The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

1When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.

3Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

The Trumpets

6Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
7The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

8The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— 11the name of the star is Wormwood.[a] A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

12The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

13As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

Often times we will hear, “In a random act of kindness…” as if being kind to one another is something that should only happen every once in a while.

Well today I want to express to each of you that we as Christians are charged, told in the word specifically to be kind. Period.  We walk around daily being cruel, mean or simply unaffected by anyone elses needs.  Do we not realize that when we are not kind to one another we are not being kind to Christ?  We do not serve a “Random” God! So then why should the things He commands us to do be done randomly?

I feel it is imperative that we in the body become more kind and that we do it now. There is so much negativity all around us and there are simple things that we can do to make it better.  However what it will involve is thinking a little less of ourselves and more on Christ and what He would have us do for our fellow man. Being a Christian is intentional, it is not by accident or random, we need to stop behaving as though these things are not written law but optional.

So today begin to put this law into practice. Let the person in line with one item in front of you when you have 50. Smile at the child who is starring at you (Probably because you have a scowl on your face), take that mean lady at your job a breakfast sandwich, say “Have a blessed day” to everyone.  Anything, because the more we practice being kind, the more genuine we become at it, the more kindness has the possibility of spreading.  Be the change you want to see.

Hebrews 13:2

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

Matthew 25:45

“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

Romans 12:9-13

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.”

Ephesians 4:32

“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

Colossians 3:12

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

And for those of you who only think you should be kind to others who are kind

Luke 6:35

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

Be Blessed and Be Kind!

RiverAngel42

In the Bible, stubbornness is generally described in a negative way. It is sometimes difficult to detect, because it is often related to self-righteousness. If we are in that frame of mind, we may not see a need for us to repent. We may see all kinds of faults in others, but not in ourselves. We may stubbornly reject counsel–and this attitude may lead to our complete downfall. If we refuse to allow God to change us, we are predestined to fail. KEY WORDS: rebellion bullheadedness pride stiff-necked laws David secret sin marriage

Be Blessed
RiverAngel42

Today’s Bread Is Not For Tomorrow
Matthew 6:11
11Give us this day our daily bread.

Doctors have discovered that worry, stress, fear and anxiety can cause stomach ulcers, high blood pressure and other health problems. The Bible says that a merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. (Proverbs 17:22) It also says that God wants us to prosper and be in health, even as our soul prospers. (3 John 1:2)

When our church was much smaller, I used to worry a lot about my sermons weeks before I even preached them! I was so stressed that I developed symptoms in my body. Two doctors checked me on separate days and found my blood pressure to be very high. Other tests found traces of blood in my urine. I even had mild panic attacks. I believe that the devil was trying to undermine my ministry and destroy me.

But praise God, He delivered and healed me, and taught me not to worry. Today, the church is a lot bigger and I have learnt by the grace of God not to worry. The verse that set me free was this: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow…” (Matthew 6:34) You see, if you worry about tomorrow, you are trying to live tomorrow today!

My friend, God does not want you to do that. Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” He did not say, “Give us this day our weekly bread.” God gives us daily bread, not weekly bread. God doesn’t give tomorrow’s bread today. And today’s bread is not meant for tomorrow!

This means that God wants you to live today and not worry about what will happen or what you have to do tomorrow. He gives you sufficient grace for today, not tomorrow.

“But Pastor Prince, I have a very important presentation to give tomorrow!”

Beloved, when tomorrow comes, the bread — provision and grace — will be there. I am not advocating laziness and inactivity. By all means, do your homework, but don’t worry about it. Just trust the One who wants you to give Him all your cares (1 Peter 5:7), and enjoy His peace and life today!

^{Mathhew 21:9}

⁹The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest”

A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise

Eros
Eros is probably what most people mean when they announce with a smile, “I’m in love.” This type of love covers everything from queasy stomachs and warm fuzzy feelings to strong sensual passion.
There are a couple of very interesting characteristics about eros. First, in order to exist eros is dependent upon the situation and circumstances. As long as a couple is enjoying a romantic situation, eros can thrive. But, as soon as hurtful words or actions appear, eros simply evaporates.
Second, eros is also held captive to each person’s perception. For example, if someone perceives a particular quiet evening dinner with candles to be romantic, eros will thrive. However, passion becomes squashed for someone whenever he or she interprets the current situation to be undesirable. Eros thus grows strong and then wastes away based upon our perceptions.
Although eros at times might make us feel like we are on cloud nine, it can not provide a reliable basis for building a deep and meaningful relationship since it is so fickle and dependent upon perception and circumstances. Because of such things as accidents, diseases, and the fact that someone can choose to doubt or despise you regardless of your actions, it is clear that we can not determine how others will perceive us nor are we masters of our own circumstances. Although eros is exhilarating, this is not the Biblical word used for love.

Philia
We recognize philia and its meaning from the name Philadelphia, that is, the city of brotherly love. This is the love of friendship, best friends, and the fellowship of being with those people you enjoy.
Although philia is wonderful, it too is not reliable since it is also held captive by the sifting sands of situation as well as by ours and other’s perceptions and expectations. Unfortunately, we probably all know of a friendship which waned or was severed because of time, distance, harsh words, how someone interpreted another’s actions, etc. When the New Testament commends love, philia is the not the word which is used.

The Beauty of Agape*
Unlike the previous two types of love, agape is not limited to being held hostage by its environment and someone’s perception. The reason why agape can soar above these is because it is based upon the commitment of a decision. It entails the decision to proactively seek someone’s well-being. Since it is not a knee jerk reaction nor just a responsive feeling to how I’ve been treated, agape is capable of acting in a hostile environment where there are no warm fuzzy feelings. For example, Jesus’ teaching that we should agape our enemies is intended to show the boundless nature of the Christian commitment toward seeking another’s well-being. Luke 6:35
The New Testament is full of examples and teachings illustrating the nature of agape as well as teaching designed to train the disciple’s heart to be shaped by agape. A few examples illustrating the active nature of agape include:

• Knowing that sinful man would kill His Son, but also knowing that without Jesus we were doomed, God loved (agape) us by sending his Son. John 3:16

• Those who love (agape) Jesus will do what Jesus taught. John 14:15,23

• If a person has material resources and the love (agape) of God within him, his heart will take care of his brother who is in need. 1 John 3:17

• Just as Christ through love (agape) acted on behalf of the church, so too the Christian husband is to be motivated by love (agape) to act on behalf of his wife. Ephesians 5:25-29

If it were not enough that the proactive nature of agape has the power to rise above its environment, it can also empower passion and friendship! For example, when a spouse chooses to speak and act toward the mate with agape, this creates the loving environment in which eros and philia can thrive! Although the proactive spouse might even perceive the other spouse as being unkind or rude, additional problems can be prevented by responding out of agape while the power of agape works at nurturing the growth of the other forms of love!

Jesus taught his disciples that the world would know that they his people if they would show agape toward one another. John 13:35
*For the sake of simplicity, both agape (noun) and agapeo (verb) are being referred to by agape.

Barry Newton, Copyright © 2002

Romans 8:28 – 29

Romans 16:5-10

Acts 22:3
Matthew 27:59-60
Matthew 28:2-6