Author: Dennis

Count the Cost

“Count the cost” … It’s been a dilemma for decades … the desire for something, or to achieve something, but knowing it won’t just be handed to you on a silver platter. Folks have gone into certain lines of work that required more than your standard level of commitment due to longer than average hours, time away from family and the need to be wherever the job took you. It puts you in a different class of people … either making you “harder” and “tougher”, or “breaking” you down where you can’t take it no more. It’s also a matter of deciding what means more to you … whether it be money, the degree, the prestige or … something else. I’ve heard people use this saying many times…”Gotta go where the money is”. “Money” can be found anywhere … it’s just that some people think the more money they make, the happier they and their family will be. That’s just another lie Satan tells people that they believe. If a person loves the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength…and loves others as they do themselves…putting no other gods before GOD…the “idols” of this world will fall flat as the useless articles that they are and the true blessings of GOD will become evident. Families have dissolved thousands of times due to that “money” lie over the centuries. They’ve traded the things of this world over the truth of God’s word, and the proof speaks for itself ! Money’s ok, but we can’t make it our god ( 1 Timothy6:10 ). Count the cost. To be a disciple of Jesus, costs. We must not go into it on a whim or without alotta forethought. It’s not for the half-hearted or the weak … it’s gonna require dedication and discipline. There ain’t no such thing as a “part-time Christian”…either you’re in, or you’re out ( Matthew 12:30; Revelation 3:15-16 ). Jesus says, “ You’re gonna haveta put everything and everybody, including yourself, AFTER ME, or else you can’t be My disciple” ( Luke 14:26-27 ). Count the cost before you commit. Don’t start if you can’t finish strong. Once you “pick up that cross” and start carryin it, it’s a part of you…aint no castin it in a ditch or proppin it up in the garage like some exercise bike or treadmill that gets used for a little while, and then aint ( Luke 9:23 ). A committed Christian is a dedicated follower…a staunch supporter…a do-or-die disciple…believing that Jesus Christ IS the WAY, IS the TRUTH, and IS the LIFE ( John 14:6 ), worthy of everything HE provides or allows em to have or be ! Count the cost. I didn’t start a relationship with my wife, Pennye Jacobs Lewis, with the idea that it was gonna be for a short period. I never considered “divorce” an option … it was “for life…till death do us part” … that’s what i promised ! I made a covenant with her and she made one with me…and we made one with God. Forty-one years, nine months and seven days later, that covenant has been honored and our love for each other is still strong … the credit going to our relationship with Jesus Christ … otherwise, she’da probably already kilt me and buried me behind the house 🤣. As with any commitment, the cost needs to be counted BEFORE we “sign on that dotted line” … and following Jesus ain’t one to be entered into lightly. God expects more outta his kids than we do our own…fortunately. His code of conduct calls for higher standards of living than the world expects. Being pure and holy ain’t easy … it takes discipline and commitment … hard work and determination ( 1 Peter 1:16 ). Christianity ain’t for everybody … but the benefits FAR outweigh the costs ! Father, as we say goodbye to another year and usher in a new one, let our commitment unto you, count. Help us be fully committed to glorifying you with everything we have, everything we say and everything we think. Let our “yes” be yes and our “no” be no. As we consider every “next move”, let us first, consult you, for your approval or disapproval. Help us commit even more to studying your word … to understand better your will and your ways. Help us to love others more…the way you would have us to. As temptation presents itself, help us remember our covenant with you and hold to your standards of living. Jesus paid too high a price for us to live any other way ! Thank you for making us a way to live an abundant lifestyle. Thank you for being our awesome God ! In Jesus name…Amen.

