EPUB Ebooks: Free ebook sample of "Readings for the Soul" by Dr. Christopher Handy, Ph.D.

Acknowledgements

I like to acknowledge my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for without whose wisdom and insight this book would have ever been possible. I also like acknowledge all of my family and friends.

Table of Contents

Foreword

The Purpose of the Church

The Church has a purpose and In St. Matthew 16:18; Jesus said unto Peter "Upon this rock I will build my Church." The term Church is both familiar and misunderstood by most. Because many believe that the Church is a building, but the meaning has nothing to do with a building. The word Church means called-out ones, chosen ones, belonging to the Lord, the body of Christ, and the bride of Christ. The Church consists of a body of believers known as people, who collectively form the Church and who meet in a building.

We the body of believers meaning the Church must constantly remind ourselves that the Church is people: individuals who share a common bond and who belong to Jesus and are called to be in a relationship with each other to make up the Church. We need to understand that Jesus Christ is the one who gives the Church life, meaning, and purpose, and without Him there is no Church. The Church belongs to God, and it is the creation of God's word and Holy Spirit. The Church cannot be the Church without giving witness to God's will for the salvation and transformation of the world.

The Church is God's means to restore the shattered relationship between Himself and mankind. The Church is to be the pillar and ground for Love, truth, justice, equality, and unity. Its' mission encompassed the preaching of God's Word, Baptism, and Service. The Church is built on a solid foundation, which is the Word of God. Therefore, the Church is the being of God's word, which as a living voice creates and nourishes itself throughout the ages. God's Word is borne witness to in the world and makes itself heard through the scriptures by the Church.

We the Church, the body of believers, are called to proclaim the good news of a better life; a life rightly related to God through Christ, and lived according to his purpose. The Church exists to reach out to all of mankind for Christ, to proclaim the good news of salvation by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the World. The Church is not the Church when it does not attract people or reach out to people nor is it a Church when it preaches hate and exclusion based upon ones race, creed, and gender. The Church is not a social club or private organization with an exclusive membership based upon ones political, social and financial status.

Denomination is not the Church and the use of the word to describe or label the Church is misleading and inaccurate. Jesus did not intend for denominations to play a role in our true understanding of the Church. Denomination causes separation by placing barriers between people and God, and denomination opens the door for discrimination. Denomination is a human creation, which is ours to build, ours to modify, and if need be ours to dismantle. The Church is God's creation, which is his alone to build. The Church is to Love each other regardless; God loves all of mankind in the rich variety of endless diversity.

The ultimate purpose of the Church as a whole is to unite all of God's Children in harmony and peace. Denomination and Discrimination can play no part in God's Church. The Church is to embrace all of humanity with the Love of God and share the good news of Jesus Christ. Sharing the Love of God that we have within us is the greatest part of being the Church.

The Church must begin to move forward by working to make the world a better place for all of mankind; witnessing the salvation in Christ, and sharing God's Love throughout the world. We must not allow our success and abundance to block our ultimate allegiance to Jesus Christ and serving humanity. God's true Church must never diminish from the true calling of revealing God's own heart and soul to all of humanity in the world. When the Church begins to know God, God then impregnates us with a growing ability to love others as God love all of us. This is how the Church can rise to the many challenges, which the Church faces today.

God is calling the Church to join forces with Him in this life to love and translate this love into service and action. God does not intend for us to keep ourselves locked up within our own world; but we must invest and enlist in the work set before us of making human life more human, politics more humane, and economics more compassionate.

As the body of Christ, we are no longer strangers but part of a universal family; every true Church must find new ways of holding the body accountable to each other. Caring, courtesy, kindness, Love, peace, and unity must begin in the Church, which serves as a model of what human relationships can look like in the world. We as humanity can build a better creation and a new world through the greatest gift from God; which is the Church.

By: Dr. Christopher D. Handy, Ph. D.

Ms. Annie Hall

-St. Matthew 25:40-

Jesus Said in St. Matthew 25:40 "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

While visiting a family member who was ill in the hospital; I was introduced to Ms. Annie Hall.

Who was a patient and I was told that Ms. Hall was alone and she was dying on this cold sunny Sunday afternoon. The hospital staff knew I was a minister and suggested I visit her and perhaps offer her some comforting words. I did not know her nor have I ever heard of Ms. Annie Hall before this day.

The staff said no more could be done for her but to make her comfortable for the last few hours she has left. The facts were Ms. Annie Hall was dying, her time was approaching, and she was alone on this cold sunny Sunday afternoon. There was no one to notify, no family no friends, not even a close acquaintance.

She never once had any visitors or well-wishers that stop by to check on her, no flowers or cards to brighten her side of the room. This poor old lady lay dying in a hospital bed all alone on this cold sunny Sunday Afternoon. Her age was probably four score and then some, I can’t say for sure. Her body was frail and lifeless as she lay in her hospital bed curl up in a ball. Her shallow face expressed the pain and suffering she was going through. Her eyes remained closed and her body never once moved.

I could tell by looking at Ms. Hall that she lived a hard life and met many difficult challenges and disappointments; I decided for the last few moments of her life on this earth.

