Getting Ready for the Presence of God

Luke 3: 4a & 6, KJV, "Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight...and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

What are you preparing for?

Are you building up treasures in heaven? Often when we prepare for something we have to tear something down or get rid of something that is not needed or causing problems...Like building a house, often we have to cut down trees and clean things up before we can build a strong foundation...

If we are to receive the powerful presence of God, we must prepare ourselves...John the Baptist was God's messenger to help people prepare to receive the Savior of the World...John preached unwaveringly: "Repent, For the kingdom of Heaven is near you"! (Matt. 3:2, KJV.).

Those who heard this message and prepared their lives recognized Jesus when He came, and they left all to follow Him... This was especially true of the disciples, whose hearts God Himself prepared...Preparation must precede God's presence!

The message that was put into the heart and words of John the Baptist was specific, "repent..." This involves a complete change of mind, heart, will, and behavior toward Him...He is LORD, and your life must be prepared to receive Him as your Lord...Anything less is inadequate...Some were obviously unprepared to follow Jesus and missed the opportunity...(Are you prepared to follow Him?)

The religious leaders of Jesus' day were largely unprepared for His arrival...They knew the Messiah was coming...They even knew where He would be born...Yet, when word came that the Saviour had been born, they made no effort to join Him, preferring instead their religious ritual...

If you are unprepared, you, too, will miss the opportunity to experience Jesus...You may practice religion, but you will miss God...While others encounter the Lord personally in worship, your heart will remain unmoved...As others receive a fresh word from God, you will experience a painful silence...

Religious activity can never substitute for a heart that is pure before Him...Purity only comes through repentance...But repentance must come from a contrite spirit...Repentance must be united with "Godly Sorrow..." (2nd Corinthians 7:10 KJV., "For Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death...")

Pray, as the psalmist did, that God will examine your heart and reveal your need to repent of your sins...

Psalm 139: 23-24, Search me, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting...

Robert N. Graves, Sr.

Fisherman for Christ

The Gift of Light for a Dark Christmas!

Did you know that darkness hides from the light? Albert Einstein went so far as to say that, “There is no such thing as darkness, only absence of light…” How true!! Often people had lived with a dark attitude until their whole life seems surrounded with the negative force from the dark side of life…

As I walked around the hospital last night, I saw many faces that are darkened by the situation that they are confronted with right now…Many will never go home again, many will leave there and be taken to a nursing home to spend the remainder of their lives…others will go home, but only to the same dark gloomy place that made them sick in the first place…

The hospital beds are full of people who are lost with what, seems to them, to be no hope… and I know personally, the depression that these people feel…I can remember how I felt when I was laying in one of those beds, facing sickness, facing tears, facing pain, and looking for relief…My relief came in the hope I have in Jesus Christ…I was still sick, pain was often overwhelming, the depression of being in that hospital bed was real, but above and beyond it all, my faith and hope in the God of light, helped me get over all that darkness…That sickness that I experienced, encouraged me to do my best to work with Christ and be a part in someone’s life of light…How can that be done? By bringing light into the darkness, because light dispels darkness!

THE DARK SIDE!
There is a darker side of Christmas that we rarely acknowledge…We create this fantasy to the perfect homecoming that rarely matches reality—even in the best of homes…There are many of us whose Christmas memories are full of tension, not tinsel…

I witnessed in a fast food restaurant the other day a different kind of darkness, than that which is experienced in a hospital…a beautiful little girl all dressed in pink, (she was somewhere around 5 or 6,) was celebrating an early Christmas with her real life mother…Her presents are spread out over the table in the booth and, listen, she just said, “I miss you mommy.” “I miss you too,” her mother says…

As I looked around, it was very real what was taking place…sitting across from this little girl and her mom, was another lady, which I took for a social worker or something like that…She was watching the little girl like a hawk…She was making sure that nothing negative took place…from a distance she is supervising a structured visit for mother and child…who are doing the best they can to celebrate Christmas in the booth of this fast food restaurant…This is another kind of darkness that has drifted its way into the lives of many people…

Some of us know that the holidays are just another excuse for mommy or daddy to get drunk or get high on their drug of choice…or maybe the daddy is gone now and spending Christmas with his new family…

The holidays to some are just a harsh reminder that the one they love is far, far from home defending their countries freedom…and perhaps, they will never come home again…

Did you know that the suicide rate is extraordinarily high in December, and that depression is as common as joy to the world? I believe there are far more people who hurt at Christmas than we could ever imagine…they find misery in the things that we find joy in…they find sadness in the things that we rejoice in…they find hate where we find love…they live in darkness because…because…life is full of darkness…

What can you and I do to help?