God Came

We’re all about the birth of baby Jesus this time o’ year … which is appropriate. If God hadn’t come to earth as a baby, placed upon himself the responsibility of securing our ability to be once-and-for-all, sin free, we wouldn’t be able to celebrate Christmas for what it really stands for. And even though I’ve heard it quoted a thousand times, God made sure i heard it loud and clear during the sermon yesterday … “But God demonstrated his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” ( Romans 5:8 ). He didn’t “have” to, but he did it ‘cause he loved “you”/ “me”. He didn’t just say it…he proved it. So the question I’ll answer myself … and the question you can ask yourself…. “ How do i demonstrate my love for him ?” The relationship may be “personal”, but every word we speak, every deed we do and every unspoken thought we think, oughta demonstrate our love for Him. Thank you God, for your sacrifice. Help me never forget it … and help me to be less of a grouch when i get to demonstrate this same kinda love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

ASK

“You do not have because you do not ask” ( James 4:2b ). I wish I’d’ve learned this concept earlier in life. Even though i came to Christ by faith at a fairly early age, i didn’t take hold of all the “fringe benefits” that this relationship offers, until much later in life. Shoot ! I was just glad i wasn’t goin t’ hell if i died early…which was a pretty good chance because of some of the crazy stunts i’d pull 😄. It took me longer than some, faster than a few, to understand that if i asked God for something that wasn’t just a “selfish” thing ( like, a million dollars, a thousand acres in the heart of Kansas or Ohio, etc;etc; ), He was, and still is, more than capable of supplying “it”. If you ain’t lazy and God sees that you can be a good steward with money…sharing it in your abundance…He’ll provide it. He knows who will and who won’t spread the love of Christ…whether it’s “money” or any other type of resource. If we don’t ask, we won’t have. I had enough common sense to ask Him for a godly woman when i was gettin closer to “marryin” age … and He honored my request by inserting Pennye Jacobs Lewis in my life. The cool thing about it is, he created her “for me” even before i ever even knew her ! He’s THAT good, yall ! He saw me and knew I’d need some extra-special help, so when i was less than 2 1/2 years old, He created and designed her to be my wife one day ! Want a happy marriage ? Ask God. Want Christ-honoring kids ? Ask God. Wanna be a husband that can keep a good woman ? Ask God. Wanna run a profitable business ? Ask God. Want a roof over your head that won’t leak ? Ask God. And when things get squirrely, the dryer quits workin, the car won’t start and the youngun needs braces…ask God. I’ve learned that God wants us to rely on Him and trust Him to help with the smallest things… like finding a pair of lost readers, repairing a commode, getting a truck unstuck, putting a barbque grill together, finding a pool liner leak, performing a basic wiring project … and so forth and so on. He’s got the answers to a gillion questions and the resources for a gillion more ! His supply is unlimited . He can provide the solution to any problem, but he may make you wait for it. As long as He gets the credit and the glory, He’s willing to dispense the resources necessary to “get the job done”, “make it happen” or “grease the skids”. Don’t ask with selfish motives … but ask ! All he can say is “No”. But we’ll never know unless we “ASK” ! Do you trust him ? Well then, what are you waiting for ? Ask Him ! You don’t have because you don’t ask God.

Imperfect Judging Imperfect

We live in a world where someone’s always trying to find fault. It’s as if they strive to find something to penalize or condemn a person for. Yeah, yeah…I realize there’s rules to go by, laws to abide by, but to make it “your” life’s ambition to bring shame or misery on another human being … just because you CAN ?!!? Come on !! Seriously ?!?! Just suppose I’m a truck driver … driven all my life with no tickets or accidents. I’m nearing the end of my career and the company I work for installs cameras in the trucks, including the one I’ve been driving. Not only are these cameras focused on the road ahead and behind, they’re focused on me, at the wheel. I look down at little intervals to see where my next turn is or if I’m still traveling the correct route….”Distracted “! Pull the truck up a few yards to open a gate or to give the guard the ticket… “Seatbelt”! Country road, weather’s perfect, no traffic and road conditions are ideal … traveling 45 in a 50…nothing…but travel 41 in a 35…”Speeding”! It’s enough to drive a person crazy ! It’s putting more and more stress and pressure on a driver who’s been doing his/her job for 30 years plus without fail…without a citation…without an accident or damage to the vehicle they’re in charge of. And now, this driver is penalized…stripped of his/her perfect record…reprimanded for “doing their job”. They’re made to feel as if they are a mouse in an aquarium … a bug under a microscope … and morale is at a record low. This is just one example of how imperfect people are judging other imperfect people. Company executives have forgotten that people make up their workforce, and “good, loyal , honest, hard-working” people are assets that oughta be appreciated and not victimized. Stress drives more good people from their jobs every day , causes anxiety issues that ultimately leads to poor health and creates even more stress on their supervisors that have to re-fill their positions when that employee quits or doesn’t come to work. I was reminded of how sometimes, we get so distracted by technology and reports that will tell us if we’re dotting every “i” and crossing every “t”, that we forget we’re human…living in harmony / disharmony with other humans. We wanna point fingers and write people up for most anything…finding fault in another’s actions or shortcomings, and we forget that we ain’t perfect, either. “Before you worry about that speck in your brother’s eye, tend to the plank in your own eye” ( Matthew 7:3-5 ). “ If any of you is without sin, let him cast the first stone” ( John 8:7 ). — Jesus A little mercy … a little forgiveness … a little grace … and a lot more love and less fault -finding … that’s what this world needs.

