Hi All,
Is your boat/car your God?Is your money your God?Is your house your God?Are there other objects or activities that are your God?Let me explain.Most Christians know what financial tithing means:10% of all income to be given to the Lord.
"Time Tithing"is; do we give at least ten percent of our time to God?By the way,what a pitiful percent!However,don't be hasty to judge your time as being more than that!Let's review the available time we have in our life to do whatever we want.[By the way,this lesson of time spent was put on my heart several years ago when I was reviewing my spiritual walk compared to my earthly walk.]There are 24 hours in a day,most people work 8 hours a day 5 days a week, leaving 8 hours to sleep and 8 hours to do whatever we want.8 hours times 5 =40 hours Monday through Friday to do whatever we want.On the weekend we still have 8 hours to sleep each day leaving 16 hours each of these 2 days to do whatever we want.Stay with me;the math shows us that we have 72 hours each week to do whatever we want;if your retired you can add time to the equation, this is all about the use of our "free"time.If you go to church on Sunday,let's allow 2 hours to the Lord;that is, 1 hour to get to church and 1 hour for the service;I am being very generous!Let's do the same if you attend a week day service,2 hours to the Lord,and the same if you attend a weekly Bible study,2 hours to the Lord.Further, let's give ourselves 2 hours per week of personal prayer time.Now we will add up our time spent with the Lord;2hours Sunday,2 hours weekday service,2 hours Bible study,2 hours personal prayer time,for a grand total of 8 hours per week,IF YOU ARE DOING ALL OF THE ABOVE!!72 hours in each week to do whatever we want, 8 hours of actual time with the Lord=approximately 11.5 % of our available"free" time with the Lord.Now don't get too tied up in the math,I know God put this on my heart for me,however,ask yourself these questions:
.Do I go to church every Sunday?
.Do I attend a week day church service?
.Do I take part in a weekly Bible study?
.Do I spend personal prayer time with God?
God wanted me to compare my time with Him, to my time with the T.V.,fiction reading,outside activities,etc.etc.You/I can't be with God if we're watching/doing worldly things that have nothing to do with His word.
God says to pray and seek His face all the time.In other words;see Him and glorify Him in all you do.Is it God 10%,20%,30% 40% etc.I picture ,at judgement day,how I will feel when God asks"My son ,how much time did you give Me in the time you had available?"Think in your mind of looking at the face of God and------you pick your percent,then think of the feeling in your heart of your answer,is it one of joy?or one of OhOh?God wants us to choose His house.Think of how many times we decide not to be with Him,instead,we choose our earthly "gods".
The lesson for me,after this analysis ,was to recognize very quickly ,that my God was NOT the God of the Bible ,but the many earthly pleasure"god's" I had available in my earthly walk.
I hope your not where I was in your life,however,once again,if my weaknesses can strengthen you in seeing what you need to do to grow in your spirituality,than all glory to God!
Until next time ,God bless you,Joe
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The Love Of A Brother/The Love Of A Father
Hi All,
Yesterday I went to the "Forest" to spend the afternoon sitting in a lawn chair, at the beach on the shores of Lake Huron, in my home town.A little background is necessary;I used to own a cottage in the Forest,thanks to my good friend Martha,who lived in the development, and told me about the "cute little house" for sale on her street.I bought it, had it renovated by another childhood friend Chuck O'Mara, including wiring,electric,turning the one car garage into living space with gas heater,you know,the things to make it comfortable for year round living.The total living area was only 800 sq.ft.,however,it was a terrific getaway in the winter,and a wonderful summer home, with the further blessing of having my family and friends close at hand.
I owned the home from 1995 to 1999,at which time I sold it to my younger brother Mike.The purpose of this letter is to share with you the background for the sale to my brother and how, up until yesterday,11 years later, I finally became peaceful over the sale and recognized the love of my brother for his son and family.
