Archive for the ‘Love’ Category
One Of The Most Wonderful Gifts A Man Can Give His Children!
One Of The Most Wonderful Gifts A Man Can Give His Children!
It’s not money.
It’s not expensive gifts either.
It’s not giving them all the latest toys and gadgets.
It’s not even giving them a large allowance.
I am not talking about giving your children something that only rich dads can afford. I’m talking about giving your children a gift that every father can give to his children, if only he would.
- The most wonderful gift a man can give his children?
- The answer is simple!
- It’s hanging right there in front of you like the nose on your face!
- You want to know?
- You really want to know?
Love Their Mother!
That’s It! Love Their Mother!
Let your children hear you say something like, “I love you Baby,” to their mom. Then watch them smile approvingly. Let them see you kiss her and hug her. Let them see you brag on her. Kids aren’t dumb. They can tell if you really love their mom.
Let your sons see you be tender with their Mama, and they’ll grow up being tender to their wives too. Let your daughters see how a woman is to be cherished and loved. There not much more you can do to bring peace and comfort to your children, than for them to know they grew up in a love-filled home.
Your house may have cost 100’s of thousands of dollars. But if love was not shown or felt, then all you really have is an expensive daycare center for your children.
Both of my parents have now gone on to be with the Lord. But my father left me many wonderful memories and examples of him openly expressing his love to my mom.
In my mind I can still hear him singing love songs to her that seemed to blurt out of nowhere. Songs like:
- Let Me Call You Sweetheart.
- Sugar In The Morning, Sugar In The Evening, Sugar At Supper Time.
You get the idea. Mom would always smile and walk into his open arms. All of us children would smile and nervously laugh our approval. Sometimes we turned our heads. Sometimes we watched.
Many times I’ve walked into the living room, kitchen or dining room and seen them in a tender embrace. Sure I walked back out, but I saw it! I saw that my dad truly loved my mom. For a little kid or even a big kid, it doesn’t get much better than that.
Do you forget things like that? Absolutely not! You remember it so well, that you do the same things when you get married. Then, you let your children see you be loving and tender to their mother.
If you will do that, you have just increased the odds that your children will grow up knowing the secret of a happy home life. And your grandchildren will grow up in a loving home as well. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
≈≈≈
(Now sir, go tell you wife right now how much you love her, and let your children hear you say it! Wrap your arms around her and give her a big smooch! That’s your homework for tonight. Class dismissed.)
Can You Pass The Hurt Test?
Can You Pass The Hurt Test?
Dave sat on the bar stool, drinking with some buddies from work. His head was feeling a little light. He drank enough beers to loosen up his tongue, and he began to talk. “If it wasn’t for me, they wouldn’t have a decent church building.
“I mowed the grass every week without ever being paid. I replaced all the broken window panes with money out of my own pocket. I never asked to be reimbursed. I hauled off all the trash, free of charge. I was the self-appointed janitor and maintenance man of the church. I did it for years, willingly and without pay.
“Every evening I would stop by the church when I got off work to see if I needed to fix anything. I’ve kept the church building repaired and I’ve kept it clean for years. No one has ever paid me a dime to do anything. Why, even last summer, instead of taking my family on a vacation, I used the money to buy shingles and I roofed the church by myself. I paid for every dime of it too!
“Then two weeks ago, they had a business meeting. They needed to choose another Trustee. My name never even came up. After all I’ve done, no one seemed to appreciate it enough to mention my name.
“What’s a man got to do to get recognized or be a Trustee over there? It must be politics or something. That’s why I’ve quit going to that church.”
Dave backslid because he couldn’t pass the Hurt Test!
Lynn wrote the Pastor a check to purchase 20 beautiful white folding tables and 160 matching folding chairs for the church fellowship hall.
It brought Lynn much joy to be able to buy these. God had blessed her and she wanted to give something back. The pastor had recognized her gift from the pulpit and the congregation clapped their approval. Lynn smiled.
The tables and chairs were ordered and everyone at the church was excited. These were well made and expensive.
Just before they arrived, Lynn had to be out-of-town for three weeks. When she returned and stopped by the church, she didn’t like where the tables and chairs had been stacked. She especially didn’t like how they had been stacked. Her gift to the church was being treated with carelessness, she thought.
These tables and chairs were not cheap, and if the people of this church didn’t appreciate her sacrifice enough to treat it any better than this, then she just could go to another church.
Lynn moved on because she couldn’t pass the Hurt Test!
The Hurt Test, Part 1 – Insults
The Syrophenician woman stood in front of Jesus. She was breaking custom and protocol and she knew it. The Jews had nothing to do with the likes of her. But she had an emergency. Her daughter had an unclean spirit. Her desperation drove her to see this Jesus everyone talked about.
She crumbled and fell at His feet when she came near. With great urgency she begged Him to heal her daughter.
Jesus looked down upon the woman and said, “It is not proper to give the children’s portion to dogs.”
On other days, if a Jew talked to her like that, she might have had a little something to say back. Today was different. Her daughter’s very life was at stake. There was no one else to turn to. She refused to get upset. She chose not to be offended for being called a dog.
She simply said, “Of a truth Lord, but even the dogs get crumbs that fall from the children’s table.”
Jesus marveled at her and instructed her to go home, telling her that her request had been answered. She went home and found her miracle waiting for her there.
The Syrophenician woman easily passed the Hurt Test. She chose not to be offended because of insults!
The Hurt Test, Part 2 – Rejection
King David was a man after God’s own heart. As the King in Israel, he could build anything he wanted. When David told God that he was planning to build Him a house to worship in, God said, “No.”
