dale-and-angela-vick

The Beggar's Plea

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:28:39 +0100

I was walking in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida when a fellow came out of the alleyway and approached me asking for a quarter. I asked him if that was all he wanted. He paused for a moment looking at the ground and then looking up again at me said, "well, then give me fifty cents". I said, "is that all you want?" His facial expression changed and I could see him rolling the question over in his mind. Looking at the ground again in thought, he suddenly looked up and asked, "are you a preacher?" I said yes and again asked if fifty cents was all he wanted when God had so much more for him. His reply was yes, fifty cents was all he wanted. I gave him the fifty cents and he went on his way.

What a shame it is for humanity to beg for pennies when God has given His only Son who can not only save your eternal soul but elevate you out of the pit of poverty, change your thinking, and give you peace now and heaven later.

"Ask, and it shall be given you." Matthew 7:7
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13

God's Gift

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 23:59:37 +0100

"Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord:"
Jesus said, "I give unto you not as the world gives..."
The measure by which the world operates is always moveable...you never know for certain what to expect. God does not operate that way. His gifts and calling are without repentance.

He is not sorry He saved you. He's not sorry He went to the cross for you. He's not sorry for giving you the kingdom!
Jeremiah 9:24 says, "But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord."

God is at war with all the inclinations in me that never were in Him. I am in the process of being delivered from me in Him, Whom to know is eternal life.

Proverbs 20:10-23

A Little Bit of Grace goes a Long Way

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 23:44:30 +0100

God's choice of one man over another does not express an arbitrary attitude on God's part, but wholly explains His grace.
Man's action, whether good or bad, has no bearing on the application of God's grace. It is free to all who call upon the Name of the Lord! Whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be "saved" - accepted by Him because of Jesus' sacrifice.
If you know Him, go tell. Someone is waiting to hear.
Romans 9:24-33

In it……Not of it!

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:22:34 +0100

We are in the world, but not of it. (Jesus said: “they are not of the world even as I am not of the world. John 17:16)
The world is not the source of our lives. It (the world) is at enmity with God. It did not, nor does it hear Him, and it will not hear those who belong to God. John 1:1-12
We are looking for those who have ears to hear…………not us, but the voice of God.
(“He that hath ears, Let him hear.” Matthew 13:9) (Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10:17)
The offer has been made: (For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.” Romans 10:13) Acceptance of the offer is required in order to experience the fulfillment of salvation.
In order to accept the offer, you have to hear it.
If I were going to redeem dogs, it would necessitate that I go to the dog population as a dog in order to be understood and received by dogs. If cows, then as a cow, etc.
God came to redeem mankind as a man, to represent God to men, on man’s behalf in order to save men.
“In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” II Corinthians 5:21
He became who we were (sin) in order for us to become who He is. (Sons of God) “For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26)
As the Father sent the Lord Jesus into the world to represent Him, so has the Lord Jesus sent us into the world to represent Him. (Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” II Corinthians 5:20
Speak to someone today about Jesus. You never know who might be listening!

Look and Live

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:03:59 +0100

God took Israel into the wilderness to teach them He was sufficient and to deliver them from the false things they were trusting in.
The serpents bit them and God made them look at the source of their trouble in order to be healed.
John 3:14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
The source of mans problem is sin. God has provided our cure. Look to Jesus and live.
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” II Corinthians 5:21
II Timothy 2:25,26 “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

Everything is Spiritual

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:00:09 +0100

How can you be a Christian and not improve as a human being?
Let me ask the question another way; How can a person be a Christian and not improve in all areas of life?
If you are a Christian, you are going to improve in your relationships!
If you are a Christian, you are going to improve in the quality of your life.
You can’t be a Christian and remain the same if given the time to grow in the Lord!
If you have been a Christian any length of time, the difference will be evident, especially to you.
Things different aren’t the same.
If you have believed on Jesus Christ, you will be different. The old person is passing away and the new person is coming into being.
Change is inevitable for a Christian!
In II Corinthians 5:17we read; “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
What and where do I need change?
The scripture says, “ of His kingdom there is no end.” As a Christian I should be and will be growing into the likeness of Jesus Christ. As a Christian, the Lord is continually taking ground in me. Thank God, it is more of Him and less of me.
If God increases in your life, you will increase as a person. Again, the scripture says that, “Face answereth to face.” I will mirror the one I am looking at. I become and am becoming a reflection of the one I am focused on. “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Col. 1:27
If you are not growing, you are not eating the right thing!
Feed on the Word of God. It is the engrafted Word that is able to save your soul. Feed on it and you cannot help but grow.
God Bless you, pilgrim, in your journey.

