T.J.I.F.A.

Thank Jesus It's Friday Again!  
September 27,  2002

SUBJECT: THANK YOU - OUR FATHER

A CHRISTIAN SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IN EVERYTHING, IN ALL THINGS WE SHOULD SEEK OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THANKS  TO OUR CREATOR GOD.  IF WE CAN'T FIND ANYTHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR AT THE PRESENT MOMENT, THEN BE THANKFUL THAT GOD HAS SPARED YOUR LIFE MANY, MANY TIMES.  

JUST BE THANKFUL, CHURCH, AND YOU'LL FIND YOURSELF PRAISING AND WORSHIPING GOD ALMIGHTY.  WHICH IS A GOOD THING.

NOTEWORTHY: SALUTES AN OLD WARRIOR WHO HAS LAID THE SWORD AND SHIELD DOWN.  AND PICKED UP THE ROBE AND CROWN.  GOD BLESS YOU AUNTIE, YOU WERE AUNTIE TO MANY AND MOTHER TO MORE.  

IN THE MIRROR; THE MAINTENANCE MAN SHOWS US HOW TO FIX OUR PLUMBING BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.  ENJOY

LOOKING FORWARD
SEEYA NEXT TIME
TER
THANK YOU OUR FATHER

Psalm 100:1,2 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD all ye lands.  Serve the LORD with gladness, come into His gates with Thanksgiving and into His Courts with Praise .  

Thanks to space travel we have been able to see a picture of the earth that otherwise we couldn't have seen.  The picture that I am referring to is the look at earth from the shuttle.  It is a beautiful blue marble hanging in the darkness of space.  It is the most startling sight.  To think that we live on such a beautiful planet.    Anyone with any sense gratitude of would be grateful.  

We take it all for granted, after all where else would we be?  

In one respect that kind of ignorance is right, because GOD made us for this planet and the Planet for us.  He purposed in His heart that we would have a beautiful place to live.      You'd think that  we'd be more grateful  after all we could have been a rock on the moon.  The Astronauts reported that Outer Space was quiet, to the point of distraction.  They didn't have ears to hear what GOD hears constantly.  

The most beautiful sound that I can remember in my youth, is the sound of my Mother singing in the kitchen early in the morning.  I could lay there and listen to song after song.  What a way to wake up in the morning!  That beauty was always interrupted by having to get up and either go to school on the week days or to music lessons or Sunday School on the week ends.  One thing or another, the sweet sound was always  temporal.

After having children, the sweet sound changed to the sound of children playing and laughing early on Saturday morning.  Again, these early morning sounds were sweet to the hearer...until one or another he children began to cry, because of disagreement, and once again the beauty that brought you from slumber was gone.  

Satan was the Minister of Music in Heaven.   We mentioned that last week.  I don't even pretend to know when Satan was thrown out of Heaven, but if it was before GOD made planet earth, I can imagine that the reason for this spectacular blue marble in space was to give GOD GLORY and to awaken the Heavens with joyful sounds .  

The earth is  rotating on its own axis constantly, one side toward the sun and the other toward the moon.  At all times during the twenty four hour day, someone is awake.  Wonder if that's a  coincidence?
     
Is it coincidence that earth is the only planet in the known galaxy that has  LIFE?  No matter how far we probe with our space utensils ...THERE AIN'T NO BODY HOME!  They have never even brought back a piece of live dirt or rock  from Outer Space.    I believe that if we really considered the LIFE of GOD, we'd understand that nothing on earth is without the BREATH OF GOD.  Not even the rocks (Remember [Luke 19:40] Jesus said that if  the people who were shouting Hosanna as He rode into Jerusalem didn't cry this praise that "the stones would cry out") so knowing this, I presume there is life in the rocks on earth.  But not on the moon!

I'm old enough to remember when people were looking forward to the prospect of living on the moon.  The process is so elaborate and expensive that only the very rich could even think of that move.  Well , I'm kind of glad that I didn't have the expense account to entertain that idea, because to go where there is no oxygen (or Breath of GOD is suicidal. .. Isn't it? )

Only with our breath can we PRAISE GOD!  And if we would bring into reality the TRUTH, we'd  understand the Psalm that says "We come into His gates with Thanksgiving," meaning  that  we open  up (wake up; get up; greet) with Thanksgiving.  We open our prayers with Thank You  God! Thank you for a new morning, a new day untouched by yesterday's problems and situations.  Thank You GOD for waking me this morning. , for good health, for another day to Worship and Praise Your Holy Name.  

Can you only imagine what the heavens would sound like if all over the world we woke up like that?  Can you imagine the joy in the heart of GOD if this beautiful blue planet did what He created it to do?    

Some of us feel that we can't begin to thank GOD, for things that we haven't as yet experienced, but if you just start thanking Him, things that you should have thanked Him for will come up in your understanding.  Then, the Thanksgiving will turn to Praise;..  example: "Thank you for that piece of cake, Mrs. Smith."  (That's Gratitude.)  "You make the best cake in town." (That's Praise)   So, you see that Gratitude will turn to PRAISE, just keep on Thanking Him.  And when your gratitude turns to Praise, you'll be doing exactly what GOD has intended for you as an inhabitant of the beautiful blue marble spinning in space.  