God told David that he was a bloody man and that building Him a house of worship wouldn’t be appropriate. The Lord said, “I want your son Solomon to build it for me. Solomon hadn’t even thought of building a Temple. He had exhibited neither burden nor passion to do so up to that point. The desire had originally been only David’s.
Rather than pout or get offended because God had rejected his offer, David helped his son, by supplying him with most of the materials needed to build the Temple. If he couldn’t build the Temple, then he was going to help someone else build it.
David easily passed The Hurt Test. He chose not to be offended by God’s rejection of his service, and His choosing another’s.
Extra Credit Test Questions
- If someone else is asked to sing a special. Can you still worship with them and help them sing?
- If someone else is asked to preach. Can you still say amen and help them preach?
- If someone else is asked to lead. Can you joyfully follow?
The Hurt Test, Part 3 – Loss
Job had everything any man could want. He had a relationship with God. He had a wife and wonderful children. He owned vast herds of cattle, camels and sheep. He was no doubt the wealthiest man in the world.
Then the dark day of disaster dawned upon him. In a matter of hours, he lost his children, his herds and all of his wealth.
The second attack upon him was his health. Boils covered his body. He scratched them with shards of broken pottery.
His friends were sure that he had sinned and this was the judgment of God. His wife suggested he curse God and die.
Job told his wife that she was talking like one of the foolish women. He said that if God lets me die, I am going to die trusting Him. I am going to keep on living for Him like I always have.
Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
Job passed The Hurt Test. He chose not to be offended at God because he had lost everything. In the end, God blessed him with double wealth and more children!
Extra Credit Test Questions
- When you lost your job, house, or car, did you also lose your praise too?
- When you were voted out of office or removed from a leadership role, did you show a bad attitude?
The Hurt Test – The Apostle Paul’s Summary
2 Corinthians 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
2 Corinthians 11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
2 Corinthians 11:26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
2 Corinthians 11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Even with a permanent “thorn in his side,” Paul passed The Hurt Test! He ignored his problems and encouraged everyone around him to “Rejoice evermore.” He said it again in the same breath, “Rejoice!” He even had Silas rejoice with him in prison and the Lord delivered them and all the prisoners, too.
Getting Help Passing The Hurt Test
Jesus stood and read from Isaiah 61 in the Synagogue. He sat down, looked at them all and said, “This day is the scripture fulfilled in your hearing.”
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Isaiah 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
Besides bringing salvation and healing, the other ministry of our Lord is to heal all hurts and bind up the broken-hearted. He can help you pass The Hurt Test.
*Notice: All Students Failing To Pass The Hurt Test Will Be Required To Retake The Exam.
*Remember, The Teacher Will Remain Silent During The Testing!
Just Imagine…
Just Imagine…
Just imagine a thoughtless and demanding husband that is married to a wife who caters to his every need. Imagine him sitting relaxed in his little command center, his Lazy-Boy, while he bellows out orders.
- “Hey Pearl, bring me a Diet Coke.”
- “Get me the newspaper.”
- “Did you call Bob like I asked you?”
- “Get the phone will you, I’m busy.”
- “How much longer do I have to wait for supper?”
- “Since you’re up, get my slippers.”
Just imagine a man that constantly makes demands like that on his wife. If she complied willingly and without comment, he’s a most fortunate man.
- Just imagine what she might feel like if he never thanked her for serving him.
- Imagine too what she would think of him if all he ever did was make more demands and never took time to talk to her or say sweet words of affection to her.
- Imagine what future the relationship would have if the man said, I don’t really have time to talk to you, I just need you to do what I asked you to do.
Some wives might be content to be in a relationship like that, but I have never met them yet. A loving relationship is not a one-way street.
Then There Is The Flip Side Of That Problem.
Imagine a demanding wife that is married to husband who she expects to cater to her every need.
- Her Honey-Do-List never ends.
- Her requests are only for her benefit.
- She nags him if she doesn’t get what she wants, when she wants it.
- She feels like he doesn’t love her unless he is always giving to her and doing things for her.
- His needs are not even on her radar screen.
- She has no time to just talk to him.
- He can’t remember when she last said, “I love you.”
- Her world is only focused on her own happiness.
What A Mess! I Can’t Imagine Living Like That!
I don’t know who would ever want to enter into any kind of relationship such as this. How could their life’s story have a happy ending? What future do they have? It’s a world without love!
Yet That Is Exactly The Spiritual Relationship Many Of Us Have With The Lord.
- The only time we talk to Him is to make more demands.
- Our prayers are only to ask for more.
- We ask for healing.
- We ask for finances.
- We ask for housing, transportation and employment.
- We ask for blessings for ourselves.
- And yes… We are invited to ask. But…
- We never just take the time to say, “Thank You Jesus.”
- We are too busy to just stop and ‘chit-chat’ with Him.
- We find ourselves so busy asking for more favors that we almost never stop to say, “Have I told You today Jesus, that I love You?”
What’s The Chances Of Our ‘Relationship’ With God Lasting Very Long?
- Actually, I am afraid it sounds one-sided.
- It doesn’t sound like much of a relationship.
- If it were a marriage, it might soon go on the rocks.
So, Where Is Our Walk With God Headed?
Just Imagine…
Just Imagine a husband been separated from his wife and writing over five dozen letters to her. Imagine the wife taking the unopened letters from the mailman and stacking them on the coffee table for all to see. Just imagine her never reading the letters from her husband. Imagine her thinking, “How precious of him to write, but reading his letters is boring to me.”
Imagine the two of them talking on the phone from time to time and him realizing by the things she says and doesn’t say, that she has not been reading any of his letters. Now what?
