TOO MUCH NOISE

 

TOO MUCH NOISE By Frank Mceleny And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. 1 Kings 6:7 The silence spoke of reverence. The temple was set apart for the presence of God, and even its construction was free from the clamor of tools. Everything was prepared beforehand, so that the place where God would dwell remained undisturbed, fitting for a house of worship. In the same way, we should ready ourselves before we come together as a people. As our hearts cry out for His presence, there ought to be a holy hush among us. With heads bowed low and trembling hands lifted to heaven, there should scarcely be a whisper as the Lord visits His people, perhaps only the quiet sob of a heart pierced to its very depths. Brothers and sisters, there is a deep longing in many hearts for a return to reverence. There is indeed a time and a season for loud and joyful worship, but I would suggest that we are not in that season. We have a desperate need for His manifest presence. What is life without the presence of the Lord? What is the state of our collective heart without the true and unmistakable awareness that God has come down among us? Yes, the living waters flow through His people. Yet when was the last time your heart was flooded to overflowing by the God who cannot be contained? Our world is drowning in noise. The clamor is relentless. There must be a sanctuary that is reverently quiet. It begins within each of us individually, but it must also be expressed collectively. Only then can we truly hear the still… small… voice of the Lord. He will not compete with the noise of the world, nor with the manufactured noise within our churches. Used with permission of Frank Mceleny on Facebook CLICK HERE

 

ST. PATRICK’S DAY!

 

ST. PATRICK’S DAY! St. Patrick was born in 402 A.D. in Scotland, and grew up on a modest farm near the town of Banna Venta Berniae. When he was 16, Irish raiders burned down the family villa and took young Patrick to Ireland where he was sold as a slave. Although Patrick had been raised in church, he discovered his own spiritual poverty while he was in Ireland. Patrick came to saving faith during that time, and prayed to God constantly as he watched over his flock of sheep. Other shepherds called him "holy boy." Eventually Patrick escaped and, at age 22, he returned home to Scotland. But God began to speak to Patrick about going back to Ireland with the Gospel. Patrick even had a vision of an Irishman calling for him to come help them. Patrick did go back, despite the distress of his family who didn't want him to go. Even though his ministry had a rough beginning and much resistance, Patrick eventually established more than 300 churches and baptized 120,000 converts during his lifetime. He lived to be 95 years old. During those years, Patrick endured fierce opposition from the occult Druids, including imprisonment. Nothing deterred him, however, and the Druids lost the tight control they had over Ireland, as the good news of the Gospel spread. The Celtic Cross that we are familiar with is a cross superimposed over the sun: Patrick designed this cross, and turned the Irish people from "sun" worship to "Son" worship instead. Legend says that Patrick used the three-leaf shamrock as an illustration of the Trinity.  If St. Patrick were here today, I’m sure he’d be happy to share a glass of green beer with you. But he would also make sure that you had an opportunity to know Jesus as your Savior. Patrick was a devout, godly man whose passion was to save souls for Christ.

 

TAKE MY LIFE, AND LET IT BE

 

TAKE MY LIFE, AND LET IT BE Frances Ridley Havergal (1874) Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. Take my moments and my days; let them flow in endless praise, let them flow in endless praise. Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love. Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee, swift and beautiful for thee. Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King. Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee, filled with messages from thee. Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold. Take my intellect and use every power as thou shalt choose, every power as thou shalt choose. Take my will and make it thine; it shall be no longer mine. Take my heart it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne, it shall be thy royal throne. Take my love; my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure store. Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee, ever, only, all for thee.   You can listen to a lovely updated version of this hymn: On YouTube CLICK HERE

 

PSALM 34:11-19

 

PSALM 34:11-19 New Living Translation Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the LORD. Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help. But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth. The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.

 

ANGEL ON LAND & SEA

 

ANGEL ON LAND & SEA Revelation Study Continued REVELATION 10.1 I saw a mighty angel coming down out of the sky, clothed with a cloud. A rainbow was on his head. His face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 10.2 He had in his hand a little open book. He set his right foot on the sea, and his left on the land. 10.3 He cried with a loud voice, as a lion roars. 10.5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to the sky, 10.6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there will no longer be delay, 10.7 but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, then the mystery of God is finished, as he declared to his servants, the prophets. -WEB Bible. The Book of Revelation has been mostly linear up to this point: describing the events of the Tribulation one after another. And, the story is nearly finished: the triumphant return of Jesus Christ is imminent. However, Revelation switches gears from here on, and departs from the linear timeline. There are side stories to tell, and strange characters to introduce. We need to realize that the Tribulation is not just for mankind. Ever since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, God has mentioned judgment on the fallen angels as well. Revelation will describe some of these wicked personalities, and how they meet with their destruction. The Bible tells us in EPHESIANS 6:12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." -NAS This vision in Revelation 10 describes a massive Angel. The impressive size suggests incredible strength and power. The beasts that will be described later are puny when compared with this Angel who introduces John to a series of demonic beings and monsters. Who can be afraid while such a guardian stands by your side? The end of the Tribulation is complex. When the 7th and final Trumpet sounds, God's moment of vengeance will be sudden, violent, complete and far-ranging. The impacts are on a massive, global scale. We understand (with astonishment) how incredibly patient God has been, holding back his power and fury until this brief but utterly devastating moment. The evil characters that will be described in the remaining chapters of Revelation are destroyed in rapid succession! However, it requires one-third of the book of Revelation to explain it all. This study of Revelation continues on Thursdays. IMAGE CREDIT: Image of the Mighty Angel on Land and Sea, generated by SeaArt.ai and edited by C.A. Stevens.