Open Hands, Open Heart - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Open Hands, Open Heart

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24, NKJV)

One would think that when a certain age is reached in this human life, the need to press on in faith is not as great, or as needful as when one is just starting out in a younger age. I for one am finding that that is not necessarily so. The call to walk in faith, on a daily scale, seems to be just as needed as when I was young and raring to go, full of energy and vigor - to conquer the world for God.

It isn’t done until it is done.

It seems to be true that in this life we are not meant to reach that point where we can sit back and say, “I am finished. I did it all. No need to press on any further. There is no more for me, so I can relax and watch the remaining days go by, with ease and full pleasure.”

For me, it isn’t so. I find myself just as often these days, my “golden years”, visualizing my hands raised, open to the heavens, saying to the Lord, “I need You today. I need You to guide my steps. I need my heart to be open to your plans and purposes in my life for this hour, as they were in my past years, to accomplish what You want.”

Did not the Lord Himself advise the one who thought he had accomplished it all, by speaking these words of truth to him? “'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."'  "But God said to him, ' You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'  "So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:19-21, NASU)

Looks like we must never come to the point when we sit back and basically say to ourselves that we no longer need to seek, ask, or find what the Lord has yet in store for us. He is always calling us to Himself, to expect more from Him, to rest not in our accomplished laurels but in finishing strong to the end the full package He has in mind for each.

My heart is open to going further in the ways of the Lord, to have Him even more so perform the works of the Holy Spirit through me, bringing light and glory to the ones around me, and in the nations. Though I am content with what has come, what has been completed, grateful for what has been achieved in these past years, I will yet desire to press on to full completion.

Retirement in the Kingdom of God doesn’t seem to be found written in the Word of God.

You yourself may be one, like myself, who has reached the late 50’s, 60’s, or beyond. At times we have grown very weary in the pursuit and the fulfillment of it all, but with the strength of the Almighty One we serve, we have yet more to do. In His might we will accomplish it.

Keep your hands open and your heart also. Be encouraged in your pressing on. The reward is great. There is much yet to be won. And then we can sit back and enjoy the mansion in heaven that even now is being built for us.

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

Please be sure to sign up for our newsletter. Use the "Sign Up" button on our website, or go here: Sign Me Up!

If these messages have ministered to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $10-$50 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families in Israel whom we consistently help monthly through our humanitarian work. Your tax-deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

  

Secure, conveniently contributions can be done online now. Click here: DONATE 

(or use the DONATE buttons on the blog.)

Contribution checks can be sent to: 

Love For His People, Inc. 

P.O. Box 414   

Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.) 

Please share Now Think On This with your friends on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and LinkedIn.  We appreciate your help.

Now Think On This #344 - in the year of our Lord 03.14.18 – “Open Hands, Open Heart”, Wednesday, 11:45 am

The Unexpected - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

The Unexpected

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

  

“Even if I pass through death-dark ravines, I will fear no disaster; for you are with me; your rod and staff reassure me.” (Psalm 23:4, Complete Jewish Bible)

Fear suddenly comes upon you. Your stomach churns as if you had just been punched in the gut. Panic wants to overtake you. Your head spins, looking for a quick solution to get you out of the mess you just found yourself in. What in the world are you going to do? Where can I run? Who can I call? What do you do?

You trust in the One whom you have trusted in thus far. You call on the Name of the Lord Jesus.

“For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

'I will be found by you,' declares the Lord, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the Lord, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.' (Jeremiah 29:11-14, NASU)

You can believe that is true. God cannot lie.

When I woke up this morning I had just gotten a text message from a friend who is newlywed. (I keep my phone on silent when I go to bed. Smart thing to do. Derek Prince, the great Bible teacher whom I was honored to serve on his ministry staff for eight years, often said, “There are no emergencies in the kingdom of God.”) They got married in her country, went on a fantastic honeymoon in another country, but when they came back to cross over into his homeland to start their new life together, they were stopped at the border. The paperwork hadn’t been done as it was supposed to have been done. She couldn’t cross over. 

They were then told it was going to take much legal paperwork, several months, and could cost thousands of dollars. Dollars they didn’t have. Bills they never dreamed of having to be paid on the road ahead. The unexpected had just happened.

How many times have we faced challenges and circumstances when the impossible was facing us, and we didn’t know where to turn, who to call, or what to do next. We seemed frozen with fear, which itself wanted to keep us there. But that is when we need to stand on His Word – that He never leaves us, never forsakes us, never lets the enemy have the final victory.

