Life is a Sandwich

For hen you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sinand have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternallife in Christ Jesus our Lord.- Romans 6:20-23 ESV

Yesterday evening was the start of Passover (Feast of Unleavened Bread) GOD broughtHis children out of 430 years of bondage. (Exodus 12)They called it the Feast of Unleavened Bread because the Hebrew people had to leavequickly, GOD told them to take bread without yeast so it would last in the desert.There were three Feasts that the Lord told us to keep; Feast of Unleavened Bread,Feast of Harvest, Feast of Ingathering. (Exodus 23:14ff)GOD told us that these were to be kept for generations to come. I would encourageyou to take a moment and read the First Passover. (Exodus 11-13) The Passover hasa huge significance with Jesus and His death.

Greetings!
Right now Subway has $5.00 footlong Subway sandwiches. I do not know about you, but there is nothing like a Subway sandwich. You know the kind I am talking about,one that has the meats and all the fixins piled on. YUMMY!
Picture in your mind that sandwich, just loaded with all the meat and fixins. Now,try to imagine the same sandwich with just one measly slice of meat, with maybe a little lettuce. If you were to look at that sandwich all you would see where thetwo peices of bread. I can imagine that it would taste very plain and bland. I donot know about you, but the first sandwich sounds much better.
Our Christian lives are the same way. Let me explain. There are three words that for me were hard to understand, but the analogy of the sandwich helped me to makesense of it. Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification. In this devotionalI want to take a look at the meat; your sanctification. But, to understand thesandwichyou need to know what the other two words mean.
Justification is when you became a Christian, it is an instant act where GOD viewsour sins as being forgiven and Jesus righteousness belongs to us, in other words,because of what Jesus did on the cross, GOD declares us righteous in His sight.Glorification is the final step of the redemption process. When Christ returns, raises the bodies of all the believers that have died and reunites them with theirsouls, and changes all the bodies of the believers that are still alive. We all will have perfect, glorified bodies like Christ.
These are big words, but we should all understand what they mean, because they havea huge effect on us. The justification and glorification make up the bread of oursandwich. Sanctification makes up the meat, the fixins, the good stuff. The firsttwo are already done, if you are a believer in Jesus and accepted Him as you savior,there is nothing you can to do to improve on them, they are yours..... but anctificationis different.
Sanctification is the daily process that frees us from sin and makes us more likeChrist in our daily life. It is HARD word. Let me give you an example of what happenedin my life.
I have been praying to GOD to show me the areas of my life that I need to improve.The Holy Spirit laid something on my heart. I always strive to be a good spiritualleader of our house. I try and raise our son that would please GOD. Our son has become very busy with sports, we sometimes eat dinner at different times as he comeshome late. Kim and I would eat earlier, and Tyler would eat later..... yes, in frontof the TV. Soon we found all of ourselves in front of the TV eating dinner and not talking
The Holy Spirit laid on my heart to have dinner around the table as a family again,and for me to talk about Jesus, even have a devotional afterwards. Here is the hardwork. It is much easier to eat in front of the TV. I do not have to put forth anyeffort, do not have to talk, just eat. But, I knew that it came from Jesus, so itwas going to happen. The night that I said to the family lets eat at the table, my son looked at me like I had a third eye. It was easier for him to watch TV andnot engage us either. Plus, right before our first night that we would gathered together at the table, satan was throwing everything he could at me. My flesh didnot want too. I can identify with Jesus when he told Peter, the spirit is willing,but the flesh is weak.
If you are a believer, sanctification should be a daily process. You might be asking,how do I start this process? It is a good question. The best thing you can do is to pray and ask GOD to show you the areas that He would like to see you work on.If you are sincere, the Holy Spirit will convict you. But, her lies the hard work,Jesus does not wave a magic wand and make you better in that area. He is going togive you an opportunity to improve in that area. This is what I mean by hard work.Be ready for resistance from enemy, he does not want to see you improve or becomemore Christ like. Ask Jesus for strength.
I can tell you that as you succeed, you will be blessed. Even though that first family dinner was rough, our son has been more open with us. In fact he even commentedthat he enjoyed talking with us about the Bible. I hope that the "Sandwich" analogyhelped make more sense of those big words. I know it did for me.
So, what does your sandwich look like? Is it a wimpy looking sandwich with littlemeat? Or is it a yummy sandwich bursting with meat and all the fixins? This is reallymaking me hungry. :) Have a Blessed Week! - Jim Gods411

Do You Follow The Shepherd P2

The Sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he hasbrought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." - John 10:3-5 ESV

Today, I am writing you from our porch. It is one of those days that even an Atheistmight start to question if there is a god. You know the day, 75 degrees, slight wind just to keep you cooled off, not a cloud in the perfect blue sky, birds are singing, and to top it off a Bald Eagle circled by (You know they really do soar).

