Delighting In Obedience

SERMON
1-28-07

Faith and obedience are bound up in the same bundle. He that obeys God, trusts God; and he that trusts God, obeys God.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Prov 30:17

17 The eye that mocks his father,
And scorns obedience to his mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young eagles will eat it.
NKJV (A VERY GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO LEARN RESPECT FOR, AND OBEDIENCE TO THEIR PARENTS)

IT IS SO CRITICAL BECAUSE IF WE DON’T OBEY OUR PARENTS WHO WE CAN SEE HOW WILL WE EVER LEARN TO OBEY OUR HEAVENLY FATHER WHOM WE CANNOT SEE

Thirty years of our Lord's life are hidden in these words of the gospel: "He was subject unto them."
Jacques Bénigne Bossuet (1627-1704)
EVEN JESUS HAD TO “LEARN” OBEDIENCE
Heb 5:7-9
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,
NKJV

To be like Christ. That is our goal, plain and simple. It sounds like a peaceful, relaxing, easy objective. But stop and think. He learned obedience by the things he suffered. So must we. It is neither easy nor quick nor natural. It is impossible in the flesh, slow in coming, and supernatural in scope. Only Christ can accomplish it within us.
Charles R. Swindoll (1934- )

AS THE TWICE BLESSED CHILDREN OF GOD (ONCE BY CREATION AND ONCE BY ADOPTION, THROUGH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST) WE ARE REQUIRED TO OBEY OUR LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER AND HIS SON JESUS CHRIST

1 John 2:3-6

3 The Test of Knowing Him


Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
NKJV

OBEDIENCE TO HIM IS THE PROOF, IF YOU WILL, OF OUR SONSHIP

1 John 3:1-3

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

NKJV

BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THIS GREAT GIFT AND THE LOVE THAT HAS BEEN POURED OUT UPON US WE PURIFY OURSELVES AND DELIGHT IN OBEDIENCE TO THE FATHER
Ps 1
1:1 The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
NKJV

Ps 40:8
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart."
NKJV

AND WHAT IS THIS OBEDIENCE THAT HE REQUIRES OF US???
1 John 3:10-12

In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous.
NKJV

Matt 22:35-40
35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"

37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ' You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
NKJV

IS IT A HARD THING HE IS ASKING OF US??? NOT TO CUT OURSELVES AND INFLICT PAIN UPON OURSELVES, NOT TO BLEED --- BUT TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER --- MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, IT IS A HARDER COMMAND TO OBEY THAN IF HE HAD TOLD US TO GO AND CUT OFF SIX FINGERS --- FOR YOU HAVE TO DIE DAILY TO YOURSELF

Luke 9:23-26

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.
NKJV

Obey ... take up your cross ... deny yourself ... it all sounds very hard. It is hard. Anyone who tells you differently is peddling spiritual soothing syrup, not real Christianity. And yet, in a strangely paradoxical way, it is also easy. With every cross that we lift in obedience to Christ comes the strength to carry it. It is always a package deal.
Louis Cassels (1922-1974)

Rom 12:1-2
12:1 Living Sacrifices to God
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
NKJV

If for one whole day, quietly and determinedly, we were to give ourselves up to the ownership of Jesus and to obeying his orders, we should be amazed at its close to realize all he had packed into that one day.
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

It is not what we do that matters, but what a sovereign God chooses to do through us. God doesn't want our success; he wants us. He doesn't demand our achievements; he demands our obedience. AND It is only by obedience that we understand the teaching of God.
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

IN THE NEGATIVE:
Lev 26:14-44

14'But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, 15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, 16 I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.
18'And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19 I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.
21'Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins. 22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate.
23'And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant; when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I have cut off your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall bring back your bread by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.
27'And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, 28 then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you. 31 I will lay your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not smell the fragrance of your sweet aromas. 32 I will bring the land to desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it shall be astonished at it. 33 I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste. 34 Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies' land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths. 35 As long as it lies desolate it shall rest — for the time it did not rest on your sabbaths when you dwelt in it.
36'And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; the sound of a shaken leaf shall cause them to flee; they shall flee as though fleeing from a sword, and they shall fall when no one pursues. 37 They shall stumble over one another, as it were before a sword, when no one pursues; and you shall have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 You shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. 39 And those of you who are left shall waste away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; also in their fathers' iniquities, which are with them, they shall waste away.


