Posted by: Shirley Choat in Untagged on
Aug 19, 2008
"Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hands, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar; and he laid it upon my mouth and said: "Lo this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged." Isaiah 6:6,7, By request!
There is a deep and holy meaning in Isaiah's vision of the live coal from the altar of God. Something like that happens whenever we enter the house of God. The living fire of His Word touches our hearts, and our
Posted by: Shirley Choat in Untagged on
Aug 19, 2008
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
This is the day the LORD hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Exodus 6:2-8 Romans 11:33-36 Matthew 16:13-20 Psalm 95
Bible readers often need to be reminded to read passages in their full context. In so doing, we find that a difficult passage sometimes is clarified by the passages before and after it. How helpful that tip is for us today. When we turn to the often misunderstood passage from the text, our thoughts are once again turned
Posted by: Shirley Choat in Untagged on
Aug 19, 2008
HYMN- Count Your Many Blessings
"Blessed be the LORD, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Psalm 68:19
Read the entire 68 Ch. of Psalms and recognize the joyous note of thanksgiving which runs through it. Temporal and spiritual blessings are listed, for which the recipients are to manifest their gratitude to the gracious God. And then, right in the midst of the Psalm, comes this spontaneous outburst of joyous thanksgiving; : "Blessed be the LORD, who daily
Posted by: Shirley Choat in Untagged on
Aug 19, 2008
"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21
We often rebel against things which irritate us, but these very things may become the stepping stones on which we can mount to greater victory and rise to the peaks of spiritual discovery.
What does an oyster do when an irritating object like a bit of sand gets under its shell? He simply covers it with the most precious part of his being and makes it a pearl. In this sense we may think of a pearl as simply a
Posted by: Shirley Choat in Untagged on
Aug 17, 2008
"Ask for the old paths and walk therein, and you shall find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16
Jeremiah meant the old paths of faith in which the fathers of Israel had walked for 1,300 years. The LORD spoke to His people Israel as if they stood at a crossroad with a choice to make. He told them to consider carefully where they were going. He encouraged them to follow "the good way," trusting Him as they had done in the past. But Israel refused to ask "where the good way is." The result
Posted by: Shirley Choat in Untagged on
Aug 15, 2008
"If thou hadst known, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace." Luke 19:42
The present is the precious moment. How soon the signs of warning will be hidden away forever. Only those blinded by the passion of unbelief and rejection of Christ rush on regardless of danger.
God's signals are plain. The directions and instructions of His Holy Word are clear. He who runs may read, but oh, how many rush by, taking time's fast express to the abyss of ruin. They
Posted by: Shirley Choat in Untagged on
Aug 15, 2008
"Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God." 2 Timothy 3:4
Among the signs of degeneration Paul includes caring for pleasure more than for God. In a pleasure-made age this warning prompts us to pause for reflection. People serve the idol of pleasure and sacrifice the highest values of life upon its altars.
If there ever was a generation that needed to live and walk in faith and love it's the generation in which you and I live. In the day and hour that we live, without a continual
Posted by: Shirley Choat in Untagged on
Aug 15, 2008
"If it be of God, you cannot overthrow it; lest haply you be found even to fight against God." Acts 5:39
The words of Christ to Peter, "When thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldest not" went into the effect soon after Christ ascended on high. Peter obeyed Christ's command and fed the lambs and sheep bought by the blood of Christ. Because of that he was hated by many of his fellow Jews. Together with John he
Posted by: Shirley Choat in Untagged on
Aug 15, 2008
"From henceforth thou shalt catch men." Luke 5:10
Simon Peter was a fisherman by profession. Night after night he plied his humble trade on the Sea of Galilee, supporting himself. One night, the memory of which must have stayed with him a long time, he with his companions, James and John, had taken nothing. They rowed up and down the narrow beach of the lake, letting down their nets and drawing them up again, but with no success. It was a night of fruitless toil. The next morning they
Posted by: Shirley Choat in Untagged on
Aug 10, 2008
"I am Your servant; give me discernment that I may understand Your statutes." Psalm 119:125
The actions of a servant are controlled by the will of the master. By nature we do not like to be servants, we like to be independent. Some of us may achieve that status with regard to other men, but we can never be independent in relation to God.
In the service of God there is room for a great variety of activities. Ministers and teachers are the official servants of God in the affairs of
