Lawbreakers Salvation #161

Romans 3:19-22

19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses and to bring the entire world into judgment before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God’s law, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying it. 21 BUT NOW God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight—not by obeying the law BUT by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. (New Living Translation)

Aren’t you glad God gives us His plans for our lives in ways that not only we can understand but also apply to our lives. In this passage from Romans the Bible give us the contrast between our feeble attempts at keeping the law and God’s provision for all of us who are law breakers.

The purpose of the law was to show us our total inability to live a righteous life. The law points out our sins and leaves us with no excuse except to admit we do not live up to its demands. It is then impossible for us to be right with God because we are sinners. He is holy and just, but thank God, He is also merciful and full of grace.

God, knowing full well that we are unable to keep the law provided in Jesus Christ the way to salvation by grace through faith. Our attempts at being right with God by the works of the law either leads us to failure or to self righteousness. Neither of which can save you.

We do not obey the law and for that reason God has shown a different way of being made righteous, and that is by faith in Jesus Christ. He is our atonement for sin. He is the

one who did keep the law perfectly. The Bible says “He made Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21

Would you admit your inability to keep the law and trust Jesus to save you?

_____________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from beautiful, cool San Diego,

Sandy and I are enjoying the wonderful weather and fellowship in SD. Yesterday we had lunch with friends on the bay. Headed to some of our favorite places today. We also met up with Dale Phillips. Dale was an associate pastor at Southview Baptist Church while we were in Nebraska. He is great. What a God-thing to run into him in SD, CA.

We celebrated John's birthday Sunday evening. Great family time.

Sunday night I preached at First Baptist Church of Tempe. A wonderful congregation. Really great to share my Job Story. My assigned scripture was Job 40:1-5. Check it out. I especially enjoy it in the New Living Translation.

This coming Sunday I will be preaching at FBC of

Claremont in San Diego. We will return to the heat of AZ on Labor Day. YUK!!

God bless you all. ~ DGW

Argue with God? #160

Job 40:1-5

1 Then the Lord said to Job, 2 “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?” 3 Then Job replied to the Lord, 4 “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand.
 5 I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say.” (NLT)

Life is filled with ups and downs. You may feel that life is unfair when the down times come your way. At that point it is normal to question life, and even question God. You may have had an argument with God during which you ask, “Why has this happened to me or to someone I love.” Job had lost family, his business, his health and found himself questioning the goodness of God.

After spending all of chapters 38 and 39 asking Job questions of which Job had no answer God then turns to ask Job THE QUESTION. “Do you still want to argue with God?” “Do you have the answers?” Of course by this time Job has learned that he was not God and did not have the answers.

Job had concluded that he was nothing and not only did not know the answers, but could never find the answers. He put his hand over his mouth and told God he had nothing more to say.

Job came to understand that God is Sovereign and is in charge of all things. As Job understood God and himself he realized he was not on an equal with God. He needed to accept that God was in charge of all things, including Job’s life.

Today you may be in the middle of some difficulty, strange circumstances, or uncharted territory. God is not in panic, nor is He surprised and He is in total control of the outcome. Trust His heart as well as His hand. He loves you and even though you may question His love in your own heart be assured He cares for you.

May He bless you with His understanding and everlasting love.

_____________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks,

What a great day to be alive!! God is on His throne. He loves you and cares for you. He is full of grace, love, mercy, forgiveness and He is holy. What a wonderful God we serve.

I do hope this has been a great week for you. I had the privilege last Sunday (August 21) of speaking at the wonderful Laveen Baptist Church. God truly blessed the services.

Pastor Jerry was on vacation and was gracious enough to allow me the opportunity to speak to his church.

August 21 was also a special day for our family. It was 23 years ago on the 21st of August 1988 that we began our ministry at Church on Mill in Tempe.

This coming Sunday night I will be preaching at First Baptist Church of Tempe at 6PM. I am looking forward to sharing God's word with that congregation.