40'But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, 41 and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt — 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land. 43 The land also shall be left empty by them, and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; they will accept their guilt, because they despised My judgments and because their soul abhorred My statutes. 44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God.
NKJV

IT IS OUR CHOICE --- HE WILL NEVER VIOLATE OUR FREE WILL --- HE WON’T FORCE US TO CHOOSE THE PATH OF PEACE AND JOY THROUGH OBEDIENCE
Deut 30:15-16

15 "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.
NKJV

Obedience to Jesus Christ is essential, but not compulsory; he never insists on being Master. We feel that if only he would insist, we should obey him. But our Lord never enforces his "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots"; he never takes means to force us to do what he says. He never coerces. In certain moods we wish he would make us do the thing, but he will not; and in other moods we wish he would leave us alone altogether, but he will not. If we do not keep his commandments, he does not come and tell us we are wrong. We know it, we cannot get away from it.
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

YOU CAN THANK JOHN MARK PHELPS FOR THE SERMON TODAY --- ON FRIDAY HE CAME OUT TO PAY US A VISIT --- I ENLISTED HIS AID IN FEEDING THE CATTLE --- THE PROCESS MANY OF YOU KNOW WELL --- SMALL SQUARE BALES ---- LOAD THE PICKUP ---- DRIVE TO THE FIELD --- UNLOAD ONE BALE AND SERVE --- DRIVE FORWARD AND REPEAT ---- IT IS SIMPLE, BUT THE DRIVER AND THE SERVER HAVE TO BE IN SYNC --- WHEN FEEDING HORSES YOU HAVE TO MOVE FARTHER APART BETWEEN BALES THAN WHEN FEEDING COWS BECAUSE HORSES ARE MEANER AND DON’T SHARE WELL --- AT FIRST I HAD TO TELL JOHN MARK EVERY TIME WHEN TO MOVE AND WHEN TO STOP --- BUT BEING THE BRIGHT LAD HE IS BY THE END I DIDN’T EVEN HAVE TO TALK --- WE JUST WORKED IN UNISON

AS WE WERE FEEDING THE THOUGHT CAME TO MY MIND ABOUT OBEDIENCE --- (WE ARE SUBJECT TO FAR LESS CORRECTION WHEN WE ARE IN HARMONY AND UNISON WITH THE LORD) HE DOESN’T HAVE TO CORRECT US WHEN WE ARE DOING JOYFULLY WHAT HE REQUIRES OF US

"Grace" is her name. Lorene MacKenzie had us build this cabin for her. It is nice on the outside, but you should see the inside. It is gorgeous -- a work of art, built by the loving hands of LaMar Lamb -- gone to be with Jesus.

Eph 2:8-108 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. NKJV

"Grace" cabin makes me think of our relationship with Jesus. It may look nice from the outside, but the outside is nothing compared to the inside. I never dreamed that a relationship with God through His Son, could be so wonderful. The last thing in the world I wanted to be was a preacher. It seemed so bland and boring from my view outside His Grace. But once I surrendered to Him, I thought to myself "You mean this world of peace and joy has been here all the time, and I didn't know it??" From a world of strife and torment, I moved by His Grace to a world of freedom, joy, and PEACE. Peace, Peace, wonderful peace, coming down from the Father above... Now, I can't imagine how anyone can tolerate existence without a personal relationship with God, by His Grace, through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

My father is 81 years old this January and does not know Christ. He has battled through prostate cancer and a heart bypass. What hope is there when you are old, sick, and without God. You can only hope that you will make 82 --- And if you get sick enough you can only hope that your suffering will end when you finally die. But the truth is, without Christ your suffering has only begun. I don't know where hell is physically, and I don't know much about what it will be like. But I know it will be a place totally without God. Can you imagine being stuck in a place with Hitler, the Muslim terrorists, Charles Manson, the child rapists, and never being able to get away from them. Not to mention the devil and all his demons. The Bible describes it in Revelation like this:

Rev 20:10-1510 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
11 The Great White Throne Judgment
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire . NKJV

Whatever the lake of fire is physically, an actual fire or the most posh resort in the world, it will be hell, without God or hope.

