T.J.I.F.A.
Thank Jesus It's Friday Again!
May 24, 2002
Happpy Memorial Day!


Subject: BLESSINGS
e all want to be Blessed by God in many ways.  How do we do it?   Is it possible to buy or purchase the Blessings of GOD?  Well this week we'll explore and look at some of the ways that b Be Believers have chosen to get blessings from GOD.  

Does God have to be tricked into blessing you?  I don't think so.  

So many people have had much money taken from them because they can't seem to wait on the promises of GOD.  
There is only one section this week so I hope that you will enjoy it.

Be a careful fireing up the grill for the first time this year and keep...
Looking Forward!
See ya Next Time
TER  






...BLESSINGS
Matthew 5 "Blessed are............"
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WE ARE BLESSED!   Children of obedience, continue to obey.  Children of Praise,  continue to Praise.  Children of Worship, continue to Worship.  Be not d discouraged in well doing. Know that God is GOD, and He will have the last say.  

This week we will once again look at the Be attitudes found in Matthew fifth  chapter.  These were a part of the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus covers every position or condition of Believers when He says that they will be Blessed.  Take a moment to read them.  

I would like to so comment about the Blessings of God.  In this Newsletter, I will exaggerate a situation that really did happen.  The only exaggeration is in how I relate the story.  Here it is.

I heard that a ‘name brand' Evangelist was coming to town, and since I had never seen him in person, I decided to go and hear him preach.  It has always been my pleasure to take "an offering" to these types of events so out of my spending money, I pulled five dollars.  (Some of you are laughing out as loud as you can at this point.  Go ahead!)  I felt real good about that crisp five dollar bill.  First, they passed out Church Envelopes to everyone.  I proudly put my five dollars into it and placed my name on it.  

When it was time to give, the "name brand"  Evangelist asked everyone who was giving in the offering to stand to their feet.  I stood up proudly. (Some of you may want to stop reading at this point.  If so, "See Ya Nexxt Time!)   I was shocked when I heard these words from his mouth... "The anointing is here to bless anyone who gives one hundred dollars.  Come quickly and lay it down. "     I was frozen!  People ran to the front to obey the messenger of the Lord.  

Again he announced the same blessing in denominations of seventy-five; fifty; twenty-five; twenty; ten; and the rest of you.  By the time that he reached fifty I decided that my five dollars wasn't able to buy a hundred dollar blessing so I would give it some where else.  (I bave it to the driver who had so graciously driven me to this event.)

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have stepped on someone's toes.  BUT... the other week as a Servant we washed our feet so the pain should be bearable.  TRUTH OFTEN HURTS!   

I  have a question for all of   those  o who paid for the hundred dollar blessing.  "Did it come?  Did it last?   Is it wilth you today?  Did you have to repeat that action in order to keep it?"    

Can you pay for a blessing from God?   NO.   If we could, there'd be no need for righteousness, obedience or living Holy.   Grace would be null and void.  Jesus' death on Calvary would be in vain, if  we

could purchase with silver and gold the blessings of God.  

Author's Note:
At this event I saw sheep gone wild over grass from another's pasture.  I saw sheep running to the Heirling to be fleeced of wool that wasn't ready to be taken.  The Good Shepard receives from the sheep when the season is right.  He never takes the wool and takes the wool, and takes the wool in the winter when the sheep needs it for protection and warmth.  TER

While the"name brand" Evangelist was busy telling the Rogue Sheep that the anointing was going to be losed after the one hundred dollar offering, The Good Shepherd says in Psalm twenty three... "He anoints my head with oil, my cup runneth over."  (No Charge!)  

Ladies and Gentlemen when you join a Church, your Tighe and Offering belong THERE!  Then you ask, "Well how do I get blessed?"  The blessing is in the PROMISE  promise .  Look at Deutoronomy 23.  You're Blessed in the city and Blessed in the field.  (No Charge!)   And at this point, I'll share something with you.

Author's Note:
Think about this: If you hadn't oalready been blessed you couldn't reach into your pockets and bless the "name brand" Evangelist. Get the snake out of your boots. TER

A Question:
What is the difference between gambling and what I've just described
?   Nothing.  Both invest so that just maybe you'll get back in return.  But GO'‘'d's WORD has promised you that if you do as you are commanded you will receive.  In so many situations we just can't wait for GOD to deliver so we run around seeking artificial blessings.  

I've said this many times, GOD's way is in absolute opposition to the world's way.  God says "put me first and I'll prove to you.  I'll pour you out a blessing that you  n not receive: Prove Me Now says the Lord.    If the world knew how powerful the Tithe and Offering were they would never allow you to deduct it on your income tax.  Bbut how can the world know when Believers don't know.  And if they do know, they don't act as if it's so.  

What if you can't pay Tithe anymore?  What if you no longer get a pay check or any money?  Well, GOD has taken care of that also.  You can bring the sacrifice of Praise into His Courts and the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving into His Gates.  Ev Everything is taken care of in GOD's Provision.  You see GOD knows always what you have in your hand, because He puts it there.  He knows where it belongs and if you are being obedient to that which He has called you.     Isn't that awesome?  


Our Tithe doesn't even begin to equal the Tithe that GOD sent us in His Son, Jesus.  Our ten percent pales in comparison.    If GOD had grudgingly given us His Son, then we would have a strong point at grudgingly giving Him our ten percent, however, John 3:16 says,
GOD so LOVED the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."  Doesn't sound like a grudge to me, does it?  He blessed us with His first fruit' , He didn't give us second-hand goods.  We, therefore, should handle His Tithe and Offering sacrificially, since it belongs to Him anyway.  

Psalm 103 says:  
Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me; Bless His holy Name.  Bless the Lord oh my soul, and forget not all of His benefits" Then this same Psalm goes on telling the benefits of blessing the Lord.  - Healing; Forgiveness; Righteousness; Deliverance; Forgetting Sin; Taking care of our children; Compassion like a Father pitteth his son; He tells us that even though we are dust and fflourish like a flower, when our place is rememberred no more His mercy's are from everlasting to everlasting.  He rules over all and everything shall bless HIM.  Ain't that good News?  Better than a ten dollar Flea Market.    So why shouldn't we while we are in this flesh body give Him all of Tthe Praise and all of the Glory and all of the Worship?    
Great Idea. Be Blessed and Bless GOD!
Looking Forward
See ya next time.
TER