Integrity of Heart

Posted on November 5, 2013 by kandpthrock

 

“And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”  Psalm 78:72 NIV

What a great trust that was put into David’s hands, that he feed the flock of God.  He fed them, he ruled them; he taught them and guided them – with the integrity of his heart!  Then along comes David’s son, Solomon with the following instructions on how we are to live to do well.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.  Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.  Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.  Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.  Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:23-27 NIV

This is what these verses mean to me.  Be diligent in guarding your heart; go quietly and steadily about persevering…  We must keep our hearts from doing hurt and getting hurt.  Our hearts must be kept with more diligence than anything else about us. Do not practice deliberate and stubborn unruliness and resistance to guidance or discipline in your life.  Do not allow yourself to purposefully deviate from what is good.  Indeed, let your words be true and honest.  Study carefully the path you are about to take and make good choices.  We must stay focused on our goal of leading a godly life. 

The Apostle Peter instructed us to “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:12 NIV

This is how Peter instructed us to live before the world.  We must live lives of integrity, of undivided completeness so there is no question of our fidelity to the Lord.  Folks may not agree with us, may make snide remarks or whisper behind our backs but are we better than our Savior?  He was insulted and mocked yet He did not counterattack.  It is no easy task not to jump into the fray when painful and insulting things are said to/about us. And this takes me back to Proverbs 4:23-27 to get back on track, on the straight and narrow. 

Guard my heart LORD that I may stay honest and true to myself.  Guide me in ways that reflect my love and obedience to YOU.  Give me courage always that I will profess YOU as my Savior.  In JESUS name I pray, Amen

 

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The Calling

Posted on November 3, 2013 by kandpthrock

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 NIV

Jeremiah the prophet didn’t have to wonder what his role in life was although it was surrounded with ambiguity. He was called at a very young age to one of the toughest assignments of any leader in the Old Testament.

“‘Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch men. Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them for this?” declares the Lord. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?’” Jeremiah 5:26-29 NIV

Wicked men, spiteful and malicious, took great pleasure in their sinful ways. These men, literally caught in their sinful and wicked acts, persisted. They grew in wealth and power with their fraudulent practices. God’s call empowered Jeremiah; he called them out. Jeremiah’s message was not one of salvation but one of self-evaluation for the people of Judah, denouncing their wickedness. His message fell on deaf ears.

“So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you.” Jeremiah 7:16 NIV
God told him from the outset, his would be no easy task that people would deny him, be hostile toward him for the message he carried. But Jeremiah persevered, even praying for the people of Judah when God told him not to.

Sometimes we feel like Jeremiah. It is easy to feel outnumbered when so many people still openly deny God. There are many of us who feel as though we are not worthy, unprepared, too young etc., to spread the word. In some circles it is construed as politically incorrect to speak openly about our Savior and our walk with Him. Friends take on an air of embarrassment.

Think on the sacrifices Jeremiah made. He preached to Judah and nations who were always in opposition to him. He was ordered by God to never marry resulting in a life of solitude. His life was threatened many times over, yet he never stopped speaking the words God placed in his mouth.

God took Jeremiah from a meek boy to one filled with boldness to put the people on notice. God was angry yet he wanted every man, woman and child to hear His message spoken through Jeremiah so they would not have the limp excuse, “But I didn’t know…”

Pastor Jack Hayford wrote in his book Glory on Your House, “The Holy Spirit of the living God is engaging all God’s people with a renewing, reviving call to open to the glory of His grace in Holy Spirit fullness. The objective of this experience is not to introduce us to a glib, giddy kind of ‘charismania,’ but to equip, prepare, and fortify us against the spirits of darkness, deception, and destruction.”

LORD, thank you for the privilege of YOUR grace. Keep me focused on YOUR Word and have me live a life that exemplifies YOUR glory, compassion and forgiveness. I especially thank YOU LORD for the freedom to worship YOU in the open. In JESUS name I pray, Amen.