We have set before us today two pictures. One is a place of Grace the other a place of torment. The place of Grace, once inside, is more beautiful than you can imagine. The other, the place of torment, once inside, will be suffering beyond imagination. Which will you choose??

If you choose a life, here on earth, without Jesus, you are choosing an eternal future without Him. It is your choice. I pray you and your loved ones make the best choice.

God Bless You

Ridge & Elizabeth

1-21-07 Sermon "His Yoke Is Easy"

1-21-07 We are digging out from 8-10 inches of snow. My daughter, Rachel, is visiting us from Tennessee. We spent yesterday with her Beagel, hunting rabbits. What a riot!! Today we loaded up in the 4 wheel drive pick-up, and made our way to church. We had a pretty good group, considering the weather and icy roads. Here is the morning sermon. Hope it blesses you.

God Bless

Ridge & Elizabeth

SERMON
1-21-07

If we bring into one day's thoughts the evil of many, certain and uncertain, what will be and what will never be, our load will be as intolerable as it is unreasonable.
Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667)

It ain't no use putting up your umbrella till it rains.
Alice Caldwell Rice
Day 19

"I sought him, but I found him not."
— Song 3:1

Tell me where you lost the company of Christ, and I will tell you the most likely place to find Him. Have you lost Christ in the closet by restraining prayer? Then it is there you must seek and find Him. Did you lose Christ by sin? You will find Christ in no other way but by the giving up of the sin, and seeking by the Holy Spirit to mortify the member in which the lust doth dwell. Did you lose Christ by neglecting the Scriptures? You must find Christ in the Scriptures. It is a true proverb, "Look for a thing where you dropped it, it is there." So look for Christ where you lost Him, for He has not gone away. But it is hard work to go back for Christ. Bunyan tells us, the pilgrim found the piece of the road back to the Arbour of Ease, where he lost his roll, the hardest he had ever travelled. Twenty miles onward is easier than to go THAN one mile back for the lost evidence.

Take care, then, when you find your Master, to cling close to Him. But how is it you have lost Him? One would have thought you would never have parted with such a precious friend, whose presence is so sweet, whose words are so comforting, and whose company is so dear to you! How is it that you did not watch Him every moment for fear of losing sight of Him? Yet, since you have let Him go, what a mercy that you are seeking Him, even though you mournfully groan, "O that I knew where I might find Him!" Go on seeking, for it is dangerous to be without thy Lord. Without Christ you are like a sheep without its shepherd; like a tree without water at its roots; like a sere leaf in the tempest—not bound to the tree of life. With thine whole heart seek Him, and He will be found of thee: only give thyself thoroughly up to the search, and verily, thou shalt yet discover Him to thy joy and gladness.

(from Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Devotion)

Matt 6:33-34
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
NKJV

Matt 6:19-34

19 Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
(Luke 12:33,34)
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 The Lamp of the Body
(Luke 11:34-36)
"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 You Cannot Serve God and Riches
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Do Not Worry
(Luke 12:22-31)
"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
NKJV

WHEN FEAR STARTS TO COME??
1. ASK YOURSELF (Mt 6:27) DOES WORRYING AND FEAR ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING?? DOES IT PROFIT?? CAN IT CHANGE ANYTHING?? (THE ONLY WAY IT CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING IS IF WE CAN BESTOW IT UPON SOMEONE THAT CAN CAUSE THE DESIRED RESULT) HUSBANDS AND WIVES USE THIS STRATEGY SOMETIMES ---- IF YOU CAN CAUSE YOUR MATE TO WORRY ENOUGH, THEY WILL TAKE ACTION --- (EXAMPLE: MONEY PROBLEMS --- MAKE IT MISERABLE ENOUGH ON YOUR MATE AND IF THEY HAVE THE ABILITY THEY WILL GO FORTH AND BEG, BORROW, STEAL, WORK UNTIL THE FEAR IS RELIEVED )
2. SO WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE WHEN THE PRESSURE OF FEAR AND WORRY COME?? (Mt 6:33 --- Seek First The King and His Kingdom)
Ps 55:22

22 Cast your burden on the LORD,
And He shall sustain you;
NKJV

Matt 11:28-30
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
NKJV

In the Philippines I heard a local pastor use the following parable to illustrate Christ's offer of rest (Matt. 11:28) and the response of people who won't trust him completely:
The driver of a carabao wagon was on his way to market when he overtook an old man carrying a heavy load. Taking compassion on him, the driver invited the old man to ride in the wagon. Gratefully the old man accepted. After a few minutes, the driver turned to see how the man was doing. To his surprise, he found him still straining under the heavy weight, for he had not taken the burden off his shoulders.

