Temple Baptist Life

Let me suggest you consider the difference between dogs and cats. The master pets a dog, and the dog wags its tail and thinks, “He must be a god.” But the master pets his cat, and the cat purrs, shuts its eyes and thinks to itself, “I must be a god.” Though Jesus in grace reached down to us, there is still a perverse human tendency to think like the cat! He is Lord. Not you, not me, only Him. He is in control and we are living in His world. We must be submissive to Jesus every waking moment. If we can come to the point of declaring and making Lord of our lives we will live lives of contentment and peace. We will know that nothing happens by coincidence or chance. All things that come into our lives have purpose and meaning. Even when we do not understand the meaning and significance of an event of circumstance that comes into our lives. Learning this principle will allow us to live lives fulfilled and lives that hold purpose. We will find the contentment we search for and the peace we desire.

The question might be, What do you want? I ran across an interesting poem that struck home: It was spring. But it was summer I wanted – The warm days, and the great outdoors.
It was summer. But it was fall I wanted – The colorful leaves, & the cool, dry air.
It was fall. But it was winter I wanted – The beautiful snow, & the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter. But it was spring I wanted – The warmth, & the blossoming of nature.
I was a child. But it was adulthood I wanted – The freedom, & the respect.
I was 20. But it was 30 I wanted – To be mature, & sophisticated.
I was middle-aged. But it was 20 I wanted – The youth, & the free spirit.
I was retired. But it was middle-age I wanted – The presence of mind, without limitations.
Then my life was over, & I never got what I wanted.

What do you want? The answer cannot be from a human standpoint it must be from a heavenly view. Is the desire of your heart to have Jesus as Lord of your life? Many people never seem satisfied, and almost everybody wants more. A little child wants more toys and more television time. A teenager wants more freedom and more popularity. Most of us adults want more possessions and more leisure time. Certainly as we age, we want more health, more friends, and more loyalty from our children.

Yet, listen to these words of the Apostle Paul, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any & every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” – Philippians 4:11-12

Obviously, God wants us to be a happy, satisfied people. We shouldn’t be restless and jealous, always chafing about what we don’t have of what happens in our lives. There should be a spirit of thankfulness in us that brands us as belonging to Him and desiring Jesus to be in control.

The Lord has provided us with plenty, too. There are few of us who ever go hungry. In fact, we’ve so much to eat that dieting is a constant discipline or, maybe more accurately, a constant discussion.

The Bible clearly teaches that there are 2 paths we can take. One leads to destruction, and Satan tries to lead us along that path. It is such a broad and smooth road. It often seems like the logical way to go.

The other is the path of righteousness that leads to the glory that God is preparing for us. Sometimes this way is narrow and difficult and filled with obstacles. But the good Shepherd knows which way His sheep are to go, and He leads them on that path of righteousness.

If He is truly Lord of your life, He will lead you where He wants you to be and we will find what we want. We are always satisfied when He is in control. Life seems at peace. We might even say we really start to live when we finally make Jesus Lord of our lives.

There were 3 preachers in a coffee shop and were discussing the time when life began. They each gave their opinion of when life begins.

One preacher said “Life begins when the child takes his or her first breath.”

The other said “NO,” then he finished, “It begins when the child is conceived.”

But the last preacher said “You both have the wrong answer! Life begins when the last child leaves home and the dog dies!”

WHEN DOES LIFE REALLY BEGIN? I am glad to say that life begins when you give your sins to Jesus. And when you come to an altar of repentance and you say… I NEED THEE O LORD! I NEED THEE! And you make Him Lord of your life.

Imagine, husbands, that you are at a mall with a friend, and become so engrossed in looking at sporting goods or whatever interests you that you forget all about the time. Suddenly you remember that you were supposed to pick up your wife at 2:30 from the beauty parlor, and it is already 4:00.

With a cry of “Oh, no!” you rush to a phone booth to call the beauty parlor and ask if she’s still there. They say, “No, she left quite some time ago.” You think, “Man, I’m dead.” Your friend asks, “Is something wrong?” You answer, “I was supposed to pick up my wife an hour and 1/2 ago! My in-laws are coming over tonight & this was going to be a special evening. But I forgot to pick her up.”

Then you get back on the phone and call home, your son answers. You ask, “Son, is your mom there?” Your son answers, “Dad! Whatever you do, don’t come home. Yeah, she’s here, but Dad, she walked home! Have you looked outside, Dad? It’s raining! It started raining about 5 minutes after she started walking.”

“What does she look like?” “Well, Dad, you’ve seen the dog when it comes in from the rain? She looks something like that. Goodbye, Dad – I love you!”

Well, you know that you’re in a world of trouble! But you head for home anyway. And as you pull in the drive, you see your in-laws coming down the street. You think, “I’ve got to beat them inside to make this thing right!”

You open the door and try to assume your most humble expression. You droop your shoulders, but there stands your wife – a soup spoon in one hand and a knife in the other. She has homicide in her eyes and snarls, “You promised – 2:30! I walked over a mile in these high heels to get home, and it rained the whole way! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?”

You think, “What can I say? `I hit my head at the mall & got amnesia’? `A Palestinian terrorist grabbed me & I’ve been held hostage for the last few hours’? No, that won’t do. I’ve got to tell her the truth. `Honey, I’m sorry. I’m an idiot & I just forgot. I have no excuse. I just forgot.’” Finally she responds, “I know you forgot, but it’s okay. Just give me a kiss and let’s forget it.”

Gentlemen, what kind of kiss would you give your wife? Would you just give her a little peck on the cheek? No. Even if your in-laws were coming through the door, I’m sure you would grab her and kiss her like you’ve never kissed her before. And you would say, “Honey, you’re the greatest wife in the world! I love you! Thank you for being so forgiving and so understanding.”

Now let me ask you, When you come to church on Sunday morning, & hear about the goodness and mercy of God, and of a cup that’s overflowing; when you worship God – are you just going to give Him a peck on the cheek? Or are you going to embrace Him and love Him and thank Him for being so understanding and so forgiving?

I hope you would make Him Lord of your life and live for Him every minute you live. He is the only one who deserves to be your Lord and you can never repay or make it up to Him for what He has done for you. Through all our sin and mistakes, He is there to forgive and love. I am so glad HE IS LORD!!!

Is He Your Lord?