessing…
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Loving Them As You Love Yourself!!

Can’t Sleep…Read the Psalms!!

-I am weary with my groaning; all night I soak my pillow with tears, I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye grows dim because of grief; it grows old because of all my enemies
(Psalms 6:6)

Hey Neighbor,

Did you know that David wrote most of the 150 Psalms? This was his mental/emotional therapy as he suffered through the greatest trials of his life. Read Psalms 6:6 above again….

Here David describes his own experience with insomnia and great mourning. Notice that he describes a night, devoid of sleep. I can imagine that his eyes were red and heavy with bags underneath because he tells us that he has been awake all night crying intensely. Of course his pillow is not literally soaked, nor his bed flooded, but David wants us to know that he has had a long, tear-filled night, crying out to God for fear of his enemies.

Well, like David, I needed some mental/emotional therapy also, because I’ve been battling some health issues and I’ve found myself struggling with my own bouts of insomnia…For hours and hours, through what seemed like endless night after endless night, My mind would just race like crazy with thoughts of impending doom, until I finally decided to take the Holy Spirit’s advice to calm myself, during my long worry-filled nights with a Psalm to Lord, so I wrote my own psalm….After all, a psalm is simply a poem, only it was written to be sung to the Lord as a hymn. It is a poem that reveals the emotional intensity of someone’s personal experience with suffering and/or sometimes celebration…We’ll, I certainly would have rathered be awake at 3am celebrating, but unfortunately, my experience was that of suffering…Here’s my Psalm!!
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Your life for mine, the ghost You gave
and my wretched sins, yes You forgave
So that the windows of my soul might see your face,
‘Til then I abide in that secret place
Awaiting the day my eyes behold Your Light,
sitting next to my Father- just there at His right
Grasping tightly to Your word, Lord I still stand
Praying for the mercy of your healing hand
Though sudden death lurks all about
And it’s hard for me to silence the doubt
I’ve questioned your will because of my fear
Still believing You know me and my prayers You still hear
I know it’s Not long before Your Love is revealed
And I’ll will shout to the world,
YES, I am healed!!!

I hope that you were comforted by my Psalm and that it re-stimulates your confidence in God and reminds You that He is still with You, even in your time of trouble…when His voice seems silent and when it seems His face cannot be found…He wants Us to lay our worries and concerns upon Him…not within Ourselves…lest anxiety take root in Our lives.

So, Remember This…As I am also reminded by the Holy Spirit!!
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-You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ – eternal and glorious plans they are! – will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does!!
(1 Peter 5:8)

And Remember This Also….

God Loves You and So Do I!!
-Tam

Jesus Has A Warrant Out For Your Salvation!!

-Or what woman, having ten [silver] drachmas [each one equal to a day’s wages], if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and look carefully and diligently until she finds it-
(Luke 15:8)

Hey Neighbor,

 

Jesus was an Awesome Story Teller….

In Luke 15:8-10, He Tells a Parable about a woman who had lost a coin…Well this woman had obviously misplaced one of her silver coins and had begun to despair over it. Now when she realized that one of the coins was missing, it must have been in the evening time, because scripture tells us that she needed light…so she lit a lantern.

You see…this woman couldn’t rest because she needed to locate the thing that she had lost…and she needed the light to help her navigate her way through the maze of furniture, in the darkness.

So She began to clean her house…Can you picture her sweeping the dirt floor, bending down to look underneath the furniture and peering behind the doors, emptying baskets, and wiping the dust from the tables. We don’t know how long the woman searched…but it is quite possible that she was up all night…she was steadfast and determined to spot out her lost coin of silver…when suddenly, her eyes finally noticed the sparkle of the coin, reflected by the light. She had found it!!…and what did she do??

She ran to her neighbors houses, awaking them…to share the Good News, so that they might come to celebrate this joyous occasion!!

-And when she has found it, she summons her [women] friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the silver coin which I had lost-
(Luke 15:9)

The thing that was lost..was now found!!

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So what’s so significant about this story??

Well Jesus has been looking for You…He has been shining His Light of Salvation out for You!!

Stop Running!!

Stop Hiding!!

Let Him Find You!!

And Let His Love come upon you…

because No matter what you’ve done in the past…

…and no matter how long you’ve been running from Him…

Jesus Still Wants You!!

Let His Holy Spirit come in and Clean-Up Your Spiritual House – From top to bottom – From the inside out!!

Receive Jesus Today – Pray This Prayer:
I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He took on ALL of my sins on the Cross at Calvary and died in my place.

Jesus, I welcome you into my heart and want You to be the Lord of my Life. I believe that today I have received Your Holy Spirit, as a security deposit as a guarantee of My Salvation!!

Jesus, Thank You for Saving Me!!

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If You Just prayed this prayer…Guess What??

You Are Saved!!

