ARE YOU AS CLOSE TO GOD AS YOU WANT TO BE? (Continuation of Series)

If you want to share this blog with a friend go to the bottom of day’s content and click on TELL A FRIEND

 GO TO NEIL’S OTHER BLOG ONE A DAY, YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS and read the following brain teasers.  CLICK ON URL BELOW There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

 http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/

          What I’m talking about is seeking and finding Spiritual Summer in the Son.

That’s “S-o-n” not “s-u-n.”  The warmth that only an invigorated faith can give.

          What I am talking about is a confidence in God that grows because you exercise that confidence on a regular basis.  An unwavering trust.

If you trust a person you are prone to take their advice.  The same is true with the Lord; trust the words of better living wisdom in the Old and New Testament, and live by them.

Proverbs 3:5-6 puts it clearly enough,  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Let’s put it this way, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be sufficient evidence to convict you?”

Pass this test and heaven becomes not just a place you will go to one day, rather some of that heavenly peace and prosperity will now come to you here on mother earth.

          My first pastorate was a rural community in Virginia.  When I arrived there in 1954, I learned that the area had actually only had electricity for six years.  Because I was a city boy, it seemed incredible that they had only enjoyed this modern convenience since 1948.

          However, I was told a story that seemed even more incredible, but the teller of the story assured me it was true.  

A woman had had electricity installed in her house at great expense but the power company noticed that her meter showed she was using almost no electricity at all.  Fearing that there was a problem she had not reported, they sent a meter reader to check on the matter. 

He saw that the power was indeed working properly and so asked the woman, “Do you use the electricity?” 

She replied, “Of course we do.  We turn it on every night so we can more easily see to light our gas lights and then we turn it off.”

Ridiculous?  Yes.  Having all that power and not using it.

But some do that with God, don’t they?  Saving real prayer power for only really big problems.  Someone is sick and dying, a major decision needs to be made and prayer time is then ratcheted up to full force.

Understandable?  Unfortunately, yes. 

But why not place this confidence in God for minor moments and decisions, as well?  For there is a real danger here, this lack of confidence in and prayer toward the living God.  If we are not careful, one day those ever-so-occasional prayers will become so seldom a truck could be driven through the space left since last a real deep confidence-in-God prayer was lifted up.  And then Bible readings stretch weeks and months apart. 

                This paucity of a relationship with our heavenly Father.

It’s not what God has in mind when he made us

Our God gave us a mind (spirit), so that we could know Him.

Our God gave us a heart (emotions), so that we could love Him.

Our God gave us a will (freedom of choice), so that we could decide to obey Him.

God put in us a desire to relate to Him and worship Him on a regular basis. In a sense, to seek the light of Christ and keep that light on all the time.  Not just at an occasional Sunday morning service, or when a fox hole experience drives us to our knees - but always on.  To make God something more than a spiritual Web Site to occasionally visit.

In short, to increase your confidence in God go for an all-out swim in the great ocean of God’s love, rather than a brief wade in some psychological substitute pond.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

          GO TO AMAZON.COM TO PURCHASE "THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN" that is still receiving rave reviews 8 years after it's publication.

          "Positive, powerful utterances...skillfully enhancing our understaning and appreciation of Lincoln...(Lt. Colonel C.A.Olsen (Ret.) Asbury College (Professor Ret.)

          "Wyrick has authored a wonderful examination of the spirituality of one of American history's most devoutly religious leaders...a pleasant and readable book that has a rich depth of information.  (Maynard Pittendreigh, Presbyterian Minister)

          "THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN is an extremely well written book...it is both scholarly and very readable.  I came away impressed at Mr. Wyrick's portrayal of that President with an altered and enlarged vision of the man. (William Hoffman, Award winning fiction writer, author of Blood and Guile, and Wild Thorn.)                                             

GO TO SPEAKER.NEIL TO SEE NEIL'S ONE MAN AWARD WINNING DRAMATIZATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN

 CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

http://www.speakerneil.com/

                 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

            Click on the URL below to WATCH NEIL IN HIS WORLD FAMOUS ONE MAN DRAMATIZATIONS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, BEN FRANKLIN, CHARLES WESLEY AND MARTIN LUTHER

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

http://www.speakerneil.com/

                V. Neil Wyrick’s ninth book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN and is available at

MAGNUS PRESS

                AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM’S Kindle

                http://www.magnuspress.com/OurProducts2.html 

25% off all books, buy 4 get 1 free and free shipping

                Phone Orders:  800-463-7818

FORGIVENESS IS GOOD FOR THE BOTH OF YOU (Continuation of series)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEND THIS BLOG TO A FRIEND GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG AND CLICK ON THE ENVELOPE.