Absurd as it may sound, it happens everywhere, everyday. We have letters and epistles written to us. Although cherished by us all, The Holy Bible remains unread, and untouched. It is placed on the coffee table for others to see. But many of us will die, never reading what He wrote just to us. Now what?
Just imagine what our life would be like if we told the Lord several times a day that we loved Him, and not just asked for something every time we prayed.
Just imagine what our life would be like if we read the letters He wrote to us and got to know Him better.
Just imagine knowing Him in His fullness.
Just Imagine!
Everyone Deserves To Be Loved!
Everyone Deserves To Be Loved!
I grew up knowing nothing but the blessing of a loving family. Sure we were poor! We lived below the poverty level for years. It didn’t feel like we were poor, because of the warmth of love from family and friends. Not everyone in this world is so fortunate. Not everyone knows how it feels to be loved all your life.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Unwanted Children
UNICEF defines an abandoned child as one who:
- Does not know where his or her next meal is coming from.
- Does not know where he or she is spending the night.
- He or she does not live with either the mother or the father.
While defining a problem is helpful, no definition illustrates the plight of abandoned children as clearly as the following set of statistics:
- Every 2 seconds, a child becomes an orphan.
Nearly 60,000 children are reported to be abused or neglected each week in America, with an estimated 900,000 confirmations of violence every year. When these children are dumped into foster care, they too often lose not only their childhood, but their dreams, and their futures.
___________________________________________________________________________
- 40,000 new infants are placed in foster care each year
- 25 percent of the individuals who end up in prison spent time in foster care
- 30 percent of all people who are homeless spent time in Foster Care
- The average number of home placements per child is three
- Girls in foster care are six times more likely to give birth before the age of 21
- 50 percent of foster youth are unemployed four years after leaving foster care
- 37 percent – 48 percent of foster children don’t finish high school
- Only 7 percent of foster children attend a four-year college
- Only 1 percent of foster children graduate from a four-year college
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-moulene/americas-abandoned-childr_b_867265.html
_____________________________________________________________________________
Abused Children
2011 CHILDREN’S ADVOCACY CENTER STATISTICS (January through June) 3
Among the over 141,000 children served by Children’s Advocacy Centers around the country from January through June 2011, some startling statistics include:
- 53,932 children were ages 0 to 6 years
- 51,196 children were ages 7 to 12 years
- 36,131 children were ages 13 to 18 years
- 95,120 children reported sexual abuse
- 25,414 children reported physical abuse
- 88,312 children participated in forensic interviewing at a Children’s Advocacy Center
Among the over 116,000 alleged offenders investigated for instances of child abuse from January through June 2011, some startling statistics include:
- 75,829 were 18+ years old
- 11,973 were ages 13 to 17 years
- 7,911 were under age 13 years
- 45,496 were a parent or step-parent of the victim
- 23,763 were related to the child victim in another way
- 36,628 were an unrelated person the victim knew
http://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/NCANationalStatistics
____________________________________________________________________________
Parents Selling Babies
News reporters tell of parents selling babies on the black market. We only know about the ones that got caught.
____________________________________________________________________________
Battered Wives
One in four women (25%) has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime.
Between 600,000 and 6 million women are victims of domestic violence each year, and between 100,000 and 6 million men, depending on the type of survey used to obtain the data.
Separated and divorced males and females are at a greater risk of nonfatal intimate partner violence.
On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day.
http://www.dvrc-or.org/domestic/violence/resources/C61/
_____________________________________________________________________________
Infidelity Statistics
Too many spouses feel the pain of rejection. Below are compiled statistics on infidelity and marriage:
- Percentage of marriages that end in divorce in America: 53%
- Percentage of men who admit to committing infidelity in any relationship they’ve had: 57%
- Percentage of women who admit to committing infidelity in any relationship they’ve had: 54%
- Percentage of men who say they would have an affair if they knew they would never get caught: 74%
- Percentage of women who say they would have an affair if they knew they would never get caught: 68%
http://infidelityfacts.com/infidelity-statistics.html
_________________________________________________________________
1639 Buried In A Mass Grave This Month
I have grieved all week for the unclaimed bodies that were recently buried in a mass grave. No one claimed them. Most were never missed. Others, family members knew they died, but decided to let the county bury them.
- The annual mass burial in LA has been a December custom since 1896.
- The remains of 1,639 people were buried this year.
- The coroner’s office says bodies of those never claimed are kept in storage for two to three years before being sent to the common grave.
- There currently are 5,199 people on the coroner’s unclaimed persons list.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgibin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/12/08/state/n061159S93.DTL#ixzz1gBZ3COgt
_____________________________________________________________________
Holiday Suicides
The overwhelming feeling of loneliness, weighs heavy. For some, it is too much to endure. (Note: suicide should never an option.)
______________________________________________________________________
All these facts are stark indicators to me of a world without love. True love.
The Most Beautiful Love Anyone Could Ever Experience, Is The Love Of God.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Jesus Really Loves You!
- Let Him be your Comforter
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
- Let Him Be That Friend That Sticketh Closer Than A Brother.
Proverbs 18:24 …there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
- He Loved Us First! Even, While We Were Sinners.
1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
________________________________________________________________________________
There is a precious old song that still brings tears to my eyes. It’s called, “No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus.”
“No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus”
Words and Music by C.F. Weigle
I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus,
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely,
He did something that no other friend could do.
No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.
All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me,
All my heart was full of misery and woe;
Jesus placed His strong and loving arms about me,
And He led me in the way I ought to go.
No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.
