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Bible Wisdom

40 ways to Pray – Pray with the Sick

on Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Day 6 – Pray with Someone who is Sick

The Bible teaches in Matthew 14:14 that Jesus had compassion on people in a crowd and healed their sick.

In Mark 6:13 Jesus sent His disciples out to drive out demons, anointing the sick with oil and healing them.

James 5:13-15 teaches us that if we are sick to call for the elders of the church, to anoint us with oil and pray for us.

Now compare those two scriptures to what I hear today – “I will be praying for you”.

I think people have good intentions to pray for the sick and hurting, but rarely do.  And let me make a clear distinction between praying for the sick and praying with the sick.  Notice the difference?  It is proximity.  Praying with the sick indicates you and the sick person are near each other.

When we pray for a sick person I am careful not to say that this person will be healed, because that just may not be the will of God.  Healing in this body and healing we will have in Heaven are two different things.  I believe God can and will heal everyone who puts their trust in Him – one day.  It just may not be the healing we are expecting.

But I do like to pray with the sick for the following reasons:

  1. To encourage them.
  2. To hear what God has to say about the situation.  He gives me a word sometimes about a situation, but if it is not encouraging I might not share with the individual.
  3. To be obedient to what the Bible says about praying for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
  4. Healing comes from prayer.  If I just wish it, or send my thoughts I am really not doing anything of significance.  Only by the prayers of the righteous and humble will God hear and heal.

 

Bible Positive Attitude Wisdom

Brag on my Wife

on Monday, May 4, 2015

JohnCindy McCloudMtnDo you know who I can brag on the easiest? Me. I know all about me, and I know the great things that I have tried to do with my life. If you would just listen and see what a great guy I am you would agree as well.

Now in reality, the conversation above happens in my head at times – subconsciously of course. But in reality, I cherish myself more than anyone else. Or at least I appreciate myself more than anyone else – and so do you.

As a husband I should be consciously giving those same accolades to my wife. I really should not be bragging on me – I need to brag on her. I do so because I am to love her just as I love myself. I should not brag about me, but I certainly should her.

The Bible says: So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. Ephesians 5:28-30

So I should brag on her because she is a part of me. I need to nourish her with my words. I need her and others know that I cherish her.

I believe there are at least 6 different people that need to hear me bragging about my wife.

Her
The first and foremost place I need to brag on my wife is to her directly. She needs to hear the words of affirmation that I love her. I need to nourish her soul with positive words in private and in public. Like a plant needs water to keep it healthy, I need to water her with uplifting words directly from me.

Her family
Her family needs to hear me lifting her up and complimenting her. I made the mistake of chastising my wife in front of her parents the other day, and later I felt so bad. I had to go apologize to her that night. My negative words were bad for her and her parents – nobody was encouraged. Her family needs to see that I cherish the baby girl they raised into a woman.

Our Kids
I need to model lifting my wife up with my words in front of our kids. By doing this they see the correct model of a marriage. They also see that I honor her and respect her, and will expect the same attitude from them. As the leader of our family I also set the correct attitude of my family by lifting up my wife.

Friends
Our friends need to hear me brag on my wife. Not overly bragging, but positively giving her compliments. It steers our conversations in a positive direction, and encourages them to do so with their spouse.

Coworkers
My coworkers need to hear me brag on my wife for a couple of reasons. First when I brag on my wife I announce to other women I come in contact with that I am a taken man. Flirting and advances from other women quickly stops when I give positive light to my wife. The second reason is for me to be an encouragement to others in their marriage. I think we all have times that we could use some encouragement in our marriage.

Me
Of all the people who need positive reinforcement about how great my wife is – I am the one who needs hear it the most besides her. I am the one who sees her flaws – I smell her early morning breath, I hear her complaints about work, I see the struggles with family and friends, I know where she hurts and why. So there is no doubt that I need to focus on the great ways she cares for our kids, how humble she is, how giving she is, and that she really tries to respect me as her husband and the covenant of marriage that we made.
Shoot – if nothing else, she is the only one who has to put up with me! So kudos to Mrs. Grigsby!

So how are you bragging on your wife or husband? If you are not sure – ask them. Your spouse will be the first to tell you if your compliment bank is full or empty.

If it is empty; try setting down and making a list of the great things about your spouse on a sheet of paper. Then find a way to communicate each one of those positive attributes of your spouse.

