As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?

**********

David wrote this Psalm when he was in exile from Jerusalem. He longed to go back there and worship daily in the Temple because that was where God resided. It would be many years before Jesus would come to earth as a man, die on the cross, rise from the grave, and ascend to Heaven so the Holy Spirit could come back to earth to live in the heart of every person who accepts Him as Savior.

David had to physically go to the Temple worship services, and be a part of the chorus of praise that rose up to his Heavenly Father during one of the sacrifice times before he felt he had truly worshiped God.

A hart is an animal (like our deer today) that is fond of feeding near the water. When hunted he will go into the water and stay submerged as long as possible, then get in the middle of the river and swim downstream, not touching any tree branches on either side so dogs won’t be able to follow his scent. In a chase he becomes faint, and longs for  water intensely.

The word “panteth” as David uses it here means not just a quiet longing and inward desire, but audible panting produced by an agony of thirst – the intense desire and overwhelming sense of want.

This exact word occurs only twice in the Bible,  here and in Joel 1:20.  It  properly means to rise, and then, to look up toward anything; to long for. It refers here to the intense desire of the hind (female deer), in the heat of day, for water; or, in Joel, to the desire of the cattle for water in a time of drought.

There was an intense thirst that needed to be quenched, and nothing would help until water was found.

**********

How much do you thirst to truly know God? Does that thirst consume your very being?  Are you satisfied just being the way you are right now, whatever that is?

God has a plan for every Christian life, but many times He doesn’t reveal that plan until He sees how thirsty you will become to find out what it is.

In these last days, He wants to use His People to do an awesome work. Will you be willing to get rid of all the unnecessary baggage that has been holding you back and completely surrender your life to Him? It probably won’t be easy, but in the long run it will be well worth it. There is nothing greater than living a life of peace and harmony with God.

Now that is truly living!!!

Somebody is always watching how you act and what you do when you face everyday situations and even major ones that you have no control over. First thing each morning, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in every step you make.

You may never know the positive effect you can have on people for eternity if you will remember that you affect others around you much more than you realize.

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23 Elements of the Lord’s Prayer

1. Relationship: Our Father

2. Recognition: which art in heaven

3. Adoration: hallowed be thy name

4. Anticipation: Thy kingdom come

5. Consecration: Thy will be done

6. Universality: in earth

7. Conformity: as it is in heaven

8. Supplication: Give us

9. Definiteness: this day

10. Necessity: our daily bread

11. Penitence: And forgive us

12. Obligation: our debts

13. Forgiveness: as we forgive

14. Love and mercy: our debtors

15. Guidance: And lead us

16. Protection: not into temptation

17. Salvation: but deliver us

18. Righteousness: from evil

19. Faith: For thine is the kingdom

20. Humility: and the power

21. Reverence: and the glory

22. Timelessness: for ever

23. Affirmation: Amen

NOTE:

The first 3 petitions of the prayer make 7 points concerning God

The last 4 petitions make 16 points concerning man

Jesus died on the cross for our sin and returned to the Father so He could be our intercessor.  Then the Holy Spirit was sent to inhabit the life of every Christian so that He could lead and guide us in the right direction.

God has given us all gifts that He wants us to use for His Glory, but it is up to each one to walk in obedience to Him. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, and God intended it that way. He never wants us to think that our spiritual gift pales in comparison to the one of someone else.

Together we as Christians make up the Body of Christ, and we are the ones God has chosen to carry forth His Work.

You are very important to God, and no other person can fill your shoes. Someone else might can do the job you have been called to do, but they will never be able to do it exactly like you. God is counting on you to be obedient and do your part in carrying forth His Work.

Be a true part of the Body of Christ by letting God use you in whatever way He chooses. It is much better to do a small thing that is completely in His Will than to accomplish a huge thing that He never told you to do, even if you feel you are a success in the eyes of man.

Choose instead to be a success in the eyes of God.

God places people in our path to help refine and grow us, and so that we can help others in their walk with Him.

