The B-I-B-L-E

The B-I-B-L-E

"The B-i-b-l-e, yes that's the Book for me
I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E."

2 Timothy 3:14 & 15 NKJV
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

   I don't know whom to credit for that song, but that little Bible school / Sunday school song speaks a simple but very profound truth.
   I love to read.  I’ll take up a novel and knock it out in a week.  I also listen to books on CD while working so get more books “read” that way.  And in the time I spend reading, I give time to reading the Bible.  There are those who look on Bible reading as tedious, one of those “have to do” things.  Bible reading is one of those “I’m supposed to do" things they struggle through because “it’s the right thing to do.”
   When you look at it that way, you’re missing the point. The Bible is a gift to us; it’s a love letter from God Himself to us.  God speaks to us through His Word, and though it we can find encouragement, strength, wisdom, correction and more.  In His word we learn about God.  Through His Word we learn about His character, and the more we learn about Him, the more we can rest in His faithfulness and rely on His Grace.
   His Word is our spiritual milk and meat and helps us grow in the Christian faith.  There can be no growth in the faith without learning from the Word of God.
   The Bible also furnishes help for all our problems.  The Bible teaches us principles to live by; principles that don’t change with fads or trends or political parties.  We can be assured that God’s principles will never change because He will never change.  We can use the Bible as a solid foundation to build our lives on.
Hebrews 13:8 Amplified Bible
Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages).
   When you read this passage, notice how Paul begins it - “but you” Paul is urging his “son in the faith” Timothy to swim against the current, to go against the way of life where people follow trends and fads.  Timothy was urged to continue in the things which he had learned and been assured of.  What was Paul talking about?  He was talking about Timothy’s training in the faith by his mother and grandmother.  Timothy’s mom taught him the Scriptures even when he was a child, and because of that, Timothy received insights in life he could grow up with and continue to practice into adulthood.  As the Bible says, he was made wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  Now he was going out into the world to teach others these truths.
   If you are not reading the Bible daily, I urge you to pray for God to give you a love of His word.  Ask Him to help you understand and apply His Word to your life.
   (Here I drag out my battered soapbox and climb up on it.)  If you are bored with reading the Bible or struggle to understand it, it, try a different translation.  Jesus did not speak King James English, but you’d think so to hear some Christians.  There are some good translations and some bad ones.  Research and find one that’s both good and you’re comfortable reading.  (Stepping off the soapbox and putting it away now.)  
   Attend a study under a good teacher who is blessed with the gift of teaching.  Or join or start a Bible study with friends.  However you do it, study and make the Bible a part of your Christian life.  You have a wonderful present from God, take advantage of it!

Stephen Cram                            July 31, 2011                         Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

Peace! Be Still!

Peace!  Be Still!

Mark 4:37&38 CJB
37 A furious windstorm arose, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was close to being swamped.
38 But he was in the stern on a cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, "Rabbi, doesn't it matter to you that we're about to be killed?"

   As a dad, one of the things I liked to do when my kids were little was watching them sleep.  After a day of the pressures of being a young father with a family to support, I’d step into their room quietly and stand and watch them sleep.  Sometimes they'd be propped up in weird positions, maybe sleeping at the foot of the bed or asleep on the floor because they rolled off the bed.  I’m not sure why I watched them, but maybe it was because there was so much turmoil going on in my life and I hadn’t yet learned to let God’s peace flow through me.  I refer to this time of my life as the “earthquake years.”  But my kids blessed me many times because they were blissfully unaware of that turmoil and the concerns and pressures of the world around them.  They didn't know about the economy or the rising energy prices or the struggles I had putting food on the table.  They aren't trying to figure out a budget or how to vote in the next elections.  They just played and laughed and at night slept peacefully.  Why?  Because they knew someone would take care of them.  They knew Daddy cared for them.
   I’ve read this Bible story many times and tried to imagine being with Jesus in the boat during that storm on a dark night.  The winds are howling and the seas are raging.  Waves are crashing up against the boat and splashing over the sides.  I know I’d be feeling anxious, uncomfortable, and afraid.  I’d look around and see that everyone else was as frantic and panicked as I was, and then I’d see Jesus.  He's not performing a miracle, He's not teaching about how to stand strong through the storm.  He's asleep.  He’s sound asleep?  (Did Jesus snore?)  We’ve seen Jesus do some pretty incredible things, so we believe He can save us from this awful storm.  He could, if He wasn’t SLEEPING!!!
   So they woke Him.  I’m sure they were in a panic because if you’ve ever been in a boat at sea in a storm you know it is scary.  I was in a fishing boat during the daytime when a swift moving squall overtook us and it got dark and the waves got up and it was scary.  I’d hate to have been in that fishing boat at night when that squall hit.  The disciples woke Him, and they actually chastised Him.  “Doesn't it matter to you that we're about to be killed?"
   They should have been at peace just knowing they were with Jesus, but during life’s storms it’s easy to forget and become scared.  Storms aren’t what we like to go through and certainly not what we expect, but they do seem to happen a lot.  That’s when I’m facing something unexpected and unpleasant.  Life is not going according to my plans.  But I’m learning, little by little – crisis by crisis, is that as long as I am with Jesus, I can be at peace.  I can rest, like He was, even in the middle of one of life’s storms.  I can be at peace even when there is no peace around me, because the peace is within me.
   When you’re going through the storm and it’s dark and you can’t see and you’re about to be overwhelmed by the wind and waves, it’s easy to forget that Jesus is there with you.  I know you will get upset with God because it seems like the storm is getting worse and He’s not listening to your cries.  I know you look up and can’t see the light because of the storm clouds over you.  You need to look around that boat a little more carefully, because He's there.  The Bible says that He’s a God that neither sleeps nor slumbers, (read Psalms 121.)
   You can rest in the Prince of Peace today, He's right there with you.  As long as you have Jesus in your boat, you’ll weather the storm.

