Fascinating

Cereal Killers

This will bowl you over. According to The New York Times, sales of breakfast cereal to younger consumers have been plummeting. And you won’t believe why the hipster generation is shunning Cap’n Crunch and Tony the Tiger. In a recent survey, marketing research company Mintel found that 40 percent of millennials said “cereal was an inconvenient breakfast choice because they had to clean up after eating it.” These are the young people who can’t function without safe spaces, nap rooms, and participation trophies, so it’s no surprise they find washing a spoon and bowl an insurmountable challenge. It may also explain why millennials aren’t having kids; if you can’t clean a cereal bowl, you’re probably not going to change a diaper. What’s next, lazy millennials expecting other people to pay their way in life? Free college? Oh, wait…

--The Limbaugh Letter May 2016

Seeking an Opportunity

Job 1:7
“And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”

Satan’s only chance of destroying a Christian is through finding opportunities they give him to destroy them. It is very evident in the dialogue between Satan and the LORD that the Christian is safe from Satan’s tactics if they will not give him any opportunities. If the Christian guards their life and doesn’t give Satan an opportunity to work in their heart and mind, they can overcome any temptation of the flesh.

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What You Don’t See ​​

Esther 6:1
“On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.”

The decree had been made and published in every province of Babylon that on a certain day every Jew was to be killed. It must have seemed like a dark day for every Jew to know that their existence was going to end. They could not leave because they were captives in the land. They must have felt that they were trapped and that there was no way out of this horrible situation.

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Getting People to Respond

Nehemiah 8:16
“So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.”

One of the hardest lessons many have had to learn in the ministry is that they can’t make people respond to what they want them to do. You can try to shame people into responding, but that doesn't make them change. You can require people to respond, but again that won't constitute a change in heart. The desire of every preacher, teacher or ministry leader should be that people don't only respond, but that their response is the result of a change of heart.

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The Key Element to Prosper from Start to Finish

Ezra 6:14
“And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.”

There was a key element that stirred Ezra to rebuild the temple and finish it. Among all the attacks, setbacks and demanding work, there was something that stirred him to continue until he finished. Preaching was the key element that made this happen. The verse above says that “they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.” The prophet’s preaching is what stirred these people to rebuild and finish the great work. In this verse, you find five benefits that preaching will have in your life.

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Prospering Every Time

2 Chronicles 31:21
“And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.”

Several years ago, I was talking to my pastor about another man of God. My pastor made an interesting statement about this fellow pastor when he said, “Everything he touches turns to gold.” My pastor was simply commenting on what God was doing through this man. At the time, it was evident that God was greatly using this fellow pastor.

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Encouraging Spiritual Leaders

2 Chronicles 35:2
“And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the LORD,”

Being a spiritual leader can at times be one of the most thankless jobs. We have all heard the stories of those spiritual leaders who abused their position, but for every one who abused their position, there are hundreds of others who invested their lives and helped those whom they’ve led. I’m afraid that we are often guilty of focusing on those negative leaders instead of focusing on those who are helping.

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Bible Thoughts by Terry Hedderman

Tuesday, 5/3/16  Rom 1:22, Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool; shun him.                  Gen 37:2, These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being 17 years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Blended families and strife between step-family members is nothing new. God knows your situation and has steps and plans and a will for your situation.

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