Heaven's Grocery Store

Heaven's Grocery Store
I was walking down life's highway a long time ago,
One day I saw a sign that read Heaven's Grocery Store,
As I got a little closer the door came open wide,
And when I came to myself I was standing inside.

I saw a host of angels they were standing everywhere,
One handed me a basket and said my child shop with care,
Everything a Christian needed was in that Grocery Store,
And all you couldn't carry you could come back the next
day for more.

First I got some Patience, Love was in the same row,
Further down was Understanding, you need that everwhere
you go,
I got a box or two of Wisdom, a bag or two of Faith,
I just couldn't miss the Holy Ghost for it was all over
the place.

I stopped to get some Strength and Courage to help me run
this race,
By then my basket was getting full, but I remembered I
needed some Grace.

I didn't forget Salvation, for Salvation that was free,
So, I tried to get enough of that to save both you and me,
Then I started up to the counter to pay my grocery bill,
For I thought I had everything to do My Master's Will.

As I went up the aisle I saw Prayer and I just had to
put that in,
For I knew when I stepped outside, I would run right into sin.
Peace and Joy were plentiful, they were on the last shelf,
Song and Praise were hanging near so I just helped myself.

Then, I said to the Angel now how much do I owe?
He just smiled and said, just take them everywhere you go,
Again I smiled at him and said, how much, now do I really
Owe?

He smiled again and said, "MY CHILD JESUS PAID YOUR BILL A
LONG TIME AGO."

Dancing with God

When I meditated on the word Guidance,

I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.  

I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.  

When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. 

The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.  

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. 

One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.  

It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. 

The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.  

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.  

When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".  

"God, "u" and "i" dance."  

God, you, and I dance.  

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life..  

Once again, I became willing to let God lead...  

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies are upon you on this day and every day.  

May you abide in God, as God   abides in you. 

Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.  

This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.  

If God has done anything for  you in your life,   

please share this message with someone else.  

There is no cost but a lot of rewards; so let's continue to pray for one another.  

 And I Hope You Dance Through 2014

 

 

 

Biblical numbers --- seven

And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. (Joshua 6:4)

In the Bible, numbers have spiritual significance. Of all the biblical numbers, seven is the most familiar because it appears about 600 times. Seven denotes spiritual perfection. It means divine fulness, completeness and totality. It comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to be full,” “to be satisfied,” and “to have enough.

Many times seven is important as a symbol rather than as an actual number. Whenever you read seven, it does not always literally mean seven things or seven occurrences. It is symbolic of the whole or the completion or the ideal situation or the perfect picture of things. Seven constitutes a complete cycle.

One of the most profound examples of the use of the symbolic number seven is related to the fall of Jericho in the Joshua 6:1-20. Notice how many sevens appear in the scripture above. The use of the number seven simply means fulfillment or enough. Enough priests blew the trumpets and enough people marched around the walls enough times for the walls to come tumbling down.

Revelation, the last book of the Bible that completes the word of God contains more sevens than any of the other books. There are seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven personages, seven vials, seven woes, and seven new things. Additionally, there are seven glories of the Son of Man, and seven blessings. The word “Jesus” is found seven times, “Jesus Christ” seven times and the wrath of God seven times.

In just one verse in Isaiah 11:2, the Holy Spirit rested on Jesus in seven distinct ways: Spirit of God, wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and fear of God. Our desire should be that the Holy Spirit will rest within us in the same seven ways.

Biblical numbers --- six

Six

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning; the sixth day. (Genesis 1:27, 31).

Six is the number for man because he was created on the sixth day. It should remind us of our human incompleteness. Man without God will always be incomplete. No matter what we do in our own strength, we will always fall one below the perfect number seven. What God created on the previous days, “And God saw that it was good.” However, when God made man, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

The sixth commandment calls our attention to the value of the human life that was created on the sixth day. It says, “Do not kill” (Exodus 20:13). The serpent was also created on the sixth day (Genesis 1:24). This lets us know that Satan is capable of tricking us if given the chance. Six days mark the completion of creation as God’s work. Therefore, six days were appointed for man’s labor. Like God, man should cease from his labor after the sixth day. If God could complete all creation in six days, we should take a break from our labor after six days.

Six is also the number of balance, harmony, cooperation and marriage. Jesus’ first miracle changed six pots of water to wine for the wedding feast (John 2:6). A wedding represents love as does the number six. Is that the reason June (the sixth month) is favored for weddings? Could it be the reason Boaz gave Ruth six measures of barley symbolic of his love and protection (Ruth 3:15)?

If we want miracles to happen in our lives, we should remember that we are incomplete without God. Satan is out to trick us because of our human weakness. We should allow ourselves to be filled to the brim like the six water pots. Then, like the wine at the wedding, our lives will change miraculously.

