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The majority of the 15 roofing companies I contacted to replace my roof wanted to do a “band-aid” type of repair: ignore damages, and roof right over the old roof.  They didn’t want to address the inside issues-too cumbersome.  Replacing the old with the new, would make everything look super-nice while the undersides, look bad.

When Israel awaited the Messiah in Jesus’ day, they expected the same thing.  They wanted outside acknowledgment that a new leader, a promised leader would raise up a revolt against the Romans and thus rescue them from their clutches. Like kids at a game, they wanted to tell their enemies, “Look who’s on our side!”

But God, who weighs our hearts, knew their captivity wasn’t from the outside only.  He knew their oppression came from within. Just as a prisoner can be free on the inside of his soul though behind bars, and a free man bound from within, God sent Jesus to deliver the Israelites from the chains binding their souls.  But they wouldn’t budge. It was too costly. They’d look better on the outside if the surrounding nations could see that their God, Jehovah, had overthrown Rome.

They were so bent on being liberated, that they remained captive to their sinful ways. The religious leaders pretended to uphold the law, but neglected most of it.  They were legalistic, for sure. Nothing could be done out of line, especially, if it was something others could see and report.

Jesus wanted them to see that God Himself was “doing a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19) among them, but they repeatedly told Him, “You’re wrong, God; you have no idea how we do things here.”

Yet, He was in their midst for years…and they completely missed Him.  They condemned Him long before apprehending, scourging, and crucifying Him.  On a daily basis they snickered at Him-even His very own brothers in the flesh mocked Him (John 7:3-10)!

Are you waiting for God to show up so you can serve Him, but fail to see Him in your midst? Have you missed all the telltale signs? He’s present for sure!  He lives and moves amongst us. He’s a full-line roofer, repairing all the damaged goods beneath the surface, as well as on top.  From the inside, He makes you a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17)-no bandages!    He knows what He’s doing. Others will see the transformation in your life and know He did it.

God less,

Sam

Ever had a bad day? A bad week? Month? Year? Consider a man from scripture, Job (rhymes with robe), whom Satan went personally to God to secure permission to torment. Job had seven sons and three daughters as well as 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys, and a large number of servants.  He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.   Maybe he had a bit more than you.  But see the account:

“One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped t tell you!”

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking at the oldest brother’s house when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house.  It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

On top of that, Satan visited God again and gained permission to afflict Job’s body with sores galore.

When I first read this in Dec. 1977, I thought each servant was making up a story.  But it was really happening!  Here’s the scoop.  After being granted permission by God, Satan went straight to work stripping Job of all his possessions and afflicted him hoping he’d curse God to the face. But what did Job do?  He remained faithful.  He immediately worshipped God and acknowledged that He gives and takes away; unlike his wife who told him to curse God and drop dead! What would you do?  It’s not an easy thing.

Life can be dandy but if you serve God, there may come a time when Satan will want to “sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31).

Like Job, don’t deny God.  Worship Him and trust Him.  After all the trials, God restored Job’s losses and health.  He doubled his possessions, except, of course, the number of kids-ten again!  Read the account in the Book of Job; right after the book of Esther.

Count Your Blessings!

Sam

Whether new or worn, holes in pockets will cause small items to fall out. Many people have lost precious items due to this matter. Several years ago, I read of a hired man, a bond agent, called upon to deliver a special dime worth $100,000.00. He placed it in the pocket of his pants and every so often, he’d check his pocket to confirm it was still there-it was! To him, it was nerve-wracking.

Sometimes, our lives can go from finely-pressed pants and dressed attire to holey pants.  We can go from owning/renting a decent home, to living in a car or on the streets. I read of a fairly young man who frequently dined out with his buddies mindlessly dishing out thousands of dollars for scrumptious meals.  And now, having lost it all, he worked at the same restaurant washing dishes for others whose pockets were yet lined with holes.

Maybe a loved one has ditched you, or your entire family has moved out due to holes in your pockets; habits of gambling or irresponsibility. Or maybe you had nothing to do with it. Maybe they have holes in their pockets.   Either way, unawares, sacredness has slipped away.  What they valued most ran down to the ground. Love, so big and strong, has trickled down a small hole; possibly lost forever.

The prophet Haggai (1:6NLT) puts it this way: “You eat but are not satisfied.  You drink but are still thirsty.  You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!” 

You might need a new seamstress or new garments. God can mend hearts and relationships, though I’m not sure about sewing up pockets.

