The Power of God by Knowing the Scriptures!

Good morning to all on this Saturday morning. Waine and I are in Hawkinsville Georgia. I am working in this sleepy little town that has a well kept secret! The country club here has a wonderful golf course. The people here are very friendly and go out of their way to make you feel welcome. I have a great husband who ensures that I am safe and not lonely when working away from home. Thank God for him!

I am continuing my journey in Matthew 22 verses 16-39, "Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap Him in His words. They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"  But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap Me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought Him a denarius, and He asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. Then He said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.  That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?" Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'[a]? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching. Amen and amen!

Do you know people who try and trap God? These people still exist. They try and debate the existence of God and don't undertsand the very act of engaging you in a debate is evidence that they think there is a God. So what's the point of trying to disprove God? Satan is the point. Satan prowls around like a lion that has been cheated of its meal. Satan knows that there is a God and Satan also knows that this time on earth is the time when we must profess our faith in order to spend eternity with God and not Satan. It has always been about numbers to Satan. He wanted an army of fallen angles so that he could compete with God. Satan's fallen angels will be those of us who chose not to accept the blood of Jesus as atonement for our sins; these lost folk will spend an eternity without God, which I think is a definition of hell. Can you imagine life without God; I can't. He is my strength on a daily basis; the reason I can face the challenges of life. Waine and I were remarking on how good life is for us. We have our health; our children are healthy and successful; we have grandchildren that know us. We are blessed! I could certainly focus on the challenges I have personally however the Love of God allows me to focus on the the good. The Pharisees and Sadducees didn't know the love of God. They only knew the fear of the law which is why they couldn't accept the ministry of Christ. In your daily walk you will encounter many who live life without the power of Jesus. Read them the Word of God and allow the Power of the Words transform their lives. Jesus desires that all who hear His Words respond and gain victory over the grave and victory over the all things that block our ability to live this life fully. Be blessed today in Jesus name.

Stephanie

By Special Invitation Only

Good morning to all on this marvelous Monday morning. To all the fathers out there I trust your celebration day was all that you had hoped it would be. Aleron, had us over to his apartment and entertained us yesterday. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and was greeted throughout the day with well wishes from all the children.

I am continuing my exploration of Matthew 22:1-14, "Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet. But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find. So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are invited, but few are chosen." Amen and amen!

Just because you are invited doesn't mean you will be chosen! Just because you are invited does not mean you have been chosen! The promise was given to Abraham that his seed would be the chosen people and under the law, God has kept His promise through the ages, assisting the tribes of Abraham to prosper even thought they were disobedient. The children of Israel has caused no small amount of grief for the great Jehovah even though they were provided prophets, kings and teachers. They still continued to sin and believe in gods that were not the true Jehovah. Then God sent Jesus who took on our sins and sacrificed Himself as an atonement for our sins. We have all, Jews and Gentiles alike, been invited to the "wedding feast" of the bride to the bridegroom. Jesus 1st preached to the Jews and was rejected and then He sent Paul into the world to preach to the gentiles. We are now all invited and must come PREPARED! We need to be clothed in the Word of God and have the raiments supplied by the Holy Spirit. we cannot come to the wedding feast unprepared-we all have to have the cloak of the blood of Jesus or will not be admitted.

Kingdom building is all about inviting folk to the wedding party AND ensuring that those that have been invited have confessed their sins and are redeemed. As you can see from the scriptures, the banquet that has been prepared for Jesus by His Father, is a serious matter. It should not be taken lightly; out lives should reflect that we have taken the invitation seriously and are appreciative of not only the invitation but the Love of the One who made the wedding possible. Glorify God today through your faith and your life.

Stephanie

Be a Mountain Mover Today!

Good morning to all from Monore, Louisiana.  Waine is also on travel so please pray for our traveling mercies. God is a good God all the time and His mercies are boundless so I am praising Him this morning and learning not to sweat the small stuff. I hops this message finds your well and in the arms of the God that loves you more than you can imagine.

I am continuing my journey in Matthews 21, verses 11-22, "Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," He said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making It a den of robbers. The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things He did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked Him. Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read,  'From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise'?" And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night. Early in the morning, as He was on His way back to the city, He was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then He said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Amen and amen!

IF YOU BELIEVE YOU WILL RECEIVE WHATEVER YOU ASK FOR IN PRAYER!

Jesus was all about faith! He knew the scriptures and lived a life through faith that would fulfill the scriptures and the law of Moses and the prophets. Jesus recognized that the House of Worship had been reduced to the worship of money and was grieved. He drove out those that were using the process of worship to line their pockets with gold. Sound familiar. What would Jesus do with all the profit oriented ministries so prevalent today? The House of God should be devoted to prayer, worship and healing. If you find yourself in a House worshipping anything else, reflect on these verses and Isaiah 56:7.