Mike was living in a bungalow on our brother Raymond's property, also on Lake Huron.I know Mike enjoyed being with Ray,however, the home was smaller than "the cute little house",didn't have a bedroom ,and was not well insulated.My blessings were many, I had a beautiful home in Findlay,Ohio,had purchased a condominium in Florida and owned the "cute little house"in the Forest.I thought how selfish of me to have so much,why don't I sell my "cute little house" to Mike,who was by himself at the time,for exactly what I had invested in the house,and "throw in" the furniture,in other words,bring your tooth brush and enjoy! Mike accepted the offer and was delighted in living there.[I love Mike ,that was the whole reason to sell the place to him,otherwise I wouldn't have sold it to anyone, a perfect arrangement]
The next thing I know,Mike sells the home to HIS son Mike,I'm thinking ,if he was going to do that,I should have kept the home!That thought always came up in my heart every time I visited Port Huron in the summer;until yesterday!I'm amazed how God will tell us the truth if we take the time to listen.Hear this,I knew that I did what I did through love for my brother,BUT,I NEVER thought of the love Mike had for his son and family,to give up his place through love,so his son could live more comfortably with his family!In other words,the selling of the "cute little house" was a BLESSING to Mike and his family,NOT something for me to regret;what an epiphany,11 years later!
In closing ,as you go down your road of life,remember,some things you view as a negative are in reality, a positive,maybe not in your mind,but in GOD'S HEART!
Until next time,God bless,Joe
Yesterday I went to the "Forest" to spend the afternoon sitting in a lawn chair, at the beach on the shores of Lake Huron, in my home town.A little background is necessary;I used to own a cottage in the Forest,thanks to my good friend Martha,who lived in the development, and told me about the "cute little house" for sale on her street.I bought it, had it renovated by another childhood friend Chuck O'Mara, including wiring,electric,turning the one car garage into living space with gas heater,you know,the things to make it comfortable for year round living.The total living area was only 800 sq.ft.,however,it was a terrific getaway in the winter,and a wonderful summer home, with the further blessing of having my family and friends close at hand.
I owned the home from 1995 to 1999,at which time I sold it to my younger brother Mike.The purpose of this letter is to share with you the background for the sale to my brother and how, up until yesterday,11 years later, I finally became peaceful over the sale and recognized the love of my brother for his son and family.
Mike was living in a bungalow on our brother Raymond's property, also on Lake Huron.I know Mike enjoyed being with Ray,however, the home was smaller than "the cute little house",didn't have a bedroom ,and was not well insulated.My blessings were many, I had a beautiful home in Findlay,Ohio,had purchased a condominium in Florida and owned the "cute little house"in the Forest.I thought how selfish of me to have so much,why don't I sell my "cute little house" to Mike,who was by himself at the time,for exactly what I had invested in the house,and "throw in" the furniture,in other words,bring your tooth brush and enjoy! Mike accepted the offer and was delighted in living there.[I love Mike ,that was the whole reason to sell the place to him,otherwise I wouldn't have sold it to anyone, a perfect arrangement]
The next thing I know,Mike sells the home to HIS son Mike,I'm thinking ,if he was going to do that,I should have kept the home!That thought always came up in my heart every time I visited Port Huron in the summer;until yesterday!I'm amazed how God will tell us the truth if we take the time to listen.Hear this,I knew that I did what I did through love for my brother,BUT,I NEVER thought of the love Mike had for his son and family,to give up his place through love,so his son could live more comfortably with his family!In other words,the selling of the "cute little house" was a BLESSING to Mike and his family,NOT something for me to regret;what an epiphany,11 years later!
In closing ,as you go down your road of life,remember,some things you view as a negative are in reality, a positive,maybe not in your mind,but in GOD'S HEART!
Until next time,God bless,Joe
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Did I Appreciate Her Enough?
Hi All,
As you know,I have been visiting with my family in Michigan for the last 3 weeks.My time has been focused on my 50 yr. class reunion and 2 weddings involving a nephew and a cousin,along with great laughter and sharing with my wife and family as we stay at my sister Kathy's and her husband Bob's house..Tonight I decided to go over to my brother-in -law's home for a swim in his pool.My younger sister Ann,to whom my brother-in -law Mike was married ,passed away very suddenly this past February.As it happened, he wasn't home and I had the pool to myself and some quiet time for reminiscing about Ann.I found myself reflecting on all the things my sister meant to me in my life;and now to the crux of this letter,did I appreciate the core of what she was as a fellow human being enough?Bear in mind I'm NOT talking about ALL she was,not the pimples,but the true goodness of her "core" heart.Ann was the steady beat of her marriage's heart,the reason for so many family gatherings at their house,the "words of wisdom"always being asked of her by the female members,family and friends. [We men rarely ask for anyone to glimpse our doubts,fears,etc]the "lets get it done"attitude,the number of times she was asked to be "Godmother"to family ,as well as,friend's children,the confidence shown by her clients[she owned a styling salon for many years]in sharing very personal information knowing she wouldn't betray their trust.
