The Shark Tank

     Anyone who has ever watched “Shark Tank” on television is familiar with how entrepreneurs enter a room through two double doors to a panel of business “sharks” eager to dash their hopes and dreams of obtaining support or make some type of offer. Some of those entering the doors to access the Shark Tank panel come completely unprepared and are left at the mercy of listening as each panel member says, “I’m out.”  There are times when offers are made, but the entrepreneurs reject the offer because it does not fulfill the objectives they consider would make them successful.  And, if Kevin O’Leary, otherwise known as Mr. Wonderful, has made the offer and been rejected, the entrepreneur leaves the room with the echo of Mr. Wonderful’s words, “You are dead to me.”
     How sad it will be when we enter the presence of the mighty Lord of Hosts and give an accounting of what we have achieved if it has not been for the glory of God and belief in the grace, the cross, and the Son of God.
     To reject God, you will surely be left with, “You are dead to me,” or as scripture tells us, “depart from me for I never knew you.”
     

Matthew 7 
¹³ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
¹⁴ Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

¹⁵ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

¹⁶ Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

¹⁷ Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

 ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

¹⁹ Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
²⁰ Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
²¹ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Revelation 20

¹¹ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
¹³ And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
    

     It would be good to remember and receive John 3:16-18 to ensure your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life.  No amount of preparation for success will open the doors of life if you have not accepted Jesus as your Saviour. 

⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Grace -Death Overcome!

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9

     What wonderful insight the above verse gives us.  How many of us who live in warm homes, having achieved success and wealth, would freely give up all we have worked for in order to help someone else. Yet that is what Jesus did.  He wanted to provide everlasting life more than He wanted comfort. 

     He was rich beyond measure.  His home was built with walls “garnished with all manner of precious stones”.  Yet He gave it up to be born, even laid in a dirty cattle trough as a babe and then raised in a lowly carpenter’s home when He could have been a King.

     The street was pure gold, as it was transparent glass”, yet He gave it up to walk the dusty roads to heal and teach.  He chose to be a pilgrim in a wicked land; a land where He was sought with human intent to discredit and kill Him.

     He gave up the greatness of His glory as those in heaven proclaimed, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is and is to come” in order to be rejected by men; to be ridiculed and laughed at as a crown of thorns was placed upon His head. 

     He gave up “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal” to be spit upon, degraded, and nailed to a cross to die in agony and take the sins of all mankind upon himself.   

     In return for His sacrifice all He asks is found in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

     So what is in store for us if we believe?  Riches galore!  Everlasting life!  A home garnished with all manner of pecious stones, streets of pure gold, a heavenly host of angels proclaiming God’s glory, a pure river of water of life!      

Matthew 6:19-22a  ^"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,…"

 

 

  

 

 

The Red Shoes

     I was shopping a few weeks ago and stumbled upon a picture. The background was in grey tones with a lady in the center dressed in black.  It was striking, but, truthfully, I did not see the essence of the whole picture because what really caught my eye were the red shoes the lady was wearing. Those red shoes were the only bit of real color on the whole canvas.  My first thoughts were of the slogan, “One shoe can change your life.” 
     The longer I looked at that picture, the more I knew I had to buy it.  Yet, I still didn’t see the impact that picture could make on a simple wall until I saw it hanging.  You see, I still was not seeing
the whole picture. 

 

     This brings me back to real life.  Most of the time we do not see the whole picture, however, there is a God who does.  When adversity strikes, a close friend does us wrong, or any other problem affects our lives all we want to do is say, “Woe is me,” rather than look to the God who is walking beside us and holding our hand through it all. 
     “Why?” we question, never looking at how we are being strengthened through the experience.  Our reactions and responses will certainly get us where God wants us to be either sooner or later.   Sometimes enabling by a loved or our own self-will may prolong the outcome.  Other times, we ignore the direction we need to take never learning from the experience until another one redirects us.    

     2 Corinthians 12:10  “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

     On a more humorous note, I wonder how many times God has painted me on a canvas changing the color and size of my shoes until the right one slips on easily and just fits to a tee, and if I am so blessed as to have stepped into the most comfortable shoes in the world, as a sinful human, I will once again need to be refitted. 

    

Beatitudes

     For my retirement days I made a bucket list, not only of places I would like to see and do, but also a daily list of goals.   They are:

1.      Spend time with my Savior

2.      Do something for myself

3.      Do something for someone else

4.      Accomplish at least one thing. 

    Sounds simple, but as most of us know, it is often hard to reflect back on the day and see what we really accomplished or if there was a purpose for the day.   

     When I was reading my “In Touch” devotional this morning I found some examples the writer gave which I thought would be helpful.  The devotional for the day was actually applying these in terms of the One who never changes and teaching about God’s nature with five examples:

     1.  Jesus forgave others.  He showed mercy, not judgment.  The example was the woman at the well.

     2. Jesus comforted the hurting as shown by his visit with Mary and Martha when they were mourning the loss of their brother.

