On Your Mark...Get Set......GO!

"In The Beginning......God.....
The Bible opens with these words...."In the beginning, God
When time began...
When the first second of the first minute of the first hour of the first day ticked....God was there.
And it was from this beginning that everything we know, understand, see, touch, taste, hear, and smell had its birth. God was there to speak it into existence. What power! That the very words that came forth had the ability to create molecular levels of power which, when bonded together, created the things we now take for granted.
God was there....
God is always there.
Not only at the beginning, but in the middle as well as at the end.
He cannot be outlasted by anyone or anything.
Even during Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, Scripture reads that the devil left him for a more opportune time. In other words, Jesus simply outlasted the devil. To me, that is a great comfort to know that my Savior does not grow weary or faint but "lives to make intercession for the saints.'
I take great comfort that no matter what is going on around me, Jesus is there.
No matter what the pain and hurt my physical or mental state  may be in, Jesus is there, and he isn't a passive bystander watching. He is constant contact with God the Father interceding on our behalf.
No matter what my "beginning" is in my life..........there was God.

No matter what your situation is today.....In the beginning of it, God was there and continues to be close.
Scripture reads where Jesus says, "I'll never forsake you or desert you." That means his presence is with us 24/7...365.
It is the devil that wants you to feel abandoned and alone.
It is he who desires to get you to take your focus off of God and turn it inward to your problems.
If he can do that, then he can keep you in darkness and not seeking God for direction and strength.
Trust God today like you never have before.
Think on these things.....
mb

Sat-Day!

Much on tap here at Rapha today.
Work detail to get the camp all spruced up.
Guys going on pass.
Football on TV this afternoon.
Visitation!
Family will converge here at 12:30 to spend some time with sons/ husbands/brothers/grandsons/etc....
Much food...
Much Laughter...
Much love...
Hopefully some healing of relationships this afternoon.

Tonight at the BACKDOOR (our Saturday Service) Royce Head will be speaking.
I love Royce and his plain, no nonsense way of looking at Scripture.
Royce and I tend to view Scripture in the same way and fashion. We are just crazy enough to believe that it's true and what it says, it means.

Verse of the Day:
I John 2:15-16
Do not love the world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from the world.

Love for the things of this world does nothing but bring destruction and death to us. Love for the things of the world comes from our sinful nature which whispers to us with seductive words trying to lure us into its trap.
The world (as mentioned in this verse) is morally evil system that is under the influence of Satan and is opposed to God and the Christ's kingdom here on earth.

If you find this hard to believe then consider the following.
We know what will end the spread of aids.
We know what will end teenage pregnancies.
We know what will stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
We know what will stop the unraveling and decay of the moral fabric of our nation and society.....
Abstinence! It is the best form of prevention.
But because of love for the things of this world and disdain for the things of God, we reject this notion in favor of doing what we want to do.
Moral restriction is not devised for the convenience of the people.
Moral restriction is important because it defines the boundaries of acceptable social behavior.
Genuine follower's of Christ demonstrate their love for God by their obedience to God's commands.

Think on this today!

God on you......
mb

"Grave Robber"

I Thessalonians 4:16-18 - For the LORD himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, those who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the LORD in the air. Then we will be with the LORD forever. So encourage each other with these words.

Maranatha Lord Jesus!

God on you...

mb

Thanky, Thanky, Thanky!!!!

Psalm 100:4
Enter His gates with thanksgiving. Go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His name.

The devil (yes, Virginia there is a devil) is a mean motor-scooter and wants to mess with our heads a.k.a minds.
He wants us to stay focused on what we don't have in this life....
How terrible things are for us and around us.....
What a bunch of loser's he tries to make us out to be.
In other words, he doesn't want us to think on the things of God.
The Psalm passage says we are to enter into the rule of God, the presence of God with thanksgiving.
So what do I have to be thankful for today....
1.) A great family.....the Bynum's aren't perfect, but dog gone it, we are a fun bunch. My wife, Vicki...if ever there was physical, tangible evidence of a godly woman, it is Vicki. Everything you read in Proverbs 31 is true. My sons, Chad and Josh....godly men with a heart for the Kingdom. Daughters-in-law, Heather and Robin......the same a Vicki, women of integrity and love of God. Two grand children, Tyler and Ashley....the love of my life.

