To a God Who Loves Me Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:37 There is a common denominator when people give a shout-out to a friend, teammate, coworker, or other significant person: Shout-outs occur in public. No one sits alone in a room and gives a shout-out to someone. It’s always for the benefit of others—out loud, for specific reasons, to praise or thank another person. Recommended Reading: Exodus 15:11-13 The Bible is full of people giving a shout-out to God, of course, for a multitude of reasons. Young David is a good example. When he was about to face the Philistine giant, Goliath, he praised God—out loud and for specific reasons. First, he praised God for His deliverance in the past from wild animals. This was a clear message to Goliath to beware of God’s power. But then David did something else: He gave God a shout-out for something that hadn’t even happened yet. He thanked God that he would be delivered “from the hand of this Philistine.” David knew the promise of God’s love was as certain for the future as for the past. When was the last time you praised God—out loud, in public—for His love and provision for you? Though nothing can add to God’s essential glory, yet praise exalts Him in the eyes of others. Thomas Watson

The Absence of Arrogance By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4 One day Dr. Sheila Murray Bethel attended a luncheon in Washington, D.C., hosted by Katharine Graham, the far-famed publisher of The Washington Post. Mrs. Graham’s parties were legendary, and she rubbed shoulders with the greatest statesmen on earth. “Mrs. Graham,” asked Dr. Bethel, “you have hosted all the greatest leaders from around the world. What is the single most important trait of all great leaders?” Mrs. Graham answered without even pausing to think. “The absence of arrogance,” she said.1 Recommended Reading: James 4:10 When you think of influential leaders—those whose legacy has grown over time—you think of people with a streak of humility, whose desire for service eclipsed the desire for fame and fortune. Great leaders are those who listen and who pause to speak to others without concern for rank or status. The best leaders on earth are gracious, not grandiose. They seem to possess an absence of arrogance. We’re all leaders in one way or another. To be effective, we should display God’s humility, not a false pretense of our own. Let’s all develop the quality of being humble, not haughty. The greatness of man is great in that he knows himself to be wretched. A tree does not know itself to be wretched. Blaise Pascal

Thursday, November 2 Busy With Joy I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives…it is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 According to the BBC, the British government commissioned a study to determine the happiest and unhappiest professions. Some of the happiest people, it turned out, were members of the clergy, CEOs, farmers, secretaries, medical practitioners, hotel managers, and primary teachers. At the bottom of the list: barkeepers, telephone salespersons, industrial cleaners, and debt collectors. Recommended Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 From a biblical perspective, we know happiness doesn’t depend on what we do but on who we are. Perhaps the researchers have it backward. Happy people seek out professions that fulfill them. But happiness is based on serving the Lord wherever we are, whatever our calling. True happiness is based on the joy of Jesus. The central message of the book of Ecclesiastes is that life is fleeting and futile without a spirit of gladness, which only comes from a relationship with God. If we fear God and keep His commands (Ecclesiastes 12:13), we’ll have a basis for rejoicing all the days of our lives. The Bible says, “It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor…because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart” (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20). There is nothing dreary and doubtful about [life]. It is meant to be continually joyful…. We are called to a settled happiness in the Lord whose joy is our strength. Amy Carmichael

Secret Hero Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26 Recommended Reading Romans 8:26-39 We try so hard to be self-sufficient. Although we delight in helping others out of our strength, it takes a giant swallow of our pride to accept help. We avoid feelings of brokenness and dependence. We would rather struggle for months on end before admitting we need help. This tendency stunts our growth because it rejects the help and power God has provided. Although unseen, the Holy Spirit is the invisible hero dwelling within us. God knows our weakness and provided the Holy Spirit to guide, strengthen, and sustain us. The Spirit comes to our rescue time and again. We are loved and our weakness is never mocked. When God calls us, we can rest assured that the Holy Spirit will equip us through His insight and power. The evidence is clear in both the life of Christ and the lives of His followers. The first thing that accounts for God’s using D. L. Moody so mightily was that he was a fully surrendered man. Every ounce of that two-hundred-and-eighty-pound body of his belonged to God; everything he was and everything he had, belonged wholly to God. R. A. Torrey