We had a death in our family this Friday. One of Kim's uncles passed away verysuddenlyand very young. He was married and had 4 amazing boys.It made me think of that verse in the Bible where God tells us not to let the sungo down while you are angry.

There are two thoughts that I would encourage all of us to practice. Give a hug, kiss, and "I Love You" when parting from someone you care about.Second, if that person is not a believer, never give up sharing Jesus and His FreeGift. If you have been trying with little or no success, pray without ceasing forthe person.

Greetings!

Last week we took a look at "The Hired Hand" and what role they can play in our lives, how we need to view them, and where our trust and faith should lie. This week I wanted to take a look at the role of The Shepherd and sheep.

When reading your Bible you will come across the words Shepherd and sheep. These two words appear from Genesis to Revelation over and over. What does God mean whenhe uses these words? Shepherd has two meanings, first as the actual role of ashepherd,whose vocation is taking care of sheep. The second is a leader or ruler that takescare of God's people. Your pastor could be referred to as a shepherd. Jesus Christis our one true Shepherd. Sheep has two meanings also. The actual animal or as God'speople. Yes, you and I are sheep. Baaahhh :)

To better understand today's devotional you need to know the role of a shepherd back in Jesus' day. No, it is not a guy who drives a John Deer and yells, "Git alonglittle doggie". It was a very hard and dangerous workThe duties of a shepherd would be in the morning, leading the flock to water by calling them. If a sheep would stray the shepherd would have to find it. Then in the evening the shepherd would bring the flock to the fold, reckoning them to seeif any were missing.

Here is another interesting fact of being a shepherd in Israel. A shepherd in Israelhad names for all his sheep, he literally knew then by name. This is the imagery that John uses in chapter 10. Jesus knows your name, He knows you intimately, Hecalls you individually. If you stop and think about that for a minute, it is hardto fathom, we have an AMAZING Shepherd, don't we? You can click on the two links above to read more on the life of a shepherd.

Since Jesus is our true Shepherd, what is our role as sheep? If you read the passageof Scripture above you might notice several key points that sheep have.1. The sheep hear the Shepherd's voice.2. The Shepherd calls them by name.3. The Shepherd leads the sheep.4. The sheep will follow the Shepherd.Seems pretty simple doesn't it? But really this is what following Jesus is all about.Let's go over the points and see how they might relate to you today.

The Sheep Hear the Shepherd's Voice. To hear, it requires one to listen. Have youbeen listening to Jesus' voice lately? There is a story in the Bible about Elijahand how God wanted to appear before Elijah (1 Kings 19:9ff) God took Elijah on topof a mountain to show Himself, first came a powerful wind, then an earthquake, thenfire, but God did not appear in any of those. You would think that God would appearto Elijah in one of those mighty and powerful acts, but God did not. He appeared in a gentle whisper afterwards.Does your life have too much wind, earthquakes, or fire, so that you could notpossiblyhear God's voice even if you wanted to? I connect with God the best in the silence.What way do you best connect with Jesus? How long has it been?

The Shepherd Calls Them By Name. Once you have heard Jesus' voice, you now can heardHim call you by your name. When reading these steps, they really are steps. You cannot hear Jesus call your name, if you do not know what His voice sounds like. The more you hear His voice, the more you will be able to hear your name being called.I know in my walk with Jesus, I have said to Kim "I think it was Jesus speaking to me, but I am not sure". You see I have a hard time discerning if the voice wasmine and my will or Jesus and His will. The more you hear Jesus' voice, the more quickly you will be able to discern when you are speaking to you, or when Jesus is speaking to you.

The Shepherd Leads the Sheep. Here is a tough one for me. I like to go, go, go andit is difficult to let Jesus lead. As you get to know Jesus' voice, you will knowwhen He is speaking to you. Sometimes Jesus may tell you something that is contraryto what you want. But, we must follow His lead at all costs, even if it requires a lot of faith or patience. The sheep trust the Shepherd, they know that He willtake care of them. The sheep know that their Shepherd loves them and will protectthem at all costs. So, letting the Shepherd lead is comforting, there is no otherplace the sheep feel safe.

The Sheep Follow the Shepherd. We already covered that point a little in the sectionabove. What I found very interesting is that the sheep KNOW the Shepherds voice. Even if there are several flocks mixed together, the sheep will only follow his voice. In fact they will run away from a stranger's voice, only to find comfort and safety in their Shepherd's voice.

