Greater Love Hath No Man

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.John 15:13

My dad was drafted in WWII, but was turned down without explanation. He was drafted again during the Korean Conflict and sent to Germany as part of occupation forces. Thankfully he didn't have to give his life, but every person who enters the armed forces faces that possibility. 

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day, the day set aside to honor those who have given their lives for our freedom. Freedom has never been and never will be free. I personally want to say thank you to every veteran who has served this country and to those who laid down their lives for us. It is their love for freedom and for family that compels them to make the ultimate sacrifice. 

But there is another who deserves even more thanks for laying down His life for me and you. Jesus Christ came out of love for us knowing He would face death. Knowing His death would be necessary for our salvation. Through Christ Jesus, we can not only be free from the burden of sin in this life but free to live with Christ for all eternity. Not on a cloud, strumming a harp, but doing those things that most please God. Perhaps spending time in conversation, walking in the cool of a garden. Perhaps singing. Perhaps picking fruit from a tree that bears twelve different varieties. 

We grumble and complain about our lives and our government, but there is no other place on earth to enjoy the freedom and comforts we have here. I have traveled outside the US to a third world country. If you've never been there, you cannot imagine. There will be no grumbling or complaining when we see the gifts Jesus has prepared for us through His love and sacrifice. 

Thank you to all who have served,

and thank you to my Lord and Savior.

Gail

Hey Kids:

I dug out an old photo of my dad in uniform to share today.

I remember as a child he would show us this picture and tell us a little of the things he did in service. He laid telephone lines and called artillery fire. 

He also taught us a little German. I thought kartoffeln was just another word for potatoes, because he would just ask us to pass the kartoffeln. When I took German in high school, I learned I had actually learned bits and pieces of another language.

Take a little time this weekend to find out who has served in your family. 

Ask mom and dad to dig out old photos and tell a few stories of your families sacrifice of love.

Don't forget to say a thank you to those still living and don't forget to thank the One who gave the greatest sacrifice of love for us.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

What Is Truth?

 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;

and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalms 100:5

What is truth? Pilate asked Jesus this question. He didn't wait to here the answer. 

The picture on this blog of the apple blossom with the bee inside tells us a truth. An apple blossom opened and its sweet fragrance drew a bee. The bee is pollinating the apple blossom by dusting the pollen onto its body and dusting pollen from other apple trees onto the pistil of the apple blossom. From this pollination an apple will form which will be food for many creatures and people. It will also form seeds that will grow more apple trees. 

That's not the end of the picture. What about the bee? It will return to the hive with pollen to be made into honey to feed the hive and allow the queen to produce more bees to replenish the hive. The honey will also be food for other creatures and people. 

This is a very simple explanation of both processes, but it is plain that there must have been a plan for this to work so perfectly in tandem. Would we just pour liquids into a vial and wait until it exploded and expect to make something? We would never attempt even the most simple of tasks without first having a plan if we plan to succeed. 

Pilate asked the same question many people ask today. "What is truth?" Earlier Jesus, while praying to the Father declared "thy word is truth." (John 17:17).

So why is it we ask "What is truth?" when we have the truth probably in our own homes. But suppose we don't have a copy of God's word in our homes, Romans 1:20 says we are without excuse. That creation itself shows us the Godhead and His eternal power. You may say, but nature has evolved over millions of years. Why not consult the truth?

 Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created...

Hey Kids:

Our school session is winding down. We have learned so many things this year. Maybe you have learned about the rotation of the solar system. We daily observe that rotation by the rising and setting of the sun and the travel of the moon and stars across the night sky. But did you know the Bible says the earth is a circle? Isaiah 40:22

What truths can you discover by observing God's marvelous creation?

What things can you discover that are 3s like the Godhead? 

Hint: the sun

What things show love by sacrificing themselves?

Hint: animals with little ones.

What do the lives of animals like bees show us about God's truth? 

