Sunday, March 27, 2016

What If…There Was No Resurrection? - Now Think On This by Steve Martin


What If…There Was No Resurrection?

Now Think On This
Steve Martin


“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:13-15 NASU)


What if…there was no resurrection, and Jesus’ body decayed in the tomb, just like everyone else who died?

What if, when Miriam came to anoint Yeshua’s body with spices, as was common, that He was still there? And later His bones were found in an ossuary?

What if it really was a hoax, as the Temple priests wanted the world to believe, and the word spread about the disciples hiding His body so they could say that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead, was true?

If it were so, and there was no resurrection on the third day as Jesus had prophesied, then…

…the 12 disciples were complete fools in traveling the world, telling He was alive, and then martyred for nothing.

…Saul from Tarsus saw someone, or something, other than the resurrected Lord, on his way to Damascus to kill believers, and then too was completely mistaken for all his believing years, speaking a false Gospel of hope throughout the Roman Empire.

Years after his encounter of the Lord on that day, he wrote to the Corinthians, describing how not only would their faith be in vain, but “Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:15-19, NASU)

If the resurrection were not so, then “we are of all men most to be pitied.”

What if there were no resurrection?

Then all the men and women through the centuries, who perished by sword, fire, rocks, arrows or bullets, who had proclaimed the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, would not be in heaven, but rather now suffer in eternal hell with all the other non-believers through the ages.

If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, what are we doing, looking to salvation from our sins, if the Perfect Sacrifice had not happened? What hope do we ourselves have for eternity?

“But the fact is that the Messiah has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have died. For since death came through a man, also the resurrection of the dead has come through a man.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22 Complete Jewish Bible)

This had been predicted by the Jewish prophets centuries before, that the Messiah would come, and be the One to fulfill the Hope of Israel.

From Isaiah 53:1-12:

“Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
 Smitten of God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
 Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.

By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
 For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
 Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.”

Because His grave is empty and indeed the resurrection did take place, our faith is on solid ground, and will stand come what may. The testimony of millions, from the first century through today, will ever proclaim that Jesus Christ lives and continues to save the hearts and souls of mankind. Your trust in Him is yet another fact that the world can see to believe also.

The “what if” became the “fact is”, with Jesus being the solid rock to stand on. Truth will always win out in the end.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People, Inc.


 P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

We are blessed when the ministry receives gifts to support the families that we do, primarily in Israel, India, Pakistan and the hurting ones here in the USA. You also can share out of the abundance you have been given.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Click here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 
Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)
Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  
martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin and  Love For His People  
Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople 

Full website: Love For His People

Now Think On This - In the New Year of our Lord 03.25.16 - #252 –“What If There Was No Resurrection?” – Friday at 4:30 pm

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This


Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

Monday, March 21, 2016

Silence is Golden - Now Think On This by Steve Martin



“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14 NASU)


Have you ever caught yourself thinking about something, and then wonder how you got to that point in your mind? Day dreaming about tomorrow? Pondering over a situation that has nothing to do with what you are doing now?

If you then catch yourself doing that, and next try to walk back to how you got there in your thinking, it can be as a maze in your mind. It is probably due to the fact that our minds have collected so much information over the years. No wonder we wander.

In years gone by I would memorize Scripture, to help my mind be disciplined. I would meditate on good things. The shepherd David learned this lesson, as he sat watching over the sheep grazing. I can imagine that gave him plenty of time to consider what he allowed in his mind, and he made sure it was good.

How often do we surround ourselves with the radio blaring continually, the TV turned on with meaningless content, or the overflowing noise of life which distracts us from the Lord? Far too often I am sure. How can we meditate on His Words if all else consumes our minds?

Many times we avoid having it quiet. It is like we can’t allow “nothing” in the airwaves around us. We have become so accustomed to noise that if there isn’t any we look to have something turned on to make it. Ever walk into a hotel room and immediately turn on the TV? (Guilty!)

It is almost like we fear having a quiet time. Something has to be going all the time, or we tend to get paranoid. Does that describe you?

