Thursday, February 28, 2002
Faith does not get us out of trouble, it gets us through it!!
-Contributed by Mary K. Campbell
-Rom 5:1-5 NIV
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Wednesday, February 27, 2002
Living on the “straight and narrow” requires starting and finishing life in the “faith lane.” The race is not about how fast you run but rather finishing. And the interesting thing is that most people don’t know how close they are to the finish line until they cross it!
-Acts 20:24 NIV
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
Tuesday, February 26, 2002
Temptation is not something to take lightly. In fact, temptation is not only serious but it can be life changing. If we submit to temptation and fall into sin the results can change the rest of our entire lives. The person dying from an overdose submitted to the temptation of drugs one time and it changed their life. Having sex outside of marriage can leave scars, terminal diseases or even an unexpected or unwanted child that will change your life forever. But even the words that we speak can have life changing effects. We must resist saying hurtful things to people because the pain we inflict on them may separate our relationship with them for a lifetime.
Resisting temptation also has life-changing effects. Saying, “no” brings us good judgment and spares us from unwanted and unnecessary pain that can change the course of our entire lives. In this case, practice doesn’t make perfect but it surely improves things. If you really want peace in your life, resist the temptations that keep you from being the person you want to be and what God wants you to be. One of the greatest ways to show your love for God is to resist temptation.
-1 Cor 10:13 NIV
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Monday, February 25, 2002
Dreamers are not always popular in or out of the church. The safest and most popular responses about them seem to be, “It can’t be done,” “That’s the craziest idea I have ever heard,” or “We tried that before and it didn’t work!” The dreamers (visionaries) in the church are a gift from God and they are far too often not appreciated. Not that they are always right but their concepts and ideas challenge the church to go and grow beyond it’s ability. In actuality, they force the rest of the congregation to steps of faith and dependence upon God. Where would our churches be without the dreamers? We wouldn’t have names in our history like Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, John Calvin, Dwight Moody, William Booth, Billy Sunday, Bill Bright, Billy Graham or a host of others. If it weren’t for the dreams of the few, the hope of the many would be lost! Appreciate the gift of God, the dreamers (visionaries) in your church.
-Joel 2:28 NIV
‘And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Saturday, February 24, 2002
Recently I realized that most people are a collector of something. Some collect sports memorabilia, some collect hats, shoes, or other kinds of clothes, some collect tools and some collect CD’s, LP’s or Tapes. People have a tendency to be collectors. But one thing we cannot afford to collect is ”bad habits!”
From time to time we need to do an inventory or our “Life Closet” and determine what “bad habits,” if any, that we have collected and get rid of them. Life is constantly changing and with those changes it is easy to pick up “bad habits.” One of those habits that is easily collected is not attending church on a regular basis. When people are not regularly worshiping and fellowshipping with God’s people, their “Life Closet” can get messy in a hurry. And a good Sunday Morning sermon can often serve as a reminder to clean it out.
-Heb 10:25 NIV
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Sunday, February 23, 2002
Very people ever realize their dreams. However, if your dream is going to heaven and you have given you life to Christ, you will most certainly see your dream come true.
-Ps 73:25-26 NIV
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Thursday, February 21, 2002
We had the most beautiful snowfall yesterday afternoon and evening. As I look out across Seekers Bay this morning it is serene. The beauty of a fresh snowstorm glistening off the deep green pine trees is breathtaking. But then there is the rest of the story.
On my way home last night the roads were slippery but the sanding/salt trucks were out there doing their job to make it as safe as possible. This morning I got up at 6 A.M. and blew the snow off from my 300 foot driveway so Lonna could leave at 7:20 A.M.
As I sat out on my little tractor in the cold this morning I had mixed thoughts about the beauty of the snow and the work it takes to make life work through it. It reminded me of the church. Everyone shows up on Sunday morning with high expectations of Sunday School and Morning Worship. And truly, for most, it is a wonderful time. But the beauty of Sunday morning worship for the church does not come without someone doing the work to make it happen, just like the road crews and those of us who blew or plowed snow this morning.
When you got to church this Sunday look around and ask yourself, “How did this all happen today?” Then go thank those dear people who pour their lives into the work of the church. Too often they are forgotten.
-Luke 10:2 NIV
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Wednesday, February 20, 2002
What happens when the unexpected happens? For some it happens rarely but for other it happens quite often. Sometimes it is good and sometimes it is bad. But the unexpected does happen. So, what do you do?
When good things happen we should rejoice, praise God and share our heart with Him. When bad things happen we should rejoice, praise God and share our heart with Him.
God’s love for us does not waiver by the circumstances that we are in.
-Ps 63:1-5 NIV
63:1 A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
Monday, February 18, 2002
Accepting Christ as ones person Savior is the most significant thing that can happen in life. After all, the cost of being separated from God is far-reaching and long lasting! It reaches to eternity and lasts forever! Likewise is salvation through Christ. It too reaches to eternity and lasts forever!