Even though there are plenty of bad things that happen each day, don’t let yourself get to the point that all you dwell on is the bad. God is still at work and doing plenty of great, even awesome things. Make the choice to look at things from His point of view and your life will be so much happier and peaceful.

His refinement process can seem tough at times, but He never wants you to settle for anything less than His Very Best.

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There was a boy named Grumble Tone who ran away to sea,

“I’m sick of things on land,” he said, “as sick as I can be;

A life upon the bounding wave will suit a lad like me!”

*****

The seething ocean billows failed to stimulate his mirth,

For he did not like the vessel, nor the dizzy, rolling berth,

And he thought the sea was almost as unpleasant as the earth.

*****

He wandered into foreign lands, he saw each wondrous sight,

But nothing that he heard or saw seemed just exactly right;

And so he journeyed on and on, still seeking for delight.

*****

He talked with kings and ladies fair; he dined in courts, they say,

But always found the people dull, and longed to get away

To search for that mysterious land where he would like to stay.

*****

He wandered over all the world, his hair grew white as snow;

He reached that final bourne at last where all of us must go,

But never found the land he sought. The reason you would know?

*****

The reason was that north or south, where’er his steps were bent,

On land or sea, in court or hall, he found but discontent;

For he took his disposition with him everywhere he went.

*****

We must all come to this point in our lives if we truly want Christ to forgive us of our sins. Sin is anything that causes us to miss the mark of God’s Holiness and perfection. Only God can take care of our sin problem.

Realize that there is a penalty for your sin. Romans 6: 23 Revelations 21: 8

We all know that we are going to die, but dying without Christ means that we will be eternally separated from God. The Bible tells us that everyone who has not accepted Christ as their Savior will spend eternity in Hell.

Acknowledge that Jesus paid the penalty for you. Romans 5: 8

God loved each one of us so much that He gave his only Son Jesus to bear our sin and die in our place on a cross. We can’t really understand it, but Jesus became our substitute for judgment. If we accept Him, we won’t have to spend eternity in Hell.

Acknowledge that Christ wants to give you the “free gift” of eternal life in Heaven.

Romans 6: 23

If someone gives you a gift, it is not truly yours until you accept it and take it. God is offering you this wonderful gift freely, but you must receive it. You don’t have to be good enough for it, because no person can be good enough of their own accord. All any person has to do is just receive the gift and fully accept it.

Believe in Christ and ask Him to be your Savior. Romans 10: 9 – 10, 13

There are two things that we must do to receive Christ. First we must “confess”, or tell God verbally that we are a sinner and that Jesus is the only one who can cleanse us. Second, we must “believe”. We have to believe in our heart that Jesus died, was buried, rose again, and that He is the only way for us to obtain Salvation.

All you have to do is just ask Him and He will forgive you of your sins and cleanse your heart. Than you will be His true Child.

Nothing else in your life is as important as where you will spend eternity. God says that in order to go to Heaven a person must be Born Again.

Please contact our church and let us know if you have accepted Christ in your life.

People try many different things to be happy. For some happiness means going through life always having the finest material things, wearing designer clothing, having expensive houses, cars, etc. Others like to have prestige and power so that others look up to them. For others still, it could be many different other things. None of these things are bad in themselves, but REAL happiness comes from understanding your purpose in life.

Why are we really here?

God made each one of us because He loved us. He created us so that we could have a personal relationship with Him. There is a void in each of us that only He can fill. We will never be able to fill it with material things, money, prestige, power or anything else that is of this world.

Jeremiah 31: 3 – “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” KJV

Ephesians 1: 4 – 5 – “Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be His through our union with Christ … because of His love. God had already decided that through Jesus Christ He would make us His children – this was God’s pleasure and purpose.” GN

When we seek God and love Him with all our hearts, we live in harmony with His purpose for our lives. Because He loves us so much and only wants the best for us, our lives can be much better than anything we have ever known before. We can have a peace as we go through a time of turmoil or trouble in our lives that only God is able to give. He goes with us as we encounter different things in our lives, and helps us to get through them victoriously. There is no other person or thing in this world that can do that.