We can be a light bearer for Christ! We can take light into the darkness of the hearts that are wrapped in shadows…We can bring a smile into a place of sorrow…We can give and not take…We can love and not hate…We can hug and not push! No matter what we may think of a person, we can do our best to make them feel needed and special…We can offer an encouraging word in place of a negative one…We can offer the handshake of friendship and comradeship…

Often it does not take much to lift the spirits of a person who is down…Just a kind word or maybe a little prayer…don’t worry, you will know if a person wants prayer…don’t be bashful, your Lord has all power and he will give you what you need to do His work for Him…

The other day while in the little chapel at the hospital, I encountered a young lady sitting in one of the chairs weeping as she held the chapel bible in her lap…she was worried about finances for Christmas…she was a basket case…she was a nurse who works at the hospital…The sick people in the rooms are not the only ones who need an encouraging word…

I talked to her the same way that I feel Christ would have, and then I prayed for her…I left her sitting there with tears running down her face but then those tears were flowing down a face with a hopeful smile shinning into the new light of the moment…A few days later I ran into her in the hall and she was joyful and optimistic…She said all was better now and she thanked me over and over for her new found hope…Praise God…

If you want to help someone this season, then just go to your local hospital and visit somebody…you don’t have to know them personally…just go and offer love…remember, compassion is love in action…

Go to a nursing home and visit…there is no way that you and I can go out and be a blessing to others without getting washed in that same blessing ourselves…the secret of dispelling darkness is being a servant…When we serve others, we bring the light of Christ into their lives…so know, right now that it is the light of Christ shinning though you, that can bring joy and hope into the hearts of all who will receive you in the name of Jesus…

There are no outcast with God, there are no orphans with God…so get up right now and go somewhere a be a light bearer for Christ this Christmas…call someone and let them know you love them…send a card…send a prayer…but most of all go forward in the name of Jesus…Immanuel…God with us…

Blessings and joy…

Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ

Share God's Gift!

Share God's Good News.

Mark 16:15 KJV: And He said unto them...Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature...

What is the message from this verse? Jesus clearly instructs us to go out into the world and share His Good News...Each of us can be a spokesperson for Christ--and that's just what each of us must do...

But listen, this is not the most important thing that Jesus has told us to do...Jesus has first of all instructed us to, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself...every thing hangs on this command..."

It has taken me a long time to fully understand the importance of this verse...and the truth is, I am still learning each day what it means to Love God with all I have...It is not easy, but very necessary...

If we are to follow through on the great commission given to us by Christ, first we must learn to love God with all that we have...When we start to understand what it means to love God, we will begin being obedient in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ...

THE POWER OF LOVE!

There is awesome power in love...When we open up our hearts to the love of God, we will fall into the Power of Love...From this power will flow action...

Compassion is Love in action!!

This is the love Jesus had and has for each of us...When we truly love God with all that we have, we will want to put this love into action in some way for the Love of God...and one of those ways is by sharing the Good News about the greatest gift of all, which is Jesus Christ Himself...

True love dispels a bashful spirit!

Are you a bashful Christian, one who is afraid to speak up for you Saviour? Do you allow others to share their testimonies while you stand on the sidelines, reluctant to share yours? After His resurrection, Jesus addressed His disciples and this address is for us as well...

"But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus has designated...When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some where doubtful...And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and earth...Go ye therefore and make disciples of all the nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'" (Matt. 28: 16-20.)

Christ great commission applies to Christians of every generation, including our own...As believers, we are called to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with our families, with our neighbors, and with the world...Yet many of us are slow to obey the last commandment of the risen Christ; we simply don't do our best to "Make disciples of all the nations."

Although our personal testimonies are vitally important, we sometimes hesitate to share our experiences...And that is unfortunate because there is a store house full of stories in the hearts and lives of each of us, that need to be heard by some soul out in the world right now...