Ev’ry day He comes to me with new assurance,
More and more I understand His words of love;
But I’ll never know just why He came to save me,
Till some day I see His blessed face above.
No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.
________________________________________________________________________________
He Loves You, Even When No One Else Does.
- He’s Been Waiting A Long Time For You To Love Him Back.
- His Love Is Unconditional.
- His Love Never Ends!
Everyone Deserves To Be Loved. That’s How God Thinks!
He Came To A Stable!
He Came To A Stable!
Luke 2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Of all the places in the world for the King of kings to make His inaugural appearance to mankind! He chose the lowliest place of all! He chose a Stable. It was a place where filth and stink were all too common.
Imagine a God so holy, that He had to humble Himself to look upon heaven. I can understand Him having to humble Himself to look upon earth, but heaven too? He came to a stable. Man’s mind cannot completely fathom a Divine introduction into such a lowly estate.
It wasn’t like the sanitized nativity setting in a Macy’s Department Store window. The stable where He was born wasn’t used to elegance. It was only familiar with life on the lowest level. Straw, dirt, old boards, rusty nails, spider webs, bird nests, a rough-hewn manger, and smelly animal droppings created the ambience for the birthplace of our Lord.
Animals made this stable their home. They had spent all day eating the finery of the plush fields heaven had provided. At night, these same creatures turned heaven’s best into earth’s worst.
One step inside the stable was convincing enough. The animals had created an atmosphere of nothing but filth and stink. There was an overwhelming odor. There was excrement that had to be removed. That’s the place He chose.
He Came To A Stable!
Garden of Eden
Sin takes heaven’s best and turns it into earth’s worst. That is what happened in the Garden of Eden. It’s still doing that today. God closed down man’s Paradise because of the filth of sin, and evicted Adam and Eve. Yet, in the New Testament, symbolically, he came to the same kind of place. A place of filth.
Mary Magdalene
He was called a friend of sinners. He was a friend of those that lived in filth. Remember the story of Mary and her alabaster box? She had lived her life in filth. But in Jesus, she found cleansing and forgiveness.
Woman At the Well
“I must needs go by Samaria,” Jesus said. What was in Samaria? Samaria was an off-limits place for Jews to even visit. The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. It was as dirty to them as a stable.
“I must needs go by the stable,” was what His statement may have sounded like to the disciples. A stable creature was what He found when He went there. A woman who had been married five times, and was now living with someone else, was the reason He came. She ran back to her village and brought everyone out to meet Jesus.
Peter’s Vision
The Apostle Peter had a difficult time at first. He couldn’t comprehend God’s willingness to deal with the unclean. A vision from God of a sheet being let down with all kinds of unclean animals, was shown to him. A voice said, “Rise Peter, slay and eat.”
Peter vehemently protested, because to him they were common, and unclean. The voice finally instructed Peter.
Acts 10:15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
Because of this, Peter went to the household of Cornelius and opened the door of Salvation unto the Gentiles. The very people Jesus had called dogs. Peter was sent to unlock the door of the stable and let every one out.
He Came To A Stable! He Is Not Afraid Of The Filth In Your Life! He Loves You!
It will be the biggest mistake of your life, if you buy into the thinking that Jesus will not forgive you because you’ve been too bad. That is not true. There is no sin common unto man who He won’t forgive.
1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1 Corinthians 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
1. Washed – God specializes in cleaning up lives. Let Him clean yours.
2. Sanctified – He makes you into a pure and holy vessel He can use.
3. Justified – NOW, it’s just as if you’ve never sinned.
- In the name of the Lord Jesus – (The Biblical mode of Baptism)
- By the Spirit of our God – (The in-filling of the Holy Ghost)
He Came To A Stable, He Knows About Filth! He Wants To Make You Clean!
We couldn’t go to where He was, so He came to where we were. He came to a stable. He came to save the drunkard, the drug user, the immoral, the profane, the unbeliever and other sinners. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. God is not afraid of the dirt and filth in your life. He will cleanse you and wash you if you’ll just repent.
Get baptized in Jesus Name, and let Him fill you with His wonderful Spirit, just like the disciples did:
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Only Love, Could Have Made Him Come To A Stable!
Everyone Counts Or No One Counts
Everyone Counts Or No One Counts
1. That was what the Homicide Detective told himself as he looked at the pictures of the dead street-walker. Some people were glad she was off the streets. Cops had busted her many times over the years for solicitation. Her rap sheet was about as long as her arm.
He certainly did not approve of her lifestyle. But just because she had lived on the streets didn’t mean she didn’t deserve justice. He would do his best to find her killer.
The ‘perp’ was still out there. He looked at the cold case file again. He reread the files that recorded all the initial investigating efforts on her case, hoping to find a clue.
No one else in the department seemed to care about finding her killer now. It had been eight years, but that didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to give up. “Everyone counts or no one counts.” That was his motto.
2. The Sunday School Bus Captain from The First Pentecostal Church and her team pulled up into The Richland Heights’ parking lot. The church name was prominently displayed on the side of the bus.
Some of the older church members had given her disapproving stares last Sunday because she had brought a big load of children from these projects.
One Sunday School Teacher had resigned because she resented the ‘low income’ people coming to their fancy new church. After all, this was a congregation whose members had a lot of money. Some argued that influential people may not come now, because of these undesirables. Besides, the children were wild and out of control. “Another good reason not to bring them here,” someone had said.
The pastor accepted the Teacher’s resignation. He told her, the Bus Captain, and the whole congregation, “Everyone counts or no one counts.” The Bus Captain agreed. That was why she was back, trying to fill up her bus again this week.
