Faith In Action
Thanksgiving is that wonderful time of year when, from coast to coast, family and friends come together for food, fellowship, football and a hearty laugh. It is a day to reminisce and enjoy good memories of times past. It is that wonderful time of the year when family, friends and neighbors gather around a table, pray and thank God for the bountiful blessings He has provided. It is a time when we reaffirm our faith in our Nation and each other. It is a day of parades and praise to God for what He has done for us.
It is a day when the thoughts of soldiers, far from home, turn to family and friends. For them it is a day of loneliness. It is a day when they have good food and fellowship but that certain someone is missing. It is a day when Americans around the world gather in peace and enjoy a good meal, good fellowship, a hearty laugh and the presence of the Lord.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
Written by Jim Granger
“Rejoice, Pray and Give Thanks”
(13 Nov 2016)
God is good all the time; all the time God is good. I Thessalonians 5:16-18 says: “Rejoice evermore. (17) Pray without ceasing. (18) in every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (KJV)
Rejoicing, praying and giving thanks is all part of the Christian life. *The Beacon Bible Commentary says: “The three advice’s (16, 17, 18) belong together; one builds on the other, and each involves the other two”.
Have you been rejoicing lately? Rejoicing involves prayer and giving thanks. Prayer involves rejoicing and giving thanks.
Is your prayer live tuned like a fine running engine? Are you able to communicate effectively with your Lord and Savior or have you been too busy to pray effectively? Have you been rejoicing over your own success and the success that other people have enjoyed or have you been jealous of their success? Have your given thanks for the trials you are going through and the spiritual building blocks that He is constructing in you through these trials? I believe that God permits us to go through trials to build us spiritually. Have you given thanks to the Lord for what He has given you? Your health, your spiritual growth, your family, your spouse, your friends and those other things that are important to you?
Jesus Christ cares about your happiness, your prayer life and wants to receive thanks for what He has done for you.
Written by Jim Granger
***Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol 9, page 496, 1965 Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City***
“Are You A Dreamer?”
(30 Oct 2016)
Are you a dreamer? Would you dare to dream for Jesus Christ? Joel 2:28 says: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions” (KJV)
I think that the prophet Joel is telling us to dream a little. We get so involved in what is happening in our church that we fail to see the good possibilities of what could happen in our church, what God can do when people come together for a common cause, pray together and place our hopes and dreams in God’s hands. When we are all of one mind, pray and fast with each other for a common cause God can perform miracles. Look at the activities that surrounded Pentecost, the disciples were of one heard and mind, they prayed and were filled with the Holy Spirit. Many people were added to the church. When Christians get together and pray things happen. When we are united in one effort and fortified with prayer, we are a mighty fortress which Satan and of his angels cannot repel. The church moving forward cannot be stopped. “What shall we than say to these things? If God is with us, who can be against us?”
(Romans 8:31—KJV)
We are soldiers of the cross. We all need physical food to sustain our bodies.
More important than physical food is our spiritual food, for this is what we need to sustain our spiritual growth. John 6:58 tells us: “I am the true Bread from heaven; and anyone who eats this Bread shall live forever, an not die as your fathers did – though they ate bread from heaven” (TLB)
We must feast on God’s manna, or bread from heaven, on a daily basis. Reading the scriptures and prayer should be a part of our quiet time, that time we spend alone with God. Our daily communion with our Heavenly Father is a vital part of our spiritual life.
During my lifetime I have had a lot of good pastors. In fact, I would say that all of my pastors have been good men of God. In my opinion they have faithfully preached the word. They have been available in times of trouble. They have been there for my entire family and were trustworthy. When we had a private conversation with them it remained private.
Romans 10:15 says: “And how will anyone go and tell them unless someone sends him?” That is what the scriptures are talking about when they say, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace with God and bring glad tidings of good thins.” In other words, how welcome are those who come preaching God’s Good News!” (TLB)
Occasionally I have heard congregations complain about the pastor. Be careful because you are complaining about one of God’s chosen. The pastor’s job is quite complicated. He does much more than preach the Sunday sermons. He has administrative areas that need his assistance, board meetings to prepare for, spends a lot of time in prayer and preparing for the Sunday services, does a lot of personal counseling, plus there are always home and hospital visits. The pastor seldom has any down time and when he does he usually puts that time into sermon preparation and prayer.