Biblical numbers ---- five

Five

Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. (Matthew 25:2)

The number five is seen throughout the Bible, but almost every time it is used, it is merely a part of a whole. It is so small of a bigger piece that it could be considered only a “handful” as the five fingers on one’s hand. The first five books of the Bible known as the Pentateuch comprise only a portion of the 66 books of the entire Bible.

Even though five represents a small sum which appears to be insignificant within the larger scheme, it does individually possess high value. When Abraham pleads to God to spare the people of Sodom, he begins by pleading for five fewer righteous people as to suggest that the loss of five would be insignificant in its consequence (Genesis 18:22-23). Sometimes in the Bible, the number five is half of the perfect number ten as in the parable of the ten virgins. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise (Matthew 25:2). The Ten Commandments are distinctly divided into two pairs of fives. The first five commandments deal with our relationship with God; the last five deal with our relationship with others. Only Commandment #5 is different in that it is the only one with a promise associated with it.

At times five indicates just recompense or bounteous reward. Thieves must repay five times the value of the oxen they steal (Exodus 22:1). Benjamin was honored by Joseph with five times more food than his brothers (Genesis 43:34) and five sets of clothes (Genesis 45:22). We can’t forget that Jesus took five loaves to feed five thousand. It was abundance for the multitude.

The number five represents God’s grace seen throughout the structure of the tabernacle in the wilderness. The pillars were five cubits apart and five cubits high. The brazen altar was five cubits by five cubits. There were five pillars at the end of the Holy Place. The sides of the tabernacle were reinforced by five bars on each side (Exodus 26:26-27). The inner covering of the tabernacle was composed of five curtains which were attached to five other curtains for a total of ten curtains (Exodus 26:3). Notice the double five pattern. There were five original priests: Aaron and his four sons (Exodus 28:1)

Five is a number of preparation as the first five books of the Bible prepare you for Israel’s story throughout the rest of the Bible. The five wise virgins were prepared. David, in preparing for Goliath, took up five smooth stones. To prepare and perfect the saints for ministry, some are called to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors or teachers (Ephesians 4:11-12). Through these five outlets goes forth the gospel of Jesus Christ. Surely, you are prepared to fit into one of these five because of God’s grace.

Biblical numbers --- four

Four

Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. (Luke 13:29)

Four is the creation number and it has special significance to the earth. Four is symbolic of earthly completeness. On the fourth day, all materials for the earth were created. Four is the number of the great elements: earth, air, fire, and water. There are four regions or directions: north, south, east, and west. There are four seasons of the year: fall, winter, spring, and summer. There are four phases of the moon: first, half, full, and last. There are four divisions of the day: morning, noon, evening, and night. The Bible also has ten references to the four winds.

The number four indicates universality. This means that from one point to the next point, everything is included such as in the scripture above. It is universal participation. All people will come from all four corners of the earth to enjoy the kingdom of God as is illustrated in the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Four in the scriptures portrays universal observation, worship and adoration as in Revelation 4:6-8. “Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.”

Let’s conclude our study of the number four on a note of hope for those who might be in a fiery furnace today. Don’t give up. Jesus appeared as the fourth man to save the three Hebrew boys (Daniel 3:25). He will do the same for you.

Biblical numbers --- three

Three

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)

Three in the Bible is divine fullness or completion as in the Godhead of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We know this concept as the Trinity even though the word “trinity” is not in the Bible. The trinitarian formula is mentioned in the Great Commission listed above and also in Paul’s benediction at the end of this message. Some examples of three being the number of spiritual fullness: Jonah was in the belly of the big fish three days and Jesus was in the grave three days. Three days were enough to prove that Jesus had conquered sin, death, and the grave.

Three is the minimum number necessary to establish a pattern. Something can happen once by chance; twice by coincidence; but three consecutive times usually indicate a pattern. For example, Samuel heard his name called three times before Eli confirmed that it was God calling Samuel (I Samuel 3:8).

When we are expecting confirmation concerning a certain act, it is good news to know that when something happens three times, it points to greater fulfillment yet to unfold. For example, if you have been asked out on a date three times, there might be further development of the relationship. If you have been on a job for at least three years, more than likely you could be in line for a promotion. When something happens three times, it gains emphasis such as when Peter denied Jesus three times. Three times Pilate wanted to release Jesus, but three times the chief priests and rulers rejected Him. This repetition represents the emphasis placed on the rejection (Luke 23:13-25).

Three speaks of totality, sufficiency and the complete work of God. Man is a trifold being: body, spirit and soul. Notice when preachers preach and Bible teachers teach, they usually speak using the trifold concept whether they realize it or not. It is usually automatic. Listen to hear them say: faith, hope and love; grace, peace, and mercy; morning, noon, and night; Peter, James and John; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and “Holy, Holy, Holy” etc.

And now the three-part benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” (2 Corinthians 13:13)