Click on the picture below to open a Youtube video of a wonderful tribute to this wonderful day!

Bro. Nicholas Cardot once had this on his blog and I thought it was excellent! Enjoy :-)

Some Things To Remember

The Lord is my Shepherd
That’s relationship!

I shall not want
That’s supply!

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures
That’s rest!

He leadeth me beside still waters
That’s refreshment!

He restoreth my soul
That’s healing!

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
That’s guidance!

For His name sake
That’s purpose!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
That’s testing!

I will fear no evil
That’s protection!

For thou art with me
That’s faithfulness!

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me
That’s discipline!

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies
That’s hope!

Thou anointest my head with oil
That’s consecration!

My cup runneth over
That’s abundance!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
That’s blessing!

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
That’s security!

Forever
That’s eternity!!

Author Unknown

~I Corinthians 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

You’re running along a winding path through the forest one day. You come around a curve and suddenly trip over a large branch in the pathway. It would have been nice had you been warned prior to coming around that curve to beware of the obstacle ahead, wouldn’t it? During one of my recent hikes at the beautiful Sweet Creek (pictured above), I was walking along the trail and concentrating on the beauty around me. A tree’s large roots were protruding out of the ground and my foot was caught up in them, causing me to stumble.

Today’s account was a good one to meditate on – the stumbling blocks of my life. Granted, I have stumbled many a time along my Christian walk. But have I been a stumbling block to someone else? What do others see me doing, whether sinful or not, that could be interpreted incorrectly?

We don’t know who is watching us. It could be a total stranger, a member of our own household, or a co-worker. Are my actions a large root in someone’s pathway of life? Today’s emerging church sadly screams “liberty in Christ” to justify their worldly living. That is a very selfish thought. We are not at liberty to do worldly things – we are at liberty of being judged by the Law because we are saved from the yoke of the Law’s bondage – we are free from that bondage of sin! We are able to say no to sin and are no longer controlled by it!

~Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Gal 5:1

Do my actions revolve around self and the gratification of my flesh? Paul encourages me to think of my weaker brethren in the Lord. I don’t know if there is a weaker brother listening in on a conversation or watching my actions.

~I Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

~I Corinthians 10:28 But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof:

Being a Christian has responsibilities which involve selflessness. It’s not about my liberties but it’s all about my brother’s weaknesses. Paul exhorts me to esteem others, not myself. Today’s self-esteem gospel is a false gospel. It’s just an excuse for Christians to live like the world, talk like the world, and do the same thing the world does. There’s no encouragement to beware of being a stumbling block to a weaker brother.

Christ encourages all of us to be servants (John 13:5). Someone who is concerned about others will have no problem serving. There is no self esteem in a servant’s attitude. It’s all about serving the Master and what His needs are, amen? Just think back on the days of slavery. A slave was not his own – he did not as he wished but did what his master bid. Wow! Oh that each Christian today would be this type of servant.

~Philippians 2:3-4 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

When we are thinking of others, we monitor our own actions with that same thought process. I must be careful that my own actions do not cause my brother to fall into sin. A good example is what some call “Christian cursing.” I’m sorry but that is such an oxymoron. Should a Christian ever curse? Absolutely not! What if a weaker Christian, one who is recently saved, hears you using ‘potty’ words? He will think that it’s O.K. to do so! You may later fall under conviction for having used those words but that weaker brother won’t know this. You will never know who you affected by your actions and, therefore, may cause a brother to stumble. What a responsibility this is!

~Romans 14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.

Our Christian walk should not be about “what is good or allowable for me” but, instead, what is good for my brother in Christ. A carnal Christian will try to justify his actions by saying that it’s the responsibility of the other person, not their’s. I recently saw an article on modest clothing for women. The article’s main theme was immodestly dressed women cause men to lust after them. A woman responded that it was not her clothing that caused the man to lust but his own heart. Wow! Really? Would he have stumbled if he had not seen her immodest apparel? This is exactly what Paul is talking about. If this woman had a servant’s heart, rather than serving her own fleshly desires, she would have fallen under conviction over this article and would have immediately stopped wearing immodest clothing. Instead, she balked and defended her lifestyle. This is selfish – this is not esteeming the other better than herself. In fact, she is obsessed with self.

In closing, what does my walk do for someone else? Do I encourage another to live righteously by my actions? Or do I encourage another to live like the world? :-(

What a responsibility we have. What a responsibility I have! I must live like someone’s always watching!

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead: Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell. 4 And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the Lord spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel. Num 5:1-4

Leprosy was/is considered a horrible, physically defiling, and contagious disease. In biblical days, people with this disease had to be set apart from the healthy otherwise it spread. Today, we have antibiotics which can keep leprosy from progressing further, once it is disagnosed.

I stopped to meditate on this dreadful disease and how similar to our spiritual life it is. Just as God commanded that those with leprosy be put out of the camp, so should we do in our own spiritual lives to protect ourselves from “spiritual leprosy.” A simple Google search brought me to various websites that outlined the symptoms of leprosy. I thought it would be interesting to see what these symptoms were and how we can compare them to our own “spiritual leprosy.”

