COFFEE THOUGHTS

 

COFFEE THOUGHTS Gerald D Hochstetler Jr. Sip… Happy Wednesday! Last evening I was swimming, and my wife was skimming the pool. I swim for shoulder exercise and sometimes when I swim I remember THAT day. I told my wife many years ago my brother saved my life. She already knows, but I told her again about that evening nearly 50 years ago. I took a big leap into the pond. I was 11 or 12, I don’t remember the exact age. I could swim if all went well, but this time I jumped out further than I usually did and when I hit the water I panicked. All I remember was water, huge gulps of water. My older brother noticed I came up, down, up, and down, than I wasn’t coming back up. He sensed I was in big trouble. He quickly swam out, grabbed me by my hair and drug me in. I lay on the beach, gasping. I felt like my head was exploding. I was in a daze for a long time. There is no doubt my brother saved my life. I told my wife that had I died that night I believe I would have been saved. I was already God conscience at that point and would at times go off alone to pray. Prayer to me has always been conversation with God. Very real. Nothing religious about it, just plain talk to God. Wouldn’t it have been better to die young? And avoid all the sin and corruption that would later be my life? I believe there was a reason for my extended life. Having now lived another 50 years and experienced life I will worship differently than I would have had I died at a young age, I will now worship as one who was a prodigal, a sinner, as one who had wandered far away. I will worship as one who had been a lone lost sheep, as one who God came seeking and brought back to the fold. I will worship as one who now knows that salvation is of the Lord. Totally and completely. You worship differently on the other side of the GRACE experience. That is some of what my wife and I talked about last night by the pool. Gerald D Hochstetler Jr. #coffeethoughts on Facebook Used with Permission

 

HE WILL HOLD ME FAST

 

HE WILL HOLD ME FAST By Ada Habershon, 1906 When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast; When the tempter would prevail, He can hold me fast! Refrain: He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast; For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast.  I could never keep my hold, He must hold me fast; For my love is often cold, He must hold me fast. [Refrain] I am precious in His sight, He will hold me fast; Those He saves are His delight, He will hold me fast. [Refrain]  He'll not let my soul be lost, Christ will hold me fast; Bought by Him at such a cost, He will hold me fast. [Refrain] Amen. This 120-year-old hymn has been updated. You can listen to the lovely new version on YouTube: HE WILL HOLD ME FAST: CLICK HERE

 

THE GOD WHO SEES ME

 

THE GOD WHO SEES ME “You are the God who sees me!” Genesis 16:13 We all live in God’s presence, even if we're not aware of it. His eye is always on us. His face always shines upon us. As Christians we say this often, but many of us don’t really let the truth sink into our hearts. If we did, we would live holier lives. We wouldn’t neglect our work as we so often do, if we truly believed that God is watching us as we go about our tasks. This awareness of God’s presence should also give us hope and courage in dark times, just as it did for Hagar, who said, “You are the God who sees me!” Some people view God’s omniscience as a reason for fear and dread, but for Hagar, it was a source of love and care. God had not forgotten her or abandoned her. Though she was homeless and had a young son to care for, the Lord saw Hagar and provided for her needs. If we are God’s children, the thought of His presence should always comfort us, and make us feel secure. It is a wonderful thing to live before God, to know that His eye is upon us, and to be so familiar with Him that we are not afraid of Him. By J.R. Miller DO YOU RECOGNIZE THESE COMMON PHRASES?

 

THE SECRET CHAMBER

 

THE SECRET CHAMBER By Frank Mceleny Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past. Isaiah 26:20 There is a time coming of the Lord's indignation. In our present-day language this word has lost much of its true meaning. The Hebrew word is zah-am. It speaks of fury, of raging, even figuratively of foaming at the mouth. Imagine such a time when the God of all creation rises in holy indignation against the rebellion of mankind. And what is the Lord's counsel to His people in such a day? To separate themselves. To come into the innermost part of who they are in Christ and remain there. The most intimate room of the house is the chamber, the bedroom, the place of communion and rest. We have been called to intimacy with our Lord and God. It is this very intimacy, this overwhelming love and desire for our Lord, that initiates our separation from all else. Without this love, without this desire, how can we truly be separate from the world? If we have competing loves in our lives, then we shall never make our way to the chamber and shut the door. The world and all its ways mean less and less to me. I have been captivated by His love and overcome by His grace.  For there is a chamber prepared for the saints. There is a secret place for those who know their God. There is a hiding place in Christ Himself. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock. Psalm 27:5 By Frank Mceleny on Facebook For the full article go to: https://www.facebook.com/fmceleny

 

Angel Standing in the Sun

 

Angel Standing in the Sun In last week’s lesson, Jesus Christ returned to earth. In this chapter, there is some cleanup to be done following the battle of Armageddon... REVELATION 19.17 I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, “Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God, 19.18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, and small and great.” -WEB Bible The angel makes a horrifying invitation to the birds. It is a prediction of death and destruction for all those who opposed God. The mighty army of Armageddon will be destroyed. Everyone who worshipped the image of the Antichrist or took the mark of the Beast will die, and they will not be buried either. They will meet a shameful end. All the events of the 7th Trumpet; including the bowls of Wrath, the devastating earthquake, the demise of the army of Armageddon, and the feast of the birds are part of the Third Woe. IMAGE CREDIT: AI image of the Ravens, by ChatGPT Dall-E3. LAKE OF FIRE REVELATION 19.19 I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army. 19.20 The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 19.21 The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh. -WEB Bible The Antichrist and the False Prophet will be captured and meet their eternal punishment. All people who accepted the mark of the Beast and worshipped the image of the Antichrist will also be sent to the lake of fire. Where is the lake of fire? Obviously, it’s a horrible place but Revelation doesn’t say where it is.  Jesus also mentioned this fiery punishment in the Parable of the Net: MATTHEW 14:47-50 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind, which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away. So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come forth, and separate the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." -WEB Bible IMAGE CREDIT: Kilauea painting by Ogura Yonesuke Itoh 1908, public domain, image revised by C.A. Stevens This study of Revelation will continue next week with punishment for the dragon.