Stephen Cram                                   July 24, 2011                    Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

The Rainbow Bridge Poem

Rainbow Bridge 

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Hope

Hope

I Corinthians 15: 16-19 (New Living Translation)
16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost!
19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

   We lost a beloved pet this month, our little dog Buddy, and we were reminded of the poem known as “The Rainbow Bridge.”  The poem comforts us with the thought that when a pet dies, its life does not just end, but there is hope that the pet’s soul goes to a special place where they will not know pain, hunger or want, but will play in the sun until you also pass the vale and join them again.  Now I know there is a lot of debate about whether or not animals have immortal souls.  Frankly, I don’t know.  What I do know are these two facts:  one, we serve a loving God Who values life and love, and two, after looking into the eyes of my beloved little Buddy it would be impossible for me to say that animals have no souls.  I’m not here to sell you the idea, though.  If you don’t believe it, fine, just let me live with my belief and I’ll let you live with yours.
   So the poem ends with the pet hearing or sensing you approaching and they run to leap into your arms and together you cross the Rainbow Bridge into heaven together never to be separated again.
   I really don’t know where the legend of the Rainbow Bridge comes from, but it obviously has roots in the Judeo-Christian teaching from the Bible about eternal life and eternity in heaven never to be separated from God or our other loved ones who join us there.  And I really hope you believe that, because without that hope life would not be worth going on.
   I do have that hope and I do have that belief.  I know my mother, my grandmother, and so many more loved ones will be there.  I know friends from many churches I’ve been to will be there.  And I know my infant daughter, who died before reaching the age of reason, will be there.  I know I will spend eternity with them all and will spend eternity with my Lord and Savior.  I know I will live surrounded by God’s love.
   Can I prove any of this?  No.  But I know it by faith and by the Word of God.  I know it by my relationship with God and coming to learn His love and desire to see us live an abundant life.  I know instinctively because I see renewal and restoration in the world around me every year and by that example I know there is going to renewal and restoration for us when we die.  As I once heard a preacher say, if God only made us to live this one, short life He’s awfully cruel.
   There are those belief systems if you lean towards that way of thinking.  One teaches that when you die, zap! You’re gone!   The annihilation of the soul; you die and you’re outta here.  One teaches that you work to achieve the state of nothingness.  If you work really hard, you get to zero?  Or one that teaches you get to come back and try again.  Re-incarnation doesn’t appeal to me – it looks too much like a hamster on a wheel running fast but going over the same ground again and again.
   So what do you believe?  Do you hope for that eternal home?  What purpose does a Christian have if not to share that hope with an unsaved world?  If we had no hope, what message would we bring to the world:  God loves you and then you die?
   I serve a God of renewal.  I serve a God with purpose.  I serve a God of love.  I serve a God Who offers Life and Hope.  Every day I receive the benefit of those mighty twins of God, Grace and Mercy.  Every day He offers me a renewal and a second chance.  And when I die, He will bestow of me yet another amazing gift, the gift of eternal life.  I don’t know about mansions and streets of gold, but I know my Savior lives and is coming again to take me to be with Him.  And that belief brings me a lot of comfort.

Stephen Cram                                July 17, 2011               Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8


                 

New Every Morning

New Every Morning

Lamentations 3: 21-23 Complete Jewish Bible
21 But in my mind I keep returning to something, something that gives me hope - 
22 that the grace of ADONAI is not exhausted, that his compassion has not ended. 
23 [On the contrary,] they are new every morning! How great your faithfulness!