-- Larry Chell, Denver, Colorado. Leadership, Vol. 6, no. 2.

See: 2 Co 5:4; Isa 28:12; Mt 11:29

THE WEIGHT OF WORRY AND FEAR IS REAL --- WE CAN ATTEST TO THAT TRUTH!! JUST AS THE WEIGHT IS REAL, SO THE RELIEF OF THAT BURDEN IS REAL --- AS CHILDREN WE FEEL THE WEIGHT RELEASE USUALLY BY REPLACEMENT (EXAMPLE: YOU LOSE YOUR LUNCH MONEY, A KINDLY TEACHER TAKES PITY ON YOU AND BUYS YOUR LUNCH (WHAT A RELIEF --- TO A CHILD) I REMEMBER LOSING A DOLLAR IN A STORE ONE TIME AND HOW FRANTIC I WAS TO FIND IT --- THE TROUBLE I WOULD BE IN IF IT WASN’T FOUND
1. RELIEF COULD COME BY FINDING THE DOLLAR
2. RELIEF COULD COME BY SOMEONE REPLACING THE DOLLAR
3. RELIEF COULD COME BY PRAYING AND ASKING JESUS FOR HIS PEACE (I DIDN’T REALIZE THAT WAS A “REAL” POSSIBILITY)
I HONESTLY CAN’T REMEMBER HOW THE SITUATION WAS RESOLVED, BUT I CAN STILL CLEARLY REMEMBER HOW FRANTIC I WAS LOOKING FOR THE DOLLAR

29 Take My yoke upon you
WHAT IS TAKING HIS YOKE UPON US???
1. WHEN TWO OXEN ARE YOKED TOGETHER
A. THEY ARE PULLING IN THE SAME DIRECTION
B. ACCOMPLISHING THE SAME TASK
C. SHARING THE LOAD

IF WE YOKE UP WITH JESUS IT ISN’T THAT ALL OUR PROBLEMS ARE GOING TO DISAPPEAR BUT:
1. THERE IS A “PURPOSE” FOR THE LOAD WE EXPERIENCE
2. HE WON’T GIVE US A BURDEN TOO HEAVY FOR US
1 Cor 10:13
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape , that you may be able to bear it.
NKJV
WHEN WE ARE YOKED WITH JESUS HE IS PULLING WITH US SO WE FEEL THE LIGHTEST LOAD WHEN WE ARE GOING IN HIS DIRECTION
“OBEDIENCE”
John 14:21
21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.
NKJV
WHEN WE FOLLOW HIM AND OUR OBEDIENT TO HIS WILL HE MANIFESTS (REVEALS) HIMSELF TO US AND WE “FEEL” RELIEF FROM THE HEAVY BURDEN OF WORRY AND FEAR

Parents never feel as if they get away from the responsibility they've shouldered. I saw a card recently that said, "Do not feel totally, personally, irrevocably responsible for everything. That's my job. Love, God." So pray for them to know this.

n John Maxwell

ISN’T THAT THE TRUTH --- SO MUCH OF THE WORRY AND FEAR WE TAKE UPON OURSELVES IS FALSE-BURDEN --------- A BURDEN THAT WE AREN’T SUPPOSED TO CARRY ---- REMEMBER HIS BURDEN IS LIGHT (BECAUSE HE IS SHOULDERING MOST OF THE LOAD --- AND YOUR PART REALLY IS LIGHT (VISITING GERTIE IN THE NURSING HOME) REALLY A LIGHT BURDEN
I BELIEVE THAT GOD EXPECTS ME TO GO BY AND VISIT WITH HER FROM TIME TO TIME AS HE LAYS IT UPON MY HEART ---- BUT MY JOB ISN’T TO WORRY ABOUT HER??? OR TO BE FEARFUL THAT SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO HER.

'Tain't worthwhile to wear a day all out before it comes.
Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909)

A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work.
Sir John Lubbock (1834-1913)

Ah, what is more blessed than to put cares away!
Gaius Valerius Catullus (C. 84-C. 54 B.C.)