Bible Positive Attitude Wisdom

Where do you turn?

on Thursday, January 29, 2015

This week has been really tough for me for a sundry of different reasons.  My personal, professional, spiritual and family life have all been attacked by satan.

My wife knows my struggles and we talk, but sometimes I need to bounce ideas off other people.  As I have went through getting over the trials I have had the thought – where do I turn for help?  Who do I look to?  What helps me feel better and see clearer?IMG_5117

Through this week’s experiences I had a chance to step back and look at my situation and judge how I reacted.

So it all came together last night at church.  Our Wednesday night services are a help to me in a lot of ways, so I know I needed to be there – that was my first right turn.

While I was setting there by myself listening to the sermon I could not help my mind wondering back to my own situation.  What do I need to do to make things right?  Who can I talk to?  Should I get in my vehicle and drive till I have an answer?  What would I listen to – something to excite me or sooth me?

Then a question really stopped me.  When the service is over – do I bolt out the side door or talk with my church family?

To bolt out the side door I would avoid any questions, showing my current emotions or having to act like nothing was wrong.

If I chose to talk to friends I would surely show my emotions and have to answer questions.

Where do I turn?

Well, I chose to turn in and talk to my friends and church family.  And it was a wise decision.

I did put on my “happy” face and talk, but soon I was caught up in hearing about others that I forgot about my problems.  We made plans for the coming week and talked of blessings that God has showered us with.

I wound up practicing with the praise team and was blessed by my time there!

As the night wound down and the next morning came I realized that I was leaning into God’s word and worship music.  And you know what?  I was feeling better!

The problems didn’t go away, but the became less amplified because I chose to turn to God and His blessings instead of giving satan another battle win.

Psalms 121:1 says

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
A good reminder to me – where do I turn – I turn to God!!
Bible Positive Attitude Wisdom

Merry Christmas

on Wednesday, December 24, 2014

I wish you a Merry Christmas !

Merry Christmas wreathWe hear it this time of year, but what does wishing a merry Christmas mean?  What does it mean to you?

To me there are several things in mind when I wish you a Merry Christmas.

First and foremost I am wishing you well wishes at a time we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus the Christ, who came to earth as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  Without His birth in the way and the manner in which it happened, then He would not be qualified as a perfect sacrifice.

John 3:16-17 says “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” No other man do we celebrate this way, and no other man should we celebrate this way.

Secondly wishing your Christmas to be merry means I hope that the way you celebrate His arrival brings joy and peace in a festive way!  I hope you celebrate His gift by giving to those you love!  Sometimes that means we buy things they would like and present them as gifts, but it also means giving of your time and attention.  That is why I am glad we eat and play at Christmas parties and family gatherings – enjoy each other with lighthearted fun!

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Lastly I wish you a merry Christmas season.  Not just a day, but a time to celebrate, give thanks and share love.  To do that right it will take more than just a day – it will take a well orchestrated season.  A day can be built up and fall so anti-climatic, and you will have to stuff so much into one day.  But in a season you will have time to enjoy and share with more people – more time to spread the love as Jesus taught us!

So from me and my family of four – we wish you a Merry Christmas!

Bible Positive Attitude Wisdom

When is a boy a man: Part 3

on Sunday, September 28, 2014

The first two posts on defining the qualities of a man can be found at these links:

1.  Accept RESPONSIBILITY for a Will to Obey

2. Accept RESPONSIBILITY for a Work to Do

Today’s post covers quality three of six.

Accept RESPONSIBILITY for a Woman to Love

MOM

Each of us have one thing in common in this world.  We each had a mom.  A woman who carried us for around nine months before we were born.  Through the process of caring for us when we had no way to do so, our mothers displayed an unconditional love for us.

No matter if we were calm or kicked a lot, she ate and slept for both of us.  Then we were born.

Most of us have a mom that also cared for us and loved us after we were born.  Here again she loved us no matter what we did because we came from her.  We are her flesh and blood!

I think we should always treat our mothers with respect.  I never want to embarrass or bring disgrace to my mom.  I never wanted to disappoint her either.  I know sometimes I did, and I always felt bad about it.

WIFE

Genesis 2:18-25

For unmarried young men I want that you and your potential wife (girlfriend) should not be unequally yoked.  Meaning it is best that a Christian date and marry another Christian.  There is a lot to be said about why, but let’s just leave it at that right now.

Your wife (or wife to be) should be an extension of how you treat your mother.  Treat your wife will only follow the patterns you established with your mother (respect, admiration, care and love).

