A lady told me some time ago, that she only found out that her car needed a warrant of fitness after her husband had died. Apparently he did it all. For most of us it is common knowledge, that we have to take our vehicles – cars and motorbikes – to the garage twice a year to be inspected.

But I was surprised to find this notice in front of the shop of a jeweller. And this is now from memory: Does your jewellery have a current warrant of fitness? I think they were going to clean it for FREE to make it fit for wearing.

But this I am reading now in a paper, “Men need to have an annual health warrant of fitness.”

Yes, we ought to take care of our bodies. Our physical health is important. But is our spiritual health not more important than anything else? What do you think?

Now, what about a SPIRITUAL WARRANT OF FITNESS?

I am talking here now about those people, who are born again, who know the LORD as their personal Savior. About those people, who know, that they have eternal life.

WARRANT OF FITNESS:

1. DO YOU ENJOY READING THE BIBLE? YES / NO

2. DO YOU ENJOY PRAYING? YES / NO

3. DO YOU ENJOY TALKING TO OTHERS ABOUT WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE FOR YOU? YES / NO

ADD THE THINGS I HAVE LEFT OUT AND NEED TO BE INCLUDED!

WD

It is always worse than you think!

I am surprised to read the following: Listener December 23-29 2006, Religion, page 23.

— “The latest census figures show that barely half of us choose to affiliate ourselves with a Christian Church.”

— “… 36 % of New Zealanders are happy to declare that they have no Religion at all.”

— “The proportion of Christians who go to Church every Sunday is estimated to be only 10-15%, though maybe 20% would have a Church connection at least once a month.”

— “… the percentages of HINDUS, BUDDHISTS and MUSLIMS are soaring,…”

“The Yellow TM Auckland Home Show will be the hottest show in town when it returns to Auckland on September 10 -14 at the ASB show grounds, Greenlane and you can be sure its heart will be in the right place.” That’s the beginning of an article with the title “HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS.”

Where is our heart?

Is our heart wrapped up in earthly things? In Philippians 3:18,19 the apostle Paul says about the enemies of the cross that: 1. their mind is on earthly things; 2. their glory is in their shame; 3. their god is their stomach; 4. their destiny is destruction.

Or is our heart set on heavenly things?

Straight away the verse in the Bible with the word ‘citizenship’ comes to my mind. For a long time I am searching for the word in the concordance. I cannot find it and I tell my wife. She finds the verse without concordance– in the Bible of course!

The address is Philippians 3:20. ( Other “Heavenly Citizenship” verses: Luke 10:20; Luke 22:30; John 14:2; First Peter 1:4 ) We read in Philippians 3:20, ” But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,….”

Can we say with all our heart with the apostle Paul, “Our citizenship is in heaven? We eagerly await a Savior from heaven?”

Where do we feel at home? On Earth or in Heaven?

THINK ABOUT IT!

wd

“One cannot subdue a man by holding back his hands. Lasting peace comes not from force.”

David Borenstein

IF ANYONE’S NAME WAS NOT FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE, HE WAS THROWN INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE.

Revelation 20:15

I know, that my name is written in the Book of Life!–Philippians 4:3

Do you know, that your name is written in the Book of Life?

Ich lese gerade in seinem Andachtsbuch “Licht vom unerschoepften Lichte,” das im Jahre 1959 herausgekommen ist auf Seite 181:”Mit jedem durch Jesus erretteten Kind Gottes ist es ebenso. Tief im Herzen faengt es an, das Licht der Heilserkenntnis, das der Geist Gottes anzuendet. Aber dann bricht es heraus, wird zum Zeugnis. Das Zeugnis erreicht andere Menschen; immer weitere Kreise zieht das neue Leben. UND NUR GOTT SIEHT, WO DIE GRENZEN UND WO DAS ENDE DER WIRKUNGEN EINES SOLCHEN ZEUGNISSES SIND.”

Wie wahr ist das doch! Wo sind die Grenzen und wo ist das Ende der Wirkungen des Zeugnisses in diesem Fall? (Das Zeugnis von W. Busch!)

Ich brauche nichts ueber die Grenzen zu sagen, denn Sie wissen, wo Neuseeland liegt. Von Deutschland gesehen, am Ende der Welt? Da ist eigentlich kein Ende der Wirkungen des Zeugnisses. Es geht weiter und weiter. Und ich kann nicht genug betonen, wie ich durch die Buecher von W. Busch gesegnet werde– 42 JAHRE NACH SEINEM TODE!

Gelobt sei der HERR!

So lese ich jetzt Seite 182 in dem Buch und lese weiter, bis ich zum Ende komme.

wd

FUTURE ( TOMORROW )

When you read about “Investment Advice” you can find the following, “Taking care of tomorrow- today.”

ESCAPE

FREEDOM

The word “FREEDOM” is written 4 times on a small Telecom leaflet on one side. I picked the flyer up today and the FREEDOM advertised costs $ 10 per mobile per month, if I understand the offer correctly.

Read what the Bible says in John 8:36 (SALVATION is FREE!)

PARADISE

HOPE

The Maori New Year ( Matariki ) was on June 5 2008. In the “Look North” (May 2008) I read only today, “……., a new beginning, and renewed HOPE for the year ahead……..”

TYPE THE WORDS INTO “SEARCH” AND FIND OUT MORE!

On the front page of a FATHER’S DAY card these words come out of the mouth of a cheeky kid, “Dad, I don’t always do what you ask, but there’s a reason for that.” When you are opening the card, it continues like this, “I’m not listening.– Happy Father’s Day.”

We are children of our Father in heaven. Is that not our story? Of course, we are not so disrespectful and say, “I am not listening,” when the LORD asks us to read His Word, the BIBLE. I remember a teacher at Bible College saying something like this, “There is always a decision to be made. Are we picking up the newspaper or the Bible? I rather pick up the Bible.”

Or we have promised the LORD to do something. For example, we have decided, that we would send some money to a missionary, but we are slow to do so. We are not so impudent and say, “I am not listening,” when the Lord reminds us to do so. We rather prefer to be utterly miserable, until we have fulfilled our promise.

wd

(Psalm 40:1-3)

I was looking at an advertisement in the “Coffee News” where it says: “In need of concrete Work?” “Plain-Exposed-Decorative.” “Drives, Foundations, Paths, Blockwork, Floors, Retaining Walls.”

When I read that the thought came to my mind, that we are actually all in need of concrete work and I remembered the beginning of Psalm 40. It talks there about the slimy pit. It talks there about the mud in the pit. It talks there about the mire in the pit. But it says also, that the LORD lifted us out of the slimy pit.

And what happened then? Praise the LORD! He did not only set our feet on a concrete foundation. He did not only set our feet on concrete blockwork. He did not only set our feet on a concrete path. He did not only set our feet on a concrete floor. He did something far better for us.

He set our feet on a rock! He gave us a firm place to stand. He set our feet on the “Rock of Ages.” Christ is the rock of ages. You probably know the hymns: “Rock of Ages, cleft for me…” Read also in the BIBLE First Corinthians 10:1 and First Corinthians 10:3-4

In Psalm 40 it also says that he put a new song in our mouths.

I can only say once more: “Praise the LORD!”

CAN YOU SING THE NEW SONG?

WD