Gettin Dirty

As a kid, i was always outside doin somethin. If it’d rained a couple days, I’d take an empty coffee can up and down the dirt road we lived on and “seine” the ditches for small critters, like minnows, crawdads or tadpoles. I’d go down to the ballfield and crawl around under the bleachers lookin for dropped coins, check around the concession stand for coke bottles to sell back to Mr. Walters ( the local store owner ), go explore the creek behind our house for mussels or the occasional snake, see how far i could sail a stiff cow patty or bombard the unlucky wasps who were trespassing under the roof of the barn. If i didn’t come home at the end of the day covered in dirt, i didn’t do my job. We had no shower, so the bathwater looked like i was bathing in a mud puddle before i was done…( i think that may be why i take only showers today…bathing in my own filth doesn’t make good sense 🤔 ). If i was anything, i was a full-blooded boy. Dirt didn’t bother me and all my pants had patches on the knees. As an adult, there ain’t too many meals that i eat that SOMETHIN dont land on my shirt…( funny how it’s usually above my bellybutton and just below my chest ). I’ve stained many a shirt in my day. I wonder if God gets as tired of washing our “sin”stains, as our mamas and our wives do our clothes stains ? Sure…we do good for awhile, but something will trip us up, cause us to slip, and once again, we’ll be asking God to forgive us for sinning against Him. It may’ve not even been noticed by anyone else, but WE knew…and GOD knew. We ought never get comfortable about sinnin. Gettin dirty as a kid…gettin dirty while workin or playin hard, is expected…but to deliberately wallow in the filth of sin, or to dabble in disobedience until we wind up staining our character … that’s unacceptable for the one that calls Jesus, “Lord”. It’s our duty, as a son or daughter of The King of kings, to remain loyal and obedient unto Him. Our ways and our speech oughta reflect His purity and glory as the noonday sun on a hot July day in Mississippi. People ought not hear us praisin God on Sundays and cussin the other six days of the week. We oughta treat our spouses with the love, honor and respect that God expects … not just Sunday while at church, but all the other days of the week when outside those walls. Our kids and grandkids oughta never haveta be ashamed to say, “Yeah…that’s my aunt, uncle, dad, mom, pep or Mimi “… because we lived what we believed and THAT was who we were … all praise to Jesus, our Lord and Savior ! The Psalmist puts it like this : “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart, don’t let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that i might not sin against you” ( Psalm 119:9-11 ). If His word ain’t important enough to us to study and follow daily, we can count on staying dirty and being a disappointment to them that need us to be otherwise.

Everyone Will Know

Jesus said,” By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” ( John 13:35 ). Notice he didn’t say “If yall will love only those who look like you, live like you, are shaped like you and smell like you” … he said “if you love one another.” He left no one out … not your annoying boss, your nagging wife, your no-good husband, your defiant kids, your ____neighbor, the foreigner, the obnoxious, the _______ . When we leave someone off the “gotta love em” list, we’ve adjusted Jesus’ “new command” to suit us or fit our prejudices. We don’t get to re-write God’s commands yall ! He’s God…we ain’t ! Either we love everybody or we don’t … and yeah, it’s hard at times. I’ve used this one a time or two: “I might haveta love em, but i don’t haveta like em.” And i can hear God…” Boy, you gon’ make me slap you upside your head.” Lovin’ the “unlovable” ain’t “natural” … it’s “supernatural”. If it was easy, everybody’d be doin it. By the power of God, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and abiding in Jesus Christ, we are capable of “loving” even our enemies ! You believe that !?! It’s a miracle in itself ! Placing our faith in Christ for salvation from hell ain’t the only thing He saves us from. He saves us “unto good works” ( Ephesians 2:10 )…meaning we are able to love others “unconditionally”, like Jesus does. Jesus had plenty o’ reason to say,” Y’all know what ? I’m goin back home. Yall can all go t’ hell !” … but he didn’t. When we realize we can’t pick-n-choose who we love, life’ll get a whole lot simpler … and God’ll receive the glory He so richly deserves. We love because He first loved us ( 1 John 4:19 ).