She would not die alone. So I pulled out my Bible and began reading several scriptures.

Especially the familiar one Psalms 23 “The Lord is My Shepherd.” After reading those scriptures I gently reached over and grabbed her hand. I knelt down beside her bed and I began to pray a short prayer for Ms. Hall. Then all of sudden she moved her head slightly as though she heard every word I was saying and then she made a soft sigh then it was all over, Ms. Annie Hall died; I notified the staff that she had died; they came in and confirmed she was dead. They removed the machines that were attached to her body that were keeping her alive for that short period of time. Since Ms. Hall was not in a private room the family of her roommate insisted that Ms. Hall be moved as to not upset their relative; So the hospital staff rolled her bed into the cold hall until the funeral home arrived. I waited there with Ms. Hall until the funeral home arrived to take her off because I felt it was the right thing to do. No one should die alone especially on a cold sunny Sunday afternoon. Ms. Annie Hall did not die alone as intended, she died with a friend.

Introduction

Readings for The Soul is a collection of inspirational writings to help you find the strength to face each day with hope and courage. Through a life of Faith, Jesus lives in us and we live in him. The goodness of God has the cross planted in the middle of it.

Chapter One; The Beatitudes is Jesus Sermon on the mount from St. Matthew 5. Jesus sermon was not only for those during his time but for us today. It’s a sermon directed at us to change our attitude from the negative to the positive, it is a message of hope and deep courage for those of us who struggles with disappointment and discouragement. With the right attitude we can conquer our fears and become victorious.

Chapter Two; we are what eat and that includes our spiritual diet. The Fruit of the Spirit focuses on the advantage of having the right spirit as we walk with God and our fellow man. The Holy Spirit gives us new life and new authority to receive the things that belong to God. This chapter will help you to find the power to bear fruit in your life and upon Jesus returns, so that He will not find us barren.

Chapter Three is a message to the Seven Churches in Asia Minor and the Church of today.  John who was an apostle of Jesus Christ was banished to the Island of Patmos for preaching the gospel of Christ. While there John was in the spirit and while in the spirit he was given a message to the Seven Churches of Asia.  Although this message was given over 2000 years ago, it is relevant to the churches today.  It is a mirror image of many of the churches that exist today and why they are unproductive in saving souls and revitalizing communities.  This chapter should encourage and motivate people to follow Jesus last commandment, the great commission in St. Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name if the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

Chapter Four is a collection of various articles to empower and encourage the body of Christ, which are the believers, too press on regardless of one circumstances. In this chapter God tells us who God is and how we are able to rejoice in tribulation. We will see God’s mercy, God’s grace, God’s kingdom, and most importantly God’s love, for all of humanity. We will see that God has not forgotten nor forsaken his people. God remembers and He hears our prayers when we sincerely pray to Him, Help is on the way.

I pray that the contents of this book will be a blessing to you as it was a blessing for me to write. May Readings for the Soul bring you peace, joy, and happiness to your soul. May God Bless and keep you, I thank you for purchasing this book.

Chapter 1

The Beatitude: It’s All In Your Attitude

Blessed are the Poor in spirit

-St. Matthew 5:3-

Matthew 5:3 is the opening verse of the Sermon on the Mount and of the Beatitudes. The Sermon on the Mount is Christ’s instruction to the world on what God expects of those who are of the kingdom of heaven. It describes a Law that is higher than the Laws of Moses. It describes a standard of ethics higher than the traditions of the Pharisees. It gives us a sobering glimpse of the ways of God that are higher than the ways of man and the thoughts of God which are higher than the thoughts of man. The eight Beatitudes describe the right attitudes we should have toward God and our fellow man in our daily walk with Him. The word beatitude comes from the Latin word meaning “happy” or “blessed.”

The first of the eight beatitudes beginning with “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This beatitude can be paraphrased as “I need help and I can’t do it alone.” The poor referred to in this verse, often relates to the lowly to which God reveals what was hidden from the wise. To be poor in spirit is really an attitude, a way of thinking and a way of living. When Jesus calls the poor "blessed", he is not praising their condition of poverty, but their openness to God.

In the eyes of the world, it is strange to see Jesus through these scriptures exalting those whom they generally regard as poor or broken. We become poor in spirit when everything we rely on falls apart.  For some, it is the lost of loved ones; failure of a cherished dream or ambition; loss of a job; loss of faith in others or us; prolonged periods of dryness in our spiritual life; illness; and other life disappointments. Jesus says, blessed are you who seem to be losers in life because you feel you have lost everything that seem dear and precious to you, you are the true winners: the kingdom is yours, but first you must humble yourself and submit to the will of God.

Jesus is calling mankind to realize theirs own spiritual helplessness and to put their whole trust in God.” The poor in spirit or broken spirit have no confidence; they are pained by guilt, defeated by life, depressed from failure, and even suicidal.

Jesus wants this kind of person, who has been broken because they believe they are sinners and all hope is lost. Jesus prefers this state of mind because it makes them susceptible to accepting the promises of God. In these painful and challenging times, of poverty, of racism, of violence and of social injustice, which are prevalent in our world today and the need for God is unmistakable.