Jesus was also teaching His disciples to exercise their faith in every aspect of their lives, giving them power and dominion to move the very obstacles that prevented them from committing themselves to worship in the Spirit of the Almighty. When I reflected on these scriptures this morning, I reflected on the "mountains" I faced yesterday. One particular mountain was challenging me for most of the day, frustrating me and making me want to act in a manner that would not show the world the Love of God. I finally let it go and gave it to God to solve; I stopped what I was doing and prayed for that mountain to be moved. Two things happened immediately-1) I "felt" at peace and 2) had the confidence that the mountain had been moved. It freed me to move on and enjoy the rest of my day. I was no longer bound in fear and frustration. I left that mountain on the Rock of Jesus.

Whatever  mountain you are struggling with in faith, pray with Jesus for that mountain to be removed and cast into the sea and it will be done! Have a wonderful and earth shattering day!

Stephanie

Triumph and Sacrifice

Good morning to all on this blessed Monday morning. I am finishing up my shift in Bainbridge GA and hitting the road to Atlanta. Mackenzie and Brooks flew home yesterday to their parents and my husband had a quiet evening at home. God is good and His sustenance takes care of all my needs.

I am continuing my journey in Matthew 21, verses 1-11, "As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." Amen and amen.

Most of us know this story as the advent of Palm Sunday. Now I don't know if it took place on Sunday and for that matter, the day of the week this took has no significance other than to mark the week before the crucifixion of Christ. He was greeted warmly by the same people who turned on Him and asked for His crucifixion! Isn't that human nature? We certainly have no problem going with the tide; most of us go with the tide and do so without thinking; some of the folk sing hosanna in the highest, were just joining the party and the significance of the party was lost on them. This praise fest just solidified in the minds of the Pharisees and Sadducees that Jesus needed to be dealt with and it took them a week to get it done. I wonder if anyone went home that night and thought about the Man they were praising? Thought about the message He brought? Thought about the salvation that would be provided to them through their faith? I am sure some did and the vast majority didn't because He had no open opposition to His death.

Jesus had the power to just give up on us, skip the crucifixion, gone back to Heaven, but He didn't. He went through the following week knowing He would be killed and He did so willingly so that you and I might have life in abundance. Hallelujah!  If you got up today and thought you had nothing to priase God for, Praise Him for His sacrifice. The One you knew no sin, became sin for us! What a love He has for us; He loves us despite of our sinful, crowd following, no thinking, no backbone selves. I want to thank Him right now for His courage and ask for forgiveness for the lack of mine. If you are part of the praise fest this morning, make Jesus proud. Do the right thing because His power lives in you.

Stephanie

The Sight of Jesus

Good morning to all on this wonderful Sunday morning. Waine and I have had an adventure these last two weeks with our grandchildren. We have had Mackenzie since June 1st; her brother Brooks joined us on June 6th and we added Kai on the 7th. We spent the week in Orlando and went to each theme park and I praise God that I am married to a patient, loving and strong man! I think my back went out on the first day in Orlando with Kai. He was certainly a trooper however he is still a 2 year old and doesn't understand that you can only ride on each ride once and need to stand in line. The teacup ride was a challenge getting he and I out of the teacup. At the end of the day Waine and I have wonderful memories of each of these children and our lives are the better for it. I looked at the date of the last journal entry and realized that it coincided with having the kids. I don't know how young women sling these kids over their shoulders, take care of their men, go to work and have time for devotion. It's been a while since I was that young! Waine, Mackenzie and Brooks went back to Atlanta yesterday; I am in Bainbridge working and last nite went to sleep at 7:30 and slept until 4:30 this AM. The first thing I wanted to do was have some alone time with God and am thankful for this time of my morning! I didn't want another day to go by without having some quiet time with God as I start my day!

I am going through my journey in Matthew 20, verses 29-34, "As Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want Me to do for you?" He asked. "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight." Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him. Amen and amen!

"Lord, they answered, we want our sight!"  The first time I read that part of the passage, my mind read, "Lord, they answered, we want Your sight." I thought, "I want the sight of Jesus,too." I want to be able to view the world and the people in it with the "sight of Jesus"--His "sight" was always through the lens of compassion, forgiveness and mercy and I want that sight. When you are in the world, your vision is often clouded by the need for "me"; what I want; what I feel; what's in it for me; what you did to me; what is kept from me.  If you think back to yesterday, how much of your day was filled with your needs as opposed to "What Would Jesus Do?"  The vision of Jesus is always external-He spent 24/7 with compassion for His disciples, for the masses, for the unbelievers, and for the evil doers. Jesus has pure LOVE which only knows how to GIVE! He commands us to have this PURE LOVE, that is to love God with all of our heart, mind and soul and then to love one another as God has loved us! The sight of Jesus is the sight of love. Do you have the sight of Jesus this morning? Is there someone you need to forgive? Is there someone you need to restore? Is there someone that needs for you to ask for their forgiveness? Put on the mantle of love and get the sight of Jesus. Your world will change instantaneously!