Your pastor is a busy person. The one thing that you can do for your pastor and his family is to uphold them in prayer daily. When you pray, remember the needs of the church and the congregation. Also remember the needs of your pastor and his family. He and his family are the leaders of your church and they need your prayers. Have a prayerful day!!
Written by Jim Granger
Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for the many wonderful opportunities you give us every day to spread your love. We thank you Lord because you are still the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We know that is none greater than you. Kingdoms may come and Kingdoms may go, however, we know that the Lord is forever and ever. We thank you Lord for the opportunities we have to spread you word. We thank you for the lives that you can touch through your people.
Lord, as we view this world, we see governments that have toppled and lives that have been snuffed out for no reason. We see children that hate their parents and parents that hate their children. We see churches that are refusing to preach the word because they want to be ‘politically correct’. They do not want to offend any other religious group. They do not realize that the responsibility of the church is to preach the word and spread the love of Jesus Christ to a world that is dying. Yet, amidst all this confusion, we have a loving and forgiving Savior who stands ready, willing and able to forgive. Thank you Lord for your saving grace and your sanctifying power.
Amen and Amen.
Written by Jim Granger
Like the woman at the well, many people keep on sinning because they are not satisfied. They are filled with frustration, anger and hatred. There is no adventure and fun in their lives.
When Jesus comes into your life, He replaces that empty feeling with a love for Him and a love for life. He takes away the frustration, anger and hatred and gives you a life of adventure.
Let Him come into your life and be prepared for the greatest adventure of all.
Have a great day!!
Written by Jim Granger
“Standing Firm”
(25 Sept 2016)
I recently heard a story on the Bible Broadcasting Network that is worth repeating. A twelve year old girl who was a Christian was living in an ISIS controlled part of the world. ISIS soldiers knocked on her door. The mother answered and told the soldiers she would be down in a minute. The soldiers said, we don’t have a minute and shot the twelve year old. As she lay clinging to life she was heard saying, Lord forgive them. She passed away but her heart was in the right place. She asked the Good Lord to forgive them as they were taking her life.
What faith! Is the love of Jesus Christ so full in your heart that you could beg God for their forgiveness as they were taking your life? Could we adults do the same thing?
God bless you!
HOMECOMING
(18 Sept 2016)
Homecoming, for many, means sitting in a cold University football stadium on a Saturday afternoon with the cold wind nipping at your fingers watching the home team giving the visiting team a thorough thrashing.
For others it means sitting in a warm church on a Sunday morning and reestablishing ties with old friends that have moved away. Some have traveled many miles to enjoy the warmth and glow of old friends in this house of worship.
For the visitors, some familiar faces have passed through Heaven’s gates and new faces and personalities have begun to attend. Without the old familiar faces the church is not quite the same, however, the warmth of a firm handshake and the smile on the faces that remain is still in place.
The love of God, which attracted you to this house of worship many years ago, is still present. This same God has placed His blessings on this service today. Enjoy your time with your old friends and carry many new warm memories home with you.
God bless you and have a great day!!
“The Unseen Hand”
(11 Sept 2016)
There are many wonderful gospel songs that have been written and speak to my heart. One that comes to mind is “The Unseen Hand” written by Marty Stewart.
“The words of the chorus are sweet to hear” I’m trusting to, the unseen hand That guides me through, this weary land And some sweet day, I’ll reach that strand Still guided by, the unseen hand.
This is what it is all about friends. It is about getting to Heaven. It is not about the clothes you wear to church on Sunday. It is not about the car you drive or the house you live in. It is about where you are spiritually. It is about how close you are to God. Are you trusting in that unseen hand? Are you Spiritually prepared to go to Heaven and meet your
Savior face to face? Only you can answer that Question; not your husband, not your wife, not your pastor; only you can answer that question.
God bless you!!
“Let God Rock Your Boat” (4 Sept 2016)
May God rock your boat this day by challenging you to do your best for Him.
Jesus said to Peter: “The thing which are impossible with man are possible with God” (Luke 18:27, KJV). He is saying that all things are possible when God is in it.
God will never ask you to do anything that you can-not do. He will not set you up for failure. Whatever He is asking you to do, accept it by faith and do it. God equips the called. He will give you, or has already given you, what you will need.
Noah was an unlikely person to build a ship but he built it and it sailed. Moses was an unlikely person to lead God’s people to the promise land but he led them out. You may be a very unlikely person to perform whatever task God is asking you to do but, with God’s help, you can do it.
Take the challenge. Depend on God for His help and stand by for a miracle.
God bless you and have a great day!!
Written by Jim Granger