Ann NEVER said no to any one that asked for her help,her being was one of total giving.
I wonder how many of us concentrate on that special difference of the heart of those that are part of our walk in life;certainly to include those closest to us,spouses,siblings,aunts,uncles,cousins,friends,etc.Compared to how many times we focus on the "flaws" and gossip about the perceived weaknesses,what a waste of our time and the missing of seeing the core heart of those who truly reflect,during most of their life,love as God demanded"love your neighbor as yourself".
I miss my sister and tonight I shed a few tears because of her passing,and am comforted with great faith that she is with our Father in Heaven.In closing,can't we all learn to accept and enjoy the goodness of those that love us 100% of the time and not be bothered by their human frailties,by the way, we all possess weaknesses.
I know Ann knew how much I loved her,I am only thinking of the time wasted by not seeing what she was so ready to offer me if I had only looked for it 100% of the time.
Until next time,God bless all of you,Joe
As you know,I have been visiting with my family in Michigan for the last 3 weeks.My time has been focused on my 50 yr. class reunion and 2 weddings involving a nephew and a cousin,along with great laughter and sharing with my wife and family as we stay at my sister Kathy's and her husband Bob's house..Tonight I decided to go over to my brother-in -law's home for a swim in his pool.My younger sister Ann,to whom my brother-in -law Mike was married ,passed away very suddenly this past February.As it happened, he wasn't home and I had the pool to myself and some quiet time for reminiscing about Ann.I found myself reflecting on all the things my sister meant to me in my life;and now to the crux of this letter,did I appreciate the core of what she was as a fellow human being enough?Bear in mind I'm NOT talking about ALL she was,not the pimples,but the true goodness of her "core" heart.Ann was the steady beat of her marriage's heart,the reason for so many family gatherings at their house,the "words of wisdom"always being asked of her by the female members,family and friends. [We men rarely ask for anyone to glimpse our doubts,fears,etc]the "lets get it done"attitude,the number of times she was asked to be "Godmother"to family ,as well as,friend's children,the confidence shown by her clients[she owned a styling salon for many years]in sharing very personal information knowing she wouldn't betray their trust.
Ann NEVER said no to any one that asked for her help,her being was one of total giving.
I wonder how many of us concentrate on that special difference of the heart of those that are part of our walk in life;certainly to include those closest to us,spouses,siblings,aunts,uncles,cousins,friends,etc.Compared to how many times we focus on the "flaws" and gossip about the perceived weaknesses,what a waste of our time and the missing of seeing the core heart of those who truly reflect,during most of their life,love as God demanded"love your neighbor as yourself".
I miss my sister and tonight I shed a few tears because of her passing,and am comforted with great faith that she is with our Father in Heaven.In closing,can't we all learn to accept and enjoy the goodness of those that love us 100% of the time and not be bothered by their human frailties,by the way, we all possess weaknesses.
I know Ann knew how much I loved her,I am only thinking of the time wasted by not seeing what she was so ready to offer me if I had only looked for it 100% of the time.
Until next time,God bless all of you,Joe
Monday, August 2, 2010
I Didn't Know How To Pray!
Hi All,
I want to talk about or better yet,to think about prayer and the steps needed on our part for God to hear us.I am continuing to learn how to pray in faith through God's word of truth NEEDING TO KNOW HIS WORD OF TRUTH !