October 29, 2017 Sunday Morning Thoughts at CrossRoads Biker Church 1535 36th Avenue, Moline, IL Michael Baldwin Pastor. 1 Salvation today. There is a true story about a man named George Shearing. For those of you who do not know the mane, George Shearing was a very prominent British-American jazz pianist. He was born blind, and often, whenever he crossed a busy intersection in New York City with big, dark glasses and a white cane, he could always count on somebody who would come along and take him by the hand and help him cross the road. But one time while he was waiting to cross a very busy intersection at the rush hour in New York City, somebody tapped him on the shoulder. He said, “Excuse me, sir, I'm blind. Can you help me across the street?” And George reached out and felt for his arm, and grabbed him by the arm. He said, “Absolutely. Yes.” And he, kind of, perked his ear and tried to decipher when the traffic had subsided and then he said, “Okay, let's go,” and they both crossed that busy intersection. Now, George, of course, can hear horn honking and yelling and screaming, but he didn't know if it was for him or not. He kept crossing the street. Once he crossed on the other side, the man thanked him for his help. He did not know who he was and did not know that he was blind also, and went on his way. A few days later, George Shearing was sharing this with his band, and his close friends and he told them what had happened, and they were flabbergasted. They said, “George, why did you do such a dangerous thing? Why did you do that? You endangered both of your lives.” George said, “You know, I just could not resist the irony of it all, you know, the blind leading the blind thing. I just couldn't resist it.” And then he continued. He said, “You know, that was the biggest thrill of my life.” It might have been the biggest thrill for George Shearing, but it sure endangered their lives. But sadly, today, in every aspect of modern life, we are seeing this happening over and over again. So many blind are leading the blind in every aspect of life, and yet the word of God tells us very clearly, without equivocation, that every human being that is born, everyone one of us, we are born spiritually blind, every one of us. You know, when a baby is born, parents always, you know, count the toes and the fingers and make sure the baby is okay. But the one thing they can be sure about is that baby is born with, what C.S. Lewis calls, an internal set of eyes. You know, there is an accepted fact that is often used, sometimes glibly, sometimes accurately, and it goes like this, “Seeing is believing.” And yet, Jesus disproves this. He turns this accepted truth on it's head, and he is saying, “Believing is seeing.” When you come and put your faith in Jesus Christ as your only Savior and Lord, he opens those internal set of eyes. He opens those blind spiritual eyes, and so you are able to see things with clarity. In the Gospel of John chapter 9, Jesus was trying to answer one of the oldest and the most pressing question that has ever been asked by all of humanity. All of us at some point or another in our lives have asked that question. Some of you sitting here today are probably asking that question today. What is that question? The question is simply this: why would an all-loving and all-powerful God allow people to suffer? There is no easy answer to this question. But while there is no easy answer yet, if Jesus is saying anything to us about this incredible act of opening the eyes of the man who was born blind, he is saying to us the following. His is saying that God has an eternal purpose, even in your unexplainable suffering. That God has a longer view of life, even in the painful events of your life. That God has a wide-angled lens when it comes to the difficult circumstances in your life. That God has a higher aim, especially in those inexplicable situations. And that is why, when the disciples ask Jesus, “Did this man sin or did his parents sin, as a result of which he now is born blind?” Now, Jesus did not avoid the question. There is one thing about the Lord. He never avoided, never skirted the tough questions. You see, in the Jewish culture of that day, they believed that all of the suffering was a result of personal sin. For that specific situation, and he says in this particular case, “Neither he nor his parents have sinned so that he was born blind.” What did Jesus say? Listen closely. Jesus is saying a that there is not always a connection between sin and suffering. It is not that simple. Why? Because, as a result of Adam's sin in the garden, we now inherited that sin, and therefore we live in a fallen world. We live in an imperfect world. We live in a fragmented world. And many times, sin and sinners appear to be going unpunished while some others suffer unjustly, and you want to talk about suffering unjustly. Right at this very moment, as we sit in this Biker Church, there are a hundred million Christian believers around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ in the 21st century. See, today, the world is shaking on its axis. The world which was created flawlessly, justly, perfectly, is now dysfunctional. This planet is filled with misery and natural disasters and diseases and sin and death, but God did not create it that way. Sin corrupted it. Sin deformed it. Sin defiled it, and the Bible makes it very clear that all of humanity has been affected by that sin. Everyone of us have born with that sin. Someone said when you look at the most beautiful person and the strongest athlete of all, you are looking at the ruins of Adam. The finest in physical and mental and emotional specimen in the whole world is second-best to humanity as God created it. Our bodies were designed to function perfectly. They don't. Our emotions were created to give us joy, and now they become a source of pain. But Jesus makes it very clear in, John 9:3, the Gospel of John, suffering is not always directly traceable to a personal sin. But Jesus uses the opportunity of opening the eyes of this man born blind to teach us the most important lesson of life. What is it? Here it is. We are ALL born with spiritual blindness. And you may be the most beautiful woman in the world, you may be the strongest athlete in the world, you may be the most intellectual genius in the whole world, and yet the Bible said your internal spiritual eyes are blind. We are born with that blindness. You are spiritually blind until Jesus comes in and open those spiritual eyes, and you begin to see everything and see reality. This is the very reason why Jesus left heaven and came to earth, died on a cross, and rose again. Will you come to him and be assured of eternity? He promised that when you do come to him, he will never reject you. Blindness is not always a physical blindness. In fact, real blindness is the spiritual blindness, not the physical one. It's real blindness of the heart. But often physical limitation can also be used of God in a powerful way. Fanny Crosby was blind at an early age as a result of an accident, and yet she wrote tens and tens of wonderful hymns of the faith. Just think about this, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.” Isn't that incredible? When she was 8 years old, she wrote a rhyme that went something like this. “Oh, what a happy child I am, although I cannot see. I am resolved that in this world contended I will be. How many blessings I enjoy that other people don't. To weep and sigh because I'm blind, I cannot and I won't.” Fanny Crosby lived to be 94, and she lived the most joyful life. Real blindness is a blindness of the heart, and she blessed millions of people with her songs. Despite of her difficulties she impacted millions of people. Why? Because her spiritual eyes were opened, and that's really what matters. And