2.) My health. I have been blessed beyond measure with good health (so to speak). Oh there are days when I crawl out of bed and my bones and joints sound like a bowl of Rice Krispies ,but that is all part of growing older. There is only one alternative if you don't want to grow old.........that is die young.

3.) Friends. I have been blessed to have some really great people in my life. They make me a better man. Their lives are an encouragement to not give up or go back to old ways.

4.) My relationship with God. Saved in 1961. Up and down over the next few years. Really on fire 1968 through 1972. Walked in darkness from 1972 till 1979. 1980-1991 began a journey of chasing God. 1991-1993 preparation for what is happening today in my life. 1993-2006 training/ ordination/ full time ministry. 2006-2010 Staff pastor at Rapha Treatment Center.  Through it all....through my foul ups and my "getting it right" God has been the one constant. I am thankful and grateful for His presence and His grace in my life.

5.) Steve and Marilynn Yarbrough-  Obedience to God created a place where I could minister to those in addiction. Sacrifice and service underline these two wonderful people.

I could go on and on listing things I am grateful for.
Coffee.....
Color TV....
Dogs......
Morning rain......
Good sounding guitars and people who know how to play....
Nori, Barbie, Cynthia and Lizzie Kelley.
Danny Daniels.....
My pick up truck.....
Early morning rain....
A good meal at the Waffle House.
The sound of Owls at night.
And most of all....
At the top of the list....
No...
Beyond the top of the list....
Jesus Christ.....
Today I am grateful....

God on you....
mb

Nearer My God To Thee

John 11:36-37
The people who were standing nearby said, "see how much he loved him!" But some said, "This man healed a blind man. Couldn't he have kept Lazarus from dying?"

Jesus was standing at the tomb of Lazarus, a man who Jesus loved deeply. Jesus had eaten supper with Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. Now death, the great invader, had come to take Lazarus. But this death was to be a example and point to the glory of God.

Scripture said there were people standing "nearby".
They were in close proximity to Jesus but were not next to Him.
Yet these two groups had made judgment based on what they say, concerning who Jesus truly was.
One was moved by His heart........"See how much Jesus loves Lazarus".
The other group moved by the fact that Jesus didn't go beyond and do more than what they were seeing.
Two groups who each had defined who Jesus was. Yet each of these groups stood off a distance and made their decisions based on what they saw.

People still tend to act this way even today. People have opinions about who Jesus is and what he is doing.
One claims........oh Jesus is a God of love. His love supersedes everything else. Jesus wouldn't send you to hell. There is some truth to these statements. Jesus is love. Jesus gave his life for humanity. But there is a judgment side that must be handed out also. Read Revelation 19 and you won't see much of the loving Jesus in that chapter. You see a military Jesus, getting ready to come back in judgment.

There is another group who is always criticizing the plans and works of God. Where was God in that tsunami that killed all those people? Where was God on 9/11? Where was God when that football player from Mississippi State died of Cancer? Where was God....Where was God...Where was God? These words come from hearts that truly do not know God. I make no claims to some kind of elite Christian. But what I know above all else is that no matter what happens in my life, good or bad, God is still God and He is still worthy to be worshipped. Sometimes in midst of pain and grief........when sorrow and darkness grip your very soul and you think, "I can't go on." It is there you find the sufficiency of Christ. That one bit of illumination that the Holy Spirit uses to break through and show you what real truth is.

So don't be one of those who stand at a distance and make assumptions about Jesus.
Enter into relationship with Him....
Be Saved....
Be Born Again.....
Be Redeemed......
Be all of the above and then live everyday up close and personal with Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit in you.
I'm telling you this morning that even in the middle of all the mess of my own life........God is in control and He is worthy to be praised.

God on you.....
mb

I Will Meet You There

The Ark of the Covenant. Ark, meaning box, was built by the Israelites under the direction of Moses who had received instruction from God on "how to".  In Exodus 25:22 we read where God tells Moses, "I will meet you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel."