I find it so amazing that all my/your questions regarding God's heart and thought process is readily available to us in His God breathed word,the Bible.For most of my life I prefaced my prayer requests with the phrase"If It be your will"when I was diagnosed with cancer, God led me to find out what His will was/is regarding prayer requests.I quote from 2Chronicles chp.7v14"If my people which are called by my name,shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face,and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land"When did saying "I will pray for you "become so trite?;not in the thought of praying,but the standard of God's word in your heart.Let me explain;God's word says"turn away from your wicked ways"How many of us pray and then go back to the same "sins"Example:go back to my anger,my drugs,my alcohol,my homosexuality,my lying,my cheating,etc.,etc,you get the point,I get the point!God is NOT saying I/you will not sin again,He knows we are too weak;but,where is the HEART CHANGE to learn and study His word through the Bible and then start walking,in your heart,as a humble,seeking God's Face,turning from our wicked ways and then "I YOUR GOD WILL HEAR YOU AND WILL FORGIVE YOU"
I will continue to let God be specific on this subject from His Immaculate word.I quote from Psalms66V18:"If I regard iniquity in my heart,the Lord will not hear me"
I will use the following passage from Dakes Annotated Reference Bible:
"Regarding iniquity of the heart is the reason for many unanswered prayers,the writer says,If I had seen iniquity in my heart and encouraged it ;if I had pretended to be what I was not;and I had loved iniquity while I professed to pray and be sorry for my sin,the Lord would not have healed me.I would have been left with out His help and support in my time of trouble"SIN HINDERS FAITH ,AND LACK OF FAITH HINDERS ANSWERS.I am back to the beginning.I/We must know God's word in the foundation of our heart and have complete faith in them,causing a heart change, to have blessings and prayer answered.
There are many specific passages in the Bible on God's will in answering prayer for physical healing.See the following:
Exodus C23V25,26;Psalms 103;Psalms 107V20;Proverbs C4V22;Matthew C4V23-25;Matthew C9V35,36;Luke C6V17-19.There are many more references regards complete healing,as well as,ANYTHING YOU ASK IN JESUS'S NAME in the new testament;see John C14V12,13;Acts C28V9;James C5V14,15.
The point of this letter is,once again,for my journey of life to be a blessing to you by my sharing my experiences in my earthly/spiritual walk, led by God's immaculate truth as He has caused and blessed me in finding it through His word in the Bible.
Until next time,God bless all of you,Joe
I want to talk about or better yet,to think about prayer and the steps needed on our part for God to hear us.I am continuing to learn how to pray in faith through God's word of truth NEEDING TO KNOW HIS WORD OF TRUTH !
I find it so amazing that all my/your questions regarding God's heart and thought process is readily available to us in His God breathed word,the Bible.For most of my life I prefaced my prayer requests with the phrase"If It be your will"when I was diagnosed with cancer, God led me to find out what His will was/is regarding prayer requests.I quote from 2Chronicles chp.7v14"If my people which are called by my name,shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face,and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land"When did saying "I will pray for you "become so trite?;not in the thought of praying,but the standard of God's word in your heart.Let me explain;God's word says"turn away from your wicked ways"How many of us pray and then go back to the same "sins"Example:go back to my anger,my drugs,my alcohol,my homosexuality,my lying,my cheating,etc.,etc,you get the point,I get the point!God is NOT saying I/you will not sin again,He knows we are too weak;but,where is the HEART CHANGE to learn and study His word through the Bible and then start walking,in your heart,as a humble,seeking God's Face,turning from our wicked ways and then "I YOUR GOD WILL HEAR YOU AND WILL FORGIVE YOU"
I will continue to let God be specific on this subject from His Immaculate word.I quote from Psalms66V18:"If I regard iniquity in my heart,the Lord will not hear me"
I will use the following passage from Dakes Annotated Reference Bible:
"Regarding iniquity of the heart is the reason for many unanswered prayers,the writer says,If I had seen iniquity in my heart and encouraged it ;if I had pretended to be what I was not;and I had loved iniquity while I professed to pray and be sorry for my sin,the Lord would not have healed me.I would have been left with out His help and support in my time of trouble"SIN HINDERS FAITH ,AND LACK OF FAITH HINDERS ANSWERS.I am back to the beginning.I/We must know God's word in the foundation of our heart and have complete faith in them,causing a heart change, to have blessings and prayer answered.
There are many specific passages in the Bible on God's will in answering prayer for physical healing.See the following:
Exodus C23V25,26;Psalms 103;Psalms 107V20;Proverbs C4V22;Matthew C4V23-25;Matthew C9V35,36;Luke C6V17-19.There are many more references regards complete healing,as well as,ANYTHING YOU ASK IN JESUS'S NAME in the new testament;see John C14V12,13;Acts C28V9;James C5V14,15.
