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"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23,24
 
There is a wealth in these words that can only be hinted at in a brief meditation. We have here a prayer, a benediction, and an assurance. What St. Paul desired in his magnanimous heart for those early Christians in Thessalonica, we should desire for ourselves and our fellow Christians. These words are used by ministers in the laying on of hands in the confirmation service. They may well be used by Christian parents as their sons and daughters leave home to . . .

"But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
- Matthew 24:13
 
Warning and comfort are beautifully blended in this brief statement by our LORD. The warning clearly is this: Not all who are religious after a fashion will be saved; not even all who once knew and confessed Christ as Savior and LORD. In this passage Jesus is speaking of the latter days, the days preceding the end of the world. He earnestly forewarns us that many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many. Do these words of Christ give us a true picture of . . .

"His compassions fail not. they are new every morning."
- Lamentations 3:22-23
 
A time not in peace and plenty, but in days of war and adversity the Prophet Jeremiah made this beautiful confession. Beholding ruin and desolation, he sings the praises of God's everlasting mercy.
 
Evil days have come upon us. Many earthly springs of happiness have dried up. But the spring that is in God's heart, the ever-flowing fountain of His compassion can never dry up. Whatever else may fail us, His compassions will not fail. This is not because of any faithfulness or other merit that He sees in us, but solely because of . . . 

"Verily I say unto you, wherever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her."
- Matthew 26:13
 
When Mary anointed Jesus' feet shortly before His death, she had no thought of setting up a memorial for herself. She was not thinking of herself at all.  Her thoughts centered in Christ.  Her one desire was to prove her love and devotion to Him who had so richly blessed her with His light and love, truth and grace. Yet Jesus Himself declares that  Mary's gracious act of faith and love would be remembered and . . .

This is the day the LORD hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
 
TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
 
Gen. 18:20-32
Col. 2:6-15
Luke 11:1-13
Psalm 138
 
As the Gospel of Luke continues to educate us in the way of the disciples, we come to Jesus teaching His followers in the matter of prayer. He begins with the now familiar words of the LORD'S Prayer, or some call it "Kingdom Prayer." Already with the opening word, Father, we can see that Jesus does not promote the attitude of groveling subject pleading before the harsh sovereign. But how far can we go in our prayer? The answer surprises us, and must have astounded Jesus' first listeners.
 
"Be persistent." our LORD advises. Don't walk around on eggshells, afraid to ask too much or too often. Pound on God's door; make a pest of yourself, not because God is indifferent to our needs, but as an . . .

"A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished, sharpened for the slaughter, Polished to flash like lighting. Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my son, Judah? The sword despises every such stick."
- Ezekiel 21:10
 
A question occurs in the midst of a most solemn warning. Ezekiel was directed to prophesy against Israel and to foretell the destruction of Jerusalem. He was bidden by God to cry out: "A sword is sharpened, it is sharpened to make a sore slaughter." The enemy would soon come to destroy the city, to slay many of its inhabitants, and to lead others captive. And all this was God's judgment over sinful Israel, which had refused to repent and to turn unto the LORD, Eze. 18:30-32. Yet this warning of God was not heeded. The people continued in their routine business and . . .

"He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee."
- Isaiah 30:19
 
In the text the LORD told stubborn, unrepentant Israel that He was waiting to be gracious to them. He promised that the moment He heard their cry He would be merciful and answer them. 
 
One might think that many invitations to pray and many promises to hear should not be necessary. Our own and our neighbor's need should be enough to move us to pray diligently and earnestly. But are we not slothful in prayer? And when we do pray, is it with becoming confidence? Our heavenly Father knows the wiles of the devil and the . . .

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Totally Tim Article Count:  95

Rev James Snyder videoPastor Tim has retired from pastoring local churches and is now working alongside his wife to help refugees and persecuted Christians.

For more about Cybersalt, the business, head on over to www.cybersalt.com

Software Article Count:  5

My blog about software.