No Matter What

And the PEACE of GOD, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. ( Philippians 4:7 ) Some o’ y’all know what this peace feels like … yall can wake up each morning and be secure in the knowledge that NO MATTER WHAT, God’s got it…and He’s got you. Yall know mama and the kids will be yackin’ up a storm shortly … yall know the traffic is gonna be horrendous … yall know the employees, coworkers and possibly the boss will be in a mood … that it’ll probably be raining soon … that you’ve got less hours in a day but more work, and yet…you’re at peace during it all ! Why is that ?!? What person can be in the middle of a major crisis…told they may have cancer…possibly losing their job…served with divorce papers…awaiting a prison sentence…just informed of a loved one’s untimely death, etc; etc; and still have a sense of peace surrounding them that common sense can’t explain !??! It’s the one that has believed and confessed Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord ! They are no longer held captive by their sins … forgiven completely by GOD Himself ! Sure…they still have trials and troubles … they just don’t haveta bear those burdens under their own strength and power anymore ! They know The Spirit of God lives in them…supplying ample security and resources to see them through ! Make no mistake about it…He’s aware of their situation, actively and intimately involved and completely capable of handling all circumstances ! THAT’S why the follower of Christ has peace in their soul, peace of mind and the peace that surpasses all understanding ! They KNOW their security is found in Jesus … NO MATTER WHAT !!

What Is Love ?

I recently found a book in an old house that’ll be gone before long, and as i flipped through its pages, i landed on a poem by Helen Steiner Rice titled,” What Is Love?”. Some dude named Henry Drummond pencilled in a forethought…” Instead of allowing yourself to be unhappy, just let your love grow as God wants it to grow.” This caused my eyebrows to rise a little and i could imagine that mouse in my brain pick up the pace a little on that wheel … “instead of allowing yourself to be unhappy…”…now there’s something many of us are probably experts at … allowing ourselves to be unhappy ! Huh ! We go into a different mode when the weekend is over and the need to resume our 8-5 begins once again … we complain, we find aches that weren’t there Saturday and Sunday, we automatically think about worse case scenarios and gripe about every little thing. In fact, we allow ourselves to be unhappy. So how do we get away from this mindset, this heart condition and stop allowing ourselves to be unhappy ? We can “love” more. Some of us need to be reminded of what “love” really is. What is love ? No words can define it, It’s something so great, Only God could design it … Wonder of Wonders, beyond man’s conception, And only in God can love find true perfection. … But love is enduring and patient and kind, It judges all things with the heart, not the mind. ( a couple of lines from the poem ) To know how to love our jobs, our coworkers, rush-hour traffic, our spouses, our friends, as well as our enemies, we must first, love God…with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind and all of our strength ( Deuteronomy 6:4-7 ) … and then, love others as we love ourselves ( Matthew 22:39 ). This calls for putting others and their needs and desires BEFORE our own ( Philippians 2:3 ). Love is patient and kind…it’s not rude or self-seeking ( 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ). When we get tired of doing the same thing the same way, “receiving” the same results, we will make the necessary adjustments to bring about “change”. Loving God more, oughta catch us loving others more…like God designed it. And if we’re loving God and others more…the way God designed us to, we’ll notice our attitudes change concerning other actions and other matters. Work won’t be a begrudged chore, it’ll be a blessing from God that He wants to use as a vehicle to get His message delivered. We will see people at work that we won’t see on the weekends … and they’ll need to see and hear Jesus’ messages and be loved on, too. We can be happy when we’re producing the fruit of the Spirit…no matter where we are ( Galatians 5:22-23 ). Insteada complaining, let’s replace it with “love” ! Yes, love is beyond what man can define, For love is Immortal and God’s Gift is Divine ! Let’s try it, shall we ? And stop allowing ourselves to be unhappy !