Our faith grows by expression...If we want to keep our faith, we must share it... If you are a follower of Christ, the time to express your belief in Him is now...

You know how Jesus has touched your heart; help Him do the same for others...You must do likewise, and you must do so today...Tomorrow may be to late...right this very second, it is to late for someone, somewhere...right now some poor soul has crossed over from life to death eternal, away from the presence of God, because some person who claims to be a Christian was to bashful or afraid to share the Good News of Jesus Christ...

You can go to the mission field in person, by prayer, by provision...but remember, there is a mission field across the street as well as well as across the sea...just open your eyes and look around, someone is just waiting on you to share the greatest gift of all time, Christ Jesus the Lord...

Something to think about...and remember!

God's Word clearly instructs you to share His Good News with the world...If you are willing, God will empower you to share your faith, after all His Word tells us that all power in heaven and earth is His...the question is...

"Are You His...?"

May God bless you always with His love!

Robert N. Graves, Sr.

Fisherman for Christ

Whats In a Gift?

Seasons greetings to all...

Today I took a friend of mine to a rehabilitation center in Florence...After we got him checked in I went shopping for a bible for my son...

The streets and stores were crowed with all kinds of people who were looking for just the right gift...Maybe they we looking for a special gift for their spouse or maybe their children...I saw a young man going into a jewelry store and I wondered if he was looking for that outstanding gift for that special young girl in his life ...

I met an elderly lady in a Lifeway Christian book store...She was looking for a special bible for her son...She told me he was 48 years old and has just started going to church...I thought that was so cool...He is 48 and I know his mom must have been at least 80...(I hope she doesn't read this) Any way I helped here figure out which one she wanted to get him and away she went...I over heard some young lady asking the man behind the counter for some music...The song was "Mary Did You Know..." They said they didn't have it but listen, if you have never heard that song, get it and listen to it...It is a great song not only for Christmas season but really anytime of season...It is about Jesus...Truly, we must know that anything that is about Jesus is really, really, good...

I bought my son the bible I believe he wanted and of course I bought myself a few books to keep me occupied in my spare time...

All this just made me think about gifts...but what truly is the greatest gift of all? Do you know?

Jesus is the perfect gift for all seasons but especially at Christmas time...

The gift Jesus offers is Eternal Life...there is no way that anyone can beat or give a better gift than that...

In John 11: 25-26, we hear the words of Jesus Himself telling each of us about this special gift...(25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die...Believeth thou this?

What is the message of these two verses...?

In this passage Jesus makes an amazing promise:

Those who believe in Him will receive the priceless gift of eternal life...WOW!!!

How truly amazing is it that God became a man and walked among us! I find it so great that our God walked down the same roads we do...He even preached to His people from the bow of a ship...I love that because I make my major living from boats...The gift walked among us...

Had He not chosen to do so, we might feel removed from a distant Creator...But our is not a distant God...Ours is a God who understands--far better that we ever could--the essence of what it means to be human...

God understands our hopes, our fears, and our temptations...He understands what it means to be angry and what it cost to forgive...He knows the heart, the conscience, and the soul of every person who has ever lived, including you...Accept it...

Accept God's gift though the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, and then rest assured: God walked among us so that you might have eternal life; amazing though it may seem, He did it for you and me...

As mere mortals, our vision for the future, like our lives here on earth, is limited...God's vision is not burdened by such limitations: His plans extend throughout all eternity...Therefore, God's plans for you are not limited to the ups and downs of everyday life...Your Heavenly Father has bigger things in mind...much bigger things...

Let us praise the Creator for His priceless gift...and let us share the Good News with all who cross our paths...we return our Father's love by accepting His Grace and by sharing His message and His love...when we do, we are blessed here on earth and throughout all eternity...

As you struggle with the inevitable hardships and occasional disappointments of life, remember that God has invited you to accept His abundance not only for today but also for all eternity...So keep things in perspective...Although you will inevitably encounter occasional defeats in this world, you'll have all eternity to celebrated the ultimate victory in the next...

Whats in a gift? In the gift of Jesus, we must see that salvation consists wholly in being saved from ourselves, or that which we are by nature...sinners

What will you do with the gift of Jesus? This is one gift that is priceless...you can't buy it at the Mall, or book store...It is free, all you must do is believe...

Robert N. Graves, Sr.

Fisherman for Christ