Care admitted as a guest quickly turns to be master.
Christian Nestell Bovee (1820-1904)

Cares are more difficult to throw off than sorrows; the latter die with time; the former grow upon it.
Johann Paul Friedrich Richter (1763-1825)

-Edythe Draper, Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1992). Entries 12055-12059.

If only we would stop lamenting and look up. God is here. Christ is risen. The Spirit has been poured out from on high. All this we know as theological truth. It remains for us to turn it into joyous spiritual experience.
A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)

No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourself so.
George Macdonald (1824-1905)

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

2007 Make The Most Of It

In this photo I am standing in the great room of our Red River Ranch Lodge. Today, I can hear the fire crackling in this room as my precious wife Elizabeth, and I are as snug as a bug in a rug. The temperature outside is in the low twenties and expected in the single digits tonight. The river is still flowing, but filled with chunks of ice. The river is quite beautiful.

If all the players (Jerry, LaMar, Joel, Kevin, Rikk, Paul Michael, John Mark, Sarah, Jenna, Darla, Lin, Keat, Jason, JD, Leroy, Cade, Casey, Corey, etc...) didn't do their part we wouldn't be enjoying the blessings of our new home. What once was only a vision, is today a reality.

Eccl 9:10
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. NKJV

What are your dreams for 2007. Without the Lord, we can do nothing, but with Him nothing is impossible!!! Make sure your dreams are His dreams, and then go for it with all your might. The Apostle Paul assumed he had a green light until the Lord gave him a red one. Attack 2007 as if it were the last year of your life, and enjoy the fulfillment that comes from giving it your all. Have you ever enjoyed anything that you went at half-way?? If we had not started on our lodge, we would never have finished it. As someone once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." It is becoming increasingly rare to find someone that actually pursues their (God given) dreams with vigor and tenacity.

I am so proud of my daughter Rachel who, last year, accomplished her dream of becoming a vet tech. She spent two years going to school and working nights at a 24 hour emergency pet clinic to accomplish her dream. It wasn't easy, but she did it and for the rest of her life can enjoy the fruit of that accomplishment. She had to move somewhere that she could go to school, so she and her husband moved to Nashville, Tennessee. It was a bold move from little Haviland, Kansas to big Nashville, but as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Last night there was an accident a few miles from here on I-40. The roads were icy and a van carrying twelve people, lost control and crossed the median running head on into a semi. Seven people lost their lives. I am sure they never dreamed that their time would be up so soon. It is appointed for each one of us to die. We don't know the day nor the hour, but we can be sure the day is coming. We don't have to fear death if we have committed our lives to the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, but should use that knowledge to inspire us to live every year, better yet, every minute, to the hilt.

1 Tim 6:17-19
17 Instructions to the Rich
Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. NKJV

God isn't trying to limit our enjoyment -- He wants us to enjoy life. It is just that He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows that we get more enjoyment from a life lived to the full (Ecc 9:10). And, He knows we experience more enjoyment from doing good, giving, and sharing, than we do from doing bad, taking and keeping for ourselves.

This year -- 2007 -- live life to the hilt. Experience the enjoyment God means for you -- maybe by taking a couple of days to come and get closer to The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit at the Red River Ranch Retreat. We are building it for you and that purpose.

God Bless You All

Ridge & Elizabeth

Sunday Evening Fellowship

1-07-07

The frost is on the pumpkin, tonight, boys and girls. And next weekend the high is supposed to be 26 degrees with the low around 15. Hard to believe that the first flowers will be starting to bloom in a few weeks. We have had a pretty nice winter -- just a few cold, cold days. What I like about Oklahoma is that no matter the time of the year, you aren't very far from a really nice day. It can be cold and miserable for a couple of days and then surprise you with a beautiful sunshiny day. Like tomorrow!! It is supposed to be sunny and 60 degrees. Can't think of a better way to begin the work week than with sunshine.

We enjoyed church this morning, and food, fun, and fellowship this evening with the Tawneys, the Phelps, and Lorene MacKenzie. It was really a nice evening, with the girls and "Old Jer" going over the plans for the addition to "Grace" cabin. Jerry and Rikk will be here tomorrow to begin construction. I am excited about the expansion! We are including a huge, bay-type window that you can lie in and look out over the wheat field at the deer and turkeys, while you stay toasty and warm with wool blankets, next to your honey -- (oops) I will leave it there.