Be Still

“Be still, and know that I am GOD” ( Psalm 46:10a ). The psalmist may’ve recorded this, but the Spirit sends us this message. We need to hear and heed it. When the authorities of this world don’t take a stance for truth and justice, they need to know they will be held accountable by “the Authority”… One much higher than they. When people choose selfish pleasures over godly morals and commands, they need to know there’s a day of reckoning coming. When mamas and daddies set bad examples, let their kids run loose, talk back and get away with murder ( 1 John 3:15 ), they need to be aware that their “seed-sowing” will return to them a thousand fold ( Galatians6:7-8 ). Husbands will be held accountable to God for the way they treated their wives…wives will be held accountable for the way they treated their husbands. If it goes against God’s written commands, precepts or instructions, there will come a day of judgement … and GOD will do the judging, as well as administer the punishment. “Be still, and know that I am GOD”, wasn’t just some “feel-good” statement for a kitchen sampler ( kids, you can Google it or ask your Mimi )…it was a reminder that everything made, including mankind, is under the authority of the Almighty ! He’s our Creator…He gets to make the rules. There’s certainly times in life we need “a break”. The busy-ness of day-t-day responsibilities can be overwhelming and exhausting, for sure ! Getting away or communing with nature is a great way to relax and unwind. We can then, remember to, “be still, and know that He is GOD.” The hustle and bustle of life can cause us to miss out on the good things of God…the goodness of God…the good things He’s created for us to enjoy. His “Sabbath” ain’t the only day He wants us to relax…His “rest” comes from a close walk with Jesus…knowing Him and “abiding” in Him…praising Him in the good times, as well as the bad times … remembering where you used-t-be, and marveling over where you are today … looking around you at the way God’s blessed and favored you; recognizing Him as your Source for those blessings, and thanking Him appropriately. “Be still, and know that I am GOD.”

Nuttin To It

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you WILL NOT gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. ( Galatians 5:16-17 ) Well, there we go ! Nuttin to it; right ? WRONG ! Living “by the Spirit” ( by the way…yall DID catch that upper case “S”; right ? ) is living under the Lordship of God the Father, by faith in the Son, Jesus Christ, and under the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit of GOD. This is THE ONLY WAY to walk in the righteousness of God … to live “up to” the Holy standards of God, and reap the benefits of a life free from the burdens and pain that “willingly sinning” produces. Where the consequences of sin are heartbreak, poor health conditions, incarceration, death and eternal separation from GOD … the consequences of being Spirit led is abundant life, freedom, peace, joy, contentment, peace-of-mind, supernaturally empowered and blessed beyond measure ! Trying to sin while Spirit-filled is like trying to cram a square peg in a round hole, thread a needle while traveling a wash-board gravel road or put lipstick on a pig. It just won’t “feel right”! God never saved us for us to return to our sinful ways…no matter how frequent ( Proverbs 26:11; Romans 6:1 ). Living and walking in the Spirit MUST precede “self-control”… a must-have “fruit of the Spirit”. Without the Spirit and His power, we cannot be self-controlled…and we will not be able to resist the temptation to sin. Aintcha glad you no longer haveta live in that sinful nature that was handicappin you and sendin you to hell ?