3. Jesus hung on the Cross and looked at the throng gathered there. These were the ones He was dying for. Some were mocking and taunting Him. He knew their hearts. The actually hated Him and wished Him dead.
Standing there too, were some of His followers. His Disciples, and His Mother stood close by. They mourned. Some had tears running down their cheeks.
Others just stood there uncaring. They watched Him without any reaction.
His faithful believers and those who rejected Him surrounded him now. The sinner and the righteous believer stood there together, shoulder to shoulder.
He was dying in their place. He was their substitute. He was suffering this punishment of all sinners. Most didn’t even appreciate what He was doing for them. But He was not willing that any of them should perish. Salvation was for everyone.
He Knew, “Everyone Counts Or No One Counts.”
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The Unwanted Girls
The Unwanted Girls
The news story told of 285 young Indian girls that had chosen new names.
“Nakusa” or “Nakushi” (two variations of the Hindu word meaning “unwanted”) were among the names abandoned in an effort to promote their self-worth.
“Now in school, my classmates and friends will be calling me this new name, and that makes me very happy,” a 15-year-old girl told the AP after the ceremony. The teenager was formerly named Nakusa by her disappointed grandfather, but chose to be called “Ashmita,” which translates to “very tough” in Hindi.”
Girls hold certificates stating their new official names during a renaming ceremony in Satara, India, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011. Almost 300 Indian girls known officially as "Unwanted" have traded their birth names for a fresh start in life
≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
Reading this story made me very sad. Their culture devalues women. An unborn baby girl might well be aborted if the parents knew its gender. It’s heart breaking to me. The very thought, is unthinkable in my family.
I have been blessed more than most men to have been surrounded all my life by loving and amazing women. Their lives are blessed of God. My life has been blessed to the highest level because of them.
In my family, the women and girls are cherished, and loved. They are also respected, listened to, and honored. I always want them to know that!
Each of the married women love and honor their husbands and treat them like kings. No wonder each husband finds it easy to treat his wife like a queen and cherish her.
The daughters love and honor their fathers. They treat him with great respect. They in turn are loved and doted on. They have never felt unwanted, but rather are treated as if they were a princess.
The same is true for all the grand daughters.
It would be a near impossibility to find a family that loves it’s women more than the Ballestero family loves theirs.
With all of the above in mind, today I wish to stop and honor the women in my world.
I want to tell all of you that I love you, I honor you, and I cherish you, and I am proud of you. You all have me forever wrapped around your little fingers. I have you wrapped around my heart.
You are so gifted and talented. You are:
- Singers
- Song Writers
- Musicians
- Music Teachers
- Choir Leader
- Speakers
- Writers
- Authors
- School Teachers
- Recording Artists
- Artistic
- Designers
- Business Owners
- Leaders
- Beautiful
- Loving
- Nurturing
- Tender
- intelligent
- The Best Cooks In The World.
- The Best Mothers In The World.
- The Best Wives In The World.
- And… You really love the Lord.
- (This list could go on awhile…)
You might often be embarrassed by me, but you will never be unwanted! I love you and pray God richest blessings on you in all you do! There will never be such a thing as an unwanted girl in my family!
Let me show my readers a picture or two of why I am such a blessed man!
My Mom, Mother-in-law, Wife, Daughter, Daughters-in-law, Grand Daughters, Sisters, Sisters-in-law and Nieces are shown below. Besides all these, there are my wonderful cousins, close friends and “adopted” family members.
-
- My Mother – Content Faith Ballestero
-
- My Mother
-
- My “Other” Mother – Marian June Davis
-
- Mom Davis
-
- My Wife – Marcia Starr Ballestero
-
- Marcia & Marty Ballestero
-
- My Daughter – Marisa Ballestero Hartzell
-
- Pastor Brandon & Marisa Hartzell
-
- My DIL – Kim Elrod Ballestero
-
- Pastor Anthony & Kim Ballestero
-
- My DIL – Christy Huntley Ballestero
-
- Pastor Bryan & Christy Ballestero
-
- My DIL – Courtney Phebus Ballestero
-
- Pastor Martyn II & Courtney Ballestero
-
- My DIL – Jasmine Robinson Ballestero
-
- Andy & Jasmine Ballestero
-
- Grand Daughter – Kalyx Ballestero
-
- Grand Daughter – Christyana Ballestero
-
- Grand Daughter – Chloe Ballestero
-
- Grand Daughter – Ainsley Hartzell
-
- Sister – Beverly Anne Ballestero
-
- Sister – Carlene Branham
-
- Sister – Ramona Yandris
-
- Pastor Nathan & Ramona Yandris
-
- Sister – Nila Marxer
-
- Rev. Eric & Nila Marxer
-
- My SIL – Alexa Starr Olson
-
- Pastor Rick & Alexa Olson
-
- My SIL – Rebecca Starr Trammell
-
- Pastor David & Rebecca Trammell
-
- My SIL – Priscilla Starr Spears
-
- Pastor Curtis & Priscilla Spears
-
- My SIL – Sara Starr Copple
-
- Pastor Tom & Sara Copple
-
- Pastor Royce & Step-SIL Glenna Davis Walker
-
- Carlene, Nila, Ramona, seated – Martyn
-
- Priscilla, Mom Davis, Marcia, Alexa, Rebecca, Sara
-
- Niece – Stacy Branham
-
- Niece – Elisha Yandris
-
- Niece – Erica Marxer
-
- Niece – Shauna Olson
-
- Niece – Elizabeth Olson
-
- Niece – Lindsay & Aaron Olson
-
- Niece – Farrah Trammell Erwin
-
- Niece – Heidi Trammell
-
- Niece – Britt Spears
-
- Niece – Charity Spears
-
- Niece – Natalie Spears Colegrove
-
- Niece – Michelle Hutchison
-
- Niece – Sharayah Copple
Every One Of These Ladies Are Wanted!!