Elizabeth and I went for a nice horseback ride, yesterday, to the other side of the river. We rode out the fence line. The fence was up and in good shape. We still have one lonely cow on the East side of the Northfork. She just didn't want to cross the river. I bet she would now!! I went over the other day and she just came running up to me. I may try to coax her over as soon as I catch the river down enough. I kind of feel sorry for the crazy thing. Enough rambling. Here is the sermon for this morning --- I pray it blesses you.

SERMON
1-7-07

Mark 14:1-9
Mark 14

14:1 IT WAS now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were all the while seeking to arrest [Jesus] by secrecy and deceit and put [Him] to death,
2 For they kept saying, It must not be during the Feast, for fear that there might be a riot of the people.
3 And while He was in Bethany, [a guest] in the house of Simon the leper, as He was reclining [at table], a woman came with an alabaster jar of ointment ( perfume) of pure nard, very costly and precious; and she broke the jar and poured [the perfume] over His head.
4 But there were some who were moved with indignation and said to themselves, To what purpose was the ointment ( perfume) thus wasted?
5 For it was possible to have sold this [perfume] for more than 300 denarii [a laboring man's wages for a year] and to have given [the money] to the poor. And they censured and reproved her.
6 But Jesus said, Let her alone; why are you troubling her? She has done a good and beautiful thing to Me [praiseworthy and noble].
7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you will not always have Me. [Deut 15:11.]
8 She has done what she could; she came beforehand to anoint My body for the burial.
9 And surely I tell you, wherever the good news (the Gospel) is proclaimed in the entire world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.
AMP

SHE HAS DONE WHAT SHE COULD --- WE AREN’T TOLD WHAT THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF THE WOMAN WAS, BUT TO GIVE A YEAR’S WAGES -- JUST TO BLESS SOMEONE (JESUS) IS A TESTIMONY OF A GREAT LOVE.

Luke 7:36-50 (SAME STORY MORE DETAILS)

36 A Sinful Woman Forgiven

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying,"This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."
So he said, "Teacher, say it."
41 "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"
43 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."
And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."
48 Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves,"Who is this who even forgives sins?"
50 Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."
NKJV

SCRIPTURE TELLS US WE ARE TO LOVE GOD LIKE THIS WOMAN DID

Matt 22:35-40

35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"

37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart , with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
NKJV

1 John CALLS US INTO ACCOUNT THAT OUR LOVE FOR GOD CANNOT BE WITH OUR LIPS ONLY, BUT WE MUST PUT OUR LOVE INTO ACTION BY LOVING THE BODY OF CHRIST.

1 John 4:20-21
20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
NKJV

I PRAY WE ARE NOT LIKE THE PHARISEES WHO LOVED GOD WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEARTS WERE FAR FROM HIM.

Matt 15:1-20
Matthew 15

15:1 Defilement Comes from Within
(Mark 7:1-23)
Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
3 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' 5 But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother,"Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" — 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8 "These people draw near to Me with their mouth,And honor Me with their lips ,But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me,Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"
10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand: 11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."
12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"
13 But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."
15 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."
16 So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."
NKJV

JAMES ALSO COMMENTED ON THIS ISSUE
James 2:14-26

14 Faith Without Works Is Dead
(cf. Gen 22; Josh 2:1)
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith , and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
NKJV

It has been said that separating faith and works is like separating the heat and light from a candle. You know both are produced by the candle. You know they are not the same thing. You also know you cannot separate them.

n Robert C. Shannon

Words without deeds are empty, but deeds without words are dumb. It is stupid to set them against each other. It is, for example, stupid to say: "The one thing that matters is to go everywhere and preach the gospel; all other activities such as developing schools and hospitals and programmes for social action are at best merely auxiliary and at worst irrelevant." .. on the other hand, it is equally stupid to say: "Preaching is a waste of time. Forget it and get on with tackling the real human problems of poverty, injustice and oppression."