Therefore, we must learn not to depend on the usual things that our culture relies on to define one’s identity, wealth, status, possessions, and even other people.  All of these can be taken from us. We must realize that God alone is the only enduring one.  We will discover our true self in our relationship with God.

Jesus teaches that the kingdom of heaven is within us and as we grow in our own personal relationship with Christ; we draw closer to Him and we learn to surrender our all to Him. For in this, we can learn that our needs and concerns are important, but so are the needs and concerns of others.  All of us must learn how to love others with true compassion. Only then are we more open to seeing God at work in the creation and in the lives of others.  We can learn how to live in ways that our life becomes more worthwhile.  We can learn that the only real peace comes from our relationship with God and in living God’s will.

It is perhaps in this lowly state of mind that when all else fails in our lives is when we should turn to God. Jesus is the Love of God who came down to mankind desiring to embrace us and save us at our most helpless moment. So don’t give up when your performance does not measure up to your possibilities. Don’t cave in when you fall off the wagon of sanity, sobriety and sanctity. Don’t destroy yourself when you are bitterly disappointed by your own idleness, unawareness and foolishness. Hold on to your possibilities. Keep your head up, shoulders erect and your faith alive.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted

-St. Matthew 5:4-

The Second Beatitude in St. Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” This beatitude is powerful. It focuses on the power and presence of God in our personal existence and in our daily affairs. To mourn is to sorrow over a loss, which is outwardly expressed, generally in expression of grief and often time followed by tears. The promise Jesus made by this beatitude is that we would be comforted when we experience these trials.

When we mourn we feel empty, needy, and aching for comfort. Life is not right any more, there is a void that we ourselves cannot fill. I don't think anyone chooses to be in a state of mourning. It is painful and heart wrenching. Usually, we think of mourning in the context of the death of a loved one. But we also mourn over lost relationships or lost opportunities. We cannot restore this loss ourselves.

When we are in a state of mourning, we feel like we are in a state of waiting. Waiting somehow for life to be set right again. This is why mourning is so uncomfortable. Why is it a place we wish to avoid, if at all possible cost? In mourning, we are very aware of our poverty or lack of spirit. Mourning is hard because it grows from love. Love is hard because it risks loss.  Mourning stirs up our love of life by caring deeply for what has been lost.  Mourning is not a small thing. It is a response to a loss of someone or something truly dear to us. In this sense, it is the loss of a part of us.

Yet, when we are mourning, we sense God at a distance from us. We may even wonder if He has abandoned us. We are tempted to believe our mourning is a sign of His disfavor, or simply lack of concern and presence in our lives. Perhaps, it’s a sign of the power of sin in our lives to alienate God from us to the extent that He has totally given up on us, God forbid.

Jesus does not say they are blessed because they mourn. They are blessed because they will be comforted. True comfort is not to be found in self, but in Jesus. Jesus is referring to spiritual mourning. Jesus pronounces those who mourn "blessed." They are blessed because the Spirit of God has produced a work of grace within them. They have been awakened to see and feel their lost condition. They are "blessed" because God does not leave them at that point, "they shall be comforted.”

When the Holy Spirit produces in the heart a Godly sorrow for sin, He does not leave us there. But brings us to look away from sin to the Lamb of God, and then we are comforted. You are blessed when you mourn.

In your sorrow, you will be comforted. Sorrow helps us to see those around us who are much worse off; the abused, the discriminated, the hungry, the poor, the victims of crime, of natural disasters, of war, of disease and of prejudice. Their sorrow can move us to lend a helping hand to those who are suffering and be Jesus' instrument of comfort to them.

This word “comforted” from Jesus frees us to mourn. Yes, there is loss in the world, everything is not right here, and we are not living in the place that is our true and final home. To mourn is to recognize all those things that are truly not according to God's will. This comfort transcends the hopelessness of death. Eventually, we realize that the death of a marriage, the death of a career, or even the death of a love one is irreversible. We cannot undo what has happened, but we can go beyond death to hope. This hope is based upon the one who has conquered death.

There is a power at work for us that are invasive and pervasive evidence of God’s astonishing goodness and amazing grace. We can trust in the Risen Savior who speaks to us and comforts us when we mourn.

Blessed are the meek: For they shall inherit the Earth

-St. Matthew 5:5-

The third beatitude “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” When we think of the word meek, we usually think of a wishy-washy, spineless individual without a backbone, someone who is afraid to stand up for themselves or someone who lets others push them around. This word gives some negative feelings because in the eyes of most Meek implies weakness. 

The meek person is the opposite. He/she is secure, humble, and modest.   It describes a person who is able to handle conflicts and insults without an ego crisis. The world image of a meek person is one who lacks spirit and courage. Meekness has nothing to do with our lack of assertiveness toward others but has everything to do with our posture toward God. For meekness is of the heart.

In today's society, where rights are our focus, meekness is not a popular idea. It's more common to read articles or books telling us how to get what we deserve, how to exercise our rights, and how to be ambitious and successful in our determination for greatness.