I have always enjoyed reading the stories about Jesus walking on Water – especially the one when Peter steps out of the boat to meet him on the Water.  One of my favorite books is “If you want to walk on Water – You have to get out of the Boat” – this is a powerful read for men who need a spark to get them going.
           But the story below is a different time when Jesus walked on the Water – Jesus had just fed the 5000 and then sent His Disciples ahead of him in the Boat…
          Here is the story:
Mark 6:45-51 – Jesus Walks on the Water
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Beth-sa′ida, while he dismissed the crowd.  46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.  47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land.  48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them,  49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out;  50 for they all saw him, and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”  51 And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded,
      I was visiting with a Pastor Friend of mine (Pastor Grant) and his study group were going over this – but he mentioned that there is a part that stood out this time that he had not noticed before.    Jesus did not plan on walking to the Boat to be with the Disciples – he had meant to pass by them…    HUH>….   I had never read it that way either…  but there it is.    What is amazing is that Jesus did not come to them until they had cried out…  and then he was able to comfort them.
           Now I had to look at myself and ask – How many times do I do this?   I bet more times then I want to know…     Nick is our Artist for GMM and he has put together this piece of art that we will be giving away in November.  It is a Heart with a door on it and when you open the door there is a Cross made out of wrenches.   Again how many times do I close that door on Jesus – and he has the tools to make it better.
           We must learn to cry out for Jesus at all times – that would be in the Good and the Bad…   He is our Light and has all the tools to comfort us – but most of all to enhance that relationship that we should have with Him.  I have a really good friend (Tom) and he has this amazing Relationship with Jesus at the present time that is out of this world.   As I have told him – it is something extremely special and when you meet him – You meet Jesus…   At the present time he too would be crying out for Jesus to lead him towards the future that Christ has in store for him.
          Like Tom – we should all have that same type of Relationship with Jesus….

 So are you Crying out for Jesus or is He just going to pass by You.

If you want the comfort that only comes through Him – You better start crying out now and really LOUD.

Bobbyg
 

This has been a discussion that has been in the back of my mind for a few weeks now…  Faith Verses Works – What does that mean?
          As Christians we know that it is only by Faith that we are Saved and not by our Works so as that we can Boast.   I understand how that works – it is the greatest gift that is given to us. 
           My Pastor (Shaun) has been preaching through Hebrews 11 for the last few weeks and verse one has always been my favorite Bible Verse:
          Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Now comes my hardest question for myself – How do I live that in my daily walk with Christ…   Chapter 11 talks about Faith in Action and gives accounts for several People in the Bible that lived this. 
           My Promise Keepers study Bible has a section on this Chapter and I would like to share a couple of Paragraphs:
                    “As followers of Jesus Christ we’ve been called to a life of faith.  When the Bible’s writers discussed faith they weren’t merely writing about thinking positively, being an optimist or following through on a hunch.  They spoke of faith as the rock-solid internal assurance that unseen things are real, and that promises made would come to pass.  –   Ultimately, the only way we can please God is by faith.  Religious activity apart from faith doesn’t please God.  Neither do good deeds.  Only faith and the kind of life that flows from faith pleases God.”
           As I read this and thought of Pastors Shaun’s explanation of a few of the People in the Bible that lived and showed this – it started making Sense.

1.  Moses:  He had to depend on the promises of God that he would get him through all that was ahead of him.  When you read the Journey that Moses took – it was built on Faith and Action…  As the verses stated about the People of Israel walking across the Red Sea on Dry Ground it tool allot of faith – As Pastor Shaun stated – can you imagine doing that and what it looked like.
2. Rahab the Harlot:  She was giving Shelter for the Spies – she could only go by the Faith in what she had heard about – and then take action.  As Shaun stated – look what came out of her linage (You will need to look this up).

 All the people mentioned in this Chapter had Faith – but you were able to see their Faith by their actions…  The passage in James describes what Faith and Works should look like.  

James 2: 14>26:  14 What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?  15 If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food,  16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?  17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

18 But some one will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.  19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder.  20 Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren?  21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?  22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works,  23 and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God.  24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.  25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?  26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.

 The scripture above really puts it into perspective what an Active Faith Should look like.  

So my only hope to my questions from above is that:  “I know I am saved by my Faith – but I will live a Life that is pleasing to God so that he can see my Faith by what I am doing.   People will see Jesus in me.”

