T.J.I.F.A.


THANK JESUS IT'S FRIDAY AGAIN!  
PASS IT ON... & ON...& ON...& ON.
NOVEMBER 7, 2003


SUBJECT:  LET'S  PRETEND

HAVE YOU EVER MET A JEKYLL AND HYDE CHRISTIAN?  IF YOU HAVE, THEN YOU'LL KNOW WHAT A PRETENTIOUS LIFE LOOKS LIKE.  JESUS CALLED US TO BE IMMOVABLE IN THE FAITH.  PRETENTIOUS CHRISTIANS AREN'T REAL. JESUS GAVE US A MEASURING ROD, BY WHICH WE CAN EVALUATE OUR WALK. TAKE A LOOK AT...LET'S PRETEND.  

NOTEWORTHY: QUITE -QUOTABLE- QUOTES

FRIDAY'S WORD:  RAPACIOUS

IN THE MIRROR: CANDID THOUGHTS FROM S.L.C.

O TASTE AND SEE!  HOW ABOUT SOME  POTATO  BREAD, OR  ROLLS  FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER?  YOU CAN PREPARE THEM NOW, FREEZE THEM, AND PULL ‘EM OUT  FOR YOUR GRAND DINNER...ENJOY!  

LOOKING FORWARD

SEE YA NEXT TIME!

TER  LET'S PRETEND


Mark 8:34-38; "And when He had called the people unto Him, with  His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For  whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever  shall lose his life  for My sake, and the Gospel's, the same shall  save it.  
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?   Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me, and of My Words, in this adulterous and sinful  generation; of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed,  when he cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
****
"Can we play pretend a little while longer?  You be the choir, and this time I'll be the Usher,"  suggested one child to another.  
"No!  I want to be the Usher.  You be the Choir."  
"Ok.  Ok, cause it really doesn't matter.  You can be anything you want to be.  Here's the fans and the basket.  Give me the Choir Robe."  
****
Self is a covetous, egocentric, rapacious entity that worships its outer appearance, and its evident engravement on others. Like a chameleon, it will change to adapt to its environment so as not to be or look different;  But in the Kingdom that Christ has ordained for the Christian, "looking different" is the main thrust.  

Jesus has laid out the characteristics of His followers. They are:  
Harkening to His voice  "When He had CALLED ..."
Denial of self.  "Let him deny himself..."
Cross Bearer.  "Take up his cross..."
Follower of Christ.  "Follow me."  
Knowledge of giving up his life for Christ.  " but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, and the Gospel's; the same  shall save it."  
The understanding  of  releasing worldly gain, for the  saving of his soul.  "For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain THE WHOLE WORLD, and LOSE HIS OWN  SOUL?"   "For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"  
He is not ashamed of Jesus and His Words, for he knows that to be ashamed of Jesus in this adulterous and sinful world is no match for Jesus Christ being ashamed of him when He comes in the Glory of His Father with the Holy Angels.  

Pretending and masquerading is fun as long as pretending is a timed event and is engulfed with parameters.  Example: A Masquerade Party; Playing Peek a Boo; or Enlightening thought with ‘Role Play.'  For a Christian, however, Pretending is a dangerous and destructive past time.  

Christians have one life to live for Christ.  That life must be a window which draws others to our Master; Savior; and Lord.  In our time table we count seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks months, years and decades.  It seems like such a little thing to ‘Play off' a few minutes (which grows to a few hours, etc.) in our process of living;  But, time is so essential, and pretending or masquerading has no part.  

What do you really mean?  Are you that person whom you want the world to see, or is  there someone else?   Christian, we have to be so grounded that there is not space for ‘the pretender.'  

Jesse Duplantis told the world that he would drag   around the coffin with the  corpse of the ‘Old Man' when he first received Christ, and anytime that he was offended he would wake up ‘The Old Man' to do his   bidding.    Then when he had acted out his own will, he said that he would put the ‘Old Man' back to sleep, and be on his way.  He was content that he had ‘shown' others that he wasn't anybody to play with.  

Are you relating to this?  What does your ‘Old Man' crave?  When disputes rise, do you tuck your Bible away and dig up that offensive tongue, cursing, swearing and giving them ‘What for?'  Then going into the Rest Room, you change into the mild mannered ‘Christian,' once again.  How many souls do you win  with this Superman/Batman pretense.  (Remember, that these are characters, not real people) and, in this life we don't have time to pretend.  
In,  DENYING  self,  situations in which you'd rather show off  the ‘Old Man.'  You may think to yourSELF... "Well, they just don't know who I really am."  Stop, right there!  You're either, harkening to His voice; denying   yourSELF; taking up your Cross; following Him; knowing and understanding the life that is now hidden in Christ Jesus;  OR...You are PRETENDING.  Pretending must be beneficial to the pretender in some way or another.  Maybe it gets you recognition because you look (dress) different; have a different mannerism in speech, or maybe being a Christian is popular in certain surroundings.   Or maybe you like the jewelry.  Wearing a diamond cross around your neck, doesn't qualify you to say that you have picked up His Cross.