here today we see this man who was born blind, whose eyes were opened by Jesus in order to teach every one of us a greater spiritual lesson, a lesson that is of vital importance in life. What is that lesson? That Jesus alone can open the spiritual eyes. He and he alone can deliver you from spiritual blindness. That Jesus alone can open your internal set of eyes. Jesus alone can reveal to you the danger of remaining in your deadly condition. I know in my own life, when Jesus opened my spiritual eyes, I was able to see myself for who I am: a sinner who's heading straight for hell, a sinner who's at enmity with God. And he revealed myself to me the way I am, not the way I wanted to project myself to the public, not what I like to think people think I am: a sinner who is desperately in need of the forgiveness of a Holy and Righteous God who died on the cross for me to show his love for me. And when your spiritual eyes are opened and you turn to him for forgiveness and for healing, you will never ever look back for all the money in the world. Only then will you discover that you have received the greatest miracle of all. Only then will you discover that you have received the living water that truly satifies your inner being, that you have become born again of the Spirit of God and fulfilled in him alone. That your spiritual eyes have become wide open and see what you could not see before. That you know God not only as your Savior, as your Lord, but as your friend and your companion, not only in this life, but for all eternity. And when you know God, even the human limitations, even the sufferings, even the difficult situations, even the painful things that you can't even explain, even your inexplicable circumstances can be used of God for your good and for his glory. In opening the eyes of the blind, the man born blind, Jesus was giving us a practical parable. Now, he told a lot of parables, lots of stories, but this is a practical one. One you can see with your eyes, not just hear with your ears, In order to show us a deeper meaning than just the physical seeing. Let me explain what I mean. What symbol did the Lord use to open the eyes of this man? Mud, right? Mud clay. You see, in the book of Genesis, when God created the first man, he created him from the clay of the earth. And when he recreates us, spiritually speaking, he used mud. In fact, clay is the symbol that is used in the Scripture over and over and over again. Jeremiah tells us that God is the potter and we are the clay. He indeed is molding us and he's shaping us into what he wants us to be. The Apostle Paul speaks of the believer's body as a pot of clay. You see, a pot of clay is weak. A pot of clay is fragile, but he said inside of the believer there is a priceless treasure. That is something that you cannot put a price on. That's the Holy Spirit of God, who comes and dwells in us. And when Jesus smeared the eyes of this man born blind, he was saying to every one of us, “Something has blinded this man.” Something has blinded you. Something has blinded me at birth. Something that closed our eyes. What is that something? The Bible calls that something, with which we're all born with, sin, because by nature all of humanity is born blind. We are spiritually blind in this fallen nature. This man faced opposition. The religious people opposed him. The clergy of the church wanted to throw him out. His family were embarrassed by the whole thing. The neighbors did not know what to believe. When the Pharisees kept on interrogating him, first the blind man said, in John 9:15 “This man put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see. I don't know much about him.” But then they kept on harassing him, they kept on pressing him. And so, the second time they come in, and he said, “Well, he must be a prophet, because no one can just do this. And then they harassed him again the third time. He said, “Don't confuse me with your religious mumbo jumbo. All I know is that I was blind but now I see. And that's a rough translation, but you get the meaning. The Pharisees cared more about the little personal rules and rituals than the man who was born blind, and now he sees. But they admitted that only God can open the blind eyes, and in fact, the Bible said in the book of Isaiah 29:18, 35:5 and 42:7 that when the Messiah comes, he is the one who will open the eyes of the blind, but they were too prideful to admit it. Some of you might be full of pride. You don't want to admit, you don't want to come to Jesus. You say, “I can help myself. How can a man dying 2,000 years ago save me?” That's the only way. In fact, this simple truth gave this humble man, this uneducated man, the upper hand over these educated clergy. The man said, “You are admitting your ignorance of who Jesus is, and yet he did what only God could do?” I hope you are seeing the irony here. This is a far greater irony than George Shearing crossing the street with a blind man. First, he knew that this man who opened his eyes is called Jesus. Secondly, he grew in faith, and he called him a prophet. Then he grew in faith a little bit more, “He must be from God.” And then, finally, when he really knew who Jesus was, he bowed down and worshiped him, and he said, “Lord, Lord.” The question is, wherever you are on the scale, wherever you are on that spectrum, wherever you are, just know Jesus is Jesus. You may be admiring him. You say, “I want to emulate him,” or you may know him as a prophet. You may know him even as the son of God, or you might know of him as God in human flesh, even. But if you really want to know him as the Savior of your soul, the Lord of your life, the Messiah, the redeemer, the deliverer, Jesus here said, “I am the light of the world.” And friends, any person that you know who's a Christian was spiritually blind at some point, and all of us who know Jesus came from darkness to him, the light of the world. And whether we came to him out of the darkness of addiction and pain and wanted to be delivered, whether we came to him from the darkness of difficulty and hardship of life and confessing that we cannot face life alone, whether some of us have come to him through the darkness of longing for contentment and real peace in life that only Jesus could give us. Some of us have come to him from the darkness of a total failure of not being able to help ourselves. Each of us came to him from a certain darkness to the light of the world, Jesus. And today, whatever darkness you are in, the light of the world wants you to come. Some of you are dragging your feet. Some of you are resisting. Jesus is ready to break through the darkness in your life, break through all the questioning and all the barriers that you're placing on yourself and to answer you. Will you come to him today, will you come to him? Lord Jesus, I confess that I'm a sinner and I desperately need your grace, mercy and forgiveness. Please forgive me of my sins. You died on the cross to pay for the wages of my sin. I come to you. Open my spiritual eyes and help me to see, that I may know you in the fullness of your power in Jesus name. Please bow your head with me as we pray, Heavenly Father we thank you for the healing that you gave to Becky Plemons this week. Bringing her through ICU several times and her getting her pacemaker installed and operating correctly. We thank you for the successful hip replacement that Donnie had Friday. We continue to pray for Dave, we know that you know his whereabouts and he is in your hands. We also pray for other unspoken requests. We thank you for the safety that you have given each of us this riding season and be with us these last few remaining weeks that we ride. We thank you for the food that we are about to eat and ask that you bless it to the nourishment of our bodies. In Jesus Holy Name we pray, Amen.