God works best with us when we’re broken.  That’s when we have nowhere to go but down.  And since He’s already gone down to the pits of hell, He knows loneliness and despair.  He understands betrayal and abandonment.  He knows what it’s like to be walked out on. But having conquered Death, He also knows victory!

Come to Him with your heavy heart, your empty, holey pockets and He’ll restore you. He’s waiting for YOU RIGHT NOW. He’s set this day aside just for you!  If you could look at His calendar, you’d see your name is circled today! He’s meeting with you right now!  Don’t pass it up! Like Seals and Croft sang, We May Never Pass This Way Again (1973). This Is It (!) Kenny Loggins, 1979.

You’re worth many times more than that dime!  OK, maybe just a tad more…NAH! Millions of times more! Quick, sew those holes and lose no more.  He’ll change you from holey to Holy.

1 Peter 5:10 “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.”

Sam

“STY-M-E-E-E-E! Wheres you at? Right here where I is.  Well, come over from where you is to where I is!”  That’s what Stymie and his mom sounded like in the original Little Rascals.  Sometimes we want to know where someone else is to meet them there, or vice versa.

God wants to meet you where you’re at right now.  It doesn’t matter if your hair’s combed, if you’re only wearing one shoe, or if your socks don’t match.  It doesn’t matter if your life is picture-perfect, either. On one journey with His disciples, He deemed it necessary to pass through Samaria; a strange request because Samaritans and the Jews didn’t jibe. In His perfect timing, He waited at Jacob’s well for a specific woman in need of His living water.

After asking her for water, He then turned the conversation to His living waters telling her that if she knew who He was, she’d ask Him for His type of water. She told Him to give her of that water so she’d never have to fetch water again. After telling her all He knew about her life, she realized He was the long-awaited Messiah! Leaving behind her waterpot, she dashed off to tell her neighbors about Him (John 4:1-30).

Application: Jesus knew the lady needed water.  He knew her life wasn’t straight.  She had had five husbands…He knew she was thirsty for truth and a better life.  Where’s you at right now? Jesus asks you.  Oh, He knows, but He needs you to say, “Jesus, I’m right here where I is.”  He’ll tell you to come to His place; meaning, “Call unto me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).

You don’t need to do anything to impress Him since He knows your life story.  Thirsting for righteousness? Invite Him into your heart. Like the Samaritan woman in this story tell Him, “Sir, give me this water…”  “But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).

Receive Living Waters NOW and you too will leave behind your waterpot.  People spend their lifetime drinking from broken fountains in efforts to quench their thirsts for salvation, yet always end up dry because only the Giver of Life can satisfy our thirst.

“For My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken Me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water” (Jeremiah 2:13 NIV).

Quench your thirst NOW and FOREVER through JESUS!

*Interesting note: there will not be one ounce of water, not even perspiration in hell (Luke 16:24).

Drink It Up!
Sam

My wife and I recently watched the TV Hallmark movie, The Most Colorful Time of The Year.  The main star, Christopher Russell, an elementary school teacher, suffers from colorblindness and basically lives in a black and white world.  With the help of special glasses, he is able to see the world around him in full color.  He went from living in the shadows of color, to a bright, exuberant world of variety, textures, and exotic hues all around.

As we look around us, we see what the world offers.  We take in myriads of colors from everything we see.  We’re attracted to so much!  Yet, a life without Christ is basically, black and white.  Before surrendering our lives to Christ, we’re actually living in shadows; shadows of the cross; in the shadows of His blessings.  We’re wearing blinders.  We’re missing out on all He offers us. We’re living outside the realm of the holy.  Spiritually speaking, we’re dead.                                                                                         The cross paints a bright future for us. The cross is the bridge walking us from earth to God’s throne room. The cross removes blinders on our eyes and floods them with His glory.  The cross transports us from the world of darkness and shadows to the light of God’s glorious kingdom.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17,18).

Meaning?  There’s no opportunity for God to be unfaithful or unrighteous.  He doesn’t turn or shift or change His mind; He’s constant.  With Christ, we’ve put on “special glasses” that allow us to see life from a different perspective.  In Him, we move from the carnal realm to the spiritual realm.                                         “For to be carnal minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.  So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:6-11).

Let’s move from the bland and mediocre, to living in the light and the colorful!  Let’s move from shadows to the actual!

God Bless,

Sam

Song/video: Shadows-David Crowder Band (featuring Lecrae);  Also available without Lecrae.