Our Shepherd LOVES YOU. There is nothing that you can do, to make Jesus not love you. He loves you right where you are, in the shape you are in. You do not have to do anything to change for him, He wants you just as you are. I hope that we can take some examples of sheeply living. Know Jesus' voice and follow Him, trustthat where ever He may lead will be perfect. Sure there may be peaks and valleys along the journey, but He is always with you, and if you go astray, there is nothinghe would not do to save you.Have a Blessed Week - Jim Gods411

Do You Follow The Shepherd P1

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf comingand leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,15 just as the Father knows me andI know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. - John 10:10-15 ESV

This week I am writing to you from my old Church's Coffee Shop. It is always good to be back home, isn't it? Have you ever noticed that whatever you are studying in the Bible, GOD seems to work on that area you are studying. Or maybe you've asked GOD to make you morepatient,have you noticed you are becoming more impatient?
When you become a Follower of Jesus the work is just beginning. There is a big wordcalled santification, which means becoming more and more like Jesus each day, andat times it is hard work!
When you ask Jesus to help you in a certain area of your life, Jesus does not grant(Or use a magic wand to instantly zap) your wishes into reality like that. He willprovide you oppourtunities to grow and pratice in real time, the areas you need to grow in. It is never the easy journeys that we learn the most from, or evenrememberso powerfully. It would not mean as much if Jesus just gave it to you, it has moremeaning if you learn and work through that area in your life. In the end, you willcome out of that learning time and be a stronger Follower!

Greetings!
If you read the Bible you will come across the words Shepherd and sheep quite a bit. From Genesis to Revelation it appears 302 times in the NIV translation. So what did GOD mean when He uses these words? I wanted to take a look at this analogyfor the next two weeks.
In Exodus, Moses asked GOD who should I tell the Pharaoh sent me? GOD replied to Moses, tell him "I AM" sent you. Then in the New Testament Jesus brings the "I am's" to a whole new level, Jesus becomes more specific. In the Gospel of John wefind several "I am's" that Jesus says to be. We are going to be looking at I am The Good Shepherd in John 10.
In the Old Testament the word "Shepherd" was used for someone who took care of God'speople, or someone GOD held accountable to look after His people. Shepherds were not always good, there were poor shepherds as well. King David would be an exampleof a good shepherd verses Jehoash who "Did what was evil in the sight of the Lord."(2 Kings 13:10)
The word sheep in the Bible refers to mankind. "Sheep" represents Believers as wellas non-Believers. In John 10:16 Jesus shares with us that He must bring in other sheep that are not in the fold. The other person that Jesus mentions in this passageis the "Hired Hand."
Jesus is our one true Shepherd. He loved us enough that He laid down His own lifejust so you and I could be with Him forever. Here on earth we are going to have contact with other people. To name a few would be pastors, husbands, wives, boyfriend,girlfriend, friends and family members. No one should ever be placed higher than Jesus. All these other relationships are very important here on earth. Jesus madeus to be relational and community. We need each other to survive. But, everyone other than Jesus is human.
You might be saying to yourself; what is the problem in putting my trust in anotherhuman? Or I want to put all my trust into another person. It is wonderful to trustanother and we should, but they should never take the place of Jesus. The problemlies that we all are imperfect sinful creatures. We fight fleshly desires all daylong. We all have the capability to hurt each other at sometime or another. Some may be intentional, some may not be intentional, but at one time or another we all are going to hurt someone.
Pastors are some of the hardest. We tend to place them on a pedestal, maybe one step below Jesus. Our pastors should never take the place of Jesus, your focus shouldalways be on the One above. Pastors provide wisdom, knowledge, and insight. Pastorshave extremely tough jobs. But, we need to remember that they are human just likeus.
Let me give you an example from my life. I have known 5 pastors in my life.The first one; Cylde McDowell died from a brain tumor. Totally unexpected and at the peak of his career. A veryGodly man, very confusing why GOD took him.
The second; stepped down after being addicted to porn for more than 12 years in secret.
The third; when I approached him about being a pastor, he said to me, "Why would anyone want to do this job? My advise is to go into something else?"
The fourth; I consider my spiritual mentor. We are very good friends today and I admire and respect him.
The fifth; started out good, but as time went on Kim and I disagreed with the vision of the church. Not the churches fault or ours. In fact we now realize it was GOD pushing us in a different direction.My point is not to point the faults in these pastors, but to show you how our humanfeelings and their human nature may conflict. Imagine if I put all my hope into the one pastor who told me that I should not pursue being a pastor? I would have been crushed! If my true Shepherd had not been Jesus Christ, it may of caused myfaith to be damaged and maybe to build up resentment for the Church of Jesus Christ.
I know that we have spent time on pastors, but the same holds true to any other human being that you place above Jesus. Jesus Christ needs to be your shepherd. If you need advice about a subject it is great to ask your friend, but do not forgetto seek advise in His Word and prayer, lots of prayer! Jesus will never leave or forsake you, a true friend until the very end, then a friend that will last an eternity!Amen? His words are timeless and always true.
Next week we will be looking at part 2. The role of a shepherd in Jesus' time (Nothey did not drive a John Deer tractor and yell, Git alone little doggy) And whatThe Good Shepherd expects of his sheep. Hope to see you then. Kim and I could alsouse your prayers. I start my pastor ordination process Monday, as well as an excitingadventure that GOD just showed us, I will share more as the time goes on. Thank you. - Jim Gods411