Your Mind is your Garden

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 19:14:44 +0100

Be careful of the seeds you sow in your mind because they will grow into whatever they are. And when those thoughts are fully grown, they will be different, larger and stronger than you suppose.
The end result of the full grown plant is much different than the small seed originally sown.
Consider the Lord’s illustration of the mustard seed. It is the smallest of all seeds and yet when it is grown, it is a tree big enough for the fowls of the air to rest in.
The greatest designs of man began with a simple thought that took root and grew into tangible reality. Consider your surroundings today. There was a time that they were in someone’s mind as a thought that took root and grew and have impacted countless numbers of people including you. The house you live in, the car you drive, clothes you wear, etc. Everything you see, feel, touch started with a thought and that invisible idea found its way into your life today.
Your thoughts will govern the course of your life and will inevitably impact others.
“Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.” Proverbs 19:27

Bi-Vocational Ministry

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 04:31:16 +0100

What is meant by the term, bi-vocational ministry?
Bi-vocational (ministers with another job)
Paul the Apostle was a man totally committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the spread of the good news to his generation.
He not only preached the good news but worked as a tent maker to help support himself when it was necessary.
In the book of Acts 18:3, we read, “And because he (Paul) was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.”
The reality for every believer in Jesus Christ is that we all are bi-vocational. Our purpose in life is to be a living witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ no matter where we are.
Work is not an end in itself. Work is simply the vehicle God has provided for the continued supply of support as we live out the life of Christ.
Every Christian is a full time bi-vocational witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Your job is part of your mission field. Sow the seed. A crop will come in!
“And ye shall be witnesses unto me” Acts 1:8

You are the Mikveh of God

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 04:27:52 +0100

Mikvah is a Hebrew word used to describe a ritual immersion in Judaism. Not just immersion of any type of water, but immersion in a certain way and in a certain type of water.
The word literally means, “a collection”, generally, a collection of water.
The water must come from a flowing river, stream or spring. It cannot be standing or stagnant. The term for this type of water is “living water”.
The Lord Jesus used this very phrase in John 7:37-39
“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
You and I as believers on the Lord Jesus Christ are in reality artesian wells, springs of living water, and full of the Holy Spirit being poured out in our generation. We too say; if any man thirst let him come to the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. He can be found in the well of our lives as we live out His life in a dry and thirsty land.
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:13

The Prime meridian of life is to be un-natural

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 04:36:50 +0100

We live in the Spirit, the supernatural! God manifests in our daily walk as we live out life in the natural world.
“Christ in you, the hope of glory:” Colossians 1:27
There is no difference between the sacred and the secular. Everything is spiritual! It is our understanding of the events of life that is the key issue of life.
If you see the effect of something as having no source, the cause will remain a mystery. It is only when you come to perceive that even in your mistakes, the hand of God is at work.
Life is not fragmented, but whole. It has a beginning and an end and it is with this understanding that God’s word makes sense.
He is at work in your life even if you don’t or can’t perceive it. For example, in Paul’s letter to the church at Rome he stated,
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
His purpose is to see you grow up into Christ and become a mature human being in every area of life with a purposeful impact on your environment.
How can a person be a Christian and not improve as a human being in every area of life?
Who you have been born again to be will war with who you were until Christ reigns supreme.
You can’t say you love God and beat your wife! It is incongruent. They don’t go together. You can’t say you love the Lord and live life in total opposition to Him.
If you are a Christian, you are going to be improving in your relationships with others and well as your relationship with God. The quality of your life will improve as you grow in Christ.
In Christ, growth and improvement are inseparable!
You can’t be a Christian and remain the same as you were before you believed on the Lord. Legitimate believers are in the process of growing into Christ likeness.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17
If God increases in your life, you will increase as a human being!