No One Was Sorry When He Died.

Can there be a sadder ending to a life, than that of King Jehoroam who became king in Jerusalem at age 32, reigned for 8 years, and died at age 40.

Here are the final words about him, so you can read and decide for yourself -- a sad ending or not?

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. No one was sorry when he died. They buried him in the City of David, but not in the royal cemetery.
-- 2 Chronicles 21:20 (NLT)

No one was sorry when he died. Sounds sad to me.

Read all of 2 Chronicles 21 and you will know why it was that...
No one was sorry when he died.

God forbid such an ending to our lives.
Grateful

Come Alone

The only way to Jesus is... alone. -- Mrs. Charles Cowman

Mark 10:17-22 (NLT) -- (17) As he was starting out on a trip, a man came running up to Jesus, knelt down, and asked, "Good Teacher, what should I do to get eternal life?" (18) "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked. "Only God is truly good. (19) But as for your question, you know the commandments: ‘Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not testify falsely. Do not cheat. Honor your father and mother.’" (20) "Teacher," the man replied, "I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was a child." (21) Jesus felt genuine love for this man as He looked at him. "You lack only one thing," He told him. "Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." (22) At this, the man’s face fell, and he went sadly away because he had many possessions.

Lord, I approach You... alone, yes empty-handed. I am so humbled because You love me apart from everything and anything I could bring. Jesus, nothing in my hands I bring. Simply to Thy Cross I cling... with all my heart. O, Lamb of God, I come... alone. Yes, I am Yours alone. In Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

There's a favorite Christmas Carol on my mind today. The lyrics were written by an English Poet, Christina Rosetti, in the late 1800s. The sacred song was recorded most recently for Hallmark by James Taylor. The poem-song is titled In the Bleak Midwinter. Take a listen by clicking the link below and as you listen to the verses remember that when Jesus came from Heaven to us, He came stripped of His Heavenly glory, yes God's Son came to us as a vulnerable baby with only His heart to offer us. Shouldn't we approach Him the same?

In the Bleak Midwinter Youtube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyp7qRLBn4w

Lyrics of Final Verse of Original 1800's Poem:

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what can I give Him —
Give my heart.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Refused to Rest?

I recently read a line in a book written by a Messianic Jewish author. It wasn't my book, so I cannot retrace the author's name but I have not forgotten the line:

In the beginning God created Paradise, but the man and the woman refused to rest.

Refused to rest? How sad is that!

Lord, you say in Luke's Gospel that "the Kingdom of God is now within us." Sounds an awful lot like Paradise to me. Lord, help me to live in the atmosphere of Your Holiness. I want one of the undeniable proofs of Paradise within me to be that I don't refuse to rest in You. After all, if Your Kingdom is really within me, and I believe it really is, then surely You are my King meaning You are both resident and president within me. You have recreated Your Paradise within me. Let it never be said of me, ever again, that I refused to rest in Your Paradise. Lord forgive. Lord forbid. Your Name is Faithful. My name is Grateful. I'm exhaling NOW! Amen.

Luke 17:20-21 (NIV) -- (20) Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, (21) nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you."

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

We Have This Moment... Today...

In less than 72 hours Christmas Day 2009 will have come and gone. While the unstoppable passage of time is somewhat sad to me, these words from a Bill and Gloria Gaither song do offer some measure of inspiration to my heart:

We have this moment to hold in our hands,
And to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand.
Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come.
But we have this moment... TODAY!

Let's remember...
"TODAY is a GIFT from GOD. That's why it's called THE PRESENT!"

ALL... JOY TO YOUR WORLD!
Grateful

Remembering September 11, 2001

September 11, 2001 is a day we’d all like to erase from our lives, but it is a day that we will never ever forget. I remember where I was when the mobile phone rang and my assistant, Angela, tried her best to explain to me what was happening up in New York City.

My first thoughts were these: World War III is underway. In hindsight, those words probably describe what began on September 11, 2001 better than any others. This war may look different than past world wars, but no one would doubt that there’s a raging battle underway on planet earth.

While I made my way back to our local church on that horrific day, one of my partners in ministry, Vic, was hooking up the cable TV news in the children’s church room. As we watched the film footage, we were all overwhelmed emotionally and surely speechless. Later that week, I put my thoughts on paper in the form of a sad song. As this is the eighth anniversary for remembering September 11, 2001, I thought I’d share the words of the sad song with you:

“September 11, 2001”
A Short Sad Song for One Long Day

September Eleventh, Two Thousand One,
a beautiful sunny day had begun.
When suddenly from out of the skies,
terror rained down and tears filled our eyes.

It was one minute past 8:45,
bad things were happening, trouble was nigh.
Madmen had hijacked four of our planes,
and used them as missiles to put us in flames.

Up in New York, towers were falling.
On bended knee, to God we were calling.
Before the nightmare came to a halt,
we knew in our hearts, it was our wake-up call.

(Chorus)
Lord, let us hear your voice.
And help us make the choice,
To make You Lord of our lives.
We need you so,
Down here below.
Embrace us.
Please hold us tight.
Yes, we need You Lord.

In closing, let me remind you that on that first Sunday after 9-11-2001, I preached on the Hope we have in our God. One Scripture selection I used was from The Message Paraphrase of the Holy Bible. It is found in 2 Corinthians 4: We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken.

Let's remember September, and let's never forget that our Hope has a name -- JESUS. He is our Good News even in the face of Sad Days.

ALL JOY!
Grateful