          There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

          To Visit neil's other blog One A Day Your Spiritual Vitamins click on the following  

 http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/ 

Do you have an enemy you would like to destroy?  Then forgive him.  Make a friend of him, at least from your side of the fence.

Do you have someone you have been unforgiving toward for years?  Think of them and you can taste the bile in your throat?  Boy, you sure are showing them, aren’t you?

You are having trouble forgiving someone…then go through the motions anyway.  Shake their hands…smile at them…do everything you would do if you had actually forgiven them.  In short, act like you have forgiven them and then perhaps one day it may no longer be acting.

Why do I continue towrite so often about forgiveness?  Because it is so important. It was so important to Christ that it was the last request He made of his Father.

Things were pretty brutal for Christ at the end.  He had been lied about and beaten and forced to carry His own cross along a rocky path to Golgotha. 

And though He had preached love for nearly three years, He could feel the hate around Him like a living thing.  They had pounded nails through his hands and feet and thrust a spear into his side and spat on him…yet His response to all this was, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

With that thought in mind, let me share with you a few things we actually do when we forgive one of our fellow human beings.

          We free ourselves from two bugaboos: being judgmental and condemnatory. 

If we don’t forgive, we go into full negative thinking mode; we start keeping track of what this person is doing, or not doing, so we can have more ammunition for not forgiving them.  Remember the married couple at the beginning of this series?  How does that Proverb go, “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

And, if we take our forgiveness one step higher and love our enemies, as Christ told us to do, it frees us from carrying all that bitterness mixed with anger around in our back pocket. 

I also understand that the someone you can’t forgive might be that person on the other side of your front door: husband, wife, children, in-laws; all squaring off, protecting their “space.”

So, in closing, let me offer give some suggestions on how to begin accomplishing the IMPOSSIBLE.

1.     Greet your enemy with a smile rather than a snarl.  A snarl may more rightly fit your mood but we aren’t talking about mood, we’re talking about actions.

2.     Treat them with respect.  That’s right…if you go through the motions…the

Emotions may well follow from behind.  And who knows, your enemy may follow your lead and began to forgive you.  Don’t hold your breath, but it does happen more times than you might imagine.

3.     Refuse to say mean and thoughtless things about your enemy.  The temptation is always there…to explain to a friend how badly you have been hurt and what that other person did.  Ruin their reputation.  They deserve it.  No…you deserve to be better than that.

4.     Here are three final thoughts that, at first hearing you may find difficult to consider, but listen well for there is the hint of heaven in them.. 

Thank God for your enemy.

What credit do you gain when you’re nice to nice people?  That’s easy. But if you can learn to be nice to your enemies, then you will give yourself the opportunity to grow emotionally and spiritually.  So love your enemies.  That’s right.  No pain.  No gain.

Pray for them. 

“May they rot in hell.”  That prayer has been prayed many times, but surely you’re

better than that, aren’t you?  And besides, from your angry point of view …is there anyone who needs praying for more than your enemy?

Ask God to bless them. 

Anything less just proves that though you know the Christian tune, you just haven’t learned how to sing it. 

I forget who said these closing words, but it is a thought we all should carry with us every minute of every day.

Let the past be past at last.