Beyond: Beyond the Blue I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 2 Corinthians 12:2 Many people form their first conceptions of heaven from the little Sunday school song, “Do Lord,” which includes the phrase, “I’ve got a home in gloryland that outshines the sun—way beyond the blue.” That’s not a bad first impression. Heaven is our home, and it’s glorious. It’s somewhere beyond the blue skies over our heads. Paul called it the Third Heaven and Paradise. Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 King Solomon had a different name for this place in 1 Kings 8:27 when he said, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!” Moses called this the “highest heaven” in Deuteronomy 10:14. Psalm 103:19 says, “The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.” This heaven—the heaven of heavens, the highest heaven—is the locale of the throne and the dwelling place of God. It is Paradise. It is our eternal home. This is where we will soon live side-by-side with God and with the angels and with the redeemed of all the ages—far beyond the blue. The most thrilling thing about heaven is that Jesus Christ will be there. I will see Him face to face. Billy Graham

“One Habit to Make You Happier” Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom. Colossians 3:16 Recommended Reading Colossians 3:12-17 Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal ran an article entitled “One Habit to Make You Happier Today.” The writer said, “Repeating a positive phrase, or mantra, to yourself creates new pathways between neurons in your brain, conditioning you to feel calmer and healthier. Research shows that thinking of a word or phrase that affirms our values—and repeating it over and over—produces powerful physiological changes…. Mantras can create and strengthen new neural pathways that are positive and not toxic. And that can make our brain much calmer and happier.” For some odd reason, the writer neglected to mention the power of quoting the Bible to oneself. It isn’t a mantra we need but manna from heaven. It’s not a positive sentence but a promise from God. We don’t need clichés; we need Scripture. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Self-control is a battle that begins in our minds. Our minds as well as our hearts need to be focused on God and His Word. Daily Bible reading and meditation really is the one habit that will make you happier—and holier—every day. The Bible contains all the information needed for life’s challenges. Its words provide strategies for every situation we face. They are life-changing and life-giving. God’s promises are never-failing, and His truths are infallibly reliable. David Jeremiah