Why are so many people so unhappy?

Man has a natural desire to live selfishly and do his own thing. So many people feel that it’s their life and they can do whatever they please with it. Or some go by the saying “If it feels good, do it” no matter what God’s Word says about the matter. The Bible tells us that this attitude is foolish.

Isaiah 53: 6 – All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, and each of us has turned to his own way.

I John 1: 8 – If we say that we never sin, we are only fooling ourselves, and refuse to accept the truth.

Romans 3: 23 – For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

When our relationship with God is not right, then there are problems in every other area of our lives – marriage, career, relationships, finances, etc.

Many times when we have huge problems, we try everything else we can think of before we will turn to God to help us. If we could just understand how much He loves us and desires to bless us, then He would be the very first one we went to.

Also, many people think that they can get to heaven because their mother was a Christian, or they were just a good moral person.

What is the answer to my problem?

John 14: 6 – Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus came to earth in the form of man and lived just as we live. He knows all of our emotions, feelings, etc., because He experienced them as a human being. He is the one and only way that we can reach God. Jesus is our intercessor to the Father because He knows exactly how we feel. He knows how much God loves us and always wants the VERY BEST for each of our lives. Jesus has already taken care of our SIN problem

Romans 6: 23 – The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5: 8 – God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still separated from God by sin, Christ died for us.

God has already done His part to restore our relationship to Him. Now it is up to each person individually to accept what He has already done for us.

What is the next step?

God wants each person to turn away from their sins and turn to Him.

Acts 3: 19 – Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…

Believe that Jesus is God’s Son, that He died on the cross in your place, and that He rose from the dead.

Romans 10: 9 – If you confess that Jesus is your Lord, and you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Acts 4: 12 – Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name by which we must be saved.

Accept God’s free gift of salvation by asking Jesus to come into your heart and life. He has already done the only thing for us that can restore us to God – there is nothing that we can do on our own merit.

John 1: 12 – Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.

Allow Jesus Christ to take control of your life as your Lord and Savior.

Colossians 3: 10 – So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

You can give your life to Christ by praying the following simple prayer to God:

Dear Father,

Thanks for making me, and for loving me! I know that I have sinned and need your forgiveness. I know that Jesus is God’s Son and that He died on the cross in my place. Please forgive me for going my own selfish way. I want to turn away from my sin and turn to you to lead me in the right way to go. Please forgive me of all my sin and come into my life. I want to trust you completely as my Savior and commit to follow you as my one true God. Please change my life and make me new inside. I ask all this in the name of Jesus. Amen

Romans 10: 13 – Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

If you prayed the prayer above, please contact our church and let us know. We would love to talk with you and send you some helpful information that can assist you in growing in Christ.

Matthew 7: 7-8 – Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

According to the Bible, if you are truly seeking God, you will be able to find him. “True Seekers” are all different kinds of people that have a variety of different backgrounds. Being a “Seeker” means that you truly want to find a way to connect with him. You’ve stopped pretending that you have it all together and are open to the possibility that God does exist and that He wants a very important place in your life. You may already know that He exists and are already in church serving Him the best way that you know how. Still you may think that you know about Him – but don’t really KNOW Him.

• Why do you really want to know God? Is it just to get something from Him or to really get to know Him on His level?

People seek God for many different reasons. Some are just into religion and feel that if they go to church and become a part of all the programs, that God is pleased with them. Others are looking for God to help them out of some big problem, or give them relief from pain in their lives. For most people to become a “true seeker”, though, they have to get to the point that they are miserable in the condition that their life is in at the moment. As long as you are satisfied with the way your life is, you won’t have a desire for anything better.

Please do some soul-searching and really find out why you want to know God. If you want to find him for any other reason than just to “know” Him, then your motivation is wrong. In the world, a person’s success is gauged by money, prestige, material things, power, etc. God has a different plan for our success than what we might think we want. His plan will always be for our very best, but if we are not seeking Him just to “know” Him, then we might be disappointed.