                    +++++++++++

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Click on the URL below to WATCH NEIL IN HIS WORLD FAMOUS ONE MAN DRAMATIZATIONS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, BEN FRANKLIN, CHARLES WESLEY AND MARTIN LUTHER

       http://www.speakerneil.com/

       TO WATCH NEIL WYRICK IN HIS ONE MAN DRAMAS (Presented to millions all around the world) (Ben Franiklin, Martin Luther, Charles Wesley and Abraham Lincoln (this Lincoln film takes 11 seconds to download but is worth the wait)

       CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

http://www.speakerneil.com/

       V. Neil Wyrick’s ninth book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN and is available at

MAGNUS PRESS

DO YOU HAVE A HISTORY BUFF IN YOUR FAMILY?...Why not give THIS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED  BOOK

To Read Neil's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN click on the following

http://www.magnuspress.com/

OR GO TO AMAZON.COM

       AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM and amazon.com Kindle

OTHER BOOKS BY REV. WYRICK

available on Amazon.com

Poor Richard's Almanack for the 20th Century

Sixty Plus and Not Holding

Boundaries Unlimited

I Am

The ABC"s of Parenting and Grandparenting

Letters to America

http://www.magnuspress.com/OurProducts2.html 

       25% off all books, buy 4 get 1 free and free shipping

       Phone Orders:  800-463-7818

WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH IT? (Continuation)

 If you want to share this blog with a friend go to the bottom of day’s content and click on TELL A FRIEND

          There are over 900 stories and commentaries on Neil’s One A Day blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

        GO TO NEIL’S OTHER BLOG ONE A DAY, YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS and read the following brain teasers.  CLICK ON URL BELOW

          To visit this site…click on the URL below

        http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/

          Determination.  If you can wed discipline with determination then you will be a winner in this great opportunity called life.  Let discipline walk with determination and dreams become deeds. 

And so it is as we grow closer and closer to a very basic truth.  A belief is what you hold; a conviction is what holds you.

          People with convictions don’t waste much time.  Who they want to be and how they want to spend their time getting there is often an obsession with them.

          They are not ruled by mushy thinking - they get things done.   They move the world rather than let the world move them. 

          A young man wanted, with all his heart, to follow in his father’s footsteps and have a military career, so he applied to West Point Military Academy.  But his first application came back, Denied.  He tried again.  He was rejected again.

The secret to success is learning how to fail, so, filled with determination, he tried a third time.  Finally, he was accepted.

And what was that determined young man’s name?  Douglas McArthur.

          And young Douglas, actually ended up outranking his father, Lt. General Arthur MacArthur by becoming a five star general.

Click on the URL below to WATCH NEIL IN HIS WORLD FAMOUS ONE MAN DRAMATIZATIONS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, BEN FRANKLIN, CHARLES WESLEY AND MARTIN LUTHER

       http://www.speakerneil.com/

       TO WATCH NEIL WYRICK IN HIS ONE MAN DRAMAS (Presented to millions all around the world) (Ben Franiklin, Martin Luther, Charles Wesley and Abraham Lincoln (this Lincoln film takes 11 seconds to download but is worth the wait)

       CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

http://www.speakerneil.com/

       V. Neil Wyrick’s ninth book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN and is available at

MAGNUS PRESS

DO YOU HAVE A HISTORY BUFF IN YOUR FAMILY?...Why not give THIS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED  BOOK

To Read Neil's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN click on the following

http://www.magnuspress.com/

 OR GO TO AMAZON.COM

       AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM and amazon.com Kindle

OTHER BOOKS BY REV. WYRICK

available on Amazon.com

Poor Richard's Almanack for the 20th Century

Sixty Plus and Not Holding

Boundaries Unlimited

I Am

The ABC"s of Parenting and Grandparenting

Letters to America

http://www.magnuspress.com/OurProducts2.html 

       25% off all books, buy 4 get 1 free and free shipping

       Phone Orders:  800-463-7818

ARE YOU AS CLOSE TO GOD AS YOU WANT TO BE (Continuation)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEND THIS BLOG TO A FRIEND GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG AND CLICK ON THE ENVELOPE.

          There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

          To Visit neil's other blog One A Day Your Spiritual Vitamins click on the following  

 http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/

When we ignore the feeding of our souls we ignore the truth  “God…Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” (Augustine)

Let me put it this way - God has put eternity in our hearts and nothing will satisfy us until we recognize and acknowledge that this is true.  Though the idea of forever may stymie us, our total being is really more comfortable with eternity than with finite time. 