 Bobbyg
 

 

 

     My work has went through some very tough transitions in the month of January and it has made several of the employees extremely angry/negative.   I have really struggled trying to keep a smile on my face when I encounter them.   A few of them I have had to tell them that they cannot steal my Joy – a quote that my wife has told me to tell them (coming from Joel O.).   
          Yesterday I went to church with my Son and Pastor Jeff was ending a Sermon Series on Deeper – expanding your relationship with Christ to a higher level.  The last portion of his sermon really hit a spot for me about my work>

 Romans 12:9-21 >    9.  Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.   10. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.   11. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.   12. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.   13. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.   14. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.   15. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.   16. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.   17. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.   18. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.   19. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.      20. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;  if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”       21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

     These verses are one of the hardest things to do and as Jeff said   “It takes Courage” to put these into practice…   But as Christians we must be Christ like in all situations we encounter – even at work with the difficult ones. 
          At one point I thought if I just stay away from all of these people who are stealing my Joy – then I will make it through the day.   Well that did not work – as the scripture says above we must embrace the opportunities to shine where the enemy has a strong hold.  So as I have been embracing this opportunity to enhance my relationship with Christ – it really works – it is getting Deeper each time I practice the verses above.

          So are you encountering a situation where Christ is requiring you to shine?

It does take Courage to be what Christ would have us be in all situations…

Bobbyg

     We have been looking at some possible speakers for our upcoming GMM Conference on November 21^st (tentative date) and one of them tweaked my thoughts.   That still happens now and then – even being a little seasoned as I am. 
          His Talk was on David and Bathsheba – and what David had done to get his way with her and the circumstance going into this event.   The part that really got me thinking was the aftermath of events after it all had been done (Adultery – Murder – Lies).     David still did not see what he had done wrong until Nathan was sent to talk with him.   Story below:
 2 Samuel 12:1-7   Nathan Rebukes David
12 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
         (There is more to the story that you will have to read on your own).
      What really got to me is:   David had one of the greatest hearts for God and lost it because of a circumstance he put himself into.   Then it took someone else to show him what was keeping him from having that Awesome Relationship with God and that he needed to correct it.    In the end he did what was right and Solomon was born – but he had allot to go through before it was corrected. 
           So What is keeping our Relationship with Christ from being at its Best?   I was challenged recently by a 2 minute YouTube on sharing my faith – and at the same time my Tuesday night Bible study is on the Great Commission.   There are times that I hold back in showing my faith.   Recently (twice) – I have had Breakfast/Lunch with a few of the guys I know and they wanted to hold hands and pray before the meal…   IN Public…..   Really…..   This is one of the Greatest ways to show your faith without saying a word… and I was struggling with it.    It took a two minute YouTube to tell me what I did not want to here…  (Just as Nathan was telling David).    Now this may not compare to the David event – but at the present time it is what was keeping me from expressing my belief (I  had No Spine).
        As Paul Harvey would state and:  The rest of the story after a severe punishment to David was some real “Radical Truth and Grace – with allot of Love”.     David corrected his mistakes and we can do the same…   We must have the Best Relationship with Christ that is possible and it may take some tweaking.

 So the challenge this week is:   Do you have that someone or something that can Help you identify what is keeping you from having the relationship with Christ that you must have.   Look for those moments that may be identifying an area that needs to be changed in order for you to have the Greatest Relationship Possible.

 Bobbyg

     I was traveling back from Pine Bluffs for my work when I passed a Semi Truck with this saying on the back of his Trailer – “My Lights are on for you Safety”.   It really made me think about what that really meant and then I had another 20 minutes of driving to ponder on those thoughts.
          I knew this was something that I had to comment on….   it made me think about Christ being the light of our Lives and it is for our Safety.  Here is the verse that talks about Him being our Light:

John 8:12   When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

          So for Life – Christ must be our Light that will get us through – we will never stumble if he is our guide for our Life.  
           Now comes the questions about our own personnel life:
                    Are we a light for others:   Is Christ shining through us so that we can take them to safety?   We should have this saying imprinted on our foreheads….  The light that shines through me is for your safety.
          I had to take a hard look at myself and see if this was the case and several questions came up.

1.  Am I the light that I should be for my family – Do they see Jesus in me in all that I do at home?
2. Am I the light at work that people see and know that what is shining through me is something different?  Do they see Jesus in me?
3. Am I the light in the community when I greet the person in front of me – whether it be the Waitress – Store Clerk – Person next door?  Do they see Jesus in Me?