It don’t get any better than this. I, my friend, am a blessed man!
All He Ever Wanted, Was Someone To Love Him
All He Ever Wanted, Was Someone To Love Him
Proverbs 30:18 There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
Proverbs 30:19 The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.
All He Ever Wanted Was For Someone To Love Him.
He had it all.
Actually, He had everything.
Well, He had everything, except one thing.
He had no one to love Him.
He had Angels who praised Him continuously.
He had Angels who did His bidding without question.
But He had no one to love Him.
He had no one to dote on Him.
He had received honor before.
He had received praise before.
But He had never been loved before.
He had never seen love demonstrated.
He had never seen love displayed.
He had never seen love expressed or shown.
He had never seen romance before.
He understood things like physics, gravity, light, sound, space travel and how to make something out of nothing.
He understood emotions like rebellion, pride and obedience.
He just wanted to know more about this thing called love.
He had always heard over 10,000 Hallelujahs at any given moment of every day.
He heard multitudes cry “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty” every day.
What He’d never heard was some one say, “I love you!”
He knew the journey to finding love would be long.
He had seen twinkles in stars before, but never in an eye.
His plan already included man, Calvary and the Church.
He was prepared to do whatever it took to get a bride.
He wanted to find someone to love Him.
He spoke and the heavens and the earth came into existence.
By His own words, the sun, moon and stars were created and flung perfectly into space.
By His own voice, light was created, flowers and trees sprung up.
He said the words, and fish, birds and animals appeared.
He looked it all over and said. “That’s good.”
Then He stopped talking.
Adam And Eve
He knelt down on the ground and with His hands he began to form someone He could love. He called the man, Adam. The woman, was named Eve.
He loved them. He visited every day. They walked and talked together every day without distraction.
He watched Adam and Eve smile at one another. He saw how Adam responded to Eve’s touch and Eve to Adam’s.
He watched them hold hands and kiss.
He liked what He saw. He saw the twinkle in Adams eye. He saw romance in its purest form.
He tried to imagine a mere mortal loving Him.
His mind raced ahead thousands of years. He thought of Himself and the Church. He pondered about His bride-to-be. “So… this is what it’s going to be like to be in love!”
He’d never been in love before. He saw Adam and Eve enjoying each other’s company. He told Himself, “That’s the kind of love I want. That’s the kind of romance I want.”
He so enjoyed being with Adam and Eve, that He turned His attention from the sounds of “Hallelujah” and “Holy-Holy” for a few hours everyday just to come and see them.
He had no competition in the love department on earth. Maybe they would fall in love with Him.
Then came the heart-wrenching day when the evil serpent beguiled Eve. Sin, the enemy of the Most Holy One entered the picture. Paradise was no more.
Pain, sorrow, shame and regret now entered the picture. The hope of Adam and Eve continuing their relationship with Him was over. Sin did it’s best to destroy that relationship.
They chose to listen to the voice of His enemy rather than listen to His voice.
All He Ever Wanted Was For Someone To Love Him.
Enoch
Seven generations later, a man was born by the name of Enoch. He heard his father and grandfather talk about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He heard the stories about God walking with them in the cool of the day.
Enoch began to imagine what it would be like to have God for a friend. That seemed to be all he could think about.
He inquired often of his family, asking them many questions, hoping to hear more stories about those precious days. He even got to talk to Adam himself and listened intently. He dreamed of having a similar experience with God.
One day Enoch started calling on the Lord as he walked. He began talking to God as if He was beside him. The Lord did appear beside him and they began walking together and talking together every day.
Enoch was perfect in God’s eyes. His love thrilled the Lord. This was true love. Here was someone who chose to love Him, who took time out of their day and focused only on Him.
They walked and talked together every day for years. Then one day while they were walking, the sun started going down.
The Lord noticed it too. He also knew it was a long way back to Enoch’s house. So He said, “Enoch, it’s closer to my house, than it is to yours. Why don’t you come on home with me?” Enoch said, “Yes.”
“And Enoch was not, for the Lord took him.”
All He Ever Wanted Was For Someone To Love Him.
Israel
He looked the world over and His eyes fell upon her. He could really love her. Her father was a Hittite and her mother was an Amorite. But He didn’t hold that against her.
He stood there looking at her, watching her. She was beautiful to Him.
She had no family, no one to look after her. There was no one else that loved her.
She was unwanted and unloved by every one else in the world. She was considered second class and discarded by those who knew her.
- She wasn’t beautiful, but He loved her.
- She wasn’t rich, but He loved her.
- She wasn’t mighty, but He loved her.
- She wasn’t even faithful, but He loved her.
He, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the First and the Last, The Lord God Almighty tried vainly to woo her. He did every thing He could to show her He could supply her every need.
He was the richest Man in the world and of all the people in the world; He chose her, the poorest of all. He alone could make her prosper. She wasn’t impressed for long.
He showed her things about Himself that no one else had ever known. He gave her some names she could call Him by that would reveal His protecting love for her.
- Jehovah Jireh – The Lord will Provide.
- Jehovah Rapha – The Lord our Healer.
- Jehovah Nissi – The Lord our Banner
- Jehovah Shalom – The Lord our Peace
- Jehovah Raah – The Lord our Shepherd
- Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord our Righteousness
- Jehovah Shammah – The Lord is Present
When she got sick, He made sure she got well. When she was hungry, He provided food for her and took care of her every need.
