Steve’s Stuff (Page 2)

Have you ever wondered what does God do? Oh I don’t mean what people blame Him for, “act of God”.  No I mean after creation and all He accomplished in   making everything what does He do now.  We can see God working throughout the Old Testament, Adam & Eve, Abraham, Joseph, Isaac, the prophets, priests and Kings. Even in the Gospels Jesus teaching the disciples and giving lessons, parables and working miracles. The working of the Apostles and many miracles…

Today we are celebrating the freedom we have in this country. While the adoptions of the Declaration of Independence may not have been the first act in support of freedom in this country it is, by far that which we recognize as the basis of our freedom. Today we are reading the Declaration of  Independence. Our forefathers saw that law was the base of any country. Without law a country cannot and will not last. Centuries ago God knew this…

“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” is a well-known phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence. Being happy is a major source of activity for most people in the world. As we can see it was such an important concern to our founding fathers it occupied a prominent place in our Declaration of independence.   A recent online poll of more than 2,000 adults shows only about 33% of Americans said they were very happy. This suggests more than…

God has always wanted to walk among His people Leviticus 26:12. He spent time in the garden walking with Adam and Eve before they sinned. We can see He had a close relationship with Abraham James 2:3 the friend of God. In fact, throughout the Old and New Testament God sought a special relationship with all the people. Today is no different. God want that relationship with His greatest of all creations described in Genesis 3:7. He seeks to draw…

Last week in an effort to help elevate Christians out of any slump we may find ourselves in we noted first we would need to “ENERGIZE OUR FAITH”.   This week, from Romans 15:13 we take a look at a couple more factors which will help us climb out of the slumps. “to cherish a desire with anticipation”. So many people, from all walks of life cling to this one factor.   We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose…

“Slump! I ain’t in no slump. I just ain’t Hitting.” Yogi Berra. That five letter word “slump,” is used and hated in baseball, and I suppose most every other sport as well. One would probably have to say that word is not a well-received one in any part of life.   No one likes to talk, think, or admit to being in a slump. In fact, the very idea can and often has forced a slump in someone’s life. Slump,…

honor :respect that is given to someone who is admired :good reputation: good quality or character as judged by other people :high moral standards of behavior Merriam-Webster Dictionary The definition of honor is the simple one provided by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. There is a complete one also listed which has as many as 10 other uses of the word honor. This one will suffices as we wish to present along the lines of honor among people. What causes certain people…

“On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  The commandments referred to are the Ten commandments. The first four are commands concerning our relationship with God. The last 6 our relationship with our  fellow man. God has giving commands upon which a nation that will last is built. Indeed, the answer our Lord gave to the testing scribe was much more than a summation of the Ten commandments, the     answer was the very essence of relationships. Certainly,…

“Three Dog Night” had a hit with the song “One” aka “One is the Loneliest Number”.  In 1969 most everybody thought that song was about breaking up. I heard some time ago a rumor it had to do with Marijuana.  Yet to me and millions of others it will always be the breaking up song. My point concerns the number “one”. Many think of this number as having an exclusiveness embedded in it. This seems to make it superior in…

Our story is best known for the time Peter, at the biding of Jesus walked on the water. Truly, this was a remarkable thing for Peter to accomplish. Yet we do not remember this story for what Peter did as much as for what he failed to do. Remember the story of how Peter asked Jesus to command him to walk on the water. He got out of the boat and began to walk when he looked at the storm…

Our text today concerns a time Jesus needed to go through Samaria.  The inhabitants of that area had been rejected by the Israelites and as a result they were turned off to the Jewish religion. While there, He met a Samaritan woman, of questionable morals, by the well side and asked her for a drink. As they discussed the strained relationship and eventually worshiping of God Jesus told her true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Because…

The Holy word of God is the most practical book in this world. It has described mankind throughout history and into the future. Little doubt remains in the mind of man as to its value in a variety of practical everyday concerns of life. I am unsure as to who first branded the Book of James the most practical book of the bible. Certainly, the book has a different way about it. Little if anything is said concerning Miracles, the…

What do we want in life? Some may say health, wealth, and riches. Many today, might offer the over used word of the day “fun.” But it seems reasonable to assume we want happiness, and that means many different things to many people. A great many lack what is really needed to be happy. Would it surprise us to learn true happiness does not come with the things we often think of? I like what the following Chinese Proverb presents…

No passage in Gods Holy Word is of little importance. The shortest verse in the Bible, Joh 11:35 Jesus wept. Some may think its length is its claim to fame. Yet these two words explains much about our Lord and Savior and the aim of God. If one does not believe the little things matter, ask Jeb Bush. If you have a computer type in JebBush.com, you will find you are directed to Trump.com. This is what happens when small…

Revitalize –  Inspire with new life and vitality: Last week we told you about a small group of men studying the various ways we can revitalize the worship of the Lord. Surely none could say about any worship period it is as good as he needs to be. Personally we know when our worship could and should be “more.” We can understand there are a great many difficulties and distractions to overcome anytime we engage in worship of our Lord.…

CON-FLICT, noun, ˈkänˌflikt/ a serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one. be incompatible or at variance; clash.   The text for this short message is not an optional one. This is as much a command as “Thou shalt not Murder” God certainly expects us to understand and fulfill the very essence of it.   Conflict affects everyone. One simply cannot go through life without conflict. Yet very few people look for or even hope for conflict. Most of us…

Albert Schweitzer shared a life changing experience when he was about seven or eight years of age. He accepted a proposal to use a sling-shot of sorts to hit defenseless birds. He did so reluctantly, and had regret as he walked toward the aiming point. His experience was that which many little boys engage in that later in life they would like to forget. He participated because, he said, he did not want his friend to laugh at him if…

The Gibeonites, by deception has become the servants of the nation of Israel. They are to serve them as woodcutters and water barriers. Israel is to protect them as they would any servants. The 5 kings of the Amorites agree on an alliance to defend themselves against Israel. Because of the peace brokered by the Gibeonites, (who’s nationality was Amorite) the 5 kings have become their enemy and are about to attack them. Joshua chapter 10 begins the extended conquest…

The old westerns I used to watch as a kid had a great sense for “fair play”. We learned we “don’t kick someone when they are down” or “shoot someone in the back” and ambush was a sneaky thing to do. Fair play may be defined as equitable or impartial treatment even justice. In the western’s, one would expect the same treatment one would extend to others. Don’t lie, cheat, steal for it was only done by the guys who…

With the sin in the camp correctly taken care of, Joshua and the army of Israel is ready to tackle the city of Ai once again. They had loss the first battle due to the sin in the camp. Now they had God’s plan and have prepared accordingly. The city of Ai represents the flesh in bible typology. We first hear about Ai as Hai in Genesis 12. There Abraham pitched his tent between Bethel (House of God) and Hai,…