Serendipitous Thoughts by Sugar Bear 2/24/2024

 

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Romans 3:23

 

“An excited little boy was telling his daddy about something that had happened to him that day. His daddy said, "Slow up, honey, you are talking too fast!" His boy shot back at him, "Oh, no, Daddy, I’m not talking too fast. You’re just listening too slow!" ARE YOU LISTENING”?

 

Fate woke me up this morning feeling, “Poor me” how many non-listening memories ! Is there a moment you ever wanted to get a reset and ask yourself can I dance to these words, “I’m a Sinner? As I go through my threshold of change, I’ve often been curious to ask, to ease my mind ,as I’ve heard the message of ,”I’m forgiven”; But brother fear and cousin judgement would get in my lane of thought. Don’t go Lord, I got to know don’t wait until tomorrow while I stared , out the window as like a kid in a thunderstorm, frighten, as the lighting strikes, “keep me safe”. All the while thinking, “I’m a sinner” but keep me safe. Faith says, “stay with me, you’re safe as a child of God”. Do you believe?

 

Sometimes as I travel on this journey of Faith, I’ve learned that our limited understanding can easily lead us astray. Proverbs 16:25   says, "There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death." When we choose to direct our lives according to what seems right to us, we often reap disaster Judges 21:25. 

 

So ,what is a Sinner? A sinner is a person who commits Sin and misses the mark. Luke 18:13. What does this mean “missing the mark? Which mark? Gods mark or the worlds mark? As a sinner I’ve often missed God’s mark throughout my Life, that’s why I need a reset. Are you Listening ? Yes, But God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. 

 

In scriptural terms, it’s correct to understand the word sinner not as a serious designation or judgment but, rather, as a relational word. A closer relationship with God which is built upon a life of obedience.  But also consider this: how do we develop a closer relationship with other human beings? We spend time with them in conversation, opening our hearts to them and listening to them at the same time. We acknowledge when we’ve done wrong and seek forgiveness. 

 

We seek to treat them well and sacrifice our own needs to fulfill theirs. It’s not really that different with our relationship to our Heavenly Father.

 

 Everyone who is separated from God through sin is a sinner.  The gap between sinners and God could only be bridged through the Lord’s act of redemption—by God Himself coming to the human side of the gap through Jesus Christ (who is “God with us”) and the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent in His place. On the human side of the divide, the kindest, most virtuous people are sinners, and the vilest, most evil people are sinners as well. All are sinners. But God loves sinners and sent His Son to die for them. Romans 5:8 

 

Only Jesus Christ’s sinless, spotless perfection hits the divine mark. Christ has made the full payment for sin. Through His death on the cross, Jesus satisfied God’s justice, perfectly vindicating and freeing from condemnation all sinners who receive Him by faith Romans 3:25. As we join Christ’s on his mission  remember his fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose, was the restoration and salvation of sinners. Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” Mark 2:17. 

 

Let’s have The Mindset of Christ in our whole Life. The Bible teaches us that our responsibility as believers is to work uncompromisingly as the Lord has gifted us and leads us in this life. We must fully understand that until the Lord returns there are souls to reach and ministries of every sort to be performed. We are responsible for our money, time, energy, talents, gifts, bodies, minds, and spirits, and we should invest in nothing that does not in some way contribute to the work of the Lord. James tells us, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead ”James 2:26. Remembering the deeds don’t save us.

 

Nothing brings more joy to the Lord’s heart or more rejoicing in heaven than when a sinner is restored to right relationship with God Luke 15:7,10. 

 

God Bless You and This Ministry!

 

 

Serendipitous Thoughts by Sugar Bear 2/22/2022

  “Sometimes when I was having a  creative block, during a" Serendipitous Thought"  and I could not get it going. I would image I was standing on the corner of Linn Street and Armory Avenue and look out over the roofs tops of the Laura Homes projects of Cincinnati, Ohio and think “Do not worry. Jesus has this and the truest of statement that I’ve known Happens,  

“God is Love the one who ‘See’s’”

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

“He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”. Matthew 18:1-4

In your private moments of thought, have you ever thought about “the love or the preoccupation with material things rather than intellectual or spiritual things”? If a Christian is preoccupied with material things, it is definitely wrong. That is not to say we cannot have material things, but the obsession with acquiring and caring for “stuff” is a dangerous thing for the Christian, for many reasons.

 

Matthew 10:37-38,”, Jesus said, "Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." Not loving the world extends to our own lives as well. Jesus said if we love anything more than Him, we are not worthy of Him”. But my problem was at that time, no one ever told me that Faith and fear cannot exist together.