The good part about what is different with a wife and a mother is the fact that the intimate relationship can now be sexual within the covenant of a marriage.  Yes, once we are married to our wife the pleasures God intended between a man and woman can be fully explored.  And those pleasures are wonderful – within a marriage of a man and a woman.

You should also be ready to change with her during the different seasons of life.  We will all grow older if we do not die first, so if we are still living we will grow old with our wife.  There will be seasons where things are going good and seasons when things are tough – and they may not balance out.  But you both will change as you grow older.  Just be ready for those changes and find new ways to love her.

A man should remember what he promised on his wedding day.

To Have and to Hold

For Better or for Worse

Whether Richer or Poorer

In Sickness and in Health

To Love and to Cherish

from that day forward until death does part you

 

 

 

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Bible Positive Attitude Wisdom

When am I a man? : Part 1

on Wednesday, September 17, 2014

When does a boy become a man?  When he can shave or grow a beard?  When he can drive?  Graduates high school or college?  When he gets married?  When he becomes a father?  When he gets a job?  All of these are milestones to look forward to in a boy’s life.  But when does he become a man?  When is he told he is a man?

I want to share over the next four posts what I consider the characteristics that make a Godly man.

I first need to give credit to Robert Lewis who wrote Raising a Modern Day Knight.  I suggest you read his book and explore his web site for a different and more exhaustive perspective.  From reading Robert’s book and other sources that have inspired me for help raising my son, I developed the six characteristics that define a Godly man.

I welcome your comments and feedback for this most important topic in our culture today.  I feel there is no greater need in our country than to raise up Godly men who will lead the next generation.

Truett Cathy said it so true in one of his book’s title It’s better to build boys than to mend men.  We have to be intentional about how we raise our boys today.  I am in no way saying I am doing it the right way or the only way, but I am raising my boy the best way that I can while seeking help from God.  I first shared with him and taught him these six characteristics of a man.  After we covered these characteristics I asked him if I could share them on this blog.  He said that I should … and so I do.

 

When I was a child,
I spoke like a child,
I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man,
I put aside childish things.
               1 Corinthians 13:11

Accept RESPONSIBILITY for a Will to Obey

The first thing to know is that as a man there are responsibilities we must accept.  The first responsibility is for a will to obey.

Who’s will do we obey?  We certainly will obey somebody’s will with our life.  But a Godly man will obey the will of God.  When we say the will – it simply means doing what someone desires of you.

So – how do you know what your creator has in mind for you?  What does He want you to do with your life?  How do you know when you are obeying Him not yourself or other influences in life?

I believe God wants at least four things from every man:

  1. To have a relationship with Him  [Matthew 6:6]
  2. To love Jesus with all your heart, mind, soul and strength  [Mark 12:30]
  3. To love others with your deeds  [Mark 12:31]
  4. To resist satan  [James 4:7, Ephesians 6:11]

I believe that through our circumstances in life God has uniquely equipped us for certain tasks in life.  Certain things He wants us to do, that only we will be able to do.  God can accomplish all He wants in this earth, and some of those things He wants to use our mind and body to accomplish!  We just need to ask.

Do you know that the Creator of the universe, the One who made the moon, stars and earth, wants a relationship with you and wants to communicate with you!  How does God do that?  How does he communicate directly with me?

God will communicate the desires of His heart to you if you will:

  • Read and study the Bible regularly
  • Pray to God   (which means talking and listening to Him)
  • Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you

If you do not know exactly how this works I would love to talk with you and explain how our Father in Heaven wants to communicate with you and me here on earth.

Bible Wisdom

Temptation leads to pain

on Tuesday, August 19, 2014

I wish I could remember who shared with me this wisdom of truth in life.

With temptation comes pain.

I guess I was aware that there was pain associated with temptation, but when this person said it out loud I stopped to look at what tempts me and realized they were right.

We all are tempted.  Each and every day, and we all have different things that tempt us.  Some temptations are strong and some just annoy us.  From lust, to envy, hate, gossip, gluttony, laziness, pride, idolatry and more – we have temptations that take away from our relationship with our Creator, Savior and King.

But I have learned one way to fight temptation is to realize there will be pain, and endure just a little while – without giving into the temptation.

The pain is going to come either way…

God gave me a picture that shows where pain comes in.  I have shared it with some folks and it really makes sense to me.

Pain in Temptation

Knowing we all have temptations we will take one of two paths – giving in to the temptation or denying the temptation.