This is why Jesus resurrected and by so doing left the message that we should accept our living after we die with as much readiness as we accept our living before we die.

          Hear the words of King David for whom an earthly kingdom was not enough, “…O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)

If you are honest with yourself, would you say, “I truly want to grow spiritually” or, would you add an addendum. “…but just not right now.”

In short, it can be said that you are, at this moment, about as spiritual as you want to be.  And for some of you that may mean - you believe in God but you don’t want to overdo it.

Maybe you who are still relatively young, and have too often thought to yourself, Some day in my old age I will automatically become more spiritual.  When I will find myself more often counting the years and making “Nearer my God to thee” my theme song.  Then I will become more spiritual.

But why wait?  If it is important in the closing years of life, why is it less than important in the early and middle stages of life?

And if you are already in those closing years, hopefully you have arrived at this conclusion…and are practicing and seeking and finding that great gift - a blessed overwhelming confidence in Almighty God.

And if that is true, some scriptures have become a constant echo.

Psalm 118:6, The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

FOR YES...

Every person has a relationship with God –

either as a spiritual anarchist in rebellion

or a halfhearted follower in lukewarm acceptance

or a believer in all out dedication. 

+++++++++++++++++++

Click on the URL below to WATCH NEIL IN HIS WORLD FAMOUS ONE MAN DRAMATIZATIONS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, BEN FRANKLIN, CHARLES WESLEY AND MARTIN LUTHER

       http://www.speakerneil.com/

       TO WATCH NEIL WYRICK IN HIS ONE MAN DRAMAS (Presented to millions all around the world) (Ben Franiklin, Martin Luther, Charles Wesley and Abraham Lincoln (this Lincoln film takes 11 seconds to download but is worth the wait)

       CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

http://www.speakerneil.com/

       V. Neil Wyrick’s ninth book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN and is available at

MAGNUS PRESS

DO YOU HAVE A HISTORY BUFF IN YOUR FAMILY?...Why not give THIS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED  BOOK

To Read Neil's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN click on the following

http://www.magnuspress.com/

OR GO TO AMAZON.COM

       AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM and amazon.com Kindle

OTHER BOOKS BY REV. WYRICK

available on Amazon.com

Poor Richard's Almanack for the 20th Century

Sixty Plus and Not Holding

Boundaries Unlimited

I Am

The ABC"s of Parenting and Grandparenting

Letters to America

http://www.magnuspress.com/OurProducts2.html 

       25% off all books, buy 4 get 1 free and free shipping

       Phone Orders:  800-463-7818

FORGIVENESS IS GOOD FOR THE BOTH OF YOU (New Series)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEND THIS BLOG TO A FRIEND GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG AND CLICK ON THE ENVELOPE.

          There are over 900 stories and commentaries on this blog that began Nov 24, 2009. It is added to daily.

          To Visit neil's other blog One A Day Your Spiritual Vitamins click on the following  

 http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/ 

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive men their trespasses,

your father who is in heaven will forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men their trespasses,

neither will your father forgive you your trespasses.

 
I think I’m safe in saying that at some point just about everyone has had an up close and personal encounter with a grudge.  Unfortunately some seem to collect and hold on to hurts as if their life depended on it. 

So let’s stop and look at these sour grapes everyone has picked off the complaining vine and more than once.  Look at the harvest of hurts we all have stored away and consider the results when we have not been able to get them out of our system.

The couple had been married for 15 years and lately their disagreements were beginning to multiply.  But they wanted to find in their marriage what once they had had, so they both agreed to work at it. 

And as a way of doing this they made a rule that at the end of each day they would write down something that was irritating them, driving them up the wall, however you want to put it, and drop the piece of paper into a fault box.

The wife was diligent in her efforts.  The first day she dropped in a note that read, “Left the top off the jar of jelly.”  The next day her note complained, “Left dirty socks on the floor - again.”  On the third day she wrote down two more complaints.  She continued in this vein for the next four days.

At the end of the week, they emptied their boxes and examined the contents.

The husband looked troubled as he read her notes, but nodded his head in agreement that these were indeed faults he needed to work on.

When the wife read his notes she found that he hadn’t played by the rules.  On each of the seven sheets of paper were just three words, “I love you.” 

