I can't top this, so I am not even going to try. Just click on the link above... and marvel!!!!
3/20/13
From Gary... Oh, to be among the excellent
For Tommy A.
This week I friended an old friend from the Muchachos Drum and Bugle corp of Melrose N.Y.. We haven't seen
one another since about 1965 and although we have both changed considerably, the memories have not. I have been thinking a lot about those days and the fun we had traveling from place to place doing our M&M (marching and maneuvering) routines. In retrospect, we were not an A-grade corp-- but did we ever have fun!!! Discipline, teamwork and friendships were the result!!! An OH, YES, my girlfriend Linda (who became my wife several years later). So, when I saw this video, I just had to post it!!! Click on the link below and you will see what I am so excited about...
I wish I knew just one of these drummers - I would ask a thousand questions and re-live my teenage years in the process. To know just one of them, would be an honor because they are the best I have ever seen anywhere, anytime!!! Imagine that; to be the very, very best- to be remembered for excellence, now THAT IS SOMETHING VERY MARVELOUS INDEED. Yet, in today's Bible reading, we have the story of two such individuals....
Exodus, Chapter 35
Exo
35:30 Moses said to the children of Israel, "Behold, Yahweh has
called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe
of Judah.
Exo
35:31 He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in
understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;
Exo
35:32 and to make skillful works, to work in gold, in silver, in
brass,
Exo
35:33 in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to
work in all kinds of skillful workmanship.
Exo
35:34 He has put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and
Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
Exo
35:35 He has filled them with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of
workmanship, of the engraver, of the skillful workman, and of the
embroiderer, in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and
of the weaver, even of those who do any workmanship, and of those who
make skillful works.
God Called these two men by name and helped them manufacture the tabernacle- God's Earthly dwelling. These are two men that I will think of more often Bezalel and Ololiab, men of excellence!!! However, God just called them to do one thing- He has called you and me to be with him forever because he loves us!!! Now that is excellence indeed!!!
From Gary V. Womack...WHY DO WE OBEY GOD?
WHY
DO WE OBEY GOD?
Mt.
6:33 "But
seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all
these things shall be added to you."
CONTEXT vss.
19-21 Worrying
about what
you
want
that you don't have yet.
vss.
22-23 An
unhealthy eye vs. a good eye. What's important to us?
vs.
24 Is
our allegiance to God
or to things?
vss.
25-32 Worrying
about what you
need.
1.
TO BE RELIGIOUSLY CORRECT? SUPERFICIAL
Mt.
23:23-24 Being
correct is good, but not enough. Justice, mercy & faith.
2.
TO APPEAR RIGHTEOUS TO OTHERS? SUPERFICIAL
Mt.
23:27-28 Righteous
outwardly
but lawless & hypocritical inside.
Mt.
6:1-2 Charitable
deeds done to be seen by men. The hypocrite has his
reward.
Mt.
6:5 Praying
to be seen by men. The hypocrite has his reward.
Mt.
6:16 Fasting
to be seen by men. The hypocrite has his reward.
3.
TO ESCAPE HELL, TO GAIN HEAVEN, OR TO PLEASE GOD?
Mt.
3:1-9 "...Who
has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?..."
Who
you are
(your lineage in Abraham) is of no benefit.
What
you do
(bearing
fruit in obedience)
is what matters.
BEAR
FRUIT WORTHY OF REPENTANCE
NOTE:
Fruit is intended to give pleasure to the one who eats it.
EXAMPLE:
Gen.
3:6 "So
when the woman saw that the tree was good for
food,
that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree
desirable
to make one wise, she took of the fruit and ate...."
THE
FRUIT WE ARE TO BEAR IS FOR GOD'S PLEASURE
LOOK
AT THE PARABLE OF THE BARREN FIG TREE
Lk.
13:6-9 Do
we "use up the ground" (serve ourselves, seek our benefit,
just look
for the reward, heaven)? Or
do we "bear fruit" (serve God, seek to give Him pleasure)?
Phil.
2:12-13 "Therefore,
my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in
my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out
your own salvation with fear and trembling; [13]
for it is God
who
works in you both to
will
and to
do
for His
good pleasure."
NOTICE:
Their obedience (which involved their "will' [desire] &
their action) was not
to be seen,
but "for His
good pleasure."
TO
FOLLOW JESUS IS TO GIVE GOD PLEASURE ON
HIS TERMS
WE
CANNOT RATIONALIZE
ON OBEDIENCE - THAT IS PRESUMPTUOUS
Lk.
9:57-ff (vs.
58) You must count the cost of discipleship - of following Him.
(vss.
59-60) He must come before fleshly (family) ties. Let the
spiritually
dead
bury their dead. You be spiritually alive.
Mt.
10:34-39
We must love Him above father, mother, son or
daughter to be worthy
(of value, fit, suitable)
(vss.
61-62) He must come before our friends. what
about our excuse
for not assembling because company came?
As
a plowman looks ahead as he plows, don't look back
1
Sam. 15:17-23 (especially
vs.