-Rom 8:38,39 NIV
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Saturday, February 16, 2002
Yesterday I got an email from one of the very best friends I have ever had. Her husband has been suffering with a rare type of blood cancer for some time and she has just been diagnosed and had surgery for breast cancer. They have also discovered the cancer has spread to her Lymph Glands. Both of them have been active in leadership in the church and she has directed a fantastic para-church ministry for about 25 years. Her efforts have rescued and restored hundreds of kids and families. God has used her to touch countless lives. Strange isn’t it? They are so undeserving of having these illnesses and yet, there it is, bigger than life: CANCER!
The thought for today is simply this: No matter how close you walk to God, no matter how many people you help along the way and no matter how many great things God has done through you there is still the reality that each of experience life and its trials. None of us are exempt! Whether those trials come through others or directly to us, they will happen. We cannot allow our circumstances to determine our love and trust in God but rather our faith in Him. Therefore, we must continue to walk by faith.
I would appreciate it if you would, right now, take a moment to pray for them. For now we will just call them the “Couple of Faith!”
-2 Cor 5:7 NIV
We live by faith, not by sight.
-2 Cor 6:1-2 NIV
6:1 As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,
“In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
Friday, February 15, 2002
Roses are beautiful. Giving someone a dozen roses on Valentines Day is a wonderful gift but the thought behind it is what passes the test of time. Roses will begin to wither and fade in a couple of days but the thought behind it lives on. Too often love is based upon the gift and not the giver. Roses die and are discarded while love grows.
So it is with many of the things that Christians pray for. God blesses them with the things they ask for and in a short time they are back to the “Throne of Grace” seeking more things. Be careful that your faith is not based upon the “roses of life” instead of the “giver of life!”
-Matt 6:19-21 NIV
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Thursday, February 14, 2002
Yesterday I fixed a young couples computer. When I walked into their den, there was a large piece of white tag board on the wall with a love message written in red marker. It was hand written to him from his wife for their anniversary. Basically the message was I love you, you are the greatest and I want to be with you now more than ever. They are a terrific and happy young couple.
But that’s not the best thing about this young couple. The best thing is that they love the Lord with the same passion.
Valentine Question 2002: Does our love and treatment of our spouse reflect our relationship with God?
-Song 6:3 NIV
I am my lover’s and my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies.
Wednesday, February 13, 2002
People get tired of their jobs, their clothes, their houses, their cars, their hobbies, television, the weather, and a whole lot more but people never get tired of being loved!
-1 Cor 13:4-8 NIV
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.
Tuesday, February 12, 2002
BAD ATTITUDE ALERT!
How is your attitude? Attitude is the great separator of people, the “haves” and “have nots!” Some people have a perpetual good attitude and some have a perpetual bad attitude. A bad attitude corrupts everything and everybody who comes within its path. It has to be stopped at the source. And few people understand what a snowballing effect a bad attitude can have.
A river comes from a creek, a creek from a stream and a stream from a drop of water. So it is with attitude. It starts with just one drop, turns into a stream, turning into a creek, turning into a river that generally turns into a lake or ocean! It’s much easier to wipe away a single drop of water than it is to dam the whole river before it turns into the lake or ocean!
So it is with a bad attitude. It is better for everyone and much easier to wipe it away when it is just a drop. This is a good thought to ponder for today.
-Eph 4:22-24 NIV
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Monday, February 11, 2002
In Minnesota people love to ice fish. Sometimes the ice can be as thick as four feet. An ice auger is used to drill a 6” or 8” hole in the ice. This is time-consuming hard work. But ice fishermen would do almost anything to get through the ice so they can catch the prize fish!
It reminds me of Christians who are not part of and do not attend a local church. Many of them struggle to win the prize, a close relationship with God. They may have the passion of the Minnesota ice fisherman, doing almost anything to win that prize, but they also make things much more difficult for themselves.
A number of years ago someone invented the “Power Auger” which basically has a small engine attached to it that turns the auger and drills through the ice. Fishermen flocked to the stores to buy them. This made a world of difference to the ice fisherman’s life. Now he could spend more of his time fishing instead of just trying to drill through the ice.
When Christians isolate themselves from the church, they make it much more difficult to learn and grow spiritually. Being part of the local church gives people a sense of belonging that cannot be captured individually. It also gives living examples of faith and reminders of failures. This experience we call the “local church” does for Christians what the motor (powered ice auger) does for the fisherman. It makes things a lot easier and allows more time to enjoy their passion. Many people spend a lifetime trying to drill through the chasm of ice that separates them from the spiritual prize that God has for them, a deep personal relationship with Him.
I laugh when I hear people talk about the condition of the local church and how badly it needs people. Yes, that is all true but it is minuscule in comparison to how bad people need the local church!