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Farm House Bed

Posted on October 27, 2013 by kandpthrock

The Farm House Bed is in receipt of its owners. The customers repeatedly exclaimed about the spacious six drawers. They surprised me with a hidden bonus. The vacant space beneath the bed slats? That is where they are storing seasonal items i.e. Christmas decorations. What a neat idea!
Bed 1

Bed 4

Bed 5

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Furniture Has Home

Posted on October 27, 2013 by kandpthrock

Yesterday we received a note and photos of the file cabinet and book shelves we made for a customer. How gratifying to see these pieces in an actual, real-life setting. As you can see, the knobs at the bottom of the book shelves have been put to good use with soccer medals and the file cabinet sports a live plant. Good presentation!
Book Shelf Andrea 2

File Cabinet Andrea

File Cabinet.Book Shelf.Office.Ancrea

File Cabinet.office desk Andrea

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Under the Eye and Hand of God

Posted on October 24, 2013 by kandpthrock

“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.” Psalm 139:1-6 NIV

Some time back there was a questionnaire circulating the internet regarding “How Well Do You Know Me.” It included queries such as: 1) What color is my hair/eyes 2) What is my middle name and 3) What is my favorite color 4) What is my favorite food. You get the idea. I sent this out to several people and was quite entertained by some of the responses I received. It turned out they did not know me very well at all.

This is not true with God. He has perfect knowledge of me, knowing all my motions; when I sit down to rest, when I arise in the morning. Already He knows what temperament I have suited up with. Before a word is on my tongue, whether it is in vain or a good word He knows what it meant and from where the thought process came. God knows the disposition I have with family, toward friends and neighbors. He knows my thoughts of which nothing is quicker. My thoughts are unknown to others; not so with God, for my thoughts are words to Him. Wherever I am, I am under the eye and hand of God. What a security blanket that is!

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24 NIV

Here, I believe King David is appealing to God concerning his sincerity. He is asking God to reveal to him if he has wrong thoughts or behavior. David wants to know if he is subconsciously harboring any ill will, begging to know the worst of himself. If there is any corruptness left within, he begs it to be rooted out. He prays to be led in the way of godliness.

“…godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8b NIV

Charles Spurgeon wrote in a sermon dated 1888, “Godliness is a life-long business. The working out of the salvation that the Lord, himself, works in you is not a matter of certain hours, or of a limited period in life. Salvation is unfolded throughout our entire sojourn here.”

LORD, lead me in the way of godliness. Remove any unknown ill will that may be hiding deep within my heart. Keep me focused on being, thinking, saying, feeling and doing in ways that are pleasing to YOU. In JESUS name I pray, Amen.

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Our Responsibility to Pets

Posted on October 21, 2013 by kandpthrock

Our Responsibility to Pets.

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Our Responsibility to Pets

Posted on October 21, 2013 by kandpthrock

“God blessed them and said to them, ‘be fruitful and increase in number: fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground’.” Genesis 1:28 NIV

We spent all of yesterday in an emergency clinic for pets because our pet suffered a freak accident and had to go into surgery. Nearly $600 and eight hours later we arrived home with a heavily sedated, patched up pup who was wearing an Elizabethan collar. There was not a moment’s hesitation in making the decision to have him properly treated. This started me wondering what the Bible has to say about pets. I couldn’t come up with any verse that addressed this in a straightforward dialogue.

Since God created man in His own image, this would imply that man is to be loving and compassionate in his behavior toward every living thing and that would include love and compassion for our pets. There are many words synonymous with subdue: curb, suppress, master, overcome, tame. Alternative words for rule are harness, rein, govern and prevail.
So from the beginning of creation we have been directed by God to subdue and rule over all living creatures. Man, in his sinful heart, has devised to use living animals as “sport” or “entertainment” by training them to fight each other until the most stalwart remains standing. I don’t believe God will deal kindly with neither these individuals nor the spectators that gather, calling for blood.
God gave us sanction from the get-go to have authority over animals and to care for them – care for them! “A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” Proverbs 12:10 NIV

If we possess any godly wisdom at all it will affect every aspect of our lives, including how we treat all of God’s creation. Is how we treat our pets a reflection on how we treat humans as well? Make no mistake, God is watching you and me and everyone around us. We must be careful in this role of love for pets; it is not meant to surpass the love of our human counterparts. As in everything we do, it must be done with balance.

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), poet, social reformer and philosopher was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. The title to one excerpt from The Heart of God is “A Question To God” and it goes like this:

“Age after age, O God, You have sent Your messengers into this pitiless world, who have left their word: “Forgive all. Love all. Cleanse your hearts from the blood-red stains of hatred.”

“Adorable are they, ever to be remembered; yet from the outer door, I have turned them away today – this evil day – with unmeaning salutation.

“Have I not seen secret malignance strike down the helpless under the cover of hypocritical might?
Have I not heard the silenced voice of justice weeping in solitude at might’s defiant outrages?