 

I met fear at the age of seven, my eyes were awaken to the world’s corrupt value system. This fear to me, too often lived out badly in the name of Jesus as a false relational  thought at the time. Fear can be “Your best friend or your worst enemy”. 

 

As unbelief gained the upper hand within my thoughts,  my fear took hold of my emotions. Our deliverance from fear and worry is based on faith, which is the very opposite of unbelief. I needed to understand that faith is not something that we can produce in ourselves. Faith is a gift Ephesians 2:8-9 and faithfulness is described as a fruit (or characteristic) that is produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 

 

My examination of life centered around my God’s of choice, movies, music, read and sports. This slowly lead to my eyesight being blurred with the “lightness of being”, a plain self-absorbing message of, “becoming the book” mentally, of what influenced me. Was it Adversity, God’s  most effective tool that was helping me re-direct and develop a resilient faith? Directing me toward the truth of the Bible with its beautifully textured wisdom a long this threshold of change. My tree within this forest of thought was in need of a doctors diagnose like a patient whom was blind but trying to see clearly. Was it sin? A desert light? 

 

We must be careful not to let arrogance and a denial of blindness, to our spiritual condition. We must make sure that our vision is clear enough to guide others in their spiritual walk. Likewise, we do well to choose our concepts wisely, being careful not to follow blind guides who will lead us away from the straight and narrow path of God’s Word.

 

Finally ,”What does it mean to be meek like a child”? Jesus is not saying that children are naturally wise, pure, unknowing, and flavorsome. We all know better than that. Children are meek in the sense that they comprehend they are influenced in their own lives. They are dependent on others to receive everything they need and want. They have no power not granted by the adults in their lives. They have no status in society as a whole. They are, in reality, humble, no matter their attitude on any given day.

The greatest in the kingdom, then, is the one who is most humble, most aware of his or her lack of power, most dependent on God to provide all that is needed. 

Rather than defining greatness by the standards of the world. Jesus challenges us to view status through a biblical lens. How we see and relate to each other must not be based on man-made systems. Instead on justice and mercy. Jesus encourages us to “clarify with kindness lenes” as little children. Can we become the book and view our self’s through eternal reality like children , we are helpless without Jesus. Trust Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins. 

 

Only when we are secure in the knowledge that our Good Shepherd is with us always can we confidently say, “I will fear no evil.”

 

God Bless You and This Ministry!

 

 

 

Serendipitous Thoughts by Sugar Bear 2/21/2022

 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; ^Ihave overcome the world.” John 16:33

 In the spirit of asking for good gifts, do you ever pray and tell the Lord that we hear what He’s saying but why are these bad things still happening to me again? These things I have spoken to you a hundred times in prayer and in thought, “that in Me may I have peace”. When I was a young child of God it seemed I could not Rejoice in my problems as the bible said and I thought how will God use those pains to  benefit me? At the time I couldn’t even spell tribulation, perseverance and character. 

 

In reality, feelings come from thoughts, so, even though we can’t change how we feel, we can change how we think. Within this ideology is the misguided idea that God exists for me. Instead of God creating man in His image, we have tried to recreate God in our image. And this is what God wants us to do, “Repent and turn to Me” As always with the question in mind, “What will I do with Christ?” TMOC.

 

 You see with a “clarifying kindness” from an comforting Angel, the Holy Spirit,, sugar bear needed him to give me ,”The Talk” as what you get from a parent. Will I Listen?  Will I Remember his word, the bible and be of good cheer understanding that those pains will produces so much hope? The narrative was written out to me clearly with the Talk. From Romans 3:23-26:

1.     I was reminded that I’m a sinner.

2.     I can’t fix this by myself. I’m in trouble.

3.     Jesus has to Fix this. Justified by his Grace.

4.     Finally, Believe in Christ, he will Save You. Through Faith given to those who believe

 

You see when we remember that Jesus Christ conquered the world, we maintain our joy and peace in a dangerous and uncertain world.

The Lord reveals to us through His Word, the Bible, that we can be of good “cheer,” that we can, “Knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope” Romans 5:3-4. This means In this life, we deal with the trials of sickness, tragedy, natural disasters, and evil And yet, for the Christian, we are able to walk through it all with peace and purpose. The life that God calls us to is wonderful because Jesus has overcome the world.

 

 In this world you will have pain my brothers and sisters; but be of good cheer, Be mindful Jesus has overcome the world.” Then we should ask the Lord to show us how He has “overcome” our problems, our worries, our anger, our fears and our guilt.

 

 

It is sometimes a disconcerting truth for many Christians that even though we belong to God through faith in Christ, we still seem to experience the same problems that plagued us before we were saved. We often become discouraged and bogged down in life’s cares. The fact that both the Old and New Testaments address this problem the same way indicates that God knows problems and worries are inevitable in this life. Thankfully, He has given us the same response . “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:22), and “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). 

 

So, each day, taking one step at a time, we should pray for God’s Word to guide us, read or listen to God’s Word, and meditate on God’s Word when the problems, worries, and fears of life come along. Give the surreptitious things over to Christ is really no secret at all—it’s simply asking Jesus to take our burden of “original sin” and be our Savior John 3:16, as well as submitting to Jesus as our Lord in day-to-day living. Remember TMOC daily, “The Mindset of Christ”.

 

1 Cor 10:13 “ But when you are tempted God will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

 

God Bless You And This Ministry!

 

 

Serendipitous Thoughts by Sugar Bear!

"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst". John 6:35

You ever get overwhelmed with negative superlatives. I usually file them under: Ramblings, mind- boggling or questions like, do you have another great wicked superlatives to be added to my prayer list. Why don't you list it in my comment section below sublime?

Are we going in the right direction or the wrong way?

Christianities morning show can be summarized in one simple superlative word to me:Life. For He is The Way, TheTruth and the bread of Life!

I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:35) is one of the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus. Jesus used the same phrase “I AM” in seven declarations about Himself. In all seven, He combines I AM with tremendous metaphors which express His saving relationship toward the world. All appear in the book of John.

Jesus is saying he is essential for life. Second, the life Jesus is referring to is not physical life, but eternal life.When we place our faith in Him, our sins are imputed to Jesus, and His righteousness is imputed to us. Jesus satisfies our hunger and thirst for righteousness. He is our Bread of Life.

Whoever believes in Him receives eternal life (John 3:15; see also Psalm 112:4).

God Bless you and this Ministry!

Serendipitous thought for 2/14/22

 Sugar Bears Serendipitous thought for today.

As Christians, God is deeply invested in your spiritual growth. He will use your battle with personal conflicts, your life challenges, and your relationships to wean you from dependence on yourself and patterns of self destruction.

Remember God will intentionally put you in situations where you need to trust him more fully.

Will you recognize God's loving and purifying purposes in your daily life with a mindset of Christ?

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires". 2 Peter 1:3-4

God Bless you and This Ministry

Serendipitous Thoughts 2/15/22

 Sugar Bears Serendipitous Thoughts for today.

On the job or in the home, chances are you have a mental "to-do" list laying around within you. A well- compiled task list keeps us on track by establishing benchmarks for the day, the week, and the year. Have you ever thought about updating your "Eternal Life Checklist " that includes being, kind, compassionate and forgiving?

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you". Ephesians 4:32

Being kind to one another involves caring for others, bearing their burdens, and valuing them above ourselves (Romans 12:10; Galatians 6:2; Philippians 2:3). Kindness motivates us to speak life and encouragement to others instead of death and discouragement and being polarizing (Proverbs 16:24; Ephesians 4:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Expressing support and affirmation instead of condemnation is characteristic of kindness (Proverbs 15:4).

Being kind to one another means finding a way to forgive, now I'm not saying you have to trust them. Let us learn and be taught a simple truth: sinful people will fail us, but we can always trust in God. (Matthew 5:7; Luke 6:36; 10:37; James 2:13).

Perhaps the most stunning example of this is found in God’s supreme act of kindness that provided for our forgiveness and salvation when He sent His Son to die for us on a cross: “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your transgressions? 1” Romans 2:4

We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

Only God can take brokenness and make it beautiful. God receives the glory for anything we do that pleases . Make the first step of change and see the evidence of God's new life within you? There is nothing better!

Gods Blessing to you and this Ministry!

Serendipitous Thoughts 2/16/22

Serendipitous Thoughts by Sugar Bear!

"Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest". John 4:35

As I travel within my 100 foot circle of influences the message of John 4:35, is constantly on my mind. Thinking as if I'm "looking in a Glass mirror" seeing a lonely man or woman in need of ministry with useless tears on their hearts. My question are you dedicated to singing to a discipling neighborhood, and join Jesus on this mission.

Jesus taught by example that we should pray to God, our Heavenly Father, often. God loves you. He stands ready to help you.He will show each of us how we can follow Jesus’ command for evangelism.

Everyday In my missionary "want Ad" I try to

meet as many people from all types of backgrounds and communities. During one encounter I met a gentleman at the pain clinic in ames he was from Marshalltown Iowa. You see it seemed for both of us "yesterday was all we had" after the pain was gone, so to speak metaphorically our conversations range from our love of the Broncos to him explaining to me about NASCAR.

Often I pose a question designed to make them stop and think. I ask him, “How’s Jesus been messing with you lately?”

