A friend of mine fwded this to me and I wonna share.


***God bless the parents who drugged us.

The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question:

Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"

I replied, "I had a drug problem when I was young...I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds. I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood; and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.

God bless the parents who drugged us.

Something to think about.This friend of mine sent me this.

Read on.

How many times have we done it? We've heard the voice of God in our spirits tell us that He’s going to do something wonderful in our lives! He’s given us a vision of what He wants us to do and we’re so excited to serve Him! We start on this new adventure with full confidence that He will perform exactly what He said He would, and we’re off!! But, it doesn’t take too long before we get discouraged. We don’t get the support we’d hoped for. People poke fun...some of them are even Christians. You might even be faced with someone trying to compete with you rather than be a prayerful partner in this endeavor. Or what about the doctor’s report that you got from your last exam? They said it’s not good news. In fact, there’s very little hope for you, in their eyes. How about the family that’s separated during this time of war? You’ve been apart so long you don’t know how you’re going to deal with being under the same roof again. And you’ve all got new baggage that you’re bringing with you under that roof. You are scared, frustrated, and discouraged.

It happens to all of us at some point, sometimes at many points, in our lives. What do we do when we’re ready to give up, throw in the towel, or run and hide? We wait...Patiently. In Jeremiah 29:11 God Himself promised us good plans for our lives. He Promised! He doesn’t go back on His word...ever. It’s true, sometimes things aren’t working in our lives because we’re running from God. He has set up a perfect system for us but it does not work if we’re running away from, rather than to, Him. But what about the times when you know it was the Holy Spirit telling you to “Go this way, trust Me” and yet there seems to be nothing? Wait even more. Don’t stop going in the right direction. Wait does not always mean Stop. Sometimes it means keep doing what you knew in the beginning you were supposed to do. You will always be faced with opposition swimming upstream. It’s inevitable. That opposition will not overtake you, however, because of the victory of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 40:31 tells us to do this waiting thing. “Wait for the Lord” it says. The Holy Spirit whispers, “Be patient, I will preform these things I have told you about.” So we do one of the most difficult things...We wait. We stay calm, in Him. We rest, no matter how little support we get; no matter how bad the report; no matter how long it’s been...we wait...and He restores. He fights the battle, and He wins the victory. Thank You Jesus

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

You can read the whole chapter 40.It is very encouraging.I'm a witness to this.

Praise be to God.

quote:

Originally posted by Nyina Wa Bakhita:

Paka Alley,I have been wondering too.Where did everyone go?By the way,what verses of the Bible did you read? Care to share?

Wa B,

I dont subscribe to the christian faith but i like reading the bible.I am a rastafarian.Surprisingly we use the same holy book with christians.My favourite books are in the old statement especially the songs of solomon, daniel , deutronomy and leviticus.I however get curious why there was so much genocide , bloodshed and animosity among the many communities who existed in israel in those olden times.I rarely touch the new statement books.They rarely resonate with the realities of the moment.I once tried the book of revelation but understood nothing.

May be you can shed some light on this.

Paka Alley,Rastawho?Is this a religion?Who do they believe in? Bob Marley? Just curious.I know of Rastafarians but not in that light.

Revelation is the ufunuo God gave to John in Patmo to show his servants what will happen.
Revelation can be hard to understand.Its a book about history and prophecies about what could happen if the world goes against Gods will.It teaches of what happened to the ones who disobeyed before and as you know,history kind of repeats itself when forgotten.Like some smart guy said,to know your future,you need to know your history .That way,you can make sure history never repeats itself.

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. Rev 1:3

If you would like,we could go through it .You know,talk about it,argue,agree,disagree and maybe agree to disagree.How about that?

Bicobu,Ngunjiri,Nyumba,Help needed.God bless you and thank you.

I pray that you keep reading the Bible.You all know how to reach me if you need to talk or someone to listen.

Be Blessed Yu'all

HEBREWS 11, THE "FAITH CHAPTER," is probably the most famous chapter in the book of Hebrews.
*What is the relationship between faith and assurance?
*What examples of faith should we consider?
*What is the explanation when faith seems to let us down?
*How can we still be assured when things have gone terribly wrong?
*What has Jesus done for us that gives us ultimate assurance? Let's jump into our study and find out.