Giving in to the temptation

If we are weak in the flesh and give in to the temptation, what immediately follows is pleasure.  That’s what makes the temptation so strong is the thought, taste or feel of the pleasure.  No doubt we enjoy the pleasure for a time.  Sometimes it is short-lived and sometimes we really dwell in it, but we do experience the pleasure.  But then comes the pain.

After we have squeezed all the pleasure out of that sin we face the reality that we have disappointed God.  If that does not pain you then your relationship with Jesus should be evaluated.  By giving in to the temptation and experiencing the sin, I experience some kind of pain.  Sometimes just bothered by what I did, and sometimes grieved to tears.  Some people even hold on to that pain for years without knowing how to get rid of it.

Of course what should come next is repentance to God and those offended by my actions.  Even more pain!

Denying the temptation

The other option we have with a temptation is to deny the lure and not give in or experience the pleasure.  That of course creates pain for us by not allowing us the pleasure that we know can come with the temptation.  Here again, sometimes these pains are just a nuisance, but sometimes we have a really hard time saying no.  By saying no I know that I will not get to experience the pleasure that was on the other side of the temptation, and that hurts.

The good news is that when we say no to the temptation and know that pain is coming we can prepare ourselves.  For example I can say to myself – I know that if I hold my tongue for about 10 minutes I will not hurt anyone’s feelings and I will have avoided the temptation of hateful talk.

James 4:7 says Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Submit to what God says – do not sin.  Take a little pain by denying the temptation.  Then according to the Bible – satan will flee from you!

So – do I just need to deny satan one time and he is out of my life?  No, that is not the case.  We are told by Jesus in Luke 9:23 to daily deny ourselves (deny sin), get about the business He has in store for each of us, and follow Him.

Jim Rohn said “We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.”

Choose the option of pain by denying temptation.  In the long run your life will be more richer and satisfying!

Bible Wisdom

Fellowship: the core of a local church

on Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Fellowship hall, fellowship time, fellowship church, fellowship app, academic fellowship, fellowship college, right hand of fellowship ….

Just what is Fellowship?IMG_1634

With the help of the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary and Merriam Webster I would define fellowship as:

  • Joining in membership with a local church
  • Communion together at the Lord’s Supper 
  • Giving of tithes and offerings
  • Ministering to the saints
  • Suffering together

 

Join in membership with a local church [Hebrews 10:24-25]

First let me qualify that my look at fellowship is only from the view of a church member. With that in mind, I think everyone needs to join a local church to enjoy the fellowship of a church. Thom Rainer outlined very well what it means to be a church member in his great little book I Am A Church Member. Thom says a healthy church member will:

  • Be a functioning church member

By studying God’s word, praying, eating, serving, sacrificing, giving, sharing, and ministering with other church members.

  • Seek unity in my church
  • Not let my church be about my preferences and desires
  • Pray for my church leaders
  • Lead my family to be healthy church members
  • Treasure church membership as a gift

 

Communion together at the Lord’s Supper [1Corinthians 10:16-17]

To take the Lord’s Supper you need to have professed faith in Jesus. So for those who take the supper together; we are saying to one another that we have accepted the same gift of life eternal through the sacrifice of Jesus, have given our life to the service of Jesus, and are together in observing the sacrifice He made for me.

 

Giving of tithes and offerings [2Corinthians 9:6-15]

God says we should give generously. The Old Testament gave the guideline 10% of our first fruits (earnings) are to be given back to Him. The New Testament says to be a generous cheerful giver. Does that mean only 10% – no I say 10% is only a starting point. Give to make God pleased, as much and as often as you can.

 

Ministering to the saints [Hebrews 6:10-12]

Who else in this world will come to the aide of Christians – only other Christians. It is our duty to love and help our fellow brothers and sisters. We need to minister to Christians by listening to them, helping them financially, mentally and spiritually, and praying for them.

We should be ministering not only to the other members in our church, but should be lifting up other churches. There again – who will help a failing church … only another church. We should also be ministering to the missionaries who go and who live to spread the Gospel in places other than their local community.

 

Suffering together [Philippians 3:7-11]

Are we going to suffer here on earth – you bet. Jesus suffered … why would we avoid such? When we suffer we need fellow Christians surrounding us to listen and guide. When you are the one suffering you know it makes things easier if we have a friend to share the burden with. Our burdens range from being uncomfortable all the way to the point of death.

