WE All Have Reasons to Rejoice

From my morning devotional, by R. T. Kendall

 “An they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worth to suffer shame for his name. Acts 5:41

“Do you feel that you let God down sometimes? Haven’t we all?

He is not asking us to be excited about the bad things that may have happened in our lives or in the world around us, but He is trying to get our minds on something useful and positive because – one day – we will be glad we did.

The rejoicing that Peter experienced after being rebuked and flogged by the ruling council of Jerusalem showed how much he had changed. He was cowardly after Jesus was arrested, but now he was as bold as a lion. God wants to do this for all of us. He lets us have a second chance after we have blown it. This alone is cause for rejoicing.

But there is one further important clarification: we are told to rejoice in the Lord. We do not rejoice in ourselves or in things. We rejoice in the Lord Jesus. This we can always do because there is no fault in Him, no disappointment. We rejoice in his person-that He is totally God and totally man. No matter what our circumstances we ca n always-with-integrity-rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The same Lord we rejoice in, however, is not only in heaven. He is with us wherever we are. Paul spoke of Jesus being right there with him (2 Tim. 4:17). How could this be if he is in heaven? Is it because He miraculously remains there and yet comes to us where we are? Certainly. But it is also because He lifts us up to where He is! “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb. 13:5) That is therefore perpetual cause for rejoicing.

God will come again, one way or another, to let us have another chance – an (perhaps) save face! Rejoice in His faithfulness. Rejoice in the way He covers for us and does not expose the skeletons in our closets. God is so kind and gracious. Whatever you are going through, this too will work for good (Rom. 8:28). So rejoice!

Excepted from Pure Joy (Charisma house 2006)

May You find the courage to REJOICE for no other reason than He is Lord of every circumstance. Blessing this day and this week as well.

Love ya, T.A.B.

For Someone . . . this hymn has been ringing in my spirit all week

How Tedious and Tasteless the Hours

John Newton, the well-known converted slave-trader who authored "Amazing Grace," also wrote this little-known hymn. It expresses the centrality of communion with Christ to the Christian's joy. Some years ago in Brooklyn, Pastor Brown asked a singer he'd met to come and sing for our church. Brother March sang this song and what a blessing it was. Read, meditate, and be moved to seek Christ as your all.

How tedious and tasteless the hours

When Jesus I no longer see;

Sweet prospects, sweet birds and sweet flowers,

Have all lost their sweetness to me;

The midsummer sun shines but dim,

The fields strive in vain to look gay.

But when I am happy in Him,

December’s as pleasant as May.

His Name yields the richest perfume,

And sweeter than music His voice;

His presence disperses my gloom,

And makes all within me rejoice.

I should, were He always thus nigh,

Have nothing to wish or to fear;

No mortal as happy as I,

My summer would last all the year.

Content with beholding His face,

My all to His pleasure resigned,

No changes of season or place

Would make any change in my mind:

While blessed with a sense of His love,

A palace a toy would appear;

All prisons would palaces prove,

If Jesus would dwell with me there.

Dear Lord, if indeed I am Thine,

If Thou art my sun and my song,

Say, why do I languish and pine?

And why are my winters so long?

O drive these dark clouds from the sky,

Thy soul cheering presence restore;

Or take me to Thee up on high,

Where winter and clouds are no more.

 

Originally posted by Brian G. Hedges

The words of an old hymn come rushing back to me today . . .

There have been three churches which have been foundational to my life Emmanuel United Pentecostal church, Bishop G. N. Brown pastor;  Berean Baptist Church, Rev. Dr. H. L. James, pastor; and Community Bible Tabernacle, (Philadelphia, Pa.,) Bishop W. W. Smith, pastor. It was here that God began His good work in me.

I don't know the Sunday I walked into Berean Baptist Church, to hear a hymn for the first time which become a part of my life, "Come Thou Font of Every Blessing." I've been singing it (not very well) ever since. 

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Refrain:
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

May these words comfort, and bless your heart today as they did mine.

Love ya,
T.A.B.

---

A Recommendation

The work a pastor (minister) can be and often is very lonely. Too often we pray alone, study alone. and work alone. Knowing that God is present is a comfort and strength, but frankly we more often then most of us would confess, we need an Aaron and Hur to stand with us (Ex. 17:12,) yes isolation, is often our only friend.

I ask you consider the benefits of The Shepherd's Covenant, I signed up. there is no cost to you and it is from Focus On The Family. What is it? You and I covenant together:

• G -genuine Accountability - 1 Samuel 18:1, NIV
• R - Right Relationships - 2 Corinthians 13:11 NIV
• A - A Servant/Shepherd's Heart - John 10:15 NIV
• C - Constant Safeguards - Ephesians 6:10
• E - Embrace God Intimately - James 4:8

Yes, it spells GRACE. All you need do is sign up at http://www.parsonage.org/ There is a great deal more to the covenant, but I hope I've wet your  to seek appetite for additional information.

You will receive a packet in the mail along with a lapel pin. Send me an e-mail make me aware that we are partners and accountable to each other. Perhaps you have already signed on, let me know. What a blessing it is to know 'you've got my back," and I've got yours.

Love ya, T.A.B.

