24 posts tagged “prison”

Read Galatians 1:11-24

Can you look back at a point in your life and see a marked change from who you once were? Or, does your life still reflect much of the same things you did several years ago? Maybe you still use foul language or you’re still doing those things you knew you needed to stop doing years ago! Imagine for a moment what would have happened had the apostle Paul not been radically changed the day he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, Imagine he just became a believer but never really went anywhere once he believed. He likely would have returned home and went to bed, woke up the next day made a few tents and repeated the same thing over and over, day after day, month after month and year after year, maybe popping into the house church on Sunday mornings to shake a few hands and hear the elder say a few words of exhortation. Then, it’s off to the sizzler for lunch and beer and football after dinner. Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? The Apostle Paul do that! Are you kidding! Why, he’s the guy that started many churches, ordaining elders and yielding himself to God for the writing of all those wonderful spirit filled books of the bible as he went along…. Why, He’s the guy who sustained tremendous persecution just for speaking the name of Jesus Christ.

So my next question is this: if it isn’t ok for the apostle Paul to go home and become a Christian vegetable then why is it ok for us? Paul knew where he came from, he was zealous in the persecution of the church and in his own words he admits he tried to destroy it. After his encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ however, his life was no longer the same, even being able to look back and see the hand of the Lord separating him before he was even born. Friends, our lives should reflect some sort of a radical change for the Lord over time, no! It usually doesn’t happen over night and not everyone will become a Paul or for that matter no one will become a clone of another. God has His own set plan and purposes for each of our lives but he’s not going to force it upon us. God didn’t force Jesus to go to the cross but rather Jesus obeyed the will of the Father and likewise it is a choice for each of us to pick up our cross and follow after Him.

In verse 11 Paul tells the Galatians that the gospel which he preaches is not some made up fairy tail or good story to live by, the gospel isn’t even some attempt by man to reach up to heaven and connect with God, rather, the gospel is the account of our great God bowing down to connect with man and save us from our own depravity and the message  which Paul preached was not his own but rather given to him by divine revelation. I love the way this chapter ends with the Christians in Judea praising God as the author and source of what they heard in Paul. At first glance you might think they were praising God because this terrible persecutor of the Christians is now off the streets. But, I believe it is something greater than that, I think they praised God because they knew what a terrible reputation Saul of Tarsus had and for this man to become a Christian could only come from an act of God. So again I end asking the same question I started with, can you look back at a point in your life and see a marked change from who you once were? Can others?

Grace and peace in Christ Jesus,
Mark

1. The tennis shoes you must replace today will go on sale next week.

2. Leakproof thermoses will.

3. The chances of a piece of bread falling with the grape jelly side down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.

4. The garbage truck will be two doors past your house when the argument over whose day it is to take out the trash ends.

5. The shirt your child must wear today will be the only one that needs to be washed or mended.

6. Gym clothes left at school in lockers mildew at a faster rate than other clothing.

7. The item your child lost, and must have for school within the next ten seconds, will be found in the last place you look.

8. Sick children recover miraculously when the pediatrician enters the treatment room.

9. Refrigerated items, used daily, will gravitate toward the back of the refrigerator.

10. Your chances of being seen by someone you know dramatically increase if you drive your child to school in your robe and curlers.

"Do you love me with all your heart and soul?" asked Becky on Valentines Day.

"Mmm hmm." replied Dave.

"Do you think I'm the most beautiful girl in the world?"

"Mmm hmm."

"Do you think my lips are like rose petals?"

"Mmm hmm."

"Oh Dave," gushed Becky, "you say the most beautiful things!"

A local priest and pastor stood by the side of the road holding up a sign that said, "The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it's too late!" They planned to hold up the sign to each passing car.

"Leave us alone, you religious nuts!" yelled the first driver as he sped by.

From around the curve they heard a big splash.

"Do you think," said one clergy to the other, "we should just put up a sign that says 'bridge out' instead?"

"Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave."
- Martin Luther

During basic army training, a sergeant was telling his group how a submachine gun sprayed bullets. He drew a circle on a blackboard and announced that it had 260 degrees.

“But, sergeant, all circles have 360 degrees,” remarked one of the trainees.

“Don’t be stupid,” the sergeant roared. “This is a small circle.”

”Health Benefits Of Being Overweight”

A new report suggests that being overweight is not as harmful as is commonly believed, and actually confers some surprising benefits.

Being five to ten pounds overweight could protect people from ailments ranging from tuberculosis to Alzheimer's disease, research indicates. Those carrying 15 to 25 extra pounds are better able to recover from adverse conditions such as emphysema, pneumonia, and various injuries and infections, states the report.

Thirty to forty pounds of flab could help fend off breast, kidney, pancreatic, prostate, and colon cancer. And an extra fifty pounds on the scale may improve eyesight, reverse baldness, cure the common cold, and reduce global warming.

In general, the report concludes, overweight people are happier, more successful in business, smarter, and friendlier.

****The study was funded by a research grant from McDonald's, Burger King, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Domino's Pizza, Starbucks, Haagen Dazs, Sara Lee, and Krispy Kreme and is completely false.

The Many Names of CHRIST

To the ARTIST He is the One Altogether Lovely.

To the ARCHITECT He is the Chief Corner Stone.

To the BAKER He is the Living Bread.

To the BANKER He is the Hidden Treasure.

To the BIOLOGIST He is the Life.

To the BUILDER He is the Sure Foundation.

To the CARPENTER He is the Door.

To the DOCTOR He is the Great Physician.

To the EDUCATOR He is the Great Teacher.

To the ENGINEER He is the New and Living Way.

To the FLORIST He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.

To the GEOLOGIST He is the Rock of Ages.

To the HORTICULTURIST He is the True Vine.

To the JUDGE He is the Righteous Judge, Judge of All Men.

To the JEWELER He is the Pearl of Great Price.

To the LAWYER He is the Counselor, the Lawgiver, the Advocate.

To the NEWSPAPER He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.

To the OCULIST He is the Light of the Eyes.

To the PHILANTHROPIST He is the Unspeakable Gift.

To the PHILOSOPHER He is the Wisdom of God.

To the PREACHER He is the Word of God.

To the SCULPTOR He is the Living Stone.

To the SERVANT He is the Good Master.

To the STATESMAN He is the Desire of All Nations.

To the STUDENT He is the Incarnate Truth.

To the THEOLOGIAN He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

To the TOILER He is the Giver of Rest.

To the SINNER He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World.

To the CHRISTIAN He is the Son of the Living God, the Savior, the Redeemer and the Lord.

To me...HE is all of this and more,
HE is my everything, my all in all.
HE is more than LIFE to me,
~MY SOON COMING KING~

What is He to you?

"A deceased atheist is a man who is all dressed up with no place to go!"

We know not what tomorrow brings
... Although we plan ahead
For only God alone can know
... the pathway we must tread.

We cannot know the future
... not one minute nor one hour
Each circumstance that we must face
... lay only in His power.

It's vital that we live by faith
... from minute unto minute
And trusting that each step we take
... He's walking with us in it.

We cannot see the future
... nor the trials we must face
But in all things, God promised us
... sufficiency of grace.

This alone should give us hope
... whatever be our plans
In knowing that our future lies
... in His sweet, loving hands.

-Betty Purser Patten