The point of this letter is,once again,for my journey of life to be a blessing to you by my sharing my experiences in my earthly/spiritual walk, led by God's immaculate truth as He has caused and blessed me in finding it through His word in the Bible.
Until next time,God bless all of you,Joe
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Never To Be Duplicated
Hi All,
Have you ever considered the fact that of all the BILLIONS of people that have been born and died;and the cycle continues until the very end of this world as we know it,that there will NEVER be another YOU?God has created each of us as a once, never to be duplicated child of His!{My wife would say thank you Lord lol}I know that most of us don't think of ourselves in this light,however,reflect on the fact of this truth for a moment;YOU/ME WILL NEVER BE DUPLICATED!I ask you to think of the responsibility of your life wrapped around the reality of this statement.
God created a you and me and watched us make our "free will" decisions,always with unmeasureable love in His heart,but with great consternation and sadness when we walked away from Him.
I want us to think today about our legacy;what will we leave behind from our human/spiritual walk?Will we be remembered as a kind,patient,sharing,emulating Jesus human being,certainly with our weaknesses and flaws,but ,if someone were to sum up our life in a sentence or two what would it be ?When God put this thought on my heart that was when the change to Him came about.I concluded that my "sins"were always about my selfish needs 100% of the time!I just had to have, whatever it was NOW!I/We can SAY I love you to those around us;family and friends included,however,it's the DO that's the truth of our heart.
God knows we are going to fall down in this life,the question becomes,are we going to pick ourselves up,ask His foregiveness,grow spiritually from the experience, seek His Face,or continue to walk "on the dark side"?For many years I made so many excuses and justifications for my failures as a man,father,son,husband and friend,I could write a book![bear in mind,the truth of these sin's were hidden from everyone except between God and my heart}.
God says ,in the Bible ,that the greatest commandment is to love each other as He loves us;duh!if you truly love someone wouldn't the last thing you want to do is hurt them?I didn't stop loving the people I hurt in my life,my selfish needs proved I didn't love them enough to put their feelings first before mine got in the way!
In closing ,I would ask each of you to consider,what is going to be your legacy to those you leave behind,and what will our Father in heaven say to you in greeting you for all of eternity "job well done "or something that may cause you to go "OH,OH!
Until next time ,God bless each of you on this wonderful walk through this life,Joe
Have you ever considered the fact that of all the BILLIONS of people that have been born and died;and the cycle continues until the very end of this world as we know it,that there will NEVER be another YOU?God has created each of us as a once, never to be duplicated child of His!{My wife would say thank you Lord lol}I know that most of us don't think of ourselves in this light,however,reflect on the fact of this truth for a moment;YOU/ME WILL NEVER BE DUPLICATED!I ask you to think of the responsibility of your life wrapped around the reality of this statement.
God created a you and me and watched us make our "free will" decisions,always with unmeasureable love in His heart,but with great consternation and sadness when we walked away from Him.
I want us to think today about our legacy;what will we leave behind from our human/spiritual walk?Will we be remembered as a kind,patient,sharing,emulating Jesus human being,certainly with our weaknesses and flaws,but ,if someone were to sum up our life in a sentence or two what would it be ?When God put this thought on my heart that was when the change to Him came about.I concluded that my "sins"were always about my selfish needs 100% of the time!I just had to have, whatever it was NOW!I/We can SAY I love you to those around us;family and friends included,however,it's the DO that's the truth of our heart.
God knows we are going to fall down in this life,the question becomes,are we going to pick ourselves up,ask His foregiveness,grow spiritually from the experience, seek His Face,or continue to walk "on the dark side"?For many years I made so many excuses and justifications for my failures as a man,father,son,husband and friend,I could write a book![bear in mind,the truth of these sin's were hidden from everyone except between God and my heart}.
God says ,in the Bible ,that the greatest commandment is to love each other as He loves us;duh!if you truly love someone wouldn't the last thing you want to do is hurt them?I didn't stop loving the people I hurt in my life,my selfish needs proved I didn't love them enough to put their feelings first before mine got in the way!
In closing ,I would ask each of you to consider,what is going to be your legacy to those you leave behind,and what will our Father in heaven say to you in greeting you for all of eternity "job well done "or something that may cause you to go "OH,OH!
Until next time ,God bless each of you on this wonderful walk through this life,Joe
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