22)
"Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice
of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed than the fat of rams."
Psm.
51:15-17
(especially vs.
17)
"The sacrifice of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart - these, O God, You will not despise.
WILL
GOD ACCEPT OUR SERVICE, OUR WORSHIP, OUR CONFESSION OF
SINS, OUR SUBMISSION TO BAPTISM - IF IT IS ON
OUR TERMS
AND NOT
ON HIS; IF IT IS FOR OTHER PURPOSES RATHER THAN TO PLEASE
HIM?
1
Jn. 3:18-21 "My
little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed
and in truth. [19]
And by this we know
that we are of the truth,
and shall assure
our hearts before Him. [20]
For if our heart
condemns
us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
[21]
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have
confidence
toward God.
DO
YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE TOWARD GOD?
1
Pet. 3:18-ff "...there
is also an antitype [true likeness, asv] which now saves is,
namely baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the
answer of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ,..."
From Jim McGuiggan... Food Stains and Price Tags
Food Stains and Price Tags
C.J. Dennis has an extended poem called Jim Of The Hills that's really worth the read (if you're a poetry person). Our hero worked in a logging factory and was hard at it when the boss came around with a group of visitors explaining things to them. None of them got a second glance from Jim except the one that took him by storm and set his mind reeling. In fact he was so taken with her that he clumsily tripped and banged his shin. The mortified Jim puts it this way:
Next thing I know the boss is there, an' talkin' fine and good, Explainin' to the visitors how trees are made of wood. They murmur things like "Marvellous!" an' "What a monster tree!" An' then the one with sunlit hair comes right up bang to me."I saw you fall," she sung at me: you couldn't say she talked, For her voice had springtime in it, like the way she looked and walked. "I saw you fall," she sung at me, "I hope you were not hurt?" An' suddenly I was aware I wore my oldest shirt.
That's a hateful lovely experience, isn't it? There he is in all his glory and there you are with the sales ticket still hanging from the sleeve of your sweater. There she is tantalisingly near, your heart's beating like a bass drum; your speech is wise and sophisticated while bits of your sandwich are hanging on the side of your face. Oh the horror of it all. In your shame that's close to stupidity you hope she didn't notice.
It's silly but it's fine to be so taken by someone that for them you want to be at your best in every way. Some of the old comedy movies let us in on the experiences of those who innocently show off for the one they're nutty about and we like it. There's something really nice about someone becoming so important to you that you want to run faster, jump higher, look slimmer and all the way round to be more attractive for.
And we aren't so sunk in our sin that we don't every now and then feel deeply disappointed in how we look in God's presence. We feel grubby and shabby and wish we could bolt from his presence. It isn't even dramatic enough to say with Peter, "Depart from me, Lord, for I'm a sinful person." The experience isn't that shattering but it may be more dangerous for all that. It's a despondency, a sense of well, yes, grubbiness. As if we were going through life with dirty collar and cuffs on our shirt or a blouse with a button missing and food stains on it.
It's all right to want to shine. It's okay to want to impress. Well of course it can be overdone but it's nothing to apologise about. It's as much a comment on her or his warm desirability as it is on your own wants. We want to please those who please us, or at least, we don't want to disappoint them and in that lies love's power to transform us for the better.
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.
From Mark Copeland... The Betrayal Of Jesus
"THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"
The Betrayal Of Jesus (26:47-50)
INTRODUCTION
1. Certainly one of the saddest moments in the life of Jesus was His
betrayal by Judas...
a. One of Jesus' closest disciples, even one of His twelve apostles
- Mt 26:47-50
b. Who had been privileged to a part of Jesus' ministry here on
earth - Ac 1:17
2. What led Judas to betray his Lord and Savior? How could one who had
been with Jesus...
a. Seen His miracles
b. Heard His teachings
...betray Him with a kiss?
3. What about us, who claim to be Jesus' disciples today?
a. Could we be guilty of betraying Jesus in some way?
b. Are there things that misled Judas that could have a similar
effect on us?
[What might we learn from "The Betrayal Of Jesus"? Lest we follow the
same path of Judas, let's reflect for a few moments on what we can
glean from the Scriptures...]
I. JESUS WAS BETRAYED BY A CLOSE FRIEND
A. JUDAS WAS NO STRANGER TO JESUS...
1. As already mentioned, he was one of the apostles - Mt 10:2-4
2. He was among those whom Jesus loved - Jn 13:1
3. Yet as prophesied, Jesus was betrayed by "a familiar friend"
- Ps 41:9
B. BEING CLOSE TO JESUS IS NO GUARANTEE...
1. Just being His disciples is no assurance we could not betray
Him
2. Like several of the churches in Asia Minor, we could...
a. Leave our first love - Re 2:4-5
b. Begin to tolerate false doctrine - Re 2:14-16
c. Permit false teachers to spread their doctrines - Re 2:20
d. Fail to perfect our works, and not be watchful - Re 3:1-3
e. Become lukewarm - Re 3:15-16
3. Yes, we can betray Jesus by denying Him who bought us - 2 Pe 2:1
[Therefore we need to heed Jesus' admonition to be "faithful unto
death" (Re 2:10), and not assume that close proximity to Jesus in the
past guarantees faithfulness in the future.]