1. Read Hebrews 11:1-2. Is faith blind hope? Doesn't the text say that faith is what we hope for, but do not see? Isn't that blind hope?


a) The text says we are "sure" of what we "hope" for. If we "hope" for something, do we have it? (No.)


b)The text also says we are "certain" of "what we do not see." If we have not seen something, how can we know it exists? (These are parallel concepts. We are "sure" and "certain" of what we do not have and what we have not seen.)


c) How is it possible to be so certain of that which cannot be seen or possessed?


2. Read Hebrews 11:3. How does the Creation meet our definition of faith? Is our belief in Creation "blind hope?" (We were not there, we did not see it. Even if we had been there, the Creation was not made out of "what was visible.")


a) Are all other accounts of the origin of man "blind hope?" (Yes. No human was present at Creation. (Adam and Eve showed up at the end.) Evolution teaches that something came from something else. But no one has actually seen this. This text says that God created everything from nothing.)


b) The writer of Hebrews is building an argument for assurance, an argument for faith. Why does he start with Creation? (Three reasons. First, the Creation is a prime example of something that we did not see, but hope is true. Second, the Creation is God's first claim to our allegiance. He made us. Third, this is the logical beginning for faith. When I am tempted to think, "Do I really believe in all this?," I go back to the question of how I think we got here.


3. Read Hebrews 11:4. What about Abel's offering showed more faith than Cain's offering? (It not only reflected obedience ( Genesis 4:2-7), Abel's offering of an animal reflected belief in the coming Messiah who would die on his behalf.)


4. Read Hebrews 11:6. Why is it impossible to please God without faith?


a) It makes sense to me that you would not please God if you did not believe that He existed. Why is it necessary to also believe that God rewards those who seek Him? (God is not merely interested in our belief that He exists. He wants us to believe that He will win the contest against evil and be in a position to reward us.)


i) Do you believe in your reward? How important is your reward when you experience suffering on earth?


ii) What is required for your reward, other than faith that God will win? (We must earnestly seek God.)


The Reward


1. We are skipping over several examples of faith recited in Hebrews 11:7-12. I suggest you read those although we will not discuss them. Read Hebrews 11:13. We just discussed that we must believe in our reward. What makes that more difficult? (The heroes of the Old Testament did not, on this earth, receive what was promised to them.)


2. Read Hebrews 11:32-35a. We have been talking about people who did not receive the results of their faith on earth. What about these examples? (These are great victories of faith - right here on earth. These are the stories we love to tell.)


3. Read Hebrews 11:35b-38. What happened to these people despite their faith? (They are the stories we do not want to hear. Horrible things happened to them on earth despite their faith.)


4. How do you explain that some that showed faith had great faith victories on earth and others who showed faith had no victories at all? For example, some "administered justice" (v.33) while others suffered injustice (v.37). Some were judges. Others were judged unfairly. What is your explanation for this unequal treatment?


5. Read Hebrews 11:39-40. How can the writer of Hebrews say that "none of them" received what had been promised? Didn't the "good story" people get what was promised to them? (The only logical conclusion is that we have not been promised that our faith will be rewarded here on earth. Sometimes life goes very well. Sometimes it goes very badly. The reward is not here. Our reward is only through Christ, who gives us the assurance of eternal life.)


a) What do you understand verse 40 to say? What does this "only together" statement mean? (It means that only when we are all in heaven with Jesus will we enter that perfect state of life.)


6. FRIEND, HOW IS YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW? IF THINGS ARE NOT GOING WELL, JESUS ASKS YOU TO "PERSEVERE." DETERMINE TO HOLD ON TO YOUR FAITH. YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN HISTORY. NOT ONLY DID JESUS SUFFER HERE, BUT THE GREAT HEROES OF FAITH DID NOT REALIZE ON EARTH THE PROMISES GOD MADE TO THEM. BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR YOU, THROUGH FAITH IN HIM YOU CAN HAVE ASSURANCE OF YOUR REWARD.

The high hight point of our faith

Luke 24
The Resurrection
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.
2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.
5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?
6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:
7 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " 8Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.
11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.
12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

On the Road to Emmaus
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;
16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"

They stood still, their faces downcast.
18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"

19 "What things?" he asked.

"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.
20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him;
21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.
22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning
23 but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.
24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."

25 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?"
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther.
29 But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.

30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.
38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?
39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."

40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.
41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,
43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.

44 He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."

45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

The Ascension
50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them.
51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.