He loved her, and yet she wasn’t happy with Him. Her heart easily turned aside. She often looked at others the way He wished she would look at Him. It grieved Him continually.
While still on their honeymoon, problems arose. They hadn’t been gone from Egypt a month and things turned ugly. Before He could even get her to the Promised Land and the home He had given her, she showed her unhappiness.
He talked with Moses about His plans for her and gave him detailed instructions.
But before Moses could talk to her she started looking at someone else. She began to dress to please them. She brazenly displayed her disdain for His wishes.
- She murmured.
- She complained.
- She rebelled.
- She flaunted herself in front of others.
- She became brazen.
- She couldn’t even blush.
It broke His heart. Yet He fought for her when everyone tried to kill her. He supplied her every need. He cared for her more than she cared for Him.
He still loved her. He sent her letters, but she ignored them. Even after she got settled in her new home, she started looking for other lovers.
She played the harlot and was unfaithful to Him. She only dressed to please Him if she was in the mood. She often saw others that attracted her and she dressed and displayed herself in a way to please them. She longed for their affections, not His.
All He Ever Wanted Was For Someone To Love Him.
Hosea
No one seemed to care how He felt. He had no one to share His pain and problems with.
In His Divine Heartache, He looked upon His prophet, Hosea. Hosea was unmarried.
He told Hosea to marry a woman who stood on the street corners at night. “Just go pick a prostitute, anyone will do.”
He wanted someone to feel like He felt, every day.
He wanted to see again how mere mortals handled rejection from those they loved.
Hosea found such a girl. Her name was Gomer. Everyone in town knew Hosea. They were shocked at his choice of a wife. In their minds she was trash.
- She had dirtied herself.
- She had lowered herself.
- She had ruined her name.
- She would destroy their marriage.
- Of all the girls, why pick her?
The romance burned brightly and then quickly faded. The Lord watched how their love life went.
He watched Gomer sweeten his coffee with her kisses and then walk out the door disappearing for long periods of time.
Then came the babies. Their very names carried not only a prophecy to Israel, but also a wake up call to Hosea about his two-timing wife.
- Jezreel, “God will disperse”
- Lo-ruhamah, “Not pitied, or No Mercy”
- Lo-ammi, “Not my people”
Hosea could tell by the names he named his children that he was not their father.
Gomer eventually got so involved in her wild lifestyle that she was overpowered and put into slavery by one of her lovers. She later was placed on an auction block and sold like a farm animal.
Hosea got word that his wife was being sold. He knew what she was and what she had done. But he loved her in spite of it all.
Anyone can tell by what he paid for her, that he gave all the money he had and emptied out his meager panty besides. He gave his all to buy her back. He paid fifteen pieces of silver, and 1½ homers of barley.
All He Ever Wanted Was For Someone To Love Him.
The Lord watched as Hosea gave all he had to buy his unfaithful wife back.
He turned his attention again to Israel. She wasn’t on an auction block. She wasn’t held against her will. She was happy to be unfaithful.
So He wrote her a bill of divorcement and He didn’t talk to her for 400 years.
All He Ever Wanted Was For Someone To Love Him.
Calvary
One day, He finally stepped into His closet and clothed Himself in a robe of flesh. He was born in Bethlehem to a young virgin.
He chose not to arrive in splendor, so He came to earth in obscurity. He came as God manifested in the flesh. He walked almost unnoticed around her.
He didn’t make Himself handsome so that she would love Him for His good looks. He wanted her to love Him for who He was, not what He looked like.
But He came unto His own and His own received Him not. They didn’t believe Him.
He wept.
His love was everlasting. Her love was fickle.
She tried to find fault with Him. She only followed Him for what He could give them.
He wanted to talk.
She was too busy, too preoccupied.
He said to her, “You say you love Me, but you say that only with your lips. It’s just words. Your heart is far from Me. You don’t love Me with your heart.”
He saw her as she really was. A slave. She was in bondage and held fast by her own sins.
He knew He was the only One that could redeem her.
He willing offered Himself on Calvary for Her. He willingly gave His all to buy her back. He gave His blood to wash away her sins and He arose on the third day to give her hope of a new life.
All He Ever Wanted Was For Someone To Love Him.
The Church
Over 2,000 years have come and gone. He’s ready now to take His bride to a home He has prepared just for her.
He wanted someone who would love Him enough to heed all of His Word. After all, if she really loved Him, she would keep His commandments. Not pick and choose which ones she liked. He was in love, why wasn’t she?
Yet He sees her still looking at the world. Some times she tries harder to please her other lovers than she does Him.
- She has started complaining again if she thinks He’s asking her to dress a certain way just for Him. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him. She says, “He doesn’t care how I dress. He doesn’t look on the outside. He only looks on the inside, on the heart.”
- But when He looked in her heart, He saw nothing there that looked like love to Him. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- She dreads talking to Him on a daily basis. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- She doesn’t think about Him during the course of the day. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- Yet she talks freely to everyone else but Him. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- All she seems to want is a sugar daddy. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- She has to be begged to visit at His house. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- He blesses her with money and yet she is not faithful in her tithe to Him. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- He sends blessings her way and loads her down daily with benefits. She soon forgets. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- He sends healing to her every situation. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- He calms her storms of life. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- She has all the songs memorized and sings them without feeling. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- She hears His Word preached and chooses which parts she likes and doesn’t like. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- He says He’s coming to get her and she’s not even looking out the window for Him. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
- He says He is coming to get and to take her to heaven with Him; and she is not even making herself ready. She doesn’t act like she is in love with Him.
