He is The Author And The Finisher!

Author: one that originates or creates, one that writes or compose a literary work
Finisher: to bring to completion, to come to the end of a course

Have you ever thought about Authors? In many ways, an Author is also a Captain and a Chief leader. They spend their time creating the story line, working out the plot, developing the twists, and then writing the perfect ending. There's a lot of planning that goes into writing a good story. If the planning or the story itself gets off track, in most cases, the author can "right the ship" or to steer it back on path - just like any other captain or leader would do.

Have you ever thought about God as an Author? He's our creator, right? Before the foundation of the world, He spent time writing our story, thinking about the twists and turns our lives would take. And like a captain, He's had to steer us back on the right path more than a time or two. Psalms 23:2-3 tells us that "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." Likewise, He's the one who's going to bring His master plan to completion: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever" (Psalms 23:6).

That doesn't mean our story will be all sunshine and rainbows. There will be dark times. He will allow us to get off track here and there. Not because it's the right thing for us to do. Sometimes He allows us to follow our own plans because He's giving us the opportunity to chose. To chose Him, and his master plan/story for our lives. Even after we have hit a few bumps in the road, and had a few heartache and pains, He will allow us to get right back on track with His story line for us and will allow us to complete His plan for us.

Consider Jonah. Jonah felt like he could be the Captain of his own story. You probably know his story well, but just in case you don't, here's the highlights: Jonah went to Tarshish when the Author told him to go to Nineveh. The Lord allowed Jonah to deviate from the plot that had been developed for him. But like any great author, the Lord developed a twist in the story line - He allowed a great fish to swallow Jonah up!

The Bible says, "out of the belly of hell Jonah cried out and the Lord heard his voice, and spake unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land" (Jonah 2:1-10). We must not forget, the Author wrote the plan, so if we get off track it's going to cost us something and we will still have to finish that chapter of the story that God has written for our lives; just as Jonah still had to go and preach to the people in Nineveh.

When in doubt; when you don't know what to do in a situation; just read the book - i.e. the Bible - that God left for us  as a road map or a guide for how our story should go. If it's still not clear - just ask the Captain, "Lord, what would you have me to do in this situation?"

Remember, He's the Author and the Finisher, whatever He starts, He will surely finish it. Most importantly, He's the best author out there, so He doesn't need our help! He wrote the plan, all we need to do is listen and obey! Jesus loves you, my friends.

With all that said, let the Church say Amen... and AMEN!

Let's Serve the Lord With Gladness and Thanksgiving!

Gladness: Being happy, being willing to help, grateful, joy and pleasure.

Thanksgiving: An expression of one gratitude, a celebration.

I realize that there is a lot going on in this world today, in fact, it’s enough to blow your mind, but I think it's important that we keep in mind that we didn't start those things and we can’t finish them. Of course, that's not to say that we shouldn't pray for our country - we absolutely should - especially as we see murder, sickness, and flooding going on in the world - and that's just the short list! However, after we have taken those things to Jesus, we must leave them at His feet. This allows us to move forward and serve Him with gladness, with joy, and pleasure as His Word has instructed us to do. We should never allow serving God to become a chore. Instead, let's strive to always serve him with an attitude of gratitude.

In the amplified version of Psalms 100: 1-5, David gives us some amazing advice:

"Make A joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing! Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He who has made us, not we ourselves (and we are His)! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations."

Serving the Lord with gladness and thanksgiving is easy! We can accomplish this by mentioning His Name to others and by acknowledging all the wonderful things He has done for us. Our God is awesome and truly worthy to be praised, so my friends I invite you to magnify the Lord with me, and let's exalt his name together!

With all that said, let the Church say Amen and … AMEN!

Pray Without Ceasing!