Thank Him

Ten men with leprosy encountered Jesus while on his way to Jerusalem. Because the law forbade lepers from being around anybody but another leper, they hollered from a distance…” Jesus, Master, have pity on us !” When he saw them, he said,” Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked,” Were not all ten cleansed ? Where are the other nine ? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner ?” Then he said to him,” Rise and go; your faith has made you well” ( Luke 17:11-19 ). We’re not told, but i picture the “afterwards” … life after the healings … how it “changes” a person, or not. Because Jesus made it a point that we hear and see this one man out of ten come back, after he sees he’s cleansed from this terminal and terrible disease, i believe the other nine may’ve been like many of us … they enjoyed the benefit of the healing ( the cleansing ) of their physical sores and infections…the ostracism that came with this disease…but they left before the “spiritual healing” could be administered. In other words, they enjoyed part of the meal, belched, and left satisfied with what they received. They didn’t say,”Enjoyed it”…”Compliments to the Cook”…or “Thank you” to the host. They also didn’t get in on the fine dessert afterwards. Too often, we skip on our merry way after a blessing from God and we don’t even have the respect and decency to say “Thank you, Lord”. I know what Ida done if i was Jesus…them other nine boys wouldn’t’ve made it to the priests before their leprosy returned ! Just sayin. Yall best be glad i ain’t God. If we haven’t already learned this lesson, why not start now?! Pray faithfully that God will grant you safe travels to and from wherever you go each day. And when you get there, thank him for letting you. You got a bad cough or runny nose, ask God to heal you. And when the dozen Kleenexes wind down to one or two, thank him. When that grandbaby stops screaming every two hours, thank him. When you open the frig and can’t find the jelly for all the leftovers, thank him that you’re well-stocked. Ask for that deer that’s been leaving tracks around your stand…and when he sends it by and helps you make the shot, thank him for providing you some more sausage…and even if you don’t see anything, thank him for lettin you enjoy his creation … so many others would love to be in your place. An ungrateful person is probably the saddest excuse for a human as there is ! Let’s start, if we ain’t already, thanking God for all the luxuries we enjoy each day. Ask him to make you aware of em…and ask him to grant you a grateful heart. God doesn’t “give” or “bless” because he HAS to … he does it because he’s a Good Father…because he loves us and wants us to love him back. He’s got the authority and power to move mountains … but he’s also got the authority and power to change a heart of stone into one that’s geared for His pleasure. When “that person” holds that door for you…when someone pays for your coffee…when that young man offers to take your buggy back to the store…when someone yields to let you come over… be thankful…tell em or just give em that grateful wave and mouth “thank you” … and thank God for that person . We can learn alot from this one ol boy that turned around and went back to fall at Jesus’ feet and glorify God with thanksgiving. Let’s not be like the other nine and miss out on the “coup de gras” ( a stroke of mercy ; an act of grace ) that God has in store for us.

Acknowledge

To “acknowledge” means to admit the truth or existence of something, to express gratitude or recognition , to show notice of something or to confirm receipt of it. “Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him/her before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him/her before My Father in heaven.” — Jesus. ( Matthew 10:12-13 ) We say, and hear, things like this: “Yeah I know God !”…but does God know “you” ( Matthew 7:22-23 ) ? “ Naw…i useta go t’ church, but I ain’t found one I like.” … but invite em to a party, the club, the camp, the ballfield, the golfcourse or the lake, and they’ll run over you gettin there. We DO what we WANT to do. I’ve even seen folks, “in church”, concentrating on their phones ( or watches ) while they should be praising or worshipping through listening to the message ! It’s no different than a young person coloring or talking amongst themselves while attending a “worship” service. If we’re not giving the Lord our full, undevided attention and respect, we might as well not be there. It’s a blatant disregard for HIM and a poor example of Jesus Christ. And, it’s an outright un-acknowledgement of Him. When we are given opportunities to serve in Jesus’ name, speak the truth of His Word, testify of His goodness and witness about the blood-bought, life-changing amazingness of His grace, and fail to follow through with these divine appointments, we have failed to acknowledge Him before men ! And what did Jesus say ? If yall won’t acknowledge me before others, I ain’t gon’ acknowledge yall before My Father.” Wow ! That would be detrimental ! Without that relationship with Jesus, we won’t have access to the Father or benefit from His salvation from sin … the penalty of which is “death” ! “If you are ashamed of me and My words here on earth, I will be ashamed of you before the Father” ( Luke 9:26 ). I’m just a simple man ‘ hails from Star, Ms., but it makes more sense to me to acknowledge Him while I’m able … every chance i get ! How bout you ? I guess, if you’ve never really received Him, you wouldn’t have any reason to acknowledge Him. Good gifts are worth acknowledging.