As you might expect, this only made her madder.  And so she turned and shouted at her husband.  “You’re not playing by the rules.  Don’t you understand that when you are upset you are supposed to say mean and spiteful things?  And say them more than once as a way of proving you are right.  And then you’re supposed to stay mad long enough to make sure the other person knows he’s wrong.  If you don’t play by the rules, husband dear, how are we ever going to get along better?”

Does this sort of logic leave you shaking your head?  Maybe leave you thinking perhaps you’ve wandered into the story of Alice in Wonderland?  Yet, in spite of its lack of logic that is really how many people act.  They would love to have more peace and harmony in their relationships, yet continue to follow the wrong paths to achieve that goal. 

They have heard and maybe even read the Sermon on the Mount but fail to apply Christ’s message about forgiveness to themselves. 

A motorcycle policeman was in a bad wreck.  He broke his left leg and his right arm. 

When he awoke after surgery he found the two casts in their proper places.

Then he looked down and saw a large bandage on his hairy chest.  The kind that would be oh so painful to remove.  Attached to the bandage was a note from his nurse, “A gift from the nurse you gave a ticket to last week.”

Some people don’t just carry a grudge around, they keep giving it as a gift over and over again.

          Letting go of a perceived wrong, or of a real one, can be hard.  For some, it is nigh unto impossible.  They have a constant burn on and they don’t look very hard for a hose of forgiveness to put the fire out. 

Some people never have seen an apology they were willing to give or to accept.

          They nurse their hurts as if they were a babe in arms.  If you ask them when they will forgive the person who has hurt them, and if they are honest, they will tell you NEVER.  If asked, “Does that mean you are going to hold that grudge forever?”  Their answer might well be, “Well, when I get to the pearly gates…I guess I’ll have to forgive them…but it won’t be easy.”

I know, they (and some places in THESE THOUGHTS, they is you and me)…they would deny this, but I think they worship a selective Christ.

They love the gentle, loving Christ.

They love that He who is a healer of bodies and souls.

They love the promise of eternal life beyond the door of death.

But when they come face to face with His commandment to forgive – and not just once, but seven times seventy, some Bible translations even spell it out - 490 times - it sticks in their throat and they just can’t or won’t do it.

That teaching, that example Jesus gave us during His life here on earth… to forgive, they erase that right out of the mix, right out of the picture.  It just doesn’t fit what they are willing to do…so they ignore it…and they don’t do it.

And have you ever noticed that people who don’t forgive quite often become like the people they refuse to forgive?  It’s a strange phenomenon, but sometimes spending so much time and energy engrossed in the faults of another, those faults have become part of their own personality.

So think on these things and if you see yourself anywhere in them...admit that they are your faults and that they need to be prayed about rather than make excuses for.

  ++++++++++++++++++++

Click on the URL below to WATCH NEIL IN HIS WORLD FAMOUS ONE MAN DRAMATIZATIONS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, BEN FRANKLIN, CHARLES WESLEY AND MARTIN LUTHER

         http://www.speakerneil.com/

       TO WATCH NEIL WYRICK IN HIS ONE MAN DRAMAS (Presented to millions all around the world) (Ben Franiklin, Martin Luther, Charles Wesley and Abraham Lincoln (this Lincoln film takes 11 seconds to download but is worth the wait)

       CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING

http://www.speakerneil.com/

       V. Neil Wyrick’s ninth book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN and is available at

MAGNUS PRESS

DO YOU HAVE A HISTORY BUFF IN YOUR FAMILY?...Why not give THIS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED  BOOK

To Read Neil's 9th book THE SPIRITUAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN

GO TO AMAZON.COM

check out the great price on a NEW book

       AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM and amazon.com Kindle

OTHER BOOKS BY REV. WYRICK

available on Amazon.com

Poor Richard's Almanack for the 20th Century

Sixty Plus and Not Holding

Boundaries Unlimited

I Am

The ABC"s of Parenting and Grandparenting

Letters to America

http://www.magnuspress.com/OurProducts2.html 

       25% off all books, buy 4 get 1 free and free shipping

       Phone Orders:  800-463-7818