"GOD EXPECTS AN INSIDE CHANGE"

Good Evening to All!

I couldn't resist this "Labor Day Cross". I know, I'm combining church and state. . . . well, our country would be in a MUCH BETTER SHAPE if our government would do the same. After all, we were founded on Christian values. That church and state law was made to prevent government from trampling on our religious rights, not to keep us from them. Ok, enough said on that subject.

Hey everyone, either I have forgotten what I learned in school, or just didn't pay attention. Would you believe I have always thought that Labor Day was somehow connected to the military as well as Memorial Day? Boy! Do I feel dumb. Anyway, here are a couple of trivia facts that you might find interesting (if you didn't already know them).

Labor Day is a day that we all relax, go to picnics, festivals, BBQs, and have a big family dinner. We celebrate it to acknowledge the national dedication to the social and economic achievements of American workers who made America what it is today.

The First Labor Day holiday was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City. It was proposed by Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor in May 1882.

United States President Grover Cleveland introduced a bill to Congress to make Labor Day a national holiday in 1894. It was passed and signed into law in 6 days.

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And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. (14) Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?

(28) And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: (30) And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. (Joel 2:13-14, 28, 30 KJV)

I thought it interesting when looking in the NKJV Reference what it said about verse 13. It states: "rend or (tear) your heart: God is not satisfied with outward acts of repentance. Tearing one's garments was a customary way of expressing grief or remorse(see Josh. 7:6, 1 Sam. 4:12). However, like all outward acts, the tearing of a garment could be done without true sorrow or repentance. god required more than mere external words or actions, He wanted a change of heart and sorrow over sin.

This being said, here is the Message Bible's version.

change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to god, your god. And here's why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot, this most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe. Who knows? Maybe he'll do it now, maybe he'll turn around and show pity. Maybe, when all's said and done, there'll be blessings full and robust for your God! . . .

And that 's just the beginning: After that--

I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: Your sons will prophesy, also your daughters. Your old men will dream, your young men will see visions . . .I'll set wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below. (Joel 2:13-14, 28, 30 Message)

God is serious about His relationship with us and He wants us to be serious as well. I know people probably get tired of me impressing that there is more to being saved than lipservice, saying "I believe that Jesus is my Saviour. Yes, that is part of it, but as God has been saying since way back in the Old Testament, He wants our complete love and devotion. Which means LIVING for Him. Doing as He says. Abiding by His Word. My Pastor brought up a good point yesterday. While he was preaching, he said "this may sound narrow minded, (speaking along these same lines), but the Bible does say Narrow is the gate, but broad is the way to destruction and there are many who go in by it. (14) Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. When He made that comment, I kind of changed my thinking about being "narrow-minded.

One more quick thing, I find it interesting that right after the above passage comes the passage warning us of false prophets and not to be deceived. Please, please, read the Bible for yourselves. Our Pastors are wonderful people, and granted they know a lot more than us, but God even tells us to reproof His Word. Search His word. Read it for ourselves. Our Pastors are our guides, our shepherds, but that does not excuse us from reading it for ourselves.

The Answers to last night's Bible Challenge are as follows:

1. b) Abraham and Lot (Genesis 13:6-9)

2. c) Egypt (Deuteronomy 28:68)

3. b) Nabal (1 Samuel 25:9-11)

4. a) Ziba (2 Samuel 8:9-11, 16:1-4)

5. d) Gehazi (2 Kings 5;20-27)

6. d) Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-4)

7. c) Hatach (Esther4:5)

8. a) palsy (Matthew 8:5-13)

9. the washing of His disciples' feet (John 13:4-10)

10. b) Onesimus (Philemon 1:9-19)

Good Night to All and May God Bless!