His Cross is "Old" and "Rugged";  after all, anyone  would wear a diamond cross.  

Self enhancement is out of order.  Self evaluation is in order.  Evaluate your Christian walk by the Word of GOD.  See what Jesus said about His followers.  One thing that He  made  very clear, is that "Whosoever" could come.  But, when "Whosoever" comes, there must be a throwing away... And a "New Birth."  Jesus said to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, in John 3:7, "Marvel not that I said unto you, Ye must be born again."   This "New Birth" brings a, ‘New Creature' into being.  This New Creature is made in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ.  You have the authority and the power to resist the Old Man and live the life that Jesus Christ has so freely given you.

A Pretentious life CANNOT endure.  Its gain is temporary and fleeting.  Satan attempted to give Jesus worldly gain in exchange for His soul's mission; [Matthew 4:1-11] but  Jesus retaliated with The Word of GOD.  If the Pretender were faced with the similar challenge, he couldn't stand, because his fake front would fail him, and the real "Old Man" would emerge greedy for worldly gain.   And down the road to LOST he would go.  

Philippians1:6; says "Being confident of this very  thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Christians ...Let's  NOT Pretend!  

Looking Forward

See Ya Next Time  

TER

NOTEWORTHY:  
GOD will turn your barriers into bridges.  
Author unknown - Submitted by BC
***
Life without Jesus is like going down a DEAD END Street.  With Jesus it's like a BIG PARADE.  
Pastor Charles Stanley, from his series on ‘Grace.'

Everyone comes into the world with clenched fists; but, everyone goes out of the world with open hands.
Unknown.  

The blood's function is to nourish the body with Oxygen, after it flows through the Oxygenated lungs. The blood then travels to every cell in the body giving it nourishment and cleansing it from impurities..  The same cells nourish and cleanse the body.  
The BLOOD of Jesus brings us New Life, thus nourishing; and it Cleanses us from all sin.  GOD has given us one vehicle doing the operation of two.  Dr A. Rodgers TBN Sunday 11-2-03 remarked that "It's like having the Milk Truck come and bring you dairy products, and you hand the driver your weekly garbage."  

GOD is awesome!  TER  
***
FRIDAY'S WORD: rapacious; ra*pa*cious-(adj.) subsisting on prey, avaricious; excessively greedy, as in appetite, reactions, or behavior

IN THE MIRROR:

How about one  of those succinct, but very ingenuous messages from my heart to yours. I read everything I write, perhaps closer than you may take the time, to examine its context. One of the key factors I assess  is alignment. How my thoughts line up with what I  hear, see, and read from every Christian, and non- Christian component via Internet, T.V. Radio, or the superior Magazines that are in print.

My main source is the Bible, and will remain as such. Here's the Good News, and something I've desperately depended on more in recent history in coping with a real mental deficiency trying to construe the events that are taking place in every corner of the world today. While being impaired, (with the exception being my  prayer life, and yours), we may not be able to change not a single disaster, but there's not a one of us incapable of a changed relationship with Jesus Christ.  

I believe every reader of TJIFA will be more than willing to become part of a praying team that will be incessantly praying for those in need of our prayers.
Thank you for receiving my words, from my heart to yours. S.L.C.


O TASTE AND SEE!

HOME MADE POTATO BREAD

INGREDIENTS:
4   cups all purpose flour
1   tsp. Salt     
2/3   cups mashed potatoes  (reconstituted if using dry potatoes.)
½   Stick butter   melted and cool  
2/3   cup water. Warm  
2   tbs. sp.  Sugar
1 ½   Tsp. Yeast
3/4   cup milk
1 egg

Directions:  
Mix measured flour and salt.  Set aside.
Reconstitute mashed potatoes, let consistency resemble true mashed potatoes.  Set aside.  
In medium bowl, pour warm water, sugar and sprinkle yeast on top.  Let stand until yeast triples in size.(takes about 20 min.)  
In large mixing bowl; mix together triple sized yeast & sugar water; melted butter;
gradually add 1 cup of flour & salt mixture to this, along with the milk and 1 egg.  
Mix with mixer until smooth; to this add the mashed potatoes and again, mix until smooth.  
Now, begin adding the rest of the flour & salt until all is added.  
Pour about 2 tablespoons of melted butter, or vegetable oil on the top of this dough; let rise in a warm place without drafts; cover with a clean dish towel.  
After rising to double its size, punch down severely,  and let rise again.  After this rising knead dough, and shape into desired bread shapes.  
Makes two loaf's, or 24 rolls, medium sized.  
Let the dough rise the third time to double its size.  Paint the tops of the bread with warm butter before baking in hot oven at 375F.  for 12 minutes.  (The loaves take a little longer, approximately 25 to 30 min.)  

If your mouth is watering, then get busy!!!  Yuuuuumm