Monday, December 10, 2012

A CALL TO PRAY

To all of my dear readers:  I have an urgent prayer request and knowing I have readers all over the globe, I am putting the word out through this blog.

Frank Pastore is a Christian radio personality on KKLA 99.5FM.  He hosts  a call in talk show every afternoon.  This station is located in the Los Angeles California area.  3 weeks ago today, Frank was riding his motorcycle home from work around 7:30pm when a driver lost control of her car and hit Frank. He was ejected from his motorcycle (he was wearing a helmet) and found unconscious on the side of the freeway with severe head injuries.  Airlifted to a trauma hospital, Frank remains in a coma.

Frank is 55 years old, married with 2 children and a small grandchild.

Frank is a contender for the faith.  Once an atheist and a professional baseball player......for many years now, a full time servant for his Lord Jesus Christ.

I am urging you to pray.  The Christmas season is upon us and the only item on the Pastore wish list is for Frank to wake up.  This family is trusting in the Lord and accepting of whatever the will of the Lord is ....but as you can imagine, they are pleading for a miracle.

Take a moment right now to pray.  Put a little note on your bathroom mirror or wherever you will see it to be reminded to pray.  As you pray before your meal, pray for Frank.  Ask your church to pray for Frank.  Ask your Bible study group to pray for Frank.

Let's flood the Throne of the Almighty with prayers for a miracle.  Please also remember the family.  Gina, his wife, Christina, his daughter, and Frank, his son.

Thank you dear blog family!!  Will keep you posted, and celebrate answered prayer with you!!

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Life in the hands of the Carpenter



At some point in our lives we have had to practically put our lives "into the hands" of someone else.  If you are getting ready for surgery, you are basically putting your life into the hands of the surgeon, stepping on a plane, you are placing your life in the hands of a trained pilot.  But, for the most part, these are temporary situations.  Surgery ends, the plane lands and life goes on til the next time.

Perhaps you are a Christian.  You have placed your life, your very soul, into the hands of Jesus and yet your life is a roller coaster of events that leave you wondering when a moment of calm will come.  Confused, wondering what God is up to.

Perhaps you aren't a Christian, but you are considering Christianity, having observed the lives of friends, family or coworkers who are Christians, or you sense that void  in your life and you've yet to find something to fill it with.  Only God can fill that void

Perhaps you think the Christians are just silly people- using religion as a "crutch" - just something to dream about when there is a need to escape from pain and sadness in life.

I want to spend a few moments to talk  about life in the hands of the Carpenter, Jesus Christ.  Hopefully, no matter what category you find yourself in (believer, questioner, or total skeptic) you will walk away with a better understanding of Jesus and how His earthly occupation, a Carpenter by trade, will help you and me gain  even just a little glimpse into His workings in our lives.

We read in the Bible that Jesus was a Carpenter.  As I began to ponder on this I wanted to look up the definition of carpenter.

A person who makes and repairs wooden objects and structures.
A skilled crafts person who works with timber to construct, install
A skilled worker who makes, finishes, and repairs

When I really began to dig in I found some other interesting points that were brought out when defining a carpenter.  As follows:

A carpenter is involved in the framework and roofing of buildings
Installs floor joists- these give the floor strength to handle weight- provide good balance to build on when adding beams
Involved in fine and detailed work- specializes in closets and making other furniture designed for storage
Carpenters can be involved in shipbuilding

Wow!  In a short time I learned some things about carpenters that I did not know and have not shared due to space.  Nonetheless- my mind went back to the most famous Carpenter of all, Jesus of Nazareth.

You see, I have placed my life in the hands of this Carpenter.  So what do I see Him doing in my life?  In times of questions and pain, in times of joy and abundant blessing, Jesus is busy performing the tasks of a carpenter.  Let's apply the definitions of carpenter listed above to how Jesus works in our lives.

1.  "makes and repairs"-  Like it or not, call yourself a "big sinner" or a "little sinner"- Jesus doesn't measure sin. We may try to measure sin,  as it might provide us some comfort (false comfort) thinking we just aren't all that bad. when comparing ourselves with our neighbor  But Jesus just says
"FOR ALL HAVE SINNED". (Romans 3:23)
Yep, we are all in one category...the "sinned".  We are marred by sin and until we reach heaven, Jesus will be forever making us and repairing us.  Hopefully as we learn to walk closer to the Carpenter the repairs become less but they will still be necessary at times as we still reside in the flesh.