We all want some kind of insurance, or warranties on possessions. Back around 1975 I purchased a living room set and every time I asked about warranties, I was told there weren’t any. When I asked why, I was told, “What do you mean warranties? You mean, you take a knife and slash them & then want us to replace them?” I said, “No! Warranty against defects!”  I had never heard of someone doing that to sofas.

About twenty years ago, a nephew of mine came to PR and rented a vehicle.  He opted not to get insurance.  What could go wrong? He visited a cousin and backed the car into a tree branch which went right through! It cost him more than the insurance! 

That’s life.  It’s like not extending a warranty on a small appliance warranted for 90 days. Then it breaks down on day 98!  Insurance is an assurance that “we’re covered” in the event of a breakdown. As the saying goes, “Son, there are only two things guaranteed in life: taxes, and death.”  Wouldn’t you like the assurance that you’re covered for the afterlife?  Beyond death isn’t a journey through mystical cities where one floats through abysses and happens upon mystical creatures and blah, blah, blah.

The afterlife is either being in the presence of God or an eternity away from Him and His goodness. “Yet we have this assurance: Those who belong to God shall live again.  Their bodies shall rise again!  Those who dwell in the dust shall awake and sing for joy!  For God’s light of life will fall like dew upon them” (Isaiah 26:19-21 TLB).

And this one: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:35,37).

We have our insurance/assurance that nothing will separate us from the love of God, and that His blood has covered our sins!

God Bless!
Sam

My wife loves vanilla ice cream.  Her favorite sundae, straight from New York, is vanilla with pineapple chunks and tons of whipped cream.  My youngest daughter and I love chocolate, as in chocolate brownie with chocolate ice cream with hot fudge, with Oreos, M&Ms, and anything else chocolatey that can be added.

What a treat when we can get some yummy ice cream and enjoy it down to scraping the hot fudge at the bottom of the bowl (or of a cup, if you skimp)!  YUMMY!

We can compare these two flavors with light and darkness. Light always wins out. I see pictures of people living in darkness.  They don a mask attempting to cover their faces as they rob stores, steal packages, kill others, etc. It’s very obvious they don’t believe God exists.  They have got to know that masks don’t throw off God for a nanosecond -one billionth of a second (10 to the negative 9^th power)).  See, regardless of how pitch black a room may be, and how dark the clothing one’s wearing is, God knows 1000% it’s YOU!

For starters, God knows all our words, thoughts, and actions before we do!  Secondly, He sees everything everywhere at once, all the time!!! Thirdly, “even the darkness is not dark to You. And the night is as bright as the day.  Darkness and light are alike to You” (Psalms 139:12 NASB).

So, we’re uncovered before His presence. Chocolate is just like Vanilla in His sight.  Our actions don’t surprise Him.  Even when we feel we’ve outdone ourselves, He’s known it for eternity.  We will NEVER have an upper hand over God.

Therefore, go ahead and enjoy that treat with a clear conscience. In the end goodness outdoes evil.  Light outdoes darkness; or vanilla outdoes chocolate.  So, go ahead and sprinkle it with hot fudge and chocolate sprinkles!  Hmm! I think I’ll join you!

God Bless!
Sam

Tons of songs from the 1960s and 70s dealt with people being on the move.  From people Leaving on A Jet Plane (written by John Denver, best performed by Peter, Paul, and Mary), to taking a Taxi (Harry Chapin); to being someone’s Vehicle (The Ides of March), to people moving to other places Midnight Train to Georgia (Gladys Knight and The Pips), and Bobby McGee (written by Kris Kristofferson, best known by Janis Joplin). There have always been people dreaming of going to a better place-I’ll Take You There (The Staple Singers), to Why Can’t I Touch You (Ronnie Dyson) Some want to go back in time-If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time (Tyrone Davis); while others want a clean slate, or a brighter future-I Found Someone of My Own (Free Movement), to: Keep Movin’, Keep Movin’ I Sings (Mary Mary featuring BB Jay).

The Prophet Daniel, in Scripture, foretold of people moving across the globe as a sign of the Last Days (Daniel 12:4). The Pandemic moved people from California to NY.  From NY to Florida, and from Puerto Rico to all parts of the country. As people travel, neighborhoods change; and the way people live has been affected.  As people continue on the move, God’s plans for humanity become clearer.  Each move causes more changes. Each toppling domino affects the next. The world is on the move.  God, however, remains constant.  Like true north, He’s always dependable and trustworthy.

