Introduction When molten lava covered the old city of Pompeii, four prisoners with their feet fast in stocks were overtaken by the flood. They could hear the roar of the lava. Nearer and nearer the wave of death came until it spread to the door of the cell. In his fright the jailor fled, deaf to the cries of the men he had been appointed to guard. There was the door of escape, which the jailor had left open, and on the threshold of the doorway lay the key which the jailor had dropped in his flight. The key would unlock the stocks which held their feet so fast. If only they could reach the key! But it was ever just beyond their reach. It was mockery to their hopes. They fought and shrieked and tore their flesh in madness until the fumes from the distant volcano filled the cell and put an end to it all. And there lay the key just beyond their reach. How like that old prison cell of Pompeii is sin. Fast in the stocks of evil, men are bound by the devil. They see the fat...

  God’s Bucket List for You, part 6  Introduction to the series, click here Introduction One of the songs in our books, that we sometimes sing, is called “Count Your Blessings.” The chorus is written like this:   Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your blessings; See what God hath done. Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your many blessings; See what God hath done.   This is something we should take to heart on a regular basis. You might be surprised, when you realize, that some things you take for granted are actually blessings.   Definition of Blessing 1828 Webster’s Dictionary— 2. Any means of happiness; a gift, a benefit, an advantage; that which promotes temporal prosperity and welfare or secures immortal felicity. There are some who will say that having a lot of money is a blessing. How about just having money, in general, is a blessing. As Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, Not that I speak...

  God’s Bucket List for You, part 5  Introduction to the series, click here Introduction One of the problems I suffer from, as do a lot of people, is a low self-esteem. We often make the mistake of basing our self-esteem on our family, friends, occupation, area we live in, and our home. Although all of that factor into our lives, they don’t have to be the main basis of our self-esteem. As part of His bucket list for us, God wants us to realize our self-worth by examining our lives according to His scriptures. If we are not following His word, as written, then we need to change and build up our self-esteem.   Moses’ lack of Self-worth In our previous article , we looked at Moses and the excuses he made to God as he didn’t want to lead his people out of Egypt. One of his excuses was a lack of eloquent speech. Here’s what he said in Exodus 4:10, Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant;...

  God’s Bucket List for You, part 4 Introduction to the series, click  here   Introduction One of the biggest anchors we have, that’s holding us back from doing anything, is the excuse. Instead of moving forward, with confidence, we backpedal and choose to give reasons why we can’t do something. As part of God’s Bucket List for you, He wants you to stop giving excuses.   The Excuses of Moses In Exodus 3 and 4, we are familiar with Moses speaking to God in the burning bush. This was when God chose Moses to lead his people out of Egypt. However, Moses didn’t want to do it and gave excuses as such: Excuse #1: (Ex. 3:11) Who am I to go to Pharaoh? Moses saw himself as an insignificant individual compared to the power and might of Pharaoh of Egypt. God erased this excuse by stating that He would be with him. As Paul states in Romans 8:31, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? To know that God is on our side, we c...

    Introduction One of the reasons we go to worship every Sunday is to edify ourselves and get “built up” so that we might be able to make it through the coming week. However, most people in the religious world view the word edify incorrectly. In this article we’ll look at what is it and what it isn’t.   Definitions of Edify The definition from the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary— 2. To instruct and improve the mind in knowledge generally, and particularly in moral and religious knowledge, in faith and holiness. The Greek word for “edifying” and “edification” is oikodome. Literally, it means “building a house.” This is also why we use the phrase, “built up” as mentioned above. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which ...

  God’s Bucket List for You, part 3   Introduction Many people have this idea that God only exists in the local church building. Or that He’s only paying attention to what you’re doing on Sundays. But, at the same time, when you get in a crisis, you call out to Him for help. Once the crisis is over, you no longer have a need for Him, until the next time. God doesn’t want you to put Him at arm’s length and it’s a good idea that you don’t. There may come a time when God isn’t on your side because you weren’t on His side.   Train Up a Child… In Proverbs 22:6, it is written, Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Some parents see this as a statement ‘written in stone’. They can’t fathom the possibility that their child would depart from God when they become an adult. God has given us the ability to be free-thinking agents; allows us to make our own decisions. Even with all of the teachings that are instilled i...