Speak Out

For “fun” or “curiosity”, have you ever sat down with one o’ them “fortune tellers” ? You know, the ones that claim they can look at the palm of your hand, throw a few bones or flip a few tarot cards and predict your future or tell you stuff you already know about yourself ? I know me and Pennye Jacobs Lewis did one time while we were in New Orleans … you see em all around the area in front of the church ( St. Louis Cathedral ). Seems like Pennye was pregnant at the time and one of the questions we asked was whether it would be a boy or girl 🙄. ( What was we gonna do once it arrived, drive back over there and tell er she got it right or wrong !? ) People are so willing to throw good money after bad … even if it’s for the fun of it. And by the way…God tells us to stay away from these people and their evil workings ( Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Acts 19:19 ). These are an “abomination unto the Lord”, thus, avoided, left alone and not to be relied on. As Forrest’s mama always said,” Stupid is as stupid does.” God wants His children to trust and rely on Him and Him alone ( Exodus 20:3-5 ). Ol’ girl wound up in the middle of one of God’s “divine appointments” and was used to spread the message of Jesus’ ability to “tell everything she’d ever done” … and they’d never met before that day. Many believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony. And because of His ( Jesus’ ) words, many more became believers ! They said to the woman,” We no longer believe just because of what you said, now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world” ( John 4:39-42 ). Too often, we keep silent about our “encounters” with Jesus and what He’s spoken to us … shame on us. “God” things, “God’s words” and “divine appointments” don’t need to be kept a secret !! We’re given opportunities every single day to shine the spotlight on our Savior and to glorify GOD. Let’s not waste any more of em ! And don’t waste any more money on them “dark” forces or Ouiga boards ( ask yer papaw or Mimi 😄 ). By your testimony, God’ll attract others to His salvation !

The Gift

Thanksgiving is in our rearview mirror and Christmas’ll be here ‘fore you know it. Folks are decorating their homes and puttin up the ol Christmas tree…a few have started on their shopping for that right gift for family and friends … the Hallmark movies are playing and the kids are drivin mom crazy being out o’ school on vacation. Dad’s already grumbling about all the decorations that haveta be taken back up in the attic and tryin to convince mom to just put up a small tree. God bless us every one ! As for “gift giving”… try to recall your most-favorite that you received last year. Uh-huh …that’s what i thought … you can’t remember what you ate for lunch two days ago, so you sho ain’t gon’ remember what you got last Christmas. Unless it was a “big ticket” gift, or yall gave each other something like a cruise, it’s probably hard to remember. A “gift” is just a gift … it’s made or bought, and it’s “given” … but if it’s not “received”, it doesn’t benefit anybody. Some of us have hidden gifts so they wouldn’t be found beforehand … and when the unwrapping was done, that particular gift remained where it was hidden … found accidentally later on in the year. A “received” gift is not only given, it’s accepted by someone that had no part in purchasing it or making it. Certain “gifts” keep on giving long after they’ve been exchanged. My wife, Pennye Jacobs Lewis is one of em. God “gifted” me with her over 45 years ago…and she’s still as precious as the day she first smiled at me. Another “gift” He offers is either received, or rejected … His Son , Jesus Christ. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God…children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God ( John 1:11-13 ). It’s called,” born again” for a reason. When we get to that point in life where we feel like something’s missing…something’s just not right, or that there’s got to be more… God whispers,”You’re right.” And He’s offering us the opportunity of a lifetime … a chance to be all He’s designed and purposed us to be … the privilege of being called, “a child of GOD”! It’s HIS gift to us…held out with unimaginable love … but, until we reach back out and receive it, it’s not ours. It’s not a bomb and it won’t bite…it’s not one of “those gifts” that you’re gonna wanna return…it’s the greatest gift we’ll ever receive … but only if we receive it and open it. The gift that keeps on giving … a relationship with God through faith and acceptance of His Son ! To receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior is not only the greatest gift we’ll ever receive, it’s the greatest story ever told ! It’s not to be received and kept for/to ourselves … it’s to be “confessed” by way of testimonies, deeds done out of the love He pours out of us, actions that used to be impossible…”fruit” that we never knew existed ( Galatians 5:22-23 )! By accepting/ receiving and opening this gift from God, we open ourselves up to “new” things, “new” ways and “new” possibilities ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 ) ! God begins a work “in us” and “through us” that glorifies Himself ( Philippians 1:6 ) … it’s the “gift” that keeps on giving ! Once “in”, you’ll never forget this amazing Gift that GOD gave you “that day” … and even if it ain’t December 25, it’ll still be a “Merry Christmas” !!