Your Story’s Just Beginning!

Happy Resurrection Sunday! And Happy Easter, one and all! I spent all day Friday thinking about the disciples and the women with Jesus, waiting, holding their breath, unsure and afraid. Peter, especially, was on my mind. This song by Casting Crowns come to mind as I did. Peter was probably sure he was a complete failure to the Lord. I can almost hear the enemy taunting him. But Jesus has a surprise for the enemy, didn’t He? Yes! Peter’s story was really just beginning. Thanks to what our Lord, Jesus did for us on Calvary, and then in Hell when he stripped Satan of his power, and the keys to death and hell…in front of all the principalities and powers…everybody’s story was just beginning. Your story really is just beginning when you come to the Lord. He takes everything behind you, and paves the road ahead of you with it. That’s the road to glory; His, and yours! “Today, when you hear His Voice, don’t harden your hearts.” (Isaiah 40:10) “Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.“

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

You Cannot Serve Both

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to ask ourselves whether we are serving God, or serving money/riches. Mammon, it is called in the Bible.

As I read the message, I recalled a conversation I had recently, about someone being refused a meal because they wouldn’t give up their personal information and register. They were told the reason was that if they didn’t register, the church couldn’t get paid for the meal by the government. Jesus tells us, in Matt. 6:24, that we cannot serve both God and money. Either we will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. This is very true. We prove it. I don’t think there’s a Christian that hasn’t experienced this conflict in one way or another. And, the love of money will definitely cause conflict in your life. With it comes debt, deceit, stress, all kinds of stumbling blocks.

Some of us who have held down two, and sometimes three jobs, just to make ends meet, know what a cruel Lord money can be. Work, work, work; and there’s still nothing left over, and still no chance of getting ahead. Some of us have fallen into the prestige and power trap. We sold ourselves to the “up and coming crowd;” the “Haves.” Some of us got caught up in the money trap because we tried to replace our self respect and/or dignity with stuff, stuff, and more stuff. We have to be very careful with our attitudes about money/mammon, because mammon is a very sneaky adversary. I say that, because the spirit behind it and the world’s ideas of wealth, are at work for the powers, principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness in the heavens. In reality, it is only sidewalk. It’s what the streets in Heaven are paved with.

Solomon said that money answers everything. It does. It pays the rent, puts food on the table, fills the car with gas, etc. But, money is to serve us; not vice versa. Keeping our attitudes about it in line with God’s Word, and practicing good stewardship/management, are the keys to staying free of bondage to it. There’s also that checklist of things like pride, fear, greed, and the like, to reckon with. We can easily fall into the money trap by way of these.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

They’re Just Gone From Here…

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that our loved ones are not gone. They are just gone from here. But they are freed from all human limitations, rejoicing, and serving the Lord in Heaven.

The message tells us that they can also protect us, minister to us, and even intercede for us. This is where all kinds of arguments get started, isn’t it? I believe this is true. In the Bible, we can read about the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man asked that someone be sent to his family members on Earth, to warn them. Another Lazarus in the Bible died, and his sisters, Mary and Martha were quite upset with Jesus about it. Jesus told them Lazarus was only sleeping. He told Jairus the same thing about his daughter. The Bible tells us that Jesus conquered death and the grave. We’re told that He has the keys to death and Hades. Those are just some examples of scriptures that tells us death is not final.

I have had countless experiences such as hearing my mother’s voice-from memory, warning me about something, as I’m trying to decide what to do, whom to believe, etc. There have been times when I was sick, and heard her voice in my sleep, comforting me like she did when she was alive. There isn’t a holiday that goes by without my feeling her presence in the kitchen as I’m cooking. Whenever I see a bouquet of red carnations, I can see her smiling; they were her favorites. Those are some of the ways in which our loved ones stay with us. We also keep them alive here with us when we share memories of them with friends and family. It’s especially important to share those with the next generations. But, have you ever just had this feeling, or something just told you not to go somewhere or do something, etc.? Could that have been dear old Mom or Dad? I can’t say for sure it was. But I can say for sure that God can do anything; and will do whatever He has to, to protect us. As for that interceding part…well, all I have to say is, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Gramps, and all of my buds who got that before me, if you do. I need all the help I can get!” I believe with all my heart, they’re not gone; just gone from here.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu