TAKEN FOR GRANTED

TAKEN FOR GRANTED

• Drinking water
• Electricity
• Food

TAKEN FOR GRANTED

• Sleep
• Right to vote
• Dust will return

TAKEN FOR GRANTED

• Health
• The car will start
• Education

TAKEN FOR GRANTED

• The day will begin
• Something will go right
• The day will end

TAKEN FOR GRANTED

• It will rain for the picnic
• Chocolate
• Coffee

TAKEN FOR GRANTED

• Love
• Family
• God

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

What do you take for granted? What do you know will always be there?

We take so many things for granted. We just know they will always be there, when the truth is that everything on this list can disappear in a heartbeat. Everything except one.

SCRIPTURES

In the beginning God… Genesis 1:1

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

GUARANTEED

• God

TEMPTATION

SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 4:1-11 -- from THE MESSAGE

Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: "Since you are God's Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread."

Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: "It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God's mouth."

For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, "Since you are God's Son, jump." The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: "He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won't so much as stub your toe on a stone."

Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: "Don't you dare test the Lord your God."

For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth's kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, "They're yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they're yours."

Jesus' refusal was curt: "Beat it, Satan!" He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: "Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."

The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus' needs.

TEMPTATION

Our Sunday School class is studying Matthew and we are ready to discuss the temptation/test of Jesus. Last week I asked them to think about the first temptation. Comparing the contrast between Adam and Eve’s temptation and that of Jesus should make for some interesting discussion.

SCRIPTURE: GENESIS 3:8-12 -- from THE MESSAGE

When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God.

God called to the Man: "Where are you?"

He said, "I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid."

God said, "Who told you you were naked? Did you eat from that tree I told you not to eat from?"

The Man said, "The Woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it."

God said to the Woman, "What is this that you've done?"

"The serpent seduced me," she said, "and I ate."

TEMPTATION

Can you picture the Garden of Eden? Adam and Eve surrounded by everything they would ever need and no worries. They didn’t have to think about their next meal or if they would be out of a job. They didn’t have to listen to the never ending chatter on cell phones and the price of fuel was of no concern to them. AND they were in the garden with God. WITH GOD!!!! How much better could it get?

Can you picture the temptation of Jesus? Jesus was out in the wild, by himself, hungry and tired. He didn’t even have a peanut butter sandwich and no pillow top mattress was to be found. When He looked out, all He saw was bleak. Desolate. Barren. No one around to talk to and if He would have had a cell phone, there would have been no service. How much worse could it get?

Yet -- with everything in the world at their feet, Adam and Eve could not say no.

Yet -- alone, Jesus would not say yes.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

You will be tempted/tested. Are you ready?

LET US PRAY (Please use this as a beginning of your prayer. Finish in your own words, words from your heart.)

Lord, instill in me the desire, the wisdom and the strength to say, "Beat it, Satan!" Amen

BACK BUT BROKEN: THE DIFFERENCE ONE-HALF OF A STEP CAN MAKE

As promised, it is August 17 and I am back. But I am broken.

This could be a long story but, since I have to hunt and peck, I am going to shorten it. This year had been my year of vacations. Did you catch the “had been?” Because I have now marked a trip to Colorado and some sister time off my list. Marked them right off even though they were written in ink. Why? One-half of a step and some slick paint!

I had gotten out of a swimming pool, at McCormick Creek State Park, was walking over to get my camera to take pictures of grandsons who consider themselves quite the divers and -- down I went. My wet foot hit slick paint and I found myself sitting on rather warm concrete, with my left arm looking a bit out of alignment. After getting my daughter’s attention and the lifeguards realizing I was not just sitting there for the fun of it, things became a bit chaotic.

• Terri called her daddy and told him to get to the pool.
• The ambulance arrived.
• The ambulance, with me aboard, Bill following and Terri next in line, left for Bloomington, where Terri removed the Purdue hat she was wearing. (Some will understand this removal of hat.)
• 5+ hours later full of pain meds, arm in splint and changed out of my bathing suit into jammies, we left the hospital.
• We checked into a nearby motel and the next day came home with this gal still in her jammies.

I want to commend all that helped me. Those lifeguards took good care of me until the ambulance got there. The ambulance crew was great and understood my strange sense of humor. The IU trained staff took excellent care of my arm, a worried husband and a very concerned daughter.

Believe me when I say I was not prepared for this fall. Hopefully, there will be no surgery required!!!!!!! But there are doctor appointments to keep. There are showers with a sleeve to keep the cast dry. There are only two positions I can sleep in and support the arm. And underwear is a bit hard to pull up one-handed.

I do know I am very lucky. I could have hit my head (Although the consensus there is that since I am a bit hard headed ….) or broken a hip or broken a leg or broken my right arm. And if you have to be wearing something, a two piece bathing suit gives easy access to the arm and all those places they attach heart monitor tabs.

Okay, this did not turn out to be short but I want you to realize how quickly things can change. How quickly ALL those plans you have made can change.

You see one-half of a step and my wet foot would have missed that slick paint. One-half of a step and we would have gone to Colorado and later I would have enjoyed time with a sister. One-half of a step ---

One-half of a step -- I was not prepared for the changes this forced upon me. There are just some things we can never be prepared for. There are other changes that we must be prepared for.

SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 24:30-31, 35-36 AND 42

Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Life is never sure and we are all only one-half step away from change. Are you prepared?

PLEASE PRAY

This needs to be your prayer. If you are prepared and have accepted Jesus, reaffirm your decision. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, do so now.