Remember Me...

Volume 12 Issue 8

Greeting in His Name,

History is filled with those we remember. We have days on our calendar that remind us of people from long ago who made some type of difference in our world. But at the end of our life, filled with ups and downs, our main desire should be Lord, Remember Me. So, with that being said, today's blog is entitled Remember Me. Hope you find some inspiration, conviction, and queries.

shalom and love,

heidi

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It's me. It's me, it's me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer. Not my mother or my father, but it's me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer. I have been here, slumped over with no life, wondering when and how I would make it out of some situations. Y'all, today, being a REAL Christian ain't no joke. That's if you want to make a difference. If you want to turn this world upside down and impact the body of Christ, you have to make some gut-wrenching sacrifices. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing complex about it - sacrificing. But it takes a mind and heart willing to forgo, give up, forfeit, and surrender the 'me' syndrome. Peter is an excellent example of an apostle of Christ who had to let go of 'me.' Peter was strong-willed and a fighter. He told Jesus that he would be with Him to the end, even death. But when death approached, he backed down, denied even knowing the one He called the Christ. I'm not ashamed or mad at Peter because if most of us were faced with a decision to stand for our Lord or even the Word of God, we would probably back down. Alright, I hear you. You might be saying, "No, I wouldn't." Okay then, with a Glock to your head, what will you say then? And this ain't no Madea' ride or die' drama, where you can get back up after your part. But it's real life—you will die. I know strongly in my spirit that there will come a day when we will have to STAND for Christ or fall with the devil. Of course, Peter had another opportunity to encounter the Savior after He had risen and nearly flunked the test, but in the end, he poured his endearing love for the Master out of his heart, and Christ commissioned him to "feed my sheep." Many made life-giving sacrifices, like Peter, Paul, Stephen, and others we know nothing about. But the question is, will you?

I am not asking you to die, but are you willing to sacrifice your time and money today? I say 'time and money' because these are the main avenues by which life turns. Just think about it. If you have children's or youth church services at your church, and they have been hollering for months, even years, for volunteers. Youth church service only operates during one service, and if the children or youth Pastor could get twenty strong volunteers, they could rotate the volunteers. I have heard people say, 'Many hands make light work,' and it does. I say this because we often want God to remember us when the blessing line is open, but we 'often' forget others by not helping. Remembering others is like remembering Christ and what He did for us. Matthew 25:40b KJV: Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. This example applies to more than a youth church service; it could be outreach opportunities, prison ministry, nursing, and group homes. It could be assignments inside your church. Whatever it is, God says, "If you want me to remember you, then remember ME." Remember ME by going out into the vineyard and putting your hands to work. I heard TD Jakes say that God only had one job description after Christ came on the scene, and that was - slave. We are all slaves to Him. No one has a superior status; only Christ paid it all.

Paradise! Most people go into dreamland when they hear that word: exotic islands, beautiful beaches with blue water, resorts, all that GOoD stuff. But the thief on the cross could not have genuinely imagined Paradise while hanging there. Could he? Let's go back to the beginning of the dialogue. The first prisoner, whom we will call Me, opens with railings to Jesus. Me tell Jesus, "You are the Christ. You've been 'anointed' to save folks, save us". Now Me is full of the 'me' syndrome. "Lord, do this for me and that for me." We can get in the same whelm as the first prisoner. Things look tight, and nothing is going our way, so we'll cry out to God, but it will be on our terms. I have found prayer times that were all about me. If you are really yoked with God, you will get tired of hearing about 'Me.' You will feel a sense of neglect in your prayer time; like you could be spending more time praying about dire things, such as war, famine, poverty, corrupt government, loss or bound family members, backslidden children, on-the-edge job situations, life, and God knows what else. If you meditate, you could find much more to pray about, but you are stuck on the 'Me' - or should I say you. Referring back to the dialogue, the second thief, whom we shall call Not Me, gave this rebuttal to Me, saying, "Man, what's wrong with you? It's not about me or you. We deserve this punishment because we did wrong, but this man has done nothing wrong. How are you going to fix your mouth to ask such a thing?" Not Me knew Me's motives. Of course, most of us still make excuses that we can't do this or that for God right now while living it up in some deadly situations, but I beg to differ. We have to take the attitude of Not Me. We have to look ourselves square in the face and admit our wrong so that we can also say, "Remember me." Luke 23:42-43 KJV: And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise. Some time ago, I ran across this scripture and inquired about this 'paradise.' I found the word itself intriguing, not to mention it is only found three times in the Word of God, which made it even more intriguing. We find it here and elsewhere, which I'll let you scavenge for. But let's look at Revelation 2:7 KJV: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. Paradise sounds like a place more so than an experience. It sounds like a place for prepared people.

When you think about 'prepared,' think about the thief on the cross. He was hanging beside Jesus, and at that moment, he had an encounter with the Savior. If you didn't hear what the thief said, I did. He said, And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong. (NASB) Did you hear him? His statement sounds like repentance to me. He acknowledged his wrong. When we recognize our wrong - say it out of our mouths to God, then we open God's ears. Isaiah 59:1-2 KJV: Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. Psalm 66:18 KJV: If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. I don't suggest you wait until you are up on a cross or until the last minute to correct things with God. While you yet breathe and things are going reasonably well, let Him know you want Him to remember you. Especially by the way you live your life—NOW!

I don't know about you, but I want God to remember me. I don't want to live amid a hellish world and survive the trials and temptations of life and not make it to Paradise. From the example of the second prisoner, Not Me, I know that we have to have a heart and mind that will say, "not my will but God's ." With all my heart, I believe those who truly give of themselves will make it in and be remembered.

P.S. Remember the prerequisite, Romans 10:9, confession of Christ.

LIFE QUOTE

“Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering."

-Theodore Roosevelt

Let Us Laugh!

A funeral service is being held in a church for a woman who has just passed away. At the end of the service, the pallbearers carrying the casket accidentally bump into a wall, jarring the casket. They hear a faint moan. They open the casket and find that the woman is actually alive. She lives for 10 more years and then dies. A ceremony is again held at the same church and at the end, the pallbearers are again carrying the casket out. As they are walking, the husband calls out, "Watch out for the wall!"

(https://www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/Religious.htm)

Hope to see you Next Month...

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