As you can see there are several areas that people can see the Light shining through us – and it should be Jesus.  This will give us the opportunity to direct them towards safety in LIFE.

 So this week – is this planted on your forehead:

The light shining through me is for your Safety.

Bobbyg

       It seems that 2015 is going to be one of those years where my wife and I are going to be Molded and Transformed.  If the first part of 2015 is any sign of what is to come – Then as my friend Ryan has stated at times.   “We must being doing something really right if the enemy has chosen us.”     This saying is so true if we look at it – we should be blessed to know that the enemy has chosen us for some extra Trials because our walk with Christ must be a good one.
      Now comes the Big Question:   Do I really want to be the one he has Chosen and Why ME?    The Scripture below portrays our Trials the best:
James 1: 2-4:  2. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.…Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
          As you can see – this is one of the best ways for us to be transformed and grow.  If we are to be Strong and persevere – then we must go through some tough times to become the person Christ would have us be….   “It takes some Molding to get us where we need to be”.   When we have endured the Trial and made it through – Our Faith –Hope – Relationship with Christ will be enhanced to a different level. 
 One thing we must remember as we are going through the Trial – is:

Philippians 4:13      I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.

We are not alone – there is someone alongside of us all the way and he can even carry us if it is needed.  Our Strength must come through HIM…  
 I have several Friends who are looking at 2015 in the same way…  this looks like a year of growth because of circumstances that have been happening in their lives. 

Is it happening in yours?

 So as 2015 goes forward and you encounter those Trials – remember the scriptures above. 

Consider it pure joy to know that you must be doing something extremely right if the enemy has chosen you.

You are not alone and you will endure and be successful.

Bobbyg

gmmgodsmightymen@yahoo.com

 
 
 
 
 
 

     I attend a Men’s Bible Study on Tuesday night at the Cheyenne Alliance Church and we have been going over the 7 promises of a Promise Keeper.   This week’s promise was:   A Promise Keeper is committed to building strong marriages and families through love, protection and biblical values.   I was amazed at the wisdom that was shared from all of the guys that were there and I just have to pass it on…
           First of all the main Scripture was Ephesians 5:25 and 6:4…
                    **Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.     
                    **Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
    One of the main comments was:  That the Lord in our lives is a must for us to be the Husbands/Fathers that we are meant to be.     But here are some bits of wisdom that came forth:

1.  There are those times that we seem to look at our wives and ask the question – Where is the wife that I thought I married…  The real point should be:   “We need to be the Husband that our wives thought that they had married.”  –  When this happens, then our wives will be the ones we knew we married…     WOW…..
2. There is the book out about knowing your spouse’s love language… it is a great read and must for us Husbands/Dads.   We have to know what her love language is and then truly understand how to do it.   One more item is that we should also know what our children’s love language is.  They need this from us in a big way….
3. Are we willing to do what Christ did for all of us?   Can we give up our lives for our families – this includes not just death but – our time – our possessions…………  This list can go on.
4. One more item that sort of goes along with number 3…   What is it that we cherish that keeps us from having the Relationship that is required of us from Christ with our families?     Is it our Buddies night out – our Truck – Hunting – Fantasy Football – Sports?     We need to identify that area and be willing to give it up for our Family.

As you can see this was a Powerful night of wisdom and challenges for each of us to take home and be the person Christ would have be…

 So as you look at the list above – search out which area that you may need to improve on and work on it this week…

Bobbyg

          I was thinking about what this year should be about…. our 2015 theme for GMM Conference (God’s Mighty Men) is “True Identity “ –  This is going to be a powerful topic coming up on November 15^th.      But for me hit as    “The Year of Jesus” – there has been a couple of items that have passed by me that tweaked this…
           My Dad gets a News Letter from my Uncle Andy who is a Pastor in Wheatland and it had a couple of sayings that I really liked.

