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Gen. 32:24-28 - So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." NIV
There won't be any of your teammates coming to your rescue, nor would you want them to interfere. This is between you and your opponent. Jacob wrestled through the night until daybreak, alone.
Who is this man that Jacob is wrestling? I have my thoughts about Him and will allow you to have yours, but I can tell you this much He was powerful enough to dislocate Jacob's hip with a touch. In the 1972 Olympics, Dan Gable, was head butted. His trainer wrapped his head to temporarily stop the bleeding. He continues to wrestle, wins the match and then received seven stitches to close the gash. In the 1998 Freestyle Wrestling Championships, Cary Kolat, dislocated his shoulder during one of his early matches. He continued to wrestle and won a bronze medal. There are hundreds of wrestling stories like these. When you get hurt you keep on going.
Jacob was wrestling with God. Notice what the verse says, Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God…" He was struggling or wrestling with God.
The apostle Paul informs Christians that we likewise are wrestlers and he even names our enemies that we will be wrestling against in this life. One passage of scripture we never want to forget is 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 - "…but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." NASU Think About These: When God measures a man, He puts the tape around his heart not his head. Who is more foolish: a child who is afraid of the dark or a man who is afraid of the light? Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Philemon Vss. 10-11 - I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, 11 who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. NASU
In speaking with Dan years ago I asked him about that one loss and he said, "It was the best thing that had happened to him. I refocused after that loss and trained harder than ever before." In 1971 he will become the Pan-American Champion and the World Champion at 68 kg. In 1972 Dan would become the Olympic Champion at the same weight and he wouldn't even be scored upon.
Paul says to Philemon that Onesimus who was once useless to you is now useful. He has a blemish on his resume but that doesn't mean he is useless.
Do we need to change our thinking? There are way too many people who have become the victim of "stinking thinking". That is when we think negative about our life and what we are going through. We start thinking "Everyone else always gets all the breaks and we never get anything to go our way". One of the first things we were taught in a counseling class I took was to be on the look out for when you hear people who are complaining using the words "always and never". The first thing you want to do is challenge them on the "Always and Never" statements. They have had something go there way in life. So this negates the "never". They are just not seeing them now. They have allowed themselves for some reason to fall into the "poor me-isms". When things don't go our way the best thing we can do is refocus. Investigate why things didn't go our way. What little adjustments do we need to make to become the victor? Identify it, correct it and move on up the ladder. We all have had blemishes on our resumes but that isn't any reason to trash the resume (your life) and not even try for what it is you desire. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says to Philemon about Onesimus, "but now (he) is useful both to you and to me." It is your time to be useful now. Do we need to submit our resume or help someone submit their resume for a better life? Think About These: The right angle to approach a difficult problem is the "try-angle". Giving it another try is better than an alibi. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Gen. 5: 3-5 - When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. 4 Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. NASU
Adam's son Seth is listed next, then Enosh, then Kenan, then Mahalalel and as we read we will find it ends with Noah and his three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Charlie was the father of Marlene, Elaine and Faye and he lived 98 years and died, If we were writing his obituary like the Bible did that is pretty much all it would say. BUT, this is not the Bible this is Serago's Pump Ups and being the owner I get to write whatever I want.
Charlie believed in education and graduated in 1943 from David Anderson HS. He would next serve in the US Navy during WWII. Protecting America was important to him. Once back home from the war Charlie would go to work for Ohio Edison for the next 39 years of his life.
A book could be written about all of the life lessons Charlie taught all the boys on that team. One of the greatest lessons he taught all of us was everybody has a bad day. We were playing a team that had a really good pitcher, but on this day he didn't have his best stuff. We were really hitting his pitches and scoring runs this day. The bad thing for the pitcher was his dad was the assistant coach. This dad screamed at and belittled his son in front of everyone. Charlie guaranteed us we never would be treated like that and we never were. He also emphasized the point that we all have bad days you accept them and move on to the next one. You don't let one bad day define you. I could list a lot lessons like treat everyone with respect even your opponents. When you come to the ballpark you give it your best, be ready to play, but just giving it your best doesn't guarantee you will always get on base or win the game. It is okay to steal in baseball (the bases) but not in life. Charlie was the type of coach every kid should have in life. The one moment I remember most about Charlie was when he came up to me, kneeled down while I was in the batting circle and he very calmly looked me in the eyes and said, "We need you on base." Wow! What a motivational speech that was. I was needed. I did get on base and got a smack on the butt from my coach and these words "you know what to do next". Yeah, I knew it was time to steal second base. Charlie was the constant encourager.
Thanks Charlie. You were a lot of things to a lot of people but to me you will always be my best coach EVER. Think About This: When God measures a man, He puts the tape around his heart not his head. Charlie had a huge heart. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Ps 37:12-15
The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct. 15 Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken. NASU
If you still watch nightly news and are depressed by all the evil that is reported each night then I have good news for you. The good news comes from Psalm 37 where we are informed the Lord laughs at the wicked. He is going to frustrate their plans. "Their sword will enter their own heart," the Psalmist says.
He knows what He is going to do. He sees the day is coming when He will interfere with their plans. Then "righteousness" will conquer "evil".
Matt. 25:31-34, 41 - But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 41 "Then He will also say to those on His left, ' Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; … " NASU
You will notice immediately upon death the "rich man" as he is called is in torment, while Lazarus is not. He also wants someone to go back and warn his five brothers not to come to this place (Hades). Luke 16:23-25, 27-30 - "In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. "And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' …"And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house — for I have five brothers — in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' 29 "But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' NASU If the evil you see depresses you then take your eyes off of what is going on around you and look to what is going to happen. First, the righteous will be with our Lord where there will be no evil. Secondly, the evil person will be judged, found guilty and punished. They will not be able to buy this Judge like can happen here on earth. They (the rich and poor) will pay for their sins. Think About This: Justice will WIN in the end. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Genesis 1:26-27 - Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. NASU
Mankind was made in God's image and by that I believe it means we have become a "spirit being". We are a "created spirit" being. This is the big difference between mankind and God. Mankind is "created spirit" and God is "uncreated spirit". In other words, He has always been in existence.
How does he do this? The way he does it is by getting us to believe his lies. He lied to Eve in the garden and he hasn't stopped lying. He is the father of lies (John 8:44). Gen. 3:1-6 - Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "…God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" 4 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! 5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." His plan is to lie to you and me about God. In the garden of Eden God said they would die if they ate of the forbidden fruit and they did die, spiritually, after they ate of the forbidden fruit. To die means to separate and that is exactly what happened, their fellowship with God had gone through a separation. They would later die physically. The devil said they would be like God that was a lie. They were already like God. He created Adam and Eve in Their image.
The devil had to be laughing with her answer. I am not a biologist either but a woman is an adult female. Not a male who thinks he is a female or one who has gone through an operational procedure to become one.
Spend time in God's Word learning about the great I AM and you will not regret it. Think About These: I have trust issues because people have lying issues. Tell a lie once and all your truths become questionable. Even the smallest lie can break the biggest trust. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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