2.  "constructs and installs"- Jesus is into building us up.  Sometimes it is necessary to tear down in order to build up.  Who would know better than a carpenter the necessity of a good foundation.  Installing those "joists" that provide the ability to tolerate weight and good balance on which to build.  If Jesus is tearing down in our lives it is because He has beautiful blueprints for us and He has to fix the foundations.  Satan is just interested in tearing down.  He is the captain of the wrecking crew.  The wrecking crew comes in to tear down and then the job is done.  Unless there is a carpenter, the torn down building will remain exactly that, TORN DOWN!  Satan is never interested in building us up.- IT IS IMPORTANT TO GRASP THIS-

Jesus the Master Carpenter is also interested in installing.- We have been given the mind of Christ.  This comes as a result of the Holy Spirit, the Installer in the heavenly carpentry business.  He installs the fruits of the Spirit and the Word of God as we read it.  The Word of God is our power against the forces of evil.   Just like those joists that provide balance and strength to build upon,  the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives will continue till we reach glory so that means we should forever be building on what we know, always growing...precept upon precept.  At times this is painful, Installation takes hammers and nails and tearing out to make room for whatever is being installed.  So it is with the Master Carpenter.  Sometimes He has to practically gut us in order to ready us for what He is desiring to install in our lives.

3.  Involved in fine and detailed work-  Detailed work is a process.  It is not that hard to paint a room- slap a coat of paint on and there you go!  Well, not really.   You see, if the wall is not primed and the trim that is not supposed to be painted isn't taped over then it will be sloppy, not pleasant to the eye and will not endure as long as it would had it been done right.  The value will also not be as great.  Have you ever gone house hunting?  Boy what a process!  Inspections to do what....that's right! look at the details!  Will it withstand weather, time, etc ?  We look at the woodwork, the flooring etc, and what we can't see, we hire someone else to look at for us!  This person will crawl up into the attic, get upon the roof,  use all types of gadgets and tools to examine the details.

Jesus is interested in details!  He knows to be the best asset to His work here on earth which is advancing  His kingdom in heaven, He has to pay attention to details.  He is not interested in just slapping on a "coat of Christianity" that may look good at the moment and for even a short while but will not withstand the test of time or the storms that will come our way.  He primes us, He carefully performs His work in our lives that we may be a light, salt and still be standing even when the forces of evil come against us.  He wants us to still be standing even when the world is bent on snuffing out Christianity.

Carpenters can also specialize in making furniture designed for storage- Immediately I thought of the application here.  Our mind is our closet so to speak.  It is designed for storage.  Jesus had a lot to say about our mind/heart.  Consider the following:

Philippians 2:5-Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus

Proverbs 4:23- ABOVE ALL ELSE guard your heart (mind) will all diligence- for out of it flows the springs of life

Ephesians 6:17- Put on the helmet of salvation -In combat the helmet is worn to protect blows to the head,  The helmet of salvation protects from the blows to our mind

II Corinthians 10: 4-5-we are to refute arguments and theories and reasoning and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself against the knowledge of God and we take every thought captive into the obedience of Christ

Romans 12:2- Renewing our mind

Proverbs 23:7- As a man thinks in his heart/ mind, so is he

Romans 8:5- Those who walk according to the flesh, set their mind on the things of the flesh- but those that walk after the Spirit set their mind on the things of the Spirit

Acts 17:11-Receiving the word with all readiness of mind

Philippians 4:6-7- Be anxious for nothing but in all things by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be known unto God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus

Isaiah 26:3- Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in Thee

I haven't even scratched the surface!  But for the sake of time I will limit.  Just get on your computer and search all the Bible verses that talk about the mind

Jesus knows that the battle of temptation and sin always begin in the mind.  King David's allowed his mind to stay too long on Bathsheba and it followed with full blown physically playing out what he was pondering on in his mind.

One thing we all can relate to is the necessity of "making space"  We make space in our daily schedule but removing something else we had going on that day.  We make space in our closet (ladies especially) by getting rid of those clothes that we never wear or don't fit in to.  We move into a smaller house or apartment and we find we must get rid of somethings in order to make room for what we really can't do without.

We must allow Jesus to work on our mind. We must allow Him to get rid of somethings so that He can make room for what we cannot do without- Jesus Christ.  We must permit Him to make room (renew our mind) so that we can experience the mind of Christ in our own lives, allowing us to make decisions according to what He would have us do.  We must permit Him to rid the garbage we have installed in our minds though things we read or listen to or watch.  We must permit Him to sweep out the bitterness we have harbored or the vengeance we have allowed to take root in order that He may fill it with grace, mercy, love and forgiveness.  This might just be the most painful of all processes.  I say this for 2 reasons:


1.) Not even a worldly therapist or psychologist would deny that trying to reprogram a mind that has been damaged though pornography or hatred and bitterness or an unforgiving spirit .is not an easy task.  The mind has a video capability of recording and replaying time and again what it has recorded.