It is good to ask yourself the questions “What am I looking for?” and “What does God offer me?”

If you will read the Bible, you will see how much God has given to you already. Since He always has your best interest at heart, He might not give you the exact thing you have asked for. You should always expect the unexpected, and make it your goal to find Who God Is – no matter what the outcome. What everything comes down to is that a person who is really “seeking” God learns to seek His Face, and not just what they can get from the gifts of His Hands.

• Are you placing limitations on God?

We, as just fleshly people, are not able to see the whole picture as God can. He created us to have a close relationship with Him, as well as with others. He wants us to live this life in a way that lines up with His purpose for it. Even though we may think that we have everything figured out and know what is best for us, God always knows what’s best. We can always trust Him with our lives because He will never leave or forsake us, and He always has our best interest at heart.

God wants to be a powerful presence in each of our lives, not just an idea in our heads. God will take you as you are, but He doesn’t want to leave you that way. He wants each of us to let Him make us into whatever He wants us to be. In the long run, that will always be a thousand times better than anything we could ever dream up ourselves.

• What do you think about Jesus?

Our intellectual mind wants to decide if there is a God, and then try to figure out who Jesus is. Many “seekers” discover that when they deal with the person of Jesus, they find answers to many other questions.

• Is there a God?

Yes, and He came to earth in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. John 16: 28 – I (Jesus) came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.

• Does God love me?

Yes He does. John 3: 16 – 17 – For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world though Him.

• What does God want from you?

God wants a personal relationship with you. He wants you to become a member of a church that teaches His Word unashamedly. He also wants you to be a member of a church that believes that Jesus is the Son of God, that he was born of a virgin, that He died and rose again, that He lives right now interceding for His children to the Father on their behalf, and that one day He will come again to received all His children up to Heaven to live with Him forever. He wants you to be a vital member of a church that teaches these things so that you can grow and become a mature Christian.

• What do I have to do to live forever?

Accept Jesus as your Savior and make Him Lord of your life. John 6: 40 – For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day.

• How can I experience meaning and purpose in life?

You can do this by following Jesus and growing in a personal relationship with Him. The church is the tool that He has chosen on earth to proclaim His wishes to the world. When you join the one that you feel God is leading you to, you can also begin to cultivate true Christian fellowship with other Christians. Then you can start to encourage each other and be there for each other in times of trials or problems. God meant for His Church to be a lighthouse for the world to see so that others could see that Christians handle things differently than people in the world do.

According to the Bible, you must come to terms with Jesus before you can have a relationship to God. Jesus is the way to God. He is the most influential person in history. He was a poor itinerant preacher, and the poor son of a carpenter, but He changed the entire course of world history.

No person really searching spiritually can overlook him. Because of Him, world history was split into two eras – B. C. and A. D. – before Him and after Him.

• How will you respond to Jesus?

It is not enough to just have a head knowledge of Jesus. You can read and believe every word of the Bible, believe that Jesus walked on earth and lived a perfect life, that He died, that He rose again from the dead, and that He will come again one day to claim His Bride. But first of all, you must take a step of faith and receive Him into your life and believe that He paid the debt you owe for your sin but could never pay yourself. After this, you will need to get in a church that can disciple you so that you can become a mature Christian. Salvation is a free gift, but you must respond personally and deliberately, or the gift will remain unopened and unenjoyed.

You can receive Jesus into your heart right now. It’s as simple as saying the following prayer and really meaning it.

“Jesus, I acknowledge my sin and Your payment for it on the cross. I now ask You to forgive me of my sins and be my Heavenly Father. Show me what I need to do to live a life where I can be useable by you. Also please give me a passion for you and a desire to read and understand your Word. Help me to put you first in everything that I do. Please show me your ways.”

• Some Practical Helps

Keeping in mind the previous questions, here are some practical ideas to guide you in your spiritual search:

Ask God to reveal Himself if you’re not sure He’s there.