The most common response? A knowing smile.

He struggle a bit to put it into words, but he was sensing that Jesus was up to something, showing both of us a Dejan Vu for the Kingdom moment. There was something new, inviting us to perceive what he is directing us to do next.

As a Christians you ever had a sense of urgency when it comes to evangelism. There are periods of opportunity where the moment to share Christ is significant. These are occasions where God works on hearts to be open to the gospel. Many times, Christians miss these opportunities to witness for Christ. If we look, we might see people with spiritual hunger. All of us have a proclivity toward earthly matters rather than eternal.

The crop of souls is ripe and ready for those who will harvest them. There are people in our lives who are ready to hear the gospel. We need to evaluate everything with respect to the harvest. We need to be alert to when the field ripens, to when a soul is open to the gospel.

What a Serendipitous moment with the help of the Holy Spirit as a child of God!

God Bless You and This Ministry!

 

What is your wind pearl today?

  I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” Psalm 42:9

 

 Well today my wind pearl , is a question, you ever felt like your spiritual being is poor? Have you ever reflected on the following scripture . Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). What exactly does it mean to be poor in spirit, and why does being poor in spirit result in the kingdom of heaven? Why is “poor in spirit” something God wants us to be? Why would God want us to be “poor” at anything?

 

To be poor in spirit is to recognize your utter spiritual ruin before God. It is understanding that you have absolutely nothing of worth to offer God. Being poor in spirit is admitting that, because of your sin, you are completely penniless spiritually and can do nothing to deliver yourself from your frightful situation. Jesus is saying that, no matter your status in life, you must recognize your spiritual poverty before you can come to God in faith to receive the salvation He offers. You see as a youth starting in Jr. high I became disenchanted with the church. As a result, I left mentally and started exploring other religious avenues to satisfy my spiritual appetite. Although the reason behind this youthful exodus was so obvious and varied, the answer to my epidemic immature mind, really was simple,” sin”.

 

As a child I didn’t really fully understand that scripture alone can give life and bring sanctification to a sinful soul, and only scripture can equip me to discern truth from my error of relying on self. It wasn’t until the start of College that I really started to pay attention to this verse, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall as it had its foundation on the rock”. Matthew 7:24-25 

 

I  have often use the term PMA ,which is we need to have more positive mental attitude thinking. But what I mean is,  true spirituality will always start and end with our relationship to Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who is the key to changing one’s life, not our thoughts, and not our effort alone. As we actively yield to the Spirit, He will transform us. Now, as a mature Christian I am not surprised by this, as the Bible tells us this is going to happen to a greater degree as we draw closer to Christ’s return. That is why it says in proverbs 22:6 to train our children in the way they should go and when they are old they will not turn from it. Quite simple, Children need a Christian paradigm  in their hearts at a tender age. 

 

My endless wonder as I listen to the world, suggests that people who have positive attitudes tend to have higher self-esteem and better experiences as compared to people 

who have pessimistic outlooks? So does this wind of though sparks a dream to view PMA-

 

positive thinking  as promoting self-confidence and faith in oneself; does it lead us naturally to a false belief in the “law of attraction,” ? On the other hand, there is no substantiated evidence to support the idea that thoughts can control outcomes. Positive thinking has no inherent power to change the future.

But James 1:17 reminds us that every good gift is from God above, not from the power of positive thinking. 

 

So why is it as a former athlete it seemed that I  performed the best when I thought positively and I  released  such a magnetic force in my mind and body which by a law of attraction tended  to bring out the best in me on the football field” . Of course, there is nothing biblical about one’s mind emanating a “magnetic force” that pulls good things into one’s orbit. In fact, there is much unbiblical about such a notion.

 

But reality is truth, and the truth is found in the Bible. People cannot create their own reality by fantasizing or thinking it into existence flawed because at the time, of my innocence, I did not base it on the truth that the only good in us comes from ,the righteousness of Jesus Christ. As we actively yield to the Spirit, He will transform us. Rather than seek help from psycho-babble, of the PMA book, or a self-generated power of positive thinking,

 

to a world system ruled by Satan, we can more readily appreciate Christ’s claims that believers are no longer of the world—we are no longer ruled by sin, nor are we bound by the principles of the world. In addition, we are being changed into the image of Christ, causing our interest in the things of the world 

to become less and less as we mature in Christ. we should rely on what God has already given us through His Spirit: Instead of saying PMA let's say, MOC,“ We have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

 

So thanks Jesus, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” He is declaring that, before we can enter God’s kingdom, we must recognize the utter worthlessness of our own spiritual currency and the inability of our own works to save us.

 

Salvation is by grace through faith!

God Bless You and This Ministry 🙏!