Sandy and I will be leaving for San Diego on Monday for a week of celebration. Our 45th wedding anniversary is September 4th. We decided a week in San Diego would be a wonderful way to celebrate. Actually any place cooler than Tempe would be nice right now. I will be preaching on the 4th at the First Baptist Church of Clairemont in San Diego. Pastor Alan is me that privilege.

Thanks for your prayers for our family. We appreciate your kind thoughts and support.

May God bless you today with loving, caring relationships. ~ DGW

Are You In The Pits? #159

Lamentations 3:22-26 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.
 23 Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
 26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.

Is there hope? That would have been the cry of Jeremiah as he faced the overwhelming scene of the city of Zion. The city is in ruble, the people have been taken into captivity, and he himself is in the depths of despair. It is not a pretty scene. The once magnificent city of David is broken and its people destroyed. In the first 21 verses of chapter three he describes his personal feelings. He has experienced the wrath of God. He is broken. The very body in which he dwells is feeling old. He feels trapped with no escape.

He feels deserted by God. His prayers are of no avail. The people mock him. He cries for help, but no one does anything. Inner peace has alluded him. The wealth he once enjoyed is no more. Only poverty surrounds him. He is bitter and downcast. Maybe the worst thing of all is that HE HAS NO HOPE of anything ever getting better. He is overcome with the feelings of hopelessness. Ever been there?

Jeremiah finds hope. His only hope is in God. It is in God whose love never ends, whose mercy is new every morning, and whose faithfulness is great. The conclusion of Jeremiah is that there really is hope. Hope is not in the circumstances or the troubles or sorrows, but his hope is in the Lord. Thus he decides, “I will depend on Him.” Maybe you are in the pit with Jeremiah today. Look to your only real hope. It is in the Almighty God, the Lord of your life. He is full of mercy, and love for you today. Depend on Him with all your heart. HE IS FAITHFUL!!

_______________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from home in Tempe, AZ

I do hope your week has been filled with the comfort, strength, hope, mercy, l

ove and grace of God. I have a hard time imagining how we can make it without the presence of our Lord and all He does for us and is in us.

Sandy is going to be team teaching at FBC Tempe on a Tuesday morning study for women. She is excited about that. I have been asked to preach the 6PM service at FBC on the 28th.This coming Sunday Aug 21 I will be preaching twice at Laveen Baptist Church in Laveen, AZ.

I have also been allowed the privilege of preaching at the First Baptist Ch

urch of Clairemont, San Diego, CA on September 4th.

We continue to praise God for opportunities to teach His word and to encourage God's servants.

All three of our older grandsons are in school. Collin just started a week ago Monday. Little Johnny is doing very well. He is chronologically 5 months old. His adjusted age is 3 months. He weighs 16 plus pounds. Sandy is helping care for him a couple of times a week. She loves

every minute of it.

I do pray that God blesses you with His presence and reveals to you that He is what you are seeking.

God is good. In His wonderful love. ~ DGW

Be Prepared #158

James 1:2-4

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (NASB)

What's happening in your life right now? Are you facing a trial, a tribulation, a difficult time, or an overwhelming struggle? Well, there is hope. God has a purpose for everything. His purpose is to bring you to a place in your life that is more like Jeus.

Romans 8:28-29

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

God is allowing the trial in your life to make you like Jesus. Thus you can count it as, reckon it so, and accept it as true joy. Your faith is being tested. Throughout scripture GOd allows His followers testing to grow them. Abraham was tested when he took Isaac to the mountain to sacrifice him on an altar. The testing of your faith grows you in endurance and patience. The testing will have a perfect result. That result is that you develop the life that can stand up under anything. You will be mature (Christ-like), and the finished product God desires. You will lack nothing.

None of this will happen without the experience of trials and tribulations. So whether it is the current trial, or the next one to come your way, you will be prepared. God will grow you into the Christ-like person He desires. Fight the good fight of faith as you experience the trials of life.

_____________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in Tempe, AZ

I do hope and pray you had a wonderful week. Sandy and I continue to praise God for his care and protection. Last week I had some lab work done. The results are

in and it is amazing, miraculous, and worthy of praising God. Anemia has been an issue for several years now. It is corrected and the labs show normal counts..