1.  2014 is about over a new beginning is coming.  The phrase from Philippians 1:21, sticks to my conscience:   “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”  Does that phrase have meaning in 2015?  Is there a change in living for Christ going to happen?  Every year can be, if we choose a year where more of Christ’s attributes are seen in us.  Praise God we can all grow in Christ, look like Christ, talk like Christ and be ready for “gain”!       (In His Great Love…………. Andy)
2. Another year is passing and he has not returned.  Yet daily we’re brought closer to that for which we’ve yearned.  Our hearts with longing ponder when we will see the face of Him whose daily mercies our thankful hearts can trace.  Yet looking through the lattice, unseen to mortal eyes, each thought and action knowing, He every motive tries.  With arms outstretched in waiting we view another year and ask, “O Savior, is it the blessed crowning year?”  To be forever with Him, the One our hearts adore, delighting in His presence, desiring nothing more.  While we wait, beloved, let us not fall behind before the dawn is darkest more testing’s yet you’ll find.  But keep ahead the glory, ne’er let it fade from view.  The Lord of glory comes – What will He find in you?   (Article in the News Letter).

 These are some great items to ponder as you look at the coming 2015 year.. 
          Pastor Shawn in his sermon came up with this saying that is a really great one to practice that fell into the sayings above for 2015. 

“Rapture Practice”

We should always eagerly await the coming of Jesus as if he were coming today to take us Home..   AMEN

Bobbyg

     The New Year is coming (2015) and it is that time of year when people start making resolutions or promises that they intend to keep to better themselves:

1.  I promise to lose 45 pounds
2. I promise to exercise more
3. I promise to do my daily studies
4. I promise to spend more time with the family

The list goes on……
           I have always struggled in making New Year’s resolutions because there is a very good chance that I will fail in keeping them.  In Matthew Jesus talks about making Vows/Oaths and it states that you should be extremely careful in making them.
          Matthew 5: 33 thru 37> Oaths:   33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one
    So as you see – making an Oath is not recommended – but a simple yes or no should be our response in what we do in 2015.
           I would like to expand on what I have done in the past – not so much as an Oath – but an Act of Obedience:
          I read this scripture a few years back in my Quiet time (I do get some of these in – maybe not daily) and it challenged me in my Obedience to the Leaders of the Church.
          1 Thessalonians 5: 12-13>  12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
      This scripture spoke to me because of some issues that I was having with the Leadership of the church at the time….  (We all have these moments in our life).   So as an ACT of Obedience – I felt that I needed to fall under the Leadership of the church for a year…  when the year was over then I would evaluate my relationship with the Leaders.   We all need to do this all the time and not just for a short period of time of one year – and that is  ” Obedience to what the Holy Spirit is prompting us to do”.             Unity with Love is essential if Christ is going to be able to do His work through us.    I learned allot that year..

 So my challenge to you is:   Do not make that New Year’s Resolution – but instead find an area that you are struggling with and Make an Act of Obedience to correct it…

Bobbyg

      I had gotten out of the Christmas Spirit of giving gifts on Christmas day until my Grand Kids came…    I had seen so many people going into Debt to buy just the right gift for everyone (Family – Friends – Co-Workers – Paper boy and the most important one of all –  the Mail Man).  When I observed my boys and their families going into Debt to buy me a Gift – I said enough – we need to celebrate the most important gift of all “Jesus”.   So we quit giving each other Gifts….
       My wife blew it this year and gave me a gift a couple of weeks ago -she had stated that she had a surprise for me and that normally scares me to death most of the time.   Then she handed me this book – “Reflections” – I was in tears before I could open it up…   It was a book of all the Blogs that I have written in the last couple of years.    All the way from “The Making of the Bed” – to    “How is Your Relationship with Christ”  –  to   “Do Mosquitoes have Free Will”.
          Inside the front cover was a dedication that had be Bawling – “For my husband in celebration of our 40 years together.  We make God smile everyday as we try to become the Man and Woman He has called us to be – as individuals together.”  She has been an inspiration for several of my Blogs and there are times she will hand me something and state – this would be something great to write about.   There are times I have to tell her Women are from Venus and Men are from Mars – How am I supposed to explain this one to the guys.      **Now I have to rethink that aspect of giving gifts when they come in a treasured package as this one.
           So now back to the Greatest Gift of all – besides my Wonderful Wife – our greatest Gift this time of year is “Jesus”.     This is a gift that will keep on giving and will have an eternal reward. 

          So as you are shopping to buy that perfect Gift – remember to add the one Gift that should always come on Christmas Day….

Happy Birthday

JESUS

Please find a Christmas Eve Church Service this Wednesday and enjoy celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior.

Bobbyg

 PS –  My Grandkids can tell you the Reason for the Season – they are AWESOME. Then they enjoy the gifts from their PaPa and NaNa….  we do spoil them some.