The Importance of Walls Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls. Proverbs 25:28 Recommended Reading Nehemiah 1:1-4 Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem that lay in ruins during Israel’s Babylonian captivity. When he heard a report that the gates and walls were in ruins, he wept and called out to God for help (Nehemiah 1:5-11). King Artaxerxes granted permission for Nehemiah to return and rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. The importance of city walls in the ancient world cannot be overstated. A wall in disrepair could be easily breached; a broken-down wall allowed enemies ready access to a city and its population. King Solomon used walls as a metaphor for a certain part of human behavior. He didn’t compare walls to love, joy, peace, or other godly traits. Instead, he said walls around cities are the equivalent of self-control in a person’s life. As walls protect a city from harm, so self-control protects people. Think of all the harm that could have come to an ancient city whose walls were broken down. Now consider the same dangers on a personal level. Self-control, enabled by the Spirit, is part of your spiritual and moral protection (Galatians 5:22-23). It is impossible to be a follower of Jesus without giving diligent attention in our lives to the grace of self-control. Jerry Bridges

An Easy Yoke Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29 Recommended Reading Matthew 23:1-4 Throughout His ministry, Jesus directed His words at two audiences: the nation of Israel as a whole and people as individuals. Both occur in His famous invitation in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me. . . . for I am gentle and [humble] in heart.” He invites His listeners to exchange their heavy yokes and burdens for His “easy” and “light” ones. Corporately, His words might be connected to Psalm 81:6: “I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the baskets,” a reference to God rescuing Israel from the burden of slavery in Egypt. Jesus was picturing Himself as continuing the provision of rest begun by Israel’s God in the Old Testament. Individually, His words probably refer to the religious loads and burdens heaped upon people by the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:1-4). People could exchange the burden of the Law for the rest of grace in Christ. In both cases, Jesus was speaking to weary people. They could come to Him without fear of rebuke or judgment. Our humility should have the same effect on others. They should know they can rest in our spiritual presence and find refreshment in Christ through us. Thou hast created us for Thyself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in Thee. Augustine

When Jesus reigns over the earth as King for the one-thousand year Millennium, life will be vastly different than we’ve ever known it. Revelation chapter twenty paints a beautiful picture of that life – a time of peace and prosperity, holiness and worship.

Meekness: Not Weakness (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) Numbers 12:3 Recommended Reading Matthew 5:5 Somewhere along the way, meekness was made a synonym of weakness. Granted, there is a fine line between the words in the semantic range of meek: “gentle, soft, submissive, humble, compliant.” They sound more weak than strong. Modern Bible versions have taken steps to correct the problem. In the King James Version, “meek” occurs seventeen times; in the New King James Version, it only occurs five times in the New Testament. “Humble” is now used in many verses instead of “meek.” And humility, biblically speaking, should never be confused with weakness. For instance, in Numbers 12:3, Moses is described as “very meek” in the King James Version, but in the New King James Version he is “very humble.” Would anyone say Moses was weak or compliant? No, but he could easily be seen as humble before God (in spite of occasional outbursts). Indeed, it takes strength to be humble, strength demonstrated by Jesus when He humbled Himself, and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the “cross” (Philippians 2:8). Paul says we should also be humble (verse 3, NIV). Arrogance and pride are not strengths but weaknesses. Conversely, humility is a Christ-like strength that should characterize all who follow Him. The surest mark of true conversion is humility. J. C. Ryle

Be Faithful Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 Recommended Reading 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 The Old Testament story of Joseph is filled with lessons for the child of God, not least of which is the importance of integrity (faithfulness). While a captive in Egypt, Joseph was made the chief steward of Potiphar, an official of the Pharaoh. Potiphar trusted Joseph implicitly: “So [Potiphar] left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with [Joseph] there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate” (Genesis 39:6a, NASB). Joseph was the same when Potiphar was absent as when he was present. Potiphar worried about nothing in his household because Joseph was honest and loyal. That is the heart of integrity and faithfulness. Joseph reflected the unchanging nature of God: always the same, always faithful, always loyal to His children (2 Timothy 2:13). As God conforms us to the image of Christ, we should be the same. Jesus said that our character—our works and words—is one way our lives can reveal the person of God to a world not used to such integrity. Think about your life today. How faithful will you be? How trustworthy and loyal? Let integrity and faithfulness set you apart from this world. Integrity of heart is indispensable. John Calvin