And….Now there is a celebration going on in heaven!!

And…This Party is Just For You!!!

So Go!!…Run and Tell Your Neighbors that You have been Saved…and invite them to Your Salvation Party!!

Guess What…Jesus Will Be There!!

-Even so, I tell you, there is joy among and in the presence of the angels of God over one [especially] wicked person who repents (changes his mind for the better, heartily amending his ways, with abhorrence of his past sins-
(Luke 15:10)

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Today’s message is particularly directed to those that have not Yet accepted Jesus Christ as their Personal Savior. Share This Good News about Christ By Forwarding this Message to Someone You Love Who needs Jesus!!

Thanks For Stopping By…Until We Meet Again,

God Loves You and So Do I!!

-Tam
Don’t forget to Be a Blessing…
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How Do You Handle Offense??

-Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry. For man’s anger does not promote the righteousness God [wishes and requires-
(James 1:19)

Hey Neighbor,

In our last lesson, ‘God Will Provide the Ram,’ we looked at how David learned to practice spiritual restraint and self-control, as he sowed mercy…instead of hostility and violence upon a young Egyptian, who had attacked his family.

Now David had not been merciful to this young man because it was instinctive for him to behave that way…Nope!!

That’s Was Not David’s Nature!!

‘Merciful’ would not have been a word that David’s former enemies would have used to describe him

You see… Typically, David didn’t ‘take no mess!!’ He did not tolerate any abuse against the Lord’s anointed, nor did he bear insults nor offense well…at all!!

Listen to the words that David spoke after a foolish Nabal railed insults at Him in 1 Samuel, Chapter 25…

-And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!”…-

You see…David’s instinctive nature was to run you through with the sword FIRST…and THEN mourn his bad behavior later. LOL!!

David was like a ticking time bomb…and Nabal had ticked him off!!

Now David swore that he was going to kill every man in Nabal’s camp before the sun came up!!
But because the Spirit of the Lord was with him…changing him, transforming him, and teaching him self-control, David practiced self restraint and therefore…he spared Nabal’s life and the lives of his men.

David later acknowledged that…’if it had not been For God’…He would have done all that he had sworn to do to Nabal and More.

These were the words that he spoke to Abigail, Nabal’s wife, Who had come to David pleading for mercy upon her foolish husband in 1 Samuel 25:34

-For as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, Who has prevented me from hurting you, if you had not hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning there would not have been left so much as one male (belonging) to Nabal-

You see…It was the Spirit of the Lord that had prevented David from Behaving rashly, in the heat of anger…God kept him from Killing Nabal, and all his men, and from taking their women and children as captives.

See God was changing David’s hot tempered, hasty nature…teaching him how to listen, think, and speak…and also how to behave sensibly, when offense comes.

How well do You handle offense??

Are You cooperating with The Holy Spirit, as He is gently attempting to change your behavior??

-But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge-

(Galatians 5:23)

See Neighbor, when We begin to cooperate with The Holy Spirit, He can transform our lives and teach Us self-control.

He will teach Us how to be meek and humble, and when offense comes, He will be with Us…preventing Us from snapping out and acting a fool…and regretting it later.

So Let The Lord fight Your Battles…He will both protect and avenge you…If You will Exercise Self Control…Being Slow To Anger and Slow to Speak!!

And…Because David suffered Nabal’s offensive words without avenging himself….The Lord did Avenge David and Gave him his enemy’s widow.

Widow??

Yep!! Nabal suffered a stroke and died just 10 days afterwards…And David sent for the beautiful Abigail, who agreed to become David’s wife.

-Good sense makes one slow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense-

(Proverbs 19:11)

Thanks For Stopping By…Until We Meet Again,
God Loves You and So Do I!!

-Tam

Don’t forget to Be a Blessing…
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God Will Provide the Ram!!

 -Then Abraham looked up and glanced around, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering and an ascending sacrifice instead of his son-

(Genesis 22:13)

 

Hey Neighbor,

God Is So Awesome!!

Look at how He bestows mercy upon Us when We decide to Just believe God and Go-On with Him…

We’ve been reading 1 Samuel Chapter 30 and in verse 11, David’s men ran into a young man, lying in the fields…deathly ill.

Who was he??… Just some Egyptian fellow of no importance…probably just a slave, but David’s men decided to take the young man to David, who instructed them to feed and care for him. Now after this young Man had eaten and had regained his strength, David, concerned about the young man’s welfare inquired about his master.

The young man began to tell David the story of how his master, who was an Amalakite, had abandoned him after he fell sick three days before. He went on to add that his master and his troop had recently attacked and raided several of the Israelite and Philistine camps, including Ziklag, which they had burned.

So Look! This young man was a member of the very same troop that David and his men were seeking out to avenge their families!! I can imagine that at this point…both of David’s ears were tingling…this young man was one of the raiders who had invaded his home and snatched away his wives and children…and now… here David was feeding this wretched fellow and restoring life to his spirit!!