“Have I not seen in what agony reckless youth, running mad, has vainly shattered its life against insensitive rocks?

“Choked is my voice, mute are my songs today, and darkly my world lies imprisoned in a dismal dream; and I ask You O God, in tears, “Have you, Yourself forgiven, have even You loved those who are poisoning Your air and blotting out Your light?”

Tagore must have been experiencing the same defeat most Christians feel today regarding the callous evil that appears to have a vice grip on our nation. Read the verse from Proverbs again, “the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”

LORD, give me sensibility and calm. Show me the way to be a positive influence on those who have not received YOU. Guide my words and behavior in ways that are pleasing to YOU. In JESUS name I pray, Amen

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There Is Something about the Rain

Posted on October 19, 2013 by kandpthrock

“If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands I will send you rain in its season and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit.” Leviticus 26:3-4 NIV
It is October 19, 2013 and I awakened around four this morning to the sound of a steady, soft rain as it fell upon the roof and bounced off the open windows of my bedroom. Rain holds many connotations, dependent on a multiplicity of variables. In the dark of night it may conjure up fleeting thoughts of times gone by; by light of day a feeling of depression may set in for lack of sunshine. In winter, the frigid air may feel even colder, yet in the spring rain brings a feeling of eagerness and renewal.
The Old and New Testament agree that God honors obedience and despises disobedience. The Old Testament speaks of being rewarded now however the New Testament teaches that by faith and righteous living one will eventually be rewarded. The truth remains we are simply to follow and obey His commands.
Rain can be rejuvenating, exhilarating and motivational especially after a prolonged shortage. Zechariah, whose name means Yahweh remembers was a prophet and priest and in the fall of the year 520 B.C., he wrote, “Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who makes the storm clouds. He gives showers of rain to men, and plants of the field to everyone.” Zechariah 10:1 NIV
This verse begs the question, “Is God to blame for storms?” One commentator writes, “God certainly makes the storm clouds – He has created all things, including the atmosphere with its weather patterns. If we accept the blessings of a needed downpour, we also have to face the fierceness unleashed by a storm.” We cannot understand all things, especially why God allows storms that cause death, suffering and destruction. I believe human sin has perpetuated frustration in this universe and I wonder if God has turned a deaf ear to the masses that deny, dishonor and disobey His will. When I ask myself “Why,” I must recognize, even in my pain, that God’s plan for me is perfect.
LORD, thank YOU for the rain and the benefits thereof. Thank YOU for the seasons and the renewal each passing one brings. Take my hand LORD and lead me in the ways that are pleasing to YOU. In JESUS name I pray, Amen.
Pat Throckmorton
October 19, 2013

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The Most Excellent Way

Posted on October 18, 2013 by kandpthrock

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames but have not love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV

It is revealed to us through His Word that we are the body of Christ and we each are given a gift. Paul equates the gift of prophecy with encouragement through preaching and enlightenment and understanding. Whether my gift is edifying or helping, if I do not have the fruit of the spirit that is love, then I have nothing.

In the Book of Galatians, Paul clearly and concisely explains the basics of what the gospel really is. It is a short book with only six chapters but is packed with advice, warning the Christians of Galatia against mixing worldly legalism with the simple truths of what it meant to be saved by faith. Paul taught that we should live by the Spirit, not gratifying the desires of the sinful nature.

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” Galatians 5:9-21a NIV

The Apostle Paul goes on to name the nine Fruits of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23a NIV

In an earlier commentary I wrote about love and obedience going hand in hand. Delving further into the Bible we discern that faith (interchangeable with love) and obedience go hand in hand as well. The Fruit of the Spirit is something only the Holy Spirit can produce within us. As a believer, this is something we receive as a gift when we accept Christ as our Savior.

It sounds so simple… is it easy? No! But if we truly live by the Spirit and stay in step with the Spirit and lift each other up and restore each other when we stumble, we will be successful. We must humble our hearts to love the unlovely, just as Jesus did.

Jerry Bridges wrote in The Practice of Godliness, “The godly person has found that what the greedy or envious or discontented person always searches for but never finds. He has found satisfaction and rest in his soul.”

LORD, I know you are compassionate, loving and giving. I know too, that I am here to serve YOU, not the visa versa. Show me the way, LORD; walk with me and keep me strong in faith, love and self-control. To YOU I give the praise. In JESUS name I pray, Amen.

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Love and Obey

Posted on October 17, 2013 by kandpthrock

Love and Obey.

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