II. JESUS WAS BETRAYED BY A LOVER OF MONEY
A. MONEY WAS A PROBLEM FOR JUDAS...
1. He often pilfered from the money box - Jn 12:4-6
2. The opportunity to make money led him to betray Jesus - Mt 26:
14-16
B. MONEY CAN BE A PROBLEM FOR US...
1. The deceitfulness of riches can render us unfruitful - Mt 13:
22
2. The desire for riches and the love of money can lead us to
stray from the faith and drown in destruction and perdition
- 1Ti 6:9-10
3. The Laodiceans' preoccupation with wealth made them lukewarm
- Re 3:16-17
[Could we be guilty of betraying Jesus by our desire for riches,
letting such things take precedent over our service to God and His
church?]
III. JESUS WAS BETRAYED BY A SHOW OF AFFECTION
A. JUDAS BETRAYED JESUS WITH A KISS...
1. He could have simply pointed...perhaps by kissing he sought to
soften the blow of betrayal - Mt 26:48-49
2. Jesus noted the obvious contradiction - Lk 22:47-48
B. DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION DON'T ENSURE FAITHFULNESS...
1. Many people are very emotional in their religion
a. As displayed in their worship
b. Believing it to be evidence of being "Spirit-filled"
2. Yet emotions alone are not a reliable guide
a. They can easily mislead us - cf. Pr 16:25; Jer 10:23; 17:9
b. They are often present in the unstable believer - Mt 13:
20-21
3. This is not to discount the place and value of emotions
a. We are to love God with all our heart and with all our mind
- Mt 22:37-38
b. The Spirit does produce fruit in our lives that affects our
emotions - Ga 5:22-23
b. But we must keep them in the proper order:
1) Our emotions must come from faith, not faith coming from
emotions
2) Otherwise we are led by emotionalism, not faith
-- And true faith comes from the Word of God - Ro 10:17;
Jn 20:30-31
[If we believe that displays of affection in our religion can make up
for our failure to heed God's Word, we deceive ourselves and betray
Jesus in the process!]
IV. JESUS WAS BETRAYED BY A MISTAKEN DISCIPLE
A. JUDAS MISTOOK THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS ACTION...
1. He evidently didn't think Jesus would be condemned - Mt 27:3-4
2. This has prompted some to think that Judas was motivated by
more than money
a. That perhaps his betrayal would force Jesus to act, show
His true power
b. That in such a way it would demonstrate who Jesus truly was
B. WE CAN BE GUILTY OF MISTAKEN SERVICE...
1. Thinking our service is acceptable, when it is not - Mt 7:
21-23
2. Thinking we can improve on God's way, when we can't know what
He wants unless He reveals it - Isa 55:8-9
3. We need to head the Preacher's advice - cf. Ec 5:1-2
a. Come to hear and do what He says
b. Not presume to know what pleases God and offer what we
think is best
[In our zeal, we may be guilty of acting on mistaken knowledge (cf. Ro
10:1-3). Dare we possibly betray Jesus by presuming we know what is
according to His will and plan?]
V. JESUS WAS BETRAYED BY AN OVERWROUGHT FOLLOWER
A. JUDAS REACTED TO HIS SIN THE WRONG WAY...
1. He was overcome with grief - Mt 27:3
2. He took the wrong course of action and hung himself - Mt 27:5
B. WE CAN REACT TO OUR SINS THE SAME WAY...
1. There are two kinds of sorrow - 2Co 7:10
a. Sorrow of the world that produces death
b. Godly sorrow that produces repentance
-- The first is sorrow where one is preoccupied with self; the
other is sorrow due to sinning against God
2. It is natural to be sorrowful for our sins
a. But we should not wallow in our grief
b. But repent, as did Peter who denied Christ
3. Paul provides another example of one who did not let his sins
of the past hinder his service in the present
a. He focused on God's grace which gave him another chance
- 1Co 15:9-10
b. He directed his attention on striving for the upward call
of God - Php 3:12-14
CONCLUSION
1. While Jesus was betrayed by all these things, let's not forget the
influence of Satan...
a. Satan used Judas to betray Jesus - Lk 22:3-4
b. Satan put it in Judas' heart to betray Jesus - Jn 13:2
-- For this reason Jesus referred to Judas as "a devil" - Jn 6:70-71
2. Yet how did Satan influence Judas? By some of the very things we've
noticed...
a. Through his love of money
b. Through his emotionalism
c. Through his mistaken ideas
d. Through his preoccupation with self
-- Even Peter was influenced by Satan through some of these things
(cf. Mt 16:23)
And so while we may decry the treachery of Judas, we should humbly
learn from his mistakes, taking to heart the words of Peter:
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist
him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings
are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."
- 1Pe 5:9-10
Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011
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