There was a song written decades ago with the lyrics “silence is golden.”* Do you believe that?

The Lord isn’t calling us to be as hermits living in a secluded cave in the desert land of some far away country. Nor are most of us supposed to join the monastery to live as a monk, or nun, where talk is prohibited 23 hours a day. But I do think He is asking us to allow His Holy Spirit to have time to speak to us, when we are able to hear Him. Most of the time He will be that “still, small voice” which can only be heard when nothing else is filling our ears, or minds.

Elijah was given a lesson in listening. Scripture records this about him.

“Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

“So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" And he said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life."

Then the Lord said to him: "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him." (1 Kings 19:11-18, NKJV)

It is amazing what we can hear when we give the Lord the opportunity to speak. For Elijah, that meant receiving instruction to go and anoint the next king of Syria. And Israel. And also the next prophet who would take his place. Wow!

Are you afraid of what the Lord will tell you today, if you give Him time to speak a word to you during a quiet time? Personally, I long to hear the Lord speak. My life history tells me it will be for good, as I have learned it to be. His next word just may change my life’s direction, or simply give me the next step on the path I need to walk on. That could be the same for you today too.

Seek the Lord and He will be found. Call upon His Name and He will answer you. Both promises that will eternally hold true. Even now.

A blessed person will make it a priority each day to give time for the Lord and His Spirit to speak.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People, Inc.


 *For you “oldies but goodies” people, "Silence is Golden" was co-written by Bob Gaudio of the American rock bandThe Four Seasons, with Bob Crewe. It was released as a B-side to the hit song "Rag Doll," in 1964. A few othes have recorded it since.



P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

We are blessed when the ministry receives gifts to support the families that we do, primarily in Israel, India, Pakistan and the hurting ones here in the USA. You also can share out of the abundance you have been given.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Click here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 
Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)
Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  
martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin and  Love For His People  
Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople 

Full website: Love For His People

Now Think On This - In the New Year of our Lord 03.19.16 - #251 –“Silence is Golden” – Saturday at 8:30 am

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This


Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Held By Your Love Lord - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Held By Your Love Lord

Now Think On This
Steve Martin



“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers, neither what exists nor what is coming, neither powers above nor powers below, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39, Complete Jewish Bible)


There was a time, with so many great memories, when I was completely inspired by Integrity Music’s Hosanna! Music series. Every other month, beginning in 1987, they came out with a worship cassette (and then it was CDs) with music that just captured my heart, and my listening ear, every time. As many of you may have done yourself at times, like I did with these, you would wear out your favorite cassette, just by playing it over and over again. (But now with MP3, that won’t happen!)

In 2001 Integrity published a CD by Bob Fitts, a worship leader whom I had heard before, on previous albums. This one was entitled I Will Bow To You. The 11th song was “I’m Held By Your Love”, written by Karen Lim. For this song Bob is joined by his wife Kathy as they sang it live at their home church, New Creation Church, in Singapore.  What an amazing song! (The lyrics can be found below, and a link to the song itself is added, so you can listen to it on our ministry blog.)

The opening verse clearly speaks of our Lord’s love for us. If ever you have doubted this, just keep listening over and over to these words, and let them swell up in your heart.

I’m held by Your love, upheld by Your strength. On your shoulders You bore me, by Your faith I stand. Cherished by You Lord, treasured in Your sight, so close to Your heart, held firm in Your hand.”

Every now and then, more now than “then”, you need to be reminded of the simple fact that our Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, loves you more than you can comprehend. The very fact that He came, lived the life on earth to be as us, suffered a cruel torture, was crucified in death, and then rose again from the grave that could never hold Him, to prove that He alone is the Awesome God we serve. Because of that historical fact, we can know His love for us will be eternally upheld.

“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us — set us right with him, make us fit for him — we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand — out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary — we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! 

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.

Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we're at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!” (Romans 5:1-11, THE MESSAGE)

Drawing near to Him, in quiet meditation and a time set apart to experience this love, will enable you to experience His strength, goodness, and lovingkindness daily in your walk with Him.