Imagine that! God gives a specific location where He will be and that He will communicate from that place. Instruction....
Guidance.....
Encouragement.....
Discipline.....
All given from this location. You might be busy during the day, but at some point drop what you were doing and walk over to the Tabernacle. Everyone did not have access to this Ark, only the High Priest. But even as one of the many Israelites, you could at least be near when the High Priest went into the holy of holies. You could watch as the priest's took the tabernacle down and moved the ark. As cool as this was, what God has done for us through the work of Jesus Christ is more amazing. I understand the fascination that the Ark holds for people. But what God has brought forth for humanity is beyond comprehension. No longer do we have to go to a tabernacle and offer sacrifices. No longer do we have to have someone else hear God for us. No longer do we have to rely on a system of ritual and tradition. We have a high priest who entered the holy of holies once and for all time, pouring his blood out to pay the ultimate price for the salvation of humanity.
If you notice the picture of the ark, you'll notice the two angels (Cherubim) on the cover or lid. Seems as thought the idea of Cherubim has been a staple in God's kingdom.

Genesis 3:24 - After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Cherubim are a class of angels that guard access to God's presence (Ezek. 28:14). God, in the Exodus 25 passage, states that He would dwell between the Cherubim. Now let's flash forward to a tomb on the outskirts of Jerusalem. A place of the dead. A place that holds nothing but memories of loved ones that have gone on. But here in this place we will find something very interesting. In this tomb the body of Jesus had been laid. Early on the first day of the week, women have gone to finish the burial preparation of Jesus. When they arrive they are greeted by a sight that has a familiar ring to it. John 20:12....."She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the others at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying."  Sound familiar? Two angles? Ark of the Covenant? 

God gave the Law to Moses and at the Ark, it was placed inside. Here the reality of man's ability and future was sealed. The Law gave definition to sin and sin brought forth death and destruction to humanity. But in the tomb, the Law was satisfied through death and resurrection of Jesus. Mankind would no longer die in their sins, because salvation had come. Now, here in this tomb, stood two angels to proclaim to the world that "He has risen!" What began as a gold box built by the hands of sinful man, ended with the power of the Holy Spirit invading death and taking back the glorified, risen Son of God. And it is because of this that I have access into the holy of holies. It is because of this I can come boldly to the God's throne of Grace. It is because of Jesus, that the Law no longer holds sway over me. Praise God! Praise God! Praise God!..If that doesn't set you on fire, then your wood is wet.

God on you.....
mb

Pass It On

Judges 2: 10-
After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the LORD or remember the mighty thing he had done for Israel.

An entire generation grew up, married, had children and became mother's and father's......and in all of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, they did not acknowledge the presence of the hand of God. A God who had defined their history as a people, was now not even a memory.

If you read on in this particular passage is reads  They abandoned the LORD the God of their ancestors who had brought them out of Egypt. They chased after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. Now while we do not currently have stone-carved, graven images in our country, we do  have other gods who are very subtle in nature. gods such as "comfort" and "lifestyle"......."image" and "ego".   They have supplanted the true God of heaven and have become the deity that knees are bowed to.
Truth be known, we are raising a generation that worships "Self".  We have discarded the notion that we were created in the image of God and have, in turn, created God in our image.
Seems as though we have lost our moral and spiritual compass. IF ever there was a time in our nation when we need a revival, not a renewal, it is now. That we be shaken to the very core of our being and brought forth out of the miry depths of self, to be made whole through the presence and fire of the Holy Spirit.

Listen to what God told Moses He was going to do for Israel, who was trapped in the bondage of Egypt.
1.) I will free your slavery in Egypt.
2.) I will redeem you with mighty power and great acts of judgment.
3.) I will make you my own special people.
4.) I will be your God.
5.) I will bring you into the land I have promised you.
why?
"I am the LORD!"

What are you trapped by today?
Whatever it is, God wants to free you so you can become a part of His family and Kingdom.
Today is the day of your salvation.
May you find what God has for you today.

God on you......
mb