The ALT and AST, both liver enzymes are either normal or only slightly elevated. The other liver enzymes are the best they have been for several years also. We are praising God and

thanking Him for the continued health and open doors for ministry.

I will be preaching in Laveen, AZ at the Laveen Baptist Church on August 21. Only two services. Not sure I want a third one right now after my experience in South Dakota. I will also be preaching at First Baptist Church of Clairemont, CA on September 4. That Sunday is our 45th wedding anniversary. We will be celebrating with a few days in San Diego.

Sandy has been asked to co-teach a women's Bible study at First Baptist Church in Tempe. FBC has asked for Sandy and me to consider several other teaching opportunities. We are currently attending FBC of Tempe and have found a wonderful Sunday School class.

All our grandsons are in school except for Johnny of course. He is also doing well.

Sandy and I will be in Kansas City, MO for the wedding of our niece, Meredith in September. We look forward to that wonderful time with family. It will be a quick trip, but still plan to see my Dad while there.

Purpose Ministries is doing well with the openings and opportunities for ministry. Thanks to all of you who pray for us and support the ministry. May God bless you.

May you find the joy of your salvation and experience the grace, mercy and love of God. Thank Him today that He is patient, forgiving, unchangeable, and accepting of us all because of the cross of Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory. ~ DGW

What Ministry? # 157

2 Corinthians 4:1-7

1 And so, since God in his mercy has given us this wonderful ministry, we never give up.

2 We reject all shameful and underhanded methods. We do not try to trick anyone, and we do not distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know that.

3 If the Good News we preach is veiled from anyone, it is a sign that they are perishing.

4 Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

5 We don't go around preaching about ourselves; we perch Christ Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants b because of what Jesus has done for all us.

6 For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made us understand that this light is the brightness of glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

7 But this precious treasure this light and power that now shine within us is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.

I don't have any spiritual gifts. I don't have a ministry. Is that your attitude? God has gifted you to serve Him and others. You may say, I don't know what to do." The problem is that you may be thinking in terms of ministry to children, prayer, missions, etc. What you need to be thinking of is a ministry of the New Covenant. The Old Covenant was a covenant of laws regulating behavior and requiring conformity in order to have a relationship with God. The Old Covenant was contained in the Hebrew Bible and demanded that the followers not break the laws. Moses brought the law down from Mt. Sinai on tablets of stone. In order to have a righteous relationship with a Holy God it was necessary to obey each and everyone of them. The people failed miserably at keeping the laws. Thus condemnation, guilt and death followed.

Jesus introduced a New Covenant. It was a covenant of grace and mercy. It is recognized that breaking the law was sin. It is recognized that

death followed the breaking of the law, but gave an opportunity of hope, forgiveness, life and a relationship with God through Jesus' death and resurrection. The ministry, a food distribution center, or a ministry to a specific need. It is a ministry of hope to all. It was a ministry of new life through Jesus Christ. It comes about as you serve the needs of people for eternal life. No matter what you do you have this ministry. For that reason Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians reminds us that this ministry is of God's Spirit. It brings life. It is with glory.

_______________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in Tempe, AZ,

We are so excited to be back in AZ where it is to be 116 degrees today. YUK!! The week in South Dakota was wonderful, but it is good to be home.

Sandy, Collin and I had the opportunity to do some of our favorite things. Collin was able to try several new adventures. He got up the first time on a wake board, tried out the jet ski, and went spearfishing. Quite an agenda for a 10 year old.

I was able to scuba dive one time. Sort of one of those bucket list things I was wanting to do. Sandy watched birds and spent time on the house boat with the rest of us.

Sunday was an interesting day. I preached two and one half times at Community Bible Church. They have three services and I did well the first two. I became disoriented and nearly passed out in the third about 15 minutes into the message. I had to sit down and was unable to finish. I see my Doctor here in Tempe this morning to see if an explanation for the incidence can be discovered. Please pray.

I will be speaking at the Laveen Baptist Church in Laveen, AZ on August 21st. They have only two services so Ishould be safe. LOL

Thanks for you love and prayers. You are appreciated.

~ DGW