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1PAMSPURPOSE says: "YOU JUST HAD TO MAKE ME..." on Oh, How we forget |
Take a look at thisPosted
IT'S O.K.Posted
IT'S O.K. I mean he's getting blamed for everything these days. He's the reason why we didn't come to church; or the devil made me commit murder; or it's because of the devil that I can't stop drinking til I pass out; it's the devils fault that I can't kick my drug habit. I hear it on TV and I heard it in church. The devil, the devil, the devil. Let's just blame the devil for everything so we can look innocent. It's not often you hear a preacher come in the defense of the enemy and, well to be honest, I'm not most preachers. Even some of them give the devil too much credit. I'm not here to defend the devil, though it may seem like it. He loves taking credit for your habits and actions because it makes him look more powerful than he actually is. See, we watch television and movies and they paint him as this powerful creature tearing up cities and throwing fire at people and haunting people down and all kinds of crazy stuff. Then we buy into forgetting that he was defeated over 2000 years ago and what power he did have is gone. Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth". If all power and authority was given to Jesus, how much does that leave for the devil? You know that person on the job that has no authority but tries to boss people around? And you know the person that doesn't know any better and does everything that the person with no authority tells him/her to do? That's some of us. Devil walking around: I'M BIG AND BAD. I'LL BLOW YA HOUSE DOWN. Sounding like Kunta and Kizzy enslaving ourselves to the false power of the devil. So who's responsible? Good question!! Wish I knew but I don't so until I find out this sermon is over.
Return to DetroitPosted
Return to Detroit By Mr. Ryan Gaddy 16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. (Matthew 28:16) I had always wondered why Jesus would have his disciples return to Galilee right before his ascension into Heaven. After visiting Detroit, my hometown for the first time in almost two years, I can see why. It was for them to see where it had all began. I had an opportunity to spend much needed time with my family. It's amazing how big kids can grow in such a short time. I played rock, paper; scissors for what seemed like hours as my right hand began hurting and twitching. A couple of nieces pretended to dress my wife and me up as if we were going to get married again. My niece Ryan Simone took my video camera around the neighborhood; video taping houses in an attempt to sell me one so I could move back home. On Saturday evening, we ate with my brother and his family at a restaurant called Uptown Eatery. It was a great time as we laughed about woody woodriff and a light skinned Forrest Whittaker (inside joke). On Sunday we spent a lot of time over another brother's house enjoying bbq and watching the pistons unfortunately lose to Cleveland. I also saw my nephew all grown up now with his girlfriend as they prepare to go to the prom next weekend and I know there will be no cuter couple than them there. Where I was really taken aback was visiting my old neighborhood. I stood 10 feet from the home I grew up in as another family occupied it now. I looked at other homes on the block, some are crumbling and it just brought a deep sadness to my spirit. I had a great conversation with mom may, my next door neighbor for 20 years. What tie that scripture I mentioned into the story are the memories and stories she has. She spoke of how as a youth when all the other children were playing in the neighborhood, I sat on the porch reading the bible. She mentioned how at 5 and 6 six years of age I would go to the street corners and preach to walkers or cars driving by. What makes this all the more interesting is the fact that I was never religious growing up. She began to get a little emotional as she recalled a conversation she had with my late mother. She had told my mother that there was something special about me and that she hoped to live long enough to see the great things I was going to do in this world. As she mumbled a few more words she said she has seen it and that she was proud of me. When I hear stories like that about my upbringing it only confirms that God had a plan for my life all along. And while other people may think I have done great things for God, I am far from completing the good things he has in store for my life.