1. Symptoms begin within five years from when the bacteria enters the body. This period is known as the ‘leprosy incubation period.’ After salvation, I am not actively reading God’s word daily and growing spiritually, I am subjecting myself to a life of battles with sin. (Psalm 119:9) The more I allow sin to dwell in me, the more severe my spiritual leprosy becomes.

2. Leprosy ranges from mild to severe – from one or a few skin areas infected to many areas, which in turn damage to many organs. I was once told that a Christian should keep his sins on a very short list with God – confessing, repenting and forsaking these sins daily. The repercussions from our sins can range from mild to severe spankings from our Heavenly Father. (II Corinthians 6:14) Some consequences are irreversible. A good example is disobeying God’s word and marrying an unsaved person. The life that will follow will be filled with hardships.

3. Rashes and bumps begin to appear and the affected areas become numb and muscles may become weak. As we continue in sin, we develop “spiritual bumps and rashes” which become evident to those around us. For example, making it a practice of not going to church will surface in my actions. My language may become more foul, I may find myself hanging out with unsaved people, etc. Sin’s bacteria surfaces in my actions. (Colossians 3:5-6)

4. A diagnosis is made and confirmed by taking a biopsy of the affected tissue. It becomes evident to the more spiritual friends and church members that this person has spiritual leprosy by the fruit that is produced, or not produced in this case.

5. Antibiotics cannot cure the damage already done but can prevent leprosy from progressing. The scriptures are the antibiotic that keeps us clean. As we submit to the Holy Spirit’s leading, repent and move on, we keep spiritual leprosy at bay. The repercussions of our sin prior to the scripture’s antibiotic may continue on. (Romans 7:5) For example, a baby born out of wedlock is still going to be a part of your life even though you have repented of the sin of fornication. (Hebrews 12:11)

As we grow in Christ, we must keep ourselves from the sinful world and its leprosy. You are who you hang around with. The world’s “leprous skin” will surface on you if you do not separate yourself from it. (Philippians 3:17-19) If your sin were to be revealed on your outward appearance, how would YOUR skin look? Would your skin be soft and smooth looking or would it have lesions and oozing? I know this is a graphic thought but sin’s effects are never pretty. One only needs to speak to someone who has smoked for years and is dying of lung cancer to see/hear of its effects. And one only needs to speak to a Christian who has gone the way of the world to see that he’s become more like the world than a Christian.

This was a good way to view my sin and its effects on my life, both physically and spiritually. May I keep that at the forefront of my mind as I live each day – thinking of the consequences of my sin so it causes me to stay clear from it! The only way to keep this ever present before me is to stay in God’s word. (Psalm 119:11)

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. ~Ecclesiastes 5:1

On a typical Sunday morning, millions of people go to church. Not all go with the same motives. Before I was born again and totally changed by the Holy Spirit of God (II Corinthians 5:17), I went to church to fulfill my moral obligation. I dressed up (like today’s beautiful picture) and put on my Sunday best. Sadly, it was my heart that should have been prepared, not my outward appearance. (I Samuel 16:7) I also went to church so that others would see me there, not because I desired to hear from God. I don’t think I was too different from many who attended along with me.

However, once I was saved, I was totally different. After salvation, we should thirst after God’s word. We should read the bible for hours on end as though we are dying of hunger or thirst and cannot get enough to eat or drink! (Luke 4:4) When we long to hear from the Lord, He will satisfy our thirst day after day! (Matthew 5:6) Each time we enter His gates (the church house), we should be ready to hear what He has to say to us. If we want our spiritual cups to be filled to the brim by the Holy Spirit, we must enter with empty cups. If our spiritual cups are filled with concerns, burdens, sin, etc., we won’t have any room available. We must prepare ourselves prior to reading and hearing God’s word – a spiritual housecleaning, if you will. God can fill an empty cup but He can’t fill one that’s full of sin and worldliness.

Today’s text takes this a little bit further. God points out that there are those who will go to church, as I did before salvation, merely to fulfill their religious obligation and moral duty. These do not go expecting to hear about one of their sins and repenting from it. No, they will not see their sin – they will not hear. This is not the way of a repentant heart. The one who goes into God’s house expecting to hear from the Lord is the one who will benefit. Fulfilling one’s religious duty is not obedience to the Holy Spirit of God. It is a futile sacrifice!

And Samuel said, Hath 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 hearken than the fat of rams. I Samuel 15:22

Christian, God desires obedience to His word.  (Psalm 119:9) We cannot fully obey Him if we are not born again by His Spirit. (John 3:3, John 3:5) We cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit if we are not hearing Him. Let us enter our daily reading with spiritual ears – let us enter the Lord’s house with spiritual ears. Let us be ready to hear what the Lord has for us. Seven times, the Lord tells us, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” in the Book of Revelation. He also says 18 times in the New Testament, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” He wants us to hear Him. He desires to communicate with us through His word! Luke 4:4 states that we cannot live by bread alone but by every word of God. He has given us His word through the King James Bible – Now we must be ready to listen!

After hearing what the Lord has to say, let’s put it to action: repent, be a testimony and tell others about the Lord, Jesus Christ!