Author Archives: Tex Tonroy

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About Tex Tonroy

husband, dad, g-dad. love-Jesus youth prisoners strays orphans and widow-women. author teacher preacher counselor and coach about Life.

FAVOR—GOD’S SHIELD. 022315

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In Psalm 5:11-12, David says to God, “But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You.  Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them.  Let those who love Your Name be joyful in You.  For You O Lord will bless the righteous with favor.  You will surround him as with a shield.” (and who are the righteous?  It’s those who have Jesus’ righteousness, because they trust in Him.)

So why should we rejoice?  One reason is because we have put our trust in the Lord, and we know He is taking care of us.  He IS defending us.  We have this great reason to be joyful.  Another reason we have to rejoice, and be thankful, and praise and worship God is because we know He is blessing us; because we are righteous, because we have the righteousness of those who trust God, like Abraham. (see Genesis 15:6, “Abraham believed (trusted) God and it was counted to him for righteousness.”)

How do you like that line, “You will bless the righteous with favor. You will surround him as with a shield.”  Makes me think of an invisible shield; a bullet proof, electron shield, so the galactic invaders can’t touch you.  Even better, this shield comes with God’s favor.  (You know favor? That’s God’s Grace, His Unmerited Favor.) When you have God’s favor, it means that God likes you and almost everyone else likes you too, because God moves them to like you.           Yes, I know you may think I’m kidding.  You may say that doesn’t happen, certainly not in this day and age.  Au contraire!  I have personally experienced it and witnessed it in the lives of others.  Favor.  It’s like being golden. For no apparent reason, good things just happen.  Why?  Because God enjoys granting favor to people, especially to those who trust Him.  It’s like ole David says in the end of the 23rd Psalm, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  That’s what favor feels like.

So rejoice! Be happy! Be thankful! Enjoy the favor!

LOVE AND THE LAW. 022215

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“The commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.  Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”  Romans 13:9-10

You might have noticed that the five “do-nots” listed above are the exact same items as the last five of the Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20:1-17.  You might also know that Commandment #5 is “Honor your father and your mother  .  .  .”  These six commandments cover, in a general way, how we are supposed to treat other people as we live our lives on this earth.  What we should do, or not do, to satisfy God.  Along this same line, the first four of the Ten Commandments cover how we should treat God.  1] You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart  .  .  ; 2] Have no other Gods besides Him; 3] Do not make (or keep) any idols; and 4] Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy; (because it’s God’s Day).  These are the things we do to honor God.

In Matthew 22:37-40:  Jesus said .  .  , “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  Did you get that?  Love God and love your neighbor.  It’s the fulfillment of ALL THE LAW and ALL THE PROPHETS. (That means the whole Old Testament)  ALL of Gods requirements for us on this earth are summed up, FULFILLED, in those two commandments.

Of course then, the real question is, “How do you accomplish that?”  And the answer is:  Surrender your whole self to God; trust Him completely; so that He sends His Spirit to dwell in you heart.  Then you will have the ability to love God and love others.  Because it is not by your power or your will or your righteousness; it is by God’s Power and His Will and His Righteousness that we are ABLE to truly love Him and love others.

When Does Heaven Begin? 022115

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In Psalm 23:6, David says, “‘I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”  I may be crazy, but I think David understood that he would continue to experience God’s Presence and love and grace, even after he died.  I actually believe that David knew what few of us figure out while we’re still alive, that heaven begins right here on earth, when we surrender our whole selves to God through Jesus, and really begin to trust Him.   When we trust God, He sends His own Personal Spirit to live in our hearts, and we begin to experience Heaven.  (Small at first, fits and starts, but the more we trust, the more we realize heaven.)

Like Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  And “Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all this [stuff] shall be added unto you.” (Matt 6:33)  When you really decide to trust God, and quit worrying about trying to take care of yourself, you actually begin to feel what it’s like to experience heaven.  Get ready.

Small Callings for God. 022015

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In reference to Oswald Chambers devotional of Sept 29, about Paul saying in 1 Corinthians 9:16, that he is compelled to preach the Gospel, I have also felt the desire to preach, but I have felt that it was me and not God’s Spirit, calling me to preach.  Like me wanting to get praises and glory for me, rather than for God.

And I’ve been at a loss to explain why I would have been ordained as a minister of the Gospel under the circumstances I was, and then not be driven, compelled to start a church, or start to preach, instead of just being called to pray and talk to a relatively few people on an individual or very small group basis.  But I do feel called (compelled) to pray and talk to a few at a time about Jesus.  (even though praying and sharing our stories about Jesus are for everybody)

That kind of “small” calling is not treated often in the literature, but it is in the Bible.  And Paul preached, sometimes to large groups, but usually to small ones (probably not as small as the groups I talk to, LOL)  see 1 Corinthians 1:25-31.  I am surrounded by people who are involved in “small callings” and I am convinced ( the Spirit speaks to my heart) God uses the small things of this world to overcome the mighty, and this is the way God touches peoples’ lives, more often than not.

