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Joshua 14:10-11 - So now, look, the LORD has preserved my life, just as he promised, these past forty-five years since the LORD spoke these words to Moses, during which Israel traveled through the wilderness. Now look, I am today eighty-five years old. Today I am still as strong as when Moses sent me out. I can fight and go about my daily activities with the same energy I had then. NET
Joshua and Caleb believed in the power of God. They testified to the entire nation of Israel of God's power and ability to deliver them. This is what they said:
Caleb is about to be stoned because he believed or had faith in God. Our challenge for today is to have the faith of Caleb and not be afraid anything. We need to trust God.
He says this about his age: Now look, I am today eighty-five years old. Today I am still as strong as when Moses sent me out. I can fight and go about my daily activities with the same energy I had then. Now you have to admire a man like that one who is not going to use his age as an excuse. There is a man with a positive attitude. You just have to love his spirit. I know I do. Now that I live in a retirement center I have started to play pickleball. One day I came home and told my wife my partner and I played two men who were both in their 80's and they beat us, and it wasn't pretty. If Caleb were alive today I could see him playing, exercising, and beating two guys 60 years old in Pickleball. Men and women of faith find a way to allow God to accomplish something with them. They never find excuses. They find a way to win or succeed. God has something He wants to accomplish with you today. Will you rise to the occasion or give Him an excuse? As we get ready to start a new year, 2021, let us pray that God will use us this year to accomplish anything He desires. I challenge you to make a new year's resolution and that is we are going to be more like CALEB and less like the other 10 spies of which I bet you can't name one of them without looking up their names. Negative people are forgotten it is the positive ones we remember. Think About These: Excuses fool no one except the ones who make them. There aren't enough crutches in the world for all the lame excuses. The man who wants to do something finds a way; the other man finds an excuse. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Luke 2:15 -16 - When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us. So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger." NASU
I send this Pump Up out every year at this time for all my new subscribers. I have made some updates to it this year. May you have a very Merry Christmas.
What some may not know is the meaning of Bethlehem. It means "house of bread." Jesus was the Bread of Life or the Bread of God that came from the "house of bread" to give spiritual life to the world. John 6:33 - "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." John 6:35 - Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. John 6:41 - So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” John 6:48 - "I am the bread of life." John 6:51 - "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Jesus was and is the Bread of Life. If you are spiritually hungry Jesus is the One who can take away all of your hunger pains. If you have been wondering - "What is my purpose in life?" Then look to Jesus for your answers. I did and have never regretted looking to Him for guidance in this life.
The sheep were offered on the altar were special as they were sheep without a blemish. When John the Baptist saw Jesus he said this about Him. John 1:29 - The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John saw Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and this Lamb was born in Bethlehem where a lot of other lambs were born and would sacrifice their blood. But only the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus, could atone for the sins of mankind. I hope and pray you have allowed the blood of Jesus to wash away your sins.
What greater gift could anyone receive? Truly, Jesus is the Gift that keeps on giving. Think on This: Jesus is the reason for the season. The Christmas season is only as meaningful as we make it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Mark 8:36 - "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?"
· We Price Everything We live in a world where everything has a price. The prices of our stocks change every day. The value of our house and vehicles change monthly. We have asked that all important question many times for many different types of products: “How much does this cost?” · The Cost Of Your Soul When was the last time you considered the cost of your soul? According to Jesus, He asks a very important question for us to consider and that question is “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” It is Christmas time and we are buying gifts for our loved ones. So I would like to ask you a question, “What have you done for your soul? · Cherokee Legend There is a Cherokee legend that goes like this: “An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. A fight is going on inside me, he said to the boy. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is filled with anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, lies, and pride.” He continued, ‘The other is good – he is filled with joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, generosity, truth, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every person, too. The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, ‘Which wolf will win?’ The old Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.”
The answer is “The Word of God.” Even the apostle Paul pointed us in this direction when he wrote in the book of Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Give yourself the gift that will pay dividends through all eternity. Think About This: God still speaks to those who take time to read His Word. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Prov. 27:5-6 - Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. NASU
If we will be honest we have probably all had some dumb ideas and very glad we didn't take it to the next step because if we had failure was right around the corner. A friend is one who looks you right in the eyes and challenges you or as verse 5 says, they will "openly rebuke" you. This Hebrew word for rebuke means to challenge, prove, or reason. They will challenge you, ask you to prove it, or ask you to reason with them on this?
Friends will challenge you and you may even feel like you have been knifed with their questions. One thing we can all use is a friend who tries to keep us from falling but if we do fall he is there to help pick us up. Your friends won't always agree with every choice you make but they will remain your friend. Friends listen to what you say and will not always agree with everything you say. But they always are there when you need them to listen. Hopefully, in your life, you have at least one friend like this.
They will listen to what you are saying before they give you any feedback. Most of us already know what I am saying is true, but still, we find ourselves being surrounded by the wrong type of people and listening to the wrong type of friend. As Christmas gets closer give yourself the best gift possible, a Great Friend. Think on These: It is best to test new ideas on old friends. If you were another person, Would you like to be a friend of yours? Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Hebrews 8:12 – “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
Sometimes at work we may forget an appointment, or an assignment. We may forget to return a phone call or reply to an email. Sometimes forgetting something may even hurt someone’s feelings. The Hebrew passage above will not cause anyone’s feelings to get hurt because of forgetfulness. God says He is going to forget our sins and no one is complaining. He is going to totally forget our sins. They are erased from the hard-drive. There is no way we want God to remember our sins. We are overjoyed to know our sins have been forgiven by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
God never forgets anything except those things He chooses to forget. Without God choosing to forget our sins we would all be in a world of trouble. Now that is Mercy, getting what we do not deserve. We don’t deserve to be forgiven, but we get to receive it through our Savior Jesus Christ.
The reason Jesus was the greatest gift given to this world is because through Him humans are able to receive forgiveness of their sins. He was not simply a baby born in a manger. He was born to grow, never sin, and then offer His life on the cross of Calvary for us. Jesus having fulfilled His purpose allows God to forgive us. Have a Merry Christmas Season! Think About This: The moment you asked for forgiveness, God forgave you. Now do your part and leave the guilt behind. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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