Read the Bible by starting with the New Testament books of John, Acts and Romans.

Talk to people who have a genuine relationship with God – those who really love Him and who live by a different set of principles.

Spend time in nature, observing and experiencing God’s creation.

Always love truth and question things for your own self to make sure they are really truth and not just another person’s opinions.

Ask God-followers why they believe what they believe and how they know their beliefs are true.

Recognize that God must make sense, and that His truth may go beyond your logical reasoning in the flesh.

Look at Christian bookstores of church libraries for good books to read that can answer more of your questions. You can also ask Christian friends for authors who have inspired them in their Christian walk.

Write down your questions about everything and take them to a knowledgeable Christian who you think you can trust to explain the truth.

Try not to let the things you already believe or have been taught for years keep you from your quest of the truth.

Keep a journal of your feelings and thoughts during your search.

Remember that what has happened in your past can very much influence your present ability to be objective about the things of God.

Determine to seek God until you find Him and then act on that information.

Here is  a very short list of balls:   football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, volleyball, bowling, racquetball, polo, croquet, ping pong, billiards and sad to say these are all in the world we live in.  Turn on the TV or Radio and you will hear long discussions of these games.  Yet the world is trying to outlaw everything about God.  How did this happen? Because we the people were paying too much attention to the wrong things and never noticed it until our world started living in the turmoil of  TODAY!

We travel long distances, spend more money on one game than so many tithe in a year, and will sit for hours in all kinds of weather just to watch our team win or lose.  We sit on the edge of our seats anticipating the next play, biting nails, with hearts racing and shout so much we strain our vocal cords.  We know our team stats, yet sadly many do not know enough of the Bible to witness to those lost people that are sitting around them at the ballgames.

Yet with all the energy for the games, it is mostly lost when you walk into the church. There is not much excitement for the Lord.  We sit in the pews in total silence, often looking at the time.  We do not give that time or joy to the Lord during worship service like we do for the GAME!

There are many excuses we make for NOT going to church but yet those excuses do not apply to our enjoyment of our favorite things.   An overused excuse for not attending church is :  “I need some down time on the weekend after a really busy week of work, school, family, etc.”

Read Chapters 26 and 27 of  the Book of Matthew.

Read about how Jesus was lifted up on the cross and died to pay for our sins.

Then stop and think of the down time of Jesus! They took him down from the cross after dying for us.

Then again pay attention to His resurrection – our greatest victory that gave us the chance for eternal life.

Read about the stats, weaknesses of people, and victories God gave in THE  HOLY BIBLE.  God gave it all to and for us.  Stop, turn around, and head back towards the Lord if you have put BALLGAMES or anything else before Him!

In life,  most Christians have at some time reached a point in our Spiritual walk where we felt just like that tire – FLAT. We usually can’t remember the exact time or the reason it happened; we just felt it.   So many times we do not stop and truly thank God for all the wonderful avenues, valleys or everyday walks or bike rides  He has taken us on.

We just give up quickly because most of us find it easier to walk away than to get back on the bike and ride again for our Spiritual refreshing.   What we should do is raise our hands, heads, our very souls and our prayers toward  God.  We should be  shouting many praises saying:  God inflate air back into my Spiritual being.

There are too many days we let life overwhelm us with busy things that weigh us down and leave us feeling like our Spiritual life is empty.  STOP, put on those brakes!

Take a look around  the busy roads you are riding and see where you are going.   Go for a ride taking along Spiritual friends like  joy, hope, mercy, grace and love.  Spend some good riding time in your own personal daily Bible study with your mind fixed on God.  Spend time in prayer, and be obedient to God’s instructions.

Now fill those old flat tires back up!!! Get back on that bike and go for the ride of your life with the Lord, always remembering to keep your eye on the trail God has set before you.

Spend some time each day worshiping our Lord.

Psalm 66: 1-2

Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:

Sing forth the honour of his name; make his praise glorious.