Pray: To communicate with God. To ask earnestly for something.
Ceasing: To bring to an end. To Stop.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 reminds us to "Pray without ceasing," which means that we are to pray continuously. My friends, we are living in perilous times, where some people love only themselves and their money; a time were some people are proud, boastful, ungrateful, hard-headed, disobedient, and prefer "good times" and the "high life" to worshiping God. These people are all around us, interacting with us; our families; our children. Can you see the importance of praying without ceasing? If all of this wasn't reason enough, simply listen to the news or read the newspaper. Unfortunately, most of what you will see, hear, or read is bad news.

Now let me share with you the good news! Prayer is a major factor when we are walking with God. Jeremiah 23:23 says, "Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord and not a God afar off?" The Lord is letting us know that He's not afar off, He's omnipresent (everywhere at the same time). So if we are praying without ceasing that means our prayers are everywhere with Him, right? We can't be everywhere, but our prayers can (how awesome is that?!). We should never stop praying for our children or grandchildren, especially if we know they are going down the wrong path. We just learned that while we can't necessarily be there in the valley with them holding their hand - our prayers can... and God is there too. You know, even if your kids are on the right path, they still need someone to pray for and with them. I don't know about you, but I know for sure that this is why I am where I am today, because someone loved me enough to pray for me without ceasing.

Every significant choice we have to make should be presented before the Lord. If we are not praying and seeking the Lord, then in essence it's like we're saying, "I'm sufficient all by myself, and I can make my own choices," when the truth of the matter is, we DESPERATELY need the Lord, so let's start or continue to pray without ceasing. When we are communicating with the Lord, we are acknowledging Him as the head of our lives.

Remember, our God is faithful, He has promised to answer when we pray, so if you're ever feeling down and depressed just know that Jesus still hears you and will answer prayer. James 5:16 tells us that "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (KJV) or "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" (ESV). Prayer changes things, so let's be mindful to pray without ceasing!

With all that said, let the Church say Amen... and AMEN!

It's Always Good To Be A Blessing!

Blessing: a beneficial thing for which one is grateful; something that brings well-being.

So often we want to be blessed. Our fleshly nature always wants to know, 'if I go out of my way to do that, what’s in it for me?' More often than not, if we can't see the silver lining in something for us; we are not real anxious to do it. We must keep in mind what the Word of God says, "it's more blessed to give than to receive." Also, whenever we are a blessing to others, we don’t have to sound a trumpet just to make sure that everyone knows!

Our ultimate example (Jesus) didn’t come to be served - He came to serve. God is so faithful that He will not allow any of our acts of kindness to go unnoticed. If we could learn to look to the Author and Finisher of all things, we would realize that it's okay to be a blessing rather than always wanting someone to bless us. You see, man is limited, but God is not! When He blesses you, you are truly blessed!

Ruth was a good example; she was such a blessing to her mother-in-law. When Naomi lost her husband and both of her sons, Ruth did not leave her, she went back to Bethlehem with her. When she went to the fields to glean ears of corn so they could eat, Ruth wasn’t looking for a blessing - she just wanted to be a blessing to Naomi. Boaz, who was a mighty man of wealth, saw Ruth gleaning in his field and inquired about her. After hearing how she had been such a blessing to her mother-in-law since the death of her husband and sons, Ruth quickly found favor in Boaz's sight. To make a long story short, Ruth became the wife of a mighty man of wealth simply because she was willing and able to be a blessing to someone else.

The word says to give honor where honor is due, so I want to give honor to my dear sweet Aunt, who does SO many things for other people without ever looking for a blessing - just simply wanting to be a blessing. When our mother passed away some years ago, she stepped in and became a mother, a friend, and a sister to me and to my siblings. She visits people in the nursing homes, in the hospital, and has been known to take on small children as her own grandchildren. On top of all that, she also ministers in what ever capacity that she can to her other nieces and nephews; and carries the elderly to the bank, to the grocery store, and to their doctors appointments. When my husband's mother passed away, she took him on as well. We love you and we thank you Auntie Lorine for being such a wonderful blessing to each of us and never looking or expecting to be blessed!

The Lord is our great and mighty rewarder, so let’s be a blessing to someone today and not wait to be blessed!

With all that said, let the Church say Amen and... AMEN!