GOD's Perfect Plan

Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" And they said to Pharaoh, "Your
servants are shepherds, as our fathers were." 4 They said to Pharaoh, "We have
come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks,
for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen." 5 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your
brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father
and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen,
and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock."
13 Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. - Genesis 47:3-6, 13 ESV
Grace and Peace in our Lord Jesus Christ!
I am writing you again from a hospital chair, receiving my third infusion.
As we were travelling here we came across a man begging for money at one of the
stoplights. My first thought is that man needs to get a job and work. But then I
remembered the words of Jesus and the sheep and goats in Matthew 25. Jesus tells
us "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for
me".
Our job is not to judge, the Bible says that repeatedly. Our job is respond to the
words of GOD without judgement. It is hard to take our human upbringing and opinions
out of this equation. But, the more we can do this, the more pure our
religion/relationship becomes. From One Sheep to Another, Be Blessed! - Jim

Greetings!
Last week we took a look at how GOD never leaves us, in bad times or good times,
through Joseph and his misfortunes. Joseph was thrown into a cistern by his brothers
then sold as a slave by slave traders. Then after maintaining his integrity to himself
and GOD, he ran away from Potiphar's wife when she asked him to have sex, but he
was thrown into prison.

This week I wanted to take a look at how GOD's amazing plan came together for good.
Not only for Joseph and his family, but for much greater events to come for GOD's
people. Yes, through the good and bad events that happened to Joseph, GOD made all
things work together for His glory. This is not only true of Joseph's life, but
true of your life.

Read what Joseph said to his brothers in Genesis 50:19-21
19 But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You
intended
to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the
saving of many lives. 21 So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your
children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

I just wanted to stop for a minute and look at Joseph's forgiving heart, did you
notice that? After Jacob died his brothers were worried that now Joseph would take
revenge for what his brothers had done to him. It would have been the perfect time.
But, Joseph had his heart in the right place; in GOD's hands. Joseph saw that GOD
allowed those events to take place, and he could see how GOD was using those events
for good.

I am sure that not all the events in your life have been positive. And when you
are going through bad events in your life, it seems like it takes forever. If you
are like me, it seems to drag on and on, and you might wonder if GOD cares or knows
what you are going through. I am sure Joseph felt this way when life seemed to be
going well, then he found himself in prison.

Sometimes we get a twisted view of GOD. We see GOD as a mean god waiting for us
to screw up, then when we do, He is quick to punish us and make us suffer for the
wrong choices in life. But just the opposite is true. He is a loving GOD that cares
deeply for you, and He can use any of your wrong choices for good if you allow Him
to.

Once I became a father I saw the connection between my son and I, and GOD our Father.
I love my son and want the best for him. I just want him to be happy, that is it.
But, there are rules or guidelines that he needs to follow. These are not to punish
him, but to protect him. If he makes a mistake it is not a big deal, it is a learning
process for him. I do not remember that mistake and punish him for life. If his
heart is in the right place we can move forward onto bigger and better things.

The same is true with us and our Father, except GOD's love for us is beyond our
thought. Even if you were to try, you could not fully comprehend the depth of His
love for you. So if you were to make a mistake, GOD will use that mistake for his
glory.... if you let him. I know some people that stay stuck in their sins, they
will make mistake after mistake after mistake. Their heart is not in the right
place, it is in the sin and not in GOD's.

I turned my back on GOD once, I became involved with another woman. It almost
destroyed
me as well as my family. But, I gave my mistake to GOD, repented of my sin, gave
my heart fully to GOD, and He did amazing things with that mistake. His perfect
plan in action. Now, I could have let that sin destroy me, and not allowed GOD's
perfect plan to be activated in my life, but I did not. GOD used my mistake for
His glory and is still using it today. Sorry satan, you stink, and you lost. :)

Another little side note.... If you have sin in your life, confess it. There is
nothing to be ashamed of! Everyone makes mistakes, everyone! satan loves to keep
sin hidden, in the dark. Jesus is light, once you bring that sin into the light,
satan has nothing against you, you are free, the yoke is lifted and Jesus' yoke
is put on. Jesus promises us that His yoke is light.

You are going to make mistakes and there are going to be events in your life that
happen that are not going to be your fault. Have the heart of Joseph and trust and
know that GOD is going to use those events and mistakes for His glory and His perfect
plan. TRUST JESUS! You never know, just as Joseph, you could be helping to shape
GOD's kingdom in a way that you will never imagine until you go home. Have a Blessed
week, surrounded in Jesus' Love! - Jim