FRUIT. 021915

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It’s like an apple tree. What does an apple tree do to bear fruit?  Well, it sits there and waits. But while it is sitting there it takes in the ingredients it uses to make fruit; water and stuff from the soil, sun and rain from the sky.  Then one day, when the time is right, it puts out leaves and begins to develop this chlorophyll that is its food; and it puts out buds and blossoms and bees come along and help with the pollination; and in due time, while the tree is still waiting, the blossoms turn into little, tiny apples.  And eventually the apples grow big and ripen and get ready to be picked and eaten.

But here’s the version  we would envision if we were comparing most of us to an apple tree.  The apple tree gets up every morning and starts worrying about how it is going to bear fruit.  It knows there must be fruit down in there somewhere, so it grunts and pushes and strains and gets tired and frustrated and develops ulcers waiting for something to happen; and grunts and pushes, expecting I guess, for the apples to just POP out of the ends of the branches.  One day no apples; the next day POP and there are the fully developed fully ripened apples.  Just doesn’t work that way, does it?

I may have said this before somewhere, but in Spanish wait and hope are the same word, which is esperar; and sometimes I think trust is all a part of that same feeling; while we’re waiting and hoping, we’re also trusting that God is going to bring it to pass; because there’s not a way in the world that we’re ever going to push hard enough or grunt hard enough to make those apples pop out on our tree.  We’ve got to trust that God, by His Spirit, is going to use what He’s put in us to fulfill His purposes in the world.  That’s service.  And that is the same feeling we need to have when we pray; that “down deep knowing” that God is going to bring it to pass.

CHRISTIANS? 021815

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How can you tell if people are Christians?  There are several things:

1]   They love one another.  2]   They trust God and surrender to Him daily. 3]   They seek God’s will, and His Power, and His direction in their lives. 4]   They bear fruit –     a] Fruits of the Spirit b] Fruits of more disciples 5]   They read, study and memorize the Bible. 6]   They pray for themselves and others, they meditate on God’s Word and they listen for God. 7]   They tell what they’ve seen and heard about what God is doing in their lives and in the lives of others. (They just can’t help it.) 8]   They are ready to give a reason for the hope that is in them. 9]   They know, be, make and teach others to make, disciples (followers) of Jesus. 10] They gather themselves together regularly to worship God and encourage each other.

Might be a good idea to compare ourselves to this list periodically, to see how we’re doing.   None of us are doing all the right things all the time, but it’s God’s will that we continually grow and develop as Christians by the power and the grace of His Holy Spirit.  (Sometimes you run into someone who exhibits the love and peace of Jesus in their personal demeanor, and even though they don’t say it in so many words, you just know they have to be followers of the King.)

Two things to remember: 1] This is not a comprehensive list of things Christians do (LOL); it’s just a good place to start; and 2] What this is really all about is having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Lord, and being more like Him every day.

PRAYER? 021715

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Bible Group Praying TogetherPrayer 1] Listen for God. Meditate on His Word. Apply the revelations you get to your life. Prayer 2] Don’t worry.  Give your problems to God; trust Him; get peace. Like Phil. 4:6-7.  Prayer 3] Trouble? Pray.  Sick? Pray for each other so that you may be healed.  God can and will fix it.  Pray together, pray separately, pray for each other, pray for those who depend on you.  Like James 5:13-20.   Continue reading →

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING. 012715

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One Bloom Many Buds“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: NKJV

The kind of prayer I’m talking about; the kind of prayer I think this passage is talking about is substantially different from regular praying, where you ask for things and intercede for others.  It’s not an activity where you’re focusing your conscious mind on God, and talking to Him about specific issues, or events, or material things in your life.  It’s more like an attitude, an awareness of God’s presence; Continue reading →

COPING WITH LIFE.021615

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Stress Burdens Sticky Notes Reminders for Stressful LifeYou know, every day with Jesus really IS sweeter than the day before; but sometimes the cares of this world just get you down.  There is too much to do and not enough time to do it all in. The bills are more than the income and lots of people standing in line waiting for their part.  You’re tired, exhausted, and you get depressed from all the toxins in your system caused by the fatigue.  There’s nothing you’d like better than to have one whole day just to sleep, and maybe another day to get organized, but all this stuff is still there demanding attention.  What do we do? Continue reading →

GOD’S VALENTINE.021415

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“God loved (loves) the world so much that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes (trusts) in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will[e] believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one,  .  .  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”  John 17:20, 23

To them [His saints] God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27

Happy Valentine’s Day!