Wow!!

Now, if You know anything about King David, You will know that when an individual comes to David bearing bad news and acknowledging that he had participated in such evil acts against God’s people, David was quick to have one of his men to fall upon that man with the sword…but here we see David practicing restraint…spiritual restraint from the Holy Spirit that was upon him…and he chose to spare this Young man’s life.

David realized that God had strategically placed this young man in the field and he was David’s ram in the thicket. God had provided David with an inside scoop, someone to help him navigate his way to uncover the raiders secret location and to find his family. God had used this young man’s illness and thus his abandonment by his master, to create an enmity between the slave and his Amalakite master, but to also establish an affection for David and his men, who had fed him when he was at death’s doorstep. In his appreciation, the young Egyptian agreed to disclose the location of the raider’s camp to David and lead him directly to the troop.

Now…The Bible tells Us that David was a ‘man after God’s own heart!’ Although David was still distraught over his family, he chose to look past his own pain…and took the time to serve a starving slave…Not realizing that The Lord had miraculously planted this young man in the field to fulfill His promise to David…That he would Recover ALL!!

When David and his men reached the Amalekite camp…there they were…the wicked raiders partying and celebrating because of all the spoil that they had taken. David and his mighty man defeated the Amalekites and regained and reclaimed all that their enemies had stolen . The Lord had given the Amalekites into their hands, just as He had promised and David and his men walked out with ALL that had been stolen…not missing a woman…and not missing a child!!

Look at that…David sowed mercy…by feeding this sick slave…and sparing the life of his young enemy and setting him free from his captivity and therefore…David reaped mercy…God had spared his loved ones lives, freeing them from their captivity, and reuniting his family.

God is Pretty Awesome!!

 -So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide – (Genesis 22:14)

Thanks For Stopping By…Until We Meet Again,
God Loves You and So Do I!!

-Tam
Don’t forget to Be a Blessing…
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Slay Your Giants with the Sword of the Spirit!!

-For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,-
(2 Corinthians 10:4)

Hey Neighbor,

As I was reading through 1 Samuel chapter 17 this morning, I was particularly taken in by verses 49-51. It just reminds me again that the weapons of our warfare are not physical, but spiritual!! When we use God’s word against our enemies, we are able to slay our dragons…and just like Goliath,…The Bigger they are, the Harder they Fall!!

So often when We have heard the story of how David defeated the giant Goliath, We have been lead to believe that David killed Goliath with only a slingshot and a stone, but when We read verse 49, scripture tells Us that after that stone sank into Goliath’s forehead, Goliath just fell on his face….verse 51 goes on to tell Us that Goliath was not killed until David drew the sword to cut off his head…

So what does that mean to You?

Well, again we must realize that, contrary to what most of Us have been taught, Goliath was not slain by a stone…but he was slain by the sword, i. e. the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Remember is verse 23, When that arrogant Goliath made his daily debut, he would come out before the Philistine armies everyday, ‘talking trash’ and spiritually intimidating the Israelite armies. Verse 24 tells Us that the men of Israel were terrified at Goliath’s approach and they fled from him.

There was not one spiritual giant in the Israelite army that had the courage and boldness to talk back to this oversized devil, except for David.

Now David knew God and he knew God’s Word and although he had come, armed for battle with sling and stone, he first came prophesying…and speaking out against Goliath with the Words that could have only come from the Spirit of the Lord that was upon him.

In Verse 45, David says, “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will smite you and cut off your head.

I can hear David now, “Ok Goliath! Whenever you get done talking Trash, I’m gonna cut you down today with my handy dandy slingshot, in the Name of the God of Israel…then I’m gonna put that big head of yours on a platter!!

So David aimed for Goliath’s forehead and took him down with the stone, but it was the Sword that caused the fatal blow to Goliath. David Cut Goliath down with God’s Words!!

So when those oversized demons come against you ‘talking trash,’ reminding You of Your past transgressions, replaying painful defeats, and stirring up old wounds…Just CUT him!!

CUT him down with the Word of God!!

And as You take the time to read 1 Samuel Chapter 17, notice that scripture goes on to tell Us in verse 51 that after the backup soldiers of the Philistine armies saw that the mighty Goliath was defeated, they fled.

I Love That!!

So that means…that Not only can You use the Word to CUT off that GIANT demon’s neck, but then…You can also put his little backup demons on the run!!

In Jesus’ Name!!

-So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you-(James 4:7)

Thanks For Stopping By…Until We Meet Again,

God Loves You and So Do I!!

-Tam

Don’t forget to Be a Blessing…
Share The CareBibleStudy Blog with YOUR Family, Friends, Co-Workers, and Your Neighbors – Loving Them As You Love Yourself!!