Where should we come along and share a burden with a friend – whenever you feel led that they need support. I don’t know about you, but the problem I have with that is that I need to be more in tune with God to be able to listen when He says go and suffer with someone.

Part of praying to God is to listen, and by listening I can be directed to go suffer with someone.

Bible Wisdom

This Ain’t Heaven

on Friday, August 1, 2014

Man life sure can be tough some times.

Amen?

Amen (I’ll go ahead and credit you that one).

Just recently I have spoken with friends and relatives who have been through tough times:

cancer, job loss, marital infidelity, death of a loved one, friend whose parent is sick, job cut back, lay off, loss of trust from a friend, family corruption, drugs, alcohol, disease, unwanted pregnancy, heart problems, broken bones, mower won’t start, car wreck, and the list could just go on…

Some people have asked me and I could tell some were thinking it but just did not ask – why does God let bad things happen?  Some will even ask – why does God let bad things happen to good people?

I submit there is a simple answer that is hard for some to believe or even accept.IMG_5262

In Genesis 2 God told Adam and Eve to work and watch over the garden of Eden, but not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  In Genesis 3 we see their disobedience and followed the advice of satan by eating the forbidden fruit.  And we assume sin entered earth then.  But the more difficult question if you think about it is this – where did that serpent come from?  How did satan get to the middle of the garden that God made to tempt humans?  If satan had not tempted, then maybe humans would not have sinned and we would be in a much better place.  Maybe so.

But the fact of the matter, is that God did create all things – even satan himself.  Now why on earth would God do that?  And even more so why did He allow him here on earth?

I think the answer to many of the questions I have asked here can be answered by three words.

   This ain’t Heaven.

In Heaven there is no sin.  There is no pain.  There is no death!  There are no wasps, snakes, hornets or skunks.  There are no jobs, and our only desire will be God!  Man that is heaven!

But this earth just ain’t Heaven.  Do you see?  Do you agree?  Here on our 3rd rock from our sun we have a lot of things that make us uncomfortable.  And they will always be here on earth.  We do however, have a comforter here who is the Holy Spirit.  He will guide us and help us in our daily walk – while we inhabit this earthly vessel we call a body.  But one day this body will expire for all of us.

And when it does – we will all end up in one of two places.       Heaven or Hell         That choice is ours to make while we are still living and breathing in this earthly vessel.

Adventure Bible Wisdom

Top Five Takeaways from the 2014 Cross Train Sports Camp

on Monday, July 28, 2014

For the past three years, the last week of June has been designated as the week for Cross Train Sports Camp at Gibbs High School in Corryton, TN.2014 Cross Train Sports Camp Group

Each night of the week children ages K – 8 are invited to learn more about their sport and hear about the love of Jesus!

Campers are treated to excellent coaching from the top coach of each sport at the high school level for football, basketball, cheerleading, softball, baseball, soccer and volleyball.  Head coaches, coaches and players from each of these sports are represented to show these younger kids drills and motivation to reach the next level.

The camp starts each night a 6:30 and ends with a huddle time in the gym where the kids hear about the theme and Bible verse for the week.  Each night a speaker will share their experiences with life and Jesus – sometimes they are famous, and sometimes they just want to pour into kids.

I have been a part of the conception and leadership team for the camp each year.  For me this camp is so special because of how it was birthed, who it serves, who serves in it, and because I was saved as an 18 year old boy at FCA camp in Maryville, TN.  Camp is just special to me.

I love serving the kids and our community through the camp, and want to share five positive takeaways from this year’s camp.

  1. 21 Salvations recorded this year.  This is the reason we have sports camp – to see children saved.  Now did each one of these understand what they were doing – probably not.  We are in the process with following up with parents, but even if they did not understand today – they are on the right track in their minds to fully understand what true repentance and salvation looks like.
  2. Praying with warriors.  Man we have some awesome prayer warriors show up for Sports Camp, and I love to see God working in their lives.  They build me up and give me encouragement.
  3. Loving on children.  It is so good just to love on kids who will let you.  All too early kids put up their shields like they don’t need anybody, but it is so good to get those who will let you love on them.  Some of these kids are love starved, so loving on them in the name of Jesus is so impactful.
  4. Serving with friends.  I grew up in this community.  I know a lot of people here, and it just blesses my heart to serve our Jesus with friends outside the walls of our church.
  5. Strengthening our community.  I don’t know of any other event that will strengthen our family like coming together, serving each other and our God.  It builds the community in very deep ways that will pay dividends for years to come in ways we may never even see.