Proverbs 22:1 A Good name

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. TO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

  My friend Sam sent me a Bible verse that rings so true I felt the leading to share. Proverbs 22:1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

   This is something that seems to have been lost in society. The Nike motto JUST DO IT!!  This started in 1988 and is still going today. So often it is taken to the extreme to "Just Do It" at all costs.

   A good name - years ago a man's word and a handshake was a deal.  Today .... well ........ Yeah!

   We can look around and see many places where a persons "good name" is not as important as the end result.  You know--- I want it and I'm going to get it no matter what."

   Politicians will lie or stretch the truth; athletes play the blame game; adults are not always truthful with their children, family or friends.  

   Who cares about their name?  When I grew up my parents had 2 businesses and stressed how I should behave because it would have a direct reflection on them and the businesses.             Soooo, I was a "good" boy growing up. Yeah! I kind of swayed in adult life until I had a relationship with Jesus, but the name was important.

  I hope my rambling relates to someone out there. Thank you for reading. Below are the first 4 verses of Proverbs 22: 

A good name is more desirable than great riches;

    to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

2 Rich and poor have this in common:
    The Lord is the Maker of them all.

3 The prudent see danger and take refuge,
    but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

4 Humility is the fear of the Lord;
    its wages are riches and honor and life.

  I hope this helps you or someone you can share with. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Do you have your affairs in order? 2 Kings 20:1-6

 Good morning all.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

    Does the Bible talk about our affairs being in order?  Yes, in 2 Kings 20:1-6. (click scripture to read)

The last post I asked if you were a Saul or a David.  Well, David did not have his affairs in order, yet, when he realized his sins he would return to God and ask for forgiveness.

  David's house was completely out of order.  He had an affair with Bathsheba, murdered her husband, a son raped his daughter, another son killed the rapist, then 2 sons plotted to take over the kingship from David of which he ran for his life once. His house was definitely out of order. Did David try to correct any of these. Only the murder did he ask for givenness.  All others he seemed to turn the blind eye.

 Yet he was a man after God's heart.  Why?  Because he knew where his strength, wisdom, all he had came from --- GOD!!!

   So does the Bible speak to our house being in order and what will happen if we get it in order?

  Well, in 2 Kings 20, Hezekiah became ill and looked as if he was going to die.  God sent a prophet, Isaiah, to tell him to get his house in order.  So what did Hezekiah do? (Read the scriptures above)

  In Verse  2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord.  verse 3 ............... Hezekiah wept bitterly.

   Hezekiah did the same as David, he turned to God, asked forgiveness, let tears flow and so what did God do?

   God told Isaiah, the prophet, to go to Hezekiah, tell him what to do ( please read scriptures above) and then added 15 years to his life.

   If we are in line with God he will take care of us.  Maybe not add 15, 5, 20 or more years to our lives, but HE WILL TAKE CARE OF US!  Praise God for being so loving, forgiving, and faithful to us.

   Thank you for reading today. Let us all get our affairs in order and praise God for all we have. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Do you come back to God after you sin?

 Good morning everyone. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

STAY BLESSED MY FRIEND!!

   There were great kings in the Bible that were great warriors, I want to mention 2 that you are probably very familiar with.  These two were Saul and David.

   You can read about these stories in 1 Samuel 9 and if you follow it on to 1 Kings 2 you will get the complete story of both.

   What was the difference between the two?  When they both became Kings they were great warriors.  Saul first and killed many, UNTIL, Goliath came on the scene. Then no one would go up against Goliath until a little shepherd boy came to the scene.

  After David killed Goliath, he was an honored warrior in King Saul's army plus playing music to soothe Saul.  All went well until Saul heard the women singing about him killing thousands and David killing 10's of thousands.  Now Saul was chosen by God as was David.

   When Saul heard the women singing he became jealous of David, well, you know the story.  So what is the kicker.

   Saul committed sins, then did not take the responsibility for it and played the blame game.

   David committed sins, and when he realized he turned straight to God and asked forgiveness.  Saul's disobedience to God and jealousy of David lead to his rejection by God.  You can read this in 1 Samuel 13, 15, and 18.

   David wrote about half of the Psalms, however,  Psalm 23 and Psalm 51 express his prayers, sins, and praise to God.  

  So what am I trying to say here.  Saul was a man of God who became disobedient and did not claim his sins.  David was a man of God who sinned, then claimed the sin, asked forgiveness and was a man after God's heart.

   I reflect on this and look back at myself.  Have I sinned and blamed others; OR, sinned and asked God's forgiveness?  Where do you stand my friend?

   We can ask ourselves the question am I a "Saul" or a "David"?  Thank you for reading with me today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Can't please everyone - Luke 7:33-34

 Good afternoon everyone from Monticello, Illinois. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

   Do you remember meeting people who are always negative?  You say the sky is blue and they will say it is hazy white; The grass is green, no- it has a blueish tint. You know what and who I am talking about.

   Well, don't feel alone, it was the same way in Jesus' time.  John the Baptist was ridiculed; Jesus was ridiculed; and then the apostles later were ridiculed.