All of us have faced these situations. A traumatic car accident; a tragic turn of events; an impossible place in our life when it looks as if we have been forsaken, forgotten about, and left standing alone. That is where and when we need to stand on His Word.

“Even if I pass through death-dark ravines, I will fear no disaster; for you are with me; your rod and staff reassure me.” (Psalm 23:4)

When these times come, we need to know in our heart, our soul, our very being that the Lord Jesus, Yeshua, is faithful to see us through whatever comes our way. Even if death itself stands at the door and says he has got us now, we must be firm in our belief, that even then, eternity with our Lord awaits us on the other side.

Whatever you face today, this week, or this month, know that He is on your side. You will not fail, you will not fall, you will not be left standing alone. The Living God of Israel has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. He will see you through.

I told my friend that on the phone. It may be a tough road ahead, but the Bible is full of examples which have been given to us to show His faithfulness towards those who believe.

Be reassured in your faith. Stand strong. He is a BIG God, and we are His.

“For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.” (2 Timothy 1:2-14, NASU)

Be at peace. For the Lord will always be your strong tower. You can run to Him and He will see you through.

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

P.S. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter. Use the "Sign Up" button on our website, or go here: Sign Me Up!

If these messages have ministered to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $10-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families in Israel whom we consistently help monthly through our humanitarian work. Your tax-deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

  

Secure, conveniently contributions can be done online now. Click here: DONATE 

(or use the DONATE buttons on the blog.)

Contribution checks can be sent to: 

Love For His People, Inc. 

P.O. Box 414   

Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.) 

Please share Now Think On This with your friends on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and LinkedIn.  We appreciate your help.

Now Think On This - in the Year of our Lord 10.08.17 - #323  – “The Unexpected”

Sunday, 7:07 am

The Unexpected - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

The Unexpected

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

  

“Even if I pass through death-dark ravines, I will fear no disaster; for you are with me; your rod and staff reassure me.” (Psalm 23:4, Complete Jewish Bible)

Fear suddenly comes upon you. Your stomach churns as if you had just been punched in the gut. Panic wants to overtake you. Your head spins, looking for a quick solution to get you out of the mess you just found yourself in. What in the world are you going to do? Where can I run? Who can I call? What do you do?

You trust in the One whom you have trusted in thus far. You call on the Name of the Lord Jesus.

“For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

'I will be found by you,' declares the Lord, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the Lord, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.' (Jeremiah 29:11-14, NASU)

You can believe that is true. God cannot lie.

When I woke up this morning I had just gotten a text message from a friend who is newlywed. (I keep my phone on silent when I go to bed. Smart thing to do. Derek Prince, the great Bible teacher whom I was honored to serve on his ministry staff for eight years, often said, “There are no emergencies in the kingdom of God.”) They got married in her country, went on a fantastic honeymoon in another country, but when they came back to cross over into his homeland to start their new life together, they were stopped at the border. The paperwork hadn’t been done as it was supposed to have been done. She couldn’t cross over. 

They were then told it was going to take much legal paperwork, several months, and could cost thousands of dollars. Dollars they didn’t have. Bills they never dreamed of having to be paid on the road ahead. The unexpected had just happened.

How many times have we faced challenges and circumstances when the impossible was facing us, and we didn’t know where to turn, who to call, or what to do next. We seemed frozen with fear, which itself wanted to keep us there. But that is when we need to stand on His Word – that He never leaves us, never forsakes us, never lets the enemy have the final victory.

All of us have faced these situations. A traumatic car accident; a tragic turn of events; an impossible place in our life when it looks as if we have been forsaken, forgotten about, and left standing alone. That is where and when we need to stand on His Word.

“Even if I pass through death-dark ravines, I will fear no disaster; for you are with me; your rod and staff reassure me.” (Psalm 23:4)

When these times come, we need to know in our heart, our soul, our very being that the Lord Jesus, Yeshua, is faithful to see us through whatever comes our way. Even if death itself stands at the door and says he has got us now, we must be firm in our belief, that even then, eternity with our Lord awaits us on the other side.

Whatever you face today, this week, or this month, know that He is on your side. You will not fail, you will not fall, you will not be left standing alone. The Living God of Israel has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. He will see you through.

I told my friend that on the phone. It may be a tough road ahead, but the Bible is full of examples which have been given to us to show His faithfulness towards those who believe.

Be reassured in your faith. Stand strong. He is a BIG God, and we are His.

“For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.” (2 Timothy 1:2-14, NASU)

Be at peace. For the Lord will always be your strong tower. You can run to Him and He will see you through.

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

P.S. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter. Use the "Sign Up" button on our website, or go here: Sign Me Up!

If these messages have ministered to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $10-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families in Israel whom we consistently help monthly through our humanitarian work. Your tax-deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

  

Secure, conveniently contributions can be done online now. Click here: DONATE 

(or use the DONATE buttons on the blog.)

Contribution checks can be sent to: 

Love For His People, Inc. 

P.O. Box 414   

Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.) 

Please share Now Think On This with your friends on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and LinkedIn.  We appreciate your help.

Now Think On This - in the Year of our Lord 10.08.17 - #323  – “The Unexpected”

Sunday, 7:07 am

Let the Dead Bury the Dead - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Let the Dead Bury the Dead

  

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“Yeshua said, “Let the dead bury their own dead; you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God!” 

(Luke 9:60-61 Complete Jewish Bible)

For years I had thought this was a rather harsh response Jesus (Yeshua) gave to the one who said he wanted to follow Him and be His disciple. Jesus didn’t say, “Great! Just come along, do what you want when you want, and I will be sure to accommodate how you live so it won’t cramp your style.” It even seems in some circles that our response nowadays would be, “Wow! Someone who wants to be a Christian! Let’s not make it too hard on them so they won’t start the walk and then later quit. We need all the ones we can get.”

No, Jesus gave the man the one choice he had. Follow Him by letting go of his current life, and live the one I (Jesus) would direct him in. My way is the only way.

Jesus clearly told the one the way it would be, as Luke recounted for us in this historical report.

“As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, "I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have  nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  And He said to another, " Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." But He said to him, "Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God." 

Another also said, "I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home." But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:57-62 NASU)

I like how The Message words it in a similar, but unique way.

“On the road someone asked if he could go along. "I'll go with you, wherever," he said. Jesus was curt: "Are you ready to rough it? We're not staying in the best inns, you know." Jesus said to another, "Follow me." He said, "Certainly, but first excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father's funeral." Jesus refused. "First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God's kingdom!"

Then another said, "I'm ready to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home." Jesus said, "No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day." (Luke 9:57-62 THE MESSAGE)

(Just one minor side thought to point out before moving on. Jesus said, “We're not staying in the best inns, you know." I wonder how many leaders in the church today would still follow Jesus if they lived as He did? Or walked as He walked? I am sure the numbers would be reduced if such were the case. Maybe they missed it somewhere? And what example are they giving to those who follow them? It doesn’t appear to be Yeshua’s.)

So my thoughts on this now, to let the dead bury the dead?

I think it is time that we quit sugar-coating the Gospel message, trying to make it fit in today’s world, so as not to put too much inconvenience on those needing to hear the Gospel, and repent from living the sinful life. Jesus didn’t make it a convenient choice to become His disciple. He spoke right up front to let them know, “This will change your life. What you did yesterday you will no longer do today. The life you led then, it needs to be gone. Repent, take up your cross and follow Me.”

Maybe it is time we quit making our Sunday morning a nice place to bring people to, hoping they will receive a “helpful message so you can get saved today”, but rather use it as the time to really train Christians to get out into the world to take the Gospel to the dying. For as you may have already realized, they aren’t coming to us. We have to go to them. And when we do, we need to tell it the way it is to be.

Let the truth be known. You want to follow Jesus? It will cost you everything you have. You can’t have it both ways – to continue living the way you have been six days a week and then “be the Christian” one hour on Sunday. Jesus is requiring a complete lifestyle change. He calls it “repentance”. We should too.

Rather then offering a Gospel that allows one to keep doing that which was leading to death anyway, it is time we offered the “radical” Gospel that Jesus did. To all those He came in contact with, He said come, repent, and He would then give eternal life in exchange. There cannot be any other way. There has to be a life change through repentance.

“From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17 NASU)

He also made it clear that if there was no repentance, there would be no salvation. They would perish in their sin.

“There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:1-5 NKJV)

We are called as believers to demonstrate the Kingdom of God in the world around us, by living a life of repentance. We have been called to leave the old life behind, and walk in the new one that Jesus gives us as we do so. And then, the Gospel message is to tell others to do the same. Repent, believe, and follow Jesus. And in that following, they won’t be doing the same thing they were doing, with just a slight change. They will be letting go of the old in order to receive the new.

They too will be leaving the dead to bury their own dead. They too will no longer be participating with the things in life that are here today and gone tomorrow. They too will be living the way of the cross, which will eternally bring life.

Just like you and I should be doing ourselves.

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 bless the families that we do 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  

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Now Think On This - In the New Year of our Lord 02.14.16 - #243 –“Let the Dead Bury the Dead” – Sunday at 5:15 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