   Are you amazed at the goodness of God?  We serve a God whose compassion never fails.  His love and unmerited favor come to us in an unlimited bounty.  And Jeremiah, even in the intense sorrow he must have been feeling by the defeat of his nation and the destruction of the Holy City, cries out that God’s mercies are new every morning.  If you’re a Christian, you need to grasp this concept.  God’s compassion never wears out.  He’s was merciful towards you yesterday, and this morning He’s merciful towards you again. He gave you grace yesterday from out of His love, and today He will give you grace again.  When you woke up this morning, you faced a God Who shows mercy and grace to you in abundance.
   I once read of a tribe of, I think, Eskimos who believe that when they go to sleep at night they die.  They are not jus “dead to the world” but are actually dead.  And then, when they wake up in the morning, they have been resurrected and are living a new life.  To their minds no Eskimo of their tribe is more than one day old.  This is a unique way to learn to face life one day at a time!
   All of nature tries to teach us this concept.  If we look around we see where the trees were bare and looked dead last January are now green and alive and growing.  Water that was frozen over with a thick layer of ice now boasts fish and insects in abundance.  Mornings were quiet and still and now echo with bird calls and droning of insects.
   God shows us that He never tires of new starts.  He freshens the world with dew each morning and will freshen your life every morning as well.  His living water is new every morning and will refresh our lives.
   He takes our failures and composts them uses them to be the fertile ground where our lives can begin to grow again.  (I hope I said that right.  I hope you get my meaning.)
   The God we serve, the creator of heaven and earth, has mercy enough to not allow us to be consumed when we offend Him.  In contrast, the scripture says Satan prowls around as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  It’s the adversary’s plan to take you out!  But our God does just the opposite.  He doesn’t want you to be consumed, He wants to preserve you and see you increase.  Brothers and sisters please know and rejoice that God has your best interests at heart.  His love for you is immeasurable and He will never fail you.
   I saw the sun come up this morning.  The past few weeks have been hard on us.  Yet when I prayed, I knew God’s love was covering me and renewing my spirit.  When I read my Bible portion this morning, my heart responded to the words.  With the rising of the sun, renewal comes to the world; the dark of night fades and the sleeping birds awaken and the still of night becomes the hustle and bustle of a new day.  Watching the world “wake up” with the dawn is a good way to appreciate what happens to you when you kneel in His presence and allow Him to refresh your life with His love.  Like Jeremiah I can say, “Great is Thy faithfulness!”

Stephen Cram                             July 10, 2011                        Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Back From the Dead

Back From the Dead

Mark 5:35
While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

   It was November 2nd, 1948, the presidential election was being decided and the editor of the Chicago Tribune jumped the deadline and printed an early edition declaring New York Governor Thomas Dewey the winner and new President of the United States.  There in black and white the headline shouted, “Dewey Defeats Truman."  It was a mistake, but it was an understandable mistake.  Incumbent President Harry S Truman was behind in all the polls and early returns had him trailing significantly.
   The problem was that the headline was based on appearance and not on a fact.  It was based on what seemed like the inevitable death of the current presidency, but it turned out that that presidency wasn’t dead.  And to rub the point in, President Truman took great delight in posing with a copy of that paper with a huge grin.  That headline teaches that you should never count any hope dead until it’s actually dead.
   This is just an opening way for me to ask you what’s that prayer you’ve prayed and prayed about but now you feel it’s never going to be answered?  Since God has not answered that prayer, do you think hope is dead?  And if hope is dead, why bother Him anymore about it?  Is it time to bury that prayer and live with the fact God didn’t answer you?
   You've prayed and believed, but nothing happened!  That loved one is still unsaved; or still sick; or still broke; or still getting a divorce.  Or is it more personal?  You’re still sick or still going through a trial and all hope seems lost.  It must be that it just was not meant to be.
   Is this your mindset?  Are you ready to bury that prayer, or have already buried that prayer?  Then please hold that shovelful of dirt for just a minute longer.  I urge you to examine that prayer one last time, and unless you can say for certain that God Himself has slammed the door on your prayer, than you need to keep on bothering Him about it.  This is where we are tested and our faith is tried.  If that answer you’ve needed requires a miracle, does your faith allow for that miracle to happen?  If that need is not something you can do on our own, can you believe God for the answer?
   If Mark 5 teaches us anything, it’s that we should not give up on God.  A demon-possessed man who had long terrorized a town delivered and restored to mental health.  A woman bleeding for twelve years healed.  And a synagogue ruler with a sick daughter who dies sees her restored alive and in good health.  Which of these three had any hope?  The demon-possessed man?  Hardly, he wasn’t in his right mind.  The woman?  Hardly, she was so desperate she violated the law to try to touch Jesus.  Jairus?  Hardly, his daughter was dead, as in “kicked the bucket.”  The conventional wisdom to all three was, “Why bother the Teacher any further?”  Hope was dead.
   Our faith must be tested, or it's not faith.  We must be determined to be confident in Him without seeing, without any physical proof at all.  Sometimes, there are going to be trials that will press us until we feel we’ll break under the strain.  And maybe God will allow that thing to die in your life but even then He will be there to hold us up so we won’t fall.  But if we lose faith in Him, then we will never see His power at work in our lives.  Faith is believing even when we don’t see proof.  Faith is believing when hope has waned to a feeble ember.  Faith is that knot at the end of our rope when we’re barely hanging on.  Faith is what’s left when hope dies.
   Trust Him and be confident and pray that prayer again.  Keep bothering the Teacher and pray that prayer again.  You may be closer to a miracle than you realize.  In Him is life, and through Him you will live life more abundantly.

Stephen Cram                            July 2, 2011                Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8