Perhaps this little prose says it best.
Himself…
He worked by himself.
He lived by himself.
He ate by himself.
He celebrated by himself.
He worshiped by himself.
He was sick by himself.
He died by himself.
How will he know how to live in eternity with others?
In the local church we work, live, eat, celebrate and worship together. We care for each other when we are sick and dying. What a wonderful gift of God it is, this thing we call the “local church!”
-Heb 10:25 NIV
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Sunday, February 10, 2001
If the “worship” in your church does not reflect the “worth ship” of God, you’ve got a “sinking ship!”
-Ps 84:10-12 NIV
0 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.
Saturday, February 9, 2002
I don’t believe in miracles, I rely on them!
-Ps 77:13-14 NIV
Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? 14 You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.
Friday, February 8, 2002
New relationships with people are like new wine. It takes time to develop. This also holds true for new relationships with God. It takes time to establish, develop and have a fulfilled relationship with God. Be patient as God continues to reveal Himself to you.
So how long does it take to have a relationship with God? It takes an instant to establish it, a lifetime to develop it and an eternity to fulfill it!
-Ps 150 NIV
Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.
Thursday, February 7, 2002
While I was walking down the street in Mexico I noticed beggars sitting on the sidewalk leaned up against buildings. As I saw them I wondered what their story was? Yes, we all have a story. Sometimes we can sum up our stories quite easily but there are those whose stories are far more complicated. Often we make our stories too complicated.
God’s story is actually quite simple. God created man in His own image and loved him. Man fell. God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to be born of a virgin. He died on a cross as a one-time sacrifice for man’s sin, so man could pull himself back up. He rose from the dead overcoming death. He ascended into heaven to be with His Father and He is coming back again to take the church with him.
Considering how short and powerful God’s story is, how complicated could your story really be?
Try summing up your life in a single paragraph of 80 words or less. If it can be done about God’s story it surely can be done about yours.
We make too much out of our stories and not enough out of God’s!
-Matt 10:39 NIV
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Wednesday, February 6, 2002
A healthy diet and regular exercise are the secrets to maintaining our body’s maximum health. To maintain our spiritual health is the same principle.
A regular diet of God’s Word, prayer and sharing your faith will do wonders for your spiritual condition!
-Ps 119:105 NIV
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Tuesday, February 5, 2002
When you live in the past you give up the present!
-Prov 23:18 NIV
There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
Monday, February 4, 2002
Bitterness is hard to disguise. Sometime sit is disguised with a smile or covered up with clothes, makeup or things. But bitterness is something that must be removed from our lives because covering it up only suffocates us and soon causes spiritual decay. Forgiveness removes bitterness and sets us free. As someone once said, “I refuse to rot. I forgive!”
-Mark 11:25 NIV
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Sunday, February 3, 2002
If we have a passionate love for God we should passionately worship Him? True or False?
David is called a man after God’s own heart. We consider that to mean that he had a deep love for God. When he failed he repented and went before the Lord to seek forgiveness and worshiped. But there is something more. This man who had such a passionate love for God also passionately worshiped. Truly, David was a man who was… after God’s own heart!
-Ps 26:8 NIV
I love the house where you live, O LORD, the place where your glory dwells.
-Ps 27:4 NIV
One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
-Ps 84:10 NIV
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
-Ps 122:1 NIV
I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
-Ps 26:8 NIV
I love the house where you live, O LORD, the place where your glory dwells.
Saturday, February 2, 2002
When I see an old bridge that is need of replacement it reminds me of how in years past I used to depend upon myself to get from point A to point B in life. Now God has given me a bridge to take me over the troubled waters that is built and maintained by him. What a relief! I never was very good with bridges! How about you?
-Ps 41:12-13 NIV
12 In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever. 13 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.
February 1, 2002
A little boy sat by the end of the bed waiting to pray with his father before he went to bed when his father asked him, “Son, how big is God?
The father waited anxiously for a Sunday School style answer, waiting to affirm what the son had learned.
The little boy thought for a moment, looked at his father and proclaimed, “As big as I will let him be!”
There is a lot that we can learn by spending a few quite moments each day with our children!
-Mark 10:14-16 NIV
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
NOTE: THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS GIFTS IN JANUARY.
I want you to know how much I appreciate your part in sustaining this ministry. Without your writing contributions, encouragement, prayers and financial support we could not exist. I know that many of your churches are struggling to meet their obligations at this time so I am asking you to conscientiously give your tithes and offerings to them. If you feel lead and are able your gift to this ministry, after your tithes and offerings are paid to your local church, is very much needed and appreciated. May God richly bless you for your generosity and kindness.
Lyn Sahr
Make Checks Payable to: Church Mouse Chronicles
Snail Mail Address:
Church Mouse Chronicles
Lyn Sahr
Island Resort Road
Rt 4, Box 60
Pine City, MN 55063