By whose standardsPosted
By whose standards by Mr.Ryan M. Gaddy Recently i engaged in a dialogue with a young lady. Her dilemma was that she couldn't grasp how a "good person" could be condemned to a life of eternal seperation from God in Heaven. She's not the first to ask that question but it's quite simple. I raised a couple questions to her in response, that must be answered first, before answering the main question. 1. What is "good" 2. By whose standards are you good You see after considering the answers to both of those questions, the answer to her moral dilemma is quite simple. Here's some scriptures to consider Romans 3.12 There is no one who does good, not even one This passage is pretty conclusive here. What is good? Is it good to take 400 employees to Hawaii as Oprah has done recently. Is it good to adopt poor and impoverish children from Africa like Angelina Jolee has done? All of these things are noble and great and far exceeds the level of generosity i have made in my life. However Romans 3.12 says no one is good. Works does not get a person in a right relationship with God. The amount of deeds, sacrifices, penance, and the like does not declare you righteous before God Ezekiel 7.27 I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the LORD Again it may seem as if the Lord has the upper hand. For a second what God is saying here is, even if he judges us by our own standards, we will still be judged by him. One may say and i have been guilty of this myself, "well i lie, i cheat, i still, i lust, commit immorality, but atleast i'm not a murderer or as bad as ____". Ultimately it's not about living a Mother Teresa sacrifical and servant life versus living a Adolf Hitler life. It comes down to faith in Jesus. All the works in the world can't get you into Heaven. Someone had to offer themselves as an once for all time sacrifice that goats, bulls, and calves couldn't satisfy. It's about trusting that Jesus has done the work for you. That Jesus died for you, gave himself up on a tree, died, and rose again three days later. It's about confessing that Jesus is Lord. At this time i want you to consider the two scriptures mentioned in this devotional. Meditate on it. Maybe you have argued the same points. Maybe you have other questions or arguments. I invite you at this time to contact me at ryangaddy@doubleedgedsword.net Reaping...Not WeapingPosted
O.N.E.Posted
O.N.E. O.N.E. Faith over FeelingsPosted
Oh, How we forgetPosted
Oh, How We Forget By Darnell "Ruck" Fenderson In church, we often hear the phrase "Look where God has brought you from". Usually referring to how better our lives are now that we have found and accepted Christ. Today, I wanna use that same phrase, but look at it from a different perspective. It seems like we as Christians have forgotten God's ability to forgive. We screw up, we apologize to God, we repent, and we're forgiven. Sounds pretty simple, but like I said, we forget. Instead of following God's plan for forgiveness, suddenly, we are running from God. We stop praying because we're ashamed and we think he hates us. We'll stop going to church because we don't feel worthy to be in his presence or because of some sort of embarrassment, which is funny to me because the people at church have no clue what you've done. Continuing to come keeps the people around you more in the dark than not coming. It's when you don't come that they assume something is wrong. Let "me" miss one day and my phone will be ringing before the service is over. On the other hand, I can be going through the hardest trial ever and I'm there. Some people may or may not be able to tell that something is wrong. You have portion control over how much info you expose. If it's something too personal and someone asks you what's wrong just politely inform them that "it's personal" and ask them to pray for you. Now, you're no longer alone in this battle. You have another person praying over the situation. But back to my point: God and his forgiveness. I want you to go back to the day you gave your life to God. Think of how much baggage you brought to the table. Think of how long your sin list was. I actually wrote a sin list before I got saved and it was pages long. (And those were just the ones I remembered.) You came to God with all these sins counted against you and you asked God to forgive you and what did he do? He forgave you. So ask yourself two questions 1. If God was willing to forgive me of years and years and years of sin, how much more will he forgive me for "this"? 2. If God forgave a sinner for his years of sin how much more will he forgive his child for the wrong he has done? You've forgotten where God has brought you from. You are no longer that sinner that came to him years ago, weeks ago, days ago, hours ago, minutes ago, or seconds ago. You are officially a child of God and unlike the human forgiveness, God's forgiveness is limitless. All he asks is that you be honest. Don't try to hide it. Confess your sins to God and he will forgive you. Just think of all the unmentionable things you did in the past when you weren't a child of God, back when you were living off the prayers of grandma and momma and he still forgave you. Now you are his. You've developed your own prayer life and your own relationship with him. He forgave you then and he'll forgive you now. A lot of things will change in this world but the one thing we can always count on staying the same is the way God loves his people .unconditionally. So I encourage you today that if there is something you've been too afraid to go to God with or if you've been too busy running from God to remember how he forgave you back then and realize he forgives you the same today and run to him. Finally, when things get tough don't stop going to church. That's when you need it the most. That's a source of strength that God has designed especially for us. You drive to the gas station when you need gas. (Regardless of how expensive it is)
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