Read the lyrics. Listen to the song. Let the love of the Father draw you close to Him.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People, Inc.

  
I’m Held By Your Love
- written by Karen Kim

I’m held by Your love, upheld by Your strength
On your shoulders You bore me, by Your faith I stand
Cherished by You Lord, treasured in Your sight
So close to Your heart, held firm in Your hand [Repeat once]

So awesome is Your love
So mighty is Your hand
On eagle’s wings You carry me
Your grace shall be my strength
So perfect is Your love
You sacrificed Your Son
Amazing love reached out to me
With joy to You I come

Not by my wisdom, not by my strength
Gently You guide me, lead me by hand
Total surrender, Jesus I am Yours
Now and forever, in Christ I now stand

So awesome is Your love
So mighty is Your hand
On eagle’s wings You carry me
Your grace shall be my strength
So perfect is Your love
You sacrificed Your son
Amazing love reached out to me
With joy to You I come [repeat 2x]
I’m held by Your love, upheld by Your strength
On your shoulders You bore me, by Your faith I stand

Author: Karen Lim, © 2001 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (IMI)) , Integrity's Hosanna! MusicCapitol CMG Publishing (IMI)


I'M HELD BY YOUR LOVE 
by Karen Lim and Bob Fitts
- worship video





We are blessed when the ministry receives gifts to support the families that we do, primarily in Israel, India, Pakistan and the hurting ones here in the USA. You also can share out of the abundance you have been given.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Click here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 
Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)
Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  
martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin and  Love For His People  
Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople 

Full website: Love For His People

Now Think On This - In the New Year of our Lord 03.12.16 - #250 –“Held By Your Love Lord” – Saturday at 8:30 am

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This


Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Tilt Your Head Up - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Tilt Your Head Up

Now Think On This
Steve Martin


“I will lift up my eyes to the hills — from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2 NKJV)


“Tilt your head up”, I heard the Voice softly say as I prayed.

As one normally does, I had my head bowed during my morning prayers, as I sat in my prayer chair in the corner of our home’s front room. I don’t recall that I was praying for anything real heavy at the time. But when He spoke, I also had the sensation of a father touching the chin of their child with their fingers, to lift their head in order to see into their eyes.

The Lord was telling me to look up; to see Him; to know that He was in full control.

“He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.” (Psalm 121:3-8 NKJV)

The Lord’s loving-kindness and compassion to us are new every morning, as Scripture tells us. His faithfulness, to hear every prayer, and to speak to our heart, is a promise for those who take the time to seek Him. Therefore we can have hope and trust in Him.

“The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lam 3:22-26, NASU)

We can easily get weighted down with the daily cares of the world. The day in, day out routine, which can be a grind at times, fills our soul with anxiety. We simply get worn out. That is one of the strategies of the enemy that opposes us. If we don’t stop and let the Lord Jesus’ yoke become ours, we will be overcome by it all.

Daily prayer, with reading of the Bible, isn’t an option we can pick or chose when we want to, or feel like it. It has to be so normal in our normal lives that when we miss the time with Him, we know that we have missed it. May it be that our day will not be the same without time with Him.

I encourage you to make prayer and the reading of His Word a priority in your life. If it means going to bed a little earlier, so you can have that quiet time in the morning before the rush is on, then do it. Or if you are better at night, after things quiet down, then spend this time with the Lord then. Let Him know that He is a priority in your life. And as for you, you will be more aware of how you are a priority in His.

He wants to tilt your head up to Him, to look into His eyes, and know that He is in control.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People, Inc.



P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

We are blessed when the ministry receives gifts to support the families that we do, primarily in Israel, India, Pakistan and the hurting ones here in the USA. You also can share out of the abundance you have been given.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Click here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 
Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)
Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  
martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin and  Love For His People  
Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople 

Full website: Love For His People

Now Think On This - In the New Year of our Lord 03.09.16 - #249 –“Tilt Your Head Up” – Wednesday at 6:30 pm

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This




Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve