14 and 20 Thinking! By Gene McGuire January 1, 2014

MY NEW YEAR’S MESSAGE 

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

     I send you my best wishes for a wonderfully blessed New Year. I was trying to think of a subject that would be most appropriate to write for our first message in 2014 and I came to the conclusion that we might profit from some new thinking this year. I really shouldn’t say what we’ll discuss today is new because it has always been in God’s Word, but many Christians are not really aware of it. I’m talking about getting the full benefit of salvation.

      There are two different words used for salvation in the Old and New Testaments (ye shuw’ ah and soteria). but they both have the same meaning: deliverance, safety, healing and soundness. This may come as a surprise to some who believed their salvation only guaranteed them a place in Heaven. Let me quickly say that if it were the only provision that salvation offered, it certainly would be enough; but when God saved you, He had more in store for you. Many scriptures bear witness to this fact. Galatians 3:14, which tell us the blessings of Abraham are ours, is only one example. You can receive all the other promises of God the same way you received your deliverance from the kingdom of darkness.

      Romans 10:9&10 states: “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” That is the procedure for receiving all the other promises of God . . . . believing and confessing. When the confession of your lips harmonizes with the confession of your heart, you will then have the thing sought after. A search of the letters to the Churches in the New Testament will give you a vivid description of who you are in Christ if you are a believer. It may not be manifest in your life at this moment, but that is still part of your inheritance as a child of God. Let’s use an example. Philippians 4:19 proclaims “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” You might say this is definitely not true in your life because you have nothing but lack. Well I want to tell you there is a difference between “facts” and the Truth. God’s word is true regardless of what may be manifest at any particular moment in your life.

      We should take God’s Word, personalize it, and begin to confess it. Our example from Philippians would then read, “My God supplies all my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus”. Repeat it aloud and often because faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). As you hear God’s Word, the belief in your heart will grow and, as we said before, when the confession of your heart harmonizes with the confession of your mouth, you will receive. We just used that Philippians scripture as an example. There are a multitude of other promises you should personalize and use. When you start this process you might encounter some difficulty. Your mind might balk at confessing things which haven’t been actualized as yet. You need to override those objections and boldly declare what God has said about you. In addition to that you must persist! Your confession is planting seeds of faith in your heart. They won’t bear fruit overnight. Just as the farmer must be patient, you must be patient. It may take weeks of months, but if you continue and don’t faint, your harvest will be bountiful!!!

 May the NEW YEAR bring you many blessings,

GENE

 NEW

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The God Who Loves To Hang Out ! by Gene McGuire November, 2013

 ” So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” (Genesis 5:23,24)

COMMENT: Most of us would say that living 365 years would be quite a lengthy life for sure! However, if you lived during Enoch’s time you might have a different idea. Let me give you some examples of the longevity of some of this gentleman’s contemporaries: Methuselah – 969 years, Adam – 930 years, Seth – 912 years, Cainan – 910 years. However, Enoch and Noah were the only two people written in the Bible to have “walked with God”. From that information, I gather that it is not the quantity of time spent on this earth that counts . . . .it’s the quality. Some time ago my Pastor, Amos Dodge, told the congregation about a good friend of his who died at an early age but had used his time effectively and efficiently. Pastor Ron Mehl built a church from 15 to over 6,000 members, the largest church in the State of Oregon. He also wrote 10 books including the best seller, “God Works the Night Shift”.  None of us know how much time we have left on this planet, so wouldn’t it behoove us to “redeem the time” so that we can hear Jesus utter the words we all long for: “Well done, you good and faithful servant”?

SCRIPTURE STUDY: Luke 19:17 and Ephesians 5:15,16

WISE SAYING: IT IS NOT THE DURATION OF YOUR LIFE, BUT THE DONATION.

POST SCRIPT:  I just got a letter from an inmate who wants a pen pal. He is a Christian but his family members will not correspond with him. He wrote and told me that he is in a cell by himself for 23 hours a day and he has a couple of decades to spend there.  If you would be interested in becoming a pen pal, please let me know.

Gene

Sincerely Yours, Gene McGuire   

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The Hardest Test You Will Ever Take by Gene McGuire October, 2013

 “You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Matthew 22:39b)

 COMMENT: Because of the selfish, grabby nature we all were born with (natural birth), the above commandment is impossible for unbelievers to accomplish. Born again Christians may have a problem fulfilling this mandate for a different reason. . . .a loathing of themselves. Some Believers are trapped in the quagmire because they are carrying around a feeling of guilt. They say: “I’m a Christian and I am acting in this sinful way. What is wrong with me?” Jesus told Peter to forgive his brother 7 times 70. (Matt. 18:21,22) If He tell us, we who are mere dust, to have that much compassion, how much more love and compassion do you suppose our Heavenly Father has for His Children?  When we sin, we should repent, ask for forgiveness and FORGET IT, God has. “. . . For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jer. 31:34) However, let’s not use God’s wonderful grace as a “license to sin”. Let us grow daily into the image of Jesus and work out our salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil. 2:12)SCRIPTURE STUDY: Leviticus 19:18, Proverbs 10:12 and 1 Cor. 3:16

 WISE SAYING: IF YOU ARE HEADED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, GOD ALLOWS U-TURNS

 

Sincerely Yours, Gene McGuire   

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The Kingdom by Gene McGuire September 30, 2013

“I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy and steadfast love. . . ” (Psalm 31:7- Amplified Bible)

COMMENT: In the mid 70’s I had just mc’ d an awards banquet for the Life Insurance Agency I headed. A young lady by the name of Janice Thomas came up to me and said: “You could do a lot of good in the Kingdom of God.” Well, I didn’t pay much attention to her because the only kingdom I was interested in expanding was my kingdom. Now that I look back on that incident, she didn’t see me as I was, but as I could be. There is a song that I have grown to love called “Mercy Saw Me”. Here is a part of the beautiful lyrics: “Beautiful, that’s how Mercy saw me. Though I was broke and all so lost, Mercy looked and saw my heart. Not what I was, but what I could be . . . .that’s how Jesus saw me.” In the book “Prayers That Avail Much” by Germaine Copeland, she says it so well: “But God – You are so rich in Your mercy! Even when I was dead (slain) by [my own] shortcomings and trespasses, You made me alive together in union with Christ, and it is by Your grace (Your favor and mercy that I did not deserve) that I am saved (delivered from judgment and made a partaker of Christ’s salvation).  You raised me up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving me joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).” [page 208]

SCRIPTURE STUDY: John 3:16, Romans 10:9 & 10 and 1 Timothy 1:15

WISE SAYING: WHAT YOU ARE IS GOD‘S GIFT TO YOU. WHAT YOU BECOME IS YOUR GIFT TO GOD.  

WISE SONG LYRICS: HE PICKED ME UP, TURNED ME ROUND AND PUT MY FEET OF SOLID GROUND.

Sincerely Yours, Gene McGuire   

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THE FAMILY GOOD NEWS-LETTER by Gene McGuire August, 2013

LABOR DAY NEWSLETTER

                                         The Family Good News-Letter
29th Year                                         September 2, 2013

Dear Friends and Family,

Since the Labor Day Holiday is upon us, I thought it might be appropriate to take a closer look at what we do to earn a living and what spiritual significance that activity might have. People usually divide occupations into two categories, religious and secular. When we think religious, the usual stereotypes come to mind . . . pastors, missionaries, gospel singer and evangelists. It might be beneficial for us to look at this subject from a different perspective. The reign of King David in Israel would be a good starting point.

     David wore two hats. He was both the spiritual as well as the so-called secular leader. This kind of arrangement is called a theocracy. I would like to share a short commentary with you from Thomas Nelson Publishers’ Daily Devotional Bible.  It treats the subject in a much better manner than I ever could. In addition, this approach helps me avoid the temptation to plagiarize. (SMILE)

     David was the king over a theocracy. He organized his people for religious duties as well as for what might be termed “secular” duties. In the theocracy, however, there was no distinction. Any assigned service was in essence a sacred duty, whether one was a soldier or priest. Duty toward the kingdom was duty toward God Who was over the kingdom. Such a thought should dominate the thoughts of the Christian. All of life is sacred. The believer is always on duty. Even in one’s chosen occupation, one is to be a dutiful Christian in the performance of his work. Working at a secular job to make a livelihood merely serves as a means by which one performs his overall duty toward God. The believer is never off duty in his moral obligation.

     Just in case some of you might exclaim “That Old Testament stuff doesn’t apply to me”, let’s talk a little New Testament!!!! Col. 3:23 tells us “Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as (something done) for the Lord and not for men.” And if that doesn’t convince you, try on Col. 1:13 which informs us that “We have been translated from the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s own Son.”  Therefore, we Christians are not unlike the Hebrews who were subject to King David, we too live in a theocracy. However, there is a significant difference between the two monarchs. Our King is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Savior of the World, the One True God, Jesus Christ.

                                                                     Have a Blessing and be a Blessing,

                                                                                        Gene

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