For all of you who have no problem thanking and praising GOD; there is a great reward waiting for you.  GOD said in His Word, that there is a new Jerusalem coming down from the Heavens, and beside it being an exquisite place to l live, it carries a promise that there is no more crying, dying, no more hurt or pain; no sickness, the lame will walk with new legs and the blind will see with new eyes.  Jesus said in Revelations that all things become new.  We will sing a new song, and I'm sure that it will be a song of Thanksgiving and Praise to the Only Wise God; Almighty; Our Father.  

Trust GOD enough to thank Him everyday or every hour or even more often, it's worth it.   GOD has no time barriers, He's already in our future so thank Him.  

Your today is GOD's yesterday...your tomorrow is in His hand.  Our Father we Thank You!

Looking Forward
See Ya Next Time
TER

NOTEWORTHY:

Farewell: to Auntie S. B., who ministered for many long years the love of GOD.  At ninety two years young still   feisty she was an Old Warrior, who stepped up to the Level that she preached about all these years.  See Ya There Auntie..Salute!  

O  Death, where is thy sting?   O Grave, where is thy victory?

IN THE MIRROR:

THE MAINTENANCE MAN

John was a man who had been brought up harshly, or so he said.   His parents were devout Christians who believed that they should work hard and always be grateful about even the least little thing.  They had only one child, John.  His father was a plumber and he took John on all of his jobs, to teach him the trade.  By the time that John was fifteen years old he could fix any kind of plumbing expertly, and it was a good thing because his father died at an early a age, leaving John and his mother alone.    

Any other child left with an aging mother wouldn't have been able to make it, but because of John's father's belief and frugality, their income never faltered.  John just continued to work as if his ,‘FATHER  WAS STILL'  there.  

Eventually his mother died also, leaving him very well off for a single man of twenty seven years old.    You'd think that John would now squander his wealth, but that never happened.  Instead John became more and more self dependent.  He could fix everything, cars, plumbing, small and large appliances even lawn service.  He was a marvel in his own sight.  The more he got, the more he'd get and the circle went on and on.  

He received a telemarketing phone call one day and the telemarketer told him that he needed a Will.  She went into full detail about losing everything, if he didn't have a Will.  To that John laughed and hung up the phone.  The next day a Christian organization called for a donation and once again after he had hung up he laughed and decided that if the only calls he would get are those asking for his money, he didn't need a phone, so shortly thereafter he had the phone company to disconnect his service.  He reasoned...."I can fix everything that breaks. I  don't need these people calling me in the midst of my quiet time." His cell phone number was circulated for his now prominent business.  And that's all he needed.  

John was getting old, he knew that he didn't have to worry about retirement because he was set for LIFE!    

The Church sent canvassers to the neighborhood to root out people like John and invite them to Church.  When they knocked on John's door he screamed, "I don't need the Church ...The Church needs me!"   The person who knocked couldn't understand this response.  But John explained in the same angry voice, "Does the Church have toilets? ... I rest my case."  And he slammed the door.

John was becoming more and more self contained and maintained.  He placed bars on his
windows and a large iron gate around his house with a sign that read "Beware of Dog."  He WOULD   call the bank's automatic teller everyday at nine o'clock in the morning to see if ANYONE  had made a deposit into his accounts.  John was a very rich and frugal man.  He took all the credit for his success because by now all of his parent's friends were passed away and there was no one who knew how this old man had gotten so wealthy.  Or so he thought.  

John got sick and died.  He couldn't maintain his own health. The plumbing of his own heart toward GOD had rusted and been poorly maintained, but the new copper  pipes in his home were fit for a King.     When he passed away, everyone wondered if a relative would come from afar to claim his wealth, but it didn't happen.  

There was a banker who had watched John for years and years.  He had watched his wealth grow and knew every time he called the bank...every morning!  He also knew that John had NEVER had an account of his own.   He had NEVER changed the house over to his name.  He had NEVER inquired about the deed.  What John didn't know could fill an Ocean.  

The neighborhood watched as the iron gates were propped open and beautiful flowers were planted and the steel bars gave way to crystal clear windows.  Who lived there?  The Pastor and his wife and family.  How?   John's father recognized the arrogance and pride in his young son, he recognized the early rebellion against authority, so he made a Will that would take care of his wife  and if the wife died then the Church would hold the assets of the home and everything in the bank account.  If John had not been so bent on maintaining himself he could have changed the Will so that The Church wouldn't receive anything.  The Banker knew this fact, but he was also a Christian and he had promised his father, who was the friend of John's father that he wouldn't expose John's poverty.  

What about John; Well he's probably in Hell fixing the toilets because Heaven hasn't got any.  TER



Rev. 3:16- 18