Cybersalt Shaker Article Count:  65

The Cybersalt Shaker features devotionals and commentary written by Pastor Tim.

Computer Tutorials Article Count:  3

Guest Authors Article Count:  61

Writings from various sources occasionally invited/gathered to share their devotional/commentary material.

Joshua Goodling Article Count:  11

At the age of four, Joshua Goodling was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only one week to live. That was over 34 years ago, so it's been a long week. He is now an inspirational and motivational speaker, seeking to encourage and inspire others to make a difference in today's world. You can visit his website at http://www.joshuagoodling.com. He is also the founder of http://www.inspiritnews.com. You can contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

God's Penman Article Count:  514

The Reverend James L. Snyder is an award winning author whose writings have appeared in more than eighty periodicals including GUIDEPOSTS. In Pursuit of God: The Life of A. W. Tozer, Snyder?s first book, won the Reader?s Choice Award in 1992 by Christianity Today. Snyder has authored 8 books altogether.

Rev. James L. Snyder has a knack for making fun of daily frustrations and will increase your humor aptitude so you too can discover that life is less stressful when you?re laughing. Through these essays, you will realize that humor and religion belong together and that its OK to keep from taking yourself and others too seriously.

fathers day
June 18, 2022

What the World Needs Today Are Fathers

There is much talk today about what’s wrong with our society. That list is pretty long, but the most important cause of problems in our culture today is the lack of fathers. So many children grow up without a father in the home. How tragic. I was fortunate… Read More
girl scout cookies
May 07, 2022

And Then, There They Were

In getting older, I have discovered, I pay a little more attention to my dietary habits. Or, maybe I should say, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage pays more attention to my dietary habits. As we get older, she is more obsessed with vegetables than… Read More
typewriter
April 30, 2022

Maybe We Should Go Back To Smoke Signal Communications

I must admit that communication is an essential part of my life today. The longer I live, the more sophisticated those communications become, and it’s challenging to me. Recently, I was working on my latest book using my latest computer and its programs. As I… Read More
grouchy
April 24, 2022

The Good, the Bad, and the Grouchy

Have you ever had a week where everything went just perfect? Neither have I. Every Monday morning, I plan a perfect week, and I try my best to stick to that plan. My problem is simply, I do not know the meaning of the word "perfect." So I asked The Gracious… Read More
organized.jpg
April 16, 2022

Just When I Think I Got Everything Covered

I like to have an organized life. I must confess that my idea of organization is not The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage’s idea. We may share many things, but not planning and organization. When she begins a project, it is well planned and organized down… Read More
grumpy bird
April 09, 2022

I’d Give Her a Piece of My Mind If I Had Any To Spare

I do not know if grouchy comes with old age or if in old age you are too weak to subdue it. I guess it does not really matter because I am having a little bit of trouble along this line. My grouchy seems to be getting out of control. I remember the good old… Read More

Shirley Choat Article Count:  656

Blog writings by Shirley Choat.

 

Simply Susan Article Count:  38

Susan DavisSusan is Pastor Tim's wife.
She isn't simple, but her blog is Simply Susan.

You can receive notice of news posts by signing up for this newsfeed.

You can read her blog in chronological order here.

Moving With God Article Count:  137

This is Alyssa Sampson's blog.  She is Pastor Tim's daughter.

Suneel Barkat Article Count:  1

Rev. Suneel Barkat
Pastor Barkat is a graduate of Punjab University. After receiving a call to ministry in 1999 he attended Gujranwala Theological Seminary, graduating in 2003 with a Master of Divinity (His thesis covered a Biblical model of house churches.) Upon graduating he started pastoral ministry with the Anglican Church and was ordained in 2004, working within that church in different positions until mid 2015 when he got the opportunity for a short training program on Pneumatology from South Korea. Suneel currently is a visiting teacher in an evangelical Bible College empowered by Korean Mission in Pakistan, as well as doing independent teaching and preaching ministry. He has established many Bible study groups and I have passion to preach in remote areas of Pakistan.

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