     3. Jesus provided for needs.  We all remember how he fed the 4000 followers instead of sending them away hungry.

     4.  Jesus interceded for His disciples.  The example was how He asked the Father to protect and sanctify His followers just before He was crucified.  

     5.  Jesus strenthened believers and gave them power to do God's work. 

 

     So how can I use these to help me with my daily goals?  Maybe, the good deed for someone else could simply be to forgive someone or pray for someone.  I could offer comfort by just taking time to visit them, call them on the phone, or even attend a funeral.  I could provide for needs by baking a cake or use the example of my neighbor who fries extra fish to take a meal to another neighbor or friend. 

     What about bestowing power to do God’s work?   I am not supernatural, but I can pray to the One who is All Power.  I can pray for God to strengthen a friend or family member in need.  I can pray for a blessing where a blessing is needed.  I can strengthen my children and grandchildren by teaching them God’s love and by showing them an example of Christian living.   

     As far as accomplishing a project or talking with God, it may be as simple as turning off the television set, the computer, or smart phone and getting off that couch or out of the recliner long enough to have extra time to get the job done.   
     Probable the easiest goal would be doing something good for myself.  I believe nothing does a soul better than enjoyment and a good laugh, even if it is at myself.   

Proverbs 15:13  A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance…

Proverbs 15:15  … but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.

Proverbs 17:22  A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: … 

     In ending, let me just say that I thank God for the career I have just completed, and I thank Him for the opportunity for a new vision that will be pleasing to Him.   I pray I catch His vision for my life, and I believe it just may just stem from what I call the Beatitudes or as another author, Robert H. Schuller, called them, "The Be-Happy Attitudes" found in Matthew 5:  

² And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
³ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹ Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
¹² Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
¹³ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
¹⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
¹⁵ Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

One Cross Can Change Your Life

     “One Shoe Can Change Your Life,”  is a slogan that, I am sure, refers to the well-known Cinderella fairytale; whereby, she finds her Prince after he returns her glass slipper, and they live happily ever-after.
      I grew up having that story read to me many times.  It was strictly a fairytale, but like all young girls, I held to the dream of finding my very own prince charming.    Little did I realize that He would come in the form of a lowly young man who traveled the country and actually had no place He could call home.  Many, in His day, thought He was beneath them.  They called Him a liar, a fraud, and even claimed He often broke the law.  He was treated cruelly.  He was spit upon, beaten, shamed, and even nailed to a cross.  However, this man became the Prince of Peace, the Savior of the world, and through Him I will live happily ever after. 
     Because of my belief in the only Begotten Son of God, one day I will live in a great city filled with jewels of all kind; jasper, pearls, emeralds, and I will walk on streets of pure gold.  My world will be filled with light created through the glory of God and the presence of the Prince, the Lamb of God. 
     No matter how poor or how badly your earthly circumstances are, there is a Prince charming who has already paid the price to provide believers a way to live happily ever-after.  He can supply all the riches that are of importance.  All you have to do is believe in Jesus for  “One Cross Can Change Your Life.”

     Revelation 21:    10 “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 Having the glory of God: and the light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; ...19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones.  The first foundation was jasper, the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony, the fourth, an emerald;  20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz, the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth, the twelfth, an amethyst.  21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. ... 23  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”

    

Independence Day

     July 4^th in the United States commemorates the adoption of the Delcaration of Independence by the Continental Congress declaring that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the United States of America, and no longer part of the British Empire. Independence Day is usually associated with fireworks, picnics, camping, grilling, and ice cream parties.   

     We would completely miss the mark if we did not also associate our freedom with the life-changing event which occurred when Jesus died on the cross.  This was a freedom given to all people many, many years before the Declaration of Independence was declared. 
     When I think of America, I think of freedom.  I think of a country that I am glad to call my own.  I take pride in this great nation, but most of all I praise God for my freedom, free will, and the gift of life.  I know, that in death, He lives. 

   

He Lives!

 

In America and around the globe,

He lives!

From the mountain top so steep,

Beneath the ocean deep,

From the earth’s core,

Through heaven’s door,

He lives!

 

In America and around the globe,

He lives!

From shore to shore,

Across the plains to desert’s floor,

From coast to coast,

From pillar to post,

He lives!

 

In America and around the globe,

He lives!

From morning till night

Through day’s rainfall and light,

Reigning beyond the sky,

Blinded from human eye,

He lives!

 

In America and around the globe,

Let Him reign;

Shout His name!

Jesus lives!
Because of Him,
Freedom rings.

                                                                    Mary Crisp Jameson 7/5/2015