How Do you Get the Most Out of Your Trials> By R. T. Kendall

From this morning’s time with the Lord.
Out of the most severe trial, their over-flowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 2 Corinthians 8:2

So how do you dignify a trial? Below are eight steps to getting the most out of your trials.

1.      Welcome it. Welcome the trial as you would welcome the Holy Spirit, for it is the Holy Spirit who, with the Father and the Son, is behind the ordeal. And in this case, he comes with one purpose: for your own good.

2.      Don't panic. Satan's immediate goal when he is given permission to attach is to get you to panic. This is why he is compared to a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8). The reason for the roar is to intimidate and cause fear and panic - to make you think you are defeated even before anything has had a chance to happen.

3. See the trial as a compliment from God Himself. This is important. The kind of trial He has allowed you to have is very possibly one that could not be granted to others around you. God gave this trial to you for one reason: you are up to it.

4. Never forget that God allowed it. Satan will want you to focus on yourself, feel self-pity, and blame someone else for it. But realize that this trial has passed through God's filtering process.

5. Know that there is a purpose in it. There is an intelligent, meaningful reason God allowed it. It is to refine you, teach you a lesson, equip you better, make you more sensitive, teach you self-control, and help you guard your tongue. In other words, make you more like Jesus.

6. don't try to end it. Don't try to get out of anything prematurely. God will allow it to last as long as it supposed to last.

7. don't grumble. It is a sobering thought that God puts grumbling alongside idolatry and sexual sin in the list of evil deeds that brought His wrath down on ancient Israel (1 Cor. 10:1-12).

8. Know that God wants you to pass the test far more than you do. There are two reasons for this. First, He loves us so much and rejoices to see us experience pure joy. Second, it brings glory to Him when we dignify the trial by cheerfully enduring it.

Excerpted from Pure Joy (Charisma House, 2006)

Praying his strength for you today, In Jesus Name. Amen
Love ya, (aka) T.; T.A.B.; Bishop; Pastor t; “Dr.” Brother-Man

How Do You Get the Most Out of Your Trials? by R. T. Kendall

Out of the most severe trial, their over-flowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 2 Corinthians 8:2


So how do you dignify a trial? Below are eight steps to getting the most out of your trials.

1. Welcome it.Welcome the trial as you would welcome the Holy Spirit, for it is the Holy Spirit who, with the Father and the Son, is behind the ordeal. And in this case, he comes with one purpose: for your own good.
2. Don't panic. Satan's immediate goal when he is given permission to attach is to get you to panic. This is why he is compared to a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8). The reason for the roar is to intimidate and cause fear and panic - to make you think you are defeated even before anything has had a chance to happen.
3. See the trial as a compliment from God Himself. This is important. The kind of trial He has allowed you to have is very possibly one that could not be granted to others around you. God gave this trial to you for one reason: you are up to it.
4. Never forget that God allowed it. Satan will want you to focus on yourself, feel self-pity, and blame someone else for it. But realize that this trial has passed through God's filtering process.
5. Know that there is a purpose in it. There is an intelligent, meaningful reason God allowed it. It is to refine you, teach you a lesson, equip you better, make you more sensitive, teach you self-control, and help you guard your tongue. In other words, make you more like Jesus.
6. don't try to end it. Don't try to get out of anything prematurely. God will allow it to last as long as it it supposed to last.
7. don't grumble. It is a sobering thought that God puts grumbling alongside idolatry and sexual sin in the list of evil deeds that brought His wrath down on ancient Israel (1 Cor. 10:1-12).
8. Know that God wants you to pass the test far more than you do. There are two reasons for this. First, He loves us so much and rejoices to see us experience pure joy. Second, it brings glory to Him when we dignify the trial by cheerfully enduring it.

Excerpted from Pure Joy (Charisma House, 2006)

This thing called prayer

As you may know, I'm reading a book and as a result I've been 'slapped' pretty hard. It isn't often I read a well known author who says, "I told the Lord that my prayer life stunk." Does that sound like anyone you know? Yeah, ME! " "That I found no enjoyment in prayer. found it boring and uneventful. Flat out I did not like to pray. I knew it was supposed to be a big deal for followers of Christ, but it came up short with me. Blatant honesty. No holds barred. In point of fact, I believe I told the Lord I wasn't even sure I wanted him to change all that, because the idea of a life of old stuffy prayer did not appeal to me."

Okay, let's get honest. That sound so much like me, I could have written it! What? No, no T.A. (Tony) Burns, yep! If we are ever to grow, we must begin with acknowledging where we are. Not where we wish we were, or liked to be, but were we are NOW. Reading more about prayer may be a start, but praying is hard work, and it requires a lot more than mental assent.

 ". . . a good prayer life is God's business, not mine." There is actually a Spirit of prayer, according to Ole Hallesby, he wrote that without this Spirit of prayer all prayer is empty an ineffective. But if I seek God, who is willing to give me much more that I can ask, if I am willing to ask. Somehow, if I think about it, I haven't asked. I have not because I ask not, or I ask amiss. That's "a wake up call."

Is there anyone out there like me? Will you dare acknowle my failure to pray is the result of feeling like it was a waste of time? Oh, I know I should do it, and Jesus said too, but, well and oh my . . .

Lord, I want it, that Spirit of prayer that ushers in your presence with power; life changing, healing, break through power, in my life, In Jesus Name, Amen.

Now that's just a start.