  They had the Pharisees and the Sadducees who were really the negative, angry, and a non-accepting group who would stir up other Jews to their way of thinking.

  GUESS WHAT?  Today we have politicians, woke community, radical Islamic, and all the other organizations that yell at the Christians because they are racist, arrogant, and closed mined. Plus, they stir up other people.   Wait......what?  

   If we teach, preach, or talk about some things in the Bible we are wrong, some say it is hate speech.  Let's look at what Luke says in Chapter 7, verses 33-34:

   33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’

  Oh yes, look at this.  John the Baptist was called a demon. Jesus (Son of Man) would eat and drink with tax collectors, sinners and considered a glutton and a drunkard.  Hmmmm!

   People will do or say anything to appease themselves and their way of thinking.  Let me know what you think. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace,

Johnny

Jeremiah 42- Listen to God or disobey God - your choice

 Good morning everyone.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet would speak to the people, tell them what God says.  So what happens?  They beat him, put him in prison, and listen to what God tells him, yet disobey what God has passed on through Jeremiah.

   Jeremiah's heart hurt for the people.  They would ask him to speak to God and see what they needed to do, then do what they wanted to do.  Completely disobeying or ignoring what God has said.

   How often do we do this in our life?  You may not hear from God orally, out loud, but you know he is talking to you.  Yet, what do you do?  Just like the commercial of the 60's -- "Mother (in this case Father), please, I would rather do it myself."

   And how does that work out for you.  Often we are in God's favor and do something that later on when we look back we can see God's hand in the mix. HE takes care of us, in spite of our bullheadedness or ignorance.

  Here is Jeremiah 42 if you care to read it. Takes a minute or maybe 2 to read.

God told Jeremiah not to marry and to give his (God's) word to the people.  They would listen to Jeremiah and ignore and become angry because he did not tell them what they wanted to hear. (Some churches today tell you what makes you feel good, run, go to a church that tells the truth).

   We are not much different today.  Take time today to share the word of God with someone; to spend time with God; let the Holy Spirit lead; and then praise God for all he has done in your life.

  Thank you for reading today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Exodus 4: 24 Why did God plan to kill Moses?

 Good morning all. God is good all the time.  All the time God is good.         TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!!

   We are not always doing God's will.  As humans we stray often, however, when we do and realize it, pray, ask forgiveness and praise God for his favors.

   Moses thought he could argue God down.  Give excuses,  what if the people don't believe me that you (God) spoke to me.  Then God gave him 2 examples to show - casting down his staff, then hand was leprous 

   Well, you know I don't speak well. At this point God's was angered and told him his brother Aaron was on his way to meet him and he could speak for him.

    We all see Moses as this great savior of the Jews, the Hebrews, but the back story is not all rainbows and unicorns.  His life was saved by this wife. Look at

EXODUS 4: 24 At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. 26 So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)

    Why was God going to kill Moses?  Because he violated the foundational covenant God made with Abraham and did not circumcise his son.

   What is a flint knife?   A sharp stone blade made from flint rock that were used specifically to perform ritual

circumcisions.  

  When she touched his "feet" many scholars say she touched his genitals with the foreskin.

     Then by calling him the "bridegroom of blood" Moses' life was saved by the blood of the circumcision.

  After Zipporah saved Moses' life he met Aaron, told him was God had said and then they went to the elders, told them and they believed.

   QUESTION:  What would have happened if Zipporah had not saved Moses' life?  Would Aaron have taken over? Did God have a plan B?  Speculation is fun; however, it all happened just the way God wanted it. 

 Praise God.  

    Thank you for reading with me today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

GRACE - 1 Samuel/2 Samuel

 Good afternoon to everyone.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED, THROUGH NO EFFORTS OF YOUR OWN!!!

   We all know about David in the Bible.  A lot goes on in the books of Samuel. However, I just wanted to mention 1 little item that relates to GRACE.

   David was hated by Saul, but loved by Saul's son Jonathan.  David and Jonathan made a pact or covenant to take care of each other and their families.

   Well, Saul and Jonathan were killed in a battle.  Jonathan had a son, Mephiboseth, who was crippled.

  Once Saul and Jonathan were both killed David became King of Israel. Then King David asked if any of Saul's family was still living.  Now you have to understand that in these ancient times when a new king came in he usually ordered all rivals and family of the old king to be killed.

   When David found out about Mephiboseth he had him brought to him.  Mephiboseth lived in hiding, fear of what may happen..

   Because of the covenant David had with Jonathan (Saul's son) he told Mephiboseth that he would be eating from King David's table and all of Saul's families land would be given back to him.

   Instead of death, GRACE was given.  God sent his son, Jesus, who died for our sins, and through GRACE we are saved and given eternal life.

   GRACE is a gift that is unearned, freely given, and a present to all of us IF we choose to accept it.  So, what are you going to do with this present?  We should be sharing it with the whole world and telling people the good news.

   Can we be like Jesus?  The more we study, the more we share, the closer we come to being like Jesus.  Just spread the word.  Thanks for reading with me today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

johnny