Hint: bee communication

Have fun this summer discovering truth

Gail

Mad Dog Cake

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

I’ve got this pretty good pound cake recipe I like to use for Mother’s Day because it goes well with fresh strawberries. I say pretty good because it has good texture and flavor, but to make it Mad Dog Pound Cake I have to add the boiled syrup. I pour the syrup over the cake and in the middle. It sits and soaks and mmmmmmmmmmm. With the first bite the syrup is running out the corner of your mouth and dripping off your chin. Of course that’s an exaggeration but it sure seems that good.

Our lives are a lot like good pound cake. Most of us would say we are pretty good people, but is pretty good, good enough to get us into heaven? My pound cake totally changes when the syrup is poured over it and into it. The syrup can’t be removed and no one would want to scrape it off. No one wants the cake without the syrup once they’ve tried it. Jesus said no one comes to the Father but by Him. He is the way, the truth, and the life. We can’t get to heaven or be a true Christian without first coming to Jesus. When our lives are covered by His blood and filled with the Holy Spirit, we are totally different people, fit for the kingdom of God. Only Jesus makes us good enough. Like syrup, once we’ve experienced salvation, there’s no going back to the old pretty good person and no one would want to.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Hey Kids:

Have you ever tried to make a recipe and it "flopped"? Once I used the wrong kind of flour in my cake recipe. It overflowed into the oven and created a horrible mess. 

I just used self-rising flour instead of plain flour! Not a big deal one would think.

What would happen if I had put in salt instead of sugar? The cake would have to be completely thrown out and started over!

Our lives are like recipes. 

God has the recipe for us. We just need to read and follow His plan.

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

Somehow we all manage to add that sin "ingredient" into our lives.

Now, how do we fix the problem? We can't, but God can!

Romans 10:13 says Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. II Corinthians 6:17

What are the Rules

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13-14 KJV

Yesterday, I had the privilege of watching my grandson play baseball. The parents were very supportive of the kids, but the umpires took a lot of heat. As I understand it, the ball must pass between the letters and the knees. It must also pass over a 17 inch plate. Those are the rules that everyone plays by from little league to Major league. There's no bending the rules just because your child strikes out or because the pitcher can't hit the mitt. The rules are the rules, written in the rule book.

God has rules as well. We hear a lot of people say, "God is a loving God. He wouldn't send anyone to hell."

" Yes, I'm going to heaven because I'm a pretty good person. My good outweighs my bad."

"It doesn’t matter what I believe so long as I'm a good person."

Remember the story of Cain and Abel in the book of Genesis? God accepted Abel's offering because he brought a blood offering from the best of his innocent flock. It symbolized the offering God would give in sending His sinless Son to die for our sins.

Cain brought an offering of his hard work, the fruits of the ground. There was no blood offering, only his good work. God did not accept Cain's offering. It made Cain mad, but Cain had not followed God's plan, God's rules.

If the baseball team doesn't follow the rules, they lose!

If we don't follow God's rules, we lose eternal life!

There is a sure way to have eternal life. That way is in God's rule book. Repentance and faith in Jesus is the only way to heaven.

Jesus said, " I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. " John 14:6

Acts 4:12 says, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

We wouldn't think of playing baseball making up the rules as we went along. God has a rule book as well. Won't you check it out and make your salvation sure? It's that important.

Blessings,

Gail

Hey Kids:

When I was a kid, I sometimes made up rules for those I didn't already know. When friends came over to play, that presented a problem until we worked out the real rules. We also made up new games. We had to decide what the rules would be.

What rules would you make for a new game?

How would your rules be fair to everyone?

How would your rules allow everyone to play?

How would your rules make everyone feel a part of the game?

Our rules must be loving, yet fair to all involved. God showed us His love when He sent His Only Son to pay the price for our sins, so we could all go to heaven if we chose.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Answers to last week's challenge:

Locust – beans

Kine – cow

Corn – grain

Victuals – food

Compass - surround