Like the overwhelmingly tall mountains surrounding us, God remains our refuge (You Are My Refuge by Shannon Wexelberg, Matthew Ward).  Like their protection, He hides us from uncertain danger.  “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore” (Psalm 125:2).

God’s always into something new!  Our well-being is His concern.

“He shall cover you with his feathers. And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler” (Psalm 91:4 NKJV).

  God’s love for you never changes. Scenes and seasons do, but He’s steadfast. You can fall asleep by His feet and wake up in full security because He’s faithful. He doesn’t budge.

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 NLT).

Are you on the move? Feel Like Jason Bourne-someone’s always after you? Are you searching for your next assignment?  Meet God! He’ll stop you on your tracks! And boy, has He an assignment for you!  It’ll last you a lifetime!

“Be still, and know I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NIV);

God Bless!
Sam

Finding lost money and hidden treasures are two words that make men go wild.  They drool and howl at the wind as their tails wag at the thought of possibly finding something.  Strike it rich, and flagging takes place.  But who isn’t intrigued by the discovery of hidden, or lost, treasure?  Men go on life-long quests digging up even a tiny pearl or diamond.

Some men, unfortunately, spend their lives seeking fool’s gold: treasures after the heart and wisdom of man, rather than after God’s heart.  Hunting for treasures that leave you empty will leave both pockets and hearts dry as well. Why are treasures dangerous?  Because we tend to pour our hearts into them; blinding us to other important matters.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34).

God wants us to “Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). He wants us to hunt through scriptures like an egg hunt, leaving no stone unturned in our pursuit.

God provides warnings to the dangers of getting into treasures that end up stealing our hearts and turning them away from God.  Man, in general doesn’t seek after God’s ways because he feels he doesn’t need God. Going after treasure, only cements those feelings all the more.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal;

On earth, no matter where you live your treasures are in constant danger.  In fact, the better the neighborhood, the more thieves are “eyeing it” and eager to get it. Instead:

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19:20).

How? “Seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

“God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic-what a find!- and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field” (Matthew 13:44 MSG).

Interpretation: When you discover God and His word, you have found treasure in an open field.  You find it so valuable that nothing you possess matters.  You’ll want it badly.

Live for God, work for Him.  Everything you do for Him builds your treasures in heaven. You’re doing it because you love Him, and when you get there, you’ll learn He has treasures for you beyond your expectations. Look at it this way: Build treasures here, and you only have a short time to enjoy them.  Build them in heaven, and you’ll live an eternity enjoying them-and no worries!  That’s a much better yield!

Heaven will be ladened with treasures galore for you to explore!

God Bless!
Sam

Do you remember when those 45rpm records were $.15 each? You’d swap them and play ‘em till the artists got sore throats from singing. Every teen and preteen had a collection to get them through the hardships of going to school, doing chores, hanging out, putting up with parents, and even fighting the system.

A line in the famous Dooby Brothers’ 1972 song, Listen to the Music, says “And we’ll dance, Oh, we’re gonna dance our blues away.”  Now, I’m no dancer cause I’ve got no moves, but I believe dancing moves you to becoming one with your partner. Who doesn’t want to enjoy a great time listening to fine music encouraging you to take in some country time with your friends? 

Now, 45s have come a long way.  Back in 1977-78 DISCO produced 45s in 12” format and people were really dancing their blues away.  But there’s another way to dance off our struggles.  There’s another way to dance even if we have no Blues.  Dance for God!

Psalms 149:3 says, “Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp.”

You CAN’T rejoice before God with your hands in your pockets all the time and your feet still.  Rejoicing and delighting signify movement and excitement.  Of course, you can state how thrilled you are using Ben Stein’s facial expression, but few would believe you!

2 Samuel 6:14 reads, “And David danced before Jehovah with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.”

In his inner garments, King David praised God.  Now, he wasn’t boogying and he wasn’t twisting, or Discoing, but he was expressing himself with adoration before Him.  And he did so with all his might.

You might not be a king-excuse me, didn’t know you were, but king, prince, queen, princess, or your average Jo-anne, once your life is His, praise Him in the heavens with your rightful moves. It’s your expression to Him because of Whom He is.   

And what does God think of this???!!! Ever asked yourself that? Huh? Ever wonder what HE thinks?  Read what Zephaniah 3:17 says:

“[God] will [dance] over you with singing.” Or rejoice over you…

He’s in your midst rejoicing over YOU, His creation, especially if you honor Him.  So, go ahead and dance your blues away; soon we’ll meet in the “country” (Heaven) for more than a day!

God Bless,

Sam