2) The re-programming of the mind will ensure a spiritual battle against satan and his demons.  Satan is smart enough to know if he get work on our mind everything else on his agenda to destroy us has a better chance  to succeed.  Do no be discouraged- it is a winnable war- but it will take filling your mind with the Word of God and perhaps re-thinking about the music you listen to, the TV programs you watch, the movies you go see, even the crowd you hang with.

Jesus never gives a command that is impossible for us to carry out!  Therefore, when the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to say  "let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5) you can be sure it IS achievable, and the Holy Spirit is there to help you and guide you through the process

Carpenters also can be involved in ship building-  How can this apply to our Christian life?  Well what is the most necessary, in fact, a MUST when it comes to building ships?  You got it!  They can't sink!  I once had a pastor that described the world (meaning the unsaved and the worldly)as the sea and we are the ship.  While on this earth we have no choice, we are "in the world"- daily surrounded by evil.  So as the ship we must float.  The important task is to not allow us to take in water (the worldly influence)  Therefore we must be first repaired and built up so that we don't sink,  and the maintenance of the ship (us,, the believers) must be an ongoing daily process till we reach heaven.  When we take on the water (the world) even just a little bit, the ship sooner or later will sink.  Jesus made it clear that while on this earth, He took on and experienced all we have experienced yet was without sin.  He knows the pressures of this world that we face on a daily basis.  Therefore He wants to first build us up, making us a secure ship and then He wants daily communion with us and the filling of the Holy Spirit in order to make sure we don't take on even the smallest worldly influence.  Just like a boat that must have routine maintenance to continue functioning properly, so must we

For the sake of time-I will end here.

 I hope you see that if you are a Christian going through difficult times- rest assured you have placed your life in the hands of the Carpenter and He is using all these sufferings to repair, build up, strengthen you and to make room for Him in every area of your life.

If you are not a Christian but considering Jesus- do not fear.  Don't believe the lies that satan has planted in the minds of the world that Jesus is "out to get ya" to make you lead some boring life filled with a set of rules!  Just the opposite!  He gave His life for you and desires fellowship with you.  Revelation 4:11 says "Thou has created all things, and for Thy pleasure they were created!'  Jesus does have guidelines set forth for our good, Jesus does call us to lose our life that we may find it but He summed it up best when He said "I came that you may have life and life in abundance! (John 10:10) You can trust your life as you reside in the hands of Jesus the Carpenter.

If you are a full blown skeptic that thinks we Christians are just day dreaming and conjuring up some "feel good" story that will have a happily ever after ending please listen-  I especially speak to you.  Jesus LOVES you- enough to give His very life for you. (John 3:16)  He made it clear that one day we will all stand before Him- in fact, we will not stand but rather "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father!- (Philippians 2: 10-11)  Christianity is a crutch- and boy crutches are great things aren't they?  Ever try to walk on a broken leg....you need crutches don't you?  Well, let me speak for myself.  I am a broken person, Jesus is my crutch so to speak but not in the sense that the world thinks!  Rather, He makes it possible for me to stand in every circumstance.As my Crutch, He promotes my healing and helps me walk.  He carries my load.  He steadies me and helps me from falling again.  My friend, Christianity does have a "happily ever after" it is called heaven.  It was designed for all but only those who call upon the name of the Lord as their Savior will be able to take up residence there when they die.  Those who reject Christ will be doomed to an eternity in hell, forever separated from God.

Christians are not perfect and, by the way, not everyone that claims Christianity is a true Christian..  Yes, there are the performers using Christianity as their disguise for some selfish gain or other motive.  Don't resign yourself to an eternity in hell because "Christians are hypocrites", etc.)  Jesus Christ will never let you down- He desires to accept you into the family.  The invitation has been sent, you must reply.  Your "RSVP" must be in effect before you die as after the fact will be too late.

Have you ever gotten an invitation to a wedding and the enclosed RSVP card?  You can't send in your RSVP after the wedding.  I mean I guess you can but it will have no meaning.  The wedding already took place! You missed it!  So it is with the invitation of salvation.

Accept Him today!!  If you make that decision let me know!  I'd love to pray for you and rejoice with you in making the most important decision you will ever have to make!

40+ years of walking with the Master Carpenter and would not trade anything for the journey I am on till I see Him face to face!

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!