He knew it would happen this way.
A long time ago He said that she would love pleasure more than she loved Him.
He said that her love would wax cold.
He said she would leave her 1st love.
And He was right.
All He Ever Wanted Was For Someone To Love Him.
You
Do you love Him? I mean, do you really love Him? Do you love Him with all of your heart? He wants to know.
He wants to know if you love another. Do you?
He wants to know if your heart belongs only to Him or not. Does it?
He’s looking for a bride that will love Him with all of her heart, her soul her mind, and her strength.
Could that person be you? He’s looking your way right now. He wants it to be you.
All He Ever Wanted Was For Someone To Love Him.
The Joy The Jailers Couldn’t Junk
The Joy The Jailers Couldn’t Junk
John was a happy man, a very happy man. He wore an easy smile on his wrinkled face, yet his life had not been without turmoil. His quick temper had earned him a nickname when he was very young. But that was all behind him now.
Several times men had tried to kill him. Every time he had been fortunate to have escaped a horrible death at their hands.
He had travelled around Europe and Asia a lot when he was a young man. He had made a few friends and a lot of enemies in those travels. Some that met him never forgot him. Others never forgave him. He had made quite a reputation for himself. Some loved him. Some wanted him dead.
He was finally captured and ordered to spend the rest of his life in captivity. Without the chance of parole. By now, he had spent years in solitary confinement. No one had ever come to see him. No one was allowed.
He was found guilty of crimes against the state. The High Court in Greece was brutal to him; he was given the maximum punishment.
The Greek authorities could now rest in peace. John the troublemaker was finally off the streets. Their jobs would now be much easier.
John was lonely, and now in his advanced age, he was dying. There was no outwardly discernible reason for joy in his life, but he was still a very happy man. He felt that he had much to be happy about.
Yet one ever wrote to him much, if at all. He wrote letters that never got answers. He wrote quite a few of them actually. All he could do was hope that someone would read what he had written. He may finally die here, not knowing for sure if anyone ever did.
He was a brilliant man and a deep thinker. He wrote about love. He wrote about how families and friends should treat each other. He wrote about relationships, and then he wrote about love some more.
What he really loved was his children. He hoped his children would read the things that he had written. John had no regrets though. He would live his life over again just the same if he were given another chance.
He never wrote about his loneliness. He never wrote about his pain. He never wrote about his ailments. He never wrote about his separation from loved ones. He never wrote about his confinement or impending death.
But he did write about what made him a happy man. He wrote about what gave him joy even though things that would fill others with sorrow surrounded him. In his despair, he still had joy.
He wrote: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” 3 John 1:4
John’s greatest joy was knowing his children lived for God. It just doesn’t get any better than that!
Beaten To Pieces
Beaten To Pieces
The thugs used their brute strength to inflict injury. They meant to do major hurt to their victim. The victim had to meet with Munley Law, however the damage they had done to him was unbearable. Most of them didn’t even know the man. They didn’t care. They were professional killers. They were just carrying out orders from their boss.
Someone hit him in the face. Another smashed him on top of his head. Blood ran freely down his face and was smeared all over his cheeks.
Then the real beatings began. They hit him. They hit him again. Then they hit him some more. They beat him till his flesh turned black and blue. His arms had horrible bruises. His bruised back and sides looked like a slab of freshly butchered meat. His body was a bloody mess from the beating he took. It was as if they had beaten him to pieces.
His hands were tied. His legs were so weakened he could barely stand. He wasn’t very old either. He looked young, maybe early thirties or so.
That they wanted him to die was apparent. No one could believe this was really happening! He was a good man. Yet they were beating him to a bloody pulp. It was almost like they wanted this to be a public spectacle. They didn’t care if anyone watched them beat him senseless or not.
He was totally surrounded by his enemies. There was no one willing to come to his aid. It was just a matter of time.
Why were they doing this?
Where were the authorities?
Someone wanted him dead, real dead.
The bystanders were frozen in their tracks.
They all knew if they intervened, they would be beaten next.
Grown men winced with each blow as the looked at him. Mothers shielded their children’s eyes from the view. They didn’t want their little innocent eyes seeing such a terrible sight.
Bruises covered what the crowd could see of his body. They were deep ones too. Every bruise seemed to be smeared with blood. He looked a mess.
If they were going to kill him, why not do it? Why just bloody and bruise his body up like this? What was the point?
Really, What Was Point? Isaiah 53:5 Was The Point!
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
“Bruise: A primitive root (compare <H1794> (dakah)); … (literal or figurative) :- beat to pieces, break (in pieces), bruise….”
Strong’s Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.
Over 700 years before Jesus Christ was born, Isaiah prophesied that the Savior would allow Himself to not only die for our sins, but to be bruised, and to be ‘beaten to pieces.’ Why? It was for our iniquities.
Now Then…
When the enemy of our soul says that we have sinned too bad to ever be forgiven, remember His bruises. He allowed Himself to be ‘beaten to pieces’ for our iniquities. He went through that so you would know He loved you enough to always forgive you.
Thank You Jesus!
Apostolic Expository Series
Christy Ballestero (My Beautiful DIL)
http://marciaballestero.com/
Pastor Anthony & Kim Ballestero, New Destiny Worship Center, Clearwater, FL (My Son)
Pastor Bryan & Christy Ballestero, Temple Of Pentecost, Raleigh, NC (My Son)
James Groce Blog – "Toward The Mark"
Kenneth Bow Blog
Kingdom Speak Podcast
Philip Harrelson – "The Barnabas Blog"
Verbal Bean Ministries
Holy Ghost Radio
The Ballestero Blog 