The Arkansas Traveler

Romans 14:16-19 (NASB)
16  Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil;
17  for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18  For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19  So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.
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   This is in the midst of Paul's writing about using our freedom. Sometimes we should give up something in order to have peace.
   In seeking to glorify God we seek to build up one another. Frequently Paul tells us to put the other person's needs before ours. That is true love and the reasonable response to God's love for us.
+++ For those in the Westport area, come to Bible study tomorrow at Westport Baptist Church for further study on this.
   God bless as you work for peace and strengthen one another.

Psalm 145:1-5
1  I will extol You, My God, O King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2  Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3  Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable.
4  One generation shall praise
Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mights acts.
5  On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
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Any day is a good day to praise the Lord!
May we think of Him (and thank Him) in every part of our life!

Psalm 71:5-8 (NASB)
5  ... You are my hope;
   O Lord God, You are my confidence from my youth.
6  By You I have been sustained from my birth;
   You are He who took me from my mother's womb;
   My praise is continually of You.
7  I have become a marvel to many
   For You are my strong refuge.
8  My mouth is filled with Your praise
   And with Your glory all day long.
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Hope leads to praise.
Or, at lease it should! Does it do so in your life?

2 Corinthians 9:7-8 (NASB)
7  Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
8  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.
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   God's amazing grace! In Ephesians 4:28, we are reminded that out of His abundance provision, we will have something to share with others.
   We give to help others and glorify God. He gives to honor Himself!

I Peter 2:15-17 (NASB)
15  For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
16  Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
17  Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
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Do what is right! In these days, lots of things seem to be legal, but are they right?
We are free to do what is right and thus bring glory to God.
Remember what God has done for you!

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (NASB)
14  But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
15  For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;
16  to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
17  For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.
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   Does our life give a sweet smelling savor in the things we say and the things we do? I find this a very challenging self examination question!
   We must reflect Christ in all we do and say! Quite a challenge! But good news! In Philippians 2:13, it says that God is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. This goes along with verse 14 above.
   So the question becomes: Am I letting God work in me??

I Corinthians 12:27-28 (NASB)
27  Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.
28  And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.
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   Here is one of the lists of abilities/gifts God has given the church to accomplish the work He wants done in the church. In the midst of some we might consider "high profile", we find this listed: helps. The word in Greek literally means "to lift up". Much of the "helps" activity is done in the background, but it is just as important as the leadership gifts!
  So if you think your gifts is "helps", don't fret. It is just as important as the so-called more important gifts. There is no unimportant position in the church. So find your place and do it. Don't worry about rather anyone sees it or not. God does! It is His favor we seek!
  P.S. To hear more about this, be in our study tonight at Westport Baptist Church at 7:00 p.m.

Psalm 116:1-4 (NASB)
1  I love the LORD, because He hears
My voice and my supplications.
2  Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
3  The cords of death encompassed me
And the terrors of Sheol came upon me;
I found distress and sorrow.
4  Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
"O LORD, I beseech You, save my life!"
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Are you worried about something? Statistics tell us we are killing ourselves with worry! Why? God has promised to care for us, provide for us, and protect us. Why worry? The Psalmist had learned that God listens to him, and so he could trust Him in every situation, even in the fears of death.
So why worry? Call upon God in your time of need. Some fear bothering God! Not so! God loves and cares for us. Calling on Him shows our dependance on Him and exalts Him as the one who cares! So, "Don't worry, pray!"
May God grant you peace in your most fearful situation!  And remember to Thank Him!

John 10:14-16 (NASB)
Jesus said:
14  "I am the good shepherd,and I know My own and My own know Me,
15  even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
16  "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd."
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   Another reminder that we have a shepherd who not only provides for us, but protects us. And, note the comment about the "other sheep". I think that means us Gentiles!
   Let's watch the shepherd, not only for what He does for us, but for His leadership.
   To God be the glory!

Matthew 20:29-34 (NASB)
29  As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.
30  And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Lord have mercy on us, Son of David!"
31  The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"
32  And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"
33  They said to Him, "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened."
34  Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.
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   In this passage we find two groups of people. The two who needed Jesus and cried out to Him, and the crowd who told them to be quiet! Of the two, hopefully we are all in the first group. We all need Jesus for mercy, grace, and love.
   But there is a troubling third group in our world today. I saw a troubling statistic last night. A recent poll says that over 30% of U.S. citizens list themselves as Atheists or Agnostics. The news commentator interviewed a young man (perhaps about 25) who said that since he grew up, left home, and got established in his career, he no longer needs God! Perhaps he has no current needs, he will have sooner or later. Hopefully when his need comes, he will remember God!
    But I think more important, we all need someone to worship! We need someone to look up to! So today, do reach out to God, either for mercy and grace for the day, or just to praise Him! And by all means do not hinder others who are reaching out!
   God has compassion on all of us! Let us join in that compassionate concern for others! And above all, PRAISE HIM!

John 15:4-5 (NASB)
Jesus said:
4  "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
5  "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
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   Living in Jesus is the charge that He gives us here. He is the source of life. As we stay attached to Him we will grow and bear the same fruit that He produces through us. It will be characterized as love, joy, peace... etc (Galatians 5:22-23)
   So, stay connected to Him through study of His word and fellowship of prayer. Trust Him and watch to see what He does!

Psalm 37:3-7 (NASB)
3  Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4  Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5  Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.
7  Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
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   Delight yourself in the LORD. Note that in these verses "the LORD" is the central topic.
   As we trust in Him, Commit ourselves to Him, Rest in Him, and Delight in Him, He will give us our needs. When it says "he will give your the desires of your heart", you have to remember that when we delight ourselves in Him, He may change our desires!
   The key is to "Delight in Him" for His glory! He will provide our every need and we can "Rest in Him."

Genesis 12:1-3 (NASB)
1  Now the LORD said to Abram,
"Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father's house,
To the land which I will show you;
2  And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3  And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
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This is the record to God's call to Abram to leave home in the start of becoming a new nation. The key thought here is that God would bless him, so he would be a blessing to others.
That is God's plan for all of us. He blesses us so we can be a blessing to others.
Don't bottle up your blessings or save them for a rainy day. They will just disappear!
You are BLESSED to be a BLESSING! Watch God at work through you!
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For those of you have noticed my absence here the last few days, I made a quick trip to California to do a Memorial Service for a dear friend last Saturday. I enjoyed sharing with her family and got to see many friends there in Greenville. I am about back into the grain of things here in OK, so hope to be back to regular postings.