Lesslie Newbigin in Mission in Christ's Way. Christianity Today,

In Conspiracy of Kindness, Steve Sjogren (pronounced Show-gren) tells the true story of Joe Delaney and his eight-year-old son, Jared, who were playing catch in their backyard.
Jared asked, "Dad, is there a God?"
Joe replied that he went to church only a few times when he was a kid; he really had no idea.
Jared ran into the house. "I'll be right back!" he yelled.
Moments later he returned with a helium balloon from the circus, a pen, and an index card. "I'm going to send God an airmail message," Jared explained. "Dear God," wrote Jared, "if you are real, and you are there, send people who know you to Dad and me."
God, I hope you're watching, Joe thought, as they watched the balloon and message sail away.
Two days later, Joe and Jared pulled into a car wash sponsored by Sjogren's church. When Joe asked, "How much?" Sjogren answered, "It's free. No strings attached. We just want to show God's love in a practical way."
"Are you guys Christians, the kind of Christians who believe in God?" Joe asked.
Sjogren said, "Yes, we're that kind of Christians." From that encounter, Steve led Joe to faith in Christ. Many people may be only one act of kindness from meeting a true Christian.

Tom Lundeen

THE PAST WEEK -- MAYBE THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS GOD HAS PLACED A THOUGHT IN MY MIND -- IT GOES LIKE THIS: EVERY DAY I TRY TO THINK OF HOW I MIGHT “EXPRESS” MY LOVE FOR JESUS.
1. PAID FOR A FRIEND'S DRIVING TICKET SO HE COULD GET HIS LICENSE BACK
2. YESTERDAY --- GOING RIDING WITH ELIZABETH (AND BEING NICE)
3. LAST NIGHT GIVING ELIZABETH THE RIBEYE AND ME TAKING THE STRIP STEAK

A. DON’T LET THE RIGHT HAND KNOW WHAT THE LEFT HAND IS DOING

(I SHARED A FEW EXPRESSIONS OF MINE AS EXAMPLES BUT IT IS MORE INTIMATE AND MEANINGFUL IF YOU LEAVE THEM BETWEEN YOU AND JESUS)
B. Eph 6:5-8 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice , as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

IF IT IS REALLY LOVE, IT HAS TO BE EXPRESSED -- IF YOU REALLY LOVE JESUS YOU JUST HAVE TO EXPRESS IT SOME WAY, SOME HOW -- THE SINNER LADY EXPRESSED HER LOVE BY POURING COSTLY PERFUME ON JESUS.

Mark 12:41-44

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites , which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."
NKJV

MAKE SURE YOUR LOVE GIFT FOR JESUS IS COSTLY!!!

Gen 1:1-4:7

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain , and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD." 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So the LORD said to Cain , "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
NKJV

CAIN NOT ONLY DIDN’T BRING THE RIGHT KIND OF OFFERRING BUT HE JUST BROUGHT “AN” OFFERING INSTEAD OF THE “BEST”

WHEN GOD MADE A SACRIFICE FOR YOUR SINS -- IT WAS THE BEST HE HAD -- “HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON” -- LET US NOT BE STINGY IN BRINGING OUR SACRIFICES TO THE LORD.

Our notion of sacrifice is the wringing out of us, something we don't want to give up, full of pain and agony and distress. The Biblical idea of sacrifice is that I give as a love-gift the very best thing I have.
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

God Bless You Wranglers

Lorene, Mom, & Ben for New Years Dinner

Elizabeth and I enjoyed mom, Ben, and Lorene coming out for New Years dinner yesterday. Ben is 87, Mom is 80, and Lorene is 86. What a blessing to have those three out. We feasted on a delicious ham dinner with fried okra and sweet taters. It just don't get much better than that.

Elizabeth received an e-mail from a group of singles (30) wanting to come sometime this spring for a singles retreat. Jerry was out today doing some measuring and figuring on "Grace" cabin for the new master bedroom suite. Today I worked on the cattle guard and finished welding the main body of the guard.

The recent rain has been such a blessing. We has a nice snow at the end of November and then over two inches in the first December rain and a little over one inch in the recent one. We average less than an inch of moisture for December.

Paul Michael was out today and had lunch with Elizabeth and I.

The big news is we have three new calves, a brand new one born New Years Day. Elizabeth decided we would name her NYDAY (pronounced Nida) for New Years Day. All three of the new calves are heifers.

I am officially tired and going to bed.

God Bless and Jesus Loves You