God loves you just the way you are!

Stephanie

Seek to Serve and Not Be Served

Good morning to all on this beautiful Thursday morning. I had my first full night with Hailie Christine and it was a good bonding experience. She is so different from Kai and I guess I should have expected that; some how I thought I was getting another Kai. She has a hearty appetite and takes about 3-4 ounces at a time. She likes to root and likes to stay next to your heart. She will have her Daddy wrapped around her little finger in about a minute. Kai is very affectionate toward his sister; kissing her head and wanting to hold her. It is pure love and he is very tolerant of her need to have a lot of attention. It helps that uncle Aleron is here to make sure Kai feels special too. Watching our son build his family is a great joy to me. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

I am continuing my journey in Matthew 20, verses 17- 28, "Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day He will be raised to life!" Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of Him. What is it you want? He asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom." "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." Amen and amen!

The time is drawing nigh for Jesus to end His ministry on earth and be seated at the right hand of His Father God. Christ knows this and wants to ensure that He prepares His disciples for what is to come. Throughout His ministry, Jesus sought to teach His disciples that the path that had been chosen for them and that they accepted would not be void of trials and tribulations. Every step of the way He was constantly showing them how to walk the path that was before them. He continues still with us! Jesus knows that we will have a life of abundance and a life filled with challenges as we share our faith and walk a life that is devoted to Kingdom building. He wants us to have as a motivation, our commitment of service and not because we are seeking rewards as was the case with the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. His emphasis to her is that all rewards and good things come from His Father who will bless us not because of our works but because of our faith and attitude of service. This is of particular interest to me. I struggle daily with my attitude of service and have to remind myself that when you act in love then the act itself is reward enough; the act itself is fulfilling and can change my life if I let it. When I am challenged in my Christian walk my growth is evident because I recognize immediatley that I have either met the challenge or need to grow more. The walk I have is the point and as I continue to grow I am blessed. To know Him is to love Him. To love Him is to serve Him. To know Him is to love Him. To love Him is to serve you. As you walk today remember that you will be blessed as you continue in your attitude of service.

Stephanie

Working God's Vineyard

Good morning to all on this wonderful Tuesday, the 1st of June. Thank you for your prayers of traveling mercies. Waine and I got home to Atlanta yesterday from our travels in Portland and Seattle. We were also blessed with the birth of Hailee Christine Kong on May 31st. She weighed in at 7 pounds 2.2 ounces and is so beautiful! She is the 1st girl child born to my side of the family in 42 years! My niece Michele will have to give up her princess crown now! Both Hailee and Mommy Tracy are doing well and we should have her home soon. Freddie and Kai are doing great and between my sister, niece, Aleron , Waine and I they should have two weeks of help. Family is great!

I am continuing my journey in Matthews 20, verses 1-16. Jesus is preach a parable, "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' Because no one has hired us,' they answered. He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' "So the last will be first, and the first will be last." Amen and amen!

God is indeed great and the first thing that struck me about this passage was that it was common 2000+ years ago to work for 12 hours before a wage was paid. In our day and age of hourly workers, even though a day's work is considered 8 hours, many mangers are frustrated that they can't get their employees to work the requisite 8 hours! Between phone calls and Internet surfacing the average American worker puts in less than 6 hours in an 8 hour day. Personal accountability is at an all time low in America and unless that tide is reversed we will go the way of other great countries that have fallen. Abraham Lincoln said that a "Great House is always destroyed from within."

Jesus is saying something more about His concept of "fair" compared to what men typically sees as "fair". None of us "deserve" the kingdom and its blessing based on our works, there is no entitlement in Kingdom building; our entrance into the Kingdom and all it offers is because of GRACE--we can't earn it and when Christians begin to understand that the blessings received are not because of our works or whether we deserve them, we will be humbled and understand the truth concerning the FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS AND THE MERCY SUPPLIED BY GOD THROUGH JESUS. What we seserve beacuse of our sin nature is hell and eternal separation from the grace and mercy of God.  Many Christians are  like the first group of laborers in this parable. Since we have been in the vineyards the longest, we expect greater blessings. Jesus is here reminding us that we were all INVITED to participate in Kingdom building, none of us are deservant. God didn't have to invited us back to paradise and could have let us only know this present life however His Mercy and Grace, the TWIN TOWERS of our spiritual sustenance, allows us to experience TRUE JOY even on this side of Jordan. Many of us take SIN lightly because we know the grace and love of God. Understand this--God does not take sin lightly and is grieved each time we participate in sinful activities. As Christians we have our place secured in the Kingdom, the vineyard and as obedient Christians we are laying up our treasures in our Mansions. I don't want to walk down your street and see a small house--Christ wants you to have a GREAT House and wants you to walk with Him today to assist Him to work in His vineyard